It is ironic that just as the Democrats are losing their cookies (for the umpteenth time in the past few weeks) over a Trump tweet regarding the absurd sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone, the DOJ says it is dropping charges against Andrew McCabe, the proven liar, leaker, and hoax conspirator who was part of the coup cabal at the FBI along with Comey, Strzok, Page, et al. It seems also that Lt. Col. Vindman will not be investigated by the military.

There is one form of justice for Democrats  no charges ever  and a harsh form for any Republican. Roger Stone is mostly a figure of fun, a wannabe player who exaggerated his proximity to actual players. He is guilty of virtually nothing that warrants nine years in prison, but because the prosecutors, all attached to the Mueller team, had to have something to show for the $32M spent on their Russia hoax, they want him sent away to die in jail.

Is letting McCabe off the hook for lying and leaking a ploy? Are there more serious charges coming? He sure doesn't think so. He's so self-absorbed that he is complaining about what his family has been through for two years! His family! He and his cohorts have ruined numerous lives with their baseless witch hunts; the families of all of them have endured far more hardship than the weasel McCabe. Some have lost everything. It is doubtful that McCabe and his team of traitors have ever given a thought to what they have put the president and his family through except perhaps with glee. This bunch that tried to take down a candidate, then a president they decided should not hold that office are arrogant beyond belief; they're smug, elitist white-collar criminals all, and it's beginning to seem as if they are all going to get away with their treasonous crimes.

We are told that A.G. Barr and John Durham are getting to the bottom of this grand scheme. We've just learned that Barr has assigned a special investigator to revisit the Michal Flynn case, the other beleaguered man the FBI and the Mueller team set out to destroy. Barr, on his own, without any interference from the president, decided to look into the ridiculous sentence recommendation for Stone. The prosecutors apparently lied to the DOJ, told them one thing and the judge another. As Monica Showalter wrote here, quoting Brian Cates, about what happened in November:

1) Trump suddenly nominates US Attorney Jessie Liu to a top Treasury Dept. job, she accepts; Trump nominates Timothy O'Shea to replace her. She is the one who has been guiding the Stone case. 2) all 4 prosecutors suddenly agree amongst themselves they will brief the DOJ one sentencing recommendation, but then actually file a far more lengthy recommendation with the court. With me so far? There is only one reason these prosecutors would do this. They expected to get COVER from both the US ATTORNEY overseeing the case and from THE JUDGE presiding over the case in court. Despite DOJ complaints about the tactic, Liu & Judge Jackson have their backs.

We also just learned that the judge in Stone's case, Amy Berman Jackson, allowed a viciously partisan woman onto the jury who became the forewoman. Jackson refused Stone's lawyers' bid to exempt several jurors who never should have been seated. Activist or incompetent? (Incompetents invariably make trouble for people other than themselves.) It is more likely that she is an anti-Trump activist and not an impartial jurist.

Either way, something is very, very wrong at the DOJ. Jeff Lord sums up the corruption that enveloped the Stone trial. The truth however rarely, if ever, matters to the talking heads at CNN and MSNBC. As with moths to a flame, Trump's tweet was instantly the next reason to impeach the President...again. Like a Greek chorus, every anchor and every leftist guest was "outraged" at Trump's interference with the Stone trial even though they all surely knew he did no such thing. They continue to believe that the American people are easily misled and will swallow their lies and propaganda, but most Americans no longer pay any attention to CNN or MSNBC. The impeachment crowd have learned nothing from their impeachment fiasco, not one thing. They are the Wile E. Coyote, and Trump is the Roadrunner.

It is by now undeniable that it was the Obama administration that weaponized the FBI, CIA, and DOJ. Barr is tasked with cleaning up the mess Obama left behind, to rid the DOJ of all the human IEDs among the personnel, people like Vindman, Yates, McCabe, and the rest of our self-appointed betters. Barr and Durham cannot let McCabe skate and, at the same time, send Stone and Flynn to prison. That would be an enormous miscarriage of justice and would forever render those agencies untrustworthy and so untrusted, only to be feared. The nation cannot survive the institutionalization of two-tiered law enforcement, one that is soft on real criminals, as NYC, S.F., and L.A. certainly are; soft on political schemers like Hillary Clinton and her phalanx of opposition researchers; and lethal for those deemed problematic or inconvenient for those with power. "There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and in the name of justice" (Montesquieu).

It is way past time for the good guys to take over. Let us hope Barr and Durham will clean the Augean stables and that these tainted law enforcement institutions can be rehabilitated. For that to happen, the thugs who orchestrated this despicable coup must suffer the consequences of their illegal acts. The most serious political scandal in American history cannot go unpunished.
Harvey Weinstein leaves a Manhattan courtroom during his rape trial in New York, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020.

Associated Press/Richard Drew

Harvey Weinstein was convicted on Monday of first-degree criminal sex act and third-degree rape after a weeks-long trial in New York City trial.

Over the last two years, Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women  yet only two women's allegations have resulted in criminal convictions so far.

Two of Weinstein's accusers who were not involved in the criminal case  Rowena Chiu and Lauren Sivan  told Insider they watched the trial from afar and had hoped he would be convicted and sentenced to prison time.

But they added that they've struggled to handle the backlash in their own lives from coming forward publicly, upset at the way their narratives have spiraled beyond their control.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

When Rowena Chiu finally went public with her sexual misconduct allegation against Harvey Weinstein, she said telling her story reminded her of caring for a newborn baby: Its existence was completely dependent on her.

"It can't roll over, it can't crawl away, it relies on you for every single feed," Chiu told Insider.

"But then very quickly it becomes a toddler and it grows sturdy little legs and it runs away from you," she added.

In the fall of 2019, with Weinstein's trial looming and interest from national media high, Chiu was bombarded with requests to discuss what happened to her in 1998 when she worked as Weinstein's assistant.

It was a secret she hadn't shared with anyone in 20 years, not even her husband, until she decided to break her nondisclosure agreement.

Rowena Chiu - former British assistant to Harvey Weinstein - is seen on January 7, 2020 outside the ITV Television Studios in White City, London, England, UK.

Associated Press

Chiu said in recent months she's had to repeatedly describe her allegations that Weinstein summoned her to a hotel room in 1998 and tried to rape her. She said reporters constantly ask her about parts of her allegations she'd rather not remember, like how she wore two layers of tights to protect herself and how Weinstein peeled off both of them.

Story continues

She also said the media's focus has often zoomed straight to the most salacious parts of her story, and she wishes they would focus more on the racial aspect of her allegations, such as how Weinstein used pervasive stereotypes about Chinese people to victimize her.

Harvey Weinstein on his way to court.

Raymond Hall/GC Images/Getty

Weinstein, she alleged, told her he'd "never had a Chinese girl" before. She said he seemed to buy into racist tropes about Asian women's deference, telling her they were discreet and knew how to keep secrets.

"How race plays into sexual assault is quite dark and difficult, but it is hard to make that story stick in mainstream media," Chiu said. "I was a Chinese person, and I was expected to be compliant, and I was expected not to complain."

Since sharing her story, Chiu has kept an eye on the case and watched with outrage as Weinstein's defense team pushed their own narrative, casting doubt on his accusers and portraying them as opportunists rather than victims.

One Weinstein accuser said she's struggled to find work after going public

The jury, composed of seven men and five women, convicted Weinstein of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape on February 24. Chiu and Weinstein's other accusers said they had desperately hoped the trial would result in a criminal conviction and a prison sentence.

Weinstein has not been charged with the vast majority of the public allegations against him for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the women's allegations were past the statute of limitations. In others, the women simply didn't want to take their claims to court.

Ultimately, Weinstein was convicted in New York of sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann in 2013. He was acquitted of the two most serious charges that would have landed him with a potential life sentence in prison: predatory sexual assault.

Currently, Weinstein faces up to 29 years in prison  25 for criminal sexual act, and four for rape.

Mimi Haleyi, left, and Jessica Mann, right, gave emotional testimonies during Harvey Weinstein's trial.

Associated Press/Mark Lennihan; Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

But for the dozens of other women whose allegations did not result in criminal charges, they say their lives have changed in a number of ways since they came forward publicly  and not necessarily for the better.

Two of them  Chiu and the journalist Lauren Sivan  told Insider during the trial that they're proud to see the #MeToo movement gain increasing strength and momentum because of their efforts, and to see women's allegations taken seriously in the media. But they said they've also borne personal costs from coming forward.

Sivan, who alleged two years ago that Weinstein once cornered her in a restaurant in 2007 and tried to kiss her, told Insider she has struggled to find work since she came forward.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 12: Lauren Sivan at the #MeToo Women's March In Hollywood, California on November 12, 2017.

Faye Sadou/MediaPunch/IPX

Though Weinstein's reputation is in tatters and his accusers have been somewhat vindicated by Monday's verdict, Sivan said she and the other accusers are generally viewed as troublemakers to potential employers.

"There's a label definitely on us," Sivan said. "When you Google any of us, this is what comes up. And so to a company, or for me, to a TV station, to place where we're all looking for work, a lot of people think twice now."

That flies in the face of what Weinstein's lead defense attorney, Donna Rotunno, has said about the accusers. In an interview last month, she told Insider she didn't believe any of Weinstein's accusers had lost work because they came forward.

She also said in her closing statements she believed the accuser Annabella Sciorra, who testified against Weinstein, even benefited from her involvement with the criminal case.

"Once again, she's a star. She has new agents. Now she is the darling of the movement of the minute," Rotunno told the jury.

Sivan said Rotunno's comments were inaccurate.

"These women have been silenced. They've been manipulated, they've been hunted by, by intelligence operatives, for God's sake," she said, referring to the private investigators Weinstein hired to keep tabs on some of his accusers. "This idea that they just made this choice to put their career first is ridiculous."

Lauren Sivan, center, speaks at a news conference outside a Manhattan courthouse after Harvey Weinstein arrived, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020 in New York.

Associated Press/Mark Lennihan

Sivan's story has garnered particular interest in the last two years, given the bizarre details she shared. She alleged that when she rejected Weinstein's advances, he told her to "stand there and shut up," then masturbated in front of her and ejaculated into a potted plant.

Sivan said she didn't regret sharing her story, and that she thinks it was worthwhile to help break down the stigma sexual assault survivors face. Beyond that, she said she was contacted by police in both New York City and Los Angeles for interviews. She said even though her allegations were past the statute of limitations, she was happy to help them however she could.

But she said she also doesn't want to be forever linked to the Weinstein story.

"I worked 20 years to build my career as a journalist. I did everything I possibly could  I got as much experience as I possibly could. And now I'm known with this one story," she said. "I don't think anyone wants to be known for someone ejaculating in front of them."

This article has been updated.

Read the original article on Insider
An expert has warned parents that obsessing over supermarket collectibles is having a negative effect on their children.

On Wednesday, Australian supermarket Coles released its new fruit and vegetable-inspired Stikeez range.

Associate Professor of Marketing Jana Bowden from Macquarie University said parents obsessing over the new figurines - and others such as Woolworths Ooshies - are encouraging the same behaviour in their children.

An expert has warned parents that their behaviour is negatively impacting children during the Coles and Woolworths collectables craze

Coles' new figurines (pictured) launched on February 12 and parents can get their hands on one after spending $30

'That particular aspect is potentially harmful because it encourages obsessive behaviour, compulsive behaviour and addictive collecting behaviour,' she told Yahoo.

However, she also said that the collectables bring families together.

'They draw customers in and the key thing is getting the whole family shopping together, where children arent normally involved in the shopping decision-making,' she said.

'These kinds of campaigns bring families together and socialise children in to what to shop for, how to shop for them and when to spend money. So it's clever in starting the shopping cycle early on.'

Shoppers can get their hands on the new Coles collectables range for every $30 spent at the checkout in-store or online.

The limited-edition collection features 24 new characters, based on essential food groups, including fruits, vegetables, dairy, proteins and grains.
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) released a new National Counterintelligence Strategy document on Monday which outlines a new approach to US counterintelligence that places emphasis on foreign and other adversarial threats from non-state actors.

The document, entitled National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States of America, 2020-2022, is dated January 7, 2020 and signed by President Donald Trump. It states that the US is facing an expanding array of foreign intelligence threats by adversaries who are using increasingly sophisticated methods to harm the United States.

As compared to the previous NCSC strategy released during the Obama administration at the end of 2015, the new orientation is to the threats posed to the interests of US imperialism around the world by digital technologies, online information and social media. In releasing the strategy document, NCSC Director William Evanina said that it represents a paradigm shift in addressing foreign intelligence threats as a nation.

The swearing in of William Evanina as Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) on May 15, 2018 [Photo credit: dni.gov]

Pointing to the ongoing partnership between US intelligence and the technology industry on a range of operations, Evanina said, With the private sector and democratic institutions increasingly under attack, this is no longer a problem the U.S. Government can address alone. It requires a whole-of-society response involving the private sector, an informed American public, as well as our allies.

The NCSC Director goes on, Sound counterintelligence and security procedures must become part of everyday American business practices. Implementing the strategy will require partnerships, information sharing, and innovation across public and private sectors. Evanina, of course, does not mention the fact that no greater threat exists to democratic institutions and an informed American public than the US national intelligence apparatus.

The intelligence strategy document is very brief, uses generalizations and is short on the details of any specific threats. It also provides only broad outlines of its plan of action and does not go into the specifics of what counterintelligence measures will be taken to combat the threats it does enumerate. This is the modus operandi of the American intelligence agencies: say as little as possible, repeat the age-old lies about promoting democracy around the world and then get on with the secret and criminal business of US-sponsored mayhem and murder.

The NCSC strategy document lists the top foreign intelligence threats to US interests as Russiarepeating the well-worn but never proven assertion that the country is seeking to instigate and exacerbate tensions and instability in the United States, including interfering with the security of our electionsand China.

The document also mentions the US adversaries Cuba, Iran and North Korea as well as the organizations Hezbollah, ISIS and al-Qaeda only once before moving on to its primary concern: the significant threats posed by the ideologically motivated entities such as hacktivists, leaktivists and public disclosure organizations.

The inclusion of individuals and organizations involved in exposing government and corporate criminalitysuch as WikiLeaks and its publisher Julian Assange as well as other journalists and news sites both within and outside the country that are prepared to tell the public the truthmakes clear that left-wing, socialist and other alternative political websites will be the target of sustained US counterintelligence activities in the coming period.

Of significant concern for US intelligence is the impact of alternative and socialist political ideas and perspectives being disseminated among the US population under conditions of growing class conflict, political hostility to the government and both parties of the capitalist ruling elite and distrust of the corporate-controlled media.

The NCSC document emphasizes influence campaigns in the United States to undermine confidence in our democratic institutions and processes and sow division in our society, exert leverage over the United States and weaken our alliances. This is the exact same language used by US intelligence during the concocted campaign over Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. While no evidence was ever presented proving that the Russian state was engage in an influence campaign in 2016, the US corporate media incessantly reported and continues to report it as well-established fact.

The document then states that the influence campaigns are designed, for example, to sway public opinion against US Government policies or in favor of foreign agendas, influence and deceive key decision makers, alter public perceptions, and amplify conspiracy theories.  Our adversaries regard deception or manipulation of the views of U.S. citizens and policymakers to be an effective, inexpensive, and low-risk method for achieving their strategic objectives.

It then states that US adversaries are using a range of communications media to enable their covert influence campaigns. Using false U.S. personas, foreign intelligence entities develop and operate social media sites and other forums to draw the attention of U.S. audiences, spread misinformation, and deliver divisive messages.

The NCSC is a department within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a member of the US presidential Cabinet. Joseph Maguire, a retired US Navy Vice Admiral after 36 years of military service, is currently the Acting Director of National Intelligence.

Officially, the purpose of US counterintelligence is to block the intelligence activities of foreign powers and to identity entities who are at risk of intelligence collection or attack by foreign adversaries. However, US counterintelligence operations have always involved secret, murky and criminal activities carried out in the interests of US imperialism throughout the world.

The targeting of hacktivists, leaktivists and public disclosure organizations in the new strategy of US counterintelligence makes it clear that a major assault on First Amendment rights of free speech and freedom of the press is being prepared. Due to the global nature of the internet, online publishing and social media, it is impossible for US state agencies to make a clear distinction between what it considers foreign and domestic threats.

Proof that the blurring of national boundary lines of counterintelligence is already underway was evident in the statement made by NCSC Director Evanina at a gathering of cybersecurity officials on February 4. As an example of the actions to come, Evanina presented the Justice Departments recent charges against the head of Harvards chemistry and biology department, Charles Lieber, for making false statements about his participation in a Chinese research program.

Furthermore, the use of the Espionage Act against individualsincluding former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who revealed the massive and illegal surveillance of the public by the statefor leaking information related to national security is part of the escalation of state repression against whistleblowers.

The Trump administration brought multiple charges against Assange on May 23, 2019 as part of the campaign to have the WikiLeaks founder and editor extradited to the US from Britain.

Assange faces a 175-year prison sentence, or possibly the death penalty, in the US for courageously exposing the crimes of US imperialism against the people of the world. Meanwhile, whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been imprisoned for nearly a year for refusing to testify against him.

The defense of basic democratic rights such as free speech and freedom of the pressand the immediate release of Assange and Manningrequires a mass political struggle by the working class internationally against the drive by the capitalist system toward dictatorship and war and for the abolition of the NSA, CIA, NCSC and all other such organizations.
She serves on the board for a park venue in Elgin, so she said she has been trying to help brides recreate their vision in a new place, though it may not be the same as what they planned.
US Ambassador summoned to Foreign Ministry: SL protests over blacklisting of Army Chief By Our Diplomatic Editor View(s): View(s):

United States Ambassador Allaina B. Teplitz has been summoned to the Foreign Relations Ministry today to be told of the governments displeasure over the travel ban on Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Shavendra de Silva, considered a war hero in Sri Lanka, and his family.

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, who will meet her at noon today, will tell her that Sri Lanka is not pleased with the action of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. On Friday, the US designated that the current Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Acting Chief of Defence Staff be blacklisted due to credible information of his involvement, through command responsibility, in gross violations of human rights, namely extrajudicial killings, by the 58th Division of the Sri Lanka Army during the final phase of Sri Lankas Civil War in 2009. Mr. Pompeo made the declaration under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act.

A Foreign Relations Ministry source said the meeting today, despite being a Sunday, underscored the importance Sri Lanka attached to the issue.

The source noted that the US action came days before the UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva is set to issue its report on Sri Lanka. This is on the originally US-backed resolution calling, among other matters, for an international court of inquiry to probe alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.

The Foreign Relations Ministry said the travel restrictions were based on independently unverified information.

In an email to the Sunday Times yesterday, the US embassy in Colombo said the announcement does not place additional restrictions on security assistance or military engagement in Sri Lanka nor does it represent a shift in policy or desire to limit engagement more broadly with the government and people of Sri Lanka.

The US embassy added that no other Sri Lankan officials had been publicly designated under Section 7031 (c) to date. We have no comment about any potential designation beyond those related to Lt. Gen. Silva and his immediate family members.

A Sri Lankan Government official close to the dialogue that went on between the two governments said that the matter was first raised under the US Leahy Amendment when President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Lt. Gen. Silva as Army Commander, and US policy makers had hoped the matter would be quietly resolved with the retirement of Lt. Gen Silva in January, until President Sirisena gave him an extension before leaving office. Then Lt. Gen. Silva was also made acting Chief of Defence Staff, the highest military post.

During the recent visit of US Assistant Secretary at the State Department Alison Wells, accompanied by a Director of National Security of the Donald Trump White House, the matter had been raised with both, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

However, the US side is emphasising the issue is individual specific (though the family is also blacklisted) and will not have any impact on military-to-military cooperation such as training and joint operations, economic/technical assistance and trade.

The official said it would be difficult to understand how military-to-military cooperation could continue with the head of the Sri Lankan Army blacklisted.

The UNs (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) report in September 2015 referred to the allegations against Lt. Gen. Silva and troops under his command as a human rights investigation  and not a criminal investigation. Individual criminal responsibility can only be determined by a Court of Law with all necessary due process guaranteed.

During two domestic investigations in which Lt. Gen. Silva appeared in person, viz., the LLRC (Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission) and the Paranagama Commission, no substantive evidence was found against the conduct of Lt. Gen. Silva.

Retired military officers told the Sunday Times that several independent reports have made allegations of war crimes committed by US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

They said that the US Government should make public evidence of war crimes allegedly committed and asked why the listing announcement was otherwise made public when their law provided for it to be private, i.e. such as to refuse a visa when applying for one.

Diplomatic sources said that the US Government could always cancel the listing at any time in the future and cited the example of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also being once similarly listed.

Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) issued a statement yesterday welcoming the US decision to designate Lt. Gen. Silva. The party noted that the TNA had earlier condemned Lt. Gen. Silvas appointment as Army Commander due to allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights violations against him during the final phase of the war, when he commanded the Armys 58th Division.

It added that the party hoped that the development would open the eyes of the Sri Lankan Government, which had opposed taking accountability measures even 10 years after the war coming to an end. We consider this as a minor improvement as a result of continuous protests by the war-affected Tamil people, it said.

Army Spokesman Brigadier Chandana Wickramasinghe stated the Army Commander had not requested a visa to visit the US and had no further comment.

External timelines would hinder reconciliation: Lanka tells UN Sri Lanka told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday (13) that timelines evolved externally would only hinder the countrys reconciliation process. Speaking during a one-day debate titled Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace: Transitional Justice in conflict and post-conflict situations, Sri Lankas Permanent Representative Kshenuka Senewiratne stated that such externally evolved timelines would hinder the reconciliation process since they would be bereft of ground realities. The ambassador added that when seeking mechanisms of transitional justice, related simple theories would need to also take cognizance of the various historical, cultural and religious sensitivities. Ms. Senewiratne said the basic tenet of a transitional justice process was the application of its theoretical principles on State obligations and it was the State that needed to pursue truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence. Sri Lankas envoy pointed out that newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had pledged to work towards guaranteeing human rights and political and economic freedom for his people in a truly democratic Sri Lanka. She informed the Security Council that Sri Lankas engagement at the debate was in keeping with the Governments vision for a country that embodied the universal values of human rights, justice, rule of law and good governance, while ensuring economic dividends to its people. She said Sri Lanka looked forward to continuing its cooperation with the international community through capacity building and technical assistance in mutually agreed areas, in keeping with domestic priorities and policies.
New Patterns of Evidence film examines biblical miracle: Parting of the Red Sea

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Patterns of Evidence filmmaker Tim Mahoney is gearing up to release the next installment in his series of archaeological and scientific investigations into historical biblical accounts. His latest film looks at the Exodus miracle of the parting of the Red Sea.

The biblical account of the parting of the Red Sea is found in Exodus 14 and details the Israelites' escape from slavery led by Moses as the Egyptian army pursued them.

Following the success of Mahoney's previous award-winning "Patterns of Evidence" projects, he believes this film, like the others, will refute secular scholars claims that the Bible is mere fiction and do so in a way that is understood by people worldwide.

Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle, a Thinking Man Films production, will be in select theaters nationwide for one day only on Feb. 18 through Fathom Events.

The following is an edited transcript of The Christian Post's interview with Mahoney who has been investigating biblical accounts for over 20 years. In the interview he detailed what it was like to retrace the steps of Moses and the Israelites as he searched for archaeological evidence to create Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle Part 1 and 2.

The Christian Post: In the film you describe the Egyptian and Hebrew accounts of the parting of the Red Sea. Most Christians visualize the Charlton Heston version of that account, which you said you have also done. Can you explain the two positions?

Mahoney: When we make a Patterns of Evidence film we look for a way to explain the different viewpoints that are being used to explain biblical events such as the Red Sea miracle.

In this new film, we identified what we termed an Egyptian Approach which believes that the Exodus account borrowed Egyptian words to describe the crossing location. And they believe these words point to the crossing at one of the reedy lakes near the border of Egypt.

The other viewpoint we call the Hebrew Approach disagrees with a near Egypt location. They believe that the words used to describe the location where Moses and the Israelites crossed are Hebrew words and do not have a connection to Egypt. They also point to other biblical references that place the sea of the Exodus at the Gulf of Aqaba.

CP: In the film you also explain the importance of the Hebrew and Egyptian translations of individual words when discussing the parting of the sea account. How revealing was the actual translation in your research?

Mahoney: What we know is that the sea was first called Yam Suph" in Hebrew. Centuries later it is translated into Greek as Red Sea. Over time people also called the location Sea of Reeds. What we would learn is that reeds dont grow in saltwater, they grow in freshwater. The Egyptian approach believes that the word Suph might be a translation from the Egyptian word Pa Tufy which means place of reeds.

Yet, the Hebrew Approach challenges this connection claiming that Moses was writing an eyewitness account to Hebrews using Hebrew words and Hebrew meanings, not Egyptian.

CP: What were you most surprised to find out about the parting of the sea?

Mahoney: This is the first film of a two-part film event. The Red Sea Miracle part 1 (in theaters on Feb. 18) really lays out two distinctly different ways people see God working in a miracle. The Egyptian Approach sees the parting as a naturalistic event where wind was the agent and it moved water naturally. The miracle would be in the timing.

The Hebrew Approach primarily believes that the miracle was not only caused by wind but that God miraculously parted the water. The depth of the water would not be a problem for the God of the Bible who created the universe.

CP: What would you like for others to take from this new installment of Patterns of Evidence?

Mahoney: We all are faced with difficult times in our lives, when we think we are not going to make it. We are trapped at the sea with the Egyptians behind us. But God wants us to call on Him and trust Him for the solution to our dilemma.

CP: Have your discoveries impacted historians' beliefs about these biblical accounts?

Mahoney: I have learned that many historians dont change their minds once they declare a position. But I am OK with that. I enjoy hearing what they believe and why they believe it. I couldnt make these films without them. I do think I have help raise the awareness of these questions about the historical credibility and have shown a pattern of evidence that matches the biblical events. At the end of the day, its up to the viewer to decide if these films make sense. But it will give them a lot to think about. Thats why we call our company Thinking Man Films.

CP: What's next for the "Patterns of Evidence" series?

Mahoney: The "Red Sea Miracle" part 2 (in theaters on May 5), thats when we look closer at the locations for the sea's parting. We will look at how the sea was parted [and] was it naturalistic or supernatural, which depends [on] where you place the crossing.

We will also look to see if claims of chariot wheels on the bottom of the seafloor have any merit.

And finally, we will explore the question of miracles. What is a miracle and do they still happen today?
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 08:58:14|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- A WeChat function to translate Hubei dialects into standard Mandarin has been launched in order to help medical teams better communicate with local patients when fighting against the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to Beijing Evening News.

The dialect translation function has collected 156 words and 75 phrases originating from Wuhan, Xiangyang, Yichang, Huangshi, Jingzhou, Ezhou, Xiaogan, Huanggang and Xianning of central China's Hubei Province, center of the coronavirus outbreak, said the newspaper.

The translation function is also available in instant translation software and audio software.

A total of 189 medical teams comprised of 21,569 medical workers had been sent to Hubei to help combat the coronavirus disease COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to the National Health Commission.
Technavio has been monitoring the halloumi cheese market and it is poised to grow by USD 403.21 million during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200214005343/en/

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This study identifies growth in the global cheese market as one of the prime reasons driving the halloumi cheese market growth during the next few years.

Halloumi Cheese Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the halloumi cheese market, including some of the vendors such as Almarai, Charalambides Christis, LA FROMAGERIE POLYETHNIQUE, Petrou Bros Dairy Products and Pittas. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the halloumi cheese market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Halloumi Cheese Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist halloumi cheese market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the halloumi cheese market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the halloumi cheese market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of halloumi cheese market vendors

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London: A planned visit to the UK by the Australian Parliament's powerful intelligence and security committee has been abruptly cancelled amid a diplomatic row over Boris Johnson's controversial decision to allow Chinese telco Huawei into its 5G network.

The committee was supposed to travel to Britain in late March and spend the first week of April meeting the House of Commons intelligence committee, Britain's security agencies and other high-level national security figures, as part of the countries' mutual links and membership of the elite Five Eyes spying club.

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie chairs the powerful Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can reveal the trip has been suddenly cancelled.

It comes after the ABC revealed that the UK High Commissioner Victoria Treadell, a civil servant, penned an angry letter to two of Australia's most prominent MPs working in the national security space, demanding an explanation over an explosive leak revealed last week by the Herald and The Age that embarrassed the British.
AIA Suwa Diriya, a new life insurance plan View(s):

In AIAs quest to keep Sri Lankans financially secure, the insurance provider has introduced the AIA Suwa Diriya; a life insurance plan that helps you to be adequately armed in the battle against critical illness.

As a life insurance provider, AIA said in a media release that it understands the importance of keeping your loved ones protected. That is why financial security for the living is vitally important particularly things dont always go as planned and unwelcomed things can happen.

AIA said critical illnesses such as, cancer or heart disease, are some of the things we all dread and fear. But the fact is that a critical illness can strike anyone, of any age, at any time. And if it does, it can cause a huge financial strain on you and your family.

AIAs Suwa Diriya is the first -of- its- kind health and life insurance plan in Sri Lanka that provides coverage for the most common critical illnesses; Cancer, Heart Disease, Stroke and Kidney Failure. The cover provides coverage against even early stages of cancer and for certain minor heart conditions, which are usually not covered in a traditional insurance plan for critical illness. It also offers a host of unique features and benefits to ensure you are financially worry free. For example, the Recovery Benefit, provides a monthly payout and the Premium Waiver Benefit allows you to focus on your recovery rather than paying premiums for the plan. And if you are fortunate enough to not have to make a claim, youll have a No Claim Privilege which increases your cover limit. Basically, your critical illness and Life Benefit limits are increased by 10 per cent per year, for every year that you do not make a claim. Your covers will get increased until you reach 150 per cent of your original cover limit or until you make a claim. And in the unfortunate event you pass away, the Life Cover will go to your loved ones, it said.

Also AIA donates Rs. 100 on behalf of every policy sold this year to the Sri Lanka Cancer Society.
A rickshaw puller in an Uttar Pradesh village adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted him to attend his daughters wedding.

Mangal Kewat, a resident of Domri village, had sent the wedding invitation to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) in Delhi, according to news agency Asian News International.

ANI said Kewat had in his letter urged Prime Minister Modi to visit them for his daughters wedding on February 12.

Some of my friends asked me to send an invitation to Modiji so I sent one to Delhi and one to his Varanasi office, he said, according to IANS.

Watch | PM Modi sends letter to rickshaw puller on daughters wedding

The Prime Minister, in turn, sent a letter to Kewat, congratulating him on his daughters wedding, ANI reported. Modi also conveyed his blessings to her and the family.

Kewat received the letter on the day of his daughter wedding.

I never expected a response but now that we have got his letter, we are overjoyed. I have shown the letter to all the guests at my daughters wedding, he said.

Kevat, a staunch devotee of the Ganga, spends a part of his earnings to offer prayers to the river. He is also is an active participant in the Swachh Bharat campaign.

He was enrolled as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party by the Prime Minister during the BJPs membership campaign.
Photo credit: XPOS - BACKGRID

From ELLE

The Jonas Brothers are on tour in Europe right now, but an evening concert gave Nick Jonas plenty of time to take his wife Priyanka Chopra out on a lunch date this Valentine's Day. The ever-stylish couple was photographed out in Milan today.

The two complemented each other in black pieces: Chopra had on a black polka dot jumpsuit with a cream coat while Jonas wore a black puffer vest with jeans and a blue print top. Both wore dark sunglasses to complete their looks and held hands, because romance!

Photo credit: XPOS - BACKGRID

The two's date comes days after outlets reported that Jonas' older brother Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner are expecting their first child together. The couple has not commented on the rumors, but both shared Instagram tributes to the other for Valentine's Day.

Photo credit: Instagram

Chopra and her husband also shared Instagram tributes in honor of the holiday. Chopra wrote in hers, "My forever valentine.. .. He just happens to look like GI joe in those leather pants!!  #husbandappreciationpost."



Jonas, meanwhile, shared a cute clip of the "dance party" the two had before the Jonas Brothers took the stage. "Pre show dance party with my forever Valentine. @priyankachopra #valentines," he wrote.

Chopra spoke to ELLE.com last month about how being with Jonas has influenced her style. He's just someone to run looks by if she wants. "We have a lot of individuality when it comes to what we decide each on ourselves and, and we are very individualist people as well, in our professions," she started. "We come together in our lives in a big way and yes, that is majorly intertwined. So, if I choose an outfit, I guess I'd be like what do you think? And he'd be like what do you think? But we predominantly let each other have a very individual style. So, there's unity about what we want to wear."

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HURON COUNTY  A shop for gun repairs has opened up in Huron County, thanks to one residents lifelong interest in what makes guns work.

Brandon Krohn opened up Krohn Gunsmithing a few months ago, which is a small shop located in a large shed next to his parents house outside of Owendale.

As a gunsmith, Krohn works on repairing guns, customizing guns, and educating people who want more information about them. Most of his work in the shop goes into polishing the metal parts that make up guns, or bluing.

A graduate of Laker Schools, Krohn went to the Colorado School of Trade to learn how to be a gunsmith, as there are no such schools in Michigan.

He earned an associate of occupational studies degree after going through the 14-month long program. When he came back to Huron County after receiving his degree, he had little money to work with, so his parents have helped him get his business off the ground.

I did ask Randys (Hunting Center) if they had any use for a gunsmith, but I got caught up in farming, Krohn said, So I wanted to do it on my own."

Krohns interest in guns goes back to his childhood, when he would go hunting with his father, Jeffrey. He would show him how to reload ammunition into a rifle, and since then enjoyed learning how guns work.

I like working with puzzles and solving problems, Krohn said, likening his interest in repairing guns to that of a puzzle.

Some of Krohns favorite kinds of work include attaching scopes and putting glass beds in rifles to make the stock stronger.

The shop occupies the front corner of the shed, with the rest of it taken up by cold storage for the family's farming equipment during the winter.

Krohn does see this more as a part-time, seasonal activity for him, as he still works on the familys cash-crop farm during the summer.

Krohn has a federal firearms license, which allows him to order gun parts online if necessary.

Krohn Gunsmithing can be reached at 989-553-1434.
In the months after her mother's disappearance, Sarah Ristevski was trapped in a nightmare.

She felt like a zombie, not sleeping or eating as the search for Karen Ristevski became more desperate. Just 21 years old, she did not know that her mother was already dead.

Sarah Ristevski, the daughter of Karen Ristevski who was killed by her father Borce. Credit:60 Minutes

The nightmare only got worse for Sarah, as she watched her father, Borce Ristevski, deny his involvement for years before finally admitting in court that he had killed his wife and dumped the body.

Ristevski has never revealed how or why he did it, causing untold grief for Karen's family. A highly anticipated television interview with Sarah could help answer some of the questions left unresolved.
Barbara Remington, the illustrator who created the most widely recognized covers for J.R.R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit  which she quickly executed before she even had the chance to read the books  died on Jan. 23 in Susquehanna, Pa. She was 90.

Her longtime friend John Bromberg said the cause was breast cancer.

Though the covers of the first editions of The Lord of the Rings had illustrations by various artists, including Tolkien himself, the ones that Ms. Remington created for the paperback versions published by Ballantine Books were the ones that achieved mass-cult status in the 1960s, particularly on college campuses.

Ms. Remington, who designed other book covers for Ballantine as well, was asked to illustrate the 1965 editions of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit on a tight deadline.

Ballantine was in a hurry to get these books out right away, she said in an interview for the literary journal Andwerve. When they commissioned me to do the artwork, I didnt have the chance to see either book, though I tried to get a copy through my friends.
Hoda Kotb has paid tribute to her eldest daughter Haley Joy on Valentine's Day in honor of the three-year anniversary of her adoption.

The 55-year-old Today anchor took to social media on February 14 to post photos of three-year-old Haley as a newborn and on her past two birthdays.

'I believe in miracles. Three years ago my first one happened. My only request is to Father Time. Please slow down,' Hoda captioned the heartwarming images.

Scroll down for video

Aww: Hoda Kotb took to social media on Valentine's Day to share throwback photos of her eldest daughter Haley Joy in honor of the three-year anniversary of her adoption

Baby love: 'I believe in miracles. Three years ago my first one happened. My only request is to Father Time. Please slow down,' Hoda captioned the heartwarming images

In the first photo, which may have been taken on the day she was adopted, Hoda is lovingly looking down at her newborn daughter while holding her in her arms.

The next snapshot shows her eldest child digging into her cake on her first birthday, while the final picture was taken last year at the little girl's Sesame Street-themed second birthday party.

Hoda's birthday messages for Haley have always been shared on February 14, but that is actually the day she was adopted, not born.

'Haley, our now-three-year-old, has two birthdays: the day she was born and the day she was born to us. So the day she was born to us, is Valentine's Day,' the mom explained on the Today show on Friday.

The journalist admitted at the start of the segment that the romantic holiday hasn't always been a great day for her.

Throwback: One of the images shows Haley at her second birthday party last year

Family: Hoda and her fiance Joel Schiffman also have a 10-month-old daughter Hope Catherine, whom they adopted in April 2019

'I actually met my first husband at a singles event on Valentine's Day, and to make matters a little bit more funky, my divorce papers came in the mail on Valentine's Day,' she told the live audience. 'I'm not kidding. Those two things happened.'

Hoda met her ex-husband Burzis Kanga at a fundraiser for the American Heart Association, and after a whirlwind romance, they wed in 2005.

She filed for divorce in 2007, the same year she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Their divorce was finalized the following year.

Hoda has been with her fiance, financier Joel Schiffman, for six years, and he was nothing but supportive when she broached the subject of adoption with him.

They welcomed Haley in February 2017, and they adopted her baby sister, Hope Catherine, two years later in April 2019.

Proud mom: Hoda revealed on the Today show on Friday that they celebrate two birthdays for Haley: one for the day she was born and one for the day she was adopted

Yikes: Hoda admitted that she met her ex-husband Burzis Kanga at a singles event on Valentine's Day, and their divorce papers arrived on Valentine's Day a few years later

'Ever since I met Joel, my life has obviously changed a lot since then,' Hoda added, recalling the day she became a mom. 'So Valentine's Day goes full circle.'

Hoda's co-host Jenna Bush Hager was moved by her Valentine's Day story and started to tear up.

'Why when Hoda talks about her daughter do I cry?' she asked.

Although it's a special day for her family, Hoda said her mother is in town, and she doesn't think they are going to do anything special. However, she admitted that she would like a small gesture from Joel.

'I like when someone remembers, even if it's a card,' she said. 'And I know everyone says, 'Well, it's a Hallmark kind of holiday." Like who cares, I like a card on Valentine's Day.'

Okay, I hope Joel is watching,' Jenna joked.
A Winnipeg councillor is seeking to stop one flag-raising event, and get city hall to reconsider the practice altogether.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg councillor is seeking to stop one flag-raising event, and get city hall to reconsider the practice altogether.

Coun. Shawn Nason (Transcona) said a flag-raising planned for the Republic of Kosovo on Wednesday has sparked concerns from the citys Serbian community.

A local Serbian reverend and Nason both say the event should be cancelled, due to tensions between the two regions. The complaint is based on war-time conflicts and the fact some countries dont recognize Kosovos independence.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.

Rev. Sinisa Milutinovic, of the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, said he has received many complaints from community members about the flag-raising, which he sees as "picking a side."

"This conflict is something thats really, really painful for our community," he said Friday.

Nason said hes concerned about the implications of flag-raisings and believes the city should reconsider the entire practice.

"(We should) ensure that were not raising one community above the other. So perhaps its time to reconsider the honorary flag-raising to ensure that situations like this do not occur," he said.

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The leader of a community group that represents Winnipeggers from Kosovo and Albania said shes surprised by the backlash, as she sees the flag-raising event as a celebration of diversity.

"Wed like to invite everybody to reflect (on) the lessons of the war and embrace our Canadian values of peace (and) diversity," said Kozeta Miliku, president of the Albanian-Canadian Community of Manitoba.

Miliku said Kosovo flag-raisings have taken place in several Canadian cities without issue.

In a written statement, a city spokesperson said Winnipeg allows one-day flag-raisings for nations recognized by the Canadian government, which includes Kosovo.

In an email, the mayors office said Mayor Brian Bowman will continue to support that policy.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
A man accused of buying petrol and helping to burn out a car used in an attempted murder will be tried at the Special Criminal Court in October.

James Gately, father-of-two from north inner city Dublin, was injured but survived after he was shot five times at a Topaz garage in Clonshaugh, north Dublin, on May 10th, 2017.

Mr Gately (31) was shot in the neck and upper chest while sitting in a car.

Caolan Smyth (28), with an address at Cuileann Court, Donore, Co Meath, was arrested and charged at Coolock Garda station in October 2019 and subsequently appeared before Judge Geraldine Carthy at Dublin District Court, where he was charged with attempted murder.

On January 20th, the DPP requested that Mr Smyth be tried in the Special Criminal Court and this request was granted.

Gary McAreavy, 52, of Castlebellingham, Co Louth, also appeared at Dublin District Court on the same day. He faces a connected charge of impeding a prosecution at Dromiskin, Co Louth, on May 10, 2017.

Judge Carthy set bail in his own bond of 1,000, of which 500 has to be lodged. Mr McAreavy was ordered to sign on daily at Dundalk Garda Station and obey a 9pm-7am curfew. Mr McAreavy was also granted legal aid.

State solicitor Ciara Vibien, for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) previously requested that Mr McAreavey be tried in Special Criminal Court 1 and this was granted.

In certain cases, the DPP can certify that in his or her opinion the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice.

On Monday, Mr Justice Tony Hunt fixed Monday, October 5th 2020 as Mr McAreavey's trial date. Mr McAreavey was in court for the hearing. Mr Smyth is also due to stand trial on that date.

It's alleged that on May 10th, 2017, at Newrath, Dromiskin, Co Louth, Mr McAreavy "did knowing or believing another person to be guilty of an offence of attempted murder or of some other arrestable offence, did without reasonable excuse an act with intent to impede his apprehension or prosecution, namely purchased petrol and assisted in the burning out of the vehicle used in the attempted murder".

Mr Justice Hunt remanded Mr McAreavy on continuing bail, and on the same terms and conditions, to appear on Thursday, May 28th when his case will be mentioned.
Amber Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp are in the midst of bitter court battle since they finalized their divorce in January 2017.

But it appears one of the stabilizing forces in the Aquaman star's personal life in recent months has been her new girlfriend, cinematographer, Bianca Butti.

'Amber is fine and happier than ever,' a source told Us Weekly of her new love.

New love: Amber Heard is said to be 'happier than ever' with her new girlfriend, Boianca Butti

'Bianca has been very supportive of her, and Amber feels like she can trust her and be comfortable around her, especially since they were friends first.'

That source added that Heard, 33, is 'enjoying spending time' with Butti, and has even gone as far as to say she 'really loves her'.

The couple's romance first made headlines in January when they were seen packing on the PDA while on holiday in resort town of Palm Springs, California.

During their getaway, the pair were seen sharing a number of passionate kisses moments after walking out of a hotel to their awaiting car.

PDA: A source told Us Weekly that Heard feels conformable showing affection with Butti in public; the couple are pictured at the Women's March in Los Angeles January 18, 2020

Shortly afterwards, a number of publications reported that they were in fact 'dating and hooking up', and that the actress was already feeling conformable showing affection with one another in public.

'Amber is not trying to be low key about it,' an insider said.

'[Amber] feels comfortable kissing Bianca and holding her hands in public at this point. They started as friends and it turned into something more.'

Heard was married to Depp from 2015 until 2017, but they've been caught in he said, she abuse claims that culminated with the Pirates Of The Caribbean star filing a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife.

Open book: 'Amber is not trying to be low key about it,' an insider said of their relationship

The A-list actor has steadfastly denied ever abusing Heard during their marriage and has maintained that her accusations of domestic violence in the media has negatively impacted his reputation and career.

Heard has denied his allegations, but just this week Dailymail.com exclusively obtained audio recordings where Heard admits to losing her temper and hitting Depp with 'pots, pans and vases.'

The actress opened up about her violent tantrums in the series of taped conversations the estranged couple made in 2015, when they were trying to talk through their marriage problems during a therapy session.

The defamation case is set to begin in August this year, after being pushed back from its February start date when Deep failed to meet a deadline to submit records of his drug and alcohol use.

The way they were: Depp and Heard finalized their divorce in January 2017; the defamation lawsuit filed by Deep against his ex-wife is slated to begin in August; they are pictured at the 58th Grammy Awards in February 2016




The chief judicial magistrates (CJM) court in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday filed a case against Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on a complaint filed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor who is also the MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

Tharoor had earlier sent a legal notice to Prasad seeking an unconditional apology for calling him a murder accused. But Prasad had rejected it and asked Tharoor to first apologize for calling Prime Minister Modi a scorpion sitting on a Shiv Linga. Later, Tharoor had filed a criminal defamation suit against him in the CJM court for allegedly making derogatory remarks in connection with his wife, Sunanda Pushkars death.

Prasad made the comment at a press conference in October 2018 in Delhi. In the conference he allegedly said, Shashi Tharoor who is accused in a murder case has no right to make this comment against the PM. Though the minister had not specified what murder case he was referring to, the reference was clear. Tharoors wife Sunanda Pushkar died mysteriously in a luxury hotel in New Delhi in 2014. The Delhi Police which is investigating the case had charged Tharoor with cruelty and abetment to suicide.

In his complaint, Tharoor had stated that the probe into the Sunanda Pushkar case had been completed and the Delhi Police had filed a final report before the Additional Metropolitan Magistrate court, in which he was charge sheeted under Sections 308 and 498 A of the Indian Penal Code.

The final report does not state that the death of the deceased was a murder, Tharoor had said. The Congress MP who appeared in the court on being summoned, was granted bail.
In September 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump gathered evangelical pastors, whose support he had courted assiduously, to discuss the political beliefs that they shared.

The Rev. Robert Jeffress, who leads the megachurch First Baptist Dallas and would preach at the church service Trump attended on the morning of his inauguration, recalls looking at the agenda and starting to discuss the first item. Trump interrupted him.

"Pastor, don't you think we ought to pray first?" Trump said, according to Jeffress.

As president, Trump has surrounded himself with a tightknit group of pastors like Jeffress, evangelical leaders who heap praise upon him for his socially conservative stances, his judicial appointments and his support for Israel's government. Trump often invites these pastors to pray and seems to enjoy hearing their professions of faith. Many of the pastors insist that Trump is a Christian believer.

But Trump - who recently mocked the expressions of faith of two devout politicians, the Catholic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the Latter-day Saint Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah - very rarely puts his own religious beliefs on display.

He does not belong to a church in Washington, though he refers to himself as a Presbyterian. He only occasionally attends a service, including multiple visits to St. John's Episcopal across from the White House, which past presidents historically have attended, and Christmas and Easter worship at the Florida Episcopal church where he was married or at Washington National Cathedral, another Episcopal church.

The president says the Bible is his favorite book but has declined to name a verse that is particularly meaningful to him. And he has said multiple times that he does not like to ask God for forgiveness, which is traditionally seen as a core part of the Christian faith.

Christians preach of the importance of evidence, or "fruit," that shows that a person has had some kind of conversion moment. "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved," reads a crucial text from the book of Romans. Once they have converted, Christians tend to take up certain spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, church attendance, tithing and reading the Bible. In interviews with several religious leaders and observers, there is no indication that Trump engages in any of those practices regularly.

"Anybody who says 'I've never asked for forgiveness' is not in the born-again camp," said Stephen Mansfield, an evangelical author who wrote books on the faiths of former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Of Trump, he said: "Submit your life to Jesus, born again, conversion: that heart of Christianity is not something he has absorbed."

Still, a host of evangelical pastors whom Trump frequently invites to the White House tell their followers that the president is a Christian.

"I think there's no question he believes," said the Rev. Franklin Graham, who has followed in the footsteps of his father, Billy Graham, as a faith adviser in the White House. Graham said he believes Trump has had a conversion moment, but he doesn't know when it might have happened.

Instead of an ecumenical faith advisory council, Trump chose to create an evangelical advisory board, with no members from Catholic, mainline Protestant, Jewish, Muslim or other traditions. Johnnie Moore, an unofficial leader of that advisory board, said Trump speaks "multiple times a week" with spiritual advisers including Graham, Paula White, Georgia pastor Jentezen Franklin and Texas pastor Jack Graham.

"I absolutely believe he's a born-again Christian," Moore said. "I see it in things he's said publicly and privately. I've seen it in his desire to stand up for what he believes is right."

Many of Trump's faith advisers, including White, who is now a part of his White House staff, declined to comment.

Trump does not regularly talk about religion with many of his advisers, who said they knew little about how the president views God. Aides and supporters - including the vice president - have urged him to stop saying "goddamn," a word particularly offensive to some Christians, and some have been perturbed by his use of profanity in the Oval Office.

Some chafed at the questioning, saying it was a private matter.

"President Trump is a man of God, and faith plays an important role in his life. The President values the close counsel of many in the faith-based community, as well as the daily prayers of the many Americans who pray for him, his family, our country, and our military. I have personally witnessed the President in worship many times and have also seen him use his faith and prayer to privately comfort and console Americans after a tragedy," Stephanie Grisham, the White House press secretary, said in a statement to The Washington Post.

Evangelical leader James Dobson has credited White with bringing about Trump's Christian conversion. In the months before the 2016 election, Dobson told voters that Trump was a "baby Christian," who might not have behaved as a religious man ought to earlier in his life but has since changed.

Even though Obama regularly spoke of his faith and described how he converted to Christianity as a young man, many evangelical Trump supporters say they believe that Trump prays in the White House and that Obama did not.

Last month, Trump became the first president to speak in person at the annual March for Life, an antiabortion event with religious overtones. Michael Capps, who brought his three children to the rally, said Trump had "put God back in the spotlight, which is amazing for the country" and was "the most religious" president ever.

Trump, who was raised in the mainline Presbyterian tradition, does not have an evangelical background. He has cited a pastor he knew early in this life, the late Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, author of "The Power of Positive Thinking," as influential in his worldview. He says the book helped him overcome bankruptcy.

"His idea of religion was Norman Vincent Peale and making a lot of money," said Tony Schwartz, who co-wrote Trump's bestseller "The Art of the Deal," spent time with him in the 1980s and is now a vocal Trump critic. "I never heard him use the word 'God.' He never cited any religious beliefs."

Peale officiated at Trump's first wedding. The next two were also officiated by mainline Protestant ministers, one Presbyterian and one Episcopalian. First lady Melania Trump said in 2017 that she is Catholic.

Most of Trump's current relationships with evangelical pastors, particularly with believers in Pentecostal, charismatic and prosperity gospel strains of Christianity, appear to have developed only as he considered running for president. Trump also changed some of his beliefs in recent years, including his shift to oppose abortion.

Several pastors, as well as two former White House officials, said they have never seen Trump pray in front of others. Instead, he regularly asks for Vice President Mike Pence or for one of his many evangelical Cabinet members to pray. He does not regularly reference God in making his decisions, these aides say, and they have never seen him open a Bible. But he has long coveted the visual of having pastors pray for him, including the distinct image of the laying on of hands.

Sean Feucht, a Christian musician running for Congress in California, attended a meeting in December organized by White, which brought about 50 Christian leaders, most of them Pentecostal, to the Oval Office. Trump asked the guests to pray for him.

"It was bold, loud prayer" in the charismatic, Pentecostal style, Feucht said. "We were all praying at once, lifting our voices. It wasn't solemn and organized. It was lively and loud. I think that he's drawn to that."

Trump was a silent appreciator, not joining in.

The president's first line to the pastors that day, before the prayer, was a jab at Pelosi for claiming to pray for him, Feucht said.

Last week, Trump returned to that theme at the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event that is a prime opportunity for a president to talk about his faith.

Speaking about Romney, who said his religious beliefs guided him in casting his vote against Trump during the impeachment trial, and Pelosi, who has said she prays for the president, Trump said: "I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong. Nor do I like people who say, 'I pray for you,' when they know that that's not so."

He rewrote his speech on his way to the prayer breakfast to include the barbs at Romney and Pelosi, White House aides said. Several aides said that Trump genuinely thinks the two members of Congress are falsely claiming to act based on faith, something they say the president would never do.
New Delhi: In a tragic incident, at least four students were charred to death after their school bus caught fire in Punjab's Sangrur on Saturday (February 15) afternoon. The other eight students were rescued by locals who were working at a nearby field and rushed to the site after they noticed the blaze in the car.

All the four minors who died in the incident are said to be 4-5 years old. The incident took place in Longowal town, some 20 km from district headquarters Sangrur.

Meanwhile, the driver of the bus managed to escape after the accident. The vehicle belonged to Simran Public School in Longowal. The children were returning home from the school when the vehicle caught fire.

Expressing his grief on the incident, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh said, "Very sad to learn of the news from Sangrur, where we lost 4 children because their school van caught fire. Injured have been rushed to the hospital. DC and SSP Sangrur are on the spot and I have ordered a magisterial enquiry. Guilty will be strictly punished."

Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori, who visited the spot, told media that police have registered a case under Section 304 of the IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) against the school principal, its management and the owner and driver of the van.

"Preliminary inquiry indicates that the van was in condemned condition and was being run illegally as per a report of the District Transport Officer (DTO). If the DTO or any official of his office is found guilty he will be chargesheeted," he said.

He said the school situated at Longowal village was recently shifted to a new building on the outskirts of the village. "The school has a temporary affiliation with the Punjab School Education Board while the van being used had been condemned and was without relevant documents," he said.

Sangrur Civil Hospital senior surgeon Dr Raj Kumar, said no child was admitted to the government hospitals in the district. "The children who survived were taken away by their families from the spot," he said.

Police sources said the van was of 1990's petrol model and was unfit to run on the road. The driver of the van ran away from the spot as soon as the vehicle caught fire, leaving children trapped inside, they said.

Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla, who is also the Sangrur MLA, told reporters at the accident spot that the private 'Simran Public School' had purchased the "very old van" on Friday. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh to each of the victims' families.

Sangrur MP and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, who visited the spot, told media that the van was put to use by the school for the first day on Saturday. He demanded registration of murder case against school officials and owner of the van. He said the victims included a three-year-old girl, who went to the school for the first time. He said that among the dead two are from one family. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party and SAD condemned the incident and expressed condolence for the victim's families.

"I strongly condemn the usage of LPG-powered school van which caused this havoc. Strict action needed against school and civil administration," Punjab AAP chief Harpal Singh Cheema wrote on his twitter handle.

Meanwhile, several villagers, including parents of the victims have staged a sit-in at the spot and refused to take bodies till action is taken against guilty.
A woman in Bauchi State, North-east Nigeria, has arranged an election for locals to help her choose between two men she fell in love with, a witness has said.

What has been described as Nigerias first free and fair love election held Thursday in Giade town.

The young bride, Khadijat, said she was unable to choose whom to marry between two men she had fallen in love with.

Mubarak Umar, who described himself as an accidental journalist, shared the odd story on Twitter on Friday.

He said Khadijat fell in love with Ibrahim and Inusa and could not choose between both men.

Khadija has fallen in love with 2 boys but couldn't chose 1 between them; none of the boys also ready to accept defeat. The elders of Giade town, Bauchi State (with Khadija's request) conducted an election and Inusa scored highest number of votes, against his rival, Ibrahim. pic.twitter.com/nx0LnWvdkW  Mubarak Umar (@Mubarack_Umar) February 14, 2020

Neither of the men was willing to step down without a contest. An election was therefore conducted by the elders of Giade town on Khadijats request.

The residents of the town turned out to cast their votes.

Inusa scored a higher number of votes and was declared the winner of Khadijas heart.

In a new development, Umah said: Ibrahim has finally finished all the necessary arrangements to challenge the outcome of the love election.

Umahs latest tweet read, Security agencies were comprised, the election was not free, fair or credible as it is being circulated.

I just spoke with Inusa, he said he is not afraid of Ibrahim taking him to court. According to him, the election conducted and supervised by Security Personnel including Civil Defence cannot be compromised.

I will soon talk to Ibrahim to hear his own side of the story.

Kamal Abubakar, spokesman of the Bauchi police command, said he was not aware of the incident.

I dont think the Police would be involved in such an election, but I would find out and get back to you, he said Saturday afternoon but did not revert hours later.

Giade is the headquarters of Giade Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

The local government is the birthplace of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, who was born in the town of Doguwa.

See some hilarious Twitter reactions below:

The guy who lost in the election should go to the election tribunal. If he fails there, he should head to the appeal court. If that fails,he can find solace in the Supreme Court. He would get his love back on technical grounds. *There's nothing Umaru wouldn't see at the border https://t.co/kdVyytaGP9  iCON Tosin Olugbenga (@TosinOlugbenga) February 14, 2020

https://twitter.com/nazir_chobal/status/1228338133797916673?s=20

The other guy can take the matter to court if hes not satisfied with the result  Usual Suspect (@yazeed_jay) February 14, 2020

https://twitter.com/Baffalefans/status/1228345132040278016?s=20

https://twitter.com/maiflour1992/status/1228360729360728066?s=20
By PTI

NAGPUR: Congress national spokesperson Anshul Avijit on Saturday said the BJP and the Sangh Parivar were "anti-Dalit" and were working to remove reservations for SC/STs in government jobs.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the BJP government at the Centre had hatched a "sinister conspiracy" to remove reservations. "The testimony of this sinister attempt is the plea of BJP government in Uttarakhand in the Supreme Court that there was no fundamental right of reservation in government jobs for SC/STs," he said.

In a judgement on February 7, the SC held that states are not bound to provide reservation in appointments and there is no fundamental right to claim quota in promotions.

The apex court said this while dealing with pleas regarding Uttarakhand government's September 5, 2012 decision to fill up all posts in public services in the state without providing reservations to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

"Instead of apologising to the nation for this conspiracy and correcting the historical wrong being done to SC/STs, the Narendra Modi government is misleading the country by making false accusations," he alleged. He said that the RSS had, in the past, demanded a review of the quota system in the country.

Citing statistics, he said the number of atrocities on Dalits as per NCRB data was 43,203 for the year 2017, adding that the Congress under Rahul Gandhi would fight to ensure Dalits and other deprived classes get their due.
Training sessions are set to be held in the Ukrainian territory.

Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Zagorodnyuk has discussed issues of further cooperation of special operations forces with his Norwegian counterpart Frank Bakke-Jensen, the Ukrainian defense ministry said in a statement.

In the framework of their Friday meeting, the parties discussed the current state of cooperation between the two countries. In particular, they focused on developing legislation in the field of national security and defense, studying aspects of the activities within the framework of the "Northern European Defense Cooperation" (NORDEFCO), in consulting on a political strategy on issues regarding territorial integrity, independence, and security.

Read alsoUkrainian spec-ops forces unit passes NATO certification, first time in history

Further cooperation of special operations forces was also discussed, in particular, the involvement of Norwegian instructors in training missions (operations) in Ukraine.

Among the promising areas of cooperation, the Ukrainian military underlined studying the experience of the Kingdom of Norway, including in setting up an effective system of operational (combat) command and control, reconnaissance and surveillance communications, as well as training of Ukrainian military in general and special diving courses in Norway.

The parties agreed to continue projects implemented with the financial support of the Norwegian defense ministry, including professional retraining and social adaptation of Ukrainian military and their families, the development of a distance learning system, reduction of corruption in personnel management area, and other issues.
Congress' Maharashtra in-charge Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over the transfer of Bhima Koregaon case investigation to the Investigation Agency (NIA).

Speaking to media, Kharge said, "This isn't fair. We are partners and such things should be discussed. You (Uddhav Thackeray) may have power but one should use it judiciously. Our ministers are there, they will fight."

Yesterday, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had said that the Maharashtra government's alleged decision to transfer the Bhima-Koregaon case to the Centre is "constitutionally wrong" as the investigation of crime falls under state's jurisdiction.

On January 1, 2018, violence had erupted during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle. One person lost his life while several others were injured in the incident. Police had filed 58 cases against 162 people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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She made a successful debut on Dancing With The Stars last week.

But Angie Kent's family and boyfriend Carlin Sterritt weren't there to watch her dancing debut.

Speaking to Mamamia, the 30-year-old revealed she didn't want the 'pressure' of her loved ones seeing her perform.

'I'm struggling mentally, physically and emotionally': Angie Kent (pictured left) opens up about why her family and Bachelorette beau Carlin Sterritt didn't watch the Dancing With The Stars premiere. Pictured with dance partner Julian Caillon

'I didn't want anybody to travel to watch me on my first show,' Angie admitted.

'I didn't then want the pressure of my family flying all the way from Queensland, and Carlin coming all the way from Sydney,' she continued.

The four-time reality star explained that the 'stress' of being 'judged' by the judges, the live audience and the viewers at home was too much for her, without adding the pressure of her loved ones in the audience too.

Pressure: She successfully performed her first fast-paced routine on Dancing With The Stars. But Angie Kent's family and boyfriend Carlin Sterritt weren't there to watch her dancing debut

'I said to them all, "just let me get through this week because I am already struggling mentally, physically and emotionally". Next week I think he'll come,' she said, referring to Carlin.

Angie recently moved from Queensland to Sydney to be closer to Carlin, after struggling with their long distance relationship.

Before her big move, Angie would fly down to Sydney in order to see her beau.

'I didn't want anybody to travel to watch me': The 30-year-old revealed she didn't want the 'pressure' of her loved ones seeing her perform. Pictured with Carlin Sterritt

Speaking to the Kyle and Jackie O Show earlier this month, Angie revealed they still live separately and don't plan to move in together any time soon.

'The Bachelorette's so full on, and when you finish, it's like you're engaged or you're not,' she explained.

'We wanted to give it six months not living together and once we hit a year, we'll see,' she added.

Frequent flyer: Angie recently moved from Queensland to Sydney to be closer to Carlin. Before then, she would fly down to Sydney to see her beau

While appearing on Studio 10, the panel also asked Angie about speculation the pair are planning on tying the knot.

Angie insisted that Carlin had no immediate plans to propose.

'No. No, we're not even moving in together!' she said, adding: 'We want to do nice, average human couple things.'
Yokohama (Japan): Life on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship quarantined in a Japanese port with scores of cases of a new virus, means experiencing all these things, according to interviews by The Associated Press with passengers and a growing stream of tweets and YouTube videos.

At times theres been an almost festive atmosphere, as when locals on Jet Skis buzzed the ship, shouting greetings. Other times, there is deep worry as new cases are confirmed, pushing the total to 218  the largest cluster of infections outside China. Five of those patients have severe symptoms and are in intensive care or on artificial respirators, Japan's health ministry said.

Others have reported surprisingly mild symptoms, including one Australian woman who described the initial terror of being whisked to a hospital while covered in protective plastic.

The days pass with petty frustrations and inconveniences  cramped rooms, dirty sheets, boring food  and difficult work for the hundreds of crew members.

With the number of illnesses increasing, there's also a nagging doubt about whether this kind of quarantine works. Some experts question if keeping some 3,500 passengers and crew in such close quarters might spread the viral disease, recently named COVID-19.

With another week or more of quarantine to come, the AP looks inside the vacation cruise thats gone seriously off course:

THE GOOD

Even during the quarantine, it can seem like Cheryl and Paul Molesky are still on vacation.

The couple from Syracuse, New York, can be seen in their YouTube videos lounging, often in plush bathrobes, on their balcony, enjoying the sweeping views of a glittering, sun-streaked ocean and, on occasion, snow-capped Mount Fuji.

We try to have an upbeat presentation and make sure that our attitude comes across that, were not hurt, were not in pain, ... were actually just enjoying ourselves, Paul Molesky, a 78-year-old potter, said in an interview. Its been very nice.

There was the time a man came to the docks in a Spider-Man costume and played music for an hour and a half to the delight of the passengers.

And the time, early in the quarantine, when eight people on Jet Skis cruised up, yelling out Welcome! and playing music. The passengers clapped and waved from their balconies.

The ship, which has 17 decks, has upped its internet service, and Cheryl Molesky spends several hours each day answering emails and texts and editing their YouTube videos.

Now that were here in quarantine were getting so much attention. We never get that much attention at home, the 59-year-old retired art and media teacher said.

THE BORED

Elsewhere on the ship, a Japanese man in his 30s who refused to give his name because of privacy concerns said he spends his days taking photos of each meal and posting them anonymously on Twitter.

All I can do is to wait and tweet, he said.

The ship has a sushi restaurant, Japanese style bath and theater, but passengers are now mostly confined to their rooms. Many cabins  spread across decks with names such as Aloha, Dolphin and Emerald  are as small as, if not smaller, than many hotel rooms.

More affordable rooms are not much wider than a double bed and don't have much seating space aside from a desk chair, according to pictures posted on the ship's website. The cheapest ones don't even have windows. Many balcony rooms are around 222 square feet or less, the website said. A lot of the interior rooms, which feature large mirrors in place of a window, are only 158 to 162 square feet.

Guests must often change their own sheets, clean their bathrooms and do their own laundry because contact with the crew has been limited.

The days often revolve around food service. Knocking on four doors at once, an elaborate delivery choreography takes place: one masked and gloved crew member hands out the plates, another the silverware, while another checks off names and room numbers.

The boat has added more movies and TV channels to try to help with the boredom. People without balconies are allowed to walk on the deck for about an hour each day, as long as they keep 6 feet (2 meters) apart. Passengers chat and wave to each other from their balconies.

Passenger Matthew Smith has been compiling regular food reviews on Twitter. In one, he noted that he feels, while sitting in his room between meals, just like his cat waiting for her daily serving of canned food. Is it time? Is it time?

For the Japanese man on the ship, the food is one of the biggest reasons he wants to leave. I miss Japanese food.

THE SCARED

In a recent video posted on Twitter, a group of men wearing Diamond Princess jackets, masks and what appear to be the uniforms of kitchen workers stood before a camera.

We are scared. We appeal to the Indian government and the United Nations to help us, segregate us urgently, a man identified as crew member Binay Kumar Sarkar said after removing his mask. We should be rescued immediately and reunited with our families before it is too late.

Some crew members whove tested positive for the virus are restaurant, bar or housekeeping staff who most likely had contact with passengers until Feb. 5 when the first test results were released and restaurants and bars were closed.

Until the quarantine started, everything was business as usual, and everyone was freely moving around on board, so there are various possibilities of infection during that time, said Kazuho Taguchi, director of global health cooperation at the health ministry.

Crew members still share rooms, as the number of cabins for them is limited, Taguchi said.

One crew member, though, said he had been isolated in his own 6-by-10-foot (1.8-by-3-meter) cabin on the third deck near sea level for two days after he reported a sore throat.

Everyone on the ship is scared. Many people are falling sick, and now the crews getting sick too, he said, declining to give his name because workers have been told not to post anything about the situation on the ship to social media.

Japan's health minister, Katsunobu Kato, said Thursday the government would begin allowing passengers 80 or older who test negative for the virus to leave the ship and serve out the remainder of their quarantine onshore. Those with chronic health problems or assigned cabins without windows would be given priority, he said.

Authorities in Japan say isolating people on board is the way to prevent the diseases spread; other experts say the measure could create more infection.

More and more people are getting infected by people still in the incubation period or without symptoms while they are trapped on the ship, which is not good for disease prevention, Reiji Goto, a physician at the department of infectious diseases at Daiyukai General Hospital in Ichinomiya, told TBS television on Tuesday.

A hospital  not a ship  is the best place to keep people quarantined, according to Tara Smith, a professor who researches infectious diseases at Kent State University's College of Public Health. The Diamond Princess may have already had environmental contamination when the quarantine began, which puts passengers and crew at risk of further transmission.

I think this was done without a lot of thought to consequences of ongoing transmission within the ship and the mental health of the passengers, Smith said.

For some, the fear might be worse than the virus.

On Thursday, an Australian mother and daughter wearing face masks described being taken off the ship and to a hospital after the daughter tested positive for the virus.

They put me in, like, a wheelchair, sort of, and put like a plastic  almost like a bubble around it  and they were just wheeling me everywhere," Bianca DSilva, a 20-year-old law student, told Australia's Nine Network television.

Bianca and her mother, Suzanne, said they were both briefly ill, but feel fine now.

Honestly, it just felt like your everyday cold. Like, I feel absolutely fine now, physically, Bianca said. I had a bit of headache before and just a slight fever but that's about it, honestly.
The bigger issue behind the bait View(s):

At least the Mahinda-Modi bilateral talks in New Delhi last weekend were not a monologue of listening to the Indian leaders homily on devolution and reconciliation with minorities in Sri Lanka.

That Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was able to raise the issue of the incessant poaching in the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, and the rape of marine and plant life in these Lankan waters is commendable. Sri Lankan political leaders, even the northern politicians have downplayed this continuing issue since the end of the separatist war for far too long for fear of earning Indias displeasure.

The cost to Sri Lanka has been high, financially and otherwise. The weekly incursions by a flotilla of Indian fishing boats are estimated to cost Sri Lanka directly USD 40 million and indirectly USD 20 million annually. These amounts do not get credited, or debited to the official ledgers of the Treasury in Colombo. On the other hand, India offered a Prime Minister Rajapaksa a Line of Credit worth USD 50 million which got the soundbite; it was publicly announced  and thanked for.

What is more; a request is made to the Indian Government for a moratorium on the loans already taken from India. Whatever the case, a moratorium is only delaying the inevitable. A foreign loan has to be repaid someday. It is not asking for the debt to be written off the books. In the meantime, the country remains indebted to the country from which the request has been made.

In the absence of any joint communique at the end of the official talks between the two Prime Ministers in New Delhi, the billion Indian citizens and the 22 million Sri Lankans are not privy to what their leaders discussed. The Sri Lankan PMs spokesperson has echoed the Indian PMs line on the poaching issue using Indias lexicon that it is a humanitarian matter that involves livelihoods. That means two diametrically opposite things to the fishermen and the national economies of the two South Asian neighbours.

The Indian side has asked for time to wean their fishermen to other waters to ply their trade. The joint talks between officials and fishermens cooperatives that were expected to settle matters have broken down; the last meeting was held as far back as 2018. Now Minister Douglas Devananda, who was part of the Sri Lankan delegation is said to have recommended a Palk Bay & Gulf of Mannar Joint Marine Fisheries Resources Management Authority, which at least now uses the terms stop poaching in Sri Lankan waters and to recognise the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) that divides the two countries. It is bound to face the same fate as that of the officials committee.

Sri Lanka has tried all types of indirect measures of arresting or minimising poaching, short of taking Indians head-on. In 2018 the Foreign Vessels Act was amended. More than a hundred Indian vessels were taken into custody. The Indians retaliated by seizing 34 Sri Lankan vessels for trespassing into their waters. All that happens is a tit-for-tat game though the magnitudes are vastly different.

With this kind of political approach, the poaching will only end when the entire fishing zone is overfished by industrial fishing fleets  exactly what the Indian fishermen have done in their own waters. This is going to trigger further price hikes and shortages of fish for Lankan citizens, and loss of revenue for the Sri Lankan coffers.

The UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has referred to the Palk Strait-Gulf of Mannar waters as Hot Spot -7 on the world. According to its reports about 100,000 tons of fish are taken away to India by 2,600 trawlers annually. These trawlers are engaged in IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing that is banned by the European Union which is one of the biggest importers of fish from India. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department refers to exports of its products to the EU. It also reports earning foreign exchange to the tune of Indian Rs. 4341.78 crores.

The open border in these waters is also allowing gold smuggling and the import of tons of Kerala ganja that is a social and humanitarian problem for the youth in Jaffna. It is also a security issue, for prospective terrorists to operate between India and Sri Lanka under the guise of fishermen, an issue the two leaders discussed.

In years gone by, there was a dispute over the islet of Kachchativu, and Sri Lankan diplomats successfully argued the case that the islet belonged to Sri Lanka. The IMBL became law in both countries. There was the political backing of Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the then Sri Lankan Prime Minister who proved that when a country has a strong brief, it can argue its case vigorously, and yet, keep the friendliest of relations with a foreign country.

Power corrupts

The Power and Energy Minister has got Cabinet approval to purchase emergency electricity as fears of a drought, which could trigger long power cuts, loom.

On the eve of Independence Day, an unannounced all-island two hour power cut was largely treated as an everyday occurrence. However, it was later found to have been the result of a dispute over unpaid bills between two state institutions viz., the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), both running at massive losses. The CPC just cut supplying fuel to CEBs thermal plants.

That the energy sector is riddled with corruption and mismanagement is no secret. One group wants emergency power purchases so they can help favoured agents and another wants extensions to the always breakdown Norochcholai coal plant. They eagerly wait for the water levels to drop so that the hydropower stations can no longer cope with the demand.

Countries that are trying to get rid of coal as unclean energy are trying to dump their plants here, and Trincomalee has been identified for geo-political considerations rather than fixing energy deficiencies. Now comes a signal from Russia that it is willing to engage in providing nuclear power plants when the world is moving away from that source due to the dangers from accidents as happened in Chernobyl and Fukushima.

So what about solar power and wind power? Renewable Green Energy is the way the world is going. But as the sun beats down on this island-nation aplenty, the CEB is being obstructionist and quibbling over storage issues and tariffs and tenders for solar power. Everyone is trying to make a quick buck while the sun shines and power cuts loom. Those who can literally make power while the sun shines are being shunned.
The Sindh High Court in Pakistan has upheld the death sentence of nine terrorists accused of carrying out an attack on security forces in 2004. The attack killed 10 people, including six army personnel, international media reported. An Anti-Terrorism Court in February 2006 had awarded death penalties to 11 suspected militants but all of them had appealed against the verdict.

Read: US Responds As Pakistan Court Convicts Hafiz Saeed For First Time, On FATF Plenary Eve

Read: Pakistan Anti-corruption Officials Raid Properties Of Nawaz Sharif; Mother Leaves For London

Two acquitted

However, on Friday, the Sindh High Court located in Karachi upheld the verdict. The court awarded death penalties to nine terrorists and acquitted two amongst the 11 who were accused of attacking the convoy of a top commander near the Clifton Bridge in Karachi. Ten people including six army personnel and three policemen were killed in the attack carried out by a banned militant outfit.

In a big development on February 12, Islamist militant Saeed was convicted for five and a half years in two terror financing cases against him.

Todays conviction of Hafiz Saeed and his associate is an important step forward  both toward holding LeT accountable for its crimes, and for #Pakistan in meeting its international commitments to combat terrorist financing.  State_SCA (@State_SCA) February 12, 2020

The 26/11 mastermind, Hafiz Saeed was convicted on Wednesday under ATA Section 11-F (2) and 11-N. Additionally, he has been slapped with a fine of Rs15,000 in each case. This came even after the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore accepted his plea to club all the pending cases against him and then announce the verdict. The 26/11 mastermind and UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed had also pleaded "not guilty." Meanwhile, there are speculation that he will most likely be released soon after the verdict of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), as per sources who also stated that the intentional loopholes in the verdict allow his release. The FATF will hold a meeting in Paris on February 16 to decide whether or not Pakistan should be blacklisted for failing to act against terror.

Read: IPL 2020 And India ODIs Make Pakistan Sweat As South Africa Refuse Playing 3 T20Is: Report

Read: South Africa Call Off Proposed Pakistan Tour Citing Workload






NEW DELHI: India on Satirday (February 15, 2020) warned Turkey not to interfere in its internal matters while reiterating that Kashmir is ''an integral and inalienable'' part of the country. "India rejects all references to Jammu & Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India,'' a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Commenting on the issue, MEA official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, ''We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in India's internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region.''

The statement from the MEA came hours after Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again raked up the Kashmir issue in Pakistan Parliament, vowing that Ankara will support Islamabad's stand as it is a matter of concern to both the countries.

Addressing a joint session of Pakistan's Parliament, Erdogan, who arrived in the country on a two-day visit, announced that Turkey will back Pakistan in its efforts to come out of the Grey List of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which is meeting this week in Paris.

"I also want to emphasise that we will give support to Pakistan which is subject to political pressure in the Financial Action Task Force meetings," he said on the upcoming meeting of the anti-terror financing watchdog. Voicing his country's support to Pakistan's stand on the Kashmir issue, he said it can be resolved not through conflict or oppression but on the basis of justice and fairness.

"Our Kashmiri brothers and sisters have suffered from inconveniences for decades and these sufferings have become graver due to unilateral steps taken in recent times," Erdogan said, apparently referring to India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August last year.

"Today, the issue of Kashmir is as close to us as it is to you (Pakistanis). Such a solution (on the basis of justice and fairness) will serve the interests of all parties concerned. Turkey will continue to stand by justice, peace and dialogue in the resolution of the Kashmir issue," the President said.

The Turkish President, in his address, likened the "struggle" of the Kashmiris with that of his country in World War I against foreign domination.

Drawing a comparison with the battle of Gallipoli which was fought in Turkey between the Allied Powers and the Ottoman Empire in which over two lakh troops were killed on the both sides, Erdogan said, "there is no difference between Gallipoli and Kashmir".

"Turkey will continue to raise its voice against the oppression," he told Pakistani lawmakers in his address to the National Assembly and Senate, which was his record fourth address to the Pakistani Parliament over the years.

In September last year, Erdogan had raised the Kashmir issue during his address at the United Nations General Assembly.
Vessels are docked at the port of a Chinese-owned oil refinery plant on Made Island off Kyaukphyu in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Oct. 2, 2019.

The Myanmar government will compensate local residents for more than 1,800 acres they had to forfeit for the building of the China-backed Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone in western Rakhine state, a Myanmar government official said Friday, yielding to demands for money as payment for their losses.

The plan for the Kyaukphyu SEZ allots 600 acres for a deep-sea port, nearly 2,500 acres for an industrial zone, and more than 1,200 acres for residential housing projects  much of which is being confiscated from the citizens who live in the area.

In the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, there has been compensation for local residents for social losses, some housing assistance, and vocational training, in addition to compensation for land, said Aung Htoo, Myanmars deputy minister for commerce, referring to a Japanese-backed development about 16 miles south of Yangon.

It will be the same in Kyaukphyu, he said during a parliamentary session in the capital Naypyidaw. Local farmers will be given compensation for their farmlands and their crops. On top of that, we will also give compensation for social losses.

Compensation for social losses generally refers to welfare support for needy families.

No details were given on how much compensation those who lost land and livelihoods would receive.

Kyaukphyu is a major town in Rakhine state situated on a natural harbor in the northwestern corner of Ramree Island on Combermere Bay about 250 miles northwest of the commercial capital Yangon. Besides its natural deep-sea harbor, the area has abundant oil, natural gas, and marine resources.

The Kyaukphyu SEZ with its deep-sea port project is an important part of Chinas Belt and Road development strategy, which focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries, giving China access to the Bay of Bengal as an alternative route for oil imports.

The SEZ will be accessible to the Shwe gas field in the Bay of Bengal and an oil and gas terminal financed by Chinese state-owned oil company China National Petroleum Corporation, or PetroChina.

These other projects also have been dogged by complaints about little or no land compensation along with a loss of livelihoods for local fishermen.

Government not transparent

Tun Kyi, coordinator of the Kyaukphyu Rural Area Development Association said locals believe that they are not benefiting from the SEZ project.

Rakhine people dont have a say in the implementation of and right to administer the project, he said. Only the Union government has signed all the agreements and is making all the decisions.

The government is not transparent with its business concerning the Kyaukphyu SEZ, he added.

Tun Kyi also pointed to current fighting between the Myanmar military and an ethnic rebel group seeking greater autonomy in the state as a complicating factor.

We are concerned that conflicts will arise if the government enforces the implementation of the project, he said.

The Kyaukphyu SEZ Watch Group, a civil organization, has urged the government to ensure that local officials focus on job creation for residents in addition to paying them for land they were forced to give up.

Ba Shein, a lower house lawmaker from Kyaukphyu township, said both the Chinese and the Myanmar governments are guilty of running roughshod over locals.

Many western countries use rigid standards to avoid imposing social and financial losses on local people in their investment projects, but the Chinese are less careful about the well-being of locals in their projects, he said.

[But] our own government is also to be blame for incompetency, he added. There are widespread concerns that the local people might not get the appropriate compensation they deserve.

Land grabs in which authorities seize land from people for development projects without paying them fair compensation for lost crops, property, and livelihoods are a major cause of social tensions in Myanmar and neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.

Reported by Thet Su Aung and Thiha Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Khaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
WASHINGTON  Federal agents who patrol the U.S. border will deploy to sanctuary cities across the country where local jurisdictions are hindering stepped up immigration enforcement, officials said Friday.

The deployment of Customs and Border Patrol agents, some with tactical training, to the interior of the country is unusual and represents another escalation in the confrontation between the Trump administration and the local jurisdictions that have set up roadblocks to immigration enforcement.

Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Matthew Albence said additional forces are needed because people without legal authorization to be in the country are being released from local jails in sanctuary cities and counties before his agents can take them into custody.

ICE then has to make at large arrests of these immigrants who have been released, Albence said in a statement announcing the move.

This effort requires a significant amount of additional time and resources, he said. When sanctuary cities release these criminals back to the street, it increases the occurrence of preventable crimes, and more importantly, preventable victims.

The acting director did not disclose when or where the agents would be deployed but an official, speaking on condition of anonymity to disclose details not provided in the statement, said they would include major sanctuary cities such as San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston and Detroit.

Albence also did not provide details on the specific types of agents being deployed, but the official said they would come from varied U.S. locations and would include officers with tactical training that is typically intended to prepare them for potential confrontations with traffickers and other criminals.

Immigrant advocates dismissed the deployment as a political move by President Donald Trump to excite anti-immigration elements among his supporters and intimidate communities that have adopted sanctuary policies to ensure people cooperate with local law enforcement regardless of whether they are in the country illegally or not.

Deploying elite SWAT-like units to American cities is dangerous, said Naureen Shah of the American Civil Liberties Union. This is about further militarizing streets.

Shah, senior advocacy and policy counsel for the ACLU, said she was concerned about use of the military-like Border Patrol Tactical Unit in a civilian setting.

We could see CBP officers who arent trained for interior immigration enforcement using excessive force, emboldening ICE agents to do the same and escalating situations, she said.

The deployment comes as the president and others in his administration look to increase pressure on a sanctuary city movement that has expanded since he took office.

More than 700 counties have now declined to continue holding people sought by ICE and more than 160 have prohibited officers from even asking people about their immigration status, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

Supporters of sanctuary policies say people will be less likely to report crime or to be a witness if they believe they could be deported for doing so. Our relationships with our police and sheriffs departments have become stronger because of these policies, said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

Albence and others in the administration say sanctuary policies interfere with legitimate law enforcement efforts.

Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said moving agents from the border will weaken security there.

It is truly alarming that President Trump is moving resources away from the border just to ratchet up his cruel immigration agenda, throw meat to his base, and inflict revenge on states that dont do what he says, said Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat.

The Justice Department this week filed one lawsuit against New Jersey for prohibiting state and local law enforcement from sharing information about inmates in the U.S. illegally and another Washington states King County over a policy that prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from using the King County International Airport-Boeing Field for deportation flights.

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security said it would bar New York residents from trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry because of state law that prohibits immigration agents from accessing motor vehicle records.

Trump has been trying since he took office to punish sanctuary cities. In 2017, Jeff Sessions, then attorney general, said such cities would not receive grant money unless they gave federal immigration authorities access to jails and provide advance notice when someone in the country illegally is about to be released from prison. A federal judge blocked the punishment from being enforced, and the cities got the money.
Japan has reported another 67 cases of people being infected from Coronavirus on quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship. According to media reports, Japan's Health Minister Katsunobu Kato on Saturday confirmed the latest numbers coming in from the isolated ship off the coast of Japan.

The United States had earlier issued a statement that it would send an aircraft to bring back US citizens stuck on the quarantined ship. As per reports, the most number of Coronavirus cases have occurred on the ship outside the epicentre in China.

Read: Indian Embassy: Condition Of 3 Indians Affected By Coronavirus On Japanese Cruise Improves

The Diamond Princess ship has been quarantined for more than a week now and over 250 people have been diagnosed with the virus, which has now been named COVID-19. According to reports, there are almost 3,000 people on board of the ship which include more than 400 American citizens.

Many Americans on board have criticised their country's decision to send a plane to evacuate passengers as they fear that it could spread once they leave the ship. The ship's quarantine period is set to end on February 19.

Read: China Quarantines Cash In Coronavirus-hit Areas To Prevent Spread Of Deadly Disease

Coronavirus outbreak

The virus has claimed more lives than its predecessor Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that broke out in China in 2002-2003 and claimed more than 774 lives. According to reports, China on Thursday reported the highest number of deaths caused by the virus in a single day as 254 people died in Hubei province.

Read: 17 People From Delhi Who Returned From Abroad Before Coronavirus Screening Showed Symptoms

As per reports, the COVID-19 has claimed more than 1,500 lives in China alone and over 66,000 new cases have been confirmed in the country as of February 13.

US' Center for Disease Control (CDC) has said that the virus has already spread to 27 countries, including Japan, which reported its first fatality. Media reports had earlier suggested that the virus originated from a seafood market in China's Hubei province, where animals were being traded illegally. So far, the most number of deaths have been reported from Wuhan city, the believed epicentre of the disease.

Read: More Than Half Of Coronavirus Cases In Hubei Treated With Traditional Chinese Medicine: Official


Promises of change are yet to be seen View(s):

My dear Mahinda maama,

I thought of writing to you when I saw you visiting India on a trip that has generated some amount of controversy. It must have been quite a different feeling for you, visiting a nation not as our Head of State but as its second in command- especially when the man in charge now is your younger brother.

Despite that, the Indians still rolled out the red carpet for you. However, what generated interest here were the number of people you took with you and who they were. That has got people talking and wondering whether you were using the trip to India to send a not so subtle message to Gota maama.

You took a delegation of thirty-nine with you. So, it looks like old habits die hard even if you are no longer the big boss. If that is your way of saying thank you to those who stood by you over the past few years, some people may accept that. However, that is not the message Gota maama is conveying.

Gota maama is saying his government is all about changing the system and keeping things simple. His visit to Parliament was without the usual fanfare. He cut back on the scale of celebrations on Independence Day recently. He has taken only a handful of people with him when travelling overseas.

So, when you take thirty-nine people to visit India and several members of your family are among them, people notice the difference. Then they start asking embarrassing questions like is this the change we voted for? Coming just before an election, that could be quite costly, Mahinda maama.

Then, there is also the question of who you took with you on your journey. When you have so many to pick from, why did you choose the miris kudu malli from Kelaniya to accompany you? Your opponents had a field day on social media speculating on what he must have said and done in India.

Surely, Mahinda maama, I hope it is not your way of thanking miris kudu malli for what he did during the days of the constitutional crisis triggered by Cheerio Sirisena. That is a dark chapter in our history in which you were also unfortunately caught up- and is best forgotten, not celebrated.

The majority of those who voted for Gota maama believe that he would cleanse our political system of misfits such as miris kudu malli. They hope that, not being a politician before, he would be able to get rid of such elements who give politics a bad name and tarnish the image of better politicians.

So, when you take miris kudu malli with you on a jaunt to India, people ask whether you are trying to travel on a different path. Are you trying to tellsus that Gota maama can have his say but you will have your way and that you still call the shots even though you are only the PM, Mahinda maama?

That is what some in the pohottuwa party are also saying. They are annoyed that Gota maama and his viyathmaga colleagues are being appointed to plum positions of power and privilege. They are worried that when it comes to nominating candidates for the election, there will be more of the same.

We have even heard of some saying that nominations will be given to those who can win elections and not just to professionals. Is that your thinking as well, Mahinda maama? Honestly, I dont think you need to worry about that because, regardless who runs the race, you are assured of victory.

That is because, in the Green camp, old Ranil and young Sajith and at each others throats, destroying the Grand Old Party. They are now fighting over the aliya or elephant symbol, little realising that the elephant will die a natural death at the next elections if they dont sink their differences quickly.

You are even able to dictate terms to Cheerio Sirisena and the Blue camp if they start making too many demands. I am quite sure neither Dayasiri nor even Cheerio Sirisena himself will make any noise about wanting to contest under the hand symbol- they might even prefer the pohottuwa!

I hope you will choose your candidates wisely. There are a group of people- even in the pohottuwa camp-who we dont wish to see as our representatives. I think we all know who they are. We are all waiting to see whether you will have the courage to get rid of them once and for all, Mahinda maama.

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS- What is wrong with the people of Gampaha, Mahinda maama? They elected Greens like Ranjan, Chathura, and Paba and Mervyn from the Blue camp. Now you have your miris kudu malli. Will you ask Gota maama to give nominations to him again and if you do, do you think he will say yes?


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Fort Bend County Jail

A Katy teen remains in the hospital after he was shot in the face Tuesday evening, Feb. 11. According to Fort Bend County Sheriffs Department officials, deputies were sent to investigate the shooting around 8:16 p.m. outside a home in the 6300 block of Grayson Bend Dr. in the Katy area of Fort Bend County. Detectives report that the victim walked out of his house to meet three acquittances he had met through social media. A silver dodge SUV pulled up with one male and two females, and shortly after arriving, the victim was shot in the face. Officials havent released any information about a possible motive.

On Friday, Katy-resident Austin Robles, 21, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Officials said Robles has admitted to shooting the victim.
The Japanese government also announced that an additional 67 people on the ship were found to have the virus out of the latest batch of 217 who were tested, although more than half showed no symptoms. That brings to 285 the number of passengers and crew members who have been found to be infected out of 930 tested, more than 30 percent.
The winter sun casts an elongated shadow across the honey-coloured quadrangle as students amble beneath Oxford's famous bell tower.

Dons weave past the Porter's Lodge and, apparently deep in high-minded discussion, disappear up a staircase. Behind them the sound of evensong echoes along the cloisters.

With its magnificent setting and age-old traditions, Christ Church is quintessentially Oxford, but this tableau of restful innocence is rather deceptive.

Vendetta: The dons at Christ Church in Oxford University were said to be 'hellbent' on forcing the Very Rev Martyn Percy out

For while it might not be evident to the hordes of camera-clicking tourists drawn to its architectural splendour and its Great Hall  the location used for the Hogwarts dining area in the Harry Potter films  the college is convulsed by an ever-growing scandal.

Judging by a cache of poisonous emails seen by The Mail on Sunday, some of the dons seem more preoccupied with whispering campaigns and backstabbing than academia.

And by their own admission, this Oxford intrigue owes more to Inspector Morse than Brideshead Revisited, the Evelyn Waugh novel set partly in Christ Church.

Claims that senior academics bandied together to mount a covert vendetta against the dean of the college, the Very Rev Martyn Percy, and were hell-bent on forcing him out, are set to be heard at an employment tribunal.

He is expected to argue that he was victimised as a whistleblower and the toxic emails will form a key part of his evidence.

While a previous hearing relating to the three-year feud was held in private, this one will likely be in public, and that is a dread-inducing prospect for the university and the college.

It means the latest chapter in this internecine affair will play out not in an oak-panelled meeting room, but in the unprepossessing surroundings of Reading Employment Tribunal, housed in a five-storey office block backing on to a Nando's restaurant.

Explanations for the cause of the infighting vary.

Future role: The dean had been tipped as for the role of Archbishop of Canterbury, which is currently held by Justin Welby

Dr Percy, tipped as a future Archbishop of Canterbury, has vowed to make the college more open to applications from state school pupils, and has raised concerns about welfare issues.

Christ Church has been beset by damaging incidents in recent years, including the case of student Lavinia Woodward, who stabbed her boyfriend while high on cocaine.

According to the dean's supporters, it is his determination to take 'the costly path of reform' rather than opting for a quiet life that has ruffled traditionalists' feathers.

But his opponents insist the row started over a pay dispute.

The emails, passed between Dr Percy's opponents, all respected academics, are described as 'staggeringly offensive' by Jonathan Aitken, the former Tory Cabinet Minister and Christ Church alumnus.

He warns in a letter to Chris Patten, the Oxford University chancellor, that they will inflict serious reputational damage. In the exchanges, the dons viciously attack Dr Percy's good character.

One email concludes: 'We are doomed with this wretched man in place.' Another message appears to suggest poisoning Dr Percy.

And one emailer writes of the dean's 'wrinkly, withered little body' being found at Osney Lock on the Thames.

Its author notes this would make a promising 'Inspector Morse episode'.

In his letter, Mr Aitken urges Lord Patten to intervene: 'I hope you recognise that because Christ Church is such a prominent and iconic college, the messy fallout from the coming explosions is likely to do severe reputational damage to the university as well.'

'Messy fallout': Lord Patten was warned of the impact that the row would have on the reputation of the university by former Tory Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken

Mr Aitken, who continues to play an active role at Christ Church, has given this newspaper permission to publish his letter.

He writes that when Dr Percy's case comes to court, 'the email trail is certain to be fully disclosed', while their authors' names will be made public.

Of the messages, Mr Aitken says: 'They are not merely embarrassing. They are awful The disgraceful emails are matched by disgraceful conduct.'

He warns Lord Patten: 'You will immediately recognise the potential for volcanic eruptions as I now provide you with one or two trailers from this horror movie.'

One of the emails highlighted by Mr Aitken says: '[The dean] is suffering from what a medical practitioner said was a personality disorder.'

Another goes further, saying: ' [The dean is a] militantly irenic megalomaniac.' Mr Aitken suggests he could go on before pondering what the 'public reaction will be when this sort of hate mail is reprinted' in newspapers.

He adds: 'The academics who wrote these emails may well hold university and college appointments'. So far, he says, lawyers for Dr Percy's opponents have 'turned out to be wrong about every move they have made in their warfare against the dean'.

For lawyers to defeat the dean at the forthcoming tribunal, 'Christ Church would have to be the only workplace in the land where terms like 'turd', 'Hitler', 'creep', 'poison' and (murdered) 'wrinkly withered little body' would be acceptable to use against a colleague.'

Before last year's internal hearing, Dr Percy cut an isolated figure, but the ruling in his favour changed the situation. Now, says Mr Aitken, his rivals are on the back foot.

In October 2018, Dr Percy was suspended by the college's 64-strong Governing Body, made up of senior academics and a handful of cathedral representatives.

He faced 27 charges of improper conduct.

The exact nature of the charges was never made public.

But after an 11-day hearing at a special tribunal conducted by retired High Court judge Sir Andrew Smith, all the charges were rejected and Dr Percy was reinstated last August.

According to Mr Aitken's letter, even before the latest employment tribunal claim was lodged, the dispute had cost Christ Church up to 2.1 million  about a fifth of its annual income from student fees, rent for accommodation, tourism and government grants.

Mr Aitken says the college is still refusing to reimburse the 400,000 Dr Percy spent on lawyers to defend himself last year. It is also refusing to disclose most of Sir Andrew's 108-page judgment, which includes the sensational emails.

Mr Aitken claims in his letter that the dean's opponents are conducting 'guerrilla warfare' against him in the media and within college, and trying to prevent him from 'fulfilling his university responsibilities'.

All this was an attempt to 'oust the dean by another route', which was why Dr Percy felt he had no choice but to seek redress through the employment tribunal.

The MoS has learned that Dr Percy's legal fees are now being paid by his trade union, Unite, and he is represented by a top employment law barrister.

Dr Percy, who was name-checked in Dan Brown's blockbuster book The Da Vinci Code, became dean of Christ Church  in charge of both the college and the cathedral  in October 2014, after a distinguished career as a theologian.

Name checked: The Very Rev Martyn Percy is referred to in the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

He has also served as a member of the Advertising Standards Authority and as an adviser to the British Board of Film Classification.

At first, relations with his colleagues were smooth. But gradually, say senior college members, he became convinced of the need for reform. In public and in briefings to friendly journalists, Dr Percy's enemies have repeatedly insisted the dispute was only about one issue  his salary. He was, they claimed, 'greedy'.

The trigger, say Christ Church sources, was the appointment in 2017 of a fundraising director on a salary higher than Dr Percy's.

As well as this, the dean discovered that although being head of cathedral as well as the college meant he had extra responsibilities, his 90,000 salary was well below the Oxford University average for a college chief.

The pay dispute escalated but there was no resolution, and in September 2018, a college panel drew up its list of charges.

Under the college statutes, Dr Percy's actions had to be proven to be exceptionally serious.

He could only be ousted if he was shown to be guilty of 'persistent failure or neglect of duties', or 'behaviour of an immoral, scandalous or disgraceful nature'.

In October 2018, the Governing Body voted to suspend him.

Among the allegations against him were that he had tried to 'bully' and 'harass' the college and its members, that he had been 'dishonest', and threatened not to do his job properly unless he got a pay rise.

Dr Percy refused to resign, and eight months later, Sir Andrew considered the evidence and rejected the charges.

Sir Andrew decided the only thing Dr Percy did wrong was to seek legal advice and then charge the college a few hundred pounds.

But this, the judgment says, was nowhere near serious enough to require removing him from office.

Christ Church is a registered charity, and all the members of the Governing Body have a legal responsibility as trustees to ensure its funds are spent wisely.

The college receives about 3.5 million a year in government funding for students, and more for research  funds for which the Governing Body is also responsible.

However, the Governing Body has been prevented from seeing any of this evidence, and has been shown Sir Andrew's judgment only in a highly redacted form.

Mr Aitken's letter states: 'Instead of accepting the [Smith] tribunal's findings, [Dr Percy's opponents] have renewed their attacks They continue to assert on spurious legal grounds that the judge's findings in their unredacted form cannot be published.'

Now, he adds, the pending tribunal means 'the dam of silence and suppression is certain to burst'.

Oxford University said: 'While the college is autonomous, the university has made efforts, before and after last August's ruling, to reconcile the two parties in the hope the college could once again focus fully on its academic mission.'

Dr Percy said: 'I cannot comment on internal Christ Church matters.

'This has been a difficult time in the life of the House, but I sincerely hope and pray that a just and fair way forward can be found, and that a period of reflection, reconciliation and healing can follow.

'This is what our alumni, college, cathedral congregations, diocese, staff and students are all seeking.'

In a statement Christ Church's Governing Body said: 'We can confirm that we are in receipt of two employment tribunal claims from the dean of Christ Church.

'We are all too conscious that what began as a request for a sizeable salary increase by the dean has led, over the last two years, to significantly heightened tensions between him and an overwhelming majority of Governing Body.

'We take our responsibilities towards all members of our community very seriously, and believe we have acted in the best interests of Christ Church, including its students and staff.

Case ongoing: Two employment tribunals have been lodged by the dean of Christ Church in Oxford

'Christ Church expects members to show respect towards one another at all times, but equally we acknowledge that individuals are entitled to their personal opinions.

'Frustrations conveyed about  but not to  the dean, exacerbated by the dispute over his pay, were in the past expressed in some private emails.

'However, mediation with the dean, funded by Christ Church, resumed in November 2019 and is now ongoing.

'We very much hope that we can find a way forward through this process, and avoid considerable further cost.'
While Attorney General William P Barr asserted his independence from the White House this week, he has also been quietly intervening in a series of politically charged cases, including against Michael T Flynn, President Trumps former national security adviser, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. Barr installed a phalanx of outside lawyers to re-examine national security cases with the possibility of overruling career prosecutors, a highly unusual move that could prompt more accusations of Justice Department politicisation. The case against Mr. Flynn, who twice ...
A coronavirus patient has died at a hospital in Paris, becoming the first person in Europe to fall victim to the illness.

French health minister Agnes Buzyn said on Saturday that an elderly Chinese tourist had died from coronavirus.

The 80-year-old man had been treated at the Bichat hospital in northern Paris since 25 January, before dying of a lung infection caused by the virus. His daughter, who was also hospitalised, is expected to recover.

France has so far recorded 11 cases of the virus, out of a global total of more than 65,000. The vast majority of people suffering from coronavirus are in China.

The first fatality from the illness in Europe comes soon after the announcement of the first confirmed case of the disease in Africa  in Egypt  on Friday.

Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under 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The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty

Since coronavirus was first identified in China in December last year, it has swept across the world, with around 500 cases declared in 24 other countries and territories to date.

Prior to the death in France, three people had died outside of mainland China  with one death in each of Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

The largest cluster of cases outside China is on the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship quarantined off Japan. Of the estimated 3,700 people on board, 285 have been diagnosed with coronavirus.

On Saturday, the US said it would send an aircraft to pick up American citizens stuck on the ship. They may then face another two weeks of isolation in the US as a precautionary measure.

In the UK, nine people have so far been diagnosed with coronavirus. NHS England said on Saturday that eight of these people have now been discharged from hospital.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, thanked those released for their patience in unique circumstances.

The overwhelming gratitude expressed by those who left earlier this week is a testament to the exceptional support and tireless dedication of our NHS in trying circumstances, he added.

I want to stress that any individuals who are discharged from hospital are now well and do not pose any health risk to the public.

Among those discharged were five members of the ski group who were treated at the Royal Free and St Thomas Hospital in London.

In a joint statement, they said they were feeling well and looking forward to being home.

All of our group, including the six in other countries, have recovered quickly from the virus having required minimal medical treatment during our time in isolation, the statement added.

We understand the virus can be dangerous for some, but we also want to share the important facts of our situation to help reassure people.

We want to thank everybody who has been involved in our care, in particular the NHS nurses and doctors who have looked after us over the past few days.

The group had been staying in a chalet in France which was visited by businessman Steve Walsh, from Hove, the first Briton with the virus to be identified. He said on Tuesday that he had fully recovered.

All 94 people in quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral have been released, but more than 100 people remain in isolation at the Kents Hill Park Hotel in Milton Keynes.

Public Health England (PHE) has contacted more than 200 delegates who attended a conference in London on 6 February, after one of the attendees is now known to be suffering from the virus. Two MPs, who were among the delegates, have decided to remain mostly at home.

On Sunday morning, Chinese health officials said they had confirmed more than 1,800 new cases in Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak. The death toll in the country rose above 1,650, according to the countrys National Health Commission.

A notice was issued on Friday by authorities in Beijing saying that anyone returning to the city from holidays elsewhere in the country must go into quarantine for 14 days or risk punishment.

Elsewhere, hundreds of protestors in Hong Kong, which has experienced months of anti-Beijing protests, marched on Saturday to call for the total closure of the border with mainland China. They also oppose proposals to turn some buildings into quarantine centres.

The infection is believed to have originated in a food market in the city of Wuhan, in Chinas Hubei province.

Additional reporting from Reuters
SANTA FE  Legislation intended to strengthen the financial health of New Mexicos pension system for police, firefighters and other public employees is headed to the full House for consideration.

The proposal, Senate Bill 72, has already passed the Senate. It would make a variety of changes to the pension system operated by the Public Employees Retirement Association, including revisions to the annual cost-of-living adjustments now received by most retirees.

The House Appropriations and Finance Committee approved the bill on an 11-4 vote Friday, sending it on to the House floor.

The committee made a technical change to the legislation, however, meaning it will have to go back to the Senate for approval even if its passed by the House.

This is an important step to improving the states credit rating, said Olivia Padilla-Jackson, New Mexicos secretary for finance and administration.
Best Rum Distillery in the Caribbean



PHILIPSBURG:--- If there is one thing the Caribbean is known for as much as its beaches, is its rum. The spirit was first distilled on the islands during the 17th century when sugar plantation owners discovered molasses, a byproduct of the sugar refining process, which could be fermented into alcohol. Caribbean rum producers have spent centuries since perfecting the process of distillation, aging, and blending. Many of the world's best rums come from the Caribbean.

USA Today awarded St. Maartens Topper's Rhum Distillery 1st place in the 10 Best Caribbean Rum Distillery contest for the second year in a row. This prestigious competition is amongst some of the most famous rum brands in the world such as Bacardi, Brugal, Angostura, Cruzan, Mount Gay, Appleton Estate and Barbancourt.

USA TODAYs 10Best.com provides travelers with original, unbiased, and experiential travel content around the world. At its core is a team of well-traveled and well-educated experts who in their fields are known for their discriminating tastes.

Not only does USA Todays readers acknowledge Toppers Rhum as the Best Caribbean rum maker, Wine Enthusiast magazine recently designated Toppers Mocha Mama Rhum as one of the Top 100 Spirits of 2019. Every year Wine Enthusiast's expert team reviews spirits from around the world. Culled from a list of thousands of spirits, this ranking represents the most exciting, impressive and interesting spirits of the year.

Toppers Rhum, a truly locally made product, is a world-class, multi-award winning, premium rhum that is handmade, bottled, and packaged with precision right here in Cole Bay, St. Maarten. Toppers Rhum only uses all natural premium ingredients and no preservatives. They are committed to producing the worlds best tasting rhum and flavored rhum spirits, using the highest standards of quality. They are re-inventing rhum by continually innovating and delivering unique products to their customers worldwide.

Toppers Rhum is very environmentally conscientious and well known for its signature reusable swing-top bottles. This official St. Maarten rhum is the only international multiple award-winning spirit distilled and exported from St. Maarten. They currently export to 7 countries and 24 states in the USA. Their products are also sold online throughout the world at buyrhum.com. Toppers Rhum has already won 26 international medals awarded by the most prominent rum tasting contests in the world.

Through their tours and their continuing expansion overseas, they are notably promoting St. Maarten internationally. Toppers Rhum Distillery is one of the top unique places to visit on St. Maarten, according to the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau.

So what is new for Toppers in 2020? They will be launching their premium Vodka as well as three aged rhum blends this year. Toppers is also pleased to announce the April 2020 launch of their sister brand Sea Spot Rum which all started with a simple premise; the belief that a well-crafted rum and a worthy cause make for a great blend. This family-run, small-batch rum company has a big heart. 10% of all profits will be donated to support service, guide, and shelter dog organizations everywhere. All Sea Spot Rum products and merchandise purchases at our distillery will support St Maarten's local rescue and dog organizations.

Come by and for a tasting of their 6 signature rhums and visit their world-famous Rhum Tap, which offers 12 specialty flavors, ready for sampling or enjoy one of their hands-on tours.

Toppers Rhum distillery is open for rhum tastings and shopping from 9:00 am  3:00 pm daily. Tours start every hour on the hour. Call 721-520-0008 for an appointment or book online at www.toppersrhumtours.com.
Amanda Nelson was skeptical when she first heard about Walmart (WMT)s new employee benefit.

Back in 2015, the married mother of two teenagers joined the retail giant as a department manager at a store in Oklahoma City. Nelson learned about the companys $1-a-day college program at the Walmart Academy  a training program located in the back of about 200 stores.

The burdens of having to pay off a student loan they are very difficult, especially for a family where I have kids now that are starting to get up toward graduating and moving on themselves, Nelson told Yahoo Finance.

She was still paying off student loans from a bachelors degree in criminal justice that she received in 2011. Yet Nelson decided to enroll in a business management and leadership program at Bellevue University  one of the institutions that are part of the big-box retailers generous college tuition perk called Live Better U (LBU).

With that, Nelson became one of the more than 12,000 associates actively enrolled in Walmarts nascent debt-free employee college benefit that helps graduates get promoted and become more engaged at work.

She worked full-time, took courses online, and graduated on January 25  but this time with no loan burden.

Having to pay student loans, its tough. Thats why I appreciate the LBU program so much. Im already done, and theres no debt, the 35 year-old added.

How it got started

In the summer of 2018, the big-box retailer and the countrys largest private employer began offering the generous education perk to its 1.5 million associates.

Walmart workers can earn degrees through Purdue University Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Wilmington University, University of Florida, Brandman University, and Bellevue University. More than 20,000 have gone through the application process, and are waiting for the program to begin.

Originally, Live Better U offered degrees in business, leadership and management. In the last year, it expanded to offer technology-focused and health-related degrees based on the changing nature of Walmarts jobs, and the new areas the company is heading.

Story continues

Were always tying it back to the skills that we are going to need as a company going forward, said Drew Holler, Walmarts senior vice president of associate experience.

What that results in is associates that go through the program get the opportunity to further their education without debt, but it also allows them to pick up the skills that we see as future skills that we need within the company, he added.

So far, Walmart associates have completed more than 88,000 college credits  the equivalent of about $42.5 million. Whats more, the retailer sees the benefits inside the company with more highly engaged associates while at work.

One of the biggest hurdles weve had to get over is associates didnt believe it was just a dollar a day, said Holler. We kind of had to reassure that the case because its a great benefit.

Employees have been very responsive to the program, he said, adding that we are seeing a higher engagement to these individuals while they are work.

Significant retention play

Walmart store People Lead Amanda Nelson graduated from the retailer's $1-a-day college program called Live Better U.

Meanwhile, Nelson is one of those reaping the professional benefits. While studying human resources management toward her second degree, the People Lead position at her store became available.

I felt quite confident after taking those classes going into the interviews and the selection process for that. It did help with my promotional capability, said Nelson.

In her new role, shes responsible for 317 associates helping them navigate human resources, from recruitment to training.

Shes also become an LBU ambassador. I tend to promote it quite a bit because I do feel its an amazing program that everybody in this store should participate in, she said.

Holler said that associate word of mouth is one of the more successful ways of marketing the program. He added that they see a higher density in stores of students when one associate signs up and shares the experience with others.

Nelson said there are five associates in the program in her store and another five who are currently talking about joining.

While its still early, Holler expects that LBU will be a significant retention play. Associates are completing their degrees, but also progress within the company after graduation.

A big part of that is going to be how we map the associates who go through the program to their next job, said Holler. So, as you graduate, if youre in a store in Florida and you want to be in a distribution center in Alabama that we give you that opportunity as you work through your supply chain degree.

For the program, Walmart partnered with Guild Education, a company focused on unlocking opportunity for Americas workforce through education. Guild Education, whose clients include Disney (DIS), Lowes (LOW), and Chipotle (CMG), serves as a marketplace helping companies offer education benefits to employees.

Guild Educations co-founder and CEO Rachel Carlson called Walmarts program one of the most scalable and impactful partnerships, highlighting what she called the promotion impact of the benefit.

We are seeing that our students have a much higher likelihood of being promoted within their companies when they first do an education program with us, said Carlson  adding that they see a 2.6-x increase in promotion opportunities across Guild Educations corporate programs.

Carlson noted that Walmart students are also outperforming their peers. Hollers own view is that Walmart students are doing well because of the community theyre building with each other.

They create these communities around some of these classes.and youre working with someone in a store in Seattle, and you may be in a distribution center in Florida, the executive added. It creates this community of people that hold each other accountable as well as spur each other on.



Julia La Roche is a Correspondent at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.
As the number of people who identify as Christian continues to decline at a rapid pace, one might wonder whether religious radio stations have suffered as a result.

But in Charleston, a city tucked in the Bible Belt, the number of broadcasts offering contemporary Christian and gospel music suggests that the field may be stronger than ever.

A search on radiolocator.com identifies that out of 50 total stations in the Charleston area, nearly 20 play religious content. Terry Base, broadcaster with WJNI Gospel, was surprised to hear the data, calling it an all-time high for Christian radio content in the Lowcountry.

Base, who helped launched the area's WSPO Heaven (1390 AM/100.1 FM) in the late '90s, said the perception of gospel music is changing for the better. The producer said Christian music is no longer taking a backseat as a viable format.

Its very competitive with other genres," Base said. "It's fitting, in the digital age, the sound of gospel music would catch up.

The decline in the number of those identifying with Christianity is reflected in a 2019 Pew Research Center survey, which showed 65 percent of American adults describe themselves as Christian when asked about their religion. That number has dropped 12 percentage points over the past decade.

The expansion of the Christian radio landscape is shown most recently in the addition of Chicago-based Moody Radio, who recently added to the Lowcountry's mix of religious stations. The organization expanded its reach into South Carolina last summer when it launched WCDC in Charleston on the air and broadcasting via 107.7 FM and 950 AM.

"What makes us unique in Charleston is not only do we offer teaching, but we offer live talk programs with caller interaction," said Scott Krus, general manager of Moody Radio.

Christian Radio Stations FM W201CH (KEFX), 88.1 FM WFCH, 88.5 FM WZLC, 88.9 FM W212CN (KAWZ), 90.3 FM WYFH, 90.7 FM W216BJ (WALC), 91.1 FM WKCL, 91.5 FM W225AJ (KAWZ), 92.9 FM W261DG (WSPO-AM), 100.1 FM WALC, 100.5 FM WAYA, 100.9 FM W267BK (WAYA), 101.3 FM WJNI, 106.3 FM AM WLTQ, 730 AM WWOS, 810 AM WCDC, 950 AM WSPO, 1390 AM Source: radio-locator.com

Moody Radio, one of the oldest Christian networks in the nation, has grown to include more than 70 stations, six internet stations and more than 1,500 affiliates that carry its programming.

The Charleston radio lineup includes a host of Moody original interactive talk programs, and a morning show. Well-known syndicated programs include Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah, Revive Our Hearts with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, and Summit Life with J. D. Greear.

Local stations have maintained a loyal audience by being community-focused.

Sullivan's Island resident Roy Willey favors WSPO Heaven during his morning commute to the peninsula. In addition to offering uplifting music, broadcasters highlight community events and issues.

I think that type of station has a lot of relevance," he said.

The popularity of faith-based music has been slightly growing, even more than some genres of secular music. In 2017, contemporary Christian came in at No. 12 of radio's top 20 musical formats, according to a 2018 report by Nielsen Audio, a research company that compiles listener data. That climbed slightly to No. 10 in 2018.

Both reports listed Christian contemporary music as more popular than urban contemporary. Songs such as "Even If" by Mercyme garnered more of the total listening share in 2017 than hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar's "Humble," according to Nielsen's 2018 report.

What also remained prominent is radio itself as a medium for music.

Despite technological advancements over the decades, AM/FM radio reaches more people each week than any other medium in the U.S. at 228 million consumers, according to Nielsen.

That compares with 216 million for television, 203 million for app/web on a smartphone, and 127 million for video on a smartphone.

Though tunes can be played using Bluetooth and auxiliary cords, many commuters still don't have cars with those capabilities, said Moody Radio's Krus.

They're just used to popping the dial," Krus said.

WJNI, one of Charleston's most popular stations, has offered Christian music on airwaves for more than 20 years. The broadcast has remained relevant by offering more contemporary Christian and urban gospel music over the years to appeal to teenage and young adult audiences, and by including gospel jazz in its rotation.

Joe Mack, a producer at WJNI, said Christian radio serves those who can't make it to Sunday morning services. He said the genre has maintained popularity because individuals are steadily seeking inspiration and encouragement.

They not only want an escape but a reminder of whats important," Mack said.
A girl aged eight has died of old age in Ukraine after suffering from an exceptionally rare genetic progeria disease which only affects 160 people in the entire world.

Anna Sakidon's biological age was nearer to 80, said medics as they paid tribute to a 'wonderful' girl who had to battle so many health problems.

The child reached her eighth birthday last month but only weighed 17lbs.

Eight-year-old Anna Sakidon (pictured aged six) died of old age in Ukraine after suffering from an exceptionally rare genetic progeria disease which only affects 160 people in the entire world

Anna's (pictured aged three) biological age was nearer to 80 but she only weight 17lbs when she died last month

She died from multiple failure of her inner organs linked to her premature ageing condition, said reports in Ukraine.

Her grieving mother Ivanna had told earlier how she was 'ready to sacrifice everything in order to make her daughter healthy'.

Timofey Nagorny, head of the Foundation of Ukrainian Volunteers which supported Anna Sakidon's medical treatment, had said: 'Her only dream is to discover one day that the diagnosis of the doctors was wrong.'

Confirming Anna's death, Dr Nadezhda Kataman said the 'wonderful' girl had been treated at Volyn Regional Children Medical Complex since childhood.

She died from multiple failure of her inner organs linked to her premature ageing condition, said reports in Ukraine. Pictured is Anna aged three

'In January, Anna turned eight,' she said.

'For children with progeria diagnosis one year is equal to eight-to-ten years, so her real age was between 70 and 80.

'The child suffered from early ageing of her inner organs and body system.'

'Her bones grew slowly while her organs aged rapidly.

'Such patients usually die from strokes. Anna suffered several strokes, and paralysis of her limbs.'

This affected the movement of her arms and legs.

At the age of three (pictured) she was happy to hug and kiss her teddy bear but didn't like kissing people

She had been diagnosed with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a genetic condition, soon after birth.

In a video when she was three, her mother showed Anna to the world and told she could walk well from the age of ten months.

By 11 months she followed her mother everywhere but was scared of light so could only go outside in the evening.

At the age of three she was happy to hug and kiss her teddy bear but didn't like kissing people.

Research in The Netherlands indicated that the condition affects one in 20million births.

There are only around 160 known sufferers in the world.
At least 12 people, including women and children, were killed and over 23 others injured when the vehicle they were travelling in fell into a ditch in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province.

The accident occurred on Friday on Khuzdar-Jhal Magsi highway near the Bareja area of Jhal Magsi district in the province when the driver lost control of the vehicle due to over-speeding and it plunged into a ditch, The Express Tribune said in a report.

Deputy Commissioner Sharjeel Noor said the victims were travelling to Jhal Magsi from Lasbela to attend a wedding reception when the incident happened.

As per the initial reports, 10 people died on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries later in hospital.

Some of the critically injured were referred to hospitals in Larkana in Sindh, it said, adding that bodies of the dead were handed over to the family members after completion of medico-legal formalities.

In a separate incident, two persons died in a head-on collision between two vehicles near the Sarsand area of Panjgur district in Balochistan.

Also, in another incident, two persons, including a woman, were killed, while six others injured when a car they were travelling in toppled near the Sanjavi area of Khuzdar district of the province, the report said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The China coronavirus had a mysterious turn of events as a government official requested the Red Cross worker for supplies. This was captured and livestreamed online that drew the ire of Chinese netizens. It became the subject of online media, as the license plate was searched online by many users.

According to the Wuhan officials, Red Cross later gave the mask supplies to be given to medical helpers and citizens. The individual was not identified by the Red Cross representatives.

Shortage of supplies have been bad and hospital are in dire need of them. Even with the Red Cross and other organizations pitching in, and even with significant donations, it is not getting better. With 600 dead from the coronavirus, and more rising in coming days, China is suffering from a lockdown to control the disease.

Supplies are urgent and lacking

The Wuhan situation has gotten worse with dwindling supplies that need to be replenished. Wuhan Children's Hospital went to social media for donations needed.

Donations did come in from China and humanitarian missions overseas assisted the stressed hospital. To aid in giving supplies to those affected by the China coronavirus.

Staff from the hospital and local volunteers got the supplies and brought it to a makeshift hospital on Feb. 4. Tracy Liu from Jiangsu province, now living in America, set up groups on WeChat to help generate needed supplies for the Red Cross, that were used by disease control specialists.

First shipments from her efforts, arrive in Wuhan but she had to deal with the red tape to get the shipments to the stricken Wuhanese.

No supplies have reached the intended recipients in Wuhan, said Liu. Shunfeng, the delivery company, said that they prioritize deliveries to charities and government offices.

Also read: China Coronavirus Outbreak: Critics Blame Government for Secrecy of Info, Control of Media

The donation was not only from Tracy Liu but also Chinese mainlanders sent supplies to the Wuhan Red Cross too. However, all these donations are not getting to the health workers, staving off the disease in hospitals, where it is life or death.

Hospitals are ill-equipped to deal with the rising contagion

A doctor in Huanggang that came second to Wuhan affected by the coronavirus outbreak, said that there are not enough supplies to protect them from viral infection. Only 500 N95 masks were given by the red cross at their supply centers.

The problem with getting the substandard supplies and items are rampant, which is caused by high demand for them stated by state media.

Aftermath of what happened in the Red Cross

Failed handling of the Wuhan situation has resulted in the sacking of officials in both the Red Cross and the Wuhan government.

While the epidemic is taking a turn for the worse, with supplies and equipment not going where they should. The actions that the Red Cross took in dealing with the China coronavirus has been less than satisfactory.

Mismanagement of the supplies and the glaring problem with transparency and its action is now in focus. As the government attempts to control and bring all anti-corona virus assets in track, which is not getting any better.

Related article: Researchers Reveal Coronavirus May Live More Than a Week Despite Absence of Host

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Braving all odds, Ruby has done what most of the girls of her age wont even think of. She has secured 52nd rank in the Civil Judge Junior Examination of Jharkhand.

Living in a slum near Anaj Mandi along the GT Road, Ruby had to struggle on two counts - extreme poverty and the loss of father.

The biggest hurdle of my life was the unavailability of bread on a daily basis. After the fathers death, mother Jahida Begum took care of five siblings, she told ANI.

Despite the financial crisis, my mother and brother Mohammad Rafi supported and motivated me a lot, added Ruby, who is MA in English.

She has also appeared in the Union Public Service Commission but she couldnt make it.

In 2016, she appeared for the Delhi University examination for admission into the LLB course. In 2018, she appeared in the Haryana Judicial Services examination but couldnt clear it.

On April 27 last year, a fire broke out in her slum, which destroyed many hutments, but she did not give up. On May 27, she took the examination of Jharkhand Judicial Service for which she prepared on footpaths.

On January 10 this year, she appeared in the interview only to come out with flying colours.

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President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol in Munich.

Fatih Birol hailed President Ilham Aliyevs speech at the Energy Security round table held as part of the Munich Security Conference.

The executive director noted that Azerbaijan is known as a very reliable partner in global energy market, describing this as a result of the policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev.

Azerbaijans initiatives within OPEC+format was hailed at the meeting. The importance of the steps taken by Azerbaijan in recent years towards the development of alternative energy resources was emphasized.

The sides also exchanged views on current state of the global energy market.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Hundreds of children gathered near Sarjapur and hugged the trees that will be axed, following proposal for road widening works by the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL). About 200 students from various schools gathered in badges between Dommasandra Circle and Varthur and hugged the trees, tied green bands around it, and expressed their love for their green friends.

Deepanjali Naik, a Member of Voice of Sarjapura said, The trees were the childrens valentine for the day. They hugged them, sang poems regarding the tree, and also made drawings on placards. The stretch has about 500 trees which have indigenous and canopy trees. We do not want them to be cut.A student from Sandeepani School of Excellence said, We are the future and we need to protect trees. They provide us shade on this stretch, and if they are chopped, the entire road will be full of dust and the temperature will increase.

Meanwhile, a group of citizens went to the KRDCL office and met the Managing Director (MD) B S Shivakumar and submitted a letter demanding immediate halt on the cutting of these trees. The letter stated that they want public consultation by inviting experts and citizens to interact, at least six months in advance. Sufficient, widely accessible notice  in English and in Kannada  should be provided at least a month before consultation date.

Transparency regarding the reason for the project with relevant data and research, impact analysis on social and health parameters, detailed project report (DPR) and environment impact assessment (EIA) report should also be provided. Rajani Santosh, a volunteer said, We want all the above demands to be fulfilled. We also require them to give us a good reason for the initiation of the project.
A plane was evacuated on a German runway after the wheel caught on fire while landing.

Passengers were forced to use emergency slides after the incident on an airport runway in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The plane, a Pegasus Airline craft, had flown from Istanbul to the city, and was carrying 163 passengers, reports said.

Pictured: The pegasus airlines plane after the wheel caught fire on a Dusseldorf runway earlier today

Earlier this month, another Pegasus plane skidded off the runway in the Turkish city of Istanbul, causing dozens of flights at the airport to be diverted or cancelled.

The Boeing 737-800 from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, operated by Turkish low-cost airline Pegasus, skidded as it landed at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport amidst wet weather conditions.

Part of the incident was caught on video and uploaded to social media.

Images on social media showed how the plane appeared to have skidded across the runway into a patch of soft grass.

One image showed the stricken plane, splattered with what looks like dirt across its body, and inflatable slides deployed outside each exit. Firetrucks and emergency personnel can be seen gathered around the plane.

Pictured: The plane after the wheel was set alight in an incident on the runway in Dusseldorf today

Another photograph showed a close-up of crew, and a tractor, working to extricate the plane from the soft ground.

Istanbul governor's office said there were no deaths or injuries and all 164 passengers were safely evacuated, by emergency slides.

In a statement a Pegasus airline spokeswoman confirmed one of its planes travelling from the UAE had experienced a 'runway excursion'.

She said all passengers and cabin crew had disembarked the aircraft safely, and investigations were underway into what happened.

'We will continue to provide information with regards to any further updates,' she said.
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 18:16:18|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in an interview with Reuters in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday that it is the United States that threatens China, not vice versa, thus the problem is to address the U.S. threats.

In an interview with Reuters here, Wang criticized the United States for increasingly exerting pressure on China and frequently blaming and defaming China.

Wang also slammed the gross U.S. interference in China's internal affairs as the U.S. Congress reviews and approves one bill after another to impose itself on China's domestic issues.

He added that the United States has also constantly threatened China by sending military ships and aircraft, flexing its muscles at China's doorstep, and by imposing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction on Chinese enterprises, restricting China's development rights.

It is in plain sight which side is making threats against the other, said Wang.

Wang urged Washington to abide by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, as China has always been doing, and work in joint effort with Beijing to establish and develop long-term, stable friendly and cooperative relations.
LAKE SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI -- A former Syracuse University volleyball star and her daughter were killed Friday morning in a crash in Missouri.

Carrie (Urton) McCaw and three others -- including McCaws daughter and another child -- died in a head-on crash near Lake Saint Louis, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They were on their way to a weekend volleyball tournament in Kansas City, the newspaper reported.

McCaw graduated from SU in 1998. The former volleyball star owns a number of records from her four-year career at SU.

The deadly accident happened on Highway 40.

A pickup truck crossed a median into oncoming traffic before crashing head-on with the minivan McCaw was traveling in, reported the KMOV4.

McCaw and her daughter, along with another mother and her daughter, were killed:

Carrie (Urton) McCaw, 44

Kacey McCaw, 12

Lesley Prather, 44

Rhyan Prather, 12

All four were from Louisville, Kentucky.

In a tweet, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer asked the community to stand by the McCaw and Prather families.

My heart is breaking at the loss of four Louisvillians, including a Louisville firefighter, killed in a tragic accident today in Missouri," Fischer wrote. "I ask that you join me in keeping their families, friends and co-workers in your hearts and prayers.

Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
Security forces have increased patrols in remote areas where attacks have been happening.

Government soldiers and UN peacekeepers are struggling to stop rebel attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Close to 1,000 civilians have been killed since the government ordered the army to root out the ADF, or Allied Democratic Forces, with fighting forcing villagers to leave their homes in the eastern region of Beni.

Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi has this exclusive report.
Proper structures must be instituted to ...
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that he first gave orders to tackle the coronavirus crisis on Jan. 7 in a speech released by state media on Saturday, the New York Times reports. He did not disclose details of those orders in the speech.

Why it matters: The newly published address, which Xi gave on Feb. 3, confirms "for the first time that he was aware of the virus while officials at its epicenter were openly downplaying its dangers," per the Times.

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian: The decision to release this information indicates that one of Xi's priorities now is assuring the Chinese public that China's top leaders  not local officials  have long been firmly at the helm of the government's response.

Popular anger at local officials for early attempts to suppress knowledge of the coronavirus has surged nationally, and led to widespread distrust of government action to combat the epidemic.

By taking personal responsibility for the coronavirus response, even from its early days, Xi is risking further backlash if the epidemic worsens.

Catch up quick: The Chinese government "delayed a concerted public health offensive" for the coronavirus by silencing doctors for raising red flags in the first seven weeks after symptoms appeared in December, the Times previously reported.

Officials in Wuhan  the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak  were "giving open assurances that there was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission" in early January, per the Times.

Li Wenliang, the doctor who sounded the alarm on the coronavirus outbreak, was mourned last week in vigils in Hong Kong and Wuhan that seemed to "shake loose pent-up anger and frustration" at the government's handling of the crisis, per the Times' Li Yuan.

Go deeper: The coronavirus threat to China's grand plans
Harris to Graham: Hold Immediate Hearing on Roger Stone Case and Make AG Barr Testify

U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday sent a letter to Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) demanding that the committee hold a hearingwith Attorney General Bill Barr as a witnesson potential political interference in the sentencing of Roger Stone, President Trumps former campaign advisor and longtime friend. Harris letter comes after reports that the Department of Justice was considering reducing the sentencing recommendation put forward by the career prosecutors overseeing Stones case, all four of whom have since requested to withdraw from the case, and after the Department filed an updated sentencing recommendation in the case that contradicted the career prosecutors.

The Justice Departments decision to overrule its career prosecutors, immediately after President Trumps tweet, calls into question the independence and integrity of our legal system, wrote Harris. As the committee responsible for oversight of the Justice Department, we must review these events and assess their impact on the integrity of the Department and our system of justice.

Harris continued, Failure to meet basic oversight responsibilities in the face of such alarming news would send a signal to this and future administrations that the Senate no longer conducts itself as a co-equal branch of government. Accordingly, I request that you immediately schedule a hearing for Attorney General William Barr to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee so that the committee and the American people can understand the Justice Departments decision to overrule its career prosecutors in this case.

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Full text of the letter is below:

February 11, 2020

The Honorable Lindsey O. Graham

Chairman

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Committee on the Judiciary

United States Senate

224 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Graham:

On February 10, 2020, federal prosecutors filed a sentencing memorandum recommending that Roger Stone be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison after a jury convicted him of seven felonies for obstructing Congress, lying under oath to investigators, and interfering with witness testimony related to his efforts to learn about hacked Democratic emails during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

On February 11, 2020, the morning after the sentencing memorandum was made public, President Trump criticized the recommended sentence on Twitter, saying This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice! Just hours after President Trumps tweet, a senior Justice Department official announced that the Department planned to overrule its career prosecutors and reduce the sentence recommendation. After the decision was announced, all four career prosecutors who handled the case against Roger Stone withdrew from the case. One prosecutor resigned from the Justice Department altogether.

The Justice Departments decision to overrule its career prosecutors, immediately after President Trumps tweet, calls into question the independence and integrity of our legal system.

As the committee responsible for oversight of the Justice Department, we must review these events and assess their impact on the integrity of the Department and our system of justice. Failure to meet basic oversight responsibilities in the face of such alarming news would send a signal to this and future administrations that the Senate no longer conducts itself as a co-equal branch of government. Accordingly, I request that you immediately schedule a hearing for Attorney General William Barr to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee so that the committee and the American people can understand the Justice Departments decision to overrule its career prosecutors in this case.
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The Telangana Cabinet would meet here on Sunday when it is expected to finalise the dates for the upcoming budget session of the assembly, during which an anti-CAA resolution may be moved.

The cabinet meeting, to be presided over by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, would be held at 4 PM, official sources said here on Saturday.

During the session, the assembly is likely to take up a resolution against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Rao had last month said the CAA was "not good" for the country and that keeping Muslims outside the purview of the act pained him.

Noting that his Telangana Rashtra Samithi had voted against the amendment to citizenship law in Parliament, Rao had said a resolution might be passed by the state assembly against theCAA on the lines of some other states.

The TRS ruled Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had on February 8 passed an anti-CAA resolutionat its general body meeting.

Congress-ruled Rajasthan, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry and Kerala and West Bengal have passed assembly resolutions against the act, which has triggered protests in several parts of the country.

Besides the schedule for the assembly session, the state governments Palle Pragati (progress of villages), Pattana Pragati (progress of towns) programmes, among others, were also expected to come up in the Cabinet meeting, the sources said.

The assembly session is expected to be held next month.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The devastated parents of a 20-year-old 'catfish' victim have spoken about their grief at hearing evidence during the inquest regarding her suicide.

Teresa and Mark Marsden spoke out about their struggle to learn of the circumstances surrounding the death of their daughter Renae Marsden in Sydney's east in 2013.

The grieving pair spoke to Weekend Sunrise and described the inquest as 'the most harrowing week of our lives'.

Teresa and Mark Marsden (pictured) spoke of their grief at hearing evidence this week at the Sydney inquest into the death of their 20-year-old daughter Renae who was 'catfished' by a friend

Mrs Marsden said: 'I've got to say I think it's actually a lot worse for us now knowing the lead up to it.

'We had no idea. The truth has all come out now and its been actually worse,' she said.

The coronial inquest into Renae's death revealed that her best friend and former lover, Camila Zeidan, had allegedly deceived Renae into believing she had a boyfriend called 'Brayden Spiteri' for 18 months.

Evidence at the inquest rattled the whole family and Mrs Marsden described the impact on Renae's siblings: 'Now they're at an age where they can understand and can't believe that someone who's actually come into our home could do something like this.'

This is the heartbreaking final text message Renae Marsden sent her mother, Teresa, after she was allegedly deceived for years by 'catfish' Camila Zeidan

Moments before Renae took her own life, she sent her mother a heartbreaking text.

'I'm sorry for everything and the pain I will now cause you,' Renae said.

'When you need to talk to me just call my name and I'll be there.'

It was August 5, 2013, and the typically 'bubbly' and 'happy' receptionist was at The Gap, in Sydney's east, contemplating ending her life.

She was besotted with her fake internet boyfriend Brayden Spiteri.

Brayden was, apparently, an inmate at Goulburn jail. He was supposedly behind bars over a motorcycle accident where his best friend had died, and had traded away his visitation rights for softer sentence.

Renae Marsden, 20 (left) died by suicide at The Gap in Sydney's east on August 5, 2013 after her best friend Camila Zeidan (right) allegedly 'catfished' her

These are pictures of the man Renae believed was Brayden. But they depict another person = who had no idea of how his photos were being used

Tragic: Renae Marsden is pictured right with her mother Teresa left - who received a heartbreaking final text

Renae and Brayden messaged each other incessantly. She got a tattoo of his last name on her body, the court heard.

She dreamed of marrying him upon his release, which she was promised would happen before her 21st birthday.

But Brayden was all a concoction of Camila's, Coroner Elaine Truscott was told this week.

And the 'false reality' Renae lived, believing she was in a relationship with a fictional person, ultimately led to Renae's awful death, the inquest heard on Friday.

'Sort your daughter out, threatening suicide': How Brayden allegedly drove Renae to her death

At 2.59pm, the day Renae died, her mother Teresa received a blunt text from Brayden's phone, according to the counsel assisting the inquest's version of events.

'Sort your daughter out, threatening suicide,' the text said.

Brayden - really, his puppeteer, Camila - had reason to be worried.

Renae was devastated by a message she had received from Brayden that day, counsel assisting the inquest Sasha Harding said in her closing address.

The message to Renae, from Brayden, was along the lines of: 'I think I need a break and so do you', the court heard.

Renae hadn't heard from Brayden for about a month when she received the text.

Renae was told Brayden was participating in a court case and couldn't speak until early August. (Camila was on holidays in the United States at the time).

Her colleague Joseph Abbatte went to lunch with the visibly upset StarTrack receptionist about 1pm that day.

Renae was crying, Mr Abbatte said in an sworn affidavit to the court.

She used a napkin to wipe away her tears and waved the text in his face, before heading home.

Teresa Marsden handed the court these text message exchanges with 'Brayden' (in white, Teresa's texts are in green'

Teresa Marsden was incredulous when she received the text from Brayden, unaware of the true nature of their relationship.

'Please explain to my why a young woman would want to kill herself?' she wrote back.

She confronted Renae at home but was reassured that she was OK.

Hours later, after telling her mother she was going to dinner with work friends, Renae drove 50 minutes from her home in Glenhaven to The Gap, the court heard.

She exchanged several texts with 'Brayden' and Camila, but police have been unable to obtain the contents of them.

Renae chucked her phone over the cliff before she died, and Camila and Brayden's messages from that day could not be recovered by police.

She was seen for the last time alive, on CCTV footage at The Gap, 13 minutes after mobile phone tower data showed she received a text from Brayden.

Camila told the court this week that she deleted Renae's final message 'accidentally'.

She claimed Renae's last message to her was something like, 'You will always be my best friend, I will always love you'.

A break-up, 'obsession' and possessiveness: Camila's alleged control over Renae

Camila Zeidan dodges the cameras this week

Camila this week took to the witness box to give evidence - under the condition that she be granted immunity from prosecution over any evidence she provided at the inquest.

She admitted that she was 'Brayden' at the other end of the phone, and that he had never existed.

But she claimed Brayden was a 'character' she and Renae, her ex-girlfriend, had created together, in order for them to be together despite others' disapproval.

'We both agreed we were never going to be accepted in a relationship, like, we weren't ever going to be accepted together,' Camila said on Tuesday.

'So we created the character so that no one would find out.'

(Ms Harding claimed there was no evidence of this in the years of messages police did manage to obtain, and that Camila's justification 'makes no sense').

Renae's final possessions, as found in her car, including a collage of Brayden (right) captioned 'I love you, baby!'

This is the collage of Brayden Spiteri which Renae Marsden carried around with her

The court heard Camila and Renae were in a relationship at school, at Mount St Benedict College in Sydney's north west, when they were in Year 10 in 2008.

Camila denied her relationship with Renae was 'obsessive'. But Ms Harding pointed to emails Camila sent to Renae that year to argue the opposite.

One email said: 'I swear to God kid, you r going no where, do you understand, you abuse me, I'll laugh, you kill me, I'll be your ghost, you hate me, I'll still love you, run away, chase you; you hide, I'll hunt you down... Only I'll own you ... I'm too in love with u and too obsessed with you and crazy about you baby.'

Renae and Camila's relationship fell apart after school. But the inquest heard evidence from Renae's mother of Camila engaging in behaviour 'like stalking' of Renae in the years that followed.

'I had 54 calls last night Camila. That's f***ed. I'm sorry, but that's possessive. If you can't see that then there is something terribly wrong with you'. Renae Marsden in a Facebook message to Camila Zeidan in September 2011

Teresa Marsden claimed in an affidavit that Camila would lurk at the top of the driveway in her car (Camila denies that) and follow her (which she also denies).

In one evening, Camila allegedly bombarded Renae with 54 missed calls in the one evening, the inquest heard.

In a Facebook message, Renae told Camila: 'I had 54 calls last night Camila. That's f***ed. I'm sorry, but that's possessive.

'If you can't see that then there is something terribly wrong with you'.

Camila told the inquest: 'I probably did try and talk to her ... I don't know what was going on at the time... It works both ways'.

Ms Harding claimed to the inquest that Camila had used 'Brayden' as a tool to break up Renae and her boyfriend after Camila, Angus Young. (Camila denies this.)

'Camila as the 'Brayden identity asserted mental control over Renae... Brayden sought to limit and sour Renae's social life,' Ms Harding said in her closing address.

'(Meanwhile) for nearly two years, (Renae) dedicated her mental and emotional life to Brayden.'

'(Renae's) life was on hold, lived via her mobile phone, receiving and sending incessant messages to a fictional person.'

Catfishing is not a crime - but it may become one

Renae Marsden's devastated 14-year-old sister Monique during a press conference this week

It is not clear whether Renae herself learned she was allegedly being 'catfished' prior to her death.

Police investigators told the inquest Renae had called Goulburn prison for 90 seconds at 2.44pm that afternoon.

An operator would have told Renae there was no one by that name at the prison, Detective Senior Constable Brent Bell told the court.

Catfishing - as the practice of creating fictional online love personas has become known - is not illegal in New South Wales, as Renae's devastated family found out.

Mark Marsden, Renae's father, told Daily Mail Australia outside court this week that it 'beggars belief' that there was no 'right' charge for police to lay against Camila.

And Ms Harding described just how the family felt about that in her closing remarks.

'That the intentional and ongoing deceitful actions of Camila ... was not enough for the police to take action to arrest and charge Camila with any criminal offence, has been truly confounding an inexplicable for the family,' she said on Friday.

'That there is no apparent criminal sanction .... is truly the deepest insult to the family, and no doubt the community.' She called for the 'apparent flaw' in the law to be rectified.

Renae Marsden's family were beside themselves with emotion after listening to Camila Zeidan's testimony on Wednesday. Above, father Mark (right), brother Luke, sister Monique and mother, Teresa

WHY CAMILA GOT IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION Coroner Elaine Truscott granted Camila Zeidan a certificate under section 61 of the Coroner's Act - in other words, immunity from prosecution. Camila's lawyer had objected to her taking the stand as it might incriminate her in a criminal offence. The coroner told Camila the certificate means 'the evidence you give in these proceedings cannot be used against you in any other proceedings in a NSW court'. In allowing the fact of Camila's immunity to be published, Ms Truscott said on Thursday that Camila's evidence did not, in fact, incriminate her in any offence. Advertisement

The Marsden family were beside themselves with emotion after Camila's first full day of testimony on Wednesday.

Renae's mother yelled 'I waited seven years for this' after the day's hearing ended. Camila had continuously said she 'did not remember' important events.

There were few dry eyes among the family as they spoke to reporters afterwards.

Mr Marsden said: 'I think to some extent today's proceedings are worse than losing Renae.

'We're very disappointed because we wanted some closure today,'

Renae's little brother, Luke, said: 'I look around and see my family in tears.

'I wouldn't wish this to my worst nightmare. No family deserves to be broken like this.'

The Coroner will report her findings at a later date.

For 24/7 confidential crisis support, contact Lifeline 13 11 14
(Natural News) In congressional testimony on Wednesday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) demanded that big tech, donor-advised funds, and government take action against mainstream conservative and Christian organizations in the name of fighting against white supremacy and the global terrorist threat of white nationalism. This testimony may bolster legal claims that the SPLC engages in routine defamation by accusing its ideological opponents of being hate groups on par with the Ku Klux Klan.

(Article by Tyler ONeil republished from PJMedia.com)

In the testimony, Lecia Brooks, the SPLCs chief workplace transformation officer, made three points: she warned about a surging white nationalist movement in the United States linked to a global terrorist threat; she rooted that movement in toxic, anti-democratic white supremacist ideology that is metastasizing on social media networks and other websites that traffic in hate; and she recommended that tech companies disrupt the funding, organizing and recruiting efforts of hate groups and bad actors who seek to normalize racism, antisemitism, and anti-immigrant ideologies as well as sexism and anti-LGBTQ animus.

While Brooks blamed President Donald Trump for having undoubtedly energized the white nationalist movement, she attributed the rise in far-right radicalization to the internet. Long before Donald Trump entered office, white supremacists around the world began constructing a robust, online ecosystem that indoctrinates people  especially young white men  into the world of hate. Brooks went on to note that terrorist shooters inspired by white nationalism did find inspiration on the internet.

Yet the SPLC staffer did not limit her warnings to white nationalism or the terrorism it has inspired. She also warned about other kinds of hate groups, including a broad swath of conservative and Christian organizations. The SPLC has falsely accused organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the Family Research Council (FRC), ACT for America, the Center for Security Policy (CSP), the Ruth Institute, D. James Kennedy Ministries (DJKM), and more of being hate groups comparable to the KKK by placing them on the same list.

Throughout the testimony, Brooks used the term hate group interchangeably with white supremacy and the white nationalist terror movement. Worse, she rightly condemned white nationalist terrorists in vivid detail, but then urged action against vague hate groups, suggesting that such action would counter the spread of white supremacist terrorism.

For decades, the SPLC has been fighting hate and exposing how hate groups use the internet. We have lobbied internet companies, one by one, to comply with their own rules to prohibit their services from being used to foster hate or discrimination. A key part of this strategy has been to target these organizations funding, Brooks testified.

The first targets of our attack against hate group funding online were PayPal, Apples iTunes and Amazon. The SPLC found that at least 69 hate groups were using PayPal, the worlds largest online payment processor, to collect money from merchandise sales and donations. PayPal was earning a fee from each transaction, and essentially served as the banking system for white nationalism, she added.

That list of 69 hate groups included JihadWatch and ACT for America, and likely included other organizations that have absolutely nothing to do with white nationalism. Yet Brooks insisted that by allowing hate groups to participate, PayPal served as the banking system for white nationalism.

Big Tech has moved against virulent white nationalists, and many Americans likely welcome these moves. Facebook banned open white supremacy, for example. Yet the SPLC seeks to shut down conservative and Christian groups by equating them with this kind of evil rhetoric. In her testimony, Brooks boasted about the SPLCs Orwellian Change the Terms coalition, which uses the threat of white supremacy to push Big Tech companies to silence hate on their platforms.

Yet Brooks was not content with Big Tech censorship. Charities also have a role to play in fighting hate online by blocking donations to hate groups. Charitable gift funds  including the largest charity in the United States  are helping dozens of hate groups raise millions of dollars by allowing their donors not to reveal their identities, she warned.

The SPLC staffer pointed at Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, Schwab Charitable Fund, and others for allowing individual donors to funnel nearly $11 million to 34 organizations that we have identified as hate groups. Ironically, only one of the identified hate groups was white nationalist, while the other 33 were anti-LGBT, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, and radical traditionalist Catholic. The union-backed Amalgamated Bank led a campaign to pressure charitable funds to cut off hate groups last March.

Brooks ended her remarks with suggestions for government. she chided the FBIs Domestic Terrorism Analysis Unit for its investigation into a black identity movement  involving terrorism inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. Brooks claimed that no such movement exists. She also faulted federal law enforcement for viewing anti-fascist protesters as just as problematic as the deadly white supremacist movement.

Summing up, the SPLC staffer warned that internet companies must do far more to combat extremism and hate. To stem the rise of hate and domestic terrorism, we are encouraging tech companies to respect people over profits.

This testimony reveals the SPLCs demonization strategy and should bolster the many defamation lawsuits that have been filed against the far-left smear group. In 2018, the SPLC paid $3.375 million to settle a defamation lawsuit from Maajid Nawaz, a Muslim anti-terror reformer whom it had branded an anti-Muslim extremist. Liberty Counsel, D. James Kennedy Ministries, the Center for Immigration Studies, Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, and the American Freedom Law Center have sued over the hate group accusation.

According to Megan L. Meier, a partner at Clare Locke, the law firm that represented Nawaz in his lawsuit, The SPLCs hate group accusation is a financial and reputational death sentence, effectively equating organizations to the KKK. No right-thinking person wants to be associated with the KKK, so the SPLCs hate group accusation is incredibly effective at shaming organizations and causing them to be shunned by donors, fundraising platforms, service providers, the media and others.

Last March, the SPLC fired its co-founder amid a racism and sexism scandal that also involved former employees coming forward admitting they were part of the con  exaggerating hate in order to raise money.

While the SPLC presents its hate group accusations as unvarnished fact in media interviews and congressional testimony, it argues in court that the hate group accusation is a mere matter of opinion, protected under the First Amendment. Yet congressional testimony like this gives the lie to that idea.

This is more of the same scam the SPLC has been running for years now, John Rabe, director of creative production DJKM, told PJ Media on Thursday, referring to Brooks testimony. While arguing before Congress that Bible-believing groups who oppose same-sex marriage and the transgender agenda ought to be lumped together with white nationalist terrorist groups, they argue behind the scenes in federal court that their hate designations are actually meaninglessa mere matter of personal opinion.

The disingenuousness of this is staggering, Rabe explained. They want groups to be censored and banned in social media based on their designations while insisting to the courts that the designations are not provable as false.'

He summarized the SPLCs strategy as marginalizing and silencing conservative Christians by lumping them together with genuine terror groups. They specialize in guilt-by-association, and a gullible mediaas well as all too many government agenciesunquestioningly accept their tendentious conclusions.

The terrible irony, of course, is that the SPLCs defamatory hate map actually inspired in a terror attack at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., making the SPLC more demonstrably dangerous than many of the groups they purport to expose, Rabe argued, referring to a shooter who told the FBI that he targeted FRC because of the SPLCs hate group accusation.

They darkly warn that the rhetoric used by the groups they target could lead to violencewhile employing rhetoric that literally inspired a terror attack. If the SPLC were truly concerned about rhetoric resulting in violence, theyd shut down their own hate map and stop their campaign against Bible-believing Christians, he concluded.

ACT for America Communications Director R.C. Maxwell slammed Brooks as an aristocrat, a reference to the SPLCs wealth  millions of it held in offshore accounts.

An aristocrat lobbying for Congress to pressure tech companies to remove the voice of Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese woman who migrated to this country, is merely further proof that the SPLC will never return to being a civil rights stalwart. Shame on Congress for pretending the SPLC has credibility, Maxwell said.

Craig Parshall, founding director at the John Milton Project for Digital Free Speech at National Religious Broadcasters, told PJ Media, The SPLC has a track record of irresponsibly labeling legitimate conservative advocacy groups and Christian ministries as hate groups because their values are deemed to be politically incorrect. Its recent testimony in Congress shows that the SPLC is not only unapologetic for this trend, even worse, it wants to spread its ideological slander to Silicon Valley.

Big Tech does not need any more incentive to suppress conservative and Christian viewpoints. As our work through the John Milton Project for Digital Free Speech has proven, platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google already have an unhealthy appetite for suppressing opinions they dont like, Parshall concluded.

Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, who has told PJ Media that more than 60 organizations are considering separate defamation lawsuits against the SPLC, said the recent testimony is one more piece of evidence that the SPLC has no credibility.

The mission of the SPLC is to destroy those with whom they disagree by falsely lumping them in with violent groups, he added.

While Lecia Brooks likely intended her testimony to support the SPLCs efforts to silence hate groups, the testimony may provide crucial evidence in efforts to hold the far-left group accountable for its malicious smears.

Read more at: PJMedia.com
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen says one of its warplanes has been shot down over a mountainous northern province

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Saturday one of its warplanes was shot down over a mountainous northern province while providing air support to government forces fighting the country's rebels.

The Houthi rebels said they shot down the plane with an advanced ground-to-air missile.

Saudi Arabia's state-run news agency quoted Col. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, as saying the Tornado warplane belonging to Saudi Arabia's air force was shot down over the province of Jawf late Friday.

The report did not say whether there were causalities or provide further details.

The Yemen conflict began with the 2014 takeover of the capital Sanaa by the Houthis, who control much of the country's north along the border with Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led military coalition allied with Yemen's internationally recognized government has been fighting the Iranian-backed Houthis since 2015.

The war has killed over 100,000 people and created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical shortages.

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(Natural News) Elizabeth Warren has literally called for the end of the First Amendment by pushing criminal penalties for spreading disinformation online which would be arbitrarily defined by the government.

(Article republished from Infowars.com)

The Democratic presidential candidate says she would hold social media platforms liable for not policing content intended to mislead would-be voters by telling them the wrong voting times and that they could vote via text message, but Warren didnt stop there; she also wants to criminalize other speech deemed disinformation.

I will push for new laws that impose tough civil and criminal penalties for knowingly disseminating this kind of information, which has the explicit purpose of undermining the basic right to vote, Warren said in a release. The Trump administration eliminated this critical position [the cybersecurity coordinator at the National Security Council], weakening our defenses against cybersecurity threats and disinformation.

As president, I will reinstate the position and empower the coordinator so that our country is safe.

But voter disfranchisement laws are already on the books, and Warrens proposal to require corporations to police protected speech is dangerous to the First Amendment, especially with the appointment of an Orwellian speech czar.

And, if you read the entire press release, its clear that voter disfranchisement isnt really Warrens true intent:

One expert estimated that during the 2016 election, there was a one-to-one ratio of junk news to professional news shared on Twitter. Despite Mark Zuckerbergs insistence that it was crazy to think that false news had influenced the 2016 elections outcome, the company later admitted that malicious actors had engaged in disinformation campaigns on the site leading up to the 2016 election, including using inauthentic accounts to promote false news stories and direct people toward stolen data.

Her proposal of only allowing freedom of the press to government-sanctioned, corporate-owned professional news outlets would run afoul of the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Accordingly, because news gathering and reporting is an activity and not an identity, its not up to the government to define just who is press.

Establishment journalists, however, cling to their identity as journalists, Project Veritas founder James OKeefe once wrote. Their friends in government have gone so far as to initiate legislation to protect that status.

The legislation OKeefe refers to are the proposed media shield laws which pop up in Congress every few years that would allow the government to define who is and isnt a journalist by offering legal protections to government-sanctioned journalists which are not offered to anyone else engaged in news gathering.

This, of course, would create a barrier of entry to an activity clearly protected by the First Amendment and, as a result, would snuff out investigative reports that shed a light on government corruption.

Also, keep in mind that Warrens entire campaign has been defined by disinformation coming from her own mouth. And, fitting that pattern, heres an excerpt from a Wednesday article by Reason.com:

Sarah Carpenter, a grandmother and school choice activist who had traveled six hours from Memphis to attend the event, later confronted Warren backstage in a filmed exchange that went viral:

Carpenter: I read that your children went to private schools.

Warren: No, my children went to public schools.

The clip went viral because Warren wasnt telling the truth. Corey DeAngelis, the director of school choice at Reason Foundation (the nonprofit that publishes this website), had discovered through online sleuthing that Warrens son Alex, now 43, had attended Kirby Hall, an elite private school in Austin, Texas. It subsequently came out that Alex had also attended the Haverford School, a tony all-boys academy outside Philadelphia.

Read more at: Infowars.com
Jammu and Kashmir politician and former IAS officer, Shah Faesal was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) for his anti-government social media posts and an alliance with former legislator, engineer Shiekh Abdul Rashidarrested in a terror funding case--among reasons cited in a government dossier.

Around 12 am on Saturday, a senior officer of J&K administration handed Faesal the PSA dossier including 27 pages of his social media posts, made time to time in the last few years, especially after he quit the IAS.

The dossier had 27 pages of print outs of his Facebook tweets on Kashmir, said Faesals close associate privy to the contents of the dossier.

Before his arrest, the former IAS officer turned politician regularly updated his social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter with posts critical of the government. Shah Faesal had a good following on social media and used it even to mobilise funds for his party-- the J&K Political Movement (JKPM).

The posts, seen as critical of the government and the union of India, were highlighted as grounds for invoking the PSA after his preventive detention ended Friday night.

The dossier also mentions Faesals alliance with former Langate legislator engineer Shiekh Abdul Rashid as one of the grounds for his detention. Rashid is currently lodged at Tihar jail in a terror funding case after his arrest by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) last year.

Rashid had contested the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and secured more than one lakh votes. Days before the polls, Faesal had asked people of north Kashmir to vote for Rashid and said, he too, would vote for him.

Faesal decided in June last year to ally with Rashid for J&K assembly polls.

Shah Faesal was first detained at the Delhi airport on August 14, 2019, after he reached the Capital from Srinagar and was sent back to Kashmir.

In Srinagar, he was detained at the Centaur Hotel and later at the MLA hostel, where he will continue to be held.
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By Robert John D. Medida, AB International Studies, USJR

WHEN press freedom was restored after Martial Law in 1986, the Philippines was then hailed as having one of the freest presses in Asia. The Edsa people power had become the milestone for the Filipinos as a nation. The courage of the Filipino people inspired the world, and the legacy of that revolution never dies, especially for the generation who experienced it.

In the current administration, the Philippine media like Rappler, Inquirer and ABS-CBN were asked to explain because of swindling and ownership issues. Members of the media and netizens call it as an attack to free press.

It is in this challenging time where we hate the quote history repeats itself because the Filipino people could not afford to experience another dark event like what happened from 1972 to 1986.

Although there were other dictatorial regimes in other parts of the world like during the 30-year rule of former Sinagpores Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the said prime minister believed that the media was one of three institutions in Singapore that he needed to control to govern effectively. The other two were the Treasury and the Armed Forces.

In the beginning of his political career, not everyone of the press had sympathy for his political goals. He believed that his government should set the agenda of the country and the media would just be there if needed. He believed that the role of the mass media could help present Singapores problems simply, clearly, and objectively.

The media is seen as a threat to expose underground activities that might awaken Filipinos. Undoubtedly, the Philippine media reports stories that matter most to Filipinos like government spending and fiscal policies, department budgets, etc. The Philippine press is allowed to ridicule or lampoon the political leadership contrary to what Singapore experienced.
Environest Global, promoted by a city-based entrepreneur, PK Senthil Kumar, an MBA from the UK, has signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture with the US-based Biopipe Global Corp, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lifequest World Corp to install patented onsite 100 per cent noiseless sludge free and odour free sewage waste treatment plant (STP) by various untapped users.

"The company is adopting highly efficient Turkish technology by installing pre-fabricated indigenously assembled set even in a small area. This would enable the user to avoid the high-cost installation of RCC structures to place the STP unit. It will also enable easy maintenance", said Senthil.

This STP is capable of delivering nearly equal to potable water which can be used for irrigation and cleaning purposes.

Targets Rs 100 crore turnover

"Environest had chalked out a well-laid plan to achieve a of Rs 100 crore in the first three years by targeting various institutions, industries, hotels, hospitals, residential and commercial complexes, and Labour camps", said Senthil Kumar on the scope of

"The company has already successfully installed 30 Kilo litres per day (KLD) for Hotel Pratap Plaza, Chennai and a 20 KLD system for Hotel Darling Classic, Vellore. Negotiations are underway for setting up STP with Hotel Dolphin, Vizag, Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, GRT group of hotels, Pan India, Novel Tech Park, Bengaluru and Vygyan University, Guntur which is expected to fructify in the coming months", he added.

With the encouragement for wastewater management both by the Central and State Governments and more focus on protecting agricultural land, the company will not find any difficulty in mobilising capital besides his own contribution. The Finance Minister in her recent budget has allocated about Rs 2.3 lakh crore towards irrigation, rural development, and for processing wastewater.

"The Indian market has immense potential. Ernst & Young (E & Y) study shows, there is scope for expansion of to the tune of USD 130 billion by 2030. According National Association Of Business Economics (NABE), the world market for waste-water treatment plants is expected to rise from USD 62 billion in 2012 to about USD 112 billion by 2022. Wastewater management, in particular, is emerging as a key thrust area. Of which only about 60 per cent was tapped for industrial applications and 26 per cent for domestic STP", said Senthil Kumar.

"As a responsible citizen of this planet, the main vision is to protect groundwater by making the environment pollution free and the need of the hour is to reuse the wastewater for various applications such as industrial, commercial and residential purposes especially during the time of drought to have uninterrupted agricultural cultivation", said Senthil.

"Environest is the first company to have this kind of technology in India. We develop and implement holistic solutions to improve resource-efficient and create a social benefit. Environest's vision is to create a better tomorrow from today", he added.

"We are extremely pleased with Environest's ability to not only overcome initial hurdles but also their ability to assemble, install and commission a plant with limited involvement from our side. We are now very confident that this will allow us to scale up our operations in a short span of time", said Enes Kutluca, CEO, Biopipe.

According to industry estimates, Indians on average use 120 to 125 litres (33 gallons) of water daily, about half of this is wastewater. By using the treatment plant, processed water has the potential to generate 940 MW power.

The Planning Commission, in its 12th Five Year Plan, for the period ending in 2017, has said that an investment of USD 26.5 billion is required to provide safe water to all Indians. The wastewater treatment and reuse will be the most exciting area for future growth.

As per the data of the UN, at least 1.8 billion people globally use contaminated water for drinking purposes, and more than 80 per cent of animal and human wastewater is directly discharged into rivers or the sea without eliminating the pollution content.

For more information, please visit www.LifeQuestCorp.com/www.biopipe.co and www.environestglobal.com.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 05:12:58|Editor: yan

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RAMALLAH, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official on Friday called on the British government to stick to its position over Israeli settlement in the Palestinian territories.

Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee said in a press statement that Britain has to stick to its positions that consider Israeli settlement and annexation of Palestinian lands illegal and contradict with the international law.

"The recent position of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Security Council resolution 2334 affirm Britain's position that considers settlement illegal," said Erekat.

Israel Hayom newspaper has earlier reported that Israel asked Britain to include the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in the Free Common Trade Agreement.

The agreement is scheduled to be amended and take into effect on January 2021 after the United Kingdom has left the European Union.

According to the Israeli newspaper's report, if Britain responds to the Israeli request, it means that Britain will recognize the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as Israeli territories.
The number of foreign criminals avoiding deportation on human rights grounds has hit the highest level for five years.

Cases have nearly tripled since political pressure over abuse of human rights helped force successful claims down to a record low.

It comes amid concern about legal challenges to block deportations after dozens of Jamaican criminals had to be removed from a Home Office charter flight earlier this week.

Number of foreign criminals avoiding deportation on human rights grounds has hit the highest level for five years (file image)

When Theresa May was home secretary, she told the 2011 Tory party conference that Labours Human Rights Act needs to go and that the meaning of one crucial clause had been perverted to prevent removals.

The Home Office redoubled its efforts to fight cases in the immigration courts.

By 2016 the European Convention on Human Rights and other humanitarian laws were used in only 60 successful applications by foreign criminals. The following year they more than doubled to 144.

By 2018, the most recent whole year for which figures are available, the number reached a five-year-high of 172  the most since 212 in 2013. In the first six months of last year alone 100 deportations were blocked on human rights grounds. If cases continued at the same rate the total was on track to reach levels not seen since 2013.

The Daily Mail obtained the troubling new data under freedom of information laws.

When Theresa May was home secretary, she told the 2011 Tory party conference (pictured) that Labours Human Rights Act needs to go and that the meaning of one crucial clause had been perverted to prevent removals

The full figures for last year are not due to be published until later this month.

Tory MP Tim Loughton, a former member of the Commons home affairs select committee, said: Most law-abiding people will be appalled by the arbitrary rush to claim the human rights defence by serious criminals.

The human rights of victims who have been raped, murdered and violently assaulted are so easily disregarded by many of those offenders and even by the criminal justice system.

He added: We need to have a level playing field. Human rights are sometimes a justified legal mitigation but only in really deserving cases and it needs to be matched against the human rights of victims.

Human rights have too often become a one-way street for the perpetrator rather than recognising the victim is entitled to exactly the same protections.

A last-minute legal challenge by the campaign group Deportation Action this week resulted in the removal of 25 Jamaican criminals being blocked on a technicality. A Court of Appeal judge said they could not be removed because mobile phone problems meant they could not properly instruct their lawyers.

Other offenders brought a range of legal actions preventing the Home Office from deporting more than 70 who had been due to be aboard the flight.

The Mail revealed on Thursday that among the criminals who had been due to be removed from this country were killer Fitzroy Daley and rapist Fabian Henry.

Government sources have said they fear the criminals remaining in Britain will win bail within days and be released from immigration detention centres.

The Home Office is due to defend against the Jamaica deportation legal challenge in the High Court on Monday.

A spokesman said: We make no apology for seeking to remove dangerous foreign criminals. We will continue to fight robustly in the courts to ensure foreign criminals are removed as quickly as possible.
Jose Inez Garcia Zarate, the undocumented immigrant acquitted by a San Francisco jury of murdering Kate Steinle on a city pier, has been examined by a mental health professional and found incompetent to stand trial on federal gun charges, a judge said Friday  a finding protested by Garcia Zarates lawyer.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ordered the examination last month after observing that Garcia Zarates responses to questions were sometimes nonsensical and that he may not understand the charges against him. Chhabria said Friday that the professional who examined him had concluded he was unfit to participate in a trial because of mental illness that is not presently being treated.

He scheduled a hearing for Wednesday and said further proceedings would be required, delaying a trial date, if either side disputed the findings. Defense lawyer J. Tony Serra said Garcia Zarates attorneys would ask for a second evaluation.

We want a trial, Serra said in an interview. Were against having him (found) incompetent. He could go away for an indefinite period to a mental hospital, under government supervision.

Steinle, 32, was shot in the back as she walked with her father on Pier 14 in July 2015. The bullet came from a gun held by Garcia Zarate, who had been deported five times to his native Mexico, returned to the United States each time, and had just served 46 months in federal prison for illegal re-entry.

Rather than deporting him again, immigration officials sent him to San Francisco to face an old marijuana charge, which local prosecutors dropped. San Francisco released him under the citys sanctuary policy, which limits local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agents. President Trump has invoked the case in his attacks on sanctuary cities.

Garcia Zarates lawyers said he had picked up a T-shirt or cloth wrapper containing the gun, which someone else had stolen from a federal agents car, and it went off accidentally, discharging a bullet that ricocheted off the pavement before striking Steinle.

A jury acquitted him of murder and manslaughter charges in November 2017 and convicted him only of being a felon in possession of a gun  a conviction that a state appeals court overturned last September because the trial judge had not told the jury it could acquit Garcia Zarate if he was only in momentary possession of the weapon before discarding it.

He has remained in jail, however, on federal charges of possessing a gun illegally as both a felon and an unauthorized immigrant, charges punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Chhabria, presiding over the federal case, said in his Jan. 10 order for a mental competency examination that Garcia Zarate had been diagnosed with schizophrenia during criminal court proceedings in Texas in 2009, was prosecuted only after receiving treatment and had been treated for serious mental illness while in prison.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Serra, his attorney, acknowledged Friday that Garcia Zarate has said in recent court proceedings he thought he was charged with merely unlawful entry and seemed unaware of the gun charges he faces.

But if the case goes to trial, he said, Garcia Zarate would be able to cooperate adequately with his attorneys because I dont need him much. We can do it all on evidence of the video showing his brief possession of the gun before the shooting.

Even if Garcia Zarate were convicted, Serra said, he would get credit for the years he has spent behind bars since the shooting and could be out very quickly  possibly much sooner than he would be released from a mental hospital if found incompetent. In either event, he would face immediate deportation.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
On Saturday, February 1, an excited team of Centre Stage dancers made the long journey to Belfast for the '5, 6, 7, 8 Elite Dance Competition', and the trip was certainly worth the effort!

The North Cork dancers reaped a bounty of awards at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast and returned home a happy troupe.

The following are the list of accolades that the group gathered at this highly competitive event.

 1st Jazz Group (Over 17 yrs) - Senior Company

 1st - Over 17yrs (Quad) Emma Murphy, Sinead Cronin, Katie Gallagher and Emily O'Connor

 1st - Over 17yrs (Jazz Quad) Erin Teape, Zoe O'Gorman, Sinead Cronin and Emily Murphy

 1st - Lyrical Trio (Over 17yrs) Hollie Corkery, Emily Murphy and Ninette Donougher

 2nd - Lyrical Duet (Over 17yrs) Luke Walsh and Chloe Whelan

 2nd - Anything Goes Duet (Over 17yrs) Hollie Corkery and Luke Walsh)

"These kids left their hearts on the 5678 stage, and certainly did not disappoint," said Aideen McAuliffe, founder and artistic direcor of the Mallow-based Centre Stage School. "All their hard work paid off and watching how they 100% supported each other to put their very best foot forward was such a joy.

"They were so proud to represent themselves and our precious school. What incredible young ambassadors they are, who know the true meaning of the word 'team'.

"Congratulations to all our performers, and thank you to both the parents who travelled and supported them in Belfast, and those parents who couldn't make it, but who have supported these dancers every step of the way.

"A special shout out to our dance teachers and choreographers David O'Connor and Lesley Anne Radcliffe for all their diligence and passion," added Aideen.

Founded by Aideen in 2003, Centre Stage School has evolved into a centre of excellence in performing arts.

Many exceptionally qualified and creatively talented teachers have since joined forces with Aideen assuring a highly creative learning environment where all students' personal talents can shine. Pupils from as young as three years are treated to a curriculum that provides recreational access to the arts, as well as a high quality education.

An impressive list of productions is now accredited to the school, accompanied by an accomplished tradition of examination and competition results.
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Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Arvind Kejriwals oath ceremony- Commoner VIPs who helped built Delhi are special guests

Around 50 people, who helped build Delhi during Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) rule in the last five years will share the stage with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony.

In Bengal, 2 injured school kids battling for life; doctors use artificial lungs to treat them

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee contacted the hospital authorities to enquire about the condition of the victims and the treatment being carried out. The two children-- Rishabh Singh and Dibyanshu Bhakat are aged around five and six years.

Biriyani, foreign funds, illiterate women: Dilip Ghosh rants against anti-CAA protesters

Ghoshs statements came within 24-hours of Union home minister Amit Shah saying that it was possible that provocative statements made by some BJP leaders could have contributed to the partys defeat in the Delhi assembly elections.

Snapchat is testing a major redesign including breaking-news headlines, new home for Snap Map

Snapchat is working on two major changes that can reshape the app entirely.

Kerala kids zero degree goal to cat thinking long before hitting dog, 7 viral videos of the week

These videos piqued the interest of netizens throughout the week.

Winning name gets a prize: Shahid Afridi asks fans to name new-born daughter

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Saturday, invited suggestions for the name of his new-born daughter on social media and also went on to state that the name he selects will receive a prize.
The Centre is working to eliminate tuberculosis from the country by 2025 and Mission Indradhanush is already operational for the purpose, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said.

The government is also working to eradicate several other diseases like kala-azar and measles from the country, he said.

"By 2025, we wish to eliminate tuberculosis from India. We have amibitious plans of universal immunisation programme delivered to 100 per cent people all over the country ... And for that 'Mission Indradhanush' is already running," Harsh Vardhan told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.

"We are also working for the elimination of many other diseases in the country like Kala-azar and measles," he said.

Launched in 2014, Mission Indradhanush is a health mission of the central government seeking to drive towards 90 per cent immunisation coverage in the country.

The union minister said, "We have a very ambitious programme in terms of Ayushman Bharat. By the end of 2022 we propose to set up 1.5 lakh health and wellness centre all over the country. Already 30,000 are being set up and by March-end we will have around 40,000 centres".

The union minister, however, did not take any question on the government's plan to deal with novel coronavirus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Top military leaders have for years called traumatic brain injury one of the signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; at the height of the Iraq war in 2008, they started pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into research on detection and treatment. But the military still has no objective tool for diagnosing brain injury in the field. Instead, medical personnel continue to use a paper questionnaire that relies on answers from patients  patients who may have reasons to hide or exaggerate symptoms, or who may be too shaken to answer questions accurately.

The military has long struggled with how to address so-called invisible war wounds, including traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite big investments in research that have yielded advances in the laboratory, troops on the ground are still being assessed with the same blunt tools that have been in use for generations.

The problem is not unique to the military. Civilian doctors struggle to accurately assess brain injuries, and still rely on a process that grades the severity of a head injury in part by asking patients a series of questions: Did they black out? Do they have memory problems or dizziness? Are they experiencing irritability or difficulty concentrating?

Its bad, bad, bad. You would never diagnose a heart attack or even a broken bone that way, said Dr. Jeff Bazarian a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. And yet we are doing it for an injury to the most complex organ in the body. Heres how crazy it gets: You are relying on people to report what happened. But the part of the brain most often affected by a traumatic brain injury is memory. We get a lot of false positives and false negatives.

Without a good diagnosis, he said, doctors often dont know whether a patient has a minor concussion that might require a days rest, or a life-threatening brain bleed, let alone potential long-term effects like depression and personality disorder.
Hong Kong, Feb 15 : Hong Kong Disneyland has agreed to lend vacant sites to the city's government to build coronavirus quarantine facilities, officials said.

"We have secured the company's consent to use part of the site if it is needed," the South China Morning Post quoted Commerce and Economic Development Bureau chief Edward Yau Tang-wah as saying on Friday, referring to a 60-hectare plot reserved for the theme park's expansion on Lantau Island.

"We need all quarantine facilities for surveillance," Yau told the media here.

According to a government estimate, another four hectare land near the car park at Disney could provide about 600 units.

It has also said, for the first time, that having sufficient quarantine facilities was a condition to bringing back 2,200 Hong Kong residents stranded in Hubei province, the epicentre of the deadly outbreak.

Some 10 of them have been confirmed infected with the virus.

"We have already started planning for their return," the South China Morning Post quoted Mainland Affairs Minister Patrick Nip Tak-kuen as saying on Friday.

"We first need to have these facilities as well as the understanding of residents (near the quarantine sites) before we implement the plan." Disneyland is currently closed as a precaution against the outbreak.

As of Saturday, Hong Kong has reported 56 confirmed cases with one death.
In 1981, Williams was named an Association of Former Students Distinguished Alumnus, according to the Corps website, and the Williams Alumni Center on campus is named in his honor. He also was the recipient of the Deans Service Award for Teaching Excellence for entrepreneurship class he taught in the College of Business Administration.

Williams, who had contributed funds for a Presidents Endowed Scholarship, also served on The Association of Former Students Board of Directors, according to the site.

He had deep connections to the school. In a 2010 article of the Texas Aggie , he said his father, World War I veteran Clayton Wheat Williams, was a 1915 graduate of Texas A&M. His oldest daughter graduated from the University of Texas, as women could not yet be admitted to Texas A&M, but his four other children attended the school. His grandchildren also attended A&M, the article states.

There is a pride in going to A&M that passes on to our offspring, he told the magazine. Were contagious.
On Friday morning, Chinese health authorities announced 5,090 new cases of Covid-19, the coronavirus that emerged in Hubei provinces capital Wuhan in December, raising the total across mainland China to 63,581. The death total climbed to 1,380, with 121 additional deaths reported. Worldwide, the total case number stood at 64,453, with 1,383 total deaths. There have been only three fatalities outside of China. The latest was in Japan, where an 80-year-old woman from Kanagawa died. She had been on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, that is moored in Yokohama with over 3,700 passengers and crew being held under strict quarantine.

On Thursday, confusion arose internationally when officials in Hubei announced 14,840 previously undeclared cases and 242 additional deathsdramatically increasing the numbers. Provincial authorities explained that testing kits to confirm a coronavirus infection were in such severe shortage that many individuals suffering from respiratory infections or who may have perished could not be tested. A decision was therefore made to change the criteria for designating someone with Covid-19 using clinical judgments or imaging diagnostics.

If the more than doubling in fatalities noted on Thursday implies cases are now being reclassified that were otherwise missed, the total number of deaths across mainland China may be far higher than the current estimate. According to Alessandro Vespignani, a physicist and director of the Laboratory for the Modeling of Biological and Socio-technical Systems at Northeastern University, various models suggested on February 5 that there were far more infections than the official figure. He said: I believe every modeling approach [was] pointing to something that [was] over 100,000 cases in the best-case scenario.

With Covid-19 registering a 2 percent fatality index, a more robust estimate of the death toll would therefore be over 2,000.

More worrisome has been signs of growing rates of infections in countries bordering or within the geographic boundaries of mainland China. Singapore now has 67 confirmed cases. Two recent confirmed cases occurred in Singaporeans who developed symptoms on February 1 and February 3, respectively. Assuming a virus incubation period of two to three weeks, it raises the possibility that many more infections outside of China will be diagnosed over the next several weeks, as people appear to be able to infect others before symptoms surface.

Changi Airport in Singapore is one of the busiest hubs in the world. Just in 2019, it handled 68,300,000 passengers, making it the third busiest airport in Asia and seventh internationally. Several of the international cases in the United Kingdom and South Korea have been traced back to Singapore.

Apparently, a gas meter sales meeting held in January at the Grand Hyatt, a luxury hotel in Singapore, adjacent to a beehive of racy nightclubs and busy restaurants, may have been the nexus for the international spread of the coronavirus. Global health authorities are seeking to confirm this possibility.

Dale Fisher, chair of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network that is coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), said: We do feel uncomfortable obviously when we diagnose a patient with the illness and we cant work out where it came from the containment activities are less effective.

China National Pharmaceutical Group, also known as Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, announced on Friday that it has been able to recover neutralizing antibodies from patients who have recovered from Covid-19. Their press agents reported that, in laboratory trials, they were able to show that these antibodies effectively killed the virus. Additionally, they have successfully prepared plasma from patients and have used it in the treatment of 11 others in critical condition and noted significant results. The first phase of the trial occurred on February 8.

Sinopharm stated: The plasma product to treat the novel coronavirus is made from plasma loaded with antibodies donated by recovered patients. It went through virus inactivation and was tested against virus-neutralizing antibodies and multiple pathogenic microorganisms.

The containment of the epidemic, however, let alone its end, remains unpredictable. In a concerning development, the first case in Africa was confirmed today in Egypt, with the patient reported only as a foreigner. Suspected cases are under quarantine in several other African countries.

The World Health Organization is particularly alarmed about the implications of the virus taking hold in populations where the medical system is vastly ill-prepared to cope with a sudden rush of people requiring intensive care.

Michel Yao, WHO Africa program manager for emergency operations, told the Lancet journal: We all know how fragile health systems [are] in the African continent, they are already overwhelmed by many outbreaks. For us, it is critical to detect coronavirus earlier [so] that we can prevent spreading within communities that can trigger a number of cases that can overwhelm the treatment capacity.

In China, the national government is seeking to placate widespread popular outrage at the belated response of authorities to the virus outbreak. Beijing has sacked two senior officials from Hubei Province. Zhang Jin, the Communist party chief of the health commission in Hubei province, and Liu Yingzi, the director of the health commission, were both removed for their failures to act decisively early in the epidemic or to offer appropriate care to their people. They have been replaced by close allies of President Jinping.

According to the Guardian, 337 officials in Hubei were penalized, including six officials who were fired for dereliction of duty. Officials from the Red Cross Society in Hubei were also removed. A team from Chinas anti-corruption agency, the national supervisory commission, has been sent to Hubei to investigate Dr. Li Wenliangs death.

Chinese authorities have confirmed 1,716 health care workers have been infected, many during the early course of the epidemic when there was a shortage of special protective gear and clothing, and no warnings that they were dealing with a new virus. At least six have died, including Doctor Li Wenliang, who was threatened by police in December for raising concerns.

President Xi Jinping has called for an overhaul of the health emergency response system and a review of laws on infectious disease prevention and treatment, including wildlife protection. He admitted: There is not enough preparation for a catastrophe, the risk assessments, research, and in-depth management for emergencies are not in place. There are inadequate monitoring and early warning systems, and the foundations of emergency management need to be strengthened.

Borrowing from the populism of Chairman Mao, Xi has declared a grassroots peoples war against the virus. Chinas vice premier Sun Chunlan proclaimed: Hubei and Wuhan must not delay in taking decisive measures to identify all suspected and confirmed cases without compromise and ensure all those who must be rounded up are rounded up. Authorities have launched a campaign to enforce mass quarantine of the infected and feverish, including those with close contacts with the afflicted.

Trump administrations economic adviser Larry Kudlow asserted that they were disappointed with Chinas response to the coronavirus and that China had not invited US health officials to help with the outbreak. We thought there was better transparency coming out of China, but it doesnt appear to be.

Kudlows remarks come on the heel of US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Rosss gloating comment that the Covid-19 epidemic will weaken China and help accelerate the return of jobs to North America. Such statements are attempts to exploit a human tragedy to undermine the perceived main economic rival of US capitalism in the eyes of financial investors.
The majority of Russian oil companies are on board with extending the agreement to cut oil production through the end of Q2, but most did not support deepening those cuts, according to Ravil Maganov, first executive vice president of Lukoil cited by S&P Global Platts, Oil Price reports. Oil prices have fallen more than 20% since the start of the year as the coronavirus has stifled demand for crude oil, causing OPEC to rethink its production cut strategy.

The comment was made after Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak met on Wednesday with Kazakh energy minister Nurlan Nogayev and then representatives from Russian oil companies to discuss OPECs recommendations.

Last week, OPEC+s joint technical committee recommended extending the current production cuts to the end of the year, and deeper cutsanother 600,000 bpdthrough the end of Q2. But Russian oil companies, unsurprisingly, arent scrambling for a chance to cut more production.

Gazprom Nefts CEO Alexander Dyukov said that Given the current situation on the market, it makes sense to extend the agreement through the second quarter and then monitor.

Nogayev, on the other hand, seemed more receptive to the idea of different cuts, saying that Kazakhstan would work out a joint position with Russia where Kazakhstan would cut another 20,000 bpd, cautioning that no final decision had yet been made.

In reality, the final decision lies with the government, not the individual oil companies.

OPEC+ has discussed the possibility of moving up its March 5-6 meeting in order to discuss how best to address the current state of the oil market. Whatever decision is eventually made, Russia will need to be on board, as OPEC no longer has enough clout on its own to manipulate the oil markets like it used to.

OPEC on Wednesday slashed global oil demand growth to 990,000 bpd in 2020, down by 230,000 bpd, as the virus takes its toll.
New York, Feb. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Invisible Orthodontics Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05862349/?utm_source=GNW

 Increasing Preference for Cosmetic Dentistry

 Higher Penetration of Clear Aligners in Developed Regions



The global orthodontics industry is expected to witness significant growth due to the rapid shift from traditional & visible metal braces to invisible ones such as lingual and clear aligners. Several orthodontic solutions are being introduced due to the growing demand for treatment from the teenager and young adult population segment. The market is likely to grow mainly due to the increase in misaligned teeth or malocclusion disorders and the high adoption of the latest generation of invisible orthodontic appliances. Advanced braces are easy to use, consume less time to fix, reduce tooth decay, and help in proper chewing of food. Hence, these factors are likely to contribute to market growth.



The market has witnessed significant growth in terms of sales volume, primarily due to the growing prevalence of malocclusion and increasing demand for sensitive, accurate dental procedures. The wider availability of invisible braces is likely to boost the global invisible orthodontics market during the coming years. Besides, the availability of cost-effective and high-quality dental care in developing countries, patients from developed regions come here with the help of dental tourism.



The study considers the present scenario of the invisible orthodontics market and its market dynamics for the period 2019?2025. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The study offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent companies operating in the market.



Invisible Orthodontics Market: Segmentation



This research report includes a detailed segmentation by product, patient group, end-users, and geography. The clear aligners segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period due to the increasing number of tooth misalignment disorders. In the US, over 70 million adults and teenagers visit the dentist to fix issues to traditional brackets. They prefer clear aligners as they are nearly invisible, removable, easy to clean, and offer a reduced chance of tooth decay. The increasing need for looking attractive with safe orthodontic products is expected to drive the growth of the segment. The ceramic braces segment is likely to grow at a moderate rate due to the rise in malocclusion. Ceramic braces are likely to be preferred by teenagers and adults to ensure rigid and absolute cooperation between now healthy and mature teeth. The growing demand for aesthetically attractive braces for orthodontic treatment is expected to drive the demand for lingual braces. These braces are fixed at the back of the teeth, which make them nearly invisible from the front. The braces offer customized options depending on the patients requirements and provide high comfort.



Advances in orthodontic technology have made treatment more comfortable and less noticeable. These cosmetic dentistry products are now designed with CAD/CAM and 3-D technology, hence offered precise and accurate solutions for misaligned teeth in adults. Advanced treatment options are focused on minimizing the appearance of the appliance to fit any lifestyle of adults better. The children & adolescent segment is likely to grow due to the increasing incidence of malocclusion in teenagers and adolescents. Spacing, crowding, bite, and alignment can easily be treated with advanced treatment options such as invisible orthodontics. The application of clear aligners, ceramic, and lingual braces offers durability and improves chewing and digestion. Teens are conscious about their looks during the high schools, and such invisible orthodontics are expected to gain popularity in this patient group. The dental services industry is likely to witness a trend of consolidation and the corresponding rise in DSOs, especially in developed countries such as the US, Germany, and the UK.



Dental and orthodontic clinics are expected to grow at the fastest CAGR on account of the increasing number of private clinics as well as solo dental practices, especially in developing and emerging countries. Large dental clinics are entering into partnerships with invisible orthodontics vendors, thereby boosting growth. Patients with malocclusion disorders prefer to receive a highly personalized tooth straightening treatment from dental clinics, thus bolstering their share in the market.



Market Segmentation by Product

 Clear Aligners

 Ceramic Braces

 Lingual Braces

Market Segmentation by Patient Group

 Adults

 Children & Adolescents

Market Segmentation by End-users

 Dental Clinics & Orthodontic Clinics

 Hospitals

 Dental Service Organizations



Insights by Geography



North America is expected to grow at a significant rate due to a large pool of population with dental disorders such as malocclusion and high demand for aesthetic products for dental treatment. The demand is likely to be driven by advanced healthcare infrastructure, high-quality product availability, and extensive reach of innovative products. Moreover, the region has a presence of major key vendors offering a diverse range of aesthetic dentistry products. The US orthodontics market size is expected to grow during the forecast period. The European region is likely to grow due to the presence of sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, high awareness levels of advanced orthodontics, and increased focus on technological advancements. The favorable reimbursement guidelines and infrastructure for the guidance of using clear aligners are the other major factors expected to have a positive impact on market growth. Germany, the UK, France, Spain, and Italy are the major revenue contributors in Europe. The increasing number of M&As and the growing accessibility of dental care are expected to drive the growth of the APAC market. China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia are the major revenue contributors in the region. The invisible orthodontics market in China is likely to grow significantly on account of the increasing number of dentists and the expanding presence of key players, coupled with a large pool of patient populations with a high incidence of tooth misalignment challenges.



Market Segmentation by Geography

 North America

o US

o Canada

 Europe

o Germany

o UK

o France

o Spain

o Italy

 APAC

o China

o Japan

o South Korea

o India

o Australia

 Latin America

o Brazil

o Mexico

o Argentina

 MEA

o Turkey

o South Africa

o Saudi Arabia



Insights by Vendors



The global market is highly competitive and characterized by the presence of several global regional and local players. The dominant players have a wide geographic footprint, diversified product portfolio, and a strong focus on innovation and research activities. These players are expected to dominate the market with the introduction of safe and efficient invisible orthodontics products in the market. Global players are likely to focus on pursuing inorganic growth strategies such as acquisitions and strategic partnerships to expand their presence, enhance product portfolio, and improve expertise in the market. Prominent players are expected to offer the latest generation products, such as clear aligners. Although the market offers significant growth opportunities due to sufficiently available substitute products and the dominance of major vendors dominance in the market.



Key Vendors

 Align Technology

 Danaher

 3M

 Institut Straumann

 Dentsply Sirona



Other Vendors

 American Orthodontics

 Clearbite Aligners

 ClearPath Healthcare Services

 DynaFlex

 FORESTADENT Bernhard Forster

 Geniova Technologies

 Henry Schein Orthodontics

 Orthos

 SCHEU-DENTAL

 BioMers Products

 Great Lakes Dental Technologies

 G&H Orthodontics

 Rocky Mountain Orthodontics

 Shanghai EA Medical Instruments

 SmileDirectClub

 TP Orthodontics

 Voodoo Manufacturing



Key Market Insights

The analysis of the invisible orthodontics market provides sizing and growth opportunities for the period 20192025.

 Provides comprehensive insights on the latest industry trends, forecast, and growth drivers in the market.

 Includes a detailed analysis of growth drivers, challenges, and investment opportunities.

 Delivers a complete overview of segments and the regional outlook of the market.

 Offers an exhaustive summary of the vendor landscape, competitive analysis, and key strategies to gain competitive advantage.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05862349/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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'Yodhavu' (Warrior), a mobile app



through which the public can inform police about drug abuse and its distribution, was launched by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Saturday as part of efforts to curb the growing menace in the State.

Vijayan said a special feature of the application, introduced by the Kochi city police, was that the informer's identity could be kept secret.

Drug abuse among youngsters was painful, Vijayan said and wanted people to extend support to the police and excise departments in curbing the menace.

The chief minister urged people to fight against the growing drug menace in the state.

The chief minister also inaugurated a most modern cyberdom cyber crime police station, new building of the Infopark police station and regional forensic science laboratory's upper and lower subordinate quarters at the TCS auditorium at Infopark here.

The chief minister also unveiled the model of Kochi city police's new police complex being constructed at Marine Drive here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
We are also working with our neighboring states as we consider regulating marijuana for adult use. Like it or not, legalized marijuana is a short drive away in Massachusetts and New York is soon to follow. Coordinated regional regulation is our best chance to protect public health by displacing illicit sellers with trusted providers. And its an opportunity to right the wrongs of a war on drugs that has disproportionately impacted our minority communities. Right now, what you can buy legally in Massachusetts could land you in prison for up to a year in Connecticut. We just marked the 100th anniversary of Prohibition. How did that work out?

Gov. Ned Lamont from the 2020 State of the State address

It was the summer of 1973. I had just completed my freshman year at UCLA. It was my first day of work as an employee for the Washington, D.C., Recreation Department. I was assigned to work at Dunbar High School on N Street in Washington. My brother was dropping me off for work. As we approached the school, a police car pulled us over and said my brother had made an illegal right turn. The police asked us to get out the car. They searched the car and then searched both my brother and me. They found a marijuana joint on my brother. We were arrested and taken to the D.C. jail  what a way to spend your first day on the job!

We were released to my father and given a court date. We hired a legendary D.C. lawyer, Wiley Branton, who famously represented the Little Rock 9 during the crisis at Central High. The judge agreed to Brantons request to expunge our files. But before leaving the courtroom, the judge sternly warned us to not come back, because if there were a next time, he would not be so lenient.

The war on drugs had just started. Nixon had won the 1972 election. The Vietnam War was still raging, although there were talks of ending it. But Nixon won that election on a law-and-order platform. He was against hippies, black radicals (radicals meant every black person who did not kiss his feet), liberal intellectuals and anybody else who did not agree with him. His enemies list would come back to haunt him.

In 1965, fewer than 50,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana possession or distribution. By 1973, the year of my run-in with the D.C. police, more than 400,000 Americans were arrested. This number reached 750,000 in 2010. Imagine an average of 500,000 Americans arrested annually. Over 40 years, that adds up to over 20 million marijuana arrests. Who were these people and what impact did those arrests have on their lives?

We know from Department of Justice data that blacks and Hispanics were disproportionately targeted by this disastrous War on Drugs. This was not a War on Drugs; this was a war on black and brown people.

According to recent federal data, white Americans are incarcerated at a rate of 241 per 100,000, compared to 1,195 per 100,000 for Hispanics, and 2,260 per 100,000 for black Americans. By 2016, 49.5 percent of Americas prison population (the largest in the world) was in jail because of drug convictions. More than half of these men are black or Hispanic. It also is important to note there is no evidence that whites consume marijuana or other illegal substances at lower rates than blacks or Hispanics; in fact, the data suggests that whites use more drugs than black and Hispanics. But clearly, the law is not blind.

What impact did these arrests have on these men and their families? Being convicted is equivalent to having a scarlet letter painted on your forehead with permanent ink. Even with banning the box on job applications, the damage is done. The Brookings Institute in a recent study showed that 33 percent of all 30-year-old men who are not working are either in prison, in jail or are unemployed ex-prisoners. Brookings also found that after a year out of prison, only 55 percent of these men reported having any earnings, and only 20 percent of these men with earnings had annual income greater than $15,000.

I submit that having a conviction on your record for marijuana  or any drug, for that matter  is a life sentence of economic poverty, family instability, recidivism and a life of criminality. No one can support themselves for $15,000 a year, let alone a family.

I was lucky. I was given a second chance. I graduated from UCLA and went on to earn a Ph.D. in economics from Yale. And in one of lifes ironies, I came back to Washington to work in the Jimmy Carter White House in 1978 and 1979 on the Council of Economic Advisers. I often wonder, as I approach retirement, what my life would have been like had I not had the resources to hire a talented lawyer that hot summer day in 1973. I also wonder how many more men, of all races, had their lives and their familys lives ruined by public policy stupidity.

Lamont should be commended for having the wisdom to realize this war must end. Unfortunately, generations of lives have been ruined in what can only be described as institutional racism in our criminal justice system. It is too bad we are not also thinking about correcting the very real harm done to the millions of Americans and thousands of Connecticut citizens who were, and continue to be, victims of this foolish war.

Fred McKinney is the Carlton Highsmith Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and director of the Peoples United Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Quinnipiac University School of Business. He is on social media at @drfredmckinney.
A British father-of-two, 46, quarantined after being diagnosed with coronavirus in Majorca has been released from hospital.

Health chiefs told the unnamed expat he could go home after two negative tests for the virus showed he was well again.

The Briton was admitted to Son Espases Hospital in Majorca on February 7 after picking up the killer bug at a French ski resort visited by coronavirus super-spreader Steve Walsh.

A British father-of-two quarantined at Son Espases Hospital (pictured) after being diagnosed with coronavirus in Majorca has been released from hospital

The 46-year-old patient caught the killer bug in France late last month, but only developed symptoms on return to his Palma home on the Spanish island

He arrived in France on January 25 and flew home on January 29.

The Briton picked up the killer bug at a French ski resort visited by coronavirus super-spreader Steve Walsh (pictured)

He only developed symptoms on return to his home in Marratxi near Palma on the Spanish island.

Several other Britons staying at a chalet in the village of Les Contamines-Montjoie near Megeve, were also infected.

A spokesman for the Balearic Islands' Health Department said: 'Tests on a man admitted to Son Espases with coronavirus have come back negative for a second time.

'He has been released from hospital in line with protocol.'

The expat's wife and daughters, aged seven and 10, and an eight-year-old boy who had close contact with the family, were also tested for the virus.

All tests on them came back negative.

A German holidaymaker quarantined on the Canary island of La Gomera after being diagnosed with coronavirus has also been allowed home after recovering.

The two hospital releases mean there are no current known cases of coronavirus in Spain.
A POCSO court in Rajasthan's Jhalawar sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the abduction and rape of a minor.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 70,000 on the convict.

The POCSO court-II convicted Noshad (25), a resident of Gahunkhedi village under the Aklera police station of Jhalawar, on Thursday, public prosecutor Lalchand Meena said.

Noshad had abducted a 14-year-old girl of his village on December 18, 2015 and took her to Jhalrapatan town of the district, where he held her captive for around six days and repeatedly raped her, Meena said.

Following the minor's rescue, police registered a case against Noshad on December 24, 2015.

Statements of at least 16 witnesses were recorded during the trial and 23 documents were produced before the court, Meena said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect, has issued a threat to Isa Pantami, minister of communication and digital economy. ...





Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect, has issued a threat to Isa Pantami, minister of communication and digital economy.





In a new video, the insurgent leader asked his men to go after Pantami for threatening to block the communication lines of the sect members.





He reminded the minister that his group killed a famous Kano cleric in 2007, saying a similar fate could befall Pantami.





This video message is specifically released because of one man, who thinks he is knowledgeable. I want him to archive this message and continue referring to it till his death comes. From today onward, you will continue to live in sorrow, because I, Shekau, say so, he said in the video released on Thursday.

This warning is for Isa Ali Panatami; dont think simply because you preach in English or because you are called a doctor, it means you have knowledge of Islam. You know nothing. Today you have become a minister, and you are feeling you can achieve your selfish ends. You must know that speaking English has nothing to do with Islam.





You said you are going to block phone lines and other means of communication, to frustrate the activities of Boko Haram, right? But you must understand that we dont depend on such to take out our messages. Our messengers are like the angels of God. How dare you attempt to stop the works we are doing for the creator of the heavens and earth, simply because you have become a slave to the white world and the country. We pity you if you dont repent.





I swear to God, you are nothing. Initially, we have not begrudged with you, but now you have become a slave to the infidels; repent now and become a good Muslim. If you dont comply from now on, death will come to you, Isa Ali Pantami. I call on my members in Africa, in Nigeria to rise and do the needful. Let them know that what we did to Sheik Jafar is just the tip of the iceberg. Anywhere you see Isa Ali Pantami, dont spare him. Isa Ali Pantami you are nothing; even Jafar tried the same thing but we dealt with him; talk less of you that is nothing in Islamic practice. And from today on, you would not have rest of mind because you have dared God.





Shekau taunted President Muhammadu Buhari, making reference to how he was booed when he visited Maiduguri earlier in the week.





And you, President Buhari, you said you are almost 80 years old and you are busy going about, and now your people have started booing, right? You just wait for your angels of death, he said.





Simply because some persons told you that they have killed our commanders, so now you are emboldened and you want to kill Shekau, right? Who is Shekau, a small person to you? But you are now in trouble Mr. Buhari; you are in big trouble. I am still here, that little boy that has defied the leaders of the world. I am still around, you just wait, it will soon be over before we all meet in the hereafter.





He also threatened journalists, warning them to be cautious about how report the activities of his group.




Coupled with the recent FUTURE Act, support from Fund II Foundation illustrates public, private commitments to diversity in STEM education and workforce

Washington, D.C., Feb. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Math and Science Initiative has received a planning grant from the Fund II Foundation to design UTeach STEM teacher preparation programs at up to 15 historically black colleges and universities in six states and the District of Columbia. The Dallas-based non-profit has partnered with UNCF (United Negro College Fund) to support the universities as they design their programs.

NMSI and UNCF are nationally recognized leaders in the advancement of American education, said Fund II Foundation Board President Robert F. Smith. I look forward to supporting them to develop strong programs that meet the unique needs of students at HBCUs. Im also excited to see how this new work allows more young people to reach their highest potential in their personal lives, professions and communities.

NMSI, UNCF and the UTeach Institute are working with academic leaders at potential program schools. Those institutions include Alabama State University, Bowie State University, Claflin University Clark Atlanta University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T University, Prairie View A&M University, South Carolina State University, Spelman College, Talladega College, Tougaloo College and Tuskegee University. The institutions that move forward with the program will work with the program team to design their new STEM teacher preparation programs.

The new programs will be based on UTeach, a renowned university-based STEM teacher preparation program founded at The University of Texas at Austin. Since 2009, NMSI has worked with the UTeach Institute to expand the program, which provides math and science undergraduates at 45 universities with teaching skills, classroom experience and continuing support in their early teaching careers.

Story continues

UTeach teachers average longer classroom careers than graduates of other teacher preparation programs, and nearly 70 percent of UTeach graduates teach in Title 1 schools. Based on standardized testing, their students perform as if they had almost six extra months of science and four extra months of math instruction.

Addressing STEM teacher shortages and ensuring that all students benefit from teachers of diverse backgrounds is critical and core to NMSIs mission, said NMSI CEO Bernard A. Harris, Jr. Expanding the UTeach program to HBCUs will benefit students across the nation.

The initiative comes just after passage of the FUTURE Act, providing permanent federal funding for HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions and providing significant STEM-focused funding for those schools.

As a two-time graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, a professor of 40 years at Bennett College for Women, and the author of the FUTURE Act, which guarantees permanent federal funding for HBCUs to prepare the next generation of diverse STEM professionals, I applaud this effort from the private sector to supplement that effort, said U.S. Rep. Alma Adams (NC). In 2017, when my office introduced the HBCU Partnership Challenge, my hope was to encourage the private sector and non-profits to view HBCUs as key to accomplishing industry diversity goals, particularly in our STEM fields. Through this STEM teacher diversity initiative, we are seeing an example of true private investment and engagement with these producers of top diverse talent. I commend Robert Smith, Fund II Foundation, NMSI, and UNCF for their efforts in diversifying our workforce by helping prepare our diverse leaders of tomorrow.

A 2017 study from the IZA Institute of Labor Economics found that having at least one African American teacher in third through fifth grades increased African American students interest in attending college by 29 percent and reduced the probability of dropping out of high school for male African American students from very low-income families by 39 percent.

Research clearly shows the powerful impact black teachers have on black students. HBCUs already are punching above their weight in the production of STEM graduates generating 24 percent of the STEM bachelors degrees earned annually by African Americans, said Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. The nation continues to have incredible need for math and science teachers of color, and students of color deserve to have educators who look like them.

###

Juan Elizondo

NMSI

214.346.1249

jelizondo@nms.org



Kay Shaw

Fund II Foundation

202.810.7212

kshaw@fund2foundation.org



Richard Shropshire

UNCF

202.810.0222

rshropshire@uncf.org


The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan are set to hold trilateral talks on the margins of a security forum in Germany on Saturday, amid joint efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea and promote stability in the Middle East.



Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her U.S. and Japanese counterparts -- Mike Pompeo and Toshimitsu Motegi -- will meet in the morning on the sidelines of the annual three-day Munich Security Conference in Munich, which will run through Sunday.



The three are expected to exchange views on cooperation in resuming stalled nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang and addressing tensions in the Middle East, which stemmed from confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.



They could also discuss ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, which has not only posed health risks to their citizens but also caused disruptions to global supply chains that are feared to chip away at the global economy.



Kang, Pompeo and Motegi last held a trilateral meeting in San Francisco last month.



Also in Munich, Kang and Motegi will hold bilateral talks to discuss a wide range of pending issues, including joint efforts to address a protracted row over Japan's export restrictions and its wartime forced labor.



Kang is likely to renew Seoul's calls to retract Tokyo's export curbs seen as political retaliation for 2018 Supreme Court rulings that ordered Japanese firms to compensate victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.



Seoul has recently stressed the "temporary" nature of its November decision to put off the expiry of a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan in an apparent move to pressure Japan to retract its export curbs amid little progress in related government talks.



In response to Tokyo's export curbs, Seoul announced in August that it would withdraw from the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). But it reversed the pullout decision, albeit temporarily, in the face of opposition from Washington, the two countries' shared ally.



Kang and Motegi could also touch on the issue of 14 South Koreans currently aboard a Japanese cruise ship in Yokohama, which was quarantined earlier this month after the coronavirus was detected in a person who disembarked from the ship in Hong Kong last month.



Kang and Pompeo could also meet bilaterally, though their meeting schedule has yet to be finalized.



If their talks take place, the two sides may discuss ongoing negotiations over the sharing of the cost for stationing 28,500 American troops in South Korea.



They could also discuss Seoul's push for individual trips to the North and other inter-Korean cooperation projects as part of efforts to enhance cross-border relations and help resume stalled nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang. (Yonhap)




In view of the inconvenience faced by the diaspora having OCI card in the US, an eminent Indian-American social activist has urged the Government of India to extend the date of its renewal till December 31.

The Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, among other benefits, allows multiple entry, multi-purpose life long visa to an Indian-origin foreign national to visit India.

In December, the Ministry of Home Affairs' Foreigners Division issued an office memorandum directing the relevant government agencies and airlines that Overseas Citizen Of India (OCI) card holders not between 20 and 50 years of age and who have renewed their passport can travel to India as long as they also have in their possession their old cancelled passport.

They were given time till June 30 to renew their OCI card.

But now, based on the feedback that he has been receiving from Indian-Americans and the diaspora community, Indian-American Prem Bhandari said that June 30 is not enough as it needs a massive awareness campaign on part of the Indian government.

"My humble request to you is to extend the date of renewal of OCI cards till December 31, 2020 such that the Non-Resident Indian/Person of Indian Origin community had enough time to understand the new requirement and renew their OCI cards," New York-based Bhandari, who last year took up the matter, said in a latest communique to the Indian government this week.

Bhandari, who heads Jaipur Foot USA, has sent his communique to the External Affairs Ministry and other relevant ministries including the civil aviation and home affairs.

"This will give ample time to the Indian diaspora to renew their OCI cards and facilitate a pleasurable visit to India," he told PTI.

This week, the Indian Consulate in New York and other Indian diplomatic missions issued a clarification on the OCI renewal.

"As you are aware with the advisory issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to airlines, overseas Indians and PIOs have been facing great difficulties in travelling to India during the busy holiday season in December 2019 and January 2020," the letter said.

"As many did not have updated OCI cards or were not carrying their old passports, they were stopped by airlines from boarding. We are grateful to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs for granting assistance and for helping people to travel to India without their old passports and extending the date of renewal of OCI to June 30, 2020. This has considerably ameliorated the situation," Bhandari said in the letter.

However, many Indian-origin travellers faced difficulties at airports in boarding as airlines frequently misinterpret the rules or are inflexible although Indian Immigration has been allowing people to enter the country without new OCI cards or even without old Passports, he said.

"You are aware that a large number of OCI cards have been issued and it is not possible for everyone to be aware of the rules. Many a times I have intervened to get people to board aircraft by using personal influence. Several times, I have sought the help of Consulate in New York to help the people to board," Bhandari continued.

Although the Government of India and Consulates are trying the best to diffuse and disseminate this information regarding renewal of OCI, many people still remain unaware and "we are hearing daily horror stories," he said.

Indian-Americans have complained that they were not aware that every time an OCI card holder below the age of 20 and above the age of 50 years renew their passport they have to apply for the renewable of OCI card too.

"For all practical purposes, OCI card is not a multipurpose life-long visa, as it has been billed by the government. To clear the confusion, it is important that the government, immediately, say that it is not a multipurpose life-long visa and then take steps to fix the loopholes in this regard," Bhandari had said last year.

He had raised the issue last year also with then India's ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla and secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation Pradeep Singh Kharola. Both of them, Bhandari said, were instrumental in coming to the rescue of the Indian diaspora.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica says "thank you" on Friday, February 14th, to everyone who contributed to this year's fundraising campaign. What better way to say "thank you" than with cookies!

United Way staff and volunteers made surprise visits to a number of local offices, including Rising Phoenix Holdings Corporations, which is one of the top supporters of United Way programs. Employees here donated more than $45,000, about $12,000 more than their fundraising goal.

We spoke to the Erin Gutierrez Matt, the Executive Director and CEO of United Way, about why they made this stop at Rising Phoenix. Mrs. Gutierrez Matt said "This year we selected Rising Phoenix. They've long been a partner of United Way. They ran an incredible fundraising campaign this year and they've been really involved from a volunteer perspective too. It was a really great opportunity to say thank you to them for all that they do to support the work that we do."

We also spoke with the Steve Surace, the President of Rising Phoenix Holdings Corporation, who tells us how excited he is to achieve this and how happy he is with his employees. Mr. Surace says "Thanks to United Way and our great staff, we've been able to increase and far exceed our goal for the year, both the goal that United Way gave us and the goal that we self-imposed. Really it's a result of the donations of our staff and the giving attitudes of our staff."



Other United Way employees stayed at their office to make phone calls and send post cards to all the people that make donations.

This is the one day United Way is not accepting donations. This is their 11th annual day of thanks.
After the massive win in Delhi Assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called a executive meeting on Sunday as it has plans for expansion and to move towards positive nationalism like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

AAP has started preparing to make the party a cadre-based party.

When AAP's Delhi convenor Gopal Rai was asked about the party's new slogan and direction, he said, "The AAP is now moving towards positive nationalism. BJP is doing of hatred and negative nationalism. We believe that there should be in the name of work and development."

Asked about the party's future strategy, Rai said that the "Delhi government has its own agenda and we will start working on it".

"Apart from this, more focus will be on Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). BJP has ruled MCD for 15 years. There is so much dirt and garbage in Delhi that it does not seem that we live in the capital of the country. At the same time, a nation-building campaign has been launched, which the party will take forward in the whole country," he said.

"In the executive meeting on February 16, we will decide on how many more people can join us. After this, their training will be arranged. Then, we will move towards forming a cadre-based party. We will also focus on some states," he added.

Commenting on the Delhi Assembly elections, Rai said that the people of Delhi liked the party's positive campaigning and said it reached out to masses by highlighting the development works of the AAP government.

"We were disappointed with Lok Sabha polls' results as we failed to secure a single seat. However, the party immediately started preparing for the Vidhan Sabha elections without resting. First, we formed the Kejriwal brigade, in which we recruited and trained 600 volunteers. We reached out to masses to discuss the government's work," he stated.

"We held 6,000 indoor meetings and received a positive response. People of Delhi did not entertain BJP's of hatred. They liked our positive campaign. We fought this election systematically. Kejriwal had monitored the entire campaign himself," Rai further said.

The AAP won 62 of the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi, while BJP managed just eight seats. The Congress, which failed to open its account in the 2015 election, drew a blank yet again.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerala cop kicks, beats up passenger for travelling without ticket on train, video goes viral

Complete lockdown in Kerala? Here's what Health Minister has to say

Kerala court summons Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in defamation case

India

oi-PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 15: A court in Kerala on Saturday summoned Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to appear before it in a defamation case filed by Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) took cognisance of the complaint and asked the minister to appear before it on May 2, Tharoor's lawyer told the media. Tharoor had in December 2018 filed a defamation case against Prasad for allegedly making derogatory remarks in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death.

Tharoor had earlier sent a legal notice to Prasad, the minister for Law Justice and IT, seeking an "unconditional apology" for calling him a "murder accused."

Tharoor has stated that the investigation in the Pushkar case had been completed and the Delhi Police had filed a final report before the Additional Metropolitan Magistrate court, in which he was charge sheeted under Sections 308 and 498 A of the Indian Penal Code.

"The final report does not state that the death of the deceased was a murder," Tharoor had said The Thiruvananthapuram MP and former Union minister said that on October 28 around 5.38 am, Prasad had posted a 2 minute 18 seconds video clip of his press conference, along with certain "false, untrue, malicious and highly defamatory statements on Twitter."

Tharoor alleged that the video had been posted to defame him and thereby to "spread an untrue, false and scandalous imputation" against him that he is a "murder case" accused and that he had been charge sheeted.

This was intended to "harm" his reputation and "malign" him before the public "by intentionally giving such false and untrue statements, the colour of his office, he had said.

"It is evident that the impugned post/tweet and the contents are solely intended to malign and tarnish the reputation of the complainant," he stated.

Tharoor had sent a lawyer's notice to Prasad, seeking an unconditional apology within 48 hours of the receipt of the notice, for levelling the allegations and to delete and remove the video clip of his press conference, along with defamatory statement on Twitter.

In his reply to the notice, Prasad had defended his tweet, saying it was not defamatory.

According to the complainant, the offence against Prasad constitutes the commission of offence defined under Section 499 of the IPC (defamation), which is punishable Under sections 500 (punishment for defamation). Tharoor had sought appropriate action against Prasad.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 17:08 [IST]
Several Chinese companies that last year pledged to invest in North Koreas construction sector are trying to back out of their contracts because there are no signs that international sanctions on the isolated country will end soon, sources in the two countries told RFA.

The UN and U.S. sanctions are aimed at depriving Pyongyang of cash and resources that could be funneled into its nuclear and missile programs.

The investors speculated that the sanctions would be lifted or eased last year, even as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walked away from their summit in Hanoi with no denuclearization for sanctions relief deal in place.

Pyongyang and Washington now appear to be even farther apart than they were then, and it seems like sanctions will continue indefinitely.

Given the circumstances, Chinese companies are willing to pay penalties to breach their contracts in order to pull out.

These days, everyone in Pyongyang is anxious over coronavirus, but against that backdrop, some Chinese companies that made down payments to invest in North Korea last year are pushing authorities into a corner by demanding a way out, a high-ranking official in Pyongyang told RFAs Korean Service Tuesday.

The source said that the Chinese businessmen were in Pyongyang as part of an event organized by the Association of Businesses Investing in North Korea to pay tribute to the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

After the event, many of the businessmen said they wanted to withdraw their investment, and that created quite a stir, said the source.

North Korean officials fiercely protested, but the businessmen were not having it, the source said.

The source said that the Chinese companies were to supply materials that are currently outlawed by sanctions, such as structural steel and ironware.

They decided to bet on sanctions being lifted or eased, but now they want to nullify their investment, said the source.

The source said that the companies made down payments last year when they signed their investment contracts.

But now they want to withdraw, even if it means giving up their deposits, said the source.

Another high-ranking trade official in Pyongyang said Wednesday that up until the middle of last year, Chinese investors were falling over each other to get a piece of North Korea.

They expected that sanctions on North Korea would be quickly resolved, but now that it appears the relationship between North Korea and the U.S. is becoming increasingly negative, they decided that they want to wring their hands of any Sino-North Korean ventures they had once hoped to be part of, the second source said.

Most of the investors are businessmen who believed sanctions would be eased. That is why they set up the Association of Businesses Investing in North Korea, to facilitate their investment, said the second source.

The source said that North Korean authorities are desperate to keep the investors from pulling out.

They say they want out, even if they have to give up their down payments, but in response, even Kim Jae Ryong, the premier of North Korea almost begged them to reconsider their decision to withdraw, the second source said.

Some of the investors are demanding that the investment contract be nullified and the down payment be returned, said the second source.

They feel that since they invested on the condition that U.S. sanctions would be eased, it is reasonable to demand to get their money back. The authorities are in a real bind.

Reported by Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Army in battle against paddy mafia, helps PMB to buy more from farmers President orders Army Commander to launch offensive to help farmers View(s): View(s):

The Sri Lanka Army has been called out to fight against the paddy mafia by supporting the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) to buy more paddy.

Following the instruction of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa the Army Commander Shavendra Silva was directed to assist the PMB to directly buy paddy.

Under the programme the army had already provided transportation vehicles, repaired PMB stores and had dispatched soldiers to assist the PMB.

The centre Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army services corps Brigadier Indrajith Kandanaaracchi who coordinates the programme said they had given directives to seven security forces headquarters at Jaffna, Vanni, Killinochchi and the Eastern and Western provinces.

We are engaging in this programme to ensure the farmers will get a proper price for their paddy as well as to stop the ones who make massive profits from buying paddy at low prices, he said.

He said the army was coordinating with the PMB, the District Secretaries of the paddy cultivation areas and the farmers associations to provide assistance to buy paddy.

We are dispatching army officers to educate the farmers on the benefits of selling more paddy to the PMB for Rs 50 a kilo. We also facilitate transportation, improved warehouses that belonged to the PMB which were in bad shape and are even ready to buy new warehouses if the PMB has too much space, he said.

He said they were also providing security to the PMB warehouses in areas where elephant threats had been reported.

Brigadier Kandanaaracchi said the army was reviewing the progress and gathering statistics of the buying of paddy at different districts and stores.

According to the statistics gathered from the divisional security forces headquarters the PMB has bought 4,528,160 Kg of paddy from January 29 to February 13 this, spending Rs 226,408,000.

He said among the varieties purchased are nadu, white samba, keeri samba, red samba, red nadu, and white nadu.
Western Nebraska Community College will host Criminal Justice Career Day, Wednesday, March 4 at the John N. Harms Center on the Scottsbluff Campus.

The campus from 9 a.m. until 2:15 p.m. Check-in for the event begins at 8:30 a.m.

Those interested in a career in criminal justice are encouraged to attend and RSVP to the event by Friday, Feb. 28, at wncc.edu/admissions/visit-campus.

The Career Day gives prospective students a look into nearly every corner of the criminal justice profession, and provides them opportunities to ask questions and learn first-hand from professionals in the field.

Local law enforcement officers, correctional officers, victim advocates and other professionals will all be in attendance at the Criminal Justice Career Day.

Were very fortunate to have such a impressive group of professionals in different areas of the field attend this event, WNCC Criminal Justice Instructor Tiffany Wasserburger said.

The students will really receive a full menu of career options within the criminal justice field, and will have the rare opportunity to learn and ask questions from true experts.
A young farmer whose tweet went viral after describing the mental health impact of farming alone has been inundated with well-wishers.

Ffion Hooson has had to step up to run the family farm at just 20-years-old after her dad fell ill.

The Denbighshire hill farmer first began managing the 180-acre beef and sheep farm two years ago.

She posted on Twitter describing the impact this has had on her, saying she is at 'breaking point'.

She said: Im 20 years old and farming alone and I am constantly putting a brave hard face on, yet deep down Im pretty much breaking inside.

Its the most Ive struggled and no one really understands but I have no choice but to carry on.

Im 20 years old and farming alone and I am constantly putting a brave hard face on... yet deep down Im pretty much breaking inside... its the most Ive struggled and no one really understands but I have no choice but to carry on???? pic.twitter.com/n8keHhWci5  Ffion Hooson (@ffionhooson0) February 7, 2020

The tweet received an overwhelming response, with nearly 25,000 people 'liking' her post, and more than 2,000 people sharing it.

The young shepherdess has since garnered hundreds of messages from farmers concerned over her well-being, and well-wishers offering support and help.

Fellow shepherdess Alison ONeill, who farms in a remote area of North Yorkshire, offered her support and admitted that farming alone is 'bloody tough'.

Please please DM me. I farm alone. I have done for 10 years whilst raising my daughter. Its been bloody tough, heartbreaking, backbreaking, lonely, three times Ive nearly had to give up my farm but then I dug in. Lets talk. Im a huge fan of yours. Hugs. ??@woolismybread ??  Alison ONeill. Shepherdess (@woolismybread) February 7, 2020

Another well-wisher replied to Ffion's tweet, saying many female farmers are doing a 'tough and often under appreciated job'.

Hang in there Ffion. Female farmers like you are doing a tough & often under appreciated job but without you farming would die a very sad death at the hands of big faceless conglomerates. Rooting for you sis!

And just arrived in Wales & the daffodils are out. A sign for you ??? pic.twitter.com/nNqXOV0GKA  Ms Sophie (@themssophie) February 7, 2020

Hey Ffion, I sent you a message. Were here for you and understand. Farming can be so hard and lonely at times. Biggest first step is to reach out like what you did. You are amazing, beautiful and are loved. Sending you a big hug. Im here if you need someone ??  highheels&fields (@lesleyraekelly) February 7, 2020

I feel for you Ffion, I spent time working on farms as a young kid, and it is harder work than most folk can imagine, let alone do the job. Bless you, keep the faith, you are one of the amazing army who put food on our tables and we thank you. ??????????  Liam O'Neil (@lienomail) February 7, 2020

Social media star and ordinary Welsh farmer Gareth Wyn Jones posted a video offering his support.

It comes as annual mental health initiative 'Mind Your Head' gets underway this week, seeking to raise awareness of mental health in the farming community.

It aims to educate those living and working in the UKs agricultural communities about the various mental health threats facing them.

The NFU has also joined in on efforts in raising awareness, urging farmers to recognise the importance of making mental wellbeing a priority.

NFU Vice President Stuart Roberts said that while farming is a sector full of innovative and resilient people, like any industry it comes with challenges.

Like many business owners, farmers can struggle with stress, worries and anxiety, and with the isolated nature of farming these feelings can often be amplified, he said.

Dealing with mental health issues can be incredibly difficult but help is at hand. For many people, the first step is recognising when there is a problem and talking to someone about it and, where needed, getting professional help.

I would urge anyone struggling to cope with any issue to open up to someone they trust. We can all do more to listen and make time for each other.
Russians have a great phrase to describe what can happen when the Kremlin or a senior bureaucrat takes a personal interest in a court case.

They call it telephone justice. That means the official picks up a phone and tells the judge what verdict to deliver. Its a phrase that dates back to Soviet Union days, when the Communist party always dictated outcomes to the judge.

Under President Trump, we havent quite reached the telephone justice phase yet. Not quite.

But the presidents open interference in the Roger Stone verdict and his vicious Twitter attacks on judges display his disrespect for our justice system. His misuse of the Justice Department to go after political rivals and enemies  abetted by Attorney General William P. Barr  is scary.

His ugly threats against those who testified in the impeachment hearings are kind of rhetoric wed expect from the autocrats he openly praises, in Russia, China, the Philippines and elsewhere. Are those the types of justice systems hed prefer if hes reelected this year?

Think about it. Heres what Vladimir Putin did when he faced a truly potent political opponent in the early 2000s: Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a talented oil magnate who sought to modernize the corrupt Russian system, was arrested on fake tax charges and sent off to a Siberian prison for a decade, then sent into exile.

We dont have Siberia  but Trumps relentless insistence on pursuing the investigated-to-death Hillary Clinton email story, years after he defeated her, is pathological.

A Justice Department investigation, started two years ago to mollify Trumps far right and Fox News, has produced nothing. Heaven knows what the president will trump up if he wins in 2020.

And then there is Barrs recent announcement that the Justice Department still intends to consider information from Rudy Giuliani about Ukraine, including possible claims about Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Even after witness upon witness at the impeachment hearings laid out in painstaking detail how Giuliani consorted with corrupt Ukrainians and spewed total falsehoods.

Barr knows, as do any GOP senators interested in facts, that Biden was fighting corruption, while Giuliani was promoting it.

Biden sought the ouster of a corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was refusing to prosecute the co-owner of Burisma, the energy company on whose board Hunter Biden sat.

The European Union, International Monetary Fund, Ukraines top anti-corruption organizations and its parliament all wanted Shokin fired  because he was corrupt.

Prosecutor Shokin had to go because he was unwilling to prosecute Burisma, says Brian Bonner, executive editor of Ukraines Kyiv Post, which exhaustively covered this story. Yet Giuliani, who pursued shady characters and business deals in Kyiv, turned the truth on its head.

And Barr, who admitted Giulianis evidence couldnt be taken at face value, is still willing to consider his information. Why? Are we headed for telephone justice here, egged on by Trump?

But we have independent courts, you say. Yes we still do. Trump does not have the freedom of, say, a Xi Jinping, another autocrat Trump praises, whose courts are officially required to accept the Communist Partys dictates.

Yet Trump frequently and viciously attacks judges whose verdicts he dislikes, including the judge who will be handing down the Stone verdict, slurs like gift to the criminal, so-called judge, or Trump hater. Often these judges have also returned verdicts favorable to him, or been GOP appointees, but that matters not.

This is not normal, said U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman, of the District of Columbia, in a powerful speech last year. This kind of personal attack on courts and individual judges violates all recognized democratic norms.

Indeed, Trumps slime of the judiciary has become so outrageous that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. felt compelled to issue a rare rebuke of Trumps criticism of a so-called Obama judge who ruled against him. We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges, Roberts said in 2018. The independent judiciary, he continued, is something we should all be thankful for.

Trump, however, doesnt want an independent judiciary that follows the law and the constitution. If its my judges, he told a campaign audience in 2016, you know how theyre going to decide. To this president, that means in favor of Trump.

Whats even more unnerving is Trumps admiration for vigilante justice. He praised the Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte for his unbelievable job in dealing with the drug problem. Duterte has notoriously encouraged public vigilantism and 7,000 so-called drug dealers were shot dead on the streets in his first few months in office. At rallies, Trump has subtly egged on his followers towards vigilante justice.

A look at the justice systems of Russia, China and the Philippines reminds one of the rare value of rule of law and judicial independence. And what the alternatives are, if the president keeps undermining the publics belief in their importance. Telephone justice? Vigilante justice?

We can have that if thats what Trump convinces the public they want.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Readers may write to her at: Philadelphia Inquirer, P.O. Box 8263, Philadelphia, Pa. 19101, or by email at trubin@phillynews.com.

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A government helicopter was shot down and its crew killed yesterday in Syria's north-west, where a military offensive against opposition fighters is unfolding, a Syrian military official and activists said.

Videos posted online show a helicopter spiralling downward, with flames trailing behind as onlookers cheer.

A military official told Syrian state media that the helicopter was hit by a "hostile rocket" in the western countryside of Aleppo province.

The unnamed official said the helicopter crashed and its crew was killed.

It was the second time this week that a government helicopter was downed in north-west Syria. Another government helicopter gunship was downed three days earlier, near the village of Nairab.

A Syrian military offensive in the region is seeking to uproot opposition fighters from the last territory they hold.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists on the ground, said the helicopter was downed yesterday in the village of Qibtan al-Jebel, north of Aleppo city. It said two crew members were killed and their bodies were found near the site of the crash.

It was not clear who downed the helicopter or how. Insurgents were believed to be behind the Tuesday downing of a helicopter in which the two-member crew was killed.

The Observatory said the helicopter was downed yesterday by Turkish military forces stationed in the opposition-held region. There was no immediate comment from Turkey.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said only that a helicopter belonging to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces was brought down in the western Aleppo countryside.

The agency said the helicopter took off from an area near the Aleppo city centre amid "clashes between the opposition and regime forces" and was shot at from the Qibtan al-Jabal region.

It was seen crashing, unleashing a plume of smoke, the agency reported.

Insurgents have sought to acquire portable defence systems to target government warplanes, often acquiring them from seized stockpiles or from outside supporters.

Turkey, backer of Syria's opposition, has been deploying equipment and troops in the region, which is home to more than three million people, in an attempt to halt the Syrian military's advances.

But the increased Turkish footprint has also resulted in confrontations with the Syrian troops. The violence has displaced 800,000 people since December 1.
Those dicamba-tolerant seeds were first introduced by Monsanto for cotton in 2015, and for soybeans in 2016, before the Creve Coeur-based companys acquisition by Bayer. Many farmers have welcomed the new dicamba technology in their struggle against hard-to-control weeds that have developed resistance to herbicides like Roundup.

But at the time the products were released, newer forms of dicamba intended to be sprayed on the crops had not been approved for use.

The absence of the new sprays  which are less volatile, and not as likely to vaporize and drift off target  created a situation where some farmers with dicamba-tolerant crops illegally turned to other forms of the decades-old chemical. Plantings by those farmers were immune to dicamba injury, while any other crop varieties nearby were put at risk of damage.

In 2016, off-target movement of older, illegal dicamba products fueled a steep rise of crop damage complaints in areas such as Southeast Missouris Bootheel. Even after new sprays were approved for use starting in 2017, dicamba complaints accelerated, with the Bootheel representing a national hot spot.
Residents wait at a rest area after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a mobile station in Hong Kong on Sunday. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Few of the citys older residents have been fully inoculated, leaving them highly vulnerable as the city battles an outbreak of the new variant.
Marin is a mother to a young daughter and has previously described herself as part of a rainbow family. Her parents separated when she was a child, and she was raised by her mother and her mothers female partner. She has long been an advocate for progressive policies aimed at supporting families of all kinds.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Vice Speaker of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan held a telephone conversation with Defense minister Davit Tonoyan, the Vice Speaker said on Facebook.

I just talked to the defense minister Davit Tonoyan over phone about the tragic case that has taken place in the Army. Minister Tonoyan is currently on a business trip. I was informed about the details of the incident. Ruling out such tragic incidents is a priority, regardless of their causes, he said, adding that those found guilty will be punished in strongest terms.

The Vice Speaker extended condolences to the family of soldier Hayk Asryan.

Soldier of the Defense Army of Artsakh Hayk Asryan, born in 1997, received a fatal gunshot wound in one of the military positions located in the eastern direction on February 14, at around 19:00. Criminal case on causing suicide or attempted suicide through negligence or deliberately by threats, cruel treatment or regular humiliation of personal dignity has been filed over the incident.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
The unbearable pain and a series of coughs are first felt until it becomes a lethal sickness with no invented cure. An increase in temperature and the feeling of slowly drifting from life. The experience of contracting the 2019-nCoV is such an exhausting fight between the body and the virus.

Medicines are provided to control the symptoms of the virus. However, what makes the Novel Coronavirus infection lethal is the inexistence of a drug that can destroy the virus. This leaves a person's recovery from the virus in the hands of the infected patient's immune system.

Interview with Wuhan-Virus-Infected Individuals

A few adults who were tested positive for the Coronavirus were interviewed. The infected individuals lived in Wuhan, China. Wuhan is the center of the worldwide outbreak.

Tiger Ye, not the real name of the infected individual, shared how scared he felt after finding out he had caught the infection. He describes how he witnessed the increase of the virus's cases and how every medical practitioner wore protective clothing and gears. He said that he had never seen anything like that in the past.

An article from Latin Times it was stated that Ye endured weeks of anxiety and depression. He was scared that he had caught the 2019-nCoV. Later, he decided to visit a medical center near his residence to get treated.

After visiting the medical institution, he was diagnosed with 'not very severe' symptoms of the disease. Doctors asked Ye to go home and advised him to quarantine himself.

Tiger Ye's Story of Survival

Ye survived the threats of the virus and recovered. He credits his recovery to his father who is a healthcare worker. His father was aware of the risks of the virus before most.

In the first few days after finding out about his infection, Ye experienced high fever and intense pain that resonated throughout his body.

By the time of his follow-up appointment with doctors, he complained about severe coughs. He explained to his doctors that he felt he was going to die from the coughs he was having. He even described his coughs as several knocks to the doors of hell.

He was thankful for surviving the newly discovered pneumonia-causing virus' wrath. Also, he had emphasized his gratitude to the medical workers who risked their lives so that they can save him.

Another Story of Survival from the 2020 Coronavirus

Another person was also interviewed. He also shared his story of survival from the virus.

A 31-year-old engineer residing in Wuhan, China told the story of when he had first learned that he had contracted the virus. He described how scared he was because of the insufficiency of testing resources.

After testing positive for the dreaded virus, he was immediately offered treatments. The treatments given to him helped him feel confident that he would survive the disease. The treatments helped him live and tell his tale today.

He expresses his concerns for the young and strong who might catch the infection. He described the disease as similar to a "heavy cold." He shared how he had learned that the infection caused panic to people because it is very contagious.

How Did They Overcome the Illness?

The recovery from the illness differs in every individual. However, the two men who lived to tell their story of survival from the viral infection had similar recovery points. The first one is the timely action upon the discovery of infection. Lastly, quarantining oneself. These are the two common points that the two expressed in their story of preventing the spread and return of the Wuhan virus infection.
United States President Donald Trump has said it is a great honour that Facebook has ranked him number one and Prime Minister Narendra Modi number two on their popularity on the social networking site, ahead of his maiden visit to India.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, it was announced this week.

Taking to Twitter, he claimed to be the number one on Facebook, citing a remark of Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the social media company.

'Great honor, I think? Mark Zuckerberg recently stated that 'Donald J. Trump is Number 1 on Facebook. Number 2 is Prime Minister Modi of India'. Actually, I am going to India in two weeks. Looking forward to it!,' Trump tweeted on Saturday.

This is not the first time that the US President has claimed to be the number one and Prime Minister Modi number two on their popularity on Facebook.

Last month in an interview to CNBC TV on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said: 'I'm No.1 on Facebook, you know who's no.2? Modi from India.'

During his visit to India, Trump, in addition to New Delhi, will also visit Ahmedabad to address a joint public meeting with Modi at a newly-built stadium.
Vatican City: In quashing the idea of married priests in the Amazon, Pope Francis has appeased traditionalists while disappointing progressives who had hoped for a historic turning point in the Catholic church.

In his "apostolic exhortation" on the Amazon basin published Wednesday, Francis slammed the door on a progressive proposal offered by the region's bishops during a synod on the region in October.

The synod had suggested that the way to solve a shortage of priests in the remote and inaccessible area was to allow married indigenous men to become priests. Without even mentioning that proposal, Francis instead argued for more missionary priests in the Amazon and for women and lay people to take on larger roles, falling short of another synod idea to ordain women as deacons in the region.

The Argentine pontiff's thoughts, coming after months of speculation and hand-wringing within the Vatican, were welcomed by some, including a vocal opponent of Francis, German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller.

For five years Mueller was in charge of church dogma, holding the key Vatican post of Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith until 2017 -- when he was not reappointed by Francis.

Mueller saluted the document's potential for "reducing internal Church factions." Conservatives within the Church were outraged by the regional synod's proposal, even were it to be an exception limited to the Amazon, seeing it as potentially paving the way to the abolition of priest celibacy globally.

US Cardinal Raymond Burke, a staunch traditionalist, suggested last year that Francis would be heading into a "schism" were he to give his stamp of approval to the synod's proposals. But to others, the text lacked the audacity that has marked the papacy of the first Jesuit pope.

Francis' document marked a "failure in the reforming impulse of the pontificate," according to longtime Vatican analyst Marco Politi. The pope, "abruptly slowed down" by a strong and multifaceted opposition, also disappointed those local Amazon bishops whom he had called on to offer up new ideas to help guide the Church, Politi said.

"Francis finds himself more alone today, having caused disillusionment among a notable mass of his supporters," Politi said. Key among them are Catholic feminist organisations, some of whom have been fighting for women's access to the priesthood.

In his text, Francis cited the contributions of women and argued that their roles be increased, but dismissed the idea of their ordination. Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW) said Francis had "dropped the ball" for women within the Church.

"Francis has opted to perpetuate the shameful elitist men's club that, as he so brazenly points out in the document, is held up by the second class status of women who do most of the work with none of the recognition," the group said in a statement.
JACKSON, Miss.  The Pearl River is expected to rise to historic levels this weekend, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes and shutting down roads around Jackson.

The river level by 11 a.m. Friday stood at 35.32 feet, more than 7 feet above flood stage. It's expected to crest at 38 feet this weekend, or 2 feet above what's considered a major flood stage.

The Pearl River, which meanders through residential and business areas near Jackson, may reach a level not seen in more than four decades, forecasters said. So Leti Vargas enlisted help from relatives to clear appliances from her double-wide in the Harbor Pines Mobile Home Community.

Ive worked too hard to purchase these, and I dont want them destroyed, said Vargas, 50.

Nearby, Donna and Mark Harvey put blocks under big items like furniture and left with what they could carry ahead of the rising water.

Can you imagine we left Florida to come here and get washed out? People warned us about hurricanes in Florida and its the rains that wash us out, said Donna Harvey.

The Easter Flood of 1979 inundated a wide swath of downtown Jackson and surrounding Rankin County municipalities. Floodwaters sent the Pearl River 15 feet above flood stage.

Marty Pope, service hydrologist with the National Weather Service, said an unanticipated 1 inch to 3 inches of rain fell to the north of Jackson on Wednesday and Thursday, spilling into the Pearl. Forecasters had predicted about half an inch.

Pope notes that as soon as the river crests above 36.30 feet, it will have reached the third highest level since river levels began being recorded in the 1900s.

The river rose to an all-time high during the Easter Flood in 1979, when about 10 inches of rain over a short period of time led to a flood stage of 43.28 feet.

More than 17,000 Jackson-area residents were forced from their homes. The flood was among the most costly and devastating to ever occur in Mississippi, resulting in about $700 million in damages.

In the flood of 1983, the Pearl rose to 39.58 feet.

The Barnett Reservoir continues to pool water to limit the amount that flows downstream into the Pearl but it is at a dangerous level, Pope said.

Story continues

This weekend, the water overflowing the banks is expected to reach thousands of homes, officials said.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency on Thursday estimated about about 1,925 structures in HInds County will be affected by flooding, 461 structures in Rankin County and about 31 structures in Madison County.

The city of Jackson, meanwhile, predicted about 940 structures will be affected across the city. A majority of those homes and businesses are in Northeast Jackson near the river. That number represents apartment complexes as well, said Hinds County Emergency Management Director, Ricky Moore. About 540 individual homes and businesses could see flooding, he said.

The rise in the Pearl has prompted emergency declarations from several area governments, including the city of Jackson, Hinds County and the city of Richland.

Jackson and Hind County's declarations come on the heels of flooding less than a month ago.

Jackson had three separate flash floods in January, the result of the second-highest amount of rainfall for the region in more than 100 years, according to the NWS.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Justin Vicory on Twitter: @justinvicory.

This article originally appeared on The Clarion-Ledger: Pearl River rising in Jackson posing threat of historic flooding
WASHINGTON  Attorney General William Barr has assigned an outside prosecutor to scrutinize the criminal case against President Donald Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to people familiar with the matter.

The review is highly unusual and could trigger more accusations of political interference by top Justice Department officials into the work of career prosecutors.

Barr has also installed a handful of outside prosecutors to broadly review the handling of other politically sensitive national-security cases in the U.S. attorneys office in Washington, the people said. The team includes at least one prosecutor from the office of the U.S. attorney in St. Louis, Jeff Jensen, who is handling the Flynn matter, as well as prosecutors from the office of the deputy attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen.

Over the past two weeks, the outside prosecutors have begun grilling line prosecutors in the Washington office about various cases  some public, some not  including investigative steps, prosecutorial actions and why they took them, according to the people. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal deliberations.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

The intervention has contributed to a turbulent period for the prosecutors office that oversees the seat of the federal government and some of the most politically sensitive investigations and cases  some involving Trumps friends and allies, and some his critics and adversaries.

This week, four line prosecutors quit the case against Roger Stone, Trumps close adviser, after Barr overruled their recommendation that a judge sentence him within sentencing guidelines. Barrs intervention was preceded by criticism of the original sentencing recommendation by Trump and praised by him afterward, and Barr on Thursday publicly asked Trump to stop commenting about the Justice Department.

The moves amounted to imposing a secondary layer of monitoring and control over what career prosecutors have been doing in the Washington office. They are part of a broader turmoil in that office coinciding with Barrs recent installation of a close aide, Timothy Shea, as interim U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia, after Barr maneuvered out the Senate-confirmed former top prosecutor in the office, Jessie Liu.

Flynns case was first brought by the special counsels office, who agreed to a plea deal on a charge of lying to investigators in exchange for his cooperation, before the Washington office took over the case when the special counsel shut down after concluding its investigation into Russias election interference.

Flynns case has been bogged down in recent months by his lawyers unfounded claims of prosecutorial misconduct; a judge has already rejected those accusations. Flynn then asked to withdraw his guilty plea, which he first entered in December 2017. His case has become a cause celebre for Trumps supporters.

On Tuesday, Barr and Rosen overruled career prosecutors recommendation that a judge sentence Stone to seven to nine years in prison after a jury found him guilty of witness intimidation and several false statements charges, in accordance with standard sentencing guidelines, and insisted on a lower recommendation.

After Trump complained that the sentence for Stone  who had refused to cooperate with prosecutors by telling the special counsel, Robert Mueller, what he knew about Trump and WikiLeaks  all four career prosecutors quit the case.

Barr on Thursday gave an interview in which he publicly called on Trump to stop commenting on the Justice Department, saying it was making it impossible for him to do his job. But Trump said Friday he had every right to tell the Justice Department what to do in criminal cases.

Trump had nominated Liu for a top Treasury Department position in December, and she initially told her colleagues that she would stay on until her confirmation. But Barr then asked her to leave early, and she was given a temporary role at the Treasury Department, clearing the way for him to install Shea in her place.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
YEREVAN.  Within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with President Stevo Pendarovski of North Macedonia ,the Prime Minister's press service reports.

The Prime Minister noted that Armenia, being a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, is interested in developing relations with European countries, including North Macedonia. "We think Armenia can be a very interesting place for foreign investors who want access to the Eurasian Economic Union market," he said, in particular.

Pendarovski noted that North Macedonias diplomatic relations with Armenia were established about 30 years ago, but noted that bilateral economic cooperation has not achieved the desired results yet. The President of North Macedonia added that their country is interested in deepening and expanding cooperation and is ready to make efforts with Armenian partners in that direction.

The President of the North of Macedonia asked about the democratic reforms taking place in Armenia, and Prime Minister Pashinyan touched upon these reforms in detail.

The leaders of the two countries also discussed the expansion of economic cooperation, reaching an agreement that the two governments will take appropriate steps in that direction in the near future.
Last weekend it was Storm Ciara. Now it will be Storm Dennis.

A second weekend of significant windstorms is forecast for Europe and the British Isles and that could cause more problems for travelers.

Storm Ciara caused hundreds of flights across Europe to be canceled last weekend, with two of Europes busiest airportsFrankfurt, Germany, and Amsterdam, Netherlandseach grounding more than 100 flights due to the storm.

While this may seem like an excessive number of storms, it really isnt. This is the exact time of year these big, intense systems normally hit Northern Europe.

So why all the attention, if this is the norm?

Its not the frequency, but rather the intensity that has everyone taking notice.

According to Stephen Burt, a weather historian and fellow at the University of Reading, we had a similar cluster of intense storms crossing the Atlantic back in January and February of 2014.

The current system is worth watching because it will come close to the historical record for low pressure.

Most forecasts have had the pressure of this storm bottoming out at 918-921mb (millibars).

The North Atlantic pressure record is 912-915mb, on 10 January 1993, Burt points out. There are only a handful of depressions known to have fallen below 920mb within the last 150 years or so.

So, depending on where this storm bottoms out, it could end up in the top ten lowest pressure storms in North Atlantic recorded history.

Winds will not likely reach the 90 mph-plus gusts seen with last weekends storm, but widespread gusts of 50 mph are likely across the UK both Saturday and Sunday. High winds are possible on Sunday in Belgium, Denmark, France and Germany.

The winds wont be the only concern. Saturated ground presents the risk for further flooding. The UK Met Office has already issued multiple Amber Warnings for heavy rainfall.

Rainfall amounts of 2-3 inches (50-75mm) are likely across a widespread area of the region, with isolated amounts of 5+ inches (125+mm) possible.

The-CNN-Wire

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By Express News Service

BENGALURU : I recognised my passion at the age of nine, said Dr Kiran Bedi at the inaugural session of the International Womens Conference. Themed around The Circle of Life, the three-day event, which kicked off on February 14 at The Art of Living International Centre, deals with the pillars of passion, compassion and dispassion. Recalling the incident that changed the course of her life, Bedi continued, I saw a husband beat his wife because she asked him for money. So I confronted him and thats when I knew I had a passion towards not tolerating injustice. There was no looking back since then.

Dace Melbarde,

Currently in its ninth edition, the conference saw participation from women across multiple countries, including Nepal, Latvia, USA, South Africa, Seychelles and Micronesia. The conference aims to bring together women from all over the world and provide a platform for rural and urban women to learn from each other, says Bhanumathi Narasimhan, chairperson, women welfare & child care programmes, Art of Living.

Like Bedi, the other speakers present too, discussed the source of their passion and had interesting insights to share with the audience. For example, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing, spoke about how her Nanhi Chhaan Foundation aims to address gender inequality and preservation of the environment together. Its made such an impact that it has improved the sex ratio in the state of Punjab, she said to much applause.

Dace Melbarde, a member of the European Parliament from Latvia, spoke about her passion for singing, even demonstrating a piece to highlight how the art form is an integral part of Latvian culture. Singing has helped me express and manage my emotions, cope with lifes difficulties, meditate and more, she said. Supreme Court judge from Nepal, Sapana Pradhan Malla, on the other hand, spoke about her passion for bringing about legal changes, adding that over time, the percentage of women in the parliament is 33 per cent.

Rosalia Arteaga, who was Ecuadors first female head of state; Nelson Madelas granddaughter Ndileka Mandela; Gita Mittal, high court judge, Jammu and Kashmir; governor, Uttarakhand, Baby Rani Maurya; French journalist and environmentalist Nicolas Hulot, were some of the other eminent personalities present at day one of the event, which also included a meditation session by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The homes and offices of activists who help domestic violence victims in the Russian North Caucasus region of Daghestan have been raided by police, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on February 15.

According to HRW, police seized computers and other electronic equipment during the raids on February 13 in Khasavyurt and Makhachkala, the regional capital.

Those targeted in the police action are affiliated with the Stichting Justice Initiative (SJI), an NGO that provides aid to victims of human rights abuses in the North Caucasus and survivors of domestic violence elsewhere in Russia.

"These outrageous police raids show the poisonous climate for NGOs in Russia, and particularly in the North Caucasus," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "These are overt attempts to suppress independent civic activity, instill fear, and keep activists in a perpetual state of uncertainty."

The court order allowing the search and seizure, which HRW said it saw, contained no information about a specific alleged offense that would have justified the action.

The searches on February 13 were the second time in six months that police have targeted SJI and its partners.

In August 2019, police and security services raided and searched the group's offices in Moscow and Nazran, a city in the North Caucasus region of Ingushetia. In the Russian capital, the authorities did not show a search warrant and claimed that the raid was linked to a search in the adjacent offices of an audit company.
When my mother-in-law sends cards in the mail, my teenagers often ask me to read them her notes written in beautiful looping cursive.

Neither of my two oldest children, ages 15 and 16, learned to write in the dying penmanship style at their public school. It simply wasn't taught, and as a result they can't even read it.

"What does it say? 'Thank you for the ... ? Mom, is that an 'h' or an 'l'?" they ask.

They should obviously try harder to decipher their grandmother's writing, but I can't get too bent out of shape over this. After all, they learned to read and write in Chinese in their school's language immersion program. That's a lot tougher to master than the swooping strokes of a cursive capital "G."

Still, it's sometimes shocking when, as a parent of 21st-century kids, I realize the things my kids have no clue about due to advances in technology, new ways of learning, the latest trends, and simply because, well, things change, even in school.

Sentence diagramming? Another lost art that neither of my children learned at school. When I asked an English teacher to implement it into the class curriculum, he did in just a single assignment using sentences from celebrity gossip websites. I think my entire 7th-grade year was dedicated to creating intricate line art identifying adjectives and adverbs in the most boring sentences imaginable. I'm a better person for it, for sure.

I recently asked my Facebook friends to help brainstorm "things that no longer exist in schools," or that are fading, and the post quickly evolved into a list of items that are now considered vintage, from Trapper Keepers to chalkboards to overhead projectors.

The discussion grew lively and brought up an array of themes emblematic of modern childhood. One is the "fear of danger," and schools today shy away from any activity that could lead to a lawsuit. As a result, many children today never play dodge ball or learned how to do a cherry drop (that's probably a good thing).

Another theme is the lack of funding in today's public schools. In many cases, schools no longer offer certain features because they can't afford it. As one friend on Facebook wrote, schools no longer have "Kitchens with people working in them that cook real food from scratch every day, and the delicious smell of rising yeast rolls happening at about 10 a.m."

The mention of those oven-fresh rolls will definitely bring back memories for some. To continue that trip down memory lane, check out the above gallery for more examples of things that used to be common in schools today and are now nearly obsolete.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.
God full of compassion and mercy, we lay prostrate before you... Wuhan and the surrounding cities have now been closed, and the spread of the virus has exceeded our capacity. The city is surrounded by the shadow of death. We, the covenant people who have received great grace, cry out to You.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

God full of compassion and mercy, we lay prostrate before you... Wuhan and the surrounding cities have now been closed, and the spread of the virus has exceeded our capacity. The city is surrounded by the shadow of death. We, the covenant people who have received great grace, cry out to You."

Thats the opening paragraph of a letter from a pastor in Wuhan, China  the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic.

"Save us, oh Lord, from this great calamity," the Chinese pastor went on to pray. "Help us not to hide ourselves, but may we have a strong sense of social responsibility to serve the elderly and the children."

The prayer went on to ask for protection of those living in poverty in the countryside villages, and for "fellow citizens of the city of Wuhan to prevent the spread of this virus. May they no longer take this situation lightly."

He also prayed for health-care workers: "Protect them as they serve the sick."

The prayer ended with a plea to God "please remove this plague, hear the cry of your people, and have mercy on the city of Wuhan."

That letter by the anonymous pastor  faith groups in China face many restrictions from the government  reminded me the epidemic affects churches in that country, too. This includes Christians in that city who are grappling with the implications of the quarantine.

Other churches in China are also affected. The Catholic News Service reports some Catholic churches outside the quarantine zone have suspended services and programs. The Ningbo Diocese in Zhejiang province asked parish priests not to distribute the host on tongues as a preventive measure.

Its also affecting churches in nearby Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post reported the churches in the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong are holding mass as usual, but some churches decided to cancel other activities and a few are offering services online.

"This is a responsible arrangement," said one church leader, adding going to church is "not about the building or the place itself, but about the spiritual relationship and companionship among brothers and sisters."

Other churches are holding services but skipping communion or telling members who feel unwell to stay home. People who have visited mainland China have been asked not to come to church for 14 days.

There are also fears for the million or so Muslim Uyghurs detained by the Chinese government in what it considers to be re-education and training centres, but what many call mass detention or concentration camps.

At least 20 coronavirus cases have been reported by the Chinese government in the Uyghur region, where the camps are located, although some believe the actual number of cases is higher. With reports of overcrowding and malnutrition in the camps, there are fears of mass outbreaks and much higher mortality rates than reported in Wuhan.

The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project.

The situation in China reminds me of what sociologist Rodney Stark wrote about how the early church responded to plagues  and how that contributed to the rise of Christianity.

In his book The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force, Stark describes how Christianity grew from a rag-tag band of 12 disciples after the death of Jesus to the religion of the empire in just a few hundred years.

One of the big reasons for the rise was the love and care the early Christians showed for each other. This included how they cared for each other during times of plague. While the ancient Romans fled from plagues, Christians ministered to the ill  both those inside outside of their communities. The result was lower mortality rates among Christians, and those they helped.

According to Stark, these actions made the Christian religion very attractive to non-believers. It made the ancient world "a lot more bearable... what Christians did was take care of each other."

So far, there are no reports of coronavirus in Manitoba. And our situation is very different from ancient Rome, or China today. But if it came here, how would local faith groups react? Lets hope we dont have to find out.

faith@freepress.mb.ca




Haiti - FLASH : Fire at an orphanage, 15 children died





Thursday evening around 9:00 p.m., a fire broke out in the orphanage of the Church "Comprehension de la Bible" (Understanding the Bible) in Fermathe 55 on the heights of the Capital. At the time of the incident, only 3 adults were present on the scene.



Friday morning, Raymonde Antoine Jean, Justice of the Peace of Kenscoff, went to the scene of this orphanage where 66 children lived in unacceptable conditions "The conditions in which the children lived were really neglected [...] the children lived like animals, in unsanitary premises, crammed into small rooms [...] they slept in bunk beds, some of them in a deplorable state [...]" adding the absence of fire extinguishers



The balance sheet is heavy 2 children died burned in the orphanage and 13 others died asphyxiated by the smoke and gave up the soul in Fermathe hospital. Among the deceased children, there would be young children including babies, says UNICEF, who says it is deeply saddened by the tragic death of these 15 children and calls for the end of institutionalization in Haiti, expressing its most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the Haitian people. UNICEF strongly condemns the opening of unaccredited children's homes that do not meet standards set by national authorities.



According to Arielle J. Villedroin, the Director General of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), which deplores this terrible tragedy, this orphanage "[...] had not been authorized to operate since 2013. It's a Center which, I believe, receives money from the religious sector, from foreign missionaries, I do not know exactly but without any legality," adding The IBESR has already deployed emergency aid to children surviving from orphanage, pending assessment of the need for comprehensive assistance, including psychosocial support. In collaboration with other partners [...]"



Remember that out of the 754 orphanages in Haiti only 35 have an authorization to operate https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-28008-icihaiti-social-only-38-of-orphanages-meet-government-standards.html



"According to the statements of a surviving child, the origin of the fire was caused by candles which they had lit to light their rooms, the electricity had a problem [...]"



Following this tragedy, President Jovenel Moise who went to the scene on Friday morning declared "I am deeply moved by the death of a dozen children, following the fire that started on Thursday evening in the premises of the orphanage [...] I urge the competent authorities to adopt urgent measures to establish the causes of this tragedy."



Justice of the Peace Raymonde Antoine Jean confirmed that an investigation was opened to determine the exact cause of the incident and to identify the persons responsible for the establishment.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30026-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-28008-icihaiti-social-only-38-of-orphanages-meet-government-standards.html



S/ HaitiLibre


















German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned of a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Idlib if fighting in Syria doesn't stop.

He made the remarks on Saturday after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu during the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Maas urged Russia to place pressure, "on the Assad regime so that these attacks and fighting are stopped."

The military campaign in Idlib province and the nearby Aleppo countryside has also killed hundreds of civilians, and caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee.

Many of those who have fled have been forced to sleep outside during the bitterly cold winter, with the weather has contributing to at least 10 deaths.
The US government announced that it would grant another extension of a temporary license that loosens restrictions on United States business deals with Huawei Technologies Co, in this case for 45 days. That's half the length of previous extensions.



The move came as Washington hit Huawei with a string of new accusations including racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets on Thursday.

Experts said the moves indicate that the US government is intensifying its push to contain the rise of Huawei, which will ultimately hurt the interests of US technology companies that supply components to the Chinese company.

The US Department of Commerce announced on its official website that the 45-day extension is "to prevent interruption of existing network communication systems in rural US regions and permit global network security measures".

This is the fourth extension since May, when Washington put Huawei on its Entity List, which bans the company from buying US components without special government approval based on accusations of security risks.

The Commerce Department issued 90-day temporary licenses on May 20, Aug 19 and Nov 18. The existing license was set to expire on Sunday.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday that the US government has abused its national power to unreasonably suppress certain Chinese enterprises without providing any evidence.

Such economic bullying is a blatant denial of the market economy principles that the US has always promoted, he said. It seriously damages the US government's own credibility and image, and will also harm the interests of US companies, Geng said.

Bai Ming, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said Washington's multiple extensions underline how rural US telecom carriers rely heavily on Huawei equipment for network coverage and how US consumers are hurt more when normal business links are severed by political forces.

"The US government may not extend the license in the future, which will hurt US tech companies that earn millions of dollars by supplying technologies to Huawei," Bai said.

Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Information Consumption Alliance, a telecom industry association, said Huawei is working on its in-house operating system and chips, which can help it mitigate the effects of US bans.

Meanwhile, the legal battle between Washington and Huawei intensified, with the US Department of Justice bringing new charges to the world's largest telecom equipment maker.

The allegations include misappropriating intellectual property from US technology companies and racketeering.

Huawei said in a statement, "This new indictment is part of the Justice Department's attempt to irrevocably damage Huawei's reputation and its business for reasons related to competition rather than law enforcement."

The company, based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, said these new charges are without merit and are based largely on recycled civil disputes from the past 20 years that have been previously settled, litigated and in some cases, rejected by federal judges and juries.

"The (US) government will not prevail on its charges, which we will prove to be both unfounded and unfair," Huawei said
New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board on Saturday recommended aligning the financial year of the central bank (July-June) with that of the governments fiscal year (April-March) starting in 2020-21 to arrive at better estimates of projected surplus transfers to the government for the purpose of budgeting.

The Board recommended aligning the financial year of RBI, currently July-June, with the Governments fiscal year (April-March) from the year 2020-21 and approved forwarding a proposal to the Government for its consideration, the central bank said in a statement.

The proposal was moved at the 582nd meeting of RBIs central board of directors in New Delhi that featured a customary post-budget address by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The finance minister, in her address, outlined the thinking behind the Union Budget 2020-21 and the focus areas of the Government. The Finance Minister indicated increased complementarity in policy between the RBI and the Government to address growth concerns, the statement said.

The decision to align RBIs financial year with governments fiscal year is in sync with recommendations of a committee headed by former central bank governor Bimal Jalan , two officials with direct knowledge of the matter said, requesting anonymity.

The committee, which submitted its report on August 27, 2019, said, With regard to distribution of interim dividend, the Committee recommends that the RBI accounting year (July to June) may be brought in sync with the fiscal year (April to March) from the financial year 2020-21.

The RBI, in consultation with the central government, had constituted a six-member expert committee to review the Extant Economic Capital Framework of the central bank.

Historically, the July-June year would have been linked to the agricultural seasons, which is not a consideration in these times. The benefits from such a transition are manifold, it said.

According to the report, the RBI would be able to provide better estimates of the projected surplus transfers to the government for the financial year for budgeting purposes. It could reduce the need for interim dividend being paid by the RBI. The payment of interim dividend may then be restricted to extraordinary circumstances, it said.

The committee said the transition to the April-March year would also bring about better cohesiveness in monetary policy projections.

The central board of the (RBI, in August last year, decided to transfer a sum of Rs 1,76,051 crore to the central government, comprising Rs 1,23,414 crore of surplus for 2018-19 and Rs 52,637 crore of excess provisions identified as per a revised Economic Capital Framework (ECF).

The revised ECF was calculated on the basis of recommendations by the expert panel under Jalan. The Jalan committee was constituted on December 26, 2018 to resolve differences between the government and the central bank over RBIs reserves.

The total reserves of the RBI at that time were about Rs 9.6 lakh crore. The Centre felt that RBI was more than adequately capitalised, and should pass on the surplus to the government.

The RBI has a statutory mandate under section 47 of the RBI Act that its profits shall be transferred to the government, after making provisions. The Jalan committee was asked to review the justification of various provisions, reserves and buffers of the RBI in line with global best practices.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 14, 2020) - CIBT Education Group Inc. (TSX: MBA) (OTCQX: MBAIF) ("CIBT") reports the director election voting results from its annual general meeting held today. All of the director nominees, as listed in the management information circular dated December 23, 2019, were elected. Proxy voting as to each of the director nominees was as follows:



Votes in Favour Votes Withheld Morris Chen 93.82% 6.18% Toby Chu 93.72% 6.28% Tony David 93.82% 6.18% Derek Feng 93.82% 6.18% May Hsu 93.84% 6.16% Troy Rice 93.82% 6.18% Shane Weir 93.72% 6.28%

Please see the report of voting results filed today under CIBT's profile on SEDAR for the results of the other matters voted on by shareholders at the meeting.

About CIBT Education Group:

CIBT Education Group Inc. is one of the largest education and student housing investment companies in Canada focused on the global education market since 1994. Listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and U.S OTCQX International, CIBT owns business and language colleges, student housing properties, recruitment centres and corporate offices at 45 locations in Canada and abroad. The total annual enrollment for the group exceeds 12,000 students. Its education providers include Sprott Shaw College (established in 1903), Sprott Shaw Language College, Vancouver International College and CIBT School of Business. Through these schools, CIBT offers business and management programs in healthcare, hotel management, language training, and over 150 career, language and vocational programs. CIBT owns Global Education City Holdings Inc. ("Global Education"), an investment holding and development company focused on developing education related real estate such as student hotels, serviced apartments and education centres. The total portfolio and development budget of projects under Global Education's GEC brand is over C$1 billion. The various GEC properties provide accommodations to over 1,500 students and other tenants. CIBT also owns Global Education Alliance ("GEA") and Irix Design Group ("Irix Design"). GEA recruits international students on behalf of many elite kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities in North America. Irix Design is a leading design and advertising company based in Vancouver, Canada. Visit us online and watch our corporate video at www.cibt.net.

Toby Chu

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

CIBT Education Group Inc.

Investor Relations Contact:

1-604-871-9909 extension 318 or | Email: info@cibt.net

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52478
AT the first Earth Day 50 years ago, crowds of protesters across the United States held up signs calling for the world to Save the Whales. Much has changed since then, but one thing has remained clear: whales are crucial parts of the planets carbon cycle and ecosystem engineering.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

AT the first Earth Day 50 years ago, crowds of protesters across the United States held up signs calling for the world to "Save the Whales." Much has changed since then, but one thing has remained clear: whales are crucial parts of the planets carbon cycle and ecosystem engineering.

So isnt it time to demand that our leaders commit to fully protecting these magnificent species?

Covering 71 per cent of the Earths surface, the ocean is the keystone to life on our planet. The ocean provides services that support communities around the globe. Our worlds oceans not only provide resources for food and livelihoods, but also regulate climate and produce about 80 per cent of the planets oxygen.

By now, the world is familiar with the havoc climate change wreaks on our oceans. Warming waters, acidification and sea-level rise all threaten the survival of the species, ecosystems and infrastructure that support our planet.

Recently, scientists and policy-makers have begun to understand how the oceans can contribute solutions to climate change. As some of the largest species on the planet, whales can make a significant contribution.

Whales sequester significant amounts of carbon throughout their lives via feeding, while their waste also fertilizes phytoplankton, tiny oceanic plants that store carbon and produce oxygen. Upon their deaths, they continue to store this carbon and support organisms on the seabed.

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According to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund, even a one per cent increase in phytoplankton productivity from whale activity would capture hundreds of millions of tons of additional carbon dioxide every year  equivalent to what could be accomplished by two billion mature trees.

Whales also provide nutrient mixing: when diving to deeper, cooler waters to feed, whales bring those cool, nutrient-rich waters to the surface. This allows for increased phytoplankton blooms and, thus, increased oxygen production and carbon sequestration. While seemingly insignificant, these interactions provide a constant stream of nutrients to the phytoplankton  a service no other species can provide.

Experts estimate that commercial whaling in the 20th century wiped out almost three million whales  by animal biomass, perhaps the worst destruction to any species in the Anthropocene. In 1982, the International Whaling Commission, charged with the proper conservation of whale populations, enacted a global freeze on commercial whaling starting in 1985, and in 2016 passed a resolution recognizing the contribution of whales to their ocean ecosystems. Despite the freeze and resolution, three countries  Norway, Iceland and Japan  continue to whale.

The tide may finally be turning in favour of the whales. In 2019, despite having a quota to hunt for around 200 whales, Iceland abstained from any whaling activity. The year 2020 marks 35 years since the IWC implemented the whaling moratorium. With World Whale Day on Feb. 15 and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, the global spotlight is on our oceans as a fundamental tool for addressing climate change.

Now is the time to encourage forward-thinking behaviour and demand the leaders of Norway, Iceland and Japan make commitments to renounce commercial whaling. Theres no better occasion than the 50th anniversary of Earth Day to finally save the whales and with them, the planet.

Sir Robert Watson is former chair of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and a member of Earth Day Networks global advisory committee.
Bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal, who is under detention in Srinagar for the last six months, has been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), officials said on Saturday.

Sources said Faesal, who is being currently held at the MLA Hostel, was served with the order late on Friday. A senior officer in J-K administration also confirmed that the former IAS officer and head of Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM) was booked under PSA.

Shah Faesal is the latest leader from the region to be booked under the act.

The administration has also booked former chief ministers Omar Abdullah of the National Conference (NC), Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party leader (PDP) and one each of their party colleagues under the PSA after they spent six months in preventive custody under the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Abdullahs father Farooq had his arrest under the PSA extended for three months in December.

Senior PDP leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar was also booked under PSA by the Jammu and Kashmir administration earlier in February. Others who have been charged under the PSA are Ali Mohammed Sagar, Sartaj Madani and Hilal Lone.

They were among the several leaders who were put under detention in August last year when the Centre pushed through provisions revoking Jammu and Kashmirs special status and moved to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.

Shah Faesal was detained at the Delhi airport on August 14, 2019, after he reached the Capital from Srinagar and was sent back to Kashmir.

He was detained at the Centaur Hotel and later at MLA hostel. Officials said he will continue to be detained at the MLA hostel.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration had justified the detention of Faesal, who has been vocal against Centres move to abrogate Article 370, saying he instigated people gathered at the Srinagar airport against the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

In his first public meeting after quitting as an IAS officer, Shah Faesal had said Kashmir was a political problem that could not be solved by development packages. India and Pakistan should hold dialogue to resolve issue.

The 2009 IAS topper had resigned from the government services in 2018 over unabated killings in Kashmir and absence of credible political initiative from the Centre. The 37-year-old had likened his tenure in the bureaucracy to a jail term.

He had launched his political party in March last year. However, he didnt contest the parliamentary elections held that year but his party was preparing for the assembly polls before the state was downgraded to a Union territory in August.
When you have time, give me a buzz or stop by, the CEO said. I didnt even know you were pregnant until the other day. Bloomberg said that another employee had told him you were upset. He said that whatever you heard wasnt what I said and whatever I said had nothing to do with pregnancies. Bloomberg concluded the voice mail by saying he couldnt be happier you are having a child and I apologize if there was something you heard but I didnt say it, didnt mean it, didnt say it.
A major accident was averted at the Pune airport today (February 15) when a jeep came onto the runway just as an Air India flight was ready for takeoff.

The incident happened on Saturday morning 8 am when the A321 Air India flight bound to Delhi was about to take off. The vehicle came right in front of the plane on the runway.

The Air India pilot saw the jeep and informed the control room.

There have been no reports of any casualty or damages caused by the incident. All 180 passengers on board are safe.

The officials at the Pune airport were in a tizzy. The incident created a lot of chaos at the airport.

The Pune Airport Authority has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast/Getty

Near the end of a debate performance that arguably pulled her presidential campaign back on track, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) made the case to New Hampshire voters that her familys hardscrabble background would immunize her from the corrosive effect of money in politics.

I cant stand the big money in politics, Klobuchar said in an exchange about the outsize influence of the super-rich in government. I didnt come from money, and I just simply think people dont look at the guy in the White House and say Can we get someone richer? I dont think they think that.

I am not, Klobuchar reassured the audience, a billionaire.

But while the Minnesota senator has successfully parlayed her grandfathers work in an Iron Range mine into working-class bona fides, some of Klobuchars most important longtime backers are billionaires and billion-dollar corporations. Chief among them: Cargill, the agriculture behemoth and the largest privately held company in the United States, which has donated a small fortune in campaign contributions over the course of Klobuchars political career.

The agribusiness titan, 90 percent of which is still owned by the descendants of founder William W. Cargill, is based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Minnetonka, and has a hand in nearly every political office in Minnesotaall but one member of the states congressional delegation received donations from Cargill in the 2018 election cycle.

But even among Minnesota politicians, Klobuchar ranks among Cargills favorites. The senator is the top recipient of donations from Cargills PAC and employees this cycle, receiving almost five times as much as the conglomerates next favorite member of Congress, and has been one of the companys top recipients for much of her political career.

The relationship has been mutually advantageous. On issues ranging from greenhouse-gas-emissions regulation to labels for genetically modified food to sodium in school lunches, Klobuchar has voted in line with Cargills extensive lobbying agenda. Klobuchar has also gone out of her way to cite Cargill as a private-sector leader in environmental issues, despite a long record of fines for environmental violations and accusations that it has profited from the use of child slave labor in West Africa.

Story continues

Klobuchar has even sourced staff from Cargills ranks. In 2015, she hired a former Cargill lobbyist who eventually rose to become her legislative director.

Klobuchars campaign denied that past votes that benefited the company were a result of anything other than the senators personal convictions, noting that she has authored antitrust legislation intended to prevent hyperconsolidation in industries like agriculture and has led efforts to reform the farm support payment system.

Senator Klobuchar has long been a leader when it comes to prioritizing America's family farms and standing up to Big Agribusiness, a campaign spokesperson said. While special interests may think they own Washington, they dont own Amy Klobuchar. Throughout her career, Senator Klobuchar has worked to get big money out of our politics and reform our broken system, and as president she will continue to prioritize that fight.

Cargills top brass and corporate PAC, at least, have not taken that promise seriously.

David MacLennan, Cargills chair and chief executive since 2013, has long been one of the top donors to both Klobuchar and Cargills political action committee, itself a major bankroller of Klobuchars political campaigns. MacLennan and his wife also appear on Klobuchars list of campaign bundlersthose who have raised at least $25,000 for the campaign by gathering contributions from other donors. Altogether, Cargill and its employees have donated nearly $120,000 to her various campaigns, according to Open Secretsalthough since her campaign launch last year Klobuchars presidential campaign has not accepted corporate PAC donations.

In turn, Klobuchar has frequently been a reliable vote on various bills of extreme interest to the agribusiness giant.

In 2011, Klobuchar voted opposite a vast majority of her Democratic colleagues, as well as future presidential rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), on an amendment that would have suspended the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse-gas emissions for two years, and would have exempted the American agricultural industry from greenhouse-gas-emissions rules.

That same year, Cargill had spent $380,000 lobbying Congress on greenhouse-gas regulations and green energy, among other issues, according to Senate lobbying disclosures.

Also in 2011, Klobuchar wrote a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urging the Obama administration to continue counting tomato paste as a vegetable in school lunches, and to reconsider the quantity and the proposed timeline of a plan to cut sodium consumption in school lunches in half.

It is imperative to take into account the change in taste preferences of school-aged children, Klobuchar wrote at the time, telling the secretary that reducing current actual sodium consumption by 54 percent is virtually unattainable when serving a dairy-based center-of-the-plate itemsuch as pizzawith a recommended serving of low fat milk.

That same year, Cargill had spent $360,000 lobbying Congress on sodium-reduction and the USDAs school meal program, according to lobbying disclosures.

The next year, Klobuchar cast multiple votes against efforts to roll back, phase out, or otherwise overhaul a federal program that guarantees profits for the American sugar industry through tariffs on foreign sugar, price controls, and a unique loan program that allows growers to pay back loans in sugar form if the market crashed.

Cargill, unsurprisingly, forms one-half of the largest sugar trader in the world.

In 2016, Klobuchar was one of three Democrats to vote for a bill in committee that would have blocked state labeling requirements for genetically modified foods, siding with Republicans in the Senate Agriculture Committee that would thwart state attempts to tell consumers that foods include genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Cargill publicly thanked members of the Agricultural Committee for their vote against GMO labeling.

We appreciate the hard work of both Republicans and Democrats to find a workable solution to give consumers in all 50 states accurate and consistent information on their food label, Cargill said in a statement applauding the bills passage out of committee. The measure also stipulated the creation of a taxpayer-funded public education campaign explaining the benefits of agricultural biotechnology.

Klobuchar has not always supported legislation that served Cargills corporate interests. In 2007, her first year in office, she pushed an amendment to the 2008 Farm Bill that would have established a $750,000 income cap on commodity support payments, which would have favored small and family farms over corporate agribusinesses. She has also publicly called for increasing the corporate tax rate and raising renewable-fuel goals, both of which Cargill opposes.

In spite of Cargills opposition, Klobuchar has also supported voluntary country-of-origin labeling for agricultural products, which, as the name implies, would allow agribusinesses to opt in to declare where their products come from. But Klobuchar was a cosponsor of legislation that aimed to repeal mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef, pork, and chicken in favor of a voluntary systema system that critics say creates a loophole for agribusinesses to avoid saying that their products arent grown or raised in the United States.

Klobuchars work in Congress that benefited Cargill and the agribusiness industry extends beyond the nuts and bolts of farming. Klobuchar has, for example, name-checked Cargill both on the Senate floor and in speeches and press releases as a model corporate citizen on carbon emissions and environmental sustainabilitydespite the conglomerate being labeled the Worst Company in the World last year by former Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), who was instrumental in passing environmental and food-quality reforms during his three-decade tenure in Congress, over its history of deforestation, child labor, and pollution.

Cargills dithering results in a continuing environmental and human rights disaster, Waxman wrote at the time. And because Cargills reach is so broad, they drag other companies into aiding and abetting their environmental destruction and human rights abuses, too.

Two years ago, Klobuchar went against the vast majority of her Democratic colleaguesincluding future rivals Sens. Sanders, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warrento oppose a farm bill amendment that would overhaul checkoff programs for agribusinesses. These programs collect funds through taxes on farmers and ranches and redistribute them into advertising and research budgets related to that commodity.

Checkoff programs have helped fund some of the most iconic advertising campaigns for American agribusiness, including Got Milk? and Beef: Its Whats for Dinner. But the programs have come under fire in recent years from farmers and ranchers who say that some of the money being collected from the sale of their products is being used instead to fund lobbying efforts on behalf of policies and companies that hurt family farms and rural communitiesmeaning that their own business profits are being used to pave the way for policies that harm their businesses.

Among the companies that disproportionately benefit from the program, and sit on the National Cattlemens Beef Association product council: Cargill.

Small family farmers have urged for an overhaul to the checkoff system that they feel advocates against their interests with their own moneyand worry that agribusiness conglomerates could put them out of work if politicians dont do so.

The pork checkoff hasnt done a darn thing for me, except take my money to promote big industrial ag, said Chris Petersen, a pig farmer in Clear Lake, Iowa, who has been involved in production agriculture for 40 years. Petersen, who is the vice president of the Iowa Citizen Action Network and a regional representative of Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, told The Daily Beast that the rise of industrial-scale agriculture operations like Cargill is a threat to family farms and rural communitiesand that defenders like Klobuchar clearly dont have farmers in mind in supporting them.

Everybody needs money, but theres better ways of doing it, OK? Petersen said. The way the family farm is today, politically, we need some friends Warrens been good on it, Sanders has been good on it, Bookers been good on it. But Klobuchar, shes kind of taken a different position on all that stuff.

Shes running around saying shes another Paul Wellstone, yeah? Oh, really? Petersen asked sarcastically, of the late Minnesota senator who came up in the agricultural labor movement and who Klobuchar has cited as a political mentor. Paul Wellstone was a personal friend of mine, and shes no Paul Wellstone.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A diplomatic row between Australia and Britain has erupted after a planned trip to the UK by the Australian Parliament's powerful intelligence and security committee was abruptly cancelled amid the fallout from Boris Johnson's decision to allow Huawei into its 5G network.

Government sources said Australian officials were displeased with the UK High Commissioner to Australia, Victoria Treadell, after she sent a letter to the heads of two federal parliamentary committees  Liberal MPs Andrew Hastie and David Fawcett  demanding an explanation over an explosive leak to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie received the letter from the UK High Commissioner on Thursday. Credit:AAP

While senior figures in the Morrison government were disappointed by Ms Treadell's intervention, they were also deeply uncomfortable with how the row had been allowed to spill over into the public.

The letter referred to revelations in this publication earlier this month that veteran Labor MP Anthony Byrne, the deputy chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, rebuked the UK's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab during a face-to-face meeting in Canberra over the Huawei decision.
The Supreme Court, in its order, did not find any grounds for considering the petition filed by one of the death row convicts, Vinay Sharma, seeking a review of the rejection of his mercy petition's dismissal by the President of India.

"We do not find any ground for exercise of judicial review of the order of the President of India rejecting the petitioner's mercy petition and this writ petition is liable to be dismissed. The writ petition is dismissed accordingly," the three-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice R Banumathi said, in its order on Friday.

The Apex Court did not consider any ground and contention as raised by the petitioner, one of the death row convicts, Vinay Sharma, in the brutal December 16, 2012, gangrape-cum-murder case.

The apex court did not consider the contentions of Vinay Sharma that his mercy petition was rejected as relevant materials were not placed before the President of India and were kept out of consideration.

The Apex Court also refused to consider the medical status report and the mental health of the petitioner, as the ground for rejection of the mercy petition by the President of India.

Solitary confinement ground, as claimed by the petitioner for the commutation of his death sentence, was also rejected by the apex court.

The Supreme Court also did not consider that a biased order was passed on irrelevant considerations against Vinay Sharma and thereby the court held that the rejection of mercy petition by the President of India was done rightly.

The apex court also dismissed the claim by the petitioner, that the President of India, had rejected his mercy petition as there was non-application of mind by him.

Vinay Sharma, one of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape case, had filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court challenging the rejection of his mercy petition by the President of India.

On February 1, President Ram Nath Kovind had rejected the mercy petition of Vinay Sharma in the case. The mercy petitions of convicts Akshay Thakur and Mukesh Singh have also been rejected.

The Delhi High Court on February 5 granted a week's time to the four convicts to avail of all legal remedies available to them and said that the convicts cannot be hanged separately since they were convicted for the same crime.

A Delhi Court had issued a death warrant against the four convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, and Mukesh Singh -- on January 7 and they were scheduled to be executed on January 22 at Tihar Jail. Later, the execution was suspended indefinitely by a Delhi court.

One of the five adults accused, Ram Singh, had allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during the trial of the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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From late-term abortions to NICU: Nurse shares her pro-life conversion story

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A Christian nurse recently spoke about the guilt she has felt for over three decades after working for well-known late-term abortionist Warren Hern, a founding member of the National Abortion Federation who has written a book on how to perform abortions.

Julie Wilkinson, who worked for Hern for a couple of years during the 1980s before going on to other nursing opportunities, recounted her experiences in Tuesdays episode of the 40 Days for Life podcast.

The podcast is hosted by 40 Days for Life founder Shawn Carney and former Planned Parenthood manager Sue Thayer.

Wilkinson recalled that Hern  now 81 years old  seemed driven by a mission at a time when many abortion doctors seemed to be in the industry for the money.

He feels passionate about doing abortions. That was clear to me even in the mid-80s, she explained. This was something that he sort of feels is a noble cause.

Hern operates a clinic in Colorado, which is among the eight states that have no limits on abortion, and, along with New Mexico, has clinics that will perform abortions up to 32 weeks and later on a "case by case basis."

While there has been a push in Colorado to ban abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy, Hern has been written about in the media as a champion for women told late into their pregnancies that their baby might have abnormalities.

Last year, it was reported that Hern helped a mother from New York abort her baby at 32 weeks after the mother was told by a doctor that the unborn child was not viable.

But Wilkinson, who assisted Hern in the abortion of children as late as 24 weeks of pregnancy, told the podcast that Hern aborts healthy babies as well.

She recalled one time when a yuppie couple wanting to give birth to just one child aborted twins after consulting with Hern. The reason, Wilkinson said, was because twins didnt fit their lifestyle.

She said the pregnancy was 16 weeks old when the twins were aborted.

[Hern] sort of catered to them because anyone who had a higher level of education was something that appealed to him, she said.

He put on the kid gloves, showing them everything. Sadly, they did return and decided that twins werent going to fit their lifestyle. They had perfectly healthy twins aborted. We [nurses] were all pretty shocked. Even the counselors, you could tell, we were kind of shaking our heads because [the couple are] fine and they can afford this. But they decided not to.

Wilkinson said she was a bit naive when she took the job at Herns family planning clinic. She also considered herself to be a Christian at the time.

According to Wilkinson, she got along with the staff, nurses, and counselors that she worked with. But she remembered Hern not being a people person. She added that Hern didnt seem to express much empathy after conducting abortions.

He was very emotionally distant from the aspect of what he was actually doing, she remembered. He was much more interested in the outcome. That he was reducing pregnancy.

Wilkinson said there wasnt a single moment when the scales fell from [her] eyes to help her to see the immorality of abortion. But eventually, she stopped working at Herns office because she felt the job wasnt fulfilling her career desires as a nurse.

Wilkinson said that working in a place where no one is being healed and lives are being lost every day was an emotional drain.

At that time, she said she was still not opposed to abortion being legal. But her thoughts on the subject shifted over time as she began working in a neonatal intensive care unit caring for premature babies. After working in the NICU, Wilkinson moved to Wyoming with her husband and got a job working in labor and delivery.

After I had been there a couple of years, I believe God was working on my heart and I wasnt even aware of it, she explained.

I considered myself a Christian. Dont ask why I thought that was an OK place to work. The next place I worked was at a NICU  level three intensive care nursery. Thats got to be Gods sense of humor: Here, let me put you in a place where you can see babies the same size. I loved [working there].

Although she loved working in the NICU and labor and delivery, Wilkinson said it only gave her more reason to bury and hide what she experienced while working at Herns office.

I thought of myself as a compassionate person. To know that I had willingly taken a check for the things I had done in Boulder is just horrible, Wilkinson explained. I know I am forgiven by God but it's still hard to take that burden off your back. I dont know if it will ever go away.

Wilkinson said that for a long time she didn't talk openly about her experiences at Herns office.

I saw lots of things in the clinic but I put those things in the box, she said. It was bad enough that I knew I never wanted to talk to people about it. Thats why I kept it such a secret.

Wilkinson attended a retreat hosted by And Then There Were None, an organization founded by pro-life activist Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic manager. The organization provides support and counseling to former abortion workers.

The retreat connected Wilkinson with others whove left the abortion industry and are going through similar emotional conflicts. She said the retreat gave her someone else to talk to.

There are lots of bad things that we can do in this life. We are sinners. But being a person who willingly helps end the life of the most innocent, whats worse than that? she asked.

Thats how I felt. So to finally get to talk to somebody who wouldnt have that flicker in their eyes that made me feel even worse about myself was a big deal. Because then I could start building the foundation with connections and relationships.

Since Wilkinson recently began speaking publicly about her experiences working at Herns office, she said God has blessed her with some of her finest friends.

God just unloads blessings when we follow His way, she said. Its too bad it took me so many years to figure out.

Wilkinson played an abortion nurse in the popular 2019 pro-life film Unplanned. She also spoke about her experiences at the 2020 March for Life in Washington, D.C.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 09:38:18|Editor: zyl

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DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Friday warned politicians to stop making misleading statements on the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China.

"Politicians should stop making misleading statements on the virus that confuse members," said Majaliwa shortly after attending Friday prayers in the capital city of Dodoma.

He gave the warning as infections reached more than 64,000 worldwide with a reported death toll of more than 1,380.

The premier appealed to Tanzanians to continue relying on government updates on the virus.

"The government is taking necessary measures to make sure that people are safe," said Majaliwa.

He said there were 497 Tanzanians in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, adding that all of them were safe.

Majaliwa said since China was a very important country to Tanzania, politicians should stop giving false information on the outbreak of the virus.

On Feb. 5, Tanzanian President John Magufuli pledged his country's full support for China in its efforts to fight the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

"Tanzania has been saddened by the outbreak of the virus, and we are ready to offer any assistance that China might need in fighting the virus," Magufuli told Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Wang Ke, during talks at the State House in the country's commercial capital of Dar es Salaam.

"(The) Chinese are our friends," said Magufuli, expressing his condolences to the "families of Chinese who have lost their loved ones because of the virus and those who have been infected."
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Wendi Williams is discussing legal action with her lawyer after an American Airline representative claimed that she knocked over the man's drink when she reclined her seat

A woman who recorded an American Airlines passenger repeatedly punching the back of her seat is planning to sue the airline for defamation.

Wendi Williams explained to TMZ that she was discussing legal action with her lawyer after comments made by a rep for the airline set her off.

The rep for American told the site that they had attempted to deescalate the situation after Williams knocked over the other passenger's drink when she reclined.

Additionally, the rep claimed that the whole ordeal could have been handled if the two had been more respectful of each other.

Williams took to her Twitter to address the statement made by the rep.

'@AmericanAir Please refrain from placing any blame about what happened to me on your awful airline with your rude flight attendant! And if I inadvertently spilled a drink on the 'man' - I had NO idea that happened,' she said on Friday.

Wendi Williams was almost thrown off the flight from New Orleans to Charlotte on January 31 when the man began 'punching' the back of her chair.

She told TMZ on Friday that the worst of the 'assault' happened before she started filming it on her cell phone, and that she now wants to identify the man in order to press charges against him.

She also wants the air stewardess, Loretta, who intervened to be fired because she claims she escalated the situation by threatening to arrest her rather than tell the man to stop hitting her 'like a child'.

'@AmericanAir Please refrain from placing any blame about what happened to me on your awful airline with your rude flight attendant! And if I inadvertently spilled a drink on the 'man' - I had NO idea that happened,' Williams said on Friday

'I want to know who he is, I would like to press charges against this man. I was assaulted on this plane.

'And I would like the flight attendant Loretta fired,' she said.

Williams, a mother-of-one from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said that the worst of the 'punching' happened before she started filming.

'Everyone thinks that when i say he was punching me that's what was in the video. He was punching my seat, hard, I thought videoing him would stop him.

'The video is an irritation but what he was doing before that was assault. It happened once and I thought maybe - who knows - freak accident.

'At which point it happened very 20 to 30 seconds. It probably happened eight times and that's when I started videoing,' she said.

She said on Friday that the worst of the 'assault' happened before she started filming it on her cell phone, and that she now wants to identify the man in order to press charges against him

After asking the man what his problem was, she stuck her hand up to attract the air hostess's attention.

Williams says she was however horrified when the woman not only sided with the man, saying: 'oh it is cramped back here', but threatened to arrest her if she did not delete the video.

Williams says she was horrified when she was threatened with arrest instead of the man

'She came over huffy and she came over and I said, 'he's hitting me repeatedly like a child' and she was like, 'oh it is tight back here.''

Williams said she did not want to report the incident to the FBI - which handles air incidents - but that she wants American Airlines to resolve it.

That is why she posted the video to Twitter, she said.

The footage has divided travelers since she shared it earlier this week.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian chimed in on the debate on plane etiquette on Friday when he told CNBC that passengers' should ask permission from the person sitting behind them to put their seat back  and that he never reclines.

Etiquette expert William Hanson gave his verdict on Thursday when he said: 'Two wrongs don't make a right.

'We can all agree it is irritating when the passenger in front reclines but it is within their rights to do so.

'The only time it is wrong is when the meal service is still happening and yet to be cleared.'

Do you know who the male passenger is? Email andrew.snell@mailonline.com
German Marshall Fund: It Is not too early to think about political change in Turkey

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White House announces $308 million humanitarian aid for Afghanistan

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A cheeky sausage dog who went missing from his family home was found on board a bus heading for the seaside nearly 20 miles away.

Michelle Ballard, 29, rushed around in a desperate hunt for her dachshund Frank but couldn't see him anywhere in her Colchester home, Essex.

The mother-of-one quickly hastily rounded up around 30 people, consisting of friends, family and dog walkers, as they searched the nearby High Woods Country Park on February 11.

Michelle Ballard (pictured), 29, was left distraught and 'fearing the worst' as her beloved dachshund Frank (pictured) went missing from their family home in Colchester, Essex. She rounded up nearly 40 people, including friends, family and dog walkers for a desperate hunt

It was only when she put her appeal out on social media that she was told her beloved pet had been spotted on a bus bound for the tourist destination of Clacton-on-Sea.

He was spotted wandering and minding his own business near to a bus stop shortly before departing on the number 61 at around 3.30pm.

In a lucky turn of events, a passenger spotted the hound on the bus and took him to Clacton with the plan of visiting the vet's to find out who owned him.

The mischievous four-year-old dog was spotted on a bus (pictured) bound for the tourist destination of Clacton-on-Sea, nearly 20 miles away. He was rescued by a passenger who then found Michelle's Facebook campaign to find him and gave her a message

Michelle's online campaign to find her beloved pooch was spotted by the good samaritan's family and Frank was reunited with relieved Michelle and her family later that evening.

The frantic owner said Frank's disappearance was completely out of character and joked how he wanted a day at the so-called Essex Sunshine Coast.

Graphic shows the distance between Highwoods Country Park, where Frank was walking with his owner, and his bus journey to Clacton-on-Sea

'I think he must have fancied a trip to the beach and a day out at Clacton. What on earth was that all about?'

The property manager revealed her beloved pooch had never been on a bus before and it was the first time he disappeared.

'I keep wondering if he was sat on a seat looking out of the window dreaming about his day at the seaside.'

Frank was then reunited with the mother-of-one (pictured) and her husband Jon. She counts herself lucky and dreads to think what would have happened if her sausage dog had not fallen into the hands of 'such a kind person'

She's asked the bus company for the CCTV footage of the incident but was told it was not available.

The mother was left 'fearing the worst' and 'crying [her] eyes out' as the beloved pup fled from Michelle and her son Freddie at the park.

I thought a bus driver would have noticed and not let him on but maybe he boarded when someone was paying.'

Michelle revealed her beloved pooch (pictured) had never been on a bus before and it was the first time he disappeared

Her Facebook appeal was shared nearly 700 times in an hour.

Michelle's friend, who shared the post, was messaged by a man called Michal and they arranged a reunion.

Frank was then collected by Michelle's partner, Jon, 35.

Essex Sunshine Coast: Frank was minding his own business as he headed on the number 61 to the tourist hot-spot of Clacton (pictured, file image)

And now Michelle counts herself lucky and dreads to think what would have happened if her sausage dog had not fallen into the hands of 'such a kind person'.

'He's four years old but it's like having a teenager around the house as he has a lie-in every morning and doesn't come downstairs.'

Michelle and Jon have one boy, Freddie, two, and another sausage dog, Charlie, also two.

They are now hoping to get hold of CCTV of their dog's day out but have so far been unsuccessful.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments on Kashmir and asked him not to interfere in India's internal affairs.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India rejects all references made by the Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the union territory is an integral and inalienable part of India.

In his address at a joint session of Pakistan's Parliament on Friday, Erdogan compared the "struggle" of Kashmiri people with that of the fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I.

Kashmiri people have suffered for decades and their sufferings have increased following "unilateral steps taken in recent times", Erdogan said referring to India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir last year.

"India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India," Kumar said.

He was responding to a question on Erdogan's comments on Kashmir as well as its reference in a joint declaration by Turkey and Pakistan.

"We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in India's internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region," Kumar said.

Last September, Erdogan raised the Kashmir issue during his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

In August last year, India announced its decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories.

Pakistan reacted angrily to the move and even downgraded its diplomatic ties with India by expelling the Indian High Commissioner.

Islamabad also unsuccessfully tried to rally international support against India on the issue.
Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.
KALAMAZOO, MI  A Kalamazoo woman accused of stabbing a 19-year-old man in the chest at Fox Ridge Apartments in October 2018 has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Shelby Dawnel Perry, 24, had her plea accepted by Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Pamela Lightvoet Jan. 14, according to court records. Perry had been due for a status conference earlier this week.

In accepting Perrys plea, Lightvoet said the court did find that Perry committed the crime of assault with intent to murder, as well that she was legally insane when the events occurred. The victim was in reported to be in critical condition after the stabbing.

The court made its ruling based on a report from the Center for Forensic Psychiatry, submitted on Dec. 13, 2019. The psychiatric evaluation conducted by the center was the fifth evaluation Perry underwent since her initial arrest, court records state.

The forensic report, according to court records, pointed to several factors that led to the courts finding, Lightvoet said at the January hearing. Of note, factors included that Perry lacked the substantial capacity to appreciate the nature and wrongfulness of the act as well as the ability to recognize reality and cope with ordinary demands of life at the time the incident occurred.

The courts finding of not guilty by reason of insanity concludes the criminal process, Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Getting told MLive.

Following the courts finding, Perry was ordered to be committed for a period of 60 days in the Center for Forensic Psychiatry. When that 60 days is up, the center will make a recommendation to the court in regard to whether Perry requires further treatment, Getting said.

That recommendation, according to court documents, could be for an indefinite period of time with a possible commitment of life or any number of years.

Ms. Perry will be committed, basically, until such time they have determined that she is no longer a person in need of continuing treatment," Getting said. There is no way for us to know how long that could be.

Perry, who has a history of bipolar disorder and methamphetamine use, took herself off psychotropic medications about two months prior to the October 2018 incident, according to court documents.

The incident, court records state, occurred at around 3:45 a.m. Oct. 20, when Perry came to the door of the apartment, stabbing a man twice after he answered it.

He and another individual went to open the door, and it appeared as though, Ms. Perry was hiding behind the door and she swung at the victim, Lightvoet stated, according to testimony from the January hearing. "He started to back up, she pulled a knife out and stabbed him in the thigh and then when he tripped and fell she stabbed him in the chest.

"She then walked away like nothing happened according to the information in the (police) report.

Perry has little recollection of the incident and suffers from paranoid delusions, hallucinations, suicidal thoughts and deep depression, according to court records.

Were glad to see that the criminal justice process has worked the way its intended, and that the defendant in this case is going to be provided with the necessary mental health treatment and support that she needs for as long as she needs it, Getting said.

Also on MLive:

Police arrest woman wanted for allegedly stabbing man in chest

Special service to bring together those impacted by gun violence

Thief cuts hole in Dollar General roof before heist, police say
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: All doesnt seem to be going well within the ruling Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Two days after ex-union minister and Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia publicly declared he would hit streets, if the promises made in partys 2018 assembly poll manifesto werent fulfilled, Chief Minister Kamal Nath responded to his colleague saying he can do whatever he wants to.

When asked by journalists in Delhi on Saturday about Scindias statements made at a rally in MPs Tikamgarh district on Thursday, the CM and state Congress chief Kamal Nath responded, toh utar jaayein (let him hit the streets if he wants to).

READ HERE | CM Kamal Nath responds to Scindia, says manifesto is for 5 years, not months

Earlier on Friday, when the CM was asked Scindias statements, he had said that a manifesto is for five years and not five months.

On Thursday, while addressing a public meeting in Tikamgarh district, the former union minister Scindia had declared he would hit the streets of MP, if promises in partys 2018 poll manifesto werent fulfilled.

Speaking about the pending demand of guest faculties to regularize their services, which was part of Congresss 2018 polls manifesto in MP, Scindia had said on Thursday, I heard your (guest faculties) demand earlier also and supported it. Fulfilment of your demand forms part of our 2018 assembly polls manifesto, just have patience as our manifesto is a sacred book for us. But if the assurances in the manifesto arent fulfilled, I'll join you on the streets for taking up your cause. Always remember I'll be your sword as well as a shield if the assurances made in the manifesto aren't fulfilled."

A day later in Ashok Nagar district (a part of Guna Lok Sabha seat, which he lost in 2019 Lok Sabha polls) on Friday, Scindia repeated his promise of taking to streets against his own party government if the guest faculties' long pending demand for regularisation of services isn't fulfilled.

Scindia leaves MP Congress Coordination Committee before it ends

Meanwhile, an important meeting of the MP Congress Coordination Committee was held in Delhi on Saturday. The meeting was attended by senior leaders, including the CM and state party chief Kamal Nath, ex-CM Digvijaya Singh, partys national general secretary in-charge for MP affairs Deepak Babaria and ex-state Congress chief Arun Yadav.

READ HERE | Will take to streets if promises in Congress manifesto not met: Scindia challenges Kamal Nath

According to unconfirmed reports, Scindia left the meeting before it ended, causing a flutter in political circles.

While senior Congress leaders present at the meeting remained tight-lipped over the matter, informed sources within the party confided that Scindia had already told senior leaders before the meeting that he would leave early as he had some prior engagements.

However, MP state Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said in Bhopal, reports about him (Scindia) having left the meeting before it ended or boycotting the meeting are baseless. He left with other party leaders after the meeting was over.

Congress general secretary Deepak Babaria also rejected reports of uneasiness within MPCC as baseless. "Scindia was very much part of the meeting and discussions there. He had told me before the meeting that he will leave the meeting before it ends, as he had some prior commitments. So he left it before the end. The CM and Scindia had cordial talks and both leaders will meet next week either in Bhopal or Delhi."

READ HERE | Digvijaya Singh tries to pacify Scindia, Kamal Nath; says Congress 'together' in Madhya Pradesh

Sources within the party told Express that recent statements by Scindia are nothing, but efforts to pressurize the party to either make him the MP Congress chief or send him to Rajya Sabha through the elections slated in April 2019.

Scindia had lost to BJP candidate KP Yadav from pocket borough Guna parliamentary constituency of Madhya Pradesh in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper thanks Georgia for many contributions to global security - GeorgianJournal
Ahead of the board exams in the state, the Uttar Pradesh Police have launched a helpline for students on which they can lodge a complaint if they are disturbed by unwanted noise such as loud music during their examinations.

The helpline number, 112, will be available from February 15 to March 31 and aims to provide "a better environment for children to study", the police said on Saturday.

According to police, upon receiving a call regarding loud noise, a complaint will be lodged and a Police Response Vehicle (PRV) will be sent to the spot.

At least 100 metres area around educational institutions has been declared as 'Quiet' area.

Additional Director General of Police Aseem Arun said, "Police will help if you (students) are disturbed by the noise during the studies."

"Police will take action if there is more noise than the prescribed limit. Legal action will also be taken for consistently violating the rules," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The protest in Chennai against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Register of Citizens (NRC) resumed on Saturday in the Washermanpet area.

The protestors were seen sitting peacefully displaying banners against the CAA and NRC. The protestors were also seen waving the tricolour and chanting slogans.

On Friday as many as 100 protesters were detained by the police after a scuffle broke out during the protest in Washermanpet. After the protestors were detained, a protest was staged near Mount Road Dargah at Anna Salai. However, it was later withdrawn.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that U.S. President Donald Trump was receiving bad advice if he believed America's "maximum pressure" campaign against his country would cause the government in Tehran to collapse.



Zarif, speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 15, said Trump had been "convinced that we are about to collapse so he doesn't want to talk to a collapsing regime."



Trump has reimposed tough sanctions on Iran since Washington exited a major nuclear deal in 2018 that exchanged curbs on Iran's nuclear program for sanctions relief.



Trump asserted that the terms were not strict enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and said Tehran violated the spirit of the accord by continuing to finance extremist activity in the region. Iran has denied the allegations.



The sanctions have taken a severe toll on the Iranian economy and sent the national currency plunging.



"I believe President Trump, unfortunately, does not have good advisers," Zarif said. "He's been wanting for Iran to collapse since he withdrew from the nuclear deal."



Zarif rejected Trump's suggestion of negotiating a new deal, saying the agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and world powers was the only vehicle for talks on Iran's nuclear program.



"There is no point in talking over something you already talked about. You don't buy a horse twice," he said.



Other signatories to the nuclear agreement -- Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China -- have struggled to save the deal.



Tehran has gradually stepped back from its own commitments under the accord and said earlier this month that it no longer considered itself bound by it.



Zarif said Tehran would be willing to move back to full compliance if Europe provided "meaningful" economic relief from American sanctions.



U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the Munich Security Conference earlier on February 15 that while there may be disagreements on what to do with the nuclear deal, "when I talk to my counterparts here in Europe, everybody gets it."



Everyone understands that these are folks who continue to build out their nuclear program, Pompeo said. "So, there's a common understanding about the threat; we have tactical differences on how to proceed."

With reporting by AP
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 13:38:45|Editor: zyl

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ACCRA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ghana has taken steps to make up the shortfall in psychiatrists in the country, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mental Health Authority Akwasi Osei has said.

In an interview with Xinhua, the chief psychiatrist said it was critical to bridge the gap, as the number of mental health patients has exceeded 20,000 across the country.

The authorities have been working to train more psychiatrists to ensure an equitable distribution of medical resources, but the shortfall still prevails.

"Ghana should have not less than 100 psychiatrists for a population of 30 million, but we have only 39," Osei said.

To improve the situation, all graduates from medical schools are required to undertake a 6-month psychiatry duty, which the authorities think would generate more interest in this field.

Ghana has established a college of physicians and surgeons, where psychiatrists are being trained among other specialties.

The country passed the Mental Health Act in 2012 to create a new system of mental healthcare. Additionally, the mental health authority has also developed a 12-year strategic plan aimed at broadening the coverage of mental health care.

"Since the government alone cannot provide this financing, we are urging the finance ministry to draft a bill for the mental health levy to be passed, which will ensure a dedicated source of financing for mental health care," he said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo adresses the audience on the podium during the 56th Munich Security Conference in Munich on February 15, 2020.

MUNICH  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday defended the United States' foreign policy approach and dismissed criticisms that the Trump administration disregards international alliances.

"I'm happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly exaggerated. The West is winning, and we're winning together," Pompeo said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

Pompeo's remarks come a day after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier took an indirect swipe at President Donald Trump's "America First" campaign and warned that the United States would prioritize its own interests first at the expense of allies.

"Our closest ally, the United States of America, under the current administration, rejects the very concept of the international community," he said. "'Great again' but at the expense of neighbors and partners," Steinmeier added without naming Trump but referring to his "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.

"Thinking and acting this way hurts us all," he said.
Innovation is booming and The USPTO is Hiring Patent Examiners "The USPTOs Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Program is among the best in the federal government. We see diversity as instrumental to the high quality and efficient examination of patent and trademark applications."

Are you ready to protect what's next in American ingenuity? The USPTO is hiring 100s of engineers to examine Americas patents in 2020!

The Patent Examiner Recruitment Open House event in Alexandria, VA (DC Metro Area) is designed to attract soon-to-be graduates and professionals with backgrounds in biomedical, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering by offering actionable information about job opportunities, salary, benefits, and how to apply to hundreds of open positions currently available in Alexandria, Virginia; San Jose, California; and Detroit. Even more positions will be opening up in the agencys Rocky Mountain regional office in Denver later in the year.

Patent examination is a mission-critical component of the intellectual property ecosystem and the agencys efforts to safeguard American ingenuity. Over 200 years of protecting American ingenuity and still going strong! Our examiners work closely with entrepreneurs to process their patent applications and determine whether or not a patent can be granted.

This translates into endless job possibilities for engineers who have a passion for public service and understand that this work is important to humanity. By granting exclusivity rights for cutting-edge inventions that improve livesor save theminnovations can equitably enter the global market and make the world a better place.

In addition to learning about the work of patent examination and hearing directly from those who love what they do, attendees will get a chance to speak one-on-one with recruiters who will review resumes and discuss qualifications.

The Alexandria, VA job fair will take place at the United States Patent and Trademark Office - Madison Building at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria. Day one will take place in the Global IP Academy (GIPA) and day two in the Clara Barton Auditorium. The dates are on Friday, February 28th, and Saturday, February 29th.

Walk-ins are welcome. Register now!

Alexandria, VA (Washington DC Metro Area)
Mr. Trump elicited those fears by denouncing federal prosecutors who had recommended a prison sentence of up to nine years for his longtime friend and political adviser Roger J. Stone Jr. Mr. Barr fanned them by scrapping the recommendation in favor of a far more lenient one, leading the prosecutors to quit the case in protest.

Mr. Barr then took to national television to complain that Mr. Trumps angry tweets were undermining him and his departments credibility  a sign to some current and former lawyers that the departments freedom from political influence is in imminent danger. Their worries are compounded by the fact that people in Mr. Trumps circle have been mired in so many criminal or ethical scandals that practically any legal action on those cases could be seen through a political lens.

As many of the department lawyers and some recently departed colleagues see it, Mr. Barr has devoted much of his authority and stature to bolster the president since he took office a year ago.

In ever stronger terms, he has attacked the F.B.I.s investigation into whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. He has said it was mounted on the thinnest of suspicions and advanced despite a lack of evidence. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, ultimately found insufficient evidence that the president or his advisers engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia but documented their openness to Moscows sabotage effort.

While he has pledged that the department will not pursue politically motivated investigations, Mr. Barr said this month that he had created an intake process for the presidents personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani to forward supposed proof of misconduct in Ukraine. Mr. Giuliani has claimed to have evidence damaging to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son.
Is The Technology Stocks Sector Setting Up For A Crash?

One thing that continues to amaze our research team is the total scale and scope of the Capital Shift which is taking place across the globe. For almost 5+ years, foreign investors have been piling into the US stock market chasing the stronger US dollar and continued advancement of US share prices. It is almost like there is no other place on the planet that will allow investors to pool capital into such a variety of strong assets while protecting against foreign capital risks. Yet the one big question remains  when will a price reversion event hit the US stock market?

So many researchers, even our team of researchers, believe we have found the keys to unlocking when the price reversion event will take place. Time-honored technical analysis techniques have set up very clear triggers that were negated by higher prices and continued upside trending. What is certain at this point is that the Capital Shift is going to continue until it stops  at some point in the future.

Our research team decided to take a look at the FANG index and the individual symbols that make up that sector to see where the real strength and weakness exist. Our goal was to attempt to understand how and when a potential price reversion event may take place and how this event may be correlated to the global contraction event related to the Coronavirus spreading across the planed while paralyzing certain economies. Could the Coronavirus event be the catalyst that sets off a breakdown in the technology sector?

There are three components we want to start our focus on in this, Part I, of this research article. First, the very real possibility that we are rallying to a peak at some point in the near future. Second, the Custom Volatility Index highlighting continued overbought price action and the very real potential for a breakdown in price from these inflated levels. Lastly, the FANG index itself suggesting we are very near to upper price boundaries after capital has poured back into the US markets in early 2020.

These three components suggest a market that is full of over-enthusiastic optimism and capital that has poured into the US stock market chasing gains that were clearly expected as 2019 came to a close. Yet, in early 2020, a new risk suddenly became known, the Coronavirus, and this risk has already begun to devastate Chinas economy and economic activity. What happens if this sudden collapse in economic activity spreads over the next 30+ days and how will it change future expectations in the US stock markets?

Custom Technology Index Weekly Chart

This Custom Technology Index Weekly chart highlights what we clearly believe is the rally to the peak type of price action related to the continued Capital Shift taking place in the global markets. The breakout to the upside in November 2019 prompted a concentrated pooling of capital into the US markets. After the end of the year, when institutional investors started engaging in the markets again, it was rumored that more than multiple-billions reentered the markets in early January 2020. It is obvious when you look at this chart.

By the second week of the new year, capital continued to pour into the technology sector  pushing it higher by nearly 15% in less than 45 days. That is an amazing rally to start off 2020 and could possibly be the rally to the peak process weve been hinting about.

Custom Volatility Index Weekly Chart

This Custom Volatility Index Weekly Chart is something we use to determine how overbought or oversold the US stock market is in relation to historical VIX weighted price ranges. When this index is above the GREEN middle range, the US stock market is reaching into extremely bullish trending and overbought territory. When this index is below the GREEN middle range, the US stock market is reaching extreme bearish trending and oversold territory. The GREEN middle range is a neutral zone for trading.

Obviously, as VIX spikes and price levels collapse, we can see this Custom Volatility Index falling to levels below 6.0. As price trends higher with moderately low VIX levels, we continue to see this Custom Volatility Index hover above 12~14. The downside rotation in the US stock market (the -600 pt Dow day) pushed this Custom Volatility Index from near 22 to 14  a big reversion event on this chart. Now, the current level is back above 18 and pushing higher  the rally to the peak is setting up.

FANG Weekly Chart

Lastly, this FANG Weekly chart highlights the concentration of capital that has pushed the technology sector, and particularly the FANG stocks, much higher in 2020. The reality of the situation is that until forward expectations, guidance or global economic functions change, this rally will likely continue for some time. Our concern is that global market expectations could change very quickly in relative terms because of global economic functions and contractions related to the Corona Virus.

We recently authored an article suggesting that the entire Belt Road sector could become a risk factor if China is pushed into a very deep economic crisis. Chinas banking sector recently underwent a stress test where Chinas economy dipped below expected GDP levels. Nearly 15% of Chinas banks will become insolvent if GDP drops below 5.5%. Nearly 50% of Chinas banks will become insolvent if GDP drops below 4.5%. What happens if Chinas GDP drops to 0.5% for a 4 to a 6-month span of time and the Chinese economy sputters in recovery after this Coronavirus event settles?

What happens to the Belt Road Initiative and the projects/relationships China has with those nations if, all a sudden, China enters a Credit Crisis in excess of $5 to $6 trillion US dollars. Bloomberg recently reported that China Home Sales plunged 90% in the first week of February. You dont have to be a genius to understand the risks associated with that type of plunge in a key economic growth component.

If our research team is correct, this rally to the peak will continue in the US for as long as risk factors stay mildly calm for the US. Once risk levels elevate across to a point where the US investors and economy may become threatened, then traders will likely begin to bail out of overvalued sectors, like Technology, and into safe-haven investments. It is critical that skilled traders be prepared for this move because when it happened, it may happen very quickly and violently.

Join my Swing Trading ETF Wealth Building Newsletter if you like what you read here and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own.

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




London Fashion Week isn't just about the inevitable outfit one-upmanship and coveting the latest "It" bag resting in the crook of the cool girls' arms.

It's also about the very important sport of celebrity spotting.

So far at LFW, which kicked off on Friday, there's been Adwoa Aboah and Jourdan Dunn at Molly Goddard's show (which shunned a traditional FROW in favour of tables set with wine and bread) and the Beckham clan at Victoria Beckham's Autumn/ Winter 2020 show.

There was style chameleon Billy Porter who made appearances at J.W. Anderson, Roksanda and the Central Saint Martins graduate show, where he rubbed shoulders with Jessie Ware and Adwoa Aboah.

Ware and Porter / Getty Images

At Roksanda, Cate Blanchett graced the front row alongside Vanessa Redgrave and Sinead Burke and later in the evening, Tommy Hilfiger attracted an even bigger host of famous faces, including Naomi Campbell and Jodie Kidd.

But it's not just about the shows: there are also the myriad parties and soirees. So far there's been Courtney Love, who attended Vivienne Westwood's exhibition opening, and Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner who partied at The Standard for the LOVE Magazine LFW party.

The stars at Roksanda / PA
Christopher Talbot (L) and Justin Irvine fought in the dock (Picture: Police)

Two defendants had a fight in the dock at court after being convicted of a violent robbery.

Justin Irvine, 42, attacked co-defendant Christopher Talbot, 46, after the pair were found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday.

The two men came to blows in the dock shortly before they were jailed for seven years for a brutal attack on a 37-year-old man.

The court heard Talbot had lured the victim into a Birmingham guest house in August last year, to sort out a "previous misunderstanding" with a friend of his.

Read more: One of 'Europes most wanted' criminals extradited to Romania on multiple charges

The 37-year-old victim suffered a head wound (Picture: Police)

Irvine was waiting inside and the pair blocked the exit so the man was unable to escape from the property.

The duo grabbed him from behind and dragged him into another room where Talbot held a knife to his throat and demanded money.

They repeatedly hit him in the head and face with a coffee jar and slashed him in the leg with the knife when he refused to give into their demands.

Covered in blood and fearing for his life, the man threw 65 on the floor and ran to safety where he called for our help. The pair were arrested by police shortly after.

Read more: Ram raid gang who stole 200,000 in three-month crime spree

The men assaulted their victim with a coffee jar (Picture: Police)

At Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, Talbot and Irvine were found guilty of robbery and both sentenced to seven years in prison.

Detective Craig Dando, from West Midlands Police CID, said: I am pleased to see these men face time behind bars.

"It was a nasty, unprovoked attack, leaving a man fearing for his life, all over 65.

Upon hearing the verdict from the judge, Irvine attacked Talbot in the docks, showing the violent nature of this pair and their lack of remorse.
Police in Baltimore are still investigating how two officers were shot and wounded during a confrontation that left an attempted-murder suspect from Pennsylvania dead, the department said in a statement Friday.

Police said Michael Marullo was brandishing" a gun when police from a fugitive task force approached him about noon Wednesday. Marullo's .357 magnum was fully loaded with six live rounds when recovered at the scene, police added.

During the confrontation, a Baltimore police officer was struck in the calf and a Baltimore County police officer was shot in the abdomen and leg, the department said.

Both officers are recovering from their wounds. They are Baltimore police Officer Robert Adams and Baltimore County police Officer Swinney, whose first name was not provided.

The statement offered few other details about who or how many people may have fired a gun.

Baltimore police spokesman Donny Moses said by phone that investigators are "looking at everything," including friendly fire.

The officers were part of the U.S. Marshal's Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Baltimore police said they're coordinating with agencies assigned to the unit to determine all the facts surrounding this incident.

Neighbors at the scene of the shooting in the citys Frankford neighborhood told The Baltimore Sun that a suspect was shooting back at officers.

Marullo was a former state corrections official who had been under investigation, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday. He said the task force officers were going after a really bad guy.

(Pic Credit: Pixabay)
Turkey will not remain silent while Syrian government forces surround Turkish military posts in Syria's Idlib region, President Tayyip Erdogan said in comments reported by NTV, as Ankara and Moscow trade barbs over the escalating conflict.

Turkey has dismissed Russian accusations that its actions in Idlib have flouted de-escalation agreements with Russia and Iran, and said it would take military action if diplomatic efforts with Moscow fail.

Erdogan told reporters on a flight from Pakistan that his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue had been positive, NTV reported. He also said U.S. statements of support for Turkey on Idlib "did not instil trust".

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The Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance announced Friday that it closed Ericson State Bank because it was insolvent.

Mark Quandahl, director of the department, cited large out-of-territory commercial loan losses and poor management practices which led to a deterioration of the banks capital as the primary reason for the closure.

The department named the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as receiver of the bank. The FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Farmers and Merchants Bank in Milford, Nebraska. The transaction includes the assumption of all customer deposits.

The sole office of Ericson State Bank, at 427 Central Ave., will be open for business Tuesday under the name Farmers and Merchants Bank.

Until then, depositors of Ericson State Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

This is the first closure of a Nebraska-chartered bank since Nov. 4, 2011, when Mid City Bank Inc. in Omaha was declared insolvent, according to a press release from the Banking Department.

The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Ghana's Kuchoko legend, Blakk Rasta found his way into the Land of the Upright, Burkina Faso just before the weekend to pay homage and tribute to the ancient throne of the Mossi kingdom established by Queen Yeninga after she fled from her Dagomba king father, in present-day Ghana.

The throne is presently occupied by His Majesty Mogho Naaba Baongo II who succeeded his father Naba Kougri (born Moussa Congo) (1930  8 December 1982) in 1982 after his demise.

Blakk Rasta joined in a weekly traditional ceremony that sees the Mogho Naaba sit in his palace in full royal regalia surrounded by elders, statesmen and stateswomen in pump and pageantry. Mogho Naaba is the equivalent of Ashanti Otumfour of Ghana and, the Zulu King of South Africa.

He rules over some huge 60% of the 24million Burkinabes who are Mossi. He is accorded so much respect that affords him the final say on issues of the land.

The Kuchoko legend then met with the king and presented to him copies of his new Timbuktu By Road album which unprecedentedly has 32 songs, all recorded live by top music producers in Ghana. He then asked Mogho Naaba for his ancient blessings which he willingly did emphasize that the artiste would soar higher than envisaged for showing such honour to him.

The king also acknowledged the special bond between the Dagombas and the Mossi's offering a blank visa to Blakk Rasta to visit his palace anytime as he is an Honourable, traditional prince of the kingdom too.

Blakk Rasta then took the opportunity to visit about twelve TV and radio stations to promote his sophomore masterpiece, Timbuktu By Road from which ten world-class music videos have already been released only three months after the album dropped.

Kuchoko is Blakk Rasta's innovation of Reggae heavily fused with traditional African melodies, instruments, and energies to give a unique identity to the African Reggae musician.
The Congress on Saturday scrambled to rein in the warring factions in Madhya Pradesh as a bitter war of words broke out between Chief Minister Kamal Nath and senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Nath on Saturday dared Scindia, who finds himself on the sidelines in party affairs in Madhya Pradesh, to hit the streets to force the party-led government to waive farm loans as promised in the manifesto in the 2018 assembly polls.

Last week, addressing a public meeting in Tikamgarh, Scindia had threatened to take to the streets against the party's government on the issues of farmers and guest teachers in the state.

AICC General Secretary Deepak Babaria on Saturday summoned a meeting of the Coordination Committee to rein in the Scindia and Nath. Besides the warring leaders, the meeting was attended by Digvijaya Singh, Minister Jitu Patwari, Meenakshi Natarajan.

Let him do it, was the terse reply of Nath to questions on Scindia's threats to hit the streets if the promises made in the party's election manifesto were not fulfilled.

Nath also held separate meetings with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and apprised them of the political situation in the state. The chief minister also requested Sonia to hold the upcoming AICC Plenary in Madhya Pradesh.

During the meeting of the coordination committee, Nath is learnt to have apprised the leadership of the delicate state of the exchequer and assured that the promises made in the manifesto would be implemented over the next five years.

Scindia has been upset since he was overlooked for the post of the chief minister after the assembly elections in December 2018. Nath had joined hands with Digvijaya Singh to edge Scindia out of the coveted post.

The Gwalior royal has been out in the cold since his loss in the Lok Sabha elections from the family stronghold of Guna parliamentary seat. He had quit as the AICC General Secretary and was learnt to be in the reckoning for a Rajya Sabha seat or the President of the state unit of the party.
Gurugram: Haryana's most wanted fugitive gangster Raj Kumar alias Raju Bisaudi was extradited from Thailand on Saturday morning, state police said. This is the second case for Haryana`s Special Task Force (STF) after it managed to secure extradition of another gangster Kaushal from the UAE.

Police sources said Raju Bisaudi had been hiding in Thailand since 2017 after the sensational murder of two inmates in police custody in Jhajjar district. He is said to be the most dangerous gangster belonging to Rajasthan`s Laurence Bishnoi gang.

The state STF was instrumental in locating him followed by his arrest with the help of Bangkok police a fortnight ago. Interpol officials handed him over to the Haryana STF at 4 a.m. at Indiara Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Saturday.

"We have confirmed the identity of the accused as Raju Bisaudi, who is invoved in 29 murders, several robberies, kidnappings and extortion cases in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan," said B. Satish Balan, STF DIG.

He said the accused was secretly running Laurence Bishnoi`s gang from Thailand for the past two years.

The DIG said soon after Bisaudi was arrested by the Thai police about a fornight back, the kingpin of the gang, Bishnoi, desperately wanted to depute another of his trusted aide in a foreign country to run his business.

"A few days back, Bishnoi`s gang members attacked a prison van on Gurugram- Faridabad expressway and took away a gang member identified as Sandeep Jatheri alias Kala," said the DIG.

"During brief interrogation, Raju Bisaudi has confessed to his role in several cases in four states. He randomly called targeted persons and demanded protection money," Balan said.

"To create fear among businessmen, Bisaudi uploaded videos of murders and kidnappings on social media," Balan said.
Country's civil aviation regulator has ordered a probe into a an incident of tail-scrape on an Air India aircraft which was being operated from Pune to Delhi. Image Source: IANS News

Country's civil aviation regulator has ordered a probe into a an incident of tail-scrape on an Air India aircraft which was being operated from Pune to Delhi. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Feb 15 : The country's civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into an incident involving tail scraping of an Air India aircraft being operated from Pune to Delhi.

On Saturday the Air India flight from Pune to Delhi was involved in a tail-strike incident during take-off. Sources said the aircraft's tail struck an object while it tried to dodge a jeep which had entered the runway area at the time of the take-off.

Miraculously, Air India's A321 aircraft VT-PPU operating flight AI-852 safely landed at Delhi.

"During take-off roll, the crew saw a jeep and a person on the runway. To avoid a conflict, they did early rotation," a source said.

"On arrival at Delhi, some damage was observed on fuselage skin and frames. The aircraft has been withdrawn from service for investigation. Air India has been advised to coordinate with Pune ATC also to find out any marking on runway," the source added.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : A day before the oath-taking ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday said it is inviting 50 representatives from different sectors contributing towards the Delhi governance, who will be sharing the stage with the new Cabinet.

The list of sectors includes Angadwadi Workers, Doorstep Delivery, Education, Healthcare, Farmers, Farishtey Scheme, Infra, Safai Karamchari, Public Transport, Bus Marshals, and others.

Speaking to media, elected Cabinet Ministers Manish Sisodia said these are the people responsible for 'Delhi nirman' (building).

"They will share stage with Arvind Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony on Sunday," said Sisodia.

Among the people will be -- teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge, family of fire fighters who lost their lives, bus driver, auto driver, metro driver, farmers and several others.

Sisodia said they are being invited as the massive mandate of the people is also a victory of those who dream about making Delhi better.

He said the list includes people from school peon, students, doctors from mohalla clinic, bike ambulance riders, fire fighters and students, among other.

Kejriwal will be taking oath on Sunday at the Ramlila Maidan along with his Cabinet of six ministers.

The AAP won 62 of the 70 Assemblies while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged the remaining eight seats.

Speaking to IANS, one of the special guests, Geeta Devi said she feel "privileged" to be part of the list.

The 36-year old Bus Marshal has held a pickpocket in a bus in November and handed him to the police. He was trying to stole a mobile phone from a passenger.

"I always wanted to be a police officer but she could not become one. When I got to know about this work of bus marshal, I applied for it and took it up," she said.

Among the invitees was also Dr. Alka Choudhary, who cannot stop gushing about how proud she is of being in charge of the first Mohalla Clinic in the city.

"I would love to witness such an event and will continue to spread as much awareness as I can to make herself useful for the people of Delhi. I am proud to represent my community of Mohalla Clinic doctors who have built a unique, innovative primary healthcare model that the entire world is talking about," Alka said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A Turkish delegation will travel to Russia on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria's Idlib province amid mounting fears of a humanitarian disaster there, Turkey's foreign minister said.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Idlib province are scrambling to escape a widening, multi-front offensive by Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.

"What matters is today around 1 million people from Idlib have been moving towards our border," Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement Saturday after a phone call with US President Donald Trump in which they discussed Syria and other topics.

"We are already hosting 3.5-4 million people. Unfortunately we are not in a position of accepting this another 1 million." Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting his German counterpart on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that 2 million people could head for Turkey's border with Syria if no cease-fire is achieved.

He said a Turkish delegation was due to visit Moscow on Monday to talk discuss the situation in Idlib, much of which remains in rebel hands. The meeting follows previous visits by a Russian delegation to Ankara. Russia supports Assad, while Turkey backs the opposition.

"There are already people coming to our border and, with Germany's support, we are going to build temporary shelters but these are temporary solutions," Cavusoglu said.

"We need a cease-fire." German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he pushed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was also in Munich, for Russia to lean on Assad's government to stop the fighting.

"We are very worried that this is going become a humanitarian catastrophe if the fighting there doesn't stop," he said.

Cavusoglu said later Saturday he held a positive meeting with Lavrov.

The Russian foreign minister told the Munich conference after that meeting that parts of Idlib remain "one of the last hotbeds of terrorism, at least the only one on the west bank of the Euphrates."



Lavrov said that agreements between Moscow and Ankara imply both a cease-fire and a demilitarised zone, but most importantly drawing a line between the normal opposition and terrorists. "These agreements do not mean the hard fighting against the terrorist the threat will stop, he said.

Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said at a conference that Russia is the key to stopping the crisis since it provides the Syrian government with aerial support.

"Russia offers various excuses," he said.

Roth acknowledged the presence of thousands of jihadists in Idlib but said "that does not justify the indiscriminate bombardment of the civilian population."



What is needed now as a matter of humanitarian concern for the people of Idlib and as a matter of basic avoidance of another refugee crisis, is firm pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to stop, he said. He urged Europe to exert that pressure.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In order to lessen the growing criticism against Alphabet-owned Google for unfairly gaining profit from copyrighted news, it is considering to crack deals with media organisations for content. According to global news agency reports, the negotiations between the internet giant and different news outlets in France along with other parts of Europe are still in premature stages. If Google starts paying for the news, it would diverge from its previous practice of reportedly freely mining the internet for material that it displays on its search results.

Read - Android Responds To Lil Nas X's Tweet About Google Emoji Stickers Via IPhone

Welcomed by media outlets

International media reports also state that a licensing deal proposed by the internet titan is likely to be welcomed by the news publishers that contend company derives profits from the advertisements alongside their news articles including 'snippets' in the search results. Google has indicated that it is currently seeking new ways to help the news organisations when contacted by a global news agency.

Google vice president Richard Gingras has said in a statement that the company wants to find quality journalism and it is essential to informed democracy and provide support for a news industry which is sustainable. He reportedly further added that Google care deeply about the issue in hand and is communicating with its partners to find ways that can expand its work with publishers, building on programs like Google News Initiative.

Read - Germany: Man's Epic Marriage Proposal Can Be Seen On Google Maps

International media reports also stated on February 14 that Google is considering deals for a premium news product. People familiar with the matter reportedly told a global news agency that the California tech giant has remained committed to not paying for news article links which are displayed in the search results and is not changing its stance. Google has also argued that those article links, in turn, generate traffic to news websites and therefore helps the news outlets to get revenues through ads.

Read - Coronavirus Outbreak: Expert Warns 60% Of World's Population Under Threat

The new initiative of Google News works with news organisations to encourage readership and paid subscriptions to their offerings. Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook has also been drawing similar criticism for launching news tab dedicated to professionally-produced content. The move by Facebook was also launched to promote journalism and revamp the company's reputation for providing misinformation. According to international media reports, the American social media website was expected to pay even millions of dollars in some cases to certain news outlets.

Read - Android Versions List: All Android Versions That Are Named By Google Alphabetically

Read - How To Change As Well As Reset UPI PIN On Google Pay? Read Here

(With agency inputs)
One, the political thriller which features megastar Mammootty in the lead role is one of the most anticipated Vishu special releases of the year. Mammootty is appearing as the Chief Minister of Kerala for the first time in the movie, which is directed by Santhosh Viswanath. The megastar recently revealed the much-awaited first looks of Joju George and Murali Gopy from One, through social media platforms.

Joju George, who appears as the Party Secretary in the movie, is seen in a colour khadar shirt, with a thick mustache-beard look and a different hairdo. Murali Gopy, who essays the role of the Opposition Leader in One, is sporting a clean-shaven look and a white khadar shirt.

From the recent poster, it is evident that One is an out-and-out political thriller that revolves around the clash of different ideologies and the duties of an ideal Chief Minister. Mammootty is appearing in the role of Kadakkal Chandran, the senior politician who gets appointed as the Chief Minister of Kerala under a sensitive circumstance.

The much-awaited official teaser of One, which is scripted by the National award-winning scenarist duo Bobby-Sanjay is expected to be revealed in a few days. The makers of the Mammootty starrer are also planning to conduct a grand trailer launch event, which is likely to be held in Kochi by the first or second week of March 2020.

Along with Mammootty, Joju George, and Murali Gopy, One will feature an extensive star cast including Sreenivasan, Balachandra Menon, Ranjith, Mamukoya, Salim Kumar, Suresh Krishna, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Sudev Nair, Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Nimisha Sajayan, Gayathri Arun, debutante Ishaani Krishna, and so on.

The movie, which is produced by Ichais Productions and distributed by Anto Joseph Film Company, is expected to hit the theatres by the first week of April 2020, as Mammootty's Vishu special release.
India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments on Kashmir and asked him not to interfere in India's internal affairs.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kaumar said India rejects all references made by the Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the region is an integral and inalienable part of India.

In an address at Pakistan's Parliament on Friday, Erdogan compared "the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I".

"India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India," Kumar said in reference to Erdogan's comments on

"We call upon the Turkish leadership not to interfere in India's internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region," he said.
She's a reality star turned successful swimwear designer.

And Kimberley Garner gave a very leggy display as she arrived at London Fashion Week for Atelier Zuhra's show.

The Made In Chelsea star, 29, rocked an oversized black playsuit, held together by a leather belt, which she paired with barely there black pumps.

Stylish: Kimberly Garner gave a very leggy display as she arrived at London Fashion Week for Atelier Zuhra's show

Her eye-catching garment gently grazed her thigh and created a plunging neckline.

The designer styled her luscious blonde locks into relaxed hairdo, and added a slick of minimal make-up to complete her beach look.

She posed a storm as she gave an over-the-shoulder look before walking inside the venue.

Fashionista: The Made In Chelsea star, 29, rocked an oversized black playsuit, held together by a leather belt, which she paired with barely there black pumps

Kimberley had a front row seat to watch Atelier Zuhra's show at the Royal Opera House, and posed alongside fellow model Bella Buchanan.

The reality star splits her time between her home in London and Miami after purchasing a dream pad in the coastal city in December 2018.

Speaking to MailOnline about her home last year, she explained: 'I worked very hard last year and had even moved home for a few months to save money.

Leggy: The designer styled her luscious blonde locks into relaxed hairdo, and added a slick of minimal make-up to complete her beach look

'I really had my head down working to concentrate on goals, but achieved it on New Years Eve, praise God, and flew over here. Completed the sale on the plane over.'

Reflecting on her property empire, the designer admitted it is a world away from the hustle and bustle of her busy life in London.

'It's right on the beach, and really is a dream come true,' she explained. 'I am over doing the interior design, going for a beachy chilled vibe for the place.

'I won't be moving there [permanently], as London is one hundred percent home, but really overjoyed and proud to have achieved it.'

Feathered fancy: Camilla Kerslake was putting in an appearance at the Atelier Zuhra show
A gunman is on the loose after a teenager was shot dead in Sydney's west and left to die next to his Lexus.

The 18-year-old man, who has not been identified, was shot in the chest at Miller Park on Cabramatta Avenue just after 11pm on Saturday.

Emergency crews arrived on the scene to find a member of the public desperately trying to revive the man.

He was lying in a pool of blood next to his silver Lexus, which had red P-plates on it.

The 18-year-old was left to die by his silver Lexus which was towed away by detectives

Emergency workers arrived on the scene at Miller Park on Cabramatta Avenue in Sydney's west on Saturday night

New South Wales Police said paramedics tried to resuscitate the victim but he died at the scene.

Ahmad Elhamoui was watching television with his young children when he heard the gunshot.

'My daughter said it sounds like a car  I said "no no it sounds like gun shot",' he told The Daily Telegraph.

'I stood at my door with the lights off and noticed two people arguing after the gun shot  you couldnt hear what they were saying.

'Then there were all these cars passing by and parking to the left. I dont know what was happening, more cars came along from the other side  so they literally blocked the road.'

He said police arrived ten minutes later.

New South Wales Police said paramedics tried to resuscitate the victim but he died at the scene. Pictured: Forensics looking for evidence on Sunday morning

Forensics taped off the family park on Sunday morning and swarmed the area looking for evidence

Forensics taped off the family park on Sunday morning and swarmed the area looking for evidence.

The Lexus and three other cars, including a black Toyota Corolla, white VW hatchback and a purple Nissan Tiida, were taken by detectives.

The attacker had not been caught as of Sunday morning.
On a day when Sinn Fein raised eyebrows across the country there was one major shock in store in Cork East, a constituency that had once been almost guaranteed to return two Fianna Fail seats.

Of course, that was turned on its head 2011 when, for the first time ever, Cork East did not return a Fianna Fail TD to Leinster House.

Five years later the plaintive cry of 'Fianna Fail is back' could be heard around the count centre in Mallow as Kevin O'Keeffe was lifted aloft by jubilant supporters after being elected to the Dail and it looked as thought the O'Keeffe dynasty was back on track.

Fast forward another four years and, much to the surprise of many who had tipped O'Keeffe to top the Cork East poll prior to the surge in Sinn Fein's popularity, that dynasty was shaken to its very core.

In truth, the writing had been very much on the wall long before returning officer Sinead McNamara stood up to the podium at around 1.30am on Sunday morning to announce results of the eighth and final count.

Having polled a disappointing 7,414 first preferences votes, and with his running mate James O'Connor on 7,026 votes it was very difficult to see from early on where the transfers would come from to re-elect O'Keeffe.

Indeed, as the day progressed the worried faces of the O'Keeffe supporters told its own story, with a deep sense of foreboding hanging over the camp.

So it proved to be, with the only shot in the arm for O'Keeffe coming following the elimination of Fine Gael's Pa O'Driscoll after the sixth count.

However, the subsequent elimination of Mary Linehan-Foley proved to be crucial to O'Connor, with geography turning out to be the crucial factor separating the two Fianna Fail candidates.

Speaking to The Corkman on Monday Mr O'Keeffe pledged that he would not be out of the public eye for long.

"Of course I was devastated to lose my seat...but I will be back," he promised.

Mr O'Keeffe said he felt a combinations of factors coming together worked against him.

"Maybe people thought that I would be safe and a bit of complacency crept in. Then you have to take into account the massive swing to Sinn Fein, which nobody had predicted until the very final days of the campaign," he said.

Mr O'Keeffe was also critical of Fianna Fail HQ saying they vote management strategy in Cork East was flawed in favour of his running mate James O'Connor.

"I would say that my running mate got far more attention, with Micheal Martin, Michael McGrath and Jim O'Callaghan joining him on the campaign trail. I did not get that kind of support from senior party figures. In that respect party HQ could have been a lot more balanced with its strategy," he said.

Despite this, Mr O'Keeffe vowed to remain loyal to the party and would continue to work behind the scenes for the immediate future.

In the meantime, he said he would be seeking a nomination to run for a Seanad seat while also confirming his intention to run for the Dail again at some point in the future.

"I will continue to work for the party and would not be afraid to stand for TD again," said Deputy O'Keeffe.

"I will be back," he reaffirmed.
The Supreme Court has ruled that a rape accused cannot be convicted on the basis of sole testimony of the victim unless it is "absolutely trustworthy, unblemished and of sterling quality".

A bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice MR Shah has reiterated that the sterling witness should be of very high quality and calibre, whose version should be unassailable.

The apex court's observation came while acquitting a man, who was accused of raping his sister-in-law in September 2011 in Makhdumpur, Patna.

The victim had complained that her brother-in-law, the accused, had raped her on the preceding night of September 16, 2011. Based on her complaint an FIR was registered.

A trial court had sentenced the accused to 10 years of jail, which was upheld by the High Court. The man then moved the apex court.

The lawyer representing the man argued that "except the deposition/evidence of the prosecutrix (victim) which has not been corroborated by the medical evidence, there is no other independent and cogent evidence to connect the accused with the guilt".

Taking note of the submissions that there were material contradictions in the evidence of the victim, the top court said the version of the victim could not be taken as the gospel truth as in the absence of any other supporting evidence, there was no scope to sustain the conviction.

The bench noted that ordinarily the sole testimony of the victim was enough to convict an accused of rape, it could not lose sight of the protection of the accused against false implication.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 67-day-old baby and her mother, who suffered from the novel coronavirus, were on Saturday discharged from a hospital in China's Guizhou province after being successfully treated for the infection, health authorities said.

The baby, surnamed Jiang, was brought to central China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic, by her parents on January 16 to spend the Spring Festival holiday.

However, Jiang's parents were confirmed infected with the new virus after returning to Guizhou on January 25, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The baby too developed symptoms of runny nose and cough and later tested positive for the novel coronavirus on February 2 following which she and her parents were admitted to the hospital.

Jiang was only 55-days-old when she was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

"After 13 days of treatment by experts and medical staff, Jiang had no fever and two tests showed negative results," the report said.

Jiang's mother was also discharged from hospital on the same day, the report said without mentioning about the health condition of the baby's father.

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has climbed to 1,523 with 143 new fatalities reported mostly from the worst-affected Hubei province while the confirmed cases jumped to over 66,000.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RBI Governor on Saturday said the central bank will have internal discussions in case there are any issues arising out of the order regarding (AGR) dues to be paid by companies.

On Friday, the threatened contempt proceedings against top executives of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and other firms for failing to comply with its directive to pay an estimated Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past dues.

Das did not offer any specific comments about the order, which might have ramifications on banks in terms of their exposure to the financially-stressed companies.

When asked about the order, Das said it would be internally deliberated upon, if at all there are issues arising out of it.

"It's a order and I would not like to comment on an order issued by the apex court and its consequences this way or that way. This is an order of the apex court. Whatever implication etc, it is internal matter of the RBI to examine. It will be internally deliberated, if at all there's an issue which arises out of that (order)," he said.

Addressing the media after the RBI's board meeting here, Das also said credit growth is expected to pick up in the coming months.

On Friday, State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Rajnish Kumar had said it was incumbent on telecom companies to find money and that it would be safe to presume that they would have made some arrangements for it by now.

ALSO READ: AGR order: Are you a Voda Idea customer? Key things you should know



There are apprehensions that the AGR order will lead to uncertainty for the telecom sector which is already reeling under heavy financial stress.

Soon after the order on Friday, Bharti Airtel offered the Department of Telecom to pay Rs 10,000 crore by February 20 and the rest of its dues before the next date of hearing in the Supreme Court.

Airtel owes nearly Rs 35,586 crore, including licence fee and spectrum usage charge, to the government.

Vodafone Idea is staring at dues worth Rs 53,000 crore that includes up to Rs 24,729 crore of spectrum dues and another Rs 28,309 crore in licence fee. The company had earlier warned of shutdown if no relief was given on the AGR matter.
The United States on Saturday issued a series of attacks on Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei after the world's largest tech firm was hit with fresh criminal charges in the country. United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo while talking at Munich Security Conference said that the company is like a trojan horse for Chinese intelligence and urged NATO allies to not allow it to build new 5G communications networks.

Read: Boris Johnson Dealing With Tory Backlash Over Huawei Inclusion In 5G Network

United States Secretary of Defence Mark Esper also reiterated Washington's stance and said that the Chinese company poses a threat that could easily compromise what is the most successful military alliance in history and that is NATO. However, key US allies in Europe, the United Kingdom, and France have earlier said that they would allow the company to function and will not ban it from building 5G networks in their respective countries but with restrictions.

Read: Germany: Telecom Rules Leave 5G Network Door Open For Huawei Entry

Huawei-US conflict

The United States had earlier requested other countries including its allies in Europe to ensure that only reliable vendors participate in any part of their future 5G networks. The Trump administration has cited potential privacy breach by Chinese telecom companies and the threat of possible data misuse while urging their allies to be cautious. China, however, has called out the company's treatment in the United States and has equated it with 'economic bullying'.

Read: 'Beware China': Mike Pompeo Warns Countries In Europe, Central Asia

The United States is taking the matter of risks attached to 5G networks very seriously as it constantly puts pressure on Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The pressure was motivated by fears in Washington that the company's founder Ren Zhengfei has close ties with the Communist Party of China and it poses a potential security threat to the state. In May 2019, the Trump administration blocked American companies from doing any business with the Chinese firm citing a violation of US sanctions on Iran.

Read: US Urges European Countries To Do Business With Trusted Vendors For Future Of 5G Networks

(With Agency Inputs)
An armed gang on motorbikes killed at least 30 people in attacks on two villages in the northwestern Nigerian state of Katsina, police said on Saturday, Trend reports citing Reuters.

Twenty-one people were burnt to death and nine villagers were shot dead on Friday evening in the villages if Dankar and Tsauwa as the assailants made off with food and livestock, the police said.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the northwest of Nigeria since last year, in attacks the government attributes to bandits - a loose term for gangs of outlaws carrying out robberies and kidnappings.

Police commissioner Sanusi Buba confirmed the death toll and said that police and military teams had been deployed to the village, adding that an investigation is under way.

Security experts say Nigeria can ill afford more instability as it is already struggling to contain Islamist insurgencies in the northeast, conflict in central states and militant groups in the Niger Delta to the southeast.
A police investigation has been launched after a new video has emerged on social media that appeared to show a car being driven on the wrong side of the road outside the RAF base near where Harry Dunn died.

Mr Dunn, 19, was killed after a crash by RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire which led to suspect Anne Sacoolas leaving the UK under diplomatic immunity on August 27.

Northamptonshire Police said it is aware of footage shared on social media on Friday relating to a near-miss close to RAF Croughton and a full investigation is being carried out and witnesses are sought.

Radd Seiger, the Dunn family spokesman, said the video suggests a further tragedy is inevitable.

Harrys mother Charlotte Charles and father Tim Dunn earlier said they had seen no evidence of the Government reviewing its options after an extradition request for Anne Sacoolas was refused last month.

Ms Sacoolas, 42, the wife of an intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, claimed diplomatic immunity and was able to return to her home country, sparking an international controversy.

Ms Charles has questioned the leadership of the Prime Minister and a lack of action in bringing her sons alleged killer back to the UK.

She felt as if her family had to drag the Government through a hedgerow backwards to take steps to achieve justice for the teenager and added: It is so important to my family that no-one suffers the way we have.

I will not let Harrys death be in vain.

Charlotte Charles stands beside her husband Bruce Charles before a meeting with Dominic Raab / AFP via Getty Images

I want his legacy to be that diplomats will stay and face the consequences of their crimes and not be allowed to run away, that we will get an ambulance to us when we need it and not when its too late, and to ensure that road safety in and around bases is significantly improved both for the American personnel and local residents.

You would have thought that these would be issues that were important to the Government, too, and they would take urgent steps to work with us and to sort things and reassure the people. But not a bit of it.

The video came to light after Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley met the bases US Air Force Colonel Bridget McNamara on Thursday to talk about safety.

A joint statement issued after the meeting said Mr McNamara had provided a detailed brief of all the proactive measures that the base continues to do to help those living on the base adjust to UK driving standards.

Tributes: flowers left at the scene of the crash / Getty Images

Mr Adderley said: It was clear from the meeting that the base already had a significant number of measures in place in ensuring driver safety.

He described this as encouraging to see.
While paying tribute to the CRPF martyrs, Congress Rahul Gandhi raised questions on accountability for the attack.

New Delhi: Exactly a year after the Pulwama terrorist attack, which may have possibly swung the election towards the BJP, a bitter war of words broke out between the ruling side and the Opposition as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked who had benefited from the strike, while the BJP accused him of being a known sympathiser of terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. The ruling party claimed the so-called Gandhi family can never think beyond benefits, and that they were not just materialistically corrupt, their souls are also corrupt.

Earlier, paying homage to martyrs of the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country will never forget the martyrdom of the security personnel killed in last years attack and said the slain securitymen were exceptional individuals who devoted their lives to serving and protecting the nation.

Last year, on February 14, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

While paying tribute to the CRPF martyrs, Congress Rahul Gandhi raised questions on accountability for the attack. Today, as we remember our 40 CRPF martyrs in the #PulwamaAttack, let us ask: 1. Who benefited the most from the attack? 2. What is the outcome of the inquiry into the attack? 3. Who in the BJP Govt has yet been held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the attack? he tweeted. The BJP was quick to hit back at the Congress leader for his dastardly comment, saying he was insulting the memory of the CRPF personnel, and sought an apology from him and his party.

That was a dastardly attack. And this is a dastardly comment. Who benefited the most? Mr Gandhi, can you think beyond benefits? Of course not. This so-called Gandhi family can never think beyond benefits. Not just materialistically corrupt, their souls are also corrupt, tweeted BJP national spokesman Sambit Patra.

Taking on the Congress leader for his remarks, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi said: Sad people with this mindset still find relevance in Indian politics. Its because of such an ethos that politician are called vultures. You lost two members from your family at the hands of terrorists, who benefited from deaths of Mrs Indira Gandhi and Mr Rajiv Gandhi?

Another BJP MP, G.V.L. Narasimha Rao said that when the nation was paying homage to martyrs of the dastardly Pulwama attack, Mr Gandhi, a known sympathiser of LeT and JeM, attacks not just the government but the security forces as well, and the Congress leader will never question real culprit, Pakistan.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also paid his heartfelt homage to the martyrs of the ghastly terror attack, and wanted to know what had been done for the survivors and the families of those who had laid their lives down for the nation.

Modi and the BJP directly asked for votes in the name of the martyrs of Pulwama. Where is the inquiry report one year on after the terror attack? Who has been held accountable for the loss of so many lives and the massive intelligence failure? #Pulwama, Mr Yechury asked on Twitter.
By PTI

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has taken a "strong objection" to the US imposing a travel ban on its Army chief Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, saying the move is based on "unverified information", after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the allegations of gross human rights violations are serious and credible.

The Sri Lankan government has officially conveyed its protest to US and taken a "strong objection" to the travel restrictions placed on Silva and his family, country's foreign relations ministry said in a statement on Friday night.

"The government of Sri Lanka requests the US to verify the authenticity of the sources of information and to review its decision," the statement said.

The ministry statement said that it was unfortunate that the US was questioning the prerogative of the Sri Lankan president to appoint his Army Commander.

At the time of Silva's appointment, both the US and the European Union had objected.

US Secretary of State Pompeo said that the allegations of gross human rights violations against Silva, documented by the United Nations and other organisations, are "serious and credible".

Silva, 55, was appointed as the Sri Lankan Army Commander last year and previously headed the Army's 58th Division in the final battle against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels of the civil war in 2009.

His brigade was accused of attacking civilians, hospitals and stopping humanitarian supplies to trapped Tamil civilians.

Silva's name was mentioned in the resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2013, alleging rights abuses by the Sri Lankan Army The Sri Lanka Army has denied the alleged rights abuses.

After the brutal civil war ended, Silva served in New York as Sri Lanka's Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN Mission.

According to a United Nations report, some 45,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the last months of the war alone.

The ban imposed on Silva's entry to the US are under Section 7031 (c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act.
A motion by Cllr Sean Kelly calling on the National Driving Licence Service to set up a part time office at the new RSA Driving Test Centre at the Newry Road with immediate effect, was passed at last week's meeting of the Dundalk Municpal District.

Cllr Kelly complained that people have to travel 40km from Dundalk to Drogheda when applying for a driving licence. He said he was not expecting the office to operate on a full time basis in Dundalk, but if it was open one or two days a week, it would help. The RSA Driving Test Centre on the Newry Road was the perfect location, he felt.

Cllr Maeve Yore said she fully supported the motion as it made common sense.

'Senior citizens are having to travel to Drogheda and it's a two hour journey for them,' she said.

Her sentiments were echoed by Cllr Erin McGreehan who said she had recently had to take her mother to Drogheda to renew her licence. Having the facility in Dundalk would be a massive help, especial for Old Age Pensioners.

Cllr Conor Keelan pointed out that the Road Safety Authority had been very willing to work with local residents when the Driving Test Centre was being built. There is space on the site which could be used for the issuing of driving licences, he noted.

'It's a very good motion,' said acting chairperson Cllr Marianne Butler. She pointed out that older people have to travel to Drogheda every three years to renew their licences.

She also anticipated that there will be extra demand for driving licences by those who have to change them for Irish licences post-Brexit.

Cllrs also noted that there was a difficulty for young drivers who are not qualified to drive on the motorway and who have to travel to the centre in Drogheda.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Voters will select representatives in Albany and in Washington, D.C., this year  because all state Legislature and U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election in November.

A few Onondaga County Family Court and Syracuse City Court seats are also up this year. The primary for these races is June 23. The general election is Nov. 3.

In recent days the Republican and Democratic parties in Onondaga County picked their slates of candidates. Heres how the races are shaping up. An asterisk indicates the incumbent.

24th Congressional District

Democrat Francis Conole

Republican John Katko*

See map of district.

50th Senate District

Democrat John Mannion

Republican Angi Renna

This seat is currently open because Republican Bob Antonacci won a judge seat last November. Theres a special election scheduled for April 28. Mannion is running in that early race. Renna has not said whether shell compete in the April race.

See map of district.

53rd Senate District

Democrat Rachel May*

Republican Sam Rodgers

See map of district.

120th Assembly District

Republican Will Barclay*

Democrat Gail Tosh

See map of district.

126th Assembly District

Gary Finch, R-Springport, announced early this month he will not see re-election. Neither Democrats nor Republicans have designated candidates for this race, as of Feb. 15.

See map of district.

127th Assembly District

Democrat Al Stirpe*

Republican Mark Venesky

See map of district.

128th Assembly District

Democrat Pam Hunter*

Republican Stephanie Jackson

See map of district.

129th Assembly District

Democrat Bill Magnarelli*

Republican Ed Weber

See map of district.

Onondaga County Family Court

Democrats Julie Cerio and Christie DeJoseph

Republicans Paula Engel and Salvatore Pavone

Syracuse City Court

Democrats Jeff Leibo and Ted Limpert*

Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
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A day after Sharad Pawar criticised the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government for allowing the transfer of the Elgar Parishad case probe to the NIA, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the NCP president on Saturday praised each other at a farmers' rally in Jalgaon district.

On Friday, Pawar had told reporters in Kolhapur that it was not right on part of the Centre to hand over the Elgar Parishad case probe to the NIA from Pune police.

In a swipe at the state government, of which the NCP is a part, Pawar had said, "It was not right for the Centre to hand over the investigation into the case to the NIA. But it was even more wrong for the state government to support the transfer of the case."



Speaking at the rally held in Muktainagar in the district on Saturday, Pawar praised Thackeray's photography skills.

"Maharashtra got a good photographer who spotted a tiger like Chandrakant Patil," he said referring to local independent MLA Chandrakant Patil who had defeated BJP stalwart Eknath Khadse's daughter in the October, 2019 assembly elections.

To this Thackeray replied, without naming Khadse, "Since there was a tiger like Chandrakant Patil, everybody ran away."



In his speech, Thackeray referred to Pawar as a "guide".

"Blessings of the people and guidance of Sharad Pawar saheb is with me while I am functioning as CM," Thackeray said.

The Elgar case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed, triggered violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in the district the next day.

The Pune police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists.

During the probe into the police, the Pune police arrested Left-leaning activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao for alleged Maoist links.

Meanwhile, Thackeray also dared the opposition BJP to topple his government, which comprises ideologically different Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress.

"I am son of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray who accepted and gave challenges. I challenge the BJP to topple my government today itself instead of waiting till April when the operation lotus is likely to be activated (by the BJP)," he said.

"We did not taken oath to remain as slaves. There seems to be some murmurs in the state BJP at a time when my government is functioning smoothly. It will last its full term," the CM said.

Thackeray further said his government was working to find better ways through which water and day-time electricity can be provided to farmers and they be made debt-free.

He attacked the BJP for criticising his government's scheme waiving loans up to Rs 2 lakhs of farmers.

Thackeray reiterated his government's commitment to introduce two schemes for farmers whose loan outstanding is more than Rs 2 lakh and for those who have paid their farm loans regularly.

In his speech, Pawar said the only focus of the state government was ensuring development.

"Industrial investment should get a boost and the government should focus on the agriculture, industry, and employment generation," he said.

Earlier in the day, Pawar and Thackeray came together for a function in Jalgaon to give out agricultural awards named after Appasaheb Pawar, the NCP chief's elder brother.

Addressing the function, Pawar said, "Today in the world, India has a standing in the field of agriculture. We have attained sufficiency in agriculture despite constraints like burgeoning population. For this, we must give credit to our farmers and scientists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US Air Force has updated its dress code policy to outline a clear approval process for Sikhs and Muslims who want to serve while wearing their articles of faith, CNN reports.

Under the new guidelines, which were finalized last week, Sikhs and Muslims can seek a religious accommodation to wear turbans, beards, unshorn hair and hijabs, and expect to be approved as long as their appearance is "neat and conservative," except under extremely limited circumstances.

The final review for the accommodation must take place within 30 days for cases in the United States, and 60 days for all other cases, according to the guidelines. And for the most part, airmen can expect the religious accommodation to follow them through their career.

Previously, Sikhs and Muslims serving in the Air Force individually requested religious accommodations that were granted on a case-by-case basis, but the approval process could be lengthy.

This update standardizes that process and outlines a formal timeline for approval.
The Slovak skier ended first after the first round.

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Slovak skier Petra Vlhova ended second in the giant slalom race in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, on February 15.

Vlhova entered the second round of the race from the position of the leader with the first-round result of 57.6 seconds.

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In the end, Alice Robinson from New Zealand managed to beat her leading score with her final result 34 seconds faster than Vlhova. Her second run was exceptionally fast, at 56.62 seconds.

Vlhova ran a combined 1:54.66. Speaking to the public-service television RTVS after the first run, the Slovak skier thanked her fans for their support.

"I wanted to go fast, which I managed. But the top part was not good, I need to take a look at where I lost time and improve it," she said. "I've got new ski, I've tested them in training and they were great, so we decided to use them and we did well.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday called for active participation from all sections of society for the preservation and promotion of tribal culture.

Addressing the 'Aadivasi Mahotsav -- 2020' here, the Vice President said the tribal communities represent the ancient most culture and values of India. "Our younger generations should be made aware of their eternal values and traditions," he said.

Naidu expressed his deep concern over the fact that around 250 languages have disappeared in the last 50 years and most of these extinct languages belonged to tribal communities. He wanted the universities to preserve and promote the local tribal culture.

"When a language dies, it symbolises the downfall of a culture, a civilisation, a creative tradition," he said.

"When hotels can serve foreign cuisine, why can't they promote local tribal flavours which are more suited to our bodily and climatic conditions? Why can't city youth pursue tribal music and instruments as their hobby," he asked.

Expressing happiness that Tribal University in Amarkantak has become functional, Naidu exhorted the scholars to research upon tribal languages, literature, folk song, crafts, etc.

"Mindless exploitation of nature will lead to disastrous consequences," he added.

Naidu further said that even while preserving their unique lifestyle and culture, the tribal should be made an equal partner in India's development journey.

"There is a need for constant and constructive dialogue between the administration and local communities," he added.

Emphasising the need for the promotion of entrepreneurship among the tribal youth, Naidu opined that linking TRIFED with the wide marketing network of 'Khadi and Village Industries Commission' would provide access to a larger market for tribal handicrafts.

"Heroes such as Birsa Munda, Sidhu, Kanhu, and Rani Avantibai are an inspiration for all and their life stories should be taught to children in our schools," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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HARRISBURG  The first Democratic presidential candidates are filing voter signatures to get on Pennsylvanias primary ballot, according to information from the state election office Friday.

The first to file was California billionaire Tom Steyer, submitting signatures on Thursday. On Friday, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg also filed.

The other campaigns have through 5 p.m. Tuesday to file 2,000 signatures of voters who are registered Democrats to get on Pennsylvania's April 28 primary ballot.

Pennsylvania is a late primary state but could be important if the eventual nominee remains in doubt past March, since Pennsylvania has the sixth-most delegates in the Democratic primary.

President Donald Trump's campaign also filed his paperwork Friday to get on the Republican primary ballot.

Pennsylvania is expected to be a premier battleground state in the general election as Democrats vie to bring it back into the win column in November.

Trumps stunning victory in Pennsylvania in 2016 helped pave his path to the White House, and no Democrat since Harry S. Truman in 1948 has become president without winning the state.

Pennsylvania went Republican in a presidential contest for the first time since 1988 as part of the Democratic Party's "blue wall" of industrial states that Trump flipped, along with Michigan and Wisconsin.

In the Democratic primary, Pennsylvania is seen as friendly territory for former Vice President Joe Biden, who has his campaign headquarters in Philadelphia and long political relationships in Pennsylvania after living for decades just across the border in Wilmington, Delaware, as that state's longtime senator. He is also endorsed by most members of Pennsylvania's 10-member congressional delegation, including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.

The Steyer-funded NextGen America is active in Pennsylvania, committing millions of dollars to register younger voters in the last several years.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont made several visits to Pennsylvania last year and built a volunteer network in his first campaign in 2016.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg is spending millions of dollars on TV ads and campaign staff and offices in Pennsylvania, and is known for funding anti-gun violence groups in the state and successful advocacy efforts for a soda tax in Philadelphia.

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter
Harris County residents who primarily speak Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese or 26 other languages now will have access to a virtual translator at the polls, County Clerk Diane Trautman announced Friday, part of a series of initiatives aimed at improving the countys voter participation rate.

In a nod to Harris Countys diversity  more than a third of its 4.7 million residents are native speakers of a language other than English  elected officials want to eliminate communication barriers at voting sites.

With this innovative technology, interpreters can communicate with the voter and poll worker in real time via video chat to make the voting process easier and more accessible, Trautman said.

Flanked by county Elections Director Michael Winn, Trautman offered a demonstration of the machines at the West Gray Multi-Service Center. The tablet devices, which previously stored electronic poll books and were set to be discarded, allow a poll worker to make a video conference call to a translator in the desired language. The translator then can help the poll worker and voter communicate.

Harris Countys ballot features four languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese and the clerks office has poll workers who speak each. Residents speak more than 140 languages in the Houston area, however.

Trautman said the virtual translators will be available at all 52 early voting locations for the March primary elections.

Dozens of Korean-speaking voters were frustrated when then-County Clerk Stan Stanart barred translators from operating inside a Spring Branch polling site in 2018. Stanart said he had to follow the Texas Election Code, which limits who can operate inside a 100-foot buffer zone at polling places.

Korean American Voters League President Hyunja Norman, who helped organize the Spring Branch voters, welcomed the virtual translation devices.

I think they can be very beneficial, she said. Still, the human factor cannot be ignored.

Norman said many of the Korean-American residents in Houston who need language assistance are elderly immigrants who are new to voting and often intimidated by technology. She said she still would like to see real-life translators gain more access to polling sites.

Early primary voting begins Feb. 18 and Election Day is March 3.

Trautman encouraged residents to vote early, which she said often is more convenient.

You never know what might happen on election Day, Trautman said. Early voting ensures you have different time and date options to have your voice heard.

Last year, Trautman launched voting centers, which allow residents to cast ballots at any location on Election Day, rather than only in their assigned precincts. The move proved popular, as 52 percent of voters cast ballots outside their home precincts in last Novembers municipal elections.

zach.despart@chron.com




Haiti - Education : Towards the improvement of the governance of the Evening and Family Education Centers





The Office of the Minister of National Education organized this week a working meeting to present the inventory of Evening Centers (Centres du Soir - CS) and Family Education Centers (Centres dEducation Familiale - CEF) and share the results of a study carried out on improving the governance of these centers.



Professor Reynold Telford, former Director General of the Ministry led the consultation to assess the capacities of the centers, with technical and financial support from the UNESCO office in Port-au-Prince. On this occasion, he presented the evaluation and a specification integrating the expectations of all the actors of these centers across the country.



According to Telford, the Evening Centers are like an extension of formal education with different audiences. Recalling that non-formal education aims to reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency, facilitate the integration of young people and promote continuous training.



He spoke about the lack of electricity in evening schools and the efforts of some schools that use solar panels to produce their own energy. He also insisted on the need to have a substantial endowment of Human Resource Centers and proposed to integrate the concept of "leadership" in the curriculum review process that the Department of Basic Education, initiated with technical support of UNESCO.



In addition, advisers to the Minister of National Education interacted on the issue of information and the mobilization of the various players to fuel the process leading to decision-making. The executives of the Ministry have agreed to prepare a circular asking the departmental directors to designate a focal point for each departmental direction to interact with the central office in the context of monitoring all that concerns the CS and CEF.



Non-formal education aims to reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency, facilitate the integration of young people and promote continuous training.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29403-haiti-education-results-of-the-first-census-of-non-formal-education-structures-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27298-haiti-education-the-country-adopts-a-policy-of-non-formal-education-after-an-11-year-process.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27783-haiti-education-non-formal-education-policy-outreach-tour.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26334-haiti-education-towards-the-development-of-the-national-policy-on-non-formal-education.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25480-haiti-education-towards-the-finalization-of-a-policy-document-for-non-formal-education.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Chinese news portal Ifeng.com, operated by Phoenix New Media, has been told to immediately stop violations concerning the release of information, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

Illegal behaviors uncovered include spreading vulgar information via the news app of Phoenix New Media and publishing news information on Ifeng.com from sub-standard news sources, which has disturbed the order of the online community and imposed a negative impact on the network environment, said the authority.

The CAC has ordered the cyberspace watchdog of Beijing to seriously deal with the illegal behaviors of the news portal.

The local cyberspace regulator in charge has ordered Ifeng.com to conduct self-examination and correction, thoroughly clean up illegal online content and avoid the recurrence of these behaviors.
Pregnant woman and baby among 30 killed, burned to death by Boko Haram

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Boko Haram militants are suspected to have burned and killed no less than 30 people and abducted others Sunday night as the extremist faction continues to terrorize northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.

A spokesperson for Borno Gov. Babagana Umara Zulum told CNN that at least 30 people, including a pregnant woman and her baby, are now dead after suspected Boko Haram militants set sleeping travelers on fire in the Auno village of the Borno state.

The travelers were camping out in the village for the night as they missed a 5 p.m. curfew in the state capital of Maiduguri, about 10 miles away.

Sources reported to Vanguard that while most counts say that at least 30 have died, the death toll could be as high as 40. That would include the death of six militants.

According to the state government, militants burned 18 vehicles. Some of the destroyed vehicles included trucks loaded up with food to be taken to the markets the following day.

State government spokesman Ahmad Abdurrahman Bundi told AFP that militants stormed Auno village with trucks and mounted weapons. The militants killed, looted and burned.

Village resident Shehu Tanko told CNN that the bodies of the pregnant woman and her baby were among the corpses recovered.

"They burn everywhere. The fire was still on till this morning, Tanko explained. We are still looking for many people around here."

A source told Vanguard that the pregnant woman was likely raped before she was burned to death and that the babys head was crushed.

Boko Haram is an Islamic militant insurgency responsible for killing tens of thousands and displacing millions in the last decade-plus.

The terrorist group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2016 but soon splintered after Islamic State leadership tried to replace Boko Harams leader, Abubakar Shekau.

Although the Nigerian government claims to have defeated Boko Haram militarily, Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province continue to carry out attacks in Borno.

We have to be brutal in telling the truth. I am pushed to the wall to say the truth. Since I was inaugurated as governor of Borno State, Boko Haram has attacked Auno six times, Zulum said in a statement, according to Vanguard. Another thing is that the military has been withdrawn from Auno town. I am not undermining the capacity of the military but we have made repeated appeals for the military to establish their unit in Auno.

Gov. Zulum recently gave a guest lecture at the National Defence College in Abuja in which he detailed the challenges of the Boko Haram insurgency in the Borno state. Zulum alleged that the insurgency is responsible for making 59,311 orphans and 59,213 widows.

Boko Haram over the years has abducted hundreds of school girls. The group has also abducted pastors and others in attempts to raise funds through ransom payments.

Last month, Boko Haram executed Rev. Lawan Andimi, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigerias chapter in the Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

Andimi was kidnapped in early January and was seen in a ransom video praising God before his death.

Also in January, the Islamic State released a propaganda video purporting to show the killing of a Nigerian Christian university student by a child soldier. In December, the Islamic State faction claimed to have killed 11 Christian aid workers in Nigeria in retaliation for the killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In a statement Monday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari declared that the Nigerian government is combating frontally the dreadful activities of terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the so-called Islamic State.

Buhari and his administration have faced international scrutiny over their inability to thwart extremist attacks by Boko Haram, ISWAP and radical Fulani herdsmen in the countrys Middle Belt.

Last December, the U.S. State Department listed Nigeria for the first time on its special watch list for countries that engage or tolerate severe religious freedom violations. Nigeria was placed on the list because of the lack of effective government response to increasing violence.
A worker wearing a surgical mask to protect himself from the coronavirus walks along a street in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, Jan. 26, 2020.

Thousands of undocumented migrant workers from Myanmar are stuck in and around the Chinese city of Wuhan, under lockdown for weeks because of the highly contagious coronavirus, with travel in and out of the area temporarily halted, according to a diplomat and Myanmar labor rights groups.

Myanmars embassy in Beijing and consulates in other Chinese cities have circulated their phone numbers in hopes that the workers will contact them so they can provide assistance.

Diplomats directly transport the workers back home without first obtaining permission from Chinese police, and to do that the workers would have to go to local authorities themselves.

But because the workers  the exact number of whom is unknown  are in China illegally, they are reluctant to deal with police for fear of arrest, said Soe Pyae Win, deputy secretary of the Myanmar Embassy in Beijing.

He said that Chinese police are not looking to arrest the undocumented workers, but rather obtain information they need to assist them.

We released a statement that Myanmar nationals need to present proof of citizenship, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. It is not true that they will be arrested and given prison sentences.

Some of them were already being detained before the outbreak of the disease, he added.

Soe Pyae Win insisted that Chinese authorities would help Myanmar nationals return home after the embassy submitted the required documents to police.



Second thoughts

Nevertheless, some workers said they remain distrustful.

Maung Myint, a migrant laborer from Rakhine states capital Sittwe who works in southeast Chinas Guangdong province, said he contacted the embassy for help, but had second thoughts about providing information.

We called the embassy for help. They asked for our WeChat account information. I dont know how to get this, he told RFA, referring to the Chinese social media and messaging app.

Maung Myint also said that workers who want to return must be screened for the virus, but still cannot return to Myanmar even if they are not infected with it.

I was afraid that we might be detained for a long time, he said. I heard they [Chinese police] are giving prison sentences of one or two months. Thats why I am [now] too afraid to contact the embassy.

Moemakha, a social worker and chairwoman of the Moemakha Foundation, a Myanmar group that provides assistance to migrant workers, said about 100 undocumented laborers in China have contacted her organization for help with returning home.

Now its very difficult to help them because of the blockage by Chinese authorities, she said.

We really want to help them, she said. We can arrange for their return, but the problem is the blockage.

Reported By Zin Mar Win for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
By Trend

Southern Gas Corridor could also be used for gas exports to Europe from other Caspian countries, Francis Perrin, Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS, Rabat) and at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS, Paris), told Trend

"Thanks to the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), which comprises the South Caucasus Pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the European Union (EU) will begin in 2020 to import natural gas produced in the Caspian Sea. Gas from Azerbaijan will flow through Turkey, Greece, Albania, the Adriatic Sea and Italy (Azerbaijani gas is already being marketed in Turkey with TANAP)," he said.

Perrin noted that the completion of the SGC project in 2020 will allow the EU to import gas from the Caspian region for the first time.

"European countries will at the same time increase their gas imports and diversify the sources of these imports. It is also a new import route. For the European Union the diversification of its gas supplies is a global concept which includes new countries, new producing companies and new export routes and the SGC meets all these requirements. Of course the gas volumes are not huge as the starting capacity for TANAP is 16 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year, of which 6 bcm for Turkey and 10 bcm for the EU," noted the expert.

He pointed out that according to future gas demand in Turkey and in the EU the capacities of the SGC could be increased.

"And the SGC could also be used for gas exports to Europe from other Caspian countries, especially Turkmenistan. The Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline project is an example," said Perrin.

He noted that beyond the SGC European needs for more Caspian gas in a long-term horizon will also depend on the degree of priority that the EU will assign to gas in its future energy choices.

"A key issue for the mid-term and long-term future is the place that the EU will grant to natural gas in its future energy mix. Gas is a fossil fuel of course but its use generates less carbon dioxide than oil and much less than coal. This energy source could thus have a bright future in a world in which the carbon constraint will become more and more important in order to fight climate change. But the EU is putting a strong emphasis on renewable energies, some countries (France in particular) have a lot of nuclear reactors and coal remains very competitive. Gas could be squeezed between the rise of renewables (wind and solar energies in particular) and the resistance of coal in the European power mix. EU countries have disagreements about natural gas and it could have an impact on gas prospects in Europe," said the expert.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor was held in Baku on May 29, 2018, while opening ceremony of TANAPs Phase 0 was held on June 12, 2018 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. TANAP-Europe connection was opened on Nov.30, 2019 in Ipsala, Edirne, Turkey.

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) were connected on the Turkish-Greek border.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Pakistan on Saturday summoned a senior diplomat from the High Commission of India and lodged a strong protest over the alleged along the LoC.

The Foreign Office said that the Indian security forces fired in Nezapir and Rakhchikri sectors of the Line of Control (LoC) on February 14.

The "indiscriminate and unprovoked firing" caused serious injuries to a 13-year-old girl in Fatehpur village, it said.

The FO alleged that the Indian forces along the LoC and Working Boundary have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons which still continues.

"The unprecedented escalation in by India is continuing from the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1970 This year India has committed 287 ceasefire violations to date," it alleged, adding that they are a threat to the regional peace and security, and may lead to a strategic miscalculation.

Pakistan urged the Indian side to instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit; and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary.

The FO said India should permit the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.

India maintains that the UNMOGIP, established in January 1949, has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the LoC.
A bus with a driver wearing protective gear departs from the dockside next to the Diamond Princess cruise ship. (AFP)

Yokohama: Japan on Friday began allowing elderly passengers who tested negative for the new coronavirus (Covid-19) to leave the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess.

They will be taken to isolation in government-designated lodging.

Passengers aged 80 or older in poor health or those who were confined to windowless inner cabins on the ship were given the chance to move to accommodation on land.

The first of them departed the massive cruise ship Friday afternoon, travelling in buses with blacked-out windows.

A government official said 11 people had left, but declined to say whether more would depart.

The move comes a day after the number of infections diagnosed on the ship rose to 218.

Senior health ministry official Gaku Hashimoto boarded the ship Friday morning to announce that all passengers who are considered to be high risk in general health would now be tested for the virus.

Those who test positive will be transferred to hospital. Those who test negative will -- at the request of the individual -- disembark and be transferred to accommodation provided by the government, he said in a statement read out by the ship's captain in a public broadcast.

There were more than 3,700 people on the ship when it arrived off the Japanese coast last week. Those diagnosed with the virus have been taken off the boat, along with some people suffering other health conditions requiring medical attention.

Ten of those hospitalised are now in a serious condition, health minister Katsunobu Kato said Friday.

The Diamond Princess quarantine is due to end on February 19. Those on the ship have been mostly confined to their cabins and asked to wear masks and keep their distance from other passengers during brief outings on open deck.

Crew on board have expressed concern that their conditions -- including shared cabins, bathrooms and workspaces -- put them at greater risk of contracting the virus.

Three Indian crew members on board the cruise ship have tested positive for Covid-19 so far, the Indian embassy in Japan said.

A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew members and 6 passengers, were on board the ship.
The death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak surpassed 1,600 in China on Sunday, with the first fatality reported outside Asia fuelling global concerns. More than 68,000 people have now been infected in China from a virus that emerged in central Hubei province in December before spreading across the country and some two dozen countries. Amid criticism over the handling of the crisis, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for tighter policing to protect social stability, while Beijing ordered people returning to the capital to self-quarantine for 14 days in the latest drastic measure aimed at containing the virus. An 80-year-old Chinese tourist died from the new coronavirus, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said Saturday. Only three other deaths have been recorded outside mainland China -- in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan. The death toll in China, meanwhile, rose to 1,662 Sunday after Hubei reported 139 new deaths. Several countries have banned arrivals from China and major airlines have cut services to the country. The biggest cluster outside China is on a quarantined cruise ship off Japan, with 285 infections now as dozens more cases were confirmed. A US State Department spokesperson said Americans stranded on the vessel would be evacuated, and would face a further quarantine of two weeks in the United States. - More police - The virus spread last month as millions travelled across the country for the Lunar New Year holiday, which was extended by three days -- more than a week in some cities -- in an effort to prevent further contagion. People have slowly started to return to work in the past two weeks, though many are doing their jobs from home and schools remain closed. Beijing's municipal government enacted a rule on Friday requiring all people coming to the capital to quarantine themselves for 14 days, warning that violators would be punished, according to official media. It was unclear how authorities would enforce the measure. Chinese authorities have placed some 56 million people in Hubei and its capital Wuhan under quarantine, virtually sealing off the province from the rest of the country in an unprecedented effort to contain the virus. A number of cities far from the epicentre have also imposed tough measures limiting the number of people who can leave their homes. The government must "increase use of police force and strengthen the visible use of police", to ensure stability during the crisis, Xi said in a February 3 speech published by state media on Saturday. In another drastic preventive measure, China's central bank said Saturday that used banknotes were being disinfected with ultraviolet light or high temperatures, and stored for up to 14 days before they are put back into circulation. The scale of the epidemic ballooned this week after authorities in Hubei changed their criteria for counting cases, retroactively adding thousands of new patients to their tally. - New cases fall - Hubei added more than 14,000 cases in a single day this week after officials there started counting people clinically diagnosed through lung imaging, in addition to those with a positive lab test result. On Saturday, the National Health Commission reported 2,641 new cases of the COVID-19 strain, with the vast majority in Hubei. The number, however, was almost half those reported the previous day, and World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the body has asked China for details on how diagnoses were being made. "China has bought the world time. We don't know how much time," he said. "We ask all governments, companies, and news organisations to work with us to sound the appropriate level of alarm without fanning the flames of hysteria." He said he was concerned by the continued increase of cases in China as well as "the lack of urgency in funding the response from the international community". The number of new confirmed cases has been steadily falling outside Hubei. A top Chinese scientist had predicted that the epidemic could peak by the end of this month after the number of new cases had fallen earlier in the week. But the WHO has cautioned that it was "way too early" to make any predictions about the disease's trajectory. An international team of WHO experts will arrive in Beijing this weekend for a joint mission with Chinese counterparts. bur-tjx-lth-rox/qan
European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides talks to journalists during a news conference following an EU Health Ministers meeting to discuss the spread of the illness COVID-19 at the Europa building in Brussels, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Francisco Seco/AP Photo)

EU Health Ministers Boost Preparations to Fight New Virus

BRUSSELSEuropean Union health ministers agreed Thursday to boost preparations and organize a coordinated response to prevent the virus that emerged in China from further spreading across Europe.

At an emergency meeting in Brussels, officials from the blocs 27 nations said they need to plan more to avoid any possible shortages of medicine or protective equipment during the outbreak, which the World Health Organization has called a threat to global health.

Experts believe the true scope of the epidemic could be much higher due to the unreliability of the figures admitted by Chinese authorities.

More people have now died from the new coronavirus than was reported during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. No deaths have been recorded in Europe so far, and the continent has only 46 confirmed virus cases.

French lab scientists in hazmat gear inserting liquid in test tube manipulate potentially infected patient samples at Pasteur Institute in Paris, on Feb. 6, 2020. (Francois Mori/AP Photo)

We will remain vigilant, and if the situation changes, we will step up our work, said European health commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

Ministers said early detection and uniform prevention measuresnotably at entry points like airportswere vital. Agnes Buzyn, the French minister for health, said the EU should also remain vigilant in case the outbreak hurts the production of pharmaceuticals in China, therefore leading to possible medical shortages. She urged the EU to start up a joint procurement plan for purchasing medical equipment.

Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves Arrowe Park Hospital where he spent two weeks in quarantine, in Wirral, England, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Fragmentation of effort will make us all collectively more vulnerable. Unity on our part would also support Chinas efforts to contain the virus, and mitigate any further transmission within and into the EU, Kyriakides said.

Asked whether the EU could close Europes visa-free Schengen travel area if the epidemic escalates, Croatian Health Minister Vili Beros said the bloc could indeed undertake further action.

If that means the closing of borders, we shall discuss it, he said.

Kyriakides, however, said the current outbreak does not call for such drastic measures.

COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family thats a close cousin to the severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome viruses.

The virus outbreak has led the EU to repatriate around 500 of its citizens from China so far.

Many countries have implemented travel restrictions on recent visitors to China, but Dutch Health Minister Bruno Bruins encouraged EU members to avoid additional travel and trade restrictions.

Dr. Mike Ryan, the executive director of WHOs emergencies program, joined the debate via video link, and insisted on the importance of supporting third countries with less robust health systems to stop the virus.

A week ago, only two labs in Africa could make this diagnosis, he said. As I speak, over 30 labs can make this diagnosis. And by the end of the week, we hope all countries in Africa will have the capacity to at least make this diagnosis.
Bill Montgomery / Houston Chronicle

The Texas Public Utility Commission on Friday approved the $13 million rate hike settlement that CenterPoint Energy negotiated with cities, large power users and consumer groups.

But the three-member panel said it wanted to add a provision that would ensure any measures in the settlement the commission didn't agree to would not bind the actions of future commissions.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy met Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad here on Saturday and requested him to initiate steps to move the main bench of the AP High Court from Amaravati to Kurnool as decided by the state government.

During his 50-minute meeting with Prasad, Reddy said the state government had decided to have three capitals for AP -- at Amaravati (legislative capital), Visakhapatnam (executive capital) and Kurnool (judicial capital) -- to ensure equal development of all the regions.

The law ministry is yet to give its consent to move the high court to Kurnool.

Reddy also asked the law minister to initiate steps for getting Parliament's nod for the AP Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2019 (known as Disha Act) passed by the state assembly.

The stringent legislation, aimed at ensuring women's safety, mandates judgment to be delivered within 21 days in rape cases. Besides, death penalty is the punishment for such crimes under this Bill. It also provides for increased jail term for sexual offences against minors.

The YSRC Party president also took up the issue of the AP government's decision to abolish the state legislative council and requested Prasad to move a Bill in Parliament in this regard and get its approval.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The matter-of-factness with which Wendell Rodricks chose to be himself was groundbreaking, something hard to comprehend now in a time when gay pool parties happen at five-star hotels and Pride Parades march down the streets of cities like Ahmedabad and Guwahati.

One full pod garlic

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 tbsp jeera

1/2 tbsp haldi powder

One finely chopped onion

Grind the above with one and a half cup water and a tablespoon of homemade coconut oil (optional but makes a difference to the flavour).

So begins the recipe for 'Greta Rodricks Prawn Curry'. My coconut oil is not homemade but I cooked the prawn curry on Thursday night in memory of the person who shared it  Wendell Rodricks, fashion designer, world traveller, Goa aficionado, Padma Shri, gay activist and so much more. In his fashion he was a minimalist, but when it came to life, he embraced it to the maximum.

I knew of Wendell Rodricks long before I met him. In 2002 he had made news by entering into a civil partnership with a Frenchman named Jerome Marrel. A timeline of Indian LGBTQ history from Queer Ink takes note of that, under 2002 

First legal same-sex union on Indian soil with Indian fashion designer Wendell Rodricks, a Goan Catholic, and Jerome Marrel conducted at French Embassy under French law.

This was an India where few public figures were out as gay. Section 377 was law. Among other LGBTQ events in 2002, Queer Ink lists Police harassment of Sangama organisation in Bangalore, Lovers Geethalakshmi and Sumathi commit suicide in Tamil Nadu and Naz Foundation files petition in Delhi High Court, challenging Section 377.

It was not surprising that a fashion designer was gay. Many were rumoured to be. What was remarkable was that he not only chose to be out, he chose to out his relationship. He told Readers Digest years later that he and Jerome signed the Pacte Civil de Solidarite almost 19 years after they had first met on a blind date in Oman because they wanted some legal rights  practical things like filing taxes together, signing each other off for a life-saving medical procedure or approaching immigration in countries that recognised such partnerships. It wasnt a romantic decision but an assertion of our rights, Wendell said. When an Austrian who lived with his Indian girl friend committed suicide, the police told her she had no right to enter their house. They did not want to end up in a situation like that.

At that time in India, we often talked about passport princesses  privileged gay men who marched in LGBT Pride Parades in San Francisco and partied in London but led closeted lives at home. Wendell Rodricks with his French partner could have easily chosen to do that. But as he said, I am very firm about it. The state has no right to peep into my bedroom.

In memoriam: The term fashion designer was too small to fit the multitudes that was Wendell Rodricks

Their reasons for doing it might have been pragmatic, but by going public Wendell and Jerome showed a generation of queer people in India that there was a life after coming out.They continued to live in Goa just like they always had. And Wendell still got a Padma Shri in 2014.

When Wendell and Jerome embarked on their relationship, apart from the occasional image of a lesbian sculpture in Khajuraho or tales of transgender mythology, most tropes of gay life for Indians still came from the West. Those were images of angry ACT-UP AIDS activism, of kinky bars with backrooms and drag queens at Pride Parades. For most Indians that sounded like something from another planet. By being out as a couple, Wendell Rodricks and Jerome Marrel gave us an image of the possibility of a domestic life together that happened to be gay.

Wendell told Bombay Times that growing up gay in '70s and '80s India was sheer cold terror and he came out on national television in 2002 to show the younger generation that it was possible to have a long love life and celebrate it. In a country that understands marriage more readily than it understands sexuality, he was in a sense saying you could come out as gay and still realise every Indian parents dream of seeing their children settled. They could very well have been, writes Premankur Biswas in Indian Express, Indias first official gay couple.

Of course its not that many gay Indians looked at Wendell Rodricks and Jerome Marrell and automatically saw their lives reflected in them. They existed in a charmed circle of fashion designers, top models and Bollywood stars. Most gay Indians had no access to a Pacte Civil de Solidarite. But the matter-of-factness with which Wendell chose to be himself was groundbreaking, something hard to comprehend now in a time when gay pool parties happen at five-star hotels and Pride Parades march down the streets of cities like Ahmedabad and Guwahati. That today his obituaries say matter-of-factly that he is survived by his husband Jerome Marrel is in a way testimony to how far we have come, thanks in part to his refusal to keep his relationship discreetly tucked away.

Later I discovered none of it was as easy as it seemed to those of us who watched it from afar. While his family supported him and his mother called Jerome her fifth son, at that time they were not happy about him going public. In his memoir The Green Room, Wendell writes that no one from his family came for the celebratory Christmas lunch that year. Jerome and Wendell went to bed fighting back tears, feeling dirty, drained and defeated while forty kilos of pork lay cooling on the buffet table.

But India caught up with him eventually. When Section 377 was read down, Wendell appeared on television shows, elated and happy. He started a helpline for the LGBTQ community with Ruby Almeida, the co-chair of Rainbow Catholics India. In 2017 he gave Mona Campbell, a plus-size transgender model, her big break on the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week. She told News 18 Wendell made time to breakfast with her parents and tell them to keep supporting her.

I first met Wendell at a literature festival in Shillong. I was a first-time novelist. He was the bona fide celebrity in aquamarine pants. Talking about gay rights in Shillong was a big step for the festival. There were school children in attendance. Wendell understood his job was to reassure the audience that being gay was not about growing horns. He complained that people only thought about sex when they heard 'homosexual', or worse, clubbed it with things like pedophilia and bestiality. They forget it is also a celebration of love, he said. And the joys of domesticity that came with it.

Like a good prawn curry.

Somewhere in that recipe, Wendell writes:

Mix 200 gm Nestle or Maggi Coconut powder in one-and-a-half cup hot water till smooth. Add to the curry on the stove.

Boil on a low to medium heat till the curry starts boiling (like milk does). At this stage a prayer for Greta.

Tonight as I cooked the 'Greta Rodricks Prawn Curry', I said a prayer for Greta. And one for Wendell Rodricks.

Thank you Wendell, for being you.
Concurs repetat pentru selectarea unei companii sociologice, care sa efectueze un studiu tematic "Barometrul opiniei publice in domeniul schimbarilor climatice"
In the early 1960s, when I was living on Kenyon Street NW, I often took my two small children to the nearby National Zoo. One of the inhabitants we particularly enjoyed watching was the polar bear. My younger friends and regular zoo visitors tell me they have no recollection of polar bears at the National Zoo. When was the polar bear exhibit terminated, and what happened to the bears?
TROY  A Saratoga County woman who has had a series of contentious encounters with Capital Region law enforcement agencies was indicted Friday by a Rensselaer County grand jury for allegedly assaulting a deputy when she was being booked at the county jail and damaging a jail cell and her jail uniform, according to the seven-count indictment.

Brittany Kilcher was indicted as a result of a sequence of incidents that occurred Oct. 8 at the county probation office and the county jail, according to court records.

Kilcher, who was sentenced in June to 10 months probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault for an October 2018 scuffle with an Albany police officer, was at the probation office for a regular meeting. The probation officer said in a statement that Kilcher objected to having to report to the office twice a month. Kilcher told the Times Union that the argument also involved her need to have her curfew lifted so she could continue to work as an exotic dancer.

Kilcher was asked to leave. She went to the Troy police to file a complaint about her treatment at the probation office before returning there an hour later, according to reports. Kilcher was asked to leave again, and when she did not was arrested by sheriffs deputies, according to records. She was taken to the county jail to be booked, where she slipped out of her handcuffs. A deputys thumb was injured in the ensuing effort to re-shackle her, according to court records. This led to the grand jury hearing after the case was transferred from Troy City Court.

The indictment accuses Kilcher  25 years old at the time of her most recent arrest  of felony counts of second-degree assault and third-degree criminal mischief. In addition, she is accused of misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, second-degree obstructing governmental administration, third-degree escape and fourth-degree criminal mischief. A violation count of trespass also was filed against her in the indictment.

Kilchers attorney, Ted Hartman of Albany, filed motions Monday with Rensselaer County Court to have a special prosecutor named to replace District Attorney Mary Pat Donnellys office, and to visit the county jail cell where Kilcher was held and the probation office where she was arrested.

Hartman declined to comment Friday on the pending legal matters.

The motion for a special prosecutor argues it should be granted due to Assistant District Attorney Cheryl McDermott contacting Hartman to say she was receiving a volume of emails from Kilcher that could constitute aggravated harassment, and that Kilcher had filed a notice of claim to sue the district attorney, probation department, the sheriffs office and the county.

The jail visit is necessary, according to the motion, because Kilchers theory of defense is that (she) did not intend to damage property but rather was solely trying to hang herself. The motion asks for court permission for Kilcher to show her attorney how she attempted to kill herself in the cell.

The indictment said she damaged the sprinkler system, inmate uniform and mattress.

Kilcher contacted Times Union staff members by email a week ago with a copy of a social media posting alleging that she had given lap dances to Donnelly and her husband at an unnamed local club.

Donnelly said that never happened. The district attorney said friends and community members have pointed out Kilcher's postings to her and family members, which is why she is responding to Kilchers allegation.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Kilcher has sent repeated emails, including "pornographic pictures," to the district attorney and her staffers, Donnelly said. (Several Times Union editors and reporters have received similar messages and images from Kilcher.)

Donnelly said the repeated emails could be an attempt to build a case that a special prosecutor should be named. We deal with difficult defendants all the time," she said. "My concern about acquiescing to a motion for a special prosecutor is setting a dangerous precedent."

Kilcher has previously filed notices to sue the New York State Police and the Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth.

The State Police claim arose from a July 2018 traffic incident when a truck Kilcher was riding in was rear-ended on Route 50 in Saratoga Springs after a Jason Aldean concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. She alleged a trooper swatted a cell phone from her hand while she was attempting to record the stop. She was later charged with harassment by Saratoga Springs City police for allegedly trying to kick an officer.

The October 2018 arrest in Albany occurred outside a North Pearl Street bar after Kilcher allegedly jumped on top of a police cruiser and then kicked an officer who tried to convince her to leave the area., according to reports. Kilcher has said her behavior that night was due to her being surreptitiously drugged during a night out with friends.

The claim against Berkshire Farm was filed in February 2019 for employment discrimination and wrongful termination, according to court records. It was dismissed two months later.

Note: A previous version of this article gave a former town of residence for Kilcher.
In ancient Ireland, the artists, the bards and the musicians were well looked after by their patrons. But a culture of 'freebie' art has come into vogue in Ireland in recent years, which is making it very difficult for people to pursue a full-time career in the arts.

So says a new policy document drafted by the Arts Council, which is aimed at raising awareness about the need to pay artists so that they can work professionally in Ireland and have 'productive and rewarding careers'.

The new policy document, Paying The Artist, has been welcomed by the director of 'Ionad Culturtha an Dochtuir O Loingsigh' in Baile Mhuirne, Dr Aoife Granville believes it will be very helpful to people like her working in arts centres and festivals, who will be able to use it as a reference point when dealing with funders.

According to Aoife, people do not realise the value of the art and the sheer time that goes into it, not to mention the genius that artists create, and it would almost impossible to properly compensate them for this.

"Here in the Ionad Cultutha, I am very firm that we pay artists properly," she told The Corkman. Thats very important to us and, also, for the artists and musicians who perform here.

"But we are in the fortunate position that we are funded by the Arts Council, Ealain na Gaeltachta, the Cork Education and Training Board and Cork County Council; if we weren't it would be very challenging to be able to pay artists who work here properly."

She pointed to Siobhan Ni Dhuinnin, who is currently the artist in residence at the Ionad Culturtha, as someone whose value in terms her creativity they would not be able to met without the support they're getting.

"She's been giving classes to young and old, she was the choreographer on a show which went on to win an All-Ireland, and she's developing her own work also," said Aoife.

"How do you place a value on that?"

According to Aoife, there are many traditional musicians and other artists who are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet in Ireland and, because of Brexit and a more difficult process to get a visa to travel and play in the US, the option of travelling abroad for work is not as open to them as it used to be.

At the policy's launch this week, the Arts Council Chairman, Kevin Rafter, said that the culture of the freebie had to change. Mr Rafter poured cold water on "The idea that it is acceptable to get artists to work as a 'freebie', or to offer work without proper payment because it might somehow enhance an artist's career".

He said artists should be paid fairly and equitably for their work. The policy document sets out the Arts Council's ambition to only fund organisations, festivals and events where best practice is being implemented regarding the payment of artists.

"Payment should aspire to best practice, not minimum standards," the policy states. Where public funding is involved, "fair and equitable remuneration is a matter of policy and prioritisation and, accordingly, should be factored into the budgeting process rather than being budget-dependent".

Also included in the policy is a commitment to continued improvement in rates, from a current low base, and "minimum standards are not an acceptable ambition".

Artists should have a voice in negotiations, and all engagements, concerts, exhibitions and performances, should be covered by a contract.

Contracts should be clear, stating explicitly when and how artists are paid, with accommodation for fees and expenses. Copyright must be respected, and artists should benefit from the future exploitation of their work.

Reflecting that sometimes the artist is last in line to be paid, the new policy says artists' fees should be ring-fenced within project budgets so they are protected against budget overruns in other areas. It distinguishes these payments from genuinely voluntary work.

"Sometimes artists are own worst enemy - we do many things without payment that others look at us and say that we're not normal," said Aoife.

"This policy document is going to be a very useful reference."

The Chairman of the Arts Council, Kevin Rafter, said the best way to deliver on Paying the Artist, was to deliver "more resources for the arts".

"As chair of the Arts Council, I would encourage the new government and the new minister for culture to be ambitious for the arts, and to let that ambition be seen in the Arts Council budget for 2021."

He also said that new research into artists' pay and conditions was being commissioned by the Arts Council.
Yemen's Huthi rebels have dropped a threat to impose a tax on aid, a UN official told AFP Friday, in a significant step towards resolving a crisis that has jeopardised the world's biggest humanitarian operation. United Nations leaders and aid groups held crunch talks in Brussels on Thursday to address obstruction by the Iran-backed militia that has threatened to sever the lifeline to millions at risk of starvation. They heard that vital supplies may have to be cut off, after humanitarian agencies complained of a deteriorating situation in the Huthi-controlled north where aid workers face arrest and intimidation. But a UN official in Sanaa said the rebels had backed away from a proposed 2.0 percent levy on NGOs pushed by the Huthi aid body SCMCHA, criticised for hobbling aid with interference and layers of bureaucracy. The rebel administration "in its meeting on 12 February, has decided to cancel the 2.0 percent that was included in SCMCHA regulations," said the official, who asked not to be named. "The cancellation of the tax is a positive development for sure," he said, noting that other issues that still need to be dealt with relate to "access and bureaucratic impediments". Yemen has been driven to the brink of famine during five years of fighting between the Huthis and the internationally recognised government which is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition. The Brussels meeting heard that, while both sides have made trouble for humanitarian and UN agencies, the Huthi attempts to tax shipments triggered the latest crisis. "It cannot continue, the biggest lifeline on earth is at stake. There are 20 million people in need in Yemen," Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told AFP on Thursday. "We cannot pay donated aid money to one of the parties to the conflict. So that is one of the many red lines that we are fearful of having to cross. We cannot do it," he said. - 'Deeply alarmed' - The European Commission and the government of Sweden who called the Brussels meeting said Friday that the dire situation may still require aid to be scaled back. "We are deeply alarmed at the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian space all over the country. It has reached a breaking point where delivery of life-saving assistance is at risk," they said in a statement. The humanitarian groups' talks produced an agreement that if it became impossible to deliver aid without breaking their principles, responses could include "recalibrating humanitarian assistance, including a downscaling, or even interruption, of certain operations". In an apparent reference to the dropping of the tax, they said that "the recent indication of willingness to remove constraints for aid delivery on the ground needs to be followed up." The internationally recognised Yemen government had also sounded the alarm at reports the United States was considering suspending much of its humanitarian assistance in response to the pressures including the rebel tax. "Scaling back on aid in governorates under Huthi control will affect citizens, not the armed Huthi militias," Abdul Raqib Fateh, a minister and the head of Yemen's relief committee, told AFP last week. Allegations of aid being diverted and obstructed are not new in Yemen, which has been driven to the brink of famine during the long-running crisis. One battleground has been expired food, with the Huthis accusing the UN of distributing maggot-ridden rice and flour, and aid workers saying that supplies had been needlessly held for months until they spoiled. The UN World Food Programme, which feeds 12 million Yemenis a month, halted deliveries in Huthi-controlled areas for two months last year as it pushed for a biometric registration scheme to avoid the diversion of supplies meant for Yemeni civilians. The Huthi authorities have dismissed the criticism, saying that UN agencies were playing politics and using aid to threaten Yemenis. "This blackmail of reducing aid doesn't work on Yemenis, and if they continue with this threat, then things will turn against them," the head of SCMCHA, Abdul Mohsen al-Tawoos, said last week.
(Kitco News) - Bitcoin has risen 48% since the start of 2020, far outperforming gold, and this may be due in part to the coronavirus, said Clem Chambers of Investorshub.com, who considers the largest cryptocurrency to be the flight asset of choice.

Bitcoin is now proven to be of use, because you can buy it and turn it into fiat very, very quickly and very, very easily international. So, if you had to make plans quickly, as a lot of people in Asia Im sure are worried about being kettled in their cities, not just in China, youd want to have the ability to take $100,000, $200,000, a million five million dollars worth of assets abroad with you, Chambers told Kitco News.

Bitcoin is expected to go through a process known as halvening this year, where the supply of bitcoin will drop in half.

In May, the reward is going to half, and every now and again, probably every four years, the reward halves and the supply of new bitcoin that enters the market drops. If you could imagine it with gold, it would be like half the gold miners stopping digging up gold every four years, he said.

Chambers added that bitcoin halvening will produce a very clear bull market for prices.
Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce and Dr. Randy Smart after receiving its Golden Frog Award. View Photo

San Andreas, CA  The health care district that brought a multi-million-dollar wellness mecca to Calaveras County has received top honors from the local business community.

The Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce, which recently brought onboard new CEO Morgan Gace, held its annual installation and awards dinner at Ironstone Vineyards.

This year, the group chose to bestow its Golden Frog Award, given to the person or group responsible for having the biggest community-wide impact, to CEO Dr. Randy Smart and the Mark Twain Health Care District.

Among his and the districts efforts to improve and expand rural health care in Calaveras County was the planning, financing, and opening last fall of the multi-million-dollar Valley Springs Health & Wellness Center that it now manages as an independent operator.

Other honorees included Save Mart, Business of the Year; Calaveras Humane Society, Nonprofit of the Year; Valley Springs-based Hawg Dawgs, Small Business of the Year, and Gretel Allen Tiscomia, owner of The Pickle Patch in San Andreas and Mingos on Main in downtown Angels Camp, Entrepreneur of the Year.
Rohit Shekhar Tiwari, the son of former Uttarakhand chief minister N D Tiwari, was murdered by his wife Apoorva Shukla "in frustration when she did not succeed in her plans", his mother told a Delhi court on Saturday.

The submission was made by Rohit's mother Ujjwala Tiwari before Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav during recording of her statement as a prosecution witness in the murder case.

Ujjwala alleged that Shukla, arrested in connection with Rohit's murder, had married him as he was the son of the late veteran politician and she believed she would get a ticket to contest elections at Indore after marrying him.

Ujjwala, who was represented by advocate Tariq Nasir, further alleged that relations were tensed between Rohit and his wife immediately after their marriage and that she fought with him on trivial issues.

She claimed that Shukla allegedly pressurised Rohit to not keep his mother with them at their house and get a separate bungalow for her in Delhi so that she could get her father treated here.

"When she did not succeed in her plans, she (Shukla) murdered him (Rohit) in frustration," Ujjwala alleged.

She claimed that after Rohit's death, Shukla tried to stop the postmortem proceedings.

"Shukla said what was the necessity of postmortem. If postmortem was conducted, how will we bathe the body with holy water," Ujjwala said.

The court has put up the matter for further hearing on February 26.

The court had earlier directed the Tihar jail authorities to provide necessary treatment to Shukla at a good hospital other than the jail dispensary and Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital for her psychological problems which include depression and sleep disorder.

The prison authorities had told the court in their reply that she was already undergoing treatment from a psychiatrist in the jail.

They had said she was undergoing psycho-therapy sessions in jail for her problems like inability to control her anger, poor quality of sleep, bad dreams.

Advocate Mehmood Pracha, representing Shukla, had told the court that her condition was at the "threshold" stage and if allowed to become severe, she would not be able to recover from it.

"Her symptoms are serious in nature. She might be suffering from bipolar disorder (mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs and lows). She is already suffering from depression. Her condition is becoming worse day-by-day. If this crosses the boundary, it would be a point of no return," the counsel had said.

He had claimed that Shukla was not getting proper treatment from the jail doctors or at the DDU Hospital.

Shukla, a lawyer, was arrested on April 26 last year on charges of Tiwari's murder.

Rohit Shekhar, the son of late veteran politician N D Tiwari, was smothered to death on the intervening night of April 15 and 16, an autopsy report had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Alliance News) - Britain is in talks with China over giving Beijing's state-owned railway builder a role in constructing the troubled HS2 high-speed link.

The China Railway Construction Corporation has said it can build the line in just five years at a much lower cost than is currently forecast, according to the Financial Times.

Department for Transport officials confirmed "preliminary discussions" had taken place between CCRC and HS2 Ltd, but said no "concrete commitments" had been made.

"The DfT is always keen to learn from the experience of others and to consider approaches that offer value for money to the taxpayer," one official said.

Boris Johnson this week controversially gave the green light for the scheme to go ahead a despite an official review warning costs could reach over GBP100 billion, against a budget of GBP62 billion.

Under current plans the final stretch of the line is not due to be completed until 2040 a although Johnson has said he wants that brought forward to 2035.

However, the FT reported that CCRC had written to HS2 Ltd's chief executive last month saying it could build the line by the middle of the decade, for a much reduced price tag.

The letter, first reported by Building Magazine and seen by the FT, states: "We are certain that we can offer a cost that is significantly lower than the projections we have seen.

"The advantages are too great, in our opinion, too great to dismiss on the basis that there are obstacles to overcome.

"You will find that the Chinese way is to seek solutions, not linger on obstacles and difficulties."

CCRC has transformed China's transport system, building most of the country's 15,500-mile high-speed network.

However, British officials are said to be sceptical that it could operate in the same way in a democracy with property rights, protected landscapes and powerful lobbying groups.

Any move to give Beijing a further role in the UK's infrastructure would almost certainly prove controversial, after Johnson reportedly incurred the wrath of US President Donald Trump a as well as upsetting many Tory MPs a with his decision to allow tech giant Huawei to supply equipment for the 5G mobile network.

By Gavin Cordon, PA Whitehall Editor

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
It was the move which stunned the City and left commentators speechless last year. How could Kevin Loosemore take a second major job while running FTSE 100 software company Micro Focus, which was itself in desperate need of repair?

And not just any job. The job of rescuing the historic company that prints Britain's bank-notes, De La Rue, as it faced the prospect of running out of cash itself.

Earlier this month we had the answer. Loosemore stepped down as executive chairman of Micro Focus after 15 years at the helm of the company he built into a British technology giant.

Today, the IT veteran reveals in his first ever interview that his departure from the fallen software giant on Friday was no snap decision.

Former executive chairman Kevin Loosemore says leaving Micro Focus was 'no snap decision'

It was 'a long time planned', says Loosemore, who admits the news he was joining De La Rue a week after a huge profit warning at Micro Focus last August must have looked bad from the outside.

'It's been in the works since 2018. What wasn't supposed to happen is we [Micro Focus] weren't supposed to have a trading update last August, which was infinitely bad timing. By then, it had already been lined up that I was joining De La Rue.'

For someone who has typically shunned the media, he is remarkably candid as he opens up about the plight at Micro Focus  whose value has slumped since the botched 6.5billion takeover of software assets from Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2017  and the mammoth task facing De La Rue, where he is now chairman.

A former boss of IBM's UK business, Loosemore, 61, had transformed Micro Focus into a British technology heavyweight by buying up ageing software companies and squeezing them for cash.

But at 6.5billion, the HPE deal was by far the largest he had embarked on, and it proved his undoing.

'Unfortunately, I did underestimate the challenges of integrating the HPE business,' he says frankly as he reflects on his resignation.

'Micro Focus will still end up being a very strong business with a huge cash flow, but it's not as good as it should have been, which is unfortunate.'

Micro Focus's slump last year must have been a humbling experience for a man who has been described as 'enormously arrogant'.

One former colleague described Loosemore as a 'very smart man' but an 'intellectual snob'. 'He was not a people person. He was feared, not liked,' they added.

Loosemore, who is a devout Christian and would say grace at company events, is defensive of his record at Micro Focus, which he led on to the London Stock Exchange in 2005 and then on to the FTSE 100 in 2016 before it unravelled.

Not even the mighty Goldman Sachs was able to find a buyer for some or all of the company

'If someone bought a Micro Focus share in 2006 at 70p, they would have had 16 of dividends and returns on that investment, which is not shoddy,' he says. On Friday night the shares closed at 8.02, having peaked at almost 27 in November 2017.

The shares slumped when Loosemore's departure was revealed earlier this month  but mostly because not even the mighty Goldman Sachs was able to find a buyer for some or all of the company.

Loosemore says the company 'genuinely looked at all options'.

'If someone comes along with a big enough cheque and it's right for the shareholders, it's not management's job to hold on to things,' he says.

'We believe we could probably get sales for some pieces of the business but the price didn't reflect the true value.'

He said 'lots of people wanted to talk to us' when the company announced the strategic review, but 'nothing came to a formal bid'.

He is, however, backing the company to 'get it sorted'.

'Once things get stabilised, it will still be a huge cash generating business, but it's just got to get through that,' he says.

He says American activist investor Elliott, which snapped up Micro Focus shares when they slumped in 2018 before selling six months later, was a 'fantastic shareholder' and tips them to return now the shares are low again.

Loosemore himself sold 11.6million of shares last summer for 'personal finance reasons', a year after he divorced his former wife Joy, in a move which angered investors as it came before the shares slumped.

He draws parallels between the problems at Micro Focus and De La Rue, which faces a crisis of its own.

In November, less than two months into Loosemore's chairmanship, De La Rue, which prints banknotes and famously lost the contract to make Britain's blue post-Brexit passports, warned there was 'significant doubt' about its future if its turnaround plan does not come off.

Loosemore says he contacted De La Rue last summer when the company was already under pressure and said he'd be interested in the chairman job, knowing he was already leaving Micro Focus.

He had worked as a managing director of De La Rue in the late 1990s so explains it is 'largely a kind of emotive thing' and there are 'still lots of connections there'.

'In 2000, I got a letter saying when you get to 62 you'll get a pension. I stuck it in the drawer and thought that'll never happen. But I know lots of people who are pensioners, I know lots of the staff and I thought, 'I'd like to go and see if I can fix this thing',' he says.

And he speaks frankly about fears that the business might collapse when he joined: 'That was part of the risk of taking the challenge on because I think that's the direction it was going, to be honest. At which point you may say well I'm mad.'

He says it was 'obviously a huge blow' to lose the passport contract to a Franco-Dutch company and wonders whether that would happen in 'any other country in Europe'.

He's also open about the job cuts the business needs to make to survive. 'What we've said to the staff is we've now got to get to the point where we live within our means, which is you have to earn as much as you spend,' he says.

'If you and your family spent way more than you earned, and you maximised your mortgage and sold off some of the family heirlooms, at some point you have to start living within your means. And that's kind of the reality [at De La Rue].'

He hits out at former management for not listening to outspoken investors such as Crystal Amber's Richard Bernstein, a vocal critic of former chief executive Martin Sutherland and Loosemore's predecessor Philip Rogerson.

Loosemore says he spoke to Bernstein the morning he was appointed.

'[Bernstein] expressed his frustrations that certain things had been done wrong and that Crystal Amber weren't really being listened to. And I think he was quite surprised when I said, 'Yeah, I agree'.'

He adds: 'My view of activist investors over the years has always been embrace them because if someone's got a good idea it's a good idea. Don't worry about where it came from.'

Despite his initial ire at not being consulted when Loosemore was hired, Bernstein is now backing Loosemore and new chief executive Clive Vacher to turn things around.

The trick, Loosemore explains, will be for De La Rue to start making money in the bad years and then 'really good money' in good times.

Of the task ahead, Loosemore says: 'I've seen nothing that has convinced me it won't be really difficult, but I've seen nothing that has convinced me it can't be done.'

Whatever happens, it certainly is a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Town of Otsego, N.Y. -- State Police are investigating a two vehicle accident at the intersection of State Highway 80 and 205 where eight people were injured.

It happened just after 2:00 p.m. on Friday. State Police say Ryan Palmatier of Hartwick was driving and SUV on Route 205 when he pulled out in front of a van from Pathfinder Village which was headed south on Route 80.

The van, driver by Amanda Quillen of Norwich, had six passengers ages 24 to 50 on board. The van struck the SUV and it overturned. All eight people involved in the crash were taken to Bassett hospital in Cooperstown with non life-threatening injuries.

State Police could not say if any tickets were issued.
President Donald Trump's $1.5 billion proposal to prop up the country's nuclear fuel industry has emboldened at least one company to take steps toward boosting operations at dormant uranium mines around the West, including outside Grand Canyon National Park. The company, Canada-based Energy Fuels Inc., announced a stock sale late Thursday and said it would use the proceeds for its uranium mining operations in the US West.

The Trump administration asked Congress this week for $1.5 billion over 10 years to create a new national stockpile of US-mined uranium, saying that propping up US uranium production in the face of cheaper imports is a matter of vital energy security. Approval is far from certain in a highly partisan Congress.

Some Democratic lawmakers, and market analysts across the political spectrum, charge that the Trump administration's overall aim is really about helping a few uranium companies that can't compete in the global market, and their investors.

Demand for the nuclear fuel has languished worldwide since Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster. US uranium production has plummeted 96% in the last five years, the US Energy Information Administration reported Thursday.

Energy Fuels Inc., a Toronto-based corporation that is the leading uranium mining company in the US, announced it was selling stock and putting the nearly $17 million in proceeds into its mining operations in Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Texas and elsewhere in response to Trump's 2021 budget. Company spokesman Curtis Moore said Friday that could mean opening a mine about 15 miles from the Grand Canyon's South Rim entrance.

Environmentalists and Democrats have opposed uranium mining outside the national park, mainly over concerns it could contaminate water resources. Republicans say mining could bring much-needed jobs to the region.

Energy Fuels had been one of the main mining companies seeking US taxpayer support for domestic uranium mining. It also helped sell the Trump administration on cutting the size of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah to open more land for possible future mining, and oil and gas development.

Energy Fuels has no mining claims or land inside the former territory of Bears Ears, Moore said Friday. So, that's a hard no," he said, to any suggestion it planned any immediate uranium development there.

Launching operations at the company's Canyon Mine claim outside the Grand Canyon is definitely on the table, however, if Congress approves Trump's proposal, he said.

Depending on how things go in the coming weeks and months, we may be in a position to use some of the money to put that small mine into production," Moore said.

Trump made the request for a new national uranium reserve in his 2021 budget request this week. It was the latest illustration that trying to rescue the US nuclear and coal industries is a political priority for the Republican president, who often invokes national security as justification.

The move has a range of critics.

"It's not the responsibility of the taxpayer to bail out an industry, whether that's uranium, solar, coal, what have you, said Katie Tubb, a senior energy policy analyst at the conservative Washington Heritage Foundation.

The Energy Department said the plan would boost work for at least a couple of the US West's nearly dormant uranium operations. Residents near another of the mines, in Utah, say they fear an increase in radioactive threats.

Whatever Trump does, we'll be standing our ground to let the people know that we're not going to give up, said Yolanda Badback, a resident of White Mesa, a town of about 200 people who are members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe near a uranium mill in southern Utah.

Trump's plan would need approval from a highly partisan Congress. Rep. Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat and chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, has opposed Trump's effort to make domestic uranium mining a strategic issue. His aides said they needed to see more details from the administration on the stockpile proposal.

Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican and chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, backed Trump's proposal. The United States should not be dependent on foreign imports of uranium. It is a risk to our national security," Barrasso said in a statement.

Demand for nuclear and coal power sources has fallen against marketplace competition from ever-cheaper natural gas and renewable wind and solar. Trump has been unable to stop a string of coal and nuclear power plant closures.

The US nuclear industry has sought help from the Trump administration, including asking for taxpayer subsidies to promote use of US uranium. US nuclear power plants in 2018 got 90% of their uranium from Canada, Kazakhstan and other foreign suppliers and only 10% from US mines.

Trump in 2019 rejected a request from US uranium mining operators that he set a minimum quota for domestic uranium. But he agreed to set up a task force of national security, military and other federal officials to look for other ways to revive domestic production of the whole nuclear fuel supply chain.

That task force's findings are expected within two weeks. Trump's budget proposal would be part of an effort to put the United States back in the nuclear game around the world, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette told reporters Monday.
A scientist is at work in the VirPath university laboratory, classified as "P3" level of safety, as they try to find a treatment against COVID-19, in France on Feb. 5, 2020. France reported the first death from the virus in Europe on Feb. 15, 2020. (Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images)

France Confirms First Coronavirus Death in Europe

The first death from the new coronavirus in Europeand the third outside of Chinawas reported in France on Saturday.

The patient was an 80-year-old Chinese tourist from Hubei province, the epicenter of the new virus, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn told reporters in Paris.

The male patient was hospitalized on Jan. 25 under strict isolation measures.

His condition deteriorated rapidly, he was in a critical state for several days and he was in intensive care, Buzyn said. This is the first death from the coronavirus outside of Asia, the first death in Europe.

French Health and Solidarity Minister Agnes Buzyn (L) with other officials in Paris on Feb. 8, 2020. (Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images)

Most of the cases of COVID-19, the new virus, have occurred in China, where the virus emerged in December 2019, along with most of the deaths. Previous deaths have been reported by the Philippines and Japan. Another death occurred in Hong Kong.

Thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of cases were reported by Chinese authorities but experts widely believe the true numbers are higher.

France has 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Five are British nationals who became infected while at a ski chalet. Person-to-person transmission was thought to have taken place from another Briton who had traveled to a business conference in Singapore. Another patient who tested positive was the Chinese tourists daughter, Buzyn told reporters, according to The Local.

The daughters condition is improving and authorities believe she will be discharged from the hospital soon.

French citizens leave The Vacanciel Holiday Resort in Carry-le-Rouet, near Marseille, southern France on Feb. 14, 2020, where they spent 14 days in quarantine after their repatriation from Wuhan, China. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Our health system must be prepared to face a possible virus spreading across the country, Buzyn said, adding that she would meet with health authorities on Tuesday to discuss the new virus.

The World Health Organization on Friday said it confirmed the first COVID-19 case in Africa. The patient tested positive in Egypt.

There are also confirmed cases in the Middle East, Oceania, and the Americas in addition to Asia and Africa. Over two dozen countries have reported cases of the virus.

The largest outbreak outside of China is in Japan, where the Diamond Princess cruise ship has been under quarantine since earlier this month. Nearly 300 cases, most of them passengers from the ship, have been confirmed in the country. Singapore has the second-highest total, with 58 as of Friday.

People wearing face masks look on during a rehearsal of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch relay in Tokyo on Feb. 15, 2020. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

In Europe, Germany has the most confirmed cases with 15, followed by France. The United Kingdom has nine cases, Italy has three, and Russia and Spain have two each. Belgium, Finland, and Sweden have each had one patient test positive.

Coronaviruses circulate among animals and in rare cases infect people and then spread between people. Other examples are MERS and SARS.

The person-to-person spread happens most often among close contacts, or within about six feet, through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people nearby or be inhaled into the lungs.

Some transmission is occurring through people touching a contaminated surface or object and through asymptomatic transmission, or spread from people who are sick but do not show symptoms.
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A 15-year-old male was arrested Friday in connection with the body of a man found dead near Harlandale High School on Tuesday, San Antonio police said.

The teen was charged with murder and is at the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center, police said.
Agents with military-style training will help Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a move decried by rights groups.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced plans to deploy highly trained tactical border control agents to so-called sanctuary cities across the country to boost arrests of undocumented immigrants.

Members of the US Customs and Border Protections (CBP) Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) will be among the officers deployed to cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Officers will also be sent to San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey, CBP spokesman Lawrence Payne said in a statement on Friday.

The move is the latest escalation in the administrations pressure campaign against cities and towns that have enacted sanctuary policies in which local law enforcement do not coordinate with federal immigration officers.

ICE is utilizing CBP to supplement enforcement activity in response to the resource challenges stemming from sanctuary city policies, ICE acting Director Matthew T Albence said in a statement.

As we have noted for years, in jurisdictions where we are not allowed to assume custody of aliens from jails, our officers are forced to make at-large arrests of criminal aliens who have been released into communities.

BORTACs members undergo a grueling training program designed to mirror aspects of US Special Operation Forces courses, according to details about the programme published on the CBP website.

The unit was launched in 1984 in response to rioting at immigration detention facilities. Members carry additional gear, including stun grenades, and their training includes sniper certification, according to the New York Times, which first reported the plan. The unit usually conducts operations that are considered high risk and involve suspects known to be violent, according to the newspaper.

Escalating campaign

Trump has made immigration a centrepiece of his re-election campaign and his administration has worked to undermine jurisdictions with sanctuary policies.





On Monday, the Department of Justice filed a number of lawsuits against California, New Jersey and King County, Washington, claiming their policies make it difficult for authorities to enforce federal immigration law.

The Department of Homeland Security said last week it would bar New Yorkers from renewing or obtaining new Global Entry passes  preclearances that allow faster passage through airport immigration  and from participating in three programmes that permit faster travel between the US, Canada and Mexico, which could affect hundreds of thousands of travellers.

The deployment of the tactical agents will run from February through May, the Times reported, citing a CBP email.

Intimidate and retaliate

Rights groups, Democratic legislators, and a former CBP official decried the announcement.

The American Civil Liberties Union Nauraeen Shah said the policy will put lives at risk by further militarising our streets.





Make the Road New Jersey, an immigrant support group, in a tweet accused the Trump administration of deploying weapons of war to our communities.

Democratic congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, whose district includes Boston, said: We will not stand for this.

Let us be clear, this move has nothing to do with public safety, but rather serves only to further the Trump Administrations agenda to intimidate and retaliate against cities that uphold the dignity and humanity of our immigrant neighbors, she said a statement.

Meanwhile, former CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske told the Times the move was a significant mistake.

If you were a police chief and you were going to make an apprehension for a relatively minor offense, you dont send the SWAT team. And BORTAC is the SWAT team, Kerlikowske to the newspaper. Theyre trained for much more hazardous missions than this.
The United States remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine and reaffirms commitment to build the capacity of Ukraine's forces to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression.

This was discussed during a meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Defense Minister of Ukraine Andriy Zahorodniuk at a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels.

Secretary Esper reiterated that the United States remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, reads the release of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Moreover, the United States reaffirmed commitment to security assistance efforts to build the capacity of Ukraine's forces to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression. Secretary Esper highlighted the need for European allies to contribute more to the Ukraine security assistance mission.

U.S. Defense Secretary also praised Minister Zahorodniuk for his leadership in transforming Ukraines defense sector, noting the considerable progress in areas such as procurement, command and control, and human resources management, and encouraged continued progress with reform in support of a more secure and democratic Ukraine.

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SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - The 522-unit condominium project located in the Downtown Core offers the ultimate in work-live-play and flexible space use within ones own residence



The scale model of The M, which has three 20-storey blocks and a six-storey residential block raised 9m above the facilities deck on the third level of the development (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

Despite Singapore having raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) alert to orange in view of the growing novel coronavirus threat, life should go on as usual, says Edmund Cheng, deputy chairman and deputy managing director of Wing Tai Asia.

Other property developers seem to agree with him. This coming weekend (Feb 15 and 16) will see the preview of three projects: Wing Tais The M, its much-anticipated 522-unit private condominium on Middle Road; Bukit Sembawang Estates latest phase of 39 houses at Luxus Hills; and OLA, a 548-unit executive condo at Anchorvale Crescent in Sengkang by joint-venture partners, Evia Real Estate and Malaysian group Gamuda.

For sure, precautionary measures have been taken at the sales gallery of The M with thermal scanners at the entrance, visitors having to provide contact details, a tent that serves as a holding area for property agents and discussion area, as well as a separate isolation room if needed. We will monitor the crowd flow over the weekend to make sure that there are not too many people within the sales gallery at any one time, says Stacey Ow Yeong, head of marketing at Wing Tai Asia.

Hourly cleaning of the sales gallery will be carried out and intensified if the situation warrants. We want to assure visitors to the sales gallery that all the necessary precautionary measures have been taken, says Cheng.



Cheng: The M is located right in the middle of the city. Theres a lot of F&B and retail [offerings]. People in the creative industries tend to work late at night because thats when their creative juices start flowing. And we want to cater to that 24x7 lifestyle (Photo: Wing Tai Asia)

Story continues

Mini Cooper

Wing Tais confidence in the location of The M was evident when it emerged the top of 10 bidders for the site at the close of the government land tender at the end of March 2019. The developer won the 80,330 sq ft, 99-year leasehold site with a bid of $492 million or $1,458 psf per plot ratio (psf ppr).

Living up to its name, Middle Road is located right smack in between Bugis district and Beach Road, where major transformation is taking place. The M is also in the vicinity of the Rochor Planning Area, where Singapores budding arts, culture and education district is located, with LaSalle College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts campuses, School of the Arts Singapore and Singapore Management University in the vicinity.

The appeal isnt just the centrality of The M, which is in the Downtown Core in the Core Central Region (CCR), but the diversity of the area, with the mix of old shophouses, national monuments such as the Raffles Hotel, and new integrated developments such as South Beach, DUO and the upcoming Guoco Midtown. Shaw Towers on Beach Road, located directly opposite The M, will also be redeveloped into a new, Grade-A office tower in the future.

Besides Grade-A office towers, there are also malls close by, such as Bugis Junction, Marina Square, Raffles City Shopping Centre and Suntec City Mall.



Middle Road is located right smack in between Bugis district and Beach Road, where major transformation is taking place. The M is also in the vicinity of the Rochor Planning Area (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

The M is located right in the middle of the city, says Wing Tais Cheng. Theres a lot of F&B and retail [offerings]. People in the creative industries tend to work late at night because thats when their creative juices start flowing. And we want to cater to that 24x7 lifestyle.

Terence Tam, owner of Hong Kong-based design firm UTS, was engaged by Wing Tai as the interior designer for the project  from the sales gallery, the clubhouse and the common areas, to the individual units at The M. The area is very vibrant, with the art schools, a lot of youngsters hanging out, and so theres a lot of night activity and hipster cafes and bars, observes Tam.

The idea was to design a project that will appeal to the young. The units therefore had to be right-sized so that absolute prices would be affordable, adds Tam. We wanted to incorporate elements of co-working, co-living and co-playing into the project.

He likens the project to the Mini Cooper. Why does the Mini Cooper continue to attract attention and why are people willing to pay a premium for it compared to other small cars? he says. Its because the Mini Cooper is more playful and sexier.



Tam: We wanted to incorporate elements of co-working, co-living and co-playing into the project (Photo: UTS)

Home/Work concept

Wing Tai has introduced a new concept of home/work, which it intends to trademark. The versatility of space use in the home/work concept was created by UTS Tam. The units were designed to be both efficient and flexible, with transformer furniture incorporated for added versatility, he adds.

For instance, the studios come with sliding wardrobes in the living area. If the space is used as a workplace, the wardrobes can be used as storage space instead. This allows the space to be changeable, he explains. Lighting inside the wardrobe provides illumination for the room, even if the rest of the lights are turned off.

The long countertop at the kitchen can be used as a dining table or a meeting table. It can also be moved all the way across the room to the window and turned into a bar counter. The kitchen cabinets come with translucent glass and are also illuminated within. This way, they can be used as display cabinets too.

Additional storage space is provided above the kitchen cabinets. Given the depth of the storage space, it can even fit big suitcases. Alternatively, it can be used as a display cabinet, adds Tam.



The studios come with sliding wardrobes in the living area and a movable countertop in the kitchen area that is versatile enough to be used as a workspace, dining area or turned into a bar counter (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

The bathrooms come with an LED light box above the mirror that looks like a skylight. It has three different lighting modes that can be controlled by a switch. Its ideal for people who want to look at themselves under natural light or for putting on makeup, says Tam.

The one-bedroom-plus-study unit comes with an additional concealed storage near the door. It is a double-storage space: within and also on the inside of the door. Another added feature of the one-bedroom units is the wardrobe in the bathroom, which is also illuminated. Concealed storage space includes a pullout table that can double as a dining table and workspace.

The two-bedroom-plus-study units are designed to be flexible such that people can rent out the unit to four tenants if they want, says Tam. Besides the two bedrooms, the study can also be turned into a bedroom as there is a wardrobe and space for a bed and a small desk. The living room, which comes with a balcony, can also be turned into the fourth bedroom by adding a partition wall. The shared space will be the kitchen and dining area. This is ideal for an investor who wants to maximise the rental of the space, says Tam.



The one-bedroom-plus-study has a double-layer concealed storage near the entrance and fold-up tabletop that can double as a dining table and workspace (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

According to Wing Tais Cheng, the home/work concept caters to people from all walks of life  whether mature or millennials. It truly embodies work-live-play.

Lee Sze Teck, head of research for Huttons Asia, agrees. Besides investors, The Ms home/work concept and Downtown Core address appeal to owner-occupiers, he says. It appeals not just to millennials, but a mobile workforce and freelancers.

Whats in a name?

The convenience of The Ms location is another major attribute: It is within a four- to five-minute walk of three MRT stations  Bugis MRT Interchange Station for the East-West and Downtown Lines, the City Hall MRT Interchange Station for the North-South and East-West Lines, and the Esplanade MRT Station on the Circle Line, says Wing Tais Ow Yeong.



The open kitchen of the two-bedroom-plus-study is fitted with a hanging rack in addition to storage cabinets (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)

The name The M was coined to embrace all the attributes: the Middle Road location, the mark of quality and a name that will strike a chord with millennials, says Ow Yeong.

Besides the location and the home/work design concept, Ismail Gafoor, the CEO of PropNex Realty, believes another major attribute of The M is that it is an investible product. Of the 522 units in the project, 233 or 45% are a mix of studios, one-bedroom and one-bedroom-plus study apartments sized from 409 to 527 sq ft. Another 52% of the units are a mix of two-bedroom and two-bedroom-plus study units, with sizes from 592 to 764 sq ft.

The balance 17 units are three-bedroom, dal-key units at 904 sq ft each. These dual-key units can be split into a standalone studio and a two-bedroom apartment, which appeals to both investors and owner-occupiers alike.

Indicative prices are as follows: from just below $1 million for a studio, $1 million upwards for one-bedroom while one-bedroom-plus-study starts from $1.1 million. In the meantime, two-bedroom units are from $1.3 million, with two-bedroom-plus-study apartments from $1.6 million. The three-bedroom dual-key units are priced upwards of $2 million. These absolute prices excite a lot of investors, says Gafoor.



The clubhouse called Club M is over 3,000 sq ft and comes with a residents' lounge, boardroom, multi-purpose room, a gaming room and a baking studio (Photo: Wing Tai Asia)

Clubhouse and facilities: Extension of living space

On the first level of The M is commercial space, which can be divided into nine retail shops and F&B outlets. The commercial space is not for sale at the moment. I like the idea of having just one owner-occupier for the space, who will in turn lease it out for different F&B concepts, says Cheng.

Sitting on top of the commercial space is the carpark, with the facilities deck on the third level. Facilities include a 50m swimming pool, jacuzzi pool and the clubhouse named Club M, which is more than 3,000 sq ft in size. The co-living, co-working and co-playing concept extends to the clubhouse, says Tam. Besides a relaxation area, theres a bar, a gaming room, a baking studio, a board room that can be used as a meeting room and a multipurpose room.

The apartments are elevated 9m above the facilities deck, which is equivalent to three floors for a typical development. Hence, the apartments at The M are elevated seven floors above street level. There is a low-rise, six-storey block and three 20-storey blocks of apartments. The design architect for The M is one of the oldest and most established international architectural and engineering firms, P+T Group, founded in 1868.

The residential blocks at The M are designed such that units overlook the Civic and Cultural District on one side, and the Bugis area on the other. When you look out at the Civic and Cultural District, its like being in New York, where you are looking towards Central Park, says Wing Tais Cheng.



Artist's impression of the facilities at The M, which include a 50m swimming pool, clubhouse and gym (Photo: Wing Tai Asia)

Bohemian vibe

Inspired by the location of The M, Wing Tai announced a three-year partnership initiative with LaSalle College of the Arts, to create and integrate art into the project itself. We are one of the first, if not the first, to collaborate with a design school and to integrate art within the design of a project, says Cheng.

By engaging LaSalle right from the start of the project, it helps the artists capture the spirit of the place better, says Cheng. The artists, design architect and developer will also be able to work together to identify indoor and outdoor spaces at The M where art could be incorporated. Its about a holistic approach to art and design to create a rich environment, he adds.

Typically, art installations are incorporated when a project is close to completion, notes Cheng. But at The M, the artists are going to be part of the design team. Its really the marrying of architecture and design to create something new.



Views of the city area from the 50m infinity-edge swimming pool (Photo: Wing Tai Asia)

The Ms innovative home/work concept and the integration of art and architecture will complement its eclectic neighbourhood, says Nicholas Mak, head of research and consultancy at ERA Realty. This part of Singapore has always been colourful and has a bohemian vibe. Thats what attracts those in the creative industries, the tech companies and start-ups to the area  those who want something with more character than the typical office space.

The preview of The M this coming weekend could provide a much-needed boost to sentiment, adds Mak. The developer has come up with an interesting project that makes it stand out from the rest.

Check out the latest listings near The M, MRT Stations and Schools

For price trends, recent transactions, other project info, check out The M project research page

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A Texas family is suing Sandals Resorts after the matriarch of their family drowned while vacationing at one of its resorts. The family also claims the company offered them a free five-day stay as compensation.

Dripping Springs resident Diane Hendricks was with her son, grandchildren and daughter-in-law while staying at Sandals Resort on Turks And Caicos Island in July 2019, according to Houston-based attorneys Mo Aziz, Spence Graham and Joe Vinas. The family booked a snorkeling trip some distance in the Atlantic Ocean on July 20, according to the lawsuit.
An 80-year-old Chinese tourist in France has become the first person to die from the new coronavirus outside Asia. The first fatality in Europe was the fourth outside mainland China and came on the same day as Beijing reported a decline in new cases Saturday. The tourist who died in France was from Hubei province, where the disease was first detected in December. He had arrived in France on Jan. 16 and had been hospitalized since Jan. 25 with a lung infection. Although his daughter also became sick, she is expected to recover.

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The new virus continued spreading on Saturday with Egypt reporting the first infection on the African continent. But the figures out of China suggested numbers may be declining. China reported 2,641 new cases through midnight Friday, a decline from 5,090 in the previous 24 hours. This isnt the first time a dip in new cases has led to optimism the virus could be getting under control but a trend has yet to emerge. In China, there were 66,492 confirmed cases and 1,523 deaths, largely in Hubei province. Around 500 cases have been reported outside mainland China.

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Outside China, the largest number of cases has been reported on a cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, which is quarantined off Japans Yokohama port. A total of 285 people out of the 3,700 passengers have tested positive for coronavirus and taken to hospital. The United States says it will evacuate Americans who are on the ship; they will be quarantined in the United States. An estimated 380 American citizens will be flown out Monday. Passengers will be screened for symptoms and we are working with our Japanese partners to ensure that any symptomatic passengers receive the required care in Japan if they cannot board the flight, the The U.S. embassy in Tokyo said in a letter to passengers.

While passengers aboard the Diamond Princess have been living through what some have described as a nightmare scenario, passengers in another cruise didnt have much to complain about. The MS Westerdam cruise ship was forced to wander around for two weeks until Cambodia allowed the ship to dock. Everyone says poor you. But there was no poor you. We had free internet and free wine. We had three-course meals. There was so much choice, said Zahra Jennings, a retired nurse from Britain.
It's safe to say former Vice President Joe Biden's performances in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary did not go as planned.

Fourth- and fifth-place finishes don't look very good when you were once considered the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, but the Biden campaign has been waiting for South Carolina to vote later this month. Biden has traditionally dominated in polls there, and he's still the favorite. But it no longer seems like a lock, Politico reports.

Part of that is because he's apparently losing some steam with the state's black voters. Biden's support among African-American voters has been a major focus of his campaign, but some people believe the vice president has been a little too sure of himself. "I think some people feel like because he had such a wide lead and we have such a long history with him that maybe there was some sort of taking for granted that the support would remain," said Tameika Isaac-Devine, a councilwoman in Columbia, South Carolina, who hasn't endorsed any contender yet.

South Carolina State Rep. John King said he's backing billionaire Tom Steyer instead of Biden in part because, while the latter may believe he has the state's African-American vote, "he has not spent time in South Carolina and [Steyer's] people are on the ground." Read more at Politico.

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After a series of



adjournments on Saturday due to protests by opposition members over Speaker S N Patro's ban on media from reporting ruckus in well of the Odisha Assembly, normalcy was restored in the House following an all-party meeting.

The opposition BJP and Congress demanded the withdrawal of Speakers ruling on the media reporting. As the opposition stuck to its demand, Patro adjourned the House at least eight times during the day.

The Speaker clarified his Friday's ruling on the ban after an all-party meeting.

"Under special circumstances yesterday, I had ruled certain matters should not be published in the media. The ruling was for that day only," Patro said in the House after the all-party meeting.

Patro also sought the cooperation of all members for the smooth functioning of the House.

The speaker in a ruling on Friday had directed both the print and electronic media not to report the ruckus inside the House and put a ban on using the name of members staging agitation, inviting strong criticism from the BJP and the Congress.

The members of both the opposition parties condemned the Speakers ruling and said it was "against the freedom of the press and was an anti-democratic norm."



The Speaker gave the Friday's ruling when Congress whip Taraprasad Bahinipati drew the attention of the Chair on the absence of officials in the Assembly officers gallery. As the debate on the motion of thanks to the governors address had started, it was mandatory for officers to remain present in the gallery. However, no such officer was there.

Bahinipati asked whether the Speaker had given permission to officers to remain absent in the House. As Patro did not pay any heed towards him, all the Congress members trooped into the well and demanded a ruling from the Speaker. As the pandemonium continued, Patro in a ruling said that the happening in the well will not be reported in media.

Opposition BJP members, who were till then sitting in their seats, also rushed to well and strongly opposed the Speakers ruling leading to disruption of the proceedings all along Friday which also continued till evening of Saturday. The matter was, however, resolved in the all-party meeting convened by the Speaker and attended by members of all the parties.

In his ruling on Saturday, the Speaker said on many occasions while discussion are going on in the House, the concerned officers are remaining absent in the official gallery.

"The concerned officers are directed to remain present in the officers gallery while their department matters are discussed. The chief secretary is required to ensure the presence of concerned officers in the official gallery," Patro said.

Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik of the BJP said that the speaker's ruling was "detrimental" to the democratic rights of the legislators, and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

Senior Congress MLA S S Saluja also expressed his concern and said, "The speaker's ruling is not acceptable in a democracy. If the MLAs don't protest in the Assembly where should they go? The lawmakers have democratic rights to protest in the Assembly."



Government chief whip Pramilla Mallick said, "The speaker's ruling is constitutional and as per the provisions being followed in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and other state assemblies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kim Kardashian is definitely one of the busiest reality stars in the world. From managing her highly popular shapewear line to coming up with new shades for her beauty company, West seemingly does it all.

She is also a parent, to four young children that she shares with her rapper husband Kanye West. Above all else, Kardashian devotes herself to her kids.

Recently, she opened up about how her youngest child is possibly a reincarnation of a very important figure in her life.

Robert Kardashian was a famous attorney

Although Kardashians stepfather, Olympian Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner) was made famous on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, her biological father is an equally impressive figure. Born in 1944, Robert Kardashian was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and grew up to become a distinguished attorney and businessman.

While many people know him best for his friendship with O.J. Simpson, and for the way he defended him during his 1995 murder trial, Kardashian had a hand in many other endeavors as well. He had a hand in several businesses, including a juice company and a successful trade publication.

Kardashian was married for many years to Kris Kardashian (better-known now as Kris Jenner) and before they divorced in the early nineties, they had four children together: Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, and Rob Kardashian.

Robert Kardashian was a loving father and his four children have many happy memories of times spent with him. Sadly, he was diagnosed with cancer in July 2003. He passed away a mere two months later, leaving his family to grieve over the loss of a great man and a devoted parent.

How many children does Kim Kardashian have?

Kim Kardashian | Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Although Kardashian did not live long enough to see his children have children of their own, all four Kardashian siblings are now parents. Kim Kardashian is leading the pack with four young children: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm West.

Kim Kardashian certainly has a busy life, but her father remains a constant presence in her life. She occasionally posts throwback photos to social media of her father, pointing out how much she and her siblings continue to miss him.

A source close to the Kardashian family stated that theres not a day that goes by that he doesnt cross her mind and she misses him just as much now as the day he died.

Now that Kardashian is pursuing her dream of becoming a lawyer, theres no doubt that her father would be incredibly proud of her and of the legacy that he left behind.

Kim Kardashian thinks that Psalm West is a reincarnation of her father

Psalm West, Kim Kardashian and Kanye Wests youngest child, was born via surrogate in May 2019. While the Kardashian-West household is undoubtedly busy, with two busy parents and four kids, by all accounts, the family is very happy.

Kardashian isnt shy about sharing cute pictures and videos of her kids on social media. On several occasions, she has opened up about how calm and happy baby Psalm West is.

Recently, Kardashian revealed that her sons peaceful nature could have a very interesting explanation. In a February interview, she stated: on our show, we showed that we were in Bali, and a womana blind mediumcame up to me and said that I was gonna have another son and that it was gonna be my father reincarnated. She had no idea. No one knew. No one on my crew knew that I had a surrogate that was pregnant with a boy.

Kardashian went on to describe several other occasions where strangers have told her that her young son is her father, reincarnated. In addition, Psalm apparently shares several unique traits with the late Robert Kardashian, including being left-handed.

Although Kim Kardashian admitted that she isnt really sure if reincarnation is real, she said that she certainly wants to believe it.
The US government and Taliban is all set to sign their peace treaty by the end of this month which includes a plan for a weeklong ceasefire and withdrawal of all American forces from Afghanistan over a period of 18 months, according to the reports. The top sources involved in the negotiations between the US and the Taliban in Qatar told the media that both sides have agreed to sign the peace deal on February 29. The peace deal has been negotiated with the Trump administration for a long time which includes the talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani which are to begin on March 10.

READ: Esper Says Taliban Deal Is Promising But Not Without Risk

US to release 5000 Taliban prisoners

The Afghan government did not involve the US-Taliban negotiations due to strong reservations about the militant groups religious extremism and violence. According to the reports, US has agreed to release 5000 Taliban prisoners between February 29 and March 10. United States President Donald Trump on February 13 reportedly said that he thinks that there is a good chance that the US will reach a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

According to international media reports, it is also speculated that the US-Taliban deal will be signed on February 29 which will put an end to the 19-year-old war. After the deal signing, the US troops are further expected to pull out of the South East Asian country within 18 months, that is till August 2021.

READ: Pompeo, Esper Meet Afghan President On Cusp Of Taliban Deal

Talks resumed in December

The talks between Taliban-US were reportedly resumed in Qatar in December 2019 and three months after Trump abruptly halted the diplomatic efforts and called it 'dead'. However, the peace deal is also expected to focus on the 'reduction of violence' through a ceasefire and intra-Afghan negotiations. The deal would further call for the Taliban and US to refrain from conducting attacks or combat operations for seven days.

READ: US Official: American Casualties In Afghan Military Mission Amid Taliban Peace Talks

READ: Taliban Hits Back At Pompeo, Accuses US Of Delaying Peace Process

(With AP inputs)
I got up this morning wondering about the plausible scenario that no Democratic candidate will have a majority of delegates going into the convention in Milwaukee this summer, thus producing a contested/brokered convention, which we havent seen since 1952. Heres part of the email I sent to some friends (some of them known to Power Line readers) with whom I kick around the state of things several times a week:

My current thinking is that Klobuchar is at least a lock for the VP slot, and might even sneak through to be the nominee. Right now it appears possible that no one is going to get enough delegates to secure the nomination. But Democrats really cant risk a contested convention. No one knows how to do it, for one thing. The DNC will want to settle the matter somehow before the convention. Hence the likelihood of a deal: Klobuchar offers her delegates to someone in exchange for the VP slot. Or maybe Buttigieg offers to be VP and throws his to Klobuchar. Possible that Buttigieg might throw his to Bernie in exchange for the VP slotor maybe Biden if he manages to win SC and stay alive (doubtful right now). Im surprised I havent seen any speculation on this scenario in the media yet. (All this assumes that Mayor Pete and Klobuchar continue to perform well enough to earn a non-trivial number of delegates.) Bloomberg obviously wont take the VP slot in a deal, and Im doubtful any of the other candidates will offer to support him at the convention because he annoys too many of the lefts key interest groups. And the deal scenario is risky, though less risky than an open convention. Any deal that deprives Bernie of the nomination will set off literal riots in Milwaukee. So if I had to guess I still think Bernie is going to eke it out, as it is highly likely that hell have the most delegates. If for no other reason than that the larger story line of our time is Democrats have to follow the path of the British Labour Party.

Lo and behold, the great Henry Olsen discussed this very scenario in his Washington Post column this morning, which tracks what I say here very closely.

But by late this afternoon I had reached a different conclusion: the nomination is Bernies to lose. He could lose it, but I doubt it, unless Bloomberg takes him out, but I doubt that too.

Right now the conventional thinking islook, the four so-called moderate candidates (my Devils Dictionary defines moderate Democrat as someone especially skilled at concealing their socialism) outpoll Bernie and Lizzie by two-to-one. But the assumption that a moderate candidate will defeat Bernie in a one-on-one matchup is almost surely wrong.

First, I got to thinking, Where did I hear that before? Oh yeahthats right, in 2016, when it was said that Trump would eventually succumb in a one-on-one matchup. Back in June 2016 (by which time Trump had nailed down the nomination) I wrote here on Power Line why this popular theme was wrong:

People should take account of Why Trump Was Inevitable in the latest New York Review of Books. There political scientists Ronald B. Rapoport, Alan I. Abramowitz, and Walter J. Stone take note of the data and point out that Trump was correct when he argued that much of the support of other candidates would go to him as they dropped out. Based on a survey they took around the time of the Iowa caucuses, they found that no single candidate topped Trump in hypothetical head-to-head matchups. Cruz came the closest, and not coincidentally he was the last man standing.

And guess what? There is new poll data out today from YouGov (one of the better polling outfits in my opinion) showing that Bernie is the Trump of 2020: likely to win head-to-head matchups, too:

A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that Sen. Bernie Sanders would defeat each of the other Democratic presidential candidates in a one-on-one race  in many instances by double-digit margins.

Heres the data chart:

Get ready for the Queens versus Brooklyn fall campaign, with a straight-up cage match between capitalism and socialism, Archie Bunker versus Meathead, John Ford versus Michael Moore. Bring it on, I say.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said a draft U.S. agreement with the Taliban to reduce violence in Afghanistan "looks very promising." The deal was negotiated by the U.S. special peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad. Esper spoke at the Munich Security Conference on February 15. At the same event, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance needed to reduce its presence in Afghanistan "in a responsible way."
The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced on February 14 that Sri Lankan army chief Shavendra Silva along with immediate family members has been banned to enter the country. The US has blacklisted the current commander of Sri Lanka's army due to credible information of his involvement in gross violations of human rights. According to the official release by the White House, Silva was involved during the final phase of Sri Lanka's Civil War in 2009 for extrajudicial killings.

Silva was in charge of the 58th Division in 2009 which reportedly encircled the final stronghold of Tamil Tiger rebels in the last stages of the civil war that killed more than 100,000 people. Human rights groups have also accused his division of violating the international human rights laws including the usage of artillery to destroy a hospital. However, these allegations have been denied by the Sri Lankan army chief.

I am designating Shavendra Silva making him ineligible for entry into the U.S. due to his involvement in extrajudicial killings during #SriLankas Civil War. The U.S. will not waver in its pursuit of accountability for those who commit war crimes and violate #humanrights.  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 14, 2020

Read - Japanese Man Has Coronavirus After Hawaii Visit

Pompeo cites 'credible information'

While issuing ban for Silva, Pompeo has also said in his official statement that he has credible information that the officials of Sri Lanka have been a part of the violations of human rights as well as corruption. It also said that the United States law also requires US Secretary of States to privately designate the concerned officials and their family members, therefore, along with Silva, his immediate family members are also prohibited in the US citing that the allegations against him are serious.

According to the official website, the statement read, Secretary of State has credible information that foreign officials have been involved in a gross violation of human rights or significant corruption, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.

Read - Egypt Announces First Confirmed Coronavirus Case, Says Patient Is Foreigner

According to an investigation by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, near the end of the civil war, Sri Lankan army chief was tasked with capturing the country's Putumattalan area from the Tamil Tigers. It was the same investigations which cited evidence that the hospital along with a UN facility was shelled.

Witnesses alleged the use of cluster-type munitions by the Sri Lankan armed forces in their attacks on Putumattalan hospital and the United Nations hub, the investigations report said.

After the war, Silva was promoted to major general and then promoted again to become the army commander of Sri Lankan forces last year drawing criticism from international leaders. However, he is reportedly widely respected among the country's ethnic Sinhalese majority.

Read - US Cities To Start Testing People With Flu-like Symptoms Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Read - US Ambassador Praises Cambodia For Allowing Ship To Dock

(With AP inputs)
City leaders focused on increasing number of KCPD officers KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department currently has nearly 1,300 officers, and they want to add more. A KCPD spokesperson said on Feb. 25, the department plans to present a budget proposal to City Council asking them to fund 30 additional officers for their May 2020 academy class.

For the past couple of years our blog community has complained that KCMO hasHere's a look at more people supporting this policy change that prioritizes workers over surveillance toys and community outreach handout programs. Checkit:
Former NAACP Chief and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Kweisi Mfume Wins Primary for Cummings Seat

Former NAACP President and five-term Congressman Kweisi Mfume won big in a Democratic primary contest to replace the late Congressman Elijah Cummings who passed away on October 17, 2019, at the age of 68.

Mfumes primary challenger in Marylands seventh congressional district was Cummings widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings. But the contest was not close. The general election will be held on April 28, 2020. Mfume, 71, will be expected to win easily in a heavily Democratic district that includes parts of Baltimore.

Mfume won by a decisive margin winning 43 percent of the vote to Maya Cummings 17 percent. Over 28,000 voted for Mfume as Cummings received over 11,000 votes in a field of 12 candidates.

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Mfume left the U.S. House in 1996 to lead the NAACP and stayed in the position until 2004.

I accept your nomination as the Democratic nominee to Congress! Experience matters, said Mfume from his victory part on the night of February 4.

This is for him. This is for him! added Mfume. The two had been friends for 42 years and Mfume delivered a moving eulogy to Elijah Cummings at his funeral last year.

The winner of the Republican primary was Kimberly Klacik, whose produced a video of trash in West Baltimore last summer. The video prompted Trump to call Cummingss district a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. Klacik is a member of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee in Baltimore.

Thank you to the voters of Marylands 7th Congressional District for your consideration and to the other candidates for your valiant and inspiring races. I also thank my team, including the hardworking volunteers who dedicated many hours to the campaign. Putting my hat in the ring was a faith walk, a journey I am still on. I deeply appreciate the well wishes and encouragement and look forward to what comes next, wrote Maya Rockeymoore Cummings on facebook the morning after her electoral loss to Mfume.

Cummings can challenge Mfume again on April 28. It is likely that Mfume will be favored to win given his strong primary showing.
The three members of New Mexicos U.S. House delegation voted in favor of an act they said protected the rights of workers who seek better pay, better benefits and safer working conditions.

U.S. Reps. Deb Haaland, Ben Ray Lujan and Xochitl Torres Small  all Democrats  voted in favor of the PRO Act, which cleared the House last week.

Unions are the reason working men and women have access to safety standards, health care and higher wages  and we must protect the right of workers to organize to negotiate freely for increased pay and improved benefits, said Lujan, who noted his familys history as union members.

In explaining her vote, Torres Small said it was clear the economy was not working for all New Mexicans.

For hundreds of years, unions have provided workers with the tools to ensure fairness and advocate for a better living, she said. This bill is an important step toward protecting workers, and ensuring that hard work is respected and valued in both city centers and rural areas like mine.

Workers should never be taken advantage of by their employers, but loose labor laws and anti-union legislation make it possible for employers to profit off their workers and inequality to soar, Haaland added. We passed the PRO Act to ensure workers have the power to stand together for a fair share of the profits they produce.

According to Haalands and Torres Smalls offices, the PRO Act expands federal protections for a workers right to join a union. Specifically, they said the bill will: introduce meaningful, enforceable penalties for companies and executives that violate workers rights and discourage the formation of unions; protect and expand workers power to stand together and negotiate for fair wages, better benefits and safer working conditions, and closes loopholes that corporations use to exploit workers; and strengthen workers access to fair union elections and require corporations to respect the results.

But National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix criticized the legislation in a news release.

If enacted, his organization said, the bill would create a back-door way for unions to organize and impose a union on workers without even the minimal protection of a secret ballot election. The organization said the legislation would enable union leaders to establish monopoly bargaining, forcing all workers  even those who wish to have no part of the union  to accept union representation.

The American people overwhelmingly oppose the provisions of this so-called PRO Act,  Mix said.
Hong Kong: Class suspension across the board

The Education Bureau today said a news report alleging that international schools are allowed to flexibly resume classes is misleading, adding that classes of all schools remain suspended until March 16.

In a statement, the bureau said the exact date of class resumption is subject to further assessment.

The bureau explained that due to the novel coronavirus infection, it decided that classes of all schools should remain suspended but keep their premises open and step up cleansing to care for students in need.

For schools offering non-local curriculum, including international schools, most of the international examinations will take place later than the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) Examination.

Hence, the teachings of some courses for graduating classes and coursework for school-based assessments required by these examinations have not yet been completed.

As compared to overseas students sitting for the same public exams, the bureau understands that such a situation would greatly impact Hong Kong students.

In this regard, if schools have put in place all necessary preventive measures and allow parents to decide whether to let their children return, the bureau has no objection for schools to flexibly arrange the graduating students sitting for the imminent international exams to attend tutorial sessions and assessment activities.

Taking into consideration that graduating students of non-local curriculum have to sit for related international exams for further studies or career development, the bureau agreed to allow these schools to serve as testing centres.

However, these schools should make reference to preventive measures to be adopted by the Hong Kong Examinations & Assessment Authority (HKEAA) for this years DSE exam.

The bureau trusts that school management, principals and teachers, will make the students well-being their prime concern, and strike a balance between students' needs for further studies and protection from the epidemic.

It emphasised that the above arrangements apply to graduating classes only, and students of other grades should study at home during class suspension.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung met representatives of schools offering non-local curriculum yesterday to explain the basic principles and arrangements for class suspension, and responded to their queries and concerns.

For the DSE examination, teaching of relevant courses has been completed. Students have also generally completed the school-based assessment coursework. The HKEAA has a mechanism to handle individual cases of unfinished school-based assessment.

The bureau said it understands that some secondary schools have not conducted mock exams for the DSE examination before classes were suspended, but such exams are not indispensable and there are other feasible alternatives.

Under the current circumstances, it is therefore not appropriate to hold mock exams on school premises. The same principle applies to schools offering non-local curriculum.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Congress national spokesperson



Anshul Avijit on Saturday said the BJP and the Sangh Parivar were "anti-Dalit" and were working to remove reservations for SC/STs in government jobs.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the BJP government at the Centre had hatched a "sinister conspiracy" to remove reservations.

"The testimony of this sinister attempt is the plea of BJP government in Uttarakhand in the Supreme Court that there was no fundamental right of reservation in government jobs for SC/STs," he said.

In a judgement on February 7, the SC held that states are not bound to provide reservation in appointments and there is no fundamental right to claim quota in promotions.

The apex court said this while dealing with pleas regarding Uttarakhand government's September 5, 2012 decision to fill up all posts in public services in the state without providing reservations to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

"Instead of apologising to the nation for this conspiracy and correcting the historical wrong being done to SC/STs, the Narendra Modi government is misleading the country by making false accusations," he alleged.

He said the RSS had, in the past, demanded a review of the quota system in the country.

Citing statistics, he said the number of atrocities on Dalits as per NCRB data was 43,203 for the year 2017, adding that the Congress under Rahul Gandhi would fight to ensure Dalits and other deprived classes get their due.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 06:29:22|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Feb. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Josep Borrell, the European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy here on Saturday on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference.

Borrell said that the EU appreciated China's efforts in fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic and has full confidence in China in overcoming the epidemic soon. The European side has provided some assistance and is willing to provide more anti-virus medical supplies according to China's needs, he said.

The EU stands for an objective assessment of the situation and avoiding panic, Borrell said, adding that it is inappropriate that some countries have overreacted by closing borders and suspending flights.

Borrell also said that criticisms and accusations against China from individual countries are out of jealousy for China's success, since China is the only country in human history that was able to achieve great accomplishments within a short period of time.

China is not a belligerent country and it is fully justified to have a military that is able to ensure its own security, Borrell said, adding the EU welcomes China's greater role on the international stage and will try to find ways to live peacefully together with China and the United States.

This year has been an important year for EU-China relations and the EU side is willing to work together with China towards success in this year's political agenda, including the EU-China summit, he said.

The top Chinese diplomat said that Borrell's positive and open attitude towards China's development is very much appreciated.

China always supports the growth and prosperity of the EU, regardless of whether the bloc is in good times or adversity, and China hopes to see the EU play a greater role in the international arena, Wang said.

There is no fundamental disagreement between China and the EU, and the two sides are partners, not rivals, he said, noting that both China and the EU support free trade, multilateralism, a multipolar world and democracy of international relations.

Faced with a variety of risks and challenges in the world, China and the EU should further strengthen strategic coordination, Wang said. China is willing to work closely with the EU on the important political agenda this year, he noted.

Wang also thanked the EU's understanding and support for China's fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic.
A year after CRPF constable H Guru was martyred in the Pulwama attack, his wife is yet to get a permanent job as promised by the government.

While Guru's parents Honnaiah and Chikkahollamma run a laundry shop in Bharathinagar, Mandya, his wife Kalavathy lives in a rented house in Bengaluru. The then chief minister H D Kumaraswamy provided a temporary job to her at Janatha Cooperative Bank', promising her a permanent job soon. As the coalition government toppled, Kalavathys government job is still a distant dream.

When contacted, Kalavathy said, I have completed BA and expect a decent government job. I met Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in this regard during the Taralabalu Hunnime festival in Halebeedu, recently. I hope the he will respond to my plea.

Meanwhile, there is a rift among family members as stated by Guru's parents and the matter has reached police. Though a large number of people attended the death anniversary of the martyred constable, Kalavathy was absent on Friday. She said she would perform puja to the samadhi on Sunday.
Salva Kiir cuts number of states from 32 to 10, says he expects the opposition to also be prepared to compromise.

South Sudans President Salva Kiir has said he would return to a system of 10 states from 32, a major opposition demand, paving the way for a unity government and an end to the countrys ruinous civil war.

The compromise we have made today is a painful decision but a necessary one if that is what brings peace, Kiir said in a statement on Saturday. I expect the opposition to be prepared to do the same.

Disagreement between Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar over the number of states, a contentious issue because the borders will determine the divisions of power in the country, as well as a failure to integrate different fighting forces have been major obstacles to completing the peace process.

When it gained independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan had 10 states, as set out in its constitution. In 2015, Kiir increased that to 28 and then later to 32.

Kiir had repeatedly refused to back down on the number of states but has come under intense international pressure to compromise. Machar previously said he could not return to his previous vice president position if the status quo on states remained.

The president on Saturday said the country would now be divided among the original 10 states, plus three administrative areas of Pibor, Ruweng and Abyei.

The opposition welcomed the move but also raised questions over the fate of Ruweng, a key oil-producing zone.

In general we welcome the decision taken by the president to take the country to 10 states, said Manawa Peter, Machars deputy spokesman, before adding: This is a win-win decision for the people and we commend the president for his wise choice.

Beny Mabor, a political analyst based in South Sudans capital, Juba, told Al Jazeera: The peace move by President Salva Kiir is yet another long overdue decision in the interest of peace, unity and to foster reconciliation for the destroyed social fabric, Mabor said.

International pressure by the United States and others has been building on Kiir and Machar to meet a February 22 deadline to again join forces in a transitional government.

The two rivals agreed on a peace deal in 2018, pressured by the United Nations, the US and countries in the region.

200123054028681

Under the deal, they agreed to form a unity government in May 2019 but missed the deadline amid disputes over territory and security arrangements.

A second deadline of November last year was also missed and pushed back by 100 days, prompting Washington to recall its ambassador and impose sanctions on senior officials for their role in perpetuating the conflict.

South Sudans five-year civil war, which erupted just two years following independence from Sudan, killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions.

The economy was shattered and nearly half the country remains in a severe hunger crisis.
She's the rising Australian actress who most recently starred in the critically acclaimed Little Women.

And Eliza Scanlen cut an effortlessly chic figure while attending the Proenza Schouler show at New York Fashion Week.

The 21-year-old stunned in a fashion-forward angular blouse, which featured a small black and white checkered print and bold rectangular accents.

Rising star: Australian actress Eliza Scanlen stunned in a stylishly angular blouse and chic slacks at New York Fashion Week

The Sharp Objects actor paired the daring garment with classic high-waisted black trousers, which provided a menswear edge to the silk blouse.

Eliza kept stylish from head to toe, donning black tie-design mules.

Heading out into New York's wintery chill, Eliza added a fluffy long-line coat.

Effortlessly chic: The Sharp Objects actor paired the daring garment with classic high-waisted black trousers, which provided a menswear edge to the silk blouse

Her pixie cut was swept to the side to give the look an androgynous flair, while her femininely blushed makeup kept a softness to the ensemble.

Eliza plays Elizabeth 'Beth' March in Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Little Women, which also stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep.

Eliza spoke about the pleasure of featuring in a female-driven story in an interview with Collider in August last year.

Trend-setter: Eliza kept stylish from head to toe, donning black tie-design mules. Heading out into New York's wintery chill, Eliza added a fluffy long-line coat

'I've come into the industry at a good time. That's what I've been told, and I definitely agree,' she said.

'There are a lot of opportunities for women, of all ages, which was definitely not the case, just a few years ago.

'I feel like a lot of teenagers have typically been played by 25-year-olds and even 30-year-olds. It's nice that I'm playing a little bit more to my age, although from 15 to 19 are pretty progressive years,' Eliza added.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A local attorney who left the defense table in front of a jury to protest a judges order earlier this month got a Bart Simpson-esque dose of punishment on Thursday when the judge ordered him to write out 25 times that he will not engage in discourteous and disruptive conduct.

Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy Fuerst found Anthony Baker in contempt for what she called reprehensible behavior during the final day of trial of a former East Cleveland police officer who was ultimately convicted of assaulting his wife.

Fuerst also slapped the Lorain-based attorney with a $500 fine.

Fuerst made Baker write out two sentences, not on a chalkboard as in the opening montage in The Simpsons, but on a piece of paper with a pen:

I will not engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice or in any other conduct that adversely reflects on my fitness to practice law

I shall not engage in conduct intended to disrupt a tribunal or engage in undignified or discourteous conduct that is degrading to a tribunal

The sentences included citations to specific rules of professional conduct for lawyers.

You can see a copy of the notes in the document viewer below.

Baker said in an interview Friday that he came to Thursdays hearing expecting to serve time in jail. He brought no briefcase or laptop, and even left his house keys behind.

Shes right, I was wrong," Baker said. I should have not taken that stand. Im grateful for the penalty that I did get.

But Baker said he stood by his reasoning for what he did.

I was totally wrong in how I protested. I dont think I was wrong in what I was fighting for," he said.

His defendant, Denayne Davidson-Dixon, broke multiple bones in his wifes face after an argument broke out at their home last summer and was charged with felonious assault and domestic violence. Davidson-Dixon was fired from his job with East Cleveland police and served about 18 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a man he arrested in a case that was featured on the popular podcast Serial.

At the end of the trial, Baker asked Fuerst to instruct the jury on Ohios self-defense laws before closing arguments and jury deliberations, according to a copy of a court transcript. Baker argued that Davidson-Dixon defended himself after his wife struck him, and that denying jurors the ability to hear laws on self-defense when considering the felonious assault would amount to an unfair trial and a certain conviction. Fuerst denied the motion, but agreed to allow the jury to consider the lesser-included charge of aggravated assault.

Baker disagreed with the ruling, and decided to stage a protest, he told cleveland.com Friday.

He repeatedly sought to stop the trial from proceeding after Fuersts ruling. He told the judge he physically could not continue, and suggested that he would go sit in the back of the courtroom.

Fuerst, who noted that she had told Baker previously she had planned to deny his request, refused to delay the proceedings and accused Baker of playing games.

This isnt a game, he said. This is his life.

Fuerst ordered Baker to sit down at the defense table and be quiet, then ordered the jury back into the courtroom, the transcript shows. She began reading the instructions but stopped after just a few sentences because Baker -- in front of the jury -- got up from the defense table during the jury instructions, left his client sitting there and walked into the holding cell where jailed inmates are kept as they await court hearings, according to the transcript.

She asked deputies to bring the attorney back out here, and then stopped the proceedings and dismissed the jury for a lunch break.

She called Baker in and accused him of throwing a tantrum and acting unprofessionally several times throughout the trial and told him she would be deal with a contempt issue after the trial was over.

Jurors found Davidson-Dixon guilty of aggravated assault and domestic violence. Fuerst sentenced him to 18 months in prison for the attack, and an additional four months for violating the terms of his parole on his previous conviction.

Thursdays contempt hearing lasted less than two minutes.

Baker on Friday denied walking into the holding cell. He said he got up from the table during jury instructions and walked a few feet away, near a large digital screen that is used to display evidence. He said the act was meant to protest Fuersts decision and was an effort to stop the proceeding.

But he denied ever leaving the courtroom in front of the jury.

I moved away from the table so it was clear Im not participating, he said.

Baker said Fuerst has always been a fair judge, and he did deserve punishment because he was out of line. He said it found it strange sit before a judge in a seat where many of his clients sat waiting to learn his own fate.

It wont happen again, thats for sure, he said.

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Originating in Japan with the Capsule Inn Osaka by architect Kisho Kurosawa and popularized by Tokyos odd-looking Nagakin Capsule Hotel, the pod concept provides basic, inexpensive bed-sized capsules for guests who either dont want or cant afford a more standard hotel room. The prices can be as low as $10 USD per night, though for some people, they come at a different kind of cost: claustrophobia.

Young girl steps out of her capsule in Alphaville Architects' new Kyoto Suiden-ann Hostel.

But not every capsule hotel room has to be the size of a coffin. Alphaville Architects has created a sort of compromise with the Kyoto Suiden-ann Hostel, which offers a bit more space and privacy along with a village-like communal feel. Located within Nishijin Kyotos famed weaving district in the northwest part of the city, the hotel acts as a guesthouse for tourists, apprentices at the adjacent cultural salon, and single students attending a nearby telecommunications university.

Exterior shot of the Kyoto Suiden-ann Hostel.

The architects took inspiration from Kurokawas innovative ideas, but adapted them for the traditional feel of the neighborhood. The result is a series of modular, cabin-like wooden rooms contained within the larger building. The units arent identical, and the way theyre arranged creates small semi-public areas for socializing on a more intimate scale. And while theyre not quite tall enough to stand up in, the capsules themselves are roomier than average, with a surprisingly airy feel to them.

The firm explains that at the Central Bank Capsule Tower Building in 1972 and the Capsule Inn Osaka in 1979, Kurokawa realized [a] capsule-type microspace for the first time, but the emphasis at this time was to minimize the function of living and make capsules interchangeableAt present, capsule hotels are completely accepted due to economic efficiency, but considering that there is still a possibility in the space between multiple capsules, a plan where two capsules face each other and [another where] three capsules are [side by side, we decided to combine] the two types of plans.

Story continues

The wooden volumes that make up the Kyoto Suiden-ann Hostel are surrounded by a surprising amount of open walking space.

The wooden volumes that make up the Kyoto Suiden-ann Hostel are surrounded by a surprising amount of open walking space.

Carefully-placed curtains create a sense of privacy in an otherwise ultra-communal set of interiors.

A simple lounge area inside the Kyoto Suiden-ann Hostel.

There is also a demand for climbing on the stairs in the upper stage, so we [proposed] a unit consisting of four to five capsules by reversing access to the two-stage capsule, and [making] a gap between the four boxesThe result of this arrangement is a highly private place between capsules. In the first place, it is a passage to each capsule, but it is also a place where only two or three people stay in a different capsule, and if the relationship between these people becomes closer, the meaning will change to a more private place.

Young girl checks her phone on the cozy bed inside her capsule.

The hallway connecting the rooms in the Kyoto Suiden-ann Hostel is both communal and private.

Transmission of natural daylight was also a major consideration in the design process. Alphaville made the wooden volumes shorter in height than the overall space so the sun could stream in from skylights as well as windows. They envision the central aisle as a boulevard with alleys and stairs to the individual capsules, though some of the semi-public areas can be closed off with curtains so guests who know each other can have their own little space. The main aisle also leads to the communal bathrooms, breakfast room, and front lounge to mimic the feeling of walking through a small neighborhood.
The United States defence secretary, Mark Esper, has cast China as a rising threat to world order  eliciting a strong response from Beijing which accused Washington of engaging in a smear campaign against it.

Esper used an address at the 2020 Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday to give a comprehensive condemnation of China that he said topped the Pentagons list of potential adversaries, followed by Russia and rogue states such as North Korea and Iran.

They have said that by 2035, the PRC intends to complete its military modernisation, and, by 2049, it seeks to dominate Asia as the pre-eminent global military power, he said, using the initials of Chinas official name, Peoples Republic of China.

Esper alleged that China represses its people and threatens its neighbours, accusing it of stealing Western know-how and seeking an advantage by any means and at any cost.

We want China to behave like a normal country, Esper said, adding and that means the Chinese government needs to change its policies and behaviours.

The Chinese Communist Party is heading even faster and further in the wrong direction  more internal repression, more predatory economic practices, more heavy-handedness, and most concerning for me, a more aggressive military posture, he said.

He also accused Beijing of deploying a nefarious strategy through the telecommunications firm, Huawei.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaking at the conference later in the day, dismissed the US criticisms, and accused Washington of engaging in a smear campaign against Beijing.

Wang said that Espers comments about Beijings intentions were not based on facts.

I can categorically say that all accusations against China are lies, Wang said, adding: But if we replace the subject of the lie from China to America, maybe those lies become facts.

Pompeos remarks on the West

Separately, speaking at the same conference, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to reassure European leaders that President Donald Trumps foreign policy and America first rhetoric does not mean the West is weakening.





Pompeo said: Im happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly exaggerated.

The West is winning, and were winning together, he said as part of a speech that listed US steps to protect liberal democracies.

Pompeo was, in part, responding to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who during the opening day of the conference on Friday accused the US, Russia and China of stoking global mistrust.

The theme of this years conference is Westlessness, which organisers say points to the continued unease about the identity and purpose of the West.

Pompeos comments were quickly met with rebuke by French President Emmanuel Macron.

There is a weakening of the West, the French leader told the conference. Theres an American policy that started several years ago and not just under this administration that includes a certain kind of withdrawal, of a rethink of its relationship with Europe.

I ndispensable partners

However, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who also took to the stage in Munich, joined Pompeo in voicing dismay at the gatherings pessimistic tone.

There is a competition out there in so many areas, with so many different actors, but simply lamenting that we have lost our way will not provide us with a way forward, Stoltenberg told the audience.

Europe and North America are indispensable partners  two sides to the same coin. Together, we are half of the worlds military might and half of the worlds economic might, he said.





Despite the Trump administrations criticism of NATO and introduction of tariffs on European goods, Pompeo defended the role of the US, saying Europe, Japan and other American allies were united on China, Iran and Russia, despite tactical differences.

He reiterated Washingtons opposition to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under construction between Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea, a project backed by the government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Citing Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea, cyber threats in Iran and economic coercion by China, Pompeo said those countries were still desiring empires and destabilising the rules-based international system.
Secretary General of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Dr. Orlaigh Quinn, Kieran Comerford of the Local Enterprise Offices, Louise Allen, Design & Crafts Council Ireland, Ann Marie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council

Businesses from Fingal had the opportunity to meet buyers from all over the world as part of the Local Enterprise Showcase at Showcase 2020 in the RDS in Dublin recently.

Six unique Fingal companies exhibited at the Local Enterprise Showcase, which saw over 2,700 buyers from retailers across the globe attend the four-day event in Dublin looking to secure new sales and partners for the year ahead.

Companies that represented Fingal this year included: Jane Darcy - an luxury home fragrance brand; Berry Be Beauty - a holistic provider of natural beauty and essential oils; The Wish List Gifts - a personalised gift engraver; Elke Westen - a celebrated glass artist; The Little Paper Mill - which produces personalised greeting cards; and Love the Mug - which creates fine bone china mugs for the female fashionista.

Dr Orlaigh Quinn, Secretary General at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, officially opened Showcase 2020 at the RDS, Dublin.

The show, which marked its 44th year and ran until Wednesday January 22, is one of Ireland's largest and most important international trade fairs.

Showcase is presented on behalf of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, with support from Enterprise Ireland in promoting the trade show internationally, and the Local Enterprise Offices nationwide.

The Fingal companies were selected and supported by the Local Enterprise Office Fingal to take part in this year's Local Enterprise Showcase at Showcase 2020.

Oisin Geoghegan, Chair of the Network of 31 LEOs and Head of Enterprise in Fingal said:

'The Local Enterprise Showcase is always an exciting element of Showcase. The clients here are the up-and-coming talent of Irish craft and design. Many of the exhibitors here will be just starting out, working with their Local Enterprise Office and trying to make the most of the opportunity this event brings.

'Others have been here before and know the benefits of the Local Enterprise Showcase and the chance to meet buyers from Ireland and all over the world. They have the chance to potentially make business and life-changing deals, so it's an exciting few days ahead for our clients.'

It was a record-breaking year for Local Enterprise Showcase exhibitors, with seven Local Enterprise Office client companies securing awards and recognition through the Showcase awards programme.

Top prize in the Local Enterprise Showcase awards was taken by Oxmantown Skincare from Local Enterprise Office Dublin City.

For more information on Local Enterprise Showcase 2020 log on to www.LocalEnterprise.ie

For information on Showcase 2020, log on to www.ShowcaseIreland.com
Solid-state drives have become increasingly prevalent due to their reduced form factor, increased speeds, and improved reliability.

Ghassan Azzi, Sales Director of Western Digital, told MyBroadband that solid-state drives (SSDs) could start dominating the global storage industry in the coming years.

Western Digital has noted a significant increase in the sale of portable SSDs, particularly in Europe, where quarter-on-quarter sales doubled in Q4 of 2019.

Azzi believes that SSDs will chip away at mechanical drive market share in the coming years, but that this will be a gradual process.

In 2019, the total SSD market value was just under $35 billion, said Azzi, with this number expected to increase to over $80 billion by 2025.

SSDs in data centres

One area where SSDs offer great value is within data centres.

Many data centres are in the process of transitioning to this technology, as it offers significant performance improvements over legacy HDD technology.

However, given the requirement of transferring data onto the new SSDs, as well as the additional cost and work required in doing so, the process of transitioning a data centre onto SSDs cannot take place overnight.

MyBroadband asked local data centres whether they are currently using SSDs, and what their plans are regarding the technology.

Xneelo

Xneelo told MyBroadband that its data centres do use SSDs, but said this varies according to server use cases and customer requirements.

We have made significant progress in transitioning to SSDs. All-new Web Hosting packages, Managed or Self Managed servers are provisioned with SSDs by default, at no additional cost, said Xneelo.

Should an existing customer with an older server wish to upgrade their server specs to accommodate SSDs, we do so on request and charge a once-off setup fee.

Xneelo said that the upgrade process to SSDs for older servers is part of its routine maintenance.

Systems which will benefit from the transition to SSDs, due to increased workload for example, are upgraded without delay.

That said, from time to time, SSD global supply backlogs have forced us to extend our timelines.

Africa Data Centres

Angus Hay, general manager for Africa Data Centres in South Africa, said that while Africa Data Centres provides the data centre environment, customers run their own equipment within it.

Africa Data Centres is a colocation provider, offering controlled high availability environments for cloud, computing and networking equipment. The equipment within these environments is owned and operated by Africa Data Centres customers, said Hay.

These customers certainly use SSDs increasingly to improve speed and reliability, and to reduce power consumption in their storage systems, said Hay.

He highlighted that the power consumption element is not a particular concern for its customers, however  despite concerns many have over load-shedding.

In Africa Data Centres environments, [customers] can always be certain of power availability, said Hay.

Africa Data Centres standard operations include the ability to run for extended periods on generators, and to maintain these systems concurrently and continually at full availability in this configuration. 
South Dakota reports highest active case count since pandemic started

Tuesday's report included testing conducted over the weekend. Another 4,110 people tested positive for the disease.
Marc Wesseling, co-founder of UltraSuperNew, one of the few truly independent agencies in the huge Asian landscape, explains why, in an age of algorithms, data, automation and robots, creativity will always be the most precious commodity in brand communications.

Putting creativity and best in class design at the top of the UltraSuperNew agenda is part of the agency's DNA, this ethos is applied right through the agencies' creative output in Tokyo and Singapore.

Watch 100s of UX, UI Design, Animation, Web Design and Development talks on the Awwwards YouTube Channel - subscribe here!

Get your ticket for the next Awwwards Conference: Talks, Workshops, Meetups and Parties for digital creatives to learn key tools, current trends and emerging web technologies from leading agencies, whilst making connections within the international design community.
Bhopal, Feb 15 : After a long wait, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Vishnu Dutt Sharma as the new President of the party's Madhya Pradesh unit. The Lok Sabha MP from Khajuraho replaced Rakesh Singh, a close confidant of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

There was speculation that Jabalpur MP Singh could get another term after he organised Amit Shah's grand rally in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in his constituency in January. But dark horse Sharma pipped him to the post, taking many seniors by surprise.

The name of the new state unit chief was expected to be announced soon after the state party elections in August last year. The announcement was apparently held back till the new national President took charge.

Party General Secretary Arun Singh in Delhi conveyed the appointment of Sharma to party President Jagat Prakash Nadda on Saturday.

Sharma (49), a member of the RSS, has been the national President of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Sangh's student wing. Being close to the RSS leadership, he was earlier pushed to be the party nominee for Lok Sabha elections from Bhopal. But resistance from senior party leaders in the state capital forced the party to move him to Khajuraho.

Sharma originally hails from Morena and has been involved with active politics for 32 years. After joining the ABVP in 1987, he rose from the lowest rung to the General Secretary's post before becoming the national President. He was inducted into the BJP senior wing in 2013.

He also undertook a 'padyatra' against corruption from Balaghat. He has also been active in the movement against commercialisation and corruption in education. He fought up to the Supreme Court and successfully led the students to win the right to quality education for all. Following his agitation, the top court ordered 50 per cent reservation for merit.

Sharma did his BSc (agriculture) from Gwalior Agricultural University in 1991-92, and followed it with MSc in agriculture and agronomy from the Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, Jabalpur.

Sharma had also led the Indian delegation to the Indo-China Youth Exchange Programme organised by the government of India in 2015. In 2018, the prestigious Kalam Foundation of Delhi awarded him with the Kalam Innovation and Governance Award. MIT Pune has conferred him with the Youth Leader Award.

Political observers were quick to point out the RSS preference. With Sharma's elevation, the BJP now has Brahmins at the helm in both the legislative wing and the organisational wing in Madhya Pradesh. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Gopal Bhargava is a Brahmin.

The new state President has given hints of an aggressive posture against the state government. "We will fight the Kamal Nath government relentlessly," he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Kamal Nath has congratulated Sharma on his appointment. Sharma's first challenge would be to steer the party through the panchayat and civic elections in the wake of the Congress' domination in recent times.
Egypt confirmed on Friday its first case of Covid-19 (coronavirus) in a foreigner who had been put into isolation in hospital, Reuters has reported.

The health ministry said in a statement that it had immediately informed the World Health Organisation and had taken all necessary preventative measures

It, however, did not give the nationality of the affected person, or any other details.

Confirming the case, WHO Eastern Mediterranean on twitter handle @WHOEMRO, said the person was carrying the virus, but had not shown any symptoms and was in a stable condition.

The UN health agency confirmed the first COVID19 case in Egypt, after official confirmation by Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population.

It said WHO Egypt and the countrys health agencies are collaborating closely in outbreak investigation and response actions.

With the new confirmed case, the total number cases in the WHOEMRO region is 9: UAE, 8 and Egypt, 1.

Though there have been scares and suspected cases in Africa, the Egyptian case is the first confirmed case reported in Africa.

No respite

Meanwhile, there seems to be no respite yet from the ongoing (Covid-19) coronavirus outbreak as there are now 47,505 laboratory confirmed cases of the disease in China.

WHO in its daily briefing said there are now a total of 47,505 laboratory-confirmed COVID19 cases in China, and 16,427 cases that have been clinically-confirmed in Hubei province.

As of Friday, there have been 1,381 deaths in China, including 121 reported today.

Meanwhile, outside China, there have been 505 cases in 24 countries and two deaths.

This was before the announcement of confirmed case in Egypt.

These figures have been rising consistently since the disease was first detected in Wuhan in December and there is no timeline yet on how soon the world would have a cure or vaccine to contain its spread.

WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said they are seeking further clarity on how clinical diagnosis is being made, to ensure other respiratory illnesses including influenza are not getting mixed into the COVID-19 data.

As you know, China has changed the way it reports data from Hubei province.

The number of new cases appeared to be stabilising until Thursday, when China changed its methodology for counting the disease.
A musical organized by the company "The Upper Room" in Goa, involving 75 teenagers between 13 and 14 years with a history of drug abuse. Dialogue and group work to encourage children to tell their experiences and find solutions to problems.

New Delhi (AsiaNews) - A musical on the Bible to combat drug and alcohol use among teenagers was staged at the Hilltop Christian School in Diphu, Assam, last February 8th. Felix Anthony, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Northeast India describes the initiative and a future hopes that seminars and musicals like this can play a key role in the difficult context of drug and drug abuse in the whole region ".

The musical was staged by the Goa based company The Upper Room. The preparation of the show lasted a week and involved 75 teenagers between 13 and 14 years old, all with a history of abuse of psychotropic substances, including marijuana. Anthony explains: "They came to overcome addiction and build an ambition for their lives."

At national level, dependence on hallucinogenic substances also affects the younger generations. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry for social justice and empowerment in 2019, about 1.3% of the population between 10 and 17 years of age consume alcoholic beverages; in the same age group, cannabis use is 0.9%; that of opioids 1.8%; 1.17% of inhalants (such as cocaine and amphetamine).

Georg Schaberger, cofounder of the theater company, says: "The more the boys practiced interpreting the biblical characters like Job, the more they expressed self-confidence and showed courage and determination in facing the challenges of the moment". According to him, "both transformations, that of Job and our teenagers, were possible thanks to their ability to change and resist adverse circumstances, not giving up their beliefs despite the negative experiences of the past".

Ansan Samuel, one of the members, explains that before the final performance, the group organized meetings where the young people were able to talk about personal problems. The sessions, he highlights, served to help them find possible solutions. Dialogue and group work play a crucial part in our model, based on experiencing a transformation of school culture centered on appreciation, a sense of gratitude and the formation of leadership ".

One of the participants said: "There is a me who now wants to lead." Another adds: The Upper Room has planted positive seeds in our lives. We hope that these seeds grow to become large trees that produce good fruit for society. " Esther Suibung Khozol, principal of the Christian school, expresses "satisfaction for the seminar and the hope that it will have a lasting impact on young people".
THE Cebu Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (CMSO) had its inaugural launching last Jan. 11 at the Siddhartha Theater of the Guang Ming Institute of Performing Arts. Pianist Dr. Ingrid Sala Santamaria was the guest artist.

The orchestra came about when Reynaldo Abellana felt the need for an avenue for the many talented classical musicians of Cebu to showcase their artistry to the Cebuano public via a complete orchestra. He asked the help of the Magdadaro sistersHazel M. Sanchez and Hannah M. Gowho he knew would readily give assistance as they themselves are talented musicians. With the sisters business acumen, Abellana was sure the orchestra he and the sisters envisioned would be a success.

Abellana said CMSO aims to unite Cebus musical talents under one umbrella without abandoning their own musical groups. At the launching, there were talents from the Classic Youth Orchestra, Adventist Academy Cebu Orchestra, JRG Visayanian Halad Orchestra, GBC Mandaue Chamber Orchestra, University of Southern Philippines Foundations Magno Aquino, NPO 7 Spirit Orchestra, Francis Balo Music Studio, Virtuoso School of Music and Ateneo Blue Orchestra headed Juliet Kim.

The 16 members of the group, including Abellana and the Magdadaros, are products of the 10-year Music Development Program of the Salvador and Pilar Sala Foundation Inc. (SPSFI). Two Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) representatives, who taught at the SPSFI program, were so excited about the new orchestra, that they flew to Cebu at their own expense to play at the orchestras inaugural concert: Chiharu Nagakita (trombone) and Masatomo Toyoda (cello).

At the inaugural concert, Dr. Santamaria played Piano Concerto in A. Minor, Op. 54 by R. Schumann with Abellana conducting the orchestra. Guest conductor professor Felicito Sacdalan from Bulacan conducted the other numbers of the program: Beethovens Symphony No. I in C major, 1st movement, G. Rossinis Barber of Seville Overture, B. Greens Overture of Philippine Folk Songs, C. Schonbergs Selections from Les Miserables, K. Badelts Pirates of the Caribbean, Andersons Fiddle Faddle and This Is the Moment with Ritchie Asibal as soloist.

Pastor Seth Esmeralda led the opening prayer at the concert while Hannah Go welcomed the guests with Hazel Sanchez hosting the event. Dr. Santamaria made the closing remarks. Music arranger was Nino James Banares and music director was Abellana.

Abellana said CMSO is open to all musicians who wish to join it provided they pass certain requirements. The group is already planning for its annual two concerts in 2020, the dates for which will depend on the schedules of two foreign conductors willing and eager to come to Cebu at their own expense to conduct the fledgling orchestra.
Ive yet to find anybody whos excited, Claar said in an interview Friday. Its going to further jam up the 55 and 53 intersection, the jobs will pay only $15 an hour, and Ive yet to find anyone whos not concerned about a 100-foot-tall building  which is taller than anything in Bolingbrook, with no windows.
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A whale has washed up on a rocky beach in Cornwall while still alive, according to rescue authorities.

The animal was in death throes when medics reached it and did not survive, British Divers Marine Life Rescue said.

They were alerted of a live stranded whale on Parbean Beach in Cornwall around 1.30pm on Friday.

The fin whale had numerous superficial injuries all over its body and some deeper ones  especially around its tail  when medics arrived, according to British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

It had been thrashing and beating its flukes on the rocks, creating a horrific noise like thunder, the marine animal rescue group said.

Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Show all 9 1 /9 Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Members of the Lummi Nation carved a totem of Lolita and made a 7,000-mile round trip to the Miami Seaquarium Andrew Buncombe Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Steve Eelkema points to the shallow part of Penn Cove where the whales were captured in August 1970 Andrew Buncombe Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Lolita is made to perform stunts for visitors, twice a day, every day Reuters Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild British author Sandra Pollard has written two books about Lolita, including 'A Puget Sound Orca in Captivity: The Fight to Bring Lolita Home' Andrew Buncombe Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Freddie Lane, a member of the Lummi Nation tribal council made the trip to Florida Andrew Buncombe Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Howard Garrett of the Orca Network has spent decades working to safeguard the whales Andrew Buncombe Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Seven young southern resident killer whales were captured here using nets and explosives Andrew Buncombe Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Lyla Scover is among those who were present when the whales were captured Andrew Buncombe Campaigners demand release of killer whale captured from the wild Lolita's tank is the smallest for any killer whale in the US Reuters

The animal reportedly may have turned over since becoming stuck high up on the rocky beach.

The fin whale also gave signs it had not eaten for some time, the rescue group said.

Steve Green from Clean Ocean Sailing said they had spotted the animal earlier in the day swimming near them while out at sea.

It was wonderful to see her alongside us, he said.

Mr Green said they were horrified to see her stranded on the rocks during a beach clean up later.

Fin whales were once listed as endangered after years of being targeted by poachers and whalers led them to the brink of extinction.

The fin whale also gave signs it had not eaten for some time, the rescue group said (British Divers Marine Life Rescue)

The International Union for Conservation of Nature updated their status to vulnerable in 2018 after their numbers started to grow again.

Last month, the first killer whale in nearly two decades was found washed up on the English shoreline.

It was found with plastic in its stomach, although this was not thought to have been deadly, authorities said.

Additional reporting by SWNS
To get a sense of how far Arvind Kejriwal has travelled in his short political journey of less than a decade, compare two images.

The first is from his first term in office. In 2014, the chief minister of Delhi decided to sit on a dharna in the heart of the capital. It sent out a message that Kejriwal, who rose as a result of the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, would remain a disruptor. He resigned soon after, with his term lasting 49 days. The message was simple: He would change the system, the system would not change him.

The second image is from outside the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office last week, as Kejriwal won a resounding mandate in the assembly elections. He chanted three slogans  Bharat Mata ki Jai, Inquilab Zindabad, and Vande Materam; he thanked Hanuman (who, during the campaign, he said he was a devout follower of); and he declared that the victory was a victory of the people of Delhi for the development work that had been done in the past five years.

In these six years, from January 2014 to January 2020, Kejriwal evolved from being seen as a disruptor to a leader committed to governance; from a political entrepreneur who wished to take on Narendra Modi and expand nationally, to a chief minister who was committed to governance and focused on Delhi; and from an anarchist, a descriptor often used by rivals, to a public figure who would operate within the framework of Constitution, at ease with the idiom of Indian nationalism.

As Kejriwal takes oath today for the third time, and prepares for his next term, it is this new image he must hold on to  and build on. In a way, his task is made easier, for he has to just translate his campaign into governance.

During the campaign, the AAP stuck to what it had done in the spheres of education (improving government schools, both in terms of infrastructure and quality of education), health (providing primary care through mohalla clinics and ensuring free supply of medicines, diagnostics and even surgery), public transport (which has been made free for women), and subsided and regular supply of electricity and water.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried hard to reshape the campaign around the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and AAPs alleged support for the protest against it at Shaheen Bagh  Kejriwal deftly stayed away from it. Left and liberal activists of civil society condemned him for not visiting Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia Islamia  he did not get ruffled. It was this focus, this ability to keep his eyes firmly on the target, the stubborn refusal to get distracted and swayed by either the Left or the Right, and, instead, fight the election on his own, positive, platform that explains Kejriwals victory.

It is this very focus that he needs to now deploy, both in politics and governance. Politically, many sympathetic observers, who are constantly in search of an alternative to Modi, have already begun prodding Kejriwal to go national and take on the prime minister. The CM has done this in the past. Remember Varanasi of 2014? Or the consistently confrontational approach against the Centre  which was indeed being obstructionist and sought to undermine the Delhi government  till 2017-18? Or the effort to cobble together a front of regional parties against Modi in 2019? It did not work.

Kejriwal appears acutely conscious of the fact that many of his voters are Modi voters as well, who both in 2014 and 2019 went with the BJP at the Centre. He also appears conscious of the fact that his electoral victory was unique  owing to the particularities of Delhis location, fiscal situation, demographics  which cannot be replicated nationally. He is also, perhaps, well aware of the limits of the AAPs organisational reach.

To be sure, as both a citizen and an important political figure, Kejriwal is entitled to take positions on national issues, or collaborate with like-minded parties. But more than a national front against Modi, what the AAP really needs is to win the municipal elections in the city in 2022. And the way to do it is by sticking to the idiom of local governance, keeping his politics local, and focusing on service delivery.

If politically, he must remain rooted to Delhi, in terms of governance, it is time for Kejriwal to both build on his achievements in terms of service delivery of the past five years  and work on new areas.

The most important policy priority is tackling pollution. To his credit, in an interview with Hindustan Times before the elections, the CM said that this would be a key agenda in the third term. Pollution has emerged as the primary public health crisis of our times. It is affecting every citizen across class boundaries; it is undermining Delhis reputation as an attractive destination for diplomats, investors, students, professionals; it is causing a range of ailments annually, with pregnant women and children most deeply affected; and it has both environmental and economic consequences.

To be sure, there are a complex set of factors behind the spike in pollution  including stubble burning in neighbouring states  which are beyond the control of the Delhi government. But Kejriwal must make this his primary political objective in this term. It can be the defining element of his legacy five years from now.

There will be tens of thousands of people today at Ram Lila Maidan, cheering on Arvind Kejriwal as he takes charge again. He would do well to look into their eyes, and recognise the mandate for what it is  a mandate to continue reforming delivery systems and providing services, and improving the lives and incomes of citizens, of Delhi.

letters@hindustantimes.com

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A Nepal Airlines special aircraft Airbus A-330 aircraft departed on Saturday afternoon from Kathmandu for Wuhan city in Chinas Hubei province (China) for the evacuation of Nepali citizens amid the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 1500 people and infected at least 60,000 others.

The special flight flew for Wuhan at 4 p.m. (local time), nearly two hours late than previously announced time of 2:15 p.m. (local time).

The aircraft, which is scheduled to land at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport at 9:00 p.m. (China Time), has three pilots, six crew members, an engineer, a loadmaster and a health team as well as the Army.

Preparations have been completed to bring on those Nepali who are stranded in Chinas Wuhan. The flight is being sent for the purpose and they will be flown out to Nepal this evening (China Time) by Nepal Airlines Aircraft. They are healthy, no symptoms have been seen amongst them till now, Narayan Bidari, Secretary at the Prime Ministers Office, told ANI.

A total of 185 Nepali are expected to land in Kathmandu on Sunday morning at 2:15 a.m. (local time) if they pass the health test at Wuhan airport.

After their arrival, the evacuees will be quarantined at Kharipati in Bhaktapur for fortnights and then released if they do not grow any symptoms of Covid-19 or the coronavirus.

The deadly virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year. It has since then killed more than 1,500 people in that country alone, while cases have been registered in several countries across the world, including India.
What happens next with the coronavirus outbreak? The truth is no one really knows. It could end up being contained in the not too distant future. Lockdowns imposed across China, along with travel restrictions, may have the desired effect in stopping the diseases spread.

More likely, the viral infection could continue spreading for a while, and even worsen. Some health experts have suggested we may well see a pandemic. According to Gabriel Leung, a leading infectious disease expert in Hong Kong, if left unchecked, the coronavirus could infect 60 per cent of the worlds population.

That sounds terrifying. Its less scary when you consider that most of those infected seem to be developing mild flu-like symptoms. Catching the disease doesnt mean it will kill you.

For all the dread and panic it has inspired, the coronavirus (or Covid-19, as the World Health Organisation calls it) hasnt yet proven to be as deadly as feared viruses of the past. The death rate for the virus stands around 2 per cent, much lower than SARS or Ebola. There are currently about 60,000 cases of infection  the vast majority in China  with about 1370 reported deaths.

Yet the statistics dont tell the full story. The number of infections in China is likely much higher. Authorities there may be understating its true scale.
Update 1.46pm: A woman's body has been found by police investigating this week's double homicide in Tauranga.

The body was found on Friday when police were called to a home in Lynwood Place says District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor.

Police were called to the address yesterday and upon arrival a woman was found deceased, says District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor.

We believe she may have been dead for a couple of days. At this stage it's believed the death was a domestic incident.

Police is not seeking anyone else in relation to this sudden death at this stage.

Update on double homicide in Omanawa:

Police also report they are making good progress in the investigation into the double homicide in Omanawa and the events following in Tauranga.

Based on information available, the incidents appear to be unrelated to gang conflict although Police is aware the incidents have involved gang members, says Andy.

A 25-year-old Bay of Plenty man arrested yesterday in Christchurch has been charged with the murders of two men at the Omanawa property on Tuesday February 11.

His arrest was made at a property in New Brighton, and followed a homicide investigation into two men at an Ormsby Lane address in Omanawa on Tuesday.

The heavily tattooed 25-year-old appeared in the Christchurch District Court before Judge Tony Couch this morning, facing two charges of murder for the two victims who police have said were known to each other.

His lawyer, Moana Cole, sought an interim name suppression order for him claiming it was a "high-profile case" and said there was a risk of retaliation. Judge Couch granted the interim suppression order. Police also sought an interim order suppressing the names of both victims and the summary of facts, which was also granted by Judge Couch. The 25-year-old was remanded in custody to appear in the Tauranga District Court on February 26. On Thursday Police attempted to stop a vehicle at 7.46pm on Carmichael Rd in Bethlehem. It was reported to have left from the Brookfield area, was driven along Carmichael Rd, and then fled along SH2 towards Tauranga city. The vehicle failed to stop on Carmichael Rd and a firearm was shot at police. The vehicle stopped along SH2 just beyond the Cambridge Rd off-ramp and an occupant continued to discharge the firearm.

Police report that they returned fire and in the exchange the offender was fatally wounded.

Road closures were put in place while scene examination was undertaken.

Police are yet to formally identify the deceased and a post mortem is expected to be carried out today.

Site investigation at the scene on SH2 on Friday. Photo: Daniel Hines/SunLive

Earlier, 10.15am:

Some Otumoetai residents are reporting the presence of armed Police who appear to be guarding a property in Brookfield.

SunLive received calls from nearby neighbours that Police have been at the property overnight and are still there this morning.

"There is one Police car backed down the driveway, a Police wagon out front, and two armed officers standing in the driveway," says one resident.

"They've been there overnight. There told us that there had been an incident and that there was nothing to worry about."

SunLive will have further information once it is available.
Tri-State COVID cases surge, but number falls in Washington County

While the number of new COVID-19 cases in the Tri-State area skyrocketed in the past week, the number cooled slightly for Washington County.
By PTI

LAHORE: An accountability court here has exempted Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from appearing before it in a money laundering case on medical grounds and adjourned the hearing till February 28 in the matter, according to media reports on Saturday.

The 69-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo is undergoing treatment in London for coronary artery disease.

Sharif appealed to the court to extend exemption from personal appearance in proceedings against him in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, the Dawn report said.

The court allowed Sharif's application and adjourned the hearing in the case till February 28, it said. Sharif was on November 4 last year granted bail on humanitarian grounds by the Lahore High Court in the case.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accused Sharif of being a direct beneficiary of Chaudhry Sugar Mills and his daughter, Maryam, who was arrested in connection with the case in August along with her cousin Yousuf Abbas, of holding over 12 million shares in the sugar mills.

Sharif left for London on November 19 in an air ambulance to seek medical treatment.

Sharif's lawyer Amjad Pervaiz said that a new medical certificate about the former premier's health was submitted to the court, The Express Tribune reported.

"Nawaz Sharif is under clinical supervision," Pervaiz said while stating the medical certificate provided by Nawaz's consultant in London.

"He [Nawaz] will undergo a medical examination which is scheduled to take place in the last week of February," he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.

Pervaiz said that Sharif's doctor believes that Nawaz is not fit to travel to Pakistan. "Nawaz Sharif will face trial when he recovers," he said.

The judicial remand of Sharif's nephew Yousaf Abbas was extended till February 28 in the case, while Maryam, who was on bail, has been exempted from personal appearance till the filing of a reference by the NAB.
Alexandru-Bogdan Ghita / Unsplash

Those Ol Green Blues

Proponents and adversaries of recreational cannabis alike released their collective bated breath on Wednesday night, when the Senate Judiciary Committee tabled HB 160, the Cannabis Regulation Act. Sponsored by Rep. Javier Martinez during 2020, the second, abbreviated half of the 54th Legislature of the State of New Mexico, HB 160 ultimately seems to have functioned as a reminder to New Mexicans that the economic and cultural momentum necessary to catalyze the movement to legalize recreational cannabis in The Land of Enchantment exists. As coverage by the Santa Fe Reporter notes, Rep. Javier Martinez is pondering his next moves. Martinez, a Democrat representing Albuquerque in the state House, has been tweaking and re-tweaking the legalization effort for a handful of years now, and while the 6-4 Senate vote to table the bill is a setback, hes bullish about the long-term future of a recreational cannabis law for New Mexico.

Moderate Recall

New research published by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examines susceptibility to false memories under the influence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabis primary psychoactive compound. In Cannabis increases susceptibility to false memory, Netherlands-based researchers led by Lilian Kloft on Maastricht Universitys psychology and neuroscience faculty report the results of their randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial:  cannabis- intoxicated participants had lower memory accuracy (net accuracy = ratio of true memory to total memory), both in the immediate test [t(62) = 3.67, P < 0.001, Cohens d = 0.46] and the delayed test [t(60) = 2.49, P = 0.015, Cohens d = 0.32], as compared to placebo. As noted by the studys authors, this research has special significance for law enforcement in an era when medical and recreational cannabis are increasingly common: False-memory effects were mostly restricted to the acute-intoxication phase. Cannabis seems to increase false-memory proneness, with decreasing strength of association between an event and a test item, as assessed by different false-memory paradigms. Our findings have implications for how and when the police should interview suspects and eyewitnesses.
BREEDSVILLE, MI  When his retail marijuana shop opened earlier this month, it doubled the number of private businesses in the small village of Breedsville, according to store owner Tom Tamandl.

Theres a post office, a general store and our business is probably the biggest business, Tamandl said.

Tamandl, 74, first smoked marijuana during graduate school while still in his 20s. A friend passed him a pipe while they were listening to A Day in the Life by The Beatles.

It was the song that said, Id love to turn you on with a crescendo, he said. That crescendo lasted forever.

What he felt struck him, Tamandl said.

10 Breedsville Provision Center

It was about 15 years later when a Native American massage therapist told him more about the medical properties of the then-illegal plant.

She said it is a medicine and you should treat it as such. Treat it with respect, treat your body with respect, he said.

Since that time, Tamandl said, he has used it for pain from diabetes, arthritis and other issues.

I began to consider it a medicine instead of just a drug, just for fun, he said.

Tamandl has a background teaching Spanish, he said. When the state and local government began allowing medical marijuana businesses, he opened a medical marijuana retail store in Breedsville.

Michigan voters approved recreational marijuana sales in November 2018, paving the way for Tamandls next business move.

The Breedsville Provision Center, 77 E. Main St., began offering recreational marijuana sales, allowed for anyone 21 or older, on Feb. 1, 2020, Tamandl said. He said he strongly disapproves of youth using drugs.

Recreational sales have turned the business around, Tamandl said.

He entered the industry in part because of the business opportunity, but also because he believes cannabis is a useful drug that can be used by adults to help them mentally physically and emotionally," he said.

It does a body good, Tamandl said. It helps individuals cope with pain. It helps them cope with difficult times. Ive been a fan for many years.

He also mentioned its benefits for pain management, as an alternative to opioids.

The Breedsville Provision Center is open seven days a wee,k from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Contact the shop at 269-427-2202 for more information.

Breedsville Provision Center is among five recreational marijuana shops operating in Southwest Michigan as of Feb. 14. A fifth shop, The Green Door in Bangor, has a state license but has not opened yet.

This map, updated periodically, shows all of the licensed recreational marijuana shops in Michigan as of Jan. 30. Some of the shops may be licensed but are not selling marijuana yet. Others have purchase limits and limited inventory, so customers are advised to call ahead.

Read more:

Recreational marijuana stores draw buyers to Southwest Michigan

Recreational marijuana sales begin at West Michigan shop

Kalamazoo delays option to allow recreational marijuana businesses until June
New advancements in science and medicine hit the tabloids every day, from new cancer busting stuff, to robots assisting in surgery. Everything now seems easier and keeps us beaming at the wonderful discoveries of science.

Every single breakthrough in science, be it the invention of a more efficient pain-killer, or a new discovery to prevent obesity, it takes months, or even as long as decades, to go through a series of specifically planned steps to be followed, which then require to undergo many circles of trial and errors, rejections and other issues. It is then that the new drug hits the market, along with a number of marketing strategies ranging from glossy magazine ads to huge banners at bus stops and junctions.

This entire procedure right from the beginning is termed as clinical trial and is one of the leading industries that shell out such a huge capital, which makes them the second leading industry in the world.

But virtually unknown to the layman, theres a horrible past, present and probably future to the inside of these miraculous achievements in medicine.

To ensure that every single process is carried out properly without any tampering or manipulations, strict rules are to be adhered to, and thats where it all goes horribly wrong. Already known to exploit animal subjects, science is now entering a new expanse, and innumerable human subjects have known to be exploited in this very dream of making a new breakthrough in medicine.

The presence of strict rules and regulations present in the Nuremberg code, the Declaration of Helsinki, and several other regulatory documents doesnt seem to shy away some over-ambitious professionals from holding human life at stake.

Some notable medical crimes of the past-

Injecting cancer cells in healthy individuals- One of the most dangerous malpractices in medicine, intradermal injections of live cancer cells were given to 22 patients in the year 1963, to see if the cancer cells could live longer in non-cancer patients. These injections were given to the healthy individuals after obtaining an oral consent. Anti-depressant therapy- A local civilian in a condition of excellent health approached the New York State Psychiatric Institute to treat his depression that had followed his divorce in the year 1952. Contrary to the general treatment for depression, he was made victim to a number of unnecessary injections which were purely for the purpose of testing in clinical trials. Adverse reactions to the injections were shunned away by the authorities, and soon enough, when he was given a dose 16 times stronger than his first, he succumbed to death. High oxygen concentrations to premature babies- Aware of the fact that high oxygen concentrations may cause blindness in the premature baby, a physician carried out this procedure without obtaining the informed consent of the parents. Whats more is that the high oxygen treatment was continued even after an adverse reaction (swelling of the eyes) was observed. Lumbar puncture as a free treatment- Dr Vonderlher from the Public Health service, performed lumbar puncture as a special free treatment, when in reality, this treatment was purely diagnostic in nature, and was required by researchers.

Nazi experiment - Be ready for some gruesomeness

One of the most gruesome and insensitive malpractices of all times were carried out by the Nazi on a number of Jewish prisoners.

In order to study bone and tissue regeneration, sections of bones and tissues were removed from the subjects without the use of anesthesia which resulted in mutilation, intense agony and sometimes permanent disability to the subject.

An experiment conducted with a view to discovering new ways to prevent and treat hypothermia used forced immersion of subjects into a tank of ice water for upto five hours. More than 100 people were reported to die as a result of this particular experiment.

To gain more information about head injuries, the Nazis carried out this experiment in secrecy, wherein a young boy, aged around 12 years, was strapped to a chair, unable to move, and a mechanical hammer would hit his head every few seconds. The boy was noted to be driven insane from the resulting torture.

High altitude experiments made use of pressure chambers, in which altitudes of upto 20,000 m was stimulated, with prisoners made part of this experiment. Of the 200 that were a part of this experiment, 80 died immediately, whereas the remaining were executed. It is also rumored that Sigmund Rascher performed vivisections (live surgeries without the use of anesthesia) of the subjects who survived the initial experiment. Vivisection is regarded as a form of torture.

To study different ways to make sea water drinkable, experiments were conducted, wherein a group of 90 were deprived of food and water, and given nothing except sea water. These subjects became so dehydrated that they were found licking freshly mopped floors in an attempt to drink water.

Children were deliberately infected with tuberculosis and then operated upon to remove the axillary lymph nodes. They were then later murdered.

Even today, illegal and inexpensive abortions, insanitary conditions in hospitals and improper sterilization of equipment are noted. Doctors stealing away kidneys also make headlines more often.

Seems like the Hippocratic oath is hardly remembered, and this very profession, supposed to be responsible for saving lives and empowering health, is now turning into an ugly monster. Moreover, in a developing country like India, where literacy is uncommon, and village life is hard, such malpractices are common.

Community education and awareness can play a good role in preventing such life-threatening misconducts.
Within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan continues having bilateral meetings with the presidents and prime ministers of various countries.

First, the Prime Minister had a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, and then with Latvian President Egils Levits.

Pashinyan and Borisov discussed Armenian-Bulgarian economic cooperation. The interlocutors touched upon the development of cooperation, and exchanged views on the possibilities of implementing regional projects.

Prime Minister Borisov invited Prime Minister Pashinyan to Bulgaria on an official visit, which was accepted with delight. They expressed confidence that high-level mutual visits would give a new impetus to bilateral relations.

Subsequently, the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Latvia touched upon the promotion of bilateral cooperation, and spoke about the development of Armenia-EU cooperation. Nikol Pashinyan and Egils Levits also touched upon Armenia's democratic reforms and cooperation in this direction.
The US State Department on Saturday condemned the detention in Venezuela of an uncle of opposition leader Juan Guaido, saying the man was being held on "preposterous charges."



"The United States strongly condemns the detention of Juan Jose Marquez, uncle of interim President Juan Guaido, and demands his immediate release," said a statement from State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus.

Marquez was detained Tuesday at the international airport near Caracas while accompanying Guaido on his return trip from a three-week tour to several countries including the US aimed at building pressure on President Nicolas Maduro.

The US is one of some 50 countries that have recognised Guaido as Venezuela's interim president after Maduro's 2018 re-election was widely denounced as rigged.

The US statement Saturday used uncommonly strong language.

"The preposterous charges that have been put forward further exemplify the increasing desperation of Maduro and his corrupt associates," it said.

Venezuelan authorities claimed that Marquez had smuggled explosive material aboard a flight from Portugal, despite strong denials by Portuguese authorities that he could have done so.

"Manufacturing evidence to justify arbitrary, politically motivated detentions is a common tool of the illegitimate former Maduro regime," the US statement said.

"These despicable actions by the former Maduro regime -- detaining innocent civilians and inventing false charges -- are sadly typical," it said, accusing Maduro and his associates of "mafia-style practices."



Guaido was allowed to leave the airport unhindered on Tuesday despite being in defiance of a government-imposed travel ban.

He has denounced the treatment of his uncle as "a kidnapping."



"I hold you responsible, usurper Nicolas Maduro...for what happens to Juan Jose Marquez, an honest and brave man," Guaido tweeted on Wednesday.

During his three-week tour, Guaido met with the British, French and German leaders and was a guest of President Donald Trump at his State of the Union speech.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has requested the Netherlands to share the documents for the case of the downing of Flight MH17 as three Russian citizens are considered to be suspects, but without any success, the agency said on Saturday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th February, 2020) The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has requested the Netherlands to share the documents for the case of the downing of Flight MH17 as three Russian citizens are considered to be suspects, but without any success, the agency said on Saturday.

"The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has sent an official request to the Kingdom of the Netherlands' Ministry of Justice and Security asking to transfer us the corresponding case files for conducting criminal prosecution per the European Convention on the Transfer of Proceedings in Criminal Matters, of which both the Netherlands and Russia .

.. Unfortunately, in the late December, we have received a refusal to satisfy that request," the Prosecutor General's Office said in a statement.

It interprets the Netherlands' decision as evidence of a one-sided investigation.

"By doing so, Netherlands' authorities have once again shirked from implementing all necessary measures to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the plane crash, as it is prescribed by a UN Security Council's resolution," the office added.
Shanghai Electric Group (Shanghai Electric) has announced that it is to join the Expo 2020 Dubai as the official partner of the China Pavilion, scheduled to open on October 20.

"We are proud to be part of the Expo 2020 Dubai. It is the fourth time for Shanghai Electric to join the World Expo. Aptly named 'The Light of China', the China pavilion and Shanghai Electric will team up to show the world the latest technology and power solutions set to illuminate the future of energy generation and consumption. It is also a significant step for the Company as we continue to strengthen our global brand image," said Sun, Deputy director of Corporate Culture Department of Shanghai Electric.

At present, Shanghai Electric has a range of mega-projects in the Belt and Road region, including the 950MW Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and PV solar power project in Dubai. Once completed, the project is expected to provide clean energy to over 270,000 families in the city, reducing the city's carbon dioxide emissions by 1.6 million tonnes per year.

Zhang Shenfeng, Deputy Director, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that the 950MW project is a significant endeavor of the Belt and Road Initiative and he is pleased to see Shanghai Electric join the Expo as the representative of China's State-owned companies.

The China Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will occupy 4,636 sqm and will be designed to symbolise hope and a bright future. Visitors will be able to catch a glimpse of cutting-edge innovations in IT, transportation, 5G and Artificial Intelligence currently being developed in China. -- Tradearabia News Service
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy on Saturday said that there is not a "single paragraph or a world against the 130 crore people of India" in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

"I want to ask those on dharna and protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, why they are protesting for and against what? There is not a single para or a word against even one of the 130 crore people of India in the Act," Reddy told ANI here.

Talking about those protesting against CAA in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, Reddy said, "I want to ask whether they are on dharna for people residing in Pakistan and Bangladesh? In CAA, there is not a single word against any person, whether he is Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Sikh... If there is any, then the Government of India is ready to remove it."

Meanwhile, in Delhi, a group of people at Shaheen Bagh, who have been protesting against the CAA and the proposed NRC over around two months now, on Saturday claimed that they would be going to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence on Sunday over the CAA and NRC.

However, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that no meeting of the Union Home Minister with any person(s) over the CAA was scheduled for Sunday.

"No such meeting is scheduled with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for tomorrow," said MHA in a statement.

The development came two days after Home Minister Amit Shah said at Times Now Summit here that anyone having doubts over CAA could seek an appointment from his office and he would be willing to meet the person(s) within three days.

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian refugees who came from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh on or before December 31, 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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A Los Angeles city councilmember has returned campaign donations and a state legislator is promising to reintroduce a bill that would shed light on the rental market, following the publication of a KPCC/LAist investigation into landlord Mike Nijjar and PAMA Management.

Here in L.A., campaign contributions to Councilmember David Ryu by PAMA Management and Patricia Nijjar, who is married to Mike Nijjar, quickly came under fire. Two challengers, Sarah Kate Levy and Nithya Raman, both blasted Ryu in tweets on Wednesday.

Here's an article from today about SoCal slumlord PAMA Management, and how they get away with deadly code violations because they donate to politicians.



PAMA is a max donor to my opponent, David Ryu.



He's the only LA candidate they've given to. (thread) https://t.co/af6Ko2CyFZ  Nithya Raman (@nithyavraman) February 12, 2020

If @davidryu4u is a reformer of City Hall special interest politics, why did he take a campaign donation from this slumlord who endangers & exploits his tenants? PAMA Management has also faced court actions in LA. This story should have a #triggerwarning https://t.co/uBvmKwps4K  Sarah Kate Levy (@sarahkatelevy) February 13, 2020

The donations to Ryu were made in June 2019. They totaled $1,600, and supported his re-election campaign for L.A. City Council.

On Friday, Ryu's campaign said the donations had been returned. A statement from the campaign said:

"Councilmember Ryu unequivocally condemns PAMA Management's grotesque business practices, and any management company that skirts the law and takes advantage of tenants. The campaign has refunded the two contributions. Councilmember Ryu's record on this issue speaks for itself: He has repeatedly stood up to abusive landlords to protect tenants, he has advanced numerous pieces of legislation to expand renter protections, and has more than 500 units of homeless housing either built or in progress."

Ryu, Levy and Raman are on the March 3 primary ballot, vying to represent the district that spans Sherman Oaks, Los Feliz and Koreatown.

The KPCC/LAist investigation story also sparked conversation among state lawmakers. Oakland Assemblymember Buffy Wicks shared the story, calling it "an infuriating & heartbreaking illustration of rental registry."

This in-depth investigative report by @a_mendelson for @KPCC/@LAistis an infuriating & heartbreaking illustration of why CA needs a statewide rental registry.



I was disappointed my registry bill failed last yrbut Im reintroducing it.



Lets get it done.https://t.co/F96NMoh6K6  Buffy Wicks (@BuffyWicks) February 13, 2020

Wicks announced she would reintroduce a bill to collect valuable data on rental properties in California. "It's my number one priority this year," Wicks said from Japan, where she was visiting as part of an Assembly delegation.

A previous version of the bill failed to pass last year, amid opposition from landlord groups and concerns over a price tag in excess of $20 million. Wicks said she hoped to bring down the cost and strengthen enforcement mechanisms in the law this time around. The goal remains the same: to capture information about rents, vacancies, ownership and evictions in rental housing to paint a fuller picture of the housing market in California.

"It's my hope that that data will then provide sunlight," and deal with "egregious practices", Wicks said.

David Chiu, who is chair of the Assembly's Housing Committee, pledged to support Wicks' bill on Thursday. He called the reporting in the KPCC/LAist story "horrifying & dangerous".

This reporting details the horrifying & dangerous conditions that some tenants are forced to live with.



It also shows the need for a comprehensive rental registry.



Luckily, @BuffyWicks has a bill to create one. Let's get it done. https://t.co/p98wD8U5WK  David Chiu (@DavidChiu) February 13, 2020

KPCC/LAist's investigation reported that the PAMA Management rental empire spans an estimated 16,000 units across several California counties. It detailed longstanding concerns over safety, health and habitability at PAMA properties. PAMA properties have been the site of a typhus outbreak, shootings, and a fire that killed a 5 month-old girl. In that last incident, state regulators charged that the "complete disregard for all Health and Safety Code statutes and regulations that are intended to protect the public led to the death of an infant."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This guide is part of our new, ongoing series, STUCK: Inside California's Housing Crisis.

LAist is committed to bringing you the information you need to navigate the state's housing crisis. As affordable options shrink, more and more people have found themselves on the brink of homelessness, or in the streets. Last year, more than 151,000 people in California were counted as homeless, a 17% increase since 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

We're exploring the many corners of this crisis, from the rise of corporate landlords to renters enduring dangerous and illegal conditions to newly arrived immigrants trying to keep a roof over their heads. We'll also explore ways city and state officials have failed to protect vulnerable populations from exploitation and the way many homeless people are relegated to premature death on the streets.

READ THE FULL INVESTIGATION:

Deceit, Disrepair and Death Inside a Southern California Rental Empire

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Senior Congress leader



Digvijay Singh on Saturday claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had agreed to meet the protesters opposing the new citizenship law at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh and welcomed the "move".

Shah had told a channel a few days ago that anyone who wanted to discuss issues related to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with him could seek time from his office and they would be given time "within three days".

On Saturday, a section of Shaheen Bagh protesters said they were ready to meet Shah to raise their concerns over CAA but added that the onus was on the government to call them for talks.

However, despite Singh's claim, there is no official confirmation on whether Shah has agreed to meet Shaheen Bagh protesters.

The protesters, mainly women, have been staging a sit-in against the CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) there for the past two months.

"...Honourable Home Minister Amit Shahji has decided to hold talks with Shaheen Bagh protesters over their demand (on CAA) and this is a good signal. I am hopeful their demand for withdrawal of the new citizenship act will be met," Singh told reporters in Dhar.

Singh said if other demands of the protesters, like making the National Population Register exercise "friendly", were met, then it would create a "good atmosphere in the country".

Speaking in Indore, Singh said had the Narendra Modi government held talks with Shaheen Bagh protesters earlier, the situation would not have come to such a pass.

"If the Central government had held talks with mothers and sisters squatting at the Shaheen Bagh, the situation would not have come to such a pass in the country. But the dialogue should not be confined to discussions merely. I demand from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw the unconstitutional CAA," he told reporters.

Questioning the need for the CAA, Singh claimed one crore people have been given citizenship, including around 85 per cent Hindus, after Independence.

"There was also no need for the NRC and the NPR given that the people have Aadhaar cards, driving licenses, voter identity cards etc. which can prove their citizenship," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Google Maps has redrawn the world's borders which look different depending upon where the user is viewing them from, with the popular search engine showing Kashmir's outlines as a dotted line acknowledging "dispute" when it is seen from outside India, a leading American daily has reported.

According to the Washington Post, "the borders on Google's online maps display Kashmir as fully under Indian control. Elsewhere, users see the region's snaking outlines as a dotted line, acknowledging the dispute". From Pakistan, Kashmir appears disputed while from India, it appears as a part of India, the Post report said, adding that "Google Maps changes disputed borders based on what country you search from".

Responding to the Post report, a company spokesperson said: "Google has a consistent and global policy to depict disputed regions and features fairly, showing claims made by the disputed or claiming nations on its global domain. "This does not endorse or affirm the position taken by any side. Products that have been localised to the local domain, such as maps.google.co.in, depicts that country's position as per the mandate of the local laws".

"We're committed to providing our users with the richest, most up-to-date and accurate maps possible. We do border updates based on data from our providers as new or more accurate data becomes available from authoritative sources or geopolitical conditions change. As we did for the state of Telangana in 2014," the Google official told PTI. According to the Post report, "From Argentina to the United Kingdom to Iran, the world's borders look different depending on where you're viewing them from. That's because Google and other online mapmakers simply change them".

Google's corporate mission is "to organise the world's information", but it also bends it to its will, the Post report said, adding that with some 80 per cent market share in mobile maps and over a billion users, Google Maps has an outsize impact on people's perception of the world. Headquartered in California, the company's decision-making on maps is often shrouded in secrecy, even to some of those who work to shape its digital atlases every day, the Post report said.

"It is influenced not just by history and local laws, but also the shifting whims of diplomats, policymakers and its own executives," the report quoted as saying people familiar with the matter on the condition of anonymity. Launched 15 years ago, Google Maps has become one of the most-used and recognizable products for the search engine giant, it added.
A medical staff sprays disinfection over an ambulance car outside a field hospital set up to quarantine those returning from areas hit by the new coronavirus, HCMC, February 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

As the current ASEAN chair, Vietnam has announced that the bloc will work together and prioritize its response to the Covid-19 epidemic.

A statement to this effect was issued Friday by Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs after discussion among member nations.

Leaders of the bloc expressed concern over the complicated development of Covid-19, a respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, read the statement.

They were also worried about the serious impact the epidemic has had and could have on the daily lives of the people and the development of each nation.

As such, the bloc pledged to give high priority to fighting the Covid-19, making joint efforts to keep it under control, stop it from spreading and respond timely to infections.

"ASEAN nations agree to maintain the policy of opening doors to each other and collaborating in health checks at border gates of member countries," the statement said.

The bloc will also strengthen medical cooperation with China, Japan, and South Korea at national and regional levels, as well as collaborate with the World Health Organization, and other international partners and organizations to prevent and control the epidemic, it added.

The association called on its diplomatic agencies across the world to support ASEAN citizens when needed.

As the chair of the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC), Vietnams Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh suggested that ASEAN and Chinese foreign ministers meet in Laos on the occasion of the 5th Mekong - Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting to discuss further cooperation in coping with the Covid-19 epidemic.

Following the outbreak in Chinas Wuhan City in Hubei Province in December last year, Covid-19 has spread to 27 countries and territories.

Among 10 ASEAN nations, it has hit six, sparing Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei and Laos.

Vietnam has so far recorded 16 infection cases, and seven have been discharged from hospitals.

As of Saturday morning, the death toll had climbed to 1,526, three of them outside China.

Vietnam took over the ASEAN Chairmanship for 2020 in November last year, marking the third time it has held the responsibility after 1998 and 2010.
Titan Company has unveiled the consumer insight report for Valentines Day 2020, covering views and opinion of couples from five metros  Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. According to the research, there was a comparative study conducted, where respondents were asked to decipher the various trends on how couples express love, spend our-time and their approach to choose the right partner and top gifts they prefer receiving on Valentines Day.

Express Love

According to the study, 52 per cent couples believe that spending quality time is the best way to express love, whereas 36 per cent couples express it by surprising their partner with gifts. While its interesting to note that 33 per cent couples prefer physical intimacy over the other two.

Social Media

In this digital era, where people buzz about every little detail of their lives on social media, 37 per cent married people think that posting pictures on social media is the best way of expressing love. On the other hand, 25 per cent unmarried people think that posting and expressing on social media is not a good way of expressing love.

Valentines Day as an occasion

When it comes to couples celebrating Valentines Day, 66 per cent married people value the occasion and consider it to be a very important day in terms of expressing love, while the excitement for the day was seen a bit low at 36 per cent amongst the unmarried couples.

Quality Time

Given the worked-up lifestyle, it gets difficult to move out over the weekend and thus, when it comes to spending some our-time, couples prefer spending relaxed time at home and indulging in hobbies like working out together.

Decision on choosing the right partner

Opinion is divided when it comes to making a decision on choosing the right partner. 50 per cent people agree that dating a person before getting married is the ideal way. They are not conservative, with just 36 per cent people agreeing on arranged marriages as the best approach when it comes to choosing the right partner. At the same time, only 32 per cent people think that it is important to live-in before getting married.

Gifting on Valentines Day

As the occasion is all about celebrating love, couples look out for different ways to make their partners feel special. Amongst hundreds of things, the research revealed, gifting chocolates to both men and women never goes out of trend. Jewellery and apparels are also considered popular gifts for women while when it comes to gifting men, gadgets take the lead.

The report was initiated to understand consumer sentiments around Valentines Day 2020  ways to express love, importance of the occasion, how couples spend time together, approach to decide the right life partner and Valentines gifts. The data was collected through online/ mobile surveys.
By Trend

The year 2019 was a turning point in the process of large-scale reforms aimed at radically improving the efficiency of the fuel and energy complex of Uzbekistan, a representative of the Ministry of Energy told Trend in an interview.

The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan, founded in February 2019, became the single coordinator of reforms.

An important part of the process of reforming the fuel and energy sector is the modernization of the country's entire electric power industry. To this end, the ministry is working to implement the tasks outlined in the decree of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev "On the strategy for further development and reform of the electric power industry of Uzbekistan". The provisions of this document are aimed at dramatically improving the efficiency of management, modernization and updating of generating capacities and electric transmission lines.

In line with the resolution, Uzbekenergo JSC was reorganized with the creation of three joint-stock companies: Thermal Power Plants JSC, National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan JSC and Regional Electric Grids JSC. The optimization of production processes was carried out taking into account the proposal of the World Bank to improve the management system of the electric power industry in Uzbekistan.

"That is, three joint-stock companies have been created, the first of which is responsible for the production of electric energy, the second is for transportation between regions and interaction with neighboring energy systems, and the third is for the sale of electricity to end consumers," said the representative.

The official added that the electric power industry is the basic sector of the economy of Uzbekistan, which has significant industrial and scientific-technical potential and has a significant impact on the development of the economy and the welfare of the people.

According to the Presidential Decree, with the formation of Thermal Electric Grids JSC, the structure of the company includes 14 enterprises with various forms of ownership: 11 thermal power plants for the production of electric and thermal energy and three system-wide enterprises for the maintenance of power equipment and the supply of material and technical resources.

The bulk of electricity generation in Uzbekistan is produced by Thermal Power Plants (TPP) - 92 percent, while 7 percent and 1 percent are produced by Hydroelectric Power Plants and renewable energy respectively.

To date, the installed capacity of all thermal power plants of Thermal Power Plants JSC is 12.1 million kW, or 85.8 percent of the installed capacity of the unified electric power system of Uzbekistan.

For 10 months of 2019, 45 Kw/h billion of electric energy were generated by Thermal Power Plants JSC. In general, in 2019, the generation will be 57.3 billion kWh with a growth rate of 101.8 percent. In 2020, it is planned to increase the volume of electricity production up to 61.4 billion kWh.

This year, 1,787 MW of electricity generation capacities will be launched (12.6 billion kWh per year).

Given the need to ensure stable supplies of electric and thermal energy to the economy and the population of the country, large-scale investment projects are being implemented in the electricity industry, including the introduction of modern combined-cycle and gas turbine units.

In 2017, the construction of two combined cycle plants with a capacity of 230-280 MW at the Takhiatash TPP was started. This investment project is being implemented jointly with the US company General Electric and the South Korean consortium consisting of Hyundai Engineering and Hyundai Engineering and Construction.

With the commissioning of two combined cycle power plants, the stations capacity will increase from 630 MW to 1,190 MW. The annual power generation of the station will increase from 3 to 4.8 billion kWh. The specific consumption of equivalent fuel for the generation of electric energy will decrease by 164.3 g/kW.h, which will save natural gas by 488.6 million cubic meters per year.

In 2016, the project "Expansion of Navoi TPP with the construction of the second 450 MW combined cycle plant" was launched using a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan and a consortium of Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (Japan) as a general contractor. Since the beginning of March 2019, the gas turbine has been operating in commercial operation at a load of 320 MW in a "simple cycle". The combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT)-2 was put into operation on August 20, 2019, with a capacity of 450 MW. Equipment testing is underway.

In 2016, a contract was signed between Uzbekistan and the International Consortium of Japanese companies "Mitsubishi Corporation" and "Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd" for the construction of a new Turakurgan thermal power plant with the commissioning of two combined cycle plants of 450 MW each. The Turkish company Calik Enerji Sanayi ve Ticaret AS was a partner in the consortium for the construction of a number of components. The project is financed through a loan from the JICA, a loan from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan and own funds.

The uniqueness of the Turakurgan power station is that the project started from scratch.

The combined cycle of CCGT-1 was put into operation on August 8, it works in test mode. According to CCP-2, the installation of the main and auxiliary equipment is carried out, the gas turbine is scrolled. Commissioning work is underway.

As a result, an annual increase in electricity production by 6.7 billion kWh and a reduction in gas consumption by 480 million cubic meters will be provided for the needs of the Ferghana Valley; 300 people will be provided with work.

"This investment project is of strategic importance, allowing us to further increase the economic potential of the Ferghana region and ensure reliable supply of electricity to the regions population," the representative said.

In 2018, Phased modernization of Syrdarya TPP power units was launched (loan from Vnesheconombank, Russia). Within the framework of the project, Syrdarya TPP JSC and Russian Power Machines PJSC concluded a contract to upgrade six units of the Syrdarya TPP on a turnkey basis in three stages. This year, the power unit of No 3 was commissioned and on Sept. 12, it was included in the network, with a capacity of 315 MW. The commissioning of Unit 4 is also planned in 2019.

In 2018, "The introduction of highly efficient cogeneration gas turbine technologies at the Ferghana Thermal Power Plant and the Ferghana Boiler House RK-3" project was launched (direct investment by NEDO). Contractors for the supply and installation of equipment are Japanese companies Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd and Marubeni Utility Services Ltd. According to RK-3, all types of main works are completed; before the end of 2019, it is planned to launch a gas turbine with a capacity of 7 MW. The Japanese side completed the supply of equipment by 99 percent at the Ferghana TPP. Construction and installation work is underway, the launch of a gas turbine with a capacity of 17 MW is planned in 2020.

The representative added that in the process of reforming the fuel and energy complex of Uzbekistan, a significant place was given to the oil and gas industry, where the first stage of transformation was completed by the end of 2019.

This is, first of all, expressed in the formation of a new management system and organizational structure of Uzbekneftegaz JSC in accordance with the decree of the President of Uzbekistan dated July 9, 2019 "On measures to ensure stable provision of the economy and the population with energy resources, financial recovery and improvement of the oil and gas industry management system".

The management of non-economic methods in the oil and gas industry has led to lags in the growth of hydrocarbon reserves and an increase in the deficit in natural gas, especially in private enterprise. The decree was adopted to eliminate these problems.

As a result of the reform, the companies of JSC Uzbekneftegaz, JSC Uzneftegazdobycha, JSC Uznefteprodukt, JSC Uzneftegazmash were merged with JSC Uzbekneftegaz.

Redundant intermediate links in the management system of Uzbekneftegaz JSC were reduced. Oil and gas producing and gas processing entities were also transformed into structural divisions of Uzbekneftegaz JSC.

JSC "Uztransgaz" was withdrawn from the structure of JSC "Uzbekneftegaz". Uztransgaz JSC has been identified as a single operator for the purchase of natural gas from gas producing enterprises for further transportation, including export and import, as well as for sale to consumers connected to gas trunk pipelines.

On the basis of territorial gas supply branches of Uztransgaz JSC, Khududgaztaminot JSC was established to operate gas distribution networks and supply natural and liquefied gas to the population and social facilities.

The restructuring of Uzbekneftegaz JSC are aimed at creating a transparent procurement system and turning the country's oil and gas industry into a financially stable and steadily developing industry. In the industry, measures have been taken to improve mechanisms for the sale of finished products, strengthen financial discipline and optimize pricing at enterprises in the oil and gas industry.

Reform of the oil and gas industry went in parallel with the implementation of current tasks. Following the results of 9 months 1.504 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 7,900 tons of oil and 27,600 tons of gas condensate were produced.

In addition, 356 oil and gas wells were repaired; 182 gas and oil wells increased hydrocarbon production due to repair and insulation works; work on intensification of production was carried out at 159 wells; eight wells were restored and put into operation from the liquidation fund; five wells were restored and put into operation from the conservation fund; 74 new wells were drilled and put into operation; at six technological sites, construction and installation works were completed.

As the official noted, 2019 was also marked by a number of reports on the receipt of industrial gas inflows from existing fields.

In particular, on October 28, 2019, as a result of drilling well No. 12 at the Uchtepa field, an industrial influx of natural gas was obtained with a preliminary flow rate of 150,000-200,000 cubic meters per day. The Uchtepa field is located in the Bulakbashi district of Andijan region. Earlier, industrial gas inflows with a flow rate of up to 385,000 cubic meters per day have already been received there from seven wells.

As a result of drilling well No. 12 in Cretaceous deposits, the industrial inflow of natural gas was obtained in the intervals of 1087-1080 m (XIX layer) and 1063-1054 m (XVIII layer).

Moreover, on October 28, 2019, an industrial inflow of natural gas was received at the Yormok field with a preliminary flow rate of 250,000-300,000 cubic meters per day. The structure is located on the territory of the Guzar district of the Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan.

Another gas well was launched by Andijonneft JSC at the oil and gas field in the village of Uchtepa, Bulakbashi district. It was discovered in 2017 in connection with the production of natural gas of industrial importance from a 3rd exploration well. In November-December 2019, in the Uchtepa oil and gas field, drilling was carried out in gas well No. 12 and industrial gas was obtained.

At present, work is underway on laying gas pipelines to operate this gas well. It is expected that the volume of gas produced per day will be 50,000-60,000 cubic meters. On December 4, 2019, well No. 12 was activated. As a result, another 5,000 households in the Bulakbashi district were provided with natural gas.

The representative emphasized that this year can also be called a turning point for the development of the energy saving process. On August 22, 2019, the Presidents decree "On Accelerated Measures to Improve Energy Efficiency in Economic and Social Spheres, Implementation of Energy-Saving Technologies and Development of Renewable Energy Sources" was adopted.

The target parameters of the commissioned capacities of renewable energy facilities in the period 2020-2030 have been developed, providing for an increase in the specific share of renewable energy sources in the total generation to 20 percent by 2025 and more than 25 percent by 2030. To achieve these parameters, a draft Concept for the country's fuel and energy support for 20202030 has been developed with the technical assistance of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. It envisages the construction of 10.9 GW of new renewable energy facilities, including 6 GW of solar energy, 3GW of wind and 1.9 GW of hydroelectric power plants under PPP conditions.

On October 15, Uzbekistans Commission on Energy Efficiency and Development of Renewable Energy Sources adopted a protocol decision which approved:

- A list of objects of state and economic bodies to be equipped with renewable energy sources in 2020, other energy-efficient and energy-saving equipment, as well as work to improve thermal protection. The list includes 1092 events, the annual effect (savings) from the implementation of which is predicted to be 66,900 tons of equivalent fuel;

- Methodology for determining indicators of improving energy efficiency and saving fuel and energy resources, the use of which in 2020-2022 provides for the achievement of savings of at least 2.4 billion kWh electricity, 2.4 billion cubic meters. natural gas and 20,000 tons of oil products;

- A list of economic sectors for evaluating their energy efficiency and saving fuel and energy resources, consisting of 30 energy-intensive enterprises.

Reforming the fuel and energy complex implies the most serious attention to the diversification of energy sources. In this regard, nuclear power appears in the country's electricity mix; a decision was made to build the first nuclear power station in Uzbekistan. Following the phased implementation of this project in July 2018, the Atomic Energy Agency of Uzbekistan, Uzatom, was created. A decision was made to choose a Russian design for the future nuclear power plant, which would consist of two modern 3+ reactors with a capacity of 1200 MW each.

At present, a site has been selected for the construction of nuclear power plants, the process of preparing a regulatory framework for its design and operation is underway, the world experience in the operation of nuclear power plants is being actively studied, including in countries such as Russia, the USA, Japan, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Belarus and others. In September of this year, the law on the peaceful uses of atomic energy was adopted.

An important step in the reform of the fuel and energy complex was the adoption in May 2019 of the laws of Uzbekistan "On the use of renewable energy sources" and "On public-private partnerships". They created the regulatory framework for implementing renewable energy projects, as well as attracting investments on the principles of public-private partnerships in the energy sector.

This year, the Concept for the Development of Renewable Energy Sources in Uzbekistan for the period 2019-2023 was developed, the implementation of which provides for the attraction of private capital in renewable energy projects. Within the framework of this Concept, it is planned to create new capacities of solar energy of 5000 MW and wind energy of 1700 MW.

As a preliminary analysis of the work done over the year shows, the reform process today affects the entire fuel and energy complex of the country, the management of which is part of the mandate of the Ministry of Energy.

The Ministry of Energy directly includes Uzatom Agency, Uzneftegazinspektsiya, Uzenergoinspektsiya, and Agreement Implementation Group, which coordinates projects under production sharing agreements.

The Ministry of Energy also coordinates the activities of Thermal Power Plants JSC, National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan JSC and Regional Electric Grids JSC, as well as organizations of Uzbekneftegaz and Uztransgaz joint-stock companies.

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Relative Strength Index or RSI is a momentous oscillator used to identify trend reversal. Invented by Welles Wilder Jr, it calculates the strength of a stock trend and helps to predict their reversals.

The default look-back period for RSI is 14, however, this can be lowered to increase sensitivity or raised to decrease sensitivity.

Why Buy Tata Motors?

There are a lot of trading strategies using RSI; below mentioned is one of the most popular among the trading community which involves buying after completing retracement for higher movement; however the support of another momentum oscillator stochastic can give additional support.

On Tata Motors chart, RSI gave a breakout by trading above 50 levels from below and made a high of 75 then after it is trading lower or retracing towards centre line placed at 50 levels, this behaviour is called as RSI PBB setup.

RSI PBB is pull back buy setup which indicates, once the RSI turns its tail upside after taking support from zone of 45-55 levels, the target is previous swing high of RSI which was 75 or previous swing high of prices (200).

Currently, Tata Motors is going through this setup and we expect higher price movement towards previous high 200-210 levels in coming days.

Buy Signal:

1. Recent RSI gave a breakout and published swing top around 75 levels.2. After marking high of 75, RSI is retracing towards 50 towards mid-line standing around 50 marks.3. Strong bullish candle formation near the buying zone has given us confirmation of retracement complete and original trend begin.4. Midterm moving average 50 DMA placed around Rs 154 levels defines mid-term trend is very well augur with bulls as prices are sustained and trading above it.

5. Decent volume participation while forming a bullish candle will also give additional confirmation.

Profit Booking:

Whenever price candle will be near previous swing high which is near Rs 200-210 levels.

Stop Loss:

Entire bullish view negates on breaching of a swing low and one should exit from a long position. In the case of Tata Motors, it is standing around 148 marks.

Conclusion:

We recommend buying Tata Motors around Rs 160-165 levels with a stop loss of Rs 148 for higher targets of Rs 200 and 220 levels as indicated in the above chart.

The author is Head - Technical & Derivative Research, Narnolia Financial Advisors.

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Even as the road for public sector companies that hold telecom licence primarily for their own network use is unclear, a letter by DOT, issued following Fridays Supreme Court order, has been sent to them as well. Some companies like Oil India are expected to restart the legal process soon.

And, any outgo from these companies could not only wipe out their surplus but create distress in other sectors also. The department of telecommunications (DoT) on Friday asked the telecom service providers and licensees to make immediate payment in accordance with the Supreme ...
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-14 23:05:23|Editor: zh

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U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) president Craig Allen speaks during a press conference in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 13, 2020. The U.S. private sector has donated a batch of medical supplies, including 2 million masks, and has organized a shipment to China in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the U.S.-China Business Council announced Thursday. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. private sector has donated a batch of medical supplies, including 2 million masks, and has organized a shipment to China in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) announced Thursday.

The effort was co-organized by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) and the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, according to the USCBC, which represents over 200 American companies that do business with China.

"At this critical moment, the U.S. private sector stands with and in support with the Chinese people," said Evan Greenberg, the USCBC chair and NCUSCR vice chair as well as chief executive officer of Chubb, a property and casualty insurance company.

FedEx has donated air transportation of these relief supplies to China, and Walmart has joined Chubb in helping to obtain these goods, Greenberg said.

"This is the time to demonstrate our shared humanity and dedication to the common good," said USCBC President Craig Allen. "In particular, we want to help and to honor the courageous healthcare workers throughout China."

In a tweet Thursday afternoon, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai thanked the three organizations "for the great support" to the Chinese people at this "challenging" moment. "Together we stand strong! Together we will win the battle against #COVID19," said the ambassador.

Steve Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, said the committee "has stood for strengthening people-to-people relations between our two great peoples" since the hosting of the Chinese ping pong team in 1972.

"During this crisis we are gratified to be able to continue this great tradition by helping to provide urgently needed medical supplies to the Chinese people," Orlins said.

"We are honored and deeply gratified to be one of the organizers of this humanitarian action, a powerful gesture of American friendship and goodwill toward China at this challenging moment," said David Firestein, president and chief executive officer of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations.

"Our Foundation stands ready to do all in our power to help our Chinese friends fight and defeat this virus," said Firestein, whose organization identified a reliable supply for the donation.

Most of the donated goods on the flight will be rushed to Wuhan hospitals with support from Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and China Charity Federation, according to the USCBC.
Shocking footage reveals how a children's toy purchased tells a terrifying story of death and suffering.

The blue toy keyboard was purchased from a pop-up store at a Westfield shopping centre in western Sydney and plays a story about rabbits who want to die.

The unsettling story was shared to Reddit by a woman called Reena, from Sydney, who told Newsflare: 'This present was given to a friend's baby for Christmas. Needless to say after hearing this, they won't be playing with it.'

A keyboard children's toy (pictured) purchased from a pop up shop at a Westfield in Western Sydney at Christmastime was found to tell a horrifying story of rabbits suffering

The video showed how the toy played a recording of a woman's voice announcing a story called 'The Rabbit and the Frog' while the keyboard flashed colourful lights and played an upbeat jingle.

The story talks about a group of rabbits who felt that they were 'threatened by people, dogs and eagles' and that 'their lives were full of danger and fear'.

'They decided to die because they did not want to live in pain,' the chilling story continued.

The woman's voice went on to say that 'all the rabbits ran to the pond together to kill themselves' but stopped at the sight of some frightened frogs.

'When a rabbit saw what the frogs did, he suddenly understood. He stopped and cried out "We don't have to kill ourselves my brothers, at least we are better than the frogs," the keyboard story said.

The video ended with an unsettling line: 'In the country of the blind, the one eyed man is king.'

Reena said that Reddit users had speculated on the nature of the strange toy and said: 'Based on what some of the commentators have said, apparently the audio in this toy was intended for another toy? And it's a Chinese fable with a couple of different versions.'

One commenter said that the fable 'has been translated to Chinese and then back to English which makes it sound so crazy'.

Another commenter simply asked the question: 'Who would tell that story to a kid?'
Stronger measures to stop illegal fishing in Australian waters have been approved by parliament's lower house.

Parliamentary secretary for agriculture, fisheries and forestry Sussan Ley said the changes would deter foreigners from illegally fishing in the Australian Fishing Zone.

The legislation strengthens forfeiture provisions and powers of surveillance and gives fisheries, environment and law enforcement agencies greater powers to share information.

"These amendments will ensure Australia can continue to give strong messages to foreign fishers about the consequences of fishing illegally in our waters," Ms Ley said.

Ms Ley said the government had committed an unprecedented $800 million over the past three years to tackle illegal foreign fishing and the very serious threat it posed to fish stocks, biosecurity and national sovereignty.
A 3-day-old girl who was stabbed with a sharp weapon in Madhya Pradeshs Shajapur district a day after she was born died while undergoing treatment at Indores MY Hospital, a senior health official said on Friday.

The child was born to daily-wage labourers in Shajapur on Tuesday and was attacked with a sharp weapon in a hospital there a day later, said an official of Mohan Badodiya police station.

Despite out best efforts, the infant died late Thursday night. She was wounded in the chest, neck and back and had lost a lot of blood by the time the local hospital at Shajapur transferred her to the ICU here. We had conducted a surgery but in vain, Dr Brajesh Lahoti of MY Hospital said.

Police in Shajapur said the infants parents Manju and Darivay Banjara have alleged that a nurse at the local hospital was behind the attack, though an official said the parents will also be questioned as there were no leads in the case yet.

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Passengers on balconies on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port, Japan, on Feb. 14, 2020. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Japan Confirms 78 More Coronavirus Cases, Including Dozens on Cruise Ship

Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Saturday that some 78 patients tested positive for the new coronavirus, including 67 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship thats docked in Yokohama.

The new cases on the ship bring the total among passengers to 285.

The patients who test positive are taken to hospitals.

Authorities let 11 passengers disembark on Friday, moving them to a quarantine facility on shore. The move was announced for passengers 81 or older and those with underlying medical conditions, or who were in cabins on the inside of the ship without windows.

A bus with a driver wearing protective gear departs from the dockside next to the Diamond Princess cruise ship, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port, Japan, on Feb. 14, 2020. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

The ship, owned by Carnival Corp. and operated by Princess Cruises, has been quarantined since arriving in Yokohama on Feb. 3, after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong before it traveled to Japan was diagnosed with the virus. It arrived in Yokohama with approximately 3,700 passengers on board. Japanese public broadcaster NHK has reported that there were more than 400 U.S. citizens on board.

Princess Cruises has canceled scheduled trips to and from Asia, including some trips departing from Japan through March 12 and trips departing from China through June 11. Some cruises slated to depart in April and May were shifted to leave from Tokyo instead of Shanghai, China.

Eleven more people who werent passengers on the ship tested positive for the new virus, Japanese authorities said on Saturday, NHK reported.

One of the patients, a surgeon, works at a hospital in Wakayama Prefecture where another doctor tested positive earlier, officials said. His wife and a patient at the hospital also tested positive.

The others are in Tokyo; seven of them were in close contact with a taxi driver who tested positive for the virus. They were found when authorities began investigating the drivers contacts.

A child looks out from a balcony on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new COVID-19 coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port, Japan, on Feb. 14, 2020. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Authorities said the total number of infections in the county is now over 330.

The new reported cases came after the United States announced plans to evacuate Americans held in quarantine on the Diamond Princess.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo told American passengers and crew that a State Department-charted flight would arrive late Sunday.

Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time, the embassy told Americans in an email. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make a final determination on this matter.

People who choose to get on the evacuation flight have to stay in quarantine in the United States for two weeks. Five flights carrying evacuees from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, have landed in the United States in recent weeks, and hundreds of people remain in isolation in Texas, Nebraska, and California.

Fifteen patients have tested positive for the new virus in the United States.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LOS ANGELES  Three officials with a Philippines-based church in Los Angeles have been charged as part of an alleged scheme to trick followers into becoming fundraisers and arrange sham marriages to keep them in the U.S.

Federal agents arrested the local leaders of Kingdom of Jesus Christ church during a raid last month. They were each charged Wednesday. Conspiring to commit forced labor trafficking and immigration and marriage fraud were some of the charges, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Guia Cabactulan, 59, was the churchs top official in the United States, according to the indictment. Marissa Duenas, 41, allegedly handled immigration matters as the human resources leader and investigators believe Amanda Estopare, 48, tracked fundraising and funneled money to the churchs leadership in the Philippines, the newspaper reported.

A magistrate judge had ordered all three women detained after their arrests last month. Attorneys for Cabactulan and Duenas didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. It was unclear from court records if Estopare had retained a lawyer.

Israelito Torreon, an attorney for the church in the Philippines, previously denied all accusations. Torreon said the U.S. charges stemmed from a campaign, waged by disgruntled ex-members, to exact revenge and drag the church and its leader, Apollo Quiboloy, into a quagmire of shame, blatant humiliation and defeat.

Quiboloy was neither charged nor identified by name in court documents; prosecutors and agents have referred only to the churchs leader, the Times said.

Workers who say they managed to escape from the church told the FBI that they had been sent across the U.S. to work long hours soliciting donations for the churchs charity and were beaten and psychologically abused if they didnt make daily quotas, according to an affidavit filed in support of the charges.

The immigrants essentially became full-time workers in a crusade to raise money for the nonprofit Childrens Joy Foundation USA, which was supposed to benefit poor children in their homeland. But the complaint said most of the money raised was used to finance church operations and fund the leaders lavish lifestyles.

Investigators documented 82 sham marriages over a 20-year period between top fundraisers and church members who were U.S. citizens.
Charles Chuckie OBrien, a longtime associate of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa died Thursday, Feb. 13, in Boca Raton, Florida, the Associated Press reports.

OBrien became a leading suspect in the labor leader's disappearance and later was portrayed in the Martin Scorsese film The Irishman.

O'Brien's stepson said he died from what appeared to be a heart attack. He was 86.

OBrien was a constant companion to Hoffa in the decades when the labor leader developed the Teamsters into one of the largest and most powerful unions in the nation from the late 1950s to the early 1970s.

According to AP, after Hoffa's still-unsolved disappearance in 1975, O'Brien became a leading suspect when the federal government publicly accused him of picking up Hoffa and driving him to his death.

FBI agents questioned O'Brien about the death at least a dozen times.

In an interview with The Associated Press in 2006, OBrien denied having anything to do with Hoffas disappearance and said he didnt think the mystery of his death would ever be solved.
RALEIGH, N.C. - An insurance company magnate and two associates go on trial this week on charges they conspired to bribe an elected North Carolina regulator with up to $2 million in campaign money so scrutiny of his businesses would ease.

U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn will preside over the case involving Greg E. Lindberg, who quickly became one of North Carolinas largest political donors before his indictment last March.

Also accused of fraud conspiracy and bribery counts identical to Lindbergs are John Gray, a Lindberg consultant, and John Palermo, a former local GOP leader who worked for Eli Global, an insurance holding company Lindberg owned.

The trial begins on Tuesday with jury selection in Charlotte federal court. The case likely wouldnt have surfaced without state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, the focus of the defendants alleged scheme. Causey is a Republican whom prosecutors said alerted law enforcement voluntarily about Lindberg and Gray and agreed to co-operate with authorities.

The case highlights the influence a businessman little known outside his industry and with little political experience attempted to impress upon government policy largely through a checkbook, according to prosecutors.

All three defendants have pleaded not guilty. Recent court filings suggest theyre expected to argue their activity didnt meet the definitions of honest services fraud, or that they were unlawfully entrapped by Causey.

A brief filed by Palermos lawyers previewing his defence said the government recorded over 80 hours of consensually monitored telephone calls and in-person meetings between Causey, the defendants and others.

A fourth person indicted, former state Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes, also was accused of lying to federal agents about his role in shifting money to Causeys campaign. Hayes, a former congressman, accepted a plea agreement late last year and agreed to help prosecutors.

Prosecutors described a case in which Lindberg sought to replace or later work around a senior deputy commissioner within Causeys office whose job it was to scrutinize Lindbergs Global Bankers Insurance Group.

In late 2017, Lindberg was angry with lending limits that deputy Jackie Obusek was placing upon Global Bankers, leading to several heated exchanges between them, according to Palermos brief. Meetings ensued between the three defendants and Causey, according to the indictment. By January 2018, the government says, Causey had contacted law enforcement.

During a March 2018 meeting in Statesville with the now defendants, Causey agreed with an earlier suggestion that he could hire Palermo to replace Obusek or become her boss, the indictment says.

According to the indictment, Causey then spoke alone with Lindberg and asked, Whats in it for me? Lindberg responded that he would create an independent expenditure committee to support Causeys 2020 reelection and give as much as $2 million, the indictment says.

Lindberg ultimately wrote checks for two such committees totalling $1.5 million, according to prosecutors, while another $250,000 would move through the state Republican Party to benefit Causey.

Causey later backed off hiring Palermo and agreed instead to move oversight of Lindbergs companies to another division head, the indictment said.

Lawyers for Palermo and Lindberg said Cogburn should keep out of court evidence of Palermos potential hiring by Causey since it never happened. No bribe occurred because there was corrupt intent in asking that Obusek be replaced, Palermos attorneys wrote, since the defendants just felt Obusek was not qualified to be administering the regulations. But the government responded that the scheme to replace Obusek with Palermo is intrinsic evidence of the honest services fraud conspiracy.

Campaign finance reports show Lindberg, a registered independent from Durham recorded as voting only once, gave more than $5 million since 2016 to North Carolina candidate and party committees and independent expenditure groups.

The donations have gone in part to groups that supported GOP Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and then-Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, who is now chairman of the state Democratic Party. Neither Goodwin nor Forest has been accused of crimes.

Causey and Forest are on next months Republican primary ballot  Causey for commissioner and Forest for governor. Goodwin is already the Democratic nominee for commissioner.

The U.S. attorneys also want to offer evidence about political contributions for others besides Causey, including someone the government has identified as Public Official A. Public records and Gray have identified that official as U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C.

The indictment said Walker spoke twice to Causey on Lindbergs behalf. Walker was never a target of the investigation and committed no wrongdoing, Walkers spokesman has said.

Prosecutors arent seeking to persuade jurors that other contributions were unlawful, but rather to show the defendants had previously provided large contributions and could do the same for Causey. The defendants want this information left out of the trial, calling it irrelevant.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

In the wake of San Francisco Mayor London Breed admitting to accepting gifts worth a total of $5,600 from former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, one city supervisor has called for her to temporarily take a step back from her position as mayor.

In a statement, Supervisor Gordon Mar said, "Mayor Breed's admission of thousands of dollars in unreported gifts from a subordinate is likely illegal, certainly unethical, and part of a culture of casual corruption that is eroding the faith of the public."

Gordon added, "Given the seriousness of this admission and direct connection to the central figure in the FBI's investigation, I believe we need to put the people of San Francisco first. I believe Mayor Breed should do the right thing and temporarily step back from her duties until a full, independent investigation can be completed."

Supervisor Matt Haney echoed similar sentiments, posting on Twitter, "Gifts from subordinates are not allowed. Period. It isn't an issue of reporting."

In her initial statement, posted on Friday morning, Breed revealed she received gifts last year worth about $5,600 from Nuru, whom she once dated nearly 20 years ago. The gifts stemmed from when Nuru, acting as her friend, helped her fix her 18-year-old car last year, and when the car still didn't work properly, he helped her secure a rental car, she said.

Breed said that because she considered the gifts to be from a personal friend, they didn't need to be reported under the California Fair Political Practice Commission's rules. But, she said, given both the federal criminal investigation and the independent public corruption investigation, she would be listing the gifts in her annual "Statement of Economic Interests," due on April 1.

"I have no doubt that some will seek to exploit what I have shared here, to harm me politically. I, and others, may be weighed down from guilt by association as a result of this episode," Breed said in her statement.

Following her admission, Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee said in a statement, "If you are in a position of power, you should never put yourself in a situation where you are taking anything of value from your subordinates."

He added," If there is a violation of our ethics laws, that is what our Ethics Commission and our City Attorney are supposed to investigate and to take enforcement actions if they discover any violations."

"I am deeply concerned with revelations today that Mayor London Breed violated San Francisco law by taking thousands of dollars in gifts from a City Hall subordinate," Supervisor Dean Preston said on Twitter. "The mayor's statements today raised more questions than it answered."

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin also responded to Breed's admission, saying his office would be looking into possible ethical violations by Breed.

"My office will investigate any potential criminal liability, as we take public corruption very seriously. However, the mayor, like everyone else, is presumed innocent," he said.

Federal prosecutors have charged Nuru, along with Lefty O'Doul's restaurant owner Nick Bovis, with services wire fraud. Prosecutors allege the pair attempted to bribe a San Francisco International Airport commissioner for help to obtain a restaurant concession.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
The killing of a Birmingham man who was found with stab wounds in his downtown apartment last week has been ruled justifiable, police said Friday.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the victim as 69-year-old Bobby George Mayweather.

Mayweather was found dead inside his apartment on 5th Avenue North last week, and police determined that he was in the unit for an extended period of time.

A preliminary investigation showed Mayweather and the subject of the probe were in a romantic relationship. They became involved in a dispute that turned physical, resulting in Mayweatehr being stabbed.

The Jefferson County District Attorneys Office reviewed the case and determined that the subject of the investigation acted in self-defense, police said. No criminal charges will be filed in the case.
The newest earthquake early warning app, QuakeAlertUSA by Early Warning Labs, provides users in California the opportunity to set their preferred thresholds for when the app goes off. And when it does go off, it provides the user with a vibrating countdown to the real shaking.The app informs the user of an imminent quake, conveying the intensity, magnitude, distance from the epicenter and how long before the shaking will begin. The countdown could be a couple of seconds or up to about 60 seconds, depending on how far the user is from the epicenter of the quake.You get a vibration, an audio notice, said Josh Bashioum, founder and CEO of Early Warning Labs. The phone will tell you how bad the shaking is going to be audibly. Along with that you get a push notification telling you how much time you have until it starts shaking.When the user then opens the app, it provides the countdown and if the shaking will be at dangerous levels, a visual warning to drop, cover and hold on. If the shaking is moderate, the app still provides tips on what to do if it had been a serious quake, such as: If youre indoors, stay away from windows and anything that can fall on you; if outside, stay there but move away from buildings and facades that can fall on you; once out in the open, stay there until the shaking stops; if in a vehicle, stop quickly and move out of the way of falling debris and dont stop under an overpass.The app allows the user to set the intensity at three different levels  above level 3, above level 4 and above level 5. We felt that was important because some users dont want to be bothered much, Bashioum said. The good news is the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has strict standards for alerting, so they dont allow us to alert for anything under three.USGS ShakeAlert scientist Robert de Groot welcomes the new app as another tool but cautioned users to play it safe when it comes to the countdown. Whether its two seconds or sixty, he said when becoming aware of an alert drop, cover and hold on immediately, dont wait for the shaking.All seismic waves are similar when they leave an earthquake but depending on the nature of the earthquake, the size of the earthquake, the magnitude, there are a number of factors that might make the seismic waves that leave and earthquake have higher shaking than expected, de Groot said.He said the countdown may vary depending several factors, including how far away the user is from the epicenter, magnitude of the quake, even the soil the user is standing on.He said the threshold option and the countdown are fine, but users should understand the limitations. Think of the countdown as an approximation because there are issues with timing, it could arrive sooner or later because of the number of factors involved.The thresholds are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, which defines Level 3 as the mildest shaking, or weak shaking that may be felt indoors. Level 4 is defined as shaking that can be felt outdoors as well, and Level 5 is enough to awaken people, overturn objects and stop pendulum clocks.The data for the app comes from hundreds of sensors across California, the same sensors that feed the USGS ShakeAlert system. The science itself is what powers the app be we wanted to build something that would deliver in the most efficient way for the end user, and in the easiest way, for them to understand, while giving them the flexibility to set their own thresholds.De Groot pointed out that all of the early warning apps are still being tested and, to an extent, rely on the wireless carriers for timeliness as well. Its a critical piece in delivering the messages to your phone that Early Warning Labs rely on wireless carriers to convey the message and one of the challenges is getting the message from the cell provider to people and that is still being worked out.
Social Democrat Jennifer Whitmore celebrates with family, friends, supporters and party colleagues as she is elected on the 14th count

Social Democrat candidate Jennifer Whitmore said she was 'very elated' and 'excited' to secure the second seat in Wicklow.

After a long two days at the count centre, Deputy Whitmore was elected on the 14th count with a total of 13,405 votes, including a surplus of 1,518.

Speaking afterwards, the newly elected Deputy said: 'I think the reality of it is only kicking in now. I feel incredibly proud and thankful [to those] who have given me their vote. It's such an important thing to give to someone and I'm so proud that people have put their trust in me and I will absolutely work so hard to make sure that we achieve the stuff they want to see happen.'

The new deputy received 7,039 first preferences votes and proved to be very transfer friendly on subsequent counts. She took the lion's share of the available transfers when Independent candidate John Snell's ballots were re-distributed in the 11th count, bringing her votes to 11,148.

When Fine Gael candidate Billy Timmins was eliminated on the 13th count, the Social Democrats candidate's total stood at 11,875. There was an audible sigh of frustration from the crowd when they realised Ms Whitmore's total was a mere 12 votes shy of the 11,887 quota.

However, the moment quickly turned to delight when the distribution of Independent candidate Joe Behan's transfer finally brought her across the finish line to cheers from friends, family and members of the Social Democrats. Party co-leaders Roisin Shortall and Catherine Murphy had arrived earlier in the evening, along with party staff to await confirmation that Whitmore had taken the seat in Wicklow.

'It was a very long count. At this stage last night [Sunday], we thought I looked solid for a seat and we've had an entire day where we had to wait as people were being eliminated and I was ticking up along maybe 50 votes at a time. But we finally got there with a bang at the end actually as it turns out. It's been a long day but certainly a brilliant day,' Deputy Whitmore said.

'I've had huge support from my party and then from my local team and it's great that they are here to enjoy it,' she continued.

Party co-leader Catherine Murphy said they were 'delighted' with Jennifer's performance in the poll.

'We knew that campaign was going very well on the ground and in newspapers, social media and the rest. She's a very good candidate. I think the quality candidates can stand out in this kind of environment. The potential was we would get squeezed on both sides if there was a big surge for Sinn Fein and also for the Green Party, but we were hoping we'd hang in the race long enough and Jennifer has more than done that.'

First elected to Wicklow County Council in 2014, Jennifer retained her seat in the 2019 local elections, topping the poll in the Greystones Municipal District with 1,920 first preferences votes.

She said her general election campaign had received 'a lot of positive feedback on the doors. I suppose I didn't know until today if that would translate [into votes]. I'm really grateful it has.'

'People were looking for change. They were looking for an alternative to Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and obviously it's across the country. Some people looked to Sinn Fein for that alternative and some to the Social Democrats.

'I'm really honoured that people placed their faith [in me] and I got so many number ones, I'm really very humbled by it.'

Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall said: 'I was down here with her last week and we did a tour of the county and I knew from the vibes we were getting; people were blowing their horn or winding down the window.

'I think as well her performance at the Virgin Media debate was very good and she made a big impression. She's a second term councillor and she's done huge work on the ground and that's really stood to her.'

Ms Whitmore moved from her native Wexford town at the age of 17 to attend college, but is 'up and down quite a lot' to visit her mum, Betty. Her father Bill passed away four years ago and Jennifer said 'I think he'd be incredibly proud'.

She moved to Australia in 2001 and lived there for ten years before returning to Ireland where she settled in Greystones.

It was a good election for the Social Democrats who saw their number of seats in the Dail increase from two to six.

Deputy Shortall said, they were 'very happy. It's more than we could have expected. It's been a very exciting day and to go from two TDs to six'.

She also praised Jennifer Whitmore, the party's newly elected TD for Wicklow.

'We're very proud of her. She's done fantastic and has got a great vote here today. We've got very high hopes for her, I think she's going to be a fantastic TD.'
Labour's bitter infighting surfaced today when Sir Keir Starmer flatly refused to guarantee his leadership rivals a place in his top team.

Rebecca Long-Bailey said she was 'sad' the frontrunner did not want her or Lisa Nandy in his shadow cabinet, which he is on course to form after storming the latest round of the contest.

Both women said they would have the shadow Brexit secretary on their front bench, but he swatted away attempts to reciprocate the commitment.

It is the clearest hint yet the centrist Sir Keir is planning a radical overhaul of the Opposition's senior figures to make a clean break with Corbynism.

The leadership race has exploded into a battle for the very soul of the party, with hardline left-wingers lining up behind Ms Long-Bailey and moderates backing Sir Keir.

Speaking at a hustings in Glasgow today, the shadow Brexit secretary said he 'saluted' the other two candidates but stonewalled speculation on their futures should he win.

He said: 'I don't think any of us are going to get into jostling for positions on this.'

Sir Keir Starmer flatly refused to guarantee his leadership rivals a place in his top team at a hustings in Glasgow today

Rebecca Long-Bailey (far left) said she was 'sad' the frontrunner did not want her or Lisa Nandy (middle) in his shadow cabinet, which he is on course to form after storming the latest round of the contest

Both Ms Long Bailey (left) and Ms Nandy (right) said they would have the shadow Brexit secretary on their front bench, but he swatted away attempts to reciprocate the commitment

Meanwhile Wigan MP Ms Nandy said she would be 'proud to serve alongside these two'.

Speaking about the hustings tour, which is taking place as the party looks for its next leader, she added: 'There is a camaraderie that comes from going around the country from one conference centre to another. And we do actually like each other.'

Ms Long-Bailey told the audience: 'I feel a bit sad that Keir doesn't want us in his shadow cabinet.'

She added: 'I think we've got three brilliant candidates and we had brilliant candidates who unfortunately didn't make it onto the ballot paper.

'I know we don't agree with each other all the time, we're very different and our visions are probably very different but we meet on areas of common ground, and that's what would make us a strong shadow cabinet and I would have Keir and and Lisa in my shadow cabinet.'

All three candidates mopped up enough local party branches and union affiliates to make it on to the ballot put to party members.

It is the clearest hint yet the centrist Sir Keir is planning a radical overhaul of the Opposition's senior figures to make a clean break with Corbynism

Speaking at a hustings in Glasgow today, the shadow Brexit secretary said he 'saluted' the other two candidates but stonewalled speculation on their futures should he win

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry was knocked out last night after failing to drum up the required support.

Scottish independence was front and centre of the hustings in Glasgow today, with Ms Long-Bailey sticking her neck out as the only candidate to explicitly state she could support a fresh ballot on independence.

All candidates stressed the importance of Labour winning back support in Scotland as a route back to power across the UK.

Ms Nandy said: 'There is no route to government that doesn't run through Scotland, but the challenge of this is absolutely enormous.'

She added: 'We have to start winning in every region and nation of the UK, because we have to show we are a national party of government.'

Similarly Sir Keir said: 'We can't win without Scotland so we have to rebuild in Scotland.'

Ms Long-Bailey also echoed that, telling activists at the event: 'We won't win a general election without Scotland.'

Asked directly if the Scottish Parliament should have the power to stage a legally binding vote on independence Ms Long-Bailey said: 'I'm proud to be from the United Kingdom but as a democrat I have to say that if the Scottish Parliament makes the request for a referendum I don't believe that as a democratic party we could refuse that.'

Scottish independence was front and centre of the hustings in Glasgow today (pictured)

Her comments came after MSPs at Holyrood voted by 64 to 54 last month in favour of a second independence referendum taking place.

If there is a second vote on Scottish independence she said Labour could make a 'positive campaign' for the union.

But she was clear: 'We can't fall into the trap we did last time where we joined forces with the Conservative Party on Better Together.'

However Sir Keir said that by backing a second independence vote, Labour could be falling into a 'trap' set by the SNP.

He said the issue of Holyrood having the power to stage a fresh ballot on the issue was 'an interesting question' but he added: 'We shouldn't get sucked straight into that.

'The SNP are constantly using the constitutional issue to mask the real issues, and if we get into that we are falling into their trap.

'Let's have a wide discussion about where we go next, but let's be bold about it.'

He argued that Labour should support 'radical federalism as the way forward' for the UK.

Meanwhile Ms Nandy said she believed in a 'much more radical power settlement than federalism with power pushed out to local authorities'.

She told Labour Party members: 'I believe in the United Kingdom and I think we have to be absolutely clear about that and we have to stand up for Scotland remaining in the United Kingdom.

'We can hand power to people and give people agency and control over their own lives again by handing more powers to our councils.'
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 15

By Ilkin Seyfaddini  Trend:

The TOP 10 best-selling cars in Kazakhstan were headed by Ravon Nexia R3; in January 2020, 449 cars of this model were sold in the country, Trend reports with reference to UzAutoSanoat company.

"Sales of cars under Ravon brand in Kazakhstan resumed in March 2019. Last year, 3,536 Ravon Nexia R3 cars were sold in Kazakhstan. In September-October 2019, Nexia was one of the top three best-selling cars in the country, and in the new year it became the leader of sales, taking first place in the top of best-selling cars," the company said.

Uzbekistan's UzAuto Motors established production of Ravon Nexia R3 sedans at Saryarka-AvtoProm plant in Kostanay (Kazakhstan) for domestic and foreign markets in 2017. At the same time, regular deliveries of Nexia R3 sets for large-knot assembly in Kazakhstan began in mid-March last year.

The company resumed sales in Russia in September 2019, and the company maintains plans to sell around 35,000 vehicles in Russia in 2020 to be entirely supplied from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Ravon is the national car brand of Uzbekistan set up in 2015. The company supplies four models of its cars - Ravon R2, Ravon Nexia R3, Ravon R4 and Ravon Gentra.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
You are here: China

Hubei Province, center of the novel coronavirus outbreak, reported 2,420 new confirmed cases and 139 new deaths Friday, according to the provincial health commission Saturday.

The number of new cases included 1,138 clinically diagnosed cases, which have been seen as confirmed cases. The new deaths also included 34 who were clinically diagnosed.

The latest report brought the total confirmed cases in the hard-hit province to 54,406.

Wuhan, the provincial capital, recorded a total of 37,914 confirmed cases, including 14,953 clinically diagnosed ones.

The province also saw 912 patients discharged from hospital after recovery on Friday, including 263 clinically diagnosed cases.

The commission said Hubei had 5,534 suspected cases, after 1,702 suspected cases were ruled out on Thursday.

Among the 38,107 hospitalized patients, 8,276 were still in severe condition and another 1,876 in critical condition.

To ensure timely treatment for more patients and further curb the spread of the virus, Hubei regards those with pneumonia-related computerized tomography scan results but not yet tested positive for the virus as confirmed cases.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 15)  President Rodrigo Duterte said US President Donald Trump "deserves" to be elected again for respecting the Philippines' decision to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the two nations, his spokesman said.

"It is President Trump's circumspect and judicious reaction to the termination of the VFA that made [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte] gave the following remarks: 'President Trump is a good president and he deserves to be re-elected," said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo in a statement on Saturday.

Trump, who is gunning for a second term in the 2020 US Presidential polls, brushed off the end of the two-decade-long military pact between the US and the Philippines, saying it was "fine" because that way, his country would "save a lot of money."

Malacanang added that the President said he would have reacted the same way if he was in Trump's shoes while musing that Trump would have also ordered to end the agreement if he was the Philippines' leader.

However, Duterte in a previous speech revealed that Trump had attempted to "save" the agreement. He also called the US government rude for meddling in the country's affairs.

The VFA is the first of two agreements between Washington and Manila about the treatment of their troops when they are in the US or the Philippines.

The provisions of the 1998 deal include lax visa and passport policies for US troops, and rights of US government to retain jurisdiction over military personnel, among others.

Panelo reiterated that the President believes the Philippines should become self-reliant, at least in defense matters.

"As the President says in rationalising why we have [to] stand alone and depending on our own resources in fighting the enemies of the state: 'If not now, when?'," said Panelo.

Duterte pushed for the termination of the deal on February 11, despite opposition from lawmakers, who called for a review of the agreement instead.

He called to end the pact after the cancellation of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa's US tourist visa. The Palace also cited the US government's move to ban entry to Filipino government officials who were involved in the "wrongful imprisonment" of detained Senator Leila de Lima. De Lima, a staunch critic of the Duterte administration, has been in jail for illegal drug charges since February 24, 2017.

Duterte also urged his Cabinet members to boycott travel to the US in January, around the same time he decided to terminate the VFA.

On Friday, Panelo maintained that the President's stand on the VFA remains unwavering, adding that lawmakers should just forget about a possible review.

The expiration of the VFA will come 180 days from the formal notice of termination from either country, as stated in the agreement.
A group of the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protestors at Delhis Shaheen Bagh have indicated that they will go to meet home minister Amit Shah on Sunday afternoon to discuss the controversial legislation.

The protestors were quoted as saying that they would take up Shah on the offer he made for discussion with anyone looking for clarifications on the legislation that has seen protracted protests across the country over fears that it combined with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be used to target the Muslim community.

Home Ministry has however, denied that any such meeting was scheduled for tomorrow.

Shah was reported on Thursday to have invited anyone who wanted to discuss issues related to the CAA. He said his office will provide an appointment for discussion within three days of the request.

ANI quoted some protestors at Shaheen Bagh to say some of them were planning to meet Shah at 2 pm on Sunday.

Amit Shah ji invited the entire country to come & meet him to discuss issues related to Citizenship Amendment Act. So, well be going to meet him tomorrow at 2 pm. We dont have any delegation, anyone who has an issue with the CAA will be going, the agency attributed the protestors as saying.

Protests at Shaheen Bagh have continued since December 15, 2019, when a group of 14-15 women protestors first assembled in opposition to the passage of the amended citizenship act, calling it unconstitutional.

Another news agency claimed that opinion on meeting Shah was divided among Shaheen Bagh protestors.
The grieving father of three children killed by an alleged 'drunk driver' has again called for the alcohol limit to be reduced to zero to prevent any future tragedies.

Last week Danny Abdallah told Daily Mail Australia the NSW state government should scrap the current blood alcohol limit of 0.5 - and this weekend he doubled down.

Just days after burying his son Antony, 13, and daughters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 9, the grieving father called for security guards to be able to take keys off patrons who appear intoxicated and for interlock devices to become mandatory.

Danny Abdallah is the father of Sienna, 9, Angelina, 12, and Antony Abdallah, 13, who died when they were hit by a car on February 1. Mr Abdallah said the NSW state government should introduce a number of strict measures to stop any future alcohol-related incidents

'I'm a drinker, but I think the alcohol limit should be zero.' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'I think you should just know that you can't have any, that you can only have water, so the temptation isn't there.

'People think "I'll just have one more, I'll be all right" because they don't want to get a taxi or an Uber, or they've spent all their money on the night out.

'We have to do something.'

Mr Abdallah told The Sunday Telegraph he wants licensed venues and security guards to be able to confiscate car keys from intoxicated punters to stop them driving.

I'm a drinker, but I think the alcohol limit should be zero Danny Abdallah to Daily Mail Australia

In addition, he suggested that breath alcohol ignition interlock devices should be a mandatory feature in all cars.

Ignition interlock devices are breathalysers for an individual's vehicle that prevent people from driving their car if they blow over the limit.

A fortnight on from the horror tragedy that claimed their three children, Mr Abdallah also said he and his wife are still in the depths of grief.

Mr Abdallah proposed strict rules to curb alcohol-related road tragedies. He said there should be a zero alcohol limit, for breathalysers to be installed in cars and for security guards to be able to confiscate car keys from intoxicated customers

On Monday, thousands gathered with the Abdallah family at Our Lady of Lebanon co-cathedral to farewell Sienna, Angelina and Antony Abdallah

Truck driver Samuel William Davidson, 29, has been charged with 20 offences including four counts of manslaughter and high range drink driving

'We are taking it hour by hour,' he said.

'That's all we can do. We are literally taking it hour by hour.'

Samuel William Davidson, 29, was lost control of his 4WD and mounted the kerb as the three Abdallah children, their cousin Veronique Sakr, and three other relatives walked to the shops.

Police allege Davidson had begun drinking 13 hours before the accident.

Facing 20 charges, including four counts of manslaughter, he is due back in court in April.

Bridget Sakr (centre) holds her son Michael, 13, tight after the funeral service for Veronique, 11, who died alongside her cousins in the Oatlands tragedy

Mr Abdallah, his wife Leila and their three remaining children are mourning the horrific accident that claimed the lives of Sienna, Angelina and Antony and their 10-year-old cousin Veronique Sakr

Mr Abdallah and his wife Leila. The Abdallah family are deeply faithful Maronite Christians. Mr Abdallah previously told Daily Mail Australia that despite being a drinker himself, he would now like to see the blood alcohol limit for drivers reduced to zero

On Monday, thousands gathered with the Abdallah family at Our Lady of Lebanon co-cathedral to farewell the three Abdallah children.

Leanna Abdallah, 10, who was walking with her siblings at the time of the accident but miraculously escaped any major injury, clutched her parents' hands throughout the two-hour service.

A day later, the grieving Abdallah parents stood by their cousin Bridget Sakr as she farewelled her daughter.
JACKSON, MI  One of two women accused of killing a man was found guilty Friday afternoon.

Sjiwana Tayor was found guilty of the second-degree murder of Marvin Bearden in late August 2018. The jury returned its verdict to Jackson County Circuit Judge John McBain on Feb. 14, after nine witnesses and more than 45 pieces of evidence were presented.

Taylor, 47, was convicted of aiding and abetting Savanna Frinkle, 21, when a drunken fight Aug. 30, 2018, turned fatal. Bearden was stabbed 10 times, and the knife was left protruding from his face when first responders arrived on scene, multiple witnesses testified.

Bearden was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital, where he had surgery but died Aug. 31, 2018, of a stroke caused by complications from the stab wounds.

5 witnesses testify during trial for man who was fatally stabbed

When you practice law, the one thing you dont do is criticize the jury, Taylors defense attorney George Lyons said. It is the system that we have. It is the best system in the world. I dont agree with it, but I accept what the jury says as being final.

An appeal will be filed, Lyons said, because he does not believe the verdict represents the true analysis of the facts.

The trial for Taylor and Frinkle occurred at the same time before McBain, with two juries. Frinkles jury was dismissed for the weekend without a verdict. It will reconvene at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 18, as Monday, Feb. 17, is Presidents Day, a federal holiday.

Douglas Goodwin Jr., was driving to work around 3 a.m. when he saw the fight and stopped, he testified. He said he did not see Taylor, and a third woman, Olivia Caston involved in the fight. He said he saw Frinkle and Bearden fighting and called 911.

As Goodwin heard sirens coming, he watched as Bearden grabbed Frinkles pant leg, he said. She got her leg free and stabbed him in the face with a motion similar to a softball throw, he testified.

This isnt a whodunit. Its why was this done?' attorney says as murder trial begins

The knife was Castons and Taylor had stolen it from her earlier in the night, according to Castons testimony. The transcript of what she said in a November 2018 preliminary examination was read in court Wednesday as she was unavailable to be a witness.

Taylor bringing the knife to the fight  and likely stabbing Bearden  was aiding and abetting Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Nathan Hull and Katie Branigan said, and the jury agreed.

Woman accused of stabbing man to death in street found competent for trial

Blood DNA from Frinkle and Bearden were found on the knife blade and handle, Michigan State Police forensic scientist Heather Goff testified, Thursday, Feb. 13. Taylor had no blood DNA on the knife, but Goff said she could not say whether or not Taylor had handled the knife.

Tayor did not have any cuts or scratches about an hour after the fight happened, Jackson Police Sgt. Jennifer Flick testified Thursday. Flicks body camera footage showed Taylor in a tank top and shorts, as Flick shined a flashlight on her, looking for scrapes and scratches.

Nothing about Taylor raised a red flag at that time, Flick testified. She said Taylor was friendly and cooperative.

Taylors sentencing is scheduled for April 22.
15.02.2020 LISTEN

The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) together with other stakeholders in the tourism industry yesterday marked this years National Chocolate Day with a call on Ghanaians to patronise cocoa and cocoa products.

The day was instituted in 2005 to promote consumption of chocolate on Valentines Day and change the widely held perception of the promotion of immoral conducts among the youth.

Speaking at the ceremony the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Barbara Oteng-Gyasi said the celebration of the National Chocolate Day had increased awareness on the consumption of the product.

She said the increase in patronage offered opportunities to artisanal cocoa makers to provide employment and generate revenue for the country.

She encouraged Ghanaians to patronise made in Ghana chocolate and present it to their loved ones on special occasions.

She urged cocoa products entrepreneurs to explore more ways of presenting cocoa products in a manner that would appeal to both local and international consumers and to make it easy to penetrate the international markets.

Mrs Oteng-Gyasi said this years celebration was in memory of Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey, who was the brain behind celebrating chocolate every February 14.

She said the Chocolate Day was initiated 15 years ago by the late Jake Okanta Obetsebi- Lamptey on Valentines Day to curb promiscuity among the youth.

The Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo encouraged restaurants and hotels to promote cocoa products on their menu.

He said cocoa had a lot of health benefits for both the young and the old saying that it protects the body against diseases such as cancer, diabetes and other common ailments.

He said cocoa has antioxidants that protect the heart, skin and other organs of the body to promote good health and impressed on events organisers to insist cocoa products were added to the menu.

On his part, the Chief Executive officer of GTA, Mr Akwasi Agyeman called on the hospitality industry to promote cocoa products in order to have more consumption among Ghanaians and foreigners.

A citation in honour of the late Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey was presented to his wife who was present at the occasion while the Managing Director of Cocoa Processing Company (CPC), Mr Nana Agyenim Boateng promised a one year supply of cocoa products to her.

---Ghanaian Times
By Olesya Astakhova and Gleb Gorodyankin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A growing oil glut in Russia and the promise of a flood of dollars from the sale of a leading bank are strengthening the case for Russia to cut oil output in tandem with OPEC, oil sources said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other producers have for more than a year implemented a deal to cut oil output by 2.1 million barrels per day to support the market. The agreement expires at the end of March.

OPEC has recommended extending the output curbs and deepening the combined cuts because of the impact of the new coronavirus in China, which the International Energy Agency said on Thursday would contribute to oil demand falling year on year in the first quarter.

The Kremlin has said no decision has been taken yet on whether Russia agrees to extend or deepen the output curbs - the final decision lies with President Vladimir Putin.

But a $38-billion deal under which the finance ministry will buy state lender Sberbank is due to start in April and promises to swell state coffers, with Russia using a big chunk of its dollar national wealth fund to the central bank's stake.

This is expected to lead to a stronger rouble, which is a factor that is generally disliked by oil exporters as it hits their profits.

At a meeting on Wednesday, oil companies asked Energy Minister Alexander Novak to tell central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina that they do not favour a strong rouble, two sources familiar with the outcome of the meeting said.

"A lot of dollars will come to the market, boosting the rouble, so 'a rouble barrel' will become cheaper," one of the two sources familiar with the outcome said.

The source said a stronger rouble was an "important factor" in the decision on whether to deepen cuts in what is known as the OPEC+ deal following a proposal by its partners in the agreement to add another 600,000 bpd to the combined cuts.

Both sources said that two Russian oil companies, Surgutneftegaz and Zarubezhneft, in particular had raised the exchange rate issue.

Story continues

The companies, the energy ministry and the central bank did not reply to Reuters' requests for comments.

A number of oil executives, after leaving the energy ministry on Wednesday, told reporters that no final decision had been taken but the basic scenario was to extend the existing OPEC+ deal to end-June.

Nabiullina said on Thursday she did not expect a "significant" impact on the money market from Sberbank's sale although the economy ministry has raised its rouble rate forecast by nearly 2 roubles to 63.9 per U.S. dollar for this year.

BELARUS AND MAINTENANCE FACTORS

Another factor in Russia's decision is a disagreement with Belarus under which Moscow has halted its 240,000 bpd supply of oil to its neighbour.

In addition to this, the number of Russian oil refineries undergoing maintenance will peak in April-May, according to energy ministry data and Reuters calculations, freeing up another up to 580,000 bpd of oil.

Russia is reallocating oil flows meant for Belarus to other destinations but the upcoming peak in maintenance means it will be flooded with crude, an oil trader told Reuters.

"A decision on (resumption of supplies to Belarus) should be taken in early March," the oil trader said. "We can add a couple more cargoes on the Baltic (ports) but it is not possible to add more."

($1 = 63.4575 roubles)

(Additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Elena Fabrichnaya, Writing by Katya Golubkova, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Representatives of Germany, Ukraine, France, and Russia will participate in the negotiations in Munich.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says he will try to negotiate with his colleagues from France, Ukraine, and Russia on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on holding the next Normandy Four Summit in Berlin.

"Germany and France have for many years been searching for a peaceful solution for Ukraine. In the past few months we have revived the Minsk process, including with the help of the new Ukrainian president," Maas told reporters Friday, according to European Pravda.

Maas noted that the countries should work together on a common European security structure and be prepared to abandon the logic of geopolitical influence.

"We will talk about this here in Munich with colleagues from Paris, Moscow and Kyiv in order to lay the foundations for the next Normandy format summit to be held in Berlin," the top diplomat added.

Read alsoRussia forgetting about "flexibility" of Minsk Agreements  Prystaiko

As UNIAN reported earlier, today President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a telephone conversation with President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

The parties discussed the implementation of the agreements reached during the latest Normandy Four summit in Paris on December 9, 2019, as well as preparations for the upcoming summit of the Normandy Four leaders.
The suspect in the attack, pictured above, was picked up on local surveillance footage and is described as a black male in his 20s wearing all black and white Air Jordans

A 27-year-old French tourist is in a hospital in New York after having his neck randomly slashed as he was strolling with his girlfriend.

The couple had just emerged from an IHOP on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and 135th St in Harlem, when a man took out a knife and slashed the tourist's neck and face.

Terrifying video from immediately after the attack shows the young man bleeding heavily and kneeling on the ground as a first responder attempts to stop the blood.

NYPD is seeking assistance in identifying the attacker who was picked up on CCTV footage and is described as a black male in his 20s wearing all black and white Air Jordan sneakers.

Witnesses described the attack as completely random and unprovoked, saying that the attacker walked up side-by-side with the tourist and looked him in the eye before pulling out his knife.

The attacker then fled the scene.

Cell phone footage from the scene shows the man's panicked girlfriend attempting to aid emergency services hold the injury as the man kneels in a pool of blood on the street

A witness told the New York Post: 'A man and woman were walking down the street, and a guy was walking beside them, like side-by-side. Then [the attacker] turns towards [the victim], looked him in the eye and pulled out  it looked like a box cutter  and sliced him on the neck.'

'He didn't know him,' they added. 'He even looked at the guy before he cut him and made a surprised face.'

Upon arrival, police discovered the man - who was in New York visiting friends - with a laceration to the left side of his neck.

He was rushed to Harlem Hospital and is said to be in a critical but stable condition.

The French man's blood could be seen on the side walk after the attack in Harlem

The cell phone footage from the scene shows emergency services holding a piece of cloth to the man's neck in an attempt to stop blood loss as his concerned girlfriend also tries to help.

The victim is awake and alert and can be seen interacting with the officers helping him.

No arrest has yet been made and the search for the attacker is ongoing.

Police marked off the area as the hunt continued for a man who slashed the face and neck of a French tourist on Friday morning in an unprovoked attack that left him in a critical condition

NYPD were called to the scene just after 11am on Friday and continue to hunt for the suspect

The couple had just emerged from this iHop in Harlem when they were attacked at random

Locals were shocked by the incident with one local worker telling the Post: 'I'm so surprised. I just want them to catch this guy. It's so random, and it could have been me.'

'I think it's a random attack and so unexpected,' added William Modeste, 38, a local real-estate agent with Uptown Flats.

'We always have plenty of visitors in the neighborhood, and when I heard about it, I just thought, "This person had cruelty on his mind."'
MUNICH  U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is not without risk but looks very promising.

Ahead of a formal announcement of the seven-day reduction in violence deal, Esper said it was time to give peace a chance in Afghanistan through a political negotiation. He spoke a day after a senior U.S. official said the deal had been concluded and would take effect soon.

Expectations are that agreement will be formally announced Sunday and that the reduction in violence will begin Monday, according to people familiar with the plan.

So we have on the table right now a reduction in violence proposal that was negotiated between our ambassador and the Taliban, Esper told an audience at the Munich Security Confererence. It looks very promising.

The best if not the only way forward in Afghanistan is through a political agreement and that means taking some risk, he said. That means enabling our diplomats and that means working together with our partners and allies on the ground to affect such a thing.

Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Friday in Munich with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has been skeptical of the scheme, which, if successful, would see an end to attacks for seven days and then the signing of a U.S.-Taliban peace deal. All-Afghan peace talks would then begin within 10 days as part of the plan, which envisions the phased withdrawal of U.S. forces over 18 months.

In remarks later to a group of reporters, Esper declined to say whether the U.S. had agreed to cut its troop levels in Afghanistan to zero. He said if the 7-day truce is successful and the next step toward Afghan peace talks begins, the U.S. would reduce its troop contingent over time to about 8,600. There currently are about 12,000 U.S. troops in the country.

The agreement was finalized last week by U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar.

Ghani has bickered with his partner in the current Unity Government, Abdullah Abdullah, over who will represent Kabul at the negotiating table. Ghani has insisted he lead the talks, while his political opponents and other prominent Afghans have called for more inclusive representation.

Separately on Saturday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told the security conference that he also supported the plan but stressed that the alliances mission in Afghanistan would continue in the short- and medium-term.

We are not leaving Afghanistan but we are prepared to adjust our force level if the Taliban demonstrates the will and the capability to reduce violence and make real compromises that could pave the way for negotiations among Afghans for sustainable peace, he said.

Robert Burns and Matthew Lee are Associated Press writers.
Felix Torres-Colon, 62, of Willingboro, NJ, who was executive director of the New Kensington Community Development Corp. in Philadelphia, died Wednesday, Feb. 5. 2020. A celebration of life is planned for March 7. Read more

Felix M. Torres-Colon, 62, of Willingboro, executive director of New Kensington Community Development Corp., died Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice in Mount Holly after a stroke.

Mr. Torres-Colon started working at New Kensington (NKCDC) in March 2017. However, he spent a lifetime working in community development along the East Coast: in New England, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New Jersey.

He has been in the world of social justice and community empowerment for just about his entire career, said Sharon Anderson, his wife of 15 years. He was very passionate about it.

During Mr. Torres-Colons tenure, New Kensington completed an office move, hired a third more staff, began a new affordable housing development, and received new funding from sources like the U.S. Department of Justice, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Kresge Foundation, the agency said in a statement announcing his death.

Mr. Torres-Colon was incredibly smart and incredibly dedicated to his work and to neighborhood residents, said Bea Rider, NKCDCs acting executive director.

He really valued the input of neighbors and residents," she said.

Although Mr. Torres-Colon had strong opinions and put forth his own ideas, he was willing to take a step back and readjust and listen to everyones opinions, Rider said.

By the end of the discussion, he might change his mind and say, Well do it your way. We all appreciated his commitment to that openness.

On a day-to-day basis, he was just always jovial and friendly, she added, the kind of person who would walk around the office and say hello to everyone.

Before joining New Kensington, Mr. Torres-Colon was director of program development at St. Josephs Carpenters Society in Camden, an organization that promotes affordable housing and neighborhood development. He also served as board president of the Hispanic Family Center of Southern New Jersey.

Prior to that, he served as executive director of Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore and executive director of Manchester Neighborhood Housing Services  now known as NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire.

In announcing Mr. Torres-Colons 2017 hiring, New Kensington said NeighborWorks became a NeighborWorks Homeownership Center under his leadership, developing 140 units of rental housing and 20 units of homeownership. It also established a rehab program and provided homeownership counseling to over 1,900 families."

Rick Sauer, executive director of the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations, said Mr. Torres-Colon valued diversity and equity in the work the agency was doing.

As a nonprofit organization that works in lower-income communities, he strongly believed in ensuring that the representation of his staff reflected the community they were working in, Sauer said.

Mr. Torres-Colon was born in Tacoma, Wash., to Maria Torres and Felix Torres-Burgos. His father had been a widower with three children from his first marriage when he married Maria Torres, whose maiden name was Colon. Mr. Torres-Colon was the first of four children born in the second marriage.

Because of his fathers Army service, the family moved often, said Anderson. After Tacoma, they lived in Alaska; San Antonio, Texas; returned to Alaska; and then moved to New Jersey, where his father was assigned to Fort Dix. Mr. Torres-Colon graduated from nearby Pemberton High School.

He earned a bachelors degree in history from Harvard University and completed graduate coursework in city planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New Kensington CDC said.

When he wasnt working, Mr. Torres-Colon and his wife enjoyed taking care of their own three dogs and providing foster rescue care for dogs and cats. They also worked with Monkeys House, a dog hospice and sanctuary, and fostered older dogs approaching the end of their lives.

The couple have helped place more than 70 homeless dogs, his agency said. At the time of his death, Mr. Torres-Colon and Anderson were fostering two senior dogs and two kittens.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Torres-Colon is survived by two brothers and two sisters as well as a number of nieces and nephews.

A Funeral Mass was held Monday, Feb. 10. Burial was private. A Celebration of Life is scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Philadelphia Brewing Co., 2440 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, 19125.

At the request of his family, memorial donations can be made to NKCDC, 2771 Ruth St., Suite 1, Philadelphia, PA 19134 or to Monkeys House, P.O. Box 2332, Vincentown, N.J. 08088.
Former First Lady of California Maria Shriver donned a festive red 'Love' sweatshirt to celebrate 'Galentine's Day' over lunch in Brentwood with three of her four children on Friday.

The 64-year-old Emmy winner rang in the romantic holiday with daughters Katherine and Christina as well as son Patrick.

The NBC News special anchor carried a gift bag as well as leftovers from Le Pain Quotidien.

Family reunion: Former First Lady of California Maria Shriver (2-L) donned a festive red 'Love' sweatshirt to celebrate 'Galentine's Day' over lunch in Brentwood with three of her four children on Friday

Valentines: The 64-year-old Emmy winner rang in the romantic holiday with daughters Katherine (R) and Christina (2-R) as well as son Patrick

Aside from singling out 'all the amazing women in my life' - Maria also tweeted about the somber second anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which killed 17 people.

30-year-old Katherine wore a double-denim outfit beneath a camel-colored coat as she hauled a large teddy bag for the family festivities.

The Gift of Forgiveness author Insta-storied her appreciation for all 'the best Valentine's treats' she received from her 28-year-old 'sissy' Christina.

Meanwhile, the newlywed's husband of eight months Chris Pratt Insta-storied 'beauty tips for bros' while pampering himself with a face mask before promoting Disney's Onward.

Hands full: The NBC News special anchor carried a gift bag as well as leftovers from Le Pain Quotidien

'My girlfriends are my rocks & my confidants': Aside from singling out 'all the amazing women in my life' - Maria also tweeted about the somber second anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which killed 17 people

Beaming bride: 30-year-old Katherine wore a double-denim outfit beneath a camel-colored coat as she hauled a large teddy bag for the family festivities

'My favorite candy!' The Gift of Forgiveness author Insta-storied her appreciation for all 'the best Valentine's treats' she received from her 28-year-old 'sissy' Christina

For the family reunion, 26-year-old Patrick sported a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses, which were likely from his girlfriend Abby Champion who's been busy storming the catwalks of New York Fashion Week.

Mysteriously, the Daniel Isn't Real actor suffered a health scare - Insta-storied a video of himself breathing out of a mask in bed with a shrugging me-moji.

Missing from the family fun on Valentine's Day were Shriver's 22-year-old son Christopher and her estranged husband Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom she filed for divorce from way back in 2011.

'Arnold and Maria have assets tied up together - tax breaks, insurance, all kinds of financial trusts,' a source told Page Six last June.

Pamper session: The newlywed's husband of eight months Chris Pratt Insta-storied 'beauty tips for bros' while promoting Disney's Onward

Getting into the spirit! For the family reunion, 26-year-old Patrick sported a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses, which were likely from his girlfriend Abby Champion

Everything okay? Mysteriously, the Daniel Isn't Real actor suffered a health scare - Insta-storied a video of himself breathing out of a mask in bed with a shrugging me-moji

'They're actually better off if they stay married': Missing from the family fun on Valentine's Day were Shriver's 22-year-old son Christopher (M) and her estranged husband Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), whom she filed for divorce from way back in 2011 (pictured in 2016)

'They're actually better off if they stay married.'

The Peabody-winning journalist famously ended their 25-year marriage after the 72-year-old Golden Globe winner admitted he secretly fathered son Joseph with housekeeper Mildred 'Patty' Baena.

The 22-year-old bodybuilder - who graduated with a business degree from Pepperdine on April 27 - woke his girlfriend Nicky Dodaj up bearing roses and champagne on Valentine's Day.

The Terminator: Dark Fate action star has been dating physical therapist Heather Milligan since 2013, and the couple were last pictured together in his native Austria on January 24 alongside Christina.

Lovechild: The Peabody-winning journalist famously ended their 25-year marriage after the 72-year-old Golden Globe winner admitted he secretly fathered son Joseph (pictured on Friday) with housekeeper Mildred 'Patty' Baena

Still going strong! The 22-year-old bodybuilder - who graduated with a business degree from Pepperdine on April 27 - woke his girlfriend Nicky Dodaj (pictured Friday) up bearing roses and champagne on Valentine's Day
Furniture, like fashion, always has its moment in the sun. Some items from the 1970s through to the 1990s are now setting new benchmarks at auction houses around the world.

Furniture by designers such as Marc Newson, an Australian now based in Britain and represented by the prestigious Gargosian Galleries in London, can fetch eye-watering auction numbers.

A limited-edition Marc Newson Lockheed Lounge, as seen the Madonna video for Rain.

Newson's first 10 furniture designs were exhibited at Sydneys Roslyn Oxley Gallery in 1984.

In 2015, Madonna purchased Newsons limited-edition metal Lockheed Lounge for more than 2.4 million ($4.6 million), after "trying it out" in her video hit Rain.
: Members of various Islamic



organisations staged a demonstration in Nilgiris and Tirupur districts on Saturday against the police lathicharge on anti- CAA protestors in Chennai, police said.

As part of the protest, shops owned by Muslims downed shutters, even as Muslims organisations, led by Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, planned to take out a procession to the Collectorate in Udhagamandalam in Nilgiris district, the police said.

As the procession reached the bus stand, police prevented them from proceeding further.

Nearly 400 activists raised slogans and staged a protest condemning the police action on anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protestors in Chennai on Friday.

A similar demonstration was held in Coonoor in the Nilgiris district where they announced to intensify the agitation, they said.

Meanwhile, over 700 members, including women, belonging to various Muslim organisations squatted in the middle of the road near the Collectorate in Tirupur.

Led by Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath, the activists raised slogans against the police and demanded the state government to take action against the police officials involved in the lathicharge.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Saudi fighter jet crashed in conflict-torn Yemen, the Riyadh-led military coalition backing the government said Saturday, as the country's Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to have shot it down.

The Tornado aircraft came down Friday in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to support government forces, the coalition said in a statement, in a rare crash that marks a setback for a military alliance known for its air supremacy.

The statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency did not specify the fate of the crew or the cause of the crash, which comes amid an upsurge in fighting between the warring parties that threatens to worsen Yemen's humanitarian crisis.

The Huthi rebels said they will release footage showing the launch of its "advanced surface-to-air missile" and the moment it downed the jet.

"The downing of a Tornado in the sky above Al-Jawf is a major blow to the enemy and an indication of remarkable growth in Yemeni (rebel) air defence capabilities," Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam tweeted.

The insurgents reported multiple coalition air strikes on Saturday in the Huthi-controlled area where the plane went down as local residents gathered near the wreckage, according to the rebels' Al-Masirah television.

The bombing raids left "dozens" of people dead or wounded, Al-Masirah added, a report that could not be immediately verified by local aid workers.

The escalation follows fierce fighting around the Huthi-held capital Sanaa, with the rebels seen to be advancing on several fronts towards Hazm, the regional capital of Al-Jouf.

The province of Al-Jouf has been mostly controlled by the Huthis, but with its capital still in the hands of the Saudi-backed government.

The coalition intervened against the Huthis in 2015, first with air and naval forces before ground forces were also brought into the fray.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, and sparked what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

If the Huthi claim is confirmed, the rare downing of a coalition warplane signals the rebels' growing military arsenal.

"At the start of the conflict the Huthis were a ragtag militia," Fatima Abo Alasrar, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, told AFP.

"Today they have massively expanded their arsenal with the help of Iran and its proxy Hezbollah," Lebanon's powerful Shiite movement.

Yemen's Huthi rebels are in possession of new weapons similar to those produced in Iran, according to a UN report obtained by AFP earlier this month, in potential violation of a UN arms embargo.

Some of the new weapons, which the rebels have possessed since 2019, "have technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in the Islamic Republic of Iran," said the report, compiled by a panel of UN experts tasked with monitoring the embargo.

The panel didn't say whether the weapons were delivered to the Huthis directly by the Iranian government, which has repeatedly denied sending them arms.

The coalition, separately, has been widely criticised for the high civilian death toll from its bombing campaign, which has prompted some Western governments to cut arms deliveries to the countries taking part.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have purchased billions of dollars' worth of weapons from the United States, France and Britain.

On Wednesday, the coalition said it would put on trial military personnel suspected of being behind deadly air strikes on Yemeni civilians.

The cases being investigated include a 2018 air strike on a school bus in the northern region of Dahyan that killed at least 40 children, Saudi-based Arab said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
James Blake and Jameela Jamil attend the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

The pop star boyfriend of actress Jameela Jamil has jumped to her defence claiming she gets dog piled on every day for such ridiculous things.

The Good Place star has been the subject of recent online vitriol over claims she makes up health issues for attention - something she has dismissed.

But now musician James Blake, who has been in a relationship with Jamil since 2015, has spoken out saying he is disgusted at the treatment she is getting.

Read more: Jameela Jamil hits back at claims she makes up health issues

He posted a lengthy statement on social saying he would have spoken on this earlier but Jameela asked me not to.

Jamil has just done her best as an ever-learning human, as most of us are, to help other people with her privilege, he said.

The 31-year-old added: She does this because she had such a difficult life.

Because she doesnt want others to feel alone, gaslit or ashamed the way she has.

Blake went on to say he has first-hand experience of Jamils illnesses.

I would have spoken on this earlier but Jameela asked me not to. Please read x pic.twitter.com/edpC3BRwd8  James Blake (@jamesblake) February 14, 2020

I actually live with her, he said.

Her being attractive, tall and successful doesnt mean she hasnt been sick.

Jamil has been vocal about her health problems, which include having genetic tissue disease as a child, battles with an eating disorder and damaging her spine and re-learning to walk after being hit by a car aged 17.

The former host of Channel 4s T4 responded to criticism of her talking about her illnesses after a social media user claimed in a viral post to have found discrepancies in her accounts of her health, with some claiming she has Munchausen syndrome, a disorder which sees people feign illness or medical conditions to draw attention or sympathy.

Story continues

But this is a claim both Jamil and now Blake have denied.

Read more: Jameela Jamil says she is lucky to have survived after attempting suicide

He added: You dont know what her life is and has been like.

But I do and Im not gonna stand by and let some total strangers try to push my girlfriend over the edge to what  stop her helping kids with eating disorders?

Stop removing mainstream shame of talking about mental health?

James Blake and Jameela Jamil attend the 2019 MTV Movie and TV Awards at Barker Hangar on June 15, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for MTV)

What are any of you even doing? And why are so many of you enjoying this?

Its sick to watch and I dont ever see men treated like this, the way we tear women limb from limb.

Jamil responded to Blakes post to say: Youre my best friend and my biggest love.
Season 8 of Shahs of Sunset is already delivering. Reza Farahan had previously teased fans, telling them that Season 8 would be the juiciest yet, calling it insanity. Now, it seems as if the promises are coming to fruition. In a recent episode, Farahan discovered that there are rumors flying around about his husband, Adam Neely.

According to these rumors, Neely may be cheating on Reza Farahan when hes gone. Additionally, Farahan faced a revelation from Neely  it seems as if his husband no longer wants to have children.

Adam Neely faces strip Jenga rumors

Adam Neely and Reza Farahan of Shahs of Sunset | Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Pars Equality Center

During Reza Farahan and Adam Neelys housewarming party, Farahan heard some alarming rumors about his Shahs of Sunset husband. Destiney Rose heard from her friend Ali Ashouri that Adam Neely was having fun behind Farahans back while he was out of town.

Ashouri claimed that Neely was sending him nude photos while Farahan was gone. He told Rose, I was getting all these text messages from Adam, to the point of like sexual harassment.

Rose also heard that Adam Neely had men over and played strip Jenga with them at the house. Rose felt compelled to let Reza Farahan know about what she heard, and she and Mike Shouhed decided to pull him aside to fill him in.

Understandably, Farahan seemed shocked. He also looked relatively calm and collected, however. He thanked Rose and Shouhed for their honesty and for coming to him with the information, and informed them that hed get down to the bottom of it.

Shahs of Sunset friends duke it out

Adam Neely, Mercedes MJ Javid, and Reza Farahan of Shahs of Sunset | Isabella Vosmikova/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

It wasnt long before things became more complicated. Shahs of Sunset star Reza Farahan dialed up MJ Javid to call her out for allegedly spreading rumors about his marriage to Adam Neely.

According to Farahan, Javid had told Ali Ashouri that his marriage to Neely was on the rocks right now. Farahan told Javid, Hey, Mers, did you tell Ali Ashouri to come confront me about sexually harassing people? That Adam has been sexually harassing him? He told me that you told him that me and my husband dont have a good relationship. Youre sharing with a weasel that I dont know and that I dont trust things about my relationship?

He later told the camera, None of this makes sense to me right now. Is my husband cheating on me and Im the only idiot in the room who doesnt know whats going on, and all my friends are laughing behind my back?

Reza Farahan shocked by Neelys confession

Reza Farahan and Adam Neely of Shahs of Sunset | Jeff Kravitz/2019 iHeartMedia

One reason fans and castmates alike may think there could be something shady going on with Adam Neely was his recent change of heart about having children. Neely shocked Reza Farahan when he admitted that he wasnt so sure about having kids anymore.

During a recent episode of Shahs of Sunset, Reza Farahan asked Neely if he still wanted to have kids. Neely replied with a no. Farahan was taken aback, and said, Youre kidding, right? Youre having second thoughts?

Adam Neely clarified, We were in a not great place a few months ago. My thing about having a baby is youll get really stressed out super easily and then Im on the other end of that attitude. Oh, the baby snagged the blanket. Oh, the baby puked on my Gucci sweater or on my shoes, whatever. Babies do that kind of stuff. Then what am I gonna do?

Neely continued, Its gonna cause friction between you and me, its gonna cause you to resent the kids or resent myself. I just honestly dont want kids right now. My career is a part of it. Your attitudes a part of it. Things that youve said in the past is part of it.

Farahan replied, Im thoroughly confused and very thirsty. Im gonna go drink some water and move back to Iran.
Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.

Read more about our transparency and ethics policies
Brandon University is upgrading its Micro-analytical facility with the help of the Government of Canada

BRANDON, MB, Feb. 12, 2020 /CNW/ - Brandon University (BU) is the third largest university in Manitoba with an annual enrollment of approximately 3,000 students. It boasts five faculties and three research centres that offer undergraduate, graduate, certificate, and pre-professional programs that prepare students for the future.

The Micro-analytical facility, established in 2008, is one of BU's research facilities. It specializes in providing enhanced research and support services for sustainable resource exploration, clean technologies development, and clean infrastructure development in rural and northern Manitoba. The facility also provides training and skills development for highly qualified personnel at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Research to support industry

BU and the Micro-analytical facility work closely with industry on projects from converting waste to liquid biofuels to stabilizing rural roads and more. BU is currently upgrading the Micro-analytical facility's building, equipment, and software to expand its analytical testing services and other supports to industry. In particular, upgrades will further support the environmental, construction, and mining resource industries to test and research sustainable clean technology solutions.

Expansion and new jobs

While in Brandon, Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada), announced an investment of $335,000 to assist BU with upgrades to the Micro-analytical facility and create up to 16 jobs. Delivered through Western Economic Diversification Canada in Manitoba, this announcement was made on behalf of Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages.

As a result of the funding, BU's Micro-analytical facility will offer more services to industry, provide assistance to approximately five small- and medium-sized enterprises and stimulate sustainable economic development in Manitoba.

Quotes

"Canada is well-positioned to seize emerging opportunities in clean technology, create jobs, and keep our communities strong. This investment is further proof of our commitment to innovation and maintaining our competitive edge as we transition to a clean economy."

- The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada

"The Government of Canada is pleased to support these upgrades to BU's Micro-analytical facility to give businesses and industry the tools they need to support clean technology innovation and commercialization in Western Canada, while creating quality jobs for western Canadians."

- Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada)



"This funding permits a huge upgrade to the imaging and analytical equipment at the Brandon University Micro-analytical facilities. This puts BU at the top of the list for speed and accuracy in materials analysis and makes us a destination of choice for researchers and industry partners looking for the fastest answers and the clearest evaluation. We are also committed to matching the quality of our results with the quality of our service to the community."

- Dr. Bernadette Ardelli, Dean of Science, Brandon University

Associated links

Stay connected

Follow Western Economic Diversification Canada on Twitter: @WD_Canada

SOURCE Western Economic Diversification Canada

For further information: Nathalie Leroux, Director, Policy, Planning and External Relations, Western Economic Diversification Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 204-984-8472, [email protected]; Grant Hamilton, Director, Marketing and Communications, Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba, 204-571-8542, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.wd.gc.ca/


Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Saturday the "critical test" for ending the war in Afghanistan was whether the Taliban would "accept an election".

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Ghani's comments relate to the expected announcement of a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban.

The peace deal would call for negotiations between Afghans on both sides of the conflict to start next month, an eventual countrywide cease-fire and a commitment from the Taliban not to harbour terrorist groups like al Qaida, while setting a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops.

Ghani, who has been skeptical of the scheme, had met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday.

Much of the success of the agreement will depend on the results of the all-Afghan negotiations, if and when they get off the ground.

Ghani has insisted he lead the talks, while his political opponents and other prominent Afghans have called for more inclusive representation at the negotiating table.

The Afghan president said on Saturday a political solution must be found to end the war.
ATLANTA - A judge handed Democrat Stacey Abrams 2018 campaign for Georgia governor a victory in a legal skirmish Friday, denying a request from the state ethics commission for the campaign to hand over more records.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jane Barwick said in a one-page order that she lacked jurisdiction to enforce a subpoena from the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission. The commission was seeking all correspondence between Abrams campaign and several outside groups, including some that register and mobilize voters.

The commission is investigating allegations that Abrams campaign illegally co-ordinated with non-profit organizations during the race, which she narrowly lost to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. The campaign has said there was no illegal co-ordination. It said it has already turned over 4,000 documents including financial records and said the commission doesnt have evidence to support the allegations.

The judges order relied on a prior case in which courts lacked jurisdiction to enforce subpoenas from the commission during a preliminary investigation.

We disagree with the judges ruling, and are considering all appellate options at this time, David Emadi, director of the commission, said Friday, according to the newspaper.
The new coronavirus outbreak could mean a $4-5 billion drop in worldwide airline revenue, the International Civil Aviation Organization said on Thursday

The new coronavirus outbreak could mean a $4-5 billion drop in worldwide airline revenue, the International Civil Aviation Organization said on Thursday.

The UN agency reported that 70 airlines have canceled all international flights in and out of China and 50 others have reduced their operations.

Preliminary estimates show this has meant a reduction of nearly 20 million passengers compared to expectations for the first quarter of 2020.

That figure equates to potential lost revenue of up to $5 billion, the agency said.

The virus has killed nearly 1,400 people and infected 64,000, almost all of them in China.

"Prior to the outbreak, airlines had planned to increase capacity by nine percent on international routes to/from China for the first quarter of 2020 compared to 2019," the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said in a statement.

But foreign airline traveler capacity in and out of the country has gone down 80 percent, it said.

Japan looks to be hardest-hit by a reduction in Chinese air travelers in the first quarter, ICAO said. The country could lose $1.29 billion in tourism revenue, with Thailand not far behind, facing a potential $1.15 billion loss.

ICAO said the effects of the COVID-19 virus outbreak on the airline industry are expected to be larger than the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic because flight cancellations are more widespread this time.

In addition, China's international air traffic has doubled and its domestic air traffic increased five-fold in the last 17 years.

Chinese authorities have locked down Hubei province -- the virus epicenter -- and have restricted movements in several cities as part of an unprecedented effort to contain the disease.

Britain, Germany, the US, Japan and others have advised against travel to China.
Samsung Galaxy A71 5G to be available outside the US and China

Samsung announced the Galaxy A71 last December and is reportedly working on its 5G version which will be sold in the US and China. But according to a new report, the Galaxy A71 5G will arrive in other markets as well.

Samsung is developing a 5G version of the Galaxy A71 bearing model number SM-A716B, which will be sold outside the US and China. It's currently unclear which markets will get the SM-A716B, but it may arrive in Australia, New Zealand and some European countries.



Samsung Galaxy A71

In addition to the A71, Samsung is also working on a 5G version of the A51, which passed through Geekbench last month with an Exynos 980 SoC, 6GB RAM and Android 10.

There's no word yet from Samsung about the 5G-ready A51 and A71, but while you wait for an official announcement, you can read our in-depth written review of the Galaxy A51 here and Galaxy A71 review over here.

We also have our video review of the Galaxy A51 linked below for those short on time.

Source
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar raised more than $2 million dollars in the 14 hours after her widely-praised performance during Friday night's debate, her campaign said Saturday.

It is Klobuchar's best fundraising haul following any debate to date. Klobuchar's campaign previously raised $1 million dollars in the 24 hours after the December Democratic debate in Los Angeles.

"With proven grassroots support, Amy continues to outperform expectations and punch above her weight," said Klobuchar campaign manager Justin Buoen. "Following her debate performance, we've raised $2 million and have seen an outpouring of donations from all 50 states which will allow us to compete in New Hampshire and beyond."

In the New Hampshire debate, Klobuchar landed punches on former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, hitting him on his comments that she said were dismissive of Washington experience.

"Pete, as you were campaigning through Iowa, as three of us were jurors in that impeachment hearing, you said it was exhausting to watch and that you wanted to turn the channel and watch cartoons. It is easy to go after Washington because that's a popular thing to do," Klobuchar said.

"It is much harder to lead and much harder to take those difficult positions, because I think this 'going after this every single thing that people do,' because it's popular to say and makes you look like a cool newcomer. I just I don't think that's what people want right now. We have a newcomer in the White House and look where it got us," she added.

And in her closing, she said that she would be a president with empathy, something she often touches upon on the campaign trail.

"There is a complete lack of empathy in this guy in the White House right now, and I will bring that to you," she said. "I know you and I will fight for you," she said.

The senator finished in fifth place in the Iowa caucuses, trailing former Vice President Joe Biden. The next primary contest is in New Hampshire on Tuesday.

With only days to go, Klobuchar's campaign said Saturday that they won't have the challenge of the Senate impeachment trial impeding her campaign schedule ahead of the primary.

"I woke up this morning ready to go, we are going to barnstorm your state," she said at an event in Durham. "We're gonna go to every diner we can find," she added, calling New Hampshire an "even playing field."
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More companies from Japan will start its operations in Kerala soon, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. He was inaugurating Discover Japan cultural fest at Ayyankali hall here on Friday.

At present, Nissan, a Japan-based automotive company, has already started its operations in the state. Many frontline companies from Japan will come to Kerala very soon. A Technopark company is developing software for an airlines company based in Japan. Shimane and Osaka universities in Japan have agreed to co-operate with the state as part of boosting the education sector. This will hugely benefit the students here. Similarly, the co-operation from Japan in the fisheries sector is under the active consideration of the government, Vijayan said.He also pointed out the job opportunities in Japan for the youths in the state.

There are many job opportunities in Japan. But the language barrier remains an issue. So we now have a centre at Kinfra park at Kazhakoottam to offer training in the Japanese language. Kerala and Japan are in a warm relationship. The Japan companies had told that Kerala is a suitable destination for Japanese investments when a delegation from the state visited Japan, Vijayan added.He also praised Japan for its dedication towards work and he said Kerala should learn a lot from Japan. The people of Japan are hardworking, sincere and they have utmost dedication towards work. They are also at the forefront of unity and cleanliness. So Kerala should learn from them, Vijayan said.

The cultural fest was organised by Alumni Society of AOTS, Thiruvananthapuram centre, in association with the Ministry of External Affairs, Japan.
Turkish and US presidents, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump, discussed over the phone the situation in Syrias Idlib and the crisis in Libya, the Turkish leaders administration informed.

"Today, our president held the telephone conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump. The parties agreed that the attacks by the Syrian forces in the Idlib region were unacceptable, and exchanged views on how to end this crisis. The presidents also emphasized the importance of ensuring stability in Libya, " the Turkish Presidents Administration noted, RIA Novosti reports.
A businessman in the United Kingdom is looking for a partner to settle in with after amassing a lot of fortune as the founder-owner of a London-based investment company. According to media reports, And Scott, 41, is reportedly worth over Rs 233 crore and is looking to share his life with a down-to-earth and beautiful new partner. Media reports suggest that Andy is looking for someone who is more financially independent as he believes that supporting someone financially early on in a relationship changes the fundamental dynamics and equality of any partnership.

Read: Richest Beggars In India: How Much They Earn & How Deep Are Their Pockets?

Rich businessman looking for 'Rich' soulmate

As per reports, Andy wants someone who he can go sailing with at a short notice or spend the summer in the South of France. And to do all of these his new partner will have to be financially independent and wealthy because he wants his partner to be equal in the relationship. However, Andy further admitted that finding an equal partner is difficult as his prospects diminish as one grows older. Finding a partner who ticks all the boxes is hard but Andy isn't stopping anytime soon.

Read: Indian Royal Families: Here Are The Top 5 Richest Dynasties That Are Still Thriving

According to reports, Andy became a millionaire at the age of 25 but lost all his money when he was 30 due to the financial crisis that hit the world. However, Andy started working to build his fortune again from scratch and now he owns a Rolls Royce, a yacht, a powerboat, luxury homes in London and France and also a private plane.

Read: New Zealand's Richest Man Is A One Time Truck Driver And A High-school Dropout

But after starting hypnotherapy sessions, Andy realised that being rich is not enough and what he needs is a partner to share his life with. Andy while talking to the media said that when he started going to hypnotherapy he realised that he is getting old and needs to find a partner very soon. Andy told the media that his hypnotherapist said that he should put in as much effort into finding a partner as he does at work.

Read: Amid Scandal, Africas Richest Woman Sells European Assets


Vodafone Idea announced on Saturday that it would pay its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the government in the next few days in line with a Supreme Court order.

In a statement, the company said that with respect to the filing of an application for modification of the supplementary Order of the Supreme Court, dated October 24, 2019, and post the hearing yesterday, VIL had received letters from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) seeking immediate payment. "The company is currently assessing the amount that it will be able to pay to DoT towards the dues calculated ...
The Trump administration is deploying law enforcement tactical units from the southern border as part of a supercharged arrest operation in sanctuary cities across the country, an escalation in the presidents battle against localities that refuse to participate in immigration enforcement.

The specially trained officers are being sent to cities including Chicago and New York to boost the enforcement power of local Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, according to two officials who are familiar with the secret operation. Additional agents are expected to be sent to San Francisco; Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey.

The move reflects President Donald Trumps persistence in cracking down on sanctuary cities, localities that have refused to cooperate in handing over immigrants targeted for deportation to federal authorities. It comes soon after the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security announced a series of measures that will affect both American citizens and immigrants living in those places.

Lawrence Payne, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, confirmed the agency was deploying 100 officers to work with ICE, which conducts arrests in the interior of the country, in order to enhance the integrity of the immigration system, protect public safety, and strengthen our national security.

The deployment of the teams will run from February through May, according to an email sent to CBP personnel, which was read to The New York Times by one official familiar with the planning.

Among the agents being deployed to sanctuary cities are members of the elite tactical unit known as BORTAC, which acts essentially as the SWAT team of the Border Patrol. With additional gear such as stun grenades and enhanced Special Forces-type training, including sniper certification, the officers typically conduct high-risk operations targeting individuals who are known to be violent, many of them with extensive criminal records.

The units work often takes place in the most rugged and swelteringly hot areas of the border. It can involve breaking into stash houses maintained by smuggling operations that are known to be filled with drugs and weapons.

In sanctuary cities, the BORTAC agents will be asked to support interior officers in run-of-the-mill immigration arrests, the officials said. Their presence could spark new fear in immigrant communities that have been on high alert under the stepped-up deportation and detention policies adopted after Trump took office.

In a statement, ICEs acting director, Matthew Albence, said the deployment comes in response to policies adopted by sanctuary cities, which have made it harder for immigration agents to do their jobs.

As we have noted for years, in jurisdictions where we are not allowed to assume custody of aliens from jails, our officers are forced to make at-large arrests of criminal aliens who have been released into communities, he said. When sanctuary cities release these criminals back to the street, it increases the occurrence of preventable crimes, and more importantly, preventable victims.

But Gil Kerlikowske, the former commissioner of CBP, which oversees tactical units along the border, said sending the officers to conduct immigration enforcement within cities, where they are not trained to work, could escalate situations that are already volatile. He called the move a significant mistake.

If you were a police chief and you were going to make an apprehension for a relatively minor offense, you dont send the SWAT team. And BORTAC is the SWAT team, said Kerlikowske, who is the former chief of police in Seattle. Theyre trained for much more hazardous missions than this.

The Border Patrol squads will be charged with backing up ICE agents during deportation operations and standing by as a show of force, the officials said.

ICE agents typically seek out people with criminal convictions or multiple immigration violations as their primary targets for deportation, but family members and friends are often swept up in the enforcement net in what are known as collateral arrests, and many such people could now be caught up in any enhanced operations.

ICE leadership requested the help in sanctuary jurisdictions because agents there often struggle to track down immigrants living in the country illegally without the help of the police and other state and local agencies. Law enforcement officers in areas that refuse to cooperate with ICE and the Border Patrol  which include both liberal and conservative parts of the country  often argue that doing so pushes people living in the country illegally further into the shadows, ultimately making cities less safe because that segment of the population becomes less likely to report crimes or cooperate with investigations.

The goal of the new joint operation, one of the officials said, was to increase arrests in the sanctuary jurisdictions by at least 35%.

The operation reflects an increasingly hawkish approach to immigration enforcement, following the firings and resignations of leaders who have been viewed in the White House as unwilling to take the harsh steps Trump and his advisers view as necessary to slow illegal immigration.

Other recent attempts at aggressive enforcement by ICE have faltered, such as a series of raids targeting more than 2,000 migrant families that were planned during the summer of 2019. Trumps advance warnings on Twitter led many of those who were targeted to refuse to open their front doors, and ultimately, only 35 of those who had been targeted were arrested in the operations first several weeks.

Even with the added show of force from BORTAC, agents will be limited in their abilities compared to the police or sheriffs deputies. Unlike operations on the border, where BORTAC agents may engage in armed confrontations with drug-smuggling suspects using armored vehicles, immigration agents in cities are enforcing civil, rather than criminal, infractions. They are not allowed to forcibly enter properties in order to make arrests, and the presence of BORTAC agents, while helpful in boosting the number of agents on the ground, may prove most useful for the visual message it sends.

The agents will not be busting down doors or engaging in shootouts, said one official with direct knowledge of the operation, who like the other official would not be identified because he was not authorized to discuss it.

Many ICE agents say their jobs have become increasingly difficult, three years into Trumps presidency, because of robust campaigns by immigrant advocacy organizations seeking to safeguard immigrants living in the country illegally by educating them on the legal limitations that ICE officers face. As a result, in many communities where immigrants living in the country illegally reside, when ICE agents are spotted, people now turn immediately to their phones to alert neighbors that they should stay inside.

Trump campaigned on a promise to crack down on sanctuary cities. Within a few months of taking office, the Justice Department moved to withhold certain federal funds from the jurisdictions. Last week, the Justice Department filed suit against state and local governments in California, New Jersey and Washington over sanctuary policies there. Also this month, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would ban New Yorkers from enrolling in programs that allow travelers to speed through customs checkpoints in airports and at the border as a result of the states decision to offer drivers licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally and bar Homeland Security agencies from accessing the states motor vehicle database.

The president again highlighted the issue in his State of the Union address, arguing that sanctuary cities release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public.

In January, a New York City Council member wrote an open letter for his fellow councilors expressing concern about increasing ICE activity in the region, including collateral arrests. Last week, an acquaintance of a man in New York who was being arrested by ICE was shot in an incident that the agency later blamed on sanctuary policies.

The aggressive immigration enforcement tactics being implemented around the country are not limited to any one agency. In a widely circulated video recorded in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday night, Border Patrol agents are shown subduing and using a taser to apprehend a man in a Burger King restaurant.

The video shows the man pleading repeatedly with the agents while shouting that he had done nothing wrong. A female bystander asks the agents to leave the restaurant, as she cries while witnessing the episode. While the man was writhing in pain on the floor after being stunned repeatedly, another woman in the video approached the agents and asked, Why are you still hitting him?

A Border Patrol spokesman said in a statement that the apprehended man was a suspected alien smuggler, without offering any evidence to support that assertion. The spokesman did not respond to a request for the mans name and nationality.

The man refused to cooperate with the verbal instructions and attempted to avoid being handcuffed, and a struggle ensued, the Border Patrol spokesman said.

In the same statement, the spokesman said that a citizen had notified law enforcement of a suspicious vehicle parked on his property. The Border Patrol said the man apprehended by the agents on Tuesday was the driver of the vehicle and that record checks indicated that the man was in the country illegally and had a positive criminal history.

An ICE spokesman declined to comment on the specifics of the latest effort in sanctuary cities, citing the agencys policy against sharing information about enforcement operations before they have taken place. However, the spokesman added that the agency had made it abundantly clear for years that, in jurisdictions where we are not allowed to assume custody of aliens from jails, our officers would be redirected to make at-large arrests.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
A preliminary agreement has been made to pay Detective Jarret Lemiux $950,000 and another $1.4million to Brooklyn ADA Stephanie Rosenfeld, who were both targeted by Tara Lenich (pictured)

New York City has agreed to pay out more than $5.5million to settle lawsuits against a former Brooklyn prosecutor who illegally wiretapped her NYPD ex-cop boyfriend and a prosecutors because she thought they were having an affair.

A preliminary agreement from the city has been made to pay Detective Jarret Lemiux $950,000 and another $1.4million to Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Rosenfeld.

Both were targeted by ex-Assistant District Attorney Tara Lenich.

Another $3.2million will go to 350 plaintiffs who filed a class-action lawsuit against Lenich and the Brooklyn DA's Office, arguing that their privacy was invaded in the woman's scheme.

'This individual clearly abused the authority entrusted to her as a prosecutor. She illegally used her tools and training for personal gain instead of furthering the interests of the public, and cleverly concealed her scheme,' Nicholas Paolucci, a spokesman for the city Law Department, explained to the New York Daily News.

'The District Attorney's Office has since strengthened its procedures to guard against this kind of misconduct and we are settling these cases in the best interests of all parties.'

The 44-year-old thought Lemieux (pictured) and Rosenfeld were dating and spent 18 months forging court orders so that she could monitor communication between the two

The 44-year-old thought Lemieux and Rosenfeld were dating and spent 18 months forging court orders so that she could monitor communication between the two.

In April 2017, Lenich pleaded guilty to illegally intercepting oral and electronic communications. She was sentenced to a year in jail.

Lenich was also fired from the Brooklyn DA's office.

Another $3.2million will go to 350 plaintiffs who filed a class-action lawsuit against Lenich and the Brooklyn DA's Office, arguing that their privacy was invaded in the woman's (center) scheme

At the time of the trial, Lenich wept in court and said she was in 'a completely destructive' place when she wiretapped the two.

DA Rosenfeld shared during the trial that the entire ordeal caused her so much anguish that she had to resign from the office.

Her lawyers asserted that she had no relationship with Lemieux, adding that talks of the love triangle were nothing but 'outrageous allegations and scuttlebutt.'

'She endured months of humiliating looks and behind-the-back comments from supervisors and colleagues at the Kings County DA, defense attorneys in the courthouse, and even judges and court staff,' her 2017 lawsuit read.
Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. As with many other companies Genting Singapore Limited (SGX:G13) makes use of debt. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Genting Singapore

What Is Genting Singapore's Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Genting Singapore had S$255.3m of debt in September 2019, down from S$1.03b, one year before. However, its balance sheet shows it holds S$3.68b in cash, so it actually has S$3.42b net cash.

SGX:G13 Historical Debt, February 9th 2020

How Strong Is Genting Singapore's Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Genting Singapore had liabilities of S$605.4m due within a year, and liabilities of S$535.0m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had S$3.68b in cash and S$139.3m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it actually has S$2.68b more liquid assets than total liabilities.

It's good to see that Genting Singapore has plenty of liquidity on its balance sheet, suggesting conservative management of liabilities. Because it has plenty of assets, it is unlikely to have trouble with its lenders. Succinctly put, Genting Singapore boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

Story continues

On the other hand, Genting Singapore's EBIT dived 11%, over the last year. If that rate of decline in earnings continues, the company could find itself in a tight spot. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Genting Singapore's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. While Genting Singapore has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. Over the last three years, Genting Singapore actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. There's nothing better than incoming cash when it comes to staying in your lenders' good graces.

Summing up

While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case Genting Singapore has S$3.42b in net cash and a decent-looking balance sheet. The cherry on top was that in converted 116% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in S$891m. So we don't think Genting Singapore's use of debt is risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Genting Singapore that you should be aware of.

If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
When commuters spin the radio dial as they drive through Kansas City these days, between the strains of classic rock and country hits they can tune in to something unexpected: Russian agitprop.

In January, Radio Sputnik, a propaganda arm of the Russian government, started broadcasting on three Kansas City-area radio stations during prime drive times, even sharing one frequency with a station rooted in the Missouri citys historic jazz district.

Who needs a ridiculous Red Dawn invasion, a participant in one online forum wrote about the new broadcasts. Your overlord, Mr. Putin, will be addressing you soon, so its best to prepare now, another commenter wrote, referring to President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

In the United States, talk radio on Sputnik covers the political spectrum from right to left, but the constant backbeat is that the United States is damaged goods.

Sputniks American hosts follow a standard talk radio format, riffing on the days headlines and bantering with guests and callers. They find much to dislike in the U.S., from the reporting on the coronavirus epidemic to the impeachment of President Donald Trump, and they play on internal divisions as well.

On a recent show, one host started by saying he was broadcasting live from Washington, D.C., capital of the divided states of America.

Critics in Kansas City called Radio Sputniks arrival an unabashed exploitation of American values and openness. Those behind the deal defended it as a matter of free speech, as well as a simple business transaction.

Peter Schartel, owner of Alpine Broadcasting Corp. of Liberty, Mo., the company airing Sputnik in Kansas City, said that he started the broadcasts Jan. 1 both because he liked what he heard during a trial run last fall and because he was getting paid.

The deal was brokered by RM Broadcasting, a Florida firm that hunts for airtime to sell to Rossiya Segodnya, the Russian state media organization behind Sputnik.

Last year a federal judge in Florida ruled against RM Broadcastings owner, Arnold Ferolito, after he sued to prevent the Justice Department from forcing him to register as a foreign government agent. (Various news media organizations linked to Russia had already been ordered to register.)

The ruling outraged Ferolito, who said he made his first deal to get Russian state radio on the air in the United States in 2009.

They are paying for airtime and I make a percentage, he said. I am not being paid to represent the Russian government.

Anyone tuned to Sputnik on 104.7 FM while driving across the historic 18th & Vine district in Kansas City will find that it fades for a few minutes of music from KOJH  the call letters refer to Kansas Citys oldest jazz house  before Sputnik takes back over.

For years, Anita J. Dixon, a community organizer, dreamed of creating a radio station built around the music of such legendary Kansas City musicians as Count Basie and Charlie Parker. Dixon said having Sputnik dominate the same frequency was jarring.

What was supposed to be a historic jazz station in a historic jazz community is now broadcasting Alex Jones and Sputnik, Dixon said. Ever heard the expression of being sold up the river? That is how it felt.

Schartel disputed the notion that Kansas City is getting Sputnik instead of jazz. Radio Sputnik does beam its signal on the same frequency as KOJH, he said, but outside the limited geographic area awarded to the Mutual Musicians Foundation for the non-profit, low-power jazz station.

Dixon still found it galling that Russia had gained space on the radio dial on the same frequency she had envisioned as a beacon for a Black community that, among other things, had sent soldiers to die defending American values like free speech.

People ask how Russia managed to interfere in U.S. elections, Dixon said. Because they get free airwaves, she said. It is called propaganda.

Before Kansas City, Washington had been the only U.S. city with Sputnik broadcasts  round the clock on one AM station and one FM station. Public disclosure forms show that the Russian government is paying more than $2 million (U.S.) over three years, starting in December 2017, for the Washington broadcasts.

In Kansas City, the fee is $324,000 for three years, or $49.27 per hour, according to RM Broadcastings Foreign Agents Registration Act filing. Schartel said he gets $27.50 of that hourly rate.

When it began in January, the Sputnik broadcast on KCXL was met with strong condemnation from locals. The station received a lot of hate calls, including a threat to burn it down, Schartel said.

An editorial in the Kansas City Star noted that the free press was a prime target of Putins attempts to weaken public trust in American institutions.

Its sad, but not astonishing, that an American entrepreneur would put business above patriotism, the paper wrote. Listener, beware.

Those involved in putting Sputnik on the air defended it as free speech.

I am not a bumpkin that fell off a wagon. I encourage people to listen for themselves, Schartel said.

What was once Radio Moscow was reborn as Radio Sputnik in 2014. Putin backed the effort to create a central, state-run news organization  called Rossiya Segodnya, or Russia Today in English  designed to challenge the Wests global dominance on reporting news.

In a modern spin on propaganda, it focuses on sowing doubt about western governments and institutions rather than the old Soviet model of selling Russia as paradise lost.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Sputnik; its television sibling, RT; and other Russian-controlled media outlets were part of the Kremlins efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election in the United States, and could star in a repeat performance this year.

In Russia, the government controls the main television stations and an ever-growing list of news agencies.

Anna Starkova, the head of Rossiya Segodnyas press service, said by email from Moscow that broadcasting in Kansas City would not only broaden our audience but also give us valuable new experience locally.

Sputnik now broadcasts in 90 cities worldwide, she said, dismissing as absurd the idea that listeners are the target of Russian election meddling.

Working through the news headlines on recent Sputnik broadcasts, the hosts found much to fault.

The impeachment of Trump is bad.

The entire impeachment is a lie, said Lee Stranahan, a former Breitbart reporter and the right-wing co-host of Sputniks morning show.

The U.S. political system is bad.

Politics here is meant to make sure that the masses of poor and working people dont have access to even the most essential things, said Sean Blackmon, a host of an evening program.

The U.S. military presence in Iraq is bad.

U.S. forces should withdraw to allow Russia and China to rebuild Iraq and Syria, an Iraqi guest suggested.

Above all, the American press is beyond redemption.

The wheels are coming off the establishment media, Stranahan said. That is the Greek chorus across Sputnik.

Sputnik argues that the station is not trying to sow distrust or to undermine public confidence, but rather is seeking to express opinions that cannot be heard in other venues.

They know perfectly well that they are not going to be allowed to say that on CNN or Fox or MSNBC, said Mindia Gavasheli, a veteran Russian television journalist who runs Sputniks Washington bureau.

Sputnik produces eight hours of daily material in Washington, filling the rest with feeds from its bureau in Edinburgh, Scotland, from RT broadcasts and from shows that highlight aspects of Russia, like travelling to the Caspian Sea. In Kansas City, Sputnik airs six hours every day, during commuting times in the morning and evening as well as on weekends.

There are no immediate plans to expand elsewhere, Gavasheli said, although what he described as the brouhaha over Kansas City had prompted inquiries from other markets in the United States.

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After customer concerns were expressed to the City of Midland, the City Utility Department gathered samples from localized sites near Fannin Elementary school, tested the samples, and received the test results back on Feb 13, 2020.

Both Arsenic and Lead are non-detects; meaning, it is below the reporting limits of the test method approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Iron is below the secondary contamination limit of 0.3 mg/l. The water meets all drinking standards set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Fringe outfit Hindu Sena's National President Vishnu Gupta's car was allegedly stopped and attacked in Delhi on Friday night.

According to Gupta, 5-6 unknown masked attackers attacked his car around 8.30pm, near his residence.

Gupta alleged, the attackers tried to pull him out of the car when locals gathered. Following which the attackers fled from the site, he claimed. Videos suggest the car's windshield developed cracks.

After reaching out to cops, Amar Colony Police reached the site and took the statement ofAChief of the fringe outfit.

The car has been confiscated by police. Delhi Police is investigating the matter, says Gupta.

Interestingly, Gupta's outfit gave a warning a couple of days before against any 'obscenity' on Valentine's Day.
The Virginian-Pilot reported Thursday that Chesapeake has reached an estimated population of 245,745 people. Thats according to estimates from the University of Virginias Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Norfolks population is just over 245,000 residents.
A day after Sharad Pawar criticised the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government for allowing the transfer of the Elgar Parishad case probe to the NIA, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the NCP president on Saturday praised each other at a farmers rally in Jalgaon district.

On Friday, Pawar had told reporters in Kolhapur that it was not right on part of the Centre to hand over the Elgar Parishad case probe to the NIA from Pune police.

In a swipe at the state government, of which the NCP is a part, Pawar had said, It was not right for the Centre to hand over the investigation into the case to the NIA. But it was even more wrong for the state government to support the transfer of the case.

Speaking at the rally held in Muktainagar in the district on Saturday, Pawar praised Thackerays photography skills.

Maharashtra got a good photographer who spotted a tiger like Chandrakant Patil, he said referring to local independent MLA Chandrakant Patil who had defeated BJP stalwart Eknath Khadses daughter in the October, 2019 assembly elections.

To this Thackeray replied, without naming Khadse, Since there was a tiger like Chandrakant Patil, everybody ran away. In his speech, Thackeray referred to Pawar as a guide.

Blessings of the people and guidance of Sharad Pawar saheb is with me while I am functioning as CM, Thackeray said.

The Elgar case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed, triggered violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in the district the next day.

The Pune police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists.

During the probe into the police, the Pune police arrested Left-leaning activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao for alleged Maoist links.

Meanwhile, Thackeray also dared the opposition BJP to topple his government, which comprises ideologically different Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress.

I am son of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray who accepted and gave challenges. I challenge the BJP to topple my government today itself instead of waiting till April when the operation lotus is likely to be activated (by the BJP), he said.

We did not taken oath to remain as slaves. There seems to be some murmurs in the state BJP at a time when my government is functioning smoothly. It will last its full term, the CM said.

Thackeray further said his government was working to find better ways through which water and day-time electricity can be provided to farmers and they be made debt-free.

He attacked the BJP for criticising his governments scheme waiving loans up to Rs 2 lakhs of farmers.

Thackeray reiterated his governments commitment to introduce two schemes for farmers whose loan outstanding is more than Rs 2 lakh and for those who have paid their farm loans regularly.

In his speech, Pawar said the only focus of the state government was ensuring development.

Industrial investment should get a boost and the government should focus on the agriculture, industry, and employment generation, he said.

Earlier in the day, Pawar and Thackeray came together for a function in Jalgaon to give out agricultural awards named after Appasaheb Pawar, the NCP chiefs elder brother.

Addressing the function, Pawar said, Today in the world, India has a standing in the field of agriculture. We have attained sufficiency in agriculture despite constraints like burgeoning population. For this, we must give credit to our farmers and scientists.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 14, 2020) - American Battery Metals Corp. (CSE: ABC) (the "Company" or "American Battery") announces that further to the proposed transaction (the "Proposed Transaction") with Bayshore Minerals Inc. ("Bayshore") referred to in the Company's news release dated January 15, 2020, the shareholders of Bayshore did not approve the Proposed Transaction. 65% of Bayshore shareholders voted in favour, 66.6% was required. The Company plans to continue constructive dialogue with Bayshore and is optimistic that a definitive agreement will be agreed upon in the future.

About the Company

American Battery Metals Corp. is a junior mineral exploration company engaged in the business of acquiring, exploring and evaluating natural resource properties. The Company has an option to acquire a 50% interest in the Fish Lake property located in Esmeralda County in the state of Nevada, USA.

Jeremy Poirier

Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

Phone: 604.722.9842

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of American Battery's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "to continue", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be agreed", "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, information concerning the Private Placement including the intended use of net proceeds from the Private Placement and the payment of finder's fees. Although American Battery believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. In particular, there is no guarantee that the Private Placement will be completed. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this press release, and American Battery does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52468
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the Soviet-born emigre who testified about his President and told impeachment investigators he wasn't afraid to stand up to authority because he was in the US, not under an authoritarian regime, has been let go from the White House. So has his twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, a lawyer for the National Security Council. Another key impeachment witness, US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, also has been ousted.

"Here, right matters," Alexander Vindman had said of the US at the House impeachment hearings, explaining his willingness to stand up, and separating the US from the rest of the world, in the most emotional moment of the hearings. Watch that moment here.

But it is also the least surprising thing in the world.

Vindman knew it was coming. He only learned from news reports of the potential White House plan to fire him late Thursday night, but he'd been steeling himself for this moment since he testified in Trump's impeachment hearing in November, a source familiar with the events told CNN's Kristen Holmes.

How did he know? It's happened before.

Trump is the President who fired Sally Yates, the acting attorney general who refused to enact his travel ban, just days after being sworn into office.

Trump is the President who fired James Comey, the FBI director who was investigating his campaign's contacts with Russia.

Trump is the President who fired Andrew McCabe, the deputy FBI director who had worked with Comey. And Trump vilified the man's wife for being a Democratic candidate for state office. (McCabe is now a CNN contributor.)

He fired Jeff Sessions, eventually, for allowing a special counsel to be appointed. He fired his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, for policy reasons, but it didn't help that the man had called him a moron. His first defense secretary, James Mattis, quit in protest. And then wrote a strongly worded letter about it.

We could go on.

There are two ways to leave this White House and this administration: Jump or be pushed.

The point is this: Was Trump going to fire Vindman from his position at the White House and have him escorted out of the complex on a Friday after Trump was acquitted by a Republican majority in the Senate? Absolutely. Vindman, because he had been subpoenaed, became the public face of everyone who raised their hand to complain about Trump's behavior. On Saturday, Trump defended the firing, criticizing Vindman's work performance and accusing Vindman of "incorrectly" reporting the contents of his calls with Ukraine.

Vindman remains in the military, but being reassigned from the White House isn't likely to help his career. His time at the National Security Council was going to be up even though the Pentagon promised he would face no retaliation and even though he spoke only once publicly -- under subpoena, as his attorney pointed out -- about the whole affair, even though he repeatedly raised concerns about Trump's behavior within the White House.

Was Trump going to fire Sondland, his ambassador to the EU?

Of course he was.

Sondland told the impeachment inquiry that of course there was a quid pro quo between Trump and Ukraine -- security aid and a White House meeting desperately sought by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sondland told the inquiry he didn't realize at the time that Zelensky investigating Joe Biden was also part of the deal. If he had, he said, he would have raised his own concerns.

But it's still shocking to read that the President, fresh from his impeachment trial, is firing the people who testified, under subpoena, and told the truth about his actions.

Others have left.

Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, has left the White House for a job with the government in Florida.

Tim Morrison had already left the White House when he testified. So had Fiona Hill.

John Bolton never did testify, but he's been gone from the White House for some time. His story will come out before Election Day if his book can be cleared by the White House as not including classified information.

Marie Yovanovitch, the former Ukraine ambassador, recently resigned from the State Department and penned an op-ed in The Washington Post. Bill Taylor, her replacement after Trump reassigned her at the behest of conservative activists and corrupt Ukrainians, has returned to retirement.

"It is the American way to speak up about wrongdoing," Yovanovitch wrote in the Post, adding, "I had always thought that our institutions would forever protect us against individual transgressors. But it turns out that our institutions need us as much as we need them; they need the American people to protect them or they will be hollowed out over time, unable to serve and protect our country."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tribute to 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans who lost their lives in the 2019 Pulwama attack. "India will never forget the martyrdom of the security personnel killed in last year's Pulwama attack," PM said.

PM Modi said the Pulwama martyrs were "exceptional individuals", who devoted their lives to serving and protecting the nation. "They were exceptional individuals who devoted their lives to serving and protecting our nation," he said.



Tributes to the brave martyrs who lost their lives in the gruesome Pulwama attack last year. They were exceptional individuals who devoted their lives to serving and protecting our nation. India will never forget their martyrdom. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 14, 2020 Last year on February 14, total 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a terrorist attack by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. On the first anniversary of the Pulwama attack, the CRPF has also inaugurated a memorial at Lethpora camp in Srinagar to commemorate the jawans. The names of all the 40 personnel along with their pictures will be part of the memorial along with the motto of the CRPF -- 'Seva and Nishtha' (Service and Loyalty). Besides PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah also paid homage to the Pulwama attack martyrs. Shah said their families had made 'supreme' sacrifice for the sovereignty of India. "India will forever be grateful of our bravehearts and their families who made supreme sacrifice for the sovereignty and integrity of our motherland," Shah Tweeted. I pay homage to the martyrs of Pulwama attack.



India will forever be grateful of our bravehearts and their families who made supreme sacrifice for the sovereignty and integrity of our motherland. Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 14, 2020 Remembering the CRPF jawans, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the entire country stood united against terrorism and "everyone is committed to continue fight against this menace". Remembering the fallen @crpfindia personnel who were martyred during the dastardly attack in Pulwama(J&K) on this day in 2019.



India will never forget their sacrifice. Entire nation stands united against terrorism and we are committed to continue our fight against this menace. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) February 14, 2020

Following the dastardly Pulwama attack, on February 26, 2019, the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted surgical strikes in Balakot, Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A day later on February 27, the IAF foiled an attempt by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to strike at military installations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Also read: Pulwama attack anniversary: Who benefitted most from the attack, asks Rahul Gandhi

Also read: Pulwama attack anniversary: India pays homage to bravehearts; look back at terror attack that shook India
The Madhya Pradesh Congress Coordination Committee is scheduled to meet on Saturday.

Nath, Scindia and other party leaders including Digvijaya Singh, Deepak Babaria, AICC Incharge, Meenakshi Natrajan and Jitu Patwari will attend the meeting.

Scindia on Thursday assured to regularise guest teachers stating that he will be their "shield and sword" if all promises in the party's manifesto were not fulfilled.

"I want to assure you that your demand is included in our government's manifesto and it is our sacred text. It has been a year for the government. Teachers have to be a little patient. Our turn will come and if not then I assure you that I will be your shield and sword," said Scindia in an event organised in Kudila village of Tikamgarh district.

"If all promises in the manifesto are not fulfilled, do not think you are alone. Scindia will also hit the streets with you," he added.

He further said that he has requested the state government to work on eradication of malnutrition in 5 years. "We will remove the blur of malnutrition within our government's tenure," he said.

Madhya Pradesh has been reeling under a nutrition crisis. The state tops the list for malnourishment under the age of six in India and around 60 per cent are malnourished, as per international non-profit Save The Children.

Nath hit back at Scindia saying, "Congress manifesto for Madhya Pradesh is for five years which is not completed yet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Toronto Police are asking for the publics help after they released a photo of a man wanted in a firearm investigation Friday afternoon.

Police have identified the suspect as Quorde Bowen, 20, of Toronto.

He is wanted on a number of charges, including two counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle; two counts of possession of a loaded, prohibited or restricted firearm and two counts of unauthorized possession of a prohibited device or ammunition.

Police are describing the suspect as having brown hair and brown eyes, standing at about five-foot-seven. They say he is considered violent, armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5100, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, online on our Facebook Leave a Tip page, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).
President Donald Trump will extend his national emergency on the US-Mexico border for another year, according to a notice submitted to the Federal Register. Seen here, Trump visits the US-Mexico border fence in Otay Mesa, California on September 18, 2019.
Chinese business records show that Shu appointed Cong in 2018 as his company legal representative and later as manager. Shu stated that, at one stage, he had directed Cong to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars to finance the disputed business venture at the centre of Shus lawsuit. He had done so, he said, due to daily limits on the amount I could transfer from my bank account. Back in 2014, Congs use of Australian bank accounts sparked a major Australian Federal Police money laundering operation. Police have alleged in court, in the prosecution of one of Congs co-accused, that Cong was directing Chinese students to launder millions of dollars. Police claim that at the direction of Mr Cong one criminal cash runner deposited $4,059,636 into various bank accounts on 68 occasions in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney. Shiyu Cong. This week, both the federal police and the NSW police confirmed a warrant was issued for Congs arrest in 2015 after he failed to show up at his court case and fled Australia. The first time Congs name has been mentioned in an Australian court since his aborted trial and a string of other money laundering cases was in January, when Shu described Cong as his trusted business partner. When Shu was asked by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald this week if he would tell the federal police where Cong was hiding, he answered: what Mr Cong experienced before becoming my colleague has nothing to do with the court case against swindler Wang Liqiang.

Shu also has some other notable associations. He was previously a student organiser for the Australian Chinese Workers Association, a body linked to the Chinese Communist Party. He has also had dealings with billionaire Huang Xiangmo, who has been expelled from Australia by ASIO as a suspected agent of foreign interference. The Australian Financial Review reported in December that Shu has declined to answer questions about a 2016 donation at a Chinese Friends of Labor dinner in Sydney being examined by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption. ICAC has been probing if Huang Xiangmo used straw donors to funnel money into Australian politics, a claim denied by Huang. Shu also worked for Chinese Communist Party aligned NSW councillor Simon Zhous gold business, of which a subsidiary collapsed with an unpaid $2.3 million tax bill. Shu goes to court, and then ... Within hours of lodging his legal documents in late January, Mr Shus close associates were calling journalists across Sydney. Shu had time on his side. Wang was in hiding at an undisclosed location as the federal police investigated death threats from China linked to Wangs claims of being a Chinese intelligence operative.

One experienced journalist who received Shus documents was sceptical, and decided not to rush into print without further checking. Another who reviewed the files before they had been given any publicity, the AFRs Neil Chenoweth, was also cautious. Chenoweth had broken the story about Shus involvement in a suspect donation being probed by ICAC. He thought it odd that Shu had brought a debt recovery action in Australia, where Wang has about $2000 in the bank. The obvious place for Shus claim, since it involves a dispute over a Chinese business deal and assets in China, appears to be China. Wang Liqiang, who claims to be a spy defecting to Australia. Credit:Steven Siewert If the case is a genuine attempt to get at Wangs Australian assets, it will likely be fruitless. Chenoweth wrote on Friday that to freeze Wangs meagre savings, Shu has already spent more than $20,000 on legal fees. But the story that Sydney woke up to on January 31 did not mention Shus ties to fugitive Cong Shiyu or to the ASIO target Huang Xiangmo.

The attempt to discredit Wang Back in November, hours after Wang made public his explosive claims of Chinese spying, the Chinese government first publicised Shus fraud allegations. A few days later they released an unverified video purporting to show Wang accepting a legal sanction for separate financial crimes. Wang denies its him in the video, but the intention appeared to have been to discredit him. It is not suggested Shu worked with the CCP in coordinating the attack on Wang's credibility. Loading But Wangs claims of spying have sparked serious and ongoing investigations in Taiwan, and ASIO and the federal police have both stated they are taking Mr Wangs claims seriously. Some of his claims can not be proven but others check out, a source said. He was involved with players involved in that world [intelligence]. One of the people Wang said he was involved with was Xiang Xin, the man who Wang claims was his boss and who ran a Hong Kong intelligence front. Xiang was arrested in Taiwan in November and remains barred from returning to Hong Kong under the countrys National Security Law. Taiwanese authorities have confirmed some of Wangs claims about Xiang, including his past working for a Chinese military technology agency. Xiang denies all wrongdoing or even knowing Wang.
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By now youve likely read about Adrian Iraolas confrontation with a Class A bigot during community meeting on diversity, equity, and inclusion in Saline. When Adrian stood up to talk about the impact bullying and racial slurs had on his teenaged son, a man named Tom Burtell asked him, Why didnt you stay in Mexico?

The moment was caught on video and quickly went viral. Nationally so, in fact.

When it happened, the crowd instantly condemned Burtell for his odious behavior. In the days following, hundreds of community members held a rally to support Adrian, the school superintendent issued a strong statement condemning intolerance, racism, and bigotry, and Burtells own son condemned him on Facebook:

My wife Anne and I are regular patrons of one of Adrians several restaurants  Chelas Restaurant & Taqueria  in our area. The newest one was opened in our small town of Dexter not long ago and we quickly fell in love with the awesome food and with Adrian himself. Our favorite visits are when we can sit at the bar and talk to him about food and tequila and the world around us. Hes one of the most calm and peaceful men I have had the pleasure to get to know, the complete antithesis of the bullying bigot Tom Burtell.

Last night we decided to do a Valentines dinner at Chelas. Were eager that the Dexter location stay open so were always happy to see lots of visitors but last night was out of the ordinary. When we walked in, the place was packed. There were several groups of people waiting to be seated and multiple people picking up take out orders. A sign was prominently displayed thanking the community for their support:

As we ate and drank remarkably good margaritas, we asked our server if this was a normal Friday night crowd. He laughed and said, No, its been like this since Adrian became a national hero!

Adrian himself was busy talking with guests, clearing tables, and seating people  the consummate restauranteur and host. We were finally able to wave him over to our table to thank him for his voice and courage. He was clearly gratified by the response from the community. Yet at the same, he said, theres an ugly side lurking out there that we must all stand up to.

I knew that the people of Saline had rallied around Adrian but Dexter is 15 miles from Saline and a much smaller town. Yet, even here, people were out to support Adrian and his team.

If you get the chance, make the effort to visit Chelas either one of their two Ann Arbor locations or here in Dexter. You wont find better Mexican food and drink.

And you wont find a more wonderful human being than Adrian Iraola.
A Brampton, Ont. man already facing deportation to his native India has been sentenced to four years in prison for a wild ride in a stolen semi-truck that saw him collide with nine cars during a police pursuit through the citys North End.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brampton, Ont. man already facing deportation to his native India has been sentenced to four years in prison for a wild ride in a stolen semi-truck that saw him collide with nine cars during a police pursuit through the citys North End.

Gurpreet Atwal, 31, was convicted of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, driving while prohibited and eight counts of failing to stop at the scene of an accident in connection with the Jan. 18, 2019 rampage.

"Its an absolute miracle no one was hurt or injured that day," said provincial court Judge Keith Eyrikson, noting a two-year-old toddler was a passenger in one of the vehicles Atwal struck, and a two-month old infant in another.

"Its impossible to do justice to how dangerous a situation that was," Eyrikson said.

Co-accused Karanvir Singh Kang, who stole the truck, died of a drug overdose after he was released on bail.

The driver of the truck had left it running outside a restaurant near Inkster and Brookside boulevards around 5 a.m. when Kang jumped in and drove away.

When the owner of the truck spotted it five hours later in the area of Keewatin Street and Hekla Avenue and called police, Atwal was at the wheel after he had been picked up by Kang. Police followed from a distance as the truck made its way from the Perimeter and Pipeline Road to Main Street and Red River Boulevard, where the truck picked up speed as it headed back into the city.

As police continued to hang back, Atwal, over the course of about 10 minutes, drove through red lights and stops signs, colliding with nine vehicles along Main Street, Salter Street and Selkirk Avenue before crashing into a steel fence outside a Robins Donuts restaurant.

At trial, Atwal testified he drove the truck at Kangs behest under duress, a claim Eyrikson rejected.

At the time of the theft, Atwal was on probation for a previous conviction for dangerous driving in Ontario and was prohibited from operating a motor vehicle, said Crown attorney Joel Refvik.

"He should have been on his best behaviour," Refvik said.

Atwal is already facing automatic deportation following a conviction for breaking and entering in Ontario.

Defence lawyer Nolan Boucher said Atwals life started a downward spiral after he was pushed into an arranged marriage. Working and going to school in Australia at the time, Atwal returned to Brampton, "to marry a woman he had never met, let alone love, all for his family," Boucher said.

Atwal turned to alcohol and drugs to numb his feelings of depression. When his marriage ended in 2016, he entered an even darker place, feeling he had brought shame upon his family, Boucher said.

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"He wanted to seek help, but that is not looked on favourably in his community," Boucher said.

Atwal remarried and quit abusing drugs and alcohol, but continued to associate with the same people, including his co-accused, Boucher said.

Atwal apologized in court for putting so many lives at risk.

"Im thankful to god nobody was injured, including me," he said. "I dont know what the future holds for me, but I wont let anything break me down like it did in the past. I will remain strong."

Atwal received credit for time served, reducing his remaining sentence to just under two and a half years.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
WATERFORD  After a century of maintaining three fire stations, the village is consolidating into one. Officials from the Waterford Fire Department, state, town and village announced on Friday that it will build a $7 million station above the villages flood plain that will not only house the department and its equipment, but residents who might need shelter during a severe storm.

Mayor J. Bert Mahoney said the 15,150-square-foot facility, funded mainly by a $5.9 million grant from the states Office of Storm Recovery, is vital to the village, which experienced devastating flooding during Hurricane Irene in 2011. That storm carried the waters of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers beyond South Street damaging about 200 homes, some of which had to be leveled. Countless cars were waterlogged, and streets, parks and the Champlain Canal were submerged.

We were hit pretty hard here, Mahoney said.

But with the all-volunteer, 60-member department spread over three stations, he also said it was difficult to coordinate the response. The new station, he said, will centralize everything.

The building, which the mayor hopes will open by the end of the year, will feature four double bays entrances, a kitchen and offices, as well as rooms for meetings and training. In addition to state funding, the village will bond up to $1.2 million to pay the balance of the station.

Suzanna Randall, deputy director of project delivery for New York Storm Recoverys New York Rising, said there is a need for a command post in Waterford. During the hurricane she noted, the Mohawk River rose to the highest levels ever recorded in the last 100 years.

The new station, she said, will serve the volunteers and the community in future emergencies.

We are incredibly proud to support New Yorks bravest, she said. We want to give them every possible advantage when it matters most.

Fire Chief Donald Baldwin said the new station will not only centralize their efforts, it will also allow them to respond more quickly to emergencies. It will also end the cycle of constant maintenance on the three aging buildings: the 1867 Knickerbocker Steamer Company, the 1900 J.W. Ford Hose Company and the 1963 Kavanaugh Hook and Ladder Company.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Those days are over, Baldwin said.

Mahoney said that the village has appraised all three of the old stations, saying they have a combined worth of a little more than $300,000. The village will likely sell two and perhaps keep one for village business. However, he said the village has not yet made a decision on a sale or which station it would keep. On Friday, he was just thrilled that the plan, which was several years in the making, was moving forward.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think Id ever see the day when we would be breaking ground on a new station, Mahoney said.
Crimea is an occupied Ukrainian territory inhabited by Ukrainian citizens.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky says he does not like to see that the issue of Crimea deoccupation is not being discussed in any format of talks.

At the same time, the United States could contribute to changing this situation, Zelensky added, speaking at the Munich Security Conference Saturday.

Read alsoUkraine seeks to hold local elections as early as this fall, including in Donbas and Crimea, president says

"What I don't like? This is the question of Crimea, which isn't there, honestly  after all, we're all having a frank conversation today, aren't we? The question of Crimea is not being thoroughly discussed today, at all. That is, we need to introduce and discuss this issue thoroughly. This is also our occupied territory, there are also our people, Ukrainians, there. Perhaps, a new platform is needed? Here, it seems to me that the United States could have a stronger influence, I guess," Zelensky said.
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In this weeks International TV Newswire, Netflix goes back to the FLX well in Sweden, The Bureau is selected to close Canneseries, BBC4 picks up two new series for its Saturday night lineup, Endemol Shine announces a Love is Forever spinoff in Spain, and Conecta Fiction earns the honor of selecting this years International Emmy Short-Form semi-finalists.

Netflix Commissions Third Swedish Original, Love & Anarchy

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Created by Swedish screenwriter Lisa Langseth (Pure, Euphoria), Love & Anarchy has been announced as Netflixs third Original Series from Sweden. Production company FLX will produce, marking the renewal of a partnership with Netflix which began when the company produced the platforms first Swedish Original, Quicksand. Love & Anarchy follows Sofie, played by A Man Called Oves Ida Engvoll, a career driven consultant and mother of two assigned to modernize an outdated publishing house. Upon her arrival, a flirty relationship kicks off with young IT tech Max, newcomer Bjorn Mosten, when what starts as a seemingly innocent pushing of boundaries quickly turns dangerous for them both. Alex Haridi will co-write with Langseth and direct all eight episodes.

The Bureau Season 5 to Close Canneseries

Canneseries is accustomed to go out with a bang, with, for example, the world premiere of Russell T. Davies BBC-Canal Plus-HBO series Years & Years, which brought the house down last year. 2020 looks like no exception, Canneseries closing with Season 5 of Canal Plus Creation Originale, The Bureau. Few French series have ever won larger praise. This series is the best ever made in France, said French newspaper Le Figaro; The New York Times called it the smartest and most authentic spy series () in the world. Created by one of Frances few genuine showrunners, Eric Rochant, and combining U.S. development processes and Rochants hallmark hyper-realism, The Bureau bows Season 5 with an impressive lead writer lineup  Eric Rochant, and Palme dOr winning director Jacques Audiard and co-writer Thomas Bidegain (Dheepan). Rochant, Audiard, Anna Novion, Samuel Collardey and series lead Mathieu Kassovitz direct. Louis Garrel, like Kassovitz an esteemed French actor (The Dreamers) and director (A Faithful Man), joins the main cast.

Story continues

BBC4 Picks Up French, Aussie Series

The prestige validation of a BBC pickup helped to forge a market for foreign and non-English-language series internationally, in a trend which changed the global TV marketplace. Still, it is a gold standard for international excellence and its BBC4 Saturday night lineup has become a place of honor for foreign series such as Spiral (France), The Killing (Denmark), Trapped (Iceland) and Wisting, (Norway). It was announced on Friday that two new series will join their ranks, The Last Wave, a hit on France 2 when it launched in October, and Aussie-noir drama The Secrets She Keeps. The two join Swedish-Danish series The Investigation and Norwegian period drama State of Happiness in this springs lineup, which will also be made available on the networks BBC iPlayer streaming service.

Endemol Shines Diagonal Spins Off Top Spanish Soap with Luimela

Endemol Shine Group has announced a new series titled Luimela from its Spanish production company Diagonal, destined for Atresmedias SVOD platform Atresplayer Premium. A spinoff of the Spains 1977-set number one afternoon scripted daily series Love is Forever, Luimela takes place in 2020 and catches up with characters Luisita and Amelia, a gay couple still together four decades later. According to a press release, the eight-episode series will feature several Easter eggs for fans of the original, while providing a platform for LGBTQ visibility and modern-day feminism, as well as the effects that social media has on relationships in the contemporary world.

Conecta Fiction to Host Semifinal Round of Short-Form Emmy Nominations

The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will turn to Inside Content to organize this year a semifinal round of the International Emmy Awards in the Short-Form Series category at Conecta Fiction 2020. On June 25, in the Spanish City of Pamplona, Navarre, and in the context of the Conecta Fiction meet-mart, a jury of leading professionals from the international audiovisual industry will convene and evaluate the qualifying series. The category is open to both fiction and non-fiction episodic programs with episodes of less than 30 minutes. Nominations will be made public in the fall, with the eventual winner announced at the Intl. Emmy Awards Gala in November.

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Bengaluru, Feb 15 : Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to India on February 24, American Airlines on Saturday announced that it would operate a daily service from Bengaluru to Seattle on the west coast from October.

"As the non-stop flight will be the first between Bengaluru and any US city, the airline will operate a 285-seater Boeing 787-9 jet on the long-haul route," said the Bengaluru international airport operator in a statement here.

The new route will give passengers easier and faster access to San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Denver, Arizona, Dallas, Chicago, West Coast and East states on a one-stop flight as compared to multiple stop overs currently.

"The service will also meet corporate customers' demand for travel to Seattle and adjoining areas across the US west coast," said Bangalore International Airport Ltd Chief Executive Hari Marar in the statement.

American Airlines is expanding its codeshare arrangement to include Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, which intends to join the One World Alliance.

"We will soon have direct flight to Tokyo in Japan and Munich in Germany, taking our service to 28 overseas cities," Marar added.
For some, the vacation from hell is over. Cambodian leader Hun Sen welcomed passengers from the M-S Westerdam that set sail from Singapore on January 16. The coronavirus outbreak had Thailand and others refusing entry, despite there being no confirmed cases aboard. Meanwhile, the ordeal continues for most of the 3,700 aboard the Diamond Princess, quarantined in the port of Yokohama since February 3. With 218 confirmed cases aboard, Japan's now allowing those 80 years or more, those in frail health or those in windowless cabins to disembark, but only if they test negative.
Feburary started with a chill but I was prepared. Among the supplies that I

brought back to the old house for the next two weeks were five one-lb canisters

of propane. Four years ago, I bought a portable Mr. Heater for my wife who

needed extra warmth for a few days each winter. It was simple to use and worked

well but she treated the 16oz fuel containers as if they were bombs that would

explode anytime without warning. She switched to an electric heater and since

then the propane set had been left in the garage gathering dust. It still worked

great and, with the heater set at LOW, each can (costing about $3.00) kept the

10x12 room warm for about six hours. I went through all five in 10 days.

The jetlag helped to make the first few days miserable. I found myself only able

to doze for about four or five hours each night. It was not until the ninth day

before I could sleep through an eight-hour block. Sleepless nights and in my

toasty chamber, I finished reading "Walden on Wheels" by Ken Ilganus, twice. I

was very impressed by Mr. Ilganus's thoughts and experiences. Twenty years ago,

I was too awe-struck by Emerson to read "Walden." I felt I was ready now.

My company required two weeks quarantine for employees traveling back from

China, as I found out on the second day home. I emailed the boss and he did not

bother me at all the whole time. It was as if I were given another vacation. I

had no complains about that.

All of a sudden, there was so much time. I kept reading the dictionary, cleaning

the house and yard, exercising, but still found time to kill. I tried to

meditate by sitting lotus and focusing on my breath. Meditation must be so much

more but, as far as I can see, it is a weapen against screen/Internet addiction.

I will get serious with it.

I kept my strength regimen and started one-arm swinging the 40kg kettlebell.

Each arm could do only two sets of 10 reps at the moment. I also reclaimed the

Turkish Getup, three sets on each side with the 32kg. I felt bullet-proof.

I worry about my folks back in China and check the news twice a day, mostly from

Starbucks's parking lot where I can have WiFi. My translation of the first part

of Pavel's "The Cost of Adaptation" has not caught as much attention as I wished

from friends on WeChat. Nor has the Surya Namaskar picture I shared. These so

far are the things I think I can do to help. Most people would prefer instant

gratification, I understand, but I think before asking for help one should do

his own part. As for the epidemic, my guts tell me it will get worse before it

gets better.

Over this period, I finished 18 corn tortillas, one cup of quinoa, a dozen eggs,

four vine tomatoes, a dozen apples, one 20oz beef steak, four packs of Korean

fast noodles, five packs of 8oz brown-rice-quinoa mix, a 48oz bag of almonds,

nine cans of sardines in olive oil, and about two pounds of shelled peanuts,

fried in coconut oil in my Lodge dutch oven. Every evening, I would cook a

simple and delicious meal. The combinations included

- five tortillas with a filling of green onion or sliced onion, fish, and Korean

deonjiang,

- steak seared medium rare with brussel sprouts, both cooked with coconut oil in

the Lodge,

- a pot of fast noodle with seaweed, veggies, and/or eggs,

- quinoa cooked in the pot and flavored with extra virgin olive oil, lemon

juice, cumin, and salt, and

- scrambled eggs.

I also finished a bottle of Chinese hard liqor (), a bag of Godiva

chocolates, and about three galons of water.

Friday marked the end of the two-week timeout. 9:00am, first time in a month, I

went up MP. The hills were wearing a coat of lush winter grass decorated by

black cattle. The olive trees were sprouting new leaves and the white and cherry

dogwood blossoms and pink-white magnolia were announcing the coming of spring

under a cirrus sky. How blessed I am!

P.S. The hours I slept recovering from the jetlag:

date(night) hrs slept

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fri 2020/01/31 4.5 (12:30 - 5:00am)

Sat 2020/02/01 5.5 (9:00pm - 2:30am)

Sun 2020/02/02 12.0 (9:00pm - 9:00am)

Mon 2020/02/03 3.5 (9:00pm - 12:30am)

Tue 2020/02/04 6.0 = 3.5 + 2.5 (8:30pm - 12:00am, 4:00am - 6:30am)

Wed 2020/02/05 3.5 (8:00pm - 11:30pm)

Thu 2020/02/06 5.0 = 2.0 + 3.0 (7:00pm - 9:00pm, 5:30am - 8:30am)

Fri 2020/02/07 5.0 (8:00pm - 1:00am)

Sat 2020/02/08 4.0 (7:00pm - 11:00pm)

Sun 2020/02/09 8.0 (7:30pm - 3:30am)

Mon 2020/02/10 8.0 (8:00pm - 4:00am)

Tue 2020/02/11 7.5 (7:30pm - 3:00am)

Wed 2020/02/12 4.0 (12:00am - 4:00am)

Thu 2020/02/13 4.0 (12:00am - 4:00am)

Fri 2020/02/14 7.0 (10:00pm - 5:00am)

Sat 2020/02/15 9.0 (9:30pm - 6:30am)

Sun 2020/02/16 8.5 (10:30pm - 7:00am)

Mon 2020/02/17 7.5 (10:00pm - 5:30am)
The US governments decision to raise tariffs on European-built aircraft will hit US airlines already facing a shortage of aircraft and complicate efforts to reach a negotiated settlement with the European Union, Airbus said.

The European planemaker said it would continue discussions with its US customers to mitigate effects of tariffs insofar as possible and hoped the US Trade Representatives office would change its position.

USTRs decision ignores the many submissions made by US airlines, highlighting the fact that they  and the US flying public  ultimately have to pay these tariffs, the company said in a statement.
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - A monthly average of 11,500 people travelling from the Horn of Africa to Yemen last year made the so-called Eastern Route the busiest maritime migration path on earth, the UN migration agency said on Friday
The Rhode Island Southern Firefighters League has named Capt. Katie O. Serra, far right, and Capt. Travis Z. Serra, far left, both with the Charlestown Ambulance Rescue Service, as winners of the Frederick Stanley Dedicated Service Award. Travis has worked there for 16 years, Katie for 13 years. The two met there and married four years ago. Also pictured from left to right, Lillian Hogan, Emily Louzon and Jill Gardell, all members who were trained by the Serras.
Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix

Netflix is officially stuffed to the gills when it comes to Insatiable, and not even unbuttoning their jeans or putting on their loosest pair of sweatpants is going to free up any room. According to Variety, the streamlining platform has canceled the Lauren Gussis comedy after two seasons. As Variety points out, series co-star Alyssa Milano had previously responded to a fans February 4 inquiry about a potential third season, saying, We will not be coming back, sadly.

The show, which stars Debby Ryan, initially provoked a backlash when it premiered in August 2018, as critics of the show felt the leads formerly overweight high school student turns hot, thin pageant queen hell-bent on revenge story line constituted fat shaming. Also, there was that fat suit. As Jen Chaney wrote in her Vulture review of the series, Insatiable is an equal-opportunity train wreck. Others, however, were intrigued by the dark comedys campy irreverence, even when dealing with sensitive topics. Either way, one things for sure: it is now canceled.
Remembering a Heroine

The Soi Dog calendar marked an important day Thursday (Feb 13). We know it as International Gill Dalley Remembrance Day. This year will mark three years since we lost our inspiring co-founder, Gill Dalley, who dedicated much of her life to ending the suffering for homeless animals in Asia.

Sunday 16 February 2020, 03:00PM

Gill and John in a loving moment. She will always be remembered.

Three years ago on February 13th of 2017, this heroic woman passed away after a short battle with cancer.

Gill was the lifeblood of Soi Dog, and her legacy will never be forgotten. Gills is a story of both loss and hope.

Back in 2003, Gill and her husband, John, retired to Phuket. It wasnt long before they became exasperated by the plight of homeless animals in Thailand. With estimated 70,000-plus street dogs and cats on the island of Phuket alone at that time, they could not sit idly by while voiceless animals suffered in silence.

Gill and John joined forces with a fellow expatriate from the Netherlands. With the help of just a few volunteer vets and occasional nurses, they began to tackle the enormous issue by providing veterinary care, and spaying and neutering as many animals as their limited resources allowed.

However, in 2004, Gill and John were struck by two tragic, life-changing occurrences. Whilst trying to rescue a tranquillised dog, Gill ran into a flooded field and contracted a rare form of septicaemia. The doctors didnt think she would survive. But they didnt know Gill and her determination. Although she sadly lost both lower legs, she fought and survived.

Only three weeks later, on 26 December 2004, the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami struck across Asia, including in Phuket. Thousands lost their lives, and many already-vulnerable animals were left in an even more desperate state.

But even when faced with such extraordinary setbacks and challenges, ones many people would not recover from, Gill never gave up. She always put the needs of dogs and cats before her own. And with herself and John at the helm of Soi Dog, and with people like you by their side, the organisation went from strength to strength in the years that followed.

Whilst enormous strides have been made to date, and countless animal lives have been saved, all of Gills dreams are not yet realised. There are still millions of desperate animals in Asia who need help.

To me, Gill was the embodiment of courage and sheer determination. Nothing was going to stop her doing everything she could for vulnerable animals. We could all take a page from her book. If there were more people like her in this world, I believe every animal would live in a safe and loving home, free from suffering.

Gills legacy lives on within Soi Dog, and because of people like you, every day we truly do take one step further towards Gills dreams becoming a reality. Please help us to keep Gills legacy going strong by making a donation in her memory to Soi Dog Foundation.

If you would like to join us in remembering and celebrating Gills life, we welcome you to respond to this email with a message for John Dalley, our co-founder and the husband of Gill. The messages will be passed on to John within the next few days. We will also select a few messages to post on our website. Unfortunately, due to our limited resources, we will not be able to respond to every message.

I am sure Gill would be proud to know that because of supporters like you, Soi Dog is helping more dogs and cats than any other animal welfare organisation in the world.

I hope her story inspires you as it does me, every day.



Louise Rose

CEO

Soi Dog Foundation

Soi Dog Foundation is located at 167/9 Moo 4, Soi Mai Khao 10, Mai Khao, Thalang, 83110. Tours run 9:30am, 11am, 1:30pm and 2:30pm Monday-Friday and 10am on Saturday. visit www.soidog.org
UPDATED Feb. 20 with the names of the involved police officers.

Police in Silverton shot and killed a man who claimed to have a gun during standoff at an apartment Friday, authorities said.

Officers had responded to reports of a domestic violence disturbance in the 900 block of Reserve Street about 12:40 p.m., according to the Oregon State Police, which is investigating the fatal shooting.

A man at the apartment, William Kyle Bluestone, 21, barricaded himself inside a bedroom when the officers arrived and claimed he was armed with a handgun, the state police said.

A preliminary investigation showed Bluestone was in fact armed with a handgun, according to the agency.

William Kyle Bluestone. (Marion County Sheriff's Office)

An hourlong standoff ensued as the Silverton officers attempted to get Bluestone to surrender, police said. The standoff ended after an officer opened fire on Bluestone, killing him.

Oregon State Police released the names of two officers involved in the shooting  Jonathan Lamoreaux, 38, and Tim Hein, 31. Lamoreaux has been with Silverton Police Department for 9 years, and Hein has been with the department for 6 years. State police did not specify which one fired the shot that killed Bluestone, but police said the officer who fired the fatal rounds was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, which is being overseen by the Marion County District Attorneys Office. The officer was wearing a body camera, which recorded the encounter.

The Oregon State Police provided no details about what prompted the officer to shoot.

Authorities have not released the footage, citing an active investigation.

Court records show Bluestone had been accused of assaulting two different women in the past year.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
It is baffling and regrettable to New Haveners today that the urban renewers of the 1950s and 1960s dared to demolish blocks of impressive, intact Victorian commercial buildings downtown and replace them with an uninspiring suburban-style shopping center structure. What could they possibly have been thinking to have moved Malleys Department Store away from its premier location on Chapel Street overlooking the distinguished New Haven Green into a characterless mall, cut off from the citys streets? Accompanied by a new Macys and massive parking garage, the whole mess was tied directly to a misguided highway now being demolished that connected downtown to the new interstate.

We now live in an American society that values old buildings, embraces historic preservation for both its aesthetic and economic benefits, and treasures the walking city. But that was not the case when Mayor Richard Lee and his redevelopment czar Edward J. Logue set out to modernize New Haven upon Lees election in 1953. It is important for us to understand how they saw the city then, before we rush to a judgment colored by our own times.

Lee and Logue inherited a city laid out in the 18th and early 19th centuries with narrow streets for horses and carriages, later adapted for streetcars that had only recently been abandoned. Before I-95 bypassed the city, local as well as long-distance travelers choked the citys streets, making the new shopping centers opening in suburban New Haven with their acres of free parking all the more appealing to area shoppers. As a consequence, downtown stores were closing or, like Sears, rapidly relocating to the suburbs. Many of the family stores and other small businesses that long had occupied downtown blocks operated in shabby if not dilapidated storefronts, more and more surrounded by empty office space overhead, as new suburban professional buildings lured lawyers and accountants away.

Evidence was mounting that downtowns share of all retail sales in the New Haven metropolitan area was plunging  from 88 percent in 1948 to only 48 percent by 1963  and most worrisome, even city residents were patronizing the Hamden Plaza Shopping Center rather than shopping downtown. Lee and Logue knew they needed to act. Falling retail sales meant lower profits for businesses and fewer tax dollars for the city. Although the central business district made up less than 1 percent of the citys total land area, it contributed a quarter of all tax revenues.

This impending disaster drove the urban renewers to demolish blocks of downtown New Haven and replace it with a regional shopping center in the heart of the city, beating the suburbs, they hoped, at their own game. It should also be said that Macys, which they hankered to recruit to New Haven, gave them little choice, making it clear that its coming, and staying, required proximity to highways and free parking.

Building in a modern architectural style became another important way that the urban renewers tried to signal that New Haven was now up to date. The universal uniformity of modernist design, which today might seem to have erased unique regional styles, appealed to them for its cosmopolitanism and for its transcending the dreary provincialism of old New Haven and the ersatz Colonial styles of middle-brow suburban Connecticut. Yale, after all, was doing much the same with the 26 new buildings it commissioned in a growth spurt between 1951 and 1963. It abandoned traditional collegiate Gothic for modern buildings that broadcast Yales embrace of the future, which included a greater commitment to the sciences.

Logue and Lee enthusiastically integrated modern design into their own lives, as well. The Logues built a rare, Japanese-inspired modernist house in a New Haven neighborhood. Lee refurbished the mayors office in the modern style and similarly urged his fire chief to incorporate Danish modern furniture in purple and orange into the newly constructed central firehouse.

Preserving the old brick Victorian buildings downtown would have been anathema to Logue in the 1950s, but it is worth noting that in these years before the rise of the historic preservation movement, no federal legislation provided legal protections and financial incentives to restore historic structures. As one New Haven resident lamented, If we had the Tax Credit Act of 1978 in 1959  Parisians would come here to look at all that stuff! But we didnt. In time, starting with Logues next assignment in Boston, he would learn that old and new, modern and historic, could successfully coexist.

Lizabeth Cohen is the Howard Mumford Jones Professor of American Studies at Harvard and author of Saving Americas Cities: Ed Logue and the Struggle to Renew Urban America in the Suburban Age (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2019). She will be delivering Yales George Morris Woodruff, Class of 1857, Memorial Lecture in Architecture, entitled Saving Americas Cities in the Suburban Age: Taking Another Look at Urban Renewal, on Thursday, Feb. 20, in Hastings Hall, 180 York St., at 6:30 pm. It is open to the public.
UNITED CAR CARE, INC LOGO GETS REBRAND

United Car Care, Inc, a leader in vehicle service contract administration, announced that it has rebranded its corporate logo  a classic design that has been the face of the company for many years. The UCC name stays, but in a proactive push, the logo conversion will keep UCC current, and in a better position within the industry.

On average, companies change or update their brand once every seven years. This modernized facelift will reinforce individuality and give UCC a greater sense of brand unity across the business.

We created the UCC logo in early 1996, said Dave Mathews, UCC President & CEO. We feel 2020 is a visionary year to refresh our website and logo and to reach out to the new social media environment and reflect a refreshing change and enhancement to our company.

Rory Angold, UCC Executive VP, states the new image is meant to capture Colorados geography and mountain feel, along with illustrating a symbolic shield that projects company trust.

As the market evolves, so must United Car Cares image. A fresh identity helps appeal to potential consumers and their demands. The new look strengthens the companys connection to the industry.

UCC has always been identifiable through its name and logo. According to Blue Fountain Media, your logo is one of the strongest marketing tools. And just like any marketing campaign, it needs to be revitalized after a certain period of time.

That time is now.

UCC Celebrates 36 years in business, looking for a bright and prosperous future, Mathews concludes.

For more information, see UCCs website, located at http://www.unitedcarcare.com
DULUTH -- Minnesota ranks No. 9 in the top 10 states with the highest cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and that numbers growing, said Rene Ann Goodrich of Duluth.

Shes the founder of the Native Lives Matter Coalition, the organization behind Fridays Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Memorial March.

The fifth-annual event honors families affected by and victims lost to the epidemic of violence against women. Simultaneous events took place in the Twin Cities, Bemidji and Fargo, North Dakota.

Theres a nationwide data crisis regarding murdered and missing indigenous women, girls and two-spirited relatives, according to Goodrich and the Urban and Indian Health Institute.

So far, data shows four out of five indigenous women are affected by violence today. There were 5,712 cases of missing or murdered indigenous women and girls reported in 2016.

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Minnesota has 20 cases; a figure ahead of 18 in Oklahoma and below 78 in New Mexico. But we know the numbers are a lot higher because we work directly with families, Goodrich said. There are 11 Minnesota tribes contributing to the baseline figure, and she anticipates a more accurate total next year, adding: "Our missing and murdered indigenous women are more than a number."

The MMIW march is inspired by Canadas Women's Memorial March, held annually on Valentines Day. Goodrich founded Native Lives Coalition with the Black Lives Matter movement in the Twin Cities in 2014. Their work focuses on awareness, education, advocacy and support for families.

People across the nation have been out on the streets for decades doing this work, but theyre getting national attention.

The recent executive order for a national task force to address the MMIW epidemic demonstrates that policymakers are "hearing the cry," which Goodrich also attributes to the wave of indigenous women elected to office, like Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota Peggy Flanagan, and Congresswomen Deb Haaland of New Mexico and Sharice Davids of Kansas.

This is a positive step that includes tribal involvement, she said, noting the presence of Fond du Lac Band councilmember Roger Smith, Fond du Lac Band chairman Kevin DuPuis and Mille Lacs Band Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin during the signing of the executive order in November in Washington.

"Its appropriate for tribal leaders to be sitting at that table," Goodrich said.

Goodrich is a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault. She lost a daughter three years ago to violence. Families are on the front line of this epidemic, and the longer-term goal is to support them and help heal the trauma, she said.

The march

At the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center, Gwiiwizens, or Ricky DeFoe, smudged staffs held by those who would lead the march. Among them was Shawn Carr, who talked of Sheila St. Clair, who went missing a mile from where he stood.

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"Her family would like her back," Carr said.

DeFoe took to the stage to give the invocation in Ojibwe. Afterward, DeFoe said: "The condition of women in a nation suggests the fate of the nation. Women are the nucleus of the family and we have an armed misogynist society."

A theme of the event was society. Building relationships will help reduce those who are lost or abused. DeFoe took to a ceremonial pipe, blowing smoke in the four directions, then above, then below.

"Men, weve got to ask ourselves What do we do? ... We dont know what to say or what to do, but we know we have to be here," he said.

"This has everything to do with men and changing our view," said Carl Crawford, Human Rights Officer for the City of Duluth.

A young girl handed out red ribbons, which people tied around their arms.

Korii Northrup of Cloquet performed a spoken-word poem entitled, "Painful Truth."

"Were still having a hard time trying to get through this," said Lauren Matrious.

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She spoke of her daughter, Pennie Robertson, who was found dead in May on the Fond du Lac reservation. "She left behind five babies," said Matrious. To that, one of her grandsons started sobbing, and Goodrich and others surrounded him with care.

"We believe she was murdered," said Summer Robertson afterward. "My oldest brother was the first that found her. Then, me." Robertson said she hopes there can be more done within the first 24 hours a woman goes missing.

The programming ended with a large dancing circle, women wearing red shawls leading the way. Goodrich interrupted: "Everybody should be dancing. This is community, this is why you came out." Soon, everyone but a couple were on their feet.

Some women started laughing, people chatted. Through a red-painted handprint on a womans face emerged a smile. "This is warming us up for the march," Goodrich said.

Women, men and children marched through downtown Duluth, passersby stood, a car honked, some took video on their phones, as the group cloaked mostly in red made its way from the American Indian Community Housing Organization to the Building for Women.

In past years, the march led to the harbor, where people would place tobacco.

"Were leaving an offering for our people who are lost, making sure we remember them, keeping them close to our heart," said Northrup.

Among support for families, Northrup said solutions are advocacy and education for the community about warning signs, healthy relationships and conflict resolution.

Predators arent going to stop. "Having a strong community built on believing survivors, thats the only way were going to change this."

As a survivor herself, Northrup said working with MMIW efforts have helped in her reclamation of self and identity. "Accepting that this is a problem and an epidemic is the first step in order to change."

More information, more support

Natives Lives Matter Coalition: facebook.com/NativeLivesMatterNLMC/

Mending the Sacred Hoop: https://mshoop.org

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Task Force: dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/Pages/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-task-force.aspx

Minnesota Indian Woman's Sexual Assault Coalition: niwrc.org/content/minnesota-indian-womens-sexual-assault-coalition

PAVSA: pavsa.org

Men as Peacemakers: menaspeacemakers.org

American Indian Community Housing Organization: https://www.aicho.org/#/

By the numbers

Heres a breakdown of the highest cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

Top states

New Mexico: 78



Washington: 71

Arizona: 54

Alaska: 52

Montana: 41

California: 40

Nebraska: 33

Utah: 24

Minnesota: 20

Oklahoma: 18

Top cities

Seattle, Washington: 45



Albuquerque, New Mexico: 37

Anchorage, Alaska: 31

Tucson, Arizona: 31

Billings, Montana: 29

Gallup, New Mexico: 25

Tacoma, Washington: 25

Omaha, Nebraska: 24

Salt Lake City, Utah: 24

San Francisco, California: 17

Source: The Urban Indian Health Institute
SYDNEY, Australia  In a country where there has always been more space than people, where the land and wildlife are cherished like a Picasso, nature is closing in. Fueled by climate change and the worlds refusal to address it, the fires that have burned across Australia are not just destroying lives, or turning forests as large as nations into ashen moonscapes.

They are also forcing Australians to imagine an entirely new way of life. When summer is feared. When air filters hum in homes that are bunkers, with kids kept indoors. When birdsong and the rustle of marsupials in the bush give way to an eerie, smoky silence.

I am standing here a traveler from a new reality, a burning Australia, Lynette Wallworth, an Australian filmmaker, told a crowd of international executives and politicians in Davos, Switzerland, last month. What was feared and what was warned is no longer in our future, a topic for debate  it is here.

We have seen, she added, the unfolding wings of climate change.

Like the fires, its a metaphor that lingers. What many of us have witnessed this fire season does feel alive, like a monstrous gathering force threatening to devour what we hold most dear on a continent that will grow only hotter, drier and more flammable as global temperatures rise.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 20:02:28|Editor: xuxin

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PARIS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- European aircraft producer Airbus said on Saturday that the United States government's decision to increase tariffs on aircraft imported from the European Union (EU) further escalated trade tensions between the U.S. and the EU.

The decision of the Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) "further escalates trade tensions between the U.S. and the EU, thereby creating more instability for U.S. airlines that are already suffering from a shortage of aircraft", said the European plane maker in a statement.

The decision "ignores the many submissions made by U.S. airlines, highlighting the fact that they -- and the U.S. flying public -- will ultimately have to pay these tariffs", it added.

The USTR issued a notice on Friday, saying the U.S. is increasing the additional duty rate imposed on aircraft imported from the EU to 15 percent from 10 percent, effective from March 18.

This "further escalation complicates efforts to find a negotiated outcome to this dispute," said Airbus. "This is regrettable."

Airbus said it would continue to push for a negotiated settlement to this dispute.

The U.S. and the EU have been battling for 15 years over aircraft subsidies. Each side accused the other of failing to comply with the WTO's rulings and refusing to negotiate any settlement.
Some studies have found that trauma can be passed on through generations and that hardship and violence can potentially alter the expression of a person's genes. Although little analysis has been conducted on the topic in Cambodia, Rachel Yehuda, director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and her colleagues have found that stress experienced by Holocaust survivors before the birth of their children had an impact on their children's genes, and that trauma, in short, could lead to detrimental alterations.
President Donald Trump takes the podium as Attorney General William Barr walks to his seat during a Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor presentation ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Read more

WASHINGTON  The Justice Department on Friday revealed that it would not charge former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, a longtime target of President Donald Trumps wrath, exacerbating the angry divide between Trump, his attorney general and federal law enforcement officials.

The development came just a day after Attorney General William Barr made a televised entreaty to Trump to stop tweeting about criminal cases  and just hours after Trump defied that request.

While three White House officials said Barr, one of Trumps most loyal and effective Cabinet secretaries, was in no immediate danger of being fired, the attorney generals relationship with the president is facing its gravest threat yet. Inside and outside the Justice Department, officials watched warily  some questioning whether Barr was truly at odds with Trump, others heartened by what seemed to be Barr defending the institutions historical independence and all wondering what comes next.

The eventful day began  as many in Washington do now  with a defiant Trump reacting on Twitter to something he saw on television. The president quoted from Barrs interview Thursday with ABC News, during which the attorney general asserted that Trump had never asked him to do anything related to a criminal case.

"This doesn't mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!" Trump added in his own voice.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on Trump's tweet.

Hours later, the department made a move that might be seen as exerting its independence, revealing that it would not charge McCabe with lying to investigators about a media disclosure years ago.

Officials familiar with the matter, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Trump's interactions, said the president was not told about the McCabe decision in advance and was upset. White House lawyers, including White House counsel Pat Cipollone, moved to calm the president, these people said. One official said Trump "believes very strongly that action should be taken."

Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago Club in South Florida, did not address Barrs TV interview or the McCabe case in a speech before departing the White House. He and Barr spoke Friday afternoon, but the substance of their discussion was not immediately clear, a person familiar with the matter said. White House aides are counseling Trump not to discuss McCabe at all, according to those familiar with the matter.

Democratic lawmakers and legal analysts, meanwhile, remained wary of what Barr was up to, and another development Friday indicated he was far from a complete break with the president.

According to people familiar with the matter, Barr has tasked outside prosecutors  in the deputy attorney generals office and from the U.S. attorneys office in St. Louis  to review the handling of the criminal case against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and other sensitive national security and public corruption prosecutions in the U.S. attorneys office in Washington. Among the other cases are the investigation into Blackwater founder Erik Prince for potentially lying to Congress, along with other matters that have not yet been made public, a person familiar with the matter said.

The prosecutors began their work in recent weeks, coinciding with the transition of office leadership from former U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu to interim U.S. attorney Timothy Shea, a former Barr counselor. One Justice Department official said a prosecutor with the St. Louis U.S. attorney's office is working with Flynn prosecutor Brandon Van Grack, characterizing his work as "assisting" Van Grack in a review of the case.

That has fueled concerns among career prosecutors and others that the departments political leadership is making a push to exert more control at a key point in sensitive, high-profile cases. Flynn was one of the early people to plead guilty in connection with special counsel Robert Mueller IIIs probe, admitting he lied to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States, though he has since tried to withdraw his plea and allege misconduct on behalf of prosecutors.

The review was first reported by the New York Times.

Trump has consistently sought to undermine Muellers probe and those involved in it  either by asking for investigations of the investigators or, in more extreme cases, that criminal charges be filed against them. That has been particularly true for McCabe and his former boss, James Comey.

"Of all of them, it's Comey and McCabe that seem to really rile him up," one person close to Trump and Barr said of the president.

Behind the scenes, Trump has raged over the lack of legal action against the pair, including last August  when officials announced that Comey would not face charges for his handling of memos he wrote while FBI director  and in January, when The Washington Post reported that a re-examination of corruption allegations related to Hillary Clinton had come up empty, according to people familiar with the discussions.

As a top law enforcement official, McCabe authorized the FBI to begin investigating Trump personally for possible obstruction of justice in connection with the probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 election.

McCabe became the focus of a grand jury probe over allegations from the Justice Department inspector general that he lied to investigators exploring a media disclosure. Department officials authorized prosecutors to seek an indictment of him last year, and in September a grand jury that had been hearing evidence was summoned back to consider the case after a months-long hiatus.

But the day came and went with no public charges being filed. McCabe's legal team sought to press the Justice Department for a status update but was told nothing. A spokeswoman for the District of Columbia U.S. attorney's office, which led the investigation, declined to comment.

McCabe, a CNN contributor, said on the network Friday that the investigation was a horrific black cloud thats been hanging over me and my family for almost the last two years and that the formal end of it was a relief he could not put into words.

"It's just a very emotional moment for my whole family," he said.

Trump's attacks made a prosecution of McCabe especially complicated. According to materials made public Friday in a Freedom of Information Act case related to the investigation, a federal judge in the District warned prosecutors in the case that the public was watching and that comments from the White House were detrimental.

"I just think it's a banana republic when we go down that road and we have those type of statements being made that are conceivably, even if not, influencing the ultimate decision," Judge Reggie Walton said. "I think there are a lot of people on the outside who perceive that there is undue,inappropriate pressure being brought to bear."

He added later, I think as a government and as a society were going to pay a price at some point for this.

Barr, too, had for weeks been concerned with Trump's tweets about criminal cases, and on Thursday he decided to make his feelings known publicly.

"I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases," he told ABC News, adding that such statements "about the department, about people in the department, our men and women here, about cases pending here, and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors and the department that we're doing our work with integrity."

Justice Department staff informed the White House about Barr's ABC interview after it was recorded, but before it aired, a person familiar with the matter said. They did not provide specifics, the person said. In recent weeks, Barr had told Trump privately more than once that the president's tweets and public statements were creating difficulties for the Justice Department, but when those private talks seemed not to have the desired effect, the attorney general decided to raise the issue publicly, according to people familiar with the matter.

Barr also said in the interview Thursday that Trump would be within his rights to ask for a criminal investigation in an area that didnt affect his personal interest  such as in a terrorism case or fraud by a bank. But he said an attorney general would not listen to an order to investigate a political opponent.

"If he were to say go investigate somebody, and you sense it's because they're a political opponent, then an attorney general shouldn't carry that out, wouldn't carry that out," Barr said.

The public rebuke of the president by a sitting member of his Cabinet arose from a crisis of confidence at the Justice Department, which had been accused this week of buckling to an angry tweet the president issued after he learned of prosecutors' initial prison recommendation for his longtime friend Roger Stone.

A federal jury convicted Stone in November on charges of witness tampering and lying to Congress about his efforts to gather damaging information about Clinton, Trump's 2016 presidential election opponent.

On Tuesday, Trump criticized as unduly harsh the initial sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years made by front-line prosecutors. Shortly thereafter, the Justice Department signaled that it would seek a more lenient sentence for Stone, a move that prompted the four career prosecutors to withdraw from the case  and one to resign from the government.

Barr has said the decision was made before Trumps tweet on the matter. His assertions, though, have not fully placated legal analysts and Democrats on Capitol Hill concerned that he is not adequately protecting the Justice Departments independence. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., asserted Friday on Twitter that Barr had admitted intervening in a case to cover up for the President.

"He's only upset that Trump's tweets made the political nature of his intervention obvious," Schiff wrote. "Barr fools no one. He's a witting accomplice to Trump's attack on the rule of law."

Stone is scheduled to be sentenced next Thursday, though on Friday his defense attorneys demanded a new trial. The request came one day after Trump said on Twitter that the forewoman of the jury that convicted him was "seriously biased."

The Washington Posts John Wagner and Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report.
India's largest two wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Friday said the Coronavirus outbreak in China is likely to impact its planned production for the month of February by 10 percent since supplies of some components to its manufacturing facilities in India have taken a hit.

The company has a combined production capacity of 9 million units per annum and five manufacturing facilities in India located at Dharuhera and Gurgaon in Haryana, Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Halol in Gujarat and Neemrana in Rajasthan. A sixth facility is under construction in Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh.

"The ongoing issue of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in China has affected the supply of some components to our manufacturing facilities in India. This is likely to impact our planned production by around 10% for the month of February," the company said in a statement. "However, the wholesale dispatches of our vehicles to the dealers during the month remain unaffected. Any further impact on our production will depend on the developing situation in China. We continue to track the developments and keep evaluating our options."

Hero is the second major automotive player in India to confirm that the virus has impacted its operations. Last week, domestic utility vehicle major Mahindra and Mahindra had also said production of around 3000-3500 units of its BS IV emission vehicles maybe impacted if supplies from China do not resume soon.

"We have one or two parts that are procured from China for our BS IV vehicles. These parts are now (coming in and are) in the quarantine process," said Pawan Goenka, managing director, M&M. "I am hoping that it (supply) will open up in next week to 10 days and there won't be any impact. But if it goes beyond that then we will have a challenge of 3,000 - 3,500 BS IV vehicles for which other parts are already in our inventory."

Another company that has confirmed an impact to its operations is MG Motor that makes the mid size SUV Hector in India and is owned by China's biggest automotive group SAIC. The company has said its sales in February will suffer due to the virus outbreak and resultant shutdown in China.

"We expect significant disruption in the supply chain from European and Chinese/Asian suppliers" says Gaurav Gupta, chief commercial officer, MG Motor India. "Our sales will get impacted in February due to the coronavirus as our inventory levels have been minimum because of the bookings backlog. We are working towards ensuring that the impact on the end-consumer and our operations is minimised."

The domestic automobile industry is one of the prominent sectors likely to be hit by the disruption due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in China, which is not only world's largest automobile market but also deeply embedded in the global supply chain for automobiles. Though India has its own fledgling component industry, it is still not completely insulated from China. Infact, import of components from there have been on the rise. In fiscal 2019, India imported components worth $4.6 billion from China which accounted for more than a quarter of overall component imports into the country. In the first six months of the current fiscal as well, imports from China were worth $2 billion.

"There is not a single country in the world that actually produces everything. It's the same with automotive industry as well. You know we are rather weak as far as electronics are concerned. So depending on the product there's always a piece of China in. So, coronavirus might have an impact," says Guenter Butschek, managing director and CEO, Tata Motors. "The lunar Lunar New Year holidays, casually called Chinese New Year holidays have been extended by one week and we all expect people to get back to back to work at the beginning of the next week. So we need another reference check to see what has been produced, what has been shipped, what is available for shipment, and then to do the math to see where we are against our production plan. This is currently an operational concern and we will discover it as our regular contacts get back at work. I do hope it's not a threat but it's at least at this point of time uncertain."

Also read: Coronavirus update: Situation in country under control, says Health Secretary

Also read: Coronavirus update: SpiceJet to suspend Delhi-Hong Kong flights from February 16
Anti-fit: a term used to denote clothes that are purposely and fashionably designed to not fit on the body of the wearer. These garments are usually much larger than the fitted or regular size.

Are they the answer to the prayers of large-bodied people, or are they a result of fashion in hot, humid climes? Neither.

In Japan, thousands of women were revolting against high heels at their workplace with the hashtag #KuToo. From footwear to clothing  were living in a time where women are constantly fighting for the freedom to be free. This is the reason why were witnessing a radical shift in the way designers are imagining fashion for this century.

(From left to right): An oversized jacket from Balenciaga; Anti-fit T-shirt from Dior and a largesse overcoat from Indian label Bodice

Perhaps, anti-fit is also a rebellion against form-fitted fashion that encourages unreasonably small sizes and unhealthy levels of fitness.

Christian Dior, for instance, has gone from celebrating wasp waists to making body-obscuring dresses, skirts and suits in tune with Maria Grazia Chuiris feminist turnover of the 100-year-old brand. Even Guccis magpie aesthetic and Balenciagas clothes  often laced with the brands signature irony  are veering towards fashion that isnt just beautiful but also practical.

But, when did our sartorial standards go from restrained to realistic?

During the 90s, designers started taking the minimalistic approach, wherein people started wearing relaxed denims along with plain T-shirts and knits. The rise of hip-hop brought anti-fit, often marked by baggy silhouettes in cotton, to the forefront. Comfort became the emphasis during this decade, rejecting the uncomfortable clothing trends from the past.

Women are challenging the status quo now more than ever. They just dont want to look good in their clothes  they want to feel good too. So, if a couple of decades ago clothing was all about body-con silhouettes that often made women sweat and struggle, this decade is certainly about clothing that blends easy with exquisite.

Look like youre incharge

A simple solid-hued anti-fit dress can double as a nice workwear outfit for the boss lady!

Dress, Anavila; shoes, Melissa; jewellery, Zara (Ankit Chawla)

Make it work by: Keeping comfort as the focal-point of your outfit. Anti-fit clothing isnt partywear. So, keep the vibe cool and comfortable even when it comes to shoes or accessories, says Bollywood costume designer Rick Roy, who has worked with actors like Vidya Balan and Sonam Kapoor for films like Tumhari Sulu (2017) and Dolly Ki Doli (2015).

Works best for: All body types. The great thing about anti-fit clothing is that it isnt size-specific, he says.

Accessorise with: Chunky belts, he suggests.

Dont look shabby: Stick to the correct size if youre of bigger built. A bigger size might make you look bulky. If youre skinny, you can get away with wearing a dress thats two sizes bigger, says Roy.

Make comfort your style statement

An anti-fit maxi dress can define your frame. Just remember to go for fitted tops if youre bottom heavy!

Dress and trousers, Anavila; shoes, Melissa; jewellery, Zara (Ankit Chawla)

Make it work by: Mixing and matching with different cuts. If youre layering, make sure you wear something fitted along with it. You do not have to wear something thats anti-fit head to toe, says celebrity fashion stylist Aastha Sharma, who has dressed celebrities like Aishwarya Rai.

Works best for: All body types. But, you have to see which type of anti-fit works for you. If youre bigger on the bottom, choose something fitted on top and if youre heavier on top then go for something loose at the bottom, says Sharma.

Accessorise with: Boots or even sneakers, she advises.

Dont look shabby: Create a balance while styling and not blindly follow trends. Make sure you have fun with the look, she says.

Suit yourself with easy tailoring

Pair them with feminine blouses and look powerful yet chic in anti-fit suits

Suit, Antar-Agni; shoes, Melissa; jewellery, Zara (Ankit Chawla)

Make it work by: Wearing your suit with a soft-looking blouse. Keeping the fabric in mind is important when youre wearing a relaxed suit. Linen, for instance, works well. And, its a great choice for summer as people tend to sweat a lot, says Rick Roy.

Works best for: A toned body-type if youre wearing an oversized blazer. It can actually look sexy if you pair it with heels, he opines.

Accessorise with: A big neck piece,he says.

Dont look shabby: Make sure the shoulders fall right. Just because its anti-fit does not mean you can randomly pick an oversized blazer and wear it, he says.

Flaunt your height in a largesse skirt

Stand tall in an anti-fit skirt and look cooler this summer

Skirt, top and jacket, Pero; shoes, Melissa; jewellery, Zara (Ankit Chawla)

Make it work by: Pairing the skirt with something cropped or a fitted top. Jennifer Lopez recently wore a voluminous skirt and paired it with a fitted shirt. If theres volume on one side, balance it with something minimal on the other. If your shirt is longer, tuck it in, says fashion designer Priyanka Modi of AM:PM.

Works best for: Ideally a tall person, she says.

Accessorise with: Either a pair of statement earrings or you can also roll up your sleeves to wear a cuff in one arm, she suggests.

Dont look shabby: Avoid wearing a long, voluminous shirt on top! she concludes.

Rock every look in a baggy shirt

Invest in a nice anti-fit shirt and pair anything and everything with it

Make it work by: Pairing it with denims, pyjama pants or even dhoti pants. The possibilities are endless! The best part about anti-fit shirts is that there is a large versatility and freedom as to what you can pair them with, says fashion designer Ujjawal Dubey of the label Antar-Agni.

Works best for: Every body type due to the nature of the shirt. Anyone and everyone can rock an anti-fit shirt, opines Dubey.

Accessorise with: A pair of funky shoes, he suggests.

Dont look shabby: Stick to the casual, happy and informal feel. Anti-fit formal wear might not work in my opinion, says Rick Roy.

From HT Brunch, January 19, 2020

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

San Francisco Public Works on Thursday launched a new initiative to deep- clean busy neighborhood corridors throughout the city.

Dubbed SidewalkSpotlightSF, the initiative will focus on litter removal, steam cleaning, graffiti abatement, trash pickup and public education.

The initiative is part of the department's efforts to address quality of life issues and is relying on data, community partnerships and field staff to target cleaning locations.

There will be extensive sidewalk cleanups through June, which will be followed by a comprehensive education campaign.

The department will also prioritize rapid response to dog and human waste, sidewalk dumping, trash pickup, graffiti removal and tree basin cleaning.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Despite a narrative that housing construction in the Bay Area is going gangbusters, the number of units built last year was nearly 10,000 shy of the year before, according to preliminary data from the Construction Industry Research Board and assembled Friday by Bay City News Service.

In San Francisco, the number of units built fell by 1,841, the most behind Santa Clara County and Alameda County. The drop in Santa Clara County was 3,333 and in Alameda County 2,455.

It's the first year the numbers have been down since the Great Recession.

Outside of California, developers pay about $6,000 to $15,000, while the cheapest fees in the Bay Area are $45,000 to $50,000, he said, and the homebuyer ultimately pays the fees.

Delays caused by regulations at the local level are being addressed at least to some extent by numerous changes to state law, said Daniel Saver, assistant director, housing and local planning, at the Association of Bay Area Governments, a regional planning board and local government service provider.

Federal prosecutors in San Francisco announced Friday that the indictment of a 64-year-old man who allegedly traveled to Vietnam multiple times in order to have sex with boys as young as 11 or 12 years old.

According to the indictment, Paul Marshall Bodner, a San Francisco resident, traveled to Vietnam between July 2015 and August 2016 numerous times, where he engaged in illicit sexual conduct.

In at least two of the trips, he traveled specifically for the purpose of engaging in illicit sex. The illegal sex acts with minors allegedly occurred at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, prosecutors said.

The indictment charges Bodner with three counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places.

Vallejo police said a Vallejo man killed his former girlfriend and their 4-year-old son before fatally shooting himself.

Police responded Thursday around 11:50 p.m. to a report of an unresponsive female at the intersection of Lewis Brown Road and B.W. Williams Drive, acting police Capt. Jason Potts said.

The 26-year-old woman suffered at least one gunshot wound. Her identity is being withheld until her next of kin are notified, Potts said.

Detectives learned the woman was the mother Of a 4-year-old child, and they went to a residence in the 500 block of Quartz Lane in Vallejo where they found the boy dead from at least one gunshot wound, Potts said.

Police identified Jacoby Brandon Brooks, 25, of Vallejo, as the suspect and detectives got a warrant for Brooks' arrest for two counts of domestic violence homicide, Potts said.

In the wake of San Francisco Mayor London Breed admitting to accepting gifts worth a total of $5,600 from former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, one city supervisor has called for her to temporarily take a step back from her position as mayor.

In a statement, Supervisor Gordon Mar said, "Mayor Breed's admission of thousands of dollars in unreported gifts from a subordinate is likely illegal, certainly unethical, and part of a culture of casual corruption that is eroding the faith of the public."

In her initial statement, posted on Friday morning, Breed revealed she received gifts last year worth about $5,600 from Nuru, whom she once dated nearly 20 years ago. The gifts stemmed from when Nuru, acting as her friend, helped her fix her 18-year-old car last year, and when the car still didn't work properly, he helped her secure a rental car, she said.

Breed said that because she considered the gifts to be from a personal friend, they didn't need to be reported under the California Fair Political Practice Commission's rules. But, she said, given both the federal criminal investigation and the independent public corruption investigation, she would be listing the gifts in her annual "Statement of Economic Interests," due on April 1.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin also responded to Breed's admission, saying his office would be looking into possible ethical violations by Breed.

Federal prosecutors have charged Nuru, along with Lefty O'Doul's restaurant owner Nick Bovis, with services wire fraud. Prosecutors allege the pair attempted to bribe a San Francisco International Airport commissioner for help to obtain a restaurant concession.

Saturday will be mostly cloudy in the morning before becoming partly cloudy. Highs will be in the mid 50s to lower 60s. West winds will be 5 to 15 mph.

Saturday night will be mostly cloudy. Lows will be in the mid 40s to lower 50s. West winds will be 10 mph, increasing to 10 to 20 mph after midnight.

Sunday will be mostly cloudy in the morning before becoming partly cloudy. Highs will be in the mid 50s to the lower 60s. West winds will be 10 to 20 mph.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Narrator Samuel Johnsons gravelly drawl carries a similar reassurance to the voices of the people he rightly refers to on this Victorian ambulance series as emergency services heroes. As usual, theyve got their hands full with patients ranging in age from seven to 62. One case involving a motorcycle rider necessitates surgery in transit. This delicate procedure is at once medically fascinating and petrifying. This is a humbling look at the daily grind of such remarkable humans.

Surprisingly  from the guy who brought us Borgen  this coming of age/supernatural drama is pretty clunky. On the upside it still exhibits all the qualities that we love about Scandi TV, including a delicious sense of same-but-different. Except where the script demands physical perfection, all the cast here look like regular human beings. And the apocalypse is approaching less because of some ancient curse, more thanks to the unholy alliance of greed and politics. Imperfect, but entertaining. MH
Need a solution to calm your mind amid hectic workplace stress? Surprisingly, a potted plant placed right by your desk might help to remedy your daily sufferings, at least to some extent.

According to CNN Health, a group of researchers from Japan carried out an experiment to study the stress-relieving effects that plants can potentially have on employees at a busy workplace.

The experts conducted their study on the employees of a Japanese electric company to figure out the variations in their stress levels, before and after a 3-minute long involvement with a plant.

The study which got published in the journal HortTechnology revealed a slight drop in the anxiety score of employees with anxiety and a considerable drop in the resting heart rates of the other 27 per cent.

The previous research on this subject was mostly carried out in controlled settings involving indirect plant interaction.

This study is unique in the sense that it not only analyzed the stress-busting effects of gazing at a plant in an actual office environment, but also the effects emanating from actively taking care of the plants.

A positive trend was observed in the mental wellbeing of the employees when they were encouraged to take "nature breaks" lasting for three minutes, told Dr. Masahiro Toyoda, lead author of the study and professor at the University of Hyogo, told CNN

According to Dr Charles Hall, Ellison Chair of International Floriculture at Texas A & M University this research is the "latest of those that continue to point out that plants are beneficial to humans."

He further added that "it's something we inherently knew but has suddenly been quantified. And so now, we're seeing the numbers behind the reasoning."

The methodology of this experiment involved the use of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory index (STAI) and heart rate measurements of the employees, both in the morning and night.

The first week of the study was the control phase during which the workers measured their pulse rates by hand at the time when they felt stressed and then once again after staring for three minutes at the computer screen instead of a plant.

Before the commencement of the control phase, the workers were taught about how to care for a plant and were asked to choose their favourite one.

During the following two weeks, the subjects first measured their pulse under stressful conditions but the second reading was taken after gazing for three minutes at the plant kept on their desk.

A slight drop in STAI scores was observed during the two weeks, however, a drop in pulse rate was quite apparent in more than one-fourth of the workers.

A drop in resting heart rate indicates the suppression of the body's fight or flight mechanism that sets in when an individual is faced with a stressful situation.

The researchers pointed to a few reasons that might have contributed to the aforementioned outcomes.

From the point of view of the attention restoration theory, a positive correlation is seen between concentration levels and looking at nature.

Furthermore, the affection involved in caring for the plant might have also played an instrumental role.

However, it was noted that this approach didn't suit everyone and in some cases, led to a further increase in anxiety.

Hall explained to CNN Health: "I think the anxiety among those in the study where their anxiety increased, it was because of that particular phenomenon that all of a sudden they're responsible for taking care of a plant and then all of a sudden the plant's not doing well and they have some anxieties from that."

While on the other hand, there were people who gradually got accustomed to the presence of plants and stopped responding to their stress-reducing effects.

The study took 63 employees under its ambit who were aged between 24 and 60 and spent an average of 40 working hours in the office.

Amid the rising cases of work pressure-induced mental disorders, the authors stated that "the adoption of greenery into the office environment is becoming widespread as the need for improving mental becomes greater."

If by chance, keeping a plant on your desk is not possible, the experts suggest that gazing outside the window for three minutes or taking brief strolls outside the office building can induce similar positive effects.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 19:46:26|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in an interview with Reuters in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday rebuffed groundless accusations against Chinese telecom gear giant Huawei, saying that the U.S. suppression of a private company like Huawei is a reflection of gloomy psychology.

"Huawei is a 100-percent privately-owned company, which has developed its business by virtue of its own hardwork and wisdom, and by market competition," Wang said in an interview with Reuters here on Friday.

"The United States has mobilized its national power and even tried to mobilize its allies for a concentrated suppression of Huawei," he said. "I'm afraid this is mostly because of Huawei's great success."

"Why can't the United States accept that other countries' companies can also display their talent in the fields of economy and technology?" said the top Chinese diplomat.

"Perhaps deep down, it doesn't hope to see other countries develop. It doesn't want to see that other countries' enterprises can become big and strong," he said.

Wang said that the United States has fabricated rumors against Huawei but failed to come up with any credible evidence. Instead, he said, WikiLeaks and Snowden incidents have shown that it is precisely some other communications companies that are spying on the world.

According to Wang, Huawei has officially announced to the world that it is willing to sign "no-backdoor" agreements with any country and organization to prove its innocence and transparency through legally-binding commitment.

"Isn't this enough?" he asked, saying that suppressing Huawei makes no sense and is immoral.

Some countries, including Britain and Germany, have not been blindly misled by rumors, Wang said. Instead, they are willing to provide a fair competition environment for companies from other countries, including Huawei, on the basis of maintaining the security of their communications infrastructure.

"I think this is in line with market rules and a wise and correct choice made by independent sovereign states," Wang said.
An employee walks past a Boeing 737 Max aircraft seen parked at the Renton Municipal Airport in Renton

By Eric M. Johnson and David Shepardson

SEATTLE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co <BA.N> told the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration it does not believe it needs to separate or move wiring bundles on its grounded 737 MAX jetliner that regulators have warned could short circuit with catastrophic consequences, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The FAA confirmed Friday it had received a proposal from the planemaker regarding the wiring issue.

The FAA will "rigorously evaluate Boeing's proposal to address a recently discovered wiring issue with the 737 MAX. The manufacturer must demonstrate compliance with all certification standards," the agency said in a statement.

The U.S. planemaker and FAA first said in early January they were reviewing a wiring issue that could potentially cause a short circuit on the 737 MAX, and under certain circumstances lead to a crash if pilots did not react in time.

A Boeing spokesman referred all questions on wiring to the FAA, saying the agency would make the final decision and that the company is answering questions from the FAA.

Boeing's 737 MAX was grounded worldwide last March after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people within five months.

Boeing has spent months updating the stall-prevention software known as MCAS linked to both crashes, but fresh issues have surfaced, complicating regulators' efforts to re-approve the plane.

Given intense scrutiny of the 737 MAX, Boeing is sure to face questions about whether the MCAS system makes it harder for pilots to react in the event of a short circuit.

There are more than a dozen different locations on the 737 MAX where wiring bundles may be too close together. Most of the locations are under the cockpit in an electrical bay.

If the bundles pose a potential hazard, regulations would typically require separating the bundles or adding a physical barrier.

Boeing has noted in talks with the FAA that the same wiring bundles are in the 737 NG, which has been in service since 1997 and logged 205 million flight hours without any wiring issues.

Story continues

New safety rules on wiring were adopted in the aftermath of the 1998 Swiss Air 111 crash.

A company official told Reuters last month Boeing had been working on a design that would separate the wiring bundles, if necessary. Moving the bundles could pose further delays to the return of the MAX, however, and Reuters reported Thursday that a key certification test flight was not expected until April or later.

Three U.S. airlines this week pushed back the resumption of 737 MAX flights from June until August or later. Boeing has estimated U.S. officials would lift a safety ban on the aircraft around mid-year.

It is unclear whether the European Union Aviation Safety Agency will demand the MAX wiring bundles be separated. A spokeswoman for the agency on Thursday said regulators were "waiting for additional information from Boeing."

(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Tom Brown)
The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court here on Saturday issued summons to Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on a defamation case filed against him by Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor.

Shankar has been asked to appear before the court on May 2.

Tharoor has filed the case against Shankar for saying that he is an accused in a murder case.

"There is no murder case. Delhi Police have filed an FIR, which is for suicide and not for murder. That FIR is being heard by a court and no court has framed charges yet. The cheapening of discourse in our politics in the last few years is truly unacceptable," Tharoor said on Friday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
KABUL - Afghanistan on Saturday marked the 31st anniversary of the last Soviet soldier leaving the country. This years anniversary came as the United States negotiates its own exit after 18 years of war, Americas longest.

Some of the same Afghan insurgent leaders who drove out the former Soviet Union have been fighting the U.S., and have had prominent seats at the negotiating table during yearlong talks with Washingtons peace envoy.

Moscow pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989, a decade after invading the country to support an allied communist government. Afghan mujaheddin, or holy warriors, received weapons and training from the U.S. throughout the 1980s to fight the Red Army. Some of those mujaheddin went on to form the Taliban.

The U.S. and the Taliban agreed Friday to a temporary truce. If successful, it could open the way for another historic withdrawal that would see all American troops leave the country.

The chief negotiator for the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, was once an American ally against the Soviets. So was another Taliban negotiator, Khairullah Khairkhwa. He spent 12 years detained at Guantanamo Bay until his release in 2014 in exchange for U.S. Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl.

The Taliban are now at their strongest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan ousted them from power.

Kabuls streets were quiet Saturday, normally the busy start of the Afghan workweek. There were no official public celebrations marking the anniversary, and most people took the holiday off.

Shakeb Rohin was only seven years old when the Soviets pulled out. Now a graduate of Kabul Universitys economics department, he said he cant remember the Soviet occupation. Since then, he said hes witnessed only war.

We are so tried of war, we want a peaceful solution for Afghanistans problems, he said.

Abdul Shakor Ahmadi, 56, recalled how people were very happy on the day of the pullout. But he said the civil war that followed was worse.

With the Cold War over, the U.S. lost interest in Afghanistan. The mujaheddin government  which included many of the warlords in Kabul today  eventually turned their guns on each other in the early 1990s. The fighting killed tens of thousands of civilians. It also led some former mujaheddin to regroup into the Taliban, who rose to power in 1996 and implemented a harsh interpretation of Islamic rule.

I hope peace comes this time , Ahmadi said. At least once in our lifetime we would be able to see peace in our country. Were so worried about the future of our children.

Its unclear when newly brokered truce will take effect. The peace deal would call for negotiations between Afghans on both sides of the conflict to start next month. It would also set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, and a commitment from the Taliban not to harbour terrorist groups like al-Qaida.

Amin Mohammadi, a shopkeeper in Kabul, remained pessimistic. Most people are jobless, no one has enough money to come and buy things. I dont want to celebrate anything.

The Soviets withdrew, but what was the benefit?

_____

Gannon reported from Islamabad,
If writer Eric Walters has his way  and theres every indication he will  schoolchildren across the country will be picking up a book written by a Canadian on Feb. 19, and helping to celebrate a brand new national day.

The idea is simple: encourage families, kids, teachers to take 15 minutes out of their day to read a Canadian book. To help make it easy, schools, libraries and bookstores are hosting activities and events to put Canadian books in their hands. What sparked the idea is a bit more complicated: a shocking drop in the sales of Canadian books.

In December 2018, the More Canada report had just been published. It found that Canadian-authored books then represented just 15 per cent of book purchases  they used to represent 26 per cent. It also found that there were fewer publishers publishing Canadian books and that sales of Canadian books had declined by 44 per cent over the previous ten years  and that Canadians werent even sure if they were reading a Canadian book, partly because of online retailing.

Around that time, Walters was doing what he usually does between writing his books  making school visits and, while in his car going from place to place, talking on the phone.

You know the show Comedians in Cars Going for Coffee? jokes the popular Canadian childrens and YA author. Im Writer in Car Making Phone Calls. 

He was amazed, he said, at the sense of pessimism in the air about the Canadian books industry. Equally, he says, I was amazed at how people didnt know other parts of the (publishing) puzzle.

So he got on the phone and set up a meeting: Shelagh Paterson of the Ontario Library Association; Meredith Tutching from Forest of Reading; Rose Vespa of the Canadian Childrens Book Centre; and Sharon Jennings of the Canadian Society of Childrens Authors, Illustrators and Performers. They went out for lunch and we talked about the lack of cooperation between organizations and that we needed something national to do something. 

What they came up with was I Read Canadian  a day where students across the country are encouraged to read a Canadian book for 15 minutes. Included in the promotional materials are books that Walters says are not from the usual suspects but rather newer writers, people who need to be pulled forward.

Walters, for example, will be at Folkstone school in Brampton, along with fellow author Melanie Florence, veteran writer Sharon Jennings, and young new spoken-word poet Wali Shah.

The purpose of this event, says Vespa of the Canadian Childrens Book Centre, is to raise awareness of Canadian books and to celebrate the excellence of Canadian literature.

Walters also wanted to see Canadian industry players work together to promote diverse Canadian books. Weve got to stand together and say they need to do more Canadian books and look at all of our voices. 

He says hes trying to push against what he calls the scarcity theory  the dynamic that arises when, with fewer books being published and bought, people start protecting their own part of the pie. Its about creating a bigger pie  selling more books.

Walters idea has taken hold. In this first iteration, I Read Canadian has 1,500 schools across the country signed up to participate or hold an event on Wed. Feb. 19.

Organizers have also linked to various childrens book awards, province by province, at ireadcanadian.com/building-readers/. Click through and youll find winners of past awards  one way to get some quality book recommendations.

I Read Canadians team is also buying books and getting them into the hands of kids. To that end, theyve set up a fund that will support getting Canadian books to kids across the country.

There are other read-Canadian initiatives out there, most famously Canada Reads, a contest to choose an adult book which has as this years theme One book to bring Canada into focus.

This isnt about one specific book, says Walters. Its about all Canadian voices. Were a diverse country so we want all voices looked at.
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Storm Dennis has wreaked havoc since making landfall in Britain with hundreds of flights cancelled, trains delayed and already flood-ravaged areas preparing for their second bout of devastating extreme weather.

No fewer than 40,000 passengers have been affected by travel disruption so far as budget airline easyJet cancels 234 flights.

Another 60 will not take off tomorrow - affecting a further 10,000 people - as the storm brings 70mph winds and 100mm of rainfall to some areas.

Amber weather warnings are in place across Dartmoor and south Devon, most of Wales, the Pennines and large swathes of Yorkshire until 3pm tomorrow.

Storm Dennis has claimed its first two victims today as a man who fell overboard off the coast of Kent was found dead in the water, just hours after a teenage boy died after being washed up along the shore.

Waves crash against the harbour wall in Port William, Scotland. Amber weather warnings are in place across Dartmoor and south Devon, most of Wales, the Pennines and large swathes of Yorkshire until 3pm tomorrow

A driver in a Land Rover Defender drives through a ford in Solihull, West Midlands, as the water level is seen at three feet high

Storm Dennis arrives in the North East of England this evening as cars are seen driving through rising water levels in Newcastle city centre

A woman struggles to hold on to her umbrella as she walks down the King's Road in London. Children are seen wrapped up in coats as people brave the high street on a rainy Saturday

Shoppers in Birmingham city centre battled through the gusty conditions as Storm Dennis is set to bring 70mph winds and 100mm of rainfall in some areas

The Ministry of Defence has deployed British Army personnel to assist people in West Yorkshire, which was badly hit by flooding during last weekend's Storm Ciara.

The MoD said 75 personnel from 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, will be aiding the Environment Agency (EA) in constructing barriers and repairing flood defences in Ilkley and Calderdale, while 70 Reservists from 4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, have also been tasked with providing support where required.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: 'Our armed forces are always ready to support local authorities and communities whenever they need it.

'The rapid response of the Army today will help with provision of flood relief to local communities in West Yorkshire.

A car makes its way through the flooded roads on the Gower Peninsula near Swansea today as Storm Dennis batters the UK with high winds and heavy rain

A woman stretches her umbrella over her head as she crosses Westminster Bridge, London, as Storm Dennis wreaks havoc

A car is left abandoned as water levels rise in the ford on Henwood Lane, near Solihull, West Midlands, as Storm Dennis rages on

Soldiers of the 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment erect flood barricades in Ilkley, West Yorkshire. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: 'Our armed forces are always ready to support local authorities and communities whenever they need it. The rapid response of the Army today will help with provision of flood relief to local communities in West Yorkshire.'

The MoD said 75 personnel from 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, will be aiding the Environment Agency (EA) in constructing barriers and repairing flood defences in Ilkley and Calderdale, while 70 Reservists from 4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, have also been tasked with providing support where required. Pictured: Soldiers in Ilkley, West Yorkshire

A woman struggles to keep hold of her umbrella as people brave the wind and rain in Bournemouth over the weekend

A woman struggles with an umbrella in strong winds on the Millennium Bridge, central London, as Storm Dennis is causing a second weekend of disruption

Storm Dennis claimed its first victim as a teenage boy died in the sea as Storm Dennis wreaked havoc. Pictured: Emergency responders at the scene in

Emergency crews and a rescue helicopter were scrambled to Herne Bay, Kent, after 12pm. Pictured: A police car and a fire engine at the scene

Lifeboats and the coastguard helicopter had been scouring the sea near Margate Harbour, Kent, after reports that a man had fallen in.

A distress call that came at 5.41am is believed to have come from B Gas Margrethe, a 99-metre Maltese tanker that had been anchored off the coast of Margate.

It is understood the crewman failed to turn up for his shift and was not in his cabin, resulting in the the alarm being raised.

A coastguard spokesman said: 'At around 1pm, after many hours of searching, a body was sadly found in the water by the RNLI Margate lifeboat and has been brought to shore.'

Just hours before, emergency crews and a rescue helicopter were scrambled to Herne Bay, Kent - only 20 minutes away.

Paramedics battled to save a teenage boy who was found washed up along the shore as the fourth named storm of the year raged on, but they were unable to.

People are buffeted by strong winds as they cross Westminster Bridge in London. The Environment Agency said the flood impact from the weather system is likely to be worse than last weekend's Storm Ciara due to rain falling on already saturated ground

A couple shelter from the rain as they cross Westminster Bridge in London as Storm Dennis causes havoc across the UK

High water levels are seen in the River Usk, Brecon. The storm brings 70mph winds and 100mm of rainfall to some areas tomorrow

Paramedics battled to save the teen as the fourth named storm of the year raged on, but they were unable to. Pictured: Emergency services at the scene

The distress call that came at 5.41am about a man falling overboard is believed to have come from B Gas Margrethe, a 99-metre Maltese tanker that had been anchored off the coast of Margate

Huge waves crashed into the Porthcawl harbour wall as Storm Dennis rolled in this morning. Storm Dennis became a 'bomb cyclone' on Thursday, when air pressure dropped by 24 millibars within 24 hours

Water levels rise in the River Usk in Brecon. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for rain in Wales

A pathway is submerged in water as the River Usk breaches its banks in Brecon. The Environmental Agency have warned that due to the water-soaked ground left over by Storm Ciara, the latest flooding is expected to be worse than what has been seen so far

Storm Dennis will come as a second blow to flood-ravaged communities still recovering from damage caused by heavy rainfall and 97mph winds brought by Storm Ciara last week.

Storm Ciara claimed three victims after a falling tree killed a 58-year-old Mercedes driver, a 77-year-old man fell over and banged his head on ice and a falling branch killed a dog walker in his sixties.

The Environmental Agency have warned that due to the water-soaked ground left over by Storm Ciara, the latest flooding is expected to be worse than what has been seen so far, the BBC reports.

While Storm Ciara had stronger wind speeds than Storm Dennis is predicted to have, the latest weather episode was caused by an extreme drop in air pressure, 24 millibars within 24 hours.

This phenomenon is known as a 'bomb cyclone' and Storm Dennis's dramatic reduction in air pressure was so extreme, it was twice what is usually necessary to merit the title.

A brave surfer rides a wave in Bournemouth as heavy rain and strong winds wreaks havoc across the country

A house in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, is seen using sandbags to protect against the floods following the effect of Storm Ciara

Soldiers from The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Mytholmroyd assisting with flood defences, in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire

Soldiers construct flood defences in Mytholmroyd. Storm Dennis has claimed its first two victims today as a man who fell overboard off the coast of Kent was found dead in the water

Soldiers from The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, assisted with flood defences in Mytholmroyd in the Upper Calder Valley, West Yorkshire

Members of the 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland erect flood barricades in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, to prevent further damage

A solider walks with chains as members of the 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland erect flood barricades in Ilkley, West Yorkshire

In Dawlish, Devon, waves crashed against the sea front as a train zoomed along the coast as Storm Dennis wreaked havoc

Severe delays were also seen on roads leading to the Port of Dover. A huge line of lorries stretched back for miles

A departures board at Luton Airport shows the vast amount of flights cancelled. At least 40,000 passengers have been affected by travel disruption so far

Incredible satellite images show Storm Dennis - that has exploded into a bomb cyclone - moving in over Britain

The Environmental Agency have warned that due to the water-soaked ground left over by Storm Ciara, the latest flooding is expected to be worse than what has been seen so far, the BBC reports. Pictured: Passengers were forced to disembark trains at Peterborough as Storm Dennis caused disruptions to train services

Storm Dennis wreaked havoc across the county as it made landfall in Britain with hundreds of flights cancelled, trains delayed and already flood-ravaged areas preparing for their second bout of devastating extreme weather. Pictured: Waves crashed against the harbour wall in Porthcawl, Wales

Ferry Cote Des Flandres ploughed across the stormy English Channel into Dover Harbour on its trip from Calais

Sand bags were put out in Mytholmroyd, in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire as the village prepared to be battered by the weather yet again

Further flood defences were prepared in Mytholmroyd as the West Yorkshire village got ready for Storm Dennis

A woman walked past sandbags and a floodgate in York as the Yorkshire city prepared for the River Ouse's water levels to rise

Storm Dennis caused heavy rain to pour on the A9 near Dunblane, Scotland, as a sign above the road read: 'Yellow warning high winds and rain forecast'

The water level in York's River Ouse remained high as storm Dennis brought an amber alert for more flooding in the area

Torrential rain and gale-force winds battered the coast at Porthleven, Cornwall, as storm Dennis arrived this morning. 'Dennis the Menace' is set to bring 70mph winds and 100mm of rainfall in some areas

Heavy rain batters the M1 in Sheffield. Storm Dennis will come as a second blow to flood-ravaged communities still recovering from damage caused by heavy rainfall and 97mph winds brought by Storm Ciara last week

York's River Ouse broke its banks as the storm moved in. While Iceland will feel the brunt of the bad weather- that could potentially be one of the worst North Atlantic storms on record - the UK will be lashed by high winds and intense rainfall

The storm has been dubbed one of the worst North Atlantic storms ever recorded. Satellite images showed the bad weather moving in over Britain

A huge line of lorries stretched back for miles as P&O Ferries confirmed they were 'expecting delays to continue throughout the day due to technical issues and forecasted weather'

Yesterday in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, officials were seen desperately trying to prepare for Storm Dennis by using sandbags as flood defences

Workers in the Calder Valley towns of West Yorkshire (pictured yesterday) are already trying to recover from the devastating effects of Storm Ciara, but are using sandbags to prevent further damage to the area with Storm Dennis looming

The 1,200-mile wide storm will bring mayhem for towns in Yorkshire's Calder Valley, which was inundated with floodwater on Sunday

Local authorities are quickly trying to construct flood defences so the Calder Valley towns of Mytholmroyd and Sowerby Bridge don't suffer any further flood damage

What are 'bomb cyclones' and how do they happen? A 'bomb cyclone'  also known as explosive cyclogenesis or a weather bomb  is caused by a steep drop in air pressure within a storm. It usually creates winds of 74-95mph. For a bomb cyclone to begin, air pressure must drop by 24 millibars within 24 hours - which means a rapid shift from good weather to bad. This process is sometimes called 'bombogenesis' or 'weather bomb'. The phenomenon got its name due to the dramatic drop in pressure being similar to a bomb exploding. It all starts with a cyclone, a rising column of air that spins around. A vacuum effect is created when the air gets higher, causing the pressure to drop. Advertisement

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told Glasgow Live: 'On a slightly more technical definition, it's called rapid cyclogenesis. It's a low pressure system which drops 24 milibars in 24 hours or more.

'An easier way to think of it is, it's a low pressure weather system that drops really quickly.'

British Airways has cancelled around 20 to 30 flights due to the storm, adding to easyJet's 234 today and 60 tomorrow, The Mirror reports.

Frustrated travellers took to Twitter to vent their anger at their ruined half term plans.

Danny Gearing wrote: 'Supposed to be flying out for weeks skiing tomorrow. Got a text message from easyJet to say flight cancelled.

'No apology or explanation. Disgusting service.'

Peppard added: 'easyJet your customer service or the lack of it is appalling. We are stuck in Spain with no updates or information from you.'

David Oliver wrote: 'Just to let you know that the comment about doing everything they can to help travellers affected by Storm Dennis is utter rubbish.

'We had one email from them cancelling flight, then nothing.

British Airways has cancelled around 20 to 30 flights due to the storm, adding to easyJet's 234. Frustrated travellers took to Twitter to vent their anger at their ruined half term plans

'My wife was on hold to their call centre for 3 1/2 hours last night before we gave up. The website is no use whatsoever and there is no where near enough capacity to cope.

'At the moment it also looks like every other airline at Bristol is operating their flights! Flights to Fuerteventura only operate once a week so Half Term ruined!'

Severe delays were also seen on roads leading to the Port of Dover.

A huge line of lorries stretched back for miles as P&O Ferries confirmed they were 'expecting delays to continue throughout the day due to technical issues and forecasted weather.'

No fewer than 40,000 passengers have been affected by travel disruption so far as budget airline easyJet cancels 234 flights from, to and within the UK. Pictured: Stock image of an easyJet plane

Flood-hit towns across the Calder Valley (Mytholmroyd pictured yesterday) are loading up on sandbags as Storm Dennis threatens to batter Britain with even more rain and high winds - just six days after Storm Ciara

Hunt is on for loveable British bulldog Jay who leapt into a river and was swept away as Storm Dennis moves in A hunt was on today for a loveable British bulldog named Jay after he jumped into a flood-swollen river and was swept away. His distraught owner called Dorset Police who appealed to members of the public to look out for Jay after he vanished downstream. Though bulldogs are powerful swimmers, the torrent was too strong and he was carried out of sight down the River Frome, which was in full spate following this week's torrential rain and storms. Jay playfully jumped into the river in the village of Frampton, near Dorchester. The owner tried to rescue him but the river was flowing too fast. A search was made of the area, with help from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, and further towards Dorchester but Jay has not yet been located. 'As the river was running very fast, he may be located well away from the initial entry point' said Dorset Police today. Advertisement

While Iceland will feel the brunt of the bad weather- that could potentially be one of the worst North Atlantic storms on record - the UK will be lashed by high winds and intense rainfall.

Meteorologist Tony Zartman told Accuweather: 'The highest rainfall totals will likely concentrate across Scotland, Wales, Denmark and Norway, which is typical with a windstorm taking this track.'

The Met Office raised the alert to amber for Dartmoor and south Devon, most of Wales, the Pennines and large swathes of Yorkshire  where up to 5.5 inches of rain is expected to fall.

The amber warning area includes towns in West Yorkshire where hundreds of homes were flooded after Storm Ciara brought more than a month's rain last weekend.

In York, where the Ouse peaked at more than 14ft on Tuesday, river levels remained high at nearly 11ft yesterday.

'Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded.

'Fast-flowing or deep flood water is likely, causing danger to life,' the Met Office said.

Storm Dennis is likely to cause gusts of up to 50mph around the country until midday tomorrow, rising to 70mph in southern and western coastal areas.

But last night rail firms had not warned passengers not to travel  unlike during Storm Ciara, which brought gales of up to 97mph.

The amber warning is in place from noon today until 3pm tomorrow and a wider yellow weather warning for heavy rain is in place until 9pm.

This covers southern England, the North West, Wales, Cumbria and the Pennines, with up to two inches of rain forecast.

Storm Dennis will also bring mild temperatures of up to 14C (57F) in southern England this weekend, before returning to cold and blustery weather next week.

Steven Willington, of the Met Office, said: 'There is a risk of significant impacts from flooding, including damage to property and danger to life from fast flowing floodwater.'

Green Flag are expecting a staggering 55,000 callouts over the weekend and 223,800 breakdowns over the half-term period.

A spokesman for British Airways said: 'The majority of our flights are planned to operate as planned, but, like all airlines flying to and from the UK today, we are experiencing some disruption due to the stormy weather conditions.

Storm Dennis is likely to cause gusts of up to 50mph around the country until midday tomorrow, rising to 70mph in southern and western coastal areas

Motorsport fans devastated after iconic 'monster' tree loses its arms in high winds Motorsport fans were left devastated after their scary 'Yah-boo!' tree with eerily-shaped boughs making it look like a ghoulish monster lost its 'arms' amid high winds brought by storm Ciara. The tree was a legendary landmark at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk thanks to its unusual branches and had been captured in countless photographs during races at the historic track across decades. Snetterton racecourse took to Facebook to inform fans of the news. In a statement the racetrack said: 'The UK motorsport scene is in shock this week following the silhouette-shattering alterations suffered by Snetterton circuit's iconic scary tree. 'Following years of poor health, the tree's once mighty arms were already beginning to suffer a little before the high winds of Storm Ciara brought them crashing down to the ground on Sunday 9 February. 'It remains rooted to the outside of the circuit at the Wilson hairpin close to the A11 trunk road, but the plant formerly known as 'scary' will henceforth be known just as 'tree'.' Advertisement

'We are merging a small number of Heathrow short-haul flights to the same destination and using larger aircraft where possible to minimise disruption.

'Customers can check ba.com for the latest flight information.'

A spokeswoman for easyJet, which has confirmed 234 cancellations, said: 'Due to forecasted adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Dennis, easyJet, like other airlines, is currently seeing disruption to its flight programme for Saturday February 15th.

'We are doing everything possible to minimise the impact of the disruption for our customers and to arrange alternative travel.

'Customers on cancelled flights have been given the option of transferring their flight free of charge or receiving a refund. We will also provide hotel rooms and meals for customers who require them.

'We recommend customers travelling to and from UK today, February 15th, to check the status of their flight and gate information on easyJet's Flight Tracker for latest travel updates.

'Whilst this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to passengers for any inconvenience experienced as a result of the weather.

'The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority.'

Yesterday in Mytholmroyd, officials were seen desperately trying to prepare for the storm by using constructing flood defences made of sandbags to prevent further damage.

The Environment Agency said the flood impact from the weather system is likely to be worse than last weekend's Storm Ciara due to rain falling on already saturated ground.

John Curtin, the agency's executive director of flood and coastal risk management, said Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire were the areas he was most 'concerned' about.

'This [storm] could be a step up from what we have seen before,' Mr Curtin said.

'We had a big storm last weekend, [we now have] saturated catchments, snowmelt and rainfall, so it is a perfect storm.'

Waves lashed the harbour wall on the Isle of Whithorn, in South-West Scotland as Storm Dennis showed its power

Rain was pictured cascading down a road in Abbotskerswell, Devon, as Storm Dennis continued to wreak havoc

The Met Office raised the alert to amber for Saturday (left) and Sunday (right) across Dartmoor and south Devon, most of Wales, the Pennines and large swathes of Yorkshire  where up to 5.5 inches of rain is expected to fall

Pet owners warned to keep dogs inside as Storm Dennis hits Pet owners should keep their dogs safely indoors ahead of Storm Dennis as 70mph winds and 100mm of rainfall is set to batter the country. Veterinary surgeon at animal welfare charity Dogs Trust Catherine Dobbie told The Sun: 'Extreme weather and thunderstorms can be distressing for dogs. 'If you are worried about the weather, keep your dogs indoors as much as possible.' The charity also warned dog owners to keep their pets out of potentially-contaminated floodwater and away from grit that can damage their paws. Advertisement

Rail travel is also set to be disrupted as lines including East Midlands Railway, Gatwick Express, Grand Central, Great Northern, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Express and Hull Trains all affected.

This afternoon's meeting at Wincanton has been abandoned with the situation monitored on an ongoing basis at Haydock, Lingfield and Ascot.

Inspections were called at the four meetings in anticipation of Storm Dennis hitting the country.

Rain is forecast almost everywhere on top of already saturated ground which is still recovering from Storm Ciara.

It was all too much for Wincanton, unfortunately, which had been due to stage the Betway Kingway Hurdle, one of the feature races of the season at the track.

Just after 8am Wincanton's Twitter feed posted: 'Racing has been abandoned. Wind gusts have reached upwards of 30mph and are predicted to rise. The back straight is waterlogged, unraceable ground and will not withstand further rainfall predicted.'

Ascot, Haydock and Lingfield were all given the green light from their early morning inspections, however, the situation at all three could change as the day progresses.
Portland Public Schools hired Leo Lawyer as principal of Cleveland High last June. By mid-February, he was gone.

The district hired retired Principal Paul Cook to finish out the year. Cook retired from Cleveland High in 2015. And at the time, he was Portland Public Schools longest-tenured high school principal.

The district has struggled to keep a principal at Cleveland for more than two years.

Tammy ONeill, who succeeded Cook in 2015, took a job as principal at Clackamas High in 2017. Ayesha Freeman transferred from Cleveland last Wilson High, where shes an assistant principal for Filip Hristic.

District officials said theyre looking for a permanent replacement for Lawyer.

The school newspaper, the Cleveland Clarion, initially broke the news on Twitter. The student journalists also employed a bit of humor in their latest dispatch on the matter:

Looks like we gotta fire this up again... pic.twitter.com/pmkApDyDeE  Cleveland Clarion (@chsclarion) February 12, 2020

Possibly the biggest education news of the week was Concordia University Portlands sudden announcement that the school will shutter at the end of its spring semester. Click the links below for all of The Oregonian/OregonLives coverage on the closure.

From the inbox:

Friday was National No Kid Eats Alone Day. In Portland, nearly 100 high schoolers and middle schoolers visited cafeterias across the city to have lunch with younger students as part of a national program called Beyond Differences that works to reduce social isolation. Volunteers at Portlands Harriet Tubman and Roseway Heights middle schools provided a glimpse of the program at work for The Oregonian/OregonLive:

Students at Northeast Portland's Beverly Cleary School take part in National No One Eats Alone Day.Photo courtesy Barbara Zamost

Here's the view from Roseway Heights Middle School.Photo courtesy Barbara Zamost

And Harriet Tubman Middle School.Photo courtesy Barbara Zamost

Education stories from the Portland area:

In 2000, one in four kids in Beaverton schools were students of color. Today, thats true of more than half the districts student body. And in Southridge High School, approximately 40% of students are Latino. Several students and staffers shared their stories of growing up Latino in Beaverton during a meeting, relaying the social and academic difficulties theyve faced. OPBs Elizabeth Miller has the details.

Education stories from around Oregon:

The University of Oregons tuition board voted to raise rates by 3% this week. The board is also considering adopting a five-year tuition guarantee, which would set a consistent rate for incoming freshmen that would last for up to five years. The Daily Emeralds Ryan Nguyen reports.

The public library system in southern Oregons Jackson County has deployed a troop of literary aides for children who need a helping hand  or paw  with their reading skills. The Paws to Read program takes after the K9 Reading Buddies effort in Grants Pass and library officials say the doggos are a calming and encouraging presence for children who need a bit of help improving their reading skills. The Medford Mail Tribunes Ryan Pfeil has the story.

More education headlines from The Oregonian/OregonLive:

For success in college, even modest additional financial aid makes a difference, Oregon research finds

St. Marys Academy will investigate handling of Tania Culver Humphreys 1980s-era abuse disclosures

Portland Public Schools struggles to find contractors for security upgrades at 31 schools

Eugene Superintendent Gustavo Balderas named nations best, the first Latino to win the award

Links to all of our Concordia coverage:

Portlands Concordia University will close at the end of spring semester

Concordia student to file suit over Portland universitys abrupt closure

Concordia closure spells uncertainty for Faubion programs, partnership

Editorial: Concordia owes Portland a compassionate exit

Concordia closure to cost more than 1,500 jobs

Concordia University student walkout protesting closure

Concordia Universitys sister school offers help for nursing students

Did Concordia get shut down because it was too progressive on gay rights?

Education coverage from other Portland-area media:

High-speed internet now active at eight Hillsboro schools (The Hillsboro News-Times, subscription)

And across the state:

Bend Tech Academys mental health class stresses self-care, resilience (Bend Bulletin, subscription)

3 possible names for new Bend high school: Woodlands, Vista and Caldera (Bend Bulletin, subscriptionO

Mental health, professional development among Salem-Keizer Student Success Act priorities (Statesman Journal, subscription)

Wallowa School District continues search for new superintendent (Wallowa County Chieftain)

Hermiston district rolls forward on bond projects (East Oregonian, subscription)
Islamabad [Pakistan], Feb 15 (ANI): The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday raided businesses of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's family in search of evidence pertaining to cases involving money laundering and benami accounts.



According to the search warrant, Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Amir Raza Baitu granted permission to NAB to search 55-K, Model Town, Lahore, and 91-F, Model Town, Lahore, as well as any other offices of the companies owned by the accused in the case, Dawn News reported .

The warrant further read that search orders were issued to recover documents from the said addresses which are "vital for logical conclusion of the case".

NAB sources told the newspaper that officials confiscated computers and laptops during the raids.

They added that important documents were recovered from the office of the chief financial officer of the Sharif Group of Industries.

NAB officials further said benami companies allegedly involved in money laundering were being operated from the office at 55-K, Model Town. They said the bureau was looking for records pertaining to Unitas, Waqar Trading and other companies.

Nawaz Sharif, who has been indicted in a corruption case, is currently undergoing medical treatment in London. (ANI)


They have been used since Roman times and came to be known as a gentlemans hunting dog.

But the Irish red-and-white setter is now the dog most at risk of disappearing from our shores.

Only 39 puppies were registered by the Kennel Club last year  down from 51 in 2018  and the breed is regarded by experts as the most endangered in the country.

The Irish red-and-white setter is now the dog most at risk of disappearing from our shores

Their plight has shocked Alison Bloxham, secretary of the Irish Red and White Setter Club of Great Britain, who said: I just felt horrible when I saw the latest figures.

The problem is that the Irish red setter is so popular and people just dont know about the Irish red-and-white setter.

Whenever Im out walking my three dogs, people ask me what breed they are. Weve tried to raise the profile of the breed but clearly we must do more.

Meanwhile, the labrador has reclaimed its top spot as the UKs most popular dog

...But the Labrador retrieves top spot Top dogs - Puppy registrations in 2019 Labrador retriever 35,347 French bulldog 33,661 Cocker spaniel 21,663 Bulldog 9,922 English springer spaniel 8,638 Golden retriever 8,422 Miniature dachshund 8,375 German shepherd 6,837 Pug 6,751 Miniature schnauzer 4,982 Source: The Kennel Club Advertisement

The breed, known in medieval times as setting dogges, was often used by falconers to locate game birds, and by the 1600s they became the favourite gundog of Irish aristocrats. But by 1875 they were toppled by a new craze for their dazzling cousin, the Irish red setter. Despite numerous efforts to revive interest, their popularity has continued to plummet.

Ms Bloxham said: They are such beautiful dogs, make great family pets and are very clever. They also make good gundogs, but shooting enthusiasts today prefer to use labradors and spaniels.

Experts point out that an Irish red-and-white setter puppy costs about 1,000 and the dogs need at least two hours exercise a day.

Kennel Club spokesman Bill Lambert said he was concerned that more British dog breeds than ever before were vulnerable, with 30 at risk of disappearing.

Enthusiasts blame competition from designer breeds such as the labradoodle and cockapoo, in addition to the current fashion for pugs, bulldogs and rescue dogs.

Meanwhile, the labrador has reclaimed its top spot as the UKs most popular dog, with 35,347 puppies registered last year. Its nearest rival is the French bulldog, with 33,661 registered puppies.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 01:36:42|Editor: huaxia

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United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock speaks in an interview with Xinhua at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

"This is really a classic example of a case where everybody's interests are best served by collaboration. And everybody needs to recognize the remarkable efforts that China is making to deal with this problem," UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said.



by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak is remarkable and the international community shares a common interest in collaborating to tackle the epidemic, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock has told Xinhua.

Commenting on the measures China has taken to combat the epidemic, Lowcock lauded the country's "quite wide agreement" to try to first of all "contain the virus and its spread."

Lots of the measures that have been taken are intended to have that effect inside China, he said.

Lowcock also lauded China's efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus beyond China, adding that China is taking efforts to "buy time to learn more about the virus and how to deal with it."

"We need to understand the virus, and then we need to develop a means of diagnosing people who may have it," said Lowcock, adding that one of the priorities is to see what can be done to develop new therapies.

A staff member disinfects the administrative area of the construction site of China Eastern Airlines' production auxiliary area (phase one) in Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by Xu Bingjie/Xinhua)

"The secretary-general, the head of the World Health Organization, and all the senior colleagues in the United Nations really admire the way China is trying to deal with this problem," he added.

The UN official also called for global cooperation to tackle the epidemic.

"This is really a classic example of a case where everybody's interests are best served by collaboration. And everybody needs to recognize the remarkable efforts that China is making to deal with this problem," he said.

Commenting on the appeal made by Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, on Wednesday that the international community should "increase mutual trust, foster an awareness of a community of shared future for mankind, oppose politicization of health issues and leave no breeding ground or space for any racist comments, discrimination or stigma," Lowcock said those were "extremely wise words."

"They fully represent the view of the United Nations that the virus does not respect borders. The virus does not discriminate between one sort of person and another sort of person. The virus has the potential to affect everybody," he said. 
Food safety conference in the US in May View(s):

The British Retail Consortium Global Standards (BRCGS), a leading brand and consumer protection organisation holds Food Safety America 2020 on May 12  14, 2020 at La Cantera Resort and Spa at San Antonio, Texas.

The event will bring together certificated sites, brand owners, certification bodies, approved training partners, consultants and BRCGS professionals among others.

A media release said that BRCGS gives much importance to consistency and quality; its the heart of BRCGS. To help maintain consistency and quality BRCGS continues to support the professional development of the food industry personnel with training, education and technical guidance and the conference extends this opportunity. There will be well-known speakers from the industry speaking at the conference about future opportunities and challenges in the food industry. The BRCGS Academy will be running a number of comprehensive and interactive training courses alongside the conference to enhance delegates learning opportunities.

Participation in the BRCGS conference will provide a great opportunity to uncover the value of professional development and networking opportunities, as you will be interacting with participants not only from the US and Canada but from Europe, Australia, South America and help build long-term relationships and getting to know people who you can assist, and who can potentially help you in return. Exchanging information on food safety challenges, experiences and goals is a key benefit of networking at such events as it allows you to gain new insights on various topics presented during Food Safety America that you may not have otherwise thought of in addition to your networking within the community of participants.

BRCGS is used by over 29,000 certificated suppliers over 130 countries, with certification issued through a global network of accredited certification bodies. The local representative for the conference is Ms. Regina Jacintha Joseph, Food and Food Packaging Lead Auditor and approved training partner for BRCGS who can be contacted at 2698222 /0768088659.
Condemning the rise in the price of LPG cylinders and anti-Dalit policy of the Central government, District Congress Committee staged a protest in front of taluk panchayat building in Mangaluru on Saturday. The protesters prepared coffee using firewood.

Addressing the protesters, DCC President Harish Kumar said that price rise has affected the common man. The economic slowdown in the country has affected industries and employment in the country.

Those who raise their voice against the policies of the government are booked under the Sedition Act, he said.

MLC Ivan DSouza said the price of LPG cylinders has been increased by Rs 145 all of a sudden. Owing to the wrong policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the country is facing distress. The banks are bankrupt.

Former minister Abhayachandra Jain said, The Centre had promised to double the income of farmers. However, now they are neglecting the farmers and poor labourers. The rise in the price of petrol and diesel will have an impact on the essential commodities.
French riot police are today facing investigation for spraying peaceful Extinction Rebellion protesters in the face with tear gas.

Shocking footage shows members of the environmental protection group sitting still on the ground as copious amounts of the excruciating gas is brutally sprayed into their eyes.

The filmed attack took place in the Alpine town of Chambery, where the environmental group was blocking the entrance of the local airport this morning.

French riot police are today facing investigation for spraying peaceful Extinction Rebellion protesters in the face with tear gas. Shocking footage shows members of the environmental protection group sitting still on the ground as copious amounts of the excruciating gas is brutally sprayed into their eyes

'A number of us were sitting peacefully on the ground calling for the closure of the airport because of the environmental damage it causes,' said a protester.

'The riot police turned up, and one of them took out a can of tear gas and began attacking us with it.

'He was acting like he was a pest controller spraying bugs. It was disgusting. People became very ill, complaining of skin burns, eye problems and breathing difficulties. We have since complained to the police who have said there will be an investigation.'

Extinction Rebellion posted video of the Chambery spraying on its social media account. There was no immediate comment from the CRS.

It was a repeat on an incident in Paris last June when police from the same unit - the Republican Security Companies (CRS) - again used chemical agents on Extinction Rebellion demonstrators.

The filmed attack took place in the Alpine town of Chambery, where the environmental group was blocking the entrance of the local airport this morning

Members of the CRS used the controversial spray cans on the Sully Bridge, close to Notre Dame Cathedral.

The Paris prosecutor's office then opened a preliminary investigation for 'wilful violence by a person holding public authority'.

In March last, French security forces also admitted using a 'last resort' chemical weapon against Paris rioters for the first time.

Video posted online showed the debilitating substance coming out of gendarmerie armed cars close to the Champs Elysee.

It was used against Yellow Vest protesters calling for President Emmanuel Macron to resign.

Extinction Rebellion posted video of the Chambery spraying on its social media account. This tweet reads: 'Call to join us to support our brave rebels! The blocking of Chambery airport is still in progress !!!'

The high-density noxious product contained the same power as 200 teargas grenades and was designed to knock people out indiscriminately in an emergency.

But it raised questions among civic rights groups, as well as monitoring organisations, including the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, of which France is a member.

Teargas is classed as a chemical weapon, and is actually banned from warzones, in line with international agreements.

In Britain, teargas use is heavily restricted, and never used indiscriminately against crowds containing men, women and children, as happens in France.
By Byron Kaye

SYDNEY, Feb 14 (Reuters) - An Australian investigator who helped bring criminal cartel charges against Citigroup Inc and Deutsche Bank AG told a court he met agents from another regulator in a cafe to discuss the matter but the talks were "high level" only.

Citi, Deutsche, their client Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd and several of their current and former executives are accused of forming an agreement during an A$2.5 billion ($1.7 billion) ANZ stock issue to withhold selling unwanted shares to prevent them from falling when they hit the market in 2015.

In pre-trial hearings, lawyers for the banks and their staff have suggested witnesses for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which brought the charges in Australia's biggest white collar criminal case, relied on evidence that was tainted by outside influences and pressure from above.

ACCC enforcement director Michael Taylor was asked on Friday about a meeting with two investigators from another regulator, corporate watchdog the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in a Sydney cafe in early 2016, more than two years before charges were laid.

"They would have told me they where they were at," Taylor told the packed Sydney court room, referring to the cafe meeting.

"They might have said, 'we have' or 'we are about to issue notice," he added, referring to notices which ASIC issued to the banks telling them they were under investigation.

Taylor denied "careful coordination" with ASIC, and said his meetings with its investigators were "very short" and "at a very high level". ASIC did not specify who they had issued notices on, other than the corporate entities, he added.

Asked if he had requested ASIC get him recordings of two August 2015 conference calls between the bankers in which they allegedly discussed the share sale, evidence at the heart of the case, Taylor said, "it could have been discussed".

Story continues

"I just heard that they had done this. I didn't ask them to do it," he told the court.

Asked why he had not kept an email or other record of the cafe meeting, Taylor said the ACCC "team knew I was meeting with them. There were lots of things that weren't necessary to put in an email."

The case is being closely watched by investment bankers around the world because it could have implications on the way they are allowed to run share sales. If found guilty, the banks face hefty fines while the individuals face prison time.

A year and a half since the charges were brought, the matter is still at a pre-trial stage and none of the accused has entered a formal plea, although all have said they will plead not guilty.

The hearings continue. ($1 = 1.4885 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
By Serena Herlihy

I was born in December 2002. Thats a year after the 9/11 attacks and two years after the CDC declared measles eliminated from the United States.

As I grew up, I never once woke up to find myself covered in hideous blisters. I never had a fever so high I could scarcely breathe. I never developed any signs of encephalitis or any of the other various brain inflammations associated with early childhood exposure. Little did I know, however, that in 1998 British physician Andrew Wakefield published a fraudulent paper claiming links between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Despite the scientific and medical communitys debunking his claims numerous times, a dedicated movement supporting his findings grew in the dark depths of online spaces. Wakefield, this group believed, was barred from practicing medicine not because of data manipulation, or claims of his abuse of child subjects or general state of corruption. Instead, these supporters believed it was all an elaborate conspiracy involving the entire science community, medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies.

For over a decade, Facebook, Google and other such sites did little to combat this blatant misinformation. They dominated search results frightening vulnerable parents into joining their ranks. In 2019, they got their wish. The number of measles cases, which had been steadily increasing since 2002, skyrocketed to 1,282 this past year.

My generation is at a crossroads. Either we risk contracting a highly contagious disease that can lead to permanent scars, brain damage and death, or we crack down on conspiracy theorists hiding behind the shield of religious freedom.

During the past few years, the majority of measles outbreaks have been linked to non-medical exemptions. Forty-five states allow for religious exemptions whereas 15 have philosophical exemptions as well. On Dec. 16, 2019, New Jersey was on track to join the five other states without a religious exemption. The bill faced fervent opposition from anti vaxxers who were dedicated enough to march down to Trenton but not dedicated enough to lobby in the right room.

Despite the protesters consisting of only a small percentage of New Jersey residents, they were disproportionately vocal. Legislators were bombarded with calls. Several felt compelled to change their Facebook settings due to attacks by commentators. As the bill failed, it became apparent that many who voted no did not do so out of sincere belief, but out of fear of the harassment they would receive.

This is not how democracy is supposed to work. A fringe group should not be able to bully legislators into doing their bidding. Especially not when addressing a legitimate health crisis. It is not a human right to spread measles. It is not a human right to leave your child vulnerable to a potentially lethal disease. It is not a human right to help infect those with medical reasons for not vaccinating, such as cancer patients, the elderly, and infants.

Last year, New York did what we New Jerseyans could not: They passed a law eliminating non-medical exemptions. This came on the heels of a measles epidemic, which was traced to low vaccination rates in Hassidic communities. I dearly hope it will not take a major outbreak here for those who vaccinate to speak out.

For those unconvinced measles is a serious threat, may I present Samoa. The anti-vaxx movement achieved incredible success, driving the vaccination rate down to a merely 30% in 2018. However, within a year, the rate was back to 95%, the threshold for herd immunity. Within that period, 5,400 cases were identified. At least 77 people died. Those who survived are now at greater risk of encephalitis and panencephalitis, two brain inflammations that have been linked to early childhood exposure to measles.

New Zealand had to send Samoans baby coffins because the local supply was nearly exhausted.

I am not old enough to remember the release of the final Harry Potter book. The OJ Simpson Trial occurred a decade before I was born. But within my lifetime, I have witnessed a virtually eliminated disease explode into an epidemic. For the sake of my peers, my little sister, and those who are medically unable to vaccinate, lets pass this bill once and for all.

Serena Herlihy is a junior at James Caldwell High School.

The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The African Union will intensify the training of healthcare workers and the availability of testing kits for the effective handling of the coronavirus (COVID-19) following the confirmation of the first case of the virus in Egypt, a senior health official said on Saturday
FALL RIVER, Mass. - A group of college students has launched a project to study the potential economic impact of the soon-to-open Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Fall River.

Joseph Marshall, committee chairman of the group raising the wall, tells The Herald News the students from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, are conducting the study with their instructor, Samuel Sacco.

Saccos students did a similar economic impact study of Newports Cliff Walk.

Not only will the students consider the possible economic impact the memorial wall could have on Fall River, but they will also look at the citys other tourist attractions including Bicentennial Park, Battleship Cove and the Marine Museum.

The committee has reached its first fundraising goal of $1.4 million, most recently receiving a $450,000 grant presented in December by Gov. Charlie Baker and another $150,000 appropriation from the Legislature.

In October, 140 aluminum panels engraved with the names of fallen servicemen and women arrived in large wooden boxes at the state pier.

A groundbreaking for the 360-foot-long memorial, which will be an 80% replica of the wall located in Washington, D.C., was held last June. The wall is scheduled to open on Veterans Day.
Fashion on an all-time high By Ruqyyaha Deane Sri Lankan beauty queen Ornella Gunasekera who was part of a Guinness world record -breaking fashion show on Mount Everest talks of her exhilarating experience View(s): View(s):

5,291 metres above sea level lies Kala Patthar (black rock in Nepalese) just above Everest Base Camp. This is where a Guinness world record was broken for the highest altitude fashion show ever held. On January 26, our very own Ornella Gunasekera, the reigning Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Universe was one of the 16 models who took part in the Mount Everest Fashion Runway.

Ornella was invited to be a part of this momentous experience by Miss Nepal for Universe 2018 Manita Devkota who was one of the Top 10 contestants at the Miss Universe pageant that year.

Sixteen models walked the Everest ramp; seven from Nepal, one from Finland, one from the Netherlands, one from Bosnia, five from Italy and I, representing Sri Lanka, Ornella told the Sunday Times.

The event was organised by the owner of KASA  a Nepalese brand that produces garments out of biodegradable fabrics, Ramila Nemkul and her husband Dr. Pankaj Gupta from India and Riken Maharajan of R.B. Diamond who designed the crowns the models wore.

The Mt. Everest fashion runway was organised to promote sustainability in the fashion industry as well as create awareness on climate change. The carbon output emitted during the trek up Mt. Everest by everyone involved was monitored by a team of scientists who measured everything that they did.

We not only saved 8000 litres of water by having no one of the 44 of us use any running water for 16 days but we also drank boiled snow and maintained our hygiene by using special water-less products used by Marines, Ornella shared.

They ate locally produced food and any waste collected was going to be offset by planting trees to combat the carbon emission. The models were given biodegradable trash bags to collect any trash they found along the way.

There was actually so much trash, it was truly heart breaking to see Please do not litter. If you eat something, even a toffee, put the wrapper in your pocket and throw it in the trash later. Do not drop it on the earth, Ornella appeals.

For the fashion show itself, the models wore garments of KASA which were made out of Yak wool that is fully biodegradable demonstrating how fashion can be eco-friendly and responsible.

The catwalk was itself a challenge. There were some of us who suffered symptoms of high altitude sickness and the doctors present had to administer oxygen in-between walking down the ramp, Ornella says as she recalls the most ambitious runway she has ever walked on.

The team had to trek for 14 days, the entire journey lasting 16 days from Kathmandu to Kala Patthar (flying from Kathmandu to Lukla) . Surprisingly Ornella tells us that walking, climbing and manoeuvring through snow, sand, ice, rocks and the wild terrain was the easier part.

It was getting pelted with tiny balls of ice during a hailstorm, walking across a swinging bridge through a full-blown snow storm, taking baby steps to get off the steepest terrain trying not to fall over black ice and managing high altitude sickness, that she found the most challenging.

From surviving through -28C temperatures, almost freezing whilst they slept, surviving on locally grown vegetables, white rice and on rare occasions yak meat, chicken or buffalo meat that was heated by cattle dung, Ornella tells us that the entire experience showed her that life is funny, ever-unpredictable and meaningless without wonderful people.

Ornella was crowned The Toughest Model on Earth, after their descent from Kala Patthar. Known for being quite open about her recovery from spinal surgery as a teen, she had amped up her fitness training over two months to prepare for the ascent.

You have to believe that fear is adrenaline and you can use it to power you instead of holding you back, Ornella says as she tells us about how Tanuja and Hasitha Raymond from Kinetic Fitness helped her build stamina and

muscle.

It was also her willpower that she had to build as the fear of hurting her spine again lingered in the back of her mind. Yet although it was a challenging experience it was rewarding too as it proved to her that no matter what circumstances you live with, you can find a way to overcome a barrier.

Honestly, I could not have done this at all without the support of my fellow-models. I have to thank them for this because it is their support that made the journey so enjoyable and not feel tough, she shares with us about how they always gave her a hand to hold, sharing snacks, hot ginger tea and best of all; the wonderful memories and stories.

Ornella also spent her 28th birthday up on the mountain as it fell three days before the show. Ramila, Dr. Pankaj, Riken, the MTV crew who handled the documentary and my amazing fellow models had planned a birthday that will remain a memory of a lifetime, she says, relating how they had surprised her with a cake and small celebration.

Asked about her most significant moment during her journey she recounts, I remember it was probably the day before the show, we were trekking up and I remember seeing the most breathtaking view of my life. We all stood in awe. It was around golden-hour and the sun was gleaming through greyish streaked clouds and we realized we were standing above it all. We were actually above the clouds, looking down at the mountains and terrain.

Her experiences on Mount Everest have made Ornella passionate about rethinking the way we live.

If this year has showed us anything, it is that we have to, we must, use our competence as the higher species and change the way we produce and consume everything in our capitalist cultures, she says.

She challenges the people of Sri Lanka to innovate, re-create and re-design their industries and overall to be responsible, sustainable to Mother Earth from this very moment if it doesnt happen today there wont be a tomorrow.
After years of opposing outdoor encampments, Oakland and Berkeley city leaders want to build safe versions of them for homeless people with nowhere else to go.

In Oakland, the City Council set aside $600,000 in its budget in June to establish an encampment of tiny homes on public land where people may be able to live for as long as five years. Unlike homeless encampments the city has shut down  or would like to because they pop up under bridges and along streets  the council expects to create a place where residents wont have to worry about police rousting them.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaafs short-term community cabins program  outdoor sheds where people can live for up to six months  recently opened its fifth site.

Berkeleys City Council also set aside $615,000 in December to open the citys first authorized outdoor emergency shelter. Homeless residents will live in about 50 tents on wooden pallets for three months at a time. Councilwoman Kate Harrison, who co-sponsored the shelter plan, said the city will hire an agency to manage the site, pick up trash and clean the toilets. Sinks, showers and syringe receptacles will also be available, she said.

Last month, the council directed the city manager to figure out where to put the shelter.

Both cities offer homeless shelters and navigation centers. But so many people are without homes that elected officials say they have no choice now but to include outdoor encampments in the range of help they offer.

Because Oakland has such a large number of unsheltered residents, who are outside and in vehicles, it does demand a more crisis response, said Councilwoman Nikki Fortunato Bas, who is leading the effort for a long-term encampment there. That crisis response, I believe, has to recognize that the permanent housing is going to literally take years to create.

Oakland has more than 4,000 homeless people living there  a 47% increase since 2017, when a count revealed 3,210 unhoused people.

The smaller city of Berkeley counted 1,108 homeless people last year, up 11% from 927 in 2017, according to official counts.

Neither city has enough shelter space for everyone who needs it, or enough affordable housing for those who could pay for it. In Oakland, thousands of people pitch tents in empty city lots and parks. Hundreds more live in RVs, some of which are inoperable. Far fewer people camp or park in Berkeley. But encampments are growing on Caltrans land under the Interstate 880 overpass at University Avenue.

Most city officials never dreamed they would endorse outdoor encampments as an appropriate long-term strategy.

Quite the opposite.

In 2017, about a dozen homeless people and their supporters established an unusual encampment in West Oaklands Grove Shafter Park. Rejecting drugs and alcohol, the people created a clean and sober tent community. They called their place the Village. Advocates provided security, brought food and transported residents to laundries.

It lasted two weeks. Thats when Oakland police and Public Works Department employees shut them down and cleared them out.

Since then, Oakland officials have cleared out dozens of encampments. After clashes, however, they agreed to do so only when alternative shelter is available.

Berkeley, too, has a history of opposing encampments and RV parking. The council has passed ordinances prohibiting overnight camping in Berkeley parks and limiting the amount of sidewalk space people can occupy.

But as many laws as the cities passed, residents kept losing their homes  particularly in Oakland. Others earned too little to afford Bay Area rents.

The encampments are going to continue, said Needa Bee, a homeless woman who helped create the Village. People squatting is going to continue. People living in cars is going to continue.

Now, although the city councils in Berkeley and Oakland have each approved a small or imprecise plan for outdoor encampments, few public officials in either city agree on the best way to expand on those plans.

There is not one perfect solution, and I know we would all love for this (homeless) problem to go away, said Harrison, the Berkeley councilwoman who co-sponsored the outdoor emergency shelter plan.

Harrison developed the idea after seeing what Modesto created last February: a city- and county-approved homeless encampment with 150 tents under a bridge. That encampment proved successful, and residents are now moving into a new indoor shelter.

In Berkeley, not everyone on the nine-member council likes the outdoor plan.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

I think we can do better, said Rashi Kesarwani, one of two council members who abstained. The other was Lori Droste.

Kesarwani said she wants to help as many homeless people as possible, but she considered the plan half-baked because it lacks a location, long-term funding and an exit plan into permanent housing.

In Oakland, the disagreements are broader.

Since 2017, Schaaf and her administration have touted their program of cabins made of sturdy drywall with double-pane windows.

But critics say the six-month terms at the cabins are too short. While some who comply with encampment rules are allowed to stay longer, others end up back on the streets.

On the City Council, Bas said she will push for an alternative model that allows for longer stays and provides heated structures with power, kitchens and running water that the cabins lack. The council approved initial funding, but hasnt determined a model yet.

Bas and Margaretta Lin, executive director of the public policy consultant group Just Cities/Dellums Institute, looked at similar approaches in Austin and Seattle.

Seattle has established villages of tiny homes with access to kitchens, restrooms and showers, as well as help with case management. The city has at least seven of the villages.

Similarly, Austin, Texas, created a 51-acre community of RVs and tiny homes. Those have kitchens and laundry services for chronically homeless people.

Lin said that what all the encampments should provide is a sense of dignity.

There is a spectrum of different models, and it really needs to flow from understanding who is going to be living there and what are their needs, she said. A model that fits with the people.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
There are few things Queen Elizabeth hates more than drama in the family, though it seems like the past year has been nothing but. From Prince Harry and Meghan Markle abruptly resigning as senior royals to the queens son Prince Andrew facing a ton of scrutiny for his alleged involvement with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, it seems like nonstop bad news has become the new norm.

And now another royal family member announced his intention to divorce. Princess Annes son and the queens grandson Peter Phillips recently said he and his wife, Autumn, are splitting up after being married for close to 12 years. The couple has two daughters together.

Queen Elizabeth II, Autumn Phillips and Peter Phillips | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Peter and Autumn Phillips didnt have to follow royal protocol for the divorce

Unlike his mother Princess Anne, who divorced Peters father Captain Mark Phillips in 1992, Peter Phillips did not have to seek his grandmother Queen Elizabeths council prior to making the decision to get divorced. Thats because he is not a working royal and does not have a title.

He is the Queens grandson, but he has no role within the monarchy, royal expert Marlene Koenig told Insider. He is a private citizen whose mom is a princess.

Peter may not be an integral member of the royal family, but he is still technically a royal. His divorce probably disappointed Queen Elizabeth yet again. In a statement, the Palace did voice their support. Both families were naturally sad at the announcement, but fully supportive of Peter and Autumn in the joint decision to co-parent their children, it said.

Autumn Phillips, Peter Phillips, Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Divorce is common in the British royal family

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrated 72 years of marriage in Nov. 2019. This milestone, unfortunately, isnt too common in the British royal family. Most of the queens children have been married and divorced, and now even her grandchildren are following in their parents footsteps.

The queen is especially sensitive to any negative attention cast on her family that would make them look bad to outsiders. Plus as the head of the Church of England, she has a vested interest in promoting lasting marriages. Peters divorce isnt as detrimental as Prince Williams would be. Still, this latest event is just another negative in an already tumultuous year.

Queen Elizabeth hopes the good will outweigh the bad in 2020

Queen Elizabeth and family | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The Palace recently announced happier news when they set a date for Princess Beatrices May 29 royal wedding. The nuptial celebration will be small and intimate, with a ceremony at The Chapel Royal at St. Jamess Place. The queen will host the wedding reception at Buckingham Palace, which she hasnt done since Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridges wedding in 2011.

Even though Her Majesty is undoubtedly disappointed that her oldest grandson is getting divorced, she is looking forward to turning over more responsibilities to other family members in the coming weeks. Plus, shes planning an epic royal wedding to take everyones attention off the negative.

The queen cant control bad things that will inevitably happen. The only thing she can do is accentuate the positive and hope for the best.
Senior Congress leader and partys Maharashtra in-charge Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over chief minister and state coalition partner Uddhav Thackerays decision to hand over the Elgar Parishad case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Kharges remarks come a day after Sharad Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party chiefthe third partner of states ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government  said that the Centres decision directing the NIA to take over Elgar Parishad case was unfair but the state governments approval to that decision is more unfair.

The NIA Act, passed hurriedly in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, has provisions that give the Centre the powers to ask NIA to take over a case. This isnt fair. We are partners and such things should be discussed. You [Uddhav Thackeray] may have power, but one should use it judiciously. Our ministers are there, they will fight, said Kharge.

Maharashtra BJP leaders grabbed the opportunity to hit out at the ruling alliance, claiming there will be mid-term polls in the state.

Speaking at the BJPs two-day state executive meeting in Navi Mumbai, BJPs Maharashtra unit chief Chandrakant Patil said the three-party government will collapse due to internal differences.

We will not make any efforts to topple it, the government will come down on its own owing to infighting. We have begun preparations for mid-term polls, said Patil.

Thackeray, however, launched a counter-attack on BJP in the presence of Pawar as they attended two functions at Jalgaon in north Maharashtra.

Ridiculing the BJP over their alleged Operation Lotus plan in Maharashtra, Thackeray said, Why are you talking about toppling the MVA government tomorrow? I challenge you to pull it down today. Being the son of Balasaheb Thackeray, I like to take up challenges and have accepted this one, he said at a farmers rally in Muktai Nagar, Jalgaon, where Pawar shared the stage with him
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Tactical units trained to carry out dangerous missions along the southern border are being deployed to sanctuary cities across the country to pursue migrants. The agents are being sent to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers carry out operations arresting immigrants who are in the United States illegally. The personnel are specifically being sent to cities were local law enforcement limits cooperation with ICE agents, marking the latest escalation in the White House confrontation with sanctuary cities. The deployment of 100 officers will run from February through May across at least nine cities: Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, and Newark, N.J. The goal of the mission is to increase arrests in the sanctuary cities by at least 35 percent, according to the New York Times.

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Some of the Customs and Border Patrol agents who are being deployed inside the United States have tactical training and act as the SWAT team of the Border Patrol. Those agents have undergone training similar to that of Special Forces, including sniper certification, to target violent individuals, including traffickers. Experts said that while agents from the military-like Border Patrol Tactical Unit have been sent on missions outside the border areas in the past, it still made no sense to send them to carry out the type of administrative arrests that ICE officers usually make. If you were a police chief and you were going to make an apprehension for a relatively minor offense, you dont send the SWAT team. And BORTAC is the SWAT team, said Gil Kerlikowske, a former CBP commissioner. Theyre trained for much more hazardous missions than this.

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Many were quick to criticize the move, calling it a political ploy to stir up anti-immigrant sentiment that could spark violent confrontations. Deploying elite SWAT-like units to American cities is dangerous, said Naureen Shah of the American Civil Liberties Union. This is about further militarizing streets. Shah also warned that the officers who have not been trained to carry out work in cities could use excessive force which could embolden ICE agents to do the same and needlessly escalate situations.

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The deployment of the tactical units also means there will be fewer of the specially trained agents along the border, despite the Trump administration declaring a national emergency.

The White House made it clear this past week that Trump will extend the national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border for another year. It is truly alarming that President Trump is moving resources away from the border just to ratchet up his cruel immigration agenda, throw meat to his base, and inflict revenge on states that dont do what he says, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. Even though the Trump administration has often tried to characterize sanctuary cities as hotbeds of criminal activity, the little research that has been carried out on the issue suggests that is not true.
From sprucing up the sprawling ground to extensive traffic and security arrangements, workers and authorities were busy making final preparations at the historic Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister of Delhi for the third successive time on Sunday.

IMAGE: Preparation underway at Ramlila Maidan ahead of the oath-taking ceremony of the AAP government, in New Delhi, on Saturday. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo

Big banners bearing messages like 'Dhanyawad Dilli' along with the image of the Aam Aadmi Party supremo were put up on Saturday in and around the venue ahead of the mega function which is 'open to public'.

With AAP scripting its third consecutive win in the Delhi assembly elections, excitement is palpable among party workers and senior leaders alike, all of whom are expecting a huge crowd at the event.

Around 50 people from different walks of life who are responsible for 'Delhi nirman' will share stage with Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said.

He said these people would include teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and families of fire fighters who lost their lives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to the ceremony, besides Bharatiya Janata Party MPs and MLAs from Delhi.

The AAP had said no chief minister or political leader from other states will be part of the event as it will be a 'Delhi-specific' ceremony.

On the eve of swearing-in ceremony, Kejriwal called a dinner meeting of his ministers-designate to discuss the roadmap for Delhi's development, especially the initiatives that need to be prioritised in the coming three months, according to party functionaries.

IMAGE: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will take oath as Delhi chief minister along with his cabinet on Sunday. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo

All the six ministers in the previous government -- Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam -- have been retained.

Workers were on Saturday giving a fresh paint job to the white ceremonial platform at the Ramlila Maidan, and the area around it was being decked up with potted plants and flowers.

A large contingent of security personnel was given briefing by Delhi Police authorities at the Maidan.

Officials said 2,000 to 3,000 security personnel from the Delhi Police and paramilitary forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force, were being deployed for the ceremony which is scheduled to begin at 10 am. Drones were likely to be used for aerial surveillance.

Traffic regulations will be in place in the area from 8 am to 2 pm, they said.

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said as this is an event open for public.

"We are expecting a good number of people to turn up tomorrow," he said.

'Baby Mufflerman' Aavyan Tomar, who stole the hearts when he dressed up as the AAP convenor on counting day, is a 'special invitee' at the ceremony.

The AAP supremo had on Thursday extended invitation to Delhiites to attend his oath-taking ceremony to 'bless their son'.

Advertisements were also issued in leading dailies.

'Delhiites, your son is going to take oath of Delhi chief minister for the third time. You must come to bless your son. Sunday, February 16, 10 am, Ramlila Maidan,' Kejriwal had tweeted in Hindi.

IMAGE: The AAP had said no chief minister or political leader from other states will be part of the event as it will be a 'Delhi-specific' ceremony. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo

Rai had earlier said that all seven Delhi MPs and the eight newly-elected BJP MLAs have been invited for the oath-taking ceremony.

In a near-repeat performance of 2015, the Kejriwal-led AAP, which was floated in November 2012, retained power with a scintillating win in the just-concluded Delhi Assembly polls, trouncing its main rival BJP and completely decimating the Congress in a keenly-watched battle that took place in the midst of anti-CAA protests.

As the AAP bagged 62 out of the 70 seats, leaders cutting across party lines, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi (Congress), Sharad Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party), Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress), Naveen Patnaik (Biju Janata Dal) and M K Stalin (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) had congratulated Kejriwal for the victory.

For the 51-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician who will assume the post of Delhi chief minister for the third time, the Ramlila Maidan holds special significance as it had served as his battleground during the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption movement.

The Delhi government, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which owns the Maidan, and Public Works Department are working in tandem to make the venue ready for the occasion.

"We had levelled the ground during the PM's event that took place recently. So, other ground work is being done. The PWD is making necessary arrangements too," a senior NDMC official said.

IMAGE: Police personnel attend a security briefing as part of preparation at Ramlila Maidan ahead of the ceremony. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo

Toilet blocks are in place in and around the Maidan. Arrangements for other sanitation facilities like mobile toilets, are being done, he said.

The ground, where socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan had addressed a massive gathering during the 'Total Revolution' movement in 1970s, has a capacity of about 1.25 lakh people.

Sources said that besides seating arrangements, there will be space for people to stand.

In 2015 too, Kejriwal's oath-taking ceremony had taken place at Ramlila Maidan. It was held on February 14, coinciding with the Valentine's Day.

In 2013 after his party's first poll victory, the swearing-in ceremony was held at the same venue. Over a lakh people had attended the event on December 29 that year.

The AAP had in 2015 stunned its opponents with a massive win in the assembly polls, clinching 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.

Kejriwal repeated his triumph in the high-profile New Delhi constituency, defeating BJP's Sunil Kumar Yadav by a margin of 21,697 votes.
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LIVINGSTON  A fire that drew at least 30 fire departments destroyed a Columbia County business and routed several residents from the apartments attached to it.

State Police said the massive town of Livingston fire, which started late Friday night, did not cause any injuries.
Travellers wearing protective face masks walk past a travel health advisory sign upon arrival at the international airport in Manila

The Philippines on Friday lifted a coronavirus travel ban on Taiwan after Taipei threatened retaliation.

Taiwan had hit out at countries that "confuse" it with China and included it in travel restrictions for Chinese territories against the virus that has claimed nearly 1,400 lives.

Taiwan foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou told reporters earlier Friday the island had drawn up certain "response measures" while waiting for a reply to its demand to lift the travel ban.

President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman Salvador Panelo later announced in Manila the immediate lifting of the travel ban on Taiwan.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque cited "the absence of local transmission" of the virus there and the "relatively low volume of travellers from Taiwan to Manila".

Some 150,000 Filipinos work in Taiwan, enjoying visa-free entry that reports said could have been withdrawn in retaliation.

Beijing views self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to eventually take the island, by force if necessary.
When Joaquin Phoenix walked on to the stage at the 92nd Academy Awards, fans expected an eccentric speech. Phoenix received Best Actor for his performance in Joker. In an all-encompassing speech, he talked about the urgency of fixing the world, for peaceful coexistence of all living beings, and concluded with the importance of giving second chances.

He said, Ive been a scoundrel in my life. Ive been selfish... and ungrateful, but so many of you in this room have given me a second chance. And I think thats when were at our best  when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow... when we guide each other toward redemption: That is the best of humanity.

His words resonated with people across the world. He didnt call out a trend that has caught on; he wasnt concerned about a new controversy; he was referring to the well-intentioned, albeit misguided, social media culture of shutting people out  the Cancel Culture.

The Information Age has helped make our conversations swift, easy and effortless. But as we learn more about each other (everyone and everything is online), we are even quicker to dismiss each other. We must know, in no uncertain terms, the kind of people we wish to stand behind and the ideologies that they support, but where must we draw the line for certain behaviour?

There are various degrees of this culture. For instance, in the collective condemnation of Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and other perpetrators of violence (which wouldnt have been possible without social media as a tool to amplify voices), it critiqued the system which has allowed this behaviour with impunity for too long. This was long overdue. However, it is with smaller and less consequential actions that we see the toxicity in cancelling a person or thing.

A host-less Oscars is an example in itself. Last year, when comedian Kevin Hart was to host it, people took to social media to cancel him for anti-Semitic jokes he posted years ago. This forced him to step away from the event. When actor Emma Watson made problematic statements on her understanding of feminism, seen as non-inclusive, she was cancelled too. In a deeply divided society, does cancelling Hart and Watson solve the centuries-old problems around race and gender? Not quite. It is the equivalent of putting a band-aid (impropriety) on a bullet wound (gender and racial violence).

When Tarana Burke founded the MeToo movement in 2007, and then later saw it being reduced to a social media hunt to cancel men, she expressed her disappointment. And her reason was clear. Justice is better served when it is restorative, not retributive. The movement must help fight ill practices that plague society. This requires a deeper look into what perpetuates injustice. Cancelling men on social media doesnt solve the problem of sexual violence in our patriarchal societies. It doesnt help victims. It puts names on a toxic culture that we cannot (and must not) forget. But for actual change, it must move beyond the online world into our homes, workplaces and communities.

This is a harder boat to steer, because cancel culture is a product of an unequal society. It is an expression of angst and exhaustion at societys injustices. This is why we must ask ourselves: How must a flawed, imperfect society respond, and not react, to oppression and inequality? In our quest for freedom, are we building more fences to keep people out?

In its present form, cancel culture has no place for reform. It is exclusionary, often disproportionate, and divisive  and in effect, defeats its own purpose. If we allow it to continue, we  as imperfect human beings navigating through rapidly changing social norms and conventions  will only find ourselves more separated and alone. As Barack Obama said about the cancel culture, If all youre doing is casting stones, youre probably not going to get that far.

marika.gabriel@htdigital.in

The views expressed are personal
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A jury sided with Plaza Towers over significant damage caused during an historic 2013 flood, ordering Grand Rapids to pay more than $7 million in damages.

The jury deliberated for a few hours Friday, Feb. 14 before returning with a verdict just before 8 p.m.

It was the culmination of a two-week trial pitting the city against Plaza Towers and the Massachusettes Bay Insurance Company.

Plaza Towers is a mixed-used high-rise building at the corner of Fulton Street and Monroe Avenue. It features, apartments, condominiums and Courtyard by Marriott.

An historic 2013 flood left five feet of water in the Plaza Towers parking garage, causing power to be shut off. About 1,000 residents were temporarily displaced and operations were shut down for two weeks, with vehicles in the parking garage underwater.

Attorneys for Plaza Towers blamed the city for an opening in the flood wall created by the city to allow pedestrian traffic. Plaza Towers has since built a flood gate near the Blue Bridge in case similar flooding happens again.

Attorneys for the city have argued that ground water pushed underneath concrete slabs and caused flooding because of a poor drainage system at Plaza Towers.

Plaza Towers, owned by Eenhoorn LLC, reported $12 million in damages, including repairs, loss of revenue and diminished value of the building. It received $5 million from Massachusetts Bay Insurance Co.

The jury on Friday, in siding with Plaza Towers, awarded $5 million to Massachusetts Bay Insurance Company and $2,641,735 to Plaza Towers Condominium Association.

The trial, over an inverse condemnation claim, came after a lawsuit was filed nearly six years ago.

Related links

Four years after flood, city still in court over Plaza Towers damage

City back on the hook for Plaza Towers flood damage
The US killing of a top Iranian general was a miscalculation that has had the effect of bolstering support in Iraq for the removal of American troops, a longtime goal of Tehran, Irans foreign minister said Friday.

The US killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a January 3 drone strike as the commander of Irans expeditionary Quds Force was leaving Baghdads airport, saying he was planning attacks on Americans.

Speaking to a group of reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the US miscalculated, noting that since the killing, thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets to protest against the presence of foreign troops in the country.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, in which Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was also killed, a group of Iraqi lawmakers also passed a non-binding resolution to oust US troops and since then, the issue of American troops has monopolized Iraqi politics.

The martyr Soleimani is much more effective than Gen. Soleimani, Zarif said. We are seeing that in terms of demonstrations that are taking place in Iraq against the US presence. Zarif is expected to meet on the sidelines of the conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to talk about ongoing European efforts to preserve the nuclear deal with Iran.

The deal provides Iran economic incentives in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program in an effort to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear bomb  something Iran insists it is not planning. Since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington unilaterally out of the deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, Irans economy has been struggling.

In an effort to pressure the other signatories to the deal  Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China  to provide economic incentives to offset the American sanctions, Iran has slowly been violating the deals restrictions on its nuclear program.

The US has been pressuring other members of the deal to pull out as well, but Maas told the forum that Germany rejected the US tactic of maximum pressure on Iran.

We are sticking firmly to our course in the Middle East, and that is de-escalation instead of maximum pressure, he said.

Zarif reiterated Irans stance that all of its moves to ramp-up its nuclear program in the past few months are reversible, providing that Europe takes steps that are meaningful.
Longtime Sgt. Lynn Schoenfeld officially announced his candidacy for Clackamas County sheriff late Friday, saying he has concerns for this agency and its future.

Schoenfeld, 51, of Beavercreek, is a 28-year employee of the Sheriffs Office. He works patrol and plans to retire at the end of the month. Schoenfeld last week set up a campaign committee, according to the Oregon Secretary of State.

In a written statement, Schoenfeld said he decided to run because hes seen the agency adrift under Sheriff Craig Roberts and said his campaign platform would focus on the Sheriffs Office finances and issues of community livability."

Lynn Schoenfeld, a patrol sergeant, announced he will run for Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

Schoenfeld is the only one to enter the race so far, though Undersheriff Angie Brandenburg has privately expressed interest in the post. The deadline to file is March 10.

Roberts has not publicly discussed his plans. Roberts election committee for sheriff has been largely inactive for months. He has not returned emails from The Oregonian/OregonLive about whether he plans to seek reelection. He has been with the agency since 1982 and was elected sheriff in 2005.

Schoenfeld said he was a reserve deputy in Oregon City, then went on to become an officer in Sherwood. He was hired by the Sheriffs Office in 1994. Hes been assigned to a number of units in the agency, including transit, tactical and drugs. He currently works patrol. Schoenfeld said he holds a masters in business administration from Portland State University and owns a self-defense business.

-- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
They're the celebrity golden couple who tied the knot back in 2010.

But Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky are still as loved-up as ever almost a decade on, with the Thor actor paying tribute to his stunning wife on Valentines Day this week.

On Saturday morning, Chris, 36, shared a heartwarming set of rare photos of the couple, as they cuddled up in the kitchen of their $20million Byron Bay mansion.

So sweet! Chris Hemsworth (right) paid tribute to his wife Elsa Pataky (left) in a sweet tribute post on Saturday morning

In the photos, Elsa, 43, was seen gazing at the camera as Chris playfully pretended to bite her head in the background.

In another, the duo stared ahead while Liam Hemsworth's older sibling planted a sweet kiss upon the model's cheek.

'Happy V-Day,' Chris wrote alongside the photo, which showed that the duo were playing a game of cards on the kitchen counter.

So loved-up: In another photo, the pair stared ahead of them while Liam Hemsworth's older sibling planted a sweet kiss upon the model's cheek

The happy couple's love story is one to be envied, after meeting in early 2010 and tying the knot over the Christmas holidays that same year.

They currently reside in Byron Bay with their three children - daughter India Rose, seven, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, five.

Recently, Elsa opened up about her perfect life Down Under as she covered February's issue of Vogue Australia.

Discussing the family's move to the gorgeous coastal town in 2014, Elsa said: 'I feel Hollywood consumes you in such a way that it feels like work all the time.

'I feel Hollywood consumes you in such a way that it feels like work all the time,' Elsa recently said, when discussing her family's move to Byron Bay

'I think when youre in it you dont even realise but when you get out, it changes everything.'

Elsa said that she had always dreamed of raising her children in nature, and admits that she had to compromise her passion for acting to fulfill her dream.

'But I changed my life to be a mum, which I think is just the most amazing thing in the world... I wanted to pick my kids up, I wanted to take them to school, I wanted to be part of the school and be involved in what they do,' she said.
Brendan OConnor will take over from Marian Finucane

Brendan O'Connor is to be the new presenter of the weekend radio slot held by Marian Finucane until her death last month.

Starting in mid-March, O'Connor will present a two-hour programme on RTE Radio 1 from 11am-1pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

O'Connor, who had been a frequent stand-in presenter for Finucane, will continue to write for the Sunday Independent and Independent.ie.

However, O'Connor will leave his role with the newspaper as deputy editor (features) and Life magazine editor.

"After 15 years working in the Sunday Independent, I'm delighted to be joining the weekends on RTE Radio 1," he said.

"The weekend is a time to pause, take a breath and review the week, and it's also a time when people like a different, more reflective kind of radio, maybe even a bit of fun.

"Marian's legacy will inspire us to continue to explore, challenge and debate the issues that truly matter to Irish people.

"I'm looking forward to developing an informative, sparky, original and unpredictable show.

Insight

"I want this to be robust and enjoyable radio, always questioning and always seeking insight."

Tom McGuire, head of RTE Radio 1, said: "The death of Marian Finucane has created a void in Radio 1 that cannot be filled.

"Radio 1 has taken time to reflect on the weekend schedule and I'm really pleased that Brendan O'Connor is joining us from the Sunday Independent to present the weekend mid-morning show.

"Brendan is a talented broadcaster who will bring his own special skills to the role and I'm sure the large audience will welcome the new programme we will present at this time."

Meanwhile, Independent News and Media publisher Peter Vandermeersch said: "We would like to thank Brendan for his incredible work for - and dedication to - the Sunday Independent over 25 years."

O'Connor has appeared on and presented several hit shows for RTE.
West Virginia, which has become an early tester of blockchain voting, is expanding Internet voting to include those with physical disabilities.But the move comes just as researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have published a paper asserting that Voatz  the app West Virginia has been using in its pilot tests  has serious flaws, including the ability of bad actors to change votes without voters' knowledge.

Gov. Jim Justice signed SB 94 into law last week giving the secretary of state permission to create a system that allows people with physical disabilities to vote electronically. The Office of the Secretary of State lauded its success with Boston-based vendor Voatz that tallied 144 ballots from uniformed and overseas citizens in 2018. The Secretary of States Office may choose the startup again to enact the new laws mandate for the 2020 primary and general elections.But election security experts and computer scientists have grown increasingly skeptical of the cybersecurity surrounding voting apps, especially after a mobile app used during the Iowa Caucus recorded data accurately but only reported it partially due to a coding error.Though what happened in Iowa was more technical in nature, experts caution that systems like Voatz's are susceptible to cyberattacks despite claims of advanced defenses based on encryption technology. Voatz, for example, leverages the biometric systems built into smartphones coupled with blockchain storage to secure ballots.Researchers from MIT reverse engineered the Voatz app and found critical gaps in security, according to a research paper . The team recreated the companys system based on publicly available information and learned that bad actors could monitor votes being cast and change or block ballots without voters' knowledge.Susan Greenhalgh, vice president of programs for the nonpartisan National Election Defense Coalition (NEDC), said blockchain isnt as secure as it's purported to be and that existing malware lying in wait on smartphones and tablets can be leveraged by hackers to change a vote after a ballot is cast and before the information is locked into the blockchain.We cant afford to introduce a system thats not secure and its also not right for one segment of the voting population to vote on something that could be tampered with more readily than anyone elses vote, Greenhalgh toldAdditionally, the NEDC found in its own studies that a blockchain can be compromised if half the servers are hacked, she said.Voatz categorically refuted the MIT paper, stating the researchers worked with a version of the app that was at least 27 versions behind the companys current app and that they took liberties when simulating the servers.The reality is that continuing our mobile voting pilots holds the best promise to improve accessibility, security and resilience when compared to any of the existing options available to those whose circumstances make it difficult to vote, the company wrote in its response.Meanwhile, Voatz quietly posted a report by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Hunt and Incident Response Team (HIRT) earlier this week.HIRT assessed 14 of the companys servers, 21 workstations and monitored network traffic at Voatzs corporate headquarters in Boston from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4, 2019. The HIRT report concludes that its analysts did not find threat actor behaviors or artifacts of past activities. They did identify areas where the companys IT personnel could deploy defense-in-depth protections and configurations  a multi-layered approach with redundancies  to better defend the network.Donald Kersey, the general counsel for the West Virginia Office of the Secretary of State, said the state is closely monitoring the growing cybersecurity concerns circling electronic voting. He said the state hasnt chosen a vendor solution for Internet voting yet, and officials are weighing options like Voatz or the no-cost Maryland online absentee-ballot system , which has also faced criticism for vulnerabilities.You have to make sure youre balancing integrity with security while at the same time making sure that the public understands what youre doing and believes that it is secure enough to keep their confidence high in the results, he said.Tusk Philanthropies provided the state with Voatz during the 2018 election and will make a recommendation for 2020, but the state reserves the right to forgo the offered option and go out to bid, he said. Voatz is backed by Bradley Tusk, a venture capitalist who has used the philanthropic arm of his holdings to facilitate government use of the voting app.To date, Voatz has carried out several pilot projects, accounting for about 600 votes in federal elections in Denver, West Virginia and counties spanning Oregon, Utah and Washington state.Greenhalgh said as Internet-connected voting becomes more common the accountability and reliability of elections decays. She said the technology lacks end-to-end verification , so even with auditing she believes malware tampering is still possible. Voatz sends a printout of the users ballot to their local elections office for audits.End-to-end verifiable voting is a concept that seeks to employ cryptographic tools to allow voters to not just confirm that their vote was recorded correctly, but to confirm that the overall vote tally is correct, too, without compromising the secret ballot, she said.Those technologies, however, arent ready for real-world deployment and will require a vested interest from election officials to move from conceptualization to implementation, she said. The other secure option is going back to tried-and-true paper analog, or in the case of helping those with physical disabilities, ensuring more polling stations comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).I feel we would be better served to be putting pressure on making those polling locations fully ADA-compliant and accessible because those polling locations are not just used a couple days a year for elections, she said. Theyre used because theyre libraries, schools, churches and different municipal buildings and if you make them accessible for those election days then you make them accessible all the other days, too.Whichever vendor West Virginia chooses, Kersey said it will be ADA-compliant and the most secure option available. He said whats most important for the Office of the Secretary of State is that voters and elections officials trust the solution.The important thing here is weighing security with accessibility and making sure that the integrity of the election is not put at stake because of a theory, he said.
At the tender age of just 22, Fianna Fail's James O'Connor may be the 'baby' of the 33rd Dail, but he is not short of experience when it comes to the cut and thrust of political life.

The third youngest ever Fianna Fail TD ever elected - behind Lorcan Allen (1961) and Mary Coughlan (1987) - the Youghal native was elected to Cork County last May prior to taking the final seat in Cork East, albeit without reaching the quota, last Sunday.

Prior to that, Cllr O'Connor had interned with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and TD Jim O'Callaghan, and also worked with the former Junior Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O'Connor.

Before that, at the tender age of 14, he was a member of Comhairle na nOg, where he helped to successfully lobby the then transport minister Leo Varadkar on the issue of child-friendly public transport fares.

Speaking to the The Corkman immediately after being elected, Cllr OConnor said he intended to hit the ground running.

"It has been a long and exhausting campaign, probably the most difficult few weeks of my life. I could not have done it without the backing of my family, my friends, neighbours and the people who were here today and have supported me along the way," said Cllr O'Connor.

"I am relieved and very honoured to be standing here as a 22-year-old elected to Dail Eireann. I am going to bed now and the work will start in the morning - when I wake up as a TD. I want to start straight away to address the many key issues facing people across the entire constituency," he added.

While Cllr O'Connor said he was disappointed that his party colleague Kevin O'Keeffe was unable to retain the Cork East seat he won in 2006, he had no doubt Deputy O'Keeffe would bounce back.

"You know, I felt we had a good shot at getting two candidates elected in Cork East. Unfortunately, today was not Kevin O'Keeffe's day. I believe he has a good future ahead of him and have no doubt whatsoever he will be back again, he said.

"The O'Keeffe's have given extraordinary political service across the constituency for many years, and I would never underestimate the strength of the O'Keeffe name in terms of their impact locally. I sit alongside Kevin's sister Deirdre (O'Brien) on Cork County Council. She is an exceptional politician who I know will continue to work hard to keep up that tradition."

In relation to the future make up of the next Government, Cllr O'Connor said that, while it was too early to say what will happen, "nothing can be ruled out."

"It's a kaleidoscope in terms of the result, and we are not going to have a full and realistic picture until the middle of next week at the earliest. I think it is fair to say at this point nothing can be ruled out," said Cllr O'Connor.

"That said, we must ensure we have the most stable outcome for our country going into a politically volatile future in terms of Brexit and other difficult issues facing our country. So, I would be very anxious that a stable Government be formed as soon as possible."
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The Special Operations Team of Cyberabad police busted an international fake visa racket and nabbed two persons. The gang used fake stamps and other fabricated documents for sending people to Kuwait without any required clearances. From Kuwait, people travelled to other Gulf countries. The two arrested are Rellu Kubender Rao, Shaik Basheer Ahmeda.

The third accused, Balu Prasad, is absconding. Police found that Kubender, who hails from West Godavari district, earlier worked in Singapore and South Africa. After returning to India, he started a pickles business but it wasnt profitable. He then started an air ticketing business. Soon, Kubender started making fake documents.

For this, he got stamps from Balu Prasad in Chennai and acquired Kuwaiti stickers for fake stamps from Basheer Ahmed, who in turn got these stickers from Kumar who is a resident of Sri Lanka.

Kubenders local agents identified women eager to travel to the Gulf. Police also found that women wanting to go to Kuwait were sourced through local agents.

Their PCC, fake stamping certificates, medical certificates were made and tourist visas were also obtained. Through these documents, the women would bypass the Emigration Clearance Required process, travel to Kuwait and then to other Gulf countries from there.
JUNCTION CITY, Ore. --- A four-vehicle crash caused significant delays on Hwy 99 East at Link Lane in Junction City on Saturday morning.

Junction City Fire & Rescue told KEZI 9 News that there were no injuries from the crash. They said slick roads played a factor in the crash as well as some drivers not paying attention.

Oregon State Police and ODOT also responded to the scene to help with traffic and the investigation.

All of the lanes have since been reopened.
The Indian Embassy in Japan on Saturday said it is making efforts to disembark all the Indians on board the cruise ship moored off the Japanese coast after the end of the quarantine period

Tokyo: The Indian Embassy in Japan on Saturday said it is making efforts to disembark all the Indians on board the cruise ship moored off the Japanese coast after the end of the quarantine period as authorities confirmed that 218 people, including three Indians, have been infected with the deadly disease on the ship.

A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711 people on board the quarantined ship that arrived at the Japanese coast earlier this month.

It was quarantined after a passenger who de-boarded last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the COVID-19 on the ship.

The Indian Embassy is in contact with Japanese authorities, the ship management company and Indian nationals on board the ship.

"We have continued our efforts with all of them for early disembarkation of our nationals after the end of the quarantine period and subject to favourable results of their tests for COVID - 19," an embassy official told PTI on Saturday.

A third Indian crew onboard a cruise ship off the Japanese coast tested positive for the novel coronavirus, taking the total number of Indians infected with COVID-19 to three.

The embassy has contacted all three Indian nationals who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently receiving treatment at medical facilities.

"Their health conditions have been confirmed to be stable and improving. The embassy is also in constant contact with the relevant Japanese authorities to ensure the well-being of all Indian nationals on-board the ship," it said.

The embassy also sent an email to all Indian nationals on board the ship, assuring them of all help and assistance.

They are also requested to follow the Japanese government's health and quarantine protocols, the embassy said on its Facebook page.

The Japanese government on Thursday announced that passengers aged 80 or older will be given the option to disembark the ship if they test negative for COVID-19. Those who meet the age requirement and have pre-existing conditions or are staying in rooms without a balcony will be prioritised for disembarkation.

No Indian national falls under this category, eligible for early disembarkation, the statement said on Friday.

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus epidemic climbed to 1,523 with 143 new fatalities reported mostly from the worst-affected Hubei province, while the confirmed cases jumped to over 66,000, health officials said on Saturday.

More than 580 cases have been confirmed outside mainland China and three deaths, one each in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.

The coronavirus outbreak originated in central China's Hubei province in December last year and has spread to several countries, including India.

Many countries have banned arrivals from China while major airlines have suspended flights to the country.
New Delhi: Facing intense criticism over the economic slowdown, the ruling BJP has directed its party leaders to reach out to masses to create awareness about the Union Budget's 'pro-people policies' announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi government. The order has come from BJP chief JP Nadda, who has directed all States to conduct State-level workshops to 'discuss and publicise' the Union Budget 2020.

These workshops at the state-level are to be organised between February 16 to February 23 at all state headquarters to create awareness regarding the people-friendly policies of the Modi government. The Opposition has been reacting sharply to the Budget stating that it does not address problems of unemployment and slow growth.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has also directed that speakers from the finance domain be invited to the workshops besides ensuring participation of business and professional organisations. Directions have been sent out to organise press conferences after the workshops in which one speaker from the Centre and one from the State will participate.

The party has designated national general secretaries Ram Madhav and P Murlidhar Rao as coordinators of these workshops.

"Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget in the Parliament under the visionary and most popular leader of the world Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister concluded that new reforms will help to accelerate the economy, financially empower every citizen and strengthen the foundation of the economy in this decade," reads the communique sent out by the party to the State head offices.

The party has also decided to organise intellectual meets on the Budget at the district level as well.

"One intellectual meet regarding Budget to be organised from February 24 to March 31 in every district. Highlights of the Budget should be presented. Business and professional organisations should participate. Either MP or specialist from the State should present the highlights followed by the press conference," a senior party leader said.

Social media office-bearers have been asked to participate and widely publicise the Budget provisions.
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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-14 22:41:20|Editor: huaxia

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WUHAN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Friday urged Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan to launch "an all-round attack" with greater confidence and tenacity and more decisive measures to win the battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Sun, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, is leading a central government team guiding the epidemic control work in Hubei.

With the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and the great efforts of the people and officials in Hubei, some positive changes have taken place in the epidemic prevention and control, but the situation remains grim, said Sun.

Noting Hubei and Wuhan as the key of the epidemic control fight, Sun said, "When Wuhan wins, Hubei wins. When Hubei wins, China wins."

Sun made the remarks while visiting the office in charge of epidemic prevention and control work in Hubei.

Authorities in Hubei and Wuhan promised to further raise the hospital admission capacity to leave no one unattended and improve treatment for patients.
TYENDINAGA, Ont. - Hours of talks between the federal government and representatives of the Mohawk First Nation ended with "modest progress" Saturday evening, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said as he left the meeting near a rail blockade that's shut down train service across much of Eastern Canada.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller looks back during a meeting with protesters at a rail blockade on the tenth day of demonstration in Tyendinaga, near Belleville, Ont., Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. The protest is in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs opposed to the LNG pipeline in northern British Columbia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

TYENDINAGA, Ont. - Hours of talks between the federal government and representatives of the Mohawk First Nation ended with "modest progress" Saturday evening, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said as he left the meeting near a rail blockade that's shut down train service across much of Eastern Canada.

But Miller declined to tell reporters what that progress was, saying he would deliver that message to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly.

"Tonight, we made some modest progress by opening up a dialogue with the people standing out there in the cold and doing so for eight or nine days," he said. "We talked openly, frankly, painfully at times, and sometimes with humour. There's a lot more work to be done."

The focus, Miller said, was firmly on the natural gas pipeline that crosses Wet'suwet'en territory in northern British Columbia and is opposed by their hereditary chiefs.

He said there are steps the federal government needs to take to resolve the blockade on Tyendinaga Mohawk territory near Belleville, Ont., which was in its 10th day on Saturday.

"They aren't easy, no one said they were," he said. "The underlying issues did not arrive yesterday, they've been present in this community for hundreds of years."

Miller requested the meeting to "polish the silver covenant chain," which the Mohawks say refers to one of the original agreements between the First Nation and the Crown.

Similar blockades across the country have cut both passenger and freight rail services, with pressure mounting on the federal government to end them.

On Saturday, people milled in and out of the camps by the railway to deliver toilet paper and snacks at the Tyendinaga blockade, while a pizza restaurant delivered free pies to the demonstrators.

As he arrived in Tyendinaga some nine hours before his meetings would end, Miller said the blockades have been divisive.

"All of Canada is hurting," he added. "The economy is slowing down. Everyone knows the reports about supply shortages, but we can't move forward without dialogue."

CN obtained a court injunction to end the demonstration on Feb. 7, but the Ontario Provincial Police have not enforced it.

The company also announced it had obtained fresh injunctions to stop three new blockades established on its network on Saturday  two in Vaughan, Ont., and one in Vancouver.

"In Vaughan, protesters put their personal safety at risk by climbing on and between railcars ... Trespassing on railway property and tampering with railway equipment is not only illegal, but also exceedingly dangerous," JJ Ruest, CN's president and CEO, said in a written statement.

An injunction in B.C. was enforced earlier this month by the RCMP to give Coastal GasLink access to a work site for the pipeline, which is part of a $40-billion LNG Canada export project in Kitimat. More than two dozen protesters have been arrested for refusing to obey it.

Coastal GasLink has signed agreements with all 20 elected band councils along the pipeline route. However, Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs assert title to a vast 22,000-square-kilometre area and say band councils only have authority over reserve lands.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney maintained his criticism of the protests.

"Fascinating to see champions of wokeness suddenly embrace hereditary patriarchy as a preferred governance model," he tweeted.

A growing number of business leaders and industry groups called for government or police intervention in the shutdowns.

Trudeau rejected a suggestion from federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to have the public safety minister use his authority under the RCMP Act to end what he called the "illegal blockades." The prime minister said the dispute must be resolved through dialogue, while acknowledging the blockades have caused disruption for travellers and businesses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2020.
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected the European pessimism about Washington's backing from the global stage on February 15. At the Munich Security Conference, Pompeo said that the death of transatlantic bond is grossly overexaggerated adding that the West is winning. The annual meeting of world leaders, generals, and diplomats for the discussion on security challenges have reportedly been dominated with the fears of diminishing Western influence in the face of China and Russia's assertiveness.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had earlier suggested that the United States rejected even the idea of an international community and was acting at the expense of neighbours and partners. However, speaking a day after, Pompeo reportedly said that those statements do not reflect the reality and further para-phased a famous quote by Mark Twain.

According to the global news agency, the US Secretary of State said that Washington played an essential role in keeping Europe safe from reinforcing NATO's eastern flank on the border alongside Russia and has also led a multinational effort to defeat the Islamic State jihadist group. Pompeo also said that the free West has a brighter future than illiberal alternatives.

Read - Pompeo, Esper Meet Afghan President On Cusp Of Taliban Deal

Pompeo warned of Russia's threats

Furthermore, according to media reports, the US Secretary of State warned of threats posed by Russia's territorial ambitions, China's military buildup in the Soth China Sea and Iran's campaign of terror through proxy conflicts in the Middle East region. While acknowledging the reliance of Europe on Russian natural gas, Pompeo announced that the US would finance the energy projects in the Eastern countries of the European Union.

Read - Pompeo Arrives In Munich Germany For Conference

Pompeo announced that through International Development Finance Corporation and the contribution of the Congress, Washington hopes to provide financing of One billion dollars to the Central and Eastern European countries of the Three Seas Initiative. The US Secretary of State further cited that Washington aims to galvanise private sector investment in the energy sectors.

However, this pledge by Pompeo comes amid the strong opposition of America to Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline which will reportedly double the country's gas shipments to Germany. The US believes that the construction of the pipeline will increase Russia's influence on security and economic issues in the Western part of Europe.

Read - Pompeo 'outraged' By UN List Of Firms With Settlement Ties

Read - US-Saudi Partnership Critical To Confront Iran, Says Pompeo After Meeting Prince Faisal

(With agency inputs)
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 03:05:07|Editor: huaxia

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MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday called for crossing East-West difference and practicing multilateralism in a speech here at the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC)

In his speech, Wang elaborated the attendees on the current situation of China's fight against the outbreak of the novel coronavirus under the leadership of the Chinese President Xi Jinping.

He said that the strict measures taken by the Chinese government are now taking effect, and China is fully confident in and capable of winning the war against the epidemic.

"I believe that after the epidemic, the Chinese economy will stride forward on a healthier and more sustainable track. The Chinese people will become more resolute to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, eradicate the absolute poverty and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," said the Chinese foreign minister.

He added that the epidemic had made mankind realize that it is now an era with traditional and non-traditional security threats being interweaved. A regional issue can be transformed into a global one, and vice versa. Therefore, no country can stay alone and be immune to the threats. Instead, all countries are inter-connected and share a common destiny.

"Strengthening global governance and international coordination is urgent right now. We need to get rid of the division of the East and the West and go beyond the difference between the South and the North, in a bid to build a community with a shared future for mankind," added Wang.
Today, ex-President of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov responded to another attempt of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, to attribute to him the words that the genocide in Khojaly was allegedly organized by the Azerbaijani opposition.

Pashinyan is brazenly lying. I never said that Azerbaijanis are responsible for the events in Khojaly. I said differently: in connection with the actions of the opposition at that time, the internal situation in the country was tense, media.az quotes the former politician as saying.

The Armenian side constantly makes this incorrect quote of my words a topic of discussion. But such statements cause only sarcasm. Naturally, President Ilham Aliyev, at a meeting with Pashinyan, correctly answered him that I didnt say such a thing, Ayaz Mutalibov concluded.
The top diplomat notes that the United States is helping Ukraine repel Russian aggression.

U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, said Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine, encroaching on Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At the same time, he noted that the time of evil empires has remained in the past, that "the West is winning", and recalled that 30 years ago, the Berlin Wall fell, while certain countries remain which have no respect for national sovereignty of other states.

"Some nations still desire empire. Let's talk about territorial integrity or rather those nations that have contempt for it. Russia has seized Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine and Georgia," Pompeo said.

Read alsoIn Munich, parties to try to agree on next Normandy Four summit  German foreign minister

Also, he noted that the U.S. "has armed Ukraine to help that brave nation to defend itself from the Russian aggression".

The Unites States provides assistance to Baltic States on cybersecurity, Pompeo added, in the wake of non-stop cyber attacks on the part of Moscow.

Speaking of energy security, Mike Pompeo has called on European partners not to let themselves be deceived by Russia who claims that its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is purely a "commercial" project.

Pompeo recalled the "gas wars" Russia waged in the winter periods of 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2015.
Wild animals such as monkeys, snakes and other reptiles are becoming alarmingly popular pets in British households, resulting in thousands being abandoned because they are too difficult to look after.

The RSPCA rescued around 5,000 exotic pets over the past year, including a monkey who was regularly taken to the pub on a lead by its owner, another from a drug den and a 6ft snake from the engine of a van.

There are an estimated 700,000 reptiles being kept as pets with an overall trade in exotic pets booming across the country, the charity estimates.

People show off their exotic pets and the popularity of having wild animals in a BBC documentary. Pictured is Caesar, a 6ft long crocodile, who has lived in the conservatory of Chris Wellers Kent home for the past 13 years. It comes as the RSPCA has revealed they rescued around 5,000 exotic pets over the past year

Social media has emerged as the primary marketplace for the buying and selling of the animals, with Marmoset monkeys amongst the most popular exotic pets.

The breed is native to Brazil, but Marmosets are now being bred in Britain and can cost anything up to 1,500. But many are kept by ignorant owners in cramped conditions and rarely let out, causing them severe medical problems.

Dr Alison Cronin, from Monkey World in Dorset, which has rescued 60 of the primates from around the UK over the past year, tells BBC Inside Out London: Im finding them in every form of bizarre, crazy circumstance that you can think of, whether its in peoples homes, sitting rooms and outdoor sheds.

Snakes (pictured, file image) and other wild animals are found 'in every form of bizarre, crazy circumstance that you can think of, whether its in peoples homes, sitting rooms and outdoor sheds', says Dr Alison Cronin, from Monkey World. A 6ft snake from the engine of a van was among the RSPCA's finds last year

She adds: The biggest problem we see with Marmosets is metabolic bone disease and rickets. They need sunlight, which they would normally get from being out in the wild. But if people keep a monkey in the house, they are not getting any of this.

Dr Ros Clubb, RSPCA Senior Scientific Manager said: We did have a case where there was the owner of a Marmoset who was taking his monkey to the local pub on a lead and had been doing that fairly regularly, apparently, before he was reported to us.

Marmoset monkeys (file image), which are native to Brazil, are being bred in the UK and cost more than 1k. But many are kept by ignorant owners in cramped conditions and rarely let out

Obviously, that's completely inappropriate for a wild animal like a Marmoset so we did manage to take action on that.

One of the main reasons for the spike in the popularity of Marmosets and other primates is because UK law allows them to be kept without any background checks or license, unlike owners of snakes and other dangerous reptiles, who have to obtain a special permit from their local authority.

There is currently a government consultation on the welfare of primates with campaigners calling for a total ban on the sale of Marmosets and other primates.

The popularity of Marmosets and other primates (pictured, file image of a crocodile in Indonesia) is because UK law allows them to be kept without any background checks or license

One of the UKs most unusual exotic pets is Caesar, a 6ft long crocodile, who has lived in the conservatory of Chris Wellers Kent home for the past 13 years.

Mr Weller reveals the close bond he shares with his unusual pet.

He said: To some extent you can pat him and stroke him. Initially that was not possible. When he came as a baby any one like me was a predator to him. They might be trying to eat him because he was only about six, seven inches big.

But as he has grown and suddenly realised this bloke feeds you, hes taken on a new position. Ive never had an attempt for him to bite me for a number of years now.

Mr Weller also owns a Bearded dragon, two Iguanas, three parrots, a cockatoo and six terrapins.
The Black Sea is of strategic importance for NATO and NATO has a presence in the Black Sea.

The Black Sea is of strategic importance for NATO and NATO has a presence in the Black Sea. We have Allies like Bulgaria, Romania, and of course Turkey; and we have partners like Ukraine and Georgia. And we have increased our presence in the Black Sea region with more air policing, with presence at sea and on land, and we also, of course, work closely with Ukraine, to address the security challenges they face, because Russia has illegally annexed Crimea, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated ahead of the Munich Security Conference.

He added that NATO also worked closely with Georgia and supported its efforts to implement reforms.

The Munich Security Conference is held on February 14-16. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the Conference.

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Junaid Mohammed, a member of the Second Republic Parliament, has declared that the North has no intention to surrender power to any othe...

Junaid Mohammed, a member of the Second Republic Parliament, has declared that the North has no intention to surrender power to any other region in 2023.





What makes anybody think that those who are now holding power are going to voluntarily surrender power in 2023? I dont know. So, zoning and rotation afford us the worst, the elder statesman said in an interview with the Sun.





The South-South elders came up recently to state that it is their turn to run the affairs of the country when President Muhammadu Buharis tenure expires in 2023.





They pointed out that the region should complete the remaining four years of Goodluck Jonathan presidency, but this Mohammed described as arrant nonsense.

The former lawmaker believes that no one would have given the South South a two term, adding that the region wouldnt have produced a president at all if not for the death of Umaru YarAdua.





He added, Some corrupt northern politicians in the PDP cut a deal with Jonathan, but the deal backfired; it didnt work.





Now they want to go the way the other two regions in the South, that is, by blackmail and agitation, let them go and join them.





There is nothing wrong with it; after all the other people have been doing it, why should they be left behind.





If Umaru YarAdua didnt die and he did his eight years, it was absolutely certain that Goodluck Jonathan wouldnt have been the president.





He became the president by virtue of the fact that he was the Vice President by the time YarAdua died.





To assume that it was favour done to him or to his region was neither here nor there; it is unhistorical.





We can never wake the dead; we would have known whom he negotiated with other than the Nigerian Constitution, which provided him to be president in the event of the death or the incapacitation of the president.
As the Long Beach Unified School District commits to keeping classes in-person, the city a new testing site opens for LBUSD employees and students only. The city is also ramping up its own testing efforts with a new 3,000-person per day testing site.
Queen guitarist Brian May will be joined by other stars including Adam Lambert at the Fire Fight Australia bushfire relief concert in Sydney on Sunday.

And on Friday, the 72-year-old rock legend showed his support for the RSPCA by visiting Brisbane Wildlife Hospital.

In several posts shared to Instagram, the artist bonded with Bear - an adorable rescue koala.

Precious: Queen rock legend Brian May, 72, (pictured) visited a wildlife hospital in Brisbane on Friday, and bonded with a rescue koala ahead of performing in the Fire Fight Australia bushfire relief concert on Sunday

'Visiting time! A precious moment with Bear - an adorable rescued koala - in the RSPCA Animal Hospital, Wacol, Brisbane,' Brian wrote online.

'These people are doing an incredible job of caring for the survivors of the tragic Queensland fires. They need our support. More soon.'

A short clip saw Brian performing a melody on guitar in the hospital with Bear latching onto his upper frame.

While a precious close-up photo saw Bear looking directly at the camera.

Adorable: A short clip shared to Brian's Instagram saw the artist performing a melody on guitar in the hospital with Bear latching onto his upper frame

Too cute: While a precious close-up photo saw Bear looking directly at the camera

RSPCA Queensland Senior Media Adviser Michael Beatty told The Courier Mail on Friday that Brian is keen to use his platform for the greater good.

'We're looking to expand the hospital if we can get another block of land and he did actually say that he would do what he could to try and help us achieve our goal of being able to build what will basically be another wildlife hospital,' he said.

Brian will lend his profile to the sold-out Fire Fight Australia bushfire relief concert at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on Sunday.

Comedian Celeste Barber, whose Facebook fundraiser has raised $52million for bushfire victims, will host the event.

Showing his support: 'These people are doing an incredible job of caring for the survivors of the tragic Queensland fires. They need our support. More soon,' Brian penned online

Olivia Newton-John, Queen + Adam Lambert and k.d. lang will headline the event, alongside more than 20 local and international acts.

Australia's bushfire season arrived early in October 2019, resulting in 28 deaths, and more than 2,000 homes destroyed.

It's been estimated that over a billion animals have died across the country.

While Fire Fight Australia 2020 has completely sold out, it will be broadcast on Channel Seven and Foxtel from 1pm on Sunday.
Christian university in Oregon to close after 115 years; student to file class-action lawsuit University spokesperson says lawsuit's claims are 'without merit'

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After 115 years, Concordia University in Oregon will close its doors following the end of the 2020 spring semester and faces a potential class-action lawsuit launched by a student who claims he was misled about the institutions financial struggles.

In a statement, the private Lutheran institution with about 5,700 students explained that its board of regents voted after much prayer and consideration of all options to cease operations of the school in a resolution approved on Feb. 7.

The boards vote follows years of mounting financial challenges and a challenging and changing educational landscape.

Interim President Tom Ries said the board concluded that it's impossible to pursue the schools mission considering the current and projected enrollment and finances of the school.

The board has come to this difficult decision recognizing that it is in the best interest of our students, our faculty, our staff, and our partners, Ries said. He pledged to share more information as it becomes available.

According to Oregon Live, the closure will result in over 1,500 layoffs that will occur by September.

Concordia says it is in active discussions with accrediting bodies to provide students with opportunities to continue their education at other higher education institutions. Concordia is also in talks about how to help faculty and staff transition to the next phase of their careers.

The universitys 24-acre, Northeast Portland campus will return to the ownership of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, one of the campus lenders. The institutions will be looking to sell the property.

One Concordia student said that he plans to sue the school on grounds that it misled students about its financial condition and left them without a way to graduate or transfer to another school.

Student William Spaulding told Oregon Live that he hired an attorney Monday to draft a class-action lawsuit in state court accusing the school of unlawful business practices. Spaulding is requesting a jury trial.

Spaulding claims that he and other students would not have paid for the 2020 semester had they been informed about the schools struggling finances.

According to the College Board, the average annual tuition costs for first-year students at Concordia is $29,480. Including room and board and other expenses, the average cost is $45,360.

Concordia University misrepresented the qualities and characteristics of its education services and the value of its tuition credits, the complaint claims.

The lawsuit does not specify how much Spaulding is seeking in monetary damages but does request injunctive relief to require the university to disclose how much it profited from tuition in 2020. The lawsuit can be amended later to reflect the value of damages.

According to Spauldings lawsuit, the first time Concordia students were told about the financial struggles of the school was the same day the school announced it would close.

Upon information and belief, the high-paid executives at Concordia University knew since 2019 that the University was in dire financial condition and that the Universitys closure in 2020 was looming, the lawsuit argues.

The lawsuit further complains that the university advertised programs through late 2019 and early 2020 and even promised students that by 2024 the university would have a strong national reputation."

Relying on Concordia Universitys advertisements and representations, plaintiff paid Concordia University thousands of dollars for educational services and tuition credits in 2020, the lawsuit adds.

Spaulding is represented by lawyer Michael Fuller. Fuller told The Portland Business Journal that he is also talking with three Concordia University students who attended Marylhurst University when it shut down in 2018.

In an interview with Business Journal, Ries said that the school had been considering an option to stay open before the vote of the board of regents last week.

A Concordia University spokesperson told The Christian Post in an email that the university believes that the claims made in Spauldings lawsuit are without merit.

Right now we are focused on supporting our faculty, staff and students in their transition, the spokesperson added.

Concordia Universitys closure comes as many small, private colleges are struggling with lower enrollments and struggling finances.

In 2018, it was reported by Moody's Investors Service that about a quarter of private colleges and universities in the U.S. spent more than they earned in 2017. Meanwhile, the median revenue for such schools was 2.4 percent with a median expense growth of 3 percent.

Ries told KGW8 that Concordia University has had a negative cash flow for quite some time.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 14, 2020 | 08:01 AM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY

A local firefighter will be laid to rest today.

Thirty-one-year-old James William Bullard, of Paducah, passed away Sunday night at Frankfort Regional Medical Center. Bullard was a firefighter for Concord Fire Department.

Funeral services will begin at 11:00 am at Hughes Funeral Home of Paducah. Burial will follow at Liberty Cemetery in Folsomdale.

There will be a 30 minute procession involving multiple departments to escort Bullard's casket to Liberty Baptist Church for his burial.

That procession will depart from Hughes Funeral Home located on Old Husbands Road. From there, the procession will then turn onto I-24 Westbound, take Exit 7 to US-45 toward US-62/Bardwell, turn left onto US-45 South/Lone Oak Road, proceed 12 miles to Pittman Road and then turn right onto Pittman Road to Liberty Baptist Church.

Bullard's casket will be unloaded from Engine 42 once it arrives at the church. Bullard's last call as well as the final bell ceremony will also happen at the church.
Iran won't decipher the black box from in the plane of PS752 flight of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) shot down near Tehran on January 8 without presence of all interested parties, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told in an interview with NBC News on February 14.

"We will not touch the black box without the presence of all interested parties," he said.

Zarif also has said that Iran can't decipher the black box from a Ukraine plane shot down by Iran without help.

Zarif also has acknowledged that Iran is not able to extract information from the black box from the Ukrainian airliner that was shot down by Iranian forces on January 8, but added that Tehran would not hand over the box to outside governments.

According to the minister, as for now, nobody is trying to decipher the black box.

Under international aviation rules, Iran had the right to lead the investigation into the downing of the airliner, Zarif said. But he said Iran needed software, cables and additional expertise from the U.S. or other Western countries to be able to decipher the information in the black box.

"We have asked for help, why haven't the United States helped us? This is a humanitarian issue. Why haven't they given us the software? Why haven't they given us the expertise?" Zarif said.

"There are still a lot of unknowns. That's why we want more than anybody else to know what is in the black box, to know what actually happened."
US President Donald Trump has said it is a great honour that Facebook has ranked him number one and Prime Minister Narendra Modi number two on their popularity on the social networking site, ahead of his maiden visit to India.

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said it is a great honour that Facebook has ranked him number one and Prime Minister Narendra Modi number two on their popularity on the social networking site, ahead of his maiden visit to India.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will pay a state visit to India on 24 and 25 February at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, it was announced this week.

Taking to Twitter, he claimed to be the number one on Facebook, citing a remark of Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the social media company.

Great honor, I think? Mark Zuckerberg recently stated that Donald J. Trump is Number 1 on Facebook. Number 2 is Prime Minister Modi of India. Actually, I am going to India in two weeks. Looking forward to it!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2020

This is not the first time that the US President has claimed to be the number one and Prime Minister Modi number two on their popularity on Facebook.

Last month in an interview to CNBC TV on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said: "I'm No.1 on Facebook, you know who's no.2? Modi from India".

During his visit to India, Trump, in addition to New Delhi, will also visit Ahmedabad to address a joint public meeting with Modi at a newly-built stadium.
The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that it would pull back elements of an infantry brigade from the 101st Airborne Division in favor of the more specialized Security Force Assistance Brigade.

The move is an initiative to be more in line with the 2018 National Defense Strategy by redirecting its attention from counter-terrorism to being more competitive with China and Russia.

As part of this review and in order to better compete with China and Russia in Africa, the Secretary is directing the deployment of elements of the Armys 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) to the continent to conduct train, advise, and assist missions in spotlight African countries. This is the first of many decisions regarding U.S. Africa Commands (AFRICOMs) mission, the Pentagon said in a statement per spokeswoman Alyssa Farrah.

Army SFABs are manned, trained, and equipped specifically for the train, advise, and assist mission. This allows them to perform this important great power competition role more effectively and more efficiently than conventional units, the statement further read, adding that the SFAB will focus on security force assistance operations, thus relieving brigade combat teams of that task.

The purpose is to make sure that what were doing is aligned with the National Defense Strategy, so I get the force sizing right, that the activities, the actions, and tasks right in each theater of command, Defense Secretary mark Esper said while en route to a NATO meeting in Europe, Stars and Stripes reported.

This is a good sign from @DeptofDefense, Elridge Colby Former Pentagon, National Defense Strategist, commented. Its a brigade deploying to Africa, but its a Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB): a smaller, tailored unit for this kind of mission. Itll free up parts of @101stAASLTDIV for high-end training.

This is a good sign from @DeptofDefense  https://t.co/Swc6yAXmuy Its a brigade deploying to Africa but its a Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB): a smaller, tailored unit for this kind of mission. Itll free up parts of @101stAASLTDIV for high end training. ???? #NDS  Elbridge Colby (@ElbridgeColby) February 13, 2020

Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, the commander of U.S. Army Africa, said Wednesday according to the outlet, competition with Russia and China on the continent is critically important. We think we have a competitive edge there. Cloutier said he believed the United States has a natural advantage over its competitors because the United States has shown to be a trustworthy partner in the past.

So the competitive advantage that we have on the African continent, I think, is the professional nature of our military, the discipline of our soldiers, the great training that we can provide, and the fact that we believe were the partner of choice. So thats how we compete head-to-head with them, he said.

The deployment of the SFAB allows the Army to return elements of an infantry brigade from the 101st Airborne Division back to its home base of Ft. Campbell, KY, allowing it to train and prepare for high-intensity conflict operations, Farrahs statement finalized, adding that the operation will start in the coming weeks.

However, all parties stressed that AFRICOM is not walking out of Africa. The message Im relaying to my partners is that were not walking away. We are still engaged, Cloutier said.

The announcement did not provide any specifics as to which African counties would be involved, how many SFAB agents will be deployed, or how many troops would return.
Lady Gaga spread some love to her Little Monsters on Valentine's Day.

The pop star, 33, posted a snuggled-up selfie with her new beau Michael Polansky on Friday as she lavished her fans with insta love.

'Happy Valentine's Day!!' she captioned the snap. '"Babe, do I have lipstick all-over me?" #valentines... happy v-day to all my monsters!!! I love you!!!' she wrote, along with a string of hearts and lip print emojis.

Be mine! Lady Gaga posted a snuggled-up selfie with her new beau Michael Polansky on Friday as she lavished her fans with insta love

The couple looked blissful and relaxed as they cuddled close for the intimate snap.

Gaga rested her head against Michael's forehead as he tenderly placed his hand upon her shoulder.

Even with a face full of makeup, the pink haired star looked ready to kick back in her slouchy grey sweater.

Gaga and Michael have been dating since early December, and went public with their romance just a few months later at the Super Bowl.

Team Love! Gaga and Michael have been dating since early December, and went public with their romance just a few months later at the Super Bowl

She made their relationship Instagram official a day later, posting a loved-up snap of them on a boat as she rested in his arms.

Page Six recently revealed Gaga's new man is a Harvard grad and former investor who works as CEO of Facebook co-founder Sean Parker's Parker Group.

Gaga, who broke up with ex-fiance Christian Carino, 51, a year ago, was first seen publicly with Michael as they rang in 2020 together during her residency at the Park MGM in Las Vegas.

All aboard the love boat! She made their relationship Instagram official a day later, posting a loved-up snap of her in his arms on a boat

It is now understood that they connected earlier in December at Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned philanthropist Parker's birthday party at his home in Los Angeles.

A source told the publication: 'Michael is a really smart guy, a very serious guy, who has always been low key.

'People are saying Gaga would have met him through events Sean Parker has hosted at his house, including the launch and other events for the foundation. Sean also had a party for his birthday in LA in December and both Gaga and Michael were there.'
A kayaker spent almost two hours trapped in a raging river in a 35ft deep gorge in Co Clare while five others managed to escape to safety.

The alarm was raised shortly before 4pm today when it was reported that a group of kayakers had gotten into difficulty near Doolin.

They had been kayaking down the Aille River which runs between Lisdoonvarna and Doolin when they got into trouble.

A multi-agency rescue operation was promptly mounted involving Clare County Fire and Rescue Service, the Irish Coast Guard and National Ambulance Service.

Gardai also attended the incident.

Two units of the fire brigade from Ennistymon, including members specially trained in swift water rescue, were sent to the scene along with additional personnel from Ennis.

The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard was also tasked to the incident.

The kayakers got into trouble in a deep gorge where the river narrows. Five of the group managed to climb onto the bank and pull themselves to safety.

They were escorted to safety by fire service personnel. One man however was left trapped in the river.

Its understood that he grabbed onto a rock and held on for a time. When he realised he would not be able to get out by himself, the alarm was raised by his friends.

Fire service personnel from Ennistymon were first to arrive at the scene and had to use a 4x4 vehicle to negotiate a muddy track to reach the scene.

Fire crews also used chainsaws to cut away trees and shrubbery before they could climb down to the casualty while secured by ropes.

The Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, was placed on standby but wasnt tasked as the casualty was said not to be in imminent danger.

Doolin Coast Guard personnel used an all-terrain vehicle to help them access the area and transport climbing equipment.

Members also climbed down the steep gorge wall to assist fire crews.

Almost two hours after the alarm was raised, the casualty was safely recovered from the gorge.

He was initially assessed by first responders and later by a National Ambulance Service advanced paramedic.

A second kayaker was also assessed after he suffered a head injury while was not reported to be serious.

After being checked over by the advanced paramedic both were reunited with their friends and allowed return home.
Automobile dealers' body on Saturday asked vehicle manufacturers to shift wholesale despatches to BS-VI compliant vehicles only, with the Supreme Court refusing its request to extend deadline for sale and registration of BS-IV vehicles beyond April 1.

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said considering the long downturn that has lasted well over a year now and the current dynamic demand situation, selling 100 per cent of the BS-IV vehicles currently in stock with its members by March 31 is a tough task.

"FADA, hence, appeals to all OEMs (original equipment manufactures) to shift completely to BS-VI vehicles for all wholesale despatches to dealers and stop further billing of BS-IV vehicles with immediate effect to dealers, thereby helping liquidation of the current BS-IV inventory for a smoother transition to BS-VI," FADA President Ashish Kale said in a statement.

In an internal message circulated to dealers, the FADA president also advised dealers to plan liquidation of BS-IV inventory as per March 31, 2020, deadline for sale and registration of BS-IV vehicles. On Friday, the apex court had rejected an appeal by FADA to allow sale and registration of BS-IV vehicles beyond March 31.

The stricter emission norm of BS-VI comes into effect from April 1 this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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MUNICH  U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is not without risk but looks very promising.

Ahead of a formal announcement of the seven-day reduction in violence deal, Esper said it was time to give peace a chance in Afghanistan through a political negotiation. He spoke a day after a senior U.S. official said the deal had been concluded and would take effect very soon.

Expectations are that agreement will be formally announced on Sunday and that the reduction in violence will begin on Monday, according to people familiar with the plan.

So we have on the table right now a reduction in violence proposal that was negotiated between our ambassador and the Taliban, Esper told an audience at the Munich Security Conference. It looks very promising.

Its my view as well that we have to give peace a chance, that the best if not the only way forward in Afghanistan is through a political agreement and that means taking some risk, he said. That means enabling our diplomats and that means working together with our partners and allies on the ground to affect such a thing.

Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met on Friday in Munich with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has been skeptical of the scheme, which, if successful, would see an end to attacks for seven days and then the signing of a U.S.-Taliban peace deal. All-Afghan peace talks would then begin within 10 days as part of the plan, which envisions the phased withdrawal of U.S. forces over 18 months.

I n remarks later to a group of reporters, Esper declined to say whether the U.S. had agreed to cut its troop levels in Afghanistan to zero. He said if the 7-day truce is successful and the next step toward Afghan peace talks begins, the U.S. would reduce its troop contingent over time to about 8,600. There currently are about 12,000 U.S. troops in the country.

Ghani also refused to comment on many specifics of the plan but said the time had come find a political solution to stop the war.

He said it was impossible to know whether the Taliban might take advantage of a draw down in American military power in Afghanistan to reassert its their own presence, but said the only way to find out was to engage in the peace process.

The critical test is going to be: will the Taliban accept an election? Ghani said.

The president rejected the idea that the Taliban could be granted greater influence in certain regions of Afghanistan, saying it was antithetical to the Afghan vision because we are a unified country.

The scope of the peace must be national. It cannot be sub-national because otherwise it will be a recipe for another round of conflict, he said.

The United States has not agreed to suspend or end its counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, which have been focused mainly on an Islamic State affiliate, known as ISIS-K, and al-Qaida, said Pentagon spokeswoman Alyssa Farah, who was traveling with Esper.

Under any agreement, General Miller retains the authorities necessary to protect U.S. national security interests, including the authorities and capabilities to strike ISIS-K and al-Qaida, she said, referring to U.S. Gen Scott Miller, the commander of American and coalition forces in Afghanistan.

The agreement was finalized last week by U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar. Esper said Ghani was supportive of the deal and had pledged to do his best to support it.

I think he is fully on board, Esper said of Ghani. He wants to lead his part of the process, which if we get to that would be a a peace deal that would involve very soon afterward an inter-Afghan negotiation. He wants to be clearly a full partner in that and wants to lead on that and make sure that all Afghans come together.

Ghani has bickered with his partner in the current Unity Government, Abdullah Abdullah, over who will represent Kabul at the negotiating table. Ghani has insisted he lead the talks, while his political opponents and other prominent Afghans have called for more inclusive representation.

Separately on Saturday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told the security conference that he also supported the plan but stressed that the alliances mission in Afghanistan would continue in the short- and medium-term.

We are not leaving Afghanistan but we are prepared to adjust our force level if the Taliban demonstrates the will and the capability to reduce violence and make real compromises that could pave the way for negotiations among Afghans for sustainable peace, he said.

_____

David Rising contributed to this story.
STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Soldier of the Defense Army of Artsakh Hayk Asryan, born in 1997, received a fatal gunshot wound in one of the military positions located in the eastern direction on February 14, at around 19:00, the defense ministry of Artsakh told Armenpress. The circumstances of the incident are yet to be determined.

Investigation is underway to clarify the details of the incident.

The Artsakh defense ministry extends condolences to the family and fellow servicemen of the soldier.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Punjab elections: You will never have to stage another dharna says Kejriwal

Covid-19 cases are rising in Delhi, but no need to panic as hospitalisation low, says Kejriwal

No lockdown in Delhi for now but some curbs, says Arvind Kejriwal amid Covid surge

Kejriwal to take oath with 6 ministers: PM Modi invited for swearing-in-ceremony

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday appointed Arvind Kejriwal as the new chief minister of Delhi after his Aam Aadmi Party bagged 62 of the 70 seats in the recent Delhi Assembly elections.

According to an official notification, the president has also appointed six MLAs as ministers of the Delhi Government following the advice of the chief minister.

The six ministers who will take oath along with Kejriwal on February 16 are: Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam.

Kejriwal invites Modi for his swearing-in ceremony on Sunday

"The President has been pleased to appoint Shri Arvind Kejriwal to be the Chief Minister, National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from the date he is sworn in," the notification said.

A separate notification said the president has also accepted the resignation of Kejriwal as chief minister of the NCT of Delhi along with his council of ministers with immediate effect.

He will, however, continue to act as the chief minister till the new chief minister is sworn in, it said.

In the Delhi polls, the AAP recorded a massive victory winning 62 of the 70 seats while the BJP bagged the remaining eight seats. The Congress drew a blank for the second consecutive time.

PM Modi invited for the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday

Kejriwal has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing-in ceremony scheduled to take place at the Ramlila Maidan on February 16, senior party leader Gopal Rai said.

Rai, the convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi unit, said a letter was sent to the prime minister on Friday morning.

Will Arvind Kejriwal's 3.0 thrive AAP to win Lok Sabha 2024?

All seven Delhi MPs and eight newly elected BJP MLAs have also been invited for the oath-taking ceremony, Rai told PTI.

No chief minister or political leaders from other states will be part of the event as it will be a "Delhi-specific" ceremony, Rai had said on Thursday.

Kejriwal, through front-page advertisements in newspapers, has urged Delhiites to attend his oath-taking ceremony as he is set to become the chief minister of Delhi for the third consecutive term.

Kejriwal will take oath as Delhi chief minister along with his cabinet at Ramlila Maidan at 10 am on Sunday.

DoE circular asks principals, teachers of Delhi govt schools to attend

Delhi's Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued a circular to its officials and teachers and principals of Delhi Government schools to attend the swearing-in-ceremony of the chief minister and his council of ministers.

Five lesser known facts about Arvind Kejriwal

The circular also says attendance will be compiled at the entry gates of the Ramlila Maidan, where CM-designate Arvind Kejriwal and his council of ministers will take oath on February 16.

In a tweet, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, "The Aam Aadmi Party, which has won elections by making announcement of freebies, has enough MLAs but not public support."

"With the fear of people not attending the swearing-in ceremony, the government has issued a diktat to 30,000 teachers to mandatorily attend," he added.

Delhi Congress's chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma took to Twitter to say, "A government order has been issued asking government school teachers to reach at the Arvind Kejriwal government's oath-taking ceremony. It is clear that power is being 'misused' to gather a crowd for the swearing-in ceremony."

Kejriwal vs Modi: Is it time for AAP to stick its finger in the national pie

Sharma urged Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to take cognisance of it, saying it was a matter of enquiry.

Responding to the allegations, a senior DoE official said, "The circular should be taken on face value. They have been invited as an honour to their contribution to the education model of the AAP government."

The official, however, did not comment on whether it was mandatory for the invitees to attend the event or not

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 8:13 [IST]
The founder and the director-general of a construction company that deceived its shareholders were sentenced for two years of imprisonment in an open colony, the press service of the prosecutors office informed.

In 2016-2018, the founder and CEO of a construction company with no permission to build houses illegally took more than 7 mln rubles from 8 citizens for the construction of two multi-apartment buildings in Derbent. The fraudsters concluded a cost-sharing agreement with them, AiF Dagestan reports.
Firms prefer Spore to register biz View(s):

Many new firms  especially start-ups  are opting to register their businesses in Singapore instead of Sri Lanka owing to the stringent laws prevailing here, industry sources say.

They said that while registering in Singapore gives companies regional as well as an Asian presence, firms latch onto the open policies in Singapore which makes it easier for businesses to operate. This is true for start-ups which need venture capital funding. There are no restrictions on the amount of capital that one can bring from his home country to invest in a Singaporean company. It imposes no restriction on repatriation of profits. Unlike in Sri Lanka which imposes large barriers to the

free movement of foreign currencies, there is no restraint on movement of foreign currency in or out of that country, a CEO of a start-up pointed out. This effortless transfer of funds across borders provides exceptional flexibility to a business, he added.

In 2018, certain firms in IT and garments shifted their head offices out of Colombo to Singapore owing to that years political crisis, regressive taxation, the general downbeat and business setting that Sri Lanka presented.

Singapore which is often called the Delaware of Asia because of its business-friendly taxation policies is also celebrated for the ease of doing business. Singapore is the worlds easiest place to set up and manage a business, another CEO, intending to branch out there, said. According to World Banks ranking, Singapore is ranked as one of the top three countries in the Ease of Doing Business among total 189 countries.

There is no capital gain tax, which means, the dividends paid by Singaporean companies to their investors is tax-free. Singapore is continuously ranked as top country for its Contract Enforcement and intellectual Property Protection. Also, many start-ups say that Singapore is amongst the least bureaucratic countries in the world. The first CEO noted that opening a corporate bank account is also very simple and easy as against in local banks. Banks in Singapore offer exceptional Letter of Credit support to Singaporean companies connected to international trade, which isnt so readily available in Colombo, he added.

Singapore has pro-business taxation rates and presents many tax correlated incentives to prop up entrepreneurship. Singapore has one of the worlds simplest and most rational taxation systems in place. It imposes no tax on capital gains or on dividends, a CEO of a large software firm told the Business Times. We find it easier to do business in Singapore. We find it very difficult when consolidating our accounts for certain expenses etc and we have decided to leave Colombo.

(DEC)
Down suburban streets, you can almost hear a sigh of relief. House prices are rising again, which is good news for the bricks and mortar-obsessed British  at least those who are already on the housing ladder.

But, not far away in the high streets and shopping centres, the news for another type of property is more downbeat, as the crisis of empty, boarded-up shops deepens.

Even Ikea, supplier of the Billy bookcase and other must-haves, a name previously seen as immune to the malaise in retail, recently announced that it was shutting its seven-floor branch in Coventry.

There is some cheer. The CBRE consultancy is reporting a post-election rush by overseas investors to acquire London office buildings.

But renewed demand for glossy City towers is unlikely to provide an immediate boost to the value of other commercial premises and the funds that own these assets.

Some property funds have been having a tough time.

They include M&G's beleaguered 2.4billion Property Portfolio Fund, which is currently suspended, so investors can't take out their money.

Against this background, there is now a debate as to whether many of the investors who entrusted their savings to these funds are out of their comfort zone.

Many saw property, in any form, as solid and secure. But, like investors in the disastrous Neil Woodford Equity Income fund, they are discovering that what seemed like a low-ish risk investment may be nothing of the sort.

Dashing the hopes of its investors, M&G has announced that its fund, which was shuttered before Christmas, will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

The fund was frozen in response to Brexit uncertainty and a stampede of withdrawals by savers. Subsequently, to raise cash it has sold about 71million-worth of holdings, with more deals planned.

So far, fears have not materialised that the freezing of this fund would create a domino effect. Back in 2016, there was a spate of property fund closures after the EU referendum.

Closure: Retailer Ikea is shutting is branch in Coventry

As yet, others have not followed M&G. However, the Bestinvest platform has removed Janus Henderson UK Property and Aberdeen UK Property funds from its influential best-buy list. Bestinvest cited concerns over liquidity  cash or readily saleable assets  at these funds.

At the time of its closure, the M&G fund held about 5 per cent in cash, against as much as 30 per cent at some of its rivals. But the key issue is that M&G's fund, like the Janus Henderson and Aberdeen ones, is 'open-ended'.

This means investors can withdraw their money whenever they like, so managers may have to dispose of holdings to return the cash. That can be a challenge for a property fund, since it may take months or years to find a buyer for even a well-located mall or office block.

Closed-end funds, or investment trusts, do not face this type of difficulty, since they are quoted on the stock market.

If investors want to get out, they simply sell their shares and there is no need for the fund manager to sell any of the underlying assets.

Among the closed-end funds on Interactive Investor's best-buy list are BMO Commercial Property and TR Property. Some experts favour a few open-ended funds that invest, not in buildings, but in the shares of property companies, and real estate investment trusts, known as REITs, which should make them easier to trade.

On this basis, Ben Yearsley, investment director at Shore Financial Planning, likes the Schroder Global Cities fund, which invests worldwide.

Given the evolving style in which people increasingly work, it is possible to question the need for offices in cities. Some London companies now have desks for fewer staff than they employ, on the assumption that at least one third of their workforce will be either at meetings, travelling or on holiday, But Yearsley contends that we should not exaggerate the extent of this revolution.

He says: 'The type, style and size will be different, but we will still need offices.'

Retail too is unlikely to disappear. Ikea may be saying goodbye to Coventry, but at the same time its investment arm is planning to acquire a number of shopping malls in which to open new-style mini-stores. The business that gave the world the Malm bed and Ektorp sofa has a proven record of knowing what shoppers want  and it is not all online.
Jaipur/IBNS: Making a surprise visit to the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protest site which is billed as "Jaipur's Shaheen Bagh", Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he would be the first person to go to detention centre as he was unaware of his parents' birthplace, media reports said.

Delhi's Shaheen Bagh is the site where hundreds of women and men are camped for two months protesting against the CAA which aims to grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi but not Muslim refugees who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh before 2015.

Leading the protesters to applaud him with claps, Gehlot said as quoted by NDTV, "If I am not able to furnish the details, I too would be asked to live in a detention centre. I am not aware of the birthplace of my parents. You stay assured, if such situation comes then I would be the first to go there."

The Chief Minister further said several of his counterparts in other states are against the CAA and the Centre must withdraw it.

Most of the opposition parties including Gehlot's party Congress are against the CAA along with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

In a U-turn from their previous positions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government never discussed NRC since 2014 when the saffron party was voted to power.

Regarding NPR, Shah recently on a television channel said, "No one will have to show papers for NPR. Just that they will have state information."
Russia will be able to complete the construction of the pipeline Nord stream  2, reports RT. This statement was made by Ryan Green, the head of the Austrian oil company OMV, which funds the project, KXAN 36 News reported.

As I understand it, they are looking for the ship, and I bet theyll find him he said to Bloomberg. While Seele noted that for laying pipes at shallow depth does not require super technologies.
Transition year students in schools around Cork whose Easter trip to China has been cancelled due to the Corona virus outbreak may have another opportunity to go on the trip of a lifetime at a later stage.

This was confirmed to The Corkman by Dr Catherine (Xiaohong) Xu, the Chinese Co-Director of UCC's Confucius Institute.

Approximately 60 students in Cork schools had been looking forward since before Christmas to participating in the Easter Study Break in Shanghai University in April after being selected by their schools to go on the two week trip during the Easter holidays.

In an email to schools sent out last week, however, it was confirmed that the outbreak of the Corona virus meant the trip would have to be cancelled.

"In light of these developments, the need to safeguard the wellbeing of those due to travel and with strong recommendations from Shanghai University, I now wish to advise you that I am left with no option other than to regrettably announce that the Easter Study Camp 2020 will now not take place," Dr. Xu wrote in her email to the schools.

"I sincerely apologise to the students and teachers who, no doubt, were looking forward to this wonderful experience of a lifetime.

"I profoundly regret any inconvenience and financial loss to parents and the schools."

On Wednesday, Dr Xu told this newspaper that the Institute would be speaking to Shang Hai University at a later stage, when the outbreak of the virus was under control, to see if the trip could be re-arranged when there was no danger.

Dr Xu did confirm, however, that a poetry event which features participating students who have been learning about the Chinese languages and culture in their schools from the beginning of the schoolyear will go ahead.

Colaiste Ghobnatan in Baile Mhuirne is one of the participating schools and has been offering Chinese language and culture classes to its Transition Year students since 2010.

School principal Toirdhealbhach O Lionaird said the students were naturally disappointed but understood fully the reasons for the cancellation of what would have been a memorable trip.
relative value

When choosing an investment, there are many ways to evaluate assets. Some investors use relative value, which compares potential investments. It includes measures such as liquidity, risk, and return. But how can investors use it? Is it the only choice when filling out your portfolio?

What is Relative Value?

Relative value determines an assets value when accounting for the value of similar assets. Relative value is not to be confused with an assets absolute value. That only considers the actual assets value and doesnt compare it to other assets. Often, investors use the price-to-earnings ratio of a stock to determine its relative value.

Before investors make an investment decision, they will compare financial statements from competing companies. As a result, they will decide whether they want to move forward with the endeavor. Investors may also review the companys footnotes and economic data to compare it to similar companies.

How to Calculate Relative Value

First, identify similar assets or companies. In most cases, youll want to compare shares of companies in the same industry such as two technology companies or two airline companies. Because similar companies have comparable macroeconomic dynamics, they tend to move in correlation to one another. This means they move up and down at the same time. Investors will want to look at market capitalization, sales figures, and revenues of each company. Each stock price will denote how the market value of each compares to one another.

Relative values can identify price divergence which may highlight buying opportunities. If the price of one asset has advanced more rapidly than the next, this might be a sign that a market correction is necessary. Conversely, if the asset has fallen behind, this could be a sign of a potential buying opportunity.

Next, determine a period during which you want to analyze the relative value. Generally, you will want to select a timeframe of no less than a few months and no more than a few years. If you dont go back far enough, data could be inconclusive and if you go back too far, both companies may have undergone series changes such as a merger.

Story continues

Then, divide the price of one share by the other and multiply by 100. Do this for each day in your range. If the relative value of the stock is significantly lower than its historic average, the stock in the numerator is cheap by historical standards. If the relative value is significantly greater than the historic averages, the stock in the denominator is cheap compared to its historic figures. By assessing these historic prices, you can determine if a stock is undervalued or overvalued.

Advantages

relative value

Relative valuation is popular due to some of the advantages it offers. For starters, its less time- and resource-intensive than a valuation such as discounted cash flow. This is due to the substantial amount of data that the calculation requires. If an investor lacks time and access to information, they might consider relative valuation as an alternative.

Another advantage is that relative valuation is much more likely to represent the current state of the market.It measures relative values instead of intrinsic values. Therefore, in a market where all stock prices are up, the relative valuation is likely to yield higher values for these stocks in comparison to cash flow valuations.

Disadvantages

While relative valuation might be easier to put together, sometimes gathering a group of comparable companies can yield inconsistent estimates. By using the relative valuation, investors might ignore key variables such as growth or cash flow potentials.

However, the biggest disadvantage of this calculation is companies may not always trade compatibly with other companies in their industry. They can trade on multiples lower than their peers for a variety of reasons. Sometimes its because the market hasnt identified a companys true value, which may seem like a buying opportunity. Other times, investors should completely stay clear of a company. While it may seem like the company is selling for cheap, it could be because the company is on the verge of failure.

The Bottom Line



relative value

There are a lot of different ways to identify good investment decisions. If you choose to use this strategy to evaluate investments, its important to do your homework. The objective is to identify the difference between companies and determine which deserve high valuations. Instead of just selecting companies within the same industry, its wise to find companies with similar underlying fundamentals.

However, to make the best investment decision possible, investors need all of the tools and resources they can access. Relative value has its drawbacks and traps. Consider using it alongside other valuations such as discounted cash flow to understand the true value of a company.

Investing Tips

A financial advisor helps you put together an investing plan that will utilize several the above types of investments. Finding the right financial advisor that fits your needs doesnt have to be hard. SmartAssets free tool matches you with financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. If youre ready to be matched with local advisors that will help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

If your investments pay off, you may owe the capital gains tax. Figure out how much youll pay when you sell your stocks with our capital gains tax calculator.

Photo credit: iStock.com/ktasimarr, iStock.com/Chainarong Prasertthai, iStock.com/MicroStockHub

The post What Relative Value Tells You appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
What Duckworth had to say: Illinois junior senator, a U.S. Army combat veteran, echoed the sentiments of fellow congressional Democrats who say Congress must debate and vote on an act of war: Ever since Donald Trump launched the strike that killed Iranian Major General Soleimani, one thing has remained clear: Americans are less safe today than they were before the attack. Weeks later, the Trump administration continues to stonewall, refusing to provide evidence that would justify why they brought our nation to the brink of war and sought to thwart members of Congress from performing their most solemn constitutional duty: debating matters of war and peace.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 17:28:14|Editor: huaxia

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Yang Liqiang, a taxi driver, sterilizes the taxi after a day's operation in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous region, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhao Zehui)

"It's safe to stay at home at this tough time, but there must be people in urgent need for public transport," said 43-year-old Yang Liqiang.

HOHHOT, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The car of 43-year-old Yang Liqiang is one of the 1,500 taxies still hitting the road and ferrying passengers every day amid the ongoing fight against the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Taking time to carefully disinfect his cab and putting on a face mask are the steps Yang must take before he leaves home and sets out on a journey after a local taxi driver was diagnosed with the disease days ago, raising public concerns about the safety of taking a taxi.

As the local government advises residents to quarantine at home to contain the spread of the virus, the once-bustling regional capital Hohhot sees few people on its streets.

"The city is empty, and so is my heart," Yang sighed.

"It's safe to stay at home at this tough time, but there must be people in urgent need for public transport," said Yang. "I fight the virus in my own way."

Unlike Yang who chooses to step outside to offer convenience to others, most of his colleagues are trying their luck to earn some cash as the city's taxi fleet with over 10,000 drivers is feeling the pinch of the deadly epidemic.

During the epidemic, taxi drivers earn a daily income of about 60 yuan (about 8.6 U.S. dollars), only one-third of their regular income. Besides, a taxi driver has to pay a daily car rental fee of 85 yuan or so to the taxi company.

"I am the only breadwinner in my home. It's better to go out and earn some money than stay at home and earn nothing," said a taxi driver, who declined to be identified.

Taxi drivers wait for passengers in the parking lot of Hohhot East Railway Station, Feb.14,2020. (Xinhua/Zhao Zehui)

To reduce daily costs, taxi drivers have come up with some clever solutions.

Hospitals, railway stations and airports have more passengers now than at regular times. Instead of driving around the empty city to pick up passengers, Yang and his colleagues directly head for these places to seek opportunities.

"We line up at the designated places such as the parking lot. Normally, when the cab in front of you leaves with passengers, you drive the car forward to wait for the next passengers," said Yang. "But now, we push to move the car forward, which can help save a small amount of oil."

"Turn off the engine and wait," Yang often reminds others.

As the COVID-19 outbreak has dealt a temporary blow to the taxi business, the regional government is on the move to help everyone pull through.

The transportation administration of Hohhot City announced on Feb. 1 it would exempt the city's taxi drivers from half a month's car rent to help them tide over the epidemic. It is also mulling over offering rental exemptions for another half a month when the policy expires.

"The policy is really encouraging to us. It reduces a heavy burden for taxi drivers under such severe circumstances," said Yang.

"Inner peace is the most important lesson I've learned from my 21 years as a taxi driver," said Yang. "Everything will come to an end, including hardship." 
Photo taken on July 21, 2019 from Xiangshan Mountain shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang)

BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson Friday slammed Taiwan politician Yu Shyi-Kun for hyping up "Taiwan independence" and spreading a "political virus" amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said Yu's erroneous remarks advocating "Taiwan independence" have undermined cross-Strait relations and once again exposed the illusion of a tiny number of people on the island to bank on the epidemic to seek independence.

Instead of protecting the lives, safety and common interests of people across the Taiwan Strait, these people are spreading a "political virus," trying to provoke confrontation and impede on the reciprocal care and help between people across the strait, Ma said, adding that they have lost their basic conscience and their deeds are disgraceful.

Stressing that the so-called "Taiwan independence" will only bring disasters to people in the island, Ma said some Taiwan politicians who act against the trend of times and ignore the benefits and safety of Taiwan compatriots are doomed to face a fiasco.
The Kilfenora Ceili Band return to the Watergate Theatre as part of Kilkenny Tradfest 2020 on Saturday, March 14 at 8pm.

With over 100 years in the business and the Kilfenora has gone from strength to strength since their centenary.

From village parties in the early 1900s right down to their current international profile in the new millennium, each new generation slots seamlessly into the groove of its forebears.

The band originated in the late 1800s. At the time, music was an important feature of life in rural Ireland. Kilfenora boasted a fine brass band, which gradually evolved into a dance band.

Its story is the story of Irish music itself. From village parties in the early 1900s to bigger dances in the 1930s, broadcasts in the 40s, commercial recordings in the 50s, foreign tours in the 60s and 70s and the reformation of the band in its current format in the 90s.

In 1909, the first formal engagement of the group was a fund-raiser for the renovation of the local church.

They continued with similar work over the following couple of decades, gradually developing an identity and a profile. As early as the 30s, the band was regularly venturing far beyond the county boundaries for dances.

They did several broadcasts on Irish radio during the 30s and 40s.

Kitty Linnane, the matriarch who steered the group through four decades, was sneaked out of a convent as a teenager for her first appearance with them in 1939.

She became leader in 1954 and was the figurehead until her death in 1992.

The first two decades of her stewardship coincided with the golden age of ceili bands.

During that era, her Kilfenora band dominated the competition circuit.

They were All-Ireland champions three times in a row from 1954 to 1956 and again in 1961.

They performed in almost every county in the Republic and toured Britain on several occasions.

A woman of caution, Kitty resisted all efforts to lure the band to the States. Under her leadership, they issued three albums, now collectors items.

Kitty Linnanes mantle passed in the 90s to John Lynch and under him, the Kilfenora consolidated their position as one of the worlds greatest and longest running trad bands.

Their CD Set on Stone 1997 achieved Platinum status and Live in Lisdoonvarna 2002 was Irish Music Magazines Traditional Album of the Year.

To coincide with the bands centenary in 2009, the band was presented with the IMA Hall of Fame award.

Renowned as one of the worlds most renowned traditional bands, the Kilfenora Ceili Band are constantly finding new ways to bring their age old traditions to new audiences with tours to Glastonbury (headline concerts on their acoustic stage) and concerts in New Yorks prestigious Lincoln Center as well as tours around Ireland and Europe.

Their concert performances and recent recordings, including Now is The Hour (2015) point to a broadening of the perceived boundaries of their genre.

Collaborations with a diverse range of song and dance artists, experimentation with repertoire outside of the dance domain and complex harmonic arrangements speak to an ensemble who are pioneering new and exciting performance contexts for the ceili band genre.

While acknowledging and incorporating the past, the Kilfenora thrives on creativity and innovation.
Abbottabad [Pakistan], Feb 15 (ANI): The first suspected case of the new strain of coronavirus was reported in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, involving a person who had recently returned from China -- the epicentre of the outbreak.



The person, who hails from Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has been put under observation at the Ayub Medical Hospital (AMH) in Abbottabad.

Coronavirus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year. It has since then killed more than 1,500 people in that country alone, while cases have been registered in several countries across the world, including India.

No confirmed case of coronavirus has been reported in Pakistan, through suspected cases have been reported in the past. (ANI)


Baghdad (AFP) - A demonstrator was shot dead near the Iraqi capital's main protest camp by unidentified attackers using a gun silencer, medics said Saturday, as police reported a spate of activist abductions.

Around 550 people have been killed since the anti-government movement erupted in October and around 30,000 more have been wounded, a vast majority of them young demonstrators.

As the movement has dwindled, some hardcore protesters have opted to remain in the streets but they have been subject to ongoing violence.

Late on Friday, unidentified gunmen entered a tent near Baghdad's Tahrir Square and shot a male demonstrator inside with a silenced pistol, a medical source told AFP.

It was unclear why he was targeted.

Another protester who was nearby said he saw a crowd gathering around the tent and yelling before pulling the body out and taking it to a nearby hospital.

The young man was already dead.

Activists have for months complained of a campaign of targeted kidnappings and even assassinations aimed at keeping them from protesting and for which no one has been held accountable.

Between Friday and Saturday, at least three activists were abducted from different neighbourhoods across Baghdad, a police source told AFP.

The Iraqi Human Rights Commission has documented more than 2,700 arrests since protests erupted, with more than 300 people still detained.

More than 70 Iraqis are categorised as disappeared.
Global firms opt out of Berlins largest travel show By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s):

Sri Lankan companies are going ahead with plans to participate at next months, biggest travel fair in Berlin even as participants from a number of other countries appear to have opted out.

The annual International Travel Borse (ITB), the biggest travel fair, is held from March 4-8 in Berlin every year with a large participation from a number of countries from around the world. Sri Lanka too takes part in the event every year.

Head of ITB Berlin David Ruetz had stated on the fairs official website: At present the effects of the coronavirus are very limited. To date two Chinese exhibitors have cancelled. A large number of Chinese stands are run by staff from Germany and Europe and are thus not affected by cancellations. Overall, the percentage of exhibitors from the Peoples Republic of China is low. The safety of our visitors and exhibitors has the utmost priority. We are in permanent contact with the public health authorities and will take all recommended measures as and when they become necessary.

However, foreign media reports state that from a database of 230,000 travel industry readers booked to attend ITB Berlin it had been found that about 37 per cent including four exhibitors had cancelled their participation, 48 per cent were planning to attend and 15 per cent are in a state of wait and see out of which a majority had indicated they want ITB to cancel or postpone the event.

This year too at least 60 Sri Lankan companies, as of Friday, have agreed to participate at the event.

Interestingly a number of other global events in countries outside China have been postponed or cancelled with the latest being the Barcelona Mobile World Congress 2020 to be held at the end of the month over the coronavirus health scare.

In the meantime, Chinese authorities have cancelled their travel fair in Guangzhou in March but no such decisions have been taken regarding the Shanghai travel fair due to take place in April this year.

Hoteliers complain that with the drop in the expected revenue from the large numbers that were scheduled to arrive in the country during the Chinese New Year, the industry is hard hit under the circumstances. Authorities in China banning group travel overseas for their citizens, clearly impacting tourist traffic with Sri Lanka is set to lose its second biggest market, currently at a standstill.

In this respect, Sri Lankan industry analysts point out that they expect a loss of at least US$50 million in revenue for the 9-month period from this month (February) as a result of the drop in traffic from China during this holiday period.

Moreover, a 50 per cent drop in Chinese arrivals is expected for the entire year.

On the other hand, the outbreak of the virus that has caused panic among people globally has caused traffic from other markets to also slowdown with industry sources stating that they are seeing approximately 10 per cent of cancellations from a number of other markets to Sri Lanka as well.

Exports and Imports

In the meantime, tea brokers say that orders for shipments to China already sourced would be processed but that there were no new orders coming to exporters in Sri Lanka.

China is a large consumer of orthodox black teas and other specialty teas with bubble tea and iced tea a favourite among the locals.

However, due to the drop in the number of people moving out of their homes, there has been no demand.

Exporters believe it is still too early to predict the drop in demand for teas. In 2019 Sri Lanka exported 12.9 million kg of Ceylon Tea to China.

On the other hand, the apparel industry is adopting a wait-and-see stance as they hope the Chinese factories  which supply lot of raw material to Sri Lanka  are likely to open next week, Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association Chairman Rehan Lakhany told the Business Times on the sidelines of the groupings AGM on Wednesday.

He noted that while everyone is checking on their own customers this current situation was not something the industry could work out on their own.

Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus and currently under lockdown is also one of the areas from which Sri Lanka sources most of its accessories for the manufacture of its garments.

Inspite of the fact that fabric is also sourced from other countries, Sri Lanka still stands to lose since even one part of the garment may be sourced from China.

Looking at the bright side of things, Mr. Lakhany said the impact would have been much worse if it happened before or after the New Year since then everything would come to a standstill at once. In this respect, under the circumstances everybody knows that they are to wait until the holidays are over!
Netflix's most awaited release Stranger Things is coming back with a season 4 and the makers just dropped the look at the upcoming series. Along with the confirmation that Sherif Hopper is alive, the makers also granted a prison break plotline for the new season.

Stranger Things has been one of the most watch shows in 2019, and the craze for the show has been growing since season one. While no date has been confirmed the new season won't arrive until 2021.

The teaser confirmed what many fans had guessed and were hoping for, Hawkins beloved Sheriff Jim Hopper (David Harbour) is still alive and is currently held in a Russian prison. Other than the teasers, the official twitter account of the show also dropped some more hints about his character and show's plotline.

v special edition of video store friday



- I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

- Papillon

- The Great Escape

- Stalag 17

- The Shawshank Redemption  stranger writers (@strangerwriters) February 14, 2020

The Stranger Things Writers Room twitter account shared a list of films that were discussed during the making of season four, and one thing they all have in common is the lead character breaking out of prison. The tweets highly indicate Jim Hopper will be collaborating with a Russian prison gang and breaking out to head back home.

Secret Codes To Find Your Perfect Valentine's Day Film On Netflix

To All The Boys 2 Movie Review: Noah Centineo And Lana Condor Bring Back The Rom-Com Feels
BURLINGTON  Lewis S. Mills High School teacher Barbara Angelicola-Manzolli was recently invited to attend the 2020 Next Gen Personal Finance Changemaker Summit. NGPF, a financial education non-profit, is hosting the third annual summit in San Francisco, California, from March 13-15.

This invitation is based on Angelicola-Manzolli's "ommitment to improving financial education in her community and providing her students with the Gold Standard in personal finance education.

The Changemaker Summit brings together 91 personal finance educators and administrators from high schools in 28 states who are all working to achieve the Gold Standard in personal finance education in their schools and districts.

As part of Mission: 2030, schools achieving the Gold Standard ensure that all students take a semester-long personal finance class prior to crossing that graduation stage. These schools, through their actions, believe that all students deserve a financial education that will allow them to thrive in their future lives beyond high school.

Reflecting their commitment to teacher professional development, NGPF has underwritten the full cost of the conference, including hotel accommodations for all attendees. Attendees will receive a certificate for 22 contact hours of professional development.

Over the weekend, Angelicola-Manzolli and other teachers will attend sessions to provide educators with new resources and ideas on how to engage students; teacher-led sessions and panels to showcase the progress of increasing access to personal finance education nationwide and to support educators as they advocate for an increase in personal finance education in their community; and be given opportunities for teachers to collaborate during multiple sessions, social activities and meals throughout the weekend

We are extremely excited about the opportunity to host such a talented and passionate group of educators for our 3rd Annual Changemaker Summit, said Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of Next Gen Personal Finance. While 90 percent of students and parents believe that personal finance should be taught in high school, only 16 percent currently get it. This inspiring group of Changemakers will close that gap.
90 Day Fiance star Anfisa Nava has undergone an incredible fitness journey since her appearance on the hit TLC show. After her marriage to Jorge Nava on the show, Jorge Nava was put behind bars for possession of drugs and intent to sell. Since then Anfisa Nava has become a bodybuilder, gaining an impressive degree of strength through dedication and hard work. Now, fans are wondering if Anfisa Nava and Jorge Nava are making things work. A recent Instagram post suggests Nava may have a new man, however.

Anfisa Navas dating profile, or a catfish?

Anfisa Nava and Jorge Nava on their season of 90 Day Fiance | TLC UK via YouTube

Anfisa Nava was previously supposedly spotted on the dating app, Bumble. However, it remains unclear whether or not it was a real profile, or if it was simply a catfish created utilizing Anfisa Navas information.

Instagram account 187anonymousgossip uploaded a photo captured from Bumble, where a fan of 90 Day Fiance allegedly matched with Nava. The account captioned it, Either this is a catfish or Anfisa is on Bumble. Decide for yourselves.

The profile name is Anna rather than Anfisa. However, as Soap Dirt explained in their report, Bumble doesnt feature a function that allows users to change their location for a period of time. The publication explained, So the person that created the profile had to either be in Irvine California (close to Anfisa) or have the tech skills to spoof their geo location on their phone.

Additionally, Soap Dirt noted that the image used on the Bumble account seems larger and features more details than the picture it could have been taken from  Anfisa Navas previous profile picture on Twitter. This could be an indication that its a legitimate account, though it remains unclear at this point.

One user commented on Instagram, Its a catfishAnfisa doesnt drinkshe never has, not a day in her life.

Another added, I think it could possibly be her, Ive seen her around Irvine two times.

Does Anfisa Nava have a new man?

Since the supposed Bumble account has been discovered, there have been new possible developments. Instagram account fraudedbytlc recently added a picture of Anfisa Nava hanging on a mans shoulder  and it wasnt Jorge Nava.

The caption alongside the photo does jump to conclusions, however. It reads, Anfisa stepping out with a new man and no ring! Her new man, Leo, used to manage a gentlemans club in LA but appears he no longer does. It is as of yet unclear as to how long this has been going on and what this means for her relationship with Jorge, set to be released from jail later this year.

While it is true that the 90 Day Fiance star isnt wearing her wedding ring in the photo, that doesnt mean shes dating the man shes pictured with. Its a big leap to make the assumption that this is a new boyfriend based on a single photo.

Fans react to the 90 Day Fiance rumor

Fans of 90 Day Fiance arent entirely sold on the idea that this image proves anything either. One Instagram user commented, How does this ONE picture Mean she moved on!? How does this ONE picture mean that she isnt loyal???! How does this one picture mean this is her new man!? Why do we assume the worse?? I take a picture with man and now Im screwing him?? Hes my new love interest cause I hung out with him or took pictures with him!?

Another user commented, This doesnt look overly affectionate and I follow her and this is the first Ive seen so Im not sure Im on board with this assumption. She could have moved on but Ill wait for her to post about her life before I believe any of it.

A Reddit user said of the photo and caption, Eh I dont know. I have a feeling this is fake but if it were real I wouldnt blame her. Jorge brought her here under false pretenses, kept lying, and then left her alone in the States after going to prison for doing something dumb.

While this single photo doesnt prove anything, the Instagram account that posted it has replied to comments saying that the man in the photo contacted them with info about his relationship to Anfisa Nava. Perhaps there will be more developments in the future, but it should always be noted that a single picture with a bombastic caption isnt proof.
Vital Strategies announced a new round of projects in a $10 million dollar commitment to Michigan to strengthen the state's ability to respond to the crisis of overdose. This effort is at the forefront of a national trend to adopt health-focused, harm reduction strategies and move away from punitive responses to substance use. It is part of a three-year, $50 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies to help hard-hit states reduce overdose deaths.

Funding and technical assistance will go to a variety of statewide and local efforts in Michigan, including harm reduction organizations, professional and community groups, government agencies, and hard-hit communities. These upcoming projects will:

 Expand access to methadone and buprenorphine in state prisons;

 Distribute naloxone to rural and urban counties throughout the state;

 Expand syringe service programs and engage people who use drugs through community building and training;

 Increase data capacity to drive local overdose responses;

 Create media and communication campaigns to address racial disparities, reduce stigma and criminalization, and increase support for harm reduction services such as methadone and buprenorphine, naloxone, and syringe access services.

Nationally, overdose has become the leading killer of adults between ages 18 and 50, taking more than 67,000 lives in 2018. Michigan is one of the hardest-hit states in the overdose epidemic, with 2,599 lives lost in 2018.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her administration have worked closely with Vital Strategies across the state in identifying effective responses to the overdose crisis.

"The opioid crisis is hurting families from Downtown Detroit all the way to the Upper Peninsula, which is why last month, I announced a statewide goal for the State of Michigan to reduce the number of opioid deaths by 50% in five years," said Governor Whitmer. anthropies started supporting overdose prevention work in Michigan in 2019.

"The overdose crisis is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time," said Dr. Kelly Henning, head of Bloomberg Philanthropies' public health programs. "We are proud to support Michigan to help implement the best, evidence-based strategies to address the opioid epidemic. By supporting promising interventions and scaling them up as rapidly as possible, we will save lives and provide resources to affected communities to help them address this epidemic head on."

Vital Strategies, with support from other partners, is leading the implementation of the initiative in Michigan. This effort builds on work already underway in Pennsylvania, the initiative's other focus state, which announced its first round of funding in July 2019. The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health is a partner in this initiative and will help evaluate the implementation and impact of overdose prevention projects.
Opelika residents ages 18 and up interested in police work can register for the citys annual Citizens Police Academy.

The eight-week course will take residents through officer training regimens, responsibilities of the various divisions and learning about the dangers OPD officers face on a regular basis.

Participants will also get a hands-on experience of life on the force through conducting mock traffic stops and crime-scene investigations and even interacting with K-9 officers and their handlers.

It gives them a much more realistic idea of what police work really involves, Lt. Ben Blackburn said. Participants in the Citizens Police Academy range from college students, local businesspeople to retirees.

Classes start April 2, will be on Thursday nights and feature guest speakers from each division of the Police Department discussing their experience.

To request an application for the Citizens Police Academy, email Blackburn at OPDjobs@opelika-al.gov with CPA in the subject line. Blackburn will reply with an application and will accept completed forms until 5 p.m. March 9.

Class sizes for the Citizens Police Academy are limited to 20 participants, so those interested in enrolling are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible.
EUGENE, Ore.-- There were more than 64,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide with another case confirmed in the United States on Friday. Though no cases of coronavirus have been reported in the State of Oregon, the disease is causing ripples impacting the Eugene area.

Area businesses keep an eye on supply chains

Many in China's workforce are quarantined as coronavirus spreads. With many factories at a standstill, area manufacturers and retailers are keeping an eye on their supply of Chinese goods.

According to Eric Nill, his solar panel installation business, Advanced Energy Systems, could eventually be impacted.

"We aren't being picked on as an individual business, so we gotta roll with the market we are confronting, but it may cause an incremental bump in pricing," he said.

According to Nill, China is responsible for the production of half of the world's solar panels. Additionally, many solar panel components come from Chinese factories, meaning that slowed production could eventually lead to scarcity and rising prices.

"There's probably a six-month buffer before it gets real tight, but if this disease issue goes on longer than a month or two it could really be compressing that demand," he said.

Nill thinks it's still unclear if consumers or businesses could absorb potentially rising costs.

Oregon-based sportswear giant Nike Inc. is facing different coronavirus-related issues as they temporarily close nearly half of it's Chinese retail stores in response to the virus.

Families put a hold on China-based adoptions

As Chinese authorities attempt to control the spread of coronavirus, Eugene-based child welfare agency Holt International has delayed adoption trips to the country.

About 10 families had tickets to go to China to meet the newest members of their family when the hold was put in place. One family was from Oregon.

"I talked with a mother yesterday who said, 'Two days ago I would be on the plane and today I would be holding my son for the first time," said Susan Soon-Keum Cox. "They are extremely comforted by the fact that the children are OK."

She said the agency is working closely with Chinese orphanages to ensure that all of the children are insulated from the disease. They have also launched a crowdfunding campaign to assist with supplies for the facilities.

"The thing we can do on our side is to make sure that the families are supported and that we are doing everything we can to make sure that they know that when they can, they will be going over to bring their sons and daughters home," Cox said.

Asain community says coronavirus fuels xenophobia

Preparation for the 35th annual Asian Celebration this weekend comes at a time when organizers say many in the Asian community are witnessing growing xenophobia as a result of coronavirus.

Asian Celebration director David Tam said that he was recently on a plane wearing a facemask when he noticed people staring worriedly.

"Just because you are Asian and have a cough doesn't mean that you are sick," he said. "A lot of people have influenza. It could be as simple as that. But just to assume because of the color of their skin or the way they look, that's quite unfortunate."

Tam also said the community has witnessed hateful speech online and comments at Asian-owned businesses.

Around 15,000 people are expected to come to the celebration over the weekend. Tam said he would not be surprised if some misinformed people avoid the event out of fear of the disease.

"It is a serious issue," Tam said. "Coronavirus is a serious topic and we respect everyone's opinion on it. But the fact of the matter is that it affects anybody and everybody and it's not just Asian people in general."
What a difference a few days can make. The last weekend has seen a sea-change in Irish politics the like of which hasn't been seen in generations.

Long the pariahs of politics, Sinn Fein now find themselves with the keys to the kingdom and hold the balance of power in the Dail. The old order has been overturned and the country has woken to a new order following Mary Lou McDonald and her party's stunning General Election victory.

The sheer scale of Sinn Fein's triumph at the polls is astonishing and it has taken everyone - including Sinn Fein - by surprise. The Sinn Fein tsunami makes Labour's famed 'Spring Tide' of 1992 look like a minor flood and it will be some time before political analysts can work out exactly what happened and why.

The one thing we do know is that both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail completely underestimated Sinn Fein and misread public mood.

The public was clearly crying out for change and that anti establishment mood was expressed in an electoral primal scream on Saturday. Four years later Ireland looks to have had its own 'Trump/Brexit' moment and, as was the case in the UK and the US, nothing will be the same again.

In the wake of Trump's election and the Brexit vote, commentators struggled to explain why voters rejected the status quo. Why, many wondered, with everything going so well would voters want change.

The answer is simple, for many people things aren't going well at all. We are constantly sold the dream of sipping chai lattes and eating avocado breakfasts in salubrious, multi-million Euro homes and a shopping trips to New York.

The Tiger was back we've been told but for many the reality is very different from the peddled dream.

In recent years the average person has found themselves asking why they are working every hour God sends for a US multinational just to pay the rent on a bedsit the size of a doghouse?

Why they never see their family because they spend every spare minute commuting to a job they hate and that pays a pittance?

Or why their ailing grandmother spent the last 72 hours on a hospital trolley? Why our streets and hotels are filled with homeless people and families? Why governments seem happy to waste billions of taxpayers money while they can barely afford dinner?

Or why, in the midst of a supposed great recovery, their friends and loved ones are still living on the other side of the world and may never come home. Who wouldn't want change?

That Fianna Fail and Fine Gael couldn't grasp this reveals a startling disconnect with the day to day lives of the average voter.

Complacency in the establishment parties opened the door for Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn Fein and they have responded by kicking in the doors down altogether.

Back in 1981 Danny Morrison told the Sinn Fein ard fheis that the party could take power with an armalite in one hand, a ballot paper in the other. On Saturday they proved they no longer need the armalite at all. When used correctly, public anger can be just as lethal to a government's health.

Micheal Martin and Leo Varadkar now both face a difficult decision. The people have spoke and they must listen.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is supporting the Department of State-led mission to repatriate U.S. citizens who want to return to the United States from Japan, currently aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. HHS is committed to protecting the health and safety of all Americans. To fulfill our responsibilities to U.S. citizens, as well as to reduce the burden on the Japanese healthcare system, the U.S. government recommends that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring. These measures are consistent with the careful policies we have instituted to limit the potential spread of the disease.

There are approximately 400 U.S. citizens onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Due to the dynamic nature of the outbreak, the U.S. government recommends that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States. Americans returned by flights chartered by the State Department will be subject to a 14-day, federal quarantine and be housed at two existing federal quarantine sites for repatriated travelers:

Travis Air Force Base in California

Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas

Those passengers returning from Japan will be housed separately from individuals already in quarantine from previous Wuhan repatriation flights. All travelers from Japan will be screened before boarding the State Department-chartered aircraft to prevent symptomatic travelers from departing Japan. These planes will be met by a team of U.S. Government personnel deployed there to assess the health of the passengers. The passengers will be screened before leaving the ship and monitored and evaluated by medical and public health personnel every step of the way, including before takeoff, during the flight, and after arrival. U.S. Government staff will conduct risk assessments to ensure the health of each traveler, including temperature checks and observation for respiratory symptoms.

Travelers will be monitored during the flight to Travis Air Force Base where all travelers will be screened again. Any passengers taken onward to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland will be monitored during that flight as well and screened upon arrival in Texas.

This is an evolving situation and every day we learn more about this virus. We continue to believe the risk of exposure to novel coronavirus 2019 to the general public is currently low. The U.S. Government is taking these measures to fully assess and care for these repatriated Americans to protect them, their loved ones, and their communities. We are deeply grateful to the government of Japan for their extraordinary care and hospitality and their assistance facilitating the care and return of our citizens.

For the latest information on the outbreak, visit CDCs Novel Coronavirus 2019 website.
Microsoft this week threw a wrench into the workings of its long-touted Windows 7 post-retirement support, telling IT administrators that there was a brand new prerequisite that must be installed before they can download the patches they'd already paid for.

The last-minute requirement was titled "Extended Security Updates Licensing Preparation Package" and identified as KB4538483 in Microsoft's numerical format.

The licensing prep package can be downloaded manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog. It should also appear in WSUS (Windows Server Update Services), the patch management platform used by many commercial customers. It will not, however, be automatically delivered through the Windows Update service, which some very small businesses rely on to provide them necessary patches.

Cumbersome might be a word for the process of handling the new requirement. "So we have to deploy the license prep package, reboot, rescan for updates, install the new updates and reboot again?" asked someone identified only as Eric on Twitter. (He claimed he was an administrator for more than 15,000 Windows clients in Cincinnati.)

"That is correct," replied the Windows Update Twitter account.

Failing to deploy KB4538483 means that PCs running Windows 7 - and which had been prepped to receive the first post-retirement Extended Security Updates (ESU) released Tuesday, Feb. 11 - would not get the security updates.

Prior to this week, Microsoft had said nothing of the last-second requirement, although the company had been loquacious during the run up to ESU's debut this month. Microsoft had spelled out instructions for acquiring ESU and readying Windows 7 systems for the patches arrival. Even as KB4538483 hit the Update Catalog and Microsoft revised its step-by-steps - including here and here - notification of the new prerequisite was extremely low key.

No wonder KB4538483 caught admins by surprise.

"For small businesses this was very disruptive," said Susan Bradley, a computer network and security consultant, the moderator of the PatchMangement.org mailing list and the contributor known as "The Patch Lady" to the AskWoody.com Windows tip site. Bradley had actively investigated how small businesses could acquire ESUs in the months before the program's launch.

"I had to personally assist several of my clients in purchasing these keys, thought they were all set and had to reach out to them, remote into their computers and install this last minute update knowing that they wouldn't know how to get this patch, nor exactly how to install it since they normally do not go to the Microsoft catalog site," she said.

Bradley, like anyone outside Microsoft, had no idea why the Redmond, Wash. company sprung the surprise on ESU customers. "It didn't act like a normal servicing patch," she observed. After investigating further, Bradley speculated that KB4538483 was "licensing related."

Sort of.

Computerworld asked Microsoft to explain KB4538483, posing questions including, "Why was KB4538483 suddenly necessary?" and "Did Microsoft overlook something prior?"

"The Extended Security Updates (ESU) License Preparation Packages (KB 4538483 & KB4538484) address activation experience requirements identified during our testing and evaluation with a large population of preview customers," Microsoft said, answering-and-not-answering the queries, a common occurrence. "We introduced the ESU License Preparation Packages at launch on February 11, 2020, to provide a consistent user experience going forward, minimum number of package installations and minimize overall customer disruption."

More disruption now so there would be less disruption later? Okay.

"The idea behind paid-for security patches is to make it easier to be patched while you are still running Windows 7, not make it harder to get updates," Bradley told Woody Leonard, a columnist for Computerworld and the head of AskWoody.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 08:46:13|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writers Wu Shuguang and Lyu Qiuping

JINAN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- At the command of his handler, Youxian sniffs around a gas pipe, keeps woofing at his handler and refuses to budge. That means he has detected gas.

Youxian, meaning priority, is an 18-month-old German shepherd. He is the first sniffer dog specialized in gas leak detection in east China's Shandong Province.

Introduced by the Jihua Gas company in the provincial capital of Jinan, the puppy started working in mid-November, when the city's heating season began. With his super-sensitive nose, he has detected four gas leaks so far.

"The leakage point can be spotted even if the pipeline is buried underground," said Liu Chengwei, senior manager of the company.

Liu said the company hired a team composed of a senior gas technician, three technicians and a dog handler for Youxian to detect leakage points along its 2,800-km pipeline.

If a pipe section in a certain area becomes old or has leaked before, it will be classified as a high-risk area, in which Youxian will be working to spot possible leaks for maintenance.

"We have to get it done as quickly as possible to root out the risk of a blast, and also prevent extended suspensions of gas supply," Liu said, considering residents will freeze if their gas-fired heater shuts off.

Natural gas is colorless and odorless, but detector dogs can sniff it out because they have a supernatural sense of smell for tetrahydrothiophene, a chemical that has been added to the natural gas to serve as an alert for leaks.

Liu said gas leak detection was time-consuming and costly before the company welcomed Youxian.

"The technicians had to use a laser methane detector along the entire pipeline. Now with Youxian, they can pinpoint the leakage in a fast, accurate and cost-efficient manner," he said.

Dog handler Wang Yongwei has been with Youxian since the puppy was trained in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province.

According to Wang, Youxian likes playing with all kinds of balls in his leisure time, and in addition to dog food, he enjoys beef and chicken.

Now that the residential communities have been locked down in Jinan amid the spread of the novel coronavirus, Wang and the dog are asked to stand by. Only in an emergency will they set out for a mission.

For the dog's health, Wang disinfects the kennel with alcohol every day.

Youxian will return to Xiamen for training when the heating season is over, and hopefully, come back to Jinan for long-term service, according to Liu.
Seventeen people, out of a large number of passengers who had arrived in Delhi from China and other coronavirus-affected countries before the screening at the airport began around mid-January, have been found symptomatic for the infection and hospitalised, officials said.

Delhi health department officials have traced many of such passengers. According to data shared by the Delhi health department, till February 13, over 5,700 such passengers were approached after being informed by the Delhi airport authorities. "As many as 4,707 passengers were found asymptomatic and advised for home isolation (self-quarantined). Seventeen patients were found symptomatic and hospitalised," a senior official of the Delhi health department said.

The number of passengers, who remain untraced stands at 817, the official said, quoting the data collated by the health department. The number of passengers pending surveillance stands at 68, according to the data. Passengers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore are being screened for possible exposure to the respiratory virus at 21 identified airports in the country, including Delhi airport, from January 17. In Delhi, of the 4,705 passengers found asymptomatic, a maximum of 1,249 of those were residents of West Delhi district, while 1,073 people lived in Central Delhi.

The Delhi government has already set up a centralised control room at DGHS (HQ) and such centres also in the 11 districts. "Anyone, who gets flu-like symptoms should immediately contact the nearest control room," the official said. "Efforts are on to trace the passengers from Delhi who travelled on or after January 15 to China and other countries, and returned to Delhi before the airport screening process began," he said.

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus epidemic has climbed to 1,523 with 143 new fatalities reported mostly from the worst-affected Hubei province while the confirmed cases jumped to over 66,000, health officials said on Saturday.,India has so far reported three confirmed cases of the virus, all in Kerala.

One of the three medical students, who had tested positive for novel coronavirus infection and were treated at a hospital in Kerala, has been discharged after recovery, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said on Thursday. About the other two, he said subsequent tests indicated significant reduction in "viral load". The health ministry has asked people to refrain from travelling to China in view of the coronavirus outbreak and said travellers on return could be quarantined.
In a bid to attract investment and industries to Jammu and Kashmir, the Union territory administration has come up with a plan to send 54 of its top officers to conduct roadshows across the country from February 17.

Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam chaired the second apex committee meeting on Friday to review the preparations for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Global Investors Summit 2020, to be held in the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu.

In the run-up to the mega event, roadshows were scheduled from February 17 onwards in major cities across the country, a senior officer said, adding that each roadshow will focus on showcasing specific sectors for seeking investment in Jammu and Kashmir.

The roadshows will be held in Bengaluru and Kolkata on February 17, in Mumbai on February 21, in Hyderabad on March 2, in Chennai on March 5 and in Ahmedabad on March 9, officials said.

Fifty-four senior officers and dignitaries will preside over the pre-event functions slated during the roadshows, they added.

International roadshows were also being planned to attract foreign investment, the officials said.

Besides, mini conclaves will be held in Srinagar and Jammu in March, they added. Signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the interested investors will also form a part of the roadshows and the main summit, the officials said.

Reviewing the preparations of various pre-event activities, the chief secretary laid emphasis on ensuring the participation of major industry players for an enhanced awareness among investors to project Jammu and Kashmir as an investment-friendly region.

It was decided that the Media and Publicity Committee will finalise the media plan and share it with the Industries department for its implementation.

Nodal officers from each department shall be nominated for dissemination of information on the focus sectors.

The chief secretary expressed optimism that the summit will prove to be a gala event.

The summit will not only help present business-friendly policies of the government, identify business opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir to the participating trade and industry organisations, but also harmonise Jammu and Kashmirs intrinsic strength and aspirations of development and employment opportunities, he said.

The chief secretary asked all the administrative secretaries concerned to re-double their efforts to prepare investment-friendly sectoral polices within a week.

He also stressed on the need to synergise the roles and responsibilities of the administrative secretaries, heads of departments and other officers to encourage one-on-one interaction with potential investors in their respective departments and areas so as to make the summit productive and outcome oriented.

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Better Angels workshops in La Crosse to promote civil discourse between conservatives, liberals

While the nation has always experienced political divide, tensions, vitriol and uproar spiked after the 2016 presidential election, leaving citizens unsettled and less than civil to those on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Nearly four years later, the red-blue disconnect is as blatant as ever, but an organization called Better Angels is hoping to be part of solution, gathering Republicans and Democrats at workshops across the country for imperturbable, constructive conversation.

The intent is not to sway views on key issues but to better understand each other and how ones values and experiences inform their political philosophies. Most importantly, the goal is to recognize our common humanity.

Swallow

Wolf

Hosted by Great Rivers United Way, Better Angels will facilitate two free civil discourse workshops in La Crosse, with Depolarizing Within offered from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at English Lutheran Church, 1509 King St., and a skills training from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, at the Lunda Center, Western Technical College, 319 Seventh St. N.

United Way is known for connecting people and resources to bring about positive change, said Mary Kay Wolf, Great Rivers United Way executive director. Especially when we look at issues such as homelessness, substance abuse and mental health, we want people to focus on what unites them, not what divides them.

Vergeront

Depolarizing Within, led by Better Angels Wisconsin state coordinator Cameron Swallow, will help participants recognize ways they may be unwittingly contributing to polarization when speaking with those who share their views, and offer tips on thinking and expressing critically without being dismissive, stereotyping or demonizing specific groups.

We will (teach) practical techniques for when you find yourself being lit up  how to step back and get your blood pressure down and the temperature down in the discussion and take it into productive territory, Swallow says.

The skills training will be conducted by Better Angels Wisconsin co-director Susan Vergeront and will teach participants how to engage in non-polarizing discussions with those who disagree with them politically, as well as offer an opportunity to practice the skills onsite.

We want to see all citizens invested in the political process, says Mary Nugent, president of the League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area. These workshops offer an opportunity for people of any political persuasion to think about the issues that matter to them and to have the skills to talk about them in a constructive manner.

Better Angels was founded shortly after the 2016 election, when Institute for American Values founder David Blankenhorn, living in New York, called Ohio-based friend and research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies David Lapp, hoping to gather a mix of Trump and Clinton supporters for a weekend of discussion.

The meeting was a success, and the group went on to train moderators across the country to hold Better Angels workshops, named for the line in Abraham Lincolns inaugural speech about appealing to the better angels of our nature.

Among the organizations and individuals eager to bring Better Angels to the Coulee Region were LeaderEthics Wisconsin, political analyst Joe Heim, UW-L political science assistant professor Anthony Chergosky, English Lutheran Church, Western Technical College and the League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area.

In a release for the workshops, organizers refer to a spring 2019 poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC, in which 57% of respondents agreed that social media sites do more to divide the country, and approximately a quarter of them had blocked someone on social media because of their political opinions. A fall 2019 poll from Pew Research found 81% of Republicans and Democrats find those belonging to the other party equally unfavorable.

Civil discourse has always been important and always been needed, but certainly its reached a crisis point, says Swallow, herself a blue raised by red.

Though liberal, Swallow leads Better Angels workshops from a neutral stance, as does Vergeront, a conservative. The goal is building bridges, Swallow says, and re-humanizing each other.

Most Better Angels attendees, Swallow notes, come ready to accept the premise of the workshops, but, thats doesnt mean everyone comes in arms open and ready for kumbaya and a hug.

Some people leave thrilled with a new technique, and some people leave nodding slowly, rubbing their chins and saying, Im not sure Im ready to try this yet, Swallow says.

Swallow admits the quest for political civility seems slow and arduous, but she fully believes face-to-face interaction is the most effective path.

Were not trying to change peoples minds about the issues, she says, referencing the Better Angels motto. Were trying to change peoples minds about each other.

To register for one or both Better Angels workshop, visit www.gruw.org/angels.
Fort Bend ISD trustees discussed adopting new rules and procedures for public comment during board meetings and workshops at an agenda review workshop on Monday, Feb. 10.

According to trustee Grayle James, some of the proposed changes are needed to comply with a new state law.

What the new law says

House Bill 2840, put forward Representative Terry Canales (D - Edinburg) and established as law on September 1, 2019, allows people the right to speak about agenda items either at the beginning of the meeting or during the meeting when the agenda item is being considered by board members. State law does allow now school boards to adopt reasonable rules that limit the publics right to speak at an open meeting, such as having time limits for each persons comments. But, the new law stipulates that school boards and other governmental bodies cant limit comments to block public criticism of the governmental body, including criticism of any act, omission, policy, procedure, program, or service. The law doesnt specifically state if speakers are allowed to criticize trustees or elected officials. But according to information provided by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), districts are advised to consult with their lawyer before developing any policy that prohibits a person from speaking during public comment under the current state law.

On HoustonChronicle.com: You'd never know 95 people were buried here, critics blame Fort Bend ISD

In the past, school boards and city councils often limited the number of people who could speak on a topic. For example, if a dozen people signed up to speak about the same issue, it was a common practice to require the people who signed up to speak to pick a leader to speak for them, or allow only three people from the group to comment. Under the new law, school boards must now allow every person who follows the established guidelines the opportunity to speak during public comment. School boards may limit public comment to items on the agenda. The new law doesnt require that limitation, but its an option some governmental bodies prefer in the interest of saving time and avoiding conflict.

Related: Shortened break means less summer for Fort Bend ISD teachers

According to TASB officials, school districts werent required to immediately amend their local policies to adapt to state law. However, it was advised that districts follow the guidelines set down by the new law regardless of when trustees voted to update their policies.

Fort Bend ISDs proposed new policies

One aspect of the proposed policy that drew questions involved changing the process from a simple show up and sign in procedure to requiring people to submite a request to speak form electronically or in-person at least 30 minutes before the meeting. According to agenda documents, administrators would review and approve each request before providing written notification from district officials speakers had been approved to participate in public comments. It was mentioned that some trustees and members of the governance committee met previously to consider the proposed changes. Trustee Addie Heyliger, who attended the governance meeting, asked why people needed to submit a request to speak 30 minutes before the meeting.

Maybe now that I hear it out loud and in a different setting, it has a different context to me and Im not sure I agree with it, she said.

Administrators explained if there were 20 to 30 people who wanted to speak, administrators needed time to process the forms. The proposed new policy guidelines would limit comments to agenda items during non-regular meetings. But people could speak about general concerns during regular meetings.

Related: Witch hunt? Truancy case lawyers allege Fort Bend ISDs demand for legal fees politically motivated

A new procedure was proposed for people who came to voice complaints during public comment. According to agenda documents: The presiding officer or designee shall determine whether an individual addressing the Board has attempted to solve a matter administratively through resolution procedures established by policy. If not, the individual shall be referred to the appropriate policy to seek resolution.

Did the policy suggest people who had complaints and were referred to district personnel before they were approved to speak during public comment would be turned away from speaking during the meeting? District officials said no and trustees were told administrators hoped to have the opportunity to talk with people with complaints beforehand with the goal of resolving issues before the meeting. Administrators said no one who requested to speak and followed the policy guidelines would not be approved to participate in public comment.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Civil rights probe shows Fort Bend ISD disproportionately disciplined black students

Trustees took no action. The new procedures and board policies will be brought before the board for final approval at the upcoming Feb. 24 regular school board meeting.

knix@hcnonline.com
A police officer who was transporting the 6-year-old Florida girl who was forced to go to a mental health facility after an incident at school is heard calling her "pleasant" on body camera footage. She also openly questions why the girl is being taken away.

Nadia King was removed from school under the Baker Act, a law allowing authorities to force a psychiatric evaluation on anyone considered to be a danger to themselves or others. According to a sheriff's report, a social worker who responded to the incident at Love Grove Elementary School in Jacksonville said Nadia was "destroying school property" and "attacking staff."

But, the police body camera video shows a Duval County sheriff's deputy leading a seemingly calm Nadia out of school on February 4. Nadia is heard asking the officer, "Am I going to jail?"

"No, you're not going to jail," the officer says.

Inside the police car, Nadia asks the officer if she has snacks. "No, I don't have any snacks. I wish I did. I'm sorry," the officer says.

The deputy is also heard talking to another officer about Nadia's behavior while she is in custody.

"She's been actually very pleasant. Right? Very pleasant," the officer says.

"I think it's more of them just not knowing how to deal with it," the other officer says.

At one point, it appears Nadia, who has ADHD and a mood disorder, did not understand where she was going.

"It's a field trip?" she asks.

"Well I call it a field trip, anything away from school is a field trip, right?" an officer replies.

Nadia was held in a mental health facility, away from her mother, for 48 hours. Her mother, Martina Falk, broke down while watching the body camera video.

"I can't comment," she said.

Falk's attorney, Reganel Reeves, said, "She's mortified. She's horrified. Angry." They argue Nadia should have never been taken to the mental health center.

Story continues

"If you can't deal with a 50-pound child, 6-year-old, then you shouldn't be in education," Reeves said.

Officials with Duval County Public Schools said student privacy laws prevent them from discussing details of the case. They said in a statement that an initial review showed the school's handing was "compliant both with law and the best interest of this student and all other students at the school."

The family now plans to file a lawsuit.

"She's going on a field trip to hell. That's where she was going, and her life has forever changed," Reeves said.

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By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A war of words broke out between the Opposition and the government on Friday as the nation paid tributes to the 40 CRPF personnel killed in a terror attack in Pulwama a year ago. While PM Narendra Modi said India will never forget their martyrdom, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised questions on the real beneficiary of the terror attack and the status of inquiry into it.

PM Modi tweeted: Tributes to the brave martyrs who lost their lives in the gruesome Pulwama attack last year. They were exceptional individuals who devoted their lives to serving and protecting our nation. India will never forget their martyrdom.

However, an unseemly controversy erupted when Rahul Gandhi tweeted, Today as we remember our 40 CRPF martyrs in the #PulwamaAttack, let us ask: 1. Who benefitted the most from the attack? 2. What is the outcome of the inquiry into the attack? 3. Who in the BJP Govt has yet been held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the attack?

The BJP responded sharply. Shame on you, said its spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao. When nation is paying homage to martyrs of dastardly Pulwama attack, @RahulGandhi, a known sympathizer of LeT & Jaish-e-Mohammad, chooses to target not just the government but security forces as well. Rahul will never question real culprit, Pakistan..., Rao said on Twitter.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted to join the issue, asking: Where is the inquiry report one year on after the terror attack? Who has been held accountable for the loss of so many lives and the massive intelligence failure?

In another tweet he said, Modi and the BJP directly asked for votes in the name of the martyrs. What has been done for the survivors and the families of those who laid down their lives for the nation?

CPI-M leader Mohd Salim said. We dont need a memorial to remind us of our incompetence. The only thing we need to know is how 80kg of RDX got past the international borders to the most militarised zone on earth & exploded in Pulwama.

Perpetrators dead, probe hits deadend

The probe into the terror strike that left 40 CRPF men dead has virtually reached a deadend with five persons, who were either conspirators or executers of the ghastly attack, being eliminated by security forces in encounters. But the case threw unique challenges for the NIA. It was a blind case for us. There were lot of murmurs but everything needs to be established beyond doubt in the court of law, a senior official said in Srinagar. The first challenge was to establish the owner of the car used by suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar. There was nothing available from the vehicle which carried a cocktail of explosives, the official said. The last owner of the car, Sajjad Bhat of Anantnag, was killed in an encounter in June last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 13:03:41|Editor: huaxia

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Pakistani Abdul Zahir Hamad (L) helps his wife Mauritian Hosany Sumayyah put on the glove before getting into work at a novel coronavirus prevention-and-control checkpoint of an expressway exit in Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 8, 2020. Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the couple have been serving as volunteers in Wenzhou. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Senait Petros Tekeste, head of a Shanghai-based non-profit organization, initiate the "Love letter to China" project for cheering up Chinese people at this unpleasant time.

SHANGHAI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Despite the ongoing epidemic, Chinese people still celebrated Valentine's Day with support from foreigners in Shanghai who wrote "love letters" to cheer up Chinese people in their anti-epidemic efforts.

The "Love letter to China" project, initiated by Senait Petros Tekeste, head of a Shanghai-based non-profit organization, calls on foreigners living in the city to write online letters to show support to Chinese people at this unpleasant hour.

After the coronavirus outbreak, Tekeste and her family chose to stay in China. They settled down in Shanghai in 2017. Tekeste said they trust the local government's anti-epidemic prevention and control efforts.

Workers from Tekeste's community office have taken on the responsibility of caring for households amid the epidemic. Bilingual brochures containing information about medical supplies and the virus have been sent to nearly 2,000 foreign families from more than 60 countries and regions.

Tekeste said she missed the bustling streets and the crowded city, though she believes "things will definitely get better."

One day, an idea hit her that she should call upon foreigners in the city to show their support to front-line medical workers and ordinary Chinese people.

The love letter project began with the first one written by Tekeste herself, followed by dozens of foreigners including both employees and students in Shanghai.

Pang Zhen (R) and Chen Meiru, a married couple, help each other to check goggles before entering a contaminated area in a hospital in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 13, 2020. "We're family after work and comrades in the battle against the epidemic. We will strive to win the battle," said Pang Zhen. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

"We witnessed how China and her people overcame SARS and we have no doubt it will be just the same with the coronavirus," said Carrie Jones. She and her husband Dewayne Jones came to the city in 2002 after graduation.

Nelda Carpenter, mother of Carrie Jones, who has visited Shanghai before, also wrote a love letter, recalling her wonderful experience in Shanghai.

"The idea of such loving and welcoming Chinese people facing this terrible virus makes me so sad. Know that you are being sent love and well wishes that the virus is soon eradicated," said Nelda Carpenter, Carrie's mother who also wrote a letter.

Yvonne Chen, a high school student at Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School, wrote that "Shanghai to me is not only my hometown but also my everything."

The popularity of the project was beyond Tekeste's expectations. More and more foreigners uploaded their love letters online.

Tekeste expects to continue the project and encourages foreigners across China to write more letters.

"China's efforts to contain the virus have been absolutely outstanding, especially when it started before the travel rush of Spring Festival," said Vladimiro Viola, Tekeste's husband.

"Now our roots are in Shanghai, this is our home away from home," Tekeste added. 
Los Angeles, Feb 15 : Steven Spielberg's son Sawyer has made his lead movie debut in new horror film titled "Honeydew".

"Honeydew" will be presented to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin, Germany next week. The film comes from director Devereux Milburn and producers Dan Kennedy and Alan Pierson.

Also starring Malin Barr and Barbara Kingsley, "Honeydew" is described as a "feverish horror" set in New England, where strange cravings and hallucinations befall a young couple after seeking shelter in the home of an aging farmer and her peculiar son, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

"We are thrilled to introduce Devereux Milburn's vision to the market at this year's EFM... With shades of De Palma's frenetic editing and sound design brought into a modern context, Honeydew immerses you in a nightmare that is sure to satisfy all cravings for a fresh, stylish backwoods horror," said Yellow Veil Pictures co-founder Justin Timms.

Added Milburn: "... This piece, in all of its darkness and absurdity, is one that is truly close to my heart and reflective of a real human dilemma, and I can't wait for people to eat it up."
US administration on Friday sent an unclassified justification for the airstrikes on January 2 that killed Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani, International media reported. The airstrikes which were conducted under Trumps administration resulted in a retaliatory attack by Iran raising fears of a world war. The move also frustrated many US lawmakers who claimed that that President gave shifting justifications for the attack.

"In response to escalating attacks"

However, on Friday, the House of Representative Foreign Affair Committee released the memo which was submitted to the Congress to give a clear justification for the previously conducted airstrikes. It said:

The President directed this action in response to an escalating series of attacks in preceding months by Iran and Iran-backed militias on US forces and interests in the Middle East region.

It added that the purpose of the action was to protect US personnel, deter Iran and Iranian backed militias ability to attack and end Irans strategic escalation of attacks.

The memo further said that the US constitution gives the president the right to direct the use of force to protect the country from an attack or threat of imminent attack adding that an Authorization for the Use of Military Force that Congress passed in 2002, for the Iraq War, also applied.

The Democrats were satisfied with the justification. Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the memo contradicted Trumps previous assertion that the strike prevented an imminent attack and said lawmakers needed more answers. He further said that they needed answers and testimonies, international media reported.

Engel then announced that he was looking forward to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to testify before the committee on February 28. Reportedly, Pompeo had agreed to appear at the open hearing on Iran and Iraq policy which is scheduled to be held on February 28.

Read: Anti-abortion Group Flips Views On New Georgia Senator

Read: Sena Slams Trump For 'India's Exclusion From Developing Countries'; Links US 2020 Election

This comes a day after the US Senate passed legislation with rare bipartisan support to limit the presidents ability to wage war against Iran. The resolution, authored by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, asserted that Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Eight Republicans sided with Democrats on Wednesday on a procedural motion to force a vote on the issue.

Read: White House Tries To Assure Congress Over Withheld Money

Read: India Interested In American Stealth Drone That Killed Iranian Commander Qaseem Soleimani

(With inputs from agencies)
Opposition parties led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday lashed out at the police action against anti-CAA protesters in Chennai and sought action against those police personnel who allegedly used force against the agitators.

Opposition parties led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday lashed out at the police action against anti-CAA protesters in Chennai and sought action against those police personnel who allegedly used force against the agitators.

DMK President MK Stalin said the protests were being held in a peaceful manner and sought to know why the police used force to disperse them. However, BJP leader H Raja slammed the attack on police personnel, in which four including a woman Joint Commissioner sustained injuries.

#WATCH: Scuffle broke out between Police & protestors who were demonstrating against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Washermanpet in Chennai, yesterday evening. Over 100 protestors have been detained. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/5YpiCN2tgw  ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2020

"Lathicharge was done unnecessarily on the peaceful people for no reason and this prompted people across the state to take to the streets," Stalin said in a statement. On Friday, an anti-CAA protest by Muslims had turned

violent when a group of protesters clashed with police here, leaving four personnel injured.

The incident had led to sporadic protests across Tamil Nadu, including at Washermanpet in the city, where the violence erupted, but protesters subsequently called off the agitation, following talks with City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan. Agitators had alleged that police used force against them.

Chennai: People hold protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Washermanpet; Last night, a scuffle broke out between police & protestors who were demonstrating here. Over 100 protestors were detained. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/CP3eMeIOlr  ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2020

Four police personnel  a woman joint commissioner, two women constables and a sub-inspector  were injured in stone-pelting, the police said, even as reports emerged that some protesters were also hurt. Joint Commissioner P Vijayakumari sustained injuries on her head, the police said, adding that the injured were admitted to a hospital.

Earlier, some protesters were reportedly removed from the protest site forcibly, leading to a commotion between them and the police. The protesters accused the police of resorting to a lathi-charge.

Some of the protesters were detained. Subsequently, more people gathered there demanding their release. As a result, security was beefed up in the area.

Viswanathan held discussions with community elders and representatives of Muslim organisations, following which all those detained were released, the police said.

"An amicable decision was arrived at in the meeting with Muslim organisations and they have announced that the agitation will be withdrawn," a police officer said, adding that normalcy had returned to the area.

Stalin demanded that any cases in this connection should also be withdrawn and sought action against policemen who allegedly resorted to lathi-charge. Hitting out at the AIADMK, the DMK chief said while the ruling party had voted in favour of the amended Citizenship Act in the Parliament, it was also not enacting an Assembly resolution against CAA, a demand put forth by his party.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader TTV Dhinakaran also targeted the government over the handling of the protest. "Using force in peaceful protests amounts to stirring up a hornet's nest," the independent legislator said in a statement.

He wished such incidents did not repeat. The Vaiko-led MDMK adopted a resolution in its district secretaries meeting, slamming the police for allegedly using force against protestors.

BJP leader H Raja, whose party is an ally of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, slammed the violence against police personnel in the protests. In a tweet, he said, "rioters should be dealt with an iron fist."
Russia and Turkey's foreign ministers met briefly today following a spate of tensions over clashes in Syria's Idlib, where the Syrian army  backed by Russian airpower  has launched an offensive to retake rebel-held territory that has left Turkish troops dead.

On Feb. 14, the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides rejected Turkish claims about the killing of 63 Syrian troops in the Idlib de-escalation zone, calling them irresponsible."

Earlier, Ankara had said the Turkish military eliminated 63 Syrian government troops within 24 hours alone."

"Such statements about 'the shelling attacks' on the Syrian government troops by the Turkish armed forces and, all the more so, about casualties among Syrian servicemen as a result of them, have nothing to do with reality," the center, which is part of the Russian Defense Ministry, said.

Why it matters: As the situation on the ground changes rapidly with Damascus determined to capture remaining strategic assests of Idlib province, Moscow and Ankara show no signs of willing to back down from their initial demands. Moreover, while in the recent past Russia preferred not to comment or react to strongly-worded Turkish statements and President Recep Tayyip Erdogans threats, now both the Russian Foreign and Defense Ministries are striking back with their own criticism of Turkish claims over Ankaras inability to deliver upon its commitments.

Fair-weather friend? On Friday, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy told Russian TASS media that Ankara was taking all the necessary steps to ensure the safety of Russian diplomatic facilities in Turkey. Some in Moscow interpreted it as not so subtle allusion to that Russian position over Idlib finds little sympathy in Turkey and that hard-forged relationship may not survive yet another stress test.

In December 2016, then-Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot dead by a 22-year old riot police officer who, according to the Turkish authorities, belonged to the Gulen movement.

"As for the situation surrounding our diplomatic mission to Turkey and our ambassador, we have no doubt that the Turkish authorities will take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the Russian envoy and all embassy staff members, as well as the personnel of Russian companies and overseas agencies whose offices Turkey hosts in accordance with the Vienna Convention and the spirit of our bilateral relations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The situation in Idlib is highly charged.  We believe that this aggravated situation is rooted in Turkeys neglect for its obligations under the Sochi Memorandum signed on September 17, 2018, and the fact that Ankara is moving the so-called moderate opposition units it controls to northeast Syria, the zone of its Peace Spring Operation and Libya, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Feb. 12.

Nevertheless, Russia remains committed to the Idlib agreements reached in Astana and is resolved to continue to work jointly [with Turkey] to implement them. Our main current objectives are to bring down the level of violence on the ground, to ensure the safety of the guarantor countries military personnel in and around the de-escalation zone, as well as to prevent the aggravation of military confrontation as a result of the ill-considered use of force, she added, laying out Russias negotiating position.

Whats next? On Saturday, Feb. 15, Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu sat down on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to give Moscow and Ankara a chance to settle the issue over Idlib and prevent the spillover of bilateral disagreements to other areas of the bilateral agenda.

Lavrov also met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for what the Russian Foreign Minsitry called a "profound exchange of opinions" on Syria.

Know more: See Kirill Semenovs story on why Turkish demands complicate possible compromises Russia could embrace and listen to the brand-new edition of the Off the Hookah podcast where Phil and Cooper speak with Diego Cupolo.
This is a press statement released by Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buharis spokesperson, accusing the PDP of planning a protest for the removal of service chiefs over poor security on the country. It says the effort is to embarrass Mr Buhari.

The Presidency wishes to caution a section of the political class against misleading the public and inciting protests against the heads of military institutions.

This has become necessary in view of received reports that about two thousand men and women have been hired to demonstrate against Nigerias service chiefs on Monday.

This imminent gathering is the latest in a series of demonstrations orchestrated by the opposition to embarrass the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

As part of this overall scheme, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with its belligerent politics, has been marching from one embassy to the other in protest against the Buhari administration and the nations highest court of justice, the Supreme Court.

They are keen to give the impression that Nigerians are in support of them as they take to the streets, and they will go to any length to promote this false narrative.

The recent incident in Maiduguri, Borno State, where an overwhelmingly cheering crowd gathered to welcome President Buhari, while a handful were recorded booing him, is a part this elaborate scheme. It is misleading, as some analysts have tried to do, to read this as verdict against President Buhari, who emerged winner with 94 per cent of the votes cast in the Presidential election in the state in February last year.

This was clearly a hired few, but the news was promoted by the opposition who had of course positioned themselves to record the booing  all just to embarrass the President.

We urge the media to remain unbiased and discerning in their reporting, instead of becoming unwitting tools in the hands of the opposition.

A group of politicians and beneficiaries of the Boko Haram insurgency is right now paying for people to join their planned protest against our countrys service chiefs, and they will no doubt seek the medias collaboration on this as usual.

But there is news and there is promoted content  two very different things, one of which should never make the headlines as these recent fake protests have done.
The five companies are Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron , BP, Total and Exxon Mobil, the petroleum minister said

Egypt has reached an initial agreement with five international companies on oil and gas exploration and production in the deep waters off its western Mediterranean coasts, the petroleum minister told Sky News Arabia TV on Saturday.

The five companies are Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron , BP, Total and Exxon Mobil, said Tarek El Molla, adding drilling and exploration would start in seven western Mediterranean concessions in early 2021.

He said the exploration and production agreements spanned seven concessions and had been signed with major companies because of the scale of investment needed.

Exploratory drilling in the area would start in early 2021, he said.

The discovery of the giant Mediterranean field of Zohr off the eastern coasts of Egypt by Italys Eni in 2015 sparked renewed interest and investment in Egypts energy industry.

The country is trying to position itself as an energy hub in the eastern Mediterranean, importing gas from Israel and exporting to Jordan and potentially to Europe and Asia.

Egypt said in January it had signed two deals with Exxon Mobil for oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean.

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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan continues holding bilateral meetings with the heads of state and government within the frames of the Munich Security Conference, the PMs Office told Armenpress.

Firstly, the PM met with his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov during which they discussed various issues relating to the bilateral economic cooperation. In particular, the Armenian and Bulgarian PMs touched upon the development of cooperation in tourism, IT, infrastructures, transportation and energy, as well as exchanged views on the implementation opportunities of regional programs.

PM Boyko Borisov invited his Armenian counterpart to Bulgaria on an official visit which was approved. They expressed confidence that the high-level mutual visits will give a new impetus to the bilateral ties in all spheres.

Thereafter, Pashinyan met with President of Latvia Egils Levits. The officials discussed the Armenia-EU cooperation development, as well as Armenias ongoing democratic reforms and the cooperation on this direction.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 06:13:03|Editor: yan

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by Emad Drimly

GAZA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian farmer Maher Abu Daqqa from the Gaza Strip took advantage of Valentine's Day to market his first harvest of roses.

Abu Daqqa, in his 40s, was overwhelmed by his happiness to see workers harvesting roses from his farm in the village of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis, south of the coastal strip.

"My feelings are indescribable after I was finally able to plant rose flowers which have long been forbidden to enter the strip for many reasons," Abu Daqqa told Xinhua as he held a bouquet of red roses.

He added that he was unable to import seedlings of roses from Israel, which only sells roses in small quantities, noting that he managed to bring in from Egypt through Rafah crossing.

Abu Daqqa usually grows roses in his own four-acre farm, which is called the Firdous Farm for Flowers, where he used to grow cloves, lavander and some green flowers.

The rose grower explained that all kinds of flowers need full care, adding that "this requires the availability of electricity and fresh water to ensure the success of the crop."

"Flowers are like humans, and they cannot live in abnormal or inappropriate conditions," he explained.

Abu Daqqa has been impatiently waiting for the day to commemorate the Valentine's Day so that he could sell his roses.

"The return was unfortunately not good enough, because the day falls on Friday, which is an official holiday for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip," he pointed out.

Gazans started to mark the Valentine's Day when Palestinians in exiles returned from countries like Egypt, Lebanon and Syria after signing the peace accords between the Palestinian National Authority and Israel in 1994.

Internet and satellite channels have also helped to spread the idea among educated secular young people.

The event is not largely observed in Gaza as the majority of people are conservative Muslims who believe that only Muslim holidays should be observed.

But still, there are some who use the occasion to escape the dire conditions of the Israeli-blockaded coastal enclave and the frequent violence with Israel that left thousands dead.

"I grow roses to spread the culture of love and peace among people, even if I do not make big financial gains," Abu Daqqa said, noting that the Gaza Strip was once one of the world's most notable flower exporters.

The cultivation of flowers in the Gaza Strip reached its peak between 2003 and 2006, with more than 40 million flowers exported to European countries.

However, the past four years have witnessed a sharp decline in the exports of flowers from Gaza as farmers only exported about five million flowers annually, before the exports were almost halted last year.

Israel's restrictions on exports from Gaza led to a decline in the cultivation of flowers after farmers inflicted big financial losses for being unable to sell their crops to other countries, mainly in Europe.

"We used to grow roses and export them to Europe, because Gaza flowers are distinguished by their high quality and ability to live longer without being damaged," Abu Daqqa said. "In addition, the soil here helps us produce the finest types of roses."

He said that the cultivation of flowers began to go down after Israel imposed its blockade on Gaza in 2007.

Nevertheless, Abu Daqqa, whose farm is only 500 m away from the borderer fence between Gaza and Israel, insisted on continuing to grow roses, so that "Gaza would not lose its basic characteristic of rose cultivation."

The difficulties that Abu Daqqa is facing include extensive power cuts, the lack of fresh water, and the floods caused by Israeli army.

"All that the farm needs is solar energy, to ensure the availability of electricity, and a desalination plant," Abu Daqqa said, noting that "this will mainly contribute to giving us the ability to continue and produce more roses."
The Chinese community is being "gaslighted" in some quarters as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, the Australian Human Rights Commission has warned, as it calls for more funding for its anti-racism work.

Race discrimination commissioner Chin Tan said on Friday he was hearing "a great deal of distress among diverse communities" as a result of the flu-like illness. "[People] are worried about being victimised and are concerned that not enough it being done to protect them by combating racism in the community," he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Race discrimination commissioner Chin Tan says the Human Rights Commission does not have adequate funding for its anti-racism work. Credit:Eddie Jim

He had heard reports of Chinese children being bullied at school, students ostracised at universities and people being denied rental accommodation as misinformation and fear about coronavirus spread.

"There are clearly some people intent on gaslighting the Chinese community at a time when it is vulnerable and suffering on the front line of the coronavirus outbreak," Mr Tan said, referring to the practice of mocking those who call out racism or making excuses for it so they come to doubt their own perception or experience.
U.S. Army budget officials on Friday released the full list of 41 program eliminations and 39 program reductions service leaders made during a "night court" program review to find money for modernization projects in the fiscal 2021 budget request.

The release of the full list comes one day after the Army released two "top 10" lists, one for eliminated programs and another for the programs that would be reduced, totaling about $1.1 billion in savings.

Related: Army Kills Laser-Guided Rocket, Cuts Bradley Buy in 'Night Court' Session

Today, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy told an audience at the National Press Club that this latest round of the night court process was not as challenging as the first round, conducted last year.

"This year was much more tepid than last year, where we moved more than $30 billion" across the five-year Future Years Defense Program (FYDP), McCarthy said. "Most of the programs were not as big as complex as last year."

READ PDF: Full List of Army Program Eliminations

READ PDF: Full List of Army Program Reductions

The full list of program eliminations features lots of smaller savings, such as $1.4 million saved on nine FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and $303,000 from six M102 non-lethal reloadable grenades, according to the document.

Army Excalibur 155mm artillery ammunition was cut to save $71,000. Many of the program elimination line items are somewhat unclear, such as a notation about $12,000 saved from 21 M777A2s systems -- the Army's towed 155mm howitzer.

The program reductions list shows cutbacks to soldier lasers, saving $3.4 million. Two lines of reductions show 24 armor protection kits for $2.4 million each. Reducing defensive cyber tools saved $1.7 million.

The list of 41 eliminations totals $324.1 million, and the list of 39 reduction totals $868.9 million -- for a combined figure of roughly $1.2 billion for the review of legacy equipment.

Army budget officials said the night court process in total yielded $2.4 billion for fiscal 2021 alone, and another $9 billion that will be spread across the FYDP to fund modernization.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Read More: Army Pours Cash into Long-Range Missile Development, New Infantry Rifles
Suicide bombers killed 29 people in Baghdad, after a meeting of officials of world powers, Iraq and neighbouring states agreed it was vital to all to stop sectarian violence spreading across the region.

A car bomber attacked a truck carrying Shi'ite pilgrims in central Baghdad, killing 19 people and wounding 25, police said.

The pilgrims had been returning from the holy city of Kerbala, south of Baghdad, where millions gathered over the weekend for a major Shi'ite ritual despite attacks by suspected Sunni Arab insurgents that have killed scores.

A suicide bomber blew himself up on a minibus, killing 10 people and wounding eight, in northeastern Baghdad near the Shi'ite militia stronghold Sadr City, police said.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki urged regional and world powers at a conference in Baghdad to do all they could to help end sectarian violence which threatens to plunge Iraq into all-out civil war and spread over the region.
Why I am Running for Elected Office and Why You Should Care

For the first time in my life, I am running for elected public office. Yes, when you vote for President, theres a chance you will see my name on your ballot!

If youd have asked me before if I was ever going to run for any type of public office, my answer would have been no.

But then a few things happened.

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In 2017, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore was found dead of a meth overdose in the West Hollywood home of Democratic donor Ed Buck. Buck, was 63 and White, a longtime political donor, a one-time West Hollywood City Council candidate and a well-known figure in LGBTQ political circles. Moore was Black and gay and had worked as an escort.

Ed Buck contributed thousands of dollars to the California Democratic Party, candidates running for office and those in elected office.

At the time of Moores death, the California Democratic Party and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party was being led by one of Bucks longtime friends  Eric Bauman  someone who I believe helped to protect Buck with his silence and willingness to look the other way.

A year and a half later, another Black man was dead from the same cause in Ed Bucks apartment. His name was Timothy Dean.

I believe that Californias Democratic Partyat all levelsis in the middle of an integrity crisis. Our Party no longer reflects the interests of the people it serves and many of its members are disillusionedI know because I am one.

Black people have been complaining for years about how the Democratic Party takes our votes for granted.

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Thats not the kind of political party I want to belong to. One that sees the lives of Black people as expendable. As Democratsparticularly Black Democratsthat is not the type of return we expect on our years of investing in the Democratic Party with our time and our votes.

So I am running for a seat on the County Central Committee.

The people who function essentially as the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles County Democratic Party are known as County Central Committee Members and they are elected by a vote of the People every four years.

These local offices are extremely important because its the County Central Committee Members who get to vote on who gets the endorsement of the Party, financial support and what issues the Party addresses.

For example, when it was time to decide on who was getting the Democratic Partys endorsement in the District Attorneys race, I felt bad when members of the community showed up to the meeting thinking they could come and vote simply because they were registered Democrats.

While the monthly meetings of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party are open to the public for any registered Democrat to attend, only County Central Committee Members are allowed to vote.

Thats right. Just being a registered Democrat does not make you a part of your local Democratic Party. You have to pay your dues, be in good standing and be elected to the County Central Committee to have a vote that matters and more importantly counts.

These positions are not highly publicized by the Party and thats why the status quo keeps getting elected and re-elected.

In California, County Central Committee Members are elected by registered Democrats via our 80 State Assembly Districts. This means, that the Assembly District you live in will dictate the seven County Central Committee Members who you can vote for to represent you. I live in Assembly District 53.

And let me be clear. My district is not a Black district. Thanks to gentrification and the high cost of rent, Black people live everywherenot just in South L.A.

Black people should run wherever they live. We do not just have to run for public office in Black districts only because we have a stake in whatever community we find ourselves in.

Only registered Democrats who live in Adams-Normandie, Boyle Heights, Downtown Los Angeles, East Hollywood, Hancock Park, Huntington Park, Koreatown, Larchmont Village, Pico-Union, Westlake, Wilshire Center and Vernon can vote for me.

But whether you can vote for me is not my point. My point is that everyone, no matter what Assembly District you live in, will have the opportunity to vote for members of their community to represent them in the Democratic Party. Too often the County Central Committee seats are treated the same as candidates for judge. We either skip over it or pick names based on if they look like the names of Black people. Weve seen what years of doing that has done to our criminal justice system. Well, its had the same effect on the Democratic Party.

As voters, we have to do our research and stop taking this critical elected office for granted.

There are very few Black people elected to County Central Committee in Los Angeles County and even fewer in leadership. If we want the Party to take us, our vote and our issues more seriously then we have to be at the tableversus on the menu.

There is no compensation for this elected office and the Members volunteer their time to help run the Party.

Only the top seven vote-getters will be elected from each Assembly District and only registered Democrats or No Party Preference voters who request a Democratic ballot, can vote for County Central Committee Members to be elected to the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

In closing, you want to elect County Central Committee Members whose votes and silence cannot be bought. You want to elect County Central Committee Members who will hold the Los Angeles County Democratic Party leadership accountable to the People and not to their favorite elected officials. Most importantly, you want to elect County Central Committee Members who will look out for and represent everyone with integrity.

These seats are very important and directly impact the makeup of your local Democratic Party.

Jasmyne A. Cannick is running for County Central Committee in the 53rd Assembly District. Learn more about her campaign at voteforjasmyne.com.
CHEYENNE  Rep. Tyler Lindholm brought a U.S. senator to the Wyoming Capitol on Friday to rally support for his Defend The Guard Act, which was intended to restrict national guard deployments without a formal declaration of war by Congress.

But an appearance by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul wasnt enough to convince Lindholms colleagues.

The bill failed an initial vote, 35-22, falling far short of the two-thirds majority needed for introduction in the Wyoming House.

The legislation was part of a larger conservative-led effort to end forever wars happening in statehouses around the country, announced in response to the continuation of active combat in the Middle East for decades carried out without a formal declaration of war by Congress.

In a joint news conference in the rotunda of the Capitol on Friday morning, Lindholm  flanked by the junior senator from Kentucky  recalled his own time in uniform and the cause he fought for, pondering whether he could support a similar war should his daughter decide to serve.

I want there to be a mission, said the Republican representative. I want there to be a purpose. I want Congress to be on the line and say yes or no.

State could reduce amount of time public notices are required to run in print The legislation would affect public notices for contracts related to government purchases, professional services procurements, and public works and contracts.

For Paul  in town for an event in support his friend Cynthia Lummis Senate campaign  the decision to take his support to Wyoming tied in with a greater effort by state legislatures to make themselves heard on foreign policy, a call he said has largely gone unheeded by members of Congress.

That include individuals like Wyomings lone congresswoman Liz Cheney, Paul said, with whom he has feuded for months over her hawkish stances on the Middle East.

Much of the country has learned that the Iraq War was a mistake  it made Iran stronger; it made havens for terrorism worse, Paul said in an interview with the Star-Tribune. I dont think the Cheneys have gotten that message and someone needs to talk to them about how the Iraq War was a mistake.

It made Iran stronger, it made us weaker, and it made terrorism grow and encouraged chaos in the Middle East, he added. The same with Libya, which they supported also. Were just really on opposite sides of this debate.

Paul recently co-sponsored legislation to hem President Donald Trumps war powers, one of a handful of Republican members of Congress to do so.

Even if it had been introduced, Lindholms legislation faced a skeptical crowd. A bipartisan group of senators  including two former military members  released a statement opposing the bill.

Some of the group  which included Sens. Brian Boner, Stephan Pappas, Tara Nethercott, Eli Bebout, Mike Gierau and Dan Dockstader  said in their statement the legislation was unconstitutional. If passed, they said, it would have handicapped Wyomings National Guard and jeopardized the funding for the Wyoming Military Department, 96 percent of which comes from the federal government.

House Bill 98 sends the wrong message to those serving in the Wyoming National Guard, and more broadly, our military serving around the globe, said Senator Pappas, a veteran of the Wyoming Air National Guard. It calls into question Wyomings support for our soldiers and airmen in the National Guard. Whats more, this misguided legislation operates under the false premise that the governor has the ability to withhold the Wyoming National Guard from federal duty  a theory the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down.

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Status must not interfere with the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the panel discussions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict held as part of the Munich Security Conference, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Hikmat Hajiyev twitted on February15.

We need to resolve this conflict in phases. Liberation of part of territories and return of IDP. Status of Nagorno Karabakh can be defined later. Status must not interfere with the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, said President Aliyev.
The longshore workers union on Friday urged a judge to either throw out a jurys verdict awarding $93.6 million to the former operator of the Port of Portlands container terminal or drastically reduce it to $3.9 million.

Dan Jackson, attorney for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and its Local 8 chapter, urged the judge to consider that the excessive and unreasonable sum would bankrupt the union.

He also argued the award was based on serious flaws in the damage calculations offered by an expert that was hired by ICTSI Oregon, which operated Terminal 6.

The federal jury in November found the union sabotaged shipping traffic and caused productivity to plummet through years of labor slowdowns and stoppages. The unions workers were pressuring ICTSI Oregon to give them the dockside jobs plugging in, unplugging and monitoring refrigerated containers, taking the so-called reefer jobs away from an electricians union.

The Philippine-owned ICTSI Oregon, which signed a 25-year lease in 2010 to operate Terminal 6, left the port in March 2017, idled by the labor strife it says the national longshore union and the local chapter encouraged. The company argued at trial that the union engaged in unlawful labor practices over nearly five years and caused tens of millions of dollars in losses to its business.

The union, however, contends the companys expert, Jay Sickler, started his calculations for proposed damages with high prices and shipping volume and then failed to account for a likely decrease in ongoing sales resulting from the inflated prices.

The court has a gate-keeping role to say this evidence shouldnt have come through the gate, Jackson said.

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon seemed convinced Sicklers testimony was problematic.

I find so many of your criticisms of Mr. Sicklers damages testimony so powerful.  Mr. Sickler assumed prices and volumes that seem to violate basic laws of economics, Simon said.

But the judge asked why the union attorneys didnt challenge Sicklers assessments during a hearing before the trial that was held for the court to determine whether an expert should be allowed to testify. If it had, Simon said he probably would have stricken Sicklers testimony.

If the judge now were to reject Sicklers testimony that the jurors may have relied on to reach their nearly $100 million damage verdict, Simon asked if he should turn to the union experts testimony that put ICTSIs losses at about $7.6 million instead and add in an estimated $20 million in losses ICTSI suffered in terminating its lease at the port.

Simon cited case law that requires the court to uphold a verdict to the largest amount sustainable by the evidence.

Attorney Jeffrey S. Eden, representing ICTSI, defended Sicklers testimony, arguing that it was reasonable to raise prices and increase volumes as part of the damage calculations because of the competitive advantage that Terminal 6 had compared to ports in Seattle and Tacoma. Eden also argued that the union expert on damages, Douglas Kidder, isnt familiar with the container shipping industry nor Portlands Terminal 6.

It was the jurys discretion and role to resolve the experts differences when coming up with a damage figure, Eden said.

If the union had a problem with Sicklers testimony, their lawyers should have raised it in cross-examination of Sickler during the trial, Eden added.

Jackson, the unions lawyer, also argued that the jury got it wrong when it found that the union only acted unlawfully from Aug. 17, 2013, to March 31, 2017. He said the slowdowns were a lawful way to seek changes in work conditions.

If the judge throws out the huge verdict and comes up with a lower amount, ICTSI could either accept it or choose to pursue a new trial on the narrow issue of appropriate damages.

Simon said he would rule in writing within 30 to 60 days.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.

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Egypt has confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on February 14 and said that the affected person was a foreigner who has been quarantined at a hospital within the country. According to the international media reports, the health ministry of Egypt said in a statement that the World Health Organization (WHO) had been informed about the newly detected case and the government has taken all necessary preventative measures to curb the further spread of the COVID-19 disease through the transmission. It also said that the person carrying the virus had not shown any serious symptoms and was in a stable condition.

WHO Egypt collaborates in outbreak investigation

Egypt, however, has not revealed the nationality of the patient, or any other details, as per reports. WHO Egypt said on its official handle on Twitter that the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population has given the official confirmation about the detection of first coronavirus cases in the country, and WHO Egypt is closely collaborating in outbreak investigation and response actions.

Read Japan: First Group Of Passengers Not Infected By Coronavirus Disembark Cruise Ship

Read MWC Barcelona 2020 Cancelled Due To Coronavirus Concerns

Egyptian Minister of Health, Hala Zayed, had ereportedly said that Egypt was prepared to confront the coronavirus. Hala had reportedly declared that the ministry will launch massive campaigns against Chinese restaurants in Egypt as a preventive measure. She further added that the governors were tasked to impose strict controls on Chinese restaurants, in order to prevent the epidemic leaking.

Read US 'ready And Prepared' To Help North Korea In Combating Coronavirus

Assistant Minister of Health for Preventive Medicine Alaa Eid had reportedly said that Egypt is one of the first countries to have prepared a comprehensive strategy to fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. She further stated that Health Minister Hala Zayed held meetings with officials from the ministry immediately after the first statement from the World Health Organization about the virus.

John Gabor, the WHO representative in Egypt, had earlier said that he had no doubts that Egypt was fully prepared to tackle the new coronavirus. He said that it was necessary to follow preventive measures to confront all viruses, especially the new outbreak.

Read Mourinho Defends Alli Over Coronavirus Video

Read Vietnam Quarantines Rural Community Of 10,000 People Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
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Linkedin Deirdre Hipwell (Bloomberg)  Sat, February 15, 2020 20:05 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064c0fb1 2 Lifestyle Harrods,London,shopping,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19 Free

Harrods Department Store Co., a big tourist attraction in London for Chinese shoppers, has prohibited staff from wearing masks when dealing with customers because it may fan unfounded concern about coronavirus.

The luxury British department store said its not allowing face masks on shop floors due to the risk of spreading further anxiety among customers and staff.

The move illustrates the dilemma starting to face retailers thousands of miles from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak began: if they allow employees to wear face-masks, it could scare customers, but if masks are banned, employees might become concerned that their health may be at risk.

The World Health Organization has said that non-infected people need only wear face-masks if theyre caring for someone who is infected. The WHO advises that people who are coughing or sneezing wear face-masks, as the disease can spread via droplets of saliva.

Read also: Here are the five-biggest shopping malls in Indonesia

Wearing masks may create a false sense of security among the general public because theyre only effective when accompanied by frequent hand-cleaning, officials at the Geneva-based body have also said. Only certain face-masks are fully effective, and they need to be placed properly. The WHO estimates the virus can survive for about 30 minutes on surfaces.

Harrods said it its decision is based on advice from Public Health England, which says that masks arent necessary.

If employees have any further concerns, we welcome managers to have conversations on how they could feel more secure, the store said in a statement.

Usdaw, a UK union that represents more than 430,000 shopworkers, said it has received queries from members about the possible risks of the coronavirus at work and was referring to guidance issued by the WHO.

The British Retail Consortium, a trade body, said its members were well aware of the potential risks posed by the coronavirus to their staff and customers and had effective measures in place.

Retailers are continuing to adhere to high standards of hygiene which is the best way of protecting their colleagues and shoppers, said Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC in a written statement.

The coronavirus is the latest challenge to hit the British retail industry, which is already grappling with intense competition, rising costs, fewer shopper visits and the growing shift to online shopping.
By Richard Adeniyi

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has said that about one billion barrels of crude oil have been discovered in northeastern part of Nigeria.

Sylva disclosed at a news conference to end the 2020 Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS), in Abuja on Wednesday.

The figure we are getting, the jury is not totally out yet but from the evaluation results we are getting the reserve that has been discovered in the northeast is about a billion barrels.

Those are the kind of figures we are seeing and we are beginning to understand the geological structure of the region, he said.

According to him, a lot of oil is yet to be found in the country.

He added that there was need for more exploration in the country, as more oil would be discovered.

Commenting on passing of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) by June, he said that he was confident that it would be passed based on cordial relationship between the legislature and the executive.

ALSO READ: Boko Haram gives condition for release of Chibok girls

We are banking on the fact today to make that promise on the fact that there is a very cordial relationship now between the legislature and executive.

Today Nigerians all agree that there is a need for us to pass the PIB.

For so long we have been quivering about the PIB, for more than 20 years. And for so long, we have not been able to attract a lot of investment into the oil sector.

Let me give you an example, by the year 2002, our oil reserves stood at around 22 billion barrels. We were able to grow that reserve from 22 billion barrels to 37 billion barrels by 2007.

From 2007 to now, we have only been able to grow our reserves from 37 billion barrels to 37.5 billion barrels, in more than 10 years. Why? Not much investment is coming into Nigeria, he added.

He noted that investors could not invest in Nigeria if the fiscal framework was shaking or uncertain.

If nobody knows when laws will be passed, nobody will want to invest new capital in Nigeria. And that is why you see that we have almost been stagnant in the Nigerian oil industry.

So, we believe today that there is a consensus among all of us  industry, Nigerians and government  that there is a need to stabilise the fiscal framework so that investors will be certain and move their money to Nigeria.

There are very great opportunities in Nigeria, and I believe if we can only stabilise the fiscal framework and bring peace to Nigeria, investments will flow into Nigeria.

That is really what gives me the confidence to say that there is a consensus now among all patriotic Nigerians that in six months the PIB will be passed, he added.

On revamping of the refinery, he said that rehabilitation of Port Harcourt refinery would start in the first quarter of 2020.

We are going to start the rehabilitation of the port Harcourt refinery which is the biggest refinery in Nigeria, if we are able to finish the port Harcourt refinery we would have achieved a lot as a government. 

Meanwhile we are also continuing with studies around Warri refinery, we are also continuing discussions around Kaduna refineries, he said.

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric of the Council of Europe (CoE). This was reported by the press service of the PM.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of today's meeting and noted that it is a good opportunity to discuss current matter and issues. He said Armenia is undergoing a large-scale process of democratic reform, they are making efforts to "demine" democracy and the judicial system in Armenia, and recently they have decided to hold a referendum on the Constitutional Court.

For her part, the CoE Secretary General noted that they have begun intensive cooperation between Armenia and the CoE, Armenia has asked the CoE to become involved in this process, and the CoE has started to closely monitor what is happening.

Prime Minister Pashinyan touched upon the democratic reforms taking place in Armenia, including in the judicial field, and spoke about the circumstances of the forthcoming referendum on constitutional amendments.

Buric expressed the CoEs full support for Armenias reforms, including in the judiciary, and noted that discussions with the Armenian government on cooperation in this area would continue.
Quarantine (noun), a period of enforced isolation for a person, animal, or object suspected of carrying a communicable disease.

Usage: Wuhan has been placed under quarantine and people arriving from China are also facing temporary isolation.

The epidemic of novel coronavirus (NCOVID) sweeping across China and potentially threatening the world has suddenly brought the word quarantine into widespread use. The term goes back to the 1660s, when disease was often carried across the seas on ships, and referred to the period a ship suspected of carrying disease was kept in isolation. Quarantine came from the Italian quarantinagiorni, literally space of forty days, from quaranta (forty) and giorni (days), in keeping with the Venetian policy (first enforced in 1377) of keeping ships from plague-stricken countries waiting off its port for 40 days to assure that no communicable cases were aboard, since no effective treatment or cure was known then. After three centuries of this practice in Italy, the broader sense of any period of forced isolation emerged.

Initially, the Venetians reacted to the bubonic plague, known notoriously as the Black Death, which was spreading through Europe between 1347-50 (it is estimated that one-third of Europes population died). The Great Council of Ragusa passed a law establishing trentino, or a 30-day period of isolation for ships arriving from plague-affected areas. When in 1377 the isolation period was extended from 30 to 40 days, the term changed from trentino to quarantino.

Interestingly, in English the word quarantine had an earlier meaning, that of a period of 40 days in which a widow had the right (and some say, the obligation) to remain in her dead husbands house (1520s), and even earlier, as quarentyne, it had religious connotations, referring to the time in the desert in which Christ fasted for 40 days, Moses time on Mount Sinai, and the Catholic observation of Lent, a 40-day period of spiritual purification. Now its usage is perhaps more common and more banal, as in My dog had to be quarantined when I moved back to India. Then Indian students evacuated from the Wuhan area are in quarantine in Manesar, along with the brave diplomats (one of them a nephew of mine) who went to arrange their evacuation.

When an outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) moved through Canada in 2003, about 30,000 people in Toronto were quarantined. Epidemiologists (experts in the spread of disease) are still debating whether it effectively helped to control the spread of disease, but in any case, during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, health workers returning to the United States from affected areas were quarantined.

The aim of quarantine is to prevent transmission of the disease from potentially infected persons to healthy persons during the incubation period. Quarantine can take two forms: absolute or complete quarantine, which consists of a limitation of freedom for a period equal to the longest usual incubation period of the disease; and modified quarantine, which involves selective or partial limitation of movement, such as the exclusion of children from school or the confining of military personnel to their base. It therefore involves infringing upon the liberty of outwardly healthy people, and this has both legal and ethical implications which should not be taken lightly.

Few infectious diseases have an incubation time or infective period greater than forty days -- except rabies, which may not show up for several months. That is why animals that may have been exposed to rabies are quarantined for many months when they arrive in other countries. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) does have a longer incubation period than SARS or NCOVID, but human rights advocates have ensured there is no quarantine for potential carriers of that infection, which in any case cannot be spread as easily as SARS or NCOVID.

In 1969 the World Health Organization issued international health regulations for just four designated quarantinable diseases: cholera, plague, yellow fever, and smallpox. Smallpox was proclaimed eradicated by WHO in 1979, and the other diseases on the list are relatively rare, so the quarantine stations that were formerly common in many seaports around the world have been abandoned, taken down, or converted into holiday resorts.

Quarantine law and regulations still apply in many countries, however, to protect animals and plants of economic importance from exotic diseases. Animal and plant quarantine procedures are often as important as human quarantine. The economic importance of agriculture and animal husbandry in many countries makes it vital for them to keep out diseases that might wipe out valuable cattle herds or destroy a seasons harvest.

Quarantine is usually always used literally, but that doesnt prevent us from applying the word metaphorically, as in: I would love to quarantine his bigoted communal ideas to prevent them infecting more people.
EDMONTONAlberta Premier Jason Kenney says the widespread shutdown of Canadian rail operations this week is a full-blown economic crisis.

Why? he said to reporters in Edmonton on Friday. Because some angry fringe groups are ignoring the democratically expressed wishes of every First Nation in northern British Columbia.

I think Canadians are losing patience with this, he said. I know Indigenous people are.

This week has seen nationwide civil unrest in support of hereditary chiefs of the Wetsuweten, who are attempting to block the route of a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia. Protesters have gathered in solidarity and shut down rail operations across the country.

Kenney said hes heard from Albertas business community over the matter. The premier said if shipping crude oil by rail is affected, it could take 400,000 barrels of oil out of commission  costing the economy billions. But the very serious threat extends past Albertas borders, said Kenney, and affects farmers in Saskatchewan and manufacturing businesses in Ontario.

Asked at a news conference whether Justin Trudeau should get involved, Kenney would only say, Thats for the prime minister to decide.

But he added the situation is not just a regional issue and urged leaders from all levels of government to get involved if the situation gets worse.

This has become a national economic crisis, Kenney said.

While in Germany on Friday, Trudeau said the road ahead would be fraught with challenges.

You need to know we have failed our Indigenous peoples over generations, over centuries. And there is no quick fix to it, Trudeau said, adding that all parties must move toward reconciliation.

We also are, obviously, a country of laws. And making sure that those laws are enforced, even as there is, of course, freedom to demonstrate and to protest, he said. Getting that balance right and wrapping it up in the path forward  is really important.

With files from Brendan Kennedy, The Canadian Press, and Star staff.

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The virus outbreak may have taken a toll on some sectors in China, but it also created opportunities. Many sectors have seen rapid growth during the period, including online working, online education, online healthcare and non-contact retail.

Experts say that China has enough policy space to deal with the epidemic, and that the country's economy remains resilient.

The coronavirus outbreak may have taken a temporary hit on some traditional industries in China, but a number of emerging industries are providing "novel remedies" for the country's economic growth.

Some sectors, such as online working, online education, online healthcare and non-contact retail, saw rapid growth during this period, reflecting the resilience of China's economy.

Deliveryman Xu Faxiang puts a pack of takeaway food outside an apartment to avoid contact with the customers in Baohe District of Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 6, 2020. (Photo by Zhou Mu/Xinhua)

"HOMEBODY ECONOMY"

As people are staying at home amid the novel coronavirus epidemic in China, many businesses are catering to the "homebody economy" across the country.

The homebody economy often refers to booming on-demand streaming services, online shopping, food delivery, online education, working from home and gaming apps that can satisfy people's demands in the comfort of their own homes.

The trend is obvious in the e-commerce sector.

A staff member from a local resident service center displays the WeChat mini-program she uses to provide ordering services for residents in Xicheng District of Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Since the outbreak, frozen dumplings have sold like hotcake as they saw 40 times their average transaction volume on Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com.

Since Jan. 25, the growth of instant food sales was up 10 times compared with the same period last year. Among them, Wudaniang Dumplings saw its sales soar 45 times year on year, while two other household brands also expanded 3.5 times each in sales.

Some daily necessities saw their trade volume up 154 percent year on year on JD.com from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2, including rice, noodles, cooking oil and dairy products, according to the company.

Fresh food delivery services also leaped.

A deliveryman collects frozen food at a store of Hema Fresh in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiong Qi)

Zhang Weijia, from the city of Jinan, capital of eastern China's Shandong Province, broke his habit of shopping in the local markets and opted for fresh food delivery apps to avoid going out.

The orders at fresh food delivery app Missfresh have surged by 300 percent year on year during the epidemic outbreak, according to its CEO Wang Jun.

"Our business is often restrained by people's traditional consumption habits," Wang said. "With more people getting their hands on these services, we expect the market to continue expanding and new opportunities to emerge."

BATTLING THE EPIDEMIC THE HIGH-TECH WAY

Tech giant Tencent has upgraded its online working services, including live-streaming and online conference services. Demand for work-from-home and online teaching programs has been rising as companies extend the holiday and schools delay opening. The company said such demand rose 10 times on Feb. 10.

On Tencent's social media tool WeChat, one-day clicks topped 170 million in an embedded program. The program offers services such as health checks, epidemic reports, medical material donations and preorders for masks.

A student takes an online class at home in Handan, north China's Hebei Province, Feb. 10, 2020. (Xinhua)

From Jan. 20 to Feb. 8, the number of subscribers rose nearly 60 percent on government-related programs on WeChat, while that of medical programs went up 3.47 times. In education programs, the number rose almost 40 percent.

As of June last year, the number of Chinese internet users reached 854 million and the internet penetration rate was 61.2 percent, data from the China Internet Network Information Center showed. A total of 847 million Chinese people used mobile phones to surf the Internet, the center said.

"This epidemic is like a pressure test for 1.4 billion people," said Wang Xiaobing, director of Tencent Social Research Centre. "Despite the outbreak, the internet economy stood up to the challenges."

Meanwhile, tech giant Huawei has given a hand in battling the disease in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province.

Using its advanced 5G technology, Huawei facilitated the remote diagnosis between Beijing and Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital, a 1,000-bed hospital built in 10 days in Wuhan. It also helped live broadcast press conferences on COVID-19 given by the Hubei provincial government.

The ICU team members of Guangdong medical team in Wuhan attend a teleconsultation with medical staff of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University in Guangzhou, at the west campus of Wuhan Union Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province on Feb. 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

Major courier company SF Express used drones to help transport medical materials to Wuhan. By the end of Feb. 3, the company had transported more than 24 million parcels of medical supplies.

The company's aviation branch SF Airlines is also operating at full capacity to carry emergency supplies to help fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak. From Jan. 24 to Feb. 5, the airline sent around 900 tonnes of medical and other emergency supplies to the novel coronavirus-hit regions, said SF Airlines.

Meanwhile, the epidemic also generated opportunities for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, as China deploys robots in the fight against the disease.

A robot is used by police to measure the temperature of passengers at an entrance to Xi'an North Railway Station in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

The provincial people's hospital of Guangdong in southern China has employed two robots to deliver materials in the quarantined areas, according to Yu Xueqing, head of the hospital. Disinfection robots developed by TMiRob, a medical robot developing company in Shanghai, are being used in Wuhan.

"Robots can help people do many dangerous jobs. Many customers urgently need us to provide disinfection solutions," said Zhang Kejun, general manager of AI firm Lingzhi Co. The AI robots of this company are also used in disinfection work in Wuhan's hospitals.

ECONOMIC VITALITY WILL RECOVER

The virus outbreak may have taken a toll on some consumption sectors in China such as catering, films and tourism, but it also created opportunities.

A distribution robot of Jingdong Logistics enters a residential area to deliver packages in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) supports China's efforts to tackle the novel coronavirus outbreak, and is confident that China's economy "remains resilient," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.

The World Bank said in a statement that the Chinese authorities have policy space to respond and have announced a sizeable injection of liquidity, which should help mitigate the costs to economic growth.

Many sectors took a hit during the virus outbreak, but a variety of sectors also had an opportunity for growth, said Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo Group.

"Automatic production lines could see a big boost during the epidemic," Yang said. "Demand for delivery services and smart city management will also soar."

The epidemic's impact on production, consumption and supply chains will be short-lived, Yang said.

"I believe we will win the war against the coronavirus," he said.
Hairy Jaysus is a biopic of Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, based on the events that led to his execution during Easter Week of 1916.

It takes place with two shows in The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton on Thursday next, February 20, at 2pm and 8pm.

Sheehy-Skeffington was a pacifist, feminist, socialist and atheist who was executed by British authorities after being wrongly identified as one of the leaders of the Easter Rising, whilst trying to stop looting during the Dublin rebellion.

Donal OKellys epic drama is to be performed by Leitrim born actor Paddy McEneaney, and was developed in collaboration with practitioners Paul McDonnell (Design Technician), Dee Armstrong (Director) / Produced in association with the Glens Centre, Manorhamilton.

Hairy Jaysus is Exit Does Theatres first professional play and has previously been performed at the Glens Centre and in the Galway Theatre Festival.

Exit Does Theatre is an exciting new theatre company based in the border counties of Fermanagh and Leitrim who have been developing outreach programmes in the region for the past few years.

The show is performed by Paddy McEneaney who has performed many solo and group theatre productions over the past decade.

This show has been funded by Leitrim County Council's Individual Artists Awards 2020 and supported by the Glens Centre Manorhamilton.

The evening show will be at 8 oclock and will be a donation based admission. In keeping the Exit Does Theatres policy of theatre for all, this will give the opportunity for anyone who may be interested in coming to the theatre to do so without cost being an issue. People will have the opportunity to contribute post show.

2pm - Tickets 10/5

8pm - Donation based admission

Contact: (071) 9855833 www.theglenscentre.com
For many working in London, it is a constant dilemma whether to spend more on rent and live closer to the office or splash the cash on travelling in.

And although more people are now deciding to leave the city and invest in a train season pass, it can be difficult to know where to relocate too.

Data compiled by property company and consultancy CBRE has revealed the new 'best value' commuter towns - with Biggleswade in Bedfordshire coming out on top.

While Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, where the average house price is 269,481 and journey time into London is just over an hour, was second on the list.

Data compiled by consultancy CBRE has revealed the new 'best value' commuter towns - with Biggleswade in Bedfordshire coming out on top. The average house price there is 300,903 and annual season tickets tend to cost 4,792 (pictured are the other best value spots)

The most expensive spot was named as Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, where the average house price of 830,964 is approaching double of London's 475,458.

During CBRE's research they found that, on average, a ten-minute increase in travel time reduces the average house price by 21,762.

Also, for every 100 spent on an annual season ticket, the average house price goes down by 4,179.

Biggleswade, which was named as the best-value, or most undervalued town, has a very reasonable travel time to St Pancras in London of 44 minutes.

A season ticket from there costs 4,792 for the year and the town boasts several supermarkets and a retail park.

Dianne Kenny runs a health and wellbeing centre in the area after moving away from London in 1996 to raise her children.

Biggleswade has a very reasonable travel time to St Pancras in London of 44 minutes and an annual season ticket pass costd 4,792 (stock picture of the Bedfordshire town)

BEST VALUE COMMUTER TOWNS INTO LONDON Rank Town Average house price Travel time to London Annual season ticket price 1 Biggleswade 300,903 44 minutes 4,792 2

Huntingdon 269,481 63 5,604 3 Benfleet 327,807 44 3,612 4 Wickford 313,250 39 3,924 5 Grays 266,333 38 2,516 6 Peterborough 177,741 53 6,936 7 Milton Keynes 268,255 36 5,524 8 Sandy 285,709 48 4,972 9 Broxbourne 344,691 32 2,736 10 Winchfield 379,432 61 4,292

She told The Times: 'Biggleswade has always been cheaper that Hitchin because it's just over the border in Bedfordshire from Hertfordshire, but prices are going up. It's a good time to buy.'

Other towns noted in the list included Benfleet in Essex, which has a 44 minute journey time to London with an annual season ticket costing 3,612.

Grays in Essex was named fifth with an even shorter travel time of 38 minutes and having 19 per cent proportion of outstanding primary schools.

As for the least expensive commuter towns, Purfleet, Rugby and Colchester all made the list.

Peterbourough was named as the least expensive commuter town and although being the furthest out on the map still had a London journey time of 53 minutes.

The average house price there was 177,741 but it only scored seven per cent for outstanding primary schools.

The most expensive spot was named as Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, where the average house price of 830,964 is approaching double of London's 475,458. The travel time from there to London was found to be 33 minutes (stock picture of town)

As for the most expensive Beaconsfield was a clear stand out, with homes being almost double the price of London abodes.

Speaking to The Times, Helen Rhodes from agency Heaton & Partners said: 'It's the most expensive market town in the country, followed by Henley-on-Thames. A four bedroom detatched house on a good road will cost you about 1million.'

People have been leaving London in record numbers over recent years and the city is the only region in England were more people are leaving than arriving.

The data released by the Office for National Statistics revealed 340,498 people left in 2018 for other parts of the UK, an increase of 11 per cent on the previous year.

Over the same period, only 237,270 people moved to the city from elsewhere in the UK, meaning the capital lost a net 103,228 people to other parts of the country

Second on the best value list was Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire where the average house price is 269,481 and journey time into London is just over an hour (stock picture)

Jennet Siebrits, UK head of residential research at CBRE, said: 'We looked at nearly 150 commuter towns and villages.

'The average house price across these locations is 393,570, which is 19 per cent lower than the London average of 488,003. There is wide range to suit different budgets.

'For example, in Luton the average price is less than half the London average at 229,032. In contrast Beaconsfield has an average price of nearly 831,000.

'There are many factors influencing this range in prices; including access to nature, local amenities, and the quality of schools. But for commuters there is a significant trade-off between property price, travel time and travel cost.'

Grays in Essex was also named as a travelling hot spot in a survey by Zoopla, with them saying commuters pay an average of 15,008.07 for their mortgage & season ticket

Previous Grays in Essex was named as the best value commuter town after research found those travelling to the capital paid a combined annual cost of 15,008 for their mortgage and season ticket.

This combined with a relatively low travel time of 39 minutes to and from London Fenchurch Street station has made it the cheapest destination to commute to London, property website Zoopla says.

The results are based on how much it costs to have a mortgage and annual rail season ticket.

The research made certain assumptions about typical mortgage costs, which were based on someone having a two or three bedroom home and a 15 per cent deposit.

It used travel times and 2020 annual railcard costs to analyse the data, which were taken from the National Rail enquiries website.

Wolverhampton is the best value commuter town for those heading to work in Birmingham

Meanwhile in the Midlands, Wolverhampton was found to be the best value option for those commuting to Birmingham with an annual cost of 7,483.94 and travel time of 20 minutes to Birmingham New Street station.

This was followed by Cannock which has an annual combined cost of 7,933.53 but a much longer travel time of 59 minutes.

Stoke-on-Trent had the cheapest annual mortgage cost of 5,000.78 but the highest season ticket cost of 3,272, totaling 8,272.78.

Further north, Hindley was found to be the best location for Manchester with an average combined cost of 6,883.38 but a 58 minute travel time to Manchester Town Hall.

Wigan followed with a yearly cost of 6,887.38 and a slightly longer travel time of 59 minutes.
Withdraw Sri Lanka from co-sponsoring UNHRC Resolution 30/1: NJC tells Govt. View(s):

The National Joint Committee (NJC) is requesting the Government to withdraw Sri Lanka from co-sponsoring United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution 30/1 at the upcoming UNHRC sessions in Geneva.

Issuing a statement signed by its Co-President Lt Col (Rtd) Anil Amarasekera, the NJC stresses that the Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should withdraw from the co-sponsorship since it brought disrepute to the countrys armed forces.

The organisation noted that UNHRC Resolution 30/1 was co-sponsored by the Sri Lankan delegation headed by then Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on October 1, 2015 in Geneva. Though President Maithripala Sirisena, then Head of State, repeatedly disassociated himself from the resolution, he conveniently refrained from taking remedial measures even after the United States of America left the UNHRC accusing it of being a cesspool of political bias, the NJC alleged.

The people in most parts of the country, except the North and East, overwhelmingly voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Election and he won with a majority of 1.3 million votes. This victory has given the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government an opportunity to place all the available credible facts, not only before the North and East Tamil electorate, but also before Geneva to disprove the primary war crimes allegation by UNSG Panel of Experts (PoE) that 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed as a result of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government deliberately targeting that community, the statement further stressed.

The NJC said under such circumstances, the majority of the country expected the Government to withdraw Sri Lanka from its co-sponsorship of Resolution 30/1 at the next UNHRC sessions.
A koala at Taronga Zoo. Credit:Cole Bennetts

WHOS WHO IN THE ZOO



7pm, Nine

Sounding a little as if she is auditioning for Siris understudy, Naomi Watts (pictured) narrates this cute and informative series about Sydneys Taronga Zoo. This episode belongs to the platypuses, a pair of which are to be the first transferred overseas. Keepers from San Diego Safari Park are anxious to learn all they can about those venomous spurs, and the whole operation seems quite upsetting. In the insect enclosure, a funnel web is treated for a nasty case of mites.
The corporate logo of state oil company PDVSA is seen on a tank at an oil facility in Lagunillas

By Marianna Parraga and Nelson Acosta

MEXICO CITY/HAVANA (Reuters) - Venezuela's state energy firm PDVSA has been shipping more oil this month to close ally Cuba, as tighter U.S. sanctions have worsened fuel shortages on the Caribbean island, according to sources and internal company documents seen by Reuters.

Six vessels, most of them owned by PDVSA's maritime arm, have exported an average of 173,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Venezuelan crude and fuel to Cuba so far this month, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and PDVSA's documents.

At least two more cargoes are planned for the remainder of the month, according to the documents and data.

In January, PDVSA's exports to Cuba dipped to their lowest since mid-2019, at just 56,600 bpd.

"There are more vessels setting sail to Cuba in the past two weeks," said a ship supervisor working at a port on Venezuela's western coast. "They are going in and out very fast," he added without elaborating on details about PDVSA's instructions.

Sanctions imposed by Washington last year on PDVSA and Cuba's state-run Cubametales, with the aim of toppling Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, hampered PDVSA's oil shipments to Cuba. The island's energy crisis hit its key sugar industry this month with two mills halting operations in peak harvesting season.

Cuba also has experienced hour-long lines at pumping stations, while in the far east of the island supply seems to have dried up.

"There are no cars in the street. There is no transport. It's a real mess," said private taxi driver Fidel Gonzalez, 37, by phone from the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba.

Gasoline stations received some supply for the first time in a week on Wednesday, he said, but the fuel lasted only a few hours.

PDVSA and the Cuban government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Treasury Department, which has imposed sanctions on several companies involved in the Venezuela-Cuba oil trade, declined to comment on any possible or pending investigation, including to confirm whether one exists.

Story continues

Similar shortages in September prompted PDVSA to send a flotilla of tankers with emergency cargoes of fuel oil and other refined products to Cuba.

The help was short-lived as sanctions reduced the number of vessels available to transport PDVSA's oil to Cuba.

In recent months, Venezuela's own low fuel production was another reason for the decline in shipments. PDVSA has been forced to rely more on imported products both to satisfy Venezuelan demand and to re-export to allies like Cuba.

Cuba has sought to diversify its imports in recent weeks with vessels arriving from Argentina, Algeria and Curacao, according to the Eikon data.

Due to the shortage, the island seems to be prioritizing power generation over motor fuel supply and fuel oil to industrial customers, said analyst Jorge Pinon from the University of Texas at Austin. It was not immediately possible to obtain data on Cuba's domestic fuel production.

"There is still a lot that we do not know on how they are managing their crude and products supply and inventory levels," Pinon said. "What is very clear is their continued dependency on Venezuela."

BROADER ECONOMIC CRISIS

Cuba's fuel crisis even affected the key tourism sector this month, one of country's top sources of hard currency. For a while, agencies could only rent cars with a fuel quota so limited it would barely suffice for tourists to get around Havana. The situation had returned to normal by Thursday.

"Life is getting more complicated here by the day," said Virgina Montes de Oca, after waiting for two hours to fill up her tank at a gas station. There were still a dozen cars ahead of her.

Cuba has faced shortages of everything, not just fuel, over the past year as the U.S. sanctions worsen a liquidity crisis that started with a decline in Venezuelan aid four years ago.

The latest range of products to vanish from shelves are toiletries and cleaning items.

The government said last week it would not be able to ensure a steady supply of these until April, given it was prioritizing other goods like food.

Cuba's Foreign Ministry's General Director for U.S. Affairs Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said on Twitter the U.S. sanctions were "brutal and immoral".

"They don't hide the desired goal of punishing the whole population to extract political concessions," he said. "It's a miracle that the situation is not worse and the country still enjoys peace and stability."

Washington accuses the Cuban government of repressing its citizens and providing security assistance to prop up Maduro, who it brands a dictator. Maduro says the United States is seeking to control Venezuela's massive oil reserves.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Mexico City, Mircely Guanipa in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, Nelson Acosta and Sarah Marsh in Havana, and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by Daniel Flynn, David Gregorio and Frances Kerry)
Simone Rocha, a London designer who sold her fall 2012 collection, her first solo show, to Browns. She is a daughter of the designer John Rocha.

When I used to go to my fathers shows, I would always walk up to Browns and especially Browns Labels For Less, which is no longer there, because I was a teenager  probably looking for knitwear and shoes. It always had this prestige, but in a way that it wasnt a department store. Browns was the quintessential English boutique at the time.

Ms. Pucci, on a visit to Browns

A few years back, maybe 10 years, I walked into the shop and saw some fun dolls made of fabric and rags. They were quirky and all different one from another. You werent sure what they were for. It was Mrs. B going out of her way to do something different, something that you like, doing it in an amusing way, She wasnt for the obvious choices."

Erdem Moralioglu, the London-based Canadian designer who began his Erdem label in 2005

She had a way of looking at the collection and looking at every single piece and being so kind of methodical.

Ashish Gupta, founder of the Ashish label. His designs were first sold in Browns in 2001.

I made the wedding dress for Caroline Burstein, Mrs. Bs daughter, and the mother-of-the brides dress for Mrs. B. She was pretty specific about what she wanted. She knew what she wanted in her personal life and business life.

Ms. Pucci, on discussing a new collection with Mrs. Burstein

But she really took the time to express her thoughts and keep me on board and to encourage me to do better. She had a terrific sense of humor, which is very English in a way. She was asking me to do more work in a terribly amusing way. She was giggling, so I was laughing, too, in the end. Ive not come across someone who could give constructive comments in such a clever way.
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New Delhi: The Delhi Metro police arrested a man from Gurgaon for indecent behaviour with a woman inside a metro car 48 hours after a complaint was registered.

On February 12, the man who is an engineer was returning home to Gurgaon from a company meeting in Kashmiri Gate. He took the yellow line metro towards Sikanderpur. In the evening at around 6 pm, he allegedly flashed a girl and then hid behind his bag.

The girl complained about the incident to the police and a molestation case was registered in Ghitorni police station. The girl has tweeted a photograph of the accused.

Using the same photo, the police started its investigation. After looking at the CCTV footage they found that the got down at Sultanpur Metro station. Then he took another metro car and got down at Sikanderpur metro station. Thereafter, the accused took the rapid metro to IndusInd Bank Cyber City Metro where he was seen getting out.

The police suspect that the accused was afraid of being caught since the girl had taken his picture, so he got down at the earlier station to confuse the authorities.

Police asked around the metro station using his photograph and were able to identify him as Abhilash Kumar, 28, who worked as an engineer at a company. Kumar is a resident of Karnal and he lives with a friend in Gurugram.

DCP Metro Vikram Porwal led the team with Inspector Anil Kumar Pandey and 15 other policemen who were able to crack the blind case and arrest the accused within 48 hours.
At least 66 shipping vessels are stalled in British Columbia's waters, according to the maritime shipping industry, as rail blockades continue in support of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs' opposition to the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C.

Robert Lewis-Manning, president of the Chamber of Shipping of B.C., says Canadians will eventually notice consequences from the backlog.

"It will hit in the pocket book, it will hit in necessary supplies for key industries and it will take a long time to recover," he said.

The vessels move commodities like consumer goods, food and raw materials between Canada and international destinations.

The Chamber of Shipping, along with the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the B.C. Marine Terminal Operators Association, issued a joint statement Friday calling on the province and federal government to de-escalate tensions and remove blockades.

The organizations say the blockades are creating unsafe work environments for their members and impeding the movement of goods.

Lewis-Manning says there are 48 vessels anchored in Vancouver and 18 in Prince Rupert waiting to get into those ports to either unload or pick up goods.

"Those line-ups are only going to increase, of course ships are continuing to arrive," he said. "Eventually there will be no space and they'll be waiting off the coast of Canada, which is a situation we'd like to avoid."

A rail blockade near Belleville, Ont., continued into its ninth day on Friday, which has resulted in CN and Via Rail stoppages.

After four days, a similar blockade near Hazelton, B.C., ended after the federal and provincial governments agreed to set up a meeting between high level officials and hereditary chiefs.

Lewis-Manning applauded both sides for their efforts in finding a way to end the blockade that halted transport between Prince George and Prince Rupert.

"There's some positive signs," he said. "Obviously there is a lot of hard work that goes behind something like that."

Story continues

Still, there is concern that other blockades could spring up.

'Everyday costs'

Rick Kantz, a farmer in Fort St. John and president of the B.C. Grain Producers Association, which has 300 members, says he and other farmers trying to move crops like wheat, canola and barley have been slowed by rail cars not showing up due to delays.

He says the slowdown will result in farmers missing shipping dates, losing sales and having to store grain on farms.

"It's going to start affecting us relatively soon," he said. "A day or two a person can live with. Everyday costs, you sure don't want to extend much beyond that."

Farmers like Kantz, along with those in the maritime shipping industry, have already been affected by a trade slowdown due to the coronavirus and a ministerial order from the federal government requiring trains carrying a significant amount of dangerous goods on federal lines to slow down.

That order from Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau came on Feb. 6 after a CP crude oil train derailment in Saskatchewan.

On Thursday, CN Rail announced a shutdown of its operations in Eastern Canada due to the blockades. It says it transports more than $250 billion worth of goods annually.

The CN shutdown in turn caused Via Rail to cancel most of its passenger services. The company says it transported five million passengers across Canada in 2019.

Meanwhile, a blockade of trains on Canadian Pacific Railway tracks in Port Coquitlam, B.C., resulted in a difficult commute for people in Metro Vancouver Thursday evening and Friday morning before trains were able to resume Friday afternoon.
South Korea reported no additional novel coronavirus case for the fourth day in a row with the total number of cases unchanged at 28, as two more people have been released from quarantine, public health authorities said Saturday.



The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said a total of nine patients have been released from isolation after fully recovering from the COVID-19 virus.



The country has tested a total of 7,519 people for the virus since Jan. 3, with 6,853 turning up negative as of early Saturday, with another 638 undergoing tests for possible infection, the KCDC said.



It said that 1,785 people who have come into contact with infected people are being monitored carefully, with 442 placed in quarantine.



The KCDC said patients number seven and 22 have been released from quarantine after testing negative twice in detailed screening.



The seventh patient is a 28-year-old man who visited Wuhan, central China, the epicenter of the current outbreak, and was confirmed to have been infected on Jan. 30. The 22nd patient is a 46-year-old man who tested positive on Feb. 6.



"The seventh patient is expected to leave the hospital today, although the 22nd patient may remain for a while longer," the health agency said.



The KCDC then said that the remaining 19 patients currently being treated for the virus at hospitals are all in stable condition, with only one person on a respirator for pneumonia. Doctors have said a few others could be discharged from hospitals soon, after undergoing final screenings to make certain they are healthy and pose no health risks to others.



The number of people being tested has increased by 103 from the day before as the country has aggressively isolated and checked people at risk of having contracted the virus.



In regard to ongoing efforts by South Korea to beef up its efforts to stem the spread of the virus, the KCDC said it in considering a move to incorporate the COVID-19 screening with its overall influenza checks so as to prevent infections from slipping past its quarantine regime.



The move comes as Seoul, starting on Wednesday, enforced stricter quarantine screening for entrants from Hong Kong and Macao, in addition to mainland China.



Passengers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao are now required to use separate arrival counters at international airports across the country and must write a special quarantine report, filling out health questionnaires to check whether they have a fever or respiratory problems. They must also download a mobile application to report their health status every day. (Yonhap)




By Alessandra Galloni and Ryan Woo

BERLIN (Reuters) - A top Chinese official acknowledged on Friday that the new coronavirus is a deep challenge to the country, but defended Beijing's management of the epidemic while lashing out at the "overreaction" of other countries.

In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters in the German capital, State Councillor Wang Yi, who also serves as China's foreign minister, urged the United States not to take unnecessary virus-response measures that could hamper trade, travel and tourism.

"The epidemic overall is under control," he said. "This epidemic is truly sudden. It has brought a challenge to China and the world."

"We've taken such complete prevention and control efforts, efforts that are so comprehensive, that I can't see any other country that can do this," Wang said, adding that any leader in another country would find the challenge very difficult.

"But China has been able to do this."

The virus, coming on the back of a disruptive trade war between the United States and China, has again exposed underlying tensions on multiple fronts between the world's two biggest economies.

It has also posed one of the toughest challenges for President Xi Jinping since he assumed power in 2013.

During the roughly 90-minute interview, on topics ranging from the coronavirus to Hong Kong, and the Middle East, Wang repeatedly pinned blame on Washington.

Beijing has criticised the United States in particular for taking drastic measures on coronavirus, which have included travel curbs on visitors from China. The United States was the first to announce it was evacuating citizens from Wuhan, the city at the epicentre of the virus outbreak.

"Some countries have stepped up measures, including quarantine measures, which are reasonable and understandable, but for some countries they have overreacted, which has triggered unnecessary panic," he said.

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"I'm sure that those countries are reflecting on this as the situation evolves and the epidemic is gradually brought under further control," he said. "They will gradually release such restrictions. Because at the end of the day, these countries need to interact with China."

The U.S. State Department and Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the White House declined to comment.

Wang rejected the idea that China was not transparent enough in its initial handling of the outbreak. Top Communist Party officials in Wuhan and Hubei province, where the city is located, were sacked this week.

"From the beginning, we took a very open and transparent manner in releasing information to the international community's cooperation on this effort," he said, noting that fewer than 1% of global cases have been reported outside of China.

The coronavirus has infected nearly 64,000 people in China and killed more than 1,300.

"We're not just defending the life, safety and health of Chinese citizens, but also making our contribution for global public health, and that should be recognised," he said.

Beijing has urged countries to ease travel restrictions and resume flights after numerous airlines stopped flying to China.

"Only under the leadership of President Xi can we control this sudden epidemic, which has spread so quickly. This is not only to defend the health of the Chinese people, but also will prevent the rapid spread of this epidemic in the world," he said.

"We have taken the most correct, the most rigorous and decisive measures to fight against the epidemic. Many measures went beyond international health regulations and the WHO recommendations," Wang said.

'IMMORAL' TREATMENT OF HUAWEI

In the far-ranging interview, Wang said he did not understand why the United States was using its power and trying to get its allies to attack a private company like China's Huawei.

On Thursday, U.S. prosecutors accused Huawei of stealing trade secrets and helping Iran track protesters in its latest indictment against the Chinese firm, escalating the U.S. battle with the world's largest telecoms gear maker.

The United States has been waging a campaign against Huawei, which it has warned could spy on customers for Beijing. Washington placed the company on a trade blacklist last year, citing national security concerns.

"We don't know why this superpower country is using its state power, and moving its allies to attack Huawei, which is a private company," Wang said.

"Why can't a Chinese company succeed based on its own efforts? Why can't America accept that other countries' companies can also display their talent in the economy, in technology?" he said.

"Perhaps deep down, it doesn't hope to see other countries develop. It doesn't want to see that other countries can become big and strong. It even resorts to rumours to defame other countries' companies," he said.

He called U.S. attacks on Huawei "immoral" and said there was no credible evidence that the company has a so-called back door that harms U.S. security.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that U.S. officials believe Huawei can covertly access mobile phone networks around the world through "back doors" designed for use by law enforcement. Huawei denies the accusations.

PHASE 1 TRADE DEAL INTACT

Wang also said he does not see a need to revisit what was agreed in the Phase 1 trade deal reached with Washington, after questions have arisen as to whether China would be able to fulfil its commitments to make vast purchases of U.S. goods due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"As we implement the Phase 1 trade agreement, we will accumulate experience and then we can consider when we should start Phase 2. I think this is a reasonable approach," he said.

Still, he decried U.S. curbs on movement of people between the two countries.

"Objectively, this will bring some difficulties to implementing this agreement," he said.

Wang noted that U.S. President Donald Trump has praised Xi's leadership in China's battle to contain the virus, and that his administration has said it stands ready to spend up to $100 million to assist China and other countries affected by coronavirus.

(Reporting by Alessandra Galloni and Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Huizhong Wu and Lusha Zhang in Beijing, and Alexandra Alper in Washington; Editing by Tony Munroe and Alistair Bell)
An Indigenous collective wants a more active role in land restoration and management in Toronto, with a focus on High Park's rare black oak savannah.

The Indigenous Land Stewardship Circle is a collective of elders, knowledge holders and members of the urban Indigenous community who want to Indigenize and decolonize land restoration by healing the land through traditional approaches.

"What we're talking about is restoring the right relations with the land," said Catherine Tamarro, who is part of the land stewardship circle.

Tamarro is a Wyandot elder who belongs to the Wyandot of Anderdon Nation in Michigan. She's a multimedia artist who lives in Toronto.

"Indigenous people have been in that space for thousands of years," she said.

"I think that the idea is to have those rights of stewardship returned to us."

What is a black oak savannah?

Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the majority of southern Ontario was covered in densely forested areas that were broken up by two kinds of tallgrass ecosystems, prairies and savannahs.

Black oak savannah is characterized by grasses, shrubs and widely spaced oaks, and is an ecosystem relatively rare in Canada. Savannas are dependent on fire, either natural or human-caused, to maintain the open space. The black oak is resistant to fire, and some of the largest ones in Toronto are located in High Park.

The savannah is a place for traditional medicines and berries to grow and would attract grazing animals for hunting.

Submitted by Catherine Tamarro

"It is a remnant of Indigenous land stewardship that exists in the city," said Tamarro. "It's very precious."

The black oak savannah in High Park is estimated to be approximately 4,000 years old. Since savannahs are characterized by open spaces, they were often the first areas to be cleared for settler developments and agriculture, and suppression of wildfires also reduced their expanses.

Challenges of park management

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"It's significant because it's an approach to managing the landscape that is in pretty stark contrast to how Canadian municipal and federal authorities manage it," said Doug Anderson who is a Metis earthworker in the land stewardship circle.

Some of the challenges around managing High Park include controlling invasive plant species and looking for a sustainable way to restore the park to its natural state while still allowing for recreational usage.

The land stewardship circle believes that the use of pesticides for dealing with invasive species is detrimental to the entire ecosystem that exists within the savannah.

For decades, the city has been also been doing controlled burns in the park to maintain the savannah. While no burns happened in 2019, the land stewardship circle hopes that in the future contracts offered by the city for restoration are offered to Indigenous stewards.

Nathan Denette/Canadian Press

Restoring the savannahs is a first step in restoring Indigenous relationships with the land for future generations, according to Anderson.

"We need to teach our kids how to heal the land," said Anderson.

"We have to have relationships with the land and we have to know how things grow and balance and how you can get a lot of food off it. We need to actually live with all of these things and in balance."

City says it welcomes feedback

The City of Toronto's Park's, Forestry and Recreation department said in a statement "We are engaged in conversations with the Indigenous community about incorporating Indigenous knowledge and practices in High Park.

"These conversations are ongoing, and we welcome feedback and suggestions for collaboration."

The statement said High Park is one of Toronto's most popular and ecologically sensitive parks.

"Practices, including prescribed burn management, have been selected based on research and experience and are part of the city's long-term management plan to protect and sustain Toronto's rare black oak woodlands and savannahs.

"Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff are committed to building a relationship with Indigenous communities, as well as exploring new partnerships and land use practices."
Washington

President Donald Trump suggested in recent days that he had, in fact, learned a lesson from his now-famous telephone call with Ukraine's president that ultimately led to his impeachment: Too many people are listening to his phone calls.

"When you call a foreign leader, people listen," he observed on Geraldo Rivera's radio show. "I may end the practice entirely. I may end it entirely."

Trump has always been convinced that he is surrounded by people who cannot be trusted. But in the 10 days since he was acquitted by the Senate, he has grown more vocal about it and turned paranoia into policy, purging his White House of more career officials, bringing back loyalists and tightening the circle around him to a smaller and more faithful coterie of confidants.

The impeachment case against Trump, built largely on the testimony of officials who actually worked for him, reinforced his view that the government is full of leakers, plotters, whistleblowers and traitors. Career professionals who worked in government before he arrived are viewed as "Obama holdovers" even if they were there long before President Barack Obama. Testifying under subpoena was, Trump has made clear, "insubordinate."

The president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said on Twitter after the acquittal that the investigation was useful, in its own way, because it made it easier "unearthing who all needed to be fired." The president and his staff have increasingly equated disloyalty to him with disloyalty to the nation. All of which makes for a volatile eight months ahead as Trump fights a rear-guard battle with his own government while facing off against Democrats to win a second term.

"I think he feels like the people are out to get him, going overboard. I mean just put yourself in his shoes," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and a staunch ally, told reporters this past week as the president railed on Twitter against Justice Department prosecutors. "There's just a general frustration that the system is  there's a double standard in the media and actually in the law."

In the last week and a half, Trump has pushed out two witnesses who testified in the House inquiry, stripped a nomination from an official he blamed for being insufficiently loyal and assailed prosecutors, a judge and even the jury forewoman in the case of his friend Roger Stone.

His national security adviser has just finished transferring more than 50 career professionals out of the White House and back to their home agencies. The president has brought back two of his earliest and most trusted aides, Hope Hicks and Johnny McEntee, as he retreats into a cocoon of his original 2016 campaign team. And more personnel moves are likely in the days to come.

Trump's personal loyalty test now extends not to whether someone has worked in his White House since his inauguration, but to whether someone was part of his 2016 campaign and there from the beginning, according to interviews with more than a half-dozen administration officials and advisers to the president. His decision to turn the Office of Presidential Personnel over to McEntee, a 29-year-old aide who was once ordered marched out of the White House by John Kelly, the White House chief of staff at the time, was born out of concern about who is surrounding him, people familiar with the move said.

While some officials cited a lack of responsiveness from officials working in the personnel office, others said that Trump had taken to blaming them for appointments that he made, on the advice of other advisers. That included Gordon Sondland, a Republican donor he appointed ambassador to the European Union who became a key witness in the impeachment inquiry and has now been dismissed. It also included John Bolton, his former national security adviser, who plans to publish a book next month revealing Trump's machinations about Ukraine.

In private conversations, Trump has complained bitterly that none of his enemies have been criminally charged, citing James Comey, the former FBI director, and his onetime deputy, Andrew McCabe. Bolton in particular has been a source of his anger in several conversations, according to people familiar with what the president has said. He has accused Bolton of betraying him, and made clear his anger extends to anyone he believes helped Bolton.

Trump's suggestion that he may bar government officials from listening into his phone calls with foreign leaders would reverse decades of practice in the White House. Presidents traditionally have multiple aides from the National Security Council and State Department monitor foreign leader calls to help interpret their meaning, record any agreements and inform relevant parts of government.

Trump, however, felt burned early on when transcripts of his calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia were leaked to The Washington Post. During subsequent conversations with foreign leaders, he sometimes kicked out aides for more private talks and in the case of President Vladimir Putin of Russia even demanded that his own interpreter turn over notes of the discussion.

"He knows that anything even reasonably controversial out of his mouth, on the phone or off, will be reported out and construed in the most evil way possible," said Rivera, a friend of the president's who interviewed him for his Cleveland radio show, said Saturday. "As a result, he indicated to me that he's dramatically scaling back" the number of people "looped into a state call."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Going back to his days in the real estate business, Trump has long considered suspicion a key to success. "Be paranoid," he advised in a motivational seminar in 2000. "Now that sounds terrible. But you have to realize that people, sadly, sadly, are very vicious. You think we're so different from the lions in the jungle? I don't know."

Nor is presidential paranoia a new phenomenon even as Trump seems to have elevated it to a guiding philosophy. From Thomas Jefferson to Franklin D. Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy, other presidents turned at times to unseemly and even ruthless methods against their enemies like illegal wiretapping. Probably no previous presidents were as paranoid as Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon and in the latter case it helped bring down his presidency.

"The paranoid style is an old and recurrent phenomenon in our public life which has been frequently linked with movements of suspicious discontent," as Richard Hofstadter, the famed midcentury American historian, wrote in his landmark 1964 essay, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics." In Trump's case, it connects with supporters suspicious of the elite.

John A. Farrell, a Nixon biographer, said most other presidents managed to contain or disguise their paranoid elements, but it drove Johnson and Nixon to extremes that were ultimately self-destructive. Trump, he said, sees no need to hide it.

"He has responded to criticism, opposition and other curbs on his power with a vulgar energy and the vile Nixonian strategy that making Americans hate each other is a potent way to seize and secure power," Farrell said. "It is no accident that a president acting this way comes from a chain of influences that includes Roy Cohn and Roger Stone."

Trump's advisers and defenders turn to the old nostrum  just because he may be paranoid does not mean people are not out to get him. The relentless investigations against him, the Trump-bashing text messages by FBI officials, the excesses of the surveillance warrant on a former campaign adviser, the lawyer-fixer who turned against him, the whistleblower who took his concerns to House Democrats, all of it, they said, has contributed to an understandable defensiveness.

"Trump came to office with an almost pathological distrust of others and an irresistible impulse to attack any perceived threat," said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University who testified against impeachment last year before the House Judiciary Committee. "The well-documented bias in the FBI and Justice Department against Trump fuels his suspicions and tendency to counterpunch. Both his perceptions and his responses became more exaggerated.

"However," Turley added, "his suspicions were validated to some degree in these investigations  something that many refuse to acknowledge. He came to Washington with an agenda that was highly antagonistic and threatening to the status quo. It was immediately clear that he faced deep opposition."

As with so many aspects of his personality, the seeds of Trump's reaction may lie in his biography. Michael D'Antonio, the author of "The Truth About Trump," recalled that the future president was raised by a father who taught him that all of life is a battle for power and that he should be a "killer." Trump, D'Antonio said, came to see others as useful for his own purposes or obstacles to be crushed.

"In this way, he's forcing us all to live in the world that once existed only in Trump's mind and in his close circle," D'Antonio said. "Here, in Trump's America, we're to believe that all institutions are corrupt. No one is to be trusted. Those who would speak against him hesitate. Words of protest and revelations that might be made by whistleblowers are stifled by fear. This is the world Trump has always inhabited and he wants us to live there, too."
A red jingle jacket designed by Lesley Hampton is part of a campaign to raise awareness about MMIWG and provide funds and support for family members.

The campaign was organized by Anishinaabe Bimishimo Corporation, a business that manufactures and sells jingle cones  decorative metal cones and lids that powwow dancers sew on to dresses to make a jingling sound.

Anishinaabe Mohawk fashion designer Lesley Hampton was asked if she would like to make a piece for the campaign.

"I really wanted to do a contemporary take on the cones," said Hampton.

Red Works Photography

Hampton is a Toronto-based fashion designer who has shown collections at Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto, Vancouver, London Fashion Week and the Santa Fe Indian Market.

She's known for incorporating all genders in her shows and uses her garments to spread awareness around mental health, body positivity and murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.

"Within the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women girls and two-spirited people, the two-spirited part is often overlooked or never mentioned in the media," she said.

"I really wanted this piece to focus on the two-spirit individuals that we've lost."

The piece that she created is a long sleeved loose fit bomber jacket. There are red cones from one arm to the other in a line across the back  a jingle jacket.

Red Works Photography

Part of the campaign involved the designers choosing a charity to receive a portion of the proceeds of their garment.

Hampton chose We Matter, an Indigenous youth-led suicide prevention organization.

Hampton said she believes designers have a responsibility to spread awareness around issues like MMIWG.

"We are fashion designers who are given a platform of media or image-making," said Hampton.

"It's so important for designers to always have a messaging behind what they're putting out there because it will end up either in a magazine or on a billboard and then so many other eyes are perceiving what you create."

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Dance for healing

The red cones were provided by Anishinaabe Bimishimo Corporation, owned by 19-year-old Emilie McKinney, and are meant to represent missing and murdered Indigenous women.

The cones are used typically to adorn a jingle dress, which is regalia worn during powwows and ceremonies.

"It's a ceremonial dress and it has a ceremonial dance which represents healing, so often when the jingle dress dancers dance, they dance for someone who is sick or ill in hopes they heal," said McKinney.

Four dressmakers from Canada and four from the United States agreed to make red jingle cone dresses and donate a portion of the proceeds to an organization that provides support for families of MMIWG.

There are also four fashion designers who have incorporated red jingle cones into their own designs.

Anishinaabe Bimishimo Corporation's proceeds from the sale of the cones will be going to Swan Lake First Nation Women and Men's Group, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre in Winnipeg.
Greece's Minister of Rural Development and Food Makis Voridis speaks during a press conference in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 14, 2020. The European Investment Bank (EIB) will channel billions of euros this year to Greece to assist the recovery of its economy, the lender's president Werner Hoyer told Xinhua here on Friday. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will channel billions of euros this year to Greece to assist the recovery of its economy, the lender's president Werner Hoyer told Xinhua here on Friday.

Last year the EIB committed funds of 2 billion euros (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) to credit lines for various projects in Greece, and the lender is about to sustain its contribution this year.

"We will not go below this level, as Greece has a high level of ambition," Hoyer, who is on a two-day visit in Athens, told Xinhua following a press conference with Greece's Minister of Rural Development and Food Makis Voridis.

"In a country like Greece, a lot of transformation has to be done, a lot of old legacy problems have to be resolved, that's our priority," he said.

"Innovation is one of the issues that are pretty close to my heart, so we have the objectives of climate action, innovation, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and development," he added.

The EIB signed on Friday in Athens three funding agreements with local banks and the country's power utility. The fund, totaling 300 million euros, will support Greece's agriculture, agribusiness and decarbonization.

The lender aims to "make agriculture more attractive to younger people" and promote green energy infrastructure projects as "we are the climate bank of the European Union," Hoyer said at the press conference. (1 euro = 1.08 U.S. dollars)
Making Hate Pay: New book documents corruption, scandals at Southern Poverty Law Center

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A new book challenges Americans to reconsider their support for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a far-left civil rights organization, in light of a recent string of controversies regarding sexual harassment, racism, and the demonization of conservative groups.

Founded in 1971 with the goal of combating the Ku Klux Klan, the SPLC has been criticized in recent years for labeling many conservative Christian groups and public figures as hateful.

There were also recent reports of sexual harassment and racial discrimination last year within the organization, leading to the resignations of co-founder Morris Dees and President Richard Cohen.

PJ Media's Senior Editor Tyler ONeil, a former reporter with The Christian Post who has closely followed the SPLC, critiques the progressive group in his new book, Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center, released last month by Post Hill Press.

In the Introduction to the book, ONeil lays out the many documented blemishes on the record of the Montgomery, Alabama-based group.

The SPLC singles out hate on the far-right but not the far-left. It faced a very public sexual harassment and racial discrimination scandal. It has a history of raising far more money than it spends on programs and keeping millions in Cayman Island accounts, wrote ONeil.

It has a malleable definition of hate that it applies to its political enemies. It has paid millions to settle a defamation lawsuit after acknowledging it falsely accused someone of being an extremist. Former staffers have admitted that the hate accusations leveled by the SPLC are a con, a deceptive scheme to raise money.

ONeil talked with CP about his book, SPLC co-founder Morris Dees, and whether he believes the group is gaining ground in light of recent controversies. Below are excerpts from that interview.

CP: What led you to write this book?

O'Neil: [I was] surprised and shocked and indeed horrified by some of the things that they had been doing when it comes to demonizing conservative Christians and other conservatives by calling them "hate groups" and by encouraging big tech corporations, the media, and others to blacklist and demonize people just because the SPLC disagrees with them.

One of the most eye-opening situations was after Charlottesville when Apple decided to give them a million dollars and partner with them.

One of their speakers had a testimony before Congress asking big tech and the government to act against "hate groups" in the name of fighting white supremacist terrorism.

Of course, white supremacist terrorism is horrible, and condemning it and fighting it is a good idea, but the SPLC draws this ridiculous comparison to mainstream conservative groups like Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council, which not only have nothing to do with terrorism or white supremacy, they aren't even spewing anything like this hate that they're accused of.

CP: On the issue of the Charlottesville rally, do you believe it is common for the SPLC to benefit from tragedies like the Unite the Right rally?

ONeil: From what I have seen, the answer to that question is very much yes. When the horrific Pittsburgh synagogue shooting took place, the Southern Poverty Law Center took the opportunity to blame Trump for it, despite the fact that the shooter hated Trump, that Trump has been a champion for Jews and for Israel.

They say, Oh, Trump is responsible for hate and let's use this as a cudgel. I don't know if they raised more money off of that, but they have traditionally benefited from these horrific events happening.

CP: You devoted a good deal of attention to Morris Dees the man, especially his past activism and his history of sexual misconduct allegations. Why did you feel it was important to include so many details on him?

O'Neil: Many of those who've followed the SPLC for a long time have said that Morris Dees is the SPLC and the SPLC is Morris Dees. While that's hyperbole, there's a strong element of truth to it. He co-founded the organization, he developed the donor base, his imprint is indelibly stamped on this group.

To some degree, its for good. I covered at the beginning of the book how a lot of the cases that the SPLC started focusing on were very noble. They enabled the first blacks to be elected to statewide offices in Alabama for the first time since Reconstruction. That is a legacy of Morris Dees just as much as the negative stuff is.

But you also see by studying Morris Dees' history, it starts to make some sense of these claims of racial discrimination and sexual harassment. This is a guy whose family was connected to the KKK, who represented a KKK member, and who talks about black servants as "hands" that worked on his father's farm.

None of this is to say that he's a horrific racist, but I think that Morris Dees' history helps explain why so many blacks considered the SPLC to be a plantation.

And his sexual exploits also explain why women did not feel comfortable at the organization.

CP: As you know, in 2018 the SPLC had to pay an ex-Muslim activist $3.3 million in damages for wrongfully labeling him Islamophobic. In 2019, the prominent liberal magazine Current Affairs published an editorial labeling the SPLC "everything that's wrong with liberalism." Between this and the current litigation against the group that you documented in the book, do you believe the SPLC is starting to finally lose ground in the public eye?

O'Neil: I think they've lost a lot of ground, but they're also still considered an easy thing for liberal journalists and activists to cite and use. They recently hired Margaret Huang, the former executive director of Amnesty International USA, to become the SPLC's president and CEO in April. They also have connections to the Council on American Islamic Relations, and they've spearheaded a lot of liberal causes, especially when it comes to big tech.

I think their influence is still very strong, and it's possible that its stronger than it ever has been just because of the attention given to them.

And that's why the book is so important, because I don't think the SPLC is losing credibility the way that it should be.

CP: How do you respond to those who agree that the SPLC has some problems here and there, yet still view it as a group that does more good than bad?

O'Neil: The SPLC does a good amount of good even today. Their work in reforming the Alabama prison system and the Mississippi prison system are positive contributions, but if you look at the vast majority of what they focus on, their fundraising, their press coverage, the things that they push the most are these monitoring of hate groups and falsely accusing people of hate.

They traffic in this routine defamation that is extremely dangerous, that props up America's cancel culture, that divides conservatives and liberals, that pits people against one another, and I would say most of their work is in that direction.

When you have an organization that is lying to its donors, that has these scandals, that is pushing these things that divide America, that's their main impact right now, so they seriously need to reform and return to their original mission.

That's what I tell the people who defend the SPLC: look, you're not wrong. The group still does good work, but they need to focus on the good work and drop their demonization, their defamation, and their lying to their donors.
Update: Dana Balter plans to challenge Francis Conole for the Democratic spot on the ballot in a June primary.

Syracuse, N.Y.  Francis Conole today won the Democratic Party designation from Onondaga County, a huge boost toward securing a spot to run against Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, this fall.

Conole, 41, an Iraq war veteran from Syracuse, won 54 percent of todays vote from Onondaga County Democratic Committee.

Together we are going to defeat John Katko in November, Conole said when the results were announced just before noon. Our party has such a great history, he added. We have led the fight on civil rights, healthcare, social security, Medicare, womens rights and workers rights. And our fights continue.

But the Democratic contest may not yet be over.

Dana Balter, the partys pick in 2018, said she would decide later today whether to challenge Conole in a June primary.

Roger Misso, a Navy veteran from Syracuse who also has been seeking the partys support, said he would make an announcement on Wednesday. He has endorsements from more than half a dozen current and former elected officials.

Conole won the party committee vote on the first round, meaning he got 54 percent in the three-way contest. Onondaga County Democratic Chairwoman Pam Hunter declined to say what percentages Misso and Balter got.

Both Misso and Balter briefly addressed the crowd of more than 200. Lets go get John Katko, Balter said.

The three Democrats have been campaigning for 10 months. Balter, 43, an educator from Syracuse, has won the Democratic designation in Oswego County.

Conole already won the designation from Cayuga County. Todays win bolsters his support among party officials: Onondaga County is home to 74 percent of the districts registered Democrats. Wayne County Democrats declined to designate any candidate in the contest.

Conole started the year with about $250,000 cash on hand. Balter had about $223,000. Misso had about $130,000 in his campaign bank account.

Conole has picked up endorsements from more than a dozen elected officials in Central New York and the only labor union to endorse one of the candidates, Iron Workers Local 60.

Balter has the backing of local Democratic activist groups and national progressive groups that include EMILYs List, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Democracy for America. A dozen elected officials from Central New York have also endorsed her campaign.

In 2018, Balter won the Democratic Party designation in all four counties in the district. She was challenged in a primary election by Juanita Perez Williams, a Syracuse lawyer who was backed by the national party in Washington.

Balter won the primary election by more than 20 percentage points. But she lost to Katko by about 5 percentage points in the November election.

The 24th Congressional District covers all of Onondaga, Cayuga and Wayne counties and the western half of Oswego County, including the cities of Fulton and Oswego.

This is a developing story. Check back with syracuse.com for updates later today.
On the day this week that New Hampshire voters were telling us who they think the Democrats should promote for the presidency, I was thinking a lot about how our presidents do their job, because I was visiting the presidential library of Lyndon B. Johnson, down in Texas.

And since Monday is Presidents' Day, a national holiday, this is a good time to look at what was arguably the most consequential presidency of the 20th century except for that of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The five years following the death of John F. Kennedy brought both the most energetic expansion of government power in American history, with the exception of FDR's New Deal, and a social convulsion fueled in no small part by LBJ's tragic prosecution of the Vietnam War.

It's useful to re-examine Johnson's presidency now not just because he was so successful at pushing through his agenda, but also because he generated so much contrary passion as president. Both those factors invite comparison to the incumbent.

Consider this: In 1964, LBJ won the biggest landslide since 1820, but just 3 1/2 years later he was too unpopular to even try for another term. Even for those of us old enough to remember those days  and for many, the memories arrive without much fondness  there's much to weigh.

LBJ was a complex man, coarse but caring, remarkably effective at getting his way, a leader whose decisions led to tens of thousands of deaths in Southeast Asia while saving millions of lives through his Great Society programs, including Medicare, Medicaid and the War on Poverty.

Consider: The share of Americans living in poverty dropped from 20 percent to 12 percent during his short presidency; the number of Americans attending four or more years of college in that decade rose by 39 percent. He pushed through the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Highway Safety Act, the Public Broadcasting Act, the Clean Water Act and dozens of other big laws that still affect how we all live.

The man got things done. He was a builder.

Some of this year's Democratic candidates promise sweeping change, and President Donald Trump is attacking policies and norms that have long been established realities in Washington, but it's hard to imagine that a president of either party these days could be as effective as LBJ was. He wheedled and bargained and bullied to get Congress to act, reaching across political divides in a way that's impossible to even imagine in this hyperpartisan era.

Did LBJ lie? Oh, yes: His claim of an unprovoked attack on two American ships in Vietnam's Gulf of Tonkin in 1964 was mostly false, but it gave him a pretense for getting Congress to let him escalate the war. His administration's rosy assessments of the war's progress weren't true, either, but LBJ used them to keep anti-war sentiment from overtaking the country for several years as our troops fought an unwinnable battle against what the administration saw as a communist tide in Southeast Asia.

There's a lot about Lyndon Johnson you can't admire. But consider what he didn't do.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

He didn't belittle opponents, constantly fabricate facts about matters ranging from weather forecasts to economic reports, and promote his own political success by trying to further divide the people of our country.

He didn't manipulate the nation's law enforcement and intelligence agencies to punish his enemies and protect his friends, nor attack the findings of his own military and security agencies as the product of corruption.

He didn't have an ever-changing cast of barely competent aides shuffling through the administration or pals facing prison for the work they did on his behalf.

The very fact that you might be nostalgic for the Johnson administration suggests just how befouled our government has become. I remember the anger and fear of 1968, and I'm sure I didn't imagine then that I would look back on all that with fondness.

LBJ, we knew then, was a vain and profane man, and antiwar protesters called him a warmonger. But he considered the inequality of American society to be such a stain on our democracy that he spent political capital extravagantly to fight the War on Poverty  so much, in fact, that it cost his party the presidency. No demonstrators in the streets lauded him for that sacrifice, but it's clear that he did it because it was the right thing to do.

When you find a politician who displays such moral clarity and courage, you should work to get that person elected. Just now, though, too many people eagerly cast aside their moral foundation for partisan or ideological gain. This Presidents' Day would be a good occasion to resolve to reclaim our political system from such cynics.
A 16-year-old Dalit student in Surendranagar, Gujarat who had accused the headmaster of her school of sexually abusing her several times has attempted suicide.

The girl tried to kill herself on Wednesday, the same day Batuk Bhatti, the headmaster, who is also a trustee of Kamal Vidyamandir School, in Chotila was arrested on charges of sexually abusing the minor girl.

According to her complaint, Bhatti had raped her twice and molested her several times over the period of a year, which resulted in severe physical and mental trauma. "The minor girl's parents informed the police that a trustee of the residential school in Chotila had sexually assaulted and raped their daughter, following which the accused was arrested," superintendent of police Mahendra Bagadia said.

Bhatti has been booked under sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Acts, as the victim belongs to the Dalit community, he said. Bhatti, who was presented in a local court on Wednesday was sent to police custody for further interrogation.

Both the parents of the victim are labourers and work in Rajkot, about 50 kilometre from Chotila. The family also alleged that the girl attempted suicide in the past also after she was first raped by Bhatti in December inside his office. They also alleged that Bhatti used to threaten her claiming that he will leak photos of her if she revealed the sexual assaults to anyone.

AFP

After the sexual assault case came to light, agitated parents and relatives of the victim gathered outside the school and pelted stones, damaging the school bus and building. The school has since been shut and the students who have been living in the hostel were taken away by parents.



According to the amended POCSO Act, aggravated sexual assault on minor girls is a crime that is punishable by the death penalty.

BCCL

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2018 showed that Gujarat had recorded a 16% rise in rape cases. In 2018 there were a total of 553 rape cases in the state, up from 477 in 2017. Sexual offences against children registered under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act also saw an increase during the same period. The number of POCSO cases had risen from 1,671 in 2017 to 2,127 in 2018 which is an increase of 28%.
STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. During the period from February 9 to 15 the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire regime in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact nearly 120 times by firing more than 1100 shots from various caliber weapons at the Armenian positions, the defense ministry of Artsakh told Armenpress.

The Artsakh Defense Army forces follow the ceasefire regime and continue confidently conducting their military service.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Question: This is a photo of a small milk-glass candy dish that was given to me in 1959. Although the dish is milk glass, the ruffled edge is clear glass. It is over 5 inches in diameter and 2 inches in height, and it is in excellent condition. There is no manufacturer's name on it, but I think originally there was a Fenton Glass Co. label. I am downsizing and trying to decide what to keep and what to toss.

Any information you can provide will be appreciated.

Answer: Frank and John Fenton founded the Fenton Glass Co. in Williamstown, West Virginia, in 1905. You have a bonbon dish that is part of the Silver Crest line. In 1942, it replaced their Crystal Crest pattern that can be distinguished by an opal edge. When held to the light, the Crystal Crest pattern had a luminous opal glow. Silver Crest was a huge success and was in production until the 1980s. It was less complicated and less expensive to produce. They produced a plethora of dishes including baskets, epergnes, bowls, candleholders, vases, punch bowls and vanity sets. Silver Crest production reached a peak in the 1960s. In 1969, they introduced the hand-painted line Violets in the Snow, followed by the Apple Blossom pattern. Both patterns were the creation of Fenton's Louise Piper.

Currently, prices for the small bonbon dish are in the range of $15 to $25.

Q: I have enclosed the mark that is on the bottom of a small pitcher. It stands about 6 inches tall and is in perfect condition. There are red bands around the edge and down the handle. On the front are southwestern flowerpots and a bowl with vegetables, and the background is white.

I don't know anything about it and hope you can provide some information on its vintage and value.

A: Crooksville China Co. made a line called Pantry Bak-In Ware that was decorated with a southwestern motif. They were located in Crooksville, Ohio, from 1902 to 1959. They made kitchenware and semiporcelain. Pantry Bak-In Ware was made in the 1930s and was available in a wide variety of pieces. Southwestern designs were popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Crooksville China Co. decorated much of their ware with decals.

Your semiporcelain pitcher was made around 1930 and would probably be worth $20 to $25.

Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P. O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters.

COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM

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Catherine admitted she feels guilty as a working mum. (Getty Images)

The Duchess of Cambridge has admitted royal life doesnt stop her feeling mum guilt, as she gave an insight into her childhood as well as her three pregnancies.

Kate was speaking on Giovanna Fletchers Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, as her nationwide survey on Early Years enters its final week.

She admitted she struggled with mum guilt and said her children George and Charlotte had asked why they werent being dropped off at school on the day the podcast was recorded, as she was at a nursery visit.

She said: It starts from the moment you have a baby.

I feel huge responsibility. I would have done things differently during my pregnancy now, with what I have learnt.

I found it fascinating to see with the wellbeing of the mother, not just physically, making sure you exercise and eat healthily, but the emotional wellbeing of the mother directly impacts the baby. Its difficult with lifes challenges but just being aware of it, I was much more in the third than the first.

She later added: A very wise man did say to me, about my guilt of being away for work, in a nuclear family, where parents are the sole charge, we are more like animals than we think, the more people you have around your children who are safe and loving, the better.

It took a weight off my shoulders, because its not all my responsibility.

Catherine joined her on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast to talk about her survey.

The duchess has three children, George, six, Charlotte, four, and Louis, one.

Kate also spoke about her morning sickness, and said I am not a very happy pregnant person.

The duchess has been hospitalised with all three of her pregnancies, suffering hyperemesis gravidarum.

She said it also impacted Prince William adding: He didnt feel he could do much to help. Its hard for everyone to see you suffering without being able to do anything.

I wasnt eating the things I should be eating, but the body was able to take all the good things and grow new life.

But her hyperemesis gravidarum led her to hypno-birthing, saying she realised the power of the mind.

Story continues

She said: There are levels of it, I wont say William was chanting sweet nothings at me. He wasnt. But I wanted to do it for myself.

I saw the power of it, the meditation and deep breathing that they teach you when I was really sick and I realised this was something I could take control of.

Because it had been so bad during pregnancy, I quite liked labour. It was something as an event that I knew there would be an ending to.

Kate said she was a very hands-on mum. (Getty Images)

Kate also talked about her own childhood, saying it was a happy one and praising her parents for their dedication admitting now Im a parent I realise how much they gave up.

The simple things resonate with me the most. Life now is so busy, so distracting, the simple things like watching a fire on a rainy day, I remember that from my childhood. Going for a walk, thats really what I try to do with my children now.

It totally strips away all the complications, all the pressures, and those experiences mean so much to children and the world they are in, which is an adventure, she said.

Speaking about the first time she held her eldest son Prince George, she said: It was amazing, it is extraordinary.

How can the human body do that?

Also, I was relieved.

And she said they had kept the gender a surprise so did not know they were having a boy.

The duchess said it was slightly terrifying knowing there was so much of the worlds media waiting outside the Lindo Wing for her.

She said: Both William and I were really conscious that this was something everyone was excited about, and we were hugely grateful for the support.

But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, and inexperience of parents and the uncertainty of what that held, so there was mixed emotions.

Kate and William the first time they had to come out of the Lindo Wing. (Getty Images)

Kate said she was desperate to get home though, because hospital held the memories of being ill in the early stages of pregnancy for her.

The duchess said the period in the early days could be very lonely for mothers, who dont know where they can go for help once they have left the hospital.

She said: You can read all the books, but thats almost worse, because then that plays into things should happen like this and again its easier to think of whats really important for that child.

Princess Charlotte and Kate on Christmas Day. (Getty Images)

Speaking about what she would like to give her children, she mentioned a photo she has of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, saying moments like that mean so much to me as a parent.

I try everyday to put moments like that in - even if theyre small.

Asked who she would write a letter to about motherhood, Kate said she would have liked to write back to herself, telling herself in her first pregnancy what she had learnt.

Catherine released this picture of Charlotte after referencing it in the podcast. (Duchess of Cambridge)

Catherine released this picture of Charlotte after referencing it in the podcast. (Duchess of Cambridge)

She said: Its the simple things that really make the difference, its not whether you have done every single drop off and every single pick up but its those quality moments where you are properly listening to them, properly understanding what they feel, and if things are going wrong, understanding how I am feeling as a mother, am I making this worse because its bringing up things I feel and not just focusing on them.

She also said she wanted her three children to remember moments like going to the beach and getting soaking wet and failing to light a bonfire, not a stressful home and trying to do homework.

William and Catherine leaving hospital with Prince Louis. (Getty images)

The pair also compared their three children who are similar ages, with Kate saying she is a hands-on mum and wants to do the best for my children.

Kate spoke about her survey through Ipsos MORI and her passion for Early Years work, one she has held since marrying William.

Talking about meeting people struggling with abuse, addiction and homeless, she said: The hardest social challenges really get traced right back to the early years.

What we experience in our childhood really has a lifelong impact on our future health and happiness.

The duchess has spoken previously about the importance of getting outside in childhood. (Getty Images)

The duchess said while she had done a lot of work with experts and doctors, she wanted to get the views of parents and caregivers who are doing the day to day work with children, which is why she launched the survey.

She confessed: Theres stuff I would have done differently right at the beginning considering what Ive learned now.

But it has been shocking to see how challenges we see in society, so much is connected through poor mental health and then often traumatic experiences in early childhood.

That seemed important to look at before I had children.

Kate said she hoped her children would remember moments like going to the beach. (Getty Images)

Kate said that while there was a perception of those doing well versus those struggling, there were universal issues that went across backgrounds.

Giovanna added that mums she had spoken to had shared experiences, referencing mum guilt for those who work, sleepless nights, or thinking they were a terrible mum.

Speaking about her 5 Big Questions survey, Kate shared a story of a mother who told her she had been on Google to get the answers, and Kate had told her theres no right or wrong - Im not going to mark you at the end!

Kate also praised Giovanna for getting mothers to speak openly about their experiences, and stopping stigma and judgement so that more families would reach out for services in their areas.

Catherine said she was eased by the view that children can have lots of people around them to help. (Getty Images)

Kate answered Giovannas three snap questions at the end, finishing the sentences:

Being a mum means: compromise

Since being a mum I: have found a new enjoyment out of life

Im happy when: I am with my family, out in the countryside and we are all filthy dirty.

The 5 Big Questions survey closes on 21 February at 10.30pm GMT.
Bengaluru: American Airlines will launch its first direct flight from Bengaluru to Seattle to meet corporate demand.

The daily non-stop flight between Bengaluru International Airport and Seattle Tacoma Airport is expected to commence from October 2020. It will be the carriers only US flight to India since it stopped flying to New Delhi in 2012.

The airline plans to operate a 285-seater Boeing 787-9 aircraft on this route.

The new flight to Seattle will give passengers faster one-stop access to San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Denver, Arizona, Dallas and Chicago as compared to multiple stopovers in the past.

The Bengaluru airport launched new routes to Amsterdam and Addis Ababa recently. Flights to Tokyo and Munich are likely soon. With these new additions, Bengaluru will connect to 28 international destinations.

We will continue to explore attractive routes that connect Bengaluru to some of the most important destinations in India and abroad, said Hari Marar, CEO of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).
Honor, integrity, fired

It was an act of courage for Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman to come forward and speak up about the Ukraine affair, knowing there would be retaliation. His honor and integrity got him fired from his job. He is a decorated war veteran living up to a code of honor.

This president has managed to deeply divide our country to the point that many are reluctant to speak up for fear of hateful name-calling and derogatory comments by his followers. Surely, in the United States, we all have the right to disagree openly.

Thank you, Lt. Col. Vindman, for having the courage of your convictions.

H.M. Henderson

Changing rules now?

Now, lets see what happened. Julian Castro (the last Hispanic presidential candidate standing) and then Cory Booker (the last black presidential candidate standing) both requested the Democratic National Committee change the rules to qualify for the debate and were told the rules could not be changed.

But now a gray-headed, old, white, billionaire 1 percenter donated to the Democratic National Committee, and, all of a sudden, the DNC was able to find a way to change the rules so Mayor Mike Bloomberg could join the debate?

Nick Delouis, Fair Oaks Ranch

Not Latina enough?

Re: Mas latinas, por favor, Your Turn, Sunday:

Letter writer Jake Longoria, since when is a Puertorriquena not latina? Sunny Hostin  a longtime host of The View  has represented the Latina perspective for many years with high intelligence, dignity and hispanic pride. Watch the show before attacking it. Or is she not Latina enough for you?

Justa Garcia-Higby

Unlimited but public

Re: Tougher state campaign fundraising laws needed, Editorial, Sunday:

I have no problem with unlimited contributions, as long as candidates are required to report all donations to the county clerk, municipal clerk or the secretary of state. Then it should be required of the media to publish that information so all voters can know whom they are voting for.

Mark Marek

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: Tougher state campaign laws needed
The entire world knows JK Rowling as the writer who brought magic into the lives of people by creating the fantasy world of Harry Potter. Many of us grew up waiting for our letter from Hogwarts. The entire Harry Potter franchise is unending- from books to movies and now theatre, it has found a space in almost every art form. But Rowling is also known for her other books that she has written under the pseudonym, Robert Galbriath.

Basically we can all agree that JK Rowling creates magic with her writing and guess who is going to be a protagonist in one of her new novels? A man from Bengal. Thats right.

Twitter

According to a TNIE report Netraprasad Sharma, a Class X dropout from Pampu bustee in West Bengals Buxa Tiger Reserve Forest, received a call from JK Rowling a few days ago.

Sharma works as a tour guide in the reserve forest zone, and Rowling reportedly told him that she wanted to feature him as the main character in her upcoming novel.

Sharma also received a 272-page draft of the novel with a request from her to meet her in California. She helped me to get a passport and my visa application approved. I am California bound this July, TNIE quoted Sharma as saying.

TNIE

But why is J.K. Rowling interested in Netraprasad Sharmas life?

Almost a year ago, a group of six US students reportedly visited the tiger reserve and they were really impressed by Sharmas knowledge of the wildlife, including his instincts that help him track the locations of wild animals. The students interviewed him well after the tour ended; he informed them how he stopped pursuing higher education because of a financial crisis at home and how his love for nature made him a tour guide, according to the report.

North Bengal tourism

After the students left, I got busy with my profession and forgot them. A few days ago, I received a call from one of the students named Laura. She told me that J K Rowling wanted to speak. I could not believe myself. Rowling wanted to portray me in her next novel after watching the interview by students, he was quoted as saying.

It would be something else to have an Indian as the main character in a Rowling novel.
Appear for CBSE board examinations in a 'happy and stress-free manner', Prime Minister Narendra Modi told students on Saturday.

New Delhi: Appear for CBSE board examinations in a "happy and stress-free manner", Prime Minister Narendra Modi told students on Saturday.

Describing those appearing for the classes X and XII board examinations as "exam warriors", he said months of hardwork and preparation will "surely lead to great things".

"As the CBSE Class X and XII exams commence today, best wishes to all young Exam Warriors, their parents and teachers. I urge my young friends to appear for the exams in a happy and stress-free manner," the prime minister tweeted.

Nearly 18.89 lakh candidates are appearing for Class X exams and 12.06 lakh for Class XII examinations.
MDA, a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), today announced that technology developed by its UK division in partnership with the UK Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency has begun its journey to the International Space Station (ISS). The European Space Agency (ESA)'s Columbus Ka-Band Terminal (COLKa) was launched today aboard the NG-13 Commercial Resupply Mission to the ISS.

The MDA-built terminal will complement existing communication systems on board the ISS and utilise the European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS). Operating in the Ka-band, COLKa will enable dramatically higher communications bandwidth between ESA's Columbus laboratory module on the ISS and ground stations and will provide ESA with an independent connection for faster delivery of scientific data and high-definition video. As a result, UK and European scientists and researchers will be able to see results of their ISS science experiments almost instantaneously.

COLKa was designed, developed and integrated by MDA Space and Robotics Limited in the UK, using funding provided by the UK Space Agency through the ESA Human Spaceflight program, the Canadian Space Agency through its cooperation agreement with the ESA, through the ESA ARTES program as well as through internal investment. MDA was supported on the project by Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace and Antwerp Space, both of which made significant contributions to the development of key subsystems.

"This is the first major industrial contribution from the UK to the ISS, and it will revolutionise the ability of scientists in the UK and Europe to access the results of their experiments," said Dr Graham Turnock, CEO of the UK Space Agency. "This is yet another example of the UK economy benefiting, through investment, jobs and new skills, from our continued collaboration with the European Space Agency."

"The COLKa program has firmly established MDA in the UK as a leading provider of high-quality space equipment, positioning us for continued business growth and new jobs in both communications and space sensor markets," said David Kenyon, Managing Director of MDA Space and Robotics Limited in the UK.

Two astronauts will carry out a spacewalk later this year to mount COLKa to the outside of the Columbus module on the ISS.

About Maxar Technologies

Maxar is a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure. We deliver disruptive value to government and commercial customers to help them monitor, understand and navigate our changing planet; deliver global broadband communications; and explore and advance the use of space. Our unique approach combines decades of deep mission understanding and a proven commercial and defense foundation to deploy solutions and deliver insights with unrivaled speed, scale and cost effectiveness. Maxar's 5,800 team members in 30 global locations are inspired to harness the potential of space to help our customers create a better world. Maxar trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.

About MDA

MDA is an internationally recognized leader in space robotics, space sensors, satellite payloads, antennas and subsystems, surveillance and intelligence systems, defense and maritime systems, and geospatial radar imagery. MDA's extensive space expertise and heritage translates into mission-critical defence and commercial applications that include multi-platform command, control and surveillance systems, aeronautical information systems, land administration systems and terrestrial robotics. MDA is also a leading supplier of actionable mission-critical information and insights derived from multiple data sources. Founded in 1969, MDA is recognized as one of Canada's most successful technology ventures with locations in Richmond, Ottawa, Brampton, Montreal, Halifax and the United Kingdom. For more information visit www.mdacorporation.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and other information included in this release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. Statements including words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "plan", "potential", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate" or "expect" and other words, terms and phrases of similar meaning are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties, as well as other statements referring to or including forward-looking information included in this presentation.

Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this presentation. As a result, although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors and other disclosures about the Company and its business included in the Company's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with U.S. securities and Canadian regulatory authorities, which are available online under the Company's EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov, under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com or on the Company's website at www.maxar.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this presentation or other specified date and speak only as of such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this presentation as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200215005026/en/

Contacts:

For more information, please contact:

Leslie Swartman

MDA Media Contact, 1-613-736-6917, leslie.swartman@mdacorporation.com

Jason Gursky

Maxar Investor Relations, 1-303-684-2207, jason.gursky@maxar.com
HYDERABAD: Officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) are keeping their fingers crossed over funding of the Comprehensive Road Maintenance Project (CRMP).

This is because the corporation will not be able to use any amount from the general funds. All funds will have to be rooted through the special purpose vehicle, Hyderabad Road Development Corporation Limited (HRDCL).

Though tenders have been finalised for CRMP, the civic body is depending on the state government for funds. If sanction is delayed like in case of the double bedroom housing scheme, the condition of city roads will go from bad to worse.

According to highly placed sources, GHMC has already designated the yearly amount to be spent over the next five years. Under supervision of the corporation, private parties are to execute works on 709 kilometre of arterial roads at an estimated cost of Rs 1,827 crore. From January during the current financial year and for 2020-21, the civic body has asked the government to sanction Rs 720 crore for the CRMP. The state government would either include amount in the state budget or, in case of fund crunch, ask HRDCL to knock on the doors of financial institutions.

Sources feel that with GHMC polls around the corner, government will release funds for road repairs without any further delay. However, in case there is any delay, CRMP would come to a grinding halt, like the 2 BHK housing project, where the government is yet to release funds pertaining to July. Since seven months, the housing project has hardly seen any progress.

Against this backdrop, corporation officials have decided to request the government that special provision be made for funding the road project. Considering the topography and poor underground sewerage and drinking water systems, city roads are vulnerable to frequent damage. Any delay in release of instalments by the government via HRDCL, will lead to condition of city roads deteriorating, especially post monsoon. Officials claim private players have already grounded works in all the zones and city will be pothole free in a month and freely motorable in two months.

An official said under CRMP, the main roads of Hyderabad city would be divided into eight units for taking up maintenance works on a war footing. For a term of five years, the designated agencies will be responsible right from laying of roads, their maintenance, and building of footpaths to cleaning and ensuring greenery. GHMC will from time to time monitor the quality of works being implemented by the various agencies.
Page Content

This week the St. Maarten delegation, consisting of Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion, and their advisory staff are in the Netherlands taking part in several meetings.





We are here to make connections aimed at improving the working relationship within the Dutch Kingdom based upon mutual respect and understanding in the best interest of the people of St. Maarten, stated Prime Minister Jacobs.





Prime Minister Jacobs stated that meetings were held on a technical level with technical representatives from the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations (BZK). Additionally, the St. Maarten delegation met with the Minister of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations, Raymond Knops. In-depth discussions were held between both parties pertaining to the 2018 and 2019 liquidity support. More specifically, St. Maartens position regarding the conditionality of pension reform, to acquire liquidity support for 2019 and the remainder of liquidity support for 2018, was shared.





Weve shared with Minister Knops, that we find it very unreasonable that pension reform is a condition for liquidity support as this topic is an extremely sensitive topic all over the world. Additionally, it is also clear that the people of St. Maarten, including the unions and the members of parliament still have great concerns where the draft pension reform law is concerned. Prime Minister Jacobs stated.





During both meetings, the Minister of Finance Adwell Irion informed the Minister of Interior and Kingdom Relations, Raymond Knops and the technical representatives of the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations (BZK) concerning the Committee for Financial Supervision (CFT) advices which were also discussed which supports St. Maartens need for the promised liquidity support of 2018 and 2019.





The St. Maarten delegation also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok, to discuss research related to visum policies in the Caribbean. They also met with our Dutch Caribbean counterparts in that context in preparation for this discussion in the Kingdom Council of Ministers. Additionally, the St. Maarten delegation paid a courtesy visit to the representative of St. Maarten Mrs. Maria van der Sluijs-Plantz and support staff. Courtesy visits were also paid to the Vice-President of the Council of State Thom de Graaf, Chairman of the Second Chamber Jan Anthonie Bruijn, as well as the Chairman





of the Committee for Kingdom Relations of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Jan Paternotte. During these visits, the delegation touched on the dispute regulation for St. Maarten.





In these meetings, St. Maarten saw communication, representation and her input in decisions related to St. Maarten. Ways in which these may be improved is also being highlighted. The delegation is working towards making sure St. Maartens voice is heard in the plenary sessions of the First Chamber as it pertains to the discussions on the dispute regulation, said Prime Minister Jacobs.





Prime Minister Jacobs, represented St. Maarten in the Kingdom Council of Ministers this morning together with Minister Plenipotentiary Rene Violenus on the agenda point of the agreed upon 2018 and 2019 liquidity support for St. Maarten. After Ministerial Consultation held this morning prior to the Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting, parties were able to reach a consensus regarding liquidity support in keeping with the various the Committee for Financial Supervision (CFT) advice which stated that a liquidity norm of two months reserve should be maintained. This was later confirmed and established in the Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting.





We look forward to more positive meetings in culmination of this week in the Netherlands. Minister Plenipotentiary Rene Violenus and his cabinet have diligently made a lot of preparation for these meetings and they have taken part in the meetings as well. We look forward to the Minister Plenipotentiary and his staff continuing to represent St. Maarten at a high level in the years to come, concluded Prime Minister Jacobs. The Ministers will complete their trip in the evening meeting with some St. Maartens students and other St. Maarteners via a reception organized by the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague.




Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 13:24:43|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (1st L) meets with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (1st R) in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz here Friday, and vowed to promote cooperation in various fields.

During their talks, Wang thanked Austria for its precious support for China in fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic.

With frequent high-level exchanges between China and Austria, Wang said, bilateral relations have grown rapidly in recent years.

Recalling the visit of Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Kurz to China in 2018, Wang said that the visit, as a much-told story in the history of international exchanges, has been exerting positive effects on the China-Austria relationship.

China will further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas with Austria as a trusted partner and strengthen mutual support and cooperation in international affairs, said Wang.

Kurz wished China success in the fight against the epidemic at an early date, saying that Austria is ready to continue to provide necessary support.

As the year 2021 will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, Kurz said, Austria will take it as an opportunity to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, to strengthen cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, and tourism, as well as to push for fresh progress in the Austria-China friendly strategic partnership.
Later that afternoon, up to 250 people armed with spears, star pickets and lumps of wood took to the streets seeking vengeance, Superintendent Geoff Sheldon told reporters on January 2. "It became a vengeance-seeking exercise where anyone associated with the people they believed were responsible for this, or any premises or property associated with them was assaulted, damaged and alight," he said. People at a makeshift camp established by the Kapani Warrior group about 80km outside the town of Aurukun. Credit:AAP Superintendent Sheldon said police efforts to calm the situation were unsuccessful from the get-go. He said a 17-year-old and 18-year-old man willingly presented themselves to police and were immediately removed from the community for their own safety. It was around this time that Travis Ngakyunkwokka saw the smoke. His home was one of six burnt to the ground. Two others were vandalised and are now uninhabitable. Police later charged 29 people with 120 offences over the rioting.

Mr Ngakyunkwokka says he spent the night running around town checking on family members. Around 5 o'clock the next morning he heard people calling his mothers name. They were yelling out for us, 'we're gonna catch you, we're gonna kill you'. I was scared that day ... I said to my mum 'We need to move on. We need to go somewhere safe', he said. His family fled to Coen, about 300 kilometres away. Others retreated into the bush. Aurukun resident and army veteran Tim White set up a camp for displaced residents after an alleged fatal stabbing on New Year's Day. Credit:Rhett Wyman Aurukun resident and army veteran Tim White, who runs the Kapani Warrior military program for Indigenous men across Cape York, set up a camp for up to 150 refugees 80 kilometres out of town.

The risk was massive, he said. I had nine insulin-dependent diabetics in the camp with no medication. I had a woman dying of cancer on the tail end of chemotherapy. I did a headcount every morning and a headcount every night. I expected that when I did a headcount every morning that someone would be dead ... is this Australia? The camp operated in extreme heat with limited supplies for 11 days. Jobs were assigned to counteract the sense of helplessness: young men caught fish, older women prepared food and other veterans helped assemble a militia to provide camp security. Dr White, who is also a psychologist, said the situation bore similarities to the war zones he had seen in Somalia. I have had nightmares ever since, he said. He and friend Irwin Yunkaporta, a Kapani Warrior graduate, are now exploring opportunities for a handful of young men from Aurukun to relocate to Army Recruit Training Centre Kapooka at Wagga Wagga to further their military training.

More than a month after the initial unrest, there is no clear solution in sight. Aurukun resident Irwin Yunkaporta plans to move to Wagga Wagga to escape the ongoing unrest. Credit:Rhett Wyman Aurukun Mayor Derek Walpo has implored people to return, begging for an end to the "anger and retaliations". The state government has enlisted Far North Queensland police officer Duane Amos and Tracey Harding, who has worked in disaster recovery, to help Aurukun residents return home. They will also work on "medium and long-term strategies" for those who will not be immediately returning. They will work alongside former Aurukun Shire Council CEO Gary Kleidon, who is co-ordinating the government response.

The Cape York community has a fraught history. The Aurukun Mission, formerly known as the Archer River Mission, was set up by the Presbyterian Church in 1904, merging five different clan groups. When the mission system was disbanded in the 1970s, alcohol was introduced for the first time. "What's been dealt in Aurukun through the mission system and what I call the post-mission apocalypse, where alcohol was just awash in the communities and people didn't have the generational learning around social drinking ... they've had a really bad run." said Dr White. "It's an immensely broken social experiment. I think there have been many attempts to apply broken tools to fix the broken machine.
By Paul Carrel

MUNICH (Reuters) - Germany's president took an indirect swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday in accusing Washington, China and Russia of stoking global mistrust and insecurity with a "great powers" competition" that could threaten a new nuclear arms race.

In opening remarks at the annual Munich Security Conference, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier deplored the three big powers' approach to global affairs and, without naming Trump, took issue with his vow to "make America great again".

"'Great again' - even at the expense of neighbors and partners," quipped Steinmeier, a former Social Democrat foreign minister whose comments on foreign policy carry authority.

As foreign minister in 2014, he was central to the so-called "Munich consensus" when German leaders said Berlin was ready to assume more responsibility in global affairs. Steinmeier pressed that point again on Friday, but not before bemoaning the foreign policy approaches of Russia, China and the United States.

"Russia...has made military force and the violent shifting of borders on the European continent the means of politics once again," he said in the text of a speech for delivery at the opening of the conference.

"China...accepts international law only selectively where it does not run counter to its own interests," Steinmeier said. "And our closest ally, the United States of America, under the present administration itself, rejects the idea of an international community."

The upshot was "more mistrust, more armament, less security...all the way to a new nuclear arms race," he said.

In response, he said, Germany should raise defense spending to contribute more to European security and to maintain its alliance with the United States, recognizing that U.S. interests were gravitating away from Europe toward Asia.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas later said: "Germany is prepared to become more involved, including militarily.

"But let us not narrow the discussion down to a single question. The strength of our alliance is not measured in euros or dollars alone," he added, responding to U.S. pressure on Germany to increase its defense spending.

Story continues

"Relentless discussion, not maximum disruption, brings good results," he said, adding of NATO: "Only together do we have the economic strength, the military potential and the ideas of political order needed to defend the rule-based world order."

Steinmeier called for a European policy toward Russia "that is not limited to condemning statements and sanctions alone".

Europe, he added, "must find its own balance with China between intensifying competition between systems and the need for cooperation."

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alex Richardson)
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister sent an email this week to Tory supporters entitled: These illegal blockades.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister sent an email this week to Tory supporters entitled: "These illegal blockades."

"Youve probably heard about the highway and rail blockades happening across the country," Pallister wrote in the Thursday evening message, "including the one right here in Manitoba."

Echoing actions in Ontario and Quebec, demonstrators had blocked commuter and freight travel west of Winnipeg to protest the RCMP removal of Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs and activists challenging the construction of a gas pipeline in northern B.C.

Pallister announced Wednesday his government would seek a court injunction to remove the Manitoba protesters from the rail line. By 2 p.m. Thursday, though, CN Railway had received approval of its own injunction and the occupation was ended.

Still, Pallister sent out his email four hours later.

"We respect the rights of protesters," it proclaims. "But laws need to be applied."

The message goes on to criticize Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew for supporting "those behind the blockades," alongside signing the "Leap Manifesto, a radical document calling for the shutdown of Canadas entire resource sector!"

THE CANADIAN PRESS/DARREN CALABRESE Actors, activists, and musicians launch the Leap Manifesto outlining a climate and economic vision for Canada during a press conference in 2015.

For the record, the Leap Manifesto is an apolitical document created in 2015 by more than 60 Indigenous, social welfare, food, environmental, labour, and faith-based (mostly Christian) organizations, and committed to by more than 52,000 celebrities, activists, and Canadians.

The document is "a call for a Canada based on caring for the Earth and one another," and asks signees to commit to honouring treaties, building locally-based energy infrastructure, and supporting immigrants and workers to enter environmentally-friendly sectors. It also calls on governments to fund "caregiving, teaching, social work, the arts, and public-interest media," a national child-care program, and institute a universal basic income.

In fairness, the manifesto also calls for an end to fossil fuel subsidies, creation of a carbon tax, cuts to military spending, and adopting a national "polluter pays" principle.

So it isnt "a radical document calling for the shutdown of Canadas entire resource sector," but rather a political vision running counter to the Tory premier's.

(Also, for the record, Kinew has tweeted some support for the Wetsuweten, but not much; no doubt complicated by the Manitoba NDPs relationship with B.C.s NDP government.)

The conclusion of Pallisters email to party supporters, however, shows its true purpose.

"We wont stand back while two-tier justice happens in our province. And we wont hesitate to seek an injunction in the future, if this happens again. If youre with us, please consider making a donation to help us stand up for ordinary Manitobans."

Pallisters monetization of Indigenous v. non-Indigenous conflict in Canada has to mark a new low. In the past, hes alluded to Indigenous peoples being "night hunters," scary downtown Winnipeg threats, or "lobby groups."

His characterization of Indigenous activists as lawless illegals working in opposition to "ordinary Manitobans"  a wild West, with him as the sheriff  is divisive, exploitative, and irresponsible.

The conflict with the Wetsuweten over the Coastal GasLink pipeline is fairly straightforward. Canada and B.C. are acting like they own Wetsuweten land, make the laws which govern their relationship, and no one is allowed to disagree.

The Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs say otherwise. They claim 22,000 square kilometres since "time immemorial," and are backed-up by the 1997 Supreme Court decision on the Delgamuukw case  which not only recognized their land title but their leadership of the Wetsuweten Nation (not the chiefs and councils imposed by the Indian Act).

The Supreme Court told Canada over two decades ago it had to negotiate with the Wetsuweten. It has not happened.

Instead, the gas pipeline was planned and approved. To fulfill Canadas constitutional obligation to "consult" with First Nations, B.C. offered Indian Act chiefs and councils "benefit agreements" (jobs and money).

Benefit agreements are not consent. Theyre mostly payoffs meant to appease Canadas own laws while Indigenous laws, land claims, and governments are ignored.

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This is how Canada has operated for a century-and-a-half.

Activists standing on rail lines arent lawless. Theyre reminders of the laws, land claims, and governments Canada has ignored to build a country.

Pallister, by threatening injunctions, is the one favouring one set of laws over another.

This is the kind of message that divides and exploits Manitobans, conditioning them to see Indigenous peoples as operating against society.

It isn't true.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
Thanks to the rigorous efforts of the Central and Telangana state government, sixteen Telangana labourers, who were stranded in Iraq for more than two years, returned to India on Saturday. The labourers hailed from different regions of Telangana. Their agents cheated them and sent them to the Middle Eastern country on the fake promise of finding work for them.

While speaking to a news agency, one of the rescued labourers said, "I had been stranded in Iraq for years and faced severe problems. I was sent there on a tourist visa by an agent who promised me I would find work there."

"My visa soon got expired and I was stranded there." the labourer then added.

READ | Katyusha rocket hits Kirkuk base housing American troops in Iraq

Labourers post video asking for help

The matter came into notice when the labourers took to their social media accounts and posted videos addressed to the Telangana government, asking for help. They spoke about the problems and hardships that faced upon leaving India. The labourers had also appealed to the government to help them come back home to India.

After the videos spread on social media, the Telangana government sprung into action. Concerned authorities coordinated with the Central government to reach out to the labourers and arrange for their repartition to India.

In a similar incident that took place in January, four women hailing from Andhra Pradesh had also susccessfully appealed to the state government for their early repatriation from Kuwait.

READ | KT Rama Rao thanks people of Telangana as TRS nears big win in municipal polls

K. T. Rama Rao says delighted to help

Earlier in the day, Minister in the Telangana Government K. T. Rama Rao had also taken to his official Twitter handle and had welcomed the labourers back to India.

Delighted to be of some help for these guys. Welcome back home  https://t.co/6ewHEseGFq  KTR (@KTRTRS) February 13, 2020

READ | HC directs Telangana govt not to demolish secretariat buildings till further orders

READ | PM Modi reminds Congress of messy Telangana bifurcation, smashes 'No debate on J&K' claims

(With Agency Inputs)
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Credit: Austin LordPeter Frampton has been chosen as one of the National Organization for Rare Disorders' 2020 Rare Impact Award honorees.

The awards salute individuals and organizations for outstanding work supporting the rare disease community.

The legendary guitarist, who revealed last year that he'd been diagnosed with a rare degenerative muscular disease called inclusion body myositis, is being recognized for his advocacy for The Myositis Association.

The awards will be handed out at an event held May 15 at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

After Frampton announced he was suffering from inclusion body myositis, which eventually will hamper his ability to play guitar, he lined up a farewell tour that will continue this year with a European leg that begins May 24 in Edinburgh, U.K.

Meanwhile, a new video featuring Frampton and his backing band delivering a blistering live performance of "Me and My Guitar," a song from their 2019 studio album, All Blues, has debuted on Peter's official YouTube channel. "Me and My Guitar" originally was recorded by late blues great Freddie King, who co-wrote the tune with Leon Russell and Chuck Blackwell. It appeared on King's 1972 album, Texas Cannonball.

Speaking about his studio version of "Me and My Guitar" in a promo video for All Blues, Frampton notes, "This is a real straight-ahead blues as far as I'm concerned, and it comes out of the gate just screaming. And we had a lot of fun doing this one."

You can check out all of Peter's upcoming tour dates at Frampton.com.

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
ORO VALLEY, AZ -- A Michigan man will be extradited to Arizona for allegedly attempting to lure a teenage girl to Michigan for a sexual relationship. In a news release from the Oro Valley Police Department, police say 44-year-old Gerard Dickinson received sexually explicit images of the victim and knew she was 14 years old at the time.

Police say the girl ran away from home so she could travel to Michigan to meet Dickinson. An investigation into the conversations between the girl and Dickinson showed he was expecting a sexual relationship with her when she arrived. Dickinson, a long-haul truck driver, was arrested by Michigan State Police on Feb. 8, 2020 and lodged in the Saginaw County Jail. His hometown was not mentioned in the news release.

Dickinson will be extradited to Arizona where he will be charged with one count of attempted sexual contact with a minor , one count of sexual exploitation of a minor - accomplice, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of attempted custodial interference and one count of luring a minor.

The teen is safe at home with her family according to police.
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This week the leader of the Philippines decided to end a military pact with the United States.

But President Donald Trump brushed it off on Wednesday (February 12) despite alarm from his own military chief.

The agreement sets out the legal framework for U.S. soldiers to operate in the Philippines.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper called ending it - a 'move in the wrong direction.'

Trump saw it differently.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"Well I never minded that very much, to be honest. We helped the Philippines very much. We helped them defeat ISIS..I don't really mind if they would like to do that, it will save a lot of money."

Trump added he had a good relationship with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte had announced the day before his stand against the United States to end a pact that's lasted decades.

Duterte's decision was sparked by the U.S. revoking his former police chief's visa.

Ronald Dela Rosa led Duterte's bloody war on drugs in the Philippines.

Duterte spokesperson Salvador Panelo the military agreement's end.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON, SALVADOR PANELO, SAYING:

"As the President said, it's about time we rely on our own resources, we have to strengthen our own capability as a country relative to the defence of our land."

Durterte was more direct.

(SOUNDBITE) (Filipino and English) PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT, RODRIGO DUTERTE, SAYING:

"I'll make it public since I am a public official. Trump and others are trying to save the Visiting Forces Agreement. I said I didn't want. The Americans are very rude."

Washington has called ties with the Philippines ironclad but Duterte has complained of U.S. hypocrisy and ill treatment.

The decision could complicate U.S. military interests in the Asia-Pacific as China's ambitions rise.
There are those who think that almost all newspaper companies  even in their print-and-digital form  are a lost cause. Warren Buffetts right-hand man, Charlie Munger, is one of these as he made clear just days ago. The revenue goes away and the expenses remain and theyre all dying, he said, according to the Financial Times. Theres nothing that can be done.
United States Border Patrol officers return a group of migrants back to the Mexico side of the border as Mexican immigration officials check the list, in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in July. Read more

WASHINGTON  The Trump administration said Friday that it is preparing to deploy elite Border Patrol tactical units to the interior of the United States to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement teams in sanctuary cities and other jurisdictions where authorities are seeking to boost arrests and deportations.

The deployment, which will send 100 agents from Border Patrol's highly trained BORTAC teams to embed with ICE agents, comes as the Trump administration has threatened to retaliate against states and jurisdictions that eschew cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Immigration officials said the Border Patrol tactical agents will assist in routine operations and would be deployed to sanctuary jurisdictions as well as other areas where the agency needs help.

In a statement, ICE Acting Director Matthew Albence said the BORTAC agents would help alleviate "resource challenges" produced by sanctuary policies.

"As we have noted for years, in jurisdictions where we are not allowed to assume custody of aliens from jails, our officers are forced to make at-large arrests of criminal aliens who have been released into communities," said Albence. "This effort requires a significant amount of additional time and resources."

The Border Patrol agents working with ICE will have the authority to make arrests, but immigration agents will direct the operations, officials said. Tactical agents working along the border are typically involved in operations targeting criminal suspects, smugglers, stash houses and other enforcement targets with elevated risks of violence.

New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, one of the citys main pro-immigrant advocates, called the promised deployment more scare tactics cooked up for Trump's reality show presidency to gain ratings.

This is nothing new, the group tweeted. ICE conducts operations and arrests on a regular basis. Know your rights, get involved, but dont panic.

One official with knowledge of the plans said the BORTAC agents were being sent to help ICE less for their quasi-military training than for the fact that their units are intended to be flexible and are not anchored to a specific Border Patrol sector or region.

The deployment was first reported Friday by the New York Times.

Heather Swift, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said the 100 agents would include other U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, not only tactical units.

"The CBP agents and officers who are being detailed to help ICE come from a number of different sectors and job positions," Swift said.

ICE has 5,300 enforcement officers nationwide, and Swift said the number of immigrants with "non-detained" cases living in the interior of the United States has surpassed 3.2 million. "ICE does not have sufficient resources to effectively manage the sustained increase in non-detained cases which is exacerbated by the rise of sanctuary jurisdictions," she said in a statement.

A DHS official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said similar proposals have been under consideration before, as recently as last year, with a broader scope enlisting other federal agencies such as the FBI to assist with immigration enforcement.

The White House budget proposal released Monday also sought more than $500 million to hire thousands of additional ICE agents.

During the peak of the migration crisis at the U.S. southern border last year, ICE sent 350 immigration agents to help CBP cope with a historic influx of children and families crossing the border and seeking asylum.

Arrests at the border have dropped 75 percent since last May, amid increased enforcement in Mexico and at the southern border, freeing the Trump administration to redirect its enforcement efforts to the U.S. interior.

Trump had campaigned on promises to swiftly deport immigrants from the interior of the United States, but the border crisis and the increasing resistance of sanctuary jurisdictions, which limit ICE's access to immigrants in their jails, has impeded his efforts.

ICE arrested 143,000 immigrants last year inside the United States, a 10 percent drop and the lowest number since Trump took office. Arrests of convicted criminals also fell 12 percent, to approximately 92,000.

Advocacy groups Friday accused the Trump administration of reassigning the tactical agents to the interior of the United States to frighten immigrants and "rile up" his base this election year. The announcement comes after Attorney General William Barr said Monday that the Justice Department would sue two so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions in New Jersey and Washington state.

Naureen Shah, senior advocacy and policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said she feared the ramp-up is part of a "broad pattern of reprisal" against sanctuary jurisdictions. She warned that tactical teams accustomed to remote border regions could put citizens and immigrants at risk while working in unfamiliar, congested cities.

"We shouldn't have SWAT-like teams participating in immigration enforcement across the country," she said.

"The desire to terrorize immigrants, that is the point, " said Lorella Praeli, president of Community Change Action, an advocacy group. Its no surprise that it comes at a time when the election season is well underway.

Inquirer staff writer Jeff Gammage contributed to this article.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 09:33:17|Editor: zh

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Americans for Free Trade, a coalition of more than 150 industry associations, has urged the Trump administration to remove all additional tariffs, as the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement takes effect on Friday.

"It's encouraging to see some of the Phase One Deal come to fruition. American businesses, farmers, consumers, and workers certainly need these (tariff) reductions, as they have been paying the price for these tariffs since the trade war began," Jonathan Gold, spokesperson for Americans for Free Trade, said in a statement on Friday.

As part of the China-U.S. phase-one trade deal signed last month, the U.S. government has agreed to cut additional tariffs on roughly 120 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese products from 15 percent to 7.5 percent.

China also announced last week that it would halve rates of additional tariffs on 75 billion dollars worth of U.S. products. Both of those tariff modifications are set to take effect on Friday.

"While this progress is a good first step, the administration must negotiate a Phase Two Deal that completely lifts all tariffs," Gold said.

An unnamed Chinese official with the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council also said last week that "it is our hope that both sides will work together toward ultimately removing all additional tariffs."

Multiple researches by American economists have showed that additional tariffs imposed by the United States against its major trading partners since early 2018 have led to higher prices, ultimately hurting the overall U.S. economy.

Overall, Americans have paid an additional 50 billion dollars in tariffs since February 2018 through December 2019, according to new data released by anti-tariff campaign group Tariffs Hurt the Heartland on Monday.

The U.S. trade coalition's statement came after a survey showed Thursday that members of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) overwhelmingly view the China-U.S. phase-one trade deal as positive for the commercial environment and bilateral relations.

Among those with a positive view, the majority believes the agreement stabilizes their bilateral relationship and prevents imminent imposition of new tariffs, according to the USCBC, which represents over 200 U.S. companies that do businesses in China.
MONTREAL - The president of a railway company in eastern Quebec says anti-pipeline protesters blocking the rail line in a First Nations community are costing his company about $15,000 a day in revenue.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The president of a railway company in northern Quebec says protesters blocking the rail line in a First Nations community in support of the blockade against the Coastal GasLink pipeline are costing his company about $15,000 a day in revenue. A checkpoint is seen at a bridge leading to the Unist'ot'en camp on a remote logging road near Houston, B.C., Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

MONTREAL - The president of a railway company in eastern Quebec says anti-pipeline protesters blocking the rail line in a First Nations community are costing his company about $15,000 a day in revenue.

About five or six people from the Mi'kmaq community of Listuguj, about 525 kilometres northeast of Quebec City by the New Brunswick border, have set up a campsite a few feet away from the tracks, said Eric Dube, president of the Chemin de fer de la Gaspesie.

The protest in Listuguj is among the Canada-wide demonstrations that have sprung up since last week in support of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs in northern British Columbia who are attempting to stop the construction of a natural gas pipeline. Protests have disrupted commercial and commuter rail traffic across the country.

Dube said he spoke to a couple of protesters Wednesday. "It seems like they are going to be there a while," he said in an interview. "They are very determined."

Director of public security for Listuguj, Peter Arsenault, said his department has no plan to remove the "small occupancy" of people from his community who were camping by the rail line. He said the police force doesn't want to escalate things.

"Right now we aren't trying to cause a chain reaction," he said in an interview. "We are going to allow it to run its course, and hopefully it comes to a peaceful conclusion."

Arsenault said the police will take their cues from the band council as to when to remove the protesters. He said he didn't know how long the council planned on letting the protest continue.

The blockades began last week after the RCMP enforced an injunction against Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and their supporters, who were blocking construction of the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline, a key part of the $40-billion LNG Canada export project.

Dube, who is also mayor of New Richmond, Que., said his railway company operates from Matapedia to New Richmond, located on the southern shore of the Gaspe peninsula. The railway primarily transports cement, wood and wind turbine blades.

He said he has a shipment of turbine blades loaded and scheduled to leave for Texas on Saturday, but the cargo won't be going anywhere if the blockade persists.

Dube called on the federal and provincial government to find a solution.

This report by The Canadian Press was published on Feb. 14, 2020.
Centenarian Alice Frank Stock, now living in Bristol, spent more than a decade living in the same apartment block as Adolf Hitler when she was young. (SWNS)

A Jewish woman living in Britain has turned 101 and revealed she once lived next door to Adolf Hitler before he came into power.

Alice Frank Stock spent years living in the same apartment block as the future dictator while growing up in Germany during the 1920s and 30s.

The centenarian and her family lived on Prinzregentplatz in Munich, just doors away from the Nazi leader - and would sometimes see Hitler being rushed into the building by SS guards.

But she said Hitler was mostly unseen by her and her family, who were later forced to leave Germany just days before the outbreak of World War Two due to the threat posed to the Jewish people.

14 Prinzregent Platz, Munich, Frank Stock lived as a child. She said she would see Hitler being rushed into the building by SS guards - most likely fearful of an assassination attempt. (SWNS)

The pensioner was sent to study in Lausanne in Switzerland aged 17 before moving to London in 1937, where she was reunited with her parents.

Now living in a care home in Bristol, Frank-Stock said: "We lived in a house - a big house - and there were two entrances. One was our apartment, number 14 - the other was either number 13 or 15. Thats where Hitler lived.

Hitlers niece Geli Raubal committed suicide in Hitlers apartment in 1931 aged 23. The exact nature of their relationship is contentious, and it is rumoured the pair were in a romantic relationship despite a 19-year age gap.

Frank Stock pictured in 1936. Now 101-years-old, her family lived on Prinzregentplatz in Munich - just doors away from the future dictator. (SWNS)

But the Centenarian says she once saw a coffin being carried out of Hitler's apartment - which she and others speculated could have been the body of Geli who had shot herself.

"We heard many [rumours], from the cook and others. We saw a coffin being carried out of the entrance. I think a niece of Hitlers was living there and then she died, she continued.

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"There was speculation of how and when she died. I think there was truth in it that the coffin was carried out and in it was a woman. But there was no confirmation ever - and you couldnt talk openly.

Story continues

Frank Stock- who was born Augsburg in 1918, said the fear of retribution was strong even at the early stage of Hitler's career.

She said: "We had a wonderful cook who was elderly and very Catholic - and very anti-Hitler. Once she went out and saw a photo of Hitler hanging on the wall and she said: Yes he should be hanged, the scoundrel - but not like this!

Alice Frank Stock's parents, August and Valerie, pictured in 1930. (SWNS)

"I said: Youll get us all into a concentration camp.

When asked what she would say to Hitler now, Alice said: "I wouldnt want to talk to him because my feelings would be too strong - I couldnt."

Hitler remained the property until 1934 and moved after becoming German Chancellor.
SEIGHIN O Ceallaigh and Richard ODonoghue went toe to toe for the last seat in Limerick County for almost 16 hours.

Mr O Ceallaigh got 6,916 number ones to Mr ODonoghues 6,021.

The talk for most of the day was that the Sinn Fein man was ahead on points and would take it. As the counts or rounds continued Mr ODonoghue kept fighting. After count five he drew ahead by eight. Before count six concluded Mr O Ceallaigh strolled over, shook Mr ODonoghues hand and wished him all the best. It was a classy gesture, like two boxers embracing after a hard fought fight.

Shortly after Mr O Ceallaigh spoke to the Leader.

Im feeling happy. We more than doubled our vote on the 2016 general election in the first count. We went down right to the wire, down to the final count. Its been a great day for the party right across the country. We have got some great results, thats what we are about, we are a party - it is not just individuals. Even though I might not have been elected there are some fine TDs that have been elected and re-elected, said Mr O Ceallaigh, who lives in Bruff.

He went from losing his council seat in Limerick City East last year with 515 number ones to almost becoming a TD for Limerick County.

I said it last May after a disastrous result and I will say it today after a good result  we are not going anywhere, we are going to build momentum, build on what we have and deliver real change for Ireland, said Mr OCeallaigh, who thanked everyone who voted for him with any number; his family; partner Alison Keller and three children Briaghan, Fiadh, Fionn (aged 4, 2 and nearly one) and election team.

We wont be stepping back from politics. We are going to build on this and come back in the next general election whenever that happens.
A special NIA court has sentenced two people to six years in prison for their involvement in distributing fake Indian currency notes smuggled from Bangladesh into the country.

Nasir Sheikh and Tajel Sk, residents of West Bengal's Malda district, were convicted and sentenced under sections 120B, 489B and 489C of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The special NIA court in Kolkata sentenced Sheikh and Tajel to six years of imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 and Rs 8,000, respectively.

On March 30, 2016, West Bengal Police of Baishnabnagar police station with a team of the Border Security Force (BSF) seized FICN of face value Rs 9,80,000 in the denominations of Rs 1,000 and 500 from the possession of Sheikh near the Indo-Bangladesh border at Sukhdevpur in Malda and arrested him the next day.

Subsequently, an FIR was lodged in the Baishnabnagar police station.

Later, the NIA took over the case.

After completion of investigation, the NIA filed a charge sheet against three accused -- Sheikh, Tajel and one Durul Hoda.

The first two arrested accused pleaded guilty for the charges.

The NIA court accepted their plead guilty petitions and pronounced them guilty of the charges against them.

The third accused, Hoda, is a Bangladeshi national and is absconding.

The NIA has sent a request to Bangladesh for assistance under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty for tracing him.

During investigation, it was established that the above accused along with their associates in Bangladesh hatched a criminal conspiracy for procuring and circulating Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) in India.

Investigation revealed that the FICN was smuggled from Bangladesh via the Indo-Bangladesh border and was to be circulated in other parts of the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The White House confirmed Friday it is deploying militarized border patrol agents from a unit known as BORTAC to carry out immigration round-ups in cities where local governments have ordered local police not to fully comply with federal immigration agents deportation raids.

These forces will carry out operations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco and Newark, New Jersey. All these cities are under Democratic administrations that have either declared themselves sanctuary cities or otherwise resisted cooperation with Trumps immigration policies.

Members of a Customs and Border Protection tactical unit, dressed in camouflage drag away a fellow agent pretending to be an injured protester during a training exercise on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in the nearby town of Sunland Park, New Mexico. The exercise was part of an annual use-of-force training for agents in the El Paso sector, which covers southern New Mexico and west Texas [Credit: AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio]

A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the purpose of the new measures, which involve the deployment of 100 members of BORTAC for the next three months, was to increase arrests of immigrants by 35 percent in the 10 cities. An additional, unstated purpose is to spread terror through the sizeable immigrant communities in these cities.

The specialized border unit was described by the New York Times as follows: With additional gear such as stun grenades and enhanced Special Forces-type training, including sniper certification, the officers typically conduct high-risk operations targeting individuals who are known to be violent, many of them with extensive criminal records.

These hardened police thugs will be deployed to immigrant working class neighborhoods where ICE agents are concerned about popular resistance to their attempts to snatch and grab fathers, mothers or entire families.

In one such confrontation last summer in Nashville, neighbors gathered around an ICE van in which an immigrant father and son had been placed, and forced the agents to release them and drive away empty-handed. In the scenarios now envisioned by Trump and his fascist immigration attack dog, Stephen Miller, BORTAC officers would suppress such opposition by force, perhaps even deadly force.

According to the Boston Herald, a Border Patrol tactical teamthe equivalent of a SWAT team in the policewas already in the city, working in support of ICE agents to arrest immigrants.

The ICE announcement came the day after the Pentagon officially reported to Congress that the White House would take $3.8 billion in funds appropriated by Congress for the military and use the money to build the wall along the US southern border.

This misappropriation of funds, which is a violation of both constitutional and civil law, has been met with silence on the part of the Democrats and the media. It did not make the evening news on either Thursday or Friday.

On Friday, Trump made a fascistic political appeal to Border Patrol agents assembled at an office building near the White House, whom he incited against the left. In response, the officers and agents chanted four more years.

Gloating over the procuring of funds for his border wall, Trump told the meeting: We got it done, and I made your jobs a lot easier. Say thank you, Mr. President I am with you like no president has ever been with you.

In his speech, Trump alternated between denunciations of the radical left Democrats, who he claimed want open borders, and hailing the virtually unlimited sums of money the Democrats have given for his border Gestapo and his military build-up.

Within days of voting to impeach Trump last December, the Democratic-controlled House passed a budget including record funding for the military, with no prohibition against using the funds for Trumps border crackdown. The House also passed the USMCA trade deal, which unifies the North American market as part of the trade war with China.

I got everything from them, Trump boasted. We rebuilt our military. I was able to get much more money; almost two-and-a-half trillion dollars.

Following his acquittal in the Senate trial, which centered on claims by the Democrats that he abused his powers by being insufficiently aggressive against Russia, Trump has intensified his efforts to dismantle all constitutional and legal restraints upon the presidency.

Earlier on Friday, Trump proclaimed his effectively unlimited authority to intervene in the prosecution of criminal cases. Noting the comments of Attorney General William Barr, whom Trump paraphrased as saying, The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case, Trump tweeted, This doesnt mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so. I do, but I have so far chosen not to!

Barr made statements critical of Trump after the president pressured the Justice Department to demand a lighter sentence for Roger Stone, his personal associate who was convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering in the course of the Democrats investigation of Russian collusion.

Also on Friday, Barr assigned an outside prosecutor to review the criminal case against Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The move was widely seen as another intervention by the White House in the operations of the Justice Department. In November 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and agreed to cooperate with the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which failed to find evidence of collusion with Russia but charged Trump associates with other crimes, many of them involving perjury.

Earlier this week, after the Senate passed a resolution under the War Powers Act barring Trump from attacking Iran without congressional authorization, the White House announced that Trump would veto the bill, effectively asserting unlimited presidential power to wage war.

On February 10, Trump issued a budget plan that included sweeping cuts to discretionary anti-poverty programs and other public spending, as well as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

The Democrats impeachment drive sought to exclude all of Trumps real crimes and the basis on which he is opposed by broad sections of the population. Neither Trumps criminal crackdown on the border, nor his diversion of funds for the wall in defiance of Congress, nor his assertion of essentially unlimited powers to wage war played any role in the impeachment.

Rather, the Democrats sought and failed to remove Trump on the grounds that he is insufficiently aggressive against Russia, which they declared was engaged in a hot war against Ukraine, a US ally.

The collapse of this effort has only strengthened Trump in his efforts to transform the presidency into a personalist dictatorship unconstrained by the Constitution.
By ANI

PANAJI: Portugal and Goa on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on augmenting water supply and sewerage management shortly after President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa's arrival in the western coastal town.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is currently on a two-day visit to India, arrived in Goa earlier today.

The Portuguese President also inaugurated a seminar on urban designs organised by state-run Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and a few of his ministerial colleagues were also present on the occasion.

Later, the visiting dignitary will attend a dinner hosted by Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik today evening at the Raj Bhavan.

On Sunday, Sousa is scheduled to visit Santa Monica Church and Museum of Christian Art in Old Goa.

ALSO READ | We support India's bid for permanent UNSC seat: Portuguese President

India and Portugal, on Friday, signed an agreement to develop a world-class National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal in Gujarat.

An official release said that the MoU will pave the way for cooperation between the two countries for showcasing common Maritime Heritage.

This was Marcelo's first visit to India. The last visit by a President of Portugal to India was in 2007.

The two countries have active and growing cooperation in the field of economy and business, science, culture, and education. They share considerable convergences on international issues.

The visit will provide an opportunity for the two sides to review progress in various sectors of bilateral relations and pursue new avenues of cooperation and exchange views on international issues of common interest, according to an official release.
Former Casey mayor Sam Aziz has resigned from the Liberal Party following pressure over his alleged role in the land deals scandal being investigated by the state anti-corruption commission.

The resignation came after The Age reported that Victorian Liberal frontbencher Tim Smith called for Cr Aziz and fellow former mayor Geoff Ablett to be expelled from the party.

Former Casey mayor Sam Aziz has resigned from the Liberal Party. Credit:James Taylor

Cr Aziz posted his resignation to social media, complete with scathing attacks on Mr Smith, accusing him of "irrelevance and a political existentialist dilemma".

Cr Aziz also referred to "Liberal values", including that "a person charged with an offence is innocent until proven guilty. The law must protect people against arbitrary arrest and imprisonment and guarantee speedy justice through an independent judiciary".
The US government on Friday said it would increase tariffs on aircraft imported from the European Union to 15% from 10%, ratcheting up pressure on Brussels in a nearly 16-year transatlantic dispute over aircraft subsidies. The US Trade Representative's Office said it remained open to reaching a negotiated settlement with the EU on the issue, but could revise its actions if the EU imposed tariffs of its own in connection with a pair of disputes over the subsidies. In a statement released late on Friday, USTR said it would make minor modifications to 25% tariffs imposed on ...
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Customs wing at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport foiled two smuggling attempts through an Air India Express flight that landed on Friday morning. They seized over 1,650 gm of gold worth over Rs 68 lakh. Air Customs officers seized the gold hidden in a juicer from a passenger and the Customs preventive division seized two gold bars hidden beneath the seat of the same flight. However, they did not reveal the identity of the passenger who was apprehended.

The preventive division led by Deputy Commissioner Harikrishnan D found gold bars concealed under the passenger seat of IX 540 Dubai-Thiruvananthapuram Air India Express flight. The gold weighed 1040.72 gm. The officers said they searched the aircraft based on a tip-off and the gold bars were wrapped in masking and insulation tapes. The consignment was glued beneath the seat occupied by a child. The inspection was carried out after the passengers alighted the plane.

No one has been arrested so far. The investigation is going on, said an officer. The inspection team consisted of superintendents Balraj Menon, Bindu V, Sanaev Thomas, inspectors Stalin V, Udayashankar D and ASI Syed Zaheer.

Youth held with banned tobacco products



TPuram: In a major seizure, a special team of excise seized 1,500 kg of banned tobacco products from a youth at Neyyattinkara on Friday. The accused, Shyju, a resident of Aralumoodu, has been arrested and remanded in judicial custody. The contraband was confiscated from the residence of the accused. Upon interrogation, the accused said that he had brought the contraband from Tamil Nadu by train. The tobacco products were stored in 25 sacks. The products were meant for supplying to various retail shops. Shyju bought the house located in a secluded place a year ago for the clandestine business. His motive was to use the residence as a godown for banned tobacco products. He used to sell the products at double the original price.
Prague is widening its campaign to put the brakes on Airbnb and other holiday rental websites, which they say are locking locals out of the housing market and changing the face of neighbourhoods.

The Czech capital this week approved a plan that calls for legislative changes allowing local authorities to restrict short leases, improve tax collection and force the platforms to share more details about its users, including the number of guests during a stay. The city is co-operating with the national government and will try to push the changes through parliament this year.

We just have to be able to counter the adverse effects of the boom of short-time rentals through digital platforms for citizens whether it is the touristification of neighbourhoods, rising rents or lack of housing, said Hana Kordova Marvanova, who prepared the proposal. Unfortunately, the current legislation does not give us means to address the issue.

Prague has debated for years whether to apply stricter rules to rein in Airbnb. The issue has intensified lately due to ballooning Airbnb rentals in Prague and growing complaints from citizens about noise, damage to historical buildings and rising rents. The city is also battling a housing crisis as apartments are taken off the market by owners jumping into short-term rental craze, mirroring a growing trend across Europe.

Airbnb disputed the claim that the system overloads the housing market and pushes out locals. Company spokeswoman Kirstin Macleod said a 2018 study by the Czech Center for Economic and Market Analysis concluded that Airbnb accomodation was equivalent to just 1.8 per cent of the citys total housing stock.

Nevertheless, the company takes local concerns seriously, she said in an emailed response to questions from Bloomberg, and is willing to work with all parties in Prague and across the globe to make home sharing viable and safe.

Recently, we have approached the City of Prague on several occasions, Macleod said, and offered to work together on a similar partnership and we are hopeful that we can find a common solution in future.

Another study in the same year by the Planning and Development Institute of Prague, however, concluded that as many as a fifth of all apartments in the capitals Old Town district, and 10 per cent in the surrounding areas are listed on the site. Some 80 per cent of listings are entire apartments, according to the study.

So far, Prague has been unsuccessful in regulating the holiday rental site and similar efforts have previously failed to gain the support of lawmakers. Kordova Marvanova also said that previous talks with Airbnb didnt bring any feasible results for the city.

It has now joined forces with the Ministry of Local Development to finalize the proposals before going to parliament. City officials are also holding talks with the Czech Chamber of Commerce and counterparts in Cesky Krumlov, a southern Bohemian town also heavily hit by over-tourism.

There is an overwhelming agreement that we need the platforms to share information with us, Kordova Marvanova said.

If the amendments are passed, Airbnb-type platforms will have to provide municipalities with detailed information regarding units being used in the business, sharing basic host data and the number of guests. According to Kordova Marvanova, the capital led unsuccessful negotiations with Airbnb about providing the data.

Other proposals still have to be further discussed with the ministry. The city also proposes giving local authorities rights to ban renting whole flats as opposed to single rooms, limit the number of rented days or subject the apartments for rent to stricter fire safety rules.

Pragues council approved a move to join 10 European cities  Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bordeaux, Brussels, Krakow, Munich, Paris, Valencia and Vienna  that signed a letter calling on the European Commission to update its laws as part of a battle to control the sites.
A medical staff inspects the lungs of a person quarantined at a field hospital for novel coronavirus suspected cases in HCMC, February 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam says Vietnam has tackled the Covid-19 epidemic well, but has to step up vigilance given its complicated development.

Implementation of quarantine measures must be further improved, he said Friday at an online meeting of the National Steering Committee for the Prevention and Control of Covid-19.

Local leaders attending the meeting, including those in the northern Vinh Phuc Province, where the majority of confirmed infections in Vietnam are from, concurred that Vietnam was controlling the situation well.

The deputy PM and other members of the committee, however, cautioned that the epidemic was showing complicated development and therefore, "the entire system must continue working synchronously... in accordance with the government's direction." Drastic measures have to be continued against the virus, they said.

Dam noted the need to promote dissemination of information on Covid-19 so that the general public understands the issue well and works with the authorities on implementing measures to prevent and control the disease.

Functional forces need to continue performing well the task of receiving and quarantining citizens returning from infected areas in accordance with regulations, as well as expand the scope of monitoring activities and closely monitor suspected cases, especially those showing infection symptoms, he said.

Localities that have recorded Covid-19 infections need to stamp out the virus on the spot and prevent its spread. Trails and openings along the border, both in the north and the southwest, must also be strictly controlled to prevent illegal border crossings.

Not extreme

Dam also cautioned that the fight against the epidemic should not be "extreme." Controlling the epidemic effectively should happen in tandem with continued socio-economic development, he said.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long stressed the importance of quarantining infected patients, suspected nCoV infection cases and those that have been in contact with infected patients for the time being.

Localities must continuously review, monitor and ensure full implementation of instructions on medical quarantine that have been issued, he said.

Local representatives requested the central governments support with medical equipment, supplies and human resources to help prevent and control the disease, as well as resolve some issues regarding the customs clearance of goods and help manage foreigners returning from infected areas to work in Vietnam.

In a directive issued Friday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc tasked the Ministries of Public Security and National Defense with improved management of quarantining and treating those suspected of being infected with the Covid-19 virus as well as ensuring that no person with suspected infection leave their quarantine zones without permission.

Local authorities have been instructed to revoke the work permits of foreigners working in Vietnam who need to be quarantined but either fail to comply or leave their quarantine zones without permission.

The Ministry of Information and Communications was asked to step up coverage, including condemnation of those who fail to comply with epidemic prevention and control measures.

The government also issued a resolution the same day requiring its units to be more proactive, creative and sensitive in coming up with appropriate measures to combat the Covid-19 and offset its damage in areas in a timely manner.

Government agencies must consider the task of fighting the epidemic an especially important mission, display clarity and proactively respond on all fronts, accepting partial economic losses to ensure the health and lives of the people, the PM directed.

Vietnam declared the novel coronavirus outbreak an epidemic on February 1.

So far, the country has confirmed 16 infections, seven of whom have been discharged from hospitals.

The global death toll from the epidemic had reached 1,526 people, three of them outside mainland China.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Federal prosecutors in San Francisco announced Friday that the indictment of a 64-year-old man who allegedly traveled to Vietnam multiple times in order to have sex with boys as young as 11 or 12 years old.

According to the indictment, Paul Marshall Bodner, a San Francisco resident, traveled to Vietnam between July 2015 and August 2016 numerous times, where he engaged in illicit sexual conduct.

In at least two of the trips, he traveled specifically for the purpose of engaging in illicit sex. The illegal sex acts with minors allegedly occurred at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, prosecutors said.

The indictment charges Bodner with three counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places.

Bodner was scheduled to appear in San Francisco Federal Court on Friday for a hearing to determine his detention status pending trial.

If convicted, Bodner faces for each count a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a life term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and restitution if appropriate, prosecutors said.

Bodner previously worked as a substitute teacher at the San Francisco Unified School District up until March 2019, according to district officials.

The district said it never received any complaints of inappropriate behavior by Bodner during his time there. All SFUSD employees are required to undergo a full FBI and U.S. Department of Justice criminal background check, school district officials said.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
15.02.2020 LISTEN

The Chiefs and Elders of Bosome Freho District in the Ashanti Region have appealed to President Akufo-Addo to build a District Hospital for their Traditional Area.

They said it will augment the two clinics built for them by the Busia government as far back as 1970.

The Chiefs and elders of Bosome Freho made the appeal at the Jubilee House when they paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo on the 14th of February 2020 led by the District Chief Executive of Bosome Freho, Yaw Danso.

Former Member of Parliament for the Bosome Freho Constituency, Gabriel Yaw Amoah, addressing the President on behalf of the Delegation noted that health care is a major challenge in Bosome Freho due to the lack of a modern health facility apart from the two clinics that were built in the District during the Busia administration.

One Secondary School

The Bosome Freho delegation further requested that government through the Ministry of Education should give urgent consideration to building a new Senior High School in their traditional area. He indicated that the Constituency currently has only one Secondary school which is not able to meet the educational needs of the entire community.

We plead with you Mr. President to do everything possible to provide us with one secondary school Mr. Amoah said.

President Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo in his response to the requests by the Chiefs and Elders of Bosome Freho, noted that their concerns bother on issues that are very dear to his heart particularly on the issue of education.

I get surprised when people criticize former Prime Minister Busia. In just two years and four months in office, he built clinics in virtually every town in the country and yet people talk so bitterly about him. I think my administration must do everything possible to build on his legacy in Bosome Freho President Akufo-Addo stated.

On the issue of availability of secondary education in Bosome Freho and its environs, President Akufo-Addo said he is very much taken aback that only one secondary school serves the entire area.

I am surprised that a place like Bosome Freho has only one secondary school. We have to deal with it immediately President Akufo-Addo said.

Bosome Freho District

The Bosome Freho District is one of the twenty-seven (27) Districts in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Its capital is Asiwa. The District is among the new Districts and Municipalities that were created in 2008 by the then President, John Kufuor. The District has only one Senior High School, Bosome Senior High Technical School, a District Magistrate Court at Asiwa, the Asiwa Health Centre and a Police Station. According to the 2010 Population Census of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), the population of Bosome Freho stood at 60,397.

---Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh
A Turkish court on Friday acquitted renowned novelist Asli Erdogan on charges of membership of an armed terror organisation, in a case which sparked international condemnation. The court in Istanbul also acquitted Erdogan, who is living in exile in Germany, of disrupting the unity of the state, and dropped charges of spreading terror propaganda. Erdogan, whose books have been translated into various different languages, was an occasional columnist for pro-Kurdish newspaper Ozgur Gundem which was shut down after the failed 2016 coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish authorities accused the paper -- where Asli worked as a literary adviser -- of being a mouthpiece for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), considered a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. The court also acquitted two other defendants, including linguist Necmiye Alpay. The 52-year-old Erdogan -- who is not related to the Turkish president -- was held in pre-trial detention for four months in 2016 but later released. She did not attend Friday's hearing but in a statement read by her lawyer Erdal Dogan, Erdogan said her columns did not contain any violent element. "Their political content is limited to human rights violations," she said, adding that the accusations based on her literary texts "trampled on the values of both law and literature". - 'Fascist regime'- Erdogan is the author of novels including "The City in Crimson Cloak" and "The Stone Building and Other Places" which are famed for their unflinching exploration of loss and trauma, and her detention had raised concerns worldwide. For rights advocates, the trial was emblematic of a systematic crackdown by the government on freedom of expression, particularly after the failed coup. A post-putsch purge by Turkish authorities targeted not just alleged backers of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen -- blamed by Ankara for the coup plot -- but also opposition media and people accused of PKK ties. Ankara however rejects the accusations of wide-scale rights violations and says the sweeping operations were aimed at keeping the state clean of Gulen's "virus". In an 2018 interview with AFP in Germany, Erdogan said her country was sliding into fascism. "The extent of things in Turkey is like Nazi Germany," she said. "I think it is a fascist regime. It is not yet 1940s Germany, but 1930s." - 'Very happy' - Erdogan's mother Mine Aydostlu appeared jubilant after the verdict. "Believe me, I am very happy. I could not believe it. I was expecting this but still, I couldn't believe it," she told AFP outside Istanbul's main court. "I asked many times if she was really acquitted. I could only believe it after I heard the word acquittal nine or 10 times." After the travel ban against Erdogan was lifted in June 2017, she has largely lived in self-imposed exile in Europe and is currently in Berlin. Her lawyer said she was abroad because she was suffering health problems as a result of her 2016 detention, and for a writing scholarship. "She is not seeking asylum, she is abroad for a temporary period of time," he told AFP. "She will not come to Turkey today but of course she will return. Turkey is her homeland."
Oreste D'Arconte: Vote early and vote often (well, at least twice)
Kabul, Feb 15 : At least eight civilians, including a child, have been killed in an airstrike that targeted Taliban militants in Afghanistan, government officials said on Saturday, amid a breakthrough in peace talks between the US and the insurgent group.

The air raid was carried out on Friday in the eastern province of Nangarhar.

"Unfortunately, eight civilians, including a child, were martyred during (the) operation against the Taliban," the provincial governor's spokesperson Attaullah Khogyanai told Efe news.

Provincial council member Ajmal Omar said the slain civilians were returning from a picnic when they were hit.

A Nangarhar security official that nine Taliban fighters were also killed in the military operation.

The Taliban, however, claimed on its social media channels that 11 civilians were killed in the airstrike by government forces.

The confirmation about the civilian deaths came hours after a senior State Department official in Washington said the US and the Taliban have agreed to reduce violence for seven days as a prelude to a possible peace pact that would see American troops leave Afghanistan after over 18 years.

The official, who spoke to reporters, did not say when the trial period was scheduled to begin.

The agreement, the official said, is "very specific" in stating that roadside bombs, suicide bombings, and rocket attacks would be considered violations.

The scaling-back of hostilities will also apply to Afghan government forces.

A successful de-escalation would open the door to making rapid progress in ongoing peace talks between Washington and the Taliban, according to the official.

Arrangements include the establishment of hotlines linking US commanders to their Afghan government and Taliban counterparts to address problems or deal with actions by "spoilers" who want to keep the conflict going, the State Department official said.

The US and Taliban negotiators during a year-long nine rounds of talks were supposed to have completed a peace draft agreement in September 2019.

But US President Donald Trump called an abrupt halt to the process after an American was killed in a Taliban attack in Kabul The draft agreement ensured that over 5,000 US troops will withdraw from five American bases in the first 135 days after the signing of the deal.

Since the end of the NATO combat mission in January 2015, the US maintains one contingent within the framework of the new allied mission of advising Afghan troops and another for "anti-terrorist" operations.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is allowing U.S. airlines to resume operations over large areas of the Gulf, saying that a lower military posture by Iran has reduced the threat of miscalculation or misidentification of civilian flights.

A notice issued on Friday by the FAA rescinded restrictions imposed on U.S. air carriers in early January that prohibited flights over large swaths of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman as tensions rose between Iran and the United States.

Iran has de-escalated its military posture in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman as of early February 2020, said the notice. Given the de-escalation, the FAA assesses there is sufficient reduced risk of Iranian military miscalculation or misidentification that could affect U.S. civil aviation operations.

The notice applied to the airspaces of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

The FAA, however, advised U.S. carriers to exercise caution and avoid operating near the boundaries of the Tehran flight information region whenever possible.

Military posturing and political tensions in the region remain elevated, and there remains some inadvertent risk to U.S. civil aviation operations due to the potential for miscalculation or misidentification, it said. The situation in the region remains fluid and could quickly escalate if circumstances change.

It cited the Jan. 8 accidental downing by Iran of a Ukrainian passenger jet shortly after it departed Tehrans international airport, killing all 176 people aboard, as showing the inadvertent risk to civilian flights during periods of heightened military tensions.

Iranian forces downed the plane hours after firing missiles at bases in Iraq hosting U.S. troops. They were retaliating for a Jan. 2 U.S. drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force, Irans elite foreign espionage and paramilitary contingent, and the architect of Tehrans regional security strategy.

In 1988, a U.S. Navy ship accidentally shot down an Iranian airliner over the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 passengers and crew.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
Attacks in al-Jawf come after a Saudi fighter jet crashed in the same area, with Houthis claiming to have shot it down.

Yemens Houthi rebels say more than 30 civilians have been killed in air raids carried out by a Saudi-UAE-led military coalition, with the United Nations confirming the death toll as it deplored a shocking failure to protect the war-torn countrys unarmed population.

Saturdays air raids in northern al-Jawf province came hours after the Houthis said they had shot down a Saudi fighter jet in the same area with an advanced surface-to-air missile.

Preliminary field reports indicate that  as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in attacks that hit al-Hayjah area of al-Maslub district in al-Jawf governorate, said a statement from the office of the UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen.

The statement said humanitarian partners deployed rapid response teams to provide medical assistance to the wounded, many of whom were being transferred to hospitals in al-Jawf, as well as the capital, Sanaa.

Unjustified tragedy

The Houthis said women and children were among the dead and wounded in the air raids, while the Western-backed coalition fighting the rebels acknowledged the possibility of collateral damage during a search and rescue operation at the crash site of the Saudi plane.

A statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency did not specify the fate of the crew of the Tornado jet or the cause of its crash.

Commenting on the killing of the civilians, Lise Grande, the UNs humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said: So many people are being killed in Yemen  its a tragedy and its unjustified. Under international humanitarian law parties which resort to force are obligated to protect civilians.

Five years into this conflict and belligerents are still failing to uphold this responsibility. Its shocking.

The Saudi-UAE-led military coalition intervened in Yemens conflict in 2015 in support of forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who had been forced out by the Houthis.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, and created what the UN has called the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have purchased billions of dollars worth of weapons from the United States, France and the United Kingdom, and the coalition faces widespread criticism for the high civilian death toll of its bombing campaign.

Since its intervention in the war, nearly 20,500 air raids have been carried out in the country, according to data collected by the Yemen Data Project.

Airports, ports, bridges and roads have all been repeatedly attacked. So have farms, schools, oil and gas facilities, factories and private businesses.

Perpetrators held to account

Saturdays attack follows an surge in fighting in northern Yemen that threatens to worsen the war-battered countrys humanitarian crisis.

International aid group Save the Children condemned the air raids, saying they showed that the conflict in Yemen was not slowing down.

This latest attack must be urgently and independently investigated, and perpetrators held to account, said Xavier Joubert, the charitys country director in Yemen, calling for halting arms sales to the warring parties.

Those who continue to sell arms to the warring parties must realise that by supplying weapons for this war, they contribute to making atrocities like todays all too common.

Meanwhile, the downing of a fighter jet would mark a setback for a military coalition known for its air superiority and suggest the Houthis increasingly potent arsenal.

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeeras senior political analyst, said it would be a very significant development in Yemens long-running war if it was confirmed that the Houthis had shot down the jet.

If they would have such a capability of missile batteries or land-to-air capacity against the Saudi air force, that would be a game-changer, he said.
Googles default Android SMS application, Messages, may soon be getting a very Facebook-like reactions feature, alongside several others, based on a recent teardown of the apps app. Specifically, thats Messages version 5.7, according to 9to5Google.

The reactions are also not dissimilar to those found in iMessage for iOS. That means they could be the key to finally delivering cross-platform parity for Android and Apples platform. Summarily, with the feature in place, users could long-press on a message to react to it. Those reactions include a thumbs up or down, angry, tears of joy, heart eyes, crying, and open mouth emoji.

Tapping on those emoji in the test variant of the feature doesnt do anything for the time being. In the future, users may be able to see the emojis lined out below the message or image thats been reacted to. Most likely, those will be shown with numbers in group messages where more than one reaction has been registered. It also seems likely Google will allow users to tap the reactions to see who reacted and how.

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What else might be incoming for Googles Messages?

Google also hopes to set itself apart from SMS apps and more in line with popular chat apps by including at least two other features, the teardown suggests. The first of those is arguably going to be more popular and would enable users to draw on images before sending them.

That tool would include the ability to add text or draw directly. Drawing tools would include standards such as a highlighter, marker, or calligraphy, with a swath of colors to choose from. All of that could be expanded and enhanced in the future, as well as new colors being added. The teardown shows colors to be black, blue, green, hot pink, orange, purple, red, white, and yellow.

Last but not least, the teardown showcases a material-focused redesign. That would bring the home screen interface in line with apps such as Google Photos. When loading up the page, the top would now be populated by a rounded, card-style search bar. The Messages app title would populate the search bar, centered until tapped. Then it would animate to show a Seach messages, message.

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A three-dot menu would be shown at the right-hand side of the bar, while a search icon is on the left. Googles Messages app already allows message searching so there wont likely be many changes there. But the redesign will make that more prominent while keeping a menu available for other actions and settings.

Theres no timeline on these features and they might not show up at all

Now, as with all features spotted in an APK teardown, reactions, on-image drawing, and a material redesign may not actually ever arrive in Googles Messages. These are still in testing behind-the-scenes. So the search giant may not ultimately incorporate them.

If it does choose to use them, Google may not implement them in the near future either. While each appears to be near completion or at least available to preview, there may be any number of bugs that still need to be worked out first.

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As noted above, for the time being, interacting with any of the features beyond their UI showing up doesnt appear to actually do anything. That means their core functionality is turned off entirely for now. It does seem likely Google will turn the features on since they would tie in with its push to enable Android-wide RCS chat features for messaging on the platform. But users shouldnt expect the features to appear in the immediate future.
- General Stephen Townsend, the commander, US-Africa Command (US AFRICOM), met with US service members to gain a firsthand account of the Manda Bay attack

- The attack happened in the morning of Sunday, February 5, when al-Shabaab militants ambushed Camp Simba killing three Americans and injuring two others

- The commander thanked both the US and Kenyan forces for working together in bid to combat terrorism

- He accused China and Russia, two countries that have made inroads into Africa, for doing little in the fight against terrorism in the continent

A top United States of America (US) general has visited Kenya to assess the security situation at Manda Bay, Lamu county, a month after al-Shabaab militants attacked Camp Simba killing two American contractors and one service member.

General Stephen Townsend, the commander, US-Africa Command (US AFRICOM), met with US service members to gain a firsthand account of the attack by the terrorist network on Sunday, January 5.

READ ALSO: He never takes bribes: Kenyans demand police service to promote dedicated Nairobi police officer

US-Africa top commander Stephen Townsend visited Manda Bay a month after al-Shabaab killed three Americans at Camp Simba. Photo: US Army.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Chinese restaurant where Kenyan worker was caned closed

Townsend thanked both the US and Kenyan forces for working together in bid to combat terrorism.

US Africa Command works closely with the Kenyan Defense Force and shares a strong relationship. Kenyas security contributions help contain the spread of al-Shabaab. Together, we truly understand the danger al-Shabaab poses and why it is important to pursue them, said Townsend.

Kenyas extended contributions and commitment to the African Union Mission in Somalia not only reflect their dedication to their own defense, but to the collective defense of their neighbors as well," he added.

The general mocked China and Russia, two countries that have made inroads into Africa, for doing little in the fight against terrorism in the continent.

Al-Shabaab militants attacked Camp Simba at Manda Airstrip, Lamu on Sunday, January 5. Photo: Daily Nation.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Valentines Day: Ujumbe mtamu wa Mike Sonko kwa wakazi wa Nairobi

China and Russia do very little to help Africans combat the brutal terrorist networks plaguing them, he said.

Conversely, US training, equipment and advice directly support our African partners, including Kenya and Somalia, in our common fight against terrorism. Our efforts are not just an investment in the security and stability of Africa but also provide enhanced security for the US homeland.

The Lamu Manda Bay attack happened in the morning of Sunday, February 5, when the militants ambushed Camp Simba killing three Americans and injuring two others.

Six contractor-operated civilian aircraft were also damaged in the incident where it was reported that Kenyan soldiers hid in the grass.

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(Bloomberg) -- European Union governments were presented on Friday with a compromise over the blocs budget for the next seven years, which is unlikely to satisfy any of the warring camps and sets the stage for a clash between poorer and richer member states on Feb. 20.

EU Council President Charles Michel proposed that governments commit 1.095 trillion euros ($1.2 trillion) to a joint pot for the period between 2021 and 2027, which corresponds to 1.074% of the blocs annual economic output. Michel will chair an emergency meeting of EU leaders on Thursday amid demands by richer governments for a lower cap. Poorer countries are likely to see the figure as insufficient.

The budget is a cornerstone of EU policy that lets farmers compete against imports from the developing world, helps poorer states catch up with the rich ones and underpins projects that bind the union together. But agreeing on the amount of cash and how to spend it is a regular source of tension between the net contributors and those who get more than they put in.

Just minutes after the compromise was circulated in Brussels, diplomats from both groups said they were unhappy about it and said that a deal at the upcoming summit is unlikely as a lot of work is still needed to bring positions closer together.

Earlier on Friday, Spiegel magazine reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be willing to increase her countrys contribution to the EU budget to more than 1% of gross domestic product if the other member states agree to set new financial priorities. In return, Merkel wants the EU to spend less money on agriculture and instead invest in projects that benefit all countries, the magazine said without citing the source of the information.

Conditionality Clause

Michels compromise proposal ties disbursements to respect of the rule of law, a key request by several richer nations concerned about sliding democratic standards in countries such as Poland and Hungary. Any financial penalty, however, would need the support of a super-majority of member states, according to the draft seen by Bloomberg -- a clause that is likely to satisfy Warsaw and Budapest.

Story continues

The previous proposal was much stricter, requiring a super-majority of member states to block -- as opposed to approve -- penalties imposed by the EUs executive arm on rule-of-law grounds. The new wording on the rule of law is likely to draw sharp criticism from countries who argued for such conditionality and see the compromise as watered-down.

A separate budget for euro-area member states is set at 12.9 billion euros, with an additional 5.5 billion euros earmarked for poorer members of the currency bloc and another 767 million euros to support reforms. The total amount -- to be spread among 19 eurozone countries over seven years -- falls far short of the ambitious plans that French President Emmanuel Macron had envisaged.

(Updates with Merkel comments in the fourth paragraph)

--With assistance from Ian Wishart and Viktoria Dendrinou.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Richard Bravo, Nikos Chrysoloras

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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The Highway Patrol is investigating why the pickup's driver lost control of his vehicle. The driver wasn't arrested, Thompson said, although the case is being handled as a criminal investigation. Thompson said the patrol will be submitting a report to St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar.

Lohmar said the patrol had "reasonable suspicion" to believe that the driver was impaired. Officials now wait for toxicology tests to "see what was in his system."

The pickup's driver, who could not be reached for comment, is on probation for a felony drug conviction from St. Charles County. After pleading guilty of drug possession in October 2017, he was put on five years' probation. The judge required he undergo substance-abuse treatment and provide hair follicles for drug testing every 90 days.

The four deaths rocked Louisville, Kentucky, where the victims lived. The women and their daughters were headed to a volleyball tournament in Kansas City.

Everyone connected to the Triple Crown NIT is devastated at learning of the loss of four members of the KIVA family who died in a car accident Friday on their way to the tournament, according to a statement from Jared Rudiger, the tournament director.
MUNICH, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposes the idea of micro-revolutions in the negotiation process for solving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He has already proposed three micro-revolutions at different times, but received no response from the Azerbaijani President.

My principled approach is the following: its impossible to solve this conflict with one or two steps. I think we need to have micro-revolutions in order to transfer them into mini-revolutions after which we will have a breakthrough in the negotiation process. What was that micro-revolution? In September 2018 I announced that any solution in the NK conflict should be acceptable for the people of Armenia, the people of Karabakh and the people of Azerbaijan. Why this is a micro-revolution because I am the first leader of Armenia who says that any solution should be acceptable for the people of Azerbaijan as well. I am not only the only leader of Armenia, but also I am the only one from the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan who says that any solution should be acceptable for all sides. And now a year has passed since that Revolution. This is a very important micro-revolution, Pashinyan said at a panel discussion on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict with the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

He said the next revolution is that during one of his recent press conferences he called on the Armenian and Azerbaijani users of social media not to use social networks for insulting or threatening one another. I called on to use the social media, the new technologies to try to understand each other better. This is an approach as well. And I tried to address directly the people of Azerbaijan, and I would not oppose if President Aliyev talks to the Armenian people, the Armenian PM said, but added that there is a very strange fact because Aliyev refuses to talk to the representatives of Nagorno Karabakh. How its possible to solve this conflict without talking to the representatives of Nagorno Karabakh?, the PM asked. He stated that Nagorno Karabakh has been recognized as party to the conflict and party of negotiation by the OSCE and this happened twice, on March 24, 1992 and in 1194 during the OSCE summit in Budapest.

Pashinyan said the Armenian side is devoted to the negotiation process, the peace process. And I think that the negotiation should take place within the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship format. And we are working quite intensively and are ready to put real efforts, to make real difference to reach the solution of the conflict, he said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday that victory over terrorist groups in Idlib was "unavoidable" as Moscow backs an intensifying assault by the Damascus regime on Syria's last major rebel bastion.

"The victory over terrorists is unvoidable" in Idlib, Lavrov told the Munich Security Conference, as tensions rise between Moscow and Ankara, which backs Syria's opposition forces.

Syria's northwestern Idlib province is held by an array of rebels dominated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group, which is led by members of the country's former Al-Qaeda franchise.

The HTS group "controls a major part of the Idlib security zone and that's a problem", Lavrov said in comments translated into English.

He called the area "one of the last hotbeds of terrorism" in war-ravaged Syria.

The top Russian diplomat said it was "difficult" to distinguish "normal opposition from terrorists" because the jihadists were trying to use civilians "as a shield".

Earlier on Saturday, Lavrov met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on the sidelines of the Munich gathering.

In a tweet, Cavusoglu described their meeting as "positive".

Tensions over Idlib soared after Damascus killed 14 Turks earlier this month.

The Turkish military has 12 observation posts in the northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel-held bastion in Syria.

The posts were set up after a 2018 Russia-Turkey deal agreed in Sochi to prevent a regime offensive.

But in recent months, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has pressed an assault supported by Russian air strikes.

After the Turks' deaths, Ankara and Moscow became embroiled in a war of words over who had not fulfilled the conditions of the Sochi deal.

Earlier on Saturday, Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay insisted Ankara had "fulfilled its responsibilities" after Russia accused Turkey of failing to "neutralise terrorists" in Idlib.

The United Nations says 800,000 people have fled the region since December.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- To celebrate Black History Month, the MTA honored a legendary group of African-American war heroes who later in life extended their service from the battlefields to New York Citys transit system.

MTA New York City Transits Veterans Employee Resource Group, a newly formed group dedicated to empowering employee veterans working in the citys transit system, held a tribute ceremony on Friday for the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary 332nd fighter group of African-American pilots who served in World War II.

The ceremony was held at the the Tuskegee Airmen Bus Depot in Harlem, originally known as the 100th Street Bus Depot, before being renamed in 2012 in honor of the famed veterans. Photos of the namesake military men hang on the Wall of Fame in the depots lobby.

We are thrilled to honor this legendary group of national heroes, our depot namesake, for our first Black History Month event, said Manolin Tirado, chairperson of the NYC Transit Veterans Employee Resource Group. African-American veterans and Transit employees have made critical, selfless contributions to protecting Americans and helping to move New York City, which makes todays ceremony particularly special.

Following their military contributions during World War II, 12 of the Tuskegee veterans moved to Harlem and worked within the New York City transit system, then known as the New York City Board of Transportation (NYCBOT).

Reginald T. Brewster  Joined the NYCBOT as a clerk in 1948 while attending law school.

Victor A. Collymore  Worked for NYCBOT from 1947 to 1952.

Conrad A. DeSandies  Worked for NYC Transit in 1959 as a maintainers helper.

Harry R. Dickenson  Worked for NYC Transit from 1984 to 1989 as deputy chief engineer.

John R. Freeman  Retired as a manager, Operating Authority (OA) Surface.

Noel R. Harris  Began his career at NYCBOT in 1948 as an auditor for the Staten Island Depot.

Oscar W. Hawkins  Joined NYCBOT in 1949, holding titles of towerman, train dispatcher, train master, superintendent of Operations and Transportation before moving to Labor Relations in 1971. He retired from NYC Transit in 1987.

Austin D. McKenzie  Retired as an assistant train dispatcher in 1970.

Maury M. Reid, Jr.  Joined NYCBOT in 1948 as a railroad clerk. He transferred to Rapid Transit Operations and became the director of the RTO Training School, retiring as an assistant director, Office of Labor Relations.

Percy E. Sutton  Worked for NYCBOT from 1948 to 1953 as a subway conductor, token clerk, and waiter while attending law school.

Victor W. Terrelonge  Joined NYCBOT as a trolley motorman out of Coney Island. He advanced through the ranks of NYC Transit, retiring in 1984 as a safety coordinator. From 1984 to 2003, he served as a safety consultant to the Legal Department.

Fred O. Wilson  Joined NYCBOT in 1945 as a street car operator and retired as a bus operator from the Jamaica Bus Depot in 1976.

Fridays ceremony marked the first Black History Month event hosted by NYC Transits Veterans Employee Resource Group, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, growing its membership from eight founding members to over 150 participants in just its first year.
"Day 1: Just got the news."

It was February 5 and the Twitter account had posted for the first time.

In for the long haul: Australian woman Aun Na Tan and her family in their cabin on board the Diamond Princess, which has been docked in quarantine in Yokohama due to the coronavirus outbreak. Credit:Aun Na Tan

In cabins aboard a cruise ship docked in the Japanese city of Yokohama, 3700 people, including 220 Australians, just found out they weren't getting off.

A man had just been diagnosed with coronavirus, the flu-like disease that has now killed up to 1500 people and infected more than 60,000 and thrown airlines, cruise ships and economies into chaos.
DNC unveils qualifications for last Democratic debate ahead of South Carolina primary originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

The Democratic National Committee on Saturday unveiled the qualifying criteria for the last Democratic primary debate of February, set to take place in the early nominating state of South Carolina -- just days before the Palmetto states primary.

Much like the first three debates of 2020, the candidates have two pathways for securing a spot on the debate stage on Feb. 25, either by reaching the delegate threshold or scoring enough support through the polling criteria.

To qualify with delegates, the candidates must receive at least one pledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention from any of the first three nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada.

MORE: DNC scraps donor threshold for Nevada debate, opening door for Bloomberg to qualify

Candidates can also earn a podium by either receiving at least 10% in four national or single-state polls of South Carolina, or receive at least 12% in two single-state polls in South Carolina between Feb. 4 and Feb. 24 at 11:59 p.m. ET, the day before the match up.

The only changes from the Nevada debate -- slated for Wednesday Feb. 19 -- are the shorter window for polling and only including South Carolina polling, among the early states, for the qualifying criteria.

PHOTO: Pete Buttigieg shakes hands with Sen. Amy Klobuchar as Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren look on at the Democratic 2020 presidential debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., Feb. 7, 2020. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Among the candidates currently set to face off in the debate, co-hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, along with Twitter, at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, are: former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, according to an ABC News analysis.

On the cusp of snagging a spot is billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who currently has two qualifying polls on his way to four.

MORE: Mike Bloomberg's philanthropy pays dividends with emerging political network

Story continues

For the polls to count toward the qualifying threshold, they must also be sponsored by the following entities: Associated Press; ABC News/Washington Post; CBS News/YouGov; CNN; Fox News; Monmouth University; National Public Radio; NBC News/Wall Street Journal; NBC News/Marist; New York Times; Quinnipiac University; USA Today/Suffolk University; Winthrop University. But the DNC also reserves the right to add any South Carolina-specific poll sponsor to this list in the near future.

For the four-poll pathway, each poll must be sponsored by different organizations, or if sponsored by the same organization, be covering different geographical areas. But polls can be conducted by the same organization and/or covering the same region to count toward the early state polling threshold.

The debate will also be the last one ahead of Super Tuesday, when the candidates will compete in 15 contests on March 3, by far the broadest map of the presidential primary cycle in a single night.

PHOTO: From left, Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former Vice President Joe Biden, arrive for a presidential primary debate at St. Anselm College, Feb. 7, 2020 in Manchester, N.H. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The DNC announced on Friday that the succeeding debate after South Carolina will be held on March 15 in Phoenix, Arizona, a state considered a battleground in 2020.

But in the meantime, only five presidential hopefuls have so far met the threshold needed to square off on Wednesday in the Las Vegas debate, a few days before Saturdays highly-anticipated caucuses, according to an ABC News analysis. Those who have qualified so far are: are: include Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders and Warren.

The remaining candidates have until Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. ET to qualify, leaving the door open for others to make the stage.

MORE: CNN, Univision to host March Democratic debate in Arizona, a 2020 battleground

Similar to Nevada, South Carolina presents an early opportunity for the Democratic contenders to test their strength among a more diverse electorate, with a greater Latino population in Nevada and a significant black voting bloc in South Carolina.

Some of the candidates, like Biden, are banking on strong support from minority communities in the last of the early states to reset the primary race and regain a top tier position.

"The reason why we are here is because, you know, 99% of the African American vote hasn't spoken yet and 99% of Latino vote hasn't spoken yet," Biden said in Las Vegas, in an effort to remind supporters that communities of color have not yet weighed in on the Democratic primary field, after Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with predominately white populations.
At least 30 people, including nine soldiers, were reportedly killed in the village of Ogossagou, Bankass circle in the central Mopti region of Mali in a spate of attacks by the Gunmen, confirmed the government.

According to the reports, the attackers scorched the homes and looted livestock in the inter-ethnic violence in the village, mainly inhabited by the Faluni group of West Africa. Aly Ousmane Barry, the village chief, reportedly confirmed that the attack was carried out by at least 30 gunmen.

The government of Mali reportedly condemned the attack, saying it will investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice. Malian government spokesman, Yaya Sangare, told the media that based on a provisional tally, the authorities have found that 21 civilians have been killed in the malignant attack and several remain missing.

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Sangare said that huts and crops were set ablaze, livestock was charred or abducted. Aly Ousmane Barry said that the perpetrators made it inside the territory several hours after the military troops had pulled out of the area, confirmed reports.

An official on account of anonymity told the international media that at least 28 civilians went missing. He further added that the traditional Dogon hunters Group might be held responsible for the massacre. However, the claims remain unverified.

Eight soldiers killed, four injured

Last Friday, eight Mali soldiers were reportedly killed in an ambush, while four were injured in the central Gao region, army personnel confirmed to the media. The military said on the Social Media site that the Malian forces suffered huge material damage, they, however, did not confirm who carried out the attack.

According to the media reports, Human Rights Watch had pointed to the ethnic patchwork of central Mali as the country's epicenter of violence and held the feeble governance responsible for the chronic instability in the region.

In a separate development, a soldier was reportedly killed in an attack on Mondoro military camp, also in Central Mali. The security personnel told the media that the camp had been hit in the past in a joint raid by militants that targeted a military camp of Boulkessy near the border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 25 military personnel.

Read Thai Army Chief Apologises For Mass Shooting By Rogue Soldier

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(With inputs from AP)
Gandhinagar, Feb 15 : After a nationwide uproar over forcing dozens of girl students to remove their cloths by Swaminarayan College officials in Bhuj and the police lodging complaints against four, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said here on Saturday prompt and strict steps would be taken against culprits.

"We have taken prompt measures. Such issues of sexual harassment could not be tolerated. The education department is also looking into it," Rupani told the media at an event.

After one of the 68 girls came forward to file a complaint, the Bhuj 'A' Division police station on Friday filed an FIR against the Sahajanand Girls Institute officials, which included Principal Rita Raninga, advocate Anita, peon Naina, rector of the girl's hostel Ramila.

They have been booked under IPC sections 384 for extortion, 355 for assault with intent to use criminal force, 294 for obscenity, 506(2) for criminal intimidation apart from 509 (outraging the modesty of women) and 505(3) for statements for public mischief at a religious place.

The investigation is being led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). They are collecting CCTV footage and other evidence linked to the alleged crime.

According to the allegation, many girls were asked by the accused to remove their undergarments for inspection whether they were having menstruation. After the incident, the girls were threatened by the college officials to keep mum or their careers would be destroyed.
The Kano State Fire Service has confirmed the death of five, out of six persons trapped under a heap of sand at Ramin Farar Kasa in Dauni village in the Minjibir Local Government Area of the state.

The Public Relations Officer of the service, Alhaji Saidu Muhammad, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday in Kano, said: We received a distress call on Thursday from Dauni village through one Malam Danlami Murtala at about 2:45pm that a heap of sand has covered six people who were digging for sand used for makeup powder.

Upon receiving the information, we quickly dispatched firemen and fire engine to the scene, tried to rescue the victim where only a little boy of about four years was found alive.

He gave the names of the victims as Ibrahim Shuaibu, (four), Dije Shuaibu (eight), Hadiza Shuaib (12), Nana Idris (12), Wasila Nuhu (13), Saida Lawwali (32).

Muhammad said that the bodies of victims were handed over to the village head of Dauni, Alhaji Bello Rabiu, adding the only survivor had minor fracture.

He advised the general public who were into such business to be careful when mining for their safety.
Urban transformation is coming to Treasure Island.

The low-lying artificial island in the middle of San Francisco Bay is the site of a $6 billion development project led by the City of San Francisco and private developers to create a new, environmentally sustainable neighborhood with condos, a hotel, retail and parks. In 20 years, more than 20,000 residents could inhabit the 405-acre expanse connected to Oakland and San Francisco by the Bay Bridge.

"We are creating an entirely new community of 8,000 homes," said Chris Meany, co-founder of Wilson Meany, which is overseeing development of Treasure Island. "More than one of every four is slated to be affordable. We are creating ferry service between the island and the city. We are creating nearly 300 acres of open space, the largest addition of park space to the city since Golden Gate Park." (See plans for the future Treasure Island in the gallery above.)

Treasure Island was built to host the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, celebrating construction of the Bay Bridge. The Army Corps of Engineers dredged mud and sand from the bay and piled it on top of the shoals north of the natural Yerba Buena Island. During World War II, the island was converted to a naval station. The Navy left in 1997, and shortly afterwards plans were put into action to bring more people to the island.

Meany said work is progressing on infrastructure improvements such as streets and utilities. Steps have been taken to stabilize the land and raise it to guard against sea-level rise. Existing soils have been consolidated to prevent liquefaction in an earthquake and more dirt has been added to support taller buildings with deeper foundations.

In January, dozens of current and former Treasure Island residents filed a class-action lawsuit claiming authorities lied for years about the extent of radioactive contamination there. But Meany said about 70 percent of the island has been cleaned up and deemed suitable for development by regulators. The remaining 30 percent is still being remediated by the Navy, which he says consists of finishing up the removal of radium-based paint the Navy used on small deck markers  radioluminescent disks to provide low-level light  that were discarded on the northwest part of the island.

"The radiation emitted by those deck markers is above background levels on the island, so they must be removed," he said. "The Navy and public health agencies say the level of radiation is not harmful to human health. We rely on the regulatory entities and our own environmental engineers, and we would be insane to build a community on land that is dangerous to human health. Consultants to the Navy, city, state and our development group say there is no scientific or medical evidence that environmental conditions at Treasure Island are any more of a threat to human health than anywhere else in the city."

He added: "If theres anything that has frustrated me about the development of Treasure Island, its the amount of misinformation and hysteria around the environmental cleanup."

ALSO: Three-bedroom condos selling for $3 million in new Yerba Buena Island development

Three housing developments began construction this year on the neighboring rocky hump of Yerba Buena Island. While Treasure Island will be developed with more dense housing and commercial space, 75 percent of Yerba Buena Island will remain as open space.

The Bristol is a single, mid-rise building with condos facing the East Bay and offering sweeping views of the Bay Bridge. The Flats consists of multiple single-story buildings, with fewer than 10 units in each building. Some face San Francisco, others the East Bay. The Townhomes offers vertical living in multi-floor units, providing the feeling of a single-family home. Pricing for the Flats and Townhomes isn't available yet. Together, the three luxury housing projects will offer 266 residences.

The first pricing was released for the Bristol: Studios will list for $800,000, one-bedroom condos $1 million, two-bedroom condos $1.7 million and three-bedrooms $3 million. Residences range in size from 630 to 2,248 square feet. Sales will begin in spring and move-ins are on track for mid-2021.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.
The governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has signed an MoU with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), in Asokoro, Abuja, for better electricity supply in the state.

A statement issued by the governors spokesperson, Abba Anwar, on Saturday said the governor assured that providing electricity to Kano is a task that must be done.

We are ready to accept all the requirements attached to this MoU. And, you will see action immediately. Ours is to bring back the lost glory of the state, when industries were reigning, the statement said.

The statement said with the new MoU, Kano would be getting electricity from three to four sources.

As a government, we have been doing our best to see that electricity problem becomes a thing of the past. Our effort in using our Dams to get more electricity has been a welcome development.

Mr Ganduje added that the hydroelectricity project the state embarked on was of a small scale due to the fact that the dams are also used for irrigation farming. Hence, the state cannot dedicate the dams for the Hydro project only.

That is why I am saying (that) what (the) Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is bringing is a good omen for the development of the state. Our industries will fully bounce back. When Solar project was tested, we found some lapses in it also, he said.

Mr Ganduje promised that he would raise a committee that would be involved in facilitating the Right of Way, for the final touch of the project. He said he would also be in talks with his other colleagues, the governors of Jigawa and Katsina states, to see that, this good omen succeeds.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of TCN, U. G. Mohammed, who led a team to the governor, assured that with the new MoU and with its implementation in place, the problem of electricity would substantially be reduced, if not cleared away.

If we solve the problem of transmission, then the problem of distribution is very simple and, in fact, (the) distribution of electricity is the weakest part (of) the chain.

Ganduje signs the Kano transmission line agreement Ganduje signs the Kano transmission line agreement Ganduje signing the Kano transmission line agreement

Mr Mohammed disclosed that Kumbotso, Danagundi and Dakata transmission centres were all increased in their capacity to 100 per cent.

When the new transmission is completed, Kano could be the state with the best electricity supply in the country, which will also bring back the glory of the states industrial sector and other businesses.

The Memorandum of Understanding is between Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states.

It is for the construction of 132KV Transmission Line through Daura-Kazaure-Dambatta-Babura and 2x60MVA, 132/33KV Substation at Kazaure and Babura, and 2x60MVA 132/33KV Substation at Mashi.

It also includes the Katsina-Daura 132KV Transmission Line at Mashi.

According to the provision of the MoU, Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa states would satisfy all Rights of Way acquisition requirements and payment of compensation for lands in respect of the Transmission Line between Daura-Kazaure-Dambatta and Babura.

It also provides acquisition/provisions of lands measuring 300x300sq for the construction of Substations at Kazaure, Babura and Mashi.

Another aspect of the provision of the MoU is to provide assistance in managing community relations throughout the duration of the project
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is endorsing Bernie Sanders for president, a move that puts de Blasio in a position to become a leading voice in opposition to Sanders newest rival, Mike Bloomberg, his predecessor in leading the nations largest city.

De Blasio, an unabashed liberal who was elected in 2013, will campaign for Sanders in Nevada this weekend, the Sanders campaign said Friday in a news release. De Blasio hopes to be a significant surrogate for Sanders four years after he dithered about his presidential endorsement and, late in the primary process, backed Hillary Clinton instead of the Vermont senator, who shared far more of his ideology.

I am standing with Bernie because he stands with working families, and always has, de Blasio said in the news release. New Yorkers know all too well the damage caused by Donald Trumps xenophobia, bigotry and recklessness, and Bernie is the candidate to take him on and take him down

De Blasio, whose own 2020 presidential bid ended with a whimper months before any votes were cast, could play an important role for Sanders, who now sits atop the progressive portion of the Democratic field, as the senator squares off against several more moderate choices, including Bloomberg, who led New York for the 12 years before de Blasio.

De Blasios 2013 campaign was styled as a rebuke to Bloomberg, who oversaw a city that rebuilt itself after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks to become the nations safest biggest city and leading tourist destination. But Bloombergs tenure also saw a sharp rise in income inequality and concern about police tactics like stop and frisk, which disproportionately affected communities of colour.

De Blasio, who has frosty relations with his predecessor, has repeatedly voiced his opposition to the billionaires late presidential bid.

This is a Democratic Party today thats getting more progressive, that wants to address the concerns of working people, that does not accept the status quo, de Blasio said after Bloomberg announced his candidacy. Theres no way in the world we should nominate a billionaire who epitomizes the status quo.

The Bloomberg campaign declined to comment Friday on the endorsement.

Additionally, the strongest piece of de Blasios political base at home has been African American voters drawn to his promises of police reform, combating income inequality and his biracial family. And the mayor aims to stress those bona fides just as the Democratic nominating process heads to far more diverse states like Nevada and South Carolina.

De Blasio has long sought to play an outsize role on the national stage trumpeting progressive ideas but has struggled to raise his profile much beyond New York City. A presidential forum he sponsored ahead of the 2016 election was cancelled because of a lack of interest from candidates, and his own advisers have expressed regret as to how he handled his endorsement for that campaign.

Although de Blasio was far more aligned with Sanders, he also had a debt of loyalty to the Clintons; he was the campaign manager for Hillary Clintons 2000 Senate run in New York, and the former first couple presided over the mayors inauguration in 2013. But de Blasio sat on his choice for months, and his eventual lukewarm endorsement for Clinton led to him being banished to a secondary role at the Democratic convention and on the campaign trail.

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Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire

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Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.
FDA Keeping Watch for Potential Medical Supply Shortages Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is monitoring the medical product supply for potential disruptions caused by the new coronavirus outbreak amid a chronic shortage of some supplies.

Medical supplies like masks are already running low in some areas of the country in addition to a shortage globally amid a sharp spike in demand.

Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said officials arent waiting for manufacturers of drugs or devices to report shortages. We are proactively reaching out to manufacturers as part of our vigilant and forward-leaning approach to identifying potential disruptions or shortages, he said in a statement.

The United States has been in touch with hundreds of manufacturers to assess and monitor for indications and early warning signs of potential manufacturing discontinuances or interruptions due to the outbreak. The FDA is also working with global regulators and manufacturers to gauge any supply concerns related to raw materials that originate in China.

A nurse cares for a patient in the isolation ward for 2019-nCoV patients at a hospital in Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei Province on Feb. 6, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP)

Ninety-six percent of pharmacists in the country said theyre selling surgical masks faster than they can restock and nearly 4 out of 10 said they cant get enough respirator masks, according to a survey last week from the National Community Pharmacists Association. Many reported shortages of hand sanitizers, surface sanitizers, and gloves.

Patients are on edge and theyre preparing, Brian Caswell, president of the association, said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that some partners were alerting agency officials to higher than usual demand for face masks and N-95 respirators. The agency doesnt recommend people wear masks unless they are around known cases or they have the virus, or are under investigation for possibly having the virus and are around other people.

The federal agency is in regular contact with healthcare industry partners, manufacturers, and distributors about the supply of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, a top official at the agency, told reporters in a phone call on Tuesday.

A womans eyeglasses are fogged up as she wears a face mask during a snowfall in Beijing on Feb. 2, 2020. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

Globally, there is a chronic shortage of such equipment, World Health Organization chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva last week.

Were sending testing kits, mask, gloves, respirators, and gowns to countries in every region. However the world is facing a chronic shortage of personal protective equipment, he said, adding that demand for the equipment is 100 times higher than normal, causing prices to rise to 20 times the normal costs.

At every stage of the supply chain there is a possibility for disruption or profiteering or diversion, added Dr. Mike Ryan, head of the WHOs emergencies program. So this is not an easy problem to solve. There are many players, both in the public and private sector.

Ryan warned that medical workers are at risk of not having the supplies they need to treat confirmed and suspected cases of the virus.
The special task force (STF) of Haryana police arrested 35-year-old most-wanted gangster Raju Basodi from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi, in the wee hours of Saturday.

Satheesh Balan, deputy inspector general, special task force, said Basodi was handed over to the STF team around 7 am by the Delhi airport authority after the immigration officer found a Red Corner Notice (RCN) and a lookout circular (LOC) against him.

We (STF) received a call from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) around 1.30 am that the immigration department has informed them of the most-wanted gangsters arrival at the airport. One of the STF teams was sent to the airport to take him into custody and he was brought to Gurugram, said Balan.

Raju Basodi, a resident of Basodi village in Sonipat, is wanted by the police in Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Delhi. Haryana Police had announced a combined reward of Rs 2.5 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

Balan said Basodi was closely associated with other dreaded gangsters, namely, Lawrence Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra, Anil Chippi, Akshay Palra, and Naresh Sethi, all lodged in different jails. His close associate Sandeep alias Kala of Jatheri recently escaped from police custody on February 1 from Faridabad, when the police van carrying him to Bhondsi jail after a court hearing was attacked by the members of his gang.

Among other things, Basodi is accused of running an extortion racket from Thailand which mainly targeted businessmen in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, and Delhi for protection money and was collecting over Rs 1 crore every month as extortion sum.

Balan said apart from extortion, Basodis gang was responsible for a number of sensational crimes in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi, where more than two dozen cases including 13 cases of murder, 3 cases of attempt to murder and around a dozen cases of robbery and dacoity were registered against him.

His gang used social media platforms, especially Facebook to intimidate their targets or to claim their hand in different crimes or to give false moral and ideological justifications for their gruesome murders, said Balan.

Basodis gang had recently killed their rivals at Malot, Punjab and at Manimajra, Chandigarh in broad daylight, said Balan.

Police said Basodis police custody will be sought for sustained interrogation to find out the whereabouts of Kala Jatheri, his associate and for solving many more criminal cases.

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Indie crime press Brash Books recently released All Kinds of Ugly by Ralph Dennis, the 13th installment in his Jim Hardman series. Dennis died in 1988, and the story behind the discovery of the manuscript by Brash copublisher Lee Goldberg could have been lifted from the pages of a detective novel.

Goldberg, a crime writer himself, said his obsession with the Hardman series was one factor that prompted him to partner with another crime writer, Joel Goldman, in 2014 to launch Brash, which publishes new crime fiction as well as reissues of out-of-print crime, suspense, and thriller novels.

After Brash acquired the copyright to Denniss work two years ago, the familys attorney sent Goldberg a box of manuscripts. I hoped there would be a long-lost Hardman in the box, but there wasnt, he said.

Over the past two years Brash reissued all of Denniss previously published workthe 12 Hardman books as well as three standalone novels. In addition, Brash released two previously unpublished standalones that were found in the box of manuscripts.

Having heard a rumor that a suitcase full of manuscripts had gone missing after Denniss death, Goldberg spent a year tracking down his surviving friends. One of them, a Chapel Hill, N.C., bar owner, remembered a box in his attic that Dennis had left with him almost 40 years ago, and he sent it to Goldberg. Dennis, who earned a BA and MA from the University of North Carolina, lived in Chapel Hill for more than a decade before moving to Atlanta in the early 1970s.

Wanting to know more about Denniss life and times, Goldberg visited Chapel Hill last summer. I thought Id go through his papers archived at the UNC library, meet some of his old drinking buddies, see some of the places mentioned in his books, Goldberg said. On the flight to North Carolina from Los Angeles, Goldberg began reading a manuscript titled The Polish Wife, which had been in the box Denniss friend sent him. Goldberg said he noted some striking similarities to a Hardman novel in terms of voice and the characters backstories and personal traitsincluding a character with the same name and backstory as a character in Buy Back Blues, the 12th Hardman novel.

While reading Denniss papers in the university archives, Goldbergs suspicions were confirmed: he discovered three letters from Dennis to a UNC professor, written in 1976 and 1977, in which he expressed his desire to write a quick Hardman to make some extra money while doing research in London on a historical novel, MacTaggarts War.

I became certain that The Polish Wife was once a Hardman, Goldberg said. Either his publisher [Popular Library] didnt want a 13th Hardman, or Ralph changed his mind. Whatever the reason, he must have revised the Hardman into a standalone by simply changing the names and a few minor story points.

Unfortunately for Dennis, The Polish Wife was never sold. MacTaggarts War, released in 1979, was the last of Denniss books to be published during his lifetime.

Since Brash owns the copyright to Denniss entire body of work, Goldberg felt justified in turning The Polish Wife into All Kinds of Ugly. The revision wasnt as simple as merely doing a search and replace for names, he said. He had to undo some of the plot and characterizations that did not align with the Hardman series.

In addition to cutting 12,000 words, Goldberg rearranged some scenes and chapters. I had to do some original writing, but Id say 90%95% of All Kinds of Ugly is written in Ralphs own words, he said. Its definitely a Hardman.

All Kinds of Ugly has received glowing reviews, including one from PW. Ralph could not get [All Kinds of Ugly] published in his lifetime, Goldberg noted. Im publishing it, and its getting great reviews. I wish he was alive to see this.
A suspension of standing orders at the latest meeting of Wicklow County Council allowed members voice their frustration over how long it is taking SSE Airtricity to replace or fix faulty or broken street and road lights.

SSE Airtricity is responsible for the maintenance of street lights across the county.

Cllr Gail Dunne requested the suspension, having been urged by members of Wicklow Municipal District to raise the matter in front of the full council chamber.

'When you are out canvassing you really get to see how many lights are out,' said Cllr Dunne.

'There is one part of Wicklow town where the lights have been out for three-and-a-half months. I'm sick of the excuses from Airtricity. There should be a time-limit by which time lights are fixed. At the moment there are over 700 lights out throughout the county. It's a disaster and we aren't being listened to. Airtricity have got away with murder and there are now parts of the county which look like the black hole of Calcutta.'

Cllr Steven Matthews said: 'At last month's meeting I asked about our contract with Airtricity. It's not just them. If there is cable damage then the ESB networks have to be brought into the equation. There can also be issues about access to poles.'

Cllr Mary Kavanagh was fearful that a lack of competition among energy providers could see SSE Airtricity awarded the public lighting contract again, once the current contract is up.

'I don't know if there are too many people out there to vie for the contract. Quite simply, the service we are receiving isn't good enough. Is there any clause where we get a refund back for lights that aren't fixed? There has to be some onus for a quality service. To me, it looks like someone isn't doing their job,' said Cllr Kavanagh.

Cllr Pat Fitzgerald said he had reported a broken light in March of last year, which wasn't fixed until December.

'The excuse that people aren't trained in or that it is a cable fault doesn't sit with me. There are people who are already scared in their homes anyway, and now they have no lights outside as well. Excuses over a lack of resources doesn't wash either. They got the contract and should have enough people to do the work.'

Cllr John Mullen was aware of one set of lights which took close to year before they were actually operational.

'It's January now and it's very obvious just how dark places are getting. Former Councillor Pat Doran put up lights in Carnew last April. They were only turned on last Wednesday, almost a year later. Airtricity aren't fulfilling the terms of their contract. It's management failure from the operator,' said Cllr Mullen.

Cllr Lourda Scott said: 'I presume in the contract that there is a specific time limit for when lights have to be repaired. Is anybody monitoring how long the faults are taking before they are being fixed? We need an audit of Airtricity's performance if the contract is soon going to be up for renewal.'

Cllr Irene Winters, the Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, said it was a county-wide problem.

'It is equally shocking in all five Municipal District areas. I know we have a new LED lights programme coming on-stream but that's no excuse not to replace lights that are already in existence.'

Replying to queries from the elected members, the Council Executive said that there are 15,000 lights in County Wicklow, with the 700 currently not working, representing four per cent of the total. Faults are meant to be fixed within ten days, but generally take 13 days when there are other issues. Cable faults are taking a considerable amount of time to fix because of how long it takes the ESB to respond. There are currently five full-time crews working in the county. On average, each crew should fix around ten lights a day. However, they are being hampered by the unavailability of socket lamps, which limits the crews to between two and five lights a day.

The Local Authority Public Lighting Energy Efficiency Project proposes to retrofit circa 280,000 public lights with energy efficient LED lanterns over the next three to four years in 24 local authorities across Ireland. Kilkenny County Council will be the contracting authority for the Eastern Region.

Wicklow County Council hopes to go out to tender in Quarter 3 for the LED retrofit.
A fire broke out at the basement of The Park hotel in Lutyens' Delhi on Saturday afternoon, an official said.

The fire department received a call about fire at 12.25 pm, following which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot, the official said, adding that the blaze was brought under control.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mark Zuckerberg for the first time said he supports efforts to create a global digital tax that would ultimately raise the amount Facebook pays to foreign countries, in a move that may boost efforts to put a new levy in effect by year-end.

The tech giant's chief executive will tell world leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference today that he welcomes the efforts of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to find a global compromise on how to tax profits from digital activities.

"We want the OECD process to succeed so that we have a stable and reliable system going forward," Mr Zuckerberg will say, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. "And we accept that may mean we have to pay more tax and pay it in different places under a new framework."

The talks at the OECD are key to maintaining a tariff truce between Europe and the US. If there is no agreement by the end of the year, the French government says it will resume collecting a national digital tax - a levy the US says discriminates against American firms.

Washington has threatened retaliatory tariffs on French goods over the tax.

Facebook will be in court next week to defend its strategy of shifting its profits to Ireland to avail of lower tax rates here. If the company loses, it may have to pay $9bn (8.2bn) more in tax to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), according to a regulatory filing.

Mr Zuckerberg will meet with several European leaders over the weekend as he visits Brussels and the conference in Munich, which will also be attended by French president Emmanuel Macron.

In an effort to advance the global talks on digital tax, the OECD said on Thursday that new rules - including a minimum tax - could boost US government revenues by as much as $100bn.

The talks on tax reform have been running since 2016 and involve representatives from almost 140 countries.

Meanwhile, Facebook said on Friday it was allowing US-based political candidates to run branded content on its social networking platforms.

Branded content is created by celebrities or influential personalities to promote a paid message on social media.

While Facebook requires content creators to disclose any paid partnership, it does not consider such content as advertisement since the company does not charge for it.

"After hearing from multiple campaigns, we agree that there's a place for branded content in political discussion on our platforms", a company spokesman said.

Facebook said branded content from political advertisers will not be included in its Ad Library - a transparency tool for political ads - unless it is promoted using the company's advertising tools.

Bloomberg / Additional reporting Reuters
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 16:51:08|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- At least four people died and around 14 injured when a bus collided with a stationary truck in India's southwestern state of Maharashtra on Saturday, a local cop told Xinhua over phone.

The accident occurred in the Mouda area of the state's Nagpur district.

Local Police Inspector Madhukar Gite said the accident occurred at around 5:00 a.m. local time when a private 36-seater bus carrying around 32 people was returning from a wedding function and heading to Nagpur city.

"The dead included two women. Around 14 people with minor injuries were admitted in nearby hospitals, and the rest escaped unhurt," said Gite.
Boris Johnson's controversial decision to hire Huawei continues to sour relations with the White House, which is preparing to hand the government a 'b****cking' during an upcoming diplomatic mission to Downing Street.

Donald Trump's acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney will lead the delegation to Britain to convey the President's concerns directly with the Prime Minister and urge him to reconsider.

The US has repeatedly warned that it would withhold intelligence-sharing from any ally which allowed the Chinese firm access to its communications infrastructure.

But despite Washington attempts to strongarm the UK, Mr Johnson plowed ahead with plans to let Huawei build the 5G network.

Boris Johnson (pictured at Cabinet yesterday) has come under renewed pressure to reverse his decision to green light Huawei's involvement in the HS2 project

Donald Trump's acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney (pair pictured at White House) will lead the delegation to Britain to convey the President's concerns directly with the Prime Minister and urge him to reconsider

Mr Mulvaney's team is expected to let rip at British officials in a full-frontal 'b****cking', according to a Daily Telegraph source.

'One thing is on the agenda, and it's not a trade deal - it is Huawei,' the source said.

The furious transatlantic row could scupper Mr Johnson's hopes of a post-Brexit trade deal, which would have been crucial leverage in also brokering an agreement with the EU.

The frayed relations between Mr Johnson and Mr Trump forced the PM to delay a planned visit to Washington which had been expected to take place over the spring.

A Number 10 spokesman insisted on Friday that the Prime Minister is still looking forward to travelling to the US but is 'currently focused on driving through the Government's ambitious domestic agenda'.

American concerns about China were underlined by US Defence Secretary Mark Esper who accused Beijing of stealing Western know-how while using its power to intimidate smaller neighbours.

'The Communist Party and its associated organs, including the People's Liberation Army, are increasingly operating in theatres outside its borders, including Europe, and seeking advantage by any means, and at any cost,' he said in speech to an international security conference in Munich.

The Australian intelligence and security committee had abruptly called off its visit next month when members had been expected meet Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab

Mr Johnson has faced criticism for downgrading Britain's presence at the event, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and MI6 Chief Alex Younger pulling out and newly-appointed Foreign Office Minister James Cleverly attending instead.

Meanwhile, the the Australian intelligence and security committee had abruptly called off its visit next month when members had been expected meet Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab as well as senior intelligence and security figures.

The Sydney Morning Herald said the cancellation followed a letter from a senior Australian civil servant to committee chairman Andrew Hastie, rebuking him over a leak of details of a meeting with Mr Raab when MPs on the committee confronted him over the Huawei decision.

Australia - which, like the US, is part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance - has banned the Chinese firm from its 5G network because of the potential national security implications.

The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said the British Government should take such concerns seriously, saying the country faces some 'really serious strategic choices' when it comes to China.

He told Radio 4's Today programme: 'Personally, I would like to stand with countries that share the rule of law, human rights and the values I think are so important.

The frayed relations between Mr Johnson and Mr Trump forced the PM to delay a planned visit to Washington which had been expected to take place over the spring

'That means standing with Australia and Canada. It also means standing with countries like France who have also rejected Huawei.

'The decisions we make today will affect how our children are governed in years to come.'

Tory MP Bob Seely, who was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the last parliament, said the role of Huawei should form part of the Government's forthcoming foreign policy and defence review.

'Having hi-tech from high-risk vendors in our critical national infrastructure is wrong on many levels - national security, personal data, Chinese leverage over the UK Government,' he said.

'The Aussies gave a very blunt opinion to the UK. The UK Government should be listening to the message our allies are giving, not moaning that they are giving it.'

A Government spokesman said: 'We are clear-eyed about the challenge posed by Huawei, which is why we are banning them from sensitive and critical parts of the network and setting a strict 35 per cent cap on market share.

'Our world-leading cyber security experts are satisfied that with our approach, and tough regulatory regime, any risk can be safely managed.'

US defence secretary Mark Esper has said using Huawei's 5G technology in the UK communications network could 'jeopardise alliances'.

The US-European divisions were on stark display in the spat over the Chinese tech giant during Mr Esper's speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

He again discussed security concerns that 'reliance on Chinese 5G vendors could render ... critical systems vulnerable to disruption, manipulation and espionage.'

It comes as senior US officials are set to fly to London to raise their concerns directly with Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street on Wednesday.

U.S Secretary of Defense Mark Esper makes a speech during the 56th Munich Security Conference at Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany today

Washington has pushed hard for countries to bar Huawei from building their next generation 5G mobile networks, claiming its equipment can be used to spy for Beijing.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Huawei was the 'poster child' for China's 'nefarious strategy' to infiltrate and dominate crucial western infrastructure.

But key allies including Britain and France have resisted the pressure so far, agreeing to impose restrictions without going so far as to ban the company.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Europeans to make 'an independent and wise choice' while providing 'a fair business environment for all companies'.

During his speech Mr Esper said: 'Reliance on Chinese 5G vendors could render our partners' critical systems vulnerable to disruption, manipulation and espionage.

'It could also jeopardise our intelligence and communication-sharing capabilities, and by extension it could jeopardise our alliances.

It comes as senior US officials are set to fly to London to raise their concerns directly with Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured on Thursday) at Downing Street on Wednesday

'The Chinese Communist party is heading even faster and further in the wrong direction with more internal repression, more predatory behaviour, more heavy-handedness and a more aggressive military posture. It is essential that the international community wake up to the challenge.'

He also urged governments and business leaders to build an ecosystem of 'industry champions' that can provide alternatives to Huawei.

Speaking on Saturday, Mr Esper told the conference that Washington was already working with vendors to develop and test new 5G technologies.

He said: 'We are encouraging allied and U.S. tech companies to develop alternative 5G solutions and we are working alongside them to test these technologies at our military bases as we speak.'

Mr Johnson is also coming under renewed pressure over his controversial decision to give Chinese tech giant Huawei a role in building the UK's 5G network.

A delegation of senior US officials - including Donald Trump's acting chief of staff - are set to fly to London to raise their concerns directly, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that MPs on Australia's intelligence and security committee have pulled out of a visit to the UK next month following a diplomatic row with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

Mick Mulvaney, who is leading the US delegation, is expected to call on the UK Government to change its decision on Huawei when they meet senior officials on Wednesday.

The Telegraph quoted a source close to the delegation as saying they expected to deliver a 'bollocking' to British officials. 'One thing is on the agenda, and it's not a trade deal - it is Huawei,' the source said.

Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China, is pictured speaking on the second day of the conference in Munich today

The visit comes after an 'apoplectic' President Trump reportedly vented his fury with Mr Johnson when the Prime Minister telephoned him to explain the UK's decision last month.

The US has repeatedly warned that it would withhold intelligence-sharing from any ally which allowed Huawei access to its communications networks, which it regards as a national security threat.

The furious row has led to Mr Johnson reportedly delaying a planned visit to Washington which had been expected to take place over the spring.

A Number 10 spokesman insisted on Friday that the Prime Minister is still looking forward to travelling to the US but is 'currently focused on driving through the Government's ambitious domestic agenda'.

American concerns about China were underlined by Mr Esper who accused Beijing of stealing Western know-how while using its power to intimidate smaller neighbours.

'The Communist Party and its associated organs, including the People's Liberation Army, are increasingly operating in theatres outside its borders, including Europe, and seeking advantage by any means, and at any cost,' he said in speech to the international security conference in Munich.

Mr Johnson has faced criticism for downgrading Britain's presence at the event, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and MI6 Chief Alex Younger pulling out and newly-appointed Foreign Office Minister James Cleverly attending instead.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also appealed yesterday at the conference for countries to steer clear of Huawei. She said: 'China is seeking to export its digital autocracy through its telecommunication giant Huawei.

'Nations cannot cede our telecommunication infrastructure to China for financial expediency. Such an ill-conceived concession would only embolden (President) Xi (Jinping) as he undermines democratic values, human rights, economic independence and national security.'

Chinese domination of 5G 'would be to choose autocracy over democracy,' the speaker said. 'We must instead move to an internationalization.'

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a Republican, emphasized broad agreement in the U.S. that 'Huawei technology is a threat to the United States and, we really think, to world order.'

'Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump are probably not going to have many dinners together but, if you ask them about British purchase of Huawei, they'll give you the same answer,' Graham said.

'We owe it to the world, all of us do, to give you an alternative - we just can't say no forever to 5G,' he added.

'But we are very firm in our commitment, Republicans and Democrats, that if you go down the Huawei road, you're going to burn a lot of bridges.'
Coronavirus has claimed its first life in Europe, according to reports, with a Chinese tourist in France believed to have died. (Picture: S.C. Leung / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)

Coronavirus has claimed its first fatality outside Asia following the death of a Chinese tourist in France.

The victim was an 80-year-old man from China's Hubei province.

French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said: I was informed last night of the death of an 80-year-old patient who had been hospitalised  since January 25.

The patient, who arrived in France on 16 January, had a lung infection caused by the virus.

He was treated in hospital under strict isolation measures and his condition deteriorated rapidly.

His daughter was also taken to hospital but authorities say she is expected to recover.

Covid-19: confirmed cases. See story HEALTH Coronavirus. Infographic by PA Graphics.

The news comes as the death toll from coronavirus  also known as Covid-19  in mainland China passed 1,500 after health authorities reported another 143 deaths early on Saturday morning, taking the total to 1,523 deaths.

Despite the rise in deaths, China said the 2,641 new cases reported in the 24 hours to midnight on Friday represented a major drop in new cases.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Coronavirus

Read more: Two MPs have self-isolated over coronavirus fears

The total number of confirmed cases in the country now stands at 66,492, according to Chinas National Health Commission.

The fluctuation in numbers comes after authorities changed the basis for counting patients.

Around 600 cases have been confirmed outside mainland China and until now there had been three deaths  in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.

The total number of confirmed cases globally now stands at more than 67,000.

In the UK, health officials have contacted more than 200 people who attended a conference in central London after it emerged one delegate is suffering from coronavirus.

The person taken ill is one of nine people diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK.

It comes as United Airlines confirmed it offered assistance at Heathrow Airport on Friday after a passenger fell ill on one flight, with reports suggesting the person involved may have had symptoms of coronavirus.

Story continues

At least one more plane has been held at Heathrow for checks.

Meanwhile, a Channel 4 employee is among those being tested for coronavirus after feeling unwell following a trip to Asia.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: On Thursday, a member of staff at Channel 4 who had travelled to Asia within the last month felt unwell.

As a precautionary measure, they decided to seek medical advice and, in line with the latest public health advice regarding the coronavirus, they were taken to hospital for a precautionary test.

We have informed our staff of this and continue to follow all the latest public health guidance.
Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

Justice Department attorneys struggled with mounting frustration and skepticism from a federal judge about producing documents related to the investigation of former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, according to transcripts of closed-door conversations released in response to a lawsuit from a government watchdog group.

The McCabe caseand President Donald Trumps personal involvement in itprompted federal judge Reggie Barnett Walton to call the governments handling of it disturbing, a mess, and veering close to a banana republic.

I think its very unfortunate, Judge Walton told prosecutors as the case hung in limbo in late September. And I think as a government and as a society were going to pay a price at some point for this.

The comments were made in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) against the Justice Department.

Jordan Libowitz, a spokesperson for CREW, said the eventual release of the court transcripts on Friday, after a lengthy court battle, showed that the government was trying to cover up the fact that they were stringing this [lawsuit] along while looking for a reason to indict McCabe.

Justice Department Wont Charge Former FBI Official Andrew McCabe in Lying Case

The court released the transcripts on Friday afternoon hours after McCabes lawyers released a letter from Justice Department officials saying they did not plan to charge McCabe with a crime. Two years ago, the DOJs top watchdog released a report finding that McCabe lacked candor when answering questions about leaks to the media. McCabe vehemently disputed the reports findings.

The CREW lawsuit sought material on how the Trump administration handled the criminal investigation into McCabe, who served as the acting FBI Director after Trump fired James Comey. In that capacity, McCabe helped oversee Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia probe. He also became one of Trumps top bete noires. The president has tweeted about him dozens of times, once accusing him of treason. McCabe, in turn, has vociferously pushed back. After Trump insinuated that McCabe deserved the death penalty, McCabe told CNN the comment was quite honestly terrifying.

Story continues

Its just a disgusting level of disrespect for the people who serve this country every day, he said.

Throughout the course of the CREW lawsuit, prosecutors appeared unable to predict when their investigation of McCabe would conclude, which would allow them to hand over documents related to the case through the Freedom of Information Act process.

In mid-September, McCabes attorneys wrote in an email to the Justice Department that theyd heard credible rumors that a grand jury investigating possible criminal charges against their client had declined to vote an indictment. They asked Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to drop the case but Rosen declined.

By the end of September, the transcripts released by the CREW lawsuit show the Justice Department had asked the court for another three months to decide whether to continue the McCabe case, calling it an exceedingly difficult matter and situation.

That requested delay, as well as others in the months preceding it, created mounting frustration for Judge Walton as the government seemed unable to determine whether the case against McCabe would continue throughout the summer and fall of September 2019.

Walton chided prosecutors in late September, saying that their delays hindered CREWs right to the documents and from the standpoint of Mr. McCabe, he has a right to have the government make a decision and not hold his life in limbo pending a decision as to what's going to happen.

I don't know why it's so difficult for a decision to be made. Either you have a case or you dont, he said.

Judge Walton also took issue with President Trumps apparent personal involvement in the case. He told prosecutors that Trumps comments about the case complicated the ability to receive a fair hearing in the FOIA lawsuit.

[T]he public is listening to whats going on, and I dont think people like the fact that youve got somebody at the top basically trying to dictate whether somebody should be prosecuted, Walton told prosecutors when they asked for another delay in late September. I just think it's a banana republic when we go down that road and we have those type of statements being made that are conceivablyeven if notinfluencing the ultimate decision. I think there are a lot of people on the outside who perceive that there is undue, inappropriate pressure being brought to bear.

As recently as December 10, prosecutors pushed back on the release of the transcripts showing Waltons questions about the timing of prosecutors decisions in the McCabe case. They argued it would give the public an incomplete picture of the investigation and potentially compromise the case.

To understand the Departments exercise of prosecutorial discretion in this case would necessitate a broader disclosure of internal deliberative information than contained in the staled ex parte hearing transcripts, J.P. Cooney, a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorneys office in Washington, D.C., wrote in one filing obtained by the CREW lawsuit. Their release, he claimed, risks unfairly calling into question the integrity of the investigation and any future decisions in the McCabe matter.

Trump Is Beyond Obsessed With Andrew McCabe

Libowitz said Friday that it was not surprising that the announcement of no indictment [of McCabe] was timed along with the release of these transcripts.

A 2018 investigation by the Justice Departments Office of Professional Responsibility found McCabe had made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candorincluding under oathon multiple occasions about the FBIs handling of the investigation into Hillary Clintons private email server and handling of classified information. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe in March 2018 just hours before his scheduled retirement date.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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In an unusual display of Valentines celebrations, a zoo in Peru's capital Lima on Friday put on a symbolic "wedding" for their two camels.

"Bride" Isis and "bridesgroom" Osiris had arrived at Huachipa Zoo in 2019.

They are the second attempt to add camels to the zoo's collection of white tigers, giraffes, ostriches, lions and numerous kinds of native species, after a shortlived endavour in 2004.

At three years old, Isis and Osiris are mature, and caretakers hope they will mate this year.

Whether or not the wedding will be followed by offspring, visitors attending the valentines special said it was a "joy" to witness the union.

Across the world zoos increasingly face criticsim by animal rights activists, while zookeepers argue that responsibly reproducing animals in captivity is key to maintaining a healthy genetic pool of several species that are endangered.

(Pic Credit: Pixabay)
In December 2001, then-16-year-old Joseph Ngaruiya migrated from Nairobi, Kenya, to the eastern Massachusetts city of Lowell with his mother, Salome, to join his father, Stephen, who had arrived six months earlier.

He had never experienced cold of the magnitude of a New England winter nor seen snow with his own eyes.

His mother, who had worked as a banker in Nairobi, found work as a certified nursing assistant, and she and her husband worked 90-plus hours a week in rotating shifts to make ends meet. Hosted by an uncle, Ngaruiyas two siblings joined them the following April, and the six members of the family lived together in a two-bedroom apartment.

Jospeh Ngaruiya remembers feeling out of his cultural depths at Lowell High School, a part of a student body nearly 10 times larger than what he was accustomed to in Nairobi, and while he spoke English, his accent was a communication barrier.

Coming from a Third-World country to a First-World country was culture shock, he says. His perseverance was celebrated last fall, with loved ones in the audience, as he received the 2019 Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Award presented by the Immigrant Learning Center in Boston.

Recognized for the growth of his business, A Better Life Homecare, now-34-year-old Ngaruiya was among 38 nominees from 26 countries honored for the businesses they founded in Massachusetts. The entrepreneurs were praised for creating jobs, serving their neighborhoods and fueling the innovation economy.

To be receiving an award in America, thats a huge thing. The ceremony itself was beautiful. I brought a whole lot of family there. It was a very emotional day for us, Ngaruiya says.

With a mission to ensure that low-income elderly people receive compassionate care at home with their families, Ngaruiya launched A Better Life Homecare in January 2014. Since then, the company, which serves approximately 300 clients in Massachusetts and Connecticut, has grown employment by 233% in the last three years and earns approximately $5.5 million in revenue annually.

Ngaruiya says he has always had a love for business. He was able to combine it with his knowledge of health care thanks to becoming a licensed practical nurse after graduating from high school.

A love for real estate brought him in August 2006 to Western Massachusetts, where he built his first home. Then, his real estate ventures fell by the wayside when the market collapsed, he says.

So he continued to work in nursing and began in the home health-care industry in 2011. I (had) usually worked in nursing homes in geriatrics. (The seniors) loved telling me stories about how they grew up. Its very different in America compared to Kenya. In Kenya people look at you as wiser as you age. They congregate around you to hear you speak, he explains. But sometimes in America, (aging) becomes very lonely. A lot of people at nursing homes get to be very lonely at times. When I started working in home care, I saw the benefits of keeping people at home with their families. I thought it was a great idea to mash up both of those things.

Thus the seed for A Better Life Homecare was planted, and Ngaruiya rallied his family for support as he figured out how to self-fund his dream.

In addition to his job as an LPN, he had another asset, his home. He signed up to participate in shared living, an arrangement in which an individual, a couple or a family fosters a person with a disability who is in need of a home. The host receives a tax-free stipend.

Ngaruiya says he accepted a person through the program as a part of his family and allowed the person to stay with him for four years, which gave him financial stability. His mothers sister in Kenya sold a piece of her land to invest in his business idea and, coupled with his savings, he had enough funds to launch his venture. He credits his family and administrator Michelle Shilasi for helping him get the ball rolling.

My wife Nancy (is) also one of our clinical managers. She has literally been my cheerleader. Im always telling her and Michelle, You underestimate yourself. They dont tend to see that external perspective. This (award) was my chance of telling them, I told you guys, Ngaruiya says.

The first Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Award was presented eight years ago as a vehicle to recognize the ingenuity, bravery and grit of immigrant entrepreneurs who call Massachusetts home. According to the center, immigrants have founded 55% of the countrys startup companies worth $1 billion or more and immigrants and the children of immigrants founded or co-founded 43% of the 2017 Fortune 500, including Massachusetts-headquartered companies Biogen, Thermo Fischer Scientific and the TJX Companies. In 2013, 28% of Main Street business owners were immigrant entrepreneurs, the center says.

The narrative about immigrants is so false, and we need to do whatever we can to bring the truth to the front, says Denzil Mohammad, director of the Public Education Institute at the immigrant center. It has never been more important to show how integral immigrants are to America. They are not an other. They are our employers, our neighbors, our teachers. They are publishing patents and winning Nobel Peace Prizes .... That is a really crucial message right now.

Ngaruiya agrees. The father of two takes great pride in giving back to the community  from surprise apartment makeovers to working with a number of nonprofits like Friends of the Homeless in Springfield. He says hes grateful for what the Immigrant Learning Center has done on behalf of people like him.

I have appreciation for the Immigrant Learning Center in Malden. They have done a very good job at shining a bright light on the economic and social impact of immigrant contributions. Everything has its good and bad, and immigrants do way much more good than there is bad, he says. Success is where preparation meets opportunity. There are a lot of well- prepared people I know back home. I dont think I would have gotten as much success if I was in Kenya still. Im thankful for this country.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.15

By Fakhri Vakilov-Trend:

The year 2019 was a turning point in the process of large-scale reforms aimed at radically improving the efficiency of the fuel and energy complex of Uzbekistan, a representative of the Ministry of Energy told Trend in an interview.

The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan, founded in February 2019, became the single coordinator of reforms.

An important part of the process of reforming the fuel and energy sector is the modernization of the country's entire electric power industry. To this end, the ministry is working to implement the tasks outlined in the decree of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev "On the strategy for further development and reform of the electric power industry of Uzbekistan". The provisions of this document are aimed at dramatically improving the efficiency of management, modernization and updating of generating capacities and electric transmission lines.

In line with the resolution, Uzbekenergo JSC was reorganized with the creation of three joint-stock companies: Thermal Power Plants JSC, National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan JSC and Regional Electric Grids JSC. The optimization of production processes was carried out taking into account the proposal of the World Bank to improve the management system of the electric power industry in Uzbekistan.

"That is, three joint-stock companies have been created, the first of which is responsible for the production of electric energy, the second is for transportation between regions and interaction with neighboring energy systems, and the third is for the sale of electricity to end consumers," said the representative.

The official added that the electric power industry is the basic sector of the economy of Uzbekistan, which has significant industrial and scientific-technical potential and has a significant impact on the development of the economy and the welfare of the people.

According to the Presidential Decree, with the formation of Thermal Electric Grids JSC, the structure of the company includes 14 enterprises with various forms of ownership: 11 thermal power plants for the production of electric and thermal energy and three system-wide enterprises for the maintenance of power equipment and the supply of material and technical resources.

The bulk of electricity generation in Uzbekistan is produced by Thermal Power Plants (TPP) - 92 percent, while 7 percent and 1 percent are produced by Hydroelectric Power Plants and renewable energy respectively.

To date, the installed capacity of all thermal power plants of Thermal Power Plants JSC is 12.1 million kW, or 85.8 percent of the installed capacity of the unified electric power system of Uzbekistan.

For 10 months of 2019, 45 Kw/h billion of electric energy were generated by Thermal Power Plants JSC. In general, in 2019, the generation will be 57.3 billion kWh with a growth rate of 101.8 percent. In 2020, it is planned to increase the volume of electricity production up to 61.4 billion kWh.

This year, 1,787 MW of electricity generation capacities will be launched (12.6 billion kWh per year).

Given the need to ensure stable supplies of electric and thermal energy to the economy and the population of the country, large-scale investment projects are being implemented in the electricity industry, including the introduction of modern combined-cycle and gas turbine units.

In 2017, the construction of two combined cycle plants with a capacity of 230-280 MW at the Takhiatash TPP was started. This investment project is being implemented jointly with the US company General Electric and the South Korean consortium consisting of Hyundai Engineering and Hyundai Engineering and Construction.

With the commissioning of two combined cycle power plants, the stations capacity will increase from 630 MW to 1,190 MW. The annual power generation of the station will increase from 3 to 4.8 billion kWh. The specific consumption of equivalent fuel for the generation of electric energy will decrease by 164.3 g/kW.h, which will save natural gas by 488.6 million cubic meters per year.

In 2016, the project "Expansion of Navoi TPP with the construction of the second 450 MW combined cycle plant" was launched using a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan and a consortium of Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (Japan) as a general contractor. Since the beginning of March 2019, the gas turbine has been operating in commercial operation at a load of 320 MW in a "simple cycle". The combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT)-2 was put into operation on August 20, 2019, with a capacity of 450 MW. Equipment testing is underway.

In 2016, a contract was signed between Uzbekistan and the International Consortium of Japanese companies "Mitsubishi Corporation" and "Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd" for the construction of a new Turakurgan thermal power plant with the commissioning of two combined cycle plants of 450 MW each. The Turkish company Calik Enerji Sanayi ve Ticaret AS was a partner in the consortium for the construction of a number of components. The project is financed through a loan from the JICA, a loan from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan and own funds.

The uniqueness of the Turakurgan power station is that the project started from scratch.

The combined cycle of CCGT-1 was put into operation on August 8, it works in test mode. According to CCP-2, the installation of the main and auxiliary equipment is carried out, the gas turbine is scrolled. Commissioning work is underway.

As a result, an annual increase in electricity production by 6.7 billion kWh and a reduction in gas consumption by 480 million cubic meters will be provided for the needs of the Ferghana Valley; 300 people will be provided with work.

"This investment project is of strategic importance, allowing us to further increase the economic potential of the Ferghana region and ensure reliable supply of electricity to the regions population," the representative said.

In 2018, Phased modernization of Syrdarya TPP power units was launched (loan from Vnesheconombank, Russia). Within the framework of the project, Syrdarya TPP JSC and Russian Power Machines PJSC concluded a contract to upgrade six units of the Syrdarya TPP on a turnkey basis in three stages. This year, the power unit of No 3 was commissioned and on Sept. 12, it was included in the network, with a capacity of 315 MW. The commissioning of Unit 4 is also planned in 2019.

In 2018, "The introduction of highly efficient cogeneration gas turbine technologies at the Ferghana Thermal Power Plant and the Ferghana Boiler House RK-3" project was launched (direct investment by NEDO). Contractors for the supply and installation of equipment are Japanese companies Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd and Marubeni Utility Services Ltd. According to RK-3, all types of main works are completed; before the end of 2019, it is planned to launch a gas turbine with a capacity of 7 MW. The Japanese side completed the supply of equipment by 99 percent at the Ferghana TPP. Construction and installation work is underway, the launch of a gas turbine with a capacity of 17 MW is planned in 2020.

The representative added that in the process of reforming the fuel and energy complex of Uzbekistan, a significant place was given to the oil and gas industry, where the first stage of transformation was completed by the end of 2019.

This is, first of all, expressed in the formation of a new management system and organizational structure of Uzbekneftegaz JSC in accordance with the decree of the President of Uzbekistan dated July 9, 2019 "On measures to ensure stable provision of the economy and the population with energy resources, financial recovery and improvement of the oil and gas industry management system".

The management of non-economic methods in the oil and gas industry has led to lags in the growth of hydrocarbon reserves and an increase in the deficit in natural gas, especially in private enterprise. The decree was adopted to eliminate these problems.

As a result of the reform, the companies of JSC Uzbekneftegaz, JSC Uzneftegazdobycha, JSC Uznefteprodukt, JSC Uzneftegazmash were merged with JSC Uzbekneftegaz.

Redundant intermediate links in the management system of Uzbekneftegaz JSC were reduced. Oil and gas producing and gas processing entities were also transformed into structural divisions of Uzbekneftegaz JSC.

JSC "Uztransgaz" was withdrawn from the structure of JSC "Uzbekneftegaz". Uztransgaz JSC has been identified as a single operator for the purchase of natural gas from gas producing enterprises for further transportation, including export and import, as well as for sale to consumers connected to gas trunk pipelines.

On the basis of territorial gas supply branches of Uztransgaz JSC, Khududgaztaminot JSC was established to operate gas distribution networks and supply natural and liquefied gas to the population and social facilities.

The restructuring of Uzbekneftegaz JSC are aimed at creating a transparent procurement system and turning the country's oil and gas industry into a financially stable and steadily developing industry. In the industry, measures have been taken to improve mechanisms for the sale of finished products, strengthen financial discipline and optimize pricing at enterprises in the oil and gas industry.

Reform of the oil and gas industry went in parallel with the implementation of current tasks. Following the results of 9 months 1.504 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 7,900 tons of oil and 27,600 tons of gas condensate were produced.

In addition, 356 oil and gas wells were repaired; 182 gas and oil wells increased hydrocarbon production due to repair and insulation works; work on intensification of production was carried out at 159 wells; eight wells were restored and put into operation from the liquidation fund; five wells were restored and put into operation from the conservation fund; 74 new wells were drilled and put into operation; at six technological sites, construction and installation works were completed.

As the official noted, 2019 was also marked by a number of reports on the receipt of industrial gas inflows from existing fields.

In particular, on October 28, 2019, as a result of drilling well No. 12 at the Uchtepa field, an industrial influx of natural gas was obtained with a preliminary flow rate of 150,000-200,000 cubic meters per day. The Uchtepa field is located in the Bulakbashi district of Andijan region. Earlier, industrial gas inflows with a flow rate of up to 385,000 cubic meters per day have already been received there from seven wells.

As a result of drilling well No. 12 in Cretaceous deposits, the industrial inflow of natural gas was obtained in the intervals of 1087-1080 m (XIX layer) and 1063-1054 m (XVIII layer).

Moreover, on October 28, 2019, an industrial inflow of natural gas was received at the Yormok field with a preliminary flow rate of 250,000-300,000 cubic meters per day. The structure is located on the territory of the Guzar district of the Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan.

Another gas well was launched by Andijonneft JSC at the oil and gas field in the village of Uchtepa, Bulakbashi district. It was discovered in 2017 in connection with the production of natural gas of industrial importance from a 3rd exploration well. In November-December 2019, in the Uchtepa oil and gas field, drilling was carried out in gas well No. 12 and industrial gas was obtained.

At present, work is underway on laying gas pipelines to operate this gas well. It is expected that the volume of gas produced per day will be 50,000-60,000 cubic meters. On December 4, 2019, well No. 12 was activated. As a result, another 5,000 households in the Bulakbashi district were provided with natural gas.

The representative emphasized that this year can also be called a turning point for the development of the energy saving process. On August 22, 2019, the Presidents decree "On Accelerated Measures to Improve Energy Efficiency in Economic and Social Spheres, Implementation of Energy-Saving Technologies and Development of Renewable Energy Sources" was adopted.

The target parameters of the commissioned capacities of renewable energy facilities in the period 2020-2030 have been developed, providing for an increase in the specific share of renewable energy sources in the total generation to 20 percent by 2025 and more than 25 percent by 2030. To achieve these parameters, a draft Concept for the country's fuel and energy support for 20202030 has been developed with the technical assistance of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. It envisages the construction of 10.9 GW of new renewable energy facilities, including 6 GW of solar energy, 3GW of wind and 1.9 GW of hydroelectric power plants under PPP conditions.

On October 15, Uzbekistans Commission on Energy Efficiency and Development of Renewable Energy Sources adopted a protocol decision which approved:

- A list of objects of state and economic bodies to be equipped with renewable energy sources in 2020, other energy-efficient and energy-saving equipment, as well as work to improve thermal protection. The list includes 1092 events, the annual effect (savings) from the implementation of which is predicted to be 66,900 tons of equivalent fuel;

- Methodology for determining indicators of improving energy efficiency and saving fuel and energy resources, the use of which in 2020-2022 provides for the achievement of savings of at least 2.4 billion kWh electricity, 2.4 billion cubic meters. natural gas and 20,000 tons of oil products;

- A list of economic sectors for evaluating their energy efficiency and saving fuel and energy resources, consisting of 30 energy-intensive enterprises.

Reforming the fuel and energy complex implies the most serious attention to the diversification of energy sources. In this regard, nuclear power appears in the country's electricity mix; a decision was made to build the first nuclear power station in Uzbekistan. Following the phased implementation of this project in July 2018, the Atomic Energy Agency of Uzbekistan, Uzatom, was created. A decision was made to choose a Russian design for the future nuclear power plant, which would consist of two modern 3+ reactors with a capacity of 1200 MW each.

At present, a site has been selected for the construction of nuclear power plants, the process of preparing a regulatory framework for its design and operation is underway, the world experience in the operation of nuclear power plants is being actively studied, including in countries such as Russia, the USA, Japan, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Belarus and others. In September of this year, the law on the peaceful uses of atomic energy was adopted.

An important step in the reform of the fuel and energy complex was the adoption in May 2019 of the laws of Uzbekistan "On the use of renewable energy sources" and "On public-private partnerships". They created the regulatory framework for implementing renewable energy projects, as well as attracting investments on the principles of public-private partnerships in the energy sector.

This year, the Concept for the Development of Renewable Energy Sources in Uzbekistan for the period 2019-2023 was developed, the implementation of which provides for the attraction of private capital in renewable energy projects. Within the framework of this Concept, it is planned to create new capacities of solar energy of 5000 MW and wind energy of 1700 MW.

As a preliminary analysis of the work done over the year shows, the reform process today affects the entire fuel and energy complex of the country, the management of which is part of the mandate of the Ministry of Energy.

The Ministry of Energy directly includes Uzatom Agency, Uzneftegazinspektsiya, Uzenergoinspektsiya, and Agreement Implementation Group, which coordinates projects under production sharing agreements.

The Ministry of Energy also coordinates the activities of Thermal Power Plants JSC, National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan JSC and Regional Electric Grids JSC, as well as organizations of Uzbekneftegaz and Uztransgaz joint-stock companies.

---

Follow author on Twitter:@vakilovfaxri
EL PASO, Texas  Smugglers in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, have engineered camouflage hook-and-ladders made of rebar that blend in so well with the border wall that it can be hard to detect, according to U.S. Border Patrol. The ladders are the same rust brown color as the mesh panels or steel beams of the fence.

El Paso's urban stretch of border is littered with the rusted rebar ladders at the base on both sides  ladders lying in wait on the Mexican side, ladders pulled down by border agents or abandoned by smugglers on the U.S. side. One of the rebar ladders was poking out of a dumpster in a lot near the Chihuahuita neighborhood on Thursday.

"Somebody is making money off those ladders," said Agent Joe Romero, pointing to a mangled version tossed in the dirt on the U.S. side. "The agents pulled it off the wall and cut it up so it can't be used again."

Border patrol agents Joe Romero and Fidel Baca look at discarded ladders migrants use to climb over the border fence Thursday, Feb. 13, in El Paso.

The ladders appear to be made with two poles of -inch rebar and four thinner poles, outfitted with steps and bent over at the end in a U, to hook on the top of the wall. It's the sort of cubed rebar support structure used in construction in Mexico, called castillo.

Romero said the rebar ladders started turning up in large numbers in the El Paso sector last year in May, around the time that construction of the most recent replacement wall finished downtown. They've been a go-to method for scaling the fence in the urban footprint since.

The Trump administration has funded construction of about 100 miles of border wall during his presidency, mostly to replace existing barriers. The president has proposed spending an additional $2 billion for border wall construction under a draft White House budget.

Border Patrol apprehensions of single adults  those most likely to use the ladder method  have nearly doubled year over year in the El Paso sector, which includes West Texas and New Mexico. From October through January, Border Patrol apprehended 10,030 adults, compared with 5,150 in the same period a year ago.

Story continues

Border patrol agents Joe Romero and Fidel Baca look at discarded ladders migrants use to climb over the border fence Thursday, Feb. 13, in El Paso.

Apprehensions of family units and unaccompanied minors have dropped sharply in the first four months of fiscal 2020 versus a year ago, in large part due to policy barriers created by the Trump administration to deter asylum seekers.

But illegal crossings are on the rise in El Paso, according to Border Patrol.

"Were starting to see a lot of evading activity," said Agent Ramiro Cordero, the sector's spokesman. "Were starting to see the criminal organizations working hand-to-hand on either side to avoid detection. More and more we are seeing 'failure to yields'  they are utilizing ladders to go over the fence and diversionary tactics."

Follow Lauren Villagran on Twitter: @laurenvillagran

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Border Patrol: Migrants climb wall with camouflage ladders
Photo credit: Hulu

From Town & Country

From The Handmaid's Tale to Catch-22, Hulu has found huge success in adapting books for television. And this spring, they're partnering with the BBC to bring a more contemporary novel to the small screen: Sally Rooney's Normal People.

Here's what we know about the series so far:

It will be a fairly faithful adaptation.

When Rooney first visited the set, she said it was like walking into the inside of my head.

And Emma Norton, one of the show's producers, made it clear in an interview with Esquire that the author's original story was paramount.

I think almost nothing has been sacrificed, she said.

Read the full summary of the Hulu series here:

Based on Sally Rooneys New York Times best-selling novel, Normal People tracks the tender but complicated relationship of Marianne and Connell from the end of their school days in a small town in the west of Ireland to their undergraduate years at Trinity College. At school, hes well-liked and popular, while shes lonely, proud, and intimidating. But when Connell comes to pick up his mother from her cleaning job at Mariannes house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers  one they are determined to conceal. A year later, theyre both studying in Dublin and Marianne has found her feet in a new social world but Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain.

The first trailer hints at a complicated modern love story.

Watch it here:

Two up-and-coming actors will star in the series.

Daisy Edgar-Jones (who is best known for her work on War of the Worlds) plays Marianne in the adaptation, while newcomer Paul Mescal stars as Connell in his first TV role.

Casting Mescal, Norton says, was the easy part.

When we started casting, we all went, Well, thats Connell, she told Esquire. I watched Paul, and I was like, Oh my God. Oh my God.

Finding Marianne was harder, but once Edgar-Jones appeared in a screen test with Mescal, producers knew they had found their leads.

Story continues

We knew immediately, immediately, thats it, producer Catherine Magee told Esquire. We have it. It was so exciting because so much pressure was on that casting, and on them to carry that show It had to be as good as they are.

Photo credit: Hulu

When will it premiere?

Hulu announced that the show, which will have 12 episodes, will premiere in spring of 2020, but an exact date has yet to be made public.

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Who is Firhad Hakim? Know Kolkata's New Mayor Age, Education, Family and Other Details

Two from Bengal get six years in jail for peddling fake currency

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: A special NIA court at Kolkata has conceited two persons in connection with a fake currency case and sentenced them to six years in jail.

Nasir Sheikh and Tajel S K, both residents of Malda in West Bengal were convicted by the special NIA court and also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 and Rs 8,000 respectively.

The duo were caught in the year 2016 with fake Indian currency to the tune of Rs 9.8 lakh.

The first two arrested accused pleaded guilty for the charges against them. The NIA Court Kolkata, accepted their plead guilty petitions and pronounced them guilty of the charges.

NIA court convicts Bangladesh national in fake Indian currency case

The third accused Durul Hoda is a Bangladeshi National and is absconding. NIA has sent a request to Bangladesh for assistance under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty for tracing the absconding accused.

During investigation, it was established that the above accused along with their associates in Bangladesh hatched a criminal conspiracy for procuring and circulating fake Indian currency notes in India. Investigation revealed that FICN was smuggled from Bangladesh via Indo-Bangladesh and was to be circulated in other parts of the country.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 11:21 [IST]
AUBURN  New York State United Teachers President Andrew Pallotta's eyes lit up as he stepped into a classroom at Seward Elementary School.

Pallotta and other officials with the state teachers union took a tour of the Auburn school as a part of the Fund Our Future statewide tour, meant to draw attention "to the severe impact a lack of state funding has had on schools statewide," a union news release said.

The union is calling on a $2.1 billion state aid bump in the 2020-21 state budget, "which includes the first installment of a three-year phase-in of the more than $3.4 billion in foundation aid owed to more than 400 school districts around New York." Foundation aid is the base aid districts receive. The bus tour began for the first time in January and has included stops across the state. The tour traveled to Syracuse Friday before it got to Auburn.

A group including Amy Mahunik, principal of Seward and Auburn Enlarged City School District Jeff Pirozzolo showed Pallotta and other union officials around. As Pallotta and others asked questions, Mahunik spoke about problems the district has endured, including large class sizes  including 30 students for some classes  that make it harder to address the social and emotional needs of children.

The officials were later brought to a special education classroom that Mahunik said has two classes. She said scheduling is sometimes an issue. At one point, a teacher could be seen teaching students in a hallway. Mahunik later said the schools makes use "of every space we have."

At the end of the Seward tour, Pallotta said the visit was positive and acknowledged the school's struggles, such as class sizes. He also noted a need for social workers, physiologists and mental health specialists, adding that is "the common theme" throughout his visits in the state. He referenced the students being taught in the hallway and said these underfunding issues could be addressed through raised taxes on the rich.

"There's not much room left in this building. You could see the special needs class being held in the hall. It shouldn't be that way," he said. "There is money in this state and we believe that with a little bit of a higher tax on billionaires and ultra millionaires we can take care of these kinds of problems."

He said the union is not suggesting that taxes be raised on "somebody who just made a million dollars" or the middle class. Pallotta said there are senators and assembly members who believe "now is the time to fully fund foundation aid" and that districts across class levels in the state are having issues, which he believes is largely due to lack of foundation aid funding.

"They also say it's hard to raise taxes in an election year, but you can see by the teacher that was working with the kids in the hall it's also hard to work as a teacher when your classroom is a hallway," Pallotta said.

Later, the union officials were guests at an education roundtable at Auburn High School. For years, the district has argued that it does not receive its fair share of funding. Auburn officials have said the district spends $18,273 per pupil, well below the $24,712 statewide average. The district has also said the foundation aid formula is underfunded, based on old data and is not equally given to school districts based on need.

Elementary school social worker Casey Carey-Dixon said social workers are dealing with an array of behaviors and student needs, including homelessness and children's emotional and mental health needs. She added that her colleagues are "frequently running from one crisis to the next."

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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At the end of January 2020 Poland became the latest export customer for the F-35 stealth fighter. Poland ordered 32 F-35A land-based versions for $4.6 billion, with the possibility of later increasing that to 48. The current order comes to $144 million per aircraft but the deal includes training of pilots and ground personnel as well as maintenance equipment, tech support and logistical infrastructure. Delivery will begin in 2024 and continue until 2030 with 4-6 aircraft arriving each year. The first six Polish F-35As will be based in the United States for several years for use in training the first 24 Polish pilots and 90 maintainers. The first Polish F-35A squadron should be combat-ready by 2026. Poland originally wanted 64 F-35s but budget constraints cut that number in half.

The Polish air force currently has 28 MiG-29s, 32 Su-22 fighter-bombers and 48 F-16s. Poland will spend over $200 million to upgrade several bases F-35As will operate from. These are bases that the Russian built MiG-29s and Su-22s currently use, but these aircraft will be retired as the F-35As arrive. The Russian aircraft are old and Poland had to decide if they would be replaced by more F-16s or a more modern aircraft like the F-35A. This led to some history-minded Poles noting that by obtaining F-35s it would be the first time in history that Poland had more advanced combat aircraft than Germany.

Most European nations are buying locally made jets, mainly the Eurofighter, Rafale or Gripen. None of these are stealthy and are more comparable to late model F-16s, F-15s and F-18s. Britain bought F-35Bs for its navy but still used Eurofighters for the Royal Air Force. Currently, Britain, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Italy and Netherlands are F-35 customers. Turkey was one customer that was recently banned from receiving F-35s because of security concerns, like buying Russian air defense systems and similar hostile behavior for a NATO member. Greece, Romania and Spain are considering the F-35.

Elsewhere Canada, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Australia are all buying F-35s. Several of those countries are, like the United States and Britain, buying F-35Bs to operate from carriers. In the case of Japan and South Korea, the carriers are actually amphibious ships or slightly larger Japanese destroyer helicopter carriers.

New or prospective customers for the F-35 are attracted by the enthusiasm of those who have flown the F-35. There are only about a 500 F-35 pilots (and about ten times as many maintainers who keep h F-35s ready to fly) now but that number is rapidly increasing and they all confirm that the F-35 is not just a modern stealth aircraft but incorporates software and a degree of built-in automation that produces a spectacular, easy to use and very effective pilot experience. The F-35 has a large number of sensors (receivers for electronic signals, six cameras and a very capable radar) and the fusion of all that data and presentation to the pilot based on the current situation is impressive and makes the F-35 much easier to fly, despite all the additional capabilities it has. This sort of thing is not a new idea. By the 1990s it was recognized that this new technology (called data fusion) would be a key capability for combat aircraft as well as ships and ground forces. Put simply, it's all about taking real-time vidcam, radar and sensor data plus other information about the battlefield situation (all sorts of databases and reports), and combining it to provide commanders with a better understanding of current operations, preferably in real-time if you are a fighter pilot. Pilots agree that the heart of the F-35 superior capabilities is its software along with the digital communications with other aircraft and troops on the ground.

The F-35 is apparently the best working example of this so far and what is learned from the F-35 software has become the basis for updated software for older aircraft. But beyond the data fusion, and automatic sharing with other aircraft or systems on the ground, the pilots were impressed about how effective the pilot assistant software was. This is another concept that has been around for decades and more frequently installed in new aircraft. These minor advances get reported but never make headlines. But given the F-35s' stealth, maneuverability and sensor/data fusion, most pilots quickly become enthusiastic proponents of the aircraft.

The F-35 software is more complex and omnipresent throughout the aircraft than in any previous warplane. Because of that, it requires a major effort to implement and test any software changes. So some major upgrades are needed in how F-35 software changes are made and how quickly. In wartime this would be essential as otherwise vulnerable aircraft would be grounded when needed most.

As of early 2020 over 500 F-35s have been delivered, mostly to the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps. In 2018 alone 133 were delivered and that is expected to rise to 141 in 2020 with additional slight increases in annual deliveries until 2023. By the end of 2020 about 650 F-35s will be in service. Over 4,000 F-35s are expected to be delivered by the mid-2030s with more than 70 percent going to the United States.

The 31 ton F-35 is armed with an internal 25mm cannon and, before the SDB (GPS guided Small Diameter Bomb) arrived, four internal air-to-air missiles (or two missiles and two smart bombs) plus four external smart bombs and two missiles. A new bomb rack allows the F-35 to carry eight SDBs internally. All sensors are carried internally and max weapon load is 6.8 tons. The aircraft is very stealthy when just carrying internal weapons.

Currently, there are orders for nearly 3,000 F-35s. Most of these (1,700) are F-35As for the U.S. Air Force and 500 to foreign customers. Most of the 540 vertical takeoff F-35Bs on order are for the U.S. Marine Corps and all of the 340 F-35Cs (aircraft carrier version) are for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The F-35B costs about $135 million each and the F-35C about $120 million. This is more than the $90 million F-35A partly because many more F-35As are being built and carrier versions have to be ruggedized to handle the harsh treatment received when it makes a carrier landing. The air force would call such an event a hard landing and pull the aircraft out of service for a thorough checkup for damage. The F-35C is built to regularly survive those hard landings, as well as constant exposure to corrosive salt water. The F-35B makes gentler landings and can take off like a helicopter thanks to the special engine exhaust system that puts the propulsive jet exhaust under the aircraft. Prices on F-35s are declining as production increases with the F-35A getting as low as $80 million each in a few years.

In 2001 the U.S. believed 5,100 F-35s would be sold but the rising costs and increasing delays drove that down to 3,100 by 2013 and 2,500 by 2018. Now that some F-35s are actually in service (F-35As and 35Bs) and getting good reviews from users, sales are increasing. Or maybe not, because there is a lot still to be discovered about how well the F-35 will do in comparison to the many F-16s, F-15s, F-18s and AV-8s it will replace. The F-35C was supposed to enter service in 2018 but that didnt happen until January 2020. That has no impact on foreign sales because few, if any, were ever expected for the F-35C.
An Aspiring Parliamentary Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Asante Akyem South of the Ashanti Region, Mr. Eric Amofa has filed his nomination form with a strong appeal to the partys Constituency Executives to create a level playing field for all the aspirants ahead of the April 25 contest.

He said the executives have the primary responsibility to give equal opportunities to all the aspirants without any biases, favouritism or necessarily aligning themselves to any particular candidate.

Mr. Amofa stormed the NPP constituency office at Juaso on Friday 14th February 2020 with massive followers of enthusiastic party youth who marched through the principal streets of the town chanting victory songs for the MP hopeful.

His nomination forms were received by the Constituency Secretary, Mr. William Obeng and the Chairman, Mr. Gilbert Adarkwa Yiadom, who thanked Mr Amofa for availing himself for the contest and also appreciated him for conducting himself peacefully and maturely.

According to the UK-based Financial Analyst, he will embark on nothing but decent, mature and insult-free campaign to ensure unity in the NPP.

The Aspirant who is the Deputy Organiser of the NPP in the UK commended the Constituency Executives for their cooperation from the time he announced his intentions till the day of filing his nomination. Mr. Amofa promised to restrain his supporters from ever attacking any aspirant or engaging in indecent campaign.

About Mr. Eric Amofa Junior

He is a UK and Ghana based Social Activist and Financial Analyst born at Juaso in the Asante Akyem Municipality. He is about 40 years old. He holds Masters Degree in International Banking and Finance, Masters Degree in Social Work and BSc in Business Management from the University of Salford, Manchester UK.

Eric Amofa Junior also has HND in Marketing from Kumasi Polytechnic (Kumasi Technical University), Diploma in Public Relations -ICM UK, Diploma in Journalism and Marketing from the Institute of Business Management and Journalism, Kumasi and also attended Juaso L/A Primary School, Juaso L/A JSS and Juaso Senior Secondary School. The NPP aspirant works as a Social Worker in the UK County Council.

He formerly worked as Operational and Compliance Risk Analyst in a UK financial institution head office; worked as a supervisory committee chairman with Nottingham Credit Union head office UK; Worked as a Finance Administrator in a UK hospitality organisation; worked at the Asante Akyem Rural Bank at Juaso and Kumasi for 6 years and later joined the First Allied Saving and Loans as Credit Officer at Obuasi.

Political career and experience

Mr. Eric Amofa Junior is the current NPP UK Branch Deputy Organiser; Nottingham NPP Chapter Chairman; and Nottingham NPP Chapter Secretary from 2014 to April 2018.

He is also a Founding member of TESCON NPP- UK  2017; Founding member and National Leader: National Union of Ghanaian Student Association UK (NUGSA UK) 2017; Founder  Nottingham NPP Chapter April 2014; Manchester NPP Chapter Organiser from 2011 to 2013 and Co-Founder: Manchester NPP Chapter January 2011.
For much of this past week, as a dangerous viral outbreak continued to rattle the world, officials seemed keen to offer reassurances. Chinese leaders urged people to get back to work. American officials said they saw no need to evacuate citizens from a quarantined cruise ship in Japan.

In a sign of how unpredictable the crisis still is, and how quickly officials have had to adapt their responses, both of those declarations had at least partly unraveled by Saturday.

Communist Party leaders said people returning to the Chinese capital would have to isolate themselves for two weeks, potentially delaying any economic revival. American officials announced that they would charter a flight to evacuate American citizens from the cruise ship, after citing heightened danger to those on board.

The shifting policies underscore the rapidly evolving terrain of one of the most serious global public health crises in recent years, even as Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, said this past week that the crisis was improving. The outbreak has been marked by confusion and conflicting analysis of the available information.
American Airlines has announced



daily non-stop flight between Bengaluru and Seattle in the United States from October 2020.

This would be the first non-stop flight between Bengaluru and the US, the Kempegowda International Airport here said in a press release on Saturday.

The daily service between the airport and Seattle's Tacoma Airport is expected to meet corporate customers' demand for travel to Seattle and adjoining areas in the US.

The airline plans to operate a 285-seater Boeing 787-9 aircraft on this route, it said, adding that the new route will give passengers easier and faster access to San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Denver, Arizona, Dallas, Chicago, West Coast and East states on a one-stop flight as compared to multiple stop overs in the past.

"The American Airlines flight between Bengaluru and Seattle will help further establish BLR Airport as the Gateway to a New India," Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) MD & CEO Hari Marar said.

BLR Airport recently launched new routes to Amsterdam and Addis Ababa, with Tokyo and Munich scheduled to begin shortly.

With this, BLR will connect to 28 international destinations, it said.

American Airlines is also expanding its code share arrangement to include Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, which also intends to join the Oneworld Alliance, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Blasphemy is not a crime, said Macron, defending a teenage girl who offended Muslims in a social media tirade.

Paris, France  Some of Frances top politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron, have defended a teenage girl who received death threats last month after posting a live broadcast on social media attacking Islam. The post has reignited a national debate about blasphemy, which has been legal in France for centuries.

The law is clear: We have the right to blasphemy, to criticise, to caricature religions, Macron said in an interview with Le Dauphine Libere newspaper on Wednesday. The republican order is not a moral order  what is outlawed is to incite hatred and attack dignity.

The controversy started in late January when a 16-year-old, only known as Mila, began speaking about her homosexuality during a live makeup tutorial on her Instagram account.

Recounting what had played out later on French television, Mila says one commentator started hitting on her during her Instagram broadcast. After responding she was a lesbian and that black and Arabs werent her type, Mila received a slew of insults, with one Muslim commentator calling her a dirty lesbian.

In response, Mila launched a verbal tirade against Islam, stating I hate religion. The Quran is a religion of hate.

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The outburst sparked a divisive debate on social media with supporters using the trending hashtag #JeSuisMila.

Whether she was looking for it or not, one pillar of support for Mila came from far-right National Rally figurehead Marine Le Pen, who said Mila had more courage than the entire political class in power for the past 30 years.

Bruno Retailleau, of the centre-right Les Republicains, praised the teenager for speaking out against this political Islam which is trampling our values.

Critics, on the other hand, blasted the Grenoble-based teenager for her comments and some on social media began sharing her personal information, including the name of her school. After she received death threats, the public prosecutor opened an investigation into Milas attackers. She was put under police protection and eventually moved to another school.

In this debate, we have lost sight of the fact that Mila is an adolescent. We owe her protection at school, in her daily life, her movements, said Macron.

Other politicians have worded their opinions more cautiously. Segolene Royal, a former Socialist Party candidate for president, said she defended Milas total freedom to criticise religion, but also said the teenager could have shown more respect, manners and knowledge.

Frances justice minister, Nicole Belloubet, caused a stir after saying Milas remarks were clearly an infringement on freedom of conscience. After receiving criticism from freedom of speech activists, Belloubet apologised, saying her statement was clumsy.

Not about freedom of speech

Abdallah Zekri, a general delegate of the French Council for the Muslim Faith (CFCM), called the threats against Mila wrong and said he rejected the argument from those who cited freedom of speech as a reason for defending Mila.

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This isnt about freedom of speech, its about someone being vulgar and insulting, Zekri told Al Jazeera.

Zekri also criticised what he called the French governments hypocrisy in whom it decided to defend: Ive received 17 death threat letters in the last week  who is out there denouncing that?

The Mila Affair is hardly the first incident to spark debate about blasphemy laws in France. The country follows a strict form of secularism known as laicite, and is also home to the largest Muslim community in Western Europe. The resulting friction has led to a series of incidents over the years, such as a case in 2007 against the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo for publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad deemed offensive to many Muslims.

In the ruling, judges ruled in favour of the magazine, citing French laws that protect the right to blasphemy.

In 2015, two brothers attacked the papers headquarters, killing 12 and injuring another 11, they said it was an act of vengeance for the cartoon.

Political scientist Anastasia Colosimo explains that French law protects those who criticise religion as a whole compared with criticising individual believers.

You can say, for example, that Christianity is awful  but you cannot say Christians are all horrible people, because then you are naming people, which is against the law, she told Al Jazeera.

Colosimo also expressed support for the current system.

There is no reason for the state to protect any religion, she said. It makes sense to protect a religion when the legitimacy of political power comes from a religious authority like in ancient times, but not in a modern democracy.
PETALUMA, Calif., Feb. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Quarterly Net Loss Reduced by 53% Compared to Prior Year

YTD Net Loss Reduced by 82% Compared to Prior Year

Total YTD Revenues of $14.4 Million Lower by 2% Compared to Prior Year

Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SNOA), a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to identifying, developing and commercializing unique, differentiated therapies to millions of patients living with chronic skin conditions, today announced financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2019.



We are pleased that our third fiscal quarter results show continued progress towards our goal of building a sustainable company that can deliver both growth and profitability. This quarter is the closest we have come to break-even in the Companys history, said Amy Trombly, CEO of Sonoma Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Trombly continued, We anticipate that 2020 will be a year of focusing on business strategies and geographic markets that have shown success and have future promise. We expect that our revenues and earnings will fluctuate in the near-term as we divest low or non-profitable business units and invest in strategies that have shown positive results.

Results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2019

Total revenue of $4,678,000 for the third quarter ended December 31, 2019, decreased by $602,000, or 11%, from $5,280,000 for the same period last year. Product revenues of $4,381,000 for the third quarter ended December 31, 2019, were down by 13%, or $664,000, when compared to $5,045,000 in the same period last year. This decrease was primarily the result of decline in product revenue of $918,000, or 31%, in the United States partly due to the launch of Epicyn in the quarter ended December 31, 2018, and weakening insurance reimbursements for our prescription products in the current quarter. The decrease was partially offset by growth in product revenue of $195,000, or 17%, in Europe and Rest of World mostly as a result of increased sales, and an increase of product revenue of $59,000, or 6%, in Latin America.

Story continues

For the quarter ended December 31, 2019, Sonoma reported total revenues of $4,678,000 and total cost of revenues of $2,520,000, resulting in total gross profit of $2,158,000 or 46% of total revenues, compared to a gross profit of $2,847,000 or 54% of total revenues, for the same period in the prior year. Product revenues were $4,381,000 and cost of product revenues were $2,394,000, resulting in product gross profit of $1,987,000, or 45% of product revenues, compared to product gross profit of $2,776,000, or 55% of product revenues, for the same period in the prior year. The decrease in gross profit as a percentage of product revenues was primarily due to product mix and weakened insurance reimbursements in the current period.

Total operating expenses during the third quarter of fiscal year 2020 were $3,140,000, down $2,057,000, or 40%, as compared to the same period in the prior year. The decrease in total operating expenses was primarily the result of certain cost savings measures implemented during 2019, including a reduction in headcount.

Net loss for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 of $1,084,000 decreased by $1,214,000, or 53%, when compared to net loss of $2,298,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2018. The decrease in net loss is due to a decrease in operating expenses of $2,057,000, or 40%, primarily due to certain cost saving measures implemented during the latter part of fiscal year 2019. EBITDA loss for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 of $802,000, was down $1,839,000, or 56%, compared to an EBITDA loss of $1,037,000, for the same period last year.

As of December 31, 2019, Sonoma had cash and cash equivalents of $3,727,000.

Results for the Nine Months Ended December 31, 2019

Total revenues for the nine months ended December 31, 2019, of $14,357,000 decreased by $231,000, or 2%, as compared to $14,588,000 for the nine months ended December 31, 2018. Product revenues for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 of $13,478,000 decreased by $297,000, or 2%, as compared to $13,775,000 for the nine months ended December 31, 2018. This decrease in product revenue was primarily the result of a decline of $621,000, or 8%, in United States partly due to the launch of Epicyn in the prior year, weakening insurance reimbursements for our prescription products and a decrease in spending on sales and marketing efforts in the current period. This decrease was partially offset by growth in product revenue of $752,000, or 22% in Europe and Rest of World mostly as a result of increased sales and an expansion of customer base. Product revenues in Latin America for the nine months ended December 31, 2019, of $2,577,000 decreased by $428,000, or 14%, from $3,005,000 for the same period last year. The decrease was primarily the result of a large initial order by our customer in Brazil in the nine months ended December 31, 2018, offset by a slight increase in Mexico revenue in the current period.

For the nine months ended December 31, 2019, Sonoma reported total revenues of $14,357,000 and total cost of revenues of $7,538,000, resulting in total gross profit of 6,819,000 or 47% of total revenues, compared to a gross profit of $7,005,000 or 48% of total revenues, for the same period in the prior year.

Net loss for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 of $1,572,000 decreased by $7,004,000, when compared to net loss of $8,576,000 for the nine months ended December 31, 2018. The decrease in net loss is due to a decrease in operating loss of $4,640,000 as a result of a decrease in operating expenses of $4,826,000 primarily due to certain cost savings measures implemented during the latter part of fiscal year 2019.

Additionally, for the nine months ended December 31, 2019, Sonoma reported income related to the sale of certain assets to Petagon in the amount of $2,472,000. EBITDA loss for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 of $3,165,000, was down $3,708,000, or 54%, compared to an EBITDA loss of $6,873,000 for the same period last year.

About Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Sonoma Pharmaceuticals is a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to identifying, developing and commercializing unique, differentiated therapies to millions of patients living with chronic skin conditions. Sonoma offers early-intervention relief with virtually no side-effects or contraindications. The company believes its products, which are sold throughout the United States and internationally, have improved patient outcomes for more than six million patients by treating and reducing certain skin diseases including acne, atopic dermatitis, scarring, infections, itch, pain and harmful inflammatory responses. Sonomas vision is to be a catalyst for improved care and increased access for all patients. The company's headquarters are in Petaluma, California, with manufacturing operations in the United States and Latin America. European marketing and sales are headquartered in Roermond, Netherlands. More information can be found at www.sonomapharma.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information herein, matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the commercial and technology progress and future financial performance of Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the company). These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of words such as continue, reduce, and expand, among others. Forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties inherent in the companys business that could cause actual results to vary, including such risks that regulatory clinical and guideline developments may change, scientific data may not be sufficient to meet regulatory standards or receipt of required regulatory clearances or approvals, clinical results may not be replicated in actual patient settings, protection offered by the companys patents and patent applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by its competitors, the available market for the companys products will not be as large as expected, the companys products will not be able to penetrate one or more targeted markets, revenues will not be sufficient to meet the companys cash needs, fund further development and clinical studies, as well as uncertainties relative to varying product formulations and a multitude of diverse regulatory and marketing requirements in different countries and municipalities, and other risks detailed from time to time in the companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Sonoma Pharmaceuticals and Epicyn are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc.





SONOMA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

December 31, March 31, 2019 2019 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 3,727 $ 3,689 Accounts receivable, net 5,029 3,481 Inventories 2,825 3,409 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 2,048 1,694 Current portion of deferred consideration, net of discount 229 223 Total current assets 13,858 12,496 Operating lease right-of-use assets 1,057  Property and equipment, net 483 727 Deferred consideration, net of discount, less current portion 1,025 1,103 Other assets 73 122 Total assets $ 16,496 $ 14,448 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 2,159 $ 1,255 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 1,423 1,501 Deferred revenue 228 47 Deferred revenue Invekra 57 55 Operating lease liabilities 291  Current portion of long-term debt  322 Current portion of capital leases  141 Common Stock liability  270 Total current liabilities 4,158 3,591 Operating lease liabilities non-current 807  Long-term deferred revenue Invekra 322 356 Long-term debt, less current portion  12 Total liabilities 5,287 3,959 Commitments and Contingencies   Stockholders Equity Convertible preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 714,286 shares authorized at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019 respectively; 1.55 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019 respectively   Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 24,000,000 shares authorized at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively, 1,777,483 and 1,316,335 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively 2 2 Additional paid-in capital 186,257 184,074 Accumulated deficit (170,869 ) (169,238 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (4,181 ) (4,349 ) Total stockholders equity 11,209 10,489 Total liabilities and stockholders equity $ 16,496 $ 14,448





SONOMA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended

December 31, Nine Months Ended

December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Revenues Product $ 4,381 $ 5,045 $ 13,478 $ 13,775 Service 297 235 879 813 Total revenues 4,678 5,280 14,357 14,588 Cost of revenues Product 2,394 2,269 7,147 7,006 Service 126 164 391 577 Total cost of revenues 2,520 2,433 7,538 7,583 Gross profit 2,158 2,847 6,819 7,005 Operating expenses Research and development 248 451 856 1,191 Selling, general and administrative 2,892 4,746 9,877 14,368 Total operating expenses 3,140 5,197 10,733 15,559 Loss from operations (982 ) (2,350 ) (3,914 ) (8,554 ) Interest expense (1 ) (7 ) (13 ) (26 ) Interest income 33 37 117 139 Other (expense) income (134 ) 22 (234 ) (135 ) Gain on sale of assets   2,472  Net loss $ (1,084 ) $ (2,298 ) $ (1,572 ) $ (8,576 ) Net loss per share: basic and diluted $ (0.72 ) $ (2.37 ) $ (1.14 ) $ (10.79 ) Weighted-average number of shares used in per common share calculations: basic and diluted 1,500 971 1,378 795 Other comprehensive loss Net loss $ (1,084 ) $ (2,298 ) $ (1,572 ) $ (8,576 ) Foreign currency translation adjustments 264 (291 ) 168 (443 ) Comprehensive loss $ (820 ) $ (2,589 ) $ (1,404 ) $ (9,019 )





SONOMA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP MEASURES TO NON-GAAP MEASURES

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended

December 31, Nine Months Ended

December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 (1) Loss from operations minus non-cash expenses EBITDA loss: GAAP loss from operations as reported $ (982 ) $ (2,350 ) $ (3,914 ) $ (8,554 ) Non-cash adjustments: Stock-based compensation 112 402 537 1,334 Depreciation and amortization 68 109 212 347 Non-GAAP loss from operations minus non-cash expenses EBITDA loss $ (802 ) $ (1,839 ) $ (3,165 ) $ (6,873 ) (2) Net loss minus non-cash expenses: GAAP net (loss) income as reported $ (1,084 ) $ (2,298 ) $ (1,572 ) $ (8,576 ) Non-cash adjustments: Stock-based compensation 112 402 537 1,334 Depreciation and amortization 68 109 212 347 Non-GAAP net (loss) income minus non-cash expenses $ (904 ) $ (1,787 ) $ (823 ) $ (6,895 ) (3) Operating expenses minus non-cash expenses GAAP operating expenses as reported $ 3,140 $ 5,197 $ 10,733 $ 15,559 Non-cash adjustments: Stock-based compensation (95 ) (378 ) (486 ) (1,245 ) Depreciation and amortization (10 ) (57 ) (43 ) (169 ) Non-GAAP operating expenses minus non-cash expenses $ 3,035 $ 4,762 $ 10,204 $ 14,145





(1) Loss from operations minus non-cash expenses (EBITDAS) is a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company defines operating loss minus non-cash expenses as GAAP reported operating loss minus operating depreciation and amortization, and operating stock-based compensation. The Company uses this measure for the purpose of modifying the operating loss to reflect direct cash related transactions during the measurement period. (2) Net loss minus non-cash expenses is a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company defines net loss minus non-cash expenses as GAAP reported net loss minus depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, and non-cash foreign exchange transaction losses. The Company uses this measure for the purpose of modifying the net loss to reflect only those expenses to reflect direct cash transactions during the measurement period. (3) Operating expenses minus non-cash expenses is a non-GAAP financial measure. The Company defines operating expenses minus non-cash expenses as GAAP reported operating expenses minus operating depreciation and amortization, and operating stock-based compensation. The Company uses this measure for the purpose of identifying total operating expenses involving cash transactions during the measurement period.





SONOMA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

PRODUCT RELATED REVENUE SCHEDULES

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

The following table presents the Companys disaggregated product revenues by geographic region:

Three Months Ended December 31, 2019 2018 $ Change % Change United States $ 2,059,000 $ 2,977,000 $ (918,000 ) (31 %) Latin America 988,000 929,000 59,000 6 % Europe and Rest of the World 1,334,000 1,139,000 195,000 17 % Total $ 4,381,000 $ 5,045,000 $ (664,000 ) (13 %)





Nine Months Ended December 31, 2019 2018 $ Change % Change United States $ 6,753,000 $ 7,374,000 $ (621,000 ) (8 %) Latin America 2,577,000 3,005,000 (428,000 ) (14 %) Europe and Rest of the World 4,148,000 3,396,000 752,000 22 % Total $ 13,478,000 $ 13,775,000 $ (297,000 ) (2 %)





Media and Investor Contact:



Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

ir@sonomapharmaceuticals.com
By Trend

Azerbaijan holds a key place in the North-South International Transport Corridor project, and not only because of its geographical position, Russian political analyst Andrey Ivanov told Trend.

The political analyst noted that Azerbaijan is perceived by the project partners as the most reliable and conscientious partner.

Firstly, all necessary infrastructure has already been built in Azerbaijan, said Ivanov. That is, the country has become locomotive of the global project. But what is no less important is that everyone realizes that building relationships with Baku is very easy. Look at Azerbaijans foreign policy. It is built solely on the basis of friendliness and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Baku isnt trying to engage in political bargaining, but is defending its interests, by developing mutually beneficial projects with other countries, the analyst added. Such behavior of Baku certainly commands respect on the international stage. As a result, Azerbaijan is becoming a bridge between different countries, civilizations and peoples.

The expert believes that the importance of the North-South International Transport Corridor is that it will connect the Indian Ocean and the Baltic Sea, that is, it will significantly reduce the route of goods from Asia to Europe.

In the modern world, the role of trade routes is growing rapidly, Ivanov noted. This is related to purely economic calculations and the growing tensions in the world. We see that the struggle of major powers for markets is escalating. As is known, maritime transport is the cheapest, though not the fastest. But at the same time we see how much effort is being exerted by states in order to be able to protect their transport vessels and cargo transportation routes.

In this difficult situation, countries are thinking about how to develop land routes, said the analyst. China put forward the idea of the New Silk Road. Moreover, this project has grown to the global One Belt One Road initiative in which many countries, including Azerbaijan, are expected to participate.

However, the value of the North-South International Transport Corridor lies precisely in the fact that this is an alternative land route, Ivanov added.

It is being built, first of all, in the interests of those countries that are directly involved in the project, said the analyst. Naturally, the project will be economically beneficial. The transport corridor wont just be a route for the movement of goods, but a tool to ensure global security. Accordingly, the economic and political effect can exceed all expectations.

Due to the scale of the project, Azerbaijans economic benefit can be colossal, noted Ivanov.

It is difficult to calculate the economic benefit, but political dividends come themselves, said the analyst. As I noted above, Azerbaijan has a reputation of a reliable, honest and confident partner for different states. Baku isnt engaged in political manipulations, it isnt trying to join any associations in the supporting roles. As a result, Azerbaijan is becoming an example of partnership of peoples for the sake of universal prosperity.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 01:51:03|Editor: yan

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RABAT, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 4.75 kg of cocaine packed in 795 capsules was removed from the stomach of six Ivorians who were arrested at an airport in Casablanca, the Moroccan police said Saturday in a statement.

The suspects were arrested at the Mohammed V airport on Wednesday when they were preparing to take a flight to the Tunis Carthage airport, the statement said.

The suspects, aged between 27 and 43, were remanded in police custody pending the preliminary investigation, it added.

The police are trying to identify others implicated in the criminal act to determine possible links with international drug trafficking networks outside Morocco, according to the statement.
What does the meeting between Taliban and Jaish-e-Mohammad mean for India

JeM moves fresh recruits to Balakot for intensive radicalisation programme: Intelligence

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: In the aftermath of the Pulwama attack last year, India responded strongly by hitting a Jaish-e-Mohammad facility at Balakot.

The hit by the Indian Air Force caused significant damage to the training camp. However since last October there are reports stating that activity at the Balakot terror camp has resumed.

The resumption was on a very small scale, but the latest Intelligence report states that the camp is back in full swing now. A fresh batch of recruits have been brought into the camp and are undergoing a radicalisation programme, an Intelligence Bureau official confirmed to OneIndia.

A year since Pulwama, CRPF says its upgrading capabilities

In addition to this there are 50 others who are training at the camp. There would be attempts to launch them into India, the officer also said. The JeM is planning on a mass infiltration programme with the intention of infesting the Valley with terrorists.

In March 2019, the IAF had hit the terror facility and also managed to destroy four intended targets. Sources tell OneIndia that the targets that were hit included the training complex, a seminary and two halls that accommodated the terrorists.

While the Research and Analysis Wing had mapped the entire Balakot facility several years back, the IAF went in for a precision strike. The intent was to hit the selected four targets, the source added. By March 2, 2019, India had gathered sufficient evidence that suggested the targets identified at the Balakot facility had been hit as intended.

Evidence in the form of satellite imagery had been collected, which clearly suggested that the buildings that were identified had been hit. Further, it was said that the buildings were hit by 5 S-2000 precision-guided munition that were fired from the Mirage 2000.

The evidence that was collected is under the classified category and it was entirely up to the government whether or not to release the information. India collected evidence in the form of Synthetic Aperture Radar, which suggested that the four buildings that were selected as targets were hit.

Pakistan is on over-drive mode, following the abrogation of Article 370. Apart from planning a blood bath in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has also deployed over 100 Special Service Group commandos along the Line of Control (LoC).

There have been ceasefire violations that have been reported and the SSC Commandos have been involved in the same.

The intelligence has stated that Pakistan would be on over-drive mode and would not only look to raise tensions along the border but also launch terrorists into the Valley. With the government easing restrictions in a phased manner, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has advised that the forces remain on a very high state of alert.

Pakistan is trying to push at least 100 terrorists in Kashmir from Afghanistan.

With there being a lockdown in the Valley following the abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan would look for the curbs to ease out, before it tried and implements its larger design to push 100 terrorists into the Valley in a bid to cause havoc.

Here is why the Pulwama probe has hit a dead end

In addition, around 15 Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists are already waiting at the terror launch-pads in Lipa valley along the Line of Control (LoC) on the Pakistani side to infiltrate in Kashmir, Intelligence reports suggest.

According to intelligence inputs, Pakistan-based terror groups may target vital installations in several key Indian cities in the next few weeks, sources said.

Pakistan's plan is to trigger series of terror attacks in Kashmir to project to the international community that situation in the Valley is fast deteriorating following India's decision to withdraw special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories, they said.

"We have credible intelligence that Pakistan is bringing over 100 hardcore terrorists from Afghanistan and they will be pushed into Kashmir in the next few weeks," said a military source.

Mufti Rauf Asghar, brother of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, held meetings with top commanders of the terror outfit at its Bahawalpur headquarters on August 19 and 20 with a primary agenda of pushing hardcore terrorists into Kashmir, sources claimed.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been making provocative statements targeting India following its decisions on Kashmir and even suggested recently that a Pulwama-like terror attack may take place again.

According to Pakistan's assessment, the local terrorists in Kashmir are not properly trained, have low shelf-life and there was a leadership crisis among them in the Valley because of vigorous anti-terror operations, the sources said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 20:43:33|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Two children were killed and two hospitalized after their parents took them to occultists in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place at Kadamtali village in Malda district, about 351 km north of Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal.

"Last night four children from Kadamtali village were taken ill, following which their families took them to occultists (locally called tantrics). The children who had spent the day playing inside a jungle complained of sickness, following which their families thought they have been overtaken by some evil spirit," a police official said.

"However after two hours the condition of the children worsened and one succumbed, the families brought the three children to Malda Medical College hospital, where another one succumbed."

The remaining two children are undergoing treatment inside the hospital, police said.

Police have registered a case and ordered an investigation to ascertain the cause of the death of two children.

Reports said the occultists have managed to flee from the village.

The preliminary investigation carried out by police suggest the children might have eaten some poisonous fruits in the jungle.
In a firm repartee, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told a senior US Senator that India will "settle" the Kashmir issue on its own when the American lawmaker brought up the issue during an interaction at the Munich Security Conference.

Referring to the Kashmir issue during a panel discussion, Senator Lindsey Graham said the best way to sell democracy will be to settle the Kashmir issue in a democratic way.

"In India, you are moving forward, you got your problems like we do at home, but you've chosen the democratic path. When it comes to Kashmir, I don't know how it ends, but let's make sure that two democracies will end it differently. If you can prove that concept here, then I think that's probably the best way to sell democracy," the Republican leader said.

To this, Jaishankar promptly responded, "Do not worry, Senator. One democracy will settle it and you know which one."



During the discussion Jaishankar also said that the United Nations is far less credible than it has been in history and "something" should be done about it.

"The United Nations is far less credible than it has been in history, which is not entirely surprising because when you think about it, there are not too many things which are 75 years old and still as good as they were. Clearly there is something that needs to be done there."



He also also spoke about "westlessness" and multilateralism at the panel discussion.

"Clearly multilateralism has become weaker, and clearly westlessness is in evidence and I would suggest that there is a correlation between the two, It is not to say that multilateralism is solely dependent on the West, or that the West has been faithfully multilateral," he said.

He highlighted that the global political rebalancing is underway and made a case for greater western flexibility.

"Multilateralism can today be strengthened by more creative diplomacy and plurilateral understanding," he said.

The Munich Security Conference, being held here from February 14-16, is the world's leading forum for debate on international security policy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Trinamool Congress MLA Nargis Begum on Saturday apologised to CPI(M) legislator Jahanara Khan for making an objectionable comment on her in the West Bengal Assembly.

Begum, the Memari MLA, apologised after being reprimanded by Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay.

Participating in the motion of thanks to the governor's address to the Assembly, Begum had reacted to Jamuria MLA Jahanara Khan's comments on the rise in crimes against women and uttered words which were expunged from the House records.

Deputy Speaker Sukumar Hansda was in the chair when Begum made the comment in the first half of the session.

Urging all the MLAs to be careful about their choice of words in the House, the speaker said the issue has also been discussed in the Parliamentary Affairs committee and the members felt the comment was "unfortunate".

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee also asked Begum to apologise.

Chatterjee said he was informed about it by ministers Firhad Hakim, Tapas Roy and CPI(M) Legislature Party leader Sujan Chakraborty.

The minister said he will ask all the members to be careful and exercise self-control about their choice of words.

Chakraborty took up the issue as the post-lunch session began.

He drew the speaker's attention to his directive to all the members to maintain the sanctity and decorum of the House.

Several members of the opposition shouted in protest against Begum's comment even as she was seen sitting silently.

However, the situation calmed down after Begum apologised saying, "I unconditionally apologise for the particular choice of a word which was a slip of tongue."



CPI(M) MLA Shyamali Prodhan said the conversation between members should not stoop to such lows.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Americans will be removed from a cruise ship quarantined off Japan and flown home, the US embassy said Saturday as dozens more cases of the new coronavirus were diagnosed on board.

At least 285 people on the Diamond Princess have contracted the illness but hundreds of passengers and crew have not yet been tested as they wait in a quarantine that was scheduled to end February 19.

In a message to Americans, the embassy said the US government "recommends, out of an abundance of caution, that US citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring".

The remarks were later echoed by a US state department spokesperson, who confirmed that US citizens should return.

The embassy warned that those who come back will have to undergo another 14 days of quarantine when they arrive in the United States.

A chartered flight will arrive in Japan on Sunday, but it was not immediately clear when it would leave.

The message said the flight will land at Travis Air Force Base in California, with some passengers continuing to a second air base in Texas.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said 400 Americans were on board the cruise ship and the plane would leave Tokyo's Haneda airport as soon as early Monday.

"Passengers will be screened for symptoms and we are working with our Japanese partners to ensure that any symptomatic passengers receive the required care in Japan if they cannot board the flight," the message said.

"Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time," it warned.

The Japanese government was arranging special embarkation procedures for US citizens taking the chartered flight, an official said, adding that "a certain number" of other countries have also shown interest in similar evacuation measures.

While some Americans on the ship have urged their government to extract them from the boat, others on board criticised the plan.

"Incredibly disappointed that the US Government has decided to throw a monkey wrench into the quarantine we have maintained here on board the Diamond Princess," tweeted Matt Smith, an American lawyer.

"The US Government... wants to take us off without testing, fly us back to the US with a bunch of other untested people, and then stick us in 2 more weeks of quarantine? How does that make any sense at all?"



There were more than 3,700 people on the ship when it arrived off the Japanese coast in early February.

It was placed in quarantine after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive for the newly named COVID-19.

Those diagnosed on board have been removed to local hospital, with people remaining on the ship told that their quarantine would be over on February 19, two weeks from when it officially began.

But a message broadcast on the ship by the captain on Saturday night cast doubt on that timeline.

"The Japanese government has informed us that they may start a new testing process for guests beginning February 18," the message said, warning that it would take several days to complete and results would not be available for around three days.

"So guests who are tested on February 18 and have negative test results may be able to disembark beginning February 21," the message said.

Those who had close contact with anyone who tested positive would have to restart their quarantine from the date of their last close contact, he added.

And crew on board will go into a new quarantine period once the passengers have left the ship, though details of how long that would last were not immediately clear, the broadcast said.

Japan's government has begun allowing elderly passengers on the ship in poor health to leave and finish their quarantine on land.

Those on board have been mostly confined to their cabins and required to wear masks and keep their distance from others during brief outings on deck.

On Saturday, the health ministry confirmed another 12 infections in Japan, including taxi drivers in Tokyo and patients at a western Japanese hospital where two doctors have already tested positive.

Excluding the cases on the ship, and an infected quarantine officer, Japanese authorities have so far diagnosed at least 52 people with the virus, which has killed more than 1,500 and infected at least 66,000 in China.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met today with Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain Arancha Gonzalez Laya on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.

The ministers highlighted the readiness of the two sides to further strengthen and enrich the agenda of the Armenian-Spanish friendly relations. They highlighted holding regular consultations between the two ministries to boost the bilateral political dialogue.

The Armenian and Spanish ministers also highlighted the need to completely utilize the existing potential via the promotion and development of commercial ties, cooperation in science and culture.

The officials also touched upon the Armenia-EU partnership agenda, highlighting the importance of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as a legal base regulating the bilateral relations with the EU and its member states.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
BROOK PARK, Ohio

Aggravated robbery: Hummel Road

A Brook Park man, 22, called police at about 4:15 a.m. Jan. 11 and said that a woman from whom he was hoping to buy marijuana had robbed him at gunpoint at Cambridge Court Apartments, 14913 Hummel.

The woman, 27, of Wickliffe, stole $75 from the man. Police said it was the second time the woman had robbed him after he had called her to buy marijuana.

Police were still investigating this week, looking at phone records to verify that the victim really called the woman. The victim has stopped cooperating and no longer returns police phone calls.

Animals at large: Dalebrook Avenue

Two pit bulls escaped from their back yard and attacked two miniature pinschers at about 4:15 p.m. Feb. 2 on Dalebrook.

The owner of the smaller dogs was walking them at the time. The pit bulls grabbed her dogs and she punched them until they let go. The owner of the smaller dogs didnt find any wounds on them.

The owner of the pit bulls ran out and led them into her house. The owner of the pit bulls said her dogs pushed open the chain-link fence gate in her yard.

The case was turned over to the citys animal control officer.

Aggravated menacing: Southway Drive

A Southway man, 32, was arrested at about 7 p.m. Jan. 31 after he threatened and yelled profanities at neighbors.

Police said the man wasnt intoxicated. They had been called to the home several times that day, but the man never calmed down. Police were unable to determine why the man was upset. He refused to cooperate with officers.

Littering: Holland Road

A Mayfield Heights man, 74, was cited after police saw him throw trash out of his vehicle and onto the ground outside the Brook Park Recreation Center, 17400 Holland Road. It happened at about noon Jan. 30.

Falsification, drug paraphernalia possession: Robert Drive

A Brook Park woman, 28, was arrested at about 1:15 a.m. Jan. 31 after she lied to police about her identity.

A resident had noticed a suspicious van parked on Robert and called police. The resident had never seen the van parked on her street before.

When police arrived, they saw the vehicle occupied by a man in the drivers seat, along with the woman in the passenger seat. The man said he and the woman were just hanging out and kissing.

Police smelled marijuana. The man admitted that there was marijuana in the vehicle. The man handed police five small containers of marijuana and a marijuana pipe.

The woman seemed nervous. When police asked her for identification, she said she was wasnt carrying any. She gave police a fake Social Security number and a fake name. Police asked the woman to call someone at her home so that they could identify her. The womans sister told police her real identity.

The woman was wanted by the Cuyahoga County Sheriffs Office and Middleburg Heights police.

After arresting the woman, police found a marijuana roach, a glass pipe, a metal pipe, two cut straws and a powder police believed was an illegal narcotic in her possession.

Theft: Fry Road

A semiautomatic pistol was stolen between Dec. 25 and Jan. 28 from a house on Fry. There were no signs of a break-in.

Operating a vehicle under the influence: Brookpark Road

A Garfield Heights man, 37, was arrested at about 2:45 a.m. Feb. 1 after police caught him driving drunk on Brookpark. Police stopped the mans car because it was weaving and he had failed to signal a turn.

Criminal damaging: Holland Road

A construction trailer on the site of the former Ford Middle School, 17001 Holland, was spray-painted with graffiti. It was reported at about 8:50 a.m. Feb. 3. The graffiti depicted male body parts and the words smiley face.

Driving with a suspended license, marijuana possession: Snow Road

A North Ridgeville man, 23, was cited at about 2 a.m. Feb. 2 after police stopped him for speeding and discovered that his drivers license was suspended.

The mans front-seat passenger, 19, was in possession of a cigar, which police believed contained marijuana, and a marijuana pipe. He was handcuffed because he wrestled with officers as he tried to hide the cigar and pipe.

Police also found a bag of suspected marijuana on the floorboard where the passenger was sitting.

The North Ridgeville man was given a court date. Police told the passenger they would send him a citation if the substances they found on the man and in the vehicle tested positive for marijuana.

Sudden illness: Havendale Drive

A Brook Park man, 24, overdosed on an unknown drug at about 1:45 a.m. Jan. 30 in a house on Havendale.

Someone living in the house had called police. When police and paramedics arrived, the man had regained consciousness and was vomiting in the bathroom. Others living in the house had administered two doses of Narcan, a heroin-overdose antidote, before police and paramedics arrived.

Police found needles, a tourniquet and a towel containing drug residue on the scene. The man was taken to Southwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights.

Read more from the News Sun.
Allowing China's state-run railway to build a high-speed rail line linking London with central and northern England would be an extremely questionable" decision, a prominent British lawmaker said Saturday.

Tom Tugendhat, a Conservative lawmaker who chairs the UK parliament's influential Foreign Affairs Committee, told BBC radio that he also had doubts about the ability of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to build the rail line in five years, given the vast differences between the two countries on issues such as planning applications, property rights and protected landscapes.

The company has transformed China's transport system, building most of China's 15,500-mile high-speed network over the past couple of decades.

His comments came after Britain's Department for Transport confirmed that "preliminary discussions" have taken place between CRCC and the massive infrastructure project to improve rail lines to Britain's central and northern regions known as HS2.

According to the Financial Times newspaper, CRCC wrote to HS2 Chief Executive Mark Thurston last month saying it could build the rail line at a far lower cost and accommodate far faster trains.

First approved a decade ago, the project has been the subject of repeated delays and reviews. Trains were originally scheduled to begin running in 2026.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his support to the project even though it's running way over budget.

The projected cost, estimated at 33 billion pounds in 2011, has soared to as much as 106 billion pounds (USD 137 billion) and it's not set to be fully completed until 2040.

"The reason why Chinese projects in China are very often so quick is because they don't worry about such minor matters as planning consent or workers' rights," Tugendhat said.

It seems extremely unlikely that without really short-cutting any number of labor conditions that it would be possible.

The of potential Chinese interest in the HS2 project follows the government's confirmation last month that it will allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to supply new high-speed network equipment.

That move by Johnson's Conservative government ignored the U.S. government's warnings that it would withhold intelligence cooperation with Britain if Huawei was given a role in the rollout of the next generation of communications networks.

A number of Conservative lawmakers, including Tugendhat, have voiced concerns about that decision.

According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, a delegation of senior US officials, including President Donald Trump's acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, are set to fly to London on Wednesday to raise their concerns over Huawei directly with Johnson, in hopes of getting the prime minister to reverse his decision.

The opposition to Johnson's decision to give the Chinese company a role in creating Britain's 5G network isn't just confined to the United States.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that lawmakers on Australia's intelligence and security committee have pulled out of a visit to Britain next month over the fallout from Johnson's controversial decision. Australia, like the US, has banned Huawei from its communication networks over security concerns.

"Personally, I would like to stand with countries that share the rule of law, human rights and the values I think are so important," Tugendhat said.

The decisions we make today will affect how our children are governed in years to come.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global terror financing watchdog, will this week evaluate whether Pakistan has taken sufficient steps and implemented its plan of action to fight the global menace.

Pakistan will be submitting a report on action regarding the implementation of the watchdog's plan of action during the Paris meeting. More than 800 representatives from 205 countries and jurisdictions around the including the IMF, UN, Bank, and other organisations, will take part in the meeting.

The FATF's Asia-Pacific Group's meeting, which took place in Beijing last year in October, analysed Pakistan's situation from a technical point of view. China, who took over as the chair of the inter-governmental organisation since July 2019, expressed satisfaction over the "visible progress" made by Islamabad, leading to speculations that it could be put in "white" list from "grey" list, according to Pakistan media reports.

The FATF in 2018 placed Pakistan on the grey list and the watchdog has already granted Islamabad an extension till February 2020 during a meeting in October last year.

The body warned that Islamabad would be put on the blacklist if it did not comply with the remaining 22 out of 27 points related to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing.

This time, the watchdog will be issuing a decision on whether Pakistan has taken sufficient steps to avoid being "blacklisted." If blacklisted, Pakistan would face isolation from the international banking system, introducing stricter checks and safeguards on transactions involving the country.

The meeting will conclude on February 19. The progress of an FATF initiative to combat financial flows from the illegal wildlife trade, adopting guidance on digital identity, and developments in the financing of ISIL, Al-Qaeda, and affiliates are some of the issues to be discussed during the meeting.

Defence experts in New Delhi on Saturday noted that the recent sentencing of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, just days ahead of the FATF meeting in Paris is just an eyewash to delude the international community and that the Mumbai terror attacks mastermind will be released shortly after the watchdog announces its decision.

Last year, under pressure after the FATF review, Pakistan formally banned Saeed's JuD and other associated organisations, after years of allowing them to operate freely across the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Atlantic Beach, NC

Atlantic Beach lies on the southeastern part of NC, known as the Crystal Coast. Here you will find crystal clear waters and refreshing sea air, mixed with plenty of pet friendly activities to enjoy in the area. The best thing about this place is the truly dog friendly Atlantic Beach: Leashed dogs are welcome on the beach all year round! There are also many dog friendly accommodations here that cater to pets. One beachfront place in particular offers pet amenities that include doggie cookies, a dog washing station for cleaning off those sandy paws, and a fabulous park just for four-legged guests! After a day of fun in the sun, you and your furkid can visit one of the nearby restaurants that offers delicious local seafood and cuisine. Many provide outdoor seating so you and your four-legged sidekick can dine together.

Elizabeth City, NC

Being named one of the best 100 Best Small Towns in America and ranked as one of the best places to live on the east coast are just two of Elizabeth Citys claims to fame! This historic and progressively growing area is located in the northeastern corner of NC and surrounded by waterways, making it also known as the Harbor of Hospitality. You and your pooch will definitely experience the friendliness of the area when you visit, and you can both partake in the numerous activities and experiences that Elizabeth City has to offer. There are coffee shops, book shops, cafes and bakeries that welcome your dog inside or outside. Theres also a state park with walking and hiking trails, great places to sniff, and plenty of benches to rest in between activities. Dont miss this charming city that is widely known for welcoming people and their pets!
PINCKNEYVILLE  A Perry County correctional officer has been honored for saving an inmates life in August, just months after returning from being laid off.

A news release from Perry County Sheriff Steve Bareis announced Thursday that Perry County Correctional Officer Richard Emling was awarded the 2019 Correctional Officer of the Year for his response to an inmate found unresponsive and bleeding in August. He was presented with the award Feb. 3 during the Illinois Sheriffs Association banquet.

Perry County Sheriff lays off 14 employees amid budget woes PINCKNEYVILLE  Perry County Sheriff Steve Bareis on Wednesday posted a statement to his office's official Facebook page, saying that he had t

The release detailed the events that led to the award. At about 6:45 p.m. Aug. 19, Emling responded to a call that an inmate in the jails J Block said he was bleeding and having problems.

Upon arriving, Emling saw the man laying face down in a pool of blood. He had the cell unlocked and called for backup and for an ambulance. The release said Emling then moved the inmate to perform first aid. It said he then started doing chest compressions after noticing the inmate was unresponsive and had no pulse  after 10 to 15 compressions, the inmate began breathing on his own the release said. Emling continued to do sternum rubs to keep the person responsive until help arrived.

The ambulance arrived within 10 minutes and a tourniquet was applied to stop his bleeding.

If (not) for the quick response of CO Richard Emling ... the inmate would have died, Bareis wrote in the release.

Bareis spoke to The Southern on Friday and said Emling was one of the officers that was laid off last year and had not yet even finished his academy training when he saved the inmates life. In fact, Bareis was driving back from Emlings graduation when he spoke with the reporter.

Its humbling for me as a leader, Bareis said. He said he was thankful to have an officer of Emlings caliber on his force.

Bareis said the news of the award was welcome, especially since the last 18 to 24 months have been difficult dealing with budget concerns. Bareis said Emling was awarded internally for his efforts, but added that he wanted to do more.

Perry County jail to remain open, board offers little guidance to sheriff for staffing issue PINCKNEYVILLE  Perry County Sheriff Steve Bareis again went before Perry County Board asking for guidance in operating his department and the

I felt it merited not just an internal award  but that I needed to send that recommendation to the Illinois Sheriffs Association, he said.

Despite the praise heaped on him, Bareis said Emling maintains a lot of humility.

His point of view is it took a team to save this guys life, Bareis said.

Still, Bareis said knowing what to do and doing it made the difference that day.

I was fortunate that he was on duty at the time, he said.

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Extinction Rebellion protesters angered motorists as they blocked roads in the capital on Saturday, demanding the cancellation of London Fashion Week.

Dozens of demonstrators prevented traffic from passing through a busy intersection leading to The Strand in Westminster, where the world-famous trade show is being held.

Protesters from the environmental group also gathered at Gatwick Airport, including one man who donned a tiger onesie as he mingled among passengers at the airport's south terminal.

Scroll down for video.

Extinction Rebellion protesters angered motorists as they blocked roads in the capital on Saturday, demanding the cancellation of London Fashion Week. Pictured: One protester carries her three-year-old, Daisy, on her shoulders

Dozens of demonstrators prevented traffic from passing through a busy intersection leading to The Strand in Westminster, where the world-famous trade show is being held

Queues of vehicles started to build up and taxi and lorry drivers could be heard honking their horns and swearing at the protesters

But in central London, queues of vehicles started to build up and taxi and lorry drivers could be heard honking their horns and swearing at the protesters.

The action was part of the environmental campaign group's calls for an end to London Fashion Week, which runs from February 14 to 18, claiming the industry is a major contributor to climate change.

Demonstrators initially blocked three roads for about 20 minutes before letting traffic pass. They then moved further down The Strand to block two lanes.

At one point a motorbike mounted the pavement to get past the group.

A taxi driver shouted 'Just f****** move' to a samba band which stood in front of cars playing music.

Protesters carried placards reading 'No more false fashion' and 'No fashion on a dead planet', while others wore dresses made from chains.

It comes after Extinction Rebellion members delivered a letter to the British Fashion Council (BFC) on Monday, calling for it to cancel the next London Fashion Week, in September.

Sara Arnold, who helped co-ordinate the protest, said: 'London is home to the cutting edge of sustainable and ethical design, and yet, London Fashion Week lags behind.

The action was part of the environmental campaign group's calls for an end to London Fashion Week, which runs from February 14 to 18, claiming the industry is a major contributor to climate change

Demonstrators initially blocked three roads for about 20 minutes before letting traffic pass. They then moved further down The Strand to block two lanes

At one point a taxi driver shouted 'Just f****** move' to a samba band which stood in front of cars playing music

'And, despite having an active political engagement programme, you have done almost nothing to lobby for environmental policies, without which a transition with the urgency we need is simply impossible.

'We have all failed but now radical leadership is required. We need you, the British Fashion Council, as appointed industry administrators, to find the power and courage to centre a visionary process and protocol, without delay.'

Ms Arnold said if the BFC does not cancel the September event, Extinction Rebellion will 'build pressure' and 'escalate' its actions.

Last September, protesters covered in fake blood glued themselves to the entrance to London Fashion Week, blocking access to the trade show.

It comes after Extinction Rebellion members delivered a letter to the British Fashion Council (BFC) on Monday, calling for it to cancel the next London Fashion Week, in September

Sara Arnold, who helped co-ordinate the protest, said: 'London is home to the cutting edge of sustainable and ethical design, and yet, London Fashion Week lags behind'

The protesters were aiming to get London Fashion Week cancelled. Pictured: One protester wears a placard which reads, 'This season's must have: The continuation of life on earth'

The protesters wielded flags and brightly-coloured flares as they disrupted traffic, as well as tourists and shoppers

We won't stand for this: The group stood in the middle of the road and let off canisters which spewed coloured smoke

In her element: One female protester wore a gas mask as she campaigned to have London Fashion Week cancelled

Happy occasion: This Extinction Rebellion protester looked like he was enjoying himself as he showed off his colourful placard

The group are aiming to put pressure on the LFW organisers to call off their much-anticipated event, which is one of the world's biggest fashion shows

People power: Members of the group gathered in the street and wielded placards railing against capitalism and highlighting global warming

At Gatwick, the protesters gathered in disguise outside Costa Coffee in the south terminal at around 9.30am before revealing themselves.

They were moving through the international hub to raise awareness of aircraft pollution.

Protesters were instructed to arrive 'incognito' and pretend to be waiting to meet someone amid fears they would not be allowed in to the airport.

However, once assembled, the group of about 10 activists unveiled their full complement of Extinction Rebellion banners. shirts and badges, and began mingling with the public.

We're going nowhere: The group upset commuters by refusing to move out of the way as they stood in the road

They carried an enormous yellow banner emblazoned with the words, 'change is now'

Six members of the radical environmental group held the yellow banner in the air so that it could be easily spotted

You can't get through here: Members of the group lined up to block the whole road, stopping buses from getting through

One woman held a placard which read, 'fashion industry is responsible for maybe 10 per cent of annual global C02 emissions'

Good time to chat: The protesters were seen talking animatedly as they walked down the road in central London

The radical campaign group first came to prominence last year when they organised protests around the country

Passengers landing on flights from Salzburg, Madrid and Kingston were greeted by activists in bright colours - including a man in a tiger onesie waving a banner saying 'Climate Alert'.

Leaflets handed out apologised for the disruption but said 'We need your help'.

A post on Facebook for the Gatwick Action event said: 'Let's get the message out - change can happen - and those who fly have the opportunity to make a big contribution by cutting their flights.'

The peaceful leafleting campaign is being watched over by airport security staff, who chatted to the activists.
Representative image

The country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Friday said Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak in China has affected the supply of some components which could hit the production by around 10 per cent in February. The company, however, said wholesale dispatches of vehicles to its dealers during the month remain unaffected.

"The ongoing issue of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in China has affected the supply of some components to our manufacturing facilities in India," Hero MotoCorp said in a statement.

It further said, "This is likely to impact our planned production by around 10 per cent for the month of February."

The company said any further impact on its production will depend on the developing situation in China.

"We continue to track the developments and keep evaluating our options," it added.
A Valentines Day mural by street artist Banksy has been vandalised.

The artwork, which was first spotted on the side of a building in Bristol on Thursday, showed a young girl firing a slingshot.

Banksy confirmed he was behind the piece by posting a photograph on his official Instagram account and website on Friday morning.

However, a picture shared on social media hours later showed the words BCC W***ERS had been scrawled in pink across the artwork.

The graffiti appears to be a reference to Bristol City Council.

Best of Banksy Show all 68 1 /68 Best of Banksy Best of Banksy Westwood, California A Banksy piece in California depicting a child wielding a machine gun, in black and white surrounded by colored flowers AFP/Getty Best of Banksy Manhattan, New York A rat on the clock of an old bank building Getty Best of Banksy Camden Town, north London Near the Oval Bridge PA Best of Banksy 'Sweeping It Under The Carpet' The piece, commissioned by this newspaper, is intended to represent a metaphor for the west's reluctance to tackle issues such as Aids in Africa Getty Images Best of Banksy 'Di Faced Tenners' In 2004, Banksy printed one million pounds worth of his 'Tenners' PA Best of Banksy 'Love is in the Bin' During Sotheby's Contemporary Art Sale on 5th October the Banksy artwork 'Girl with Balloon' shredded through the bottom of the frame as it was sold. Getty Images Best of Banksy 'Urban decay' Seen on the side of building on Wilder Street in Bristol PA Best of Banksy 'Glory' Previously on view at Sotheby's New Bond Street, London PA Best of Banksy 'Balloon Debate' Banksy headed to Palestinian territories and created images on Israel's highly controversial West Bank barrier Getty Best of Banksy 'Kissing Coppers' Pictured on display in Lazinc Gallery in London in 2018 AFP/Getty Images Best of Banksy 'Spy Booth' On the side of a house in Cheltenham. PA Best of Banksy 'Escape' A Banksy artwork piece on Israel's highly controversial West Bank barrier in Abu Dis Getty Images Best of Banksy 'The Son of a Migrant from Syria' Artwork representing Steve Jobs, founder and late CEO of Apple, at the migrant camp known as the "Jungle" in Calais, northern France AFP/Getty Images Best of Banksy Artwork in 'Walled Off Hotel' Banksy launched a hotel in Bethlehem. The rooms of the hotel were filled with the artist's work, much of which being about the conflict Getty Images Best of Banksy 'One Nation Under CCTV' In the yard of a Royal Mail depot in Newman Street, central London PA Archive/PA Images Best of Banksy 'Brexit' A painted mural depicting a workman chipping away at one of the stars on a European Union flag in Dover Getty Best of Banksy 'Art Attack' Seen on Israel's highly controversial West Bank barrier Getty Best of Banksy Artwork in 'Walled Off Hotel' A piece of artwork in Banksy's 'Walled Off Hote'l in the Israeli occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem Getty Best of Banksy 'Let Them Eat Crack' A large mural of a rat wearing a tie and carrying a briefcase on a wall on Howard St and Broadway in New York PA Best of Banksy Artwork in 'Walled Off Hotel' An installation hanging inside one of the rooms Banksy's 'Walled Off hotel' AFP/Getty Best of Banksy Paris Napoleon Bonaparte wearing a headscarf inspired by the original painting by Jacques-Louis David AFP/Getty Best of Banksy 'Burning Tyre' A Banksy mural which was painted on the side of one of the classrooms at Bridge Farm Primary in Bristol during a half-term PA Best of Banksy 'Les Miserables' Artwork depicting the girl from Les Miserables affected by tear gas, opposite the French embassy in Knightsbridge, London PA Best of Banksy Zehra Dogan Banksy's 70-foot-long mural in New York, made to draw attention to the imprisonment of Zehra Dogan, a Kurdish painter from Turkey AFP/Getty Images Best of Banksy Paris A girl painting over a swastika cross AFP/Getty Best of Banksy 'Girl with Balloon' Originally on the stairs to Waterloo Bridge on the South Bank, London AFP/Getty Images Best of Banksy 'Cardinal Sin' On display at the Walker Art Gallery in 2012 Getty Best of Banksy Rage, Flower Thrower Painted on a wall of a gas station in the West Bank city of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images Best of Banksy "Madonna with a pistol" In Naples AFP/Getty Best of Banksy 'No Ball Games' In Tottenham, North London PA Archive/PA Images Best of Banksy 'Cash Machine Girl' In Finsbury, North London PA Best of Banksy 'Peckham Rock' Installation of Banksy's at the British Museum in London. The artist secretly placed the mock historical piece in a gallery at the museum in 2005 and it went unnoticed for three days PA Best of Banksy Stained Window' A collaboration between Banksy and the City of Angels public school in Los Angeles AFP/Getty Best of Banksy Barbican Centre, London One of two murals near the Barbican Centre in London PA Best of Banksy Clerkenwell Green, London Described by its creator as "a monument to liars, thieves and bullies" Getty Images Best of Banksy 'Civilian Drone Strike' Capstan House in East London PA Best of Banksy 'Armoured Dove' In West Bank town of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Best of Banksy 'The Painter' Portobello Road, West London PA Best of Banksy 'Yellow Lines Flower Painter' Pollard Street, London Getty Best of Banksy "Kids on Guns" AFP/Getty Best of Banksy Barbican Centre, London The second of the two murals painted by on the Barbican Centre, London PA Best of Banksy "Cans" London AFP/Getty Best of Banksy 'Sorry' East London AFP/Getty Best of Banksy 'Napalm, (Can't Beat That Feeling)' Displayed in an unauthorised 2006 retrospective in London Getty Images Best of Banksy Calais, France A child with a suitcase looking through a telescope with a vulture perched on it, in tribute to migrants and refugees on a beach in Calais AFP/Getty Best of Banksy 'Banksus Militus Vandalus' Displayed in an unauthorised 2006 retrospective in London Getty Images Best of Banksy London Artwork depicting former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill AFP/Getty Best of Banksy 'Donkey Documents' Moved from Jerusalem PA Best of Banksy 'A Girl with a Pierced Eardrum' A defaced piece of art on a wall in the city of Bristol, at Hanover Place PA Best of Banksy 'Sperm Alarm' Banksy's name is reflected in the glass covering his piece. One of seven initially stolen works by the artist. Getty Best of Banksy 'Art Buff' In Folkestone, Kent PA Best of Banksy 'The Mild, Mild West' Stokes Croft, Bristol PA Best of Banksy Paris A man holding a handsaw behind his back and offering a bone to a dog which leg has been cut off AFP/Getty Best of Banksy Peeing Dog Los Angeles PA Best of Banksy Bethlehem Painting on a wall in Bethlehem in the West Bank Getty Best of Banksy 'Slave Labout' A poor child making Union Jack flags on a sewing machine, located on the wall of a Poundland discount shop in the Wood Green area of north London Getty Best of Banksy Lower East Side, New York Painted during Banksy's month in New York Getty Images Best of Banksy 'Jay Zeavis' Glastonbury, Somerset PA Best of Banksy Paris Banksy said that he "blitzed" Paris with up to a dozen murals as a tribute to the May 1968 uprising and even took aim at the French government's hard line on migrants AFP/Getty Best of Banksy "I Love New York" A large mural of a rat wearing on Wooster and Grand Street in New York PA Best of Banksy Camden Town, north London A piece under Camden Street Bridge, almost directly behind the British Transport Police building in Camden Town PA Best of Banksy 'Very Little Helps' A child raising a Tesco's plastic bag as a flag in London Getty Best of Banksy 'I Don't Believe in Global Warming' Camden Town, north London PA Best of Banksy Camden Town, north London PA Best of Banksy Bataclan concert hall, Paris Artwork on a side street to the Bataclan concert hall where a terrorist attack killed 90 people in 2015 AFP/Getty Best of Banksy New Orleans, Louisiana Getty Best of Banksy 'Christ with Shopping Bags' Lazinc Gallery in London AFP/Getty Images Best of Banksy "Stop and Search" Shown at Artcurial French auction house sale in Paris AFP/Getty Images

One local resident who spotted the vandalism responded: Its a real shame, but it was always going to happen, unfortunately.

Kelly Woodruff, the daughter of Edwin Simons, who owns the rented home on which the artwork appeared, had earlier expressed concern at the potential for Storm Dennis to damage it.

In December Banksy created a modified nativity scene at a hotel in Bethlehem, depicting Jesus manger in front of the separation barrier in Israel.

Additional reporting by Press Association
[February 15, 2020] MDA-Developed Columbus Ka-Band Terminal (COLKa) Starts Journey to the International Space Station

MDA (News - Alert), a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), today announced that technology developed by its UK division in partnership with the UK Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency has begun its journey to the International Space Station (ISS). The European Space Agency (ESA)'s Columbus Ka-Band Terminal (COLKa) was launched today aboard the NG-13 Commercial Resupply Mission to the ISS. The MDA-built terminal will complement existing communication systems on board the ISS and utilise the European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS). Operating in the Ka-band, COLKa will enable dramatically higher communications bandwidth between ESA's Columbus laboratory module on the ISS and ground stations and will provide ESA with an independent connection for faster delivery of scientific data and high-definition video. As a result, UK and European scientists and researchers will be able to see results of their ISS science experiments almost instantaneously. COLKa was designed, developed and integrated by MDA Space and Robotics Limited in the UK, using funding provided by the UK Space Agency through the ESA Human Spaceflight program, the Canadian Space Agency through its cooperation agreement with the ESA, through the ESA ARTES program as well as through internal investment. MDA was supported on the project by Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace and Antwerp Space, both of which made significant contributions to the development of key subsystems. "This is the first major industrial contribution from the UK to the ISS, and it will revolutionise the ability of scientists in the UK and Europe to access the results of their experiments," said Dr Graham Turnock, CEO of the UK Space Agency. "This is yet another example of the UK economy benefiting, through investment, jobs and new skills, from our continued collaboration with the European Space Agency." "The COLKa program has firmly established MDA in the UK as a leading provider of high-quality space equipment, positioning us for continued business growth and new jobs in both communications and space sensor markets," said David Kenyon, Managing Director of MDA Space and Robotics Limited in the UK. Two astronauts will carry out a spacewalk later this year to mount COLKa to the outside of the Columbus module on the ISS. About Maxar Technologies Maxar is a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure. We deliver disruptive value to government and commercial customers to help them monitor, understand and navigate our changing planet; deliver global broadband communications; and explore and advance the use of space. Our unique approach combines decades of deep mission understanding and a proven commrcial and defense foundation to deploy solutions and deliver insights with unrivaled speed, scale and cost effectiveness. Maxar's 5,800 team members in 30 global locations are inspired to harness the potential of space to help our customers create a better world. Maxar trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.



About MDA MDA is an internationally recognized leader in space robotics, space sensors, satellite payloads, antennas and subsystems, surveillance and intelligence systems, defense and maritime systems, and geospatial radar imagery. MDA's extensive space expertise and heritage translates into mission-critical defence and commercial applications that include multi-platform command, control and surveillance systems, aeronautical information systems, land administration systems and terrestrial robotics. MDA is also a leading supplier of actionable mission-critical information and insights derived from multiple data sources. Founded in 1969, MDA is recognized as one of Canada's most successful technology ventures with locations in Richmond, Ottawa, Brampton, Montreal, Halifax and the United Kingdom. For more information visit www.mdacorporation.com.

Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements and other information included in this release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. Statements including words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "plan", "potential", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate" or "expect" and other words, terms and phrases of similar meaning are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties, as well as other statements referring to or including forward-looking information included in this presentation. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this presentation. As a result, although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors and other disclosures about the Company and its business included in the Company's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with U.S. securities and Canadian regulatory authorities, which are available online under the Company's EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov, under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com or on the Company's website at www.maxar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this presentation or other specified date and speak only as of such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this presentation as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200215005026/en/

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We need an improved EU attitude towards Russia and Russia toward the EU, but not at the expense of the states and peoples of central Europe, he said

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier thinks the European policy towards the Russian Federation should not be limited solely to sanctions, ZIK reports.

During the Munich Security Conference he said the European Union and Russia should improve relations with each other.

In this case, Steinmeier noted that the change in relations should not occur at the expense of other states and peoples of central Europe.

We need an improved EU attitude towards Russia and Russia toward the EU, but not at the expense of the states and peoples of central Europe, he says.

According to the German president, European policy towards Russia should not be limited to sanctions and statements with elements of condemnation.

Along with this, Steinmeier called for strengthening the dialogue with the Russian Federation, paying attention to the partners point of view, and also trying to understand the opponent and its interests.

Without this, he said, it would not be possible to maintain a nuclear agreement with Iran, as well as to achieve peace in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized the US for neglecting its international duties and warned of an increasingly destructive dynamic in world politics.

"Year by year, we are distancing ourselves from the goal of international cooperation to create a more peaceful world," Steinmeier said in his opening address. He criticized world powers Russia and China before adding that "our closest ally, the United States, under the current administration itself rejects the idea of an international community."




"Serving in the military changes you. The shades and degrees of change vary for everyone, but no one is ever the same as...
A 23-year-old man has been identified as the domestic violence suspect accused of opening fire on a Charleston deputy who chased after his vehicle on Thursday.

Albert Lee Scott III, of Summerville, was charged with failure to stop for blue lights and has an outstanding warrant through the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. More charges are possible, Charleston County Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Roger Antonio said.

North Charleston police warned deputies that Scott, armed with a rifle, had fled the scene of a domestic violence incident around 11 p.m., according to an incident report. When Master Deputy Robert Haslip saw a car matching police's description, he tried to pull the driver over at Highway 78 and Ladson Road.

But Scott sped on, taking Ladson Road into Dorchester County before abandoning the vehicle on Salters Lane and running into the woods, according to the report. When Haslip ran after him, Scott opened fire.

Haslip, who wasn't hit, returned fire and struck Scott, according to the report. Scott was taken to a hospital for treatment before he was transferred to the Charleston County jail Friday.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting. Haslip, a 9-year veteran of the department, will remain on paid administrative leave while the office conducts an internal investigation.
OMJASVIN M D By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: It has been four months since the Elephant Gate bridge was closed for demolition but due to a delay by TANGEDCO in transferring the underlying high tension power lines, the demolition still has not been completed. Railway officials said they were ready to demolish the bridge and reconstruct the central part, while the Corporation would build the western and eastern side slopes. However, we are awaiting for high-transmission lines to be shifted, which is expected to take place within a month, said the railways official. The railways have just removed asphalt in a few spots on the bridge.

Though traffic police has barricaded the entry points, two-wheelers manage to lift their bikes and cross the dilapidated bridge. This is mainly due to beat the heavy traffic on diversion routes. According to the diversions, vehicles heading to Demellows Road from Wall Tax Road can now use the Basin Bridge or take a two-km detour through Wall Tax Road (Central Station), take a right to Raja Muthiah and come back to Choolai. Vehicles from Demellows Road heading to Wall Tax Rod or Mint can use the Basin Bridge. Traffic officials said the diversion will remain till reconstruction of the bridge.

About 5000 people have signed in the online petition platform Change.org expressing their everyday discomfort as the demolition has not started yet. After almost two centuries, officials decided to demolish the bridge in 2017. The corporation then announced that it would spend `26.45 crore to reconstruct the East and West slopes while the central part, constructed by railways, will be extended from 50 to 150m. However, it never took off due to Tangedco not finding a spot to shift the lines. Now that, they have found a spot, the delay is due to shifting the lines. When contacted, Tangedco officials said construction of substation nearby was over and work is on to shift the electric lines.

Diversion to remain

Traffic officials said the diversion for all vehicles will remain till reconstruction of the Elephant Gate bridge.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 03:01:06|Editor: yan

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RABAT, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan police arrested in the northern city of Tangier two Danish nationals wanted in an international arrest warrant for drug and psychotropic pills trafficking, a police statement said Saturday.

The two suspects were arrested on Friday evening in an apartment, along with a third Danish national who was responsible for providing them with financial and logistical resources during their stay in Morocco, according to the statement.

A large sum of money in national currency and cannabis rolls were also seized in the operation.

The suspects, who were residing illegally in Morocco, are wanted by the Danish judicial authorities for their involvement in international drug trafficking cases.

Both were remanded in police custody pending extradition, while the third suspect is under preliminary investigation to determine all criminal acts, the police statement noted.
West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra on Saturday claimed that Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee was "worried" about the tie-up between the Congress and the Left.

Mitra's reaction came a day after the West Bengal chief minister criticised opposition parties in the state for spreading "political pollution" and accused the CPI(M) and the Congress for "politically surrendering" before the BJP.

"The chief minister is worried with the alliance between the Congress and the CPI(M). She has been saying this out of frustration because her prediction since 1998 that our alliance will fail was proved wrong time and again," Mitra said.

The Congress is fighting against the BJP across the country to counter its " of hatred", the Congress leader said.

"Is this (attack on the Congress) her attempt to weaken our fight," Mitra asked.

The Congress veteran also said that the party was aiming to take their alliance with the Left parties to the grassroots for the upcoming civic polls and assembly elections in West Bengal.

"We have formed this alliance (with the Left) not only for the upcoming elections but on demand of the common people... We will fight the upcoming civic polls together," Mitra said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Workforce diversity is becoming an increasingly vital component in the business world. There is good reason for this trend. Research shows that more diverse staffs have been linked to rising company productivity levels, which directly correlate with increased profitability. In fact, Barrons recently published an article highlighting the many ways diversity has measurable impacts on firmss success. In short, todays businesses simply cannot afford to ignore diversity when hiring.

Bottom lines are impacted by diversity across the board: gender and sexuality, ethnicity  even age, which is often overlooked as a category of potential discrimination. Understanding how diversity of all types affects profitability is the first step to incorporating this broader-minded philosophy into a companys culture. Below are four ways diversity impacts the bottom line for businesses of all sizes.

Related: Diverse Hiring and Inclusive Leadership Is How Startups Thrive

1. Diversity attracts more talent

Companies that display ethnic, gender and age diversity appeal to a broader spectrum of job seekers, giving those companies a better chance at attracting top talent. Todays companies are in a fierce competition for the best employees and are always looking for ways to draw them in. Simply put, diverse companies appeal to a diverse workforce and have a distinct advantage over companies that do not have a healthy percentage of women and people of color and varying ages on staff. When recruiting, businesses that source candidates from a diverse base are more likely to hire people with diverse characteristics.

2. Different experiences lead to more innovation

If everyone on the team thinks the same way, theres little room for innovation, which creates a stifling environment for inventing the next big thing. On the other hand, people from dissimilar walks of life approach the world from a wide range of perspectives and offer unique intellectual capital to the companies for which they work.

Listening to the viewpoints of those who have had different experiences engenders richer brainstorming sessions, which foster outside-the-box thinking and higher levels of creativity for todays companies. These sessions can in turn lead to an idea or invention that will help a firm distinguish itself from its competitors and become more successful.

3. Diverse thought leads to increased customer satisfaction

Serving the end user is difficult if a companys decision-making team doesnt include people who can relate to that customer. A diverse team is more likely to relate to a particular audiences wants, needs and pain points, creating greater opportunities to resonate with customers. Also, a diverse staff introduces the potential to reach new demographics in ways that might not have come to light with a homogenous group at the helm. Ultimately, customer volume and satisfaction can be improved through higher levels of diversity, which raises profitability.

4. A diverse team resonates with both customers and investors

Todays investors and customers are keeping a keen eye on Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) when it comes to the companies they invest in and support. Diversity is playing an increasing role in how these groups assess ESG. As clients and customers become more diverse, they want to work with and support diverse people; therefore, these groups seek out companies that actively and openly champion diversity as a pillar of their philosophy. Having a more diverse workforce gives entrepreneurial firms a better chance of connecting with the investors and customers who will help them grow their businesses.

Related: Correct Myths About Diversity Hiring

Growing demand to increase company diversity is leading to a greater emphasis on this characteristic in the business realm. Just as sustainability was once a nice-to-have quality in a company and is now a necessity, diversity is fast becoming the norm rather than the exception among businesses. By recognizing how diversity is linked with greater innovation, increased customer volume and satisfaction, better ESG profiles and a higher likelihood of attracting top talent, entrepreneurial firms can begin to incorporate diverse hiring strategies that will lead to rising profitability.

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A head-on crash Friday afternoon in Warren County sent three occupants of one vehicle to the hospital aboard medical helicopters, according to police.

The crash was reported about 3:25 p.m. on the southbound side of the 300 block of Route 31 South in Washington Township, township police said.

Three occupants of a gray Toyota Prius that collided with a white pickup truck were flown by three medical helicopters to Morristown Medical Center for treatment, police Lt. John Kaufmann said.

The driver of the pickup truck was taken by the Franklin Township Rescue Squad to St. Luke's Hospital in Phillipsburg.

The crash remained under investigation.

Authorities respond to a head-on crash the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, on Route 31 South in Washington Township, Warren County. All three occupants of a gray Toyota Prius were flown by medical helicopters to an area hospital for treatment, while the driver of a white pickup truck was taken by ambulance, according to police. Rich Maxwell | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Authorities closed Route 31 South in the area of the crash for about 90 minutes.

Also assisting township police along with the Franklin squad, New Jersey State Police NorthSTAR and Atlantic Air Ambulance were rescue squads from Washington, Mansfield Township and Hampton; Washington Borough, Washington Township and Hampton fire departments; and the New Jersey Department of Transportation, according to Kaufmann.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
CNN Philippines (February 15)  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan has welcomed the Philippine governments decision to lift the travel ban on visitors coming to and from the self-governing island, saying diplomacy works.

Jaushieh Wu, minister of foreign affairs said in tweet late Thursday, Im glad the Philippines government lifted its travel ban on #Taiwan. Thanks all who helped in the process. #Taiwan & the #Philippines are close neighbors & good friends. Mabuhay!

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, in an Instagram post on Friday, thanked their "friends in the Philippines who spoke up for Taiwan" as she vowed to continue fostering closer ties with one of their closest neighbors. She said that Filipinos who study, visit and work in their state have nothing to worry about so long as they comply with health prevention guidelines on the viral disease officially called the COVID-19, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

The Philippines Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases announced Friday that it is scrapping its order to bar the entry of tourists coming from Taiwan, citing the self-administered states implementation of very strict and excellent protocols in handing travelers.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin said "there was never any sane reason to ban it."

The decision came after Manila Economic and Cultural Office chairperson Angelito Banayo reportedly warned on Wednesday that Taiwan might retaliate by cancelling the visa-free privileges of Filipinos visiting Taiwan, among others.

On February 10 or a week after the country widened the restrictions for people  except those with Philippine passports and Philippine resident visas -- coming into the country. The move was explained as a precaution amid the spread of the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 across mainland China.

The Philippines' temporary travel ban originally covered tourists coming directly from mainland China, and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau. President Duterte also considers China as one of, if not its most important Asian allies.

Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo earlier said Taiwan was considered by the World Health Organization as part of China, so it was included in the ban. The Philippines also follows the One China policy in diplomatic relations. But Malacanang said the travel ban on Taiwan has nothing to do with that, allaying concerns that the decision was politically motivated.

The body that handles Philippines-Taiwan affairs in the Philippines asserted that Taiwan issues its own passport and visas and has exclusive jurisdiction over its people and territory.

Taiwan is not, nor has it ever been, part of the Peoples Republic of China, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines said in a statement on Friday as it commended the recent move of the country.
Its a rotten night, the rain is bucketing down and the roads out of Dublin are blocked up.

Inside the function room of the Ashbourne House Hotel in the commuter town, theres a small enough gathering of just 44 people scattered across the 100-odd seats laid out to hear the Annual Thomas Ashe Commemorative Lecture on Building sustainable communities in a housing crisis.

Ashe was a Republican who led the Volunteers in the successful Battle of Ashbourne during the Easter Rising and died on hunger strike a year later.

In other words, its a Sinn Fein meeting under a different name.

The meeting is held and chaired by Darren ORourke, the local Sinn Fein councillor who scraped across the line for the last seat in the local elections a few months earlier, finishing eighth on the first count with just 501 votes.

His chances of making an impact in the next general election are pretty slim.

The star attraction hasnt exactly drawn a crowd.

Eoin O Broin is dressed casually in jeans, a green check shirt, brown belt and brown shoes.

His hair is cut neat and short, with a fringe and he has a short beard.

Combining his old-fashioned round spectacles with a sack jacket, the image is deliberately hipster crossed with Soviet-era proletariat worker.

Expand Close Hopes talks will bear fruit: Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald jokes with a stall owner on Dublins Moore Street watched by Eoin O Broin. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty / Facebook

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Whatsapp Hopes talks will bear fruit: Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald jokes with a stall owner on Dublins Moore Street watched by Eoin O Broin. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty

The lecture is more of a chat about the state of housing in the country, the lack of supply, the rise of rents.

Rents are up 37pc since 2016. Thats 4,000 a year. Has anybody here had a pay rise of 4,000? he asks rhetorically.

The solutions proffered are around what was government policy in the 1930s and 1940s, with the State building large numbers of houses and offering finance to homeowners to buy.

He marks 1987 as the turning point, when the State pulled back and the banks stepped in, and brings the audience up to the modern-day problems of shortage of supply.

The address is gently littered with statistics, quotes from experts and references to European models of housing. The style is engaging without being too dense.

The speech is based on O Broins book Home: Why Public Housing is the Answer. In the book, published last year, he argues for a new style of public housing, covering local authority houses, cost-rental where the rent is set at a low rate that just seeks to pay back the cost of the building, and affordable housing that is in reach of ordinary people.

He cites Aneurin Bevan, the reforming Labour Minister from post-war Britain as an inspiration. Bevan saw housing as a service similar to the NHS and it was about supply and quality, ensuring everyone had access to decent and affordable homes, with people still having the option to live in owner occupation or the private sector if they chose, with funding available to homeowners and landlords to bring accommodation up to standard.

The small attendance at the lecture is probably reflective of the partys standing.

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The cost and scarcity of housing is a preoccupation of many people, impacting upon lives up and down the country, but it isnt catching on as a protest issue like the water charges did.

O Broin is a ready-made campaign in search of a following.

We have to build a State-wide movement to change, he says.

Afterwards he signs copies of his book and casually predicts that his candidate in the forthcoming by-election in his constituency of Dublin Mid-West, Mark Ward, is one to watch and in with a real shot of winning.

Given the hammering the Shinners took in the local and European elections, it seems like far-fetched propaganda.

But he was right.

Four months later, Darren ORourke would take out a Fine Gael Cabinet minister, when Regina Doherty became the biggest Sinn Fein scalp as the Shinner Storm hit the country in the general election.

Adamstown: November 30

Mary-Lou McDonald is grinning like the cat that got the cream.

In the count centre in Adamstown Community Centre she walks up to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who congratulates her.

Her candidate, Ward, is about to be declared the victor in the by-election, taking the seat held by former Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald and defeating Fine Gael candidate Emer Higgins.

Expand Close Dublin mid West election winner Mark Ward TD with his son Oisin Ward 11 during a press briefing by Sinn Fein at Leinster House Dublin. Photo:Gareth Chaney/Collins / Facebook

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Whatsapp Dublin mid West election winner Mark Ward TD with his son Oisin Ward 11 during a press briefing by Sinn Fein at Leinster House Dublin. Photo:Gareth Chaney/Collins

Its a sweet victory.

During McDonalds term as leader, the party has taken a pasting in the Presidential election, local elections and European elections. Support in opinion polls remains static and there are doubts about McDonalds ability to bring the party on after replacing Gerry Adams.

The Dublin Mid-West win is an important turning point in the partys fortunes  and a harbinger of whats to come.

And its come about because O Broin and Sinn Fein have gone back to basics.

In a set of four by-elections, marked by profound disinterest on the part of voters, Sinn Fein made sure their voters turned out.

The constituency covers the sprawling suburbs, beyond the M50 of Clondalkin and Lucan and villages that have turned into towns such as Newcastle and Rathcoole.

The scars of bad planning in the past, particularly in the 1980s, are in evidence here every day.

This was the Wild West of planning in Dublin.

A lack of public transport and massive estates built away from community centres, shops and facilities is the hallmark.

Sinn Fein now has two seats in Dublin Mid-West and wont give them up easily.

Twas far from the sprawling housing estates of west Dublin Eoin Ruairi O Broin was reared.

He grew up in the rarefied surrounds of Cabinteely in south Co Dublin.

His father, Sean, was a bank official with the old Hibernian Bank and then Bank of Ireland, and was seemingly apolitical. However, he was reared in working class Dolphins Barn and educated at Colaiste Mhuire, where his love for the Irish language blossomed.

Although it was rarely referenced, his father, Eoins grandfather, was active in Clann na Poblachta, with Sean McBride and Maud Gonne McBride, and later supported the Workers Party and Democratic Left, canvassing for Eric Byrne, who would ultimately go on to become a Labour Party TD.

His mother Catherine, maiden name Corcoran, was from Tipperary town and her family were also rural Labour supporters, but politics wasnt huge in the house. She was an admirer of local Labour TD Barry Desmond, who was Minister for Health in the Garret FitzGerald Fine Gael-led coalition in the 1980s.

O Broin went to that bastion of south-side privilege, the elite fee-paying Blackrock College.

Music, not politics, was his passion as a teenager. He was in the brass band in school and went on to play guitar in rock and folk bands, including a group called The Foremen, whose claim to fame was once supporting Rory Gallagher at a small festival.

There was little sign in late 1980s and early 1990s that the southside Dublin boy with shoulder-length blond dreadlocks would go on to become a cultural revolutionary, bringing the middle classes to the Republican socialism cause.

The political bug hit when he attended the left-leaning University of East London, where he studied cultural studies. Working in restaurants, he became involved with the catering trade union, and also gravitated to the Irish Centre, becoming chairman. He met many people from Northern Ireland and got involved with Sinn Fein.

Now deeply politicised, he returned to Dublin in the mid-1990s, working on Sinn Feins propaganda newspaper, An Phoblacht. Heading to Belfast, he studied an MA in Politics at Queens University and became a Sinn Fein councillor in north Belfast from 2001 to 2004, where his interest in housing issues grew.

He also worked as Sinn Feins Director of European Affairs during the period, when future party leader and fellow privately-educated party colleague, McDonald, was the partys MEP and rising star.

Returning to Dublin, he ran for Sinn Fein in his native Dun Laoghaire in the 2007 general election, coming last. He took three years away from Sinn Fein to work as policy adviser for Focus Ireland, the housing charity.

During this time he lived in Monkstown, Co Dublin and tried again in the local elections, running in the Ballybrack ward of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Again, he came last.

Back on his home turf, he flops.

Dun Laoghaire is not fertile ground for Sinn Fein, but even still there are dismissive murmurings within the party at the time that O Broin is too academic and bookish for elected politics.

By this time, he has published two books, Matxinada, Basque Nationalism and the Radical Basque Youth Movements in 2003 and Sinn Fein and the Politics of Left Republicanism in 2009.

The breakthrough comes when O Broin, as chair of Dublin Sinn Fein, is on a group tasked with finding candidates to run in certain constituencies in the capital.

In the absence of anyone else, he is chosen.

He relocates to Clondalkin, runs in the 2011 general election, fails to win a seat, but is just 1,000 votes off. He is co-opted on to the council in October 2013 and tops the poll in the following years local elections.

By the time the 2016 general election comes along, O Broin tops the poll and finally makes it into the Dail.

He joins the Sinn Fein frontbench as housing spokesman. Unlike Pearse Doherty and McDonald herself, at times, he is not a shouty Shinner, who bark at ministers in confrontations.

O Broin is more deliberative in his debating style.

The 47-year-old is regarded as the new face of Sinn Fein and yet hes been around the party for 25 years and is a long-time member of the partys strategy team.

He proceeds to draft the partys policy on the issue that goes on to become central to the 2020 general election.

Central to his policy is the building of 100,000 social and affordable homes, a rent freeze and tax refund for renters.

Its a bold statement and critics question how it can actually be delivered.

The rent freeze is deemed to be unconstitutional by the outgoing government as it interferes with property rights. And when it was introduced in Berlin, it resulted in investors leaving the market and a severe fall in construction.

The 100,000 homes figure would involve a huge ramping up of the construction sector and a massive increase in the public investment, well beyond the amount allowed for within current Exchequer spending limits.

Although local authorities would deliver the housing, private sector builders would construct the homes. It envisages developers switching from commercial office building to houses and apartments.

Experts in the sector say it is overly ambitious, given the availability of workers.

The number of new builds and old stock refitted that became available last year was 24,500, which was up substantially, but also shows how the industry is stretched.

However, other observers of the market say it is so straightforward its radical in its simplicity.

The policies around energy efficiency, land use, generic designs, more inspections, more rented properties and elimination of red tape appear sound, provided they can be paid for.

Yet Sinn Fein also wants to abolish property tax, which is a direct funding source for local authorities, albeit the party says it will fund council from central funds. The overall 22bn package of spending and tax cuts from Sinn Fein is highly questionable too.

Building 100,000 social and affordable homes is aspirational, leading to questions about how it will be done.

Moreover, the housing policy appears to be a paean to the home-building drives by the 1930s Fianna Fail governments of Eamon de Valera  another past pupil of Blackrock College with its Spiritan ethos of fearless and bold.

Clondalkin: February 8

As the wind and the rain of Storm Ciara whip in around Dublin from the west on election day, O Broin is knocking on doors in Lealand Drive, an estate in the Bawnogue area of Clondalkn.

Despite the massive swing towards Sinn Fein in the previous fortnight, the party is still implementing the Torrent Strategy.

This professional, systematic approach to electioneering is named after the local election in the Torrent ward of Dungannon in Co Tyrone in 1990 where it was first employed.

No matter where the party is canvassing on the island, the same method applies.

The party canvasses neighbourhoods with the electoral register, chalks up houses where support is expressed. That is then loaded into a database. In the final 24 hours and on polling day, the get-the-vote-out phase kicks in as party activists go back to those houses to remind people to vote.

Only the houses where support was expressed are canvassed at that point.

And you only do it in local authority estates. People in private estates tend not to like it.

Party units in Northern Ireland pair off with those in the Republic to work on each others campaigns.

On this occasion, West Belfast activists have come down for the last few days to help out in Clondalkin and Lucan.

The party sets up a base in a supporters house for the day.

In the beautiful hardwood and tiled kitchen of her house in Lealand Avenue, Rita Doyle churns out tea, homemade scones and sandwiches to the canvassers who come in cold, wet and with muddy shoes, stock up on leaflets, check where to next and go again.

Driving around the polling stations of west Clondalkin, where there are 3,000 council houses, to check the turnout at teatime, O Broin explains if the turnout is particularly low in an area, they will send in a team to knock on doors of supporters.

O Broin points to council and private estate that were once strongholds for Fianna Fail or the Labour Party.

Not any more.

These are now Sinn Fein estates.

The surge has brought what Sinn Fein has always wanted: to break out of its working class base into the squeezed middle coping classes.

The approach of McDonald on families, Doherty on insurance costs, Louise OReilly on A&E overcrowding and O Broin on housing have connected with the general view across rural and urban, young and old and all socio-economic classes.

These are the people who were Fianna Fail voters up to the crash, then went to Labour, but got angry at water charges and property tax.

By now the rain is lashing down, carrying out some last checks, he meets a family just back from voting.

We voted you No 1, No 2 for Mark and No 3 for Gino to get yiz all in.

Thats what we want, replies O Broin.

Mark is his running mate, Mark Ward, and Gino is the Solidarity-People Before Profit TD, Gino Kenny.

All three were elected the following day, with Kenny being dragged back to life from the Sinn Fein surplus.

Among the canvassers are O Broins partner, Lynn Boylan, the former Dublin MEP.

Expand Close Former Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan, Sinn Fein TD Eoin O' Broin & their dog Cooper arrive to vote during the European Election, Divorce referendum & Council election at Scoil Aine, New Road, Clondalkin. Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins / Facebook

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Whatsapp Former Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan, Sinn Fein TD Eoin O' Broin & their dog Cooper arrive to vote during the European Election, Divorce referendum & Council election at Scoil Aine, New Road, Clondalkin. Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins

Although viewed as a diligent member of the European Parliament, she got caught in the Sinn Fein purge last summer.

Ironically, as she would be viewed as influential in the shaping of Sinn Feins environmental and climate change policy, she got taken out by the Green Party.

Ultimately, the party planned to run her for the Dail, but their scaling back of candidates before the surge put this on hold.

From Kilnamanagh in Tallaght, the 43-year-old ecologist was a park ranger in Killarney when she ran for Sinn Fein in the first decade of the century before coming back to Dublin.

The couple are together for 10 years this month. They live with their dog, Cooper, in Clondalkin Village. Their rented cut-stone cottage in the heart of Clondalkin village, built by the adjacent Anglican Church in 1979, is just a stones throw from the Happy Pear restaurant in the nearly Round Tower centre.

The couple share a love of cooking intricate recipes from organic food.

They frequently travel to the Basque country, where O Broin is godfather to the child of one of his best friends. They also dispatch themselves to Bothar Bui, on the Beara Peninsula in west Cork, where he researches his books and writing.

Far from the stereotypical Shinner, the slightly bohemian lifestyle would be more akin to the typical Green Party activists.

Beneath his middle-class background, O Broin though is a true ideologue who subscribes to a united Ireland and subscribes to classic left-wing philosophy of mobilising the masses to subvert the elite.

He just says it more politely.

Hes bright, hes sharp, hes much more pragmatic than people might think. Hes not one to cut off his nose to spite his face, letting ideology get in the way, an observer notes.

After converting the middle classes to his thinking on housing, the longer-term project remains on track.

As of now, it looks like O Broin wont become the Minister for Housing.

Instead, hell be opposing the minister and pointing to another way.

Housing is now what water charges were four years ago  the issue the ruling parties got the most kicking from in a general election.

Unlike water charges, housing is not an easy fix.

Although Sinn Fein wont be in power, the new governments housing targets will have to live up to the expectations the party has set.
Still in the warm glow of its recent weekend Celebrating the Voice with Tara Erraught, Drogheda Classical Music continues delivering a stellar line up of artists between now and the final concert in March.

On Sunday 23 February at 7:30pm, Venuzuelan pianist, Gabriela Montero will give a solo recital in St Peter's Church of Ireland. Performing a programme of Mozart, Schumann and Beethoven, Ms Montero will also add some of her own improvised works which have thrilled audiences around the world and become her signature skill. Often, these improvisations are inspired by audience requests, so come to the concert prepared with a melody in mind. "When improvising," Montero says, "I connect to my audience in a completely unique way - and they connect with me. Because improvisation is such a huge part of who I am, it is the most natural and spontaneous way I can express myself". On hearing her practice this unique skill, fellow pianist Martha Argerich convinced Gabriela that she could combine performances of conventional repertoire with her talent of improvisations.

Born in Caracas, she began playing the piano when she was 4 and gave her first public performance aged just eight. She went on to become an award-winning and bestselling recording artist as well as a soloist with the top orchestras around the world. The New York Times described Ms. Montero as "an exciting pianist, as she proved with her brilliant, wonderfully imaginative performances".

This is the only solo recital that Gabriela will play in Ireland. She will join forces with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra the week before her recital in Drogheda and so this performance in Drogheda is much anticipated. Speaking ahead of the event, Pauline Ashwood said "I have been trying to book Ms Montero for four years and so I am delighted that she is finally coming to perform in our Series".

Ms Montero will take part in a pre-concert talk at 7pm in the church before she plays the following programme:

Mozart Piano Sonata No. 10 in C Major, K. 330 Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, 'Waldstein' Schumann Kreisleriana Op. 16 followed by improvisations

Tickets are 19 / 17 conc when booked in advance or 20 / 18 on the door, with a student / child ticket still at just 5. Booking through Droichead Arts Centre on 041 9833946 or www.droichead.com with further information available from www.droghedaclassicalmusic.com

The Series is funded by the Arts Council and Louth County Council and run in partnership with Droichead Arts Centre. With sponsorship from the d Hotel and RTE Supporting the Arts.
In order to take preventive measures, a senior official on February 14 said that US will begin testing people identified by local health authorities having flu-like symptoms for the deadly Coronavirus. It is a major step taken by the government in response to contain the deadly pandemic.

A senior official of CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Nancy Messonnier, said that the body has started working with five public health labs across the country to put efforts to conduct community-based influenza surveillance so that they can test people with flu-like symptoms.

READ: China Confirms 121 New Coronavirus Deaths, Over 5,000 New Cases

US to carry tests

Initially, the testing will be carried out by the labs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and New York and more sites are planned, as per the reports. This announcement came as the number of cases in the US soars to 15 and about 600 people are quarantined.

The US has incorporated a temporary travel ban on foreign nationals who have visited China. China has confirmed more than 5000 new cases of deadly coronavirus outbreak on February 14, according to the reports. The passengers on a cruise ship blocked from five countries due to virus fears finally disembarked in Cambodia.

READ: Japan: First Group Of Passengers Not Infected By Coronavirus Disembark Cruise Ship

CNHC records new deaths

Chinas National Health Commission said it had recorded 121 new deaths and 5,090 new coronavirus cases on the mainland on February 13, taking the total infected tally to 66, 864 people. Nearly 55,748 people are presently undergoing treatment at various hospitals across the country and 1522 people have died from the novel coronavirus outbreak that has emerged in Hubei provinces capital, Wuhan, in December.

The hard-hit Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, has reported 116 new fatalities and reported 4,823 new confirmed cases on Thursday, the provincial health commission said. The latest report brought the total confirmed cases in Hubei province to 51,986, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The World Health Organisation on Thursday said a sharp rise of 254 cases of COVID-19 (official name for coronavirus) cases in China, due to a change in counting methods, did not represent a big shift in the epidemic.

READ: Coronavirus Outbreak Could Result In $5 Billion Downfall In Airline Revenues: ICAO

READ: Vietnam Quarantines Rural Community Of 10,000 People Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Utah Senate committee approves bill to decriminalize polygamy

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An estimated 30,000 people who live in Utahs polygamous communities could soon be free from criminal prosecution after members of the state Senates Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee unanimously approved a bill Monday to decriminalize polygamy between consenting adults.

The bill now moves to the full Senate chamber for a vote.

The sponsor of Senate Bill 102, Sen. Deidre Henderson, R-Spanish Fork, argued to colleagues that the states law classifying polygamy as a felony punishable by up to five years in prison is unenforceable absent other crimes.

"Vigorous enforcement of the law during the mid-20th century did not deter the practice of plural marriage," Henderson told NPR.

Instead of ending the practice, the law criminalizing polygamy has only created a full-blown human rights crisis in which victims of abuse and fraud are afraid to come forward, and otherwise law-abiding citizens in the community are labeled as criminals, she told Senate colleagues, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The people that I have spoken with long to feel part of society, Henderson said. They are tired of being treated like second-class citizens. They feel like Utah has legalized prejudice against them. They want to be honest people, but feel like they have to lie or teach their children to lie about their families in order to stay safe.

Senate Bill 102 would reduce polygamy among consenting adults from a felony to an infraction comparable to a traffic ticket.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially disavowed the principle of plural marriages in 1890, but acknowledged that the practice continued and was condoned for decades afterward. The church now excommunicates polygamists.

In 2014, Joseph Smith, the controversial figure who founded the religion, was revealed to have had as many as 40 wives, including married women and a 14-year-old girl.

An essay released by the LDS church highlighted the history of the controversial practice carried out by Smith and some of his close associates, and noted that many of its followers can trace their lineage to polygamous relationships.

Despite monogamy being the accepted form of relationship during the 1830s when the church was founded, Smith told associates that he was commanded by an angel to engage in the practice or suffer destruction.

"When God commands a difficult task, He sometimes sends additional messengers to encourage His people to obey. Consistent with this pattern, Joseph told associates that an angel appeared to him three times between 1834 and 1842, and commanded him to proceed with plural marriage when he hesitated to move forward. During the third and final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword, threatening Joseph with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment fully," explained the essay.

"Branding all polygamists as felons has facilitated abuse, not eliminated polygamy," Henderson said as she urged lawmakers to decriminalize the practice.

She added that the bill increases penalties for bigamy in concert with abuse or other serious crimes, including fraud and child-bride marriages.

"We are basically codifying the long-standing practice of the Utah Attorney General's office: don't prosecute otherwise law-abiding polygamists unless other crimes are being committed," she said.

Amelia Anthony, a victims advocate who fled a plural marriage, argued in a statement through the anti-polygamy Sound Choices Coalition that keeping the practice as a crime is a helpful tool for victims.

Yes, this bill is written to be tough on those who coerce and manipulate; yet at church and at home  every day of their lives, crimes of coercion and manipulation are being committed ... Little girls are consistently being groomed to become plural wives and bear more children than they can physically, emotionally and financially care for; while boys will be boys, and may become leaders or end up being drones with no wives, or kicked out since most of the girls have been taken by older men..., she asserted.

With Utahs record of not prosecuting crimes within polygamous households and businesses; how can you, me or anyone trust or believe that any of those remaining laws would be enforced either? she asked.

This bill condones and gives more power to abusers and fanatics who will take their new found freedom to the extreme. They always have, and will even more. Once again, they will claim, See, God has blessed and protected us. He is on our side! So you must do as we say ... or else! Anthony wrote. Those of us who have lived on both sides of the fence, have been advocates and researchers for over 13 years, believe that passing this bill will NOT out-weigh the harms of polygamy; and will not be best for thousands of victims.
Russian biathlete Evgeny Ustyugov has been retrospectively suspended for doping by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and will lose his 2014 Olympic relay gold medal.

The 34-year-old, who also won the 2010 Olympic 15km mass start title in Vancouver, retired following the Sochi winter Games six years ago.

A sample from 2014 tested positive for a steroid and all his results for the 2013-14 season have been annulled.

The IBU also declared the 2013-14 results of Svetlana Sleptsova invalid after she tested positive for ostarine, another steroid. She did not win a title during the period in question.

The investigations were based on analysis of data from the Moscow laboratory at the heart of the infamous state-sponsored doping system in Russia.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has banned Russia from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, saying that it considers some of the data at the Moscow lab to have been tampered with.

According to Russian media, the sanctions move Russia down to third in the 2014 medal table below Norway and Canada, having originally finished first.

The head of the Union of Russian biathletes told agency TASS that Ustyugov and Sleptsova would appeal their punishments.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A pensioner who was arrested in connection with allegations of historic sex abuse within Ireland's scouting movement has been released without charge.

The man, who is aged in his 70s, was arrested on Friday, February 14 at an address in Cork and brought to Togher garda station for questioning over abuse allegations levelled by more than 20 men.

He was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 but was released without charge on Friday night.

A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The man was questioned about abuse allegations dating back over 30 years.

He previously held a number of senior and regional positions within first the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland (CBSI) and then Scouting Ireland.

His arrest followed detailed complaints from a number of men, now aged from 25 to 46 years, about sexual abuse they allegedly suffered both at scout training exercises and on scout camps.

At least one man is understood to have also made a complaint about the scout leader's behaviour known to officials within Ireland's scouting movement.

All alleged they were abused when alone with the man on scouting activities.

A number of these complaints formed the background to a showdown two years ago between the scouting movement and Children's Minister Katherine Zappone.

Ms Zappone suspended all Government funding to the scouting movement after she expressed concern over the handling of a separate and unrelated complaint by a female scout leader that she had allegedly been raped while on a scouting trip in 2009.

Funding was subsequently restored to Scouting Ireland by the Government but the child protection agency, Tusla, last year suggested that the scouting movement consider suspending all overnight trips involving juvenile members.

In respect of the Cork allegations, the businessman involved has vehemently denied all the claims.

Several complainants said he supplied them with alcohol on camps. Others alleged the abuse occurred after he showed them lewd images.

Officers from the Garda Protective Services Unit (GPSU) in Cork conducted a number of related search operations.

These included searches of a number of properties in both Cork and Kerry.

Garda experts will now conduct a detailed examination of a number of items seized from the properties ranging from documentation to electronic devices, computers and phones.

A Garda spokesperson said that the force will liaise closely with Tusla over the matters involved.

"Each and every complaint made to An Garda Siochana will be investigated with professionalism and compassion," a spokesperson said.

"An Garda Siochana is appealing to any victim(s) who have not yet come forward to make a complaint at their local Garda station or via the confidential historical abuse phone line at (1800) 555222."

The allegations involved date back to the 1980s and involved a scout unit based in Munster.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 05:45:01|Editor: yan

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ROME, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Friday unveiled a multi-billion-euro 10-year investment plan aimed at stimulating the economy and creating jobs in the country's chronically impoverished southern regions.

Conte presented the plan, called Sud 2030, jointly with Education Minister Lucia Azzolina and Minister for the South Giuseppe Provenzano at a school in the port city of Gioia Tauro in the tip of Italy's boot.

The government is allocating 21 billion euros (22.3 billion U.S. dollars) in public spending in the South between 2020-2022 -- a 65 percent increase compared to 2016-2018, and will leverage and co-finance European Union (EU) funding to bring overall investments to 123 billion euros in 2021-2027, according to the plan described during a press conference posted on Conte's Facebook page.

"This is the first time an (Italian) government commits to a 10-year project for the South," said Conte.

"We want no more toxic narratives for the South -- we want it to become a symbol of ambition and excellence," said Conte.

According to a November 2019 report by the Association for Industrial Development in the South (SVIMEZ), "the demographic crisis and emigration accentuate the gap between the South and the Centre-North".

Italy's southern population "has grown by just 81,000 inhabitants since the beginning of the century, compared to 3.3 million (residents) in the Centre-North," the report said. "The South will lose 5 million inhabitants over the next 50 years."

"We've been overlooking the true emergency of our country, which is the exodus of the new generations," said Provenzano. "Young people must be free to leave but they also must have the opportunity to return and most of all... they must have the right to remain."

The minister pointed out that the plan will reverse a trend that saw public investments in the South decrease from 21 billion euros in 2008 to 10.3 billion euros in 2018.
When a boat capsizes, floodwaters encroach on a home or an inner-tube floater goes missing, Branden Bachman answers the call.

The president of Pennsylvania Water Rescue has been helping pull swimmers out of the Delaware River since he was 16.

But the non-renewal of the organizations lease threatens to shut the doors of the 38-year-old nonprofit.

The organization benefits from a $1-a-year lease for its garage at 444 N. 13th St. in Easton. Pennsylvania Water Rescue only raises about $20,000 to $25,000 a year. Those funds go to insurance and equipment upkeep. None of it comes from taxpayer dollars and no one in the organization gets paid.

They cant afford to lease a new garage so they either need to work something out with the property owner or find someone else willing to lease space for next to nothing. The lease agreement has been in place since 1991, but a letter the organization received in January says the property was sold. They have to be out by June 30.

If we dont find a place, we will be shutting our doors by June, Bachman said.

RELATED STORY: Easton area pigment plant is sold. It could be demolished, Easton mayor says

Thats heartbreaking for Bachman, whose father was one of the organizations co-founders in 1982.

If the time comes we have to shut down its going to be rough for a lot of people and there will be the loss of a lot of resources, he said.

Searchers from Palmer Township police, fire department and Pennsylvania Water Rescue on Feb. 26, 2019, look for evidence of a crime along the Bushkill Creek near where Easton, Wilson Borough, Forks Township and Palmer Township meet. Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

The organization keeps its two trucks and four boats in the garage. They also have an office, bathroom and meeting space for training there.

Pennsylvania Water Rescue supplements the water responses provided by Easton, Lower Mount Bethel Township, Palmer Township and Williams Township. There are about 20 members, although 10 are active, Bachman said. The divers find guns and evidence on a river bottom. They sometimes help find the bodies of swimmers. They help people who fall through ice. Their services are in high demand from May to August, Bachman said.

I couldnt even tell you how many calls we get, he said. Unfortunately, thats the time of year they face their shutdown, Bachman said.

At this point were just trying to get the word out, to get the story out and see if there is someone interested in helping us out, Bachman said.

The landlord sold the property Jan 8. John P. Gifford notified Pennsylvania Water Rescue on Jan. 22 that the lease would not be renewed. He represents the previous landowner. He declined to give Pennsylvania Water Rescue contact information for the new owner, Abacus Industrial Holdings of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Gifford didnt return messages seeking comment. Contact information for Abacus Industrial wasnt available.

Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. believes the new owner plans to level buildings on the 107-acre property, clean up pollutants there and either sell the land or redevelop it.

Bachman said his organization has a meeting next week to see whether Lafayette College has property that could fit Pennsylvania Water Rescues needs. Its unclear whether the meeting will yield a solution. College spokesman Mark Eyerly didnt have any information about the meeting on Friday.

The reality of the situation is if we dont get someone or an organization to step up, were going to be shutting down operations, Bachman said.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
The foreign ministers of China and the Vatican have met in the first such high-level encounter between the sides, which do not have diplomatic ties, Beijing's state media said Saturday.

The meeting between China's Wang Yi and Archbishop Paul Gallagher in Munich, Germany, on Friday comes as relations between the two sides steadily improve following a landmark agreement on the appointment of bishops in 2018.

The People's Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece, said Gallagher and Wang spoke about China's efforts to combat the new coronavirus epidemic, describing it as their first-ever meeting.

The Vatican News, the Holy See's official information website, cited a statement as saying that the meeting -- which took place during the Munich Security Conference -- covered the 2018 agreement.

The two sides agreed to "continue the institutional dialogue at the bilateral level to promote the life of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people", the statement said, according to Vatican

China's roughly 12 million Catholics have for decades been split between a government-run association, whose clergy were chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.

But under the terms of the deal agreed in September 2018, both Beijing and the Vatican now have a say in appointing Catholic bishops.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Cabinet reshuffle Thursday ended with the resignation of his chancellor, Sajid Javid.

Javid had only been in the position for seven months and was understood not to be under threat in a reshuffle that had been trailed as a low-key affair. His position was seen as being particularly secure given that Johnsons spring budget, the first since his landslide December general election victory, is just weeks away.

Johnson sacked five cabinet ministers: Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith, business secretary Andrea Leadsom, Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox. Then, in the afternoon, news broke that Javid had resigned.

Johnson made it impossible for him to stay in the role. Javid was instructed that he must sack all five of his advisers and replace them with ones recommended by Johnson and his arch-strategist Dominic Cumming. This was in order to create a joint unit between Johnsons office in 10 Downing Street and the Treasury team at Number 11.

Javid quit, declaring that Johnson attached conditions to him staying on as chancellor which no self-respecting minister would accept.

The Huffington Posts Paul Waugh noted that no one at the Treasury foresaw Johnsons aim that his chief adviser Dominic Cummings would be in charge of the new advisory team. But anyone slightly off message, including Smith, who had been generally praised in his role as Northern Ireland, as had Cox on Brexit issues, was discarded.

Javids ignominious exit confirms the essential agenda of the Johnson government is one of escalating the class-war offensive against workers.

When Johnson took office the nominally liberal Guardians economics editor, Larry Elliott, asserted, Johnson has shifted the Tories left on the economy. Instead, after Javid declared prior to the December election that the page is turned on a decade of austerity, within days of winning office he announced that all government departments had to come up with another 5 percent in savings.

The Financial Times commented that Javid and Johnson signed a joint letter to ministers that budgets remain extremely tight, even after a decade of austerity in public services. Departments were instructed to name 10 projects that could be scrapped in this autumns comprehensive spending review led by the Treasury. Ministers would be required to go through every line of departmental budgets assessing value for money and present radical options to cut spending.

Johnsons government is taking a hard line on Brexit against the European Union (EU) in its trade talks over the next 10 months. Accompanying this will be a massive stepping up of austerity in furtherance of trade war.

To impose such attacks, Johnsons office is accruing enormous powers to itselfincluding tearing up the much vaunted semi-independent status of Number 11 chancellors who sign the chequesto ram through an agenda that will have explosive consequences, both internationally and nationally. Javid is political collateral damage.

Javid was replaced by Rishi Sunak, described by Johnson as his favourite minister. During the election campaign, when Johnson refused to attend candidates debates, Sunak stood in for him.

Following his education at prestigious private school, Winchester Collegethe same institution attended by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns Stalinist adviser Seamus MilneSunak graduated from Oxford university.

From there he obtained a degree in business administration from Stanford University in the United States. There he met his future wife Akshata, daughter of the billionaire co-founder of Indian outsourcing company Infosys, and Indias sixth-richest man, Narayana Murthy.

Sunak was employed at Goldman Sachs before moving to British hedge fund TCI. This had a reputation for aggressive activism that helped trigger the sale of Dutch bank ABN Amro to the Royal Bank of Scotland during Mr Sunaks time there, noted the Financial Times. The WSWS noted previously of TCIs modus operandi, The fund buys into companies whose share price has fallen sharply, ensures that the yield and therefore the share price rises again by imposing mass layoffs and dismantling the entire concern, finally sucking out millions and billions of euros from the leftovers before moving on to look for new victims. What remains are tens of thousands of workers and their families who have been pushed into unemployment and poverty.

Before making his way into politics, Sunak worked at another hedge fund, Theleme Partners, and was a director at Catamaran Ventures, the investment office of the Murthy family.

Sunak is also the main architect of the Free Ports policy that Johnsons hard-Brexit wing of the Tory party have wanted in place for years. In 2016, he issued a report, The Free Ports Opportunity, calling for an extensive and ambitious network of UK Free Ports  These would not only provide domestic manufacturers with a wealth of tangible benefits, but also send a clear message to international markets that Britains new global role will be open, innovative, and outward looking.

Free Ports, which can be based at any location in the UKnot simply at portsare essential for setting the benchmark for ramping up the exploitation of the working class to ensure the competitiveness of the British capitalist class post-Brexit. Johnson is seeking to roll out around 10 free ports initially that offer lower levels of taxation, no VAT, and have few regulations.

Their creation is seen as imperative in attracting global investmentat the expense of the EU and Britains main competitors. Another hard-Brexiteer, Simon Clarke, insisted, In summary, we should not aim to establish the type of insipid freeport that one finds across the European continent. Instead, we should aspire to construct supercharged freeports like those found in China, the US and the Middle East.

The pro-Brexit Daily Telegraph  was clear as to the meaning of Javids ouster. In an editorial Friday, New Chancellor has a chance to be radical, it stated that although Javid was a bright political talent there were rumours that he was considering some popular measures in his next budget, including a mansion tax. It appeared that Javid had been persuaded by civil servants to consider socialist measures that even the last Labour government would never have touched.

The message to Sunak on his first budget was, Let it be radical. The Tories have an historic opportunity to rethink the way Britain works. They could do what the Treasury prefers and keep all the old regulations, sticking close to Europe while the Government taxes and spends incautiously. Alternatively, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Sunak could plan for a smaller state, judicious investment and lower taxes, and thus build the free enterprise economy of a serious global competitor.

On his first day in Cabinet, the Guardian reported that Downing Street told the media that Sunak had reminded ministers of their need to find savings of 5 percent from their departmental budgets, to be reprioritised for other purposes.
General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, believes strongly that the reassignment of Bryan Acheampong as Minister of State at the Interior Ministry is a clear attempt by the NPP to rig the 2020 general elections.



According to him, the appointment legitimizes the conduct of the Minister who was cited by the Emile Short Commission.



Bryan Acheampong & Quartey Reassigned



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Thursday morning reassigned the Minister of State at the Ministry of National Security, Mr. Bryan Acheampong and Mr. Henry Quartey, the Deputy Minister of Interior with immediate effect.



"Hon. Bryan Acheampong, MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of National Security, is now Minister of State at the Ministry of Interior;"



"Hon. Henry Quartey, MP, Deputy Minister for Interior, is now deputy Minister at the Ministry of National Security," said a statement issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr. Eugene Arhin on Thursday morning [February 13, 2020].



Short's Commission Recommendation



The statement did not provide reasons for the reassignments, however, Graphic Online gathers there has been some talking in government circles and within the security agencies of friction between Mr. Bryan Acheampong and the Minister of National Security, Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah.



The issue of clarity of roles between the Minister of National Security and the Minister of State at the National Security came up during the work of the Emile Short Commission on the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.



The Commission's report indicated that there should be a clear role for the Minister of State at the National Security, however, that assertion was shot down by the government in its White Paper.



Legitimizing Deployment Of Thugs



Speaking on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia program, the NDC General Secretary explained that this is a clear indication that the Akufo-Addo government has plans to rig the 202 general elections.



"How can you appoint somebody who has been indicted in a Commissions report for wrongdoing during a by-election to head a sensitive Ministry during an election period?



"The presidents action will legitimize the conduct of Mr. Acheampong and give him the legitimate authority to deploy thugs they have trained and embedded in the police service for election security," Asiedu Nketiah opined.



He, however, issued a note of caution to the ruling NPP vowing that they (NDC) will not countenance any mischievous acts during this year's election period.



"We will continue to sound this warning until the right thing is done by the government," he added.











Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday warned that Russia would continue to try to "destabilise" Western democracies by interfering in elections, social media manipulation and other acts of cyber warfare.

Moscow would carry out its work "either through private actors, directly through its agencies, or through proxies", Macron said at the Munich Security Conference.

Russia has been accused of interfering in a string of elections, most notably the 2016 vote that put US President Donald Trump in the White House and Britain's Brexit referendum.

Macron predicted Moscow would be "extremely aggressive" in this arena "in the months and years to come".

But the French leader, who hopes to be re-elected in 2022, stressed that Russia was not alone in meddling in foreign elections.

He said "conservative actors from America's ultra-right" had sought to interfere in European elections and urged European intelligence agencies to cooperate more closely.

So-called deep fake videos and information designed to mislead and divide were spreading online without accountability, he said, calling for an urgent response.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Paris: A sex scandal brought an end to the campaign of a Paris mayoral candidate on Friday, an unusual episode in a country with a reputation for shrugging over extramarital affairs and the private lives of its politicians.

Paris mayoral candidate Benjamin Griveaux has stepped down. Credit:AP

Benjamin Griveaux announced he was ending his campaign after the circulation of an undated video apparently depicting him masturbating - footage the politician allegedly recorded on his phone and sent to a woman who was not his wife.

His departure shakes up the Paris mayor's race. With only a month to go before the vote, President Emmanuel Macron's party now does not have a candidate - though Griveaux had already been trailing in the polls.

But the bigger question on people's minds was why he bowed out and why he did it so quickly.
It is my honor to serve the Rio Rancho Police Department and the fine citizens of Rio Rancho as the police chief.

In March of 2018, citizens in Rio Rancho voted in favor of a general obligation (G.O.) bond that funded the replacement of police and fire vehicles. For the police department, that meant 50 brand-new cars, pickup trucks and SUVs.

It was imperative that we replace the fleet of vehicles to ensure the safe and efficient response of our officers to emergency calls for service.

In a city covering over 100 square miles, it is important that our police officers get where they need to go safely. Our police officers are thankful the voters approved the G.O. bond in 2018; the people we help every day are appreciative as well.

The voters will be asked to renew the G.O. bond in the upcoming March election. We have specific goals that will enhance public safety and improve the quality of our aging police headquarters.

We are often called to large-scale events and emergencies throughout the city. This requires a functional command post and mobile work space for the officers and detectives.

Our current mobile command-post vehicle is rapidly aging to the point where repairs are no longer practical. It is older than some of our new officers.

G.O. bond renewal will provide funding to purchase a new mobile command post, one that is aligned with our mission and practical to our needs.

Without a doubt, it is important that our officers are able to speak to each other and to our dispatch operators. With G.O. bond renewal, we plan to enhance our radio communications coverage with a new repeater on Southern Boulevard, which will provide better radio contact for officers in the southwestern area of our city.

Vehicles will continue to be a need for our officers; the 50 new police cars, trucks and SUVs certainly have helped improve our fleet. With a current staff of 135 officers, each will need a reliable mode of transportation to get around our large and expansive city.

If renewed, the G.O. bond will fund additional replacement vehicles for our officers. We still have 30 police cars beyond the recommended life span for law enforcement vehicles.

Our police headquarters is in need of improvement on the exterior and interior of the building.

The G.O. bond renewal will allow us to make renovations that will include a covering/awning for our police motorcycles and drainage improvements in the police parking lot area. We also plan to expand the police gym, an area used by a majority of our officers to stay in strong physical shape.

If approved, the renewal of the G.O. bond will not result in an increase to current property taxes. Should the citizens of Rio Rancho decide against renewing the G.O. bond, residents will notice an $18 decrease for every $100,000 of value to a home.

Visit rrnm.gov/2020election for additional information about the March 3 election.

(Stewart Steele has served as Rio Rancho police chief since August 2017.)
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil



Deshmukh on Saturday said the state government had sought legal opinion on the formation of a special investigation team to probe the Elgar Parishad case.

A court in Pune hearing the Elgar Parishad case had, one Friday, passed an order to transfer the case to a special NIA court in Mumbai.

The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which police claimed triggered violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in the district the next day.

Pune police claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists and arrested nine activists.

Deshmukh said the state Home department had written to the advocate general seeking legal opinion on whether an SIT can be formed or not for the case.

Queried on whether Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had overruled NCP supremo Sharad Pawar by consenting to transfer of the Elgar Parishad to the NIA, Deshmukh said the CM had overruled him (Deshmukh), adding that "I can speak only abut me".

He denied that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was setting aside action taken against 'urban Naxals' by late RR Patil when he was home minister in an earlier Congress-NCP government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Professor Liyongs Open Letter To US Envoy To South Sudan

"The era of colonialism is over. The era of tribal hegemony cannot be introduced, so that some parts of South Sudan become new closed States."

January 30, 2020

#An open letter to President Donald Trumps Special delegation to South Sudan Hon. Tibor P. Nagy#

Dear Sir;

On behalf of myself and all the 99% South Sudanese who voted in 2011 for Separation from Sudan, and therefore effectively brought into life the present nation of South Sudan, Successor to the Southern Region of the Sudan which had got its independence from Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in 1956, I welcome you with open arms.

The present state legally came into being because we the South Sudanese voted for separation: the last will of father Clement Mboro for a referendum to conclude the comprehensive peace agreement. Had we willed otherwise, we could have voted for remaining in unity with the Sudan and would have perpetrated the status quo.

We are emphasizing the 99% creators of South Sudan by referendum because some citizens of South Sudan underplay it. It is true the SPLM-SPLA had fought a war using all tribes of South Sudan and had ground the government of Sudan to stalemate.

And it was, let me say it, and emphasize it, the American government of President George Bush, a Republican, and the Norwegian government, the Ethiopian government which took the major part in taking the two leaders to the Naivasha Peace talks ending in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement [CPA], and all that followed.

To prepare the way for taking President Bashir to the agreement took a lot of lobbying, particularly of the Christian nations. To be singled out is the contribution of the Evangelical Christian Churches of the United States.

Our self  actualization as a viable nation is far from being achieved. Had you created a monitoring base here, they who are quick to take up arms would have thought twice or you would have deterred them. We still fear the reactions amongst diehards for tribal hegemony.

The other churches, those in the Sudan, neighboring states, Britain, Canada, and America generally are not ignored.

When the truth has to be stated, it was the Evangelical Christian Churches of America whose voice sounded loudest in urging the government of the United States to get fully engaged in taking the main course that ended up in bringing us this independence, that some of us have been playing with.

And foreign national enjoys and parties treat us with kid gloves. Not without reason, some of us use our newness in the modern world as an excuse for murderous experimental actions.

When funds from United Nations agencies and foreign nations embassies, the Europeans and IGAD nations that are untouchable by our armed forces do not have to hurry bringing our near genocide to close.

After all, most of the moneys are earned by their officials, some of whom are already career officers earning handsomely what they would not have got at home.

I am therefore happy in welcoming you here and reminding you of the fact that you, and Americans generally, but American Republican government in particular, should not sit idly by when the national status we had won with the assistance of your predecessor governments has lost sense of national cohesion and now destroys itself like a crocodile or hyena that senselessly eats its own intestines.

As they say, better late than never. President Donald Trump, as an American Republican President has the right not to sit idly by when a state created through his republican predecessor is now undermining the voices of concerned participants in seeking to bring to halt the land that was created by them.

What I see being tried is a local colonization by people who, I hope I am not wrong, took fellow citizens for a ride for a two ties mission, to decolonize from the Arab local colonialist, as well as immediately transfer those very shackles on fellow citizens at home here.

But when some of them state openly that they are replacing the Arab colonialists, and want to have 17 states whereas the rest of the 63 tribes from 64 only have only 16, how can one get the arithmetic wrong?

The referendum must rank higher than the military efforts alone. The result could have been inconclusive if it had been left to the fighting forces alone. But then we were ready to try anything but continue living under Khartoum.

And this final fight  THE CASTING OF BALLOTS IN A REFERENDUM was fought by every South Sudanese. No tribe can claim winning the final war single-handed.

Just as when the first shots for independence in 1955 were fired in Torit Barracks by the Equatorian Corps of the Torit Battalion, all other South Sudanese joined. Most of us had believed SPLM/SPLA was a popular war of liberation. Some citizens of South Sudan now seek to disabuse us of that blind belief.

Nevertheless, we shall remain solid citizens of South Sudan of the districts we were in when independence was given Sudan in 1956. Then, we had belonged to the 3 provinces of Equatoria, Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile.

When for administrative reasons successive Khartoum governments re-arranged us into 10 provinces, it was these 10 provinces we took with us when in 2011 we ceded from the Sudan and became South Sudan. It is logical that the present discussions return us to the 10 states.

With the proviso that some arrangements to join us together in greater Bahr el Ghazal region, Greater Upper Nile region, Greater Equatoria region for cultural and economic reasons could be created in the future.

There could also be another arrangement whereby each state or two or more could rearrange their citizens for administrative, economic or cultural reasons or cohesion. Such arrangements could be adhoc, or interim, but there must be a mechanism to be created giving it a judicial status. If it is seen unworkable, or open to abuse, it could be revoked. Such arrangements should not have permanent standings. National constitutional arrangements can come and go, or stay as is normally the case everywhere.

Dear Ambassador;

We as South Sudanese fall into short and tall citizens, many and states with few citizens, reasonably educated citizens, and illiterates. And are scrambling to better the conditions of our people.

The means one of our component tribes has chosen is foul. It uses national resources to promote itself and its own people and keeps others behind or starves them from the resources or takes from the resource a territory that has wealth and transfers it to its own.

So when, using the resources of the nation, it has taken away, but holds its own already extant ones to itself, this is modern colonization. Taking away resources, removing the resources by giving them to their own foreign nationals is colonising.

This is the position comrades of yesterday wanting to demote fellow comrades into the category of menial servants or second class citizens.



And when you felt the bitter cold of Torit or Kapoeta thorn bushes during the war and had voted for separation are now again being colonized you baulk at such demotions, or degradation or take up arms. Worse still if the government you had voted into power does it to you.

And are zealous of your equal status being removed from you. You do not want to accept second class citizenship of the freedom your ancestors had initiated the fight for nor do you let go that easily the land God had given you being taken away by fellow nationals who leave land and confiscate yours. The above happens to be the reason for the fight against the 32 states.

Those citizens who actually stick to 32 states initiated the abrogation of the 10 states, so that the wealth of all the 32 states with Abyei Administrative area tilts the balance their way: 33 for them.

They alone abrogated the former states and their boundaries. They alone divided the land into 32 states. They gave themselves 17 states, which is more than half the 33 states.

That, Sir, is the bone of contention. All the foreign ambassadors here either had not been given the naked truth, or they cared not for it, or they had itching palms which wanted greasing by the oil dollars since they say everybody has his price. When the government has the oil money if they have desire to use it, who can blame them?

But with the Americans who are zealous of their rights as you are, we beg that you return the government from the 32 illegal states to the legal 10 states that had also taken into consideration the arrangements of 1956. Under which we had learned to arrange our affairs equitably. It may not be the best arrangement, but it is best of the rest.

Please, President Donald Trumps emissary, dont leave us in the present oligarchs hegemony. I beg you, on behalf of the 99%, who still believe that we are all good people and can see sense when explained to them, and can still be lived with as fellow citizens in equality when given better sense as fellow national citizens, and had started to see that their own people need to be taught national, rather than tribal, civic lessons.

When 63 tribes out of 64 are on one side and it is only one tribe in opposition. If you side with the lonely tribe, there will be instability forever. Even a blind man can feel the head of President Abraham Lincoln on the one dime. 63 dimes will be heavy in his hand, one dime will be nothing.

We do not promise that we shall fare faultlessly when we are out of this bush. But we have shed enough blood of our fellow national brothers or our own relatives, or caused the shedding of our own relatives, or have seen our own relatives killed by those with the powerful Russian Kalashnikovs or Chinese-made pangas and sabres to know why we should reform our lives or be jealous of trespasses in the ethical world and in moral deeds to nip in the buds any future taking of our people into the national wilderness, or future exercises in imperial expansionism into fellow nationals lands.

The era of colonialism is over. The era of tribal hegemony cannot be introduced, so that some parts of South Sudan become new closed States.

The bone of contention, dear Honorable Nagy is land encroachment. There are two big tribes: Dinka and Nuer. The Dinka claim they are the Majority, the Nuer protest, saying they are equal or nearly equal. But both have been involved in territorial expansionism.

Now the Dinka seem to have taken away the Nuer desire for it. With the Dinka leading, that is, members of their tribe going to lands which traditionally belongs to the other smaller tribes and taking over lands and properties by force. And they are aggressive in defending the lands they have taken over.

And if the International Community does not stop it, it will go ahead enjoying this dictatorship guaranteed by the UN, USA, UK, IGAD etc.

Demographically, the rest of the tribes lead in numerical count, followed by Dinkas, then the Nuer. So, there is no reason to have the lion share of states. We the non-Dinkas and the non-Nuer deserve the most states.

In Upper Nile, the main losers are the Shilluk whose kings had given other tribal ancestors lands to shelter in for a while in the past but now they have pushed the Shilluk away, and seek to push them permanently from their ancestral lands into the wilderness. Not even the King is respected; he has been brought down to the level of being fraternised as comrade.

In Equatoria they have done the same to the Bari of Juba and the Madi of Nimule. When, during the SPLM-SPLA war of liberation, the Madi of Nimule had been requested to relocate elsewhere so that Nimule becomes a fighting zone, and they complied, after the war the Dinka moved in and occupied most of Nimule claiming the land was devoid of people. And now all the permanent building in Nimule belongs to Dinka Bor.

Elsewhere in the Madi land all the buildings of the Madi are burnt, or ransacked, or destroyed. And the Madi dare not to come back. With the result that there is hardly a Madi in Madi land. Nimule has become New Bor city of Dinka Bor.

You hear a Bari fighter has not signed peace agreement. But in and around Juba, there is serious land grabbing. In Sherikat industrial area across the river they have become land  owners, distributing Bari land to fellow Dinka at will.

General Peter Cirilos ancestral village was dug up by tractors. His grand-fathers very grave was dug up and he had to flee for dear life. Who can blame him when some tribes people moved away by force from their own land to settle in Bari lands, and if the Bari youth request their only national General to lead them in defense of their land, and he consented, can you blame him? Even you Ambassador Nagy, if it was done to you would you not also do the same?

Meetings after meetings, Peter does not sign, pleading that the root causes of his revolt that he has stated in details be dealt with. Why dont the Americans also read the mighty root causes?

I wont go to lands in Muru land, or in Kajo Keji, in Magwi, in Yei or Bahr el Ghazal. The story is the same. Go to Rejaf East to see why Cirilo cannot sign any peace-agreement. For it gives to the Dinka settlers permanent residence. Their land in Bor is now left for cattle-grazing.

If this agreement is not reached, if the lands-encroachers do not return to the District boundaries of 1956, are we sure the Shilluk will not again take up arms? Will the whole South Sudan not be burning from one side to another?

If your Excellency joined the other ambassadors to let the government do as it wants if you buy into the ploy of postponement, 90 days, three months after three months whilst the government gains grounds after grounds, how will the United Nations avert any future impending genocide? Wont you Americans also be held complacent and complicit?

Will not even the international community blame them when they have been with the governments point of view and get false advice from president of Uganda Yoweri Museveni who has built Uganda with South Sudanese civil war money?



So long as oil dollars keep on flowing, our government continues funding developments in Uganda, in Kenya, in Ethiopia, in Egypt, in Eritrea as we did when General Bashir also was developing Sudan on our oil bribes.

The present Junta ruling Sudan seems to be a different brand of rulers, and so far we respect their leaders, and decisions. May God help them.

As far as Western ambassadors in Juba are concerned, the present U.S Ambassador is an exception from the other former American ambassadors. There is a feeling amongst all European ambassadors (including former American ones) to meet before sending their reports home and whatever their leader (it used to be the Norwegians) is the agreed report to be sent.

Therefore whenever the leader had sketched out the scenario, each one would then rehearse it in her or his way, differing only in details. Why there is no counter espionage to check on the veracity of their report and advice is a mystery.

We used to respect the Christian Western countries but we now doubt it, ambassadors, emissaries come, talk tough on arrival, we begin to look for change, let a week or two pass, then their teeth cannot bite any more.

They ask for postponement, for more time, 100 days, three months etc. What is so complicated about the South Sudans problems to defeat Ugandans, Kenyans, South Africans, Norwegians, Americans, Britons? Even His Holiness the Pope?

When we returned home in 2005, dear sir, the land we left was what we inherited later from the government of National Congress Party of Bashir. Nobody quarrelled with that bequest. Why? Because it kept the territorial land-boundaries that were used for elections of 1958. And those had respected the distinct boundaries.

In other words, the Arabs had respected our culture and for a better or worse, whenever you were placed by God, whatever terrain you had landed in; or whatever land your migrant ancestor had got from ancestor or God was neither good all over, no bad all over. Perhaps it suited your culture. Or you had learned to adapt yourself to your terrain. In the Sudan, the Sudd was not all together bad. There was oil underneath. Just as Botswana was not entirely a desert, there was diamond underneath! The British did not know it.

What we need was a survey of the lands of South Sudan to see what each area is good for. Rather than leave yours behind and go grab somebodys land in addition, causing pain to him and telling your terrain be destroyed by oil pollution because of your absence.

I am sure the politics of state numbers in relations to division of national wealth, national members of parliament and their effects on voting in parliament has been given to you. But did they tell you that our senators are also affected by the politics of states. There are already 17 members of senate from one tribe and we the rest have 16! In the other words, if you have 17 members and the rest have 16 you are already ahead: the winner in any election or wealth division. Election rigging is already built into the illegal constitution that was abrogated into 32 states.

To re  iterate:

We welcome you on behalf of the Republican President of the United States, President Donald Trump. The Naivasha Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the last conflict had been brought about by Republican President George Bush.

Though SPLM/A had brought the Sudanese government then to a stalemate, it was the 99% vote for separation that effectively won for us independence. Without it we would have still been in the Sudan.

We all, as South Sudanese contributed to the war. So the governments belong to us all. Some tribesmen have been trying to throw others aside, selfishly.

Evangelical Christian Churches in the lead, and others following did a lot. But we had hitherto all taken a lackadaisical attitude to it. We should not have done so.

The states numbers at our independence is part of our formational constitution. It cannot be abrogated by presidential decree. Since everybody else is against the 32 states President Salva Kiir has promulgated, let it be scrapped and let us return to the 10 states that were there. This will bring peace all over South Sudan.

Mr. Nagy, please study all contributions on this matter and have the courage Republicans are known for. The conclusion stares you in the face.

The electoral laws and numbers will need to be reviewed. There are far too many members of parliament, [450-500] and the caucus system makes discussion a mockery. For if the Majority party can do without any discussion it would not have an effect. The caucus has already decided. And it suits 32 people well.

Let these laws be reviewed by the interim government that will rule for 3 years. There are no political parties. After the election the so-called elected members of the opposition go to seek posts from the government. They call it inclusivity.

It is as if General Jaafar Nimeiris Ass As You [SSU] is here again. If a member seeks to cross to another party, he or she has to resign and seek election on the strength of the opposite partys platform. At the moment All parties of parliament and House of Chiefs are employees of SPLM whatever party they claim belonging to!

The present system is not democracy, it is dictatorship by conclusion.

Observing the South Sudanese government behaviors of the last 5 years, it looks like a path for bringing into being a tribal hegemony of one tribe over the other tribes was being pursued. And, mechanisms that were to bring it into being were being set into place, as well as those that would perpetrate it.

And to me, it looks like the abrogation of the interim constitutions Ten STATES and its replacement with the Thirty-Two STATES was the linchpin. In other words if the nation is divided into 32 states that give one tribe 16 with Abyei Administrative Area making it 32, then for everything that has to be divided according to states, that one tribe would get a major share. It would take 17, and the rest of south Sudanese would remain with 16.

Besides the oil fields that had belonged to other tribe had now been gerrymandered into the ruling tribes state, as created by that tribes elders, the master planners. We leave it as it is then tribal hegemony is going to be the occupation of all the big tribes of Africa.

Leave it as it is then you will have stamped into being Dictatorship that was being created through the postponement after postponement of South Sudan peace talks whilst gaining fresh ground and consolidating others. Instead of rapping fingers of cheats, the international bodies now would have brought into being a state ruled by one tribe through the mechanism of blame  both parties; be even-handed, blame the cheat and cheated equally!

The only way to nip it in the bud is to return us into the 10 states we inherited from Khartoum and not to tamper with the constitution of South Sudan that the CPA had given us.

There is a suggestion for an arbitrator from South Africa to settle the 32 states issue. How does South Africa come in to settle South Sudans political problem? Was there an arbitrator for South Africas case? A political issue deserves political settlement.

We want to have arbitration, then let the British House of lords be called to come and sort out the mess that the last British created instead of postponing independence, he ran away and we gave ourselves this problem that is still on-going.

We look for a bold decision Hon. Tibor P. Nagy. Deliver it to South Sudan that was created with President George Bushs power. We do not expect less from you, President Donald Trumps envoy.

If I have written much, it is because there was more to write. I am not writing for myself, but for peace loving South Sudan, loving citizens who created it by 99 percent votes. We pray that you make a difference, bring us all to 10 states. And end the War. If one tribe finds itself at odds with the other 63, it is obviously out. Thank you very much we trust you will.

Go and greet he who sent you, President Donald Trump, a Republican and may God give him his best wishes. That is the only payment I can offer him on behalf of myself and the 99 percent South Sudanese who had voted for separation and brought the nation called South Sudan to life.

Again thank you,

Yours Sincerely,

Professor Taban lo Liyong, a South Sudanese nationalist.

BA  Howard University 1966

MFA  Creative Writing, University of Iowa, 1968

FIWW  University of Iowa, 1968

Senior Lecturer an Head of Department  University of Papua New Guinea

Lecturer, Literature Department, Royal College, Nairobi, later University of Nairobi.

Senior lecturer and later Professor  University of Juba, South Sudan, 1985,

Imperial Visiting Professor  National Museum of Ethnology, Minpaku, Osaka, Japan 1993

Inaugural Visiting Professor in Social Science, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia 1994

Professor of English, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, Republic of South Africa 1995-2005

Founder and Inaugural Professor, Eskia Mphahlele Institute of African Studies, University of Venda 2000-2003

Andrew Mellot, Visiting Professor in Creating Writing, Rhodes University, Grahams town, Republic of South Africa, 2017

Various involvements in scholarship and academia, conferences and Seminars (feel free to consult Google)


People in Hanoi wear masks to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus. Photo by VnExpress/Luong Huong.

As the death toll from the novel coronavirus continues to mount globally, some Vietnamese are resorting to unusual ways to protect themselves.

Lan Anh, 21, of northern Hung Yen Province woke up from her nap one afternoon coughing and choking due to heavy smoke. She panicked, shouted for help and rushed out only to see her mother trying to fumigate the house with a homemade concoction.

Thanh, her mother, was boiling water and lebbeck fruit since she had been told this would kill the novel coronavirus (nCoV).

She said: "Everyone bought lebbeck this morning at the market. Some people even bought a couple kilos."

Anh tried to explain there was no cure or vaccine available at the moment to treat pneumonia caused by the coronavirus yet, and people should wash their hands and follow the protective measures recommended by the Ministry of Health.

But Thanh was determined to fumigate at least the living room before stopping.

"For a moment, I thought the neighborhood was on fire since smoke was coming out of every house I passed by," Anh joked.

Minh Trang, 25, of Hanoi's Ha Dong District found herself in a similar situation when her mother made her drink herbal tea from a pack she got from a pagoda, claiming it was great for the immune system.

"My mother cooked water with lemongrass and orange zest and made everyone in the family drink this concoction every morning and whenever we returned home from outside. It was very difficult to drink. My mom always stayed near to make sure I completely finished drinking it.

"At night my mother would also rub medicated oil on her feet and tell me and my sister to follow suit."

The mixture consists of crushed garlic, lemon juice, saltwater, and alcohol. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Tan.

Phan Ngoc Tan, 32, of Hanoi saw two sanitary workers making "homemade" fumigation solution, with one crushing some garlic and the other concocting the mixture.

He said: "The mixture seemed to consist of crushed garlic, lemon juice, saltwater, and alcohol. I don't know how effective it is, but the smell made me crave food."

Word-of-mouth "remedies" have been passing around ever since the first case of nCoV in Vietnam.

Nguyen Vinh, who has a traditional medicine store in central Da Nang City, said a woman came to buy pure cinnabar, which consists mainly of mercury, to disinfect her house.

"I don't know who instigated her to do this since cinnabar is extremely toxic. Only some places are even licensed to sell it. When burned, it releases pure mercury and sulfur gas, which are poisons and life threatening."

Last Thursday night Nguyen Thi Van, 42, of Thanh Hoa Province's Quang Xuong District received a call from one of her daughters in Hanoi telling her to boil chicken eggs at night and eat them right away since it would help "combat nCoV." So she turned on a light so that her daughter could climb over a wall to her grandmother's chicken coop and fetch some eggs.

The next morning Van cheerfully went to her neighbor, Hong, to tell her about the recently learned "remedy."

Listening to the story, Hong understood why the previous night her husband had boiled eggs and brought them to her bed though she had already slept by then. It turned out that dozens of people in the neighborhood ate eggs that night to fight the disease.

But a few days later the police took in and fined a woman who spread the egg cure for spreading false information.

Nguyen Thanh Hoa, 52, of Hanoi drove from her home in Hoai Duc District to Thai Ha Street in Dong Da District, to get face masks believing they would completely keep the virus at bay.

After a few minutes in line she was given three masks.

As she tried on one, she heard a passerby say: "It is strange people are worried about nCoV but are willing take free face masks from someone who didn't wear gloves."

The number of confirmed Covid-19 infections in Vietnam has reached 16, the latest being a 50-year-old man in northern Vinh Phuc Province.

The global death toll from the epidemic reached 1,523 on Saturday, with 1,520 dying in mainland China, one in the Philippines, one in Hong Kong and one in Japan.
Ben Ehrenreich at The Guardian:

It is to Townsends credit that she does not attempt to be comprehensive. The cosmology of the Aztecs, their calendar, gods and myths, get only glancing treatment here. This is a brief history, and one told subtly and well, primarily through the lives of individuals. First among them is the woman baptised by the Spanish as Marina and known in Nahuatl as Malintzin, re-hispanicised as Malinche  a name that would become a synonym for traitor. Born to a noble lineage of a people unhappily subject to Aztec rule, she was offered as a tribute payment to the Mexica and then sold to the Chontal Maya on the Yucatan coast, one of the first communities to encounter Cortess ships. Given away again to the Spaniards, she survived by making herself indispensable, serving as Cortess concubine and interpreter as he tortured and slaughtered his way around the continent. Townsend has elsewhere devoted an entire book, Matlintzins Choices, to her resurrection. She emerges here as a complex and sympathetic figure, able  as indigenous Mexicans would be for generations to come  to hold many worlds within herself at once.

more here.
Vietnamese businesses have voiced their concerns over the struggle to cope with the coronavirus due to a lack of rawmaterials

A worker on a production line of Kydo Vietnam Garment Ltd.Co in northern Hung Yen Province.

Mai Xuan Duong, president of the Garment and Textile Association in Hung Yen Province, said while businesses had not been affected that much, the possibility of lacking materials in the coming months seemed real.

Most of our materials such as cloth and thread are imported from China. Reports show we only have enough to last for another month, Duong said.

Due to the epidemic in China, our suppliers can not ensure the materials we have ordered will be delivered. Its almost unavoidable that businesses in Viet Nam will lack materials at this time, he said.

He said such shortage would result in businesses having to temporarily suspend operations, with workers being laid off, for two to four weeks.

The damage was obvious, he said.

Some 5,000 garment businesses in Viet Nam employ 2.5 million workers. Even if workers are laid off due to lack of production materials, businesses will still have to pay them.

The garment and textile sector is not the only one affected.

Nguyen Van Manh, a driver for the North-South Passenger Bus Company said in the past month, the number of passengers had dropped sharply, so his company was planning on cutting services and laying off drivers like him.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Quoc Anh, chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Rubber Plastic Manufacturers Association (HRPMA), said production of rubber and plastic in Viet Nam was largely dependent on China with 70 per cent of materials imported from the country.

If our Chinese partner aren't able to supply materials in the next month, we will have to import them from Japan or South Korea at higher prices. We wont be able to make a profit because we signed contracts for these goods years ago, he said.

Vu Minh Tien, director of the Institute of Workers and Unions under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said laws on labour and social security state that in certain cases when labourers are laid off temporarily, businesses could temporarily suspend paying their social insurance.

I think both businesses and labourers need to share these difficulties to overcome the situation, Tien said.-VNS
Coinciding with the release of the first promo for Mujhse Shadi Karoge, an upcoming wedding reality show featuring Bigg Boss contestants Paras Chhabra and Shehnaaz Gill, Shehnaazs father has said that he will not allow the show to air.

Shehnaazs father told Desi Martini that he feels the upcoming show is a continuation of Bigg Boss, and that it could cost his daughter a shot at the title. She is among the finalists of Bigg Boss, which is due to conclude on Saturday. Mujhse Shadi Karoge is slated to premiere on February 17.

Shehnaazs father has said that he will meet with Colors TV, and if the channel does not budge, he will take the help of politicians. If my daughter is forced to do a wedding based show, I will take Shiv Senas help, he said.

He said, Instead of building an image of Sana that is close to Katrina Kaif, they are trying to build an image of hers like Rakhi Sawants. He continued, This problem has been created purposefully because they knew, my daughter has a lot of fan following and she is way ahead than the other contenders in Bigg Boss 13 and she has the potential to win the show.

Alleging that Bigg Boss is rigged, Shehnaazs father said, They have made sure the (Swayamvar) promo is already out because they wanted the voting for Shehnaaz to stop so that they could make Sidharth Shukla the winner. My daughter has really worked very hard throughout the show but now she is just being given Rs 10 lakhs as compensation. They have made her toil so hard. There are other contestants who have been paid Rs 2 crores but they havent quite done anything in the show. But my daughter is just given Rs 10 lakhs. She has done so much in the show and now they are literally driving her mad and they are making her do things.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
"Not sure who was more excited. Glad she remembers me after a year," Koch tweeted.

The video shows her dog wagging up a storm, peering out the front door with her front paws on the window sill as Koch nears. The dog flips out even more when Koch enters the home, greeting her with some serious face-licking.

The astronaut's capsule landed in Kazakhstan on Feb. 6 after her historic trip to the International Space Station, ending a 328-day mission that set the record for the longest stay in space by a woman.
New Delhi: In an excise to contain loudmouths of the party after the shocking defeat in Delhi Assembly election, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Jagat Prakash Nadda has summoned party leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh over his controversial remarks on Islamic seminary Deoband.

Earlier this week, Giriraj had stoked fresh controversy when he described Deoband as the 'Gangotri of terrorism' from where terrorists like Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed come.

"I had once said earlier that Deoband is the Gangotri of terrorists. All most wanted terrorists of the world came from Deoband, including Hafiz Saeed or any of the others. These people are not against CAA, they are against India. This is a kind of a Khilafat movement," said Giriraj Singh while attacking the ongoing anti-CAA protests in Deoband.

The Union minister was in Saharanpur for a programme in support of the CAA. The minister also dubbed the anti-CAA stir a protest against the country. "It is against India. It is a kind of Khilafat andolan," he said, reminding JNU student Sharjeel Imam's "anti-India" remarks.

Deoband has seen fierce anti-CAA protests by Muslim women over the past months and has faced attack from BJP leaders.

Giriraj Singh had earlier alleged that 'suicide bombers' are being raised in Shaheen Bagh. Referring to a video, in which a few children are purportedly making some objectionable comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Giriraj Singh said poison is being drilled into the minds of kids.

"This Shaheen Bagh protest is no longer an agitation. A group of suicide bombers is being raised here and conspiracy against the country is being hatched in its capital," he claimed.

The Begusarai MP is known for making communal and controversial comments. In December 2019, he had made a similar statements which had sparked a debate then.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Mostly sunny and bitterly cold. It will feel like it's in the single digits and low teens..

Tonight

Partly cloudy and extremely cold. Wind chills around or below 0 degrees.
Militants who come overground for talks with the government would get Rs 6,000 each.

Admitting that even after the surrender of NDFB cadres in large numbers, there is apprehension in security circles that surrendered militants are holding back illegal arms, security sources said that police have been asked to keep a close watch on the activities of surrendered militants. (Photo: AP/File)

Guwahati: In a significant move, the state government in consultation with the ministry of home affairs has decided that surrendered militants indulging in any unlawful and anti-social activities will be excluded from the proposed comprehensive relief and rehabilitation policy of the government.

Pointing out that the government has already started the process of framing a comprehensive relief and rehabilitation policy for more than 1,600 surrendered cadres of the four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), security sources said that the proposed relief and rehabilitation policy would be formulated by the state home department in consultation with the Assam police and leaders of all the four factions of the NDFB and other stakeholders.

Admitting that even after the surrender of NDFB cadres in large numbers, there is apprehension in security circles that surrendered militants are holding back illegal arms, security sources said that police have been asked to keep a close watch on the activities of surrendered militants.

Referring the instance of past when surrendered militants were found to have been involved in various anti-social activities with their illegal sophisticated weapons, security sources said, We have made it clear that surrendered militants indulging in anti-social activities would not be eligible for getting the benefit of the comprehensive relief rehabilitation scheme of the government.

According to new rehabilitation scheme of the Centre, the militants who come overground for talks with the government would get `6,000 each as a monthly stipend and an additional incentive if they deposit arms and ammunition depending on the weapon that they deposit.

Moreover, an amount of `4 lakh would be kept in fixed deposit against each militant. However, if any surrendered militant is found to have been involved in any criminal activity during the ceasefire agreement tenure, he or she would lose their monthly stipend as well as the fixed deposit.
San Jose, California, Feb. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Splashtop Inc., the worldwide leader in remote access, collaboration, and remote support solutions, is extending free remote access to businesses and individuals in countries impacted by the Coronavirus. Residents of Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau who sign up for a free trial of Splashtop Business Access will receive an extended 60-day free trial so they can work remotely during the outbreak. Residents of other countries will receive 7 days free.

Additional information is available at: https://www.splashtop.com/free-remote-access-work-from-home-coronavirus (English) and https://www.splashtop.com/cn/free-remote-access-work-from-home-coronavirus (Chinese).

In Hong Kong, Civil servants, bank staff, lawyers, and a host of other private-sector employees were asked to work from home to minimize the threat of the virus. Other organizations and businesses are following this trend.

Working from home requires a variety of tools to share screens, manages schedules/tasks, and share data such as documents  an infrastructure that many businesses lack.

To help areas affected by the Coronavirus, Splashtop is offering its business remote access solutions free for 60 days, both for businesses and civilians located in Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau.

Splashtop Business Access allows users to connect to Windows PCs and Macs from their smartphone, tablet, or another computer  Just as if they were sitting in front of their work computer. Splashtop Business Access also gives remote access to drag and drop file transfer, and screen sharing.

"We are deeply concerned about the health of our employees, friends, and families in Asia. That is why we are making our technology available to those affected by this terrible disease. We hope and encourage other vendors in our industry will do the same. We pray that this outbreak will be contained soon." - Mark Lee, CEO of Splashtop

Story continues

About Splashtop

Based in Silicon Valley, Splashtop Inc. delivers the best value and best-in-class remote computer access and collaboration solutions. Splashtop remote desktop services enable people to access their apps and data from any device, anywhere.

Splashtop remote support services enable IT and MSPs to support computers, mobile, industrial equipment, and the Internet of things (IoT). Splashtop on-demand support solutions enable support and help desk teams to remotely access computers as well as iOS and Android devices to provide support.

Splashtop collaboration services, including Mirroring360 and Classroom, enable effective screen sharing, one-to-many, across devices. More than 20 million users enjoy Splashtop products. Learn more at https://www.splashtop.com.

Diena Diallo

Splashtop Inc.

5604410680

pr@splashtop.com


Frank the daschund jumped on a bus and made an 18-mile trip to the seaside on his own. (Picture: SWNS)

An adventurous daschund is in the dog house after getting on a bus and making an 18-mile trip to the seaside all on his own.

Frank disappeared from his home, sparking panic by his owner Michelle Ballard who organised a search party with friends, fellow dog walkers and schoolchildren to try and find him.

But unbeknownst to her, the four-year-old daschund had hopped un-noticed onto a bus in his home town of Colchester, Essex, travelling all the way to the seaside town of Clacton.

Frank had strolled down a nearby road in Colchester, Essex, before hopping un-noticed onto a bus bound for the seaside town of Clacton. (Picture: SWNS)

Luckily, a passenger on the number 76 bus noticed Frank and agreed to take him to his home in Clacton, where he spotted a Facebook appeal for the missing dogs whereabouts and could arrange a reunion.

The tale is reminiscent of the loss of Jonathan Rosss pug, who was reunited with the TV presenter after it escaped last year following an appeal on social media.

Read more: One of 'Europes most wanted' criminals extradited to Romania

Read more: Sacked Cabinet minister Julian Smith plans to go to the pub after losing job

I thought a bus driver would have noticed and not let him on but maybe he boarded when someone was paying, said a relieved Michelle.

Luckily, there was a kind gentleman called Michael who offered to take him back to his own home in Clacton.

He took him in for the evening and was going to take him to the vet in the morning but his family spotted the post on Facebook.

Frank was reunited with his owner after a good samaritan who took him home spotted an appeal on Facebook. (Picture: SWNS)

After Michelles partner Jonathan picked Frank up, he was reunited with his worried owner as well as his two-year-old human brother Freddie and best friend Charlie, a two-year-old sausage dog.

Michelle added: He is a valuable dog and you hear some horrible stories about situation like this. We were so lucky it was such a kind man who picked him up.

It is completely out of character for Frank. It is the first time he has done anything like this in his life.

An Insiders Guide to Margate
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  A third member of a suburban Oklahoma City high school cross-country team who was struck by a speeding pickup truck earlier this month has died.

Kolby Crum, 18, died Saturday at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman April Sandefer.

Crum was among seven members of the Moore High School cross-country team who were struck while running on a Moore sidewalk on Feb. 3, authorities said. According to police, the driver, 57-year-old Max Leroy Townsend, was going 79 mph in a 25 mph zone when he crossed two lanes of traffic onto the sidewalk and struck the students and several parked cars.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, file photo, a makeshift memorial for Rachel Freeman at the location on Main Street, where Moore High School cross country runners were run over by a pickup truck driven by Max Leroy Townsend, 57, Monday, killing Freeman and Yuridia Martinez. A third member of a suburban Oklahoma City high school cross-country team who was struck by a speeding pickup truck earlier this month has died. Kolby Crum, 18, died Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman April Sandefer. (Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman via AP, File)AP

Student Rachel Freeman, 17, died on the day of the crash and Yuridia Martinez, 16, died the next day.

Townsend was charged last week with two counts of manslaughter, and several counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident. He remained jailed Saturday on $1.2 million bond.

Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn told The Oklahoman that he plans to charge Townsend with a third manslaughter count.

The day before the crash, Townsends 28-year-old son was killed in a multi-vehicle auto accident in Moore. Court records do not list an attorney who could speak on Townsends behalf.
YouTubers will usually recall the exact trigger that propelled them from obscurity to internet fame. For Clare Cullen - or Clisare, as she calls herself on YouTube - it was a 2012 video titled 'Shite Irish Girls Say', including lines like "I'm absolutely freezing" and "I'm crouching tiger, hidden naggin".

The clip, which runs for just over two minutes, has since been viewed more than 1.7 million times. Its going viral gave her the confidence to more regularly produce content, and she soon after won a YouTube grant that allowed her to invest in professional equipment.

The 31-year-old Mayo native currently lives in Dublin and works in social media, although she prefers not to publicly name her employer. Being a part-time YouTuber means she has more freedom, she says, in deciding whether to accept sponsorship.

"I only promote things I want to promote," she explains. "I usually prefer to have products sent to me for review without payment. When I do that, I make it clear that what I'm reviewing has been gifted, which means I have full creative control." In a video last year, she listed brands she's refused to work with. "Previously, on this channel, I called out a brand that messed me around, and after I did that, I lost my agent," she disclosed by way of introduction.

Cullen's subscribers these days are mostly women aged between 25 and 34. Some videos particularly appeal to the female audience, with only 2pc of those who watched her speak about her experience on the Irish version of the show Say Yes to the Dress being male, for example.

"It would have been a younger audience when I started," she says. "I attract people around my own age now from talking about things like my wedding. It feels like my followers have grown up with me."

Despite her content being very much Irish in spirit, Cullen has a good deal of followers from the States and Canada as well as Ireland.

"I have a small viewership in Russia, which is a bit confusing," she laughs. "I have open translation contributions on my channel, so I've had people submit Russian subtitles for videos before."

Cullen is sometimes conscious that she has, like most prominent YouTubers, a long back catalogue of content that anyone can still access.

"I don't regret anything I've put out," she says. "It's more that someone could come across a video from when I was 24 and the quality is terrible and the jokes aren't that good."

In other instances, she used her channel to air views she no longer holds. "You have to live concurrently with all of these older versions of yourself, which isn't something a lot of people have to do," she adds.
Travelers to the Big Easy this year will find new hotel options, restaurants and bars and a billion-dollar airport. Here are some highlights.

When Brennans reopened in 2014, it tapped chef Slade Rushing to aid in its dramatic reinvention. When the James Beard Award-nominated chef left last year for a restaurant opportunity in London, Brennans looked within its own family to continue the kitchens winning ways in bringing innovation to Creole classics. Ryan Hacker, part of the original team with his mentor Rushing, is the new executive chef. Hes already updating the menu with dishes such as caviar and custard (smoked redfish with lemon custard and white surgeon caviar); shrimp quenelles in barbecue shrimp sauce; octopus etouffee; garlic shrimp with Cajun grits; and satsuma-lacquered duck with green peppercorn vinaigrette. 417 Royal, 504-525-9711; brennansneworleans.com

New landmark hotel

The Higgins Hotel New Orleans, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, is now open in the citys Arts and Warehouse District, offering 230 rooms designed to evoke the World War II era. Thats because the hotel is essentially part of the National WWII Museum, one of the citys top tourist attractions. The Art Deco design of the lobby, public spaces and guest rooms features details such as photographs depicting life in New Orleans during the war. The hotels Cafe Normandie serves French-influenced fare, and Rosies on the Roof (yes, for Rosie the Riveter) bar offers views of the city. The hotel is named for Andrew Higgins, the New Orleans shipbuilder whose Higgins boats were used during the Invasion of Normandy. 1000 Magazine, 504 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com. Rates from $179 per night.

Rockrose rocks on

Immigrant cultures helped define New Orleans and shape its cuisine. That includes Greeks who first came to the city in the 1800s. Their heritage is celebrated at Rockrose, a stylish new restaurant attached to the International House hotel in the Central Business District. Named for a Greek wildflower shrub, the restaurant features a menu that includes zucchini fritters, grilled octopus, roasted eggplant and tzatziki, braised lamb with ricotta gnocchi, and flounder with spinach, almonds, capers, raisins and brown butter. 217 Camp, 504-369-3070; rockrosenola.com

Broussards turns 100

To mark its 100th anniversary in 2020, Broussards Restaurant in the French Quarter is offering a series of five prix-fixe dinners throughout the year that focus on foods that helped define the citys culinary heritage, including coffee, spices, pecans, rice and citrus. The menus will be offered in addition to the regular menu of French Creole fare that has made Broussards one of the grand dame gems of the dining scene. Broussards is open daily for brunch 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner 5:30 to 10 p.m. 819 Conti, 504-581-3866; broussards.com

A new absinthe house

Set behind the courtyard of the historical Old Absinthe House is a new craft- cocktail bar, Belle Epoque, described as an extension of the bar considered one of the oldest in the city. It offers absinthe flights, a menu of absinthe pours and absinthe cocktails including the Lafitte Suissesse made with absinthe, absinthe liqueur, gin, creme de cacao, orgeat, egg and cream. Theres also a small but sophisticated dinner menu that includes a foie gras-stuffed chicken lollipop, gnocchi with lump crab, coq au vin fried chicken, rib-eye with gorgonzola and a raclette presentation of toasted cheese with seasonal accompaniments. 240 Bourbon, 504-523-4640; ruebourbon.com/belle-epoque

The best of the fest

The 51st annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will take place April 23-26 and April 30-May 3 with a blockbuster talent lineup that includes The Who, Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello & the Imposters, Foo Fighters, Lionel Richie, Aaron Neville, Stevie Nicks, Dead & Company and Lizzo. Tickets are $75 in advance via nojazzfest.com, $85 at the gate.

MSY takes flight

If you havent flown into New Orleans lately, youve yet to experience the new $1.3 billion terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). The long-awaited terminal spans 972,000 square feet with three concourses, 35 gates, two new parking garages, more than 100 check-in counters for 16 commercial airlines and a stunning open design. Dine and drink options have New Orleans flavor, including Italian ice cream parlor Angelo Brocatos; Cafe Du Monde for beignets; Bar Sazerac, named for a cocktail invented in New Orleans; Cure, the citys first modern craft-cocktail bar; Folse Market, named for chef John Folse; Emerils Table; MoPho, a modern Vietnamese restaurant; Mondo, a restaurant from celebrated chef Susan Spicer; and Leahs Kitchen, named for the citys beloved queen of Creole cuisine, the late Leah Chase; thenewmsy.com .

greg.morago@chron.com
While attending Harvard, she scored the coveted faculty beat at the Crimson newspaper. It was like covering Congress, Lessin said. Its fun because you get the bickering and the politics. Lauren Schuker Blum, a friend who worked with her there and later at The Journal, remembered Lessins work habits. We all had these reporter notebooks and most of us would use like half of it, or lose it, but she had like 30 of them, impeccably detailed, Schuker Blum said. She was like a libel lawyers dream.
On an April morning last year, Premier Doug Ford stood on the platform of a GO rail maintenance facility in south Etobicoke and redrew Torontos transit plans.

As a throng of reporters watched from the opposite platform, Ford unveiled a map of the rail projects he said his new government would build, overriding the priorities that had been agreed to by his predecessor and Toronto city council.

The most striking thing on Fords map was the Ontario Line, a surprise $11-billion project that would replace council-approved plans for a relief line subway, and which the premier described as the crown jewel of his proposed $28.5-billion network expansion.

The day of Fords April 10, 2019 announcement, few people outside the provincial government could say where the Ontario Line plan had come from. There had been no reports published to support the project, and no public debate on whether it was a good idea.

But a cache of more than 5,600 pages of internal Metrolinx documents reveals the Ontario Line owes its origins to a private consultant, who pitched the concept to the agencys CEO in January 2019. Just three months later, it was the Ford governments top transit priority.

The documents, which are emails and reports the Star obtained through a freedom of information request, are heavily redacted. Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, has censored nearly 4,000 pages, claiming the important transit planning discussions they capture fall under exemptions to freedom of information legislation.

But even incomplete, the documents provide the clearest behind-the-scenes picture yet of how Metrolinx upended years of Toronto transit planning in just three months in early 2019.

The documents also show how Metrolinx planned to counter expected opposition to the Ontario Line plan, and that the provincial agency was determined to keep the project a secret until Ford could announce it at the high-profile media event the day before his government tabled its first budget. By that time, aspects of the project, including where a key section of its route would run, had yet to be finalized.

Metrolinx stands by its work on the Ontario Line, which it pitches as an improvement to the relief line subway. Like the old project, the Ontario Line would divert riders off the TTCs overburdened Line 1 subway, but would be roughly twice as long, stretching about 15.5 kilometres from Exhibition GO station to the Ontario Science Centre, and serve more riders.

It projects that by operating the Ontario Lines smaller trains as frequently as every 90 seconds, it could carry up to 34,000 passengers in peak directions per hour, slightly fewer than the TTC subway. About 389,000 people are expected to use the line every day, compared to 206,000 for the relief line.

The agency says it advanced the project quickly because of the urgent need to expand Torontos network, and it was able to move fast because of previous work that had been done on the relief line.

But some at Metrolinx told the Star they were concerned the Ontario Line was rushed to meet political deadlines. One former agency official who had direct knowledge of the project and spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk freely about their former employer, said the timelines for it couldnt follow any of Metrolinxs standard processes.

Doug Ford has always been clear about his top transit priority: build more subways. In the months before he was sworn in as premier in June 2018, he pledged to move fast to get new subways built, and to pass legislation uploading Torontos subway network to the province.

By November 2018, before the province had entered formal upload talks with the city, Metrolinx was marching to the beat of Fords drum. Although the agency is an arms-length organization, its overseen by the Ontario minister of transportation and its priorities align with those of Queens Park.

According to the emails obtained by the Star, by Nov. 19, 2018, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster had convened a group to carry out Fords mission. Literally called the Building Subways Quicker committee, the group was overseen by the most senior officials at Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario, and tasked with delivering GTA subway projects as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The committee was to pay particular emphasis to the relief line subway, the project that would soon be transformed into the Ontario Line.

How that transformation occurred owes much to a transit consultant most Torontonians have never heard of: Michael Schabas.

A Harvard-educated transportation planner and owner of a U.K.-based consultant firm, Schabas, 63, has a colourful resume that includes leading roles in major international rail projects such as Londons Docklands Light Railway and Vancouvers SkyTrain.

Hes also been involved with bids to buy rail companies in Hungary, Estonia and Malawi, and studied the potential for Uzbekistan Railways to attract tourism. For two years in the 1980s, he was the chief of rapid transit planning for Honolulu.

While not technically on Metrolinx staff, since 2014 hes held a contract position at the agency as a rail expert, and played a significant role in GO Transit expansion plans.

Schabas has a history of deviating from Toronto transit orthodoxy. While TTC and city planners have long supported the relief line subway as the citys top transit priority, Schabas had been critical of the project.

The relief line was not worthwhile, costing more than it delivers, he wrote in a 2013 report for a think tank.

But by the end of 2018, he was revisiting that position. In December, Verster asked him to review an analysis by another consultant who argued the relief line plan council had been pursuing was out of date.

In response, Schabas drafted a paper called Improving the DRL (Downtown Relief Line) and distributed it to Metrolinx officials.

What was in the report isnt clear. Metrolinx has redacted every word in the versions provided to the Star. Schabas declined to comment for this story.

But its clear Schabas believed hed found a way to improve the relief line.

So  having been dismissive of the (relief line), I now think that, re-crafted, it can be a great project, he wrote in a Jan. 3, 2019 email to Verster, attaching the report.

Verster echoed his enthusiasm, and said Metrolinx would build the messaging and business case for the new project around Schabas report.

Schabas was tasked with leading a team to revamp the relief line, and by the end of the month he was firming up plans for what would become the Ontario Line.

In a draft presentation circulated to Metrolinx officials Jan. 31, he outlined his vision for what at that point he referred to as a downtown express metro.

The presentation argued Toronto transit construction had stalled in the 1970s due to the TTC and citys preference for expensive underground tunnelled subways.

Meanwhile, cities such as Vancouver and London had adopted new technology in the form of smaller, lighter trains running on above-ground tracks that cost half as much as underground.

Paris, Montreal, and more than 40 other cities have now adopted this approach. But not Toronto, the presentation said.

Taking lessons from those other cities, Schabas proposed building a new transit line that would use lighter vehicles than TTC subways. That would enable the trains to climb steep grades and run on elevated structures, allowing the new line to be built above ground in some sections.

Using above-ground construction thats cheaper than tunnelling, the new project could be longer than the underground relief line subway, and serve more people.

Exactly when the modified relief line subway was renamed the Ontario Line is unclear, but the earliest reference in the emails is from a Feb. 20, 2019 meeting between Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario (IO).

IO president Ehren Cory, wasnt a fan of the new name, and argued for keeping the relief line label.

I still must say that I do not like our rebranding exercise, Cory wrote in an email that day.

He argued, the downtown relief line as a concept has existed for nearly a decade in Toronto and almost everyone in the city knows what that means ... I think the odds are higher that we confuse people.

Verster sought to assure him. Just a working title for now! he replied. The name stuck, however.

On Feb. 26, Verster presented the new concept to the premier, who gave it the green light. Verster reported to Metrolinx and IO officials that day that the meeting went really well and they could move ahead. But he swore his colleagues to secrecy. Strict confidentiality applies, do not talk about it, he cautioned.

It was a warning he would repeat as the day of Fords announcement approached.

On March 26, 2019, some high-level details of the proposal were revealed to the public when a pair of letters provincial transit officials sent to the city were posted to a public council agenda.

The next morning, Verster wrote an email telling colleagues to make absolutely sure everyone involved in the project knows that this is massively confidential. The words STATE SECRET were in all caps in the subject line.

Two days later, Erin Moroz, the Metrolinx official in charge of transit extensions, took the unusual step of sending an email to senior Metrolinx employees asking them to supply the name, title and organization of every person who had a copy of the Ontario Line map by the end of the day, in an apparent attempt to be able to identify the source if the plan got out.

There is fear about a possible leak, Schabas wrote later that day.

As the day of Fords transit announcement approached, Metrolinx devised a communications strategy to win support for the Ontario Line and the other provincial transit projects, which is typical for the agency when announcing new plans.

The emails show Metrolinx was bracing for opposition to the new transit program, and was sensitive to the perception it had been cooked up in secret.

In a draft strategy prepared March 27, 2019, an agency communications manager listed the perception the Ontario Line and other provincial projects had been planned in the back room or on the back of a napkin among issues it would have to address.

The day before Fords announcement, there was a leak, but this one was intentional in an apparent attempt to generate positive coverage.

According to a post-event analysis by Metrolinx, the night before the premiers big reveal the government provided details to the Toronto Sun. The agency noted the tone of the Sun story was positive with front page coverage.

The documents also show that on the day Ford stood up at the front of the press conference and presented the line on a simplified map  and touted the $11 billion price tag  Metrolinx was still reviewing substantially different potential routes.

Fords map suggested the Ontario Lines central section would essentially follow the route of the old relief line, running east from downtown along Queen Street East and Eastern Avenue, before turning north up Pape Avenue.

Maps included in documents dated both before Fords announcement and after suggest Metrolinx was considering a different route for the Ontario Lines central section that was never made public.

It would have taken the Ontario Line east over the Don River on an elevated structure that would then have crossed over GO Transits Lakeshore East corridor and curved south towards Lake Shore Boulevard, before turning back north and entering into a tunnel near Eastern and Pape avenues. The tracks wouldnt emerge until OConnor Drive roughly four kilometres to the north, just south of the Don River Valley.

A map of a version of that alignment was included in a draft of the business case for the Ontario Line as late as June 3.

But in July, Metrolinx released a detailed business case for the Ontario Line that showed a different route. Instead of going as far east as Eastern and Pape, the tracks would run through GOs Lakeshore East corridor from the Don River to a point just north of Gerrard Street.

Metrolinx is now pursuing the GO corridor option.

Last June, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives passed legislation uploading responsibility of new GTA transit projects to the province, and Queens Park is pushing ahead with the Ontario Line. Its pursuit of the project has major repercussions for the citys crowded transit network.

Line 1 is expected to reach capacity by about 2031, and a new route downtown is urgently needed. At the time of Fords announcement municipal officials had spent three years advancing relief line planning, and hoped to begin early construction work as soon as 2020, and complete it by 2029. Metrolinx says the Ontario Line could be completed as early as 2027, but many experts feel thats not realistic.

Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said it was appropriate for Metrolinxs CEO to recommend to the premier replacing the relief line with the Ontario Line just two months after a consultant had pitched the idea.

Given the importance of this project and the pressing need to provide relief to the rapid transit network in Toronto, the agency performed an exhaustive amount of work over a a short period of time to advance the project as quickly as possible, she said.

Aikins added Metrolinx was able to move fast in part because there was a great deal of information and analysis to draw on from previous studies for the relief line.

She defended the decision to recommend the project to the provincial government before settling on an approximate route, arguing that other aspects of the Ontario Line made it clear it was worth pursuing.

At the very onset, we knew that extending the line further north and further west would attract additional riders and provide even more relief to other key transfer points in the existing network, such as Union and Eglinton, she said, adding the change in alignment  which has attracted great opposition from Leslieville and Cabbagetown residents as the new route would destroy parks, homes and at least one community centre  was made primarily to better integrate the Ontario Line stop at East Harbour with a future GO station at the same location.

She said the agency is confident in the $11-billion cost estimate for the project, despite it being reached early in the planning process.

Cost estimates throughout a projects life-cycle are based on the best information available at a given point in time, and are updated as more details are known, she said.

Aikins also said the level of secrecy around the project was not unusual.

It is a normal part of our planning work to keep initial plans for a project confidential until the proper amount of rigour has gone into them, she said.

The former Metrolinx official who spoke to the Star said they had concerns the project was rushed. The person estimated the agency effectively did work that would normally take nine months in the three months before Fords announcement.

It certainly wasnt following the normal chain of events, they said.

Its essentially coming out of a consultants head and skipping through some phases. (Normally) you would look at whats possible, whats feasible, what should we actually take forward. Instead it looked like we were going to try to go to solutions very, very quickly.

Matti Siemiatycki, an associate professor in the University of Torontos geography department who has studied the delivery of large transportation projects, said Metrolinxs work on the Ontario Line raises concerns.

This is an unusual way to plan a major multibillion-dollar transit project, he said, citing the level of secrecy and quick turnarounds that have characterized the lines development.

He warned that when projects are rushed and executed without full transparency, it increases the risk that costs will balloon as more detailed planning is done, and that the public will oppose the plan.

These are the types of decisions that need to be made with careful deliberation and both with technical study and with public consultation, Siemiatycki said. And if that hasnt happened, that can really challenge the viability of the project, the cost of the project, and the public legitimacy of the project.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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PORT-AU-PRINCE -- Fifteen children died in a fire that swept overnight through an orphanage in Haiti run by a U.S. religious group, authorities said on Friday, triggering renewed controversy over the hundreds of unlicensed orphanages in the poorest nation in the Americas.

Two children were burned to death and 13 died due to smoke inhalation in the blaze that ravaged the Pennsylvania-based Church of Bible Understandings orphanage in Kenscoff, just south of the capital.

The cause of the blaze was not clear. One of the children at the orphanage told Reuters they had been using candles because the power in the block was out and a generator was not working.

Arielle Jeanty Villedrouin, director of the Institute for Social Welfare, said the religious group did not have a license to operate the institution, which housed around 60 children.

Orphanages - which in reality mostly house not just orphans but children whose parents feel they cannot afford to look after them - proliferated after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that killed tens of thousands.

Yet just 35 of 754 such institutions are officially authorized, with another 100 in the process of getting a license. The government has closed around 160 institutions over the last five years, Villedrouin said, and has barred more from opening.

We are going to place them in a transit center while we do research on their family and see if we can reunite them with their parents, she told Reuters.

Four in five of the around 30,000 children in Haitis orphanages have living parents, according to the government.

A woman who answered the Church of Bible Understandings telephone number in Port-au-Prince, asked for comment, said: We will make it known when it is appropriate.

There was no response to a voicemail seeking comment at the number listed for the Orphanage of the Church of Bible Understanding at its office in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The group says on its website it opened its first orphanage in Haiti nearly 40 years ago, with a primary goal to spread the Gospel to any and all who will receive it.

I call on the relevant authorities to take urgent measures to decipher the cause of this drama, President Jovenel Moise wrote in a tweet, expressing his profound sadness.

Nearly 60% of Haitis 11.2 million inhabitants survive on less than $2.40 a day, according to the World Bank.

Poverty, disability and a lack of access to basic healthcare, education and social services mean many Haitian parents send their children to orphanages or wealthier relatives or acquaintances. Those taken in by relatives are often used as servants or isolated from children in the household and seldom sent to school, critics say.

Children living in hundreds of orphanages suffer sexual and physical abuse and some are trafficked into orphanages for profit to attract donations, the London-based charity Lumos wrote in a report three years ago.

Donors, mostly from the United States and faith-based organizations, give $70 million a year to one-third of Haitis orphanages, it said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 15)  A man fell to his death from an elevated station of Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT-1) in Quezon City Saturday noon, authorities said.

According to the Quezon City Police District Station 1, the 47-year-old man jumped from the east side platform of the Balintawak Station and fell on the southbound lane of EDSA.

The man was rushed to the Quezon City General Hospital near the station, but was declared dead on arrival.

Police said they are investigating the incident.

NOTE: If you are in emotional crisis and in need of immediate assistance, you may call the HOPELINE by Natasha Goulbourn Foundation (02) 804-4673 and 0917-558-4673. GLOBE and TM subscribers may call 2919 toll-free.
The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Keywmo has commended the Supreme Court over its Judgement on the November 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa State.

The Supreme Court had on Thursday sacked David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was initially declared winner of the election.

David Lyons election victory was nullified because his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, presented a forged certificate to the INEC.

The Apex Court held that since Degi-Eremieoyo shared a joint ticket with the David Lyon, his disqualification invalidated their election.

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Douye Diri, who came second in the election, was handed over the victory.

Reacting to the development on his Twitter page, Keyamo commended the Supreme Court on its judgements and called on the APC to sit back and solve its internal issues.

The Supreme Court has been firm and resolute so far regarding pre-election cases and Election Petitions. I commend their lordships, he wrote. As a party, we have to look at our own internal party mechanisms that make us give our victories needlessly away to the opposition and take appropriate actions.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday morning had issued a certificate of return to Douye Diri in compliance with the Supreme Courts ruling and the PDP candidate was sworn in as new Bayelsa governor on Friday evening.
MANILA/TAIPEI (Reuters) - The Philippines has lifted a travel ban that was imposed on visitors from Taiwan in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus, and will evaluate other restrictions including those on Macau, government officials said on Friday.

The decision followed a warning by Taiwan, which has only reported 18 cases of the virus compared to more then 63,000 in China, of possible retaliation against the ban.

Taiwan had complained the ban was due to the World Health Organization. The WHO considers self-ruled Taiwan a part of China, listing the island under China for virus case numbers, which Taiwan said gave a misleading impression that it had the same rampant outbreak of the disease as China.

Curbs imposed on Taiwan were removed effective immediately, and its people are again free to travel to and from the Philippines, Salvador Panelo, spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte, said in a statement.

"The lifting of travel restrictions for Taiwan has been agreed by the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force by reason of the strict measures (against the virus) they are undertaking," Panelo said.

The decision was first confirmed to Reuters by a senior government official, who asked not to be identified prior to the signing of the order. Safeguards will be put in place, including "heightened standard precautionary measures" and port-of-exit screening, the official said.

The Philippines health and tourism ministers confirmed the order's signing and said safety protocols would be implemented.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry welcomed the news, saying the island had the virus situation well in hand.

The WHO needs to recognise that Taiwan does not come under China's remit, and make amends, it added.

The ministry said the WHO's mistaken designation of Taiwan and listing it as part of China's virus area had "misled" the international community, causing huge problems for Taiwan's government and people.

Story continues

Taiwan and the Philippines have close economic ties and there are more than 115,000 Filipinos living and working in Taiwan, mainly in factories and as household helpers.

Taiwan is the Philippines' fifth largest tourist market, with 327,273 arrivals in January to November last year, up 35% versus the same period in 2018, tourism ministry data showed.

The coronavirus has killed more than 1,380 people, almost all in China where the outbreak originated, with one each in Hong Kong the Philippines and Japan.

The Philippines, which recorded the first fatality from the epidemic outside of China, imposed the travel ban on travellers from Taiwan on Monday. Taiwan appealed for its lifting.

Panelo said an inter-agency panel will evaluate other jurisdictions, including the Chinese territory of Macau, for release from the ban as well, Panelo said.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila and Ben Blanchard in Taipei with additional reporting by Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Martin Petty and Mark Heinrich)
Lawyers of Palamau district and sessions court on Saturday began an indefinite sit-in in the court premises alleging that a judge behaved "inappropriately" with the district bar association president.

"An argument broke out when the bar association chief went to a courtroom to discuss a matter with the judge who then behaved inappropriately with him," Palamau District Bar Association General Secretary Subodh Kumar Sinha claimed.

Sinha said lawyers will boycott work in the court and continue the sit-in till the "matter is resolved".

Superintendent of Police Ajay Linda said forces have been deployed near the court situated in the Palamau District Collectorate here.

He, however, said the police would not take any step until one of the two sides files a complaint.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
February 15, 2020 - Munich, Germany - Global Affairs Canada

Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and the United Kingdom, the members of the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752, held a second in-person meeting on the margins of the Munich Security Conference today to advance work on the framework of cooperation with Iran presented in London, United Kingdom, on January 16, 2020.

Today, the ministers of the coordination group will present a letter to Mohammad Javad Zarif, Irans Minister of Foreign Affairs, in which they reaffirm the need to provide closure, accountability, transparency and justice for the families and loved ones of the victims.

During a brief discussion with Minister Zarif, the ministers of the coordination group pressed Iran to continue to take necessary active steps toward the resolution of the many crucial questions of fact and of law raised by the downing of the flight. The groups ministers urged a transparent and thorough safety investigation, in compliance with the standards and practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization. They also called for timely and equitable compensation consistent with international precedents. Lastly, the groups ministers urged Iran to complete a thorough and transparent criminal investigation of the downing of PS752.

In addition, the Coordination Group also discussed the need to improve aviation security and air travel near or over conflict zones.
Emily Ratajkowski proved her own best advertisement while vacationing in Jamaica.

The 28-year-old beauty looked alluring as she modeled a chic bathing suit from her brand Inamorata via Instagram Friday.

Showing off her lithe figure, the England-born San Diego-raised model struck a pose in front of a breathtaking tropical scene.

Sultry: Emily Ratajkowski looked sexy as she modeled her own Inamorata swimsuit during a vacation to Jamaica

EmRata wowed in her tiny bikini, which featured a clash of polka dot, chain and cheetah patterns.

She gave the suit the ultimate endorsement on Instagram, calling it her favorite in not one but two selfies.

During the vacation love still looked like it was in the air for the supermodel her movie producer and artist husband of two years Sebastian Bear-McClard.

The two were seen kissing by the beach that same Friday, which was Valentine's Day.

Patterns: EmRata wowed in her tiny bikini, which featured a clash of polka dot, chain and cheetah patterns

Pucker up: Love is still very much in the air for the supermodel and her movie producer and artist husband of two years Sebastian Bear-McClard

Top line: And the cover girl made sure to show off her killer body as she modeled one of her swimsuits from her very own Inamorata line

While Emily was proud to parade her figure, Sebastian dressed down in green, yellow and blue trunks.

Both were barefoot as they enjoyed a beach vacation at a wood hut.

The two weren't the only ones on the trip. Later Ratajkowski shared an instant photo with pal Josh Ostrovsky AKA The Fat Jew and a female friend.

Hanging out: The two weren't the only ones on the trip. Later Ratajkowski shared an instant photo with pal Josh Ostrovsky AKA The Fat Jew and a female friend

They were seen in images where they were cuddling as she showed off her ample cleavage.

And there also images of Seb and a pal trying to toss the DKNY model into the ocean.

She didn't seem to fight them as she dangled between the two.

Close up: There was a thin yellow gold necklace around her neck as she showed off her ample cleavage

She knows how to work a camera: The siren seems to never take a bad photo

About to get wet: And there also images of Seb and a pal trying to toss the DKNY model into the ocean. She didn't seem to fight them as she dangled between the two

On Saturday the supermodel shared a video where she was in a green and black two piece called the The Melba in Fire Leopard for her brand Inamorata.

The brunette beauty - who has also acted in the films I Feel Pretty and Gone Girl - had her hair down.

She strutted about in a photo studio.

Heating up winter! Emily shared a video where she was in a green and black two piece called the The Melba in Fire Leopard for her brand Inamorata

The look: The brunette beauty - who has also acted in the films I Feel Pretty and Gone Girl - had her hair down as she strutted about in a photo studio

The 28-year-old siren was posed just so to show off her toned cover girl figure.

The star has branched out spectacularly since the label launched two years ago.

The website for the bathing suit line, inamorataswim.com, went live on November 16, 2017 with three bikini separates and three one-pieces.

The average cost of a swimsuit is $100.

The star promotes the collection on her own Instagram account, where she models the wears herself.

Bizzy babe: The 28-year-old siren was posed just so to show off her toned cover girl figure. The star has branched out spectacularly since the label launched two years ago

'It is self-funded. I have basically a consultant and an assistant and then it's all me. It's been really, really fun,' she told Vogue back in 2017.

'I've been doing different things with different people, but to have complete control is really special and exciting.'

The star made waves on Saturday with husband at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California.

The college graduate wore a black dress with gladiator heels as she walked the red carpet.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.15

Trend:

The units of the Armenian armed forces, grossly violating the ceasefire regime on the front line, have once again committed a provocation, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on Feb. 15.

The serviceman of the Azerbaijani army, Seymur Alasgarov, was killed by an enemy shot.

The leadership of the Defense Ministry expresses its deep condolences to the family and relatives of the martyr.

The Armenian side bears the entire responsibility for the escalation of the situation in the front line.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Love Island's spin-off show Unseen Bits has been pulled from ITV2 on Saturday night after Caroline Flack was found dead at her London flat aged 40 on Saturday.

The ITV2 show replaced the 9pm programme with an old episode of You've Been Framed. It has not been confirmed whether the show will air as normal on Sunday.

Ahead of Unseen Bits airing, a voice over said: 'In light of today's sad news, we are replacing tonight's episode of Unseen Bits with a double bill of You've Been Framed.'

Scroll down for video

Pulled: Love Island 's spin-off show Unseen Bits has been pulled from ITV2 on Saturday night after Caroline Flack was found dead at her London flat aged 40 on Saturday

It comes after Love Island issued a statement over Caroline's death: 'Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news.

'Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.'

MailOnline has contacted ITV2 for comment over whether Love Island will go ahead on Sunday night.

Replaced: The ITV2 show replaced the 9pm programme with an old episode of You've Been Framed. It has not been confirmed whether the show will air as normal on Sunday

Caroline took her own life after a worried friend who was staying with her went to the shops, leaving the ex-Love Island presenter alone at her London flat.

It came just hours after she was told she would face trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton, something she denied.

Her management have slammed the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for pursuing the 'show trial' after Lewis said he did not want to press charges.

Tragic: Caroline took her own life after a worried friend who was staying with her went to the shops, leaving the ex-Love Island presenter alone at her London flat

He had said she hit him with a lamp at her former home in Islington in December before asking the CPS not to press charges.

Caroline had been described by friends as feeling 'she was on her own' and 'couldn't see a way out,' according to The Mirror.

It was also understood she had been struggling with her mental health and using anti-depressants before her death.

Meanwhile, fans have been speculating whether Love Island will go ahead on Sunday night after the devastating news.

One person said: 'I think out of respect, they should at least postpone or cancel the current series.'

Speculation: Meanwhile, fans have been speculating whether Love Island will go ahead on Sunday night after the devastating news

A different user put: 'You still going to continue the show?!'

While another show watcher commented: 'Tomorrow should be cancelled out of respect to Caroline.'

The TV presenter's death was confirmed by a lawyer for the family. The Flack family said in a statement: 'We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February. We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time.'

A worried producer friend had been staying with the star but found she couldn't get back into her flat after returning from the shops, a source said. She called Caroline's father Ian who gained entry to the flat where he found the star's body.

Love Island also released a statement, they said: 'Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news.

Statement: The TV presenter's death was confirmed by a lawyer for the family. The Flack family said in a statement: 'We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February. We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time.'

'Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.'

Following Caroline's death, many fans have taken to social media to demand that Love Island be axed, after she became the third person associated with the show to take their own life.

Former contestants Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon, took their own lives in March 2019 and June 2018.

Among fans calling the show out was This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes who paid tribute to Caroline while insisting there needs to be 'repercussions.'

He wrote on Twitter: 'Caroline Flack .... Dear God. Shocked beyond belief. May she have found peace. #Rip Has to be repercussions for Love Island now surely?' which garnered more than 27K likes.

Eamonn later added: 'Meaning out of respect, can the series continue?' (sic)

A CPS spokesperson issued a statement, they said: 'Our deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of Caroline Flack.

'Given the tragic circumstances, we will not comment on the specifics of this case at this stage.'

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.

Tragic: It came just hours after she was told she would face trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton, something she denied (pictured together in October)
Thirty-one people were killed in air strikes on Yemen Saturday, the United Nations said, the victims of an apparent Saudi-led retaliation after Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to have shot down one of its jets. The Tornado aircraft came down Friday in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to support government forces, a rare shooting down that prompted operations in the area by a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the rebels. The deadly violence follows an upsurge in fighting in northern Yemen between the warring parties that threatens to worsen the war-battered country's humanitarian crisis. "Preliminary field reports indicate that on 15 February as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in strikes that hit Al-Hayjah area... in Al-Jawf governorate," the office of the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen said in a statement. Lise Grande, the UN coordinator, denounced the "terrible strikes". "Under international humanitarian law, parties which resort to force are obligated to protect civilians," she said. "Five years into this conflict and belligerents are still failing to uphold this responsibility. It's shocking." The rebels reported multiple coalition air strikes in the area where the plane went down, adding that women and children were among the dead and wounded, according to rebel television station Al-Masirah. The coalition conceded the "possibility of collateral damage" during a "search and rescue operation" at the site of the jet crash, which left the fate of its crew uncertain. - 'A major blow' - Without stating the cause of the crash, a coalition statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency said the crew, comprising two officers, ejected from the plane before it crashed but the rebels opened fire at them in "violation of the international humanitarian law". "The lives and wellbeing of the crew is the responsibility of the terrorist Huthi militia," the statement said, without specifying whether they had survived. The Huthi rebels released footage of what they called the launch of their "advanced surface-to-air missile" and the moment it struck the jet in the night sky, sending it crashing down in a ball of flames. "The downing of a Tornado in the sky above Al-Jawf is a major blow to the enemy and an indication of remarkable growth in Yemeni (rebel) air defence capabilities," Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam tweeted. The escalation follows fierce fighting around the Huthi-held capital Sanaa, with the rebels seen to be advancing on several fronts towards Al-Hazm, the regional capital of Al-Jawf. The province of Al-Jawf has been mostly controlled by the Huthis, but its capital remains in the hands of the Saudi-backed government. - 'Massively expanded arsenal' - The downing of a coalition warplane marks a setback for a military alliance known for its air supremacy and signals the rebels' increasingly potent military arsenal. "At the start of the conflict the Huthis were a ragtag militia," Fatima Abo Alasrar, a scholar at the Middle East Institute, told AFP. "Today they have massively expanded their arsenal with the help of Iran and its proxy Hezbollah," Lebanon's powerful Shiite movement. Huthi rebels now possess weapons bearing signs of Iranian origin, according to a UN report obtained by AFP earlier this month, in potential violation of a UN arms embargo. Some of the new weapons, which the rebels obtained last year, "have technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in the Islamic Republic of Iran," said the report, compiled by a panel of UN experts tasked with monitoring the embargo. The panel did not say whether the weapons were delivered to the Huthis directly by the Iranian government, which has repeatedly denied sending them arms. The coalition intervened against the Huthis in 2015, in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, and sparked what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The coalition force has been widely criticised for the high civilian death toll from its bombing campaign, which has prompted some Western governments to cut arms deliveries to the countries taking part. On Wednesday, the coalition said it would put on trial military personnel suspected of being behind deadly air strikes on Yemeni civilians.
The presidential candidate for the Ghana Union Movement (GUM) Rev. Christian Kwabena Andrews, popularly known as Osofo Kyiri Abosom says he will pick a God-fearing Muslim as running mate for the upcoming general elections.

The Pastor, who is yet to select a running mate to contest with him in the presidential election has disclosed that he would prefer to contest with a Mallam by his side.

A Mallam is an honorific title given to Islamic scholars in Africa.

Osofo Kyiri Abosom told Umaru Sanda Amadu on the Point Blank segment on Eyewitness News that he has already consulted the Chief Imam about the decision and will soon be given someone to run the race with him.

My running mate will be a Muslim. I want a Muslim who also has a fear of God in him; a Mallam. I just want people who have the fear of God in them. I don't know any Mallam but I have given it up to the Muslim community and the Chief Imam. I've visited him and told him that so they will get somebody for me, he stated.

The Ghana Union Movement

The Founder of the Ghana Union Movement, Osofo Kyiri Abosom, is also the founder and leader of the Life Assembly Worship Centre.

The aim of GUM is to address the challenges confronting the nation.

The party, though new in Ghana's political front, has received massive endorsement across the length and breadth of the country.

Speaking in an interview, Osofo Kyiri Abosom said the ideology of the movement was to revisit the developmental agenda of Ghana's first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, which focused on massive industrialization across the country to propel national development.

He disclosed that the good works by the first president were abandoned both by the NDC and the NPP and believed his party would be the only government that would lead the nation to its promised land when voted for in the 2020 general elections.

---citinewsroom
San Francisco artist Sweet Cicely Daniher claims to see unicorns everywhere.

They manifest in the frost of her beer glass; the smear of cream cheese on the bagel she ate for breakfast. After developing a lifelong passion for the mythical creatures, shes devoted an Instagram blog to everyday objects that look like them, even publishing a book of her photographic exploits.

By trade, Daniher is a tattoo artist at Cyclops Tattoo on Valencia Street. But her love for unicorns is so great that she painted one onto her indigo 1972 Chevrolet G10 van  which, for her, was a therapeutic act of defiance following her divorce from her former husband, who allegedly refused to allow her to do it six years ago. Since then, the van (dubbed the "Vanicorn") was featured in San Francisco Magazine and eventually caught the attention of Pixar.

Thats where things get interesting.

Two weeks ago, Daniher filed a lawsuit against the animation studio for copyright infringement, saying Pixar misled her after the company reportedly requested to rent her Vanicorn for a company outing. Now, a van she says is identical to her own will appear in the forthcoming animated film, Onward.

According to court documents shared by the Hollywood Reporter, Jane Clausen, an employee of Pixar, inquired about the rental for a one day music festival/activity day for Pixar employees and families on Sept. 4, 2018.

Your van would just be a show piece and not used in any way other than a visual prop, Clausen wrote to Daniher. Are you able to send me some additional photos of the van? Weve only seen the side, which just blew us away!

Daniher agreed to rent the Vanicorn for a confidential sum of money. But eight months later, she noticed something strange.

For the first time, Daniher watched the trailer for Onward, discovering the movie was about two blue elves, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, who are seeking a magical way to reunite with their dead father  using the help of a van named Guinevere during their quest.

In the colorfully phrased legal complaint, Daniher says Guinevere is a pilfered and unlawful duplication of her tremendously cool unicorn van, down to the very same year, make and model," not to mention the "flowing locks of hair from the unicorn, the flashes of lightning, and a general outer space and mythological visual milieu." She also expressed her anger on her personal Instagram account.

Speaking on behalf of his client, attorney Conor Corcoran told SFGATE that the films producer, Kori Rae, called Daniher on June 3, 2019, to apologize for the misunderstanding. Rae apparently admitted Pixar intentionally did not tell her that they intended to use her van because, at the time, the film had not yet been given a title.

For that reason, they believed they could not have Daniher sign a non-disclosure agreement, so they stuck with the rental paperwork.

Via the legal complaint, Daniher says the contract she signed explicitly prohibits the use of any type of visual representation of the Vanicorn for any purpose other than the event itself. The following December, Corcoran registered the vehicle with the Copyright Office.

Its unbelievable, he told SFGATE over the phone on Wednesday afternoon. She created that van to cathartically get out of a bad marriage, and Pixar took her van and created it into a vehicle for two boys to find their dead father. Were gonna have our day in court.

Yesterday, Pixar wrapped up a cross-country promotional tour ahead of the release of Onward, using a real-life version of the van, Guinevere, for fans to pose with for a photo. When asked if he was aware of the tour, Corcoran responded, Yes, and theyre making my case for me, adding he hasnt heard back from any lawyers at Pixar yet.

Onward stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Ali Wong and Octavia Spencer. The film will be released on Mar. 6.

SFGATE reached out to Pixar for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.

Amanda Bartlett is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfgate.com | Twitter: @byabartlett
YEREVAN.  Narek Samsonyan, President of the "Civil Consciousness" NGO of Armenia, has been called to the Special Investigation Service (SIS) for questioning as an accused in the "black caviar" case.

Samsonyan had written on Facebook that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's family buys black caviar worth $5,000 from a restaurant every month.

According to the SIS report, Samsonyan is charged with making a false statement.

Narek Samsonyan was summoned to the SIS earlier, too, after which he made a statement that his testimony was falsified by the investigator. The SIS then issued a counter-statement to this statement by Samsonyan.
Big Tech is making splash with its aggressive carbon reduction goals, but some of its employees and climate activists are criticizing Google, Microsoft and Amazon for nonetheless partnering with fossil fuel companies to use artificial intelligence to find hidden hydrocarbons and bring them to market.

Why it matters: Big oil companies are some of the richest, most resourceful enterprises in the world. They collect multiple terabytes of data daily but don't have the capacity to analyze and efficiently utilize that volume of facts without AI.

The big picture: Climate activists and even some of tech giants' own employees say the growing number of fossil fuel partnerships undercut tech companies' increasingly aggressive climate and clean energy efforts.

Big Tech has improved the reach of wind power and made data centers more efficient by training AI to predict how much energy should be used in a given day.

Tech companies were again the top corporate buyers of renewable energy in 2019, with Google contracting the most new capacity, per BloombergNEF.

What to watch: Global spending on AI in oil, gas and renewable energy industries is expected to reach $7.79 billion by 2024, per BIS Research.

U.S. tech companies are dominating AI in the energy sector. They took in the most net revenue globally in 2018  roughly $657 million  by selling AI to oil, gas and power industries including renewable energy, BIS told Axios.

They took in the most net revenue globally in 2018  roughly $657 million  by selling AI to oil, gas and power industries including renewable energy, BIS told Axios. Tech companies in China netted roughly $180 million for the same thing.

Some ways AI and cloud services are used for oil and gas:

Microsoft cloud computing software helps Chevron analyze drilling data from approximately 40 complex wells, including some in Kazakhstan and several in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico, Chevron spokesperson Jan Sieving told Axios.

cloud computing software helps Chevron analyze drilling data from approximately 40 complex wells, including some in Kazakhstan and several in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico, Chevron spokesperson Jan Sieving told Axios. Amazon provides its AI-enabled CloudWatch to GE Oil & Gas and heavily advertises its AWS machine learning as a tool to make oil drilling and production faster, reduce costs and analyze trillions of terabytes of data.

provides its AI-enabled CloudWatch to GE Oil & Gas and heavily advertises its AWS machine learning as a tool to make oil drilling and production faster, reduce costs and analyze trillions of terabytes of data. Google Cloud has helped Total quickly explore oil and gas fields through AI data analysis since April 2018, a Total spokesperson confirmed to Axios.

Some ways AI is used for renewable energy:

Microsoft Azure AI has been used to help energy providers in the U.K. avoid energy-balancing fees imposed by national energy authorities and analyze data for solar energy providers.

Azure AI has been used to help energy providers in the U.K. avoid energy-balancing fees imposed by national energy authorities and analyze data for solar energy providers. AWS' SageMaker helps a German-based energy company track customers' online behavior. It also supplies deep learning and predictive tech to New Zealand's largest electricity and gas distributor, a Nordic branch of World Fuel Services, a California energy and battery company, and the U.K.'s EDF Energy.

SageMaker helps a German-based energy company track customers' online behavior. It also supplies deep learning and predictive tech to New Zealand's largest electricity and gas distributor, a Nordic branch of World Fuel Services, a California energy and battery company, and the U.K.'s EDF Energy. Google is still optimizing a DeepMind AI algorithm launched in 2016 to autonomously run its data centers' cooling systems. Their system was the first of its kind for industrial facilities and data centers, Google spokesperson Mara Harris told Axios.

Between the lines: Big Tech companies say that working with the oil industry isnt at odds with their climate commitments. In some cases, they're working with Big Oil on clean energy plans  like BP giving AWS renewable power.

Microsoft is "committed to continuing to work with all our customers, including those in the oil and gas business ... while innovating together to achieve the business needs of a net-zero carbon future," per their "carbon negative" release.

is "committed to continuing to work with all our customers, including those in the oil and gas business ... while innovating together to achieve the business needs of a net-zero carbon future," per their "carbon negative" release. Amazon said in a statement to Axios it will "continue to provide cloud services" to oil, gas and renewable energy companies as they work to "make their legacy businesses less carbon intensive and accelerate development of renewable energy businesses."

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 10:07:22|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang

NEW YORK, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations is fully committed to supporting China's efforts to contain the novel coronavirus epidemic, Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), told Xinhua here on Thursday.

"The United Nations is fully committed to supporting China in its efforts to contain the virus," said Steiner on the sidelines of the UNDP launching event of "Mission 1.5," a campaign that seeks public opinion and aims to bridge the gap between people and governments on ambitious climate action.

"We should also work together as an international community in supporting China, but also with China on avoiding that the virus spreads further," he added.

Noting that it is "a very difficult, a very challenging moment," the administrator said that "the world needs to appreciate how dramatic a set of developments this represents."

"It is a moment in which we are reminded why we have a United Nations, and why the World Health Organization is so critical and how important it is that national health authorities recognize the seriousness of a virus such as this," he said.

"Our hope is that it will soon have peaked so that we are able to look back on the last few weeks as a terrible reminder of how quickly we are in an interdependent world affected by such a development," said Steiner.

Steiner, the third highest-ranking UN official, extended "his great deal of empathy and sympathy" to all the citizens of China and all others "who are affected at the moment by the virus."

"On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme that has offered and contributed to the efforts now being undertaken in China, we remain fully committed to working with China and its citizens on addressing this issue wherever we can be of use," he said.

The UNDP is donating critical medical supplies through initial emergency funding of 500,000 U.S. dollars, to help China's frontline health personnel combat the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The first batch of supplies was handed over to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce for distribution at the UN Compound in Beijing on Wednesday. Included in the initial shipment are patient monitoring systems, infusion pumps, and other medical equipment.

In addition, much-needed shipments of personal protective equipment (PPE) would be reportedly arriving soon, which are vital to reduce the infection risk facing the frontline health personnel, according to a UNDP press release published Wednesday.
Iranians vote next week in a crucial parliamentary election that is widely expected to herald the return of conservatives and heap pressure on beleaguered President Hassan Rouhani. Friday's vote comes after months of steeply escalating tensions between Iran and its decades-old arch enemy the United States. The Guardian Council, the body that rigorously vets candidates, disqualified more than half of the 14,444 who sought to stand -- including dozens of mostly moderate and reformist incumbents. A week of campaigning for seats in the Majles kicked off Thursday with little fanfare. Faced with the stark choice of voting for the conservatives and whether or not to vote at all, those who backed Rouhani in the past see this election as a lost cause and are expected to stay away in droves. "The majority of the current parliament is composed of reformists, and people believe that they haven't done anything serious" since being elected in 2016, said independent journalist Farshad Ghorbanpour. "The Iranian people have come to the conclusion that their choice has no impact," he told AFP. The purge of candidates was "unprecedented", said Ghorbanpour. "Even some conservatives who were likely to speak independently and rationally in parliament have been disqualified." - Sanctions and turmoil - Iranians are feeling the strain after months of turmoil. In November, nationwide demonstrations over petrol price hikes turned violent before being crushed in a deadly crackdown. Bread and butter issues have put Rouhani's alliance at risk of losing in a landslide. A salesman in Tehran's Grand Bazaar summed up the mood, saying he would abstain as voting seemed "useless". Asked what might convince him to change his mind, Mostafa Hamidi, 37, said it would be if those in power lived up to "at least one of their promises. Just one, not 1,000." Another voter expressed despair over the country's mismanagement. "The truth is that whenever we have voted, things never improved but got worse," said Morteza Jaberi, who works in a motorbike repair shop in Tehran's run-down Molavi neighbourhood. "Our country is very powerful in all fields, but there are people in charge who cannot use this power properly," the 38-year-old told AFP. Rouhani, a moderate conservative, came to power promising greater social freedoms and the benefits of engagement with the West. But his signature achievement -- a 2015 nuclear deal that was meant to give Iran relief from sanctions -- is now in tatters. In 2018 US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement that froze Iran's nuclear programme and began reimposing crippling sanctions. Tehran and Washington have been sworn enemies since 1979. But they have never come as close to a direct confrontation as in the past seven months, when it has happened twice, most recently after the US killed prominent Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on January 3. The "martyrdom" of the hugely popular general provoked an outpouring of grief in Iran. Millions from all walks of life turned out to mourn his death. But that unity suffered a blow after Iran admitted it "accidentally" shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 people aboard. The disaster, which claimed the lives of many students studying abroad, sparked more protests that turned political. - Parliament 'sidelined' - At stake in the February 21 election are 290 seats. The disqualifications can only benefit Rouhani's conservative rivals whose solid support base always shows up at elections and has been spurred by the tense standoff with the United States. Rouhani has repeatedly railed against the disqualifications, saying they threaten Iran's democracy. "The greatest danger for democracy and national sovereignty is the day when elections become a formality," he said last month. In the absence of real opponents, a grand coalition of "principalists" -- or conservatives -- looks set to win in a landslide. The Majles drafts legislation, ratifies international treaties and approves the budget. But while it has been "increasingly sidelined in the decision-making process", a swing to hardliners may make Rouhani's life difficult, said Ellie Geranmayeh, analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. The vote is also seen as an opportunity to gauge the electorate. "The outcome should give a decent sense of popular opinion -- important in a country where quality public opinion polling is rare," said Henry Rome, Iran analyst at Eurasia Group. "The election will also provide an early indicator of the outlook for the presidential election in mid-2021." But Rouhani's coalition was unlikely to survive, he said. "A right-wing parliament will torment Rouhani during his final year in office... complicating the government's ability to respond to sanctions pressures," said Rome. "In contrast, if a right-wing president wins in 2021, the parliament can enable that leader to move quickly on new initiatives." Polling stations are to open at 8:00 am (0430 GMT) on Friday and close 10 hours later. Results are expected in the days after the election. Elections in Iran next week are likely to pose a serious challenge to moderate President Hassan Rouhani Increased tension with the United States has cast a pall over the Iranian elections, and will likely benefit conservative candidates Analysts say a conservative government would torment President Rouhani during his last year in office
A 20-year-old woman jumped off a running auto-rickshaw in Mulund after the driver of the rickshaw allegedly continued to leer at her and also diverted from the original route.

The police have arrested the accused driver for the incident which took place on Thursday.

According to Ravi Sardesai, Senior Officer in the Mulund Police on Saturday, "On Thursday late night the woman had taken the auto-rickshaw to return home. During the course of the journey, the woman felt that the driver was leering at her continuously and also started taking her away from the destination which he was supposed to."

"Frightened by this the woman jumped from the running auto-rickshaw, due to which she received injuries," Sardesai said.

The woman had later on lodged a complaint in the Mulund police station.

The police initiated their investigation and based on the CCTV footage from the spot have arrested the accused driver.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With over 30 artistes coming together to celebrate love and unity in the country as part of "India My Valentine", actor Swara Bhasker says the aim of the initiative is to take the conversation beyond an "echo chamber" and reach out to the masses.

"India My Valentine", organised by Swara, producer Aditi Anand, activist Fahad Ahmad and Mitali Bhasin, began on February 14 in Delhi and will culminate in Mumbai on February 16.

In an interview with PTI, Swara says it is time to include those who don't subscribe to the "ideology of hate" but aren't into aggressive protests either.

"Everything has become an echo chamber, everyone's talking to people who are already convinced. It's time to come out of that. The atmosphere is so polarised, there are people who are going for the protests, they are already there, but there is a population that may not subscribe to the ideology of hate but aren't interested in hard-core aggressive politics, protests.

"Those are the people we should also reach out to. We live in the same country. How long can we keep having this terrible polarised high pitched fighting?"



The initiative, which also travels to Kolkata, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, will see a host of artistes performing, including actors Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rekha Bhardwaj, Swanand Kirkire, Aamir Aziz, Sumukhi Suresh among others.

"People may not come for protest but they'll come for celebration. They'll not come for a political speech but they'll come for stand-up, music. The idea is to go for softer packaging. To remember what divides and unites us.

"As children, apart from loving our family, the first thing that we learnt to love is our country. We thought of it like how India is our first Valentine," Swara says.

The actor says "India My Valentine" is not a protest, but a celebration and one, where there is no room for hate.

"Ultimately we do have to reach a place of some kind of consensus about the country we want to see. This isn't a protest, it's a celebration. We believe in the constitution, we don't subscribe to an ideology of hate, we believe in the unity, integrity and territorial sanctity of India. Everyone is welcome, but just don't bring any hate," she adds.

Proceeds from the event will be split between organisations working towards welfare of the widows of war veterans and empowerment of women in public spaces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor celebrated Valentine's Day together in Mumbai by spending sometime together in the afternoon. The duo took to their respective Instagram timelines to share pictures of how their special date looked like, but refrained from sharing photos of them together. It was all about flowers, cakes and beautiful decor. It appears that Malaika and Arjun spent the day at a post hotel in Mumbai, as he tagged The Leela in one of his posts.

Take a look at pictures from Malaika and Arjun's date on Valentine's Day. This was the couple's first Valentine's Day together after making their relationship official some months ago.

(Images Courtesy: Instagram/malaikaaroraofficial, arjunkapoor)

Malaika and Arjun have been dating for over a year now but didn't acknowledge a romance officially until his birthday. The couple went to New York together to celebrate Arjun's birthday and a post by Malaika said it all.

Malaika was previously married to actor-filmmaker Arbaaz Khan, with whom she has a son named Arhaan.

On the work front, Malaika keeps herself busy with reality shows, where she features as a co-judge. She has some of the top dance sequences to her credits. She also runs a yoga studio and a fashion label.

Meanwhile, Arjun, last seen in 'Panipat', has 'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar' in the pipeline.
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Linkedin Sajjad Tarakzai (Agence France-Presse) Peshawar, Pakistan  Sat, February 15, 2020 14:07 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064bb1c4 2 World Pakistan,Afghanistan,Afghan-refugees,Kabul,Taliban,UN Free

Afghan boys sell fresh fruit on carts, signs are written in Dari or Pashto, and restaurants in the bustling bazaar sell Afghan dishes such as Kabuli pulao.

But this "mini Kabul" is in Pakistan, which this week marks 40 years of hosting Afghan refugees.

It is a grim milestone for entire generations of families who fled war to create a life in Pakistan, but still face an uncertain future and no clear path to citizenship.

"We spent an entire life here," says Niaz Mohammed, a 50-year-old laborer from Afghanistan's Nangarhar province who fled to Pakistan in the 1980s.

"We had weddings and marriages here, our kids were born here ... We have jobs and work here, while there's no peace in Afghanistan. That's why we are happy here."

On Sunday UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will arrive in Islamabad for a conference the United Nations says will "send a global reminder about the fate of millions of Afghans living as refugees".

"The main challenge right now is to continue to provide support to Pakistan in hosting them ... and also give access to skills and education for the young Afghan population here," Indrika Ratwatte, Asia director of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, told AFP on Friday.

Temporary status

Pakistan is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, home to an estimated 2.4 million registered and undocumented people who have fled Afghanistan, some as far back as the Soviet invasion of 1979.

Many live in camps, while others have built lives for themselves in Pakistan's cities, paying rent and contributing to the economy.

"Mini Kabul", the bustling Refugee Market in the northwestern city of Peshawar is home to some 5,000 shops -- all run by Afghan refugees.

But their status has always been temporary, with deadlines set for them to leave Pakistan repeatedly pushed back as the conflict in Afghanistan worsens.

Many Pakistanis view them with suspicion, accusing them of spurring militancy and criminality, and calling for them to be sent home.

Even those who have spent decades in the country cannot own property or obtain identity cards, and were only recently allowed to open bank accounts.

Shortly after he came to power, Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to grant them citizenship -- but the controversial promise sparked outrage, and has not been spoken of since.

'I prefer to stay'

Nevertheless, many of the refugees who spoke to AFP in Peshawar recently said they love their adopted home.

Javed Khan, 28, was born in Pakistan, has married a Pakistani woman and has three sons of his own.

"I will leave only if Pakistan forces me," he told AFP.

The situation could yet change: Afghanistan may be about to take the first step on the long road to peace.

Late Thursday the US said it has secured a seven-day reduction in violence in the country that it hopes will allow it to strike a deal with the Taliban, as President Donald Trump said a peace accord was "very close".

Such a deal would allow Washington to begin withdrawing troops, in return for security guarantees from the Taliban and a promise to begin peace talks with the Afghan government.

However refugees were skeptical about what it would mean for them.

Mohammed Feroz, who came to Pakistan just over 40 years ago from Kabul, now runs a cloth shop in "mini Kabul".

Sitting in a chair at the front of his shop, he said he supported the withdrawal of US troops -- but was leery of US and Taliban motivations.

"They are after their interest. No one cares about us, God is the only hope for us," he said.

Even if peace comes, most refugees said that they would prefer to stay in Pakistan, where they can support their families.

In the Khurasan refugee camp outside Peshawar an estimated 5,000 refugees live in poverty.

Yaseen Ullah, 26, collects scrap and sells it to junkyards. His family -- his mother, four brothers, and four sisters -- share a two-room mud house with no plumbing.

They also came from Nangarhar province across the border -- and, despite the harshness of life in the camp, are not eager to go back.

"I have no job, no work in Afghanistan. So what will I do there?" Ullah asked.

Mohammad, the laborer from Nangarhar, agreed.

"I have to feed my family, my kids," the father of seven, all born in the camp, told AFP, speaking Pashto with a Pakistani accent.

"I am saying it from my heart and I am very clear on it, that I will prefer to stay here. I do not want to return."
Entergy Corporation ETR is set to release fourth-quarter and 2019 results on Feb 19, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 9.09%.

Moreover, Entergy has a four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 4.79% on average.

Lets see how things have shaped up prior to this announcement.

Factors to Consider

The majority of Entergys service territories witnessed below normal temperature in the months of October and November, while in December its service area witnessed above normal winter. This indicates that weather may not have contributed much to the companys fourth-quarter revenues.

The companys Arkansas Nuclear Ones Unit 1 returned to service on Nov 20, following the completion of its 28th successful refueling and maintenance outage, which started on Oct 5. Notably, the plants Unit 2 continued operating during the Unit 1 refueling outage. Following Unit 1s return to service, power supply to Entergys customers in the second half of the soon-to-be-reported quarter increased. We expect the upcoming results to reflect the effects of this units return to service.

Entergy Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

Entergy Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

Entergy Corporation price-eps-surprise | Entergy Corporation Quote

However, the company had to bear outage related expenses, following the Tropical Storm Olga that hit Louisiana in October 2019.

This is likely to have pushed up Entergys quarterly expenses for restoring power and other associated restructuring costs, thereby affecting its quarterly bottom line.

On a brighter note, Entergys subsidiary closed its purchase of the 810-megawatt Choctaw County Generating Station in October. We expect positive synergies to benefit the companys fourth-quarter results.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Entergys fourth-quarter earnings, pegged at 66 cents per share, indicates an improvement of 10% from the year-ago quarter.

Story continues

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model doesnt conclusively predict an earnings beat for Entergy this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. But thats not the case here.

Earnings ESP: The companys Earnings ESP is 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Entergy carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Stocks to Consider

Here are a few players from the Utilities sector that have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat in the to-be-reported quarter.

Ameren Corp AEE has an Earnings ESP of +2.73% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is set to announce fourth-quarter 2019 earnings on Feb 26.

The AES Corp AES has an Earnings ESP of +0.76% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company will announce fourth-quarter 2019 earnings on Feb 28.

CenterPoint Energy CNP has an Earnings ESP of +1.09% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company will announce fourth-quarter 2019 earnings on Feb 27.

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Syrian troops began clearing barricades from the main highway between Damascus and Aleppo on Saturday after recovering full control of the road in a Russian-backed offensive, Syrian state media reported.

It marks a major gain for President Bashar al-Assad, as reopening the M5 highway will restore the shortest route between Syria's two biggest cities for the first time in more than seven years of conflict.

A reporter with state-run al-Ikhbariya news channel, broadcasting from the highway on the Aleppo outskirts, said clearing the barriers started in the early hours of Saturday.

Restoring government control over the M5 has been seen as a major objective of a Russian-backed offensive that has been underway since early December in the rebel-held northwest.

The offensive has forced more than 800,000 people to flee.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reports on the war using a network of sources on the ground, said government forces had captured a belt of territory around the road, securing it completely.

Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters the Russian-backed offensive may stop now that the road had been secured but added that the government could yet seek to seize more ground north of Aleppo to secure the city.

The reopening of the highway was part of a 2018 agreement between Russia and Turkey which was concluded with the stated aim of stabilising the situation in the Idlib region of the northwest, a major foothold for the anti-Assad insurgency.

The pact called for establishing a de-militarised zone between the warring sides in addition to the reopening of a second highway, the main road linking Aleppo with the government-held coastal region.

In agreement with Russia, Turkish forces deployed into the northwest at a dozen observation posts.

But tensions have spiralled between Russia and Turkey during the latest offensive, as 13 Turkish soldiers have been killed by Syrian attacks in the past two weeks.

Turkey has vowed to drive back Syrian troops beyond the Turkish observation posts in Idlib by the end of this month.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Saturday Turkey has fulfilled its responsibilities in the Idlib region in line with its de-escalation agreements with Russia and Iran, which also backs Assad.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 04:44:56|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are fighting an uphill battle to meet the growing needs of the hundreds of thousands of displaced people fleeing hostilities in northwest Syria, a UN spokesman said on Friday.

"Overnight hostilities have continued across most of Idlib and Aleppo, especially in Idlib City, Sarmin and Atareb," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Over 830,000 people have now been displaced since the beginning of December, and that includes 143,000 displacements of people in the last three days."

Dujarric said 81 percent of the recently displaced are women and children.

"We continue to scale up the response, along with our humanitarian partners to support all people in need, including in the provision of emergency food assistance, medical support and temporary shelter," he said. "The growing needs on the ground, however, continue to exceed the capacity of our humanitarian partners to deliver."

"Humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially," the spokesman said. "The ongoing emergency compounds the already dire humanitarian situation for people in the northwest, who have been made vulnerable by years of crisis, violence, economic downturn and, of course, multiple displacements."

Shelter is the most urgent need, as millions of people have been pushed into small areas not equipped to support so many people, especially during the cold winter, he told reporters at a regular briefing.

As of Tuesday, some 72 health facilities were reported to have suspended operations in the impacted areas of Idlib and Aleppo due to insecurity, the movement of civilians and other operational requirements, Dujarric said. The facilities had the capacity to assist, on average, 106,000 outpatient cases per month.

Nearly simultaneously with the spokesman's briefing and just down the hall, representatives of four current European Union members of the Security Council -- Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, and a recent member Poland, read out their joint statement on the crisis.

The envoys said they were deeply alarmed by the military escalation in northwest Syria and described it as "one of the worst man-made displacements that we have seen anywhere in the world in years."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Tehrans failed civil satellite launch, which he says was a cover to further its nuclear ballistic program.

The Iranian regime uses satellite launches to develop its ballistic missile capabilities. The technologies used to launch satellites into orbit are virtually identical and interchangeable with those used in longer-range systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, Pompeo said in a press release by the Department of State. Each launch, whether failed or not, further allows Iran to gain experience using such technologies that could benefit its missile programs under the guise of a peaceful space program.

Pompeo also attests that Irans space launches reflect its ambitions to promote its ballistic missile program further and that the nuclear deal the two countries previously agreed upon gave the Iranians the possibility to continue its ballistic and nuclear ambitions under the guise of its civil space program.

The worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism should not be allowed to develop and test ballistic missiles. This common sense standard must be restored by the international community, the statement continued.

The United States will continue to build support around the world to confront the Iranian regimes reckless ballistic missile activity, and we will continue to impose enormous pressure on the regime to change its behavior, Pompeo finalized.

Iran Fails to Launch Satellite

Irans failure to launch a domestically-made Zafar satellite into the earths orbit on Feb. 9, was admitted by a defense ministry official told state television.

The Zafar-1 (which means Victory in Farsi) satellite, which was lost in Sundays failed launch, was reportedly part of a pair of spacecraft which was developed for dual-purpose communication and remote sensing mission.

Sundays attempt marks the third consecutive launch failure for Iran since the start of 2019. It comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, who claim that the long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads.

In 2018, President Donald Trump announced that he would be withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and signed an Executive Order to reimpose tight sanctions on Iran previously lifted as a part of the agreement.

Epoch Times reporter Katabella Roberts and Reuters contributed to this report.
Northern Ireland has lost 20 GP surgeries over the past three years, it can be revealed.

Official figures highlight the challenges health bosses have faced in recent years to ensure everyone across Northern Ireland has access to a General Practitioner.

The statistics show that four GP practices closed between January 2017 and the end of last year, while 16 amalgamated with other existing surgeries.

The figures have emerged just weeks after it was revealed that Northern Ireland's GP workforce crisis is affecting Belfast, with one surgery due to close at the end of next month. The future of a second surgery in the city is also uncertain, with the Health and Social Care Board searching to find a GP to take on the contract by June.

The latest figures were released by the health minister, Robin Swann, in response to a question submitted by DUP MLA Jim Wells.

Former health minister Mr Wells said addressing the problem of recruitment and retention of GPs in Northern Ireland must be a priority for Mr Swann.

"If I were still in post, I would be extremely concerned about this," he said. "Of course, Mr Swann might argue that only four GP practices have closed but the reality is that the patients from 16 surgeries have been shared out amongst neighbouring practices.

"That puts additional pressure on the GPs who have taken on the additional patients.

"I think we really need to be looking at bringing in a mechanism whereby people who do their medical degree in Northern Ireland must work here for five years after they graduate.

"The last figure I saw for the cost of training up a doctor was something horrendous like 690,000 and that was quite a while ago.

"The doctors we train are very highly skilled and it's only natural that other countries would want to make use of their knowledge and expertise, but we spend so much money training them that it seems only fair that they should spend some time working here.

"I think this would stop our doctors leaving straight away to take up jobs in Vancouver or Sydney or other parts of the world."

Northern Ireland's GP crisis has been blamed on a number of factors.

These include a failure by health officials to plan for the high proportion of GPs reaching retirement age, as well as the increasing demands on the service.

More care is now provided in the community and there is a growing ageing population.

The workload has become so intolerable that GPs are choosing to leave their jobs or take early retirement.

At the same time, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to find doctors to take on jobs in GP surgeries, leading to the collapse of practices across Northern Ireland.

This has resulted in the Health and Social Care Board struggling to find alternative arrangements, including asking other GP practices to take on thousands of patients from closing surgeries.

Dr Alan Stout, chair of the British Medical Association's GP committee in Northern Ireland, said work is being done to improve conditions for family doctors.

Multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) are being rolled out across NI which is helping to address workload, he said. However, he stressed that it is imperative that the crisis is tackled to ensure the best outcomes for patients.

"It's vital as the future of the health service is dependent on a strong and robust primary care service," he said.

"It's the first point of contact for patients in 90% of cases and when it experiences issues, like the difficulties that are occurring at the moment, there are reverberations throughout the rest of the health service.

"If primary care is struggling, we see emergency departments struggling, referrals go up, prescribing suffers, it really does impact on every other part of the health service."

Mr Swann said: "The number of GP training places has been significantly increased over the last few years, from 65 in 2015 to 111 in 2019. Initiatives are also in place to support GPs to return or remain in general practice through the GP induction and refresher scheme and the GP retainer scheme."

Mr Swann added that the MDTs are the "cornerstone of our plans to transform the health service".
(Photo : Pixabay)

Google has eliminated the messaging app ToTok for the second time amid claims that it's used for spying by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government for mass surveillance.

The app was previously pulled from Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store in December before The New York Times wrote a report about it. Google silently reuploaded the app in January, but it did not explain why the application was let back in. But the app has remained unavailable on the App Store.

ALSO READ: [UPDATE] Is Uninstalling ToTok Safe or a Racist Idea? ToTok Team Says Spying Issues Are 'Deranged'

ToTok tracks everything?

ToTok no longer appears on the Play Store as of Friday when searching - though there are several clones - or visiting the listing directly. The Times, citing a classified intelligence assessment by American officials last year, investigated the close ties between ToTok's developers and the UAE's intelligence agency.

According to 9To5Google, ToTok was allegedly used by the country to track every conversation, movement, relationship, appointment, sound, and photographs of those who installed it on their phones.

ALSO READ: Uninstall This App Right Now Before Your Data Get Compromised

The app that works like Signal or Telegram, according to country officials familiar with the categorized intelligence assessment, has been downloaded millions of times on Android and iOS devices worldwide.

One digital security expert in the Middle East, speaking to 9To5Google on the condition of anonymity to discuss powerful hacking tools, noted senior Emirati officials remark that ToTok was indeed an app developed to track its users.

According to app records and studies company App Annie, ToTok grew to be one of the most downloaded social apps in the United States last week.

Research by NYT determined that the organization behind ToTok is referred to as Breej Holding that is a front organization affiliated with DarkMatter, an Abu Dhabi-based cyberintelligence and hacking company.

DarkMatter is already under FBI research for possible cybercrimes.

Earlier, the probe also connected ToTok to Pax AI, an Abu Dhabi-primarily based facts mining organization that looks to be tied to DarkMatter.

ALSO READ: How To Stop Your Phone From Spying On You: Privacy Tips From Edward Snowden

Google takes safety, security violations seriously

Google said it remains committed to flushing out thousands of malicious apps from the Play Store. "We take reviews of safety and security violations seriously," Google told The Verge. The tech giant added it would take action if it finds behavior that violates its policies.

ToTok's return to the Play Store shows it wasn't getting used as an undercover agent tool, or that the latest update removed the offending code - the newest model of the Android app was on Jan. 4, long after it was pulled on December 19, 2019.

ToTok denied the "vicious rumors" in a statement published in December, saying that "not only do we respect privacy and ensure security, our users also have the complete control over what data they want to share at their discretion."

ALSO READ: Spyware Apps On Google Play That Secretly Recorded Audio, Took Photos Without Permission Now Removed

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
>>> Education ministry to postpone the end of current school year



>>> Spreading humane values



>>> Nearly 300,000 free masks offered to prevent Covid-19 spread



>>> Vietnam confirms 16th Covid-19 infection case

To ensure medical safety and strictly control the Covid-19 situation in Son Loi Commune, Binh Xuyen District, the Vinh Phuc provincial authorities have established four more medical checkpoints in the commune, bringing the total number of medical check posts in the locale to 12, running quarantine work 24 hours a day in the area. In addition, the local medical staff will spray disinfectants in the villages of Ai Van and Ngoc Bao for 20 days, with a frequency of once every second day.

Vinh Phuc Province has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 infections in the country, with 11 cases of the 16 nationwide. Among them, five are from Binh Xuyen Districts Son Loi Commune, home to nearly 10,000 people with over 2,000 households.

During the quarantine period, the provincial departments and functional agencies have coordinated with Binh Xuyen District to grasp the daily needs of food of the local people to prepare a timely supply plan. Binh Xuyen District has contracted with major supermarkets such as Big C and Co-op Mart to organise six selling venues to supply necessities to people in the commune.

* On Friday (February 14) afternoon, representatives from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) presented medical supplies and VND500 million in cash to Vinh Phuc Province to assist the province in the fight against Covid-19.

Representatives from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour present medical supplies and VND500 million in cash to Vinh Phuc Province to assist in the fight against Covid-19. (Photo: NDO/P.Q)



Ngo Duy Hieu, Vice President of VGCL, said that this is a noble gesture of the trade union organisations, demonstrating the responsibility, sharing and also the timely encouragement of the VGCL to the trade union members and workers in Vinh Phuc, in the context of a complicated Covid-19 situation.

He suggested that the leaders of the provincial Labour Confederation continue to promote communications to local officials, union members and workers about disease prevention and fighting, while organising visits and providing support to labourers who are in medical isolation or undergoing treatment.

On the same day, the VGCL mission visited and gave face masks and antiseptic alcohol to officials and employees at Vinh Yen Station.

* The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee has announced that with the complicated situation of the Covid-19 epidemic in China, VFF President Tran Thanh Man has sent a letter to Wang Yang, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). On behalf of the VFF Central Committee, Man expressed his sympathy and sharing with the difficulties that the CPPCC and Chinese people are facing, while sending his encouragement and condolences to those who are affected by the epidemic and relatives of those who have died due to the disease.

Man stated that the VFF and Vietnamese people are ready to join the Chinese Government and people in promoting cooperation and making every effort to successfully prevent the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.

* On February 14, the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control in Tam Duong District, Lai Chau Province, said that the locality is implementing home medical isolation for 13 cases that had contact with people from the outbreak region in Son Loi Commune, Binh Xuyen District, Vinh Phuc Province. Meanwhile, in the isolated area of Ma Lu Thang Border Gate, the local functional forces are isolating 38 cases of Vietnamese citizens returning from China, of which seven are with cough and fever and have been transferred to Phong Tho District Medical Centre for treatment and testing.

* On the same day, Tuan Chau Group said that its chairman has bought three million antibacterial cloth masks to present to Quang Ninh Provinces people for free. The masks are expected to be handed over to the provincial Department of Health next week for free distribution. In addition, the chairman of Tuan Chau Group has called on local businesspersons and enterprises to support and accompany Quang Ninh to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic.

Dong Nai functional forces provide local people with free masks and information on preventive measures against Covid-19. (Photo: NDO/Thien Vuong)



* On February 14, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam said that, up until now, 21 airports have detected 127 passengers showing signs of Covid-19 infection requiring medical isolation. They refused entrance for nearly 300 passengers coming from epidemic areas.

* Also on Friday, the Vietnam Maritime Administration said that the Quang Binh Provincial Maritime Port Authority has coordinated with the concerned agencies to isolate 10 crew members aboard the Pacific Horse ship (Panama nationality) arriving at Hon La Port. Around 18:00 on February 13, Pacific Horse from Hong Kong (China) docked at Hon La, with 18 Vietnamese crew members aboard. As planned, the ship changed 10 crew members. After medical quarantine, 10 crew members left the ship are being isolated and under medical monitor for 14 days. At the same time, the local port authorities do not allow the remaining crew members leave ship.

* On February 14, the Ministry of Health officially launched a virtual assistant (chatbot) on Covid-19. The virtual assistant was developed by the Information Technology Department (Ministry of Health) in collaboration with FPT Corporation based on artificial intelligence platform, capable of automatic and continuous answering in real time, allows multiple users to ask about Covid-19 at the same time.

On this occasion, the department also developed a website specialising in information about Covid-19, at https://ncov.ehealth.gov.vn, providing accurate information on the disease situation, how to prevent the virus and guiding diagnosis and treatment.

* On Friday evening, the Minister of Education and Training sent a dispatch to the provinces and cities for consideration of continuing to let students leave school until the end of February. Based on the actual situation of school absences in localities across the country, the Ministry of Education and Training decides to adjust the end of the school year 2019-2020 which may end later amid the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic. At the same time, the ministry will provide detailed guidance for localities to develop a plan to adjust teaching activities to ensure that it does not affect the quality of the current education and training programmes.

Conducting disinfectant spraying at Thang Long Primary School in Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. (Photo: NDO/Dang Anh)



The same day, Hanoi authorities decided to allow local students to continue to take one more week of absence from school, until February 23. The Hanoi Department of Education and Training requires units and schools during the break to continue to carry out environmental sanitation and prepare the best conditions for welcoming students back to school in the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, on February 14, Ho Chi Minh City allowed local students to leave school until the end of February to avoid the Covid-19 epidemic. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee also suggested the Government and the Ministry of Education and Training to allow local students in the city to leave school until the end of March, while starting the second semester from April and spanning until July this year.
Ratebeer have released their annual beer rating, in which Luxembourgish Totenhopfen took home an award as best new brewer in 2018.

According to this year's ranking, the best place to buy beer in Luxembourg is Artisan'Ale (see our Introduces video on them here).

If you fancy going out for a pint, then Ratebeer says the place to head to is Millebieres in Bourglinster.

And finally, Luxembourg's best beer is... once again a Totenhopfen (see our profile on them here) offering - though this time a collaboration between them, Brewhands in Portugal, and Reketye in Hungary. The beer in question is called Juicy Brett IPA, and is made with Columbus, Citra, Mosaic and El Dorado hops.

Want to find out more about Luxembourg's expanding beer scene? Then you might want to start by checking out our Knowledge Bite article on Luxembourg's beer and breweries - then take a deep dive into our beer series (links below).

Now, cheers to the winners!
EDWARDSVILLE  A wave is headed for Edwardsvilles housing market.

The citys finance committee and other staff members recently learned of Edwardsvilles impending Silver Tsunami from the citys Walter Williams, its economic and community development director.

According to Zillow Research, a so-called Silver Tsunami occurs as increasing numbers of baby boomers, reaching their golden years, vacate single-family residences to downsize to condominiums, townhomes, apartments or retirement living communities, to eliminate the external maintenance of home ownership.

At Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton direction, Williams examined the citys housing market.

He wanted to know the impact of our rental units that are coming online within the next year and the impact that will have on our housing market, Williams recounted.

Williams noted the mayors concern about what might happen to the citys single-family housing stock if a bulk of residents decided to move into smaller housing structures. Home values went up 1.1% over the last year, he said. Zillow predicted these values will rise almost 3% within the next year.

The median list price per square foot in Edwardsville is $176, Williams said, higher than the St. Louis metro average of $134 per square foot. The median price of homes for sale in Edwardsville is $279,000, while the median price of homes sold is $204,900. The median rental rate in Edwardsville $1,200 per month, higher than the St. Louis metro median rental rate of $1,065. The citys median home value, as of last month, is $209,721.

When we talked to the rental agents  Trace on the Parkway, Whispering Heights and several of Matt Pfunds developments  they tell us that 50 %of people renting are coming from outside the area and the other 50 %are older residents (who downsized), Williams said.

Whispering Heights held its south tower grand opening Feb. 6 and 40 units are already leased. The north tower, next to Woodland Elementary School, is scheduled to open at the end of April or beginning of May. Trace on the Parkways rental units also are scheduled to open in April.

Williams said the city is doing well in mortgage delinquencies, which is the first phase of the foreclosure process when a homeowner fails to make a mortgage payment, with .9%, below the national rate of 1.1%.

Zillow stated that U.S. home values have fallen by more than 20% nationwide, from a 2007 peak until a 2011 nadir, which is the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization. Many homeowners are currently underwater or upside-down on their mortgages, Zillow reported, meaning they owe more on the home that its worth.

In Edwardsville, the underwater rate is 7.4%, versus 10.4% in metropolitan St. Louis.

I think a lot of that has to do with the home-equity loans that occur today, the mayor said. When you factor in your mortgage, plus your seconds on houses, (homeowners) are using those funds a lot more loosely to make improvements that may not be on the tax rolls yet, or to purchase other things.

Zillow predicted a Silver Tsunami will serve as a substitute for new home construction, which has been in short supply for the past decade. Currently, 33.9% of owner-occupied U.S. houses are owned by residents age 60 and older, and 55.2% by people age 50 and older.

As these aging residents begin vacating housing, Zillow estimated that shift could represent about 20 million homes hitting the market through the 2030s.

That will create opportunities for a lot more families to move into our area, Williams said.

Edwardsvilles share of owner-occupied homes released to the market by senior citizens should grow to 14% by 2027 and another 28% by 2037, he noted.

Ive talked to realtors who say that we have a very viable (housing) market, Patton said. Theyre actually excited this year that there is more supply available.

In the last couple of years, they havent had a lot of houses for sale, he said, and the amount of time on the market, depending on the neighborhood, when (houses for sale) go up, they have four offers on the first day.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735.
By Michigan Votes

Senate Resolution A, Senate Resolution A, Oppose Heartwell's NRC nomination by defeating Mitterling's: Passed 20 to 16 in the Senate

To disapprove the appointment by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Anna Mitterling to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission. Reportedly the real target of this action by the Senate Republican majority is Whitmer's nomination of current NRC member and former Grand Rapids mayor George Heartwell as chair of the commission, which has "exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game and sportfish," and designating which species may or may not be hunted. Heartwell's nomination is opposed by the National Rifle Association because of his role as a "state membership coordinator of antigun groups" organized by former New York City mayor and current Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg.

25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y

31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y

House Bill 5117, Facilitate wrongful imprisonment compensation: Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate

To exempt from state Court of Claims procedural restrictions and deadlines the claims that are made by former prisoners under a 2016 law that authorizes state payments to a person wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he or she did not commit. Reportedly these obstacles have prevented a number of former prisoners from getting the compensation the law entitles them to receive.

25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y

31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y

House Bill 4689, Allow school door barricades: Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate

To allow temporary door locking devices on interior doors in school buildings subject to standards and notification requirements specified in the bill. State regulators would be required to create rules for this, and schools would need approval from regulators.

Reportedly some 300 Michigan school districts have installed such devices in response to recent school shootings in other states.

25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y

31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y

House Bill 5124, Revise delinquent property tax forgiveness options: Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate

To expand the authority and allowable options for a local government in reducing or forgiving delinquent property taxes on a property subject to foreclosure. The bill would authorize eight different options for reducing the amount of delinquent taxes that must be paid by lower income homeowners under certain circumstances.

25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y

31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y

House Bill 4128, Revise detail of procedure for minor's name-change: Passed 35 to 1 in the Senate

To permit a minor to legally change their name with the permission of just one parent if the other parent has been convicted of murder. Under current law permission from just one parent is allowed if the other fails to meet specified child support and contact standards, or has been convicted of sex or child abuse crimes.

25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y

31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y

Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting

Information provided by MichiganVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, non-partisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Please visit www.MichiganVotes.org.
The first year I was here, the Europeans all said, Its fine, because all the adults are in the room, said Celeste Wallander, who was on President Barack Obamas National Security Council. The second year, it was, Tell us this is as bad as its going to get. The third year, it was like, Oh my God, this is awful. What do we do, and this year theyve all normalized it.
Actor Sushant Singh, who participated in a protest rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Register of Citizens (NRC) at Azad Maidan here on Saturday said that the Centre would have to withdraw the contentious citizenship law.

Address the rally, Sushant Singh said: "I am here to show solidarity with all of you. We will fight and the government will revoke CAA. I salute your resistance and courage."

Talking to the media later, he said: "I am happy that Home Minister has said anyone can seek an appointment to meet and discuss CAA with him. I got to know that few members of Shaheen Bagh protesters are planning to meet him tomorrow."

Sushant has also requested the Maharashtra government to not allow Population Register (NPR) exercise in the state as "it is the first step of NRC".

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An MBA student from Meerut was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by four men while she was on her way home from college, police said on Friday.

When the student did not reach home until late in the evening, her family members rushed to the police and informed them about the same.

Taking action on the complaint filed by the girl's family, police traced her mobile phone and rescued her from Siyana in Bulandshahr.

"The victim was rescued by police from Siyana in Bulandshahr. A case has been registered and an investigation is underway," said Tejveer Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police Garhmukteshwa.

She was admitted to a medical college in a critical condition. However, her condition is currently stable.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Canada Goose has slashed its 2020 financial outlook due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has brought the companys recently expanded business in China to a standstill.

The luxury parka maker said Friday that the health crisis in China has resulted in a sharp decline in sales and store traffic, and that the impact is spreading to shopping destinations in North America and Europe.

The companys stock fell as much as 8 per cent on Friday morning shortly after the third quarter earnings came out. Canada Gooses stock was trading at $31.98 on the Toronto Stock Exchange as of 11:20 a.m. ET.

BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 30: People line up to enter a Canada Goose flagship store at Sanlitun on December 30, 2018 in Beijing, China. Canada Goose opened its first flagship store in Beijing on Sunday. (Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images)

The health and safety of our team in China is our top priority and were closely watching the situation and adjusting our operations as needed, chief executive Dani Reiss said on a conference call with analysts Friday.

This is obviously a major near term headwind. Understandably, people are staying home and avoiding shopping for their own health and safety in China and abroad.

The company now expects sales growth for the 2020 fiscal year to be between $945 and $955 million, representing growth of between 13.8 per cent and 15 per cent. Canada Goose previously anticipated growth of 20 per cent. Adjusted net income per diluted share is expected to be between a loss of 2.2 per cent and a gain of 0.7 per cent, down from a previous expectation of 25 per cent.

Chief financial officer Jonathan Sinclair said revenue is now at negligible levels across the entire store network in Greater China, including in Hong Kong, which saw sales suffer last quarter as a result of political upheaval in the region.

The impact is spreading globally to major shopping destinations in North America and Europe, Sinclair said. That is largely because of the significant impact Chinese consumers have on such luxury sales.

While local demand in North America and (Europe) continues to be strong, international traffic from Chinese consumers is essentially shut off due to travel cancellations and restrictions, Sinclair said when asked by an analyst about the magnitude of the forecast adjustments. He said that the company expects material revenue declines in both North America and Europe.

Story continues

For us, and the sector generally, they are the largest buyers of luxury goods In aggregate, (our store clientele) is a 50/50 mix between domestic demand and international demand. I think thats what youre seeing play out here.

This is the latest headwind Canada Goose has been forced to grapple with in relation to what has been an aggressive international expansion that has been focused heavily on China.

While the company does not have any store locations in Wuhan, the city at the centre of the virus outbreak, about 14 per cent of Canada Gooses sales are exposed to the Chinese market. The company has three stores in mainland China, and another two locations in Hong Kong.

In the previous quarter, investor concern over weak sales in Hong Kong, where political upheaval and protests have occurred, weighed on the companys stock despite positive financial results.

Canada Goose saw total sales increase by 13.2 per cent in the third quarter, before the coronavirus outbreak began receiving international attention, from $399.3 million last year to $452.1 million. While the company said sales in Hong Kong were severely impacted by disruptions to tourism and retail traffic, revenues in Asia doubled from $46.4 million last year to $94.7 million.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief.
Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg (L), Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku (C) and Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini captured shortly after the budget speech was delivered. (Pic: Sibusiso Zwane)

LOBAMBA  Despite the hiring freeze, government has been given the green light to recruit 600 personnel for the three security forces.

This is 150 more than the number that government had initially planned to add to the security personnel.



The countrys security forces are the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) and His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS).



This was revealed yesterday after chairperson of the Finance Sessional Committee, Manzini North MP Thandi Nxumalo, tabled a report on the Budget Estimates for the financial year 2020/2021.



Debated



The report is yet to be debated and adopted by the House of Assembly next Wednesday.

According to the report, under Head 05, which is the police service, in their recurrent budget, there was an allowance and budget allocation for 150 recruits for each security force.



However, a recommendation made by the Finance Committee was that considering the number of vacant positions in each of the security forces and those officers who would be retiring before the year ended, each security force recruits 200 officers to fill the vacant positions.



Recruitment



However, a reliable source informed this publication that under the army, the recruitment exercise may not take place for unmentioned reasons.

The allocation for the 2020/2021 under REPS in the recurrent expenditure is E1.03 billion and under capital expenditure, the Appropriation Bill, 2020, a total of E75 million has been budgeted. This will be a total of E1.1 billion when compared to the 2019 budget, which was at E1.08 billion.



Under the UEDF, the total amount allocated under recurrent expenditure is about E1.239 billion as compared to last years E1.227 billion.

An additional E50 million has been allocated to the army under their capital projects.



Increase



This indicates an increase of E11.9 million when compared to last years allocation.

Members of the UEDF are best earners when compared to their counterparts in the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), who earn E6 060.83 on the entry level.

Locally, members of the army earn an average of E12 000 at entry level. However, their salary is said to have been increased from this figure.

The annual entry salary of a private in the LDF is E72 729.96, while in the UEDF, it is about E144 000.



According to globalsecurity.org, in Lesotho, there are 3 100 soldiers in active duty while in Eswatini, it is estimated that there are about 3 500 army personnel. Members of the UEDF are recruited from all the different constituencies in the country.



They are recruited once they are above the age of 18 and should be physically fit. Also, they have to complete their high school curriculum.

Meanwhile, HMCS, which is also expected to have about 200 new recruits, has been allocated a total of E509 million, which excludes about E57.7 million which will be allocated towards their capital expenditure.



Recruitment



The last recruitment exercise under the police service and Correctional Services was held in 2014 while the army had the most recent recruitment exercise in 2017.



However, if the recruitment takes place, it remains unknown where the budget will come from particularly under Correctional Services as their annual allocation has been reduced by E37 million when compared to the 2019 Appropriation Act.



It should be noted though that although the minister made no statement of recruitments taking place, he addressed the issue of national security, public order and safety.



Rijkenberg said support to the nations security forces as the country pursued economic stability and growth was key to sustainable development of the State.

He said the budget therefore sought to strengthen public order management and State security systems which were important factors in ensuring that the countrys safety and security landscape was conducive for investment.



He said security had a direct impact on investment growth, social and human capital and protection of public institutions.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said they were aware of the budget that was presented by the minister of Finance yesterday and they were still to deliberate on it accordingly.



She said the national commissioner of police would then respond and express the feeling of the police service in a proper platform.



Aware



His Majestys Correctional Services PRO Gugulethu Dlamini said they were not aware of a recruitment exercise at the present moment.

At the time of compiling this report at 8:20pm, UEDF PRO Tengetile Khumalo had still not responded to questions sent to her.



On the other hand, Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini said there was money in government to cater for new entrants in the armed forced but still wanted the nation to believe otherwise.



He stated that this was different from what the nation had been made to believe in as far the countrys financial situation was portrayed to be.

According to Dlamini, the hiring of armed forces officers was meant to beef up security to silence the people because the State was allegedly aware that what it was planning to do would cause conflict between it and the nation.
GRANTS PASS, Ore.  For Dutch Bros Coffee, Valentine's Day is about sharing the love with people who may be hurting for their next meal.

Friday, February 14 marks the coffee company's "Dutch Luv" event, when $1 from every drink sold goes toward local food pantries. The company says that it aims to provide three square meals for the food insecure with every dollar.

According to the company's Jackson County marketing director, Amanda Murray, the event began in 2007. Dutch Bros has been holding it every year on Valentine's Day since then  raising about $1.1 million dollars over the years.

"Last year we were able to donate a little over 11 thousand dollars and so we are hoping to surpassed that this year  and each dollar can provide up to three meals for an individual in need," said Murray.

In Jackson County, those dollars will be going toward Access and its network of food pantries.

"Access does so much in our community to support other smaller food banks and those in need . . . so our support really helps them out, and helps fight food insecurities here in Jackson County," Murray said.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Trump meets with Ecuador's President Moreno at the White House in Washington

By Aditya Kalra and Alexandra Ulmer

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will meet executives of large Indian companies with interests in the United States as he looks to drum up investments during his visit to New Delhi this month.

Executives of some of the companies expected to attend the meeting include Indian oil & gas company Reliance Industries, diversified group Tata Sons and auto sector companies such as Bharat Forge, Mahindra and Mahindra and Motherson, industry and business sources told Reuters.

Trump is scheduled to make his first visit as president to India on Feb. 24-25 during which he will travel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat followed by talks in New Delhi. The two countries are trying to sign a trade deal during his visit.

On Feb. 25, a meeting is being planned between Trump and Indian executives, especially those focussing on job creation and manufacturing in the United States, the sources said.

The meeting, which will be held in New Delhi, was unlikely to include executives of U.S. companies, they said.

Creating new jobs and boosting manufacturing is critical for Trump in his re-election bid later this year. U.S. factory activity rebounded in January but only after it contracted for five straight months.

"President (Trump) is keen on acknowledging Indian companies which are focussing on manufacturing in the United States," said a Washington-based source aware of the plans.

United States is a key market for several Indian firms.

Mahindra last year said it will invest another $1 billion in the United States and was committed to creating American jobs, while Bharat Forge has announced plans to invest $56 million to set up a new plant in North Carolina.

The $100-billion Tata Group says it is one of the largest Indian-headquartered multinationals in North America, with 13 companies and more than 35,000 employees.

The Confederation of Indian Industries and U.S.-India trade groups have suggested several Indian executives for the Trump meeting and the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi was reviewing that, one source said, adding the final list was yet to be finalised.

Story continues

The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi declined to comment.

Other than his meeting with Indian business leaders and Modi, Trump is expected to attend an event at a stadium in Gujarat along the lines of the "Howdy Modi" extravaganza held in Houston last September during which the two leaders made a joint appearance.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Angus MacSwan)
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khaskhabar.com : , 15  2020 3:51 PM
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday batted for "increased complementarity in policy between the RBI and the Central government" to address growth concerns as India's central bank pegged the growth rate at 6 pc for the financial year of 2020-21.

"The Finance Minister indicated increased complementarity in policy between the RBI and the Government to address growth concerns," said the central bank in a statement today.

Finance Minister Sitharaman on Saturday addresses the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which was held here today.

The Finance Minister in her address outlined the thinking behind the Union Budget 2020-21 and the focus areas of the government.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Saturday said that the central bank has projected a growth rate of 6 per cent for FY '20-21. Das was speaking at a joint press conference after the post-budget meet with Sitharaman.

According to the statement, the Union Finance Minister was accompanied by Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, Investment and Public Asset Management, Dr TV Somanathan, Secretary, Expenditure, and Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor.

The Board in its meeting reviewed the current economic situation, global and domestic challenges and various areas of operations of the RBI. It recommended aligning the financial year of RBI, currently July-June, with the Government's fiscal year (April-March) from the year 2020-21 and approved forwarding a proposal to the government for its consideration.

Das chaired the meeting of the Central Board. Deputy Governors BP Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Dr MD Patra, and other Directors of the Central Board. The Directors of the Government of India on the Central Board Rajiv Kumar, Finance Secretary and Secretary, Financial Services, Atanu Chakraborty, Secretary, Economic Affairs, also attended the meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In extracts from her heart-rending book, What Makes Us Stronger, published today in You magazine, Freya Lewis (pictured) recalls how her father broke the news that her friend was dead as she came round in hospital

A teenager badly injured in the Manchester Arena bombing today reveals how the memory of her best friend who died beside her in the terrorist attack has given her the strength to rebuild her life.

Arms linked as they left the Ariana Grande concert, 14-year-olds Freya Lewis and Nell Jones, were just 30ft away from Salman Abedi when he detonated a backpack full of explosives, killing 22 people.

Nell was among them but Freya survived, albeit with 29 serious injuries that left her in a coma for five days and confined to a wheelchair for three months.

In extracts from her heart-rending book, What Makes Us Stronger, published today in You magazine, Freya recalls how her father broke the news that her friend was dead as she came round in hospital.

'Dad sat next to me, his head in his hands. I felt a strange sense of emptiness, like a part of me was missing. 'Dad, where's Nell?' I croaked. He held my hand, his face pale and drained, his eyes red. 'Nell has died, Freya,' he said, his voice choked with tears. His words sank into me so hard it felt as if I'd been stabbed.'

Describing their final moments at the concert in May 2017, Freya, now 17, from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, writes: 'Neither of us wanted to leave, but as we made our way to the foyer, Nell gave me a big smile. 'That was the best night of my entire life,' she said. 'Really?' I beamed. 'I'm so glad.' She linked her arms with mine, like we always did, to keep each other close.'

Moments later she was texting her father when she noticed Abedi. 'I looked up and saw this guy I thought his deadpan expression seemed a bit strange.'

Nell Jones, 14, Freya's best friend who was killed by the blast at Manchester Arena

In the exact moment she sent her text, 'everything went wrong. There was a piercing sound  the loudest sound I'd ever heard'. Freya was rushed to hospital, where doctors spent 'ten hours intricately bolting, drilling, sewing and bandaging me back together again'  the first of five sessions of surgery lasting 23 hours.

Her recovery was agonising. 'My nights were filled with terrifying hallucinations and, when I wasn't asleep, guilt I became convinced that Nell's mum must hate me because I'd survived. I wished it was me who had died and not my beautiful, funny, sweet friend.'

Ms Grande visited Freya in hospital and they wept together. But Freya says the experience, however harrowing, has made her stronger.

'I could either give up and allow myself to be consumed by fear and anger, or see it as a second chance in life,' she writes. 'I chose the latter.'
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors of pending deadlines in the following securities class action lawsuits:



Westpac Banking Corporation (WBK)

Class Period: 11/11/2015 - 11/19/2019

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: March 30, 2020

SECURITIES FRAUD

To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-westpac-banking-corporation-american-depositary-shares-securities-litigation

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (SPR)

Class Period: 10/31/2019 - 1/29/2020

Lead Plaintiff Motion Deadline: April 10, 2020

SECURITIES FRAUD

To learn more, visit https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-spirit-aerosystems-holdings-inc-securities-litigation-1

If you purchased shares of the above companies and would like to discuss your legal rights and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact us toll-free (844) 367-9658 or visit the case links above.

If you wish to serve as a Lead Plaintiff in the class action, you must petition the Court on or before the Lead Plaintiff Motion deadline.

About ClaimsFiler

ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.
London businessman Tony Camoccio, 51, claim he is being falsely accused of sexual assault after patting a security guard on the back at Hurghada Airport (Picture: PA/Change.org)

Thousands of people have signed a petition for a British businessman who has allegedly been arrested in Egypt after patting a male airport security guard on the back.

Friends of Tony Camoccio claim the father-of-four is being falsely accused of sexual assault after the alleged incident at Hurghada International Airport on February 8.

The 51-year-old was returning from a holiday with his wife and a group of friends when the incident reportedly happened at an airport checkpoint.

Mr Camoccio, who has visited Egypt several times before, is believed to currently be in police custody in Hurghada.

An online petition has been set up on change.org calling for Mr Camoccio to be released and by Friday had reached nearly 4,000 signatures.

A petition to free Tony Camoccio has gained nearly 4,000 signatures (Picture: Change.org)

A statement on the petition website reads: At customs in Hurghada airport on his outbound journey, he was at final checkpoint where he was, as a standard procedure for all outbound passengers, patted down by a security officer.

Tony then gently patted the officers back, and is now facing serious accusations.

READ MORE

'CHINO' nickname was the trigger for Sajid Javid's resignation as Chancellor

Coronavirus: UK government says flights from China still allowed as UK cases rise to 9

He was held in a general population cell overnight where he remained in handcuffs, petrified for his life as he did not know what he was supposedly being charged with or what he had done wrong.

His basic human rights were being abused and these are false accusations.

Radha Stirling, chief executive of human rights organisation Detained In Dubai, said authorities had extended Mr Camoccios detention for another two weeks to investigate the allegations.

We are appalled by the arrest and detention of Mr Camoccio, and fear for his safety, she added.

The Foreign Office has said it is in contact with the family and the authorities in Egypt.

-An insiders guide to Margate-
Mrs. Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament for Tano North in the Ahafo Region on Thursday said New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates in the Constituency motivated her to seek-re-election in the supreme interest of the Party.



The leadership of the NPP has set April 25, 2020 to conduct parliamentary primaries nationwide at constituencies with sitting MPs to pave way for the election of candidates for the December 7 parliamentary election.



She told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after submitting her nomination forms at the Partys constituency office at Duayaw-Nkwanta that, there was no way she could disappoint the NPP delegates who impressed on her to go for re-election.



They have rallied strongly behind me for the past seven years and I cannot disappoint them, she stated.



Mrs. Prempeh was accompanied by hundreds of delegates, supporters and sympathisers in the constituency, who were clad in NPP colours and paraphernalia, and held placards with inscription such as lets maintain Freda for Party unity, Freda you deserve additional four years, Freda Toaso and No Freda no NPP.



Addressing the crowd, Mrs. Prempeh who is the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection expressed appreciation to particularly, the delegates for their unflinching support towards strengthening the Partys structures, while working to improve on the livelihoods of the people.



She indicated her re-election would enable her to complete the two-storey constituency office she was putting up at Duayaw-Nkwanta and other on-going educational and health infrastructural projects in the communities.



While appealing to ensure she had 100 per cent victory, Mrs. Prempeh called on her opponents to seek the interest of the NPP to retain the seat and win the presidential ballot as well.



Mr. Gabriel Ankomah, the Tano North Constituency Secretary of the NPP said two other aspirants also picked nomination forms to contest the primaries.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Harrison Ford has revealed filming on the fifth Indiana Jones movie may begin this summer (Ian West/PA)

Harrison Ford has revealed filming on the fifth Indiana Jones movie may begin this summer.

The Hollywood star, 77, confirmed he will pick up his whip and don the famous fedora to play the beloved archaeologist once more.

During an appearance on Ellen DeGeneress chat show, Ford said: Its going to be fun. They are great fun to make.

Harrison Ford has revealed filming on the new Indiana Jones film will start later this year (Isabel Infantes/PA)

He said filming is set to start in the summer.

The first three Indiana Jones films  Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981), Temple Of Doom (1984) and The Last Crusade (1989)  are well-loved classic films.

Ford returned to the role for 2008s Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, which is not as revered.

In a separate interview with CBS, Ford said filming on the new Indiana Jones movie could begin as soon as April.

And he admitted to enjoying revisiting his classic characters, including Han Solo from Star Wars.

When we have an opportunity to make another, it is because people have enjoyed them, Ford told Sunday Morning.

I feel obliged to make sure our ambitions are as ambitious as they were when we started.

A release date for the fifth Indiana Jones film has not been announced.

Fords latest film is the Disney adventure The Call Of The Wild.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 01:30:01|Editor: yan

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TUNIS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia's Islamist party Ennahdha announced on Saturday that it will not grant confidence to the new government of Prime Minister-designate Elyes Fakhfakh.

The announcement was made a few hours ahead of the official unveiling of the new government.

"Ennahdha will not give confidence to this government," said Abdelkarim Harouni, Ennahdha's consultative assembly chairman, at a press briefing.

"This decision was taken following the non-satisfaction of our request to form a government of national unity," he added.

Ennahdha, which has a majority of 54 seats in parliament, rejects Fakhfakh's exclusion of the Heart of Tunisia party, which has 38 seats, from his new government's lineup.

In order to gain the confidence of parliament, the proposed government needs at least the votes of 109 out of 217 deputies.
The opposition CPI(M) and



Congress on Saturday accused West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra of "deliberately misleading" the state Assembly with his answers during the debate on the budget.

Mitra told the Assembly on Saturday that there has been no reduction in budgetary allocations for different departments and Rs 11.6689 crore was sanctioned for agriculture alone.

CPI-M MLA Sujan Chakraborty said the finance minister's reply during the debate on Saturday did not tally with his budget speech, which spoke of decline in spending in different departments including agriculture.

The CPI(M) and the Congress disputed it and accused Mitra of "deliberately misleading the House" and tore copies of the budget book.

As Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay showed a book claiming it contained the figures quoted by Mitra, Chakraborty and Congress leader Sukhbilas Barma shouted in protest and tore copies of the budget book before leaving the House.

Mitra in his speech said the government has done away with the division in planned and non-planned expenditure.

Referring to the projects mentioned in budget, he said the leather complex at Bantala in the city's outskirts would be made one of the the largest in Asia and would have eight effluent plants. It employes about 2.20 lakh people now and the figure will increase to five lakh on completion.

Countering him, Chakraborty later told newsmen at the Assembly premises that the proposal to do away with the distinction between planned and non-planned expenditure was not referred to by Mitra in his budget speech. The finance minister by speaking about it now was done to mislead the house.

Referring to Mitra's claim that the state has been burdened with Rs 23000 crore as interest for the debt taken by the erstwhile Left Front government, Chakraborty said only Rs 400 crore was taken during the rule of Left rule.

He said Mitra had in his budget speech compared figures of 2011 and 2020 but the situation has changed "vastly" since then.

"The government is not comparing figures of recent years," the CPI(M) leader said.

The budget for 2020-21 was the last before the West Bengal Assembly election, which is due in 2021.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after the Supreme Court rapped telecom companies for failing to pay their dues to the Department of Telecommunications despite orders, the Congress lashed out at the Centre, accusing it of "favouring" private players by deferring the recovery of dues.

Congress leader and spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said mobile phone users were also being fleeced to the tune of Rs 35,561 crore annually with a 40 per cent rise in tariffs.

Posing a question to the Union government, he asked, "What is the quid pro quo for Mr PM (Narendra Modi) for your decision, dated January 3, 2020, to defer the recovery of Rs 1.02 crore from three telecom companies?".

The Congress leader also accused the Centre of deferring the recovery of Rs 42,000 crore (spectrum auction instalment) for 2020-21 and 2021-22 from the telecom companies in a Union Cabinet decision on November 29 last year.

"Is it a coincidence or experiment? Will the BJP government reveal the reason behind this 'as sem kripa' (immense kindness)," Surjewala asked.

Describing the displeasure of the apex court in the matter as the "stinging strictures" against the Union government, the Congress leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "lost the moral, ethical and constitutional right to continue in his office even for a single day".

The Supreme Court on Friday threatened contempt proceedings against top executives of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and other telecom firms for failing to comply with its directive to pay an estimated Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past dues, and asked whether there was no law left in the country.

The Congress leader said the Supreme Court in October 2019 had directed Vodafone-Idea, Airtel Bharti, Tata Teleservices (now owned by Airtel) and Reliance Jio to pay Rs 1.02 lakh crore to the Centre towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR) under the 1999 telecom policy.

The Solicitor General of India had indicated the figure of Rs 1.02 lakh crore before the court at that time, though the media had put this figure at Rs 1.47 lakh crore, he said.

Surjewala said within a month of the SC order, the telecom companies raised mobile tariffs by 40 per cent, thus putting an additional financial burden on 112 crore prepaid subscribers.

"Is the increase of 40 per cent in cell phone tariffs and data usage charges a ploy or methodology or a chronology as you say (PM) to recover Rs 1.02 lakh crore of the AGR of telecom companies that they are required to pay under an SC order," Surjewala asked, accusing the Centre "crony capitalism".

Surjewala said with the 40 per cent rise in tariffs, the annual financial burden on 112 crore mobile users will be to the tune of Rs 35,561 crore.

"If we multiply the figure of Rs 35,561 crore with remaining four and half years of the Modi government, it will be Rs 1.60 lakh crore," he claimed.

Surjewala said, "Remember, the 2G scam was a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore over which Modi demanded the resignation of the then PM."



"Mr PM here is evidence and you are going to fleece 112 crore people of Rs 1.60 lakh crore. Should you now not morally step down," he asked.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Puzzle of Sri Lankas Missing Admiral & Other Strange Stories View(s):

The escalating clash of words (hopefully, not arms) between the Attorney General (AG) and the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) over the failure to immediately file charges against an interdicted High Court judge on the basis of allegedly attempting to fabricate evidence as revealed in leaked phone conversations with a parliamentarian, has thrown up some interesting dilemmas.

Strange happenings in this isle

Post 2019 Presidential polls, Sri Lanka is witnessing the stage being set for an wholesale overhaul of our constitutional systems. This drama is being beautifully played out in a scenario where the Offices of the AG and the IGP have become central points of dispute. That frames an overall attack on constitutional institutions in the name of stability and national security.

First, we have an interdicted Inspector General of Police (IGP) in jail over dereliction of duty in the 2019 Easter Sunday jihadist attacks and only last week granted bail. Yet, this individual, and wondrously so, remains Sri Lankas IGP. Parliament, it seems, in all its collective wisdom, or lack thereof which is more the case, has not seen fit to bring in the statutory removal process for this IGP. Instead, leading lights (I use that term in its most caustic sense), of the Pohottuwa and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) lambast the 19th Amendment for not permitting the President to remove the IGP.

But the 19th Amendment had nothing to do with the matter at all. It is the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act (2002) ancillary to the 17th Amendment, which brought in statutory safeguards in respect of the removal of the IGP and the AG, akin to the parliamentary process regarding removal of superior court judges. That was close to thirteen years before the 19th Amendment. Regardless, this has formed part of the Pohottuwa whipping boy strategy to banish the 19th Amendment to constitutional limbo. But there is a question left hanging in the air. Now that an uneasy coalition of the Pohottuwa and the SLFP has grabbed the reins of power, why is the statutory removal process of the IGP not initiated on the floor of the House? It is not so difficult after all.

That missing Admiral and the law

Second, in this litany of strange happenings, a fact-finding Commission of Inquiry has seen fit to direct the AG to halt prosecutions in an ongoing prosecution, which directive has been refuted outright by the AG. This highly controversial case concerns the abduction of Tamil and Muslim children allegedly by high state officers between 2008 and 2009 who were held in navy bases in Trincomalee and Colombo before being disappeared. To add to this, there is the puzzle of the missing Admiral, cited as a key person of interest in this case who has not appeared in court despite summons being repeatedly issued on him. Reportedly, Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, Sri Lankas former navy commander has also not appeared before the Commission of Inquiry

Third, in returning to the current dispute between the Attorney General (AG) and the acting IGP, the AG has, expressing displeasure about the failure to charge the interdicted High Court judge, reminded the acting IGP of the duty to abide by the constitutional imperatives in Article 12 of Sri Lankas Constitution regarding all persons being equal before the law coupled with the duty towards non-discrimination. One is tickled pink, as they say. There is a constitutional irony here that is too rich to be missed. So we have one arm of the State (chief legal officer) advising the other arm of the State (chief albeit acting law enforcement officer) to act according to the Constitution. The annoyance of the AG is evidenced by the fact that, instead of jumping to obey as the police would generally do on a direction of the AG as many luckless citizens have experienced to their cost undergoing miscarriages of justice, this time, it is different.

We were first told that the acting IGP has constituted a committee to look into the AGs directive. It appears that the police has adopted the time dishonored tactic of the leader of Sri Lankas main opposition, the United National Party, to appoint a committee as a time-saving until the heat dies down. Thereafter, it seems that the police have put forward the remarkably novel argument that they are not sure of the jurisidiction of the case or in other words, in what court should the charges be filed.

The executive quoting the law

However, the AG, whose approach strongly brings to mind, the relentless pursuing of hounds in search of their terrified prey, has not given up easily. Castigating the police for failure to act, he has reminded them that questions regarding jurisidiction et al could have been clarified from his office. As to how this saga will unfold remains to be seen. But this matter of the Constitution and the law being cited by one arm of the executive to advise its other arm is a curious thing.

Not so long ago, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa also quoted the law but with a seemingly different emphasis as he advised the acting IGP to carry out arrests only when absolutely necessary and upon a decision taken with utmost care and in strict compliance of the law. In fact, the statement issued by the Office of the President at the time, pointed out that arrests of individuals results in the serious deprivation of liberty of citizens, loss of reputation and standing in the society. Thus, it was observed that  due respect should be given by officers discharging such duties to the Members of Parliament as representatives of the people and professionals

Here too however, it was pointed out that the law should be applied equally to all citizens without any discrimination whatsoever. Arrests should not be carried out for extraneous purposes and without undue influence, the President said. The point however, is that whether it is the AG or the President who issues these injunctions to the police, the not-so-subtle message in these missives are aimed at the public, not the targets identified as such.

A fundamental dysfunction in government

To the extent that the police is presumed to know the Constitution and the law under which it acts, these communications speak to a fundamental dysfunction in government, a dilemma that Sri Lanka is long familiar with, regardless of who is in power. The police has always remained the plaything of politicians and at times, the hapless object of pressure from both sides or all sides.

The only way to meet this is to build strong institutions, not confer politicians with more powers as some seem to prefer. The limited success of this institution-building process must not lead to its complete abolition or the casting aside of the 19th Amendment in its entirety. True, its problematic provisions (often commented upon in these column spaces) must be revised. But that is not the objective of anti-19th Amendment propagandists. Rather, the aim is to clean the decks for the sweep of all constitutional safeguards against arbitrary executive power. They even target the 17th Amendment which was perhaps the one amendment, genuinely brought to strengthen peoples power against the political establishment.

Their efforts must not succeed, for the good of this long-suffering land.
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. raised the stakes in its battle with Huawei Technologies Co., using a law historically associated with prosecuting mafia figures to claim the Chinese company engaged in decades of intellectual property theft.

Huawei, the worlds largest maker of telecommunications equipment, and Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou had already faced criminal charges. The fresh allegations, announced Thursday, up the ante by including racketeering conspiracy, increasing the potential punishment. They come as the global battle for supremacy in fifth-generation wireless technology, or 5G, is joined.

Huawei broke the law to drastically cut its research and development costs and associated delays, giving the company a significant and unfair competitive advantage, the Justice Department said in a statement. The company even launched a bonus program to reward employees who got their hands on confidential information from competitors, prosecutors said.

The new charges depict a company that won international standing by stealing trade secrets, evading U.S sanctions and lying to authorities. They are likely to increase tensions between Beijing and Washington, which has accused Huawei of spying for the Chinese government, even as Huawei won a brief reprieve from a proposed ban on buying parts.

The indictment doesnt name the businesses from which Huawei allegedly stole intellectual property, but details of the allegations match descriptions of companies including Cisco Systems Inc., Motorola Inc. and Cnex Labs Inc.

The indictment paints a damning portrait of an illegitimate organization that lacks any regard for the law, Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, the Republican chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the panels Democratic vice-chairman, said in an emailed statement. Intellectual property theft, corporate sabotage and market manipulation are part of Huaweis core ethos and reflected in every aspect of how it conducts business.

Story continues

Huawei doesnt abide by Western business practices, Rob Spalding, a Washington-based technology and security expert at the Hudson Institute who served on the National Security Council, said in an email. Which is why many U.S. companies are no longer competitive in the global marketplace.

Read More: Why 5G Mobile Arrives With a Subplot of Espionage

Huawei, in turn, has accused the U.S. of orchestrating a campaign to intimidate its employees and launching cyberattacks to infiltrate its internal network. Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged the U.S to stop unreasonably targeting Huawei and other Chinese enterprises.

The new indictment is part of the Justice Departments attempt to irrevocably damage Huaweis reputation and its business for reasons related to competition rather than law enforcement, a representative of the company said Thursday. These new charges are without merit and are based largely on recycled civil disputes from the last 20 years that have been previously settled, litigated and, in some cases, rejected by federal judges and juries.

Huawei was previously accused of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Meng, the CFO, was charged with fraud last year, with the case rippling into Canada, where she is currently fighting extradition to the U.S. Mengs lawyers have argued in court that their client did nothing wrong.

The U.S. said Huawei stole trade secrets, including copyrighted works, source code and user manuals for internet routers, to grow and operate its business. The company swiped antenna and robot testing technology, prosecutors said.

Then, they said, it doubled down.

When confronted with evidence of wrongdoing, the defendants allegedly made repeated misstatements to U.S. officials, including FBI agents and representatives from the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, regarding their efforts to misappropriate trade secrets, they said.

Read More: U.S. Ramps Up Huawei Fight With Iran, Trade-Secret Charges

The U.S. dates the thefts to 2002. But the government has also linked the 2016 alleged theft of a computer chip from a California tech company for Huawei with the latest charges.

Bo Mao, a Xiamen University professor, was charged in September with stealing trade secrets. His lawyers said in a court filing Thursday that the prosecution is related to the Huawei case.

In the new indictment, the government is wielding some prior allegations of wrongdoing, like Huaweis alleged theft of a phone-testing robot developed by T-Mobile US Inc., to build a more muscular case. The U.S. alleged that a Huawei engineer secretly took photos of T-Mobiles robot, Tappy, took measurements of parts and even stole a piece of it. When T-Mobile threatened to sue, the U.S. said, Huawei blamed rogue actors within the company.

Intellectual property theft explains a lot of Huaweis success, said Jim Lewis, of the Technology Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Huawei is the poster child for Chinas commercial spying.

The case is U.S. v. Huawei Technologies Co., 18-cr-457, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn).

Read More

Huawei Pleads Not Guilty to Bank Fraud Charges in New YorkU.S. Accuses Huawei of Trade-Secret Theft, Defrauding BanksProsecutors Say Government Used FISA to Watch HuaweiU.S. Charges Chinese Professor Accused of Theft to Help Huawei

(Updates with Bo Mao case)

--With assistance from Bob Van Voris and Natalie Obiko Pearson.

To contact the reporters on this story: Patricia Hurtado in Federal Court in Manhattan at pathurtado@bloomberg.net;Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.net;Todd Shields in Washington at tshields3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Joe Schneider, Peter Blumberg

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Chennai: Parties led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday lashed out at the police for alleged use of force on anti-CAA protesters here and sought action against

personnel involved in it.

With the government coming under opposition attack over the violence, the ruling AIADMK reaffirmed its commitment to the Muslim community and said "Goebbels like propaganda" against it would not work.

The city police appealed to the public to not to share any "provocative" messages on social media in this connection, even as anti-CAA protests by members of the Muslim community continued in different parts of the state.

Tamil Nadu Revenue Minister R B Udayakumar said the "Amma government" had always accorded high priority for the welfare of Muslims and saw to it that they were not "even minutely affected" in any way.

Speaking to reporters in Madurai, he said Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam were "protecting the Muslims like their children and family members."

"Those unable to stomach this are unleashing lies and Goebbels like propaganda, but that will not benefit them. The people will also not believe them," he said.

DMK President M K Stalin said Friday's protests had been held in a peaceful manner and sought to know why the police used force to disperse them.

"Lathicharge was done unnecessarily on the peaceful people for no reason and this prompted people across the state to take to the streets," Stalin said in a statement.

He said Friday had been turned into a "black night" for the protesters by the police.

On Friday, an anti-CAA protest by Muslims had turned violent when a group of protesters clashed with police here, leaving four personnel injured.

The incident had led to sporadic protests across Tamil Nadu, including at Washermanpet in the city, where the violence erupted, but protesters subsequently called off the agitation, following talks with City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan.

Agitators had alleged police used force against them and that they were lathicharged.

On Saturday, Stalin demanded that any cases in this connection be withdrawn and sought action against policemen who allegedly resorted to lathicharge.

Hitting out at the AIADMK, the DMK chief said while the ruling party had voted in favour of the amended Citizenship Act in the Parliament, it was also not enacting an Assembly resolution against CAA, a demand putforth by his party.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T T V Dhinakaran also targeted the government over the handling of the protest.

"Using force in peaceful protests amounts to stirring up a hornet's nest," the independent legislator said in a statement.

He wished such incidents did not repeat.

The Vaiko-led MDMK adopted a resolution in its district secretaries meeting, slamming the police for allegedly using force against protestors.

BJP leader H Raja, whose party is an ally of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, slammed the violence against police personnel in the protests.

In a tweet, he said "rioters should be dealt with an iron fist."

Meanwhile, Viswanathan visited the injured police personnel admitted to a private and government hospital.

Later, he told reporters that he wanted to check if any public said to be injured in yesterday's incident had been admitted to the government hospital, but there were none.

Reiterating the need for peace, he appealed to the public not to share "wrong or provocative" social media messages, especially on Twitter and Facebook.

"People of Tamil Nadu follow peace and maintain law and order. That tradition has to be followed," he said.

Protests continued in parts of the state including here, Cuddalore and Ramanathapuram by members of the Muslim community, both against the CAA as well as demanding action over yesterday's episode.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said that the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has amplified the problem of unemployment in the state instead of resolving it.

"These people are scared and know that unemployment is a big issue. Nitish Kumar could not solve the problem and increased it instead," Yadav told ANI.

The statement comes in the backdrop of RJD's 'Berozgari Hatao' (Eradicate Unemployment) Yatra scheduled to held at Bihar Veterinary College Ground in Patna on February 23.

Tejashwi Yadav will lead the Patna rally, following which it will be held in every district of the state.

Attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav told ANI on Thursday, "Nitishji has been at the helm of affairs in the state for years and has completely destroyed Bihar in the matter of employment. There is rampant unemployment in Bihar but the Chief Minister's focus is solely on saving his chair."

This bid can also be seen as RJD's attempt to increase its voter base in the state ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar.

Assembly elections in Bihar are likely to be held in October-November this year.

Currently, Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) is ruling in a coalition with BJP in Bihar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opportunistic millers pounce on paddy boards handicap By Kasun Warakapitiya View(s): View(s):

Despite government efforts, large scale millers are buying wet paddy at lower prices, immediately after the harvest, a farmers group says.

Millers are capitalising on a situation where the Paddy Marketing Board is unable to buy wet paddy because it does not have enough capacity to dry the paddy.

As a result, farmers say they are forced to sell wet paddy at lower prices to the millers.

The president of The Dambulla Farmers Foundation, Sunil Ranweera, told the Sunday Times that indebted farmers do not have a choice but to sell their harvest to settle their liabilities.

Most farmers dont even have money to pay for the harvester and in mid harvest they have to pay money by quickly selling the wet paddy, he added.

Mr Samaraweera, said that large-scale millers take advantage of the situation and buy paddy at Rs 30 per kilo of nadu and samba.

Millers buy paddy for between Rs 30 and Rs 32 and sell the rice at Rs 80 to Rs 110, and also use other names for the same varieties to deceive consumers, he said.

The president of another farmers association in Badalwewa, Sunil Rathnayake, said the government is not yet prepared to buy paddy.

Farmers in Hambantota plan to start harvesting by the end of the month, but PMB storages remain closed.

Stores in Ambalantota stock other items, while the Mirijjawila storage is closed.

Meanwhile, the national organiser of the All Island Farmers Federation (AIFF), Namal Karunaratne, said paddy harvesting in the main areas, Kurunegala, Ambilipitiya, Polonnaruwa, and Hambantota, would be completed by the end of March, or the first week of April.

Once the harvest is gathered, paddy prices could even plummet below Rs 33.

The millers are on alert to quickly purchase wet paddy at the lowest possible price.

He said the paddy mafia needs to be countered by a government plan to purchase wet paddy.

Mr Karunaratne also said the government had deceived farmers by not paying prices promised during presidential election.

The election manifesto of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, mentions different guaranteed prices will be set up for a kilogram of varieties of paddy: Rs. 52/- for Nadu, Rs. 57/- for Samba and Rs. 63/- for Keeri Samba. But, the Cabinet has decided on Rs 50.

Mr Karunaratne said each variety of rice has a separate price in the market and paddy bought by the government should be priced similarly.

The head of the Paddy Marketing Board (PMD) said paddy needs to be dry.

PMD, chairman, Dr Jatal Mannaperuma told the Sunday Times, the board had begun buying nadu, samba, and keeri samba at Rs 50 following the Cabinet decision two weeks ago.

We have been advised to purchase paddy according to government set prices. Pricing should be determined by policy makers, he said.

About 500 MT per day is purchased and there are plans to buy 150,000 MT.

If there is excess, we would store it to meet shortages, he said.

Dr Mannapperuma said farmers are eager to sell the wet paddy as they have loans to pay, but the board buys paddy that has a humidity of less than 14 percent because wet paddy cannot be stored.

He also said large scale millers have huge storage areas and equipment for drying wet paddy they buy for lower prices.

The PMD has four to five drying yards at Weerawila but these are insufficient.

Millers can build paddy drying yards but not the PMD.
February 14, 2020  Ottawa  National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Canada is dedicated to strengthening its multilateral relationships with allies and partners. Through partnerships with like-minded countries, and a renewed commitment to NATO and United Nations peacekeeping, Canada is helping build a safer and more secure world.

Following a productive trip to Brussels for the NATO Defence Ministers meeting, National Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan participated in a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Munich.

While in Brussels, Minister Sajjan reiterated Canadas support to NATO and our commitment to the collective defence of the Alliance. In bilateral discussions with his counterparts from Italy, Romania, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, and NATOs Secretary General, the Minister raised a number of key issues around Arctic security, the evolving situation in the Middle East, and the potential for NATO to take on a greater role in contributing to a more peaceful and prosperous Iraq.

Along with Latvia, the Minister co-hosted a meeting of the contributors to the Canada-led enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia. The ministers discussed progress on their joint efforts and reviewed upcoming priorities. The Minister also participated in a meeting of allies providing assistance to Ukraines defence and security forces  Canada, Lithuania, Poland, United Kingdom, and the United States  along with the Ukrainian Minister of Defence. During discussions on Ukraines defence priorities, Minister Sajjan highlighted Canadas unwavering support to Ukraines defence reform process.

On the margins of the NATO Defence Ministers meeting, Minister Sajjan hosted a breakfast on the status of NATO-Ukraine relations. Following this breakfast, the Minister met with Ukrainian Defence Minister, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, where Canada reiterated our commitment to Ukraine and its territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression.

While in Munich, Minister Sajjan participated in a meeting with his counterparts from the main force contributors to the Global Coalition to Defeat-ISIS. The ministers discussed the defence and security challenges of the Middle Eastern region and explored the path forward for the Coalition in Iraq.
Opposition parties led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday lashed out at the police action against anti-CAA protesters here, and sought action against those police personnel who allegedly used force against the agitators.

DMK President M K Stalin said the protests were being held in a peaceful manner and sought to know why the police used force to disperse them.

However, BJP leader H Raja slammed the attack on police personnel, in which four including a woman Joint Commissioner sustained injuries.

"Lathicharge was done unnecessarily on the peaceful people for no reason and this prompted people across the state to take to the streets," Stalin said in a statement.

On Friday,an anti-CAA protest by Muslims had turned violent when a group of protesters clashed with police here, leaving four personnel injured.

The incident had led to sporadic protests across Tamil Nadu, including at Washermanpet in the city, where the violence erupted, but protesters subsequently called off the agitation, following talks with City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan.

Agitators had alleged that police used force against them.

Stalin demanded that any cases in this connection should also be withdrawn and sought action against policemen who allegedly resorted to lathicharge.

Hitting out at the AIADMK, the DMK chief said while the ruling party had voted in favour of the amended Citizenship Act in the Parliament, it was also not enacting an Assembly resolution against CAA, a demand putforth by his party.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T T V Dhinakaran also targeted the government over the handling of the protest.

"Using force in peaceful protests amounts to stirring up a hornet's nest," the independent legislator said in a statement.

He wished such incidents did not repeat.

The Vaiko-led MDMK adopted a resolution in its district secretaries meeting, slamming the police for allegedly using force against protestors.

BJP leader H Raja, whose party is an ally of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, slammed the violence against police personnel in the protests.

In a tweet, he said "rioters should be dealt with an iron fist.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The lead investigator of a review into the killings of the loyalist Glenanne Gang has said the victims' families have a "legal and moral right" to the truth.

Former Bedfordshire Police chief Jon Boutcher, who is also heading up three other Troubles probes, was speaking after the terms of reference for the review were agreed.

The Glenanne Gang has been linked to dozens of murders carried out in the 1970s and 80s, which have been dogged by allegations of collusion.

Several members of the gang were serving members of the police and security services.

The review was commissioned following a Court of Appeal ruling in July, 2019 that that bereaved relatives were being denied their legitimate expectation that an independent police team will oversee a probe into the killings.

I have already met a number of families affected by these incredibly sad events and have been touched by their great strength and the honesty and integrity of their efforts to find the truth Jon Boutcher

Jon Boutcher will lead a team of investigators tasked with identifying the composition of the gang and establishing whether a review of the cases as a whole suggests wider issues of collusion.

The review will employ independent legal counsel, an Independent Steering Group and a Victim Focus Group.

No ex-members of the RUC, PSNI, Ministry of Defence or intelligence agencies will be part of the investigation team.

Expand Close Former Bedfordshire chief constable Jon Boutcher is to leading the review (Liam McBurney/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Former Bedfordshire chief constable Jon Boutcher is to leading the review (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr Boutcher said his aim is find truth for the families and be in a position to "answer their previously unanswered questions".

I have already met a number of families affected by these incredibly sad events and have been touched by their great strength and the honesty and integrity of their efforts to find the truth," he added.

"They are a remarkable group of families both collectively and as individuals. Their stories are incredibly moving and they have both a legal and moral right to the truth."

Last July's Court of Appeal case was brought by Edward Barnard, whose 13-year-old brother Patrick was among four people killed in a St Patrick's Day bombing at the Hillcrest Bar in Dungannon in March, 1976.

The no-warning attack was allegedly carried out by the gang, who are reported to have been based at a farm in Glenanne, Co Armagh.

In 1981, UVF member Garnet James Busby received a life sentence after admitting his role in the bombing.

Other attacks the Glenanna Gang are suspected of being responsible for include the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, in which 33 people were killed, and the notorious 1975 Miami Showband Massacre.

Expand Close The scene of the bomb attack in Monaghan in 1974 / Facebook

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Whatsapp The scene of the bomb attack in Monaghan in 1974

Jon Boutcher is also leading Operation Kenova, a probe into killings carried out by the British agent known as Stakeknife.

He is also in charge of independent investigations into the killing of three RUC officers in Co Armagh in 1982 and the shooting death of mother-of-one Jean Smyth-Campbell in west Belfast in 1972.
Vaibhav Saxena and Nguyen Hoang Anh Linh, lawyers at Vietnam International Law Firm

From January 1, with the goal of reducing and simplifying business conditions and creating favourable conditions for investors to access the aviation market, Decree No.89/2019/ND-CP dated November 15, which amends and supplements some articles of Decree No.92/2016/ND-CP on conditional business sectors in the industry, and Decree No.30/2013/ND-CP on air transport businesses and general aviation activities, regulates that airlines shall meet a minimum capital, including equity and loan capital, of VND300 billion ($13 million) for operating up to 10 aircraft; VND600 billion ($26 million) for operating from 11 to 30 aircraft; and VND700 billion ($30 million) for operating over 30 aircraft.

Previously, charter capital requirements set out for an airline operating in the first group was VND300 billion ($13 million) for domestic services and VND700 billion ($30 million) for international services; the second group was VND600 billion ($26 million) for domestic services and VND1 trillion ($43.5 million) for international services; and the latter group was VND700 billion (about $30 million) for domestic services and VND1.3 trillion ($56.5 million) for international services.

By this, Decree 89 not only lowers the requirement on capital but also removes the difference regarding capital conditions between international and domestic aviation transportation, which will help accelerating competition within and development of the aviation market in Vietnam.

The market share of the civil aviation market by the end of December was divided across five main players  Vietjet Air (42.2 per cent), Vietnam Airlines (34.5 per cent), Bamboo Airways (12.3 per cent), Jetstar Pacific (10.6 per cent), and VASCO (1.9 per cent).

Although the Vietnamese market has recently seen conglomerate Vingroup abruptly withdraw its Vinpearl Air project and pull out of the market altogether after it was deemed that heavy investment might lead to oversupply, other newcomers such as Viettravel Air and Kite Air are planning entry in the near future and will compete with current airlines for a part of the market share using the new, looser requirements in charter capital. Foreign ownership ratio

In addition to requirements regarding capital, Decree 89 also loosens regulations on foreign ownership of any airlines established in Vietnam by increasing the limit from 30 per cent to 34 per cent. In detail, the foreign-invested enterprises shall satisfy the following conditions:

- Foreign ownership must not exceed 34 per cent of total charter capital;

- The largest charter capital ratio shall be owned by either a Vietnamese individual or Vietnamese legal entity;

- In the case of a Vietnamese legal entity investing in the airlines, the foreign ownership ratio of such entity shall not exceed 49 per cent of total charter capital.

Additionally, Decree 89 also removes the requirement on the transfer of stakes and capital contribution in foreign-invested airlines to overseas investors, which would only be proceeded two years after the issuance of aviation licence.

This increase of foreign ownership limit may be aimed at harmonising the attraction of international capital, but still ensures and protects the rights and interests of domestic equivalents.

This may not be a significant change but will certainly bring benefits to listed airlines like Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet, and airlines that will perhaps list in the future such as Bamboo Airways, since it will be easier for such groups to raise capital by funding prospects via increasing the foreign ownership ratio.

Airport business requirement

In addition to relaxed conditions for airlines, the government is placing attention on infrastructure of the civil aviation market by setting better conditions for enterprises. Decree 89 stipulates that the minimum capital level to be selected is VND100 billion ($4.35 million), while foreign investors cannot hold more than 30 per cent of the charter capital for airport business companies.

Such a requirement is much lower than previous legislation, which contained minimum capital of the same amount for enterprises providing services at a domestic terminal, but VND200 billion ($8.7 million) for those at an international terminal.

Currently, there are major developments with regards to aviation infrastructure, which can be seen via the three biggest airport projects:

- The expansion of Noi Bai Airport, which is around $3.7 billion for the period of 2018-2021 including the increased capacity of Terminal 2 for up to 15 million passengers per year; a new domestic terminal; and additional aircraft parking lot.

- The expansion of Tan Son Nhat Airport worth over $1 billion, with the feasibility study approved while having in-principle approval being considered by the Prime Minister.

- Long Thanh International Airport, with around $16 billion total investment capital  the biggest airport project in Vietnam and the proposed second airport for Ho Chi Minh City.

The site is situated approximately 40km east of the city centre, and it will have four runways and be able to handle over 100 million passengers annually. The feasibility study has been submitted to the National Assembly for consideration.

In addition to these significant projects, there are also plans to upgrade a number of Tier 2 airports including Cat Bi, Phu Bai, Chu Lai, and Phu Quoc.

Elsewhere, Van Don Airport is being developed by the private sector. It received its inaugural flight in December 2018 and is the new gateway for Halong Bay, already servicing international flights.

Development of Van Don, Tan Son Nhat, Cam Ranh, Dong Hoi, and Phu Cat airports both involve private investors and demonstrate a significant example of increasing interest from such investors in airport development projects.

With the stronger conditions brought about by Decree 89, the involvement of foreign investors in development of Vietnamese aviation infrastructure may be increased and lead to faster improvement.

Aircraft age limitation

Decree 89 also sets the age limit for used aircraft imported into Vietnam.

For passenger transportation purposes, used aircraft age shall not exceed (i) 10 years accounting from the manufacturing date to the date of import into Vietnam under a purchase agreement; or (ii) 20 years accounting from the manufacturing date to the expiration of the leasing contract. In addition, the age of used helicopters must not exceed 25 years from the manufacturing date.

For cargo transportation and commercial purposes, used aircraft age shall not exceed (i) 15 years accounting from the manufacturing date to the date of import into Vietnam under a purchase agreement; or (ii) 25 years accounting from the manufacturing date to the expiration of the leasing contract.

To be imported into Vietnam, an aircraft must be certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration, the European Aviation Safety Authority, or the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

This new requirement may require investors in aircraft to have a different analysis when leasing their aircraft. This is because whilst the benefit accruing to the airline operators is a critical part of the analysis, the long-term value retention of these high-cost assets and their liquidity (how many airlines will continue to want to operate the aircraft and how many investors will continue to want to acquire them) are the most significant considerations.

Understanding these requires specialist skills and extensive industry experience gained over several industry cycles.

General market development

Globally speaking, the commercial aviation industry is big business, generating hundreds of billions of US dollars to the global economy.

In Vietnam, the aviation sector is undergoing a prolonged boom that is opening the country to a new tourism market, while putting a strain on the airlines and airports of Vietnam. Therefore, the market is considered a fruitful one.

This is in part because a rising tide of prosperity. These days, more Vietnamese people can afford to fly back to their hometown instead of taking a long train journey, or taking weekend trips to far provinces instead of getting an overnight bus and ferry.

In addition, the Vietnamese tourism industry is also developing at a huge rate, which consequently brings benefit to transport services like aviation.

Despite the fact that the civil aviation market requires a huge investment amount and takes times for investors to gain profit, this boutique market in Vietnam is developing at a significant rate.

The issuance of Decree 89 may be the next step for the government to attract more investment, while developing the field in a stable and sustainable way.

Currently, the aviation sector is among the hardest hit by the novel coronavirus epidemic. However, this hurdle may be in the short term. It is likely to recover soon after the epidemic stops thanks to its growth potential.
So on Thursday, Barr did something that Cabinet officials rarely do: He told the president to back off. Its time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases, he told ABC News. Public statements and tweets made about the department, about people in the department, our men and women here, about cases pending in the department and about judges before whom we have cases make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the department that were doing our work with integrity.
Boeing has set its sights on Vietnam, one of the most dynamically growing aviation markets

Newswire SCMP cited that US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing is eyeing the Vietnamese market because of its fast-growing middle-class as well as high demand for travel. The plan was made after Boeing's poor performance at the Singapore Airshow.

Its been a robust market which is growing at very fast rates. There are great opportunities and a lot of activity around low-cost carriers there, said Randy Tinseth, vice chairman of marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. As you can also see, we are starting to see more and more interest in long-haul flying.

Its first step in materialising the plan was providing the latest aircraft model Boeing 777X to local airline Bamboo Airways. According to the company, Vietnam recorded a growth rate of 15 per cent in seat capacity over the past decade, while the rate was less than 10 per cent in Indonesia.

Moreover, Boeing also intends to target Southeast Asia and emphasised Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand as the three fastest-growing aviation markets in the world. The aeroplane manufacturer forecasted Southeast Asias tourism by airways to grow by 7.1 per cent in the next two decades, while the European markets growth will be 2.8 per cent.

The spike in the number of low-cost airlines in the area is one of the reasons bringing Southeast Asia on the radar of plane makers. Tinseth also said that the regional airlines will need 4,500 aeroplanes worth $710 billion in the next two decades.

However, Boeing has been starved of orders since early last year due to the Boeing 737 Max crisis. According to Reuters, Boeing has received no orders in January 2020.

Regarding the hardships, Tinseth revealed that Boeing has been working with more than 40 regulators around the world.

We expect that the Boeing 737 Max would return to service in the middle of this year. But between now and then, we have a lot of work to do with the authorities, Tinseth said, adding he wished to get 400 planes back in service.
Saturday

Tech-It-Out: Special Edition; 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Normal Public Library; ages 5-12.

Human Rights Undergraduate Research Workshop keynote; 1 p.m. Saturday, Room 102, State Farm Hall, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington; speaker: Ellen Moodie, associate professor of anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; topic: At the Brink of War? Fiction, Fact & Voting in El Salvador.

Ribeye steak, mountain oysters, walleye dinner; 5 p.m. Saturday, Waynesville American Legion; $15-$23; call for carry-out orders, 217-949-3301.

Sunday

Reservations, Elkhart Historical Society Dinner Lecture; 5:30 p.m. Feb. 28, Elkhart Christian Church and Horsefeathers Wild Hare Cafe, Elkhart; speaker: Paula Pugh Romanaux; topic: The Pipe Organ Benefactions of Andrew Carnegie in Central Illinois, 1901-1919 with short recital; $40; reservations required by Feb. 24, 217-947-2238.

Register, Youth Mental Health First Aid; 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. March 4, Bloomington Public Library Community Room; for adults who regularly interact with young people; registration required; space limited; bit.ly/YthMentalHealth.

Registration, McLean County Arts Center Workshop: Embroidering Words; 6-8 p.m. March 16, Normal Public Library; teens and adults; registration required; normalpl.org.

Registration, Nurses Health Education About LGBT Elders (HEALE) workshop; 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. March 26, Illinois State University Alumni Center, 1101 N. Main St., Normal; free; registration required; https://bit.ly/31nR3pF.

Youth Engaged in Philanthropy 2020 Grant Celebration; 2 p.m. Sunday, Special Olympics Illinois, 606 E. Willow St., Normal; learn about Youth Engaged in Philanthropy and the non-profits who will be awarded grants during the celebration; 309-662-4477.

Cowboy Church; 6 p.m. Sunday, 220 E. Market St., Farmer City; guest: G.G.s; 5 p.m. meal.
From driving to ordering a coffee, Americans often experience culture shock when they visit Australia for the first time.

While most Australians would consider ditching their shoes and going barefoot in public to be perfectly normal, the habit comes as a surprise to those from the US.

Daily Mail Australia takes a look at the things American expatriates found the most surprising after moving Down Under.

Many Americans were shocked to learn most Australian businesses don't have extended operating hours. Pictured: Shoppers outside Sydney's Westfield shopping centre

EVERYTHING CLOSING EARLY

Coming from a country that has a city that never sleeps and where 24-hour diners are commonplace, many Americans were shocked to learn most Australian businesses don't have extended operating hours.

Samantha Berger, 26, moved to Sydney six months ago from Saint Paul, Minnesota and admitted one thing she still struggles to deal with is 'how early places close [and] how few options you have for products.'

'It really made me aware of how much of a consumerist society America is. The shops here aren't open nearly as late as in the US and there are very few that are open 24 hours,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'The product selection is so much more limited here, which is due to a smaller population and economy but I think it's also due to the lack of consumerism here.

'The types and amount of ads you see are different and they don't revolve every holiday around sales and shopping.'

Samantha Berger, 26, moved to Sydney six months ago from Saint Paul, Minnesota, and said she was shocked to see a lack of 24-hour shops

Rather than having the convenience of one-stop shops in the US where things are sold in bulk, Samantha pointed out she now has to make multiple trips to the chemist and the grocery store while shopping.

'It's much more about buying local frequently so you have fresh food. Shopping in the US involves large trips less frequently, so we have bigger fridges and cars to haul all the stuff we buy,' she added.

'Australia doesn't have the mega malls and gigantic super stores where you do all your shopping in one place.'

Kimmy, from Nashville, Tennesee, has been living in Sydney for over three years and said the limited shopping hours has been challenging for her as a mum.

'I get work-life balance is big here. Just would be helpful to have at least a 24-hour pharmacy,' she said.

'Mostly being a parent now, not having that security gets to me. The rest of it I have gotten use to but definitely a shock when first arriving.'

Aussie terms for espresso drinks such as 'long black', 'short black', piccolos are unheard of in the US

ORDERING COFFEE

Many Americans complained their coffee orders were lost in translation thanks to Australians' unique names for their caffeinated beverages.

In the US, filtered coffee is commonplace and is brewed by the pot, and terms for espresso drinks such as 'long black', 'short black' and 'piccolo' are unheard of.

Brooke Stamm from Indiana said she was baffled by Australian coffee names

'Seriously I have ordered coffee at least 12 times without them understanding a single word I said and my order is extremely simple,' Brooke Stamm, 24, from Mishawka, Indiana, told Daily Mail Australia.

'For some reason simple coffee lingo is foreign here. Back home I can say 'unsweetened iced black coffee' and it won't be a problem.

'But I've found that they don't use "simple" words to order coffee. You have to ask for an "iced long black" and even then, that means half an inch of coffee followed by half an inch of sweetened milk so you need to be super specific in your wording and try to figure out all the "fancy" coffee names.'

Sarah Florio said she tried ordering a 'regular coffee', which back home would mean a black filtered coffee with milk and sugar, but in Australia, would only indicate the size of the drink.

'I looked like an idiot when I first got here trying to get a cup of joe,' she said.

Some Americans pointed out how Australians 'work to live' whereas Americans 'live to work' (stock image)

WORK CULTURE/LIFESTYLE

Cassie Warner, who lived in Australia for two years before moving back to the US, said one thing she missed is Australians' 'lack of obsessive over-work culture'.

'In America, we live to work. In Australia, they work to live - not just in attitude, but also in the strict labor laws and strong wages they have there,' she said.

'It has been extremely difficult to adjust to coming back into the culture of over-working salaried employees to death in order to squeeze as much out of them as possible for free while pretending that's not happening.

'I had multiple employers tell me anytime an American or Canadian applies for a job, they're instantly hired because they're such hard workers. It's because we have to hustle over here to pay bills- multiple jobs with low pay and still barely making rent!

'Employers have said a lot that Australians are lazy in the work world compared to North Americans.'

'The US is basically, "earn a living so you can buy more things" whereas here and other parts of the world it's much more about just working to live and travel and have experiences,' Brooke added.

American Shelah Wilkins said said she noticed the 'prolific use of the "sickie" where everyone knows damn well you aren't sick but doesn't bat an eye.'

'I used to rock up at work half dead in America because "work",' she added.

A man is seen walking barefoot while shopping at a local Woolworths

BEING BAREFOOT IN PUBLIC

In Australia, walking around with no shoes is widely socially acceptable - even Chris Hemsworth has been spotted shopping barefoot near his home in Byron Bay.

But the true blue habit has managed to leave some Americans 'disgusted'.

'Last week I walked into Starbucks and three guys were sitting at a table barefoot... seriously guys?' Ashley Hoyoung Kim, from Los Angeles, said.

'People don't wear shoes in the grocery store and food establishments and f***ing anywhere, you should have goddamnn shoes on,' Studley Towers added.

'I'm not saying the barefoot movement is bad, I'm saying it is unsanitary when I'm getting groceries and at a restaurant. '

Olivia Morrow, 22, from Seattle, Washington told Daily Mail Australia she was 'disgusted' after witnessing a man shopping barefoot at a local Woolworths.

'It's gross, I don't get how people are so comfortable walking around in public without any shoes. It's not very hygienic.'

Australian White Ibises, also known as 'bin chickens' are commonly seen strolling the streets of Sydney

WILDLIFE

Ms Morrow said she was shocked to see the strange wildlife she came across on a day-to-day basis.

One of the first things I noticed in Sydney was all the "bin chickens" that are just casually walking around the streets and urban areas and no one bats an eye,' she said.

'They're just as common as pigeons here.'

Danielle McKenzie added: 'I was convinced there were monkeys in the trees when I woke up to the sounds of kookaburra and other birds.

'Had to clarify there are no monkeys running wild... embarrassing.'
Storyful

Supporters of world No.1 Novak Djokovic gathered outside a courthouse in Melbourne on January 10 as the player appealed against his deportation from Australia in the hope of staying to play in the Australian Open.According to court filings, Djokovics lawyers say he was granted a visa on November 18. An exemption certificate was issued by Tennis Australias chief medical officer on December 30, they said.The hearing on Monday was due to start at the Federal Circuit and Family Court at 10am but was delayed multiple times due to technical issues. According to local reports, Judge Anthony Kelly said a professor and an eminently qualified physician have produced and provided to the applicant a medical exemption.Further to that, that medical exemption and the basis on which it was given was separately given by a further independent expert specialist panel, established by the Victorian state government. And that document was in the hands of the delegate.And the point Im somewhat agitated about is, was what more could this man have done? Judge Kelly asked.Footage by Slobodan Bendjo shows fans waving Serbian flags and dancing outside the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Melbourne. Credit: Slobodan Bendjo via Storyful
George Eustice has been appointed the new Defra Secretary after years of experience in the department as farming minister.

Theresa Villiers was dropped from the role following a dramatic post-election cabinet reshuffle on Thursday (13 February).

Villiers, who had only held the post since July last year, confirmed on a Facebook post that she was asked by the prime minister to leave the role.

Replacing her is George Eustice, who has now become the seventh Environment Secretary since 2010.

He has stepped up from his previous role as minister of state for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at Defra, a post he held for six years.

The MP for Camborne and Redruth was re-appointed to the department as part of Boris Johnsons government in July 2019.

Before this, he resigned in February 2019 after then-Prime Minister Theresa May promised to allow MPs a vote on extending the Brexit date.

Eustice is seen by many in the industry to have an in-depth knowledge of the sector due to his farming background.

He grew up on a fruit farm in Cornwall. Today, his family still run the business, where they also have a herd of south Devon cattle and British Lop pigs.

More recently, he helped the Agriculture Bill clear its second reading in Parliament earlier this month.

He told Parliament: For the first time in almost half a century, politicians in Westminster will have the freedom to press ahead with plans to develop a new agriculture policy that is fit for purpose in the 21st Century and delivers for British farmers and the environment.

The NFU congratulated Eustice on his appointment, saying he is 'well-respected' within the community for his 'knowledge and understanding of farming'.

The union's president Minette Batters said his support will be 'crucial' as British farming faces new opportunities and challenges in life outside the EU.

British farming is among the best in the world at producing safe, traceable and nutritious food and I look forward to working with the new Secretary of State to position British food and farming as a global leader in sustainable, high quality, climate-friendly food, she said.

I hope to welcome him on to my farm very soon to further discuss British farmings potential as we start a life outside of the EU.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said in a statement: We warmly welcome George Eustice to his role at this pivotal time for British agriculture. As a long-standing farming minister, he will know the scale of the challenge ahead.

We will work closely with him to help achieve the full potential of the rural economy.

The National Sheep Association (NSA) added: NSA welcomes Mr Eustice to this new role and we hope to continue our strong working relationship with him as agricultural policy evolves in the future as we enter into new farming support schemes and trade arrangements.
Pauline Leroux said she has been waiting since July for an ultrasound to figure out what is wrong with her heart, but she has been told it could be another six months before she gets answers.

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This article was published 15/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Pauline Leroux said she has been waiting since July for an ultrasound to figure out what is wrong with her heart, but she has been told it could be another six months before she gets answers.

The Parkland resident said she first went to the Dauphin Regional Health Centre in late July 2019 after experiencing dizzy spells and fatigue. Her doctor ordered an echocardiogram, which is like an ultrasound for the heart, but by the beginning of 2020 she hadnt heard anything.

Pauline Leroux

"(Doctors) thought maybe it was my asthma that was causing all the stuff, and I had just been getting worse  dizziness, shortness of breath. My exercise tolerance  I couldnt even cook dinner without being exhausted from it," she said. "And before that, I was going to the gym five days a week for two hours and had no problem."

In January 2020, her doctor put in another request to have the procedure done, but Leroux was told it could be another few months when she called to follow-up.

Thats a far cry from the last time she had the procedure done in 2016, when she said she only had to wait a few weeks.

"I used to be able to drive places, now I dont have the energy. We had to go to Winnipeg and I had to have my husband take off time from work so he could take me to these appointments because I cant drive that far," she said.

Leroux is waiting to have the procedure done in Brandon. She was told the wait time would be longer if she were waiting for the procedure at a Winnipeg hospital.

"Im worn out and cooking meals, cleaning the house  I cant do (it)," she said. "I just dont have the energy. Ill get one room done and itll take me two days to recover from one room of my house Just chopping up vegetables for supper and I was exhausted and dizzy and I had to go sit down."

Leroux said she has become frustrated with the process, and has been unable to work her job as a medical transcriptionist at the Dauphin hospital until her health problems are resolved.

"If it is my heart, I could die before I get the scans done."

A spokesperson for Shared Health said the department is restricted under the Personal Health Information Act and could not comment on specifics, but said both Shared Health and Prairie Mountain Health are looking into the case.

"When a patient is referred for an echocardiogram, appointments are prioritized and managed based on clinical urgency. For routine and elective scans, current wait times at Brandon Regional Health Centre are approximately 20 weeks. Any urgent scans are performed within 24-48 hours of the time of requisition," the emailed statement reads.

The Brandon Sun first spoke to Leroux on Thursday, after being alerted to the situation by the Manitoba NDP. On Friday morning, the province announced echocardiogram services would be coming to the Selkirk Regional Health Centre starting on Wednesday, the same procedure Leroux is waiting for.

"We are committed to providing better health care sooner for all Manitobans," said Health Minister Cameron Friesen in a press release. "Adding echocardiography services in Selkirk will build on our work to improve wait times, and allow more patients in the Interlake region to obtain this specialized service where they live."

The announcement is part of the provinces Clinical and Preventative Services Plan, which according to the province is meant to bring healthcare closer to rural communities, instead of having to travel to Winnipeg.

In a press release, Friesen said 3,000 people have to travel from the Interlake region to Winnipeg for the procedure. The Selkirk machine will be able to provide up to 1,620 scans per year.

In a follow-up email, Friesen said the new Selkirk machine will be a benefit for all Manitobans.

"We can use this equipment for others who are on a waitlist for non-urgent and elective tests. It has a benefit locally, it has a benefit regionally, and it has a benefit provincially," he said in a statement.

The Rotary Club of Selkirk raised approximately $200,000 for the machine, and 11 regional municipalities contributed to buying the echocardiogram.

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew said Leroux has been waiting for an "unreasonable" amount of time for the diagnostics procedure to be done. He blamed the wait on provincial government cuts to the health-care system.

"What we want to see are net new investments, meaning if youre going to add staff to power the human resource side of an echocardiogram machine, then those shouldnt represent another unit in the hospital losing their human resources," Kinew said.

He said the party would like to see expanded services in Dauphin and possibly Ste. Rose du Lac.

Leroux has also been referred to a cardiologist. She said she hasnt been given a wait time, but she is hoping to get the echocardiogram done before seeing the specialist.

"Its really affecting the quality of life Im having."

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
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KUALA LUMPUR/SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (Reuters) - An 83-year-old American passenger from a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia after being shunned by other countries has tested positive for the new coronavirus after being tested in Malaysia, health authorities said on Saturday.

The woman was the first passenger from the MS Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp unit Holland America Inc, to test positive for the virus.

The ship docked in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Thursday carrying 1,455 passengers and 802 crew. It had spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Thailand.

The passengers were tested regularly on board and Cambodia also tested 20 once it docked. None was found to have the new coronavirus that has killed more than 1,500 people, the vast majority in China.

The American woman flew to Malaysia on Friday from Cambodia along with 144 others from the ship, the Malaysian health ministry said in a statement, adding that she was in stable condition.

The woman's husband had shown symptoms but tested negative, it said. The couple were the only ones of the 145 to show symptoms, the ministry said.

A spokesman for Holland America declined to comment.

Fewer than 300 people were still on board the Westerdam, according to a company official, who declined to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Company officials have said passengers had been routed through Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur to fly back to their home countries, but they have not said that all passengers had taken that route.

Or Vandine, Secretary of State at Cambodia's Health Ministry, declined to comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump has thanked Cambodia for taking in the ship in a rare message to a country that is one of China's closest allies and has often been at odds with Washington.

Cruise ships around Asia face widespread fears they may be spreading the virus. The biggest cluster outside China has been on the Diamond Princess, quarantined off Japan's Yokohama. Out of about 3,700 passengers and crew on board, 285 people have tested positive and have been sent to hospital.

Story continues

Vietnam turned back two ships on Friday.

The American woman's case brings the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Malaysia to 22.

An 80-year-old Chinese tourist infected with the coronavirus has died in France, the first fatality in Europe and the fourth outside mainland China.

Most of the deaths so far have been in the central Chinese province of Hubei, where the virus is believed to have originated at a wildlife market.

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi and Joseph Sipalan in Kuala Lumpur; Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh, Clare Baldwin in Sihanoukville and Orathai Sriring in Bangkok; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Aside from the appalling human cost, investors are getting worried about the financial impact of the deadly corona-virus.

With China a major global economic player, the effect on financial markets in Asia and the rest of the world could be immense. Is it time to panic  or stay calm and ride out the storm?

Concern: If coronavirus severely impacts the Chinese economy, it has the potential to dent world growth for at least part of this year

Why is coronavirus such an issue?

China is a huge player in the global economy, much more so than at the time of the 2003 SARS outbreak.

Back then, it accounted for 4 per cent of global GDP, whereas now it's around 18 per cent. So the potential impact on other countries' economies is far greater.

If coronavirus severely impacts the Chinese economy, it has the potential to dent world growth for at least part of this year. There is also the effect on global supply chains, trade and tourism.

Anna Stupnytska, an economist at asset manager Fidelity International, says: 'The shock to global growth in the first quarter of this year has the potential to be significant.

'Even in a contained scenario of the virus outbreak, global growth could fall at least half a percentage point. The overall impact is likely to be protracted and may extend further into the year.'

She adds, rather ominously: 'It is still too early to speculate whether it will trigger a global recession.'

How have stock markets reacted?

It might seem surprising in the light of the horror headlines, but financial markets have been relatively calm.

Jason Hollands, a wealth manager at Tilney, says: 'Markets have proved quite resilient when you consider the range of potential scenarios, one of which is this spiralling into a full-blown pandemic.'

The MSCI China Index, which measures the share price performance of large and mid-cap firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock market exchanges, is up 3 per cent since the start of the year.

In terms of investment funds, the average Chinese fund is up 2 per cent since the turn of the year. The best performing Chinese equity fund is Matthews China Small Companies  up 15.7 per cent  while the 'worst' is Fidelity China Focus which is down just 1.7 per cent.

Darius McDermott, of fund scrutineer FundCalibre, says: 'Equity markets worldwide were doing OK until around mid-January, at which point they fell quite dramatically, but they have since recovered almost back to the level they started the year.

'For the moment, markets seem to have shrugged off the coronavirus concerns. But I think they are still fragile. Any sign that the virus is taking hold in any other country outside China could lead to another big fall in global stock markets.'

It might seem surprising in the light of the virus but financial markets have been relatively calm

Should investors be worried?

As with the spread of the virus, the economic and market impacts remain unclear. Stock markets worldwide have been yo-yo-ing rapidly as investors try to anticipate the effect on share prices and also vulnerable industry sectors such as airlines and tourism.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, says international companies such as Apple, Ford, LVMH, BP, Hyundai and Carnival have all told shareholders that they are seeing a slowdown in Chinese demand.

He adds: 'Companies with sales exposure to China such as Burberry, Carnival and Standard Chartered have seen their shares lag, while commodity producers have also faltered as raw material prices have sagged in response to worries over a slowdown in China.'

Companies which have big exposure to China are particularly vulnerable. For example, there was a sharp fall in Tesla shares as the closure of its Shanghai plant threatened to derail production, although the shares have since regained some value.

US coffee shop chain Starbucks has closed more than half of its 4,000-plus outlets in China to support government efforts to contain the virus  analysts estimate that China accounts for around 10 per cent of Starbucks' global sales.

Wuhan, where the virus originated, is a major automotive hub, with car manufacturing plants including Nissan, PSA, Honda, General Motors and Renault.

McDermott says: 'Luxury goods companies are likely to feel the impact as Chinese customers account for around a third of the value of luxury goods purchases.'

AJ Bell's Ryan Hughes says: 'As well as Chinese equity funds, Asian and general Emerging Markets funds have also been adversely impacted.

'Investors will understandably be concerned about what impact coronavirus is having on their portfolios but as always it is important not to panic and make knee-jerk decisions that could simply lock in losses.'

It's crucial to think long-term What should we be doing as investors? The short answer, says Emma Wall, of Hargreaves Lansdown, is 'absolutely nothing'. She explains: 'Yes, there has been a lot of volatility as markets have reacted to the constant flow of news. But if you look at markets over the past year, you'd be hard-pushed to point to exactly when the coronavirus hit. Investing is all about the medium to long-term and over that time scale coronavirus is not going to have an impact. 'It's similar to what happens whenever Donald Trump tweets about a new trade deal or tariff  there is an immediate impact but it all smooths out over the long term.' The most powerful comment is from Fidelity's Tom Stevenson. It says: 'From time to time, there is volatility in stock markets as investors react nervously to changes in the economic, political and corporate environment. Financial markets dislike uncertainty. 'Yet markets are prone to over-react to events that cloud the short-term outlook. As an investor, it is important to take a step back at these times and keep an open mind. 'Avoid trying to time the market, don't focus on short-term swings  however powerful they may seem  and instead keep investing in quality companies or funds that look as if they will deliver sustainable returns over the long term.'

Are there any financial winners?

In contrast to travel and luxury goods companies, shares in businesses whose main focus is on the domestic UK economy have generally done much better post- coronavirus outbreak  for example, house builders, construction firms and estate agents.

Some companies involved in the potential treatment of the virus have been keenly sought by investors.

For example, Interactive Investor's Richard Hunter says little-known UK company Novacyt has reported strong demand for its recently launched coronavirus detection test, resulting in its share price rising an extraordinary 600 per cent this year.

Even digital currency Bitcoin is up in price 30 per cent since the New Year.

Nigel Green, of financial services deVere Group, says: 'The ongoing upward trajectory of the price of Bitcoin correlates to the spread of the coronavirus  it is increasingly regarded as a safe-haven asset in times of uncertainty.

'We can expect Bitcoin's price to continue to rise until the coronavirus peaks, which is expected to be in late April or early May.'

Tilney's Jason Hollands says that while now is the time to 'tread with care' regarding investments, those looking to invest should consider funds such as Liontrust Special Situations and Evenlode Income, 'both of which avoid highly cyclical businesses which will prove particularly sensitive to changes in the economic environment'.
The management denied social media rumours that "a Chinese girl" who works at one of the companies at Citystars was infected with coronavirus

The management of Cairo's Citystars mega mall denied on Saturday rumours circulated on social media about the appearance of a coronavirus case at the mall.

"We deny [the rumour] and we confirm that the mall is operating normally," the management said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

A day earlier, screenshots of text messages on WhatsApp, attributed to a doctor, went viral on social media platforms as the messages claimed that "a Chinese girl" who works at one of the companies at Citystars was confirmed to be infected with coronavirus.

In addition to denying what was stated in these messages, the Citystars management stressed that it "will be the first to announce the truth for the safety of our visitors and employees," and asked social media users "not to share rumours and wrong information."

Also on Friday, Egypt's health ministry and the World Health Organisation issued a joint statement reporting the first confirmed case of coronavirus was detected in Egypt, adding that the infected person was a foreigner, without providing further details.

"The person tested positive for the quick-spreading virus but had no symptoms so far," said the health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed.

The detection of the case was due to "the measures taken by the ministry that includes an electronic programme to register and follow up on those who arrive in Egypt from countries inflicted with the virus and through teams that monitor them daily."

The viral virus first surfaced in December in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to many other countries around the world.

According to the Chinese National Health Commission, the death toll rose to 1,523 on Friday, with most of the new deaths in central Hubei province, in particular the provincial capital of Wuhan.

The total confirmed infections across China now stand at 66,492 after 2,641 new cases were confirmed, the National Health Commission said.

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Something was missing when Unity Center for Behavioral Health officials recently laid out why they faced dire financial straits and needed a state bailout.

They blamed their reported $21 million annual operating loss on several factors. They had to hire more employees and spend money on building improvements after a damning federal investigation into patient safety. The hospital also had a backlog of patients in its inpatient wing awaiting transfer to the Oregon State Hospital.

But Unity failed to mention one crucial factor.

Newly disclosed documents obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive reveal that Unity Center officials initially projected nearly 18,000 patient visits a year to their psychiatric emergency services unit in Northeast Portland.

In reality, the real number topped out at just under 11,000 last year, according to data provided by Unity, or about 40 percent lower than projected.

In other words, Unitys lauded psychiatric emergency room -- a central piece of its treatment model -- has proved dramatically less popular than expected and is well below its designed capacity much of the time.

That patient shortage means a lot less money than Unity planners presumably counted on. Unity would have collected as much as $11 million more in annual revenue had it achieved its rosy patient projections, a rough analysis by the newsroom found.

The mismatch between Unity Centers hopes and reality emerged from its five-year financial forecast, a key document that hospital officials fought to keep secret until the Multnomah County District Attorney ordered it disclosed this week.

The newsrooms analysis undercuts claims by hospital administrators about why Unity was in financial distress and needed a taxpayer bailout. It shows that projections about how many people would walk in the door were wildly flawed, creating a shortfall of Unitys own making.

Unitys projections appear to have almost no basis in reality. Hospital officials forecast that Unity would record thousands more psychiatric emergency room visits than the number of behavioral health patients previously seen by every participating hospital ER in the Portland area.

The Oregonian/OregonLive shared its detailed calculations with Unity officials, who did not dispute them. Hospital officials would not address why Unitys forecasts in its so-called pro forma document were so high or why the actual number of patient visits is so low.

The calculations provided are based upon an early pro forma that is over five years old, Brian Terrett, director of public relations for Legacy Health, which operates Unity Center, said in a statement. A lot has changed since then in terms of our staffing, our costs, and forecasted patient volumes and revenue and our current budgeting forecasts for Unity Center reflect the new numbers.

Rather than address why Unitys psychiatric emergency room suffers from not enough patients, Unity officials in public statements have focused on an entirely separate part of the centers operations. They have pointed to a backlog in the inpatient wing, which offers patients overnight care in separate rooms for what was expected to be about a week at a time.

In December, Unity asked the Oregon Health Authority for a significantly higher reimbursement rate for inpatients awaiting transfer to the Oregon State Hospital -- money that would ultimately flow from the state general fund.

Health authority officials said Friday that a planned, comprehensive examination of Unitys financial situation hasnt happened yet because Unity asked to cancel a scheduled meeting with them.

In a written response to questions, spokesman Robb Cowie said state officials do not have enough information to understand all the particular factors Unity is facing, or to determine the drivers affecting Unitys financial issues.

But issues with Unitys emergency room did not come as news to the health authority, which also reviewed the newsrooms calculations. Cowie said agency officials believe that Unity is focused on its psychiatric emergency room as their immediate financial concern.

History of problems

Opened in 2017, Unity is a joint effort between Legacy Health, Adventist Health, Kaiser Permanente and OHSU Hospital. It was billed as a more compassionate, humane place to treat people in mental health crisis rather than local emergency rooms or jails.

Unity introduced to Oregon the model of a single psychiatric hospital intended to steer patients to one location instead of clogging hospitals across the region, where patients sometimes endure long waits for specialized care. Unity has a designated psychiatric emergency room attached to an inpatient facility with 85 adult and 22 adolescent beds.

The low numbers at Unitys emergency room come even as the need for inpatient services appears to be increasing, with most beds full at Unity, as well as at similar facilities run by competitors, Providence Health & Services and Universal Health Services.

Its not clear why the emergency room hasnt attracted more patients.

A patient safety investigation in 2018 forced Unity to effectively halt transfers from other hospitals for several months, and occasionally the Unity ER turns away patients because its at capacity. But those periods were not extensive enough to fully explain the shortfall.

Advocates and patients who have gone through Unitys emergency room have reported negative experiences and say some refuse to go back. A prominent consumer website even warned people not to go because of persistent patient safety issues in Unitys first years of operation.

Some people also find the environment more traumatic than therapeutic.

Patients sit in reclining vinyl chairs, pushed close together in groupings of about four throughout in a large space similar to a bus station. The lights are on 24 hours a day.

When you have just one gateway in any part of behavioral health, whether it's addiction or mental illness, it begins to close down on people who are unsteady about entering the door, said Jason Renaud, a mental health advocate.

But trepidation about Unity likely also doesnt account for the entirety of the shortage of ER clients, because not all patients have a choice where they are treated. Some of Unitys patients are sent by ambulance from a medical emergency room or on an involuntary hold.

Document reveals dubious numbers

The number of patients that Unity originally was banking on became clear thanks to the release of a crucial planning document area hospital systems compiled when creating the psychiatric treatment facility.

The newsroom last month asked Legacy Health, which operates Unity, to voluntarily hand over Unitys pro forma financial forecast, as well as the joint operating agreement that the four participating hospital systems signed in August 2015.

Under Oregon public records law, The Oregonian/OregonLive also filed a request for the documents Jan. 10 with OHSU, a public institution that was part of the Unity joint venture.

Legacy declined. OHSU said the pro forma and operating agreement were sensitive business records and their release would cause competitive harm. The newsroom appealed OHSUs refusal and OHSU, under order from the county district attorney, released the pro forma Wednesday.

The three-page, undated document offers previously undisclosed details about planners initial expectations for Unity.

Unity projected revenue of nearly $55 million in its first year, rising to about $60 million by year five. That money was more than offset by expenses, resulting in projected losses of about $2 million a year.

The number contained in the document is at odds with what Unity told the state in December, when officials said they had originally anticipated $6 million annual losses.

The pro forma also shows that Unitys financial calculations assumed 17,775 psychiatric emergency room visits every year for five years, or the equivalent of about 49 people each day.

In reality, Unitys emergency room has an average of 30 visitors a day occupying the facilitys 40 recliner seats, records provided by Legacy show.

The gap costs Unity a lot. The hospital can collect up to $1,718 a day from the state for each ER patient it sees.

After accounting for the average hours and billing rates for patient stays that Unity has reported, The Oregonian/OregonLive estimated that Unity could have collected an additional $11.2 million in revenue last year had it hit its initial projections.

Terrett, Unitys spokesman, issued a 193-word statement Friday that did not address how much the miscalculation has cost Unity.

Terrett once again pointed to backlogs at the Oregon State Hospital as creating a logjam at Unity. He said Unity loses money when people who need care in Unitys inpatient facility wait unnecessarily in the psychiatric emergency room.

We continue to treat all patients with the highest quality of care while they wait, he said.

It remains unclear how Unity arrived at its overly optimistic patient forecasts.

Records show Unitys early projections shifted even before it opened. In March 2015, Unity told the state it would have only 15,400 ER visits in its first year -- 2,000 fewer than the estimate provided in the pro forma.

Even those more tempered projections appear extraordinarily high. A Unity public presentation, from December 2015, listed comparable visits to all hospital emergency rooms in the partnering system at just 13,366 -- thousands fewer than Unity projected for its ER under any scenario.

Unity officials on Friday would not address the shifting forecasts.

Hospital leaders last month did appear to privately acknowledge the psychiatric emergency room as the source of financial problems, according to health authority emails previously disclosed under a public records request.

In one exchange, the states behavioral health director, Steve Allen, quoted Melissa Eckstein, Unitys president, as telling him that she sees the hospitals psychiatric emergency room as being their biggest area of losses.

Lynnea Lindsey, director of behavioral health services for Legacy Health and a member of the oversight board for Unity, told the newsroom in an interview earlier this month that she had not seen the email and did not know what Eckstein was referencing.

Asked directly how much of Unitys $21 million loss came from the psychiatric emergency room, and how much of a loss Unity had anticipated there, Lindsey would not say.

When we project losses, we project them for the facility as a whole, she said while pointing to a flow issue moving patients from the emergency room to the full inpatient facility, where many patients were awaiting transfer to the state hospital.

When pressed whether Unity has looked into losses distinctly tied to inpatient versus psychiatric emergency services, she said: We have line items and we do our budget responsibly.

Lack of scrutiny

Many players public and private contributed to Unitys launch, including Oregon Health Authority officials who granted its license and county officials who kicked in money to renovate the facility.

It appears that none have ever scrutinized the financial forecast that Unity prepared, much less questioned the assumptions that went into it.

Private benefactors and health organizations contributed more than $30 million toward building renovations. But John von Schlegell, whose family gave an undisclosed gift toward the capital campaign, said he never personally saw a pro forma from Unity, although his wife may have.

As co-founder of private equity firm Endeavour Capital, von Schlegell said he supported the project and didnt feel compelled to dig into the operating expectations.

I know how to look at financials and projections, but unless you know what goes into them and go deep, you can make anything look good, he said.

Regional governments also contributed nearly $4 million to Unitys building budget, with $3 million of that coming from Multnomah County. For weeks, county officials have been unable to provide records showing whether they reviewed Unitys pro forma or provided due diligence.

The hospital and the hospital systems that were involved in the original construction all are multi-million -- if not billion-- dollar organizations that have been running their own programs for years, said Multnomah County Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury, who was in office when the funding was approved. So this was their idea for how to better serve people in the community and not an area of county expertise.

The Oregon Health Authority also could find no evidence that its officials reviewed Unitys pro forma or joint operating agreement, said Cowie, the state spokesman. Unity appears to have provided only high-level projections, although officials are searching to see if they received a three-year budget.

Cowie said the state focuses instead on two main topics: reviewing plans for design and construction, and a health and safety review.

Ensuring the viability of a facilitys business model, Cowie said, is the responsibility of the organization.

-- Molly Harbarger; mharbarger@oregonian.com ; 503-294-5923 ; @MollyHarbarger

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628 ; @_brad_schmidt

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said everyone is unhappy in the society and constantly agitating notwithstanding a "many-fold rise" in materialistic comforts and pleasures.

Addressing a gathering of Sangh workers and intellectuals here in Gujarat, Bhagwat also said that even political parties who are not in power are also agitating.

"Inspite of increase in comforts and materialistic pleasures, everyone is unhappy and is staging agitations. Be it owner or servant, a party in opposition, the common man students, teachers, everyone is unhappy and dissatisfied," the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief said.

He was speaking on the topic "India's Role in the Present World Context".

Bhagwat further said that bigotry, violence and terrorism are on the rise in the present world.

"India has to give 'dharma' (wisdom) to the world so that knowledge spreads but humans do not become robotic. We have always talked about the concept of global family but not global market," he said.

The lecture was organised by 'Madhav Smruti Nyas', an organisation backed by the RSS.

"To think that we are living in a better world is a half truth. Facilities are not evenly distributed. Rule of Jungle is prevailing. A capable person is crushing the weak to climb up. Knowledge is used more for the destruction of the world," the Sangh chief said.

Bhagwat said people are also misusing social media by spreading "false information" to create controversies.

He also stated that trying to put "everyone into one uniform" is also a form of bigotry.

"US and Russia are super powers. China would become a super power too. Now, what super power nations did to others? They just took control of other countries for their own selfish agenda. These super powers gave it back only when they were asked to do so. Otherwise, they never gave anything to others," said Bhagwat.

He lamented that Indian youths are "not ready to accept the knowledge power of the country, and think that whatever good in India has come from other countries".

He urged people to make India stronger "because the world listens only to the strong".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than 300 couples said I do on the steps of the Bexar County Courthouse during four mass Valentines Day wedding ceremonies Friday.

Its a family affair. People are able to get married in an affordable way and they get to enjoy the beautiful city, said County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark, who led the ceremonies. Plus, San Antonio is always ready for a fiesta.

The wedding ceremonies  the first one occurring at 12:01 p.m. on Valentines Day that attracted 102 people  have been a tradition since 1989. Couples also recited their vows at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m.

County Court-at-Law No. 13 Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez officiated in Spanish and Adame-Clark in English.

Adame-Clark, who confessed to being a romantic, noted that her parents are celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary this year.

The event has immensely grown over the past two decades, she said. This year the extravaganza included the courthouse steps being decorated in pink and red balloons, music for the first dances, a mariachi band to celebrate, photographer to capture the moments and even the release of doves.

Couples  gay and straight  arrived donning traditional garb: white dresses, suits, a bow tie, bouquets and boutonnieres. Others opted for more creative outfits, including one couple dressed as prehistoric creatures.

Every year we have a couple that comes to get married, wearing those inflatable dinosaur costumes, Adame-Clark chuckled. They said they are going to be here for every ceremony.

While the weddings were free, officials asked the couples to consider donating $20 to the Battered Womens Shelter and the Bexar County Family Justice Center. At the end of the day, about $1,400 was raised.

Couples from all walks of life and ages  some in their 20s all the way up to couples in their 70s  were there to vow their love to each other.

Among the newlyweds were military personnel saying their I dos before traveling to their next assignment in a few days. There also were couples who had put off their nuptials for years because of finances who decided Friday was the right time.

I met one couple that met on the bus. They took the same bus together and fell in love, Adame-Clark said. They said they thought this was the perfect way to make their love official.

Staff Writers Elizabeth Zavala contributed to this story.
A Nepal Airlines special aircraft Airbus A-330 aircraft departed on Saturday afternoon from Kathmandu for Wuhan city in China's Hubei province (China) for the evacuation of Nepali citizens amid the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 1500 people and infected at least 60,000 others.

The special flight flew for Wuhan at 4 p.m. (local time), nearly two hours late than previously announced time of 2:15 p.m. (local time).

The aircraft, which is scheduled to land at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport at 9:00 p.m. (China Time), has three pilots, six crew members, an engineer, a loadmaster and a health team as well as the Army.

"Preparations have been completed to bring on those Nepali who are stranded in China's Wuhan. The flight is being sent for the purpose and they will be flown out to Nepal this evening (China Time) by Nepal Airlines Aircraft. They are healthy, no symptoms have been seen amongst them till now," Narayan Bidari, Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, told ANI.

A total of 185 Nepali are expected to land in Kathmandu on Sunday morning at 2:15 a.m. (local time) if they pass the health test at Wuhan airport.

After their arrival, the evacuees will be quarantined at Kharipati in Bhaktapur for fortnights and then released if they do not grow any symptoms of 'Covid-19' or the coronavirus.

The deadly virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year. It has since then killed more than 1,500 people in that country alone, while cases have been registered in several countries across the world, including India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three people, including a woman, were on Saturday arrested by Government Railway Police, Howrah and seized 12 tortoises from their possession.

The arrest took place at Howrah railway station in West Bengal following an inquiry and personal search on the basis of suspicion.

Briefing about the incident, DSP Howrah GRP, Sisir Mitra said, "This morning, the Jodhpur-Howrah Express came to Howrah Railway station at around 11.30 am. Based on secret information, we had taken one woman and two men in custody. After inquiry and personal search, we have recovered the tortoises from their possession."

"The tortoises were brought here from Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur. All three arrested people are being questioned in this regard," he said.

Generally, turtles and tortoises are smuggled for being used as pets or for meat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
This article, Mysterious repeating radio signal traced to unexpected outer space location, originally appeared on CNET.com.

The source of strange signals called fast radio bursts from across the cosmos is one of the most perplexing puzzles in astronomy. This week, astronomers identified the source of one such repeating signal for just the second time, and the result seems to have generated more questions than answers.

There have been hundreds of detections of these fast radio bursts, or FRBs, over the past two decades, but only a handful of the enigmatic signals have ever repeated themselves. In 2017, repeating FRB 121102 was traced back to a distant dwarf galaxy, 3 billion light-years beyond the Milky Way. Now an international team has tracked another repeater back to a very different source, the star-forming region of a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way. (To be precise, that's FRB 180916.J0158+65 and spiral galaxy SDSS J015800.28+654253.0.)

"The found location is radically different from the previously located repeating FRB, but also different from all previously studied FRBs," said Kenzie Nimmo, a Ph.D. student at the University of Amsterdam, in a release.

In other words, FRBs -- both repeating and nonrepeating -- seem to originate from radically different locales around the universe. This leaves Nimmo and others wondering if the origin of an FRB isn't the most important clue in solving the puzzle.

"It may be that FRBs are produced in a large zoo of locations across the universe and just require some specific conditions to be visible," she said.

A study, co-authored by Nimmo and led by Benito Marcote at Europe's Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC, outlines the process of localizing a repeating FRB for just the second time. It was published in Thursday's issue of Nature.

While the new study may cast doubt on what we thought we knew about FRBs, the good news is that the newly mapped repeater is relatively close at "only" half a billion light-years from Earth, providing a prime opportunity for studying FRBs more closely.

Originally published Jan. 9, 11:14 a.m. PT
Twenty-one people were killed in an attack overnight on a village in central Mali, the government said Friday, in an apparent spate of ethnic violence in the deeply troubled region. The attack occurred in Ogossagou, a village mainly inhabited by Fulani people where 160 died last March 23 in a massacre blamed on Dogon militiamen. About 30 gunmen carried out the new attack, village chief Aly Ousmane Barry told AFP. Malian government spokesman Yaya Sangare said that 21 people had been killed in the attack, according to a provisional tally, and that others were missing. "Huts and crops were set alight, livestock was burned or taken away," he added, vowing that the government would find the perpetrators. A local government official, who requested anonymity, said that 28 people were missing. He blamed the attack on a traditional Dogon hunters' group -- an assertion that could be not be verified independently. The official and village chief Aly Ousmane Barry both said the attackers moved in several hours after government troops had pulled out of the area. Central Mali became gripped by ethnic violence after a jihadist revolt broke out in the north of the country in 2012. The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives and spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso. Tit-for-tat attacks in central Mali flared after Fulani people, also called Peul, became associated with jihadists. Led by a firebrand Islamic preacher Amadou Koufa, a militia called the Katiba Macina recruited members from among the Fulani and became accused of ethnically-motivated attacks. Other ethnic groups such as the Bambara or the Dogon began to form self-defence groups that in turn became accused of reprisal massacres. In addition to the latest attack at Ogossagou, 14 Fulani were killed in central Mali in January. Around 75 Dogons were killed in the villages of Sobane Da, Gangafani and Yoro in June last year, in an attack blamed on Fulani militants. - 'Epicentre' of violence - Human Rights Watch this month pointed to the ethnic patchwork of central Mali as the country's "epicentre" of violence. It said over 450 civilians had been killed in the region in 2019, "the deadliest year for civilians" since the jihadist insurgency began. Reflecting the chronic instability in the centre, Malian soldiers are themselves frequently targeted. On Friday, one soldier was killed in an attack on a military camp in Mondoro, security officials said. It had already been hit before -- as part of a joint raid by militants that also targeted the military camp of Boulkessy near the border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 25 soldiers. On January 26, Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a military camp in Sokolo, central Mali, killing 20 gendarmes and wounding five more. The violence in central Mali coincides with renewed hopes that the fragile government can reassert control over the widely lawless north. Troops returned on Thursday to Kidal, a northern town that had been a bastion of Tuareg rebels, after a six-year absence. Regular forces returned to the town accompanied by former rebels who have been integrated into the army under a regional peace agreement. The deal, reached in Algiers in 2015, is considered one of the few avenues Mali has for escaping the cycle of violence.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 06:29:04|Editor: yan

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HELSINKI, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Finnish Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen rolled out a policy on Friday that "trusted employers" in Finland will be able to get a more automated system when recruiting labor from outside the EU, which means the issuing of permits for labor from non-EU countries will be sped up.

Eligible employers would be such that could be counted on paying tax correctly and not applying substandard salary policies, Haatainen elaborated at a press conference. However, she added that the system of accreditation has not been established yet.

While the nationals of EU member countries need no permits, within the free movement of labor inside the EU, employees from outside the EU always have to wait longer for the permits to get jobs in Finland.

Haatainen acknowledged that the processes have been too lengthy and believed a speedy process, for the selected employers, would be possible in the near future.

The minister also underlined the importance of foreign labor for attaining the employment level goals of the current government. Finnish industries, especially the service sector, have complained recently about labor shortages and problems in recruiting. Critics have noted however that companies may seek for lower salary levels through international recruitment.

In recent years, Finnish media has uncovered several cases of substandard salaries being paid to non-EU employees. In many cases, the workers without a command of local languages or English were not told about the salary rules in Finland, or were not able to pursue their cases.

In view of this situation, Haatainen told media that the conditions of non-EU employees "must be the same as for Finnish employees".
Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner says it is not "productive" to talk about the cost of hosting a ticker tape parade to acknowledge the efforts of volunteers across the state and beyond over the summer bushfire season.

Addressing media on Saturday to release details of the event, Cr Schrinner described criticisms of the city's decision to hold the parade three weeks before residents vote in local government elections as "disappointing" and politically motivated.

A fire on Moreton Island over the 2019-20 bushfire season. Credit:Lisa Camus

The march will leave from Reddacliff Place at 10am on Saturday, March 7, before proceeding down George and Adelaide streets and into King George Square,where the keys to the city will be handed to one volunteer couple in a public presentation.

Cr Schrinner said the event would "celebrate the volunteering work ... of so many people" who fought fires across Australia's east coast in recent months, while also raising funds for recovery efforts.
The Namibian first lady has promised to donate all her wealth to charity when she dies.

I strongly believe that inheritance is one of the biggest drivers of inequality, First Lady Monica Geingos told Reuters.

Monica Geingos plans to leave her wealth, estimated at $3 million, to her One Economy Foundation.

The foundation currently lends money to entrepreneurs, gives grants to students and supports victims of gender-based violence. Its board members include a security guard and a domestic worker.

After President Hage Geingob was elected to office in 2015, he and the first lady declared their combined assets to be worth about $7.4m.

I am not available for any executive political functionI am very convinced that you do not need to be a politician to effect change. But I do feel this deep need that I can and I must do more, she said.

The first lady, who is a lawyer, worked closely with victims of sexual harassment last year when Namibias #MeToo movement went viral on social media, with hundreds of women naming and shaming alleged sexual predators.

Ms Geingos, 43, is on a mission to change the image of African first ladies and tackle sexism and inequality in Namibia, which is the second most unequal country on the planet, behind South Africa, according to the World Bank.
The 13-meter vessel had at least 138 refugees on board. Over the past two years, 25,000 Rohingya have attempted to leave the camps and 713 have been rescued at sea. The preferred routes are to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Dhaka (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Bangladesh police have arrested nine alleged human traffickers connected to the recent wreck of the overcrowded boat of Rohingya, during which 15 refugees died and many others remain missing. The arrests have taken place in the past two days in the southern district of Coxs Bazar, where most of the tent cities hosting the refugees are located.

Ikbal Hossain, deputy police commander of Coxs Bazar, reports the arrested people will also be charged with attempted murder. In total, adds the official, there are 19 suspects in the sights of the agents, including 18 of Bengali nationality.

The boat, loaded with refugees, sank on 11 February off the southern coast of Bangladesh. Just 13 meters long, according to witnesses, it carried a total of 138 people, mostly women and children. The authorities recovered only 73 of them alive.

In 2017, following clashes between the Burmese army and Rohingya armed groups, over 700 thousand Rohingya fled Myanmar to refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. Many attempt, often unsuccessfully, to abandon the overcrowded reception facilities in the Coxs Bazar district on board makeshift boats. Due to the humanitarian crisis, the routes of the boats to Southeast Asian countries with Islamic majority have reopened: Indonesia and especially Malaysia, a country that hosts one of the largest Rohingya communities (about 150 thousand people).

Police sources report that at least 25 thousand Rohingya have attempted to leave the fields on makeshift boats, going to feed a thriving human market that would be managed by at least 300 criminals active in the camps. Since 2017, 713 refugees have been rescued at sea.
Concerns are being raised about the accuracy of the tests for the coronavirus.

There are deep concerns laboratory tests are incorrectly telling people they are free of the coronavirus.

Stories in several countries suggest people are having up to six negative results before finally being diagnosed.

Meanwhile, officials in the epicentre of the epidemic, Hubei province, China, have started counting people with symptoms rather than using the tests for final confirmation.

As a result, nearly 15,000 new cases were reported on a single day - a quarter of all cases in this epidemic.

What are these tests and is there a problem with them?

They work by looking for the genetic code of the virus.

A sample is taken from the patient. Then, in the laboratory, the virus's genetic code (if it's there) is extracted and repeatedly copied, making tiny quantities vast and detectable.

These "RT-PCR" tests, widely used in medicine to diagnose viruses such as HIV and influenza, are normally highly reliable.

"They are very robust tests generally, with a low false-positive and a low false-negative rate," Dr Nathalie MacDermott, of King's College London, says.

But are things going wrong?

A study in the journal Radiology showed five out of 167 patients tested negative for the disease despite lung scans showing they were ill. They then tested positive for the virus at a later date.

And there are numerous anecdotal accounts.

These include that of Dr Li Wenliang, who first raised concerns about the disease and has been hailed as a hero in China after dying from it.

He said his test results had come back negative on multiple occasions before he had finally been diagnosed.

Chinese journalists have uncovered other cases of people testing negative six times before a seventh test confirmed they had the disease.

And similar issues have been raised in other affected countries, including Singapore and Thailand.

In the US, meanwhile, Dr Nancy Messonnier, of the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says some of its tests are producing "inconclusive" results.

What might be going on?

One possible explanation is the tests are accurate and the patients do not have coronavirus at the time of testing

It is also cough, cold and flu season in China and patients may confuse these illnesses for coronavirus.

"The early signs of coronavirus are very similar to other respiratory viruses," Dr MacDermott says.

"Maybe they weren't infected when first tested.

"Then, over the course of time, they became infected and later tested positive for the coronavirus. That's a possibility."

Another option is the patients do have the coronavirus but it is at such an early stage, there is not enough to detect.

Even though RT-PCR tests massively expand the amount of genetic material, they need something to work from.

"But that doesn't make sense after six tests," Dr MacDermott says.

"With Ebola, we always waited 72 hours after a negative result to give the virus time."

Alternatively, there could be a problem with the way the tests are being conducted.

There are throat swabs and then there are throat swabs.

"Is it a dangle or a good rub?" asks Dr MacDermott.

And if the samples are not correctly stored and handled, the test may not work.

There has also been some discussion about whether doctors testing the back of the throat are looking in the wrong place.

This is a deep lung infection rather one in the nose and throat.

However, if a patient is coughing, then some virus should be being brought up to detect.

A final option is the RT-PCR test for the new coronavirus is based on flawed science.

In order to develop the test, researchers must first pick a section of the virus's genetic code.

This is known as the primer. It binds with the matching code in the virus and helps bulk it up. Scientists try to pick a region of the virus's code they do not think will mutate.

But if there is a poor match between the primer and the virus in the patient, then an infected patient could get a negative result.

At this stage, it is impossible to tell exactly what is going on so lessons for other countries are unclear.

"It is not going to change that much," Dr MacDermott says.

"But it flags up that you have to test people again if they continue to have symptoms." BBC
Updated 11:50 a.m.

TOKYO  The U.S. says Americans aboard a quarantined cruise ship will be flown back home on a chartered flight Sunday, but that they will face another two-week quarantine.

Passengers Kent and Rebecca Frasure of Forest Grove will not be joining them.

We wanted to go but its not going to happen, Kent Frasure said in a text message Saturday.

The Oregon couple is among the 380 Americans aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has docked at Yokohama, a port city southwest of Tokyo.

So far, 285 people from the ship, including Rebecca Frasure, have tested positive for the new coronavirus virus that began in China. Sixty-seven new cases were found aboard the ship Saturday.

The passengers have been quarantined on the ship since Feb. 5. That 14-day quarantine is due to end on Wednesday.

Despite spending several days this week under close supervision at a Tokyo hospital, Rebecca Frasure continues to test positive for virus, now called COVID-19, and must remain there, her husband said.

Kent Frasure said he will not leave Japan until his wife is able to come home too.

The chartered aircraft will arrive in Japan late Sunday. Passengers will be flown to Travis Air Force Base in California, with some continuing to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said in a letter to passengers and crew that was posted online Saturday.

Everyone will get a checkup before being allowed on the chartered flight, and those who show symptoms of sickness will not be permitted to board the plane, the embassy said.

After arriving in the U.S., all of the passengers will need to go through another 14 days of quarantine, the letter said  meaning they will have been under quarantine for a total of nearly four weeks.

We recognize this has been a stressful experience and we remain dedicated to providing all the support we can and seeing you safely and expeditiously reunited with family and friends in the United States, it said.

The U.S. State Department urged American passengers to return home.

To fulfill our governments responsibilities to U.S. citizens under our rules and practices, as well as to reduce the burden on the Japanese healthcare system, the U.S. government recommends, out of an abundance of caution, that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring, the department said in a statement.

One of the American passengers, Matthew Smith, who has been tweeting aboard the ship, including photos of the food passengers have been given, expressed disappointment at what he called a monkey wrench the American government was throwing into the quarantine aboard the ship.

Smith complained about having to begin a new 14-day quarantine even though he was due to get off the ship next week.

"OK, so here's the thing: As long as the official plan by Japanese health officials is to release those of us who are still healthy from quarantine in just under four days, why would I want to interfere with that by taking up an offer from U.S. officials to fly us back to Travis?" he said on Twitter.

The letter to Americans on the Diamond Princess warns, Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time.

Japan's Health Ministry allowed 11 passengers to disembark Friday, saying that those over 80 years old or with underlying medical conditions, as well as those staying in windowless cabins during the 14-day quarantine, can stay at a designated facility on shore.

Separately, the Japanese government said Saturday that a chartered flight to bring Japanese out of Wuhan  the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak of the virus  will leave Sunday and return Monday. That would be the fifth such plane for Japan.

Besides the cases on the cruise ship, Japan has reported 55 others. Three new cases were reported Saturday in Wakayama prefecture in central Japan, and eight were reported in Tokyo.

The Oregonian/OregonLives Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Fedor Zharkin contributed to this report.

-- The Associated Press
The worst investment performer in the latest notorious list of 'dog funds' is, unsurprisingly, Neil Woodford's doomed equity income fund.

The fallen star manager's two former Invesco Perpetual funds are also named and shamed among the 'biggest beasts' - the poor performers holding the largest sums of customer money - in Bestinvest's Spot the Dog report.

In a major red flag with hindsight, a year ago the report called out Woodfords investment firm as one of the main culprits for disappointing returns, four months before the suspension of his flagship fund.

Sad dog: Bestinvest always stresses that its report is not a 'sell list' - though Woodford investors may rue not taking greater heed of its findings last year

A total of 91 underachieving funds, holding 43.9billion of savings and raking in an annual 410million of fees and costs, appear in the newest publication compiled by DIY investing platform Bestinvest.

To be labelled a dog, a fund must have failed to beat its benchmark for three 12-month periods running and also underperformed by five per cent or more over the entire three years. The full 24-page report is available to download for free here.

The lowlights of the latest report include:

Top Dog: This spot was taken by Invesco for the fourth time, with its tally of dog funds rising to 11. Together they represent over 13billion of investor money, and make up nearly 30 per cent of all dog fund assets.

Kennel Club Corner of Shame: Some 30 per cent of North America funds were classed as dogs, the sector with the highest proportion, followed by the European sector with 19 per cent.

The Big Beasts: This list holds 11 funds, each holding more than 1billion of assets, run by groups such as Invesco, M&G, Hargreaves Lansdown and Schroders (see below).

The UK Pack: The UK sector includes 22 dog funds, holding assets worth 20.4 billion. Some 41 per cent of this money sits in funds run by Mark Barnett, successor to Woodford at Invesco, who manages his old Income and High Income funds.

Put Down: After entering the kennel last year, Woodford's now renamed LF Equity Income fund is currently being wound up, leaving investors sitting on significant losses. It is down 46 per cent over the three years to the end of December 2019 compared to the market in which it invests, after fees.

*This is the extent to which the fund has delivered a lower return over the three years to end December 2019 than the market in which it invests (after fees). The value of 100 after three years includes the reinvestment of any dividends. (Source: Bestinvest)

Bestinvest always stresses that its report is not a 'sell list' - though Woodford investors may rue not taking greater heed of its findings last year.

'It is based purely on factual analysis of past performance which is not necessarily a guide to how a fund will perform in the future. Indeed there may be good reasons to believe that future prospects are better,' it says.

How hastily should you dump a fund losing money? The traps to avoid between tolerating negative returns and bailing out too quickly... Read more here.

'However, funds that appear in it do require further investigation. Unless there are good reasons to believe performance will turn around based on an assessment of its prospects, it may make sense to switch to a pedigree picks fund.'

See below for more on Bestinvest's pedigree list.

Bestinvest notes 'in the interest of fairness' that Artemis Global Income is named as a 'dog' in its report, yet also features in its top-rated funds list.

'Spot the Dog isnt a list of funds that we think you should sell automatically  its a statistical analysis of how funds have performed over the last three years,' it says.

Investment houses named and shamed

Source: Bestinvest

Jason Hollands, managing Director at Bestinvest, says: '2019 was overall a fantastic year for stock markets across the globe, providing investors with double-digit returns.

'In such an environment it is all too easy to assume that the managers of your investment funds must be doing a great job.

'However, in many cases the returns enjoyed have had little do with the decisions taken by fund managers and they may be substantially lower than the gains delivered by overall markets.

'In these circumstances, investors have basically paid fees for little or no added value.

'Lagging market gains is one thing, but in some circumstances things can be much worse, in the form of outright losses. In our report 12 months ago, we highlighted the Woodford Equity Income fund as a "dog" having already moved the fund to a "switch" rating on Bestinvest in early 2018.

'The fund makes its final appearance in Spot the Dog in this edition, under the banner of LF Equity Income, as the funds authorised corporate director, Link Fund Solutions, has decided to make the temporary suspension permanent, removing Woodford as manager and closing the fund altogether.

'While this has been a shocking and highly unusual saga, it is an important reminder of how incredibly important it is to regularly review your investments and to potentially make changes.'

Which sectors and firms deserve a pat on the head?

Bestinvest says the UK Smaller Companies sector enjoys a high success rate and remains notably 'canine-free'.

Firms deserving of treats for improved behaviour are Aberdeen Standard, BlackRock, Fidelity and Janus Henderson, which escaped the top 10 worst performers.

Their replacements included JP Morgan, Schroders, Hargreaves Lansdown, M&G and Jupiter.

Bestinvest praises the following firms for avoiding the kennel this time, with no dog funds whatsoever: Aviva Investors, Baillie Gifford, BMO, Evenlode, First State, Fundsmith, Investec, Lindsell Train, Kames Capital, Legal & General, Royal London and Stewart Investors.

Which funds make the 'pedigree' list?

How to research investment funds and trusts Visit This is Money's Fund Centre here, and read our DIY guides to checking out funds here and trusts here.

These are Bestinvests current top-rated funds that have track records of at least three years, across the sectors featured in the Spot the Dog report.

'These ratings by our research team are based on both statistical and qualitative assessment of the current fund management teams and do not indicate that these funds are the top past performers,' it says.

You will have to download the report to see the full list, but here are the top entrants for each sector.

UK All Companies

Lindsell Train UK Equity: Three year return on 100 - 147

UK Equity Income

JO Hambro CM UK Equity Income: Three year return on 100 - 123

European

BlackRock European Dynamic: Three year return on 100 - 142

Europe Small Cap

Barings Europe Select: Three year return on 100 - 133

Japanese

Baillie Gifford Japanese: Three year return on 100 - 131

North American

Loomis Sayles US Equity Leaders (GBP): Three year return on 100 - 156

Asia Pacific

First State Asia Focus: Three year return on 100 - 144

Global Emerging Markets

Fidelity Emerging Markets: Three year return on 100 - 138

Global

Baillie Gifford Global Discovery: Three year return on 100 - 171
By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 15, 2020 | 07:31 AM | PADUCAH

According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 3 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. An estimated 26,500 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Kentucky this year, and an estimated 71,990 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Illinois this year. Many of these people will likely have a need for blood.





A loved ones cancer diagnosis often makes families and friends feel helpless. Thats why the Give Blood to Give Time partnership with the American Cancer Society is so important, said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer, American Red Cross. When someone donates blood or platelets or makes a financial gift, they are helping to give patients and their families time, resources and the hope they need to fight back.

To schedule a blood or platelet donation appointment or make a financial gift, visit GiveBloodToGiveTime.org.





Some types of chemotherapy can damage bone marrow, reducing red blood cell and platelet production. Other times, the cancer itself or surgical procedures cause the problem. Blood products are often needed. In fact, five units of blood are needed every minute to help someone going through cancer treatment. Yet only 3% of people in the United States give blood. More people are needed to donate regularly to help meet the need.





The need for blood in cancer treatments is an important and untold story, said Gary Reedy, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society is excited to be working with the Red Cross on Give Blood to Give Time. Through this partnership, we want people to know there are multiple ways they can help and make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and their families.





Individuals can honor their loved ones by making a blood donation appointment or financial contribution at GiveBloodToGiveTime.org.

In April 2015, Stephenie Perry was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma exactly 10 days before her commencement ceremony from graduate school. One week after commencement, treatments began. During chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants, she needed blood and platelet transfusions.





I don't even know how many units of blood I've received, she said. But I know all of that blood came from selfless individuals who made the decision to make an appointment and donate.





Last February, Perry received the good news that her cancer is in remission. The next day, her then-boyfriend, Justin Perry, proposed to her  just in time for Valentines Day. They talked about marriage while she battled cancer, but they wanted to wait until she was in remission. Justin Perry said he didnt want to go another day without asking her to marry him. They were married in September.





Her red blood cell counts still get low at times. When that happens, she goes in for another blood transfusion.



I think its safe to say that my successful battle with cancer depended upon complete strangers and their donated blood. For this, I am grateful, Stephenie Perry said. Sometimes I hear stories from friends about people who are scared of needles or afraid to donate blood. I wish I could stand face-to-face with those people and tell them there is nothing scary about saving a life  a life like mine.





Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Altona Baptist Church, 5817 US HWY 62 Calvert City, KY 42029

2/26/2020: 2 - 6 pm

American Legion, 211 South 7th Mayfield, KY 42066

2/25/2020: 11 am - 5 pm

Ballard County Cooperative Extension Office, 110 Broadway La Center, KY 42056

2/20/2020: 12:30 - 5:30 pm.

Calvert City Church of Christ, 4625 US Highway 62 Calvert City, KY 42029

2/27/2020: 12:30 - 5:30 pm

Cross Road United Methodist Church, 1289 Ullin Road Ullin, IL 62992

2/18/2020: 2 - 6 pm

First Christian Church, 2515 South Main St. Benton, KY 42025

2/17/2020: 2 - 6 pm.

Fulton County High School, 2740 Moscow Road Hickman, KY 42050

2/21/2020: 7:30 am - 1:30 pm

Livingston Hospital Health Care Services, 131 Hospital Drive Salem, KY 42078

2/26/2020: 12:30 - 4:30 pm

Lone Oak Church of Christ, 2960 Lone Oak Road Paducah, KY 42001

2/19/2020: 2:30 - 7:30 pm

Paducah Blood Donation Center, 4635 Falconcrest Drive Paducah, KY 42001

2/15/2020: 7:45 am - 2:45 pm

2/16/2020: 7:45 am - 2:15 pm

2/17/2020: 11:45 am - 6:45 pm

2/18/2020: 8:45 am - 3:45 pm

2/20/2020: 11:45 am - 6:45 pm

2/21/2020: 8:45 am - 3:15 pm

2/22/2020: 7:45 am - 2:45 pm

2/23/2020: 7:45 am - 2:15 pm

2/24/2020: 11:45 am - 6:45 pm

2/25/2020: 8:45 am - 3:45 pm

2/27/2020: 11:45 am - 6:45 pm

2/28/2020: 8:45 am - 3:15 pm

2/29/2020: 7:45 am - 2:45 pm





Reidland Church of Christ, 5500 Kentucky Dam Road Paducah, KY 42003

2/26/2020: 3:30 - 7:30 pm





St. John's Catholic Church, 6705 Old Highway 45 Paducah, KY 42001

2/16/2020: 8 am  noon





All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.





Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.





The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.





The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of 1.5 million volunteers dedicated to saving lives, celebrating lives, and leading the fight for a world without cancer. From breakthrough research, to free lodging near treatment, a 24/7/365 live helpline, free rides to treatment, and convening powerful activists to create awareness and impact, the Society is the only organization attacking cancer from every angle. For more information go to www.cancer.org.









Patients fighting cancer need more blood than patients fighting any other disease, using nearly one-quarter of the nations blood supply. Thats why this February, the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society have teamed up to encourage people across the country to Give Blood to Give Time, ensuring loved ones have the strength and support to battle cancer.
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP).

On February 12, 2019, before the market opened, Molson Coors announced that its "previously issued consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 should be restated and no longer be relied upon" due to errors regarding the acquisition of its remaining interest in MillerCoors, LLC in 4Q16, and that such restatements would "increase its deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax expenses by $399.1 million, with a corresponding decrease in net income and earnings per share."

Thereafter, the Company and certain of its executives were sued in a securities class action lawsuit, charging them with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws, which remains ongoing.

KSF's investigation is focusing on whether Molson Coors' officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to Molson Coors shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of Molson Coors shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-tap/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients  including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors  in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

[email protected]

1-877-515-1850

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Related Links

http://www.ksfcounsel.com/


The founders of our United States intended Congress to be the premier arm of government. But our once powerful Congress has been bleeding power and authority  not to mention respect  since the Vietnam era.





by Eric S. Margolis





The US Senate, long the lap dog of the man who would be king, President Donald Trump, appears to have finally remembered its proper constitutional role.













Last week, the Senate voted 55/45 for a new bipartisan War Powers Act to constrain military action against Iran. The Congress voted a similar act. Both are designed to start returning the right to make war to Congress, as the Constitution clearly intended. The president is not the Warlord-in-chief in spite of what he thinks.





The Senate has been supine until now, intimidated by an unholy alliance of pro-war Christian evangelists and the Israel lobby, and over $100 million given to the Republican Party by casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. Senators who dare oppose this powerful special interest risk their political futures. The lifting of limits on political contributions has given Adelson enormous power over Trump and his friend, Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.





Trump has been very successful in intimidating and punishing those who deviate from his party line. All he lacks so far is a KGB-style secret police to enforce his demands. The current fracas over Trumps efforts to undermine the prosecution of his ally, political low-life Roger Stone, is yet the latest example of the steady erosion of our democratic system.





Yet even Trump went too far with the murder of senior Iranian officer, Maj. Gen Qasem Soleimani, who had been invited to visit Iraq for peace talks by its US-installed regime. Americans, besotted by too many violent TV programs, saw this as a plus, but the rest of the world was horrified by the gangster act. It appears Trump & Co. were convinced to commit this murder by Israel, which had been stalking Soleimani for years.





Ironically, the US killed the most moderate senior Iranian leader who was in line to become the Islamic Republics leader. Israel has long had the policy of assassinating Palestinian moderates, leaving only the radicals alive. This allowed Israel to assert we have no one to negotiate with.





Soleimanis murder was too much for eight Republican senators. This act of war was never approved by Congress, as the Constitution mandates. Better educated senators realized that Trump was pushing the US into a bloody war with Iran which, like the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, would have only one real winner, Israel.





These senators did the right thing. They arrested, at least temporarily, the decades-long shift to growing presidential dictatorship under the guise of war powers.





Think back to the 2003 Iraq War which was concocted by the Bush administration to justify a massive military intervention when, in fact, no real threat to the US existed. I know this because I was there and immune to all the official lies from Washington and London. A pack of lies, but the US still occupies Iraq.





The imminent threat scenario used by Republicans to promote warlike acts, such as the murder of Maj. Gen. Soleimani, is bogus. Anyone can justify war by claiming intelligence sources and internet chatter. Much of the intelligence the US gets from the Mideast is fake or twisted to promote other nations benefit. Washington was fed a farrago of intelligence lies and half-truths by its allies Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel to help promote the 2003 war against Iraq. Trump has used similar phony intelligence to justify his Mideast militarism.





The founders of our United States intended Congress to be the premier arm of government. But our once powerful Congress has been bleeding power and authority  not to mention respect  since the Vietnam era. Serving in Congress was supposed to be a part-time job for educated landowners, not small-town lawyers from the rural Bible Belt.





But will this attempt by the Senate to restore some of its power and prestige work? Trump will almost certainly veto this war powers act and further intimidate Congress. Yet unless Congress makes a stand, our balanced system of government is truly at risk. Americans should at minimum draw the lesson never to vote power to a president and Congress of the same party.




Boston is one of several cities where U.S. Customs and Border Patrol plans to deploy 100 officers from the southern border to help arrest immigrants without legal status who have been shielded by sanctuary policies.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesman confirmed that Boston is one of several cities targeted by the effort as the Trump administration cracks down on cities that have limited cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents.

The New York Times first reported the officers would be deployed to 10 cities: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, N.J., in addition to Boston.

The department spokesman said Immigration and Customs Enforcement lacks enough resources to handle cases of immigrants without legal status who are not in custody, citing the rise of sanctuary jurisdictions.

While some of them are trained in tactical operations, that is one of the many areas of training. These officers have also been trained in routine immigration enforcement actions which is what they have been asked to do, the DHS spokesman said in a statement.

The spokesman said all the Border Patrol officers have undergone training through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, as ICE agents do, and added that they "are more than capable of helping ICE fulfill their mission.

Immigration and Customs Enforcements Boston division, which oversees six states, made 2,469 administrative arrests in fiscal 2019 or about 15% less than the previous fiscal year, according to the federal agencys annual report released in December.

Although the number of people weve had to send down to the southwest border is large, the sanctuary policy of several jurisdictions affects it greatly also, Marcos D. Charles, acting field director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, told MassLive in an interview. It limits our ability to go into jails and get the criminal aliens directly from the law enforcement agency.

The drop in administrative arrests, or arrests on civil violations, was seen in other parts of the country where cities limited cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents, Acting ICE Director Matthew Albence said at the time.

The news of the tactical teams has gained criticism from progressives and immigrant advocates. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley criticized the announcement as a form of retaliation against immigrants.

We will not stand for this. Where this administration chooses cruelty, the City of Boston will choose compassion, said Pressley, a Boston Democrat.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said the tactical teams would create fear and disorder, eroding trust between local law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Dont be fooled. None of this makes us safer. This is being done to strike fear and terror throughout our immigrant communities," said Rollins, who has spoken about supporting immigrants in the city. "This is being done to be cruel and to silence and terrorize people. This is being done to limit the number of people that partake in the 2020 census.

In a statement, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh defended the citys laws that limit cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents.

Boston is one of the safest cities in America, proving every day that its possible to decrease crime while being a city that is welcoming to everyone," Walsh said. What we need - and have needed for a long time - is a sound, rational national immigration policy rooted in both compassion and common sense.

The announcement comes as Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia is exploring designating sanctuary spaces within the city to protect immigrants. She proposed the idea after learning that Boston Public Schools gave ICE access to more than 100 student incident reports, raising questions over whether student data is fair game for immigration enforcement.

Related Content:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 19:31:24|Editor: huaxia

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In the face of the novel coronavirus outbreak and its fallout, Chinese companies have never given up hope of finding a way out of this dilemma and strengthening their immunity to the fallout. With the help of the government, domestic firms are racking their brains to cut losses.



by Xinhua writers He Leijing, Zhu Xiao and Xia Xiao

NANJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Although the novel coronavirus outbreak is to have a temporary negative impact on the world's second-largest economy, Chinese companies have never given up hope of finding a way out of this dilemma and strengthening their immunity to the fallout.

Since the contagion coincided with the Spring Festival holiday, various industries in China, including catering, retail, manufacturing and tourism have been heavily impacted. Hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and tourist sites which should have been in full swing at this moment are actually quiet and empty.

As more and more workers have gone back to work since the extended holiday ended, domestic firms are racing to cut losses through their own efforts with the help of the government.

COMPANIES' RAPID ADJUSTMENT

Zhang Liqing is the owner of a restaurant that serves Chinese Huaiyang cuisine in east China's Jiangsu Province.

"People used to stand in a long line to wait for a table, especially during the Spring Festival. This year, however, we have already lost about 1 million yuan (about 143,000 U.S. dollars) due to the shutdown of the restaurant since the first day of the Lunar New Year," Zhang said.

Although the owner does not know when he can reopen his restaurant, he said he has to do something.

"I'm training my employees online and also learning new business models such as take-out food and non-contact orders. I think these measures will help me resist the damage of the epidemic in the future," Zhang said.

Due to the huge demand for medical materials during the outbreak, masks and protective outfits, in particular, some Chinese enterprises have accelerated their adjustment of production structure.

Workers make general protective suits at Hongdou Industrial Co., Ltd. in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

In the city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Hongdou Industrial Co., Ltd., a clothing maker, has pitched in.

"We transformed a factory into a workshop for disposable medical protective clothing and upgraded technologies to produce such products," said Gu Jinlong, executive vice president of the company.

The company completed its first general protective suit on Feb. 3 and its daily output has now increased to about 40,000 pieces. It is now waiting for the permission of the government to produce medical protective suits.

Shi Yun, 29, living in the city of Nanjing, found a new way to kill time since residents are suggested to stay home to avoid virus infections. She found that many shopping malls in Nanjing displaying their new products, including the latest collections of clothes online through group chats on WeChat or other apps.

"It feels like virtual window shopping," said Shi, who only needs to browse on her computer or mobile phone, instead of in a mall.

In order to pull through, brick and mortar retailers have been forced to run their businesses through social media platforms. According to He Huan, a manager at Deji Plaza, a Nanjing-based shopping mall complex selling luxury goods, the mall has set up various group chats based on commodity categories and even launched an online shopping app to cater to customers.

"So far, sales for cosmetics and fashion brands are satisfactory. We are willing to keep improving our online services," He said.

A resident displays an advertisement of an online shopping WeChat group published by a shopping mall in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

Didano Technology Co., Ltd., located in southwest China's Sichuan Province, specializes in robotics for children's health. Their customers were mainly kindergartens and preschool education institutions.

But the outbreak brought the company some new ideas. The company has advanced technologies and turned their robotics products into infrared temperature measuring robots.

"The new robots, which can check people's temperature rapidly and accurately, can be used in hospitals, companies, schools, factories and other public venues with huge people flows," said Xu Bo, CEO of the company, adding they have sold 71 such robots in three days to local hospitals and companies, and they have started to presell and produce 300 such robots.

Sun Jian, general manager of Frimec (Jiangsu) Environmental Technology Co., is very optimistic. His company focuses on air-cleaning facilities.

"After the epidemic, the demand for air purification in China will soar. The impact of the epidemic won't last long, and the demand for such products will rise sharply in the second quarter. We are making preparations for that," Sun added.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

While enterprises are racking their brains to strengthen their immunity against the outbreak, governments at all levels across China are also making efforts to give a helping hand.

Molarray Biotechnology Co., a high-tech company located in Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu, received timely help, a 5-million-yuan loan offered by a local bank, after the company reported financial problems as it was in full capacity to provide products in urgent need to curb the contagion. It only took about five days from the application to get the loan.

Employees work at the Molarray Biotechnology Co. at Suzhou Industrial Park in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 7, 2020. (Xinhua)

The government of Suzhou, one of the manufacturing hubs in the country, rolled out various policies in early February including financial support and tax cuts to aid companies affected by the epidemic.

For many small and medium-sized enterprises, rent during the epidemic is definitely a burden. Fortunately, nearly 20 provincial-level regions across China have announced policies to cut or exempt rent.

In Shandong Province, the local government set up a special emergency unit and opened a round-the-clock hotline to answer requests from businesses and resolve their difficulties during the resumption of work.

The State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company has also introduced a series of measures to support local enterprises, including cutting electricity costs.

China has stepped up targeted financing support for epidemic-stricken small and micro-enterprises. Banks have offered more credit loans to such firms, especially those in sectors hit hardest by the epidemic and in Hubei Province.

(Qin Huajiang from Jiangsu, Yuan Junbao from Shandong, Yang Di and Li Qianwei from Sichuan contributed to the story)

(Video reporters: Li Bo, Zhu Xiao, Li Xiaobo, Yuan Junbao; Video editor: Peng Ying)
Steinmeier: "The United States of America, under the present administration itself, rejects the idea of an international community." Photo: Reuters/Michele Tantussi/File Photo

Germany's president took an indirect swipe at US President Donald Trump yesterday in accusing Washington, China and Russia of stoking global mistrust and insecurity with a "great powers competition" that could threaten a new nuclear arms race.

In opening remarks at the annual Munich Security Conference, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier deplored the three big powers' approach to global affairs and, without naming Mr Trump, took issue with his vow to "make America great again".

"Great again - even at the expense of neighbours and partners," quipped Mr Steinmeier, a former Social Democrat foreign minister whose comments on foreign policy carry authority.

As foreign minister in 2014, he was central to the so-called "Munich consensus" when German leaders said Berlin was ready to assume more responsibility in global affairs. Mr Steinmeier pressed that point again yesterday, but not before bemoaning the foreign policy approaches of Russia, China and the United States.

"Russia...has made military force and the violent shifting of borders on the European continent the means of politics once again," he said in the text of a speech for delivery at the opening of the conference.

"China... accepts international law only selectively where it does not run counter to its own interests," he said.

"And our closest ally, the United States of America, under the present administration itself, rejects the idea of an international community."

The upshot is "more mistrust, more armament, less security... all the way to a new nuclear arms race," he said.

He said Germany should raise defence spending to contribute more to European security.
More than 400 passengers have disembarked the cruise ship Westerdam, which docked in Cambodia on Thursday after five other countries refused its entry amid fears of a potential COVID-19 outbreak.

Although none of the more than 2,000 passengers and crew on board the Westerdam were diagnosed with the deadly virus, worldwide panic over the diseases spread pushed Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and the U.S. territory of Guam to deny the ships entry into their ports. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha said during a news conference that preventing the spread of the virus was important and that the passengers would not be allowed to disembark in Thailand, though he offered assistance with food, fuel and water supplies.

Passengers were stuck in limbo for two weeks before Cambodian authorities allowed the ship to dock on Thursday. On Friday, the first group of passengers, numbering in the hundreds, were allowed to leave the ship, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Twenty passengers who had reported signs of being ill tested negative for COVID-19, WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a Friday news conference.

Today, hundreds of passengers are disembarking and are en route to their home countries, he said. I hope that other countries will follow Cambodias lead.

Holland American Line, the cruise operator, said Cambodian authorities granted permission for passengers to start disembarking on Feb. 14. The cruise line will charter flights to take passengers from the city of Sihanoukville to the capital, Phnom Penh, and then pay for the passengers to fly home over the coming days.

Mang Sineth, the vice governor of Cambodias Preah Sihanouk province, said 414 passengers would be flown to Phnom Penh on Friday, the AP reports. Sineth said all passengers should be leaving Sihanoukville by Sunday, if all the travel arrangements go as planned.

Story continues

The authoritarian Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen greeted the first wave of passengers and gave them flowers as they left the ship, the Associated Press reports.

Today, although Cambodia is a poor country, Cambodia has always joined the international community to solve the problems that the world and our region are facing, Hun Sen said.

Passengers expressed relief and thanks to Cambodia as they disembarked.

We appreciate it very, very much, Joe Spaziani, of Florida, told the AP. Its been a long struggle and we appreciate everyone being here.

The Westerdam is just one ship that has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. At least 218 cases of the disease have been identified on the Diamond Princess, a quarantined cruise ship currently docked in Yokohama, Japan. The countrys health officials said Thursday that elderly passengers who test negative for the virus can begin disembarking the ship and finish their quarantines at a shoreside facility.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took umbrage at not being invited to the inauguration of the East-West Metro corridor, asserting that her team had to shed tears to sanction the project when she was the railway minister.

The first phase of the East-West corridor of the mass rapid transport network was flagged off by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday, but the TMC gave the event a miss after Banerjee's name did not feature in the list of invitees.

We had worked hard for the East-West Metro project. We had to literally shed tears for it (approval). I felt bad as I was not even informed about the inauguration, Banerjee said in the state assembly.

She was the railway minister from 2009-2011.

The first phase of the metro project connects a 4.88- km stretch between Sector V of Salt Lake -- the IT hub of the city -- with Salt Lake Stadium.

Criticising the opposition parties in West Bengal for spreading political pollution, the chief minister slammed the CPI(M) and Congress for politically surrendering before the BJP.

The more the Congress inches closer to the CPI(M), the more it will lose its prominence. Wherever religional parties are strong, the Congress literally doesn't have any existence, she said.

Banerjee also said she will write to other chief ministers, urging them to not conduct the NPR exercise, as it is a prelude to the NRC.
A judge has agreed that Jeffrey Epsteins alleged madam, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, can be served with court papers via email as she has disappeared off the face of the earth.

Maxwell, 58, has not been seen in public since an apparently staged photograph of her at a Los Angeles fast-food restaurant was shared by her lawyer last August.

Last week, Manhattan judge Debra Freeman took the extraordinary step of allowing lawyers for alleged Epstein victim Annie Farmer to serve the papers on Maxwell via email because she has proved so elusive to find.

Maxwell, 58, has not been seen in public since an apparently staged photograph of her at a Los Angeles fast-food restaurant was shared by her lawyer last August

Under US law, a person must be served with court documents in person unless a judge rules there are exceptional circumstances.

Ms Farmer claims she was just 16 when Epstein sexually assaulted her at his New Mexico ranch.

In court documents, she says Maxwell pressured her to get naked and then touched intimate parts of Ms Farmers body and groped her.

Manhattan judge Debra Freeman took the extraordinary step of allowing lawyers for alleged Epstein victim Annie Farmer (who is pictured above) to serve the papers on Maxwell via email because she has proved so elusive to find

She is suing Epsteins estate for damages. Her lawyers want to question Maxwell about the alleged assault.

Dozens of other victims have claimed Maxwell procured women for Epstein  charges that she vehemently denies.

Ms Farmers lawyers told of their frustration, saying: The plaintiff has attempted to locate and personally serve Maxwell to no avail.

They claimed Maxwell had been actively participating in other lawsuits against her despite disappearing from view, including vigorously fighting the release of thousands of documents from a defamation case between Maxwell and Prince Andrews accuser Virginia Roberts.

A legal source close to the case said: Maxwell appears to have disappeared off the face of the earth. She has proven impossible to find, which is extraordinary in this day and age when everyone has a cellphone. Justice will prevail and we will have our day in court.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (Emerald) (TSXV: EMH; OTCQX: EMHTF) has closed the final tranche of its $3,000,000 prospectus offering (the Offering), announced in its news release dated January 6, 2020.

Pursuant to this final closing, Emerald has issued an aggregate of 2,748,276 units of Emerald (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.29 per Unit for total gross proceeds of $797,000. The initial tranche of the Offering closed on February 6, 2020 for gross proceeds of $2,203,000.

Each Unit consists of one common share of Emerald and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one common share of Emerald (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.385 per Warrant Share for a period of five years following the closing of the Offering.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for general working capital purposes, including the payment of salaries, consulting fees and operating expenses.

The Units were distributed pursuant to a shelf prospectus supplement filed in all of the provinces of Canada pursuant to National Instrument 44-102  Shelf Distributions.

This press release will not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and applicable state securities laws.

About Emerald Health Therapeutics

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. is committed to creating new consumer experiences with recreational and wellness-oriented cannabis products. With an emphasis on innovation and production excellence, Emerald has built a platform of distinct operating assets designed to uniquely serve the Canadian marketplace and international opportunities. Its 50%-owned Pure Sunfarms (PSF) operation in British Columbia, with high quality, affordably priced products, is in full production at its first 1.1 million square foot greenhouse operation, Delta 3. Emeralds Verdelite premium craft operation is fully licensed and in full production in its 88,000 square foot indoor facility in Quebec. Its Metro Vancouver health and wellness-oriented organic greenhouse and outdoor operation has completed planting in the first of two 78,000 square foot buildings. Its Emerald Naturals joint venture is creating a completely new wellness product category with its non-cannabis endocannabinoid-supporting product line and is expanding distribution across Canada.

Please visit www.emeraldhealth.ca for more information or contact:

Jenn Hepburn, Chief Financial Officer

(800) 757 3536 Ext. #5



Emerald Investor Relations

(800) 757 3536 Ext. #5

invest@emeraldhealth.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include: the use of proceeds raised from the Offering; production and processing capacity of various facilities; expansion of facilities; and expansion of distribution of endocannabinoid-supporting products.

We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties related to, among other things, changes of law and regulations; changes of government; failure to obtain regulatory approvals or permits; failure to obtain necessary financing; results of production and sale activities; results of scientific research; regulatory changes; changes in prices and costs of inputs; demand for labour; demand for products; failure of counter-parties to perform contractual obligations; as well as the risk factors described in Emeralds annual information form and other regulatory filings. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent our expectations as of the date hereof. Forward-looking statements are presented for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to obtain a better understanding of our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Emerald undertakes no obligations to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur, unless required by applicable law.
New plans have been submitted to transform the empty Bank of Ireland building in Belfast into an luxurious hotel.

The distinctive Art Deco building on the corner of North Street and Royal Parade has been vacant since 2005.

It was briefly taken over by protestors from the 'Occupy Belfast' group in 2012.

It's reported that a pre-application notice for the bank and adjoining buildings has been submitted.

The company, who are linked to the developers McAleer and Rushe, have proposed a mixed use scheme incorporating a hotel, apartments and offices.

Constructed during 1929-30, the five storey structure is considered to be one of the finest modernist buildings on the island of Ireland and has a B+ listing, the second highest rating possible.

John Anderson from Ulster Architectural Heritage said he was would wait to see the plans in detail, but was "wary" that the character of the building would be preserved.

"It's a very significant building," he said. "If it's going to be surrounded by tower blocks I don't think we would be very impressed.

"Having said that, the plans might be absolutely magnificent."

As a listed building, he added it was "a cardinal mistake" to assume that only the Art Deco facade, and not key elements of the interior, should be maintained.
But Democratic Party supporters ought to be more cheered than dismayed at the surviving, robust slate of promising hopefuls, some of whom have confounded the experts by emerging from relative obscurity. Having more good choices than voters may have expected at this date isnt a bad thing. Those eager for a nominee who is both progressive and pragmatic, who pairs bold policy with realistic politics, now have an opportunity to pick the woman or man they think is best suited to do the job of defeating President Trump  and then the job of governing.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.15

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Kazakhstan considers introduction of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standards to be of great importance, Kazakhstans President Kassym Jomart Tokayev said, Trend reports with reference to the press office of Kazakhstans president.

Tokayev made the statement during the meeting with Secretary-General of OECD Angel Gurria held within the framework of the 56th Munich Security Conference.

During the meeting, the parties talked current condition and prospects of further cooperation between Kazakhstan and OECD.

Tokayev stressed that Kazakhstan attaches great importance to introduction of OECD standards in the country and will continue active cooperation with OECD when implementing politic and economic reforms.

Gurria in turn praised the long-term fruitful cooperation of Kazakhstan and OECD.

He also expressed great interest to Tokayevs speech at the expanded Kazakhstans governmental meeting held on Jan. 24, 2020, as a number of postures expressed during the meeting were prepared with the help of OECD.

OECD is an intergovernmental economic organization, which currently includes 36 member countries.

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
Delhis chief minister designate Arvind Kejriwal will share the stage with a group of 60 people, being called Delhi ke nirmata (architects of Delhi), drawn from different walks of life this Sunday when the AAP convener will the take oath of office and secrecy at central Delhis Ramlila Maidan  the place where the AAP was born out of an anti-corruption movement.

While chief ministers of other states and leaders from other parties have not been invited, an invitation has been sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the seven BJP MPs from the city, said senior AAP leader Gopal Rai. He said a letter was sent to the PMO on Friday morning.

Other senior party members said the invitation to the PM was protocol. It was, however, not clear whether Modi would attend the swearing-in ceremony. According to his schedule, the Prime Minister is travelling to his parliamentary constituency, Varanasi, on Sunday to inaugurate over 30 projects, news agencies reported.

A quick draft on the idea of the chief minister sharing stage with commoners  under the banner Delhi ke nirmaata  was sent to Kejriwals office on Friday, a senior AAP functionary said.

The group would represent occupations such as doctors, teachers, pharmacists, sanitation workers, bus conductors, bus drivers, marshals deployed for women security, auto-rickshaw drivers, farmers, anganwadi workers, athletes, IIT and medical students enrolled under scholarships, PWD engineers and architects and delivery agents from the governments doorstep delivery scheme, among others, said the draft which HT has seen.

A senior AAP leader said, The guests will be chosen on the basis of performance in their occupations that have been recognised by the governments, civic agencies or media, or on the basis of reference from department heads in some cases.

Till late Friday evening, the party functionaries had shortlisted few names which included those of a bus marshal who had rescued a minor girl from being abducted, a factory owner, a principal whose school was one of the top performers in the last board exams, the chief architect of the Signature Bridge, and two athletes who have won Bronze Medal in the Olympics, said the AAP functionary adding, all invitations will be sent on Saturday.

Responding to the AAPs plan, Delhi BJPs media convener Neelkant Bakshi said, It is their show. Let them do what they want to.

Praveen Rai, political analyst with the Centre for Study of Developing Societies, said: Arvind Kejriwal not inviting any other chief minister or political leader from non-BJP ruled states is a clear signal that the party does not want to engage in any ideological posturing at this juncture.

As far as inviting common people to share the stage with him during the oath-taking ceremony, it is a reaffirmation of its faith on citizens of Delhi and reflection of AAPs idea of inclusive governance. It also sends out a loud political message that the AAP does not believe in VIP culture and celebrity endorsements. On the contrary it wants to share the same space with commoners and seek their blessings for a new political innings, he said.

The AAP, which won a thumping majority of 62 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, is likely to repeat all its ministers in the Cabinet led by Kejriwal in its third term, senior party leaders indicated, adding deputy chief minister and the five other ministers would also take oath in Ramlila Maidan. In 2015 too, the second consecutive term for AAP government, the oath taking ceremony was held at Ramlila Maidan.

On Friday, the party urged all residents of the city to attend the event scheduled for 10am Sunday through newspaper advertisements.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy met Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and discussed issues related to shifting of the state's High Court to Kurnool.

The Chief Minister also raised the issues of decentralisation of administration, Disha Act and abolition of Legislative Council in his meeting with the Union Minister for Law and Justice on Saturday.

"The Chief Minister outlined the need for decentralization of administration and development in the state. He also informed that the state Cabinet has approved to have the executive capital in Visakhapatnam, the legislative capital in Amaravati and the judicial capital in Kurnool for which Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Development Bill was passed in the Assembly. For the same, he requested Minister to take necessary action to shift High Court to Kurnool," according to a release by the Andhra Pradesh CMO.

He also reminded Prasad that BJP had also promised to shift High Court to Kurnool in the State manifesto.

Reddy also requested Prasad to approve the Disha Act enacted by the State Assembly which calls for safety and protection of women in Andhra Pradesh, according to the release.

Regarding the legislative council, Reddy said that it "was misused to stop the bills passed by the Assembly. The Legislatively Assembly has passed a resolution to abolish the Legislative Council and urged the Minister to expedite the issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Halfway through the early state primaries and caucuses, Democrats are no closer to clarifying their nominating contest than they were at the turn of the New Year. In the coming two contests - Nevada's caucuses next Saturday and South Carolina's primary on Feb. 29 - the "winners" from Iowa and New Hampshire have almost as much at stake as the losers.

Iowa and New Hampshire saw two candidates perform consistently. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg emerged ahead of all the other Democrats. Neither, however, came through as a dominant front-runner.

Former vice president Joe Biden, who claimed front-runner status until he couldn't, ran a weak fourth in Iowa and a weaker fifth in New Hampshire. He didn't even break into double digits last Tuesday. By all rights, after that kind of start, he would be considered out of the race. But this is not a normal year.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar did something totally unexpected. She took a fifth-place finish in Iowa, the neighboring state to her home state of Minnesota, and then - on the strength of a good debate performance in New Hampshire, indecision on the part of many voters ahead of the primary there and the lack of any real scrutiny - turned in a third-place result in New Hampshire.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts ran a disappointing third in Iowa and then in the state next to the one where she now lives, managed to go lower. She scraped by with just 9 percent of the vote in a state where she once was favored to finish second, or even first.

Tom Steyer, the billionaire and political activist, got three-tenths of a percent of the state delegate equivalents in and not quite 2 percent of the popular vote in Iowa. In New Hampshire, he got 4 percent of the vote. And yet, after pouring millions of dollars into advertising in Nevada and South Carolina, he could be a factor, or spoiler, in both states, especially the Palmetto State.

Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, who is ignoring the first four states, waits in the wings for Super Tuesday and the rest of the primaries and caucuses. He has risen on the strength of hundreds of millions of dollars in TV ads and other investments, on the doubts raised about other candidates. He has largely escaped scrutiny, which will not be the case for long.

Ever since Nevada was given its status as one of four states allowed by the Democratic National Committee to hold an early contest, the results of the caucuses there have played mostly a limited role in shaping the race. Iowa and New Hampshire always have done much more to set the table while South Carolina has been contest to measure for strength among African American voters and as a gateway to Super Tuesday.

This year Nevada could be more significant. It's the first state where Latinos play a big role and as such it will reveal more about the range of appeal among the candidates than could either of the first two states.

The Sanders campaign's strategy all along has been to win the first three states, finish well enough in South Carolina and be positioned to reap the biggest haul of pledged delegates on Super Tuesday. The senator has come close on the first two, a virtual tie in Iowa and a narrow victory in New Hampshire.

But his support was dramatically lower than it was in those states four years ago. In Iowa he went from winning half the vote in 2016 to 26 percent. He won 60 percent in New Hampshire four years ago, but only 26 percent last Tuesday. Does that suggest he has a ceiling this time around? Perhaps, but the same was often said about Donald Trump four years ago, and people who said it turned out to be wrong.

Still, Sanders hasn't shown he can deliver on what he says is the most important reason he can lead the Democrats to victory against President Trump: He says he can mobilize a vast army of people who don't normally vote. Neither Iowa nor New Hampshire provided evidence to back up that claim. Sanders might be better positioned than others to accumulate the most delegates, but so far he's not a commanding figure.

But Sanders has something that only Bloomberg among the other candidates can claim: the resources to run a long national campaign. He has a base of support, the experience of having done this before and the ability to keep refilling his campaign treasury.

Buttigieg did extraordinarily well in the first two states. He has demonstrated strength with a slice of the Democratic electorate: well-educated white voters. In Nevada and South Carolina, he will be asked to show strength in communities where the polls have shown him lagging. The results in Iowa and New Hampshire won't mean much if he falters on the coming two Saturdays.

Klobuchar and Warren face similar challenges. Neither can point to substantial support among voters of color. Warren has targeted minority communities in many of the ambitious plans she has issued, but she limps into the coming contests. Klobuchar, whose home state is more than 80 percent white, will arrive in Nevada and South Carolina and states beyond as a virtual unknown to the voters who hold the most power.

If Buttigieg or Klobuchar manages to sustain their momentum through Nevada and South Carolina, the question then arises as to whether they will have the resources for a contest that quickly goes national.

Biden has more at stake in the next two states than any other candidate. Throughout 2019, his advisers claimed he was the strongest candidate in the field because of the breadth of support he had across all demographic groups in the Democratic Party.

Now, after failing to draw significant white support in Iowa or New Hampshire, he is trying to make black voters the sum and substance of his campaign, looking to those voters to salvage his candidacy.

Biden advisers look at what happened with Klobuchar, who turned a moment into a surge, and believe the same kind of thing could change the conversation about their candidate and make him, once again, a force and a credible competitor for the nomination. That puts extraordinary pressure on him to use Wednesday's debate in Las Vegas, or some unexpected opportunity, to reboot his candidacy and discounts the fact that he is far more a known figure than Klobuchar.

In Nevada, he will be in competition with Sanders for Latino votes. The decision by the heavily Hispanic culinary workers union not to endorse a candidate was helpful to Sanders, whose advocacy of Medicare-for-all has put him at odds with a union that has negotiated strong health-care packages for its members. But the union's public neutrality hurts Biden and anyone else who would like the muscle the organization could bring to bear in the caucuses.

After Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden is running on fumes, if history is any guide. Given the fragility of most of the other candidates, however, a Biden victory in South Carolina could change perceptions of his candidacy.

For now, throw out what you think you know based on the past. In a campaign where no candidate has captured imaginations or more than a quarter of the Democratic electorate, many things can yet happen.

Nevada and South Carolina will bring victories and disappointments. Whether the disappointed candidates will be the same ones who fell short in Iowa and New Hampshire or those who emerged with some momentum is what makes the coming two weeks so eventful.
The Royal Free NHS hospital in London on Feb. 10, 2020. Some of the confirmed coronavirus patients were treated at the hospital. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

8 of 9 Coronavirus Patients in UK Released From Hospital

Eight of nine people in the United Kingdom who tested positive for the new coronavirus COVID-19 have been released from the hospital, UK authorities said on Saturday.

Each person tested negative twice before being released, the National Health Service (NHS) said in a statement.

Any individuals who are discharged from hospital are now well and do not pose any public health risk to the public, Mark Hancock, secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said in a statement.

The last patient to test positive for the virus in England was infected in China. That patient was transferred on Thursday to a specialist center at Guys and St Thomass in London.

The first two cases in the United Kingdom were confirmed on Jan. 31. Five others tested positive last week after being in contact with a known case in France, believed to be Briton Steve Walsh, 53, who returned to England via France after attending a business conference in Singapore.

Walsh was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday after making a full recovery. Authorities said he tested negative twice for COVID-19 over two days.

The five patients who stayed at the French chalet said in a statement on Saturday: All of our group, including the six in other countries, have recovered quickly from the virus having required minimal medical treatment during our time in isolation.

We understand the virus can be dangerous for some, but we also want to share the important facts of our situation to help reassure people, they added.

Members of the Manchester Chinese community and Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn take part in a discussion on the effects of the coronavirus in Manchester, United Kingdom, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The service also said on Saturday that all 94 people that were isolated at Arrowe Park Hospital were released after a two-week quarantine following their evacuation from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the new virus.

The last guests have left Arrowe Park hospital and I would once again like to thank them for the calm, patient, and responsible way that they have responded to what must have been a trying situation, professor Keith Willett, strategic incident director for NHS, said in a statement.

Over the coming weeks many more of us may need to spend some time at home to reduce the spread of the virus and they have set a great example.

More than 100 people are still under quarantine at a hotel in Milton Keynes. As of Feb. 14, nearly 3,000 people were tested for the virus. All but nine tested negative.

People wearing face masks disembark from an aircraft repatriating British and other nationalities to the UK from the coronavirus hit city of Wuhan in China, following its arrival at RAF Brize Norton, United Kingdom, on Feb. 9, 2020. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

Travel Advice, Risk Assessment

Before any cases were confirmed in England, the four UK chief medical officers increased the risk level in the country from low to moderate. After Walshs case was confirmed, the medical officers advised against traveling to a slew of countries that have confirmed coronavirus cases, including Singapore, Japan, and South Korea.

Anyone who was returning from the countries, which also included China, Thailand, Taiwan, and Malaysia, were told to self-isolate if they were experiencing cough, fever, or shortness of breath, even if the symptoms were mild.

These areas have been identified because of the volume of air travel from affected areas, understanding of other travel routes, and number of reported cases, the officers said in a statement.

Anyone returning from Wuhan or elsewhere in Hubei province were told to self-isolate even if they werent showing any symptoms. They were also advised to contact the NHS to inform medical workers of their recent travel.

Most people who develop symptoms will get them after leaving the airport and so the priority is providing UK residents and travelers with the latest information to make sure they know what to do if they experience symptoms, the UK government said on its website.

Britain on Feb. 10 declared the new virus a serious and imminent threat to public health, giving authorities extra power to combat the illness. That included forcibly quarantining people with the virus.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Three persons, including



a woman, were killed in Assam's Kamrup district on Saturday when their vehicle hit the railing of a culvert and toppled into a pond under it, police said.

The incident happened on National Highway 31 near the Joyguru area in North Guwahati police station limits when the Rangia-bound vehicle was going from Guwahati, they said.

The three persons, identified as Rajib Sarma (28), his newly-wed wife Dhanasmita Sarma (23) and Tapan Sarma, died on the spot, officials said.

The vehicle has been pulled out of the pond and inquest proceedings have been completed, they said.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, they added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An elderly woman from Tamil Nadu was on Saturday reunited with her daughter and son after 14 years at the Mangaluru's White Doves destitute home.

"Mary only knew her name when she came here 10 years ago. Recently, she told us about her home town," Corrine Rusquinha, founder of White Doves told ANI.

Mary had gone missing 14 years ago from her hometown Kortampet in Tamil Nadu.

"Ten years ago, she was spotted by Mangaluru police who brought her to White Doves home late one evening. Initially, she could only speak Tamil, so it was presumed she was from Tamil Nadu. She was on psychiatric treatment," Rusquinha said.

A few days back, a visiting priest at the White Doves home spoke to Mary in Tamil and asked about her hometown.

"Surprisingly, she could recall the name of her hometown, following which the visiting priest contacted the pastor at Kortampet. Mary's family, including her daughter Gnana Anthony, who is a paramedic student in Coimbatore, was informed about Mary," she said.

Soon after, Gnana and her elder brother came to Mangaluru to take their mother back to their home.

Mary's husband Jhonson, who worked as a cook, had died within a year of losing his wife.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A closed-down Easton area pigment plant has been sold, according to Northampton County property records.

Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said someone connected with the new owners is looking to tear it down.

Theyve made some inquiries into city hall about demolition permits, Panto said Friday. We had heard the land has been sold. Its a group that usually buys environmentally contaminated properties, remediates them and then sells the property. They may even develop it themselves.

Property records say the plant on Wood Avenue was sold Jan. 8 by Excalibur Realty Co. to Abacus Industrial Holdings of Scottsdale, Arizona. Lehighvalleylive.com couldnt find contact information for either company.

Pennsylvania Water Rescue has a $1-a-year lease for a small portion of the property at 444 N. 13th St. in Easton. Thats where the nonprofit organization has a garage for its boats and trucks. The lease wont be renewed when it expires June 30, according to Pa. Water Rescue President Branden Bachman.

RELATED STORY: Pennsylvania Water Rescue loses lease, needs a life preserver to stay afloat

Bachman received notice Jan. 22 from John P. Gifford of the Albemarle Corp. of Charlotte, North Carolina, that the lease would not be renewed. The letter from Gifford says We sold the Easton, Pa., property located at 1525 Wood Ave., which is the address of the pigment plant.

Gifford didnt return a phone call or email seeking comment on who sold the plant, who bought it and what will happen to the plant in the future.

Venator Materials closed the plant in 2017. It was used to make rust-colored pigments. Eighty people lost their jobs at that time. The plant dates back to the 1800s. It changed hands several times in its more than 100-year history.

Northampton County property records show Abacus bought 12 parcels of land at the plant site with addresses on Wood Avenue, Hackett Avenue, Edgewood Street and North 13th Street. The land together comprises 107 acres, according to Bachman. Thirty acres are in Easton, 67 are in Wilson Borough and 10 acres are in Palmer Township, he said.

Venator Materials is closing its Wilson Borough pigment-making plant by the end of 2017.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

The land sold for $10, according to Northampton County Property records. Records say Excalibur bought the property from Harcross Pigments for $2.2 million in 2007.

The transactions will not affect Minerals Technologies, according to Panto. That business at 640 N. 13th St. in Easton borders the Venator site but is not affiliated with Venator.

Property across 13th Street from that site has gone from blighted to coveted. The abandoned Simon Silk Mill has undergone a 10-year transformation. The nearly completed $100 million redevelopment has more than 150 apartments and 150,000-square-feet of retail/commercial space.

A dilapidated granary building adjacent to the silk mill and across from the pigment property at 521 N. 13th St. was redeveloped into four condominiums. The condos went on the market last month and sold out in 10 days.

SITE HISTORY

C.K. Williams started the pigment plant in the late 1800s, according to The Express-Times archives. Pfizer Corp. bought it in 1962 and sold it in 1990 to Harrisons & Crosfield. It became known as Harcros Pigments, then became known as Elementis Pigments. It eventually became part of Rockwood Holdings and was sold to Huntsman Corp. of Texas in 2014. Venator spun off of Hunstman.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
Alexa, can you read the bedtime book for the tenth time? Ok Google, remind the kids why we need to get our shoes on and be at school for 9am. Alexa, can you please teach my two-year old his colours. Ok Google, please decide who started the fight that has left both children in tears 



We do not have a digital slave in our house but I am under increasing pressure to get an artificial intelligent device. The five-year-old says ALL her friends have one, Daddy thinks it would be cool and the two-year-old is screaming he wants one, just because he likes screaming!



I have to say I am really impressed with smart devices, they allow you to turn on and off lights, heating, check the time, play music, set alarms, get news, answer questions and much, much more. They are learning everyday and becoming increasingly intelligent.



I imagine most of you reading this has one, they are a nifty little gadget, and it seemed like everyone got one last Christmas, well according to my five-year-old they did.



But as it stands, I am putting down my foot and staying strong on my stance that we dont need it. I have a few reasons for my decision but the main ones are over data security as the microphone is always on, the promotion of laziness and I am not comfortable about my children getting all their answers from a consumer led algorithm. Also I really do not want to put myself out of a job - the mammy job.



It is my job to shout at everyone to get shoes and coats on every morning, it is part of my position to argue with my two-year-old that all colours are not called red, I hold responsibility for deciding who gets disciplined when the children fight and despite the fact I just want to curl up on the couch and watch TV in the evenings; it is my privilege to read the bedtime books more than once for children who just love listening to stories.



As I strive to give the kids more responsibility with little chores and requests, it is their star chart that should get rewarded not Google Home who turns off all the lights and the TV.



Homework can be tedious and of course we all have so much to do in the evenings, but I have noticed Alexa and Google taking on the parental role in a few too many homes recently.

Yes Google does have all the answers and it probably has a better grasp on the modh coinniollach than most parents but the aim of homework is not to have the right answer on the copy for teacher, but to highlight where students are struggling and excelling and to help them.



I am all for a disco in the kitchen at a simple request, who doesn't want to feel warmer while not moving from the couch, hey I might even be on for Alexa ordering a pizza at the weekend, but there are also legitimate concerns over this new technology.



Do you trust Google to give your children the right answer to every question, does Alexa align with your religious and political beliefs? Will it's 'facts' come from Fox News or the highest bidder online?

Are you ok with the AI device always listening and recording your conversations? Will the children demand Alexa to do their bidding and forget the skill of asking politely?



Also it is difficult enough not getting the kids names mixed up with the dog without throwing Alexa into the mix - and our broadband is definitely not up to the task!

Like this? Read some more Leitrim Mammy Diaries: New baby visiting restrictions at home
The body of Stephanie Simpson, 32, who had not been seen since she went for a hike last weekend, was found in an area called Pyke Creek, West Coast Search and Rescue sergeant Mark Kirkwood said in a statement. Police said the search earlier recovered a pack and a pair of boots, which they believe were Simpson's.

Flash floods and torrential rain hit the South Island last week, leaving several hundred tourists stranded for days and forcing many residents from their homes. It was not clear if Simpson's hike at the Mount Aspiring National Park, home of one of New Zealand's highest peaks, was affected by the rain.

Thousands of hikers visit New Zealand every year to explore its mountains and wildlife.
A New Mexico Army National Guard soldier from Mountainair, who served as a police officer and volunteer firefighter in the town, died Thursday from a non-combat related incident while deployed in Africa, according to the Department of Defense.

A news release states Pfc. Walter Lewark, 26, died at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti where he was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in the Horn of Africa.

The DOD does not elaborate on how Lewark died, but the release said they are investigating the incident.

A spokesman for the New Mexico National Guard did not respond to messages and calls for comment Saturday.

Juan Reyes, chief of the Mountainair Police Department, said Lewark was an excellent officer who served with the force for a year before being deployed.

He will be greatly missed, Reyes said. He was an asset to the community. The town of Mountainair is saddened by his passing.

Mountainair Fire and Rescue posted a tribute to Lewark on its Facebook page Friday, thanking him for everything he did for our town, for us and our community.

Its so hard to say goodbye to you Walter. You were the one who pushed us to be better and better with every fire we fought. You were also the one who made us laugh time and time again. Your smile was the best and when we couldnt smile your smile made us shine again, the tribute reads. You will be truly missed and we will never forget you. You can relax now. There are no fires and no arrest warrants in heaven.

Mountainair Mayor Peter Nieto said Walter was a father and one of the towns most decorated firefighters.

He was a very dedicated individual and his death is touching many lives in Mouintainair, he said.

Capt. Scott Rye, a U.S. Navy spokesman, said Lewark was part of Task Force Guardian, whose mission primarily was to provide security at Camp Lemonnier and contingency locations throughout East Africa, as well as training missions with African partners.

The release states Lewark was assigned with Company A, 1st Battalion, 200th Infantry Regiment, 93d Troop Command, New Mexico Army National Guard based in Rio Rancho.

Operation Enduring Freedom-Horn of Africa is an ongoing military operation that commenced in October 2002 and aims to disrupt and detect terrorist activities in the region.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Sat, February 15, 2020 08:31 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064a87b0 2 World Roger-Stone,Donald-Trump,trial,justice,legal-system Free

Republican political consultant Roger Stone requested a new trial Friday just days after President Donald Trump's criticism of his proposed jail sentence sparked an uproar over political influence in the justice system.

Six days before he was to be sentenced, Stone filed a motion to the federal district court in Washington for a new trial on charges of lying to Congress and witness intimidation.

The motion was sealed so his arguments for a new trial were not clear.

But Stone's supporters recently accused one of the jurors of having been prejudiced against Stone before the trial began.

Earlier this week Trump himself tweeted in support of his longtime political advisor.

"Now it looks like the foreperson in the jury, in the Roger Stone case, had significant bias. Add that to everything else, and this is not looking good for the 'Justice' Department," Trump wrote.

The judge in the case, Amy Berman Jackson, told both sides to file their arguments on the motion on Tuesday.

Convicted of lying to Congress

Stone, part of Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign, was arrested in January 2019 on charges brought by then-special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the Russia investigation.

He was accused of lying in testimony to Congress about acting as an intermediary between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks, which released hacked documents that embarrassed rival Hillary Clinton during the White House race.

Stone was convicted on all seven counts in November, and was scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20.

Stone's supporters alleged on social media that the head of the jury, Tomeka Hart, had not been truthful about alleged anti-Republican biases when interviewed during jury selection.

"This juror should get the same treatment that anyone deemed a Trump supporter would get for committing perjury," Trump's son Donald Jr wrote Thursday on Twitter.

But the court transcript depicts Hart providing straightforward answers to questions about her political leanings and prior knowledge of the Mueller investigation.

It was not clear whether Stone's lawyers were aware of her social media postings strongly critical of Trump, but she told them she could judge Stone's case with an open mind.

Given a chance by the judge to strike Hart from the jury list, Stone's defense team accepted her with no objection.

In a Facebook post this week Hart, who lives in Tennessee, defended her role.

"As foreperson, I made sure we went through every element, of every charge, matching the evidence presented in the case that led us to return a conviction of guilty on all 7 counts," she wrote.

The post is no longer online but was confirmed with Hart by the Daily Memphian newspaper.

Furor over Trump tweets

Stone's push for a new trial came after a week of turmoil that shook the Justice Department.

On Monday prosecutors recommended a stiff seven-to-nine-year prison term for Stone, saying he threatened a witness in the case and implicitly threatened the judge as well.

After Trump called the proposed sentence a "miscarriage of justice" in a late-night tweet and Attorney General Bill Barr intervened for a lighter sentence, the Justice Department attorneys who prosecuted the case resigned in apparent protest.

Barr called the sentence proposal "excessive" but denied allegations that he was doing Trump's bidding and politicizing the justice system.

Barr said Stone's case was a "righteous prosecution" and that he was "happy that he was convicted."

But he also criticized Trump's comments.

"I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me," Barr said in an interview with ABC News.

"I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases."
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro celebrated Friday after a crime index showed homicides fell to their lowest level in more than a decade during the first year of his term.

Brazil had 41,635 killings in 2019, down 19% from the prior year and the least number of homicides since 2007, when the so-called Violence Monitor index was launched. It is a partnership between the non-profit Brazilian Forum of Public Security, the University of Sao Paulos Center for the Study of Violence, and news website G1, which published the data Friday.

IN OUR GOVERNMENT HOMICIDES, VIOLENCE AND FALLACIES FALL! an exultant Bolsonaro wrote on his Twitter account, sharing the G1 news report. Our government extends a strong embrace to all the security agents of the country. Brazil continues on the right path.

Bolsonaro, a far-right politician, made fighting crime and violence one of his signature campaign issues that ultimately swept him to the presidency in a country where people had grown weary of growing insecurity. He has deployed rhetoric that encourages violence against crime, including saying police officers who kill should be awarded medals rather than slapped with lawsuits.

In 2016, the most deadly year in the Violence Monitors records, Brazil had nearly 60,000 homicides.

Robert Muggah, co-founder of security think-tank Igarape Institute, said the fall in homicides was indeed stunning, but questioned the governments claim about its cause.

He said crimes began to fall early in 2018, before Bolsonaro won the presidential election, and noted that the leader signed an anti-crime bill to tackle violence just at the end of 2019.

Although Bolsonaro and his supporters have sought to own recent improvements in public security, there are other factors at play that have little to do with their efforts, Muggah said.

He and other security experts dont agree that more aggressive policing is responsible for better security indicators. They have offered other theories for the national improvement: individual states adopting new security policies, easing conflict between rival drug factions, demographic shifts, the transfer of gang members to federal prisons, stronger economic activity, and even proliferation of smart phones keeping young people off the streets.

Muggah said the various factors have influenced events in different degrees, but the impact of each is not clear.

Tough talk against crime has gained strength in Brazilian politics. Former police and military officers who mimicked Bolsonaros rhetoric also rode his coattails to office in the nations Congress and state assemblies. Residents of Brazils two biggest cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, elected governors in 2018 who promised zero tolerance for crime.

In Rio and some other states, the decrease inf homicides has been accompanied by a jump in killings by police. Those arent classified as homicides and are rarely investigated.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



TORONTO, Feb. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Routemaster Capital Inc. (TSXV: RM) (Routemaster or the Company) Routemaster announces that, further to the press releases dated October 9, 2019, November 27, 2019 and December 31, 2019, it has decided to terminate the proposed $2 million private placement of units of the Company.



About Routemaster Capital Inc.:

Routemaster Capital Inc. is a Canadian investment company that carries on business with the objective of enhancing shareholder value.

For further information, please contact:

James Lanthier

President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +1 (416) 861-1685

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward looking statements, oral or written, made by itself or on its behalf, except as required by applicable law.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.




GREENWICH  Health authorities in town are monitoring what appears to be an outbreak of infectious diseases that have taken hold in the raccoon population at Greenwich Point.

It will take about a week to determine whether distemper or parvo, two animal diseases that can be dangerous for dogs, are involved in multiple reports of sick and dead raccoons, said Michael Long, director of environmental services for the town.

The Police Departments Animal Control Section responded to several reports of dead or very sick raccoons at Greenwich Point since the beginning of the month. The animals were not carrying rabies, police said after tests were conducted.

Two more deceased raccoons were found at Greenwich Point this week, and the dead animals are undergoing further testing.

Well see whats affecting this population here, Long said.

It is fairly uncommon to see an outbreak of disease like this in the raccoon population in Greenwich, and Long could not recall another case.

While the results of the tests are pending, it was important for dog owners to keep up with their vaccinations.

Well be notifying dog owners to get their dogs immunized for distemper and parvo. Folks should keep on their toes when they have their animals out at the Point, Long said.

Parvo is caused by the canine parvovirus. This virus is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with an infected dog or animal, or by indirect contact with a contaminated object. The distemper virus is also be deadly to dogs.

Police urge all pet owners walking at Greenwich Point to ensure that dogs are on leashes and under control at all times.

Do not let your dog go near any dead or live wild animals, police said.

The department urges pet owners to ensure their dogs are up-to-date on rabies, distemper and parvovirus vaccinations.

Greenwich has seen little of rabies in the wildlife population over the past five years. A rabid raccoon was documented in 2016. Two cases of rabies were reported in 2015  in a bat and a skunk.

Two instances of rabid animals were reported in Stamford in 2017, found in a bat and a fox.

Bats have been the most common animal carrying rabies, according to statistics from the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The lastest round of reporting in 2018 found 12 animals infected with the disease in all of Fairfield County, the highest number in the state.

Last fall, a raccoon bit three people on a September afternoon in nearby Port Chester, N.Y., and was found to be rabid.

Anyone who walks in Greenwich Point Park and sees a dead, sick or distressed raccoon should not touch or approach the animal. Instead, they should call the Greenwich Public Safety Communications Center at 203-622-8004.
The Madras High Court has quashed



the criminal defamation cases filed by the Tamil Nadu government against a leading English Daily and a Tamil newspaper for publishing an interview of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on late J Jayalalithaa, in 2014.

Justice M Dhandapani had recently quashed the government orders issued in 2014, for prosecuting the publisher of a Tamil daily and Resident Editor of an English newspaper for publishing the interview of Swamy, in which he had made a mention of his letter to the Prime Minister.

Allowing the petitions by the newspapers against the G.Os, the judge held that the state government's action in initiating prosecution against the petitioners for carrying the interview of Swamy was a "direct invasion" into the right of freedom of speech and expression that cannot be curtailed by invocation of Section 499 IPC.

While it was the duty of the Court to safeguard the interests of those persons holding public office from being defamed for discharging their public functions, equally, the citizens should also be safeguarded from the governmental machinery against malicious prosecution, he added.

The judge also noted that the ingredients for filing a complaint by the public prosecutor in the present case as enumerated under section 199(2) Cr Pc. itself has not been fulfilled.

The defamation should be in respect of the conduct of the public servant in the discharge of his or her public functions, which is not the case on hand, he pointed out.

The statements carried by the petitioners in print, by no stretch of imagination, could be said to be defamatory ones made with a view to harm the reputation of the Chief Minister's office in respect to her conduct in the discharge of her public functions, the court said.

"Therefore, the initiation of the prosecution for defamation u/s 199 (2) Cr.P.C. is not sustainable for the offence alleged to have been committed under section 499, 500 and 501 IPC," it said.

The BJP leader had alleged that then chief minister Jayalalithaa saw his success as threatening her political position in the Assembly polls.

In his letter to Modi, Swamy had criticised late Jayalalithaa for appropriating his (Swamy) achievements, his hard work on issues pertaining to Mullaperiyar dam, installation of the Thevar statue in Parliament and the 2G spectrum scam.

Subsequently, the city public prosecutor had filed the defamation cases against the two newspapers for carrying the interview.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 20:52:34|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in an interview with Reuters in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- China has won the respect and recognition of the international community with its efforts and even sacrifice in the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Friday in an interview with Reuters.

The sudden outbreak of the epidemic has indeed brought a grave challenge to China and the world, but the Chinese government and people have stood up to the challenge, Wang said.

Wang noted that after the outbreak, the Chinese government, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, immediately established a nationwide mechanism to mobilize resources from across the country.

China has taken the most comprehensive, stringent and thorough prevention and control measures, many of which are well beyond what is required by the International Health Regulations and the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), he said.

China's decisive response is both right and effective, and that by and large, the outbreak is controllable and the disease curable, Wang said, citing figures that as of Friday, the number of newly confirmed cases outside Hubei province has been declining for 11 consecutive days against a rapid rise in cure rate, and nearly 7,000 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital; the case fatality rate stood at around 2 percent across the country, and just 0.49 percent for regions outside Hubei.

China has, from the very beginning, acted in an open and transparent manner in reporting relevant information timely to the world and carrying out international cooperation, Wang noted.

To date, the number of confirmed cases outside China is less than one percent of the total, he said.

China has been not only doing its best to ensure the life, safety and health of the Chinese people, but also taking effective measures to stem a global spread of the epidemic, making contribution and sacrifice for global public health, said the minister.

WHO has on multiple occasions commended China for its responsible actions, speaking highly of China's decisive response and expressing confidence that China will overcome this epidemic, he said.

Heads of more than 160 countries and international organizations have showed their support through telegrams or letters, and the governments and peoples of several scores of countries have donated needed supplies, Wang said, expressing China's gratitude for these acts of kindness.

"True gold can stand the test of fire," Wang said, adding that emerging from this test, the Chinese people will become more resilient and united and the Chinese economy will achieve more solid and sustainable growth.

The Chinese people will continue to march confidently toward the goal of establishing a society of moderate prosperity in all respects and embark on a new journey of modernization, he said.

"There's another Chinese saying -- 'Adversity reveals true friendship,'" Wang said, adding that as China battles the disease together with the world, its friendship and trust with other countries will be strengthened and deepened.

Countries will realize that they live in a global village, with their future interconnected like never before, he said.
Armenia and Azerbaijans leaders butted heads over the frozen conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, but made little visible progress toward resolving the more-than-30-year-old dispute.



Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian met for a public discussion on February 15 at the Munich Security Conference.



Nagorno-Karabakh is a region within Azerbaijan that was seized by Armenia-backed separatists who declared independence amid a 1988-1994 conflict that ultimately killed at least 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.



Russia brokered a fragile truce in 1994 and the region has been under the control of ethnic-Armenian forces that Azerbaijan says include troops supplied by Armenia. The region's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country.

International negotiators have struggled for years to resolve the dispute.



"Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, this is the historical truth and...the territorial integrity is recognized by the whole world, and Nagorno-Karabakh is an integrated part of our country," Aliyev said.



"Over the past 25 years, 30 years, we are repeating every time the same thing. And I'm afraid that the international community is tired of hearing the same thing, and I think we need to bring some new ideas," Pashinian said.



There have been no large-scale clashes in years, though forces are dug into trenches and bunkers, and sniper shootings routinely lead to casualties.



The unresolved conflict has hobbled development in the South Caucasus.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday raided businesses of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's family in search of evidence pertaining to cases involving money laundering and benami accounts.

According to the search warrant, Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Amir Raza Baitu granted permission to NAB to search 55-K, Model Town, Lahore, and 91-F, Model Town, Lahore, as well as any other offices of the companies owned by the accused in the case, Dawn News reported .

The warrant further read that search orders were issued to recover documents from the said addresses which are "vital for logical conclusion of the case".

NAB sources told the newspaper that officials confiscated computers and laptops during the raids.

They added that important documents were recovered from the office of the chief financial officer of the Sharif Group of Industries.

NAB officials further said benami companies allegedly involved in money laundering were being operated from the office at 55-K, Model Town. They said the bureau was looking for records pertaining to Unitas, Waqar Trading and other companies.

Nawaz Sharif, who has been indicted in a corruption case, is currently undergoing medical treatment in London.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (ATRA), a leading, off-the-shelf, allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy company developing novel treatments for patients with cancer, autoimmune and viral diseases, today named Kristin Yarema as Chief Commercial Officer, effective as of February 18, 2020.

Dr. Yarema has more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience during which she has led product strategy and commercialization for therapies at all stages of their life cycle, including those newly entering clinical development, products undergoing multi-region global launches, and maturing products seeking continued growth. She comes to Atara after most recently serving as Amgens Vice President & Therapeutic Area Head for Global Product Strategy & Commercial Innovation in Hematology and Oncology. In this role, she had global accountability for all marketed and pipeline products including a portfolio of innovative therapies for various hematological malignancies such as multiple myeloma, leukemia and lymphoma.

During her seven years at Amgen, Dr. Yarema also served in multiple U.S. commercial roles and as global therapeutic area head for other assets within Amgens portfolio, including those in neuroscience and autoimmune diseases; she also initiated programs in rare and orphan diseases. Earlier in her career, Dr. Yarema held numerous roles for Novartis and McKinsey & Company, where she led commercialization, portfolio planning, strategy, clinical development including for an orphan disease development program, and pricing and reimbursement projects for the companies across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

We are thrilled Kristin is joining Atara as her hiring further demonstrates our confidence in the commercial potential of tab-cel and our commitment to launch-readiness plans, said Pascal Touchon, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atara Biotherapeutics. Her deep experience in early stage commercial strategy will also help us to create value across the pipeline to fulfill our mission of transforming the lives of patients with cancer, autoimmune and viral diseases.

Story continues

Dr. Yarema earned a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley and attended Stanford University where she earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with Distinction and a B.A. in English with Distinction. In addition, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Celiac Disease Foundation, the U.S.-based patient advocacy group.

About Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. ( @Atarabio ) is a leading off-the-shelf, allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy company developing novel treatments for patients with cancer, autoimmune and viral diseases. Ataras technology platform leverages research collaborations with leading academic institutions with the Companys scientific, clinical, regulatory and manufacturing expertise. Ataras pipeline includes tab-cel (tabelecleucel), which is in Phase 3 development for patients with Epstein-Barr virus-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (EBV+ PTLD) as well as in earlier stage development for other EBV-associated hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); T-cell immunotherapies targeting EBV antigens believed to be important for the potential treatment of multiple sclerosis; and next-generation chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) immunotherapies. The company was founded in 2012 and is co-located in South San Francisco and Southern California. Our Southern California hub is anchored by the state-of-the-art Atara T-cell Operations and Manufacturing (ATOM) facility in Thousand Oaks, California. For additional information about the company, please visit atarabio.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains or may imply "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For example, forward-looking statements include statements regarding: Dr. Yarema joining Atara as Chief Commercial Officer and the related effective date; the commercial potential of tab-cel; and Ataras ability to realize its mission. Because such statements deal with future events and are based on Atara Biotherapeutics' current expectations, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties and actual results, performance or achievements of Atara Biotherapeutics could differ materially from those described in or implied by the statements in this press release. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in Atara Biotherapeutics' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including in the Risk Factors and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations sections of the Companys most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings and in the documents incorporated by reference therein. Except as otherwise required by law, Atara Biotherapeutics disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.

INVESTOR & MEDIA CONTACTS:

Media

Kerry Beth Daly

Head, Corporate Communications

Atara Biotherapeutics

516-982-9328

kdaly@atarabio.com
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Linkedin Lauriane Vofo Kana/Yolanda Mdzeke (Agence France-Presse) Johannesburg, South Africa  Sat, February 15, 2020 10:06 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064ac578 2 Lifestyle South-Africa,Miss-Universe,Africa,pageant,beauty Free

South Africans stepped out of offices and university classes on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of Zozibini Tunzi, on a homecoming tour after she was crowned Miss Universe in December.

Wearing short natural hair, a multi-colored African print dress and a white Miss Universe sash, the 26-year-old toured the streets of the Johannesburg in an open topped bus.

She returned to South Africa at the weekend from the US after she finished first ahead of the Puerto Rican and Mexican finalists.

On arrival Tunzi went straight to her home town in the Eastern Cape province where received a warm welcome complete with pomp and traditional Xhosa and Zulu dances at a stadium.

Tunzi made history to become the first Miss Universe wearing a short, natural haircut. She turned into an instant inspiration among blacks across the world.

"I want to re-assure people that this hair is as beautiful as any other hair," she said on arrival in South Africa on Saturday.

"I want people to stop asking me 'why do you choose to have your hair', because it's my hair  it's normal," she said.

Tunzi beat more than 90 contestants from around the globe in the 68th installment of Miss Universe, which was held in Atlanta's Tyler Perry Studios.

When she was crowned Miss Universe, she vowed she wants to help change beauty norms and hopes her win will inspire other young girls to pursue their dreams.

"I did not know I would be Miss Universe because I did not know it was possible for someone like me. But now I confidently know that when you ask a young girl who looks like me do they know if they can become Miss Universe? I know they can say that they can," she said in earlier this week.

Read also: Indonesias Frederika Cull makes it to 2019 Miss Universe top 10

'Black girls can dream'

One of her fans, Athabile Nkalati, 35, an office worker for the South African Communist Party came out of her office in downtown Johannesburg to see her.

"Black girls can dream. Nothing can stop us. Just because you were born in a rural area, ... it does mean you won't be able to become someone in the world one day," said Nkalati.

Eighteen-year-old student Lebogang Petje, after watching Zozi's parade in downtown Johannesburg said: "I am proud to see someone who is Miss Universe who is in her natural state. It is inspirational".

Tunzi has also vowed to wage a campaign to fight violence against women.

In November she asked South African men to write messages of love to women to be inscribed onto ribbons of fabric that were going to be used on her costume at the pageant.

For the national costume contest she wore a skirt with 2,000 of those messages sewn onto ribbons in South African flag colors.

Petje, who wore a black T-shirt with the inscription "towards a world without rape and violence" when she went to watch Miss Universe, was confident Tunzi had what it takes to fight the scourge in South Africa where one female is killed every three hours and each day 137 sexual offences are committed.

"With her title, she has more resources to actually make an impact," she said. "And actually get a platform to educate people on gender violence."
(Photo : Unsplash)

According to the National Floor Safety Institute, slip and fall accidents are one of the leading causes of injuries in the United States each year. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that millions of people suffer from injuries caused by falls on an annual basis. Though the term "slip and fall" may seem rather benign, it is not. It can lead to serious injuries such as broken bones, fractured hips, traumatic brain injuries, etc. While some slip and fall injuries happen at home and are not due to the fault of anyone, a vast number of these accidents occur as a result of negligence. Negligent actions (or inactions) can take form in many ways to include loose mats, lack of warning signs on slippery surfaces, uneven floors, and many other situations. If you have suffered injuries after a slip and fall accident that you believe is the fault of another person or party, it is recommended that you connect with a personal injury attorney like the professionals at Grossman Law Offices in Fresno. Premise liability cases are not always easy to prove and most often will require the help of an experienced attorney to effectively pursue a successful slip and fall personal injury claim. Learn more about the causes of slip and fall accidents as well as what to do after one has occurred below.

Reasons For Slip and Fall Incidents

Each year, more than one million people go to the emergency room for slip and fall accidents resulting in major injuries. These incidents can occur for any number of reasons. In some cases, victims may believe that the injury is their fault, when in fact, it is actually due to the negligence of a property owner. When in doubt, contact an attorney. Some of the most common reasons for slip and fall injuries include:

Wet Surfaces

Uneven Floors

Unaccounted for Weather Conditions

Lack of Proper Training on the workforce

Neglect Within a Nursing Home

Inadequate Footwear

Fraudulent and/or Nefarious Actions

Common Injuries From Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall incidents are nothing to scoff at. Though the human body is rather resilient, it is particularly vulnerable to falling. Falls can lead to serious injuries (including death). Those injuries can lead to long recovery periods, expensive medical bills, significant loss of income, as well as a decreased standard of living (temporary or permanent). Listed below are some of the most common injuries suffered by victims of slip and fall incidents.

Fractured or broken bones

Bruises, cuts, pulled and/or torn muscles

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) - Falls are the leading cause of this injury

Hip fractures

Back and/or spinal cord injuries

What to do if You Have Been Injured in a Slip and Fall Incident

If you have been involved in a slip and fall incident, it is imperative that you immediately seek medical attention. Without professional recognition of your injuries, a slip and fall claim can be nearly impossible to substantiate. Furthermore, it is important to contact the owner and/or manager of the property that the accident occurred and inform them of the injury as soon as possible. Once you have taken care of your medical needs, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced personal injury attorney. In most cases, an attorney will offer a free consultation. During your meeting, they will decide whether or not your case has merit (or is at least worth investigating further). Though you may be tempted to settle your personal injury case on your own without the help of an attorney, it is not advisable. An adept personal injury attorney will give you the best opportunity of receiving full and fair compensation for your injuries.

 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A new innovation makes it possible, for the first time, to quantitatively assess children's spontaneous movement in the natural environment.

Researchers have developed a smart jumpsuit, or a garment that accurately measures the spontaneous and voluntary movement of infants from the age of five months. Details on their motility help in assessing abnormal neurological development, among other things.

The study on the smart jumpsuit and the related analysis method applied to 7-month-old infants was published in the Scientific Reports journal. In the future, the jumpsuit can also be used to study older children.

The assessment of spontaneous and voluntary movements is part of the neurological examination of infants. Previously, the quantitative tracking of children's spontaneous motility in the natural environment has not been possible. Instead, children have been primarily qualitatively assessed at the physician's or physiotherapist's practice, which requires taking into account the fact that the infant's behaviour in the practice setting does not necessarily entirely match that seen at home.

"The smart jumpsuit provides us with the first opportunity to quantify infants' spontaneous and voluntary movements outside the laboratory. The child can be sent back home with the suit for the rest of the day. The next day, it will be returned to the hospital where the results will then be processed," explains Sampsa Vanhatalo, professor of clinical neurophysiology at the University of Helsinki.

Vanhatalo says that the new analysis method quantifies infant motility as reliably as a human being would be able to do by viewing a video recording. After the measurement, the infant's actual movements and physical positions will be known to the second, after which computational measures can be applied to the data.

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"This is a revolutionary step forward. The measurements provide a tool to detect the precise variation in motility from the age of five months, something which medical smart clothes have not been able to do until now."

Neurological abnormalities should be detected early on

The data gleaned by the smart jumpsuit is valuable, since the detection of abnormalities in the neurological development of infants at an early stage enables early support. Brain plasticity is at its strongest in early childhood, and is benefited by measures supporting development, which are targeted at recurring everyday activities.

At least 5% of Finnish children suffer from problems associated with language development, attention regulation and motor development. Often, such problems overlap. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying developmental disorders are complex, but preterm birth, perinatal brain damage and the lack of early care, as well as insufficient stimulation in the growth environment aggravate the risk of developmental problems.

According to Leena Haataja, professor of paediatric neurology, developmental disorders in today's pressure-dominated world pose a considerable risk that can lead to learning difficulties and obstacles in the competition for education and jobs. Furthermore, they are a risk factor associated with exclusion from contemporary society.

"The early identification of developmental disorders and support for infants' everyday functional capacity in interaction with the family and the growth environment constitute a significant factor on the level of individuals, families and society," Haataja notes.

In the future, the smart jumpsuit can be used for the objective measurement of how various therapies and treatments affect children's development.

"This is the million-dollar question in Western healthcare. In addition, we may be able to quantify how early motor development associates with later cognitive development," Vanhatalo says.
Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan pose for photos before a meeting, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday. PTI photo

India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments on Kashmir and asked him not to interfere in India's internal affairs.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India rejects all references made by the Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the region is an integral and inalienable part of India.

In an address at Pakistan's Parliament on Friday, Erdogan compared the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I.

India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India, Kumar said in reference to Erdogan's comments on Jammu and Kashmir.

We call upon the Turkish leadership not to interfere in India's internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region, he said.
Republican political consultant has requested a new trial just days after President Donald Trump's criticism of his proposed jail sentence sparked an uproar over political influence in the justice system.

Six days before he was to be sentenced, Stone filed a motion to the federal district court in Washington for a new trial on charges of lying to Congress and witness intimidation.

The motion was sealed so his arguments for a new trial were not clear.

But Stone's supporters recently accused one of the jurors of having been prejudiced against Stone before the trial began.

Earlier this week Trump himself tweeted in support of his longtime political advisor.

"Now it looks like the foreperson in the jury, in the case, had significant bias. Add that to everything else, and this is not looking good for the 'Justice' Department," Trump wrote.

The judge in the case, Amy Berman Jackson, told both sides to file their arguments on the motion on Tuesday.

Stone, part of Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign, was arrested in January 2019 on charges brought by then-special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the Russia investigation.

He was accused of lying in testimony to Congress about acting as an intermediary between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks, which released hacked documents that embarrassed rival Hillary Clinton during the White House race.

Stone was convicted on all seven counts in November, and was scheduled to be sentenced on February 20.

Stone's supporters alleged on social media that the head of the jury, Tomeka Hart, had not been truthful about alleged anti-Republican biases when interviewed during jury selection.

"This juror should get the same treatment that anyone deemed a Trump supporter would get for committing perjury," Trump's son Donald Jr wrote Thursday on Twitter.

But the court transcript depicts Hart providing straightforward answers to questions about her political leanings and prior knowledge of the Mueller investigation.

It was not clear whether Stone's lawyers were aware of her social media postings strongly critical of Trump, but she told them she could judge Stone's case with an open mind.

Given a chance by the judge to strike Hart from the jury list, Stone's defense team accepted her with no objection.

In a Facebook post this week Hart, who lives in Tennessee, defended her role.

"As foreperson, I made sure we went through every element, of every charge, matching the evidence presented in the case that led us to return a conviction of guilty on all 7 counts," she wrote.

The post is no longer online but was confirmed with Hart by the Daily Memphian newspaper.

Stone's push for a new trial came after a week of turmoil that shook the Justice Department.

On Monday prosecutors recommended a stiff seven-to-nine-year prison term for Stone, saying he threatened a witness in the case and implicitly threatened the judge as well.

After Trump called the proposed sentence a "miscarriage of justice" in a late-night tweet and Attorney General Bill Barr intervened for a lighter sentence, the Justice Department attorneys who prosecuted the case resigned in apparent protest.

Barr called the sentence proposal "excessive" but denied allegations that he was doing Trump's bidding and politicizing the justice system. Barr said Stone's case was a "righteous prosecution" and that he was "happy that he was convicted."



But he also criticized Trump's comments.

"I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me," Barr said in an interview with ABC News.

"I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases.
Mainline Protestant pastors driving support for same-sex marriage: LifeWay study

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A majority of Protestant pastors in the United States still disapprove of same-sex relationships, but the overall approval has grown largely due to mainline pastors, a new study by LifeWay Research reveals.

Only about 8 percent of self-identified evangelical Protestant pastors say they have no issues with same-sex marriage, and their percentage has remained the same since 2010, according to a new survey by the Nashville-based research group.

However, support among self-identified mainline Protestant pastors for same-sex marriage has jumped from a third (32 percent) in 2010 to almost half (47 percent) in 2020.

The study suggests that Presbyterian or Reformed (49 percent), Methodist (47 percent), Lutheran (35 percent) and Christian/Church of Christ pastors (20 percent) are more likely to see nothing wrong with same-sex marriage than Baptist (3 percent) or Pentecostal pastors (1 percent).

Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, says the data should be interpreted cautiously. The stability in the views of evangelical pastors means either there has been no growth in acceptance of same-sex marriage among them or the pastors that no longer have moral reservations about it no longer identify as evangelical.

Last week, the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan consecrated its first openly lesbian bishop, the Rev. Bonnie A. Perry. Anna Stania, director of Communications for the diocese, told The Christian Post that Perrys candidacy received no opposition because of her sexual orientation. We have experienced an overwhelming outpouring of joy, grace and excitement since her election and consecration.

The study also indicates that white pastors (27 percent) are more likely to see nothing wrong with same-sex marriage than African American pastors (15 percent) or pastors of other ethnicities (6 percent).

It further suggests that those with a doctorate (27 percent) or a masters degree (32 percent) are more likely to support same-sex marriage than pastors with a bachelors degree (9 percent) or no college degree (6 percent).

The survey results also show that pastors of churches with fewer than 50 in attendance (33 percent) are more likely to support same-sex marriage than those at churches with 100 or more in attendance (19 percent).

The movement we see among pastors views of same-sex marriage has less to do with their denominational tradition than their view of the Bible, McConnell explains. An evangelical distinctive is the ultimate authority the Bible has over ones beliefs despite changing cultural perspectives. It is not surprising then that evangelical pastors across different denominations continue to view same-sex marriage as wrong through this lens.

Last month, United Methodist Church leaders proposed a plan that would formally split the denomination after years of division over non-celibate LGBT clergy and same-sex marriage, with the formation of a new denomination for Methodists who hold to a biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality.

Overall, 24 percent of pastors say they see nothing wrong with two people of the same gender getting married  up from 20 percent in 2018 and 15 percent in 2010, according to LifeWay. And 72 percent of pastors disagree and 67 percent strongly disagree.

More than four years after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states, most Protestant pastors still see a moral problem with it, said McConnell. More pastors are protective of marriage itself, but legal civil unions also are seen as wrong by most pastors.
A day after the Supreme Court rapped telecom companies for failing to pay their dues to the Department of Telecommunications despite orders, the Congress lashed out at the Centre, accusing it of "benefitting" private players by deferring the recovery of dues.

Posing a question to the Union government, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala asked, "What is the quid pro quo for the Modi government to defer the recovery of dues from telecom companies?"



The apex court had on Friday directed top executives of telcos to explain why contempt action should not be initiated against them for the non-compliance of its October 2019 order to pay adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of Rs 1.47 lakh crore to DoT.

Surjewala alleged that on January 23, the Narendra Modi government had issued an order for not recovering the dues from telecom companies and "not to take any coercive action".

The Congress leader also accused the Centre of deferring the recovery of Rs 42,000 crore (spectrum auction instalment) from telecom companies in a Union Cabinet decision in November last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
GRANITE CITY  A man charged earlier this week with animal torture for allegedly spraying a corrosive liquid on a little dog now also faces five counts of burglary.

Rodney W. Johnson, 45, of Granite City was charged Thursday with five counts of burglary for allegedly breaking into five automobiles on Sept. 12. Bail was set at $100,000.

On Tuesday, Johnson was charged with animal torture and aggravated cruelty to animals after he allegedly poured a corrosive liquid on a 10-year-old Maltese mix breed dog named Charlie, which nearly died.

The burns destroyed most of the dogs hair. Authorities on Friday said the dog is improving; while once only given a 20 percent chance of survival, they now say the dog has a 60 percent chance of survival.

Johnsons bail in the animal torture case was set at $40,000.

A Madison County prosecutor on Tuesday said an unknown person dropped the dog off at the Madison Police Department and officers immediately contacted Pound Pets, Inc., an animal welfare agency. The agency contacted Veterinary Specialty Services in Manchester, Missouri, for urgent medical attention.

Authorities said they know Johnson was not the owner of the dog. Assistant Madison County States Attorney Chad Loughrey said Johnson became a suspect because he is living with the dogs owner.

Under Illinois law, animal torture is a Class 3 felony and aggravated cruelty to animals is a Class 4 felony. If convicted, the maximum penalty for a Class 3 felony is five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The maximum penalty for a Class 4 felony, if convicted, is three years.

Johnson has a criminal record dating to 2001 when he was convicted of burglary. He also has convictions for possession of a controlled substance, possession of methamphetamine manufacturing materials, a 2014 burglary conviction, and 13 misdemeanor convictions.
Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says if he were prime minister, he would tell police how to do their jobs when it comes to cracking down on pipeline protesters.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says if he were prime minister, he would tell police how to do their jobs when it comes to cracking down on pipeline protesters.

Its a good thing Scheer  who announced in December he will step down following the election of a new party leader  will never hold the job.

On Friday, Leader of the Opposition Andrew Scheer called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to order the RCMP to enforce court injunctions by removing protesters who are blocking rail lines across Canada. (Adrian Wyld / Canadian Press files)

On Friday, the Opposition leader called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to order the RCMP to enforce court injunctions by removing protesters who are blocking rail lines across Canada.

"As prime minister, I would direct the RCMP to enforce the law to ensure that our railway system can operate," Scheer said. The Saskatchewan MP said it would be a dangerous precedent to allow protesters to continue to shut down railways while government stands idly by.

Actually, what would be a dangerous precedent is for politicians to start micro-managing police, by ordering them who to arrest.

Police make operational decisions independent of government. There are good reasons for that.

A member of the Mohawk community stands near the blockade of the commuter rail line in Kahnawake, Quebec. (Ryan Remiorz / Canadian Press)

Just as there is a separation between the prosecutorial branch of government and politicians, so, too, is there a firewall between the legislative and executive branches of government and police. Thats what separates countries like Canada from banana republics.

The last thing society needs is for prime ministers, premiers or cabinet ministers trying to score political points by instructing police how to do their jobs.

Law enforcement decisions around protests, including how and when to enforce court injunctions, are complicated. Police are damned if they do, and damned if they dont.

While the overarching goal is to protect the physical safety of the public (including the protesters themselves), there are times when force must be used. Finding the appropriate balance is the challenge; its not helpful when politicians such as Scheer try to interfere in the process.

Police have improved strategies over the years on how to respond to protests. They are, for the most part, more conciliatory. Police recognize public protests, even illegal ones, are going to happen, and they give participants far more latitude than they used to. Theyre more apt to wait out a protest than to rush in  court-order-in-hand  and start issuing arrests.

Decisions are made based on individual circumstances. Police make mistakes just like everyone else, but the goals are usually the same when it comes to policing protests: limit injury and avoid death. Law enforcement has learned from tragedies such as the 1995 Ipperwash Crisis in Ontario, which claimed the life of Ojibwa protestor Dudley George.

Protests can be messy. They sometimes turn violent, depending on how law enforcement responds. If police are allowed to do their jobs without political interference, they can sometimes diffuse matters and avoid escalating violence.

Thats not to say court injunctions (and the enforcement of them) arent necessary. Of course, they are.

How and when court orders are enforced, however, should be up to law enforcement, not politicians.

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In the case of the mass rail shutdowns and other protests across Canada over the Coastal GasLink pipeline construction in British Columbia, the best thing politicians can do is sit down with those affected  including Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs who oppose the pipeline  and attempt to find solutions.

To their credit, thats what the federal and B.C. governments are trying to do.

Complicating the matter, the ongoing protests are about more than just a gas pipeline: theyre about Indigenous rights, clashes between Indian Act-elected councils and hereditary chiefs, unceded land due to an absence of treaties in B.C., and a general push-back from 150 years of oppressive and abusive laws and policies towards Indigenous people.

Whatever the case, Canada doesnt need elected officials politically interfering in policing.

Governments have the right to seek court injunctions, but law enforcement should be allowed to do its job, including using whatever discretion is necessary to carry out its duties.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
Buddhist monks from across Thailand on Saturday led a prayer vigil for all the victims of the mass shooting that shook the country earlier this month, international media reported. Jakraphanth Thomma, a 32-year-old soldier, killed 29 people in a shooting spree in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

Floral Tributes paid

Public prayer ceremonies were held exactly a week after the tragic incident took place. Terminal 21 shopping centre where the tragic incident took place was reopened for the public on Thursday.

Read: Survivors Of Thailand Mass Shooting Tracked Gunman Via CCTV Footage

On February 10, the relatives of the victims conducted Buddhist prayer ceremonies. According to reports, the grieving family members held pictures of the victims and arrived at a morgue located in Nakhon Ratchasima to carry coffins back home. A victim's grieving father said that he was clueless of what to do next as he waited to claim his son's body. He further added that his grandchild kept on asking why he couldn't call his father and that made him clueless on how to tackle the situation.

Read: Thousands Attend Candlelight Vigil For Victims Of Thailand Mass Shooting

According to reports, a prayer ceremony was headed by a Buddhist monk outside the mall for one of the victims, Peeraphat Palasan. Palasan was killed as Jakrapanth Thomma opened fire into the moving traffic, killing the man and causing his car to crash. Palasan's father, Witoon said that his son had just finished work and had gone to the mall for shopping, adding that he never thought that he would be losing his son forever.

Sergeant-Major Jakrapanth Thomma with an unknown grudge had already killed several people on his way to the mall, which is the largest shopping centre and was crowded on the first day of the long weekend. He swaggered through the mall with a machine gun slung over his shoulder, helmet on, and was in full combat gear as seen in the CCTV cameras.

Read: Thailand Mourns For Mass Shooting Victims As Their Families Claim Their Dead

Read: Thailand Health Minister Says 'kick Out Western Tourists' Not Wearing Masks
AUSTIN, Texas  Bernie Sanders staying power atop the 2020 field has Democratic insiders in Texas on edge: Theyre worried nominating the Vermont senator would kneecap their hard-fought campaign to flip the Texas state house.

Putting a self-proclaimed democratic socialist at the top of the ticket would squander a prime opportunity to seize statehouse seats  and congressional districts  that have long been out of reach, robbing the party of a hand in next years crucial redistricting process, more than a half-dozen Democratic candidates, activists and political consultants said in interviews.

"There is overall uncertainty which is growing. The real fear for Texas Ds remains Sanders," Bill Miller, a longtime Austin lobbyist who has worked with both Democrats and Republicans, said of a Sanders ticket. 'Wed be fucked'  thats what theyre saying. The drain at the top goes down to the bottom.

Texas may not be a presidential battleground, but a wave of GOP retirements in Congress, shifting demographics and Donald Trumps lightning-rod presidency offer Democrats a shot at real power after two decades of Republican dominance. And to insiders like Miller, plans to nationalize the health care and electricity sectors will spook voters and weigh down local Democrats who are trying to thread a needle in this still deeply conservative state.

The Rs are on their knees praying every day for Bernie, Miller said.

State-level Democrats across the country are also starting to weigh what each contender will mean for down-ballot races in the aftermath of the first two Democratic contests, which saw Joe Biden's star power wane, Pete Buttigieg notch a muddled first place finish in Iowa and Sanders eke out a victory in New Hampshire  a place he dominated four years ago. The uncertainty also clouds the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's $50 million effort to flip state chambers in places like Arizona and North Carolina, where operatives have to fine-tune the party's message in swing states.

Story continues

Sanders rising progressive agenda and the leftward march of Democrats like Elizabeth Warren has divided the party here about how to succeed and what lessons to divine from years of electoral losses born out of deploying untested strategies they hope will transform Texas into a battleground state.

Sanders is a complete disaster and Warren is a complete-disaster-lite, said Texas-based campaign consultant Jeff Hewitt, who has been working in Democratic politics since he served on Clinton-Gores campaign team in the 1990s. At the end of the day, most of us want to win.

A Buttigieg victory is not helpful to the party's goals in Texas, he said. But he doesnt hurt them as much as Sanders.

While Democrats lost all statewide elections in 2018, they notched modest gains down ballot. They were able to flip two congressional seats and more than a dozen state House and Senate seats, putting them just nine seats away from taking control of the state House.

For control of the state legislature and how the congressional delegation is drawn over the next decade, its very important that we do all we can to win the statehouse now so both parties have a seat at the table, said state Rep. Chris Turner, chair of the Texas House Democratic caucus and who has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden.

But progressive activists argue that bold ideas like those championed by Sanders and Warren will bring out new voters, and others say ideology matters less than ground game. Its a debate thats playing out across the country, but the stakes are especially high in Texas this year where Democrats at the state level have a shot at redrawing the election maps that will keep them competitive.

You gotta be realistic and practical about issues that are facing people in rural areas, said Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat whose district stretches from the Southern border to San Antonio. If Sanders is at the top of the ticket, he said, Democrats in Texas will have to distance themselves from his far-left ideas to win over moderate voters in potential swing districts.

Can you please name all the liberal seats that Republicans are in so we can go after that? Cuellar said.

The party divide in Texas has also become even wider as Democrats still chew on Beto ORourkes ill-fated 2018 Senate campaign against Ted Cruz, drawing a litany of different lessons about whether his 2.5-point loss was a victory or a missed opportunity.

Hewitt said ORourkes loss reveals that far-left ideas dont bring out enough people to flip seats. The idea that more people will come out to vote if a progressive is on the ballot, thats fools gold, he said.

But some Democratic operatives in Texas point to two decades of Republican dominance and argue ORourke's popularity in the state as proof the party needs to differentiate itself from the right.

We should be more worried about a moderate candidate in a highly polarized environment, said Tory Gavito, co-founder and president of Way to Win, a group that organizes progressive donors and strategists. We have the deepest well of young voters and voters of color  who is the best candidate that can turn them out?

Texas Republicans, facing competitive elections for the first time in decades, say that regardless of who wins the nomination, Sanders candidacy puts Democrats on the defensive.

The reality is that every Democratic president candidate has happily endorsed socialist policies, Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey said.

Polls have offered little guidance. Biden is still a favorite among establishment figures and led a poll of Texas voters before Iowa but Sanders surged after the caucuses and Michael Bloomberg is on the rise.

Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, greets supporters after speaking at a campaign event in Columbia, S.C., Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Its still a very fluid race, said Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Lyceum poll. Blank believes that most voters in the state are still making up their minds, but that given the states sheer size and diversity Democrats need to focus on building a party infrastructure thats been lacking.

It would be silly to say that it doesnt matter who is at the top of the ticket, but Im not sure what were seeing isnt more structural than about any individual candidate, he said.

Some progressive entrants to Texas politics agree, saying its more about packaging ideas in a way that appeals to the states voters.

When we are introducing these policy ideas, I dont start off with Medicare for All, said Jessica Cisneros, a progressive who is challenging Cuellar in the Democratic primary. We talk about this idea of having health care as a right, so we wouldnt have to lose a loved one.

Despite their clashes over ideology, Democrats in Texas do agree on at least one point: the top of the Republican ticket will motivate many voters.

Texas is obviously not the Bronx, said George Shipley, a Democratic operative in Austin, who was once an adviser to Gov. Ann Richards. Texas is very resistant to the type of social programs Bernie offers, but the devil is not Bernie, the devil is Trump.
The two injured school children, who were rushed to a super-specialty hospital in Kolkata from Hooghly district through a 60-km long green corridor on Friday, are still battling for their lives.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee contacted the hospital authorities to enquire about the condition of the victims and the treatment being carried out. The two children-- Rishabh Singh and Dibyanshu Bhakat are aged around five and six years.

Hospital authorities said that while a seven member medical board has been formed to treat the students, they are also performing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment, in which a pump is used to circulate blood through an artificial lung back into the bloodstream.

We are doing everything we can. State of the art facilities are being used to treat the children. Their condition is still critical, said Kalyan Banerjee, Member of Parliament from Serampore in Hooghly district.

At least 15 students, one guardian and the driver were injured when the carpool in which they were going to school fell into a roadside canal on Friday morning at Polba in Hooghly. Later, police created a 60-km long green corridor to bring two of the injured victims to the state-run SSKM hospital in Kolkata.

According to doctors, the two children were showing symptoms of cerebral anoxia. As they got trapped under water in the canal, muddy water had entered into their lungs. They also suffered injuries to their rib cages and there were blood clots in their lungs and brains.

Banerjee and Firhad Hakim state urban development minister rushed to the SSKM hospital to take stock of the situation.

I will remain ever indebted to the state government and the chief minister. The doctors are trying everything to save my son, said Santosh Singh, father of Rishabh Singh, one of the victims.
Big Brother will officially return to Channel Seven screens in the second half of 2020.

And production is coming together nicely with a sprawling mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour under construction.

Photos reveal a spacious entertaining area, comprising of a swimming pool with transparent walls and a patio.

Rooms with a view! Big Brother 2020 is well underway with a sprawling mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour under construction (pictured)

The house is situated at the former Army Artillery training school at North Head, near Manly in Sydney, New South Wales.

Pictures also reveal production sheds and catering tents lined up on-site.

Filming for the highly anticipated 2020 season is rumoured to begin next month.

Location, location: The house is situated at the former Army Artillery training school at North Head, near Manly in Sydney, New South Wales

The news was confirmed by Channel Seven's director of programming Angus Ross last month.

Speaking to TV Tonight, he said: 'It'll start filming very shortly and it will be coming pre-Olympics,' with the Olympics due to begin airing in July.

Big Brother was previously filmed in a $13million house and production facility at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, but the property was burned down by four children in June last year.

Party house: Photos reveal a spacious entertaining area, comprising of a swimming pool with transparent walls and a patio

Before going up in flames, the set was derelict and unlivable after years of neglect and vandalism.

Meanwhile, Sonia Kruger confirmed she will host the Channel Seven reboot while on The Kyle and Jackie O Show earlier this month.

The 54-year-old revealed she had only been asked to host the reality show just a few days earlier.

Host: Sonia Kruger (pictured) confirmed she will host the Channel Seven reboot while on The Kyle and Jackie O Show earlier this month

'Literally like last week [the network] said to me we want you to host Big Brother,' she said.

'You could've knocked me over with a feather because I know there were a lot of people in the mix,' the TV host added.

The ageless blonde told the radio hosts that hosting Big Brother was not her main reason for leaving Channel Nine, but rather to be a judge on Australia's Got Talent.

'I was going back to Seven to do AGT and to judge on that, and I'm looking forward to that Kyle because finally I get paid to judge people which is awesome,' she said as former AGT judge Kyle concurred, calling it a 'wonderful job'.
Nigerias National Film Corporation has introduced a Masters of Art programme in Film Culture and Archival Studies.

The corporation said the programme began in October 2019.

The programme was introduced to meet trajectory necessities of providing in-depth knowledge and skills for the management of creative works and audio visuals, NFCs Managing Director, Chidia Madueke, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Jos.

Mr Maduekwe said the training module would be a combination of classroom lectures, tutorials, workshops, personal field studies, and exchange programs for both staff and students.

With the objective of bringing a paradigm shift to Nigerias cinematography, the programmes, he said, would turn Nigeria from a non-record keeping nation to a country where historic, culture and vintage films were recorded and archived appropriately.

The key objective of the introduction of the Masters program, which amongst others, is designed to meet the trajectory necessities of providing in-depth knowledge and skills for the management of creative works and audio visuals.

The training module is a combination of classroom lectures, tutorials, workshops and others that would boost the attainment of specialised knowledge and skills in restoration, digitisation, preservation, codification and classification, he said.

Mr Maduekwe added that in the build-up of the commencement of the program, key film equipment, research materials and books were sourced.

He said the corporation, through the support of the German government, acquired a film scanner, one of the few in the country, which he said, would serve as a critical input for the successful implementation of the program.

The NFC boss disclosed that 25 Nigerians out of several applicants, were admitted into the program, and scholarships and exchange programs had been secured for them.

For the transfer of knowledge and teaching, staff drawn from the corporation and the University of Jos have undergone train the trainer program in Germany.

Four have returned and five will leave on Feb. 24. More will still go; this will strengthen the program as when they come back, they will train others in archive keeping, he said.

Expressing gratitude to the German government and other partners for investing 400 million Euros for funding the Masters programs taking place in Germany, he said he was optimistic the investment in scholarship would better the education system and change the outlook of Nigerias cinematography.

Meanwhile, he urged beneficiaries to use the opportunity judiciously for enhanced archival knowledge of the country.

Enhancing film literacy

Recently, the corporation, in a bid to enhance film literacy, signed a cooperation agreement with Frances Centre National du Cinema (CNC) and the Moving Image for film production.

The parties agreed that film studies will provide effective means of promoting cultural diversity in a sustained manner, with CNC contributing its expertise in the training of teachers and the planning of educational solutions in conjunction with NFC officials.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A 42-year-old Rome man died Friday in a crash that also caused a 19-year-old to be airlifted to Upstate University Hospital, according to New York State Police.

Hector J. Rodriguez, 42, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, police said.

At 3:17 p.m. on Friday, police responded to a two-car crash at the intersection of Bartlett and Dix roads in Westmoreland, according to police.

A preliminary investigation found that 17-year-old Lincoln J. Armstrong, 17, of Rome, was driving a 2005 Ford Taurus south on Bartlett Road, police said. Armstrong, who was driving at a high rate of speed," tried to stop the Taurus as he saw a pickup truck crossing an intersection on Dix Road, police said.

Police say speed and other contributing factors prevented Armstrong from stopping the car in time.

Armstrongs car hit the 2003 Toyota Tundra pickup, which was being driven by Rodriguez, police said.

Rodriguezs pickup truck overturned and rolled onto its roof, according to police.

Noah G. Lekki, 19, of Waterville, a passenger in Armstrongs car, was airlifted by Mercy Flight to Upstate University Hospital and is listed in critical condition, police said.

Armstrong is currently in serious condition at St. Elizabeths Hospital, according to police.

Police are continuing to investigate the crash.
Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office deputies are searching for a woman who brandished a gun at Ochsner Medical Center staffers while demanding the release of her juvenile granddaughter from the Old Jefferson facility Friday evening, according to authorities.

'Child endangerment alert' issued after woman takes granddaughter at gunpoint from Ochsner Louisiana State Police have issued a Level II child endangerment alert and are asking for the public's help to find 12-year-old Andreana Mille

No shots were fired and no one was injured, said Capt. Jason Rivarde, spokesman for the Sheriffs office. But the 66-year-old woman left the hospital with the girl, whose age was not released.

The unidentified woman went to the hospital's pediatric emergency room, located at 1500 Jefferson Highway, about 5 p.m. Her granddaughter was being treated there, according to Rivarde. The Sheriff's Office did not say why the girl was being treated.

The woman pointed a gun at a security guard and other staffers while demanding that her granddaughter be released, Rivarde said. She and the child then left.

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An Ochsner Medical Center spokesperson said in a statement that hospital staff immediately followed their emergency and safety protocols during the incident and no one was harmed.

"Ochsner would like to re-assure all employees, patients and visitors of their safety while at any of our facilities," the statement said. "We take security very seriously and are vigilant about keeping our campus, employees, patients and visitors safe at all times.

"We are unable to comment further as we are working with the proper authorities during this investigation and giving them our complete cooperation."

No other details were available.

Stay with NOLA.com for more on this story.
By any measure, being included among Cork's top three businesses can justifiably be regarded as an outstanding achievement.

While the prestigious 2019 'Cork Business of the Year' crown may have gone to Keohane's Seafoods of Bantry, the founder and owner of Mallow-based Health and Safety Publications, Marek Szepietowski, said that making the final three in the competition was something to be proud of.

Launched last June by Cork County Council in conjunction with media partners the scheme was divided across three geographical regions - North Cork, West Cork and East Cork - with 11 specific award categories open to entrants within each of the designated regions.

In total the awards attracted some 324 entries from 240 different business and tourism organisations, with Health and Safety Publications being crowned the overall North Cork Business of the Year last November.

They along with the two other regional winners, Keohane's and the Castlemartyr Resort, went head-to-head for the overall crown, the winner of which was announced last Friday at a gala lunch compeered by Marty Morrissey in the Vertigo Room at the top of County Hall.

Even before the event, Marek, who has overseen growth of his fledgling company from scratch to the point where it has sold 1.5 million books in the Irish market alone, said he felt it was like a 'David v Goliath' style battle.

"Of course I would like us to win. That said, we are small operation going up against two large companies so, in that respect, I view it very much as a 'David v Goliath'-type scenario. To be honest, I never even dreamt we would win the North Cork section, so to be going for the top award is a proud achievement for us, whatever the outcome," he said.

Speaking to The Corkman after the winning announcement was made, Marek quipped: It would seem that David forgot his sling today.

"Joking aside, I had said before that personally I would have given the award to Keohane's. They are a very worthy winner. It is a wonderful business, and I am genuinely very pleased for them," he said.

"It would seem that David forgot his sling today, but you won't see me unhappy about it. Perhaps it came a little too early for us and we will be back here in a couple of years time," he added.
A U.S. district judge in Washington, D.C., on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation filed by the congresswomans former staffer alleging they retaliated against her.

The staffer, a woman who worked in Jackson Lee's office from November 2017 to March 2018, claimed that she was dismissed after notifying the congresswoman's chief of staff that she planned to take legal action against the foundation over an alleged sexual assault involving one of the group's supervisors.

In an opinion released Friday, Judge Dabney L. Friedrich wrote that the woman, who is not named in court records, failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove Jackson Lees office violated federal laws that prohibit retaliation and sex-based discrimination. Friedrich also found the plaintiff fell short of proving that she is owed economic or emotional damages.

We are pleased with the district courts resolution of the case, and we are very much in agreement with the courts resolution and dismissal of the case, Jackson Lee said in a statement, adding that she wishes the woman well.

For subscribers: Sheila Jackson Lee steps down from key posts amid ex-aide's retribution claim in sex assault case

Controversy from the suit a year ago led Jackson Lee to step down as chairwoman of the nonprofit arm of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as temporarily give up her post as chairwoman of a key House Judiciary subcommittee on criminal justice. The case also cost Jackson Lee support from groups such as the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, which in January 2019 said it would not "support her continued lead sponsorship" of the Violence Against Women Act.

Attorneys for the foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The group, which includes high-profile corporate executives and members of Congress, has denied having any influence over Jackson Lee's decision to fire the woman. The group reportedly pressed Jackson Lee to step down from her post.

The plaintiffs attorney, Lynne Bernabei, said Friday afternoon that she was really disappointed with the decision.

Basically, this is a decision based on legal technicality and the Congressional Accountability Act is not as robust as I think people trying to stop sex discrimination would like it, so this is really based on technicality rather than the facts, Bernabei said.

Bernabei said she had not had a chance yet to speak with her client and was therefore not sure if they would appeal the decision.

Friedrich found that the plaintiffs actions in reporting to supervisors that she planned to sue were not protected by the act, which governs the handling of sexual harassment claims against members of Congress, in part because the foundation is not covered by the legislation. The law also only covers complaints made to the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Friedrich wrote.

Further, the judge wrote that the plaintiff had not proven that Jackson Lees office discriminated against the plaintiff on the basis of her sex.

For subscribers: Ex-Sheila Jackson Lee staffer says she was fired in retaliation for planned sex assault suit

The lawsuit stems from events in October 2015, when the plaintiff, then a 19-year-old Howard University intern for the foundation, alleges that a 30-year-old male supervisor she was drinking and socializing with took her to his home and forced her to have sex.

She reported the incident to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and was told the supervisor would be placed on leave, according to the suit. She decided not to bring legal action against the foundation at the time.

She also reported the assault to Washington's Metropolitan Police Department, which investigated but did not bring charges.

The woman was hired by Jackson Lee's office two years later after she graduated from Howard. The earlier incident involving the foundation supervisor, identified as Damien Jones, did not come to light until Jones also was being considered for a job in Jackson Lee's office. Jones has denied the allegations.

The woman then reportedly told Jackson Lee's chief of staff, Glenn Rushing, about the prior situation. Jones was not hired.

The plaintiff said that soon after going to work for Jackson Lee, she learned about a text message sent to Jackson Lee by A. Shuanise Washington, the foundation's former chief executive, offering background on the woman.

The woman said she connected the text to her assault and told Rushing that she would take legal action against the foundation. She also said she asked to speak to Jackson Lee personally. Instead, she said, she was fired. The reason given was budgetary issues.

The text message about the background on the plaintiff did not rise to the level of outrageous behavior required to prove intentional infliction of emotional distress, Friedrich said, adding: her single allegation of wrongdoing does not resemble the sustained pattern of discriminatory conduct required to litigate.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 15)  An alleged regional leader of the New People's Army in Mindanao was killed in a firefight with soldiers in Makilala town, Cotabato Friday noon.

The military's Eastern Mindanao Command in a statement on Saturday identified the suspected rebel as Juanita Gore Tacadao, also known as Isay or Maring. She is believed to be the regional head, as well as the logistics and finance head of the NPA's Far South Mindanao unit.

Joint forces of the 39th Infantry Battalion and the Makilala police were about to arrest Tacadao in her "hideout" at Sitio Lacobe, Barangay Malabuan when her companion fired at the authorities, the military said in its report. Tacadao has arrest warrants for murder and robbery issued by the regional trial courts of Digos City in Davao del Sur and Kidapawan City in Cotabato, respectively, the military added.

Tacadao's "security" managed to escape after a five-minute shootout, leaving her body behind.

Authorities recovered an M14 rifle, caliber .38 pistol, landmine, two blasting caps, and a detonating cord from the raid, which was conducted after residents reported Tacadao's presence in the community.

Another alleged hideout of the Tacadao group was discovered at Sitio Blazan, Barangay Malawanit in Magsaysay town, Davao Del Sur where firearms and explosives were also found, the military said.

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which has waged a five-decade insurgency  the longest-running in Asia. President Rodrigo Duterte has been calling on the rebels to surrender since he walked away from the peace talks in 2017.

The two sides are considering returning to the negotiating table, but Duterte and CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison could not agree on contentious issues, including the venue of the meetings.
Washington  Escalating its feud with so-called "sanctuary" cities, the Trump administration plans to dispatch dozens of border agents across the interior of the country to participate in immigration enforcement operations in major urban centers that limit cooperation with federal immigration agencies.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the nation's largest law enforcement agency, is deploying 100 of its agents to cities with large immigrant communities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Newark to assist Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE), which is in charge of deporting undocumented immigrants.

According to a CBP official, the outfit being dispatched includes 50 officers in the Office of Field Operations, which oversees the nation's ports of entry, and 50 Border Patrol agents, including members of an elite, highly-trained unit known as BORTAC. The special outfit has been described as a SWAT-level team.

In a statement, acting ICE director Matthew Albence said help from CBP, another agency within the Department of Homeland Security, is necessary because of the "significant amount of additional time and resources" involved in enforcement operations within communities that refuse to hold undocumented immigrants in jails until his agents can apprehend them.

Albence said that ICE would be using CBP to help with "enforcement activity in response to the resource challenges stemming from sanctuary city policies."

Homeland Security officials said that the 5,300 deportation officers ICE has at its disposal lack "sufficient resources" to apprehend and detain unauthorized immigrants who have been prioritized for deportation.

But it's not clear which interior enforcement operations CBP officers will take part in. ICE said it does not reveal details about planned operations because of "law enforcement sensitivities" and the need to protect its officers.

Story continues

The assignment, first reported by The New York Times, represents the latest move by the Trump administration to ramp up pressure on "sanctuary" cities  a frequent target of President Trump's ire.

Central American Migrant Caravan

U.S. Border Patrol agents hold a line during a pro-migration protest in San Diego as seen through the border fence from Tijuana, Mexico, Monday, December 10, 2018. Rebecca Blackwell / AP

After the president, in his State of the Union address, accused Democratic-controlled states and cities of harboring undocumented immigrants who commit serious crimes, the top official at DHS, Chad Wolf, announced that New Yorkers would no longer be eligible to enroll or renew memberships in programs designed to expedite the vetting of travelers at airports and border checkpoints. The department said the move was warranted because state law in New York prevents its officials from accessing certain data from the state's motor vehicle department.

The Justice Department recently mounted legal challenges against immigration policies in Washington, California and New Jersey. The administration has also tried to withhold federal funds from "sanctuary" jurisdictions, but its efforts are still being adjudicated by the courts.

Jurisdictions that adopt so-called "sanctuary" policies see them as necessary to safeguard public safety and to maintain a good relationship between local law enforcement and immigrant communities. Helping the federal government apprehend and detain unauthorized residents, the cities argue, will deter immigrants from helping local authorities fight crime and participating in other community initiatives.

Friday's announcement drew a sharp rebuke from immigrant advocates, who believe Mr. Trump may be emboldened to ramp up in his crackdown on undocumented immigrants after the Republican-led Senate acquitted him of the articles of impeachment the House leveled against him.

"I think not only is this a sign of things to come in an election year, I think if Trump, God forbids, gets reelected, we will see the acceleration and expansion of this kind of heavy-handed police state tactics," said Frank Sharry, the executive director of America's Voice, a group that supports liberal immigration policies.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of the administration's top foes in court, said any potential litigation depends on the legal authorities DHS will cite for the new assignment. Naureen Shah, a top lawyer at the ACLU, said there may be concerns surrounding the legal limits CBP officers have outside the 100-mile border zone, in which they have broad authority to search and seize.

"They certainly do have that authority within the 100-mile zone and so whether or not there are legal issues with their conduct is actually turn on what exactly that conduct is and if it is going far beyond just kind of standing side while ICE conducts an arrest," Shah said.

Trump headlined the most expensive fundraiser of his 2020 reelection bid

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U.N. official calls Syrian refugee crisis "cruel beyond belief"
Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspects the novel coronavirus prevention and control work in Beijing on Feb. 10, 2020. Xinhua News Agency

The coronavirus that emerged from China's Hubei province over a month ago and has spread to two dozen countries is already fueling mistrust from the U.S. government on whether China can provide accurate information about the epidemic. The White House said this week it does "not have high confidence in the information coming out of China" regarding the count of coronavirus cases, a senior administration official told CNBC. Meanwhile, China has reportedly been reluctant to accept help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and has reportedly suppressed information about the outbreak from scientists that it deems alarming. U.S. officials' mistrust of China goes as far back as the 1950s, when national authorities set unrealistic production quotas that led local officials to inflate data. Mishaps with the 2003 outbreak of SARS, which sickened 8,098 people and killed about 800 over nine months, and discrepancies in reporting of economic data over the past two decades has only hardened the U.S. government's belief that China cannot be trusted, experts say. White House advisor Peter Navarro has even called China a "disease incubator." Since emerging from the city of Wuhan, the new virus has spread from about 300 people as of mid-January to more than 64,000 as of Friday  with the number of new cases growing by the thousands every day. World health officials say China's response to the virus is an improvement from past outbreaks. China has been more transparent, World Health Organization officials told reporters this week. Chinese health authorities quickly isolated the virus' genetic sequence and shared it on a public database in a matter of weeks, they said, giving scientists a chance to identify it. A WHO-led team of 12 international experts are expected to arrive in China this weekend to collaborate with Chinese counterparts, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday. But praise from the WHO has not kept top U.S. officials from criticizing China's handling of the outbreak. On Thursday, White House top economic advisor Larry Kudlow told reporters the U.S. is "quite disappointed," citing a lack of transparency. Such criticism is far from new.

The SARS outbreak

Skepticism over China's handling of public health crises dates back to 2003, according to Yanzhong Huang, a public health researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations and director of the Center for Global Health Studies at Seton Hall University. At the time, the Chinese government was accused of trying to cover up the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, more commonly known as SARS, which rapidly spread to more than two dozen countries and caused world health officials to declare it a global health threat. The flu-like virus, which produced symptoms such as fever, cough, chills and fatigue, had never been seen before, and poor management and delays from the government was blamed by world leaders for the rapid spread of the disease, Huang said. The earliest case of the coronavirus is thought to have emerged in November 2002. Chinese health authorities were alerted to the mysterious respiratory disease that mid-December, but it would take several more months before the disclosure of the illness to the public. Health officials reported on Feb. 11, 2003 more than 300 cases of SARS in the province of Guangdong, where the outbreak began. The officials also admitted that there were no effective drugs to treat the disease and that the outbreak was only tentatively contained, said Huang. China's leadership later took proactive steps, including working with WHO and other officials to contain the outbreak, Huang said. But the initial failure to inform the public heightened anxieties, fear, and widespread speculation, including in the U.S., and spurred an ousting of top health officials, he added. "There are certainly similarities" to the SARS response and the new virus, said Huang, adding that China's response has been much better this time.

Currency manipulation

When the Trump administration officially designated China a currency manipulator in August last year, it drew bipartisan support from American politicians. "China has been manipulating their currency long before and since President Trump took office," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said at the time. "He should finally tell his Treasury Secretary to label China a currency manipulator. That's all he needs to do to make it happen." There's little evidence to support the notion that China has manipulated its currency in recent years, David Dollar, senior fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution who specializes in China's economic system, said. However, the support for such a move underscores U.S. officials' frustrations with and skepticism towards China's historical economic data, Dollar said. "Back around 2005, 2006, it would be fair to say that China was intervening to keep the currency low," he said. "Historically, they would have met the definition of currency manipulator 15 years ago." The U.S. briefly labelled China a currency manipulator before removing them from the list last month as the two countries prepared to sign a phase-one trade deal. Nonetheless, Dollar said it's clear that China historically suppressed the rise of its currency to maintain a trade advantage with the U.S. and other countries. This history, Dollar said, as well as other disputes related to trade has been a point of contention and distrust between the U.S. and China.

GDP data that's "no good"

When it comes to internal economic measures, even Chinese officials struggle to trust the data. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in 2007 called provincial GDP data "man-made." Those comments, which were made in private to U.S. diplomatic personnel and later leaked, gave rise to what's now called the Li Keqiang index. The index is a figure used by economists to examine the underlying factors of China's economy, such as electricity consumption, rail cargo and amount of loans disbursed. Keqiang told U.S. officials these figures were more accurate than the provincial GDP data provided by local officials under pressure to inflate their numbers. Thomas Rawski, professor of economics and history at the University of Pittsburgh whose research is focused on the development of China's modern economy, said it's widely understood by economists and Chinese officials alike that provincial data is "no good." "When things aren't going well, and we see this on both a national and provincial level, they publish data that show things are better than they are," he said. "Assuming the best possible effort, it's just not easy to measure such a large economy. On top of that, there are also questions about whether there is an interest at all in actually reporting accurate numbers." Rawski has observed China's economic growth since before the Asian financial crisis around 1997, which is when he began to see the data run away from reality, he said. He published an article in 2001 that claimed data on manufacturing output was out of step with underlying figures on electricity consumption. "Thinking about the flu business, it is entirely the same as the GDP issues," he said. "In both cases, there are a lot of technical issues as well as what I call veracity issues. And there's the question of motivation of people collecting and reporting the data at all levels, and you have to ask is there an incentive to distort. I think the answer is obviously yes."

WHO defends China
Caroline Flack has been found dead at the age of 40.

The former Love Island presenter's family confirmed her passing in a statement.

"We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today, the 15th of February.

We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time and we would ask they make no attempt to contact us and/or photograph us.

A lawyer for the Flack family confirmed that Caroline was found in her east London flat today.

Caroline Flack became synonymous with ITV2 reality series Love Island in recent years.

Along with hosting Love Islands weekly spin-off show Aftersun, Flack, 40, had hosted all five series of the popular programme, one of the most-watched reality shows in the UK since it launched in 2015.

In December, the presenter stepped down from presenting the show after she was alleged to have assaulted her boyfriend Lewis Burton, 27, at her then flat in north London.

She entered a not guilty plea to the assault charge at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court and she was released on bail with conditions that stopped her having any contact with Burton ahead of a trial in March.

An ITV spokeswoman said: Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news.

Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.

A number of celebrities have taken to social media to express their shock and sadness at the news.

Im trying to find the words but I cant  pic.twitter.com/FY3ppLzqsA  Laura Whitmore  (@thewhitmore) February 15, 2020

We are both devastated to hear the news about Caroline Flack. It is beyond sad. Beyond words. So tragic. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Rest In Peace Caroline

XX  antanddec (@antanddec) February 15, 2020

Caroline Flack .... Dear God.

Shocked beyond belief. May she have found peace . #Rip

Has to be repercussions for Love Island now surely ?  Eamonn Holmes OBE (@EamonnHolmes) February 15, 2020

My heart is actually broken  Amber Davies (@Amber_Davies7) February 15, 2020

I cant quite believe what has happened. Caroline you didnt deserve this. Such sad and tragic news. Love to all her family. The media and social media have SO much to answer for. RIP Lovely Flack.  edith bowman (@edibow) February 15, 2020

Awful news about Caroline Flack. We really need to be better at taking care of each other.

So sad.  Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) February 15, 2020

Devastating news about Caroline. Thoughts with her family and loved ones   Zoe Ball (@ZoeTheBall) February 15, 2020

If you have been impacted by issues raised in this report please be aware of the following support services.

Samaritans: Dial 116123, or email jo@samaritans.ie.

Pieta House: Dial 1800247247, text HELP to 51444, or email mary@pieta.ie.

Aware: Dial 1800 80 48 48,

YourMentalHealth.ie
'The coronavirus impact is much bigger than what the market had predicted. We are helpless and simply watching the market at present. Nothing can be done,' Anil Devli, chief executive officer (CEO) of Indian National Shipowners Association (INSA), said.

Tanking freight rates on the back of the coronavirus epidemic in China are likely to hurt the earnings of Indian shipping companies in the March quarter.

Freight rates have tumbled significantly and are impacting SCI (Shipping Corporation of India) across segments. We have seen the damage in January already. Our Q4 earnings are most likely to be affected due to this, said Harjeet K Joshi, chairman of state-owned SCI on February 7. She was speaking on the sidelines of an ASSOCHAM event held in Mumbai.

SCI reported consolidated net sales of Rs 1,25,761 crore in December quarter, up 17 per cent over the same period last year with strong contribution from the tanker segment.

We had robust performance in the third quarter, mainly from tankers. Now, tanker freights have softened. So, we are in a wait-and-watch mode. There is impact on every segment for us but it is varying, said Joshi, without detailing the quantum of impact on each of its businesses. Liners, offshore, bulk carriers, tankers and containers are the business segments of the SCI.

Coronavirus was first detected on December 8, 2019, and by January 1, 2020, Chinese authorities pinpointed the source to a seafood market in Wuhan, said reports. By the end of January, about 9,700 cases were detected and 213 deaths reported. By February 3, there were 17,000 confirmed cases and, as on date, the number stands at 28,000, informed industry officials.

The coronavirus impact is much bigger than what the market had predicted. We are helpless and simply watching the market at present. Nothing can be done, said Anil Devli, chief executive officer (CEO) of Indian National Shipowners Association (INSA).

The Chinese New Year (January 25, 2020) is the time when most native Chinese workers travel to their hometown for the festival. On this day, Wuhan was cordoned off and transportation restrictions imposed in most parts of the country because of the corona epidemic. On February 1, all international flights to China were cancelled and this brought down the countrys fuel consumption drastically.

China consumes 16 per cent of the total global oil production. Lower consumption led to a drop of about 4 per cent in crude oil import by China. This, in turn, has heavily impacted the transportation of oil by sea.

The very large crude carriers (VLCCs) that were trading at over $100,000 per day in December have dropped to $15,000 per day as on February 7, Captain Rahul Bhargava, director of commercial & operations at Essar Shipping told Business Standard via email. Similar impact has been felt on dry bulk cargo movement, he added.

The Baltic Dry Composite Index (BDI), which was trading at about 1,500 on December 10, dropped to 976 on January 3. It was trading at 431 as on February 6. Baltic Cape index, for the first time in the history of the Baltic Index, dipped to negative digits on January 31 and is now trading at a negative 187. For on-time charter yield of equivalent Cape-sized vessels, freight rate has come down to $3,000 per day from $22,000 per day. Similarly, Panamax vessel freight has come down to $3,400 per day from $12,000.

All the sections of the dry bulk trade have lost about 75 per cent to 85 per cent of earnings in the last one month, said Bhargava.

Supramax and Handysize vessels are part of the dry bulk trade section along with Cape and Panamax, among others. However, Great Eastern Shipping, Indias largest private sector shipping company, is of the view that the epidemic alone is not responsible for the drastic fall in freight rates.

Economic slowdown and lifting of Cosco sanctions by the US, which brought vessel supply into the market, have also led to the fall in freight rates, said a company source. The next one month will be crucial and we are watching, source added.

On September 25, the US laid sanctions on Cosco Shipping Tanker (Dalian) and Cosco Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Seaman and Ship Management for trading oil with Iran. Those sanctions were lifted by the US last week. Cosco Shipping controls more than 5 per cent of the global VLCC fleet.

Photograph: Reuters.
A West Ashley shopping center recently added three new tenants, and though none is a retailer, they are likely to increase foot traffic in the retail venue.

West Ashley Shoppes, anchored by Bed Bath & Beyond at 946 Orleans Road, now includes Carolina Spine and Sport, Cayman Young's State Farm Insurance Agency and the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles office.

"Our goal is to create a diverse mix of tenants in our shopping centers that fits the needs of the surrounding populations," said Kristina O'Keefe, senior leasing manager of owner Continental Realty Corp. of Baltimore. The DMV office in particular will bring a high volume of unique visitors to the center, a situation likely to benefit all of our tenants on a daily basis."

The DMV office, with 19 service counters, is the largest full-service office in the state. Users of the agency's former location on the peninsula, which was permanently closed as of Friday, are being directed to the Orleans Road site.

Young, a third-generation insurance executive, said she didn't realize the DMV office was moving in when she agreed to sign on in the shopping center, but now considers it "a major stroke of luck."

Dr. Dev'n Moran of Carolina Spine and Sport, too, said the DMV office will offer a steady influx of visitors to the retail site across from Citadel Mall.

The additional tenants bring occupancy in the 136,242-square-foot retail venue to 99 percent, according to the property owner.

Carolina Spine and Sport is expected to open by the end of March. Young's insurance office opened in January, and the DMV office opened in December.

Other major retail tenants in the shopping center include Cost Plus World Market, Ross Dress for Less, Monster Music and Party City.

Changing hands

A 16-year-old Summerville apartment complex now has a new owner.

Florida-based American Landmark Apartments recently bought The Tradition at Summerville, a 232-unit property at 325 Marymeade Drive for $33.9 million, or just over $146,000 a key. The new owner plans to invest $2.7 million in improvements. Featuring one-, two- and three-bedroom units, it will be renamed The Bryant at Summerville.

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Unit upgrades include granite countertops, new cabinets, backsplash, stainless steel appliances, nickel-brushed plumbing fixtures, luxury lighting fixtures, USB outlets and electronic locks. For the site, improvements include a grilling table, dog park and renovated fitness center and clubhouse, swimming pool and landscaping.

Built in 2004, the complex includes a fireside lounge, outdoor summer kitchen, business center, nature trail, swimming pool, fitness center and lounge.

The purchase is the firms third acquisition in the growing Summerville neighborhood, with the firm planning to acquire up to $2 billion in multifamily properties throughout the Southeast and Texas.

American Landmark bought the 240-unit Arbor Village Apartments on Dorchester Road for $35.4 million in 2018 and the 329-unit Elevate at Brighton Park in Nexton for $66 million last fall. Both are in Summerville.

The Southeast has remained a preferred market of ours due to its strong fundamentals, especially burgeoning markets like Summerville that we identified right when it began demonstrating significant potential for growth, said Christine DeFilippis, chief investment officer of American Landmark. The area has shown a considerable rise in jobs and population since our entry in 2018, offering a compelling opportunity to seek additional assets in this rising market just north of Charleston.

Building blocks

An Illinois construction services company focused on garages and similar structures is expanding into the Charleston area.

Morton Buildings recently announced the opening of an office at 133 Elliana Way, off U.S. Highway 78 in Summerville.

The employee-owned business is a post-frame manufacturing and construction firm. It has served Dorchester County in the past, and it said it's beefing up its presence to meet demand in the area. It's the firm's only location in South Carolina.

The Summerville office will accommodate up to two local crews to provide one-stop-shop building-related services for rural residents and businesses. The business specializes in sales, support and construction of suburban hobby shops and garages, agricultural and equestrian buildings, and commercial structures. A grand opening is set for Feb. 21-22.

Weve had a presence in the area for many years, but this solidifies our commitment to the area and is a strategically important office for further expansion, said Sean Cain, vice president and general manager.

The company once had an Orangeburg office that was closed several years ago, according to a statement from Morton. Jobs at the Summerville location will be available in the spring.
Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) said it has signed a MoU with Bahrain Polytechnic in line with its efforts to promote education and innovation.

Through the mutually beneficial partnership, BisB and Bahrain Polytechnic will embark on a combination of initiatives which aim to equip students with enhanced soft skills such as innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and leadership in order to create a future-ready workforce.

As part of the Banks Corporate Responsibility Program, Jood, BisB CEO Hassan Amin Jarrar and Bahrain Polytechnic CEO Dr. Jeff Zabudsky signed the deal in the presence of a number of officials at the BisBs Headquarters.

The joint initiatives will include several internship and training programmes, including intensive bilingual workshops conducted by members of the banks staff in order to provide the students with in-depth insights and a hands-on learning experience.

The programme has been carefully curated by both parties with the aim of prioritising students real experience in the financial world across multiple departments, said the statement from BisB.

It will focus on a deep-dive into the frontline of innovation to gain the tools and techniques to drive digital transformation in any sector by conducting research projects on real life case-scenarios involving the banks departments, it stated.

We are delighted to enter into this partnership with Bahrain Polytechnic, and were inspired by their ethos of offering academic programmes for their students, combining theoretical and practical teaching methods to produce professional, work-ready graduates," remarked Jarrar.

"We plan to launch a number of initiatives aimed at fine-tuning the students knowledge, thereby enabling them to gain real-life insights into the financial and banking industry, giving them a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of our bank," he stated.

"This partnership comes in line with Jood which focuses on educating the younger generation, through innovation, in order to create a highly educated workforce which is equipped with the requisite skills and mindset, in order to prepare them to be leaders in the local workforce in todays modern world," he added.

On the tieup, Dr Zabudsky said: "We are excited at the prospect of launching these educational initiatives with an aim to further strengthening the skills of students at Bahrain Polytechnic."

"This programme, with its combination of workshops and training, will better prepare our students to enter the job market as leaders, by providing them with the added advantage that comes with gaining real-life and hands-on experience in the financial sector across multiple departments," he stated.

According to Jarrar, the bank remains committed to strengthening cooperation with various entities and institutions in Bahrain, in line with its corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform, Jood, in order to launch various education-based initiatives that focus on innovation.

"Team Jood was established in March 2019 and consists of a number of the Banks employees who actively participate in various initiatives throughout the year," he added.TradeArabia News Service
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 15)  An opposition lawmaker criticized the reasons being given by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano for delaying discussions on the renewal of ABS-CBN's franchise.

Cayetano on Friday said the lower house is still too busy with pressing concerns, and even if it does not start deliberations soon, ABS-CBN can continue operating until March 2022. The media giant's franchise expires March 30, but Cayetano said there have been agreements between the House and the National Telecommunications Commission to allow media and utility firms to remain in business amid pending franchise renewals.

However, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the principal authors of a resolution supporting the renewal of ABS-CBN's franchise, said Congress  particularly the House Committee on Legislative Franchises  does not have too much on its table to warrant the "foot-dragging."

"The House is used to multi-tasking so much so that it could legislate on several measures within a short timeframe or almost simultaneously," Lagman said in a statement on Saturday.

He added that assuring ABS-CBN that it can still broadcast news and content until end of the 18th Congress even without a franchise is tantamount to giving it an "illusory alternative remedy."

The "legal, proper, and traditional course of action" is to decide on whether or not to grant ABS-CBN another 25 years to operate, Lagman stressed.

"The reasons proffered by Speaker Alan Cayetano for foot-dragging on the renewal of the franchise of ABS-CBN are not so overriding as to sacrifice the freedoms of the press and expression for expediency," Lagman said.

ABS-CBN has another battle in the Supreme Court as Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a petition seeking to void the network's existing franchise. The government's top lawyer cited "highly abusive practices," including allowing foreign investors to "take part in the ownership of a Philippine mass media entity" as well as launching media services without prior approval from the NTC.

The quo warranto petition lodged against ABS-CBN Corporation and its subsidiary, ABS-CBN Convergence Inc.came weeks before the networks existing franchise is set to expire on March 30. Several government officials including the media company itself denounced the move, saying it has no factual basis. Human Rights Watch Philippines also condemned the legal maneuver, saying it had "all the indications of political harassment."

READ: 'We did not violate the law,' says ABS-CBN

President Rodrigo Duterte has personally vowed to put the channel and its subsidiaries out of business, even telling its executives to just sell the company. He earlier also publicly spoke about his ire against ABS-CBN for not airing his political ads during the May 2016 elections, where he eventually won.

TIMELINE: ABS-CBN franchise

Both the House leadership and Calida stressed that their decisions on the network's francise are not motivated by politics.
CITY HALL -- Legislation introduced by Rep. Max Rose that would direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop a terrorist threat assessment of foreign violent white supremacist extremist groups has moved to the full House for consideration.

The Transnational White Supremacist Extremism Review Act unanimously passed the House Committee on Homeland Security Wednesday.

The surge in white supremacist extremist violence in the United States puts all of us at risk. There is mounting evidence that the threat to the homeland posed by violent white supremacist extremism has transnational links, said Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn), who chairs the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism.

I believe that the threat posed by foreign white supremacist extremist groups and their nexus to domestic activity is one of the major challenges we face in terms of homeland security. This bill will take us one step closer to understanding this challenge and the threats we are increasingly facing, he continued.

In a recent Op-Ed in The New York Times, Rose said that white supremacist groups are still not designated as foreign terrorist organizations, meaning that law enforcement and intelligence agencies cannot go after them in the same way as groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda.

He also said that no white supremacist group has ever been designated a foreign terrorist organization under federal law.

This omission leaves American law enforcement hobbled in its efforts to combat these groups and the rising tide of violence they represent, he wrote.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Indias exports contracted by 1.66 per cent to $25.97 billion in January for the sixth month in a row, according to the data released by the commerce ministry on Friday.

Imports declined by 0.75 per cent to $41.14 billion, and the trade deficit stood at $15.17 billion during the month under review. The trade deficit was $15.05 billion in January 2019.

Only 10 out of the 30 major product groups were in the positive territory during January 2020 including electronic goods, drugs and pharmaceuticals, organic and inorganic chemicals, iron ore, yarn and handloom products.

Meanwhile, all labour-intensive sectors were still in negative territory. During April-January 2019-20, exports slipped 1.93 per cent to $265.26 billion, imports declined by 8.12 per cent to $398.53 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $133.27 billion.

Exporters do not see any respite in coming months, especially in the backdrop of Coronavirus outbreak, which is also going to impact exports in a major way. Besides protectionism and liquidity concerns coupled with the sudden spread of Coronavirus in the worlds second-largest economy China has further worsened the global sentiment and exporters are delaying their shipments, Federation of Indian Export Organisations president Sharad Kumar Saraf said.

On the domestic front, he added that uncertainty over Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) is a major spoiler. Domestic issues including uncertainty over MEIS Scheme has been a major cause of concern as exporters claim for about six months are still pending, which has completely wiped out their liquidity and has kept them in doldrums with regard to finalising new contracts... Saraf added.
Thousands of university jobs could be at risk as a ban on Chinese students entering the country continues amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Australian government extended the two-week travel ban from mainland China to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 for another seven days this week.

The travel halt means that 100,000 international students are unable to attend Australia's universities.

Nearly one in four workers in academia are casual, meaning they could easily be sacked if student numbers decline.

The national academic union has called for vice-chancellors to guarantee their jobs.

Alison Barnes of the National Tertiary Education Union said: 'We've written to university vice-chancellors, asking them to commit that those casuals who would normally be working from day 1 of semester will not be worse off as a result of timetable changes due to coronavirus.'

Thousands of university jobs could be at risk as a ban on Chinese students entering the country continues amid the coronavirus outbreak

The Australian government extended the two-week travel ban from mainland China to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 for another seven days this week

In 2017/18 foreign university students accounted for about $32 billion being generated in the Australian economy as a knock on effect, according the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Their fees and living expenses represent Australia's third biggest export behind only iron ore and coal according to government trade figures.

Nearly one third of those stuck in China and will look to other places to go to university, a survey conducted by the Education Consultants Association of Australia found.

Of 16,000 students surveyed, 32 per cent said they would enroll in another country if they could not complete the first semester of 2020 in Australia, SBS reported.

Canada and UK have no travel bans in place.

Universities and the $37.9billion higher education industry could be thrown into chaos if the international students are unable to return in time for the semester.

China, Australia's biggest trading partner, is the No.1 source of international students.

They made up 38.3 per cent of foreign education enrollments in 2018, with Department of Education figures showing 152,591 were studying in Australia.

Almost a third of Australia's international students could be lost to other countries if the coronavirus travel ban remains in place from China. Pictured: people in Sydney wearing face masks in January following news about the coronavirus outbreak

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday extended a travel ban by another week for people travelling to Australia from China

Some Australian universities have already delayed the start of the semester due to the coronavirus, but international students could look elsewhere.

When asked where they would redirect their studies, 58 per cent of students chose the UK, 31 per cent chose Canada and six per cent picked the US.

The study, conducted between February 5 and February 9 on WeChat, surveyed 73 per cent of students who had already been studying in Australia.

With classes set to resume in March there are still 100,000 students stuck in China.

Group of Eight (Go8) chief executive Vicki Thomson said the findings are concerning as major competitors, the UK and Canada, did not have travel bans.

'This could be a lost opportunity,' she said.

Ms Thomson said the loss of students could result in a loss of $3billion in fees instantly if Chinese students don't come to Australia.

Federal education Minister Dan Tehan acknowledged extended bans could cause a major disruption.

'It's very much wait and see what happens,' Mr Tehan told Sky News on Sunday.

'But my hope is that we will see some sort of a breakthrough and we will be able to get students here for the first semester, but we will have to wait and see.'

Meanwhile, the Australian government is sending a medical expert to Japan to assist authorities with growing concerns for passengers on the cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama because of the coronavirus.

Foreign travellers who have recently left or passed through mainland China are currently banned from entering our shores. Pictured are visitors arriving in Brosbane before the ban was implemented.

The infectious disease expert will join an international team to gather information about the passengers, including the 200 Australians on board the Diamond Princess.

US citizens on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who are confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus will not be taken back to the United States on a planned charter flight after all, a Japanese government official said.

The US said earlier on Saturday it would send an aircraft to Japan to bring back US passengers on the Diamond Princess, where the most coronavirus infections outside China have occurred.

The Australian Embassy in Tokyo has since emailed citizens aboard the cruise ship to state the federal government is also examining options to assist Australians.

The Maritime Unions of Australia is concerned its members are being put at risk by the arrival of container vessels from mainland China, which it says in some cases are docking in breach of the travel ban.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has raised this issue with the government and the chief medical officer, and has been assured they are aware of the situation.

'We need to be vigilant and make sure the health of Australians is the number one priority,' Mr Albanese told reporters in Perth.

In China, the total number infected by the virus rose to more than 66,000 on Saturday, with the number of deaths passing 1500.

A total of 1700 Chinese health workers who have been infected, with six deaths.

No quarantined Australians at Christmas Island and Darwin have tested positive for the virus, with the first group of evacuees due to return home on Monday.

The Australian Border Force is making arrangements to transfer those quarantined on Christmas Island once they have been medically cleared.

Of the 15 coronavirus cases in Australia, six have been given the all clear as healthy and the remaining nine are all stable.

Up to 100,000 international students will be unable to return to Australia in time for the start of semester if the travel ban is extended
One person died after jumping from a window to escape a blaze that consumed a Paterson home Saturday, authorities said.

Shortly after 1:30 p.m., a three-alarm fire was reported at the home on North 1st Street, according to Mayor Andre Sayegh. The house was occupied by an unknown number of people, said Jerry Speziale, the citys public safety director.

One person died from the jump, Sayegh told NJ Advance Media. The person who died was later identified as Andres De Jesus Valdez, 30, his mother, Maria Uribe, told NJ Advance Media at the scene.

In total, five people were injured and taken to a local hospital, said Fire Chief Brian McDermott, flanked by Sayegh at the scene. It is unclear the extent of the injuries, though one person suffered an ankle injury and another an unspecified serious injury, according to the mayor.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries due to smoke inhalation.

Fire crews continued to work at the scene as of around 2:30 p.m.

NJ Advance Media photographer Aristide Economopoulos contributed to this report.

Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon.

Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.
(Natural News) Meeting with the head of the World Health Organization Tuesday, President Xi Jinping did his best to pretend that the deadly coronavirus epidemic now raging in China was under control. I have been in command of the situation from the beginning, he said. His government would release information on the virus in a timely manner, because The epidemic is a demon, and we cannot let this demon hide.

(Article by Steven W. Mosher republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

Listening to Xi, you dont know whether to laugh or cry.

The truth is that Communist Party officials have been playing hide the demon for two months now. For weeks after the first coronavirus cases were reported, they pretended that it didnt exist.

Then we were told that the coronavirus originated in an open-air market, where animals were being slaughtered for sale to customers who like their wild game fresh. Perhaps. But there have also been suggestions that the virus may have escaped from a Peoples Liberation Army Biowarfare unit located just a few miles away from the epicenter of the epidemic.

Either way, the first wave of cases in December was hushed up.

Even when the number of people who had come down with the coronavirus became too large to hide by early January, officials continually minimized the seriousness of the disease to their own peopleand to the world.

In the meantime, because they were not given timely information about the seriousness of the problem, the people of Wuhan went on contracting and spreading the virus among themselves for weeks. Then, just as the virus was reaching epidemic proportions in Wuhan, the Chinese New Year began.

Every year, the largest migration on the planet takes place in China. By long tradition, hundreds of millions of people go home for the lunar new year celebrations.

In the days leading up to the holiday, no fewer than five million residents of Wuhan got in cars, buses, trains, and planes and went home for the holidays. The effect of this diaspora was to carry the coronavirus to every corner of China, and to many surrounding countries as well. It is an epidemiological nightmare.

Only after the first cases of coronavirus were being reported in a dozen other Chinese cities did deceitful Communist officials finally impose a quarantine on Wuhans 11 million people. They have since expanded it to some 17 other cities in Hubei province with a total population of 40-plus million. It is the largest quarantine in human historybut it is still too little and too late. This is the real scandal.

Even today, as the epidemic has spread throughout China, the Chinese authorities are still lyingabout the number of infections, about the number of deaths, and maybe even about the origins of the deadly virus. The claim that there have been to date only 170 deaths and 7,700 infections is laughable given the other reports that are coming out of the country.

Take the January 28 directive issued by Chinas Ministry of Public Security, which ordered all police departments throughout the country to make wartime preparations. The police are to help control the disease by enforcing quarantine orders and helping to speed the distribution of medical supplies, while at the same time maintaining social stability by severely punishing any public or online reporting about the spread of the epidemic.

Does that sound like China is on the verge of declaring a national emergency to you? It does to me.

Despite the police clampdown on social media reports on the epidemic, a few hints of how bad things really are have managed to leak out from behind the Great Firewall. Consider this stunner from the Wuhan authorities.

The [Wuhan] city government and Hubei Provincial Civil Affairs Ministry have dispatched vehicles, staff, and protective gear to each funeral house [in Wuhan]. The post went on to offer free cremation for the corpses of coronavirus victims who died on January 26 or later.

The reason the city was deploying these new resources, it said, was To improve the capacity of transporting and dealing with corpses (!).

I dont know about you, but this doesnt sound to me like something they would do if the official death toll of 170 or so was anywhere close to accurate. The post obviously didnt please the censors either, because an hour later the above sentences were deleted from the text.

As far as Xi himself, until now he has maintained a sphinxlike silence on the epidemic that has the province of Hubei in a death grip, even as lower-level officials like Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang have had to fall on their swords. Two days ago Chinese premier Li Keqiang finally visited the city, but Xi still hasnt gone himself.

Any other world leader who did not personally visit the scene of such an unfolding disaster would be crucified in his national media. Xi has little to worry about on that front, however, since his state-controlled media exists not to report the news, but to make him and the Party look good.

Of course, with long lines of the sick lining up outside hospitals, thats getting increasingly hard to do.

General Secretary Xi Jinping may speak of the demon, but in the view of many in China, the demon is hiding in plain sight. It is the Chinese Communist Party itself, and the culture of corruption and deceit that it has fostered.

One final comment: The Chinese Party-State probably spends a trillion dollars a year monitoring and surveilling, policing and re-educating its population. The cost of incarcerating over a million Uyghurs in concentration camps alone must run into the tens of billions. The cost of persecuting tens of millions of Catholics and other Christians probably runs billions more.

If they put a fraction of the money they spend on their police state into public health, and actually released information in a timely manner, as Xi promised, they would have been able to stop this epidemic in its tracks.

But thats not the way that Leftists roll, is it?

Fortunately, those of us in the West live in democracies, with an open and free press, and health officials who put people, rather than politics, first. The few cases of the disease we now have will be effectively contained and Xis demon will pass us by.

But pity the poor Chinese.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
Cold showers, homework by candlelight and asking friends to help keep phones charged has become the frustrating norm for Sydney residents affected by near-week-long power outages.

More than 9000 homes and businesses have spent six nights without power since severe storms battered Sydney and the NSW Central Coast last Sunday.

West Pymble mother Anna So-Young Na has been showering her two young children at the local gym and eating out for most meals, given everything in her fridge has spoiled.

Storms battered homes in Sydney and the NSW Central Coast last Sunday leaving thousands of people without power six days later

Nearby, Hae Dong Choi has been keeping his three daughters' phones charged with his car or with portable batteries his friends have kindly powered up.

'I can't make food,' the father and private tutor told AAP.

'I have spent a lot of money and it's very inconvenient to have cold showers.'

Sewage was 'running into the streets and into people's backyards' on Friday in Galston, where tanks in the pressured sewerage system rely on pumps.

'On Thursday night, you could smell it in the street. We could even smell it from inside our house with the windows open,' resident Clair Queenan told AAP.

'The first indication of the power restored on Friday evening was the sound of everyone's tank-overflow alarms going off.'

'Depending on where everyone's tanks are placed on their property, and then how much rain we receive - once the sewage seeps out, then it will wash and flow wherever it flows.'

Andrew Methven posted online he'd effectively been 'camping at home'.

Residents complained the time it was taking to restore power was far too long and it was forcing them to eat out for every meal and children to do their homework by candlelight

Alicja Byrne said the community support has been amazing, but the constant reassurances from Ausgrid that power would be restored 'soon' was frustrating.

'(My) kids have heaps of homework. Homework is done with candles when it gets dark,' Ms Byrne told AAP.

She appreciates Ausgrid crews are working hard but says there 'must be something fundamentally wrong' with the network provider's operation.

'It seems like we were living in a third world country. We have had storms before - why is this country not mitigating risks?'

Her power was restored on Saturday afternoon.

Ausgrid said 1000 contractors were working with SES to restore power but their efforts were being hampered by storm-weakened trees

Ausgrid says up to 1000 contractors - assisted by the SES and interstate energy providers - were working each day to reconnect customers.

Giving accurate estimates was difficult as a full picture of the damage required crews to examine each site thoroughly, a spokesman told AAP.

He said complicated repairs have also been hampered by storm-weakened trees falling during the week on lines - sometimes on lines repaired only days earlier.

'Ausgrid strongly urges the public not to attempt the removal of fallen trees as they may conceal fallen wires,' the company said in a statement.

More than 132,000 premises have had power restored since Sunday.

8000 homes and business still await urgent repairs.
MUNICH  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Saturday that social media companies need more guidance and regulation from governments in order to tackle the growing problem of harmful online content.

"Even if I'm not going to agree with every regulation in the near term, I do think it's going to be the thing that helps creates trust and better governance of the internet and will benefit everyone, including us over the long term," Zuckerberg told an audience at the Munich Security Conference.

"In the absence of that kind of regulation, we will continue doing our best, we are going to build up the muscle to do it, to basically find stuff as proactively as possible," he said, adding that he did not want Facebook to contribute to polarization or misinformation.

"To the contrary, I want us to be a force for bringing people closer together," he said at the annual security forum.

Facebook has dealt with a number of headaches over the past few years. The company had to overcome the fallout from Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, 2018's Cambridge Analytica scandal and the launch of four separate antitrust-focused investigations in the U.S. into the company in 2019.

The tech boss said he now employs 35,000 people to review online content and that his teams currently suspend more than a million fake accounts each day. The social media giant has previously said that the number of users continues to grow, claiming 2.9 billion monthly users across its family of apps.

While in Europe, Zuckerberg is expected to take meetings with European politicians in Munich and Brussels to discuss data practices, regulation and tax reform.

"My goal for this next decade isn't to be liked, but to be understood," Zuckerberg said on the company's earnings call in January.

Zuckerberg also spoke at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit 2020 in Salt Lake City, Utah, earlier this month, saying that he expects the company's new honesty-first approach is "going to piss off a lot of people."
SBA Administrator Carranzas Statement on January 2020 Jobs Report

U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza today issued the following statement in response to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation Summary for January. According to the just-released report, 225,000 new jobs were created in January, and the employment rate rose slightly to 3.6 percent due to the labor force participation rate increased to 63.4%. The report comes on the heels of two reports released this week indicating new U.S. jobless claims fell by 15,000 to 202,000  a 50-year low  while private payrolls soared by 291,000 in January, the largest gain in nearly five years. Administrator Carranza said:

Todays jobs report is welcome news for Americas 30 million small businesses. Small businesses are investing, expanding, and creating new jobs, and more underrepresented Americans are experiencing upward economic mobility as a result. Income inequality is shrinking and wages are rising fastest among workers who have historically been left behind, including low-income women, African Americans and Latinos. Small businesses remain extraordinarily optimistic about the future, in large part because of this Administrations success in lowering the cost of taxes and regulations, opening up new export markets, and advancing innovative solutions on healthcare and workforce development. Todays news is affirmation that the Presidents policies are benefitting small businesses and helping more Americans climb the economic ladder.

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In addition from benefiting from a strong labor market, historically disadvantaged groups are starting their own business at high rates, said Michael Vallante, Associate Administrator for the Office of Field Operations, overseeing the 68 district offices and nine Regional Administrators; and Regional Administrator for Region IX, overseeing the agencys programs and services in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Guam. SBAs network of resource partners support entrepreneurs start and or expand their business through free counseling, low cost resources, or business loan guarantees. We are inviting all entrepreneurs to connect with us.
Earlier this month, when Gov. Ned Lamont stood in the state House chamber and called on lawmakers and residents to stop badmouthing our state, he got a standing ovation from members on both sides of the aisle. But only hours later when the television cameras were off, Republicans  in particular those who failed to convince voters that their reckless and dangerous ideas were right for the state  reverted back to criticizing our great state.

Bob Stefanowski  who ran in 2018 on plans to gut the states social safety net, cut funding to our cities and towns and eliminate the states primary revenue source  continues to spread misinformation and negativity.

Just days ago, Gov. Lamont announced a historic $157 million economic development agreement to turn New London into an industry-leading wind-turbine assembly hub, creating 460 construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs in the process. This, after turning around the Connecticut Port Authority, and working to make it even more accountable to taxpayers. But Stefanowski ignores this success.

Last year, the Governor signed paid family medical leave and $15 minimum wage into law, two policies Stefanowski blames for businesses leaving the state. Whats confusing is the state they left for  Massachusetts  had both of these policies in effect before Connecticut passed them.

He also points out about the pension plan being a problem for this state, but lets remember how it got to where it is. Republican Gov. John Rowland shorted payments, changed the funding of the plan to that of a balloon mortgage, and gave out the state surplus in rebates instead of funding the Budget Reserve Fund, all so that he could win re-election. Dannel Malloy was the first governor since then to make full payments to the pension plan, and his successor has continued to do so.

Democrats have been working to put people before politics: ensuring everyone in our state can earn a fair wage, making sure working families have the ability to care for their loved ones and not worry about paying bills and future generations arent saddled with debts from the past. These are the policies Ned Lamont campaigned on, and the voters showed they agreed by electing him.

Democrats are building a better Connecticut, while Republicans continue to use the tactics of Donald Trump to try to knock it all down.

When I was in the legislature, Democrats and Republicans worked together on many issues to make Connecticut a better place to live and work. And in 2017, we passed a bipartisan budget.

Gov. Lamonts positive message and commitment to growth is the leadership we need. Badmouthing our state is contagious among Trump Republicans. Lets not let it cloud the good work happening here and continue to give the pledge to end it a bipartisan standing ovation.

Nancy Wyman is the chairman of the Connecticut Democratic Party and a former Lt. Governor of the state.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 06:41:24|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Feb. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday expressed China's gratitude to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for Ankara's support for China in battling the epidemic of Covid-19.

The novel coronavirus is the common enemy of mankind and the international community needs to join hands to deal with it, Wang said while meeting Cavusoglu on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference, which kicked off here on Friday and runs until Sunday.

Wang said China has made arduous efforts to fight against the virus, and the prevention and control work have achieved positive results, adding that he believed that China will become stronger after the epidemic is over.

The top Chinese diplomat also noted China and Turkey, both as important emerging economies, should strengthen strategic coordination, enhance mutual understanding and trust, offer mutual support on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, and jointly safeguard the sovereignty of each other and the common interests of developing countries.

For his part, Cavusoglu said he is glad to hear that the novel coronavirus epidemic situation has stabilized in China, and that is good news for China and the rest of the world.

Cavusoglu said Turkey firmly supports China in the battle against the epidemic and believes that China is fully capable of achieving victory as soon as possible.

Turkey has provided some material assistance to China and is willing to provide further assistance in accordance with China's needs, he said.

Cavusoglu also said Turkey hopes to strengthen high-level exchanges with China, deepen cooperation in various fields, adhere to the consensus reached by the heads of the two countries, and is committed to continuously enhancing mutual trust with China.

Turkey supports the stable development of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the measures adopted by China to counter terrorism and eradicate extremism, said Cavusoglu, adding that Turkey will maintain a fair and objective stand in this regard and will not be used as a tool for certain countries to oppose or suppress China.
By PTI

LAHORE: Pakistan anti-corruption officials raided the properties of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on Saturday to collect evidence in a money laundering case, even as his mother left for London to be with her son ahead of his cardiac treatment.

An accountability court here has already exempted the 69-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo from appearing before it in the money laundering case on medical grounds and adjourned the hearing till February 28.

"Nawaz Sharif's mother Shamim Bibi left for London to be with her son while he undergoes heart treatment," PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted on Saturday. Aurangzeb said that Bibi had been advised not to travel because of her age, 90, and illnesses but she expressed her wish to be present during her son's treatment.

On Saturday, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials raided businesses and properties of the Sharif family in search of evidence related to the money laundering charges.

The accountability bureau has accused Sharif of being a direct beneficiary of Chaudhry Sugar Mills and his daughter, Maryam, who was arrested in connection with the case in August along with her cousin Yousuf Abbas, of holding over 12 million shares in the sugar mills.

The three-time premier is undergoing treatment in London for coronary artery disease. Sharif was on November 4 last year granted bail on humanitarian grounds by the Lahore High Court in the case. The former prime minister left for London on November 19 in an air ambulance.

Sharif is suffering from "complex multi-vessel coronary artery disease and substantial ischemic and threatened myocardium for which he is due to undergo surgery, says his personal physician Dr Adnan Khan.

The Imran Khan government has not allowed Maryam Nawaz to go to London and placed her name on a no-fly list as she is also named in the money laundering case. Nawaz's counsel advocate Amjad Pervez told Lahore High Court that his client is likely to undergo coronary angiography on February 24.

"The medical reports suggest that Mr Sharif requires continuous monitoring by the doctors in London," Pervez said, and asked the court to extend exemption to Sharif from personal appearance in proceedings against him.

The court allowed the application and adjourned hearing till February 28. The Punjab government has not yet given extension to Sharif for his London stay, seeking fresh health reports. The medical reports prepared by the London doctors have not so far advised Sharif about air travel.

Dr David Lawrence, a cardiac surgeon known for performing minimally invasive chest surgery and lung cancer surgery, penned the report detailing Sharif's medical history from 2003 to 2019 as well as his current treatment plan.

"The stability of healthcare management is of vital importance for the patient, hence he [Nawaz] should remain under the care of his healthcare providers in the UK until his diseases are adequately addressed," he said.
The 78 Britons trapped aboard a coronavirus-blitzed cruise ship in Japan will watch their fellow American passengers evacuated home tomorrow, piling pressure on the UK government to take similar action.

Two US State Department-chartered planes will airlift their 428 stranded citizens from Yokohama, where the Diamond Princess liner has been docked in quarantine for 10 days and will remain locked-down until Wednesday.

Infections on the ship continue to climb and today jumped to 285 - up 67 in the last three days.

Amid the spike in diagnoses of the killer virus, a source said the Foreign Office is 'actively considering all options', but has not yet confirmed a US-inspired airlift.

MailOnline understands government crisis teams stationed in London and Tokyo have been working to safeguard the wellbeing of British nationals, all of whom have been contacted by officials today.

Three of those infected are British nationals, including Wolverhampton honeymooner Alan Steele.

The 78 Britons trapped aboard a coronavirus-blitzed cruise ship in Japan (Diamond Princess pictured) will watch their fellow American passengers evacuated home tomorrow, piling pressure on the UK government to take similar action

Three of those infected are British nationals, including Wolverhampton honeymooner Alan Steele (pictured with new wife Wendy)

Trapped Britons David and Sally Abel appealed to billionaire Richard Branson for help

Increasingly desperate to leave, two of the trapped Britons David and Sally Abel appealed to billionaire Richard Branson to send a plane to rescue them.

An Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'We are urgently speaking to authorities in Japan and the UK.

'We are working around the clock to ensure the welfare of the British nationals on board.'

The cruise ship initially had 3,700 passengers and crew, but during its quarantine in Yokahama some have been carted off the liner to be treated for the deadly infection.

Those diagnosed on board have been removed to local hospital, with people remaining on the ship told that their quarantine would be over on February 19, two weeks from when it officially began.

But a message broadcast on the ship by the captain on Saturday night local time cast doubt on that timeline.

The captain said: 'The Japanese government has informed us that they may start a new testing process for guests beginning February 18,' and warned it could take several days.

'So guests who are tested on February 18 and have negative test results may be able to disembark beginning February 21,' the message said.

The US is to evacuate 428 Americans who have been trapped on board a cruise ship in Japan (Diamond Princess pictured, with Hazmat-suited drivers leaving port)

The cruise ship initially had 3,700 passengers and crew on board and was put under a two quarantine on February 5

Those who had close contact with anyone who tested positive would have to restart their quarantine from the date of their last close contact, he added.

When the US launched a similar rescue mission for its citizens trapped in Wuhan, it prompted the UK to follow their lead and also send a plane.

Tomorrow, the Americans will be flown to Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento, California, they will undergo a further 14 days of quarantine, sparking 'apprehension' among passengers.

Paul and Cheryl Molesky, from Syracuse, New York, are among those being rescued tomorrow.

Asked how they felt about being evacuated, Ms Molesky said they were a 'bit apprehensive' about again being quarantined on arrival to the US.

Paul and Cheryl Molesky, from Syracuse, New York, are among those being rescued tomorrow

She told Sky News: 'We are relieved but we're still a little bit shocked...

'We found out that we're going to have to be quarantined for an additional 14 days in the United States, so there's some mixed emotions there.

Mr Molesky added: 'Because of the speed of what has happened here this last half hour we're a little dizzy.

The couple also paid tribute to the Japanese government and the Diamond Princess staff for making their stay 'very comfortable'.

The US embassy in Tokyo said in a letter to passengers that the aircraft would arrive in Japan on the evening of February 16 and that it recommended 'out of an abundance of caution' that US citizens disembark and return home for further monitoring.

The number of cases on board the Diamond Princess liner has rise to 218 since it first docked

The passengers would be required to undergo further quarantine of 14 days upon arriving in the United States.

'We understand this is frustrating and an adjustment, but these measures are consistent with the careful policies we have instituted to limit the potential spread of the disease,' the letter said.

'Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time.'

'The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make a final determination on this matter.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 04:49:56|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr has assigned an outside prosecutor to review the criminal case against President Donald Trump's first national security advisor Michael Flynn, who is awaiting sentencing for lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, local media reported Friday.

Barr asked Jeffrey Jensen, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, "to scrutinize" Flynn's case, said multiple reports, noting the review began in the past month.

The move was "highly unusual and could trigger more accusations of political interference by top Justice Department officials into the work of career prosecutors," The New York Times commented.

Flynn resigned a month into the new Trump administration in 2017. The investigation into Flynn's case led to the appointment of former special counsel Robert Mueller over the probe into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Barr has been under fire on allegations of "misuse of the criminal justice system" due to controversy surrounding the Justice Department's decision to lessen a sentence for Trump ally Roger Stone after the president tweeted about his displeasure with the gravity of the original sentence recommendation.

Four career federal prosecutors have resigned in protest after the Justice Department overruled them on the Stone case earlier this week.

The attorney general is also facing intense scrutiny over the removal of U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu in January and accepting Ukraine-related information from Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

On Wednesday, Trump praised Barr on Twitter for the attorney general's intervening in the case: "Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought."

Barr said on ABC News on Thursday that Trump "has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case" but should stop tweeting about the Justice Department because the president's tweets "make it impossible for me to do my job."

Trump quoted part of Barr's saying on Friday, declaring that he has the "legal right" to ask his top law enforcement official to intervene in a criminal case.

"'The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.' A.G. Barr This doesn't mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!" Trump tweeted.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate what pressure Trump and Barr might have exerted behind the scenes.
Once upon a time, the Democrat establishment was truly, madly, deeply in love with Michael Avenatti, who represented Stormy Daniels, the stripper whom attorney Michael Cohen paid off on Trump's behalf (using Trump's own money) after she threatened to go public about an alleged affair. That love is over now, for Avenatti was convicted on Friday of trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike.

When Democrats went after Michael Cohen, an attorney who used to work as Trump's go-to guy for fixing things, it emerged that Cohen had paid $130,000 to Daniels when she threatened to tell the world that Trump had sex with her. Trump denied her claim and said he paid her just to make her go away (something rich and famous people often do because it's cheaper and easier than litigation).

Daniels seized the moment to sue Trump, claiming that the nondisclosure agreement she executed when she accepted the $130,000 was invalid because Trump hadn't signed it. Michael Avenatti, a flashy Los Angeles lawyer, represented Daniels.

In connection with that representation, Avenatti made a name for himself as an anti-Trump talking head. The media adored him:

Memories, like the corners of my mind  pic.twitter.com/6lG2NXFkd2  It's still 2016 apparently (@jtLOL) February 14, 2020

Never forget that Ana Navarro compared Avenatti to the Holy Spirit on the Viewhttps://t.co/QBKEMC8SoP  Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 14, 2020

Avenatti intensified the love affair when he claimed, at the peak of the Democrats' Brett Kavanaugh madness, that his client, Julie Swetnick, would testify that Kavanaugh was part of rape gangs while in high school. Her allegations were extreme, ludicrous, self-defeating, and belied by actual evidence. That did not change the media's adoration:

In 2018, CNN gave Michael Avenatti the most airtime, with 107 live interviews. MSNBC came in a close second at 81. He totaled 214 appearances across multiple networks. https://t.co/siz3nWi1dY  The Federalist (@FDRLST) February 14, 2020

There was even talk of Avenatti becoming a Democrat presidential candidate:

It's fun to make fun of Michael Avenatti but never forget that the entirety of liberal mainstream media took a lawyer for a porn star seriously as a presidential candidate https://t.co/juTp3lJ0x4  Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 14, 2020

Tucker Carlson had Avenatti's number from the start, famously calling him the "creepy porn lawyer."

And then the Democrats' new idol toppled from his pedestal. Over a few weeks, he was arrested on domestic violence charges, accused of embezzling client funds (including from Stormy Daniels), and alleged to have tried to extort $25 million from Nike. That last accusation led to today's verdict finding Avenatti guilty on three charges that could earn him up to 42 years in prison.

Of the many people celebrating Avenatti's comeuppance, arguably one of the most delighted was Sen. Ben Sasse, who released a statement calling Avenatti a "noted scumbag and left-wing media darling who orchestrated attacks on" Kavanaugh:

Sen. Ben Sasse releases statement on Michael Avenatti, "the noted scumbag and left-wing-media darling who orchestrated attacks on Justice Brett Kavanaugh, was found guilty on all counts in his Nike extortion trial."



Michael Avenatti is a D-list attorney but a Grade-A scumbag.." pic.twitter.com/RaVBohh5Yf  Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) February 14, 2020

But perhaps the best coda to the whole affair comes from James Woods:

Sometimes, justice really is served.
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville, seeking a sixth term in Congress, got perhaps the biggest endorsement he could get on Friday afternoon.

President Trump, in a wave of endorsement tweets, singled out Brooks as having "my Complete Endorsement!" in the social media message at 4 p.m. Friday.

Trump tagged Brooks campaign Twitter account (@MoInTheHouse) in the message and linked to a website where supporters can contribute to Brooks campaign. The Brooks campaign account quickly re-tweeted the presidents message.

@MoInTheHouse is running for Congress in the Great State of Alabama. He is a huge supporter of the #MAGA Agenda. Mo fully supports Securing our Border w/the WALL, he Loves our Military & Vets, & is Strong on the #2A. Mo has my Complete Endorsement, Trumps Twitter message said.

.@MoInTheHouse Brooks is running for Congress in the Great State of Alabama. He is a huge supporter of the #MAGA Agenda. Mo fully supports Securing our Border w/the WALL, he Loves our Military & Vets, & is Strong on the #2A. Mo has my Complete Endorsement! https://t.co/wQ0euFBwbI  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2020

Brooks is running against Florence businessman and retired Navy Commander Chris Lewis for the Republican nomination on March 3. There is no Democrat who has qualified for the race, making the GOP primary the de facto election.

Amongst Republicans in Alabama, Donald Trump has about an 87 percent favorable rating  one of the highest in the country, Brooks said in an interview with AL.com following the endorsement. And an endorsement from someone that well liked amongst a Republican primary voter pool is huge.

Brooks was endorsed by Trump prior to winning re-election in 2018 but that endorsement did not come with a Trump tweet. Brooks called a press conference at the time to announce the endorsement. On Friday, Brooks said that supporters of his opponent in the 2018 GOP primary, Huntsville businessman Clayton Hinchman, questioned the validity of the endorsement because it did not come in the form of a tweet.

No one argues that its fake when it comes from the presidents Twitter account, Brooks said of Fridays endorsement.

Brooks is also serving as Trumps re-election co-chair in Alabama.

Brooks said he had heard whispers about a possible Trump endorsement.

I did not know it would happen until it happened, Brooks said. I had gotten a heads up that it might happen. But I know, like a lot of other people do, that nothing is for sure until its in the past.

Brooks stance on illegal immigration, which has landed him the No. 1 rating in Congress from Numbers USA for border protection, was a key in receiving Trumps backing.

I have been one of the strongest supporters of border security in the United States congress, ranked No. 1 out of 435 congressman by NumbersUSA, Brooks said. And that is a very important issue for President Trump.

Updated today, Feb. 14, 2020, at 4:53 p.m. with comments from Brooks.
Sinn Feins Johnny Mythen was elected on the first count on Sunday evening

Was it a protest vote?, was it a rise in Republicanism? Or was it a burning need for change within an electorate that felt let down by the political establishment?

Whatever the reason, the surge in the popularity of Sinn Fein in Enniscorthy resulted in the party creating history in General Election 2020.

Johnny Mythen, the man who came within a whisker of the Dail last time around, lost his local authority seat in the last local election, and failed to win a seat in last year's by-election, received more first preference votes than any other candidate in the history of General Elections in the county.

The only other occasion when a candidate received more votes was in a by-election in 1932 when Denis Allen, of Fianna Fail, received 23,363 votes but in terms of General Elections, Mythen's haul of 18,717 first preference votes, within Wexford, has never been equalled or topped since the foundation of the state.

When he spoke to this newspaper he admitted to finding the situation 'a bit surreal'.

The fact that his rise back into the cutting face of Irish politics comes in the wake of him losing his seat on Wexford County Council in the last General Election makes his rise to the top of the poll all the more remarkable.

However, he said he was humbled and privileged to be given the opportunity to represent the people of county Wexford in Dail Eireann.

There is no doubt the political landscape across the country is changing and now that has surfaced in county Wexford too but for Enniscorthy this election has created history on a number of fronts.

In addition to the town getting its first Sinn Fein TD, for the first time ever the town now also has three TDs about to take their seats in Government at the same time.

While on the surface one would say that has to be a positive thing the fact remains that the three incoming TDs, Johnny Mythen, James Browne and Paul Kehoe, are coming from very different political backgrounds - although some would say the lines between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are becoming increasingly blurred.

Whether the three TDs, who no doubt will have the best interests of Enniscorthy at heart can work together as a united body for the betterment of the town remains to be seen.

Outgoing Fine Gael minister, Paul Kehoe's Lazarus like rise from what initially seemed like a doomed election was perhaps summed up best in his own words when at the end of the night when all five newly elected TDs were presented to the crowd in St Joseph's Community Centre he said: 'I'll start by quoting the bible; the dead arose and spoke to many.'

His comments elicited an instant and noticeably loud round of applause from those within the count centre.

When speaking to this newspaper following his election on the 11th count, Deputy Kehoe said he 'will not go back' on his word to the people he spoke to while on the canvas.

He also said that on a personal level he would not be willing to go into Government with Sinn Fein.

However, the fact is all three TDs know each on a personal level very well and would consider each other as friends.

With that in mind there are obvious advantages to having three TDs in Dail Eireann from the one town.

Especially when one considers Enniscorthy is on the cusp of some major developments with work on the multi-million Euro flood defence scheme about to begin this year.

The development of the Technology Park on the outskirts of the town is also something that all three incoming TDs have spoken about over the last number of months throughout their respective campaigns.

Deputy James Browne retained his seat in Dail Eireann when he crossed the line at the 11th count, with a final total of 11,660 votes.

With this election being perceived in some quarters as representative of a kickback against Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, Deputy Browne's re-election could be seen as somewhat of a victory, despite not reaching the quota.

Commenting to this newspaper Deputy Kehoe said he is proud of his record of getting through five elections in-a-row, however, he acknowledged the support he received from his election team, the electorate and his family.

While the story for Enniscorthy is the most positive outcome it could have in terms of securing three seats in the broader context of the county the shape of politics has definitely changed.

Deputy Brendan Howlin crossed the finish line on the eight count.

It was a remarkable achievement considering it was his ninth consecutive election success.

In addressing the crowd he perhaps summed up the slightly changed nature of this election when he said that everyone was on edge.

The Labour vote across the country is at rock bottom, however, Deputy Howlin, like he does in every single election, has received the support of the people he represents - predominantly in his home base in Wexford town - but also, to a lesser extent in other areas of the county too.

'All the candidates are fraught and on edge,' he said in the wake of the election being finalised on Monday afternoon.

'It's been the privilege of my life to serve the people of Wexford,' he told the crowd.

There is no doubt that his words were sincere and they were very well received in the count centre.

He congratulated those who were successful and when he commiserated with Fianna Fail's Malcolm Byrne on his failure to retain the seat that he won just a few short months ago in the by-election, his words were warmly received.

Verona Murphy had one of the most controversial campaigns of the election and while some of the controversy was of her own making there was also a valid argument to say that at times the national media were at pains to present her in the worst possible light.

In the end she received a rapturous applause from her supporters when she emerged with a seat and with a tally above Deputy Paul Kehoe.

The significance of the fact that her former Fine Gael party colleague and outgoing Junior Minister, Michael D'Arcy lost is seat altogether was unlikely to have been missed by many in the county centre.

'This is my second time here in the couple of months but to take the third seat here and to be chosen by the people of Wexford to represent them is just such a fabulous honour,' she told the assembled crowd in the centre.

Having thanked her candidate team and her family she pledged to do her best while also commiserating with those who were disappointed.

'It's a hard task to put yourself up and not achieve a seat,' she said.

'It's politics, it's not personal,' she added.

One of the most emotional moments of the afternoon came when former TD, Malcolm Byrne, made an address.

Having lost his seat after only a couple of months in the Dail it means that, for the moment, one of the most high profile figures in Wexford political circles has gone from the scene.

However, he revealed that he has no intention to give up public life and few would bet against him running again in the next local election.

At times he got emotional, especially when referring to the support he received from his parents.

His words resonated throughout the centre and the applause he received was indiciative of how highly regarded he is. both within and outside of his own Fianna Fail party.

A noted absentee at the end of the count was the man who created history.

Johnny Mythen was nowhere to be seen as the election drew to a close.

Having said that, the election ended relatively early in the day in terms of counts being finalised considering the lengthy treks that some recent elections have been.

However, it was still strange to see a podium filled with the politicians that will represent the people of the Model County in the incoming Dail and the one person who absolutely blitzed it was absent.

That aside the election has resulted in a team of very capable, obviously passionate and extremely determined politicians to represent the county.

The political landscape in Wexford has changed; Gorey is now without any sitting TD and Enniscorthy suddenly finds itself with three.

The people of the county have spoken and the elected Wexford participants in the incoming Dail have a long road ahead of them.

Whether it's full of potholes remains to be seen.
BROOK PARK, Ohio -- A 23-year-old man accused of beating a 4-year-old boy surrendered to police Saturday morning, Brook Park police said.

Officers took Bryan Morris into custody after he walked into the Brook Park Police Department. He is expected to make his initial court appearance Monday at Berea Municipal Court, police said.

He is being held at the Cuyahoga County Jail without bond.

Jessica Jordan, 24, the mother of the child, is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Her case has been bound over to a Cuyahoga County grand jury for review, court records say.

Police and reports have not described the nature of the relationship between Jordan and Morris.

Morris beat the boy Feb. 6 and left bruises and marks on his head, face, neck, arms, buttocks and hip, police reports say. Jordan did not call police after she found her son was beaten, reports say.

Read related crime story and other crime stories:

Warrant issued for Brook Park man accused of beating 4-year-old boy, police say

Judge doles out Bart Simpson-esque punishment to lawyer held in contempt for acting out at trial in Cleveland

Man robs Middleburg Heights Key Bank branch, FBI says

Two dead, several hurt in multi-car crash on Clevelands East Side

Motorist, passenger take car for a swim near the Greater Cleveland Aquarium in the Flats

If youd like to comment on this story, visit Saturdays crime and courts comments section.
With a single day off, you can end up with a four-day weekend this March. Here's how you can make the most of it.



With Holi falling on a Tuesday (March 10) all you really need is to convince your boss to take the Monday off so you can take that much needed break (cmon, its been t-w-o months into the new year and we could all do with a short vacay). And if youre wondering where you could head out to from Kolkata, youre in luck because here are all the places where you can travel to from Kolkata over the Holi weekend.

Bhubaneshwar (return tickets start at Rs 3,823)

Odisha has been a bit under the radar all these years. Sure, Puri has always attracted throngs of devotees year after year and is likely the only Indian city thats contributed a word to the English language (look up juggernaut) unless you count Bangalored as a legitimate word but theres so much more to Odisha than that. Head over to the beaches to surf, laze or indeed watch the sunrise.

Photograph: Bikashrd / Creative Commons

Guwahati (return tickets start at Rs 3,372)

Really, Guwahati is just the gateway to all the possible places where you can head for the long weekend. And while you can, of course, consider Kaziranga, theres Shillong and all the villages on its outskirts  from Cherrapunji to Mawlynong, Dawki and beyond  each more beautiful than the previous one.

Photograph: deepgoswami / Flickr

Bagdogra (return tickets start at Rs 5,280)

Like Guwahati, Bagdogra is also a gateway to far more interesting places. With a long weekend at your disposal, you can always head down to Darjeeling (tea, someone) or Siliguri and check into one of the many picturesque Airbnbs.

Photograph: Abhishek Kumar / Flickr

Visakhapatnam (return tickets start at Rs 7,756)

While the beaches of Visakhapatnam may not appear in the list of Indias best, dont once think the city doesnt boast of great beaches. Rishikonda tends to get tad crowded but there are several others  from Yarda to Bheemli  that make it a great beach getaway. But more than that, Visakhapatnam also has a hidden hill station that you absolutely must visit  Araku.

ALSO SEE From a balloona breathtaking view of Araku Valley

Photograph: Amit Chattopadhyay / Creative Commons

Story continues

Colombo (return tickets start at Rs 14,540)

The capital of Sri Lanka is a great getaway from Kolkata. Its luxury hotels and casinos can keep you entertained for the weekend but its also a great place from where you can take off to picturesque towns such as Bentota and Galle among others. If you dont mind a longer drive, Trincomalee in north east Sri Lanka also makes for a great beach vacation.

Photograph: Charaka Ranasinghe / Creative Commons

Kathmandu (return tickets start at Rs 16,185)

The Nepalese capital has never been more accessible with Vistara starting daily flights to Kathmandu. Wander in the many by lanes of the city, take a walk down Freak Street once home to the hippies and explore the neighbourhood that was once home to the infamous serial killer Charles Shobraj. Kathmandu is recovering from a devastating earthquake; visiting it could well be the best way you can help the city and country recover.

Photograph: Rajesh Maharjan / Pixabay



ALSO READ Where to travel on the Holi weekend from Mumbai
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 15, 2020 11:01 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064aef7d 1 News Aice-Indonesia,ice-cream,factory,educational-tourism Free

Ice cream brand Aice Indonesia has opened a factory tour program for the public in its second factory, located in Mojokerto, East Java, allowing visitors to learn the ins and outs of ice cream production.

Aice Indonesia currently has two factories located in Cikarang, West Java, and Mojokerto. However, the factory tour is only available in the second location, where it highlights education and tourism.

Students visit Aice Indonesia ice cream factory in Mojokerto, East Java. (Aice Indonesia/File)

According to a statement received by The Jakarta Post, the factory tour program started in October last year and has welcomed visitors from various cities, including Bandung, West Java, and Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Read also: Local ice cream commercial gains worldwide attention

During the program, Aice brings in visitors to learn about a brief history of ice cream, the main ingredients, as well as production technology. In one of the areas, visitors can create their own ice cream based on their personal preferences.

Besides providing basic information about the ice cream industry, Aice invites everyone to see the raw materials, technology and other factors that make Aice able to produce quality products that can be enjoyed by many, said Aice Group Holdings Pte Ltd brand manager Sylvana Zhong, adding that the program aimed to encourage the development of educational tourism in Indonesia.

The factory is said to be able to accommodate up to 100 people for each visit. (jes/kes)
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday said that government has taken serious note of the matter pertaining to an Institute in Bhuj where girl students were allegedly forced to remove their innerwear to check whether they are menstruating or not, and has issued orders to the Home department and Education department to take strict action.

"The state government has taken the incident very seriously and issued orders to Home department and Education department to take strict action," said Rupani while speaking to ANI here in Ahmedabad.

The Chief Minister informed that an FIR in the matter was lodged on Friday.

At least 68 girl students of Shree Sahajanand Girls Institute (SSGI) in Gujarat's Bhuj were allegedly forced to remove their innerwear to prove that they were not menstruating.The students are demanding action legal action against the authorities of the education institution for making such a move."We do respect our institution, but what they did was not right. Legal action should be taken against them. We decided to call the media to throw light on the matter," one of the complainants told ANI.The girl alleged that the principal of the institute blackmailed and forced them to withdraw the complaint."The principal and a few others have called us and tried emotionally blackmailed us. He also told us to give in writing that everything is fine now. We want legal action and not just the apology from the administration," she said.Responding to the claims, Darshana Dholakia, SSGI Dean, said that an inquiry team has been formed to look into the matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In 2020, more than 2,000 residents of the republic will be protected from floods in Dagestan, the press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the region reported.

The ministry said that in order to protect the population from the negative effects of floods in 2020-2021, an overhaul of water-protecting shafts and shore protection constructions will be carried out. "The work will be carried out on the rivers Terek in the Kizlyar and Babayurt districts, Gulgerichai in the Kurakhsky district, Aksai in the Khasavyurt district, Samur in the Akhtynsky district. The measures will protect more than 2,000 people living in the settlements of these regions, infrastructure objects and farmland with a total area of 9 thousand hectares from floods, the Ministry of Natural Resources of Dagestan informed.
Pupils from 30 schools pitted their wits against each last weekend in Enniscorthy for the 2020 Credit Union Schools Quiz.

Enniscorthy Credit Union hosted its heat of this year's competition in the Riverside Park Hotel on Sunday, February 2.

The theme of the competition this year is 'Let the Battle Commence' and all the primary schools in the common bond of Enniscorthy Credit Union were invited into battle.

This is the 29th year that the competition is being held.

It's one of the most popular promotions undertaken by the credit union movement nationwide each year.

Chairperson of Enniscorthy Credit Union, Nick Cosgrave, welcomed the huge entry of 30 schools, represented by 59 teams, to the venue.

Mr Cosgrave thanked the teachers and parents for organising the teams for the quiz and getting them fighting fit to claim victory.

'A very important aspect of the schools quiz is partnership and teamwork and you know partnership and teamwork are skills that the boys and girls will use all through their adult lives no matter what path in life you follow,' Mr Cosgrave told the contestants.

'The ability to participate effectively in a team and to perhaps lead a team is becoming more and more important in all aspects of life,' he added.

He said the quiz initiative, for Enniscorthy Credit Union, is more than just a promotional event.

'At the heart of the credit union operating principles is 'the concept of human development and the brotherhood of man expressed through people working together to achieve a better life for themselves and their families',' said Mr Cosgrave.

'Hence, social responsibility and contributing to the education of our members and potential members is something we take seriously,' he added.

He said the aim of the quiz initiative is to encourage local children to work together and see what they can achieve as part of a team.

There was a raffle on the day for two 50 prizes - for parents and teachers in attendance.

They were won by Harry Carty and Paul Murphy.

Mr Cosgrave thanked the volunteers who corrected answers, kept the score and acted as quiz assistants collecting answer sheets.

He also praised the staff in the hotel for their help on the day.

Liam Waters, who acted as quizmaster, had everybody under starter's orders just after 3 p.m.

There were two battles - one for Under 11s and one for Under 13's.

'As Enniscorthy Credit Union had more than 20 schools represented in the schools quiz this year, both the winner and the runner-up in each quiz will go forward to the next level of the quiz,' a spokesperson for Enniscorthy Credit Union told this newspaper.

The next stage is Chapter level and that event will take place in Gorey on Sunday, March 1.

The winning teams from there will go through to the grand final which will be held in the RDS, Dublin, on Sunday, April 5.

The quality of answering and level of knowledge amongst the children was very impressive and it took a number of tie-breaks to decide 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place, in the U13 section, and 3rd and 4th places in the U11 quiz.

However, after a very close competition the following results were announced: Under 11: 1st place - St Joseph's National School, Bree (Team 1A - Noel Tyrrell; Larry Sludds; Tom Finn and Eva Power); 2nd place - Sacred Heart National School, Caim (Team 12A - Niamh Murphy; John Horgan; Adam Phylan and Kate Browne); 3rd place - Kilrane NS, Rosslare (Team 18A - Elijah Page-Redmond; Lily Suun; Natasha Rawson and Ella Howlin); 4th place - St Fintan's NS, Taghmon (Team 26A - Rylee Sweeney; Frank Hussey; Max O'Connor; Katelyn Stenning); Under 13: 1st place - Gaelscoil Inis Corthaidh (Team 22B - Oisin Ris O Neill; Aine Ni Neill; Siun Ni Riain; Odhran Conghaile O Broin); 2nd place - Boolavogue NS (Team 31B - Conor Burke; Sean Walsh; Luke Foran; Ronan Sweeney); 3rd place - Piercestown NS (Team 8B - Aoife Crosbie; Aaron Comer; Hugh O'Brien and Mollie Quirke); 4th place - St Joseph's NS, Donard (Team 4B - Cormac Fleming; Phena Quigley; Padraig McDonald and Amy McManus).

Mr Cosgrave wished all the winners and runners-up the best of luck at Chapter level of the quiz and he thanked everybody for their attendance.
YOKOHAMA BAY, JAPAN -- After more than a week spent quarantined on a cruise ship in Japan, a Central New York couple is set to fly back to the United States.

Cheryl and Paul Molesky, of Syracuse, have been stuck on the Diamond Princess for days after an outbreak of COVID-19, a cornavirus, on the cruise ship.

The couple is now leaving Japan. But they arent done with quarantines.

The federal government is set to fly the Moleskys -- along with their brother- and sister-in-law, of Rome -- back to the United States, Cheryl Molesky wrote this weekend on her Facebook page. They will then spend another two weeks quarantined on either the Travis Air Force Base in California or the Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, she wrote.

The Moleskys were tested Thursday morning in Japan for COVID-19. They still havent gotten their results, Cheryl Molesky wrote.

COVID-19 seems to be taking hold here in Japan, she wrote. Well have to go home and return another time soon.

Want to keep up with the Moleskys? Watch their video diary on YouTube.

Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
The Foreign Ministers of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova signed a joint appeal to the European Commission on the importance of proper financial support for the Eastern Partnership region as a part of the following EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, which is currently being formed in the EU institutions, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry website informs.

"The foreign ministers of the three associated members called on the EU to take into account the scope and ambitiousness of the reforms implemented and planned by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova in the process of European integration, within the framework of strategic budget planning for the next 7 years," RIA Novosti reports.
Tripura will collect data as part of the National Population Register updation from May this year through mobile application only, even as the country has been witnessing several protests against NPR, as well as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), a senior official of the directorate of census operations said on Friday.

The data for NPR would be collected as part of the census operation in the northeastern state.

Deployment of around 11,000 people in a team would be done for the NPR mechanism. A part of the process has already been started. In the first phase, collection of the NPR data like the listing of houses and housing census would start in Tripura from this May 16, director of the census operations PK Chakraborty said while speaking to reporters.

This phase would continue until June 29. In the second phase, real census operation would start from next year. The data collection will be done through mobile app only, Chakraborty said.

Of the 11,000 members, nearly 9062 would be enumerators followed by 1556 supervisors, nine principal census officers including other charge officers and additional charge officers.

Sixteen master trainers would train 169 field trainees from April 6 to 10 at Agartala.

Chief secretary of the state Manoj Kumar, also head of the Tripura State Level Census Coordination Committee, decided to collect data only through app though as per the Registrar General of India both mobile app and paper schedule can be used for the first phase of NPR data collection process, said the official.

Chakraborty said data could be finalised faster through the mobile app operation and if in case of poor internet connectivity in certain hilly and bordering areas, the enumerators could enter the data and later upload it with the speedy internet connection.

The NPR data was surveyed in the country in 2010 for the first time and it was later updated in 2015, Chakraborty said.

Questions related to name, age, place of birth, sex, marital status, relation with familys head, nationality, educational qualification, permanent residential proof, occupation, details of parents, Aadhaar number, EPIC card number, driving license number, and phone number and other details of the concerned person are included in the NPR questionnaire to be used this May.

According to the 2011 Census report, Tripura registered a population of 3,673,917.

The NPR, which is a comprehensive biometric database of all usual residents in India, as opposed to the Census, which is a database of households, has generated controversy with the opposition parties contending that the exercise is linked to the National Register for Indian Citizens (NRIC), which is aimed at identifying illegal immigrants.

The government, which has in the past described NPR as the first step towards a nationwide NRC, now maintains that there is no link between the two and that an all-India NRC is not immediately on the anvil.

At least two state governments of Kerala and West Bengal have announced they will not participate in the NPR updation. At least 10 chief ministers have said they will not participate in an all-India NRC whenever it is rolled out.

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India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments on Kashmir and asked him not to interfere in India's internal affairs

New Delhi: India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for raking up the Kashmir issue during his address at the Pakistan Parliament, and asked him to desist from interfering in India's internal affairs.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India rejects all references made by the Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the union territory is an integral and inalienable part of India.

In his address at a joint session of Pakistan's Parliament on Friday, Erdogan compared the "struggle" of Kashmiri people with that of the fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I.

Kashmiri people have suffered for decades and their sufferings have increased following "unilateral steps taken in recent times", Erdogan said referring to India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir last year.

"India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India," Kumar said.

He was responding to a question on Erdogan's comments on Kashmir as well as its reference in a joint declaration by Turkey and Pakistan.

"We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in India's internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region," Kumar said.

Last September, Erdogan raised the Kashmir issue during his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

In August last year, India announced its decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories.

Pakistan reacted angrily to the move and even downgraded its diplomatic ties with India by expelling the Indian High Commissioner.

Islamabad also unsuccessfully tried to rally international support against India on the issue.
For every social post that tags @NonnisFood, @AlexsLemonade and #DipandDonate between now and Dec. 31, 2020, Nonni's will donate $1 per social share to ALSF, a non-profit organization that funds impactful research to aid in the cure of childhood cancer.

"We are excited to enhance our partnership with Nonni's through the Dip and Donate campaign," said Liz Scott, co-executive director of ALSF and Alex's mom. "What a wonderful way for supporters to contribute to childhood cancer. Nonni's has been a great partner in our mission and we look forward to continuing to work together toward a cure."

Actress and mom of two, Haylie Duff is also excited to help fans kick off the Dip and Donate campaign. "I can't wait to see how fans will creatively entertain and celebrate with Nonni's Limone biscotti, all while donating to a special cause that helps families impacted by childhood cancer," she said. "With the classic Limone Biscotti flavor, these Dip and Donate parties will be the perfect twist on the traditional lemonade stand!"

During or after Dip and Donate parties, hosts and guests can visit alexslemonade.org and search "Nonni's Dip and Donate" under "specific fundraiser" to donate their funds raised or desired donations online.

"We are honored to continue working with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation in the fight against childhood cancer," said Patricia Wong Bridges, senior brand marketing manager for Nonni's. "We love bringing biscotti-lovers together to celebrate and support the ALSF mission and are excited to be launching the Dip and Donate campaign this year with Haylie Duff."

To raise awareness for the foundation, Nonni's longtime fan favorite Limone Biscotti packaging, found at select retailers nationwide, will feature the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation logo through Dec. 31, 2020:

Nonni's Limone Biscotti is a crunchy lemon cookie dipped in white icing for a flavorful experience to brighten any spring day. Rich in flavor, crunchy texture and delicately sweet, made from real, wholesome ingredients, including eggs, butter and sugar.

For more information on how to host your own Dip and Donate party and donate to ALSF, please visit www.alexslemonade.org/campaign/stands-and-events/nonnis and help support the fight against childhood cancer.

About Nonni's Foods LLC

Nonni's Foods LLC is an artisan, Italian inspired baked goods company with a devotion to using real, premium quality ingredients. Founded in 1988, the artisan bakery was opened with the inspiration and family recipes traced back to Lucca, Italy and continues to provide delicious delights made with no artificial flavors or preservatives. Nonni's products include Nonni's Biscotti and THINaddictives. Nonni's Biscotti is the number one selling biscotti in the country, the most popular selling biscotti on the market, and the only national brand sold coast to coast.

About Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of 4-year-old Alexandra "Alex" Scott, who was fighting cancer and wanted to raise money to find cures for all children with cancer. Her spirit and determination inspired others to support her cause, and when she passed away at the age of 8, she had raised $1 million. Since then, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement. Today, ALSF is one of the leading funders of pediatric cancer research in the U.S. and Canada having raised more than $150 million so far, funding nearly 1,000 research projects and providing programs to families affected by childhood cancer. For more information, visit AlexsLemonade.org.

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WILLIAMSPORT  A federal prison inmate has been accused of killing the ringleader of a virtual reality company that bilked more than $20 million from investors.

A U.S. Middle District grand jury Thursday indicted Jason W. Roman, 40, on a murder charge.

He is accused of killing Jimmy L. Barker, 46, of Wellington, Florida, in the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary on Aug. 5, 2015, by beating him about the head, neck and torso.

Barker between 1999 and 2008 was the CEO of a virtual-reality video game company known as 3001 AD based in Delray Beach, Florida.

He had pleaded guilty in 2009 in a wire and mail fraud case and when killed was serving a 152-month sentence that included restitution of $20 million.

The indictment provides no details about the incident and the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case was not available Friday to explain why it took more than four years to file charges.

Roman currently is in the maximum-security prison in Florence, Colorado, with a scheduled release date in May.

A Securities and Exchange Commission complaint filed in Florida alleged Barker and others with making several material misrepresentations to investors in the offer and sale of units of 3001 AD and a myriad of general partnerships.

The defendants were accused of not telling investors that 3001 AD and the partnerships paid up to five times more than the 8 percent sales commissions disclosed in offering materials.

An SEC prosecutor in Miami was quoted as saying the company was creating its own virtual reality for investors, and said the men paid themselves boiler-room commissions of up to 40 percent of every dollar they got.

Barker was accused of offering investors an opportunity to participate in what appeared to be a high-growth profitable industry, with little risk on their investment.

Investors were promised $29,000 profit annually on each $5,000 invested, the SEC charged.

Barker was among those accused of repeatedly misrepresenting to investors that 3001 AD would be going public and soon would be signing contracts with Microsoft. Neither was true, the SEC said.

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Our Royal Family owns the most dazzling jewel collection in the world, its value estimated at up to 5 billion, but in reality priceless.

From the stones to the settings, everything has significance  be it a political power play, a family heirloom or simply a treasured gift.

Yet if those precious stones could talk, they would have stories to tell of love and passion, divorce, tragedy and family rows.

Now a new Channel 5 programme, The Queen's Jewels: Heirlooms & Legacy, takes a closer look at some of the majestic pieces that make up the royal collection  and tells the incredible stories behind them as they've passed through the generations...

BATTLE OF THE BRIDES

The Queen has a huge collection of tiaras. She wore her mother's tiara for her wedding day (pictured), it was created for Queen Mary in 1919 from a diamond necklace

The Duchess of Cambridge favours the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara (left in 2018), made for Queen Mary. It was Diana's favourite too (right in 1991), although she found it heavy to wear

The Queen has a huge collection of tiaras, although she once complained, 'One can't really dance in a tiara.'

One of her favourites  the 'something borrowed' from her mother that she chose to wear for her wedding  is the Queen Mary Fringe tiara, created for Queen Mary in 1919 from a diamond necklace given to her by Queen Victoria and shaped like a kokoshnik, a Russian headdress.

Queen Mary later gave it to her daughter-in-law, the future Queen Mother.

But on the morning of our Queen's wedding the tiara snapped and had to be rushed for emergency repair. The mend is just visible in the Queen's wedding photos.

The Queen shares her jewellery with family members, but there's a pecking order.

The Duchess of Cambridge favours the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara, made for Queen Mary in 1914.

Meghan Markle set her heart on a dramatic emerald tiara for her wedding  but so had the Queen's granddaughter Eugenie, a princess of royal blood (right in the tiara on the day). In the end Meghan wore an exquisite Art Deco tiara, the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau (left)

It was Diana's favourite too, although she found it heavy to wear.

Diana was married in the Spencer family tiara, but Kate had no family jewels so she borrowed the Cartier Halo tiara, made for the Queen Mother then regifted to the Queen for her 18th birthday.

When it was Meghan's turn, she set her heart on a dramatic emerald tiara  but so had the Queen's granddaughter Eugenie, a princess of royal blood.

In the end Meghan wore an exquisite Art Deco tiara, the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau.

As royal author Lady Colin Campbell points out on the show, 'There was that big kerfuffle when Meghan Markle wanted to wear the tiara that Princess Eugenie had already had earmarked, and quite rightly she was excluded from wearing it.'

Royal commentator Daisy McAndrew adds, 'The difference was that one had known all her life she was going to have a royal wedding and had probably been looking at the jewellery all her life, imagining which tiara she'd have.'

MEMORIES OF MUMMY

Prince William and Prince Harry had a pact that whoever needed an engagement ring first could claim their mother's sapphire one (left on the princess at her engagement announcement). That was William, and it is now worn by the Duchess of Cambridge (right)

After Princess Diana's death, William and Harry chose keepsakes from her jewellery collection. William selected the gold Cartier Tank watch that had been a gift from his grandfather Earl Spencer, while Harry chose his mother's sapphire engagement ring.

The ring wasn't considered too special, being off the shelf from Garrard, the royal jewellers. Today the ring is priceless because of its connection to the tragic princess

But the brothers had a pact  whoever needed an engagement ring first could claim it, and of course that was William.

The ring wasn't considered too special, being off the shelf from Garrard, the royal jewellers.

The Queen and Prince Charles had presented Diana with a tray of rings, and the Queen's eyes popped, according to Diana, when she chose the biggest.

Today the ring is priceless because of its connection to the tragic princess.

Harry's engagement ring for Meghan is all the more romantic because he designed it himself.

He sourced the central diamond from Botswana, where he'd done a lot of charity work, and two smaller diamonds belonging to his mother.

Yet Meghan later replaced the traditional plain gold band with one studded with pave diamonds.

Harry's engagement ring for Meghan is all the more romantic because he designed it himself. He sourced the central diamond from Botswana, where he'd done a lot of charity work, and two diamonds belonging to his mother. Pictured, on their engagement announcement

When she left for her evening reception at Frogmore House on her wedding day, Meghan was wearing the whopping aquamarine known as Diana's 'divorce ring'.

The blue stone has a controversial past. Rumour has it that a gem hunter who bought the stone abroad smuggled it back to the UK  secreted about his person.

And the next time he saw it was on a magazine cover  being worn by the Princess of Wales.

BROOCH WARFARE

On the first day of Trump's visit in 2018 the Queen wore a 1950s moss agate brooch presented by the Obamas on a previous visit. Pictured, the Queen wearing the brooch with Obama in 2011

The Queen also sported the diamond teardrop the Queen Mother had worn at her husband George VI's funeral during President Trump's visit, as seen above in July 2018

The Queen is famous for her political neutrality  but was she sending coded messages to Donald Trump when she chose to wear a brooch gifted by his predecessor Barack Obama, a man whose presidency has been roundly criticised by Trump?

On the first day of Trump's visit in 2018 she wore a 1950s moss agate brooch presented by the Obamas on a previous visit.

It could have been perceived as a compliment to America, except on the third day (in between she'd sported the diamond teardrop the Queen Mother had worn at her husband George VI's funeral) she wore the Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake brooch (left), a gift from Canada  a nation Trump has also insulted.

'That can't have been a coincidence, it was a pointed message,' says royal commentator Daisy McAndrew.

When the Queen wore the Snowflake brooch again recently, it was interpreted as a message of support for Harry and Meghan in Canada.

Or was it a nod of thanks to that nation for having them?

WALLIS SIMPSON'S BRING UNDER THE HAMMER

Wallis Simpson's signature piece was a ruby, diamond and sapphire flamingo brooch bought by the Duke of Windsor in 1940

The Duke of Windsor lavished jewels upon Wallis Simpson. Ten years after the Abdication, many important pieces were stolen from them during a rare visit to England in 1946.

The haul  worth up to 20 million today  was never recovered. Some wondered if the theft was set up by the Royal Family to retrieve family gems.

The duchess still had plenty of bling though. Her signature piece was a ruby, diamond and sapphire flamingo brooch bought by the duke in 1940.

After Wallis's death in 1986, her jewels were sold at auction by Sotheby's in Geneva, realising a record 31 million.

Elizabeth Taylor had set her heart on the 400,000 diamond Prince of Wales Feathers brooch because her late husband Richard Burton was born in Wales.

She's said to have outbid Prince Charles, who wanted it for Diana.

Perhaps the quirkiest piece was a Cartier diamond charm bracelet hung with crosses, each bearing an inscription 'handwritten' by the duke.

One commemorated the duchess's appendectomy, another marked their 1937 wedding and another recalled an assassination attempt on Edward VIII in 1936. 'God save the King for Wallis,' it said.

The Daily Mail was there, bidding for jewels to be offered to readers in a competition.

After Wallis's death, Elizabeth Taylor set her heart on her 400,000 diamond Prince of Wales Feathers brooch (pictured). She's said to have outbid Prince Charles, who wanted it for Diana

A ruby and sapphire brooch was won by Wolverhampton couple the Brindleys. It was sold for 36,000 in 2006.

Another treasure that made headlines was the Poltimore tiara Princess Margaret wore at her wedding  allegedly acquired by her from Sotheby's for just 5,500.

In 2006, four years after her death, it sold for 1 million.

Viewers of The Crown will recognise it as the tiara the princess wore in the bath at Kensington Palace when she was photographed by her husband Lord Snowdon in 1962.

According to royal biographer Lady Colin Campbell, 'Margaret was thrilled because she looked so hot.'

The Queen's Jewels: Heirlooms & Legacy, tomorrow, 7pm, Channel 5.
A man who became ill while on a vacation in Hawaii and his wife, who was traveling with him, have both tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.

The couple, who are in their 60s, visited Hawaii in late January and early February, and the man fell ill during the second week of the vacation, while they were staying at a time-share in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. Before that, the couple had been in Maui, but neither showed symptoms while there.

Officials said the man began showing symptoms on Feb. 3, and wore a mask when he went outside the time-share, the Grand Waikikian. He was most likely infected either before he came to Hawaii or while he was on his way to Hawaii in late January, said Dr. Sarah Park, the state epidemiologist. He tested positive for the coronavirus in Japan on Friday.

On the same day, the woman went to a hospital with a fever and on Saturday, her case was confirmed, according to Japans Health Ministry. The ministry said she is from Nagoya, the countrys fourth largest city. NHK, the public broadcaster, and Nagoya city officials said she and the man who tested positive were married.

Lt. Gov. Josh Green, who is an emergency physician, said in an interview on Friday that the authorities were contacting the management at the guest facilities where the man stayed, as well as those who were working there.

The only way to do this right is to contact everyone, he said. We are not worried about minimal contact, but those who had extensive contact will be given whatever support is necessary.
Although as rarely as it occurs, the material for The Saturday Funnies ran a little thin this week, which is a good thing because Ive waited a long time for the chance to share this story. It is also fitting that right on the heels of Valentines Day, while there are still fresh chocolates in the box, this is even a better fit. Todays centerpiece is a bit too long to be coupled with our usual bouquet of shorter funnies but, as you will find, it is good enough to almost stand alone. A hurried search on Google was unable to reveal the name of the author but I believe when I first read it there was a note saying she and her husband were now living happily in Florida. When you read this wonderful account from a grieving daughter who is burying her mother, you will see yet another instance how a loving God can turn a thorn into a rose.

Curiously, in this weeks video youll see a great character of a curmudgeon reveal his warmer side  but youll have to stick with the video until the end.

* * *

THE WRONG FUNERAL WAS THE RIGHT PLACE

I was at the funeral of my dearest friend, my mother. She finally had lost her long battle with cancer. The hurt was so intense; I found it hard to breathe at times. Always supportive, Mother clapped loudest at my school plays, held the box of tissues while listening to my first heartbreak, comforted me at my father's death, encouraged me in college, and prayed for me my entire life.

When mother's illness was diagnosed, my sister had a new baby and my brother had recently married his childhood sweetheart, so it fell on me, the 27-year-old middle child without entanglements, to take care of her. I counted it an honor.

'What now, Lord?' I asked sitting in church. My life stretched out before me as an empty abyss. My brother sat stoically with his face toward the cross while clutching his wife's hand. My sister sat slumped against her husband's shoulder, his arms around her as she cradled their child. All so deeply grieving, no one noticed I sat alone.

My place had been with our mother, preparing her meals, helping her walk, taking her to the doctor, seeing to her medication, reading the Bible together. Now she was with the Lord...My work was finished, and I was alone. I heard a door open and slam shut at the back of the church. Quick footsteps hurried along the carpeted floor. An exasperated young man looked around briefly and then sat next to me. He folded his hands and placed them on his lap. His eyes were brimming with tears. He began to sniffle.

"I'm late," he explained, though no explanation was necessary.

After several eulogies, he leaned over and commented, "Why do they keep calling Mary by the name of Margaret?''

"Because, that was her name, Margaret. Never Mary, no one called her Mary,'" I whispered.

I wondered why this person couldn't have sat on the other side of the church. He interrupted my grieving with his tears and fidgeting. Who was this stranger anyway?

"Isn't this the Lutheran church?"

"No, the Lutheran church is across the street."

"Oh."

"I believe you're at the wrong funeral, Sir."

The solemnness of the occasion mixed with the realization of the man's mistake bubbled up inside me and came out as laughter. I cupped my hands over my face, hoping it would be interpreted as sobs. The creaking pew gave me away. Sharp looks from other mourners only made the situation seem more hilarious. I peeked at the bewildered, misguided man seated beside me. He was laughing too, as he glanced around, deciding it was too late for an uneventful exit. I imagined Mother laughing.

At the final 'Amen,' we darted out a door and into the parking lot. "I believe we'll be the talk of the town," he smiled.

He said his name was Rick and, since he had missed his aunt's funeral, asked me out for a cup of coffee. That afternoon began a lifelong journey for me with this man who attended the wrong funeral, but was in the right place. A year after our meeting, we were married at a country church where he was the assistant pastor. This time we both arrived at the same church, right on time.

In my time of sorrow, God gave me laughter. In place of loneliness, God gave me love. This past June, we celebrated our twenty-second wedding anniversary. Whenever anyone asks us how we met, Rick tells them, 'Her mother and my Aunt Mary introduced us, and it's truly a match made in heaven.'

* * *

RABBI, WHERE DID I GO WRONG?

Menachim, a Jewish father was troubled by the way his son, Benjamin, had turned out, and went to see Rabbi Goldberg about it.

'I brought Benjamin up in the faith, gave him a very expensive bar mitzvah; it cost me a fortune to educate him, then he tells me last week he has decided to be a Christian. Rabbi, where did I go wrong?' pleaded Menachim.

'Funny, Menachim, that you should come to me,' commented Rabbi Goldberg. 'Like you I, too, brought my boy up in the faith, put him through University; that cost me a fortune, then one day he, too, tells me he has decided to become a Christian.'

'What did you do?' inquired Menachim

'I turned to God for the answer,' replied the Rabbi.

'And what did He say?' pressed Menachim.

'God said, 'Funny you should come to Me ... '

* * *

And that sets up this weeks video and is it evermore a classic:

THE VIDEO OF THE WEEK  During the decade known as the 1970s, television was dominated by what is generally regarded as one of the best comedy series of all time, All In the Family. The show was dominated by Carroll OConner, who masterfully played Americas Most Beloved Bigot, and his bouts with his black neighbors, the Catholic family that lived across the street. and his live-in hippy son-in-law, Meathead hammered every subject Americans couldnt talk about. Every show was unsuitable for a U.S. network television comedy, such as racism, antisemitism, infidelity, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, religion, miscarriages, abortion, breast cancer, the Vietnam War, menopause, and impotence. In other words, it led the Nielsen ratings for six straight years and to this day OConnor. It also taught us how to laugh through our most sensitive personal conflicts and became a magnificent gift from producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin. One of Archies confederates in the early years was the character Stretch Cunningham, played by James Cromwell. During 1976, Stretch dies and Archie is asked to do his eulogy (or "urology" as he called it). None of us ever saw it coming! In the prelude to the funeral service there wasnt the slightest hint so the TV audience was caught as completely off-guard as the shocked Archie was, which makes this video one of the most beloved in television history. Trust me, this look at us Americans almost 50 years ago is priceless. CLICK HERE.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes for an increase in US military and security assistance to Ukraine.

He made a corresponding statement during a meeting with the US Congress delegation led by Senator Jim Inhofe within the framework of the 56th Munich Security Conference.

Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the great importance of the military and security assistance that Ukraine receives from the United States, and expressed hope for an increase in its volume and scope, the press service of the Head of State reports.

The President also expressed gratitude for bipartisan strong support of the US Congress for Ukraine. He also thanked Jim Inhofe for the important efforts of the United States in providing such steadfast support.

I feel a very positive attitude of the United States of America towards Ukraine. The U.S. support is very important to us, the President of Ukraine stressed.

The Head of State noted that Ukraine was committed to democratic reforms and effective anticorruption policies.

We started the reforms in the law enforcement system. The Prosecutor General's Office was rebooted, there is a large qualifying examination of prosecutors, several thousand prosecutors were dismissed. They are tested for integrity and professionalism. We have also initiated many economic reforms. But this is just the beginning, Volodymyr Zelensky assured.

The parties also discussed the reform of the security and defense sector, in particular, the defense industry according to the standards of NATO member states.

We will have a complete reboot of Ukroboronprom so that Ukrainian defense enterprises are efficient, modern and transparent. If there are problems, we are constantly available and ready to solve all the issues, the President of Ukraine emphasized.

He informed the U.S. lawmakers of the progress of negotiations on the peaceful settlement in Donbas and expressed interest in greater involvement of the US in this issue.

Volodymyr Zelensky invited U.S. investors to Ukraine and told about new protection and support programs for business development.

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A 31-year-old man has been jailed for smuggling three Kurdish Iraqis into Britain hidden in 'unsanitary' conditions inside a caravan.

French national Jean Dufour borrowed his parents' silver Citroen C4 and hired a caravan after being offered more than 6,000 by a Kurdish refugee in France to transport the men into Britain.

But he was caught by Border Force officers as soon as he arrived in Portsmouth at 7pm on January 13.

Jean Dufour (pictured), 31, has been jailed for 14 months after smuggling three Kurdish Iraqis into Britain hidden in a caravan

They discovered the men in 'unsanitary conditions' in the back of the vehicle, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.

Dufour immediately confessed to people smuggling - and even said he had been prepared to do it again.

He accepted the money offer while he was a cash-strapped apprentice at Michelin, according to his barrister Daniel Reilly.

The French national was caught by Border Force officers, who found the refugees living in 'unsanitary conditions' in the back, as soon as Dufour arrived in Portsmouth at 7pm on January 13

The defendant, who won a full contract, still carried on with the agreement through a sense of 'obligation'.

He was asked for help in smuggling people a year before he finally made the trip, the court heard.

Dufour's parents wept as Recorder Noel Casey jailed Dufour, who has no previous convictions, for 14 months after he admitted facilitating illegal immigration.

Dufour had borrowed his parents silver Citroen C4 (pictured) and hired a caravan to carry out the smuggling, where he treated people 'as cargo' and expressed interest in them only in terms of 'financial gain', said Dave Fairclough, deputy director at Immigration Enforcement's Criminal and Financial Investigation team

Ben Youlden, Border Force assistant director, said: 'It was clear from the unsanitary conditions inside the caravan that the men had been hidden inside for some time.'

Dave Fairclough, deputy director at Immigration Enforcement's Criminal and Financial Investigation team, said: 'Criminals like Dufour treat people as cargo and are interested in them only in terms of their financial value.'
Juliette Shedd, Associate Dean, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, and Sheherazade R. Jafari, Director, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, received funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development for: "Burma Leadership Activity."

The Burma Leadership Activity is a scholarship program for promising young individuals in Burma to improve technical competencies and leadership. The scholarship program also prepares participants to promote respect for ethnic and religious diversity.

Shedd and Jafari are developing a graduate-level conflict resolution training course that will supplement master's degree curricula of approximately 100 Burma Leadership Activity scholars. The participants will be spread across two to three cohorts over a five-year period.

The researchers received $40,934 in funding for the first year of the project. Total funding for the work will be $330,000. Funding began in January 2020 and will conclude in July 2024.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 21:51:41|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in an interview with Reuters in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

BERLIN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Clamoring for or creating the clash of civilizations are trying to reverse the wheels of history, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in an exclusive interview with Reuters here on Friday.

"The so-called clash of civilizations is a false argument," Wang responded when asked whether China and the United States would inevitably move towards a clash of civilizations.

Noting that the human civilization is quite advanced in the 21st century, Wang said if anyone is trying to preach or even create the clash of civilizations, he is trying to reverse the wheels of history.

China has always advocated that all civilizations are equal and no one is superior to others as all civilizations are grounded in its unique history and culture of that particular country, Wang said.

The world is a diverse and colorful place, and we call for mutual respect and mutual learning among different civilizations and joint efforts to seek common progress, Wang added.

Those who clamor for the clash of civilizations subconsciously believe in the superiority of Western civilizations. They are not ready and do not want to accept the development and revitalization of non-Western civilizations, Wang said.

"This is not fair," Wang said, "because all countries are equal and all countries are entitled to develop."

Western countries have developed first and other countries also need faster development, Wang pointed out. "This is our integral right," he said.

Only when all nations enjoy development can our world be prosperous and stable and can we jointly build this global village better where we human beings call home, the foreign minister said.

Wang emphasized that the U.S. system and model are the choice of the American people, and China has never interfered with the internal affairs of the United States.

By the same token, the socialism with Chinese characteristics is the choice of the Chinese people and has achieved great success in China, he said, adding that the United States should also respect this choice made by the Chinese people.

For countries with different systems, as long as they observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, particularly the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and respect the sovereignty of countries, they will not pose any threat to others, Wang said.
Senior Congress leader



Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's decision to allow the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the Elgar Parishad case was "not fair".

Kharge's comments came two days after Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Kumar said on Thursday that "the state home department has no objection to the case being entrusted to the NIA", and a day after NCP president Sharad Pawar criticised the CM over the issue.

The Congress is one of the ruling constituents in the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, also comprising the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

"We are partners. Sch things should be discussed. This isn't fair. Power should be used judiciously," Kharge, the AICC general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra, told reporters.

The Maharashtra government's sudden decision to allow the NIA to take over the probe from Pune Police after initially opposing it caused a flutter in the coalition government, with state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of the NCP saying on Thursday that the chief minister had "overruled" him in the matter.

The case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed had triggered violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in the district the next day.

The Pune police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists.

During the probe into the police, the Pune police arrested Left-leaning activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao for alleged Maoist links.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Wilder mocks pillow fists of Fury ahead of rematch

BOXING: World heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has ridiculed Tyson Furys punching power as the two unbeaten fighters prepare for their eagerly anticipated rematch in Las Vegas next weekend.

Boxing

By AFP

Saturday 15 February 2020, 09:00AM

Deontay Wilder (left) and Tyson Fury go head to head in a hugely anticipated rematch for the WBC title in Las Vegas next Saturday (Feb 22). Photo: AFP

Wilder, the reigning WBC champion, climbs back into the ring with British star Fury on Feb 22 (US time), 14 months after the two men battled to a thrilling draw in Los Angeles in December 2018.

Fury, who was knocked down twice by Wilder in the first fight, insists he plans to chase a knockout in the rematch, believing he has little chance of winning a decision in front of Las Vegas judges.

However, Wilder on Tuesday (Feb11) poured scorn on Furys threats of knockout - dismissing his opponent as having pillows for fists.

Wilder, 42-0 with one drawn and 41 knockouts, cited his experience from the first Fury fight, revealing he had felt no soreness after the 12-round scrap.

I cant tell you any rounds where I felt like I was threatened by his power, Wilder said on a conference call.

He has pillows as fists. Thats how soft they were. Maybe my adrenaline was too high to feel anything. Sometimes after a fight you feel sore. But even after the fight I didnt feel anything.

I took all his punches, the ones he landed, and I walked right through them. So I dont respect none of his power.

Hes just a tall big man that can move around the ring. And thats about it. As far as power, theres none there.

Power outage

Fury has switched trainers for next weeks rematch, bringing in Javan Sugarhill Steward in a move he hopes will boost his knockout power.

Wilder, however, is unimpressed by the changes in Furys corner.

I dont believe hell be able to develop (power), no matter what trainer he brings in, Wilder said.

You just dont develop power in a couple of weeks... its impossible.

Fury, who is arguably the most skillful defensive boxer in the heavyweight division and outfoxed Wilder for long periods in the first fight, says he plans a more aggressive approach in the rematch.

But Wilder is skeptical that the self-styled Gypsy King plans to go on the attack, and believes that he has already planted doubt in Furys mind after sending him to the canvas with a crushing combination in the 12th round last time.

Fury miraculously recovered his senses after that knockdown and somehow managed to hang on for the draw. Wilder, however, believes he has inflicted lasting damage on the Briton.

If he brings the fight to me its going to make the fight that much more interesting, Wilder said.

Deep down in his heart, I really feel that hes nervous from the first time. When you knock a person out and get a concussion, you never forget that.

You never forget who did it to you. And when youre going back in the ring with that person a second time it has to be stressful. He knows what the truth was.

He can say he beat me by a wide margin but he honestly dont believe that. If he believed he beat me, he wouldnt have changed up so much.
The committee also heard from Charles Buck Logan, an attorney with the Childrens Law Center, a nonprofit that provides legal service to low-income families. He told them that more than 150 D.C. students every year find themselves facing serious health conditions that lead them to request home or hospital instruction, but too often, those requests are denied or delayed without justification. Part of the problem, he said, is that school personnel who lack medical training are second-guessing what the students doctors are saying. As a result, he said, 1 out of every 3 of those requests are denied, and some students wait weeks, and sometimes months, to get approved.
It's a story we're all familiar with: the goodbye ode to San Francisco. Or for some, it's more like good riddance.

When people leave the Bay Area in search of greener pastures, some like to make it known why they're ditching the place with a blog or Facebook post. More than a few have spoken to SFGATE about their reasons for leaving.

After seeing these stories go viral online for years, Ryan Kulp was inspired to find the common thread in all the individual testimonies. Kulp, who runs a small private-equity firm with his wife, lived in San Francisco for a year and a half before moving to New York City. He is now traveling the world with his wife and working remotely.

He wanted to see whether others were moving out for the same reasons that he did. So he used his knowledge of coding and a host of free Google Chrome extensions to round up all these "leaving San Francisco" posts and scrape them for keywords and commonalities. He published his findings in the same format of his subject matter: a blog post.

Some of the most commonly used words in these farewell pieces? Money, rent, expensive, tax, and homeless  all clues, Kulp said, as to why people may be over San Francisco. When lumped together by category, "personal finances" were overwhelmingly the No. 1 reason people gave for leaving, followed by work-related reasons, then politics and social issues.

More Bay Area News Has coronavirus scared people away from SF's Chinatown?

The most name-dropped cities were Portland, Ore.; Los Angeles; and Austin, Texas. And if you're wondering what kind of jobs these writers might hold or be interested in, the most referred to title was "developer," followed by mentions of "marketing" and "sales."

For Kulp, money was just one reason to leave San Francisco. He believed that he could get more for his money in New York City and achieve a different quality of life there.

"It was the value, but it was also the sanitation, seeing so many broken-into cars, so many stolen bicycles, so much erratic behavior on the street," Kulp said. "I had never even seen a syringe in my life until I moved to San Francisco, and I started walking on them on Market Street every day."

It's a complaint familiar to native San Franciscans; people from around the world come to the city and are shocked by what they see. It's a portrait of San Francisco that conservatives have jumped on the opportunity to portray. Longtime residents often get frustrated that visitors and transplants don't understand the complex forces at play that have created and aggravated the city's affordability, housing, homelessness and drug abuse crises. (Kulp's analysis eliminated those that were in San Francisco for a very short time, such as study abroad programs, but it did not distinguish between Bay Area natives and non-natives.)

And (obviously) leaving San Francisco isn't going to make any of those problems go away.

Still, cliche as they may be, Kulp hopes taking these "leaving San Francisco" pieces seriously could encourage important conversations for residents. He hopes those who choose to stay in San Francisco continue to tackle the city's biggest challenges head-on instead of denying their existence.

"Weve all read 100 'why Im leaving' posts, but where are the pieces about 'why I still love San Francisco?' And those pieces should admit to some of the not-so-great aspects [of the city] honestly and then change can start. I would love to see more conversation happening."

Read more about his methodology and findings of this "Very Unofficial and Statistically Insignificant meta study" on Kulp's blog post.

Alix Martichoux is an SFGATE digital editor. Read her latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.
RUKUNGIRI  A total of 1,500 constituents from Rubabo County are set to benefit from a week-long Enterprise Uganda training workshop at St. Peters Secondary School Nyarushanje, thanks to the area legislator Hon. Mary Paula Turyahikayo.

The workshop 2nd of its kind in the constituency is aimed at equipping the community with life-changing skills and how they can fight poverty and unemployment by starting up small scale industries.

Judith Ineku marketing executive at Enterprise Uganda while chairing the preparatory meeting for the workshop at Nyarushanje sub-county headquarters on Thursday, February 13th told the stakeholders to ensure attending this great opportunity that will involve mindset change and how best they can manage businesses once they are set.

Ms Ineku added that the workshop will help to brainstorm the community from the tendency of waiting for white-collar jobs and rather learn how to set up their own enterprises.

She added that most Ugandans are poor because they prefer cheap and free money which she said such money cant be planned for to make a fundamental change in their lives.

The biggest challenge facing Ugandans is that they prefer free things and begging which will not change their status quo. We, therefore, want to change their mindset so that they can start up with small and with big M/s Ineku said.

Hon Mary Paula told the meeting that this is a great opportunity which many parliamentarians have yearned to take to their constituents but failed and therefore asked those of Rubabo to utilize the opportunity.

Mary Paula in a message delivered for her by her political assistant Emmanuel Byarugaba Ndakwenda hailed the people of Rubabo who attended the first edition of this workshop for implementing what they were taught and called for more venturing in small scale businesses.

I am very glad that we are already reaping fruits of Success from the trainees of the first workshop, some have started schools, honey value addition, onion growing, and others with different kinds of businesses where they now earn from Mr Ndakwenda noted.

The Nyarushanje sub-county Chief Deo Kirenzi used the meeting to lash at politicians who criticize them of being sided with the National Resistance Movement NRM saying that their mandate guarantees them to work with the existing governments.

Our mandate is always and will always be patterning with the existing government to provide sustainable service delivery to the communities we serve and theres no way we can serve our people when we are colliding with the government Kirenzi noted.

Kirenzi noted that most Ugandans are poor because of a poor mindset that only white-collar jobs can get them out of poverty.

He asked the constituents of Rubabo to be mindful that a good leader is the one who works for the development of their people.

Michael Musiime the Nyarushanje sub-county chairperson hailed the legislator Mary Paula and Enterprise Uganda for complementing the governments efforts of employment creation and poverty eradication.

The legislator Turyahikayo called for equal representation from all cells in the constituency for the training that will be conducted during the 1st week of term one holiday.

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Former pastor fatally shoots himself, wife and son also found dead

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Police in Sugar Land, Texas, are investigating the death of Richard Logan, a former pastor and CEO of faith-based anti-poverty nonprofit Attack Poverty, who was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday, while his wife and son were also found shot dead in the family's home.

According to news station KPRC, police officers went to the home of the 53 year old to perform a welfare check after law enforcement in Guadalupe County informed them that Logans body was found with what appeared to be a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound on the property of a company called TAS Environmental.

Police Chief Eric Robins said no one answered the door and when they eventually gained access to the home they found the bodies of Logans wife, Diana Lynn, as well as their 11-year-old son, Aaron. The couples daughter, Ambrielle, who is the only surviving family member, was away at college at the time of the tragedy.

Police are investigating the possibility that the suicide in Guadalupe County might be related to the double (homicides) in Sugar Land, Adolph noted.

He said Diana's and Aarons bodies showed signs of trauma and gunshot wounds. They also appeared to have been dead for at least several hours.

Staff at River Pointe Church, where the family were members and where Logan served as youth pastor for several years and Diana Logan also served as a small group leader, were shocked.

"We knew the Logans very, very well, pastor Patrick Kelley, a friend of the Logans for 15 years, said, according to KHOU 11. "And something like this, their death, as tragic as it is, is something you cannot predict or foresee."

He added, "I stand here in shock with everyone else who knew these precious people. I think the healing part and the direction well give is to be together and voice your grief, because we have a shared grief in this case."

Logans nonprofit, Attack Poverty, said he started the work in 2011 after being moved by a desire to transform the lives of people in need through community partnership. It has since evolved into a global organization that serves locally, adopting pockets of poverty and launching what we call Friends Communities.

These are long-term commitments that require mutual relationships and collaborative efforts with local organizations, churches, residents, and stakeholders committed to community transformation. Our community programs include: in-school student support, after school programs, literacy, Adult GED completion, English as a Second Language classes, job readiness training and home repair, the organizations website states.

Staff at Attack Poverty also expressed shock at Logan's suicide.

The Attack Poverty family is in shock to learn of the tragedy involving our Chief Executive Officer, Richard Logan and his family. We are cooperating with investigators and waiting for more information as we try to process this loss with our staff, volunteers and community. Please keep the Attack Poverty staff and all involved in your prayers, a statement on their website said.

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District also sent a letter to parents Tuesday night, mourning the death of Aaron.

We are saddened by the death of a member of our Cougar family, Aaron Logan, a fifth-grade student at Campbell Elementary, the district wrote. The Campbell Elementary administration is doing everything we can to provide comfort and assistance to our students in this time of grief.

Greg Speck, youth and family communicator at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, said in a statement on Facebook that he had been friends with Logan for many years and was also shocked at his suicide.

Richard Logan was a friend who traveled with me on Royal Servants, we have known each other for many years. I am saddened and shocked to say that it appears he committed suicide and his wife and son were found shot and killed. There is a daughter that was away at college. My heart is broken, please pray..., he wrote on Wednesday.

A GoFundMe campaign is now seeking to raise $50,000 to help support Ambrielle who is a senior in her final semester at Texas State University.
The US State Department on Saturday condemned the detention in Venezuela of an uncle of opposition leader Juan Guaido, saying the man was being held on "preposterous charges." "The United States strongly condemns the detention of Juan Jose Marquez, uncle of interim President Juan Guaido, and demands his immediate release," said a statement from State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus. Marquez was detained Tuesday at the international airport near Caracas while accompanying Guaido on his return trip from a three-week tour to several countries including the US aimed at building pressure on President Nicolas Maduro. The US is one of more than 50 countries that have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's interim president after Maduro's 2018 re-election was widely denounced as rigged. The US statement Saturday used uncommonly strong language. "The preposterous charges that have been put forward further exemplify the increasing desperation of Maduro and his corrupt associates," it said. Venezuelan authorities claimed that Marquez had smuggled explosive material aboard a flight from Portugal, despite strong denials by Portuguese authorities that he could have done so. "Manufacturing evidence to justify arbitrary, politically motivated detentions is a common tool of the illegitimate former Maduro regime," the US statement said. "These despicable actions by the former Maduro regime -- detaining innocent civilians and inventing false charges -- are sadly typical," it said, accusing Maduro and his associates of "mafia-style practices." Guaido was allowed to leave the airport unhindered Tuesday despite being in defiance of a government-imposed travel ban. He has denounced the treatment of his uncle as "a kidnapping." The opposition leader said Saturday in Caracas that the detention of his maternal uncle was a "cost" that he is "paying" after returning from his international trip. "I got the message and here's the answer: We are moving forward and forcefully so. We're not moving an inch on our position," he said, adding that Marquez "isn't a hostage who we will swap." He had tweeted Wednesday that he holds "usurper" Maduro responsible "for what happens to Juan Jose Marquez, an honest and brave man." During his three-week tour, Guaido met with the British, French and German leaders and was a guest of President Donald Trump at his State of the Union speech. Venezuela's self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido (C) is seen being escorted to his car on February 11, 2020, upon arrival at the international airport near Caracas, after a foreign tour
15.02.2020 LISTEN

President Akufo-Addo will on Thursday, February 20 address Parliament on the State of the Nation.

The address will be President Akufo-Addos penultimate one before his tenure expires on January 6, 2021.

The exercise will be in accordance with article 67 of the 1992 Constitution.

The President shall, at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before dissolution of Parliament, deliver to Parliament a message on the state of the nation, the Constitutional provision reads.

Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who announced this to honourable members while presenting the Business Statement in Parliament, Accra, yesterday, urged the lawmakers to be punctual to the programme.

Pursuant to the convention of this House, honourable members are urged to be punctual and, accordingly, be in the Chamber latest by 9:15 a.m.

It may not be courteous for members to enter or exit the Chamber after His Excellency the President has entered the House to deliver his address. It is a breach of protocol, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu told his colleagues.

The Ministers for Sanitation and Water Resources and Local Government and Rural Development, meanwhile, are expected to brief the Committee of the Whole on measures being adopted to address matters on the signing of off taker agreements relating to waste management in the country.

Earlier planned meetings for the two ministers to brief the committee could not be held due to a number of reasons.

The Business Committee, therefore, takes the opportunity to inform all members that the said ministers have been rescheduled to attend upon the House at Committee of the Whole after adjournment on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, to brief the House on the matters aforementioned, the Majority Leader said.

Six other ministers, the Majority Leader said, were expected to attend upon the House within the week.

They are the Ministers for Transport, Youth and Sports, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Aviation, Roads and Highways, and Volta Region.

---Ghanaian Times
Bengaluru, Feb 15 : For the first time, Karnataka Assembly will hold a special session on March 2-3 to mark the 70th year of the country adopting the Constitution in 1950, an official said on Saturday.

"Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri has convened a special session to mark the 70th year of the Constitution on March 2-3 ahead of the state budget for fiscal 2020-21 on March 5," a state legislature official told IANS here.

Though India became independent on August 15, 1947, the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution on November 26, 1949 and it came into effect on January 26, 1950 with a democratic government system to become a republic.

"Lawmakers across party lines will speak in the House on the Indian Constitution, seek clarifications and enlighten others on its salient features and powers for clean governance," said the official.

The two-day special session will also focus on the intent and speciality of the Constitution to enable the legislators perform better in the Assembly.

The state legislature, comprising Assembly and Council will meet initially for three days on February 17-19 and resume from March 2 for the two-day special session and continue till March 31.

"As it is customary, state Governor Vajubhai Vala will address a joint session of the legislature on Monday for the first time in the new year in Hindi, which will be discussed under the motion of thanks on his speech," the official noted.

Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the state budget for fiscal 2020-21 on March 5 and the members will debate on it before passing the finance bill, which will come into effect from April 1, 2020.

In the 225-member Assembly, including one nominated, the ruling BJP has 117, opposition Congress 68, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) 34, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) one, Independents 2 and vacant 2.

The speaker, however, ruled out allowing the opposition to raise controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), much less passing a resolution on it unlike in some other states.

"The month-long session will discuss the state budget and six other bills the state government will introduce for their passage," the official added.

The BJP, which returned to power over 6 months ago on July 26 in the southern state, won 12 of the 15 Assembly seats where by-elections were held on December 5, for the vacancies caused by the resignations of the 14 former Congress and 3 former JD-S rebels.

The Congress won 2 and an Independent won the remaining 3 seats while the JD-S drew blank.
AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump's administration plans to add military-trained and heavily armed and armoured border patrol agents to support immigration crackdowns in US cities in the country's interior.

Administration officials confirmed to the New York Times that US Customs and Border Protection plans to magnify Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations with 100 agents trained to work in violent, high-risk conditions along the US-Mexico border to support what are otherwise routine arrests for people without legal permission to live in the country.

CBP spokesman Lawrence Payne said the administration made the deployment to "enhance the integrity of the immigration system, protect public safety, and strengthen our national security".

The agency will deploy officers from the US Border Patrol Tactical Unit as a "show of force" in sanctuary cities like Chicago and New York, with plans to send more officers to Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark and San Francisco.

The move follows the president's ongoing crackdown targeting immigration from Latin American countries, from threatening to withhold vital federal funding to cities that his administration deemed non-compliant with immigration enforcement to expanded funding for his US-Mexico border wall.

During his address to the National Border Patrol Council on Friday, the president repeated a false claim that foreign governments intentionally send criminals to the US and that Central American countries have refused to accept criminal aliens after they've been deported from the US.

This month, US Customs and Border Protection suspended the Trusted Traveller and Global Entry programmes for New Yorkers after the state implemented a "Green Light Law" that prevents federal immigration authorities from accessing records maintained by the state's Department of Motor Vehicles. Undocumented immigrants in the state are eligible to apply for state identification cards.

Story continues

The deployment of the SWAT-like teams of border agents comes at the request of ICE officials who have complained to the administration about municipalities refusing to turn over their local police to federal immigration enforcement. But sanctuary cities' leadership, local law enforcement agencies and immigration advocacy organisations have argued that increased federal policing reinforces racial profiling and makes immigrant communities less safe, as they're less likely to report a crime by bringing threatening attention to their neighbourhoods.

Headquartered on the southern border in El Paso Texas, BORTAC agents train "with foreign and domestic law enforcement and military entities throughout the United States and around the world" with training that's "designed to mirror aspects of the US Special Operations Forces' selection courses"

The unit was designed in 1984 to "serve a civil disturbance function" to control prison riots at immigration detention facilities. It evolved to perform "intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance".

Read more

Comedian suing US border patrol after being pulled off bus

New CBP chief named 'despite membership of controversial FB group'

People actively hate us: The US border patrol's morale crisis

US border patrol officer pleads guilty to hitting migrant with truck

Border patrol chief 'didnt realise racist Facebook group was racist'
Water distribution points set up in Koh Kaew

PHUKET: Koh Kaew Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) has set up several water distribution points for residents suffering from water shortages.

natural-resourcesweather

By The Phuket News

Saturday 15 February 2020, 10:47AM

Koh Kaew OrBorTor set up three water distribution points for people affected by no water shortage situation as Phuket PR Department labeled it earlier. Photo: Koh Kaew OrBorTor

Koh Kaew OrBorTor set up three water distribution points for people affected by no water shortage situation as Phuket PR Department labeled it earlier. Photo: Koh Kaew OrBorTor

Koh Kaew OrBorTor set up three water distribution points for people affected by no water shortage situation as Phuket PR Department labeled it earlier. Photo: Koh Kaew OrBorTor

Koh Kaew OrBorTor set up three water distribution points for people affected by no water shortage situation as Phuket PR Department labeled it earlier. Photo: Koh Kaew OrBorTor

A total of three water distribution points were set up in Koh Kaew, the OrBorTor announced yesterday (Feb 14) via Facebook. The locations are as follows:

On Soi Koh Kaew 3; Behind the OrBorTor Office; Near Masjid Kamaliah Laem Hin on Soi Laem Hin.

Koh Kaew officials did not proide any information neither on the working hours of the distribution points, nor on any possible limits on the volumes of water distributed per person or household.

Of note, on Jan 28 Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paochinda had a live video conference with all provincial governors in the country to order them to take active steps to prevent water shortages in their areas (read story here).

I want officers to focus on the water for in-house use as a priority, followed by water needed for crops. To everyone, please save as much water as you can. I believe in the cooperation of everyone that we will have water to use until the rainy season arrives in May, Gen Anupong added.

At the meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall to receive the message were Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana along with Phuket Vice Governor Wongsakorn Nunchukan and a host of other high-ranking officials.

A following report by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department of Thailand stated that there was no water shortage situation in Phuket at that moment, but people were urged to monitor the water situation closely.

The report did not mention that only two weeks earlier Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) Chief Graisorn Mahamad clearly said that the islands water resources were not enough.

We dont have enough water to produce in 2020 because the water levels at the three main reservoirs  Bang Wad, Bang Neow Dum and Khlong Kratha reservoirs  are so low, Mr Graisorn said (read story here).
A new documentary about chef Gary Rhodes will include never-before-seen footage from the series he was filming before his death at the age of 59 in Dubai.

Gary Rhodes: The First Rockstar Chef will also explore his culinary career and his passion for British food.

It features celebrities including Gordon Ramsay, Alex Ferguson, Cheryl Baker and Ainsley Harriott, who pay tribute to the award-winning chef, and remember him as a family man and as a dear friend.

Genius

Ramsay says: "Behind all that facade, behind all that character, was a real genius of a chef.

"He opened the door for so many of us to prove that you can be talented in your restaurant and on TV and that's the difference.

"In the 1990s, 95pc of TV chefs didn't have restaurants, they barely had delis and sandwich bars, but this guy managed to have both."

The TV chef died from bleeding between the skull and the brain, according to a statement from his family.

He collapsed at home and was rushed to hospital.
The Church of Ireland is planning to issue guidance to worshippers on measures they can take to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission at church services.

The move follows an initiative by the Church of England on the emerging health crisis which has already claimed the lives of more than a thousand people worldwide.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph last night, a Church of Ireland spokesman said: "'Specific guidance for parishes relating to pandemic flu is under consideration.

"The Church of Ireland would encourage parishes to follow all public health guidance provided by state authorities."

James Newcome, the Bishop of Carlisle and the Church of England's spokesman on health issues, told reporters: "We pray for all those affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) here and around the world, particularly in China, and for all those caring for them.

"The virus not been declared a pandemic and at present the risk in this country is assessed as 'moderate'.

"However, there are, of course some practical measures churches can take.

"Much of that is simply maintaining good hygiene including, for example, priests and servers washing their hands and using hand sanitiser before Holy Communion. Although there is not currently Government advice suggesting churches should suspend the use of the Common Cup, parishioners with coughs and sneezes should certainly be encouraged to receive Communion in one-kind only and to refrain from handshaking during The Peace."

Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency confirmed that 21 people have so far been tested for the coronavirus here.

None of these cases has tested positive.

Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride told MLAs this week that health officials are determined to stop coronavirus "in its tracks".

The Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church were contacted in relation to this story.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 17:13:11|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The volume of passenger trips during the Spring Festival travel rush this year is expected to be 45 percent lower than last year due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, with no peak in the number of return trips, said China's Ministry of Transport on Saturday.

"Multiple measures on staggering return trips have been implemented to lower the risks of epidemic transmission, and they are producing notable results," Li Wenxin, vice general manager of the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., said at a press conference in Beijing.

In the near future, there will be no large-scale flows of people in return trips on the railway, Li said.

It was estimated that the number of railway passenger trips after the Spring Festival would reach 280 million, with an average of 11.2 million per day, said Li, adding that in fact, the total number of passengers sent after the holiday was less than 40 million as of Friday, with an average of 1.84 million each day, down 83 percent from the same period last year.

The number of passenger trips made by air also dropped sharply, and from Jan. 25 to Feb. 14, civil aviation transported 470,000 passengers per day, a quarter of the number from the same period last year, said Li Jian, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

"The downward trend is expected to continue from Feb. 15 to 23, with less than 40 percent of seats filled," Li Jian said.

From Jan. 25 to Feb. 14, a total of 283 million passenger trips were made across the country, with 13.48 million per day, down 82.3 percent compared with the same period last year, said Liu Xiaoming, vice minister of transport.

The Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, lasts for 40 days from Jan. 10 to Feb. 18 this year.
More than 500 U.S. soldiers and dozens of tanks and heavy fighting vehicles are deployed to Lithuania to bulk up NATOs eastern flank. US Army armored cavalry troops exercised in Lithuania after training alongside NATO Allies for several months.



U.S. soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment from Fort Hood, Texas, and multinational partner forces engage in the first day of a Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise (CALFEX) in Pabrade, Lithuania on Feb. 11, 2020 (Picture source: U.S. Army/Maj. Stephanie Thomas)

The troops are deployed as part of U.S. Army Europes Atlantic Resolve campaign, which involves rotating hundreds of troops to locations up and down Eastern Europe in an effort to deter Russian aggression in the region. The looming arrival of U.S. forces had been welcomed by Lithuanian officials, who have lobbied for more frequent and longer American troop rotations since Atlantic Resolve began in the wake of Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in 2014: We have sought a larger, long-term U.S. military involvement in Lithuania and the region consistently and patiently, Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis said in a statement. Therefore the deployment of the U.S. Army battalion for a longer period of time is good and awaited news and a result of our efforts and investment.

US Army troops have been deployed to Lithuania for Exercise Saber Winter, a combined live-fire drill involving armored units. The troops, part of 1st Armored Battalion, 9th Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, were deployed to Lithuania in autumn 2019 to demonstrate solidarity and improve interoperability with NATO Allies. The unit is part of a broader brigade rotation into Europe involving the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which deployed in October 2019. Ben Hodges, the former commander of US Army forces in Europe, said the US deployment was a "manifestation of American commitment to continued deterrence along NATO's eastern flank", at the time when US was pulling American troops out of Syria and abandoning its Kurdish allies. "Nobody, including the Russians, should be confused by the Americans' commitment to NATO despite what was I think a mistake of pulling out of Syria," Hodges said.

The 9th Cavalry brought 30 M1A2 Abrams tanks, 25 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and 70 wheeled vehicles that were based out of a training area in Pabrade, a small town near the countrys border with Belarus.

In March 2020, more troops from the 1st Cavalry Division will arrive in Europe for Exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20, the largest deployment of US forces to Europe in 25 years. Footage includes shots of armored vehicles maneuvering around Pabrade Training Area in Lithuania, and interviews with US Army officers and the US Ambassador to Lithuania.
Zelensky acknowledges that hostilities haven't ceased in Donbas two months after the latest ceasefire deal was signed.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out the possibility of direct dialogue between the Ukrainian authorities and representatives of occupation administrations in eastern Ukraine's Donbas.

The president noted that the leaders of the "Normandy Four" during their summit in Paris confirmed their commitment to a comprehensive ceasefire, and the participants in the Trilateral Contact Group on December 18, 2019, approved the corresponding statement.

"But so far the 'silence' hasn't been ensured. In almost two months, more than 400 attacks on Ukrainian positions were recorded, amid which Ukrainian people, Ukrainian military keep dying," Zelensky emphasized, adding that a mechanism is needed to put the actual ceasefire into life.

"We are being convinced that such an effective mechanism is a direct dialogue with the so-called 'local authorities' in the occupied areas of Donetsk and Lunahsk regions. We are ready for dialogue with the civilian population of these territories, but not with those who haven't been recognized from the international law perspective, and therefore cannot represent the local population of Ukraine," Zelensky said during the Munich Security Conference.

Read alsoRussia's attempts to bring separatist movements to international platforms threaten EU  think tank

He noted that many times he spoke with ordinary people living in the temporarily occupied territories.

"Objectively, the voice of Donbas is not only their opinion. It's also at least 1.5 million people from Donetsk and Luhansk who were forced to flee their homes. That is why we initiated the creation of a public dialogue platform 'Peace of Donbas', in which they should be involved. They should be involved in consultations at the Minsk platform and actively participate in the discussion of their future as part of a unified Ukraine," the head of the Ukrainian state emphasized.
Srinagar, Feb 15 : As part of their crackdown against drugs in Budgam and Ganderbal districts in Kashmir, J&K Police have booked three notorious drug peddlers under the Public safety Act (PSA).

Officers in Budgam had earlier seized huge quantity of narcotic drugs from the possession of two individuals. A case was registered by the police.

"The case was duly processed and the arrested drug peddlers were detained under Public Safety Act after obtaining sanctions from the concerned authorities. The drug peddlers have been identified as Ashiq Ahmad Gojri, a resident of Kawoosa Khalisa, and Tariq Ahmad Parray, a resident of Warihama Magam," a police statement said.

The police said in Ganderbal, officers had earlier seized banned drugs from the possession of a drug peddler identified as Nazir Ahmed Rather, a resident of Wakura Ganderbal. A case under relevant sections of law was registered in this regard.

"The case was duly processed and the arrested drug peddler was detained under Public Safety Act after obtaining sanctions from the concerned authorities. He has been shifted to Kupwara jail," a police statement said.
The United States is increasing tariffs on Airbus planes imported from Europe to 15 per cent beginning March 18, authorities announced.

The duties have been at 10 per cent since October, when Washington hit USD 7.5 billion in European products with tariffs.

The announcement from the office of the United States Trade Representative came just days after President Donald Trump said it was time to talk "very seriously" about a trade deal with the European Union.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A bedroom is being offered up for rent for just $50 per week - but it comes with a catch.

A family is offering the cheap room in Auckland, New Zealand on the condition that the tenant takes their 10-year-old daughter to school.

'We are a Kiwi family offering cheap (or free) living to someone who can help with the school morning drop off,' the advertisement read.

The New Zealand family is offering the cheap room (pictured) in return to taking their 10-year-old daughter to school during the week

The new roommate, an 'honest, mature female', would have to commit to dropping off the young girl to school between 7am-8am on weekdays for the reduced rent.

The school is located five minutes away from the three-bedroom home and the applicant doesn't need a driver's licence or car.

The median weekly cost of a room in the suburb of Papakura is $210.

Families in New Zealand struggling with the cost of living and offer a cheap in return for some help around the household or with the children.

However, applicants need to be wary when entering this sort of agreement because it's considered more of a flatmate or boarding situation and will not be protected under the Residential Tenancies Act.

'That means that either party can do whatever they like basically. These things quite often start off OK and then they deteriorate, these arrangements,' Tenant's Protection Association co-ordinator Angela Maynard told the publication.

'It's not an ideal arrangement but for some people it might work.'

She recommended that all applicants request a written contract protecting them of their rights in case a dispute arose.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 13:57:46|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States Paul Gallagher in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States Paul Gallagher here on Friday on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference.

Referring to the critical moment when China is fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic, Gallagher, on behalf of Pope Francis and Vatican's secretary of state, conveyed the Holy See's respect and support for China.

China has the wisdom and courage to defeat the epidemic at an early date, he added.

Pope Francis is familiar with China and the exchanges between the two sides, he said, adding that the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops signed by the two sides in 2018 is of great importance, which is conducive to promoting the well-being of Catholics and the Chinese people as well as world peace.

For his part, Wang expressed his gratitude to Gallagher for conveying the sympathy of the Holy See.

Wang said that the virus is a common enemy of mankind and the international community should join hands to deal with it.

The current outbreak has been effectively controlled, he said, adding that China, a big country with a civilization of 5,000 years, has experienced various trials and tribulations in history.

The Chinese foreign minister said that the Chinese side believes that the Vatican side will play a constructive role in prompting the international community to support and cooperate with China's efforts to combat the epidemic in an objective, rational and scientific manner and jointly safeguard global health security.

Noting that Pope Francis has publicly expressed his love and blessing for China on various occasions, Wang said that today marks the first meeting between the foreign ministers of China and the Vatican.

This is the continuation of China-Vatican exchanges over time and will open up more space for bilateral exchanges in the future, he added.

Wang said that the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops is a pioneering practice and has yielded positive results, adding that China stands ready to further enhance understanding, build mutual trust and push forward the momentum of positive interaction between the two sides.

During the meeting, the two sides also agreed that they should bear in mind a bigger picture and work together to promote mutual respect and mutual learning among different civilizations so as to create a peaceful world. Enditem
AAPs foray into national politics will begin by going local

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: Buoyed by its massive victory in the Delhi assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party has decided to contest all elections to local bodies across the country as part of an ambitious plan to expand its footprint beyond the national capital.

In an interview to PTI, senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said the party has convened a meeting of its national executive on Sunday to deliberate on expanding the party by projecting its "positive nationalism".

Rai, a confidante of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, said the party has set its sight on contesting assembly elections in a number of states including Punjab in the first phase.

AAP will fight all local bodies elections across India: Gopal Rai

"The agenda of Sunday's meeting is to expand our organisation at the national level by including volunteers in large numbers and building party cadre across the country," he said.

Rai, a minister in outgoing Kejriwal government, said people will be able to join AAP's 'nation building campaign' by giving a missed call on the phone number -- 9871010101.

"We will reach out to people through this campaign and make them volunteers in large numbers. The party will contest elections of all local bodies across the country. AAP will fight upcoming local bodies elections in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat," he said.

Rai called BJP's nationalism "negative", asserting that AAP will expand its base by highlighting on "positive nationalism".

"In Delhi, we spread positive nationalism which is based on love and respect. The BJP's nationalism is based on hatred and divisive politics," he said.

"The experiment done by the AAP in Delhi has become a role model for the entire country. Our nationalism is positive nationalism which gives guarantee of good education, health care and livelihood to every section of the society including farmers," he said.

Kejriwal to take oath with 6 ministers: PM Modi invited for swearing-in-ceremony

On beng asked about BJP's attack on Kejriwal for reciting Hanuman Chalisa on a TV channel in the run up to the assembly elections, Rai said for the Bhartiya Janata Party, religion is a "political weapon", but for the people of the country, religion is a belief.

"The BJP does not respect people of India and it sees every person as its vote bank," he said.

In the Delhi polls, the AAP recorded a massive victory winning 62 of the 70 seats while BJP bagged the remaining eight seats. The Congress drew a blank for the second consecutive time.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 8:25 [IST]
The severed head of an



endangered fishing cat was found near a canal in West Bengal's Howrah district, forest officials said on Saturday.

The incident comes after two fishing cats, the state animal, were killed over tiger scare in separate incidents in neighbouring Hooghly district in January.

Upon receiving information that a fishing cat has been killed in Nakol village in Shyampur block, forest officials launched a search on Friday for the corpse but found only the animal's severed head near the canal that links to the Rupnarayan river, Uluberia forest range officer Utpal Sarkar said.

During preliminary probe, it was found that the fishing cat was electrocuted to death after coming in contact with live wires that were put up around a pond in the village to prevent stealing of fishes, Sarkar said.

The severed head has been sent for post-mortem and a search is on for the owner of the pond, he added.

Several residents of Narendrapur village in Jagatballavpur police station area in the district were sentenced to five years imprisonment in 2015 for killing and eating a fishing cat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An elderly Chinese tourist died in France on Saturday, becoming the first fatality of the coronavirus in Europe and outside of Asia. The 80-year-old man who died in Paris was one of 11 cases recorded in France.

With 16 cases of infection, Germany has the most in Europe. Global infections now top 66,000 and the the virus has killed more than 1,500 people worldwide, with only a handful of those deaths coming outside of China. Of the cases reported in France, the Chinese tourist who died was the only one whose condition was considered serious, the health ministry said on ...
Highlights:



Cyclops Nickel-Cobalt project license fully compliant under updated mining registration process

National, provincial and local support received for project

Strategic partner / investor discussions have commenced

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacific Rim Cobalt Corp. (the Company or Pacific Rim Cobalt) (CSE:BOLT) (PCRCF) (NXFE.F) is pleased to announce it has received approval from the OMBUDSMAN of the Republic of Indonesia for the registration of the Cyclops Nickel-Cobalt Project license in the Directorate General of Minerals and Coal and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia. The project license will be transferred into a Foreign Investment License where it will be administered by the central government. The license will then be fully compliant with the regulation of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources No. 11 of 2018 regarding the procedure for the granting of licenses and reporting on mineral and coal mining business activities.

Ranjeet Sundher, CEO of Pacific Rim Cobalt, commented: 2019 was a pivotal year for us, and were pleased to carry this momentum into 2020. Obtaining approval from Indonesias OMBUDSMAN is an important step toward our goal of securing strategic partnerships and participating in Asias growing battery metals supply chain.

During 2019, the Company carried out an extensive exploration and development program at its flagship 5000 hectare, Cyclops Nickel-Cobalt project, located in Papua Province, Indonesia. Drilling identified significant horizons of nickel mineralization and bench-scale scoping tests returned positive results for processing of this nickel rich material. The Cyclops Project is mining and environmentally permitted with year round access.

The recovery percentages form the bench-scale test program are set out below (for further information, please refer to the Companys press release of October 28, 2019):



Story continues

Sample Nickel (%) Cobalt (%) Iron (%) Limonite 99.26 98.82 97.77 Low Iron Transition 99.75 97.03 99.22 Saprolite 99.77 >99.9 99.74

Selected elevated nickel drill results are provided below from the Companys shallow drilling program (for further information, please refer to the Companys press releases of March 5, April 1, April 23, June 13, June 20 and September 10, 2019):

Intersection length

(metres from surface) Nickel (%) Cobalt (%) 7.0 2.15% 0.03% 4.0 1.96% 0.04% 2.0 2.00% 0.01% 2.0 1.91% 0.05%

The company is currently in discussions with several strategic partners and investors who have expressed interest in the Cyclops project, and will update the market accordingly on any formal developments.

The Company also announces that it closed a non-brokered private placement (the Offering) for aggregate gross proceeds of $742,165 through the issuance of 6,184,704 units in the capital of the Company (each a Unit and together, the Units) at a subscription price of $0.12 per Unit. Each Unit is comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one (1) transferable Common Share purchase warrant (each, a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) Common Share for one year at an exercise price of $0.16 per Common Share. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid a total of $17,543 in cash to eligible finders who introduced subscribers to the Offering. All securities issued under the Offering, including securities issuable on exercise thereof, are subject to a four month resale restriction expiring June 7, 2020. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund development of its nickel-cobalt business in Indonesia as well as general working capital purposes.

The Company further announces that it has granted stock options to acquire up to 3,600,000 Common Shares of the Company to certain employees and consultants, 1,550,000 of which were granted to certain directors and officers of the Company. Each of the stock options is exercisable for a two-year term expiring on February 14, 2022 at a price of $0.26 per Common Share. On February 14, 2020, the last day that the Common Shares traded prior to the granting of the stock options, the closing trading price of the Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange was $0.26. Any Common Shares issued pursuant to the exercise of the stock options will be subject to a four month hold period expiring on June 15, 2020.

National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Garry Clark, PGeo, independent director of Pacific Rim Cobalt and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Pacific Rim Cobalt

Pacific Rim Cobalt is a Canadianbased exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of production grade nickel and cobalt deposits, key raw material inputs for the growing lithiumion battery industry. Visit https://pacificrimcobalt.com/ to find out more.

Pacific Rim Cobalt Corp.

Ranjeet Sundher  President and CEO

(604) 922-8272

rsundher@pacificrimcobalt.com

Steve Vanry  CFO & Director

(604) 922-8272

steve@vanrycap.com

Sean Bromley  Director & Investor Contact

(778) 985-8934

sbromley@investfortuna.com

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute forward-looking information that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements herein, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company and with respect to the results of exploration and prospective plans in regards to the Cyclops project. The words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions, such information is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information. Information provided in this document is necessarily summarized and may not contain all available material information. Although Pacific Rim Cobalt has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, success of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
As our reporter Maxine Bernstein has meticulously reported developments in the scandal involving West Linn and Portland police, weve debated how to tell the story without doing unnecessary harm.

How do you get across the truth of what actually happened without repeating the racist language at the heart of the story?

To recap, a Portland man settled a lawsuit against the city of West Linn that alleged racial discrimination and unlawful arrest. Michael Fesser, who is black, said city police targeted him for arrest as a favor to the then-West Linn police chiefs fishing buddy, Fessers employer at the time. Messages between a West Linn detective and Fessers boss contained unprofessional, racist and crude comments.

The revelations have rocked the Portland areas criminal justice community.

In the newsroom, we wrestled with our own questions. The essential one is whether we serve readers best by fully describing, even repeating, racist slurs. Or whether it is best to not amplify such painful words by publication online and in print.

These are the sorts of questions editors and reporters wrestle with often. Ive written before about the power of word choices and the need to change our standards as language and society change. Ive also become more thoughtful about ways we, as journalists, can tell accurate stories while minimizing harm. And I recognize as a white person in a predominately white community, I may have blinders on when I am making such decisions.

The tension around this issue is especially acute because we are truth-tellers and typically stress disclosure and transparency. But journalists have long recognized publication of certain information also can bring harm  for instance, most mainstream newsrooms do not identify sex crime victims.

In reporting on cases of racism, I have long felt we need to fully disclose what was said and done for accuracys sake and so that readers have a complete understanding of how racism does permeate our society. Who are we protecting by not repeating what was said or done? People need to know this exists, I thought. I long believed shining a light on racist behavior was the right approach.

Thats where my blinders came in. I gave less thought to the harm that came from repeating and amplifying a racist slur. As author Jeremy Helligar wrote in Variety, the word is as bracing a reminder as cotton, chains and Confederacy memorabilia of what our ancestors endured for centuries.

I did not know how painful reading certain words and phrases was for some readers and some of our staff. Even when I learned more, for some time I did not give sufficient weight to those harms; I still gave more weight to the journalistic ideals of full disclosure.

Thats changed. Through many conversations and missteps, including my own, we have come to a better practice in our newsroom. Most news organizations avoid repeating slurs. We will rarely publish them.

Our current guideline on a particularly ugly slur often aimed at African Americans reads: The Oregonian/OregonLive will not print the word unless the context it offers makes a powerful historical connection or its use by a person of public prominence demands its publication. Most commonly, we are drawn to its use to illustrate racist behavior. That in and of itself is not enough to allow the word into print and can in almost all cases be written around. In some cases, racist epithet or racist slur will suffice. We also dont use shorthand for the word without approval of senior editors.

The New York Times wrestled with this question when President Barack Obama used the word to illustrate a point. The Times printed it in that instance.

Fesser and his attorney, Paul Buchanan, prefer disclosure. Buchanan, who is white, acknowledged he struggled with the question of whether to repeat certain words while taking depositions in the case. Ultimately, he didnt want to sanitize in any way what had occurred.

To be sure, this is a subject over which reasonable people can disagree.

In a shift from my previous thinking, I do believe we should avoid repeating certain words and phrases that cause visceral harm to members of our community, as long as we can accurately tell the story without repeating them.

Some things are better left unsaid.

Therese Bottomly is editor and vice president of content for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her at tbottomly@oregonian.com or 503-221-8434. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Huawei Rift Between U.S. and Europe Becoming an Issue for NATO

(Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world threatened by trade wars. Sign up here.

The fight between the U.S. and Europe over Chinese technology is threatening to split the transatlantic military alliance, and tensions were ratcheted up another notch on Sunday by the U.S. ambassador to Germany.

Ambassador Richard Grenell tweeted that President Donald Trump had instructed him to make clear that any nation who chooses to use an untrustworthy 5G vendor risks jeopardizing intelligence and sharing with the U.S. at the highest level.

The comment on Twitter seemed specifically aimed at Huawei Technologies Co., although Grenell didnt mention the Chinese company by name. Grenell said Trump had delivered the order while aboard Air Force One, the presidential jet.

With the U.S. defense establishment identifying China as its No. 1 priority, a bi-partisan delegation headed by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rammed home their concerns about the use of equipment from Huawei at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend.

The officials warned that installing Huawei kit could undermine cooperation with U.S. allies as Trumps hardball trade tactics started to infect his administrations relationships on defense.

Republicans and Democrats agree on this, said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close ally of Trump. If you go down the Huawei road you are going to burn a lot of bridges.

European leaders have been hunkering down amid the Huawei storm as they try to maintain their critical relations with both sides in the U.S.-China trade war. Pelosis intervention on Friday signaled that they shouldnt pin their hopes on the problem blowing over if the Democrats win back the White House in December.

Structural Tensions

The atmosphere at the high-level gathering of security officials was an improvement on last year, when Vice President Mike Pence and German Chancellor Angela Merkel clashed. But the structural tensions between the U.S. and Europe were if anything greater: Europes exports to China have become a critical plank in its economic model and the Chinese have threatened retaliation on European companies if the bloc follows Trump in banning one of its flagship technology companies.

Story continues

The U.S. was on the defensive throughout, because their strong-arm tactics have conspicuously failed to bring the Europeans into line: the EU stopped short of an outright ban on Huawei in its guidelines for 5G communication technology. Even the U.K., which has been energetically courting the White House as it begins life outside the EU, opted to use Huawei kit.

We have a tech Cold War right now thats on display right here and Europe wants no part in it, said Ian Bremmer, president and founder of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. Theres never been such a rift with how Americans and Europeans define the security threat as right now.

That rift may have sweeping consequences as the western powers struggle to come to terms with the technological prowess China has developed since Xi Jinping in 2015 unveiled a 10-year plan to take the lead in industries like communications, I.T. and artificial intelligence. Huawei has become a lightning rod for the U.S.s wider insecurities.

If you dont understand the threat and we dont do something about it, at the end of the day, it could compromise what is the most successful military alliance in history: NATO, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in Munich.

Europeans are already feeling uneasy about the state of NATO.

Opening the conference in the Bavarian capital, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier accused the Trump administration of rejecting the very concept of an international community. Every country, it believes, should look after itself and put its own interests before all others, he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has said that NATO is undergoing brain death, said Saturday that Europe needs to build up its own capacity as a strategic power.

Since Trump took office, hes tried to end the Iran nuclear deal, withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord, and repeatedly threatened the EU with tariffs. So Pompeos claim that talk of the demise of the transatlantic relationship is grossly over-exaggerated was met with skepticism.

Hours later, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette was crowing that U.S. sanctions have managed to scupper a $6 billion project to link Germany and Russia with a new Baltic gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2.

For Europe, caught between the U.S. and its global rivals, the situation may yet get worse.

While Trump often touts his relationship with Xi, competition between the countries has only deepened since they signed their phase-one trade deal last month. The U.S. a week ago charged members of Chinas military over one of the biggest data thefts in American history and on Thursday charged Huawei with racketeering to engage in intellectual property theft.

And the coronavirus outbreak adds an extra element of uncertainty to the global political outlook -- a disease originating in China is threatening to weaken the global economy in the run-up to a U.S. election.

The potential for this to get much uglier in a short period of time is real, said Bremmer.

(Updates with Grenell comments)

--With assistance from Patrick Donahue.

To contact the reporters on this story: Glen Carey in Washington at gcarey8@bloomberg.net;Nick Wadhams in Washington at nwadhams@bloomberg.net;Henry Meyer in Munich at hmeyer4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Iain Rogers

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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China has applied Traditional Chinese Medicine in treating more than half of the confirmed patients of novel coronavirus infection in the country's Hubei province, which is the epicentre of the epidemic, a senior health official said on Saturday.

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has climbed to 1,523 with 143 new fatalities reported mostly from the worst-affected Hubei province while the confirmed cases jumped to over 66,000.

"Since the beginning of the outbreak, the government has attached importance to both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western medicine by mobilising the strongest scientific research and medical forces in both fields to treat the patients," Wang Hesheng, deputy head of China's National Health Commission, said.

Wang said that TCM has been applied in treating more than half of the confirmed patients of novel coronavirus infection in the country's Hubei province.

The announcement about the use of TCM for COVID-19 patients is significant as the virus has no standardised cure yet.

TCM universities and hospitals across the country have sent 2,220 medical workers to Hubei to help combat the epidemic, Wang said.

The Chinese government has also approved field trials for experimental US antiviral drug, Remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients.

"TCM has also been used in the prevention and control of COVID-19 at the community level," Wang said.

He emphasised that China is trying to improve the cure rate of patients by coordinating the resources of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

"By coordinating the resources of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, we strive to improve the cure rate and reduce fatalities by the greatest possible amount to effectively safeguard the safety and health of the people," Wang said.

Jiao Yahui, also a senior official at the National Health Commission, said that the combination of traditional and western medicines have shown supportive results.

"For severe and critically ill patients, antivirus treatment, together with treatment combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine and supportive treatments, such as the use of ventilator, blood plasma from recovered patients and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), have shown effect," Jiao said.

"Recently, we have been urging doctors to use ECMO at an early stage to help restore patients' blood oxygen saturation and reduce fatalities," Jiao added.

ECMO is a treatment that uses a pump to circulate blood through an artificial lung back into the bloodstream.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW DELHI: Responding to Union home minister Amit Shahs comment at a TV event that anyone having doubts over the Citizenship Amendment Act could seek an appointment from his office and he wo-uld be willing to meet them, protesters at Shaheen Bagh on Saturday announced that they would meet him at 2 pm on Sunday.

A section of protesters sitting at Shaheen Bagh said that they would be going to meet Mr Shah at his residence to request the government to withdraw the CAA and the National Register of Cit-izens (NRC). The protesters clarified that they had not sought an appointment with the minister. Mr Shah said that anyone having doubts over CAA could seek an appointment from his office and he would be willing to meet the person within three days. Responding to his call, we have decided to meet Mr Shah and we are now waiting for his response to our call, said a protester.

They said that in case they fail to get an appointment with Mr Shah the would decide their future course of action after 2 pm on Sunday.

An announcement in this regard was also made by a speaker from the dais. We are ready to meet the minister. But he should make it clear how many people he wants to meet, said Mr Syed Ahmed Taseer, one of the organisers.

Ms Mehrunnisa, who has been a regular at the protest, said the protesters would march to Mr Shahs residence on Sunday. We would ask him to withdraw CAA-NRC-NPR, she said, adding that the protest would continue till their demand was met.

A woman protester said that all the women would be going to meet the home minister. Everyone will go and meet the home minister at 2 pm on Sunday. Its a request to all the citizens including men and women who are facing problems due to CAA and NRC to go and meet Mr Shah and Prime Minister, said an elderly woman.

The Delhi Police said that they have no information about the proposed meeting. We will do the needful if they get the appointment, said a senior police officer.

Some of the protesters said that they will march to Mr Shahs residence with a charter of demands and their primary demand is to revoke the CAA. The protesters said they will not be sending any delegation but everyone protesting at Shaheen Bagh will be going to meet him.
Paul Strangio, a Monash University politics professor who also attended that memorial service, ticks off Cains achievements: WorkSafe, the TAC, freeing up liquor laws and retail trading hours, the sporting precinct, FOI and so much more. People looked at his record in office and suddenly appreciated Geez, he did a lot. And he says Andrews has put being an activist, assertive premier at the centre of his political persona  particularly when it comes to wearing a hardhat on a transport construction site. So what happens as Andrews heads towards the 2022 state election with his impressive list of mega-projects in apparent meltdown? On each of his biggest builds, the premier and his government now face a dizzying array of headaches: The Metro Tunnel - nine kilometres of rail tracks under central Melbourne - could see its $11 billion budget blown sky-high if the bitter dispute with the construction consortium building it reaches the courts - the cost of building the tunnels is up to $3 billion over budget. The contractors argue they have encountered unexpected problems including geological challenges, and before Christmas the dispute over who would pick up the bigger bill resulted in builders shutting down tunnel-boring machines for two days. Work has resumed on the job but the disagreement continues.

The West Gate Tunnel, comprising twin tunnels under Yarraville and a new bridge over the Maribyrnong, is a big dig by anyones standards. Missing at the moment is any actual digging. Two massive tunnel-boring machines sit dormant over a dispute between Andrews partner in the project, Transurban - which this week warned it would not meet its 2022 deadline to open the road. The two construction giants building it are in a dramatic impasse with Transurban over how they should dispose of 2.3 million tonnes of soil, much of it laced with the carcinogens PFAS and asbestos.

The pledge to remove 50 level crossings was a signature success of the governments first term, and this project continues. But it is running at least $2.3 billion over budget, and probably much more. The government disputes that this was a budget overrun, arguing that the many additional works they added  including new railway stations and better signalling that make the network function better  is what made costs jump. Despite the higher cost of the first 50 crossing removals, it was such an electoral winner that the government committed to another 25 removals in the next half-decade.

An airport rail line has been promised but, despite being discussed in Victoria since 1963, there is bubbling tension over the route it will take and whether to accept a bid led by a private consortium to build a new tunnel to run it on. The tunnel would enable a world-class service, but in the face of cost blowouts and delays on other projects, both Victoria and the Commonwealth are now considering a cheaper option. The stakes got higher for Andrews this week, when four suburban councils voted to challenge the roads environmental approval for the North East Link - the largest toll road ever to be attempted in this state - in the Supreme Court.

The government's unofficial line was that a court challenge wont hamper progress. But the councils boast two experienced silks including David Batt, QC, who represented the government on the other side of a near-identical fight over another toll road, the East West Link (that 18-kilometre toll road was abandoned by the Andrews government in 2015 at a cost to taxpayers of $1.1 billion). Michelle Giovas, president of Friends of Banyule, in Borlase Reserve in Yallambie, which will be severely affected by the North East Link. Credit:Justin McManus For a project as environmentally precarious as the North East Link  26,000 trees to go, almost 53 hectares of native vegetation to be impacted and a tunnel that cuts underneath the Yarra through one of the citys most cherished bush landscapes  a court defeat over its green bona fides would be disastrous. All these projects are needed to deal with the massive population growth Victoria continues to experience  133,000 new residents in the year to June 2019. Growth near that level has been happening for more than a decade. Daniel Andrews is in the middle of what might be thought of as his Difficult Second Term.

Its something he talks about regularly when under fire over this mega-project or that. Managing so many big projects is an enormous challenge, he said at one press conference recently. "But ultimately whats the alternative? Sit around finding reasons not to do things? Well, weve had that for, like, 40 years and its why we have got some of the congestion trouble we have now," he said. Never easy: A worker at the State Library Station site of the Metro Tunnel project earlier this month. Credit:Joe Armao "Its why frankly weve not been ready for the growth we are experiencing now. In 20 years time they wont be saying that about this government. They will be saying we got on and got things done. Was it easy? Was it simple? No, of course it isnt. Important work is never simple, is never easy. For the Opposition the talking points are clear: Andrews has bitten off more than he can chew and is promising the biggest infrastructure build in the states history without worrying about who is footing the bill.

I think hes like a general fighting the last war, says shadow transport infrastructure spokesman David Davis, who smells votes for his side of politics in the massive cost and timetable blowouts. "Its no use being the best sabre fighter if guns have appeared. Davis says that Labor cant just keep on promising bigger and bigger projects if the ones already underway are facing such serious headwinds. These projects are loose and under-scoped and consequently they are like a runaway train, he adds. When questioned about his own partys history in government, Davis points to his time as health minister. I had $4.5 billion in health projects bubbling away, he says, batting away suggestions that the Coalition cant run an infrastructure program. The Liberal Partys track record on transport projects the last time it was in power is hardly one to sing from the rooftops. The highlights? A handful of level crossing removals; finishing off under budget and ahead of time the Regional Rail Link through Melbournes west, a project that Labor had started; a broken promise to build a rail line to Doncaster; and a failed attempt to kickstart an airport rail line combined with an out-of-the-blue metro rail tunnel through the fledgling suburb of Fishermans Bend. Their current promises should they win power in 2022 are building the East West Link, continuing with the Metro Tunnel and North East Link, and weighing up the business case for the Suburban Rail Loop.

Davis says that whatever the Coalition did the last time it was in government, Labor is out of control when it comes to spending on transport infrastructure. He points to the Suburban Rail Loop project, a 90-kilometre underground link around Melbournes middle suburbs costed at a thumping $50 billion. He says that even that figure is an understatement, and floats a rumour that has come his way from a government source that the current costing is $162 billion. The proposed suburban rail loop would intersect with 10 other rail lines. Credit:Fairfax Media He agrees that cross-city links around Melbourne are in urgent need of improvement, but questions if, in the Suburban Rail Loop, the government has the right solution. Theyve certainly got the most expensive solution. Fears and failures Newly minted in 2010 as state Labor leader and faced with the task of winning back office in a single term, Andrews told the Herald Sun that the combination of failure on transport projects and rapid population growth had been Labors downfall. In the face of unprecedented growth, we struggled to keep up, he said of John Brumbys government.

Slowly, he and shadow treasurer Tim Pallas cooked up an infrastructure strategy they would take to the 2014 election to defeat Denis Napthines East West Link-obsessed government. Offering the removal of 50 level crossings and the cancellation of East West Link at no extra cost, Andrews swept to power with a strategy called Project 10,000 - the creation of 10,000 new jobs through transport building. Premier Daniel Andrews and Treasurer Tim Pallas, left, were the architects of Project 10,000. Credit:AAP Denis Napthine, who lost office to that documents promises, says todays construction frenzy is being driven by population growth and that the pressure on the system, even with all the work being done, is still immense. When he comes to Melbourne, he stays in Kensington: The amount of times I have to wait for the next train because I cant get on  and if you try and drive in it takes you an hour from eight kilometres away [from the CBD]. Napthine says Andrews should be focusing more on pumping up regional centres by shifting public service jobs to places like Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. He also thinks Labors choice of projects has been muddle-headed.

Then premier Denis Napthine announcing land acquisitions for the doomed East West Link in 2013. Credit:Wayne Taylor Napthine maintains that the East West Link he took to the 2014 election was a great project. But even for those who didnt support the section of motorway his government wanted to build, he argues a much better alternative than the $6.7 billion West Gate Tunnel is the second stage of the East West Link, which would have traversed an entirely different part of the western suburbs. The West Gate Tunnel is the wrong project for the wrong reason, because it wont have the impact on decongesting the west. This tunnel project was driven by a secret deal with Transurban and financed in a dodgy way and has ended up in an absolute mess. (Promised in Labor's Project 10,000 was a far more modest set of West Gate Bridge ramps costed at $500 million.) Napthines transport department secretary during the East West Link days was Jim Betts, who now runs NSWs Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. For many years Betts ran public transport in Victoria, before taking on the top job in the Department of Transport. In a speech at Monash University late last year, Betts  who presented the East West Link business case to Napthine and his Cabinet in 2013, and was out of a job by the following morning  reflected on how Victoria had arrived at its current situation.

Good projects come from good plans and conversely bad projects come from a lack of planning, he said, pointing to a 2008 strategy called the Victorian Transport Plan that put projects like the Metro Tunnel and North East Link into a formal process. Betts noted that under legislation there is meant to be a formal strategy now, but there is not. Loading It may be that the projects that the government in Victoria is rolling out are the best projects. But you wouldnt know, because you dont have a plan within which to operate, he said. Betts was in charge of public transport under John Brumby in the lead-up to the 2010 election. We had the right projects but we hadnt planned sufficiently far ahead, so as patronage on the rail system ballooned, we couldn't run fast enough to keep up with the demand that was being placed on the train system, Betts recalled in his speech. It felt like an atmosphere of crisis management. [New] trains were due to arrive one a month [every month] and every time a train was two days late, it was on the front page of The Age. That sort of stuff doesnt happen if you plan decently ahead of time.
File photo shows attorney General William Barr, left, and President Donald Trump turn to leave after speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House, in Washington.AP photo

Unbowed by a public rebuke from his attorney general, President Donald Trump says has the legal right to intervene in criminal cases and sidestep the Justice Departments historic independence. At the same time, it was revealed federal prosecutors have been ordered to review the criminal case of his former national security adviser.

A day after Attorney General William Barr said the presidents tweets were making it impossible for me to do my job, Trump declared he had the right to ask the agency to intervene in cases but so far has chosen not to. It was a rare public flare-up of tensions, simmering for weeks at the upper echelon of the Trump administration, as Barr marked one year on the job Friday.

While Barr complained that Trumps tweets undermine the departments perception as independent from political interference, he has proven to be eager to deliver on many of the presidents investigative priorities  often laid out by Trump for all to see on Twitter.

The attorney general stepped in this week to alter the sentencing recommendation that Trump had denounced as too harsh for his ally Roger Stone. Also, Justice Department prosecutors are reviewing the handling of the federal investigation into Trumps former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday. And Barr has appointed a U.S. attorney who is conducting a criminal investigation into the origins of the FBIs probe of the 2016 election that morphed into special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of possible Trump-Russia cooperation.

Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its probe of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, but his sentencing has been postponed several times after he complained he was misled during his questioning. The U.S. attorney in St. Louis, Jeff Jensen, is working with Brandon Van Grack, a member of Muellers team, to review the Flynn case, a Justice Department official said.

As president, Trump technically has the right to compel the Justice Department, an executive branch agency, to launch investigations. But historically, when it comes to decisions on criminal investigations and prosecutions, Justice has functioned independently, unmoved and unbound by political sway. And that reputation is important to Barr, as he made clear in an interview Thursday on ABC News.

Im happy to say that, in fact, the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case, Barr said. However, to have public statements and tweets made about the department, about our people ... about cases pending in the department, and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that were doing our work with integrity.

The attorney general has repeatedly shared the same sentiment in private conversations with the president in recent weeks, telling Trump he was frustrated with the presidents public comments and tweets about Justice Department cases, a person familiar with the matter told the AP. The person was granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

Barr was directly asked in the ABC interview whether he believed Trump had the authority to direct him to open an investigation.

In many cases yes, such as terrorism or fraud by a bank or something like that, Barr said.

However, If he were to say, you know, go investigate somebody because  and you sense its because theyre a political opponent, then an attorney general shouldnt carry that out, wouldnt carry that out.

Still, Barr has proven to be a largely reliable ally and defender of presidential power. That includes his preemptive framing of the results from special counsel Muellers Trump-Russia investigation last year in a manner favorable to Trump when Mueller pointedly said he couldnt exonerate the president of obstruction of justice.

Trump has publicly and privately threatened payback in the form of investigations against his perceived enemies including former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Director Andrew McCabe, whom prosecutors said Friday they would not charge with lying about leaking. And hes also pressed for investigations into political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter, especially following Trumps impeachment acquittal over a phone call where he asked Ukraines leaders to investigate the Bidens.

And Flynns case has become something of a cause for Trump supporters, who have seized on the former Trump aides assertion that he was somehow ambushed by the FBI during an interview at the White House.

As for Comey, Trump has tweeted scores of times that he should be charged with crimes. Trump was particularly incensed that no charges were filed over the former FBI directors handling of memos about his interactions with Trump, according to a White House official and Republican close to the White House not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions.

The president angrily denounced the decision not to charge Comey to aides and berated Barr over it, according to the officials. Aides expected the decision not to charge McCabe could produce a similar angry reaction.

Trump has also repeatedly complained about FBI Director Christopher Wray in recent months, saying that Wray has not done enough to rid the bureau of people who are disloyal to him.

An administration official acknowledged there has been some tension between Trump and Barr in recent weeks, but said Trump still has confidence in his attorney general.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss private conversations, said Trump also knows it would be risky to remove Barr ahead of the 2020 election and that it is highly unlikely he could find a suitable replacement before then.

Earlier this week, the Justice Department overruled its own prosecutors  who had recommended in a court filing that Trumps longtime ally and confidant Stone be sentenced to 7 to 9 years in prison  and took the extraordinary step of lowering the amount of prison time it would seek. The entire trial team of prosecutors quit the case after the amended filing, and one quit the DOJ altogether.

Barr faced intense criticism over the decision, which followed just hours after Trump tweeted his displeasure about the harsher recommendation. Trump greeted the reversal with another tweet congratulating Barr for taking action, which proved to be a tipping point for the attorney general. He opted for a public interview to air his frustrations with the president while word was sent to the White House just a short time before it aired.

On Friday, Trump quoted one of Barrs comments in the interview: The president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case. A.G. Barr  and then Trump added in his tweet  This doesnt mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!

Stone is to be sentenced by a federal judge next week. His lawyers filed a motion Friday evening seeking a new trial, though details of the motion remained under seal.

House Democrats frustrated over the Senates acquittal of Trump on impeachment want answers from Barr about what they see as his efforts to politicize federal law enforcement. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Barr will testify before the panel March 31.

The Justice Department insisted the decision to undo the sentencing recommendation was made Monday night  before Trump blasted the recommendation on Twitter as very horrible and unfair and prosecutors had not spoken to the White House about it.

Barr joined a roster of high-level aides who have publicly criticized Trump, though the rest left their jobs first. Former National Security Adviser John Bolton is to publish a book next month detailing his time in the White House including criticism of Trump actions such as his decision to withhold military assistance while seeking a political favor from Ukraine. And former Chief of Staff John Kelly, who has largely kept a low profile since leaving the White House, has grown more open about his unflattering assessments of the president.
Why should Arlington continue to destroy its tree canopy; ignore its own Chesapeake watershed connections; further jam overcrowded schools; overtax sewer systems; add more heat islands, poor air quality and congested streets; and increase taxes so that people outside Arlington can have a more peaceful, environmentally sound life? To save on driving, we have the Silver Line and plans for more service on the Virginia Railway Express corridor, all environmentally sound commute options that can respect green space and mature tree canopies throughout Virginia. Additionally, Adrian Higginss Feb. 12 article, A native plant gurus radical vision for the American yard, explains the value of permeable land in all communities.
In your Feb. 2 column on African-Americans at the Battle of the Alamo, you overlooked one of the major contributors involved in independence from Mexico. There is a cemetery on Straus Medina Ranch, located off Montgomery Road in far West Bexar County, where the state of Texas erected a granite monument in 1936 honoring Hendrick Arnold, a free African-American who fought in the Battle of Bexar alongside Ben Milam. (Arnold) later was one of two scouts of Sam Houston, fought at San Jacinto and married Deaf Smiths stepdaughter. He apparently was given that tract of land and another in Bandera County for his service in the various battles. About 20 years ago, our family sold the ranch to Bexar Metropolitan Water District, and subsequently it was owned by SAWS (San Antonio Water System.)

 Joe R. Straus Jr.

Hendrick (sometimes spelled Henrich) Arnold (1802 or 1804-1849) had an eventful life if not a long one. Almost everything that could happen to a man of his time in Texas happened to him.

Believed to be the son of a white man and a black woman, he came from Mississippi in 1826 with his parents to join Stephen F. Austins colony on the Brazos River.

Arnold is described as a Negro, but his brother Holly (of the same parents) was said to be white. Their father, Daniel Arnold, owned and brought slaves to Texas  technically including Hendrick and his mother, Rachel, as there is no evidence that they were ever freed  despite the fact that slavery was illegal in Mexico, as Texas still was when they arrived.

Because cheap labor was needed to settle Mexicos huge, northernmost province, the Mexican government adopted an expedient attitude toward its anti-slavery laws, which allowed the Americans to circumvent them, according to The Afro-American Texans, published in 1975 by the Institute of Texan Cultures.

Hendrick Arnold, however, seems to have been treated most often as a free man. As such, reads the Institutes booklet, he had all the legal and political rights of citizenship: He could own lands, amass wealth, hold office and marry when he pleased.

When hostilities broke out between the American Texians and the Mexican government over taxation, restrictions on immigration and other issues, the affairs of free Negroes were interminably bound up with those of their white friends, neighbors and countrymen, wrote Harold Schoen in The Free Negro in the Republic of Texas, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, July 1936. They rightly considered the welfare of all Texans to be their own.

As volunteer companies were raised to drive out the Mexican forces  who were occupying their own country  some of the irregulars were joined by free black men. As Schoen wrote, It was natural enough that the white man should accept the services of the Negro  particularly since every man was sorely needed to oppose the overwhelming forces (sent) to subdue what they considered to be an insurrection.

Arnold was living in San Antonio by the time the fighting started in the fall of 1835. His wife, Martina, was a stepdaughter of frontiersman Erastus Deaf Smith, and the two men were returning from a buffalo hunt north of whats now Austin when they came upon an encampment of Texian volunteers on Salado Creek and learned that San Antonio was under siege by Mexican soldiers.

As guides who knew the area well, the two men volunteered their services, and Arnold took part in the Battle of Concepcion.

Because San Antonio was thought to be too well-fortified to penetrate further easily, the Texians hung back, and there was much disorganization in the ranks, Schoen wrote.

But when long-held prisoners escaped and told the volunteers that the supposed stronghold was vulnerable, officers raised about 300 troops to storm the town in three divisions, to be led by guides including Arnold and Smith.

On Dec. 3, 1835, the day they were planning to move, Arnold was not there; some say he had gone on a hunting trip. His value may be judged, Schoen wrote, by the fact that his absence was given as the main reason for postponing the assault, the officers of one of the divisions refusing to march without him.

When Arnold returned, he was placed at the head of a column commanded by Ben Milam, which attacked Dec. 5, 1835, with Arnold as pilot to Milam in conducting his troops in the town, joining the other Texians in house-to-house fighting until the Mexicans capitulated five days later in what became known as the Siege of Bexar. Milam was a casualty of the fighting, but the other commander, Francis W. Johnson, noted in his post-battle report that Arnold performed important service.

Arnold continued to support the revolution, according to the entry about him in the Handbook of Texas, and served in Smiths spy company in the (concluding) Battle of San Jacinto.

For his service, Arnold received a grant of 640 acres of land near Bandera, where he also helped some of his family obtain land. Although his brother lived there, and Arnold may have had an interest in a timber business there, the veteran came back to San Antonio to operate a grist mill near Mission San Juan.

He may have participated in the U.S.-Mexican War but was living near Castroville when he died during a cholera epidemic in 1849. His gravesite in the Medina Ranch Cemetery is often described as on the banks of the Medina River.

Road scholars: Charles Chip Lieck and Michael Carroll are seeking owners of current or former Austin Highway businesses from the 1920s onward for a video oral history of the first paved road between San Antonio and Austin that began as part of El Camino Real, the royal road of Spanish empire. They plan to make the finished film available online and to share it with local libraries. To reach the filmmakers to share photos, memorabilia and information, send them a message at austinhighwayinfo@gmail.com.

historycolumn@yahoo.com | Twitter: @sahistorycolumn | Facebook: SanAntoniohistorycolumn
SJM1214 Senior - BHPian



Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Anand(GJ23) Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 5,547 Times

Re: Daulat ki Chaat, Paratha, Lal Qila and Auto Expo 2020 My job was done.



It was time to go for Auto Expo. I tried to study the route map to reach Knowledge Park-2. As per the route map, I had to change the train four times during the entire route. I even had to change the metros across different color codes. It was not that confusing. However, the lazy guy inside me was insisting me to higher a cab and reach knowledge park comfortably. I even downloaded the Uber app. Yes! we don't have uber or ola in my home town. So, I didn't have the uber app on my phone.



However, the re-born solo traveler inside me ruled out the uber option and I got in the metro. My metro route was showing the map up to Noida Sector 52. There was nothing after Noida Sector 52 on the map. There was no option of Knowledge park 2 in the blue line route. It was confusing, What after sector 52? How to reach Knowledge Park 2 from Sector 52?



I tried to ask some locals. All of them were Noida guys. They were not aware of whats after sector 52. Google came to my aid. I read all the things about Delhi Metro and came to know that I"ll have to get on Aqua line from sector 52 to reach Knowledge Park 2.



I reached Noida Sector 52. There was a 400 mt walk to reach the station of Aqua line. I reached the Aqua line and tried my DMRC tourist card at the entrance and it didn't work. I tried it at all the gates, it refused to open. Now what?



One customer care girl was observing me from the window of the CS counter. She called me up and asked what happened. I told her that my DMRC tourist card is not working. She explained to me that I am out of Delhi metro and I"ll have to buy a new token or tourist pass for Aqua line which belongs to NMRC (Noida Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.). After that, I came to know that NCR has a different metro corporation that doesn't have anything to do with National capital. I asked is it ok if I buy a single ticket and don't buy a token. She laughed at my ignorance and explained that we at Metro call it token and not tickets.



I bought a return "token" for Knowledge Park-2 and boarded Aqua line metro. The entire compartment was full of people going to Auto Expo. All of them were discussing Auto Expo. I got involve in one of the groups and started discussing Auto Expo. Team-BHP jacket helped me to get accepted in that group.



We reached Knowledge Park-2 metro station. We got out and a big national flag welcomed us. Finally, at 1330, I was at the gate of Auto Expo 2020.



Welcome to Auto Expo.





I booked my Auto Expo tickets from BookMyShow. We deliberately selected the costliest (750/- ticket) day thinking there won't be much rush on the business day and we would be able to spend maximum time with the cars. The Plan was to meet BHPian Xroader_001 at the gate and put my bag in his car. However, I was late and his car was parked at some faraway parking space. I collected my tickets from gate number 2 and entered the Expo.







I entered the expo and realized that the assumption that on a business day the rush would be lower was wrong. I called up BHPian Xroader_001, they were busy exploring other parts of the Expo. We decided to meet at one of the center halls which belonged to TATA.



The Auto Expo 2020 is amazingly covered by Team-BHP, So I"ll not go into details and specifics.



This was my first Auto Expo visit and I wanted to enjoy it at the fullest. I was carrying my SLR but the same way I had to carry my backpack with me. So, overall It was irritating for me to click photographs. I decided to give full attention to the cars and started exploring the Expo. Here are some pics.



























The models standing with cars were beautiful. I noticed most of the people were interested to click those models and if possible some selfies with them. However, the same beautiful models sometimes blocking the views of cars.



I met BHPian Xroader_001 at TATA hall. After a formal Hi and hello, we started discussing the cars. Both of us were excited and at some moment, we ask the models to get away from the car to get better photographs.



TATA Siera Concept.





With Model.





Without Model.





We were having fun. TATA had the biggest pavilion with too many cars including concepts, EV and commercial vehicles. The Mercedes pavilion was way too small and due to that, it was overcrowded. The supercar pavilion was also overcrowded with selfie seeking crowd.



Some more pics.























Force Gurkha was looking amazing with all the mods. We reached the MSIL pavilion. As MS Brezza owners, we wanted to observe the changes in Brezza's facelift. There wasn't anything exciting. Ignis facelift was just launched, they changed the grill, added some cladding and started calling it Urban compact SUV. They even had WagonR and Dzire in the display.



Why!! Maruri why?

















We wanted to see the Kia Carnival. We reached Kia pavilion and I must say Carnival was a stunner. Now, We have the Innova rival in true sense.











MG and GWM pavilionS were the most happening parts of the expo. These Chinese companies were aggressive and excited for the Indian market. Too many cars and concepts were on display. MG's 360m didn't excite us but Gloster was looking great.











GWM had all the similar-looking cars with different sizes and colors.















We walked a lot. I was irritated because I had to carry my bag. We went to the food court and ordered some food. I convinced the stall owner to keep my bag at his stall. Cartist area was just next to the food court we spent some time with them.



















We were aware that half of the major two-wheeler companies skipped the expo. There weren't any exciting motorcycles in the expo. I got rid of my SLR (Put in my bag) and got completely free. Once again we entered the arena and covered the two-wheeler part & other counters. Once again we visited the entire expo and communicated with the OEM officials. We collected all kinds of brochures, marketing stuff, and magazines. The second phase of the visit was amazing for me as I didn't have to carry my backpack with me. It was time to go forI tried to study the route map to reachAs per the route map, I had to change the train four times during the entire route. I even had to change the metros across different color codes. It was not that confusing. However, the lazy guy inside me was insisting me to higher a cab and reach knowledge park comfortably. I even downloaded theYes! we don't have uber or ola in my home town. So, I didn't have the uber app on my phone.However,inside me ruled out the uber option and I got in the metro. My metro route was showing the map up to. There was nothing after Noida Sector 52 on the map. There was no option ofIt was confusing, What after sector 52? How to reach Knowledge Park 2 from Sector 52?I tried to ask some locals. All of them were Noida guys. They were not aware of whats after sector 52. Google came to my aid. I read all the things about Delhi Metro and came to know that I"ll have to get onThere was a 400 mt walk to reach the station of Aqua line. I reached the Aqua line and tried myat the entrance and it didn't work. I tried it at all the gates, it refused to open. Now what?One customer care girl was observing me from the window of the CS counter. She called me up and asked what happened. I told her that my DMRC tourist card is not working. She explained to me thatand I"ll have to buy a new token or tourist pass forwhich belongs to. After that, I came to know that NCR has a different metro corporation that doesn't have anything to do with National capital. I asked is it ok if I buy a single ticket and don't buy a token. She laughed at my ignorance and explained thatI bought a returnand boarded. The entire compartment was full of people going to Auto Expo. All of them were discussing Auto Expo. I got involve in one of the groups and started discussing Auto Expo. Team-BHP jacket helped me to get accepted in that group.We reachedWe got out and a big national flag welcomed us. Finally, at 1330, I was at the gate ofI booked my Auto Expo tickets from BookMyShow. We deliberately selected the costliest (750/- ticket) day thinking there won't be much rush on the business day and we would be able to spend maximum time with the cars. The Plan was to meetat the gate and put my bag in his car. However, I was late and his car was parked at some faraway parking space. I collected my tickets from gate number 2 and entered the Expo.I entered the expo and realized that the assumption that on a business day the rush would be lower was wrong. I called up, they were busy exploring other parts of the Expo. We decided to meet at one of the center halls which belonged to TATA.This was my first Auto Expo visit and I wanted to enjoy it at the fullest. I was carrying my SLR but the same way I had to carry my backpack with me. So, overall It was irritating for me to click photographs. I decided to give full attention to the cars and started exploring the Expo. Here are some pics.The models standing with cars were beautiful. I noticed most of the people were interested to click those models and if possible some selfies with them. However, the same beautiful models sometimes blocking the views of cars.I metat TATA hall. After a formal Hi and hello, we started discussing the cars. Both of us were excited and at some moment, we ask the models to get away from the car to get better photographs.We were having fun.had the biggest pavilion with too many cars including concepts, EV and commercial vehicles. Thepavilion was way too small and due to that, it was overcrowded.pavilion was also overcrowded with selfie seeking crowd.Some more pics.was looking amazing with all the mods. We reached thepavilion. As MS Brezza owners, we wanted to observe the changes inThere wasn't anything exciting.facelift was just launched, they changed the grill, added some cladding and started calling it Urban compact SUV. They even hadin the display.Why!! Maruri why?We wanted to see the. We reached Kia pavilion and I must say Carnival was a stunner. Now, We have the Innova rival in true sense.pavilionS were the most happening parts of the expo. These Chinese companies were aggressive and excited for the Indian market. Too many cars and concepts were on display.didn't excite us butwas looking great.had all the similar-looking cars with different sizes and colors.We walked a lot. I was irritated because I had to carry my bag. We went to the food court and ordered some food. I convinced the stall owner to keep my bag at his stall.area was just next to the food court we spent some time with them.We were aware that half of the major two-wheeler companies skipped the expo. There weren't any exciting motorcycles in the expo. I got rid of my SLR (Put in my bag) and got completely free. Once again we entered the arena and covered the two-wheeler part & other counters. Once again we visited the entire expo and communicated with the OEM officials. We collected all kinds of brochures, marketing stuff, and magazines. The second phase of the visit was amazing for me as I didn't have to carry my backpack with me. Last edited by vb-san : 15th February 2020 at 19:48 . Reason: Updated Ford -> Force Gurkha, Thanks!
BJP leader slaps police constable for preventing him from burning Siddaramaiah's effigy in Raichur

Siddaramaiah demands Rs 25 lakh compensation to farmers who were 'martyred' during farm law agitation

Siddaramaiah asks BJP government in Karnataka to repeal two agriculture laws introduced last year

Bidar sedition case: Siddaramaiah detained during protest march

India

oi-Deepika S

Bengaluru, Feb 15: Several Karnataka Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah have been detained by police after they tried to take out a protest march to the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's office, against Bidar sedition case.

Karnataka Congress leaders Dinesh Gundu Rao, Rizwan Arshad and K Suresh were also detained by the cops near Race Course road.

"Police is being misused by this government, those who raise their voices against central government and BJP are being booked for sedition. We are going to protest in front of Chief Minister's office," said Dinesh Gundu Rao told ANI.

A court in Bidar in north Karnataka on Friday granted bail to a parent and the headmistress of a school, arrested in the "sedition case'' for their alleged involvement in staging a drama, portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poor light in connection with CAA and NRC.

Principal District and Sessions Court Judge granted conditional bail to Nazbunnisa (parent) and Fareeda Begum (headmistress) who were arrested on January 30.

The drama was staged by students of the fourth, fifth and sixth standards on January 21.

Aseditioncase was later booked by police against the school management, along with other sections of IPC on January 26, based on a complaint from social worker Neelesh Rakshyal.

The play uploaded on social media had gone viral.

Officials had earlier said the utterances against Modi was not part of the original script, but the mother of the sixth standard student allegedly incorporated them during practice and the teacher allowed it to be part of the drama.

The complainant alleged that the school authorities ''used'' the students to perform a drama where they "abused" Modi in the context of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.

The management tried to create ''fear'' among the Muslims that they would have to leave the country if the CAA and NRC are implemented, Rakshyal had said.

Police had earlier come in for for criticism from some quarters for questioning thechildren in connection with the case, in uniform.
 Flash

The U.S. private sector has donated a batch of medical supplies, including 2 million masks, and has organized a shipment to China in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) announced Thursday.

The effort was co-organized by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) and the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, according to the USCBC, which represents over 200 American companies that do business with China.

U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) president Craig Allen speaks during a press conference in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 13, 2020. The U.S. private sector has donated a batch of medical supplies, including 2 million masks, and has organized a shipment to China in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the U.S.-China Business Council announced Thursday. [Photo/Xinhua]

"At this critical moment, the U.S. private sector stands with and in support with the Chinese people," said Evan Greenberg, the USCBC chair and NCUSCR vice chair as well as chief executive officer of Chubb, a property and casualty insurance company.

FedEx has donated air transportation of these relief supplies to China, and Walmart has joined Chubb in helping to obtain these goods, Greenberg said.

"This is the time to demonstrate our shared humanity and dedication to the common good," said USCBC President Craig Allen. "In particular, we want to help and to honor the courageous healthcare workers throughout China."

In a tweet Thursday afternoon, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai thanked the three organizations "for the great support" to the Chinese people at this "challenging" moment. "Together we stand strong! Together we will win the battle against #COVID19," said the ambassador.

Steve Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, said the committee "has stood for strengthening people-to-people relations between our two great peoples" since the hosting of the Chinese ping pong team in 1972.

"During this crisis we are gratified to be able to continue this great tradition by helping to provide urgently needed medical supplies to the Chinese people," Orlins said.

"We are honored and deeply gratified to be one of the organizers of this humanitarian action, a powerful gesture of American friendship and goodwill toward China at this challenging moment," said David Firestein, president and chief executive officer of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations.

"Our Foundation stands ready to do all in our power to help our Chinese friends fight and defeat this virus," said Firestein, whose organization identified a reliable supply for the donation.

Most of the donated goods on the flight will be rushed to Wuhan hospitals with support from Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and China Charity Federation, according to the USCBC.
FILE PHOTO: A Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 plane lands at Hong Kong airport after it reopened following clashes between police and protesters

By Jamie Freed

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Leaning on its SARS experience, Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd has slashed flights, asked staff to take unpaid leave and is re-assessing its fleet as it battles an epidemic and a crisis of morale after pro-democracy protests.

Planes are parked unused at its home airport, flights across its network like Rome and Washington have been cancelled because of low demand, and the airline is temporarily closing some of its premium lounges.

Cathay used a similar playbook during previous shocks, including the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic and the global financial crisis, both of which it rebounded from relatively quickly.

This time, though, Cathay was already dealing with an internal crisis before the virus hit.

Last year, it fired dozens of employees sympathetic to widespread anti-government protests in the city, and its two top executives resigned after criticism from China.

That means there is less goodwill among staff being asked to take three weeks of unpaid leave, six employees told Reuters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak with media.

"No one is lining up to personally sacrifice for this company - not anymore," a Cathay pilot said. "We have all seen how quickly the company and economy recover from these things, and in hindsight they are but a blip on the timeline of Cathay's business."

The carrier is the most-exposed airline outside mainland China to falling demand caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which has killed more than 1,300 people and sickened more than 60,000.

Before the coronavirus hit, Cathay had a strong balance sheet, with powerful backers in major shareholders Swire Pacific Ltd, Air China Ltd and Qatar Airways.

Local rival Hong Kong Airlines is on the brink of financial collapse, according to analysts, which could benefit Cathay in the long run.

At this week's Singapore Airshow, attendees said they were confident Cathay could weather the viral storm - even though some customers and corporate clients are avoiding even a transit at Hong Kong's airport as countries extend quarantine requirements.

Story continues

"I think people are mindful it may be a very sharp shock, but the recovery could be equally impressive," said Andrew Herdman, the director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines and a former Cathay executive.

CASH IS KING

During a crisis, lack of cash flow can quickly become a problem for carriers, as many of their assets, such as planes, have fixed costs but are idle and no longer bringing in revenue.

"We don't know how long this will last," Cathay chief executive Augustus Tang told staff in a video last week seen by Reuters. "With such an uncertain outlook, preserving our cash is now the key to protecting our business."

The number of customers seeking refunds has skyrocketed, with the airline emailing those affected, including some air show delegates, to tell them reimbursement could take up to six weeks.

"They are in a massive world of pain," said an air show attendee with knowledge of the company, who was not authorised to speak to the media.

Cathay already in November deferred the delivery of four Airbus SE narrowbodies because of the downturn associated with the protests. The airline said at the time it had planned to receive 17 new planes from Airbus this year, 7 of them A350 widebodies.

It is now trying to negotiate the early return of some of its leased Boeing Co 777-300ER planes, according to a person familiar with the plans, as it focuses on operating more fuel-efficient A350s. Boeing's delays in certifying the larger 777X means Cathay can also put off taking delivery of those aircraft, which it has already ordered.

"We are continuously assessing our fleet and aircraft deployment in order to best align capacity with market demand," Cathay said in a statement.

Airbus and Boeing executives at the air show said they understood the need to be flexible.

"We stay very close to our customers," Airbus head of marketing Francois Caudron told reporters. "Some of them are really suffering."

Cathay has cut 90% of its passenger flights to mainland China and 30% of capacity across its global network through the end of March.

When Cathay encouraged unpaid leave during SARS and the global financial crisis, it eventually repaid most of the lost wages to staff when business recovered, employee sources said.

But with some flights to mainland China continuing despite staff concerns, some crew members said they felt the company was prioritising revenue over their well being.

"The morale is bad," said a flight attendant at Cathay's regional arm, Cathay Dragon, which is now handling all of its mainland China flights. "It is just like a wound that will never recover."

(Reporting by Jamie Freed. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
KUALA LUMPUR/SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia -- An 83-year-old American woman who had been a passenger on a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia after being shunned by other countries has tested positive for the new coronavirus in Malaysia, health authorities said on Saturday.

She was the first passenger on the MS Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp unit Holland America Inc, to test positive for the virus.

The ship docked in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Thursday carrying 1,455 passengers and 802 crew.

It had spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Thailand.

The passengers were tested regularly on board and Cambodia also tested 20 once it docked.

None was found to have the new coronavirus that has killed more than 1,500 people, the vast majority in China.

The American woman flew to Malaysia on Friday from Cambodia along with 144 others from the ship, the Malaysian health ministry said in a statement, adding that she was in stable condition.

The woman's husband had shown symptoms but tested negative, it said. The couple were the only ones of the 145 to show symptoms, the ministry said.

A spokesman for Holland America declined to comment.

Or Vandine, Secretary of State at Cambodia's Health Ministry, also declined to comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump has thanked Cambodia for taking in the ship in a rare message to a country that is one of China's closest allies and has often been at odds with Washington.

Cruise ships around Asia face widespread fears they may be spreading the virus.

The biggest cluster outside China has been on the Diamond Princess, quarantined off Japan's Yokohama.

Out of about 3,700 passengers and crew on board, 285 people have tested positive and have been sent to hospital.

Vietnam turned back two ships on Friday.

The American woman's case brings the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Malaysia to 22.
Three students from Kashmir studying at a private engineering college in Hubballi district of Karnataka were arrested on sedition charges for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans and posting a video of it on a messaging platform, police said on Saturday.

Police said, according to preliminary information, the students are from Shopianin Kashmir and action has been taken on the basis of a complaint from the college management.

"We received information that three students hailing from Kashmir studying at the KLE Institute of Technology had raised slogans supporting Pakistan.

They had made a video about it which has gone viral. Immediately our team headed by Inspector Gokul Road station went to thespot and arrested them," Hubli-DharwadPolice Commissioner R Dileep said.

Right wing activists, including those from Bajarang Dal who had gathered near the college, demanded stringent action against the three.

As the students were being taken to the police station with their faces covered, an activist tried to attack them, but police escorted them safely.

The FIR has been lodged under IPC sections relating to sedition and affecting communal harmony, the official said.

"We are investigating, and whatever comes out as per evidence, law and facts, we will take further action.

We will look into their background, whether anyone has tried to mislead them," Dileep said, adding that the arrest should not be seen as action against any particular community or region.

According to officials, the selfie video of the three has gone viral as they posted it on Whatsapp.

In the video one of them can be purportedly seen initially uttering something with background music on, after which they chant 'Azadi' one after the other. Then joining chorus to the music that is playing, they purportedly say "Pakistan Zindabad."



The music they played is said to be Pakistani military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) song, which police said needs to be ascertained.

The video seems to have been recorded at the college hostel, where the students were put up.

College principal Basavaraj Anami said the college has given complaint to the police and the students will be suspended.

The students were admitted under central quota and two are doing their first year civil engineering, while the other is a third year student in the same stream, he said.

According to him, the three had made the video and posted it on WhatsApp.

"It came to our notice in the morning, following which I called the students immediately to my office, and informed the police," the principal told reporters.

"In the video, they have purportedly shouted pro-Pakistan slogans allegedly in the backdrop of the Pulwama attack anniversary yesterday," he added.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi, who hails from the district, described the act unfortunate and demanded strict action against those involved.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The truffles, fudge, cotton candy, popcorn and ice cream are gone. The shop is dark and a for rent sign has appeared on the windows of 122 West Portal Ave. where Shaws, a candy store and local favorite thats been in the neighborhood since 1931, had operated.

The closure caused sadness, if not surprise, among some customers.

I grew up in West Portal and remember going there as a kid. I was always excited to pick out my sweets, said Maryo Mogannam, president of the San Francisco Council of District Merchants Associations. Shaws closing is a wake-up call for the community.

The candy store was started by Douglas Shaw 89 years ago and was initially called Karamel Corn. As the store grew, Shaw moved his candy-making operations from the back of his shop to Millbrae and eventually grew the company into a 50-store chain, according to an archived post of Shaws defunct website. The company shrank over the years until only the original one in West Portal remained.

A few stores down the same block, Ambassador Toys also recently announced its closure. Linda Kapnick, the owner, told The Chronicle in September that people came in, looked at toys and then bought them more cheaply online.

They literally take pictures and then say, Oh, well, I can find it cheaper on Amazon, she said at the time.

Other candy shops have also struggled. In August, mall-based candy store Lolli & Pop, a chain headquartered in San Francisco with 69 stores across the country, filed for bankruptcy.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Losing two anchor businesses in West Portal is worrying, said Karl Aguilar, co-owner of Papenhausen Hardware in West Portal. Its very difficult to run a small business in San Francisco. Often there is no support.

Lee Hsu, president of the West Portal Merchants Association, said reducing fees, outdated regulations, and burdensome permitting requirements, would be paramount in preserving and encouraging locally owned businesses in San Francisco.

Shwanika Narayan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: shwanika.narayan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @shwanika
Its a material world, sings one of our least favorite old pop stars, but it can leave folks isolated, scorned, separated by social walls and dehumanized.

Thats not just a Capt. Obvious statement in modern America but the theme of a play from the late 1950s, The Zoo Story by Edward Albee, that will be performed by New Haven Theater Company for three weekends starting Thursday, Feb. 20.

The hour-long two-hander will be co-directed by Steve Scarpa and George Kulp and feature J. Kevin Smith (Peter) and Trevor Williams (Jerry)  all NHTC members. The company presents shows in a small theater at the rear of the English Building Market on Chapel Street in New Haven, near Church Street.

As Albees first play, The Zoo Story was rejected by Broadway producers, it was first staged in Germany in 1959 and made it to off-Broadway a year later, winning two Obie awards. The plot: A successful family man meets an isolated loner on a park bench in New Yorks Central Park. A disturbing confrontation plays out in real time, as miscommunication spurs quick condemnation, or anathematization. (Again, echoes to today.)

In a news release on the show, director George Kulp said, As a company, NHTC made a decision to focus this season on characters rather than elaborate productions with big sets, lights, and sound. We wanted works that challenged us. This tight and emotionally powerful play certainly fits the bill.

The show will run Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. through March 7. Tickets ($20) and information are at newhaventheatercompany.com.

For edgier fare, Yale Cabaret will have its annual Cabaret drag show Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, at 8 and 11 p.m. at the Cabaret, 217 Park St. in New Haven, with dinner service provided by Dana Cesnik Doyle of Queen of Tarts Catering. The Dragaret will feature performances by local Connecticut drag queens on Friday, and by the Yale School of Drag on Saturday.

The Cabaret just began the second half of its season Thursday, Feb. 13, with littleboy/littleman, and present five other shows continuing as of Feb. 27 with shows at 8 Thursday, and 8 and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Tickets for most shows range in price from $12-$25, available online at yalecabaret.org or at 203-432-1566.
An anti-CAA protest by Muslims turned violent here on Friday when the protesters clashed with police.

Earlier, some protesters were reportedly removed from the protest site forcibly, leading to a commotion between them and the police.

The protesters accused the police of resorting to a lathicharge.

Some of the protesters were detained. Subsequently, more people gathered there demanding their release. As a result, security was beefed up in the area.

The incident led to sporadic protests across Tamil Nadu, including at Washermanpet here, where the violence broke out, but the protesters subsequently called off the agitation, following talks with City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan.

Four police personnel -- a woman joint commissioner, two women constables and a sub-inspector -- were injured in stonepelting, the police said, even as reports emerged that some protesters were also hurt.

Joint Commissioner P Vijayakumari sustained injuries on her head, the police said, adding that the injured were admitted to a hospital.

Viswanathan held discussions with community elders and representatives of Muslim organisations, following which all those detained were released, the police said.

"An amicable decision was arrived at in the meeting with Muslim organisations and they have announced that the agitation will be withdrawn," a police officer said, adding that normalcy had returned to the area.
At first, I think, not much. Mr. Yang filed his paperwork to enter the race in the fall of 2017, but he didnt generate any buzz until our colleague Kevin Roose wrote about his campaign months later. And even then, it took an appearance on Joe Rogans podcast in 2019 for people to really start to learn his name.

Because, in the beginning, he was talking so much about the automation of jobs held by the white working class (truckers, for example), and because the audience for podcasts like Mr. Rogans is mostly white men, white men formed the base of his support.

But as college students and other young voters started taking notice, Asian-Americans began showing up at his events in significant numbers. They were not shy about telling me that they were drawn to him in part because of his race. And in general, I think his supporters  Asian-American and otherwise  are sad he dropped out, but confident that this isnt the last theyll hear from him.

Do you think race was a reason he lasted longer than other candidates? Was the #YangGang diverse?

The Yang Gang certainly became diverse, both racially and ideologically. He attracted Trump voters and Bernie Sanders supporters and everyone in between.

Research from AAPI Data has shown that as Mr. Yangs campaign grew, so did financial support from Asian-Americans. And money keeps a campaign viable. But I think he hung on so long, mostly because it was impossible to leave a town hall of his and not feel like he was genuinely normal, very likable and extremely concerned about the future. For many voters sick of politics as usual, that was more than enough.
Recently, I thought Id try to renew my drivers license over my lunch hour. Why in the world did I think that was a good idea, right?

Short-staffed as they were that day at the ol DMV, they got me out of there in about 90 minutes. Thats including me having to take an unexpected side trip to City Hall, a building Ive never set foot in before, just to get a Certified Copy of my birth certificate. Because apparently a piece of paper your parents fetched from a fireproof box that actually has the words Birth, Certificate, Certified and Copy doesnt count because its a scan, and scans arent copies, even though thats exactly what a scan is, That was all news that left me standing there feeling like I really should have gotten around to reading Catch-22 so Id know if thats the right reference to make.

Suddenly, all the folks behind the counter started making a fuss when a teenage girl came in to take heryou got it, drivers license test. They must have all known who she was from school functions or what not, because they really made a big deal about her, bless their hearts, and bless the heart of that poor girl slowly turning a deep shade of crimson.

The day you take the test is a big day for every teenager. This is why I bring you, from the Dec. 10, 1983, Journal Gazette, a photo from that weeks MHS news page of the next batch of teenage motorists all strapped into their driving simulators. Lo and behold those sure look like the exact same simulators that I practiced on in the '90s, and that may very well be the same guy in the background, Mr. Young, operating them.

Oh, boy was I ever excited about those simulators. I mean, an entire class where you get to play a driving video gameand it pre-empts full-dress P.E., thus robbing me of another opportunity to catch an errant dodge ball with my face?

Turns out, it wasnt exactly like shoveling quarters into Pole Position over at the Aladdins Castle, thats for sure; more like moving one of those toy steering wheels along with a movie of a car driving down the street projected on the pull-down white screen by an ancient film projector. Heck, if I didnt do the exact same thing with my Knight Rider toy dashboard when I was a kid, except that thing had laser beam sound effects.

There was some interactivity to this, as every possible driving mistake you would make was displayed on a screen the teacher could see at the back of the room, just so they could activate the proper you screwed up light on the dashboard in front you.

If only I had a you screwed up light during my actual drivers test, one cold winter day in 1994. I remember the time frame because the video for Guns N Roses Estranged was playing on MTV when I got home from my test, fresh with the news that I had just failed.

Yes, folks, you heard me. I failed it. Apparently, this is a rather uncommon occurrence. Well, bully for all you honor society suck-ups who nailed it the first time out. Im guessing that you didnt have to take your test in a 90s Chevy Blazer, a vehicle whose handling line wasnt exactly forgiving to any young drivers tendency to overcorrect, as I did when I outright failed the dreaded simulated uphill park. Thats where I cozied up to the curb, and had to say Superman goes up-up-and away to myself to remember what direction I was supposed to turn the wheels.

Ol' Supes let me down, because I kicked the pernundle into reverse and promptly backed that right front tire all the way up and over the curb and onto some poor guys front yard on Western Avenue, thus failing the entire test instantly. Of course, the humorless DMV operative in the passenger seat didnt tell me that, instead letting me play out the string of wobbly corners and halting stop sign take-offs just so he could tell me once we got parked back at the DMV.

I was pretty inconsolable on the way home, if I remember right, which seems so silly now. I mean geezall I had to do was just take it again except this time not drive into someones yard. But cmon, I was freshly 16, moody, a writer-to-be, and listening to way too much college rock. Im pretty sure I filled a third of a composition notebook with really bad poetry about it.

After that long night, I studied up, took a few more permit-enabled jaunts with the Pops, and nailed the test that second time. And by nailed I mean I passed it by one point, a fact that the second test-giver said with a wink and a smile, almost as if to say, Hey, I think the Mattoon streets can handle one more driver who makes squirrelly turns and waits too long to brake, right?

And with that first taste of glorious freedom I did what any kid would do: I fired up my newly acquired 1987 Dodge Omni (powder blue interior), picked up one of my buddies, and drove us both out to the mall to hang out at Mister Music and eat at Taco Bell. A great night, dampened only when I realized on the way back I had no idea how to defrost my foggy windows, leading to me slow-rolling the car past the Dairy Queen while wiping down the windshield with my coat sleeve. Thank goodness that wasnt on the test.

So, wherever you are DMV girl, heres hoping that you nailed that test, and heres hoping theres a record-store equivalent for you to drive your friends to this weekend. And when the day comes that you have to go back to the DMV for some reason, allow yourself more than an hour.

Oh, and the defrost button is the one with the squiggly lines.

"The Throwback Machine" is a weekly feature taking a look back at items of interest found in the JG-TC online archives. For questions, suggestions, or his "Song of the Day" recommendation, contact him at cwalker@jg-tc.com.

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Australia has begun hatching a plan to evacuate some of the more than 200 Australians off the stranded Diamond Princess cruise ship, dispatching a public health expert to Japan as passengers endure a second week under quarantine for the coronavirus disease.

While not committing to evacuating the Australians on board the ship, the Morrison government is now leaning towards rescuing passengers  particularly the elderly  and taking them to Australia to be quarantined for 14 days.

A security guard stands near the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship. Credit:AP

The United States as soon as Sunday will begin evacuating its citizens on the luxury cruise ship, which has been docked at Yokohama for more than a week after it sailed off from Hong Kong on February 1.

The step to begin plans for a possible evacuation of Australian citizens comes after more than 170 passengers aboard the cruise ship have caught the virus, causing about 3700 passengers and crew to be quarantined for two weeks.
The U.S. is facing more complex and significant threats to our national security than at any time in our history. A staggering array of enemies, including North Korea, Iran, terrorists, and proliferators, are seeking to do us harm. But near-peer adversaries China and Russia constitute the greatest strategic threat and it is they who are challenging the U.S. technological dominance, on which our superior military relies.

During the next decade technology will significantly impact strategic and tactical support to the warfighter, who will be expected to fight simultaneously on land, air, sea, space and in cyberspace.

AMAZON SCORES LEGAL VICTORY IN FIGHT FOR PENTAGON, MICROSOFT WAR CLOUD CONTRACT

Russia and China have sparked a new arms race with their development of an arsenal of hypersonic weapons. According to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Russia has deployed two hypersonic weapons: the air-launched Kinzhal ballistic missile and the boost-glide Avangard.

But its not just state of the art missiles capable of traveling five times the speed of sound, which threaten our national security. Advances in technology are occurring at lightning speed with cognitive computing and big data analytics as well as quantum computing on the near horizon.

For decades it has been the power of government-led innovation, which enabled the Department of Defense (DOD) to remain a step ahead of our enemies. But DoD is no longer the engine that drives innovation. Deterring Russias and Chinas growing threats to our nation will depend on whether the U.S. can leverage industry to deliver fast, disruptive technology-- including big data, artificial intelligence, and roboticsto ensure U.S. dominance in the 21st century.

Russia and China mount aggressive espionage operations to steal our cutting edge technology. The U.S. intelligence community must work closely with the private sector including our universities, which China ruthlessly targets for technology transfer, to defend classified information and intellectual property.

Story continues

ARMY CAN AVOID HUAWEI THREAT WITH INVESTMENTS IN US CARRIERS, SECRETARY SAYS

DOD is taking clear steps in this area with the recent introduction of cybersecurity requirements for defense contractors aimed at defending contractor networks.

But DOD also needs a new approach to incentivize and reap the benefits of the private sectors technological innovation - a critically important force multiplier for the DOD mission.

We need DOD and the private sector to embrace a 21st-century partnership, which shortens product development times; absorbs private sector intellectual property; and delivers innovation-enabled capabilities in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.

DOD can incentivize private sector innovation by protecting IP and cutting regulations, which will help companies realize profit margins closer to those which they enjoy in the commercial sector.

The Trump administrations 2017 Executive Order directing all agencies to repeal at least two existing regulations for each new regulation was a great start.

But more can be done to incentivize defense industry innovation. No longer should the private sector follow the Cold War model of reacting to DOD product development requirements.

DOD is a unique, single customer. DOD bureaucracy and regulations significantly add to the costs of doing business and deter the high tech firms as distinguished from traditional defense contractors, who lack the patience and often the financial wherewithal to wait out DODs multi-year budget cycle, from entering the market. Faced with a high opportunity cost, they will simply gravitate to other projects.

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Similarly, faced with government opportunities offering lower profit margins or commercial markets offering higher profit margins, many companies will opt for higher margins.

The focus should not be the profit of the contractors but the value to our warfighters.

For its part, DOD needs more transparency in decision-making, faster project reviews and openness to new approaches to innovation.

Speed to customer matters, especially when it comes to delivering cutting edge technology needed for maintaining a nuclear weapons arsenal, cyber operations, artificial intelligence, and Space operations.

DOD and the private sector might not appear to be natural partners but they can break down mutual barriers with greater cross-cultural understanding.

Russians are fond of saying, V chuzhoi monastir so svoim ustavom, ne khodyat  that is, No one goes to another monastery with their own charter, or, the equivalent of when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

For innovation to succeed, the Trump administration needs to work with the Congress to ensure that the DOD relationship with the private sector is a melodious symphony rather than a clash of cultures.

Cutting red tape with regulatory reform and removing barriers to entry in the market to fulfill DODs requirements, would increase the number of commercial suppliers.

The resulting increased competition would result in lower costs, greater efficiency, and the high impact innovation on which our national security so deeply relies.

Daniel N. Hoffman has been a Fox News contributor since May 2018. Before joining Fox News, Hoffman had a distinguished career with the Central Intelligence Agency, where he was a three-time station chief and a senior executive Clandestine Services officer. Hoffman also led large-scale HUMINT (human intelligence gathering) and technical programs and his assignments included tours of duty in the former Soviet Union, Europe, and war zones in the Middle East and South Asia. In addition, Hoffman served as director of the CIA Middle East and North Africa Division.

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YOKOHAMA, Japan  The United States will evacuate Americans from the cruise ship that has been quarantined for more than a week in Japan due to coronavirus infections on board, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo told Americans aboard the ship Saturday.

A chartered flight will arrive Sunday for those who want to return to the United States, according to an email from the embassy to American passengers and crew members. Hundreds of Americans are on the ship.

We recognize this has been a stressful experience and we remain dedicated to providing all the support we can and seeing you safely and expeditiously reunited with family and friends in the United States, the email read.

Buses will move Americans and their belongings from the ship to the chartered plane, and the evacuees will be screened for symptoms before boarding, the email read. The plane will land at Travis Air Force Base in California. Some passengers will then continue to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

Symptomatic Americans who cannot board the flight will remain in Japan for care, according to the email. At least 40 Americans have already been taken off the ship after being infected with the virus.

The evacuated Americans will then need to undergo two weeks of additional quarantine in the United States. We understand this is frustrating and an adjustment, but these measures are consistent with the careful policies we have instituted to limit the potential spread of the disease, the email read.

It said that those who chose not to take the flight would be unable to return to the United States for a period of time, although it did not specify how long; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would decide the timeline.

The Americans were asked to notify the embassy if they wanted to travel with immediate family members who were not U.S. citizens.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that the government was preparing to evacuate Americans.

The ship, the Diamond Princess, was placed under quarantine at the city of Yokohama early last week with about 3,700 passengers and crew members aboard, after a man who had disembarked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the coronavirus. Since then, at least 218 new cases have been confirmed aboard the ship.

Many passengers have expressed fear that the quarantine, meant to protect Japan and keep the virus from spreading, was putting them at risk. Experts have said that infections could have spread aboard the ship, despite measures taken to isolate people.

Japan has more confirmed coronavirus cases  the vast majority of them from the Diamond Princess  than any country outside China, where the outbreak began, and it reported its first death from the virus Thursday.

On Friday, the Japanese government said an official who had helped transfer infected patients from the cruise ship had tested positive for the virus. A Health Ministry official who had been tending to passengers on board also tested positive.

At a news briefing Friday, an official with the CDC, Nancy Messonnier, said officials were discussing a plan to ensure the Americans safety.

Its really important to all of us that these people are safe and taken well care of, Messonnier said. We are also concerned that the data coming out of Japan suggests theres a higher risk among the people on the ship, and therefore their safety is of utmost importance.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Pramodkumar Vaidya By

Express News Service

HUBBALLI: At a time when the economy is in slowdown, the Invest Karnataka event, an investors conference held here on Friday, saw investment proposals totalling Rs 72,000 crore, mostly in North Karnataka, by 51 companies. This is expected to generate a whopping 90,000 direct employment opportunities in the region.

Most of the proposed investments is coming from one company  Rajesh Exports Limited  which has signed a memorandum of understanding to invest Rs 50,000 crore for manufacturing of electric vehicles and Lithium-Ion cells and batteries at Dharwad. This is expected to generate employment for 10,000 people. The company will invest in a phased manner over the next 15 years.

Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said the company has sought 300 acres of land and some concessions. Since it is a high-value investor, the State Government is ready to consider the demand. However, a final decision will be taken by the high-power committee headed by CM B S Yediyurappa, he added.

Hubballi-Dharwad attracts `60K crore in investments

Among the Tier-II cities, Hubballi-Dharwad have managed to attract investment of Rs 60,000 crore, which nearly 85% of the total investment proposed. Apart from electric vehicles and storage, companies have evinced interest in setting up power generation units, flight training academy, information technology and other sectors. Since the government has pooled a huge land tract, it will not be an issue for investor at all, said Industries Department Principal Secretary Gaurav Gupta.

Some sections in Belagavi which had opposed holding the meet at Hubballi seem to be satisfied with the quantum of investment the city attracted. As many as 11 industries have proposed to invest Rs 1,006 crore. Aravind Melligeri, developer of the aerospace SEZ Aequs Aerospace, was instrumental in marketing North Karnataka by ensuring investment of another Rs 2,000 crore for the toy cluster at Koppal.

The other city which attracted high investment was Kadechur industrial area in Yadgir which was favoured by most of the pharmaceutical companies from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Ten companies have assured investment of Rs 798 crore. Other cities which attracted investments at the meet are Haveri, Bidar, Vijayapura, Chitradurga and Davanagere.
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Udayanga Weeratunga escorted to Colombo by CID detectives View(s):

Wanted fugitive, Udayanga Weeratunga, former Ambassador to Russia, was escorted to Colombo from Dubai by two Criminal Investigation Department (CID) detectives at dawn on Friday and driven from the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) straight to the CID headquarters where a statement was recorded from him for well over five hours.

It related to the procurement of MiG-27 fighter jets for the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) in 2006. CID detectives said further statements would be recorded from him.

He was later produced before Colombo Forts Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake on Friday and remanded till tomorrow.

Mr Weeratunga, against whom there was a warrant, had been detained in Dubai in the past several months by the Police there. The intimation came to Sri Lanka Police just days before last Novembers presidential elections to visit the emirate and take charge of him. However, as the local Police were deployed on election duty, action was delayed.

A two-member CID team  ASP Vijitha Perera and Chief Inspector Weerasinghe  flew to Dubai early this week. They returned together with Mr Weeratunga on SriLankan Airlines flight UL 208 from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates arriving in Colombo at 4.52 a.m.

However, in Colombo, Police sources claimed that Mr Weeratunga travelled on his own as a passenger from Dubai and was arrested only on arrival. These sources also said that the former Russian envoy had alleged that he faced political victimisation and was not involved in any wrongdoing.

Kotte MC gets tough on stray dog menace

Kottes Municipal Commissioner has got tough on persons feeding stray dogs, warning that action would be taken against them under the Rabies Ordinance.

This is after a complaint was lodged by a resident on Devala Lane that stray dogs were causing a threat to them.

Accordingly, Kottes Municipal Commissioner A.D.S. Sadika has sent out a warning to the residents that if persons provide food to stray dogs they would be considered as the owners of the dog and action would be initiated against them.

The move has left residents who feed stray dogs pondering whether action would be initiated against them in other areas of the Kotte area, as feeding of stray dogs is not uncommon.

Marshy land mired in politics

A controversy has risen over a marshy land beside the road leading to the Parliamentary complex in Kotte.

The marshy land extending around two acres is located at Rajamalwatta between the Lands Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry.

The Lands Ministry acquired the land as a flood retention area and has entrusted the responsibility to the Agriculture Ministry.

However, a person who claims ownership to the land has now put up a board that the particular land was for sale.

Ironically, both the Lands and Agriculture Ministries are in the vicinity of the particular land, but no action has been initiated to prevent the sale of the land.

The man who claims ownership reportedly was linked to a former cabinet minister and questions are raised whether the political connection was the reason that no action was taken to establish ownership.

State-of-the-art Jaffna Cultural Centre ready: Controversy sorted out

The Rs 1.2 billion Indian-funded Jaffna Cultural Centre, a gift from the Indian people, is expected to be declared open soon, as construction work has been completed.

Cut a fresh controversy has erupted as to who is going to maintain this massive twelve-storey state-of-the-art building in the heart of Jaffna. As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries, the completed complex should be handed over to the Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC).

However, this took a different turn when Minister Arumugam Thondaman who was accompanying Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to New Delhi last week requested the Indian side that this complex should come under the purview of the Central government in Colombo, given the massive cadre and financial assistance needed by the JMC to maintain it.

The Indian officials who were sceptical of how this would be viewed by Jaffna residents ruled out the request saying that it should be vested with the JMC and the Central government can only assist the council to run it.

The Government of India will hand over the completed project to the government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). The GOSL shall hand over the building to the Municipal Council of Jaffna. The GOSL shall assess and provide financial and human resources required for running the Cultural Centre. The recurring expenditure on the maintenance and running of the Centre shall be the responsibility of the Municipal Council of Jaffna, a clause in the MoU signed between the two countries said.

According to the MoU, the purpose of the Jaffna Cultural Centre is to provide suitable social infrastructure for the people of the Northern Province, especially for the people of Jaffna, to help them to reconnect with their cultural roots and the rest of the country and to rejuvenate and nurture the ancient cultural heritage of Jaffna.

The complex would consist of a cultural museum, auditorium, learning facilities and public areas for common use. The JMC is planning to rent out office spaces for government offices to increase its revenue to meet maintenance costs.

Criticising such attempts by the Central government to take over the building as violation of the countrys Constitution, Jaffna Mayor E. Arnold said the council would never allow such a takeover be it the Provincial Council or Central government.

The Central government has to support us to recruit new cadre and other necessary facilities to run this Centre by ourselves. Weve had a discussion with the Governor on this and she had assured us her support in this regard, Mayor Arnold said.

Jaffna district secretary quits early

Ahead of parliamentary elections a major shake-up of senior government employees in the North raised some concerns among administrative circles.

This week, Jaffna District Secretary N Vethanayahan submitted his early retirement papers after he was informed of an administrative transfer three months before reaching his retirement age.

As a veteran civil service employee whose career spans over three decades including serving in some of the most difficult times at the District Secretariat in Kilinochchi, he bade farewell to his office staff on Friday. The ceremony was organised by employees at the Jaffna kachcheri.

Other District Secretaries of Kilinochchi, Mannar and Mullaitivu have also been transferred.

Mr Vethanayahan is not the only person who faced this dilemma of being forced to submit early retirement papers ahead of scheduled time. Weeks ago, Batticaloa District Secretary R Uthayakumar also submitted his papers following a transfer order sent to him.

The current Mannar District Secretary C A Mohan Ras was also among those who were transferred but he, somehow was able to secure a halt to the transfer until he retires on July 5. It is said that his transfer was put on hold after influential civil society persons and clergy took up the issue with higher-ups in the government.
The outstanding feature of eSign is that any digital signature or electronic invoice issuance can be carried out right on a smartphone instead of having both a computer and a USB token as before.

Business owners can easily delegate the right of signing documents for parts or directly sign on their phones at any time and in anywhere via eSign. As a result, multiple people and branches can participate in signing and issuing invoices at the same time, without waiting for USB tokens or having to buy and manage multiple USB tokens.

Being included in the MISA digital transformation ecosystem, eSign has been integrated with e-invoice software meInvoice.vn and accounting software MISA SME.NET to help facilitate simple operation of signing and performing other operations at the same time, such as issuing invoices and declaring taxes, customs and social insurance.

In particular, eSign is designed with a signing speed of 2,100 documents per second so that users can handle large workloads in a short time.

In addition, it is applied under European regulation eIDAS on electronic identification and trust services and ISO 27001 standard to manage information security processes, helping ensure maximum security of information and electronic transactions of customers.

The successful research and development of eSign towards completely replacing the method of signing with a USB token is a pioneering step of MISA in the revolution of digital signature technology.

MISA, with 25 years of experience in accounting - finance software and business administration, has launched eSign with the desire to make it a useful tool in changing the inconvenient old way of signing digital signatures, helping to digitise data and accelerate e-transactions for businesses.
Chennai: DMK president M.K. Stalin on Friday drew parallels between the lengthy budget addresses by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament recently and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam in the Assembly and alleged that the ruling AIADMK was "following" the Central government.

Slamming the government for presenting the budget which lacked vision, Stalin told reporters that AIADMK has been towing the line of Centre. Reacting to the budget, Panneerselvam's tenth since the AIADMK came to power in 2011, Stalin said it was a "deficit" one for everyone.

Stalin said, "It is deficit budget. There is nothing adequate (initiatives) for anyone." The fiscal and revenue deficit, besides debts, was increasing and this burdens the common man. This budget lacks both vision and schemes for growth.

Meanwhile, on chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami's recent announcement that the Cauvery delta districts, including the rice bowl of Thanjavur, would be categorised as a protected agriculture zone, Stalin wondered if the state government can implement it on its own. Referring to reports that Palaniswami had sent a letter to the Centre through his cabinet colleague D Jayakumar in this connection, Stalin demanded the contents of the communication be made public by Friday. "Else, I myself will release the letter," the DMK chief added. However, his party concurred with the ruling AIADMK on according the said categorisation to the Cauvery delta districts, he said.
The NYPD has charged a 14-year-old boy over the stabbing death of Tessa Majors (pictured), more than two months after she was stabbed in Manhattan's Morningside Park

The NYPD has charged a 14-year-old boy over the stabbing death of Tessa Majors.

Rashaun Weaver was taken into custody late Friday and charged with two counts of murder, more than two months after the gruesome slaying shocked New York City.

In addition to the two murder charges, one intentional and one felony, Weaver also faces four robbery charges.

At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea revealed that Weaver will be tried in court as an adult.

He also revealed that Weaver was the same teen suspect who went on the run while he was wanted for questioning.

Weaver's arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.

Cops allege 18-year-old Majors, a freshman at the prestigious Barnard College, was confronted by a group of three teens as she walked through Morningside Park on the evening of December 11, before she was stabbed in a botched robbery.

Rashaun Weaver was taken into custody late Friday and charged with two counts of murder, more than two months after the gruesome slaying shocked New York City

Prosecutors allege Weaver is the one who repeatedly plunged the knife into Majors as she cried for help.

During Saturday's press conference, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance also revealed tragic new details about Majors' final minutes. He stated she lay conscious and heavily bleeding as bystanders waited for an ambulance.

Her last known words were believed to be: 'Help me! I'm being robbed!'

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy is already being held in custody over the robbery of Majors - however it is believed he watched the events unfold, and was not responsible for the actual stabbing of Majors.

A third minor suspect has not yet been formally arrested or charged.

Majors was an aspiring musician and a freshman at the prestigious Barnard College, located near Morningside Park

The charges come nearly two months after the gruesome slaying shocked New York City. Pictured: The stairs upon which Majors was stabbed

Tessa was stabbed at these stairs in Morningside Park, on the Upper West Side, in December last year

Speaking on Weaver's arrest at a press conference on Saturday, Commissioner Shea stated: 'What we can do is say that we are confident that we have the person in custody who stabbed her, and that person will face justice in a court of law'.

He added: Sadly, [this] cannot bring back this young woman. That is something even the best, most impartial investigation simply cannot do.'

District Attorney Vance stated that there is substantial evidence that proves Weaver stabbed Majors.

He stated that there is: 'Video evidence, blood evidence, smartphone evidence, iCloud evidence, witness identification, and the defendant's owned statements that were rigorously collected and examined'.

According to the complaint provided to DailyMail.com on Saturday, Weaver is accused of conducting a separate mugging in Morningside Park four days prior to Majors' murder.

According to that mugging victim, Weaver and two other boys confronted him on the night of December 7 and stole his iPhone. Just hours later, the iPhone was connected to an iCloud account in Weaver's name.

The mugging victim later identified Weaver from a photo line up. Additionally, the 14-year-old was seen on surveillance camera wearing the exact same outfit during both his alleged December 7 mugging and his alleged December 11 stabbing of Majors.

The charges come nearly two months after the gruesome slaying shocked New York City. Pictured: The stairs upon which Majors was stabbed

WATCH LIVE as Police Commissioner @NYPDShea and Manhattan District Attorney @ManhattanDA make a law enforcement announcement. https://t.co/x6q6Zk7mzK  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) February 15, 2020

Meanwhile, the complaint declares that, on December 11, the three suspects initially followed a man through the park, before they turned their attention to Majors.

At 6.47 pm, a witness 'heard a male voice from the area [believed to be Weaver] say [to Majors]: 'Run your s**t. Gimme your phone. You got some weed, gimme that too.'

The witness then heard a female scream, 'Help me! I'm being robbed!'

Surveillance footage shows Majors later stagger up the Morningside Park steps to reach a security gate. She lay conscious and bleeding before she was rushed to a nearby hospital.

She was pronounced dead at 7.23 pm - meaning there was more than half an hour between the time of the attack and her death.

Weaver was the suspect who fled from a car five days after Majors' murder, while on his way to meet with police for questioning. It sparked an intensive ten-day manhunt, before Weaver was tracked down at a family member's home in The Bronx.

Police believed his family was hiding him until a mark on his hand healed. After being tracked down and interviewed, he was released.

The murder sent shockwaves through Manhattan, with many saying the violent incident was reminiscent of 1970s and 1980s crime in New York

Meanwhile, police say the 13-year-old boy who was arrested in relation to the robbery of Majors will be tried in a family court.

He has allegedly confessed to being part of the group who was present when she was stabbed, but said he stood and watched as it happened.

At a pre-trial hearing last month, police officer Randys Ramos Luna testified how he tracked the boy down.

He had watched a grainy surveillance video of three young teens leaving the park shortly after the murder took place and, according to The New York Post, thought they must be students at a nearby middle school in Harlem.

He went to a residential area near the school and found the 13-year-old, who reportedly confessed to watching the stabbing take place.

The murder sent shockwaves through Manhattan, with many saying the violent incident was reminiscent of 1970s and 1980s crime in New York.

Police union chiefs blamed Bill de Blasio for it, saying he is making it difficult for regular cops to crack down on street crime.

The NYPD also faced accusations of 'victim blaming', after the police union chief claimed Majors may have been in the park seeking to buy marijuana.
That should have been the end of the matter, but opposition fomented by the Washington Teachers Union, apparently thinking more about members jobs lost than students needs, prompted D.C. Council member Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large) to introduce legislation to overturn the chancellors decision and keep the school open. Seven of the 12 sitting council members voted for the bill, but eight votes were needed because it was emergency legislation. Credit to those who voted against the measure: Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D), At Large members David Grosso (I) and Anita Bonds (D), and Ward 4 member Brandon T. Todd (D) and Ward 5 member Kenyan R. McDuffie (D). Not only did they recognize that students were not being well served  The adults did not do right by these students time and time again, said Mr. Grosso  but they also responsibly realized it is not their job to second-guess the chancellor as to the best way to run the school system.
A NON-GOVERNMENT organization (NGO) advocating overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Saturday, February 15, slammed the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) for the full lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait.

In a brief statement, Blas F. Ople Policy Center head Susan Ople assailed the abrupt lifting of the ban that will now allow the deployment of new hires and returning household service workers (HSWs) to Kuwait.

We are saddened by it as there remains unresolved issues. We hope that our sides will also be heard by DOLE, said Ople.

She pointed how the deployment ban was announced lifted by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III in front of recruitment sector leaders, but without the presence of OFW organizations and civil society groups.

The announcement on the lifting of the ban was done before a jubilant crowd of recruitment agency owners. Honestly, it appears to me that the setting was quite inappropriate, if not downright insensitive, said Ople.

The former Dole undersecretary said the Ople Centers own dialogue with OFW groups indicated a different consensus from the governments decision.

Returning OFWs going back to their old and current employers should be allowed to continue their contracts. The ban should still be maintained on those to be deployed as domestic workers for the first time to Kuwait, related Ople.

Last week, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) ordered the full lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait.

This means that the government will resume the processing and deployment of all remaining categories of domestic workers or household service workers to Kuwait.

The full lifting of the ban is prompted by the filing of charges against those behind OFW Jeanelyn Padernal Villavendes death. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)
Navy chaplain accused of violating Constitution for encouraging soldiers to 'lead like Jesus'

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A U.S. Navy chaplain has been accused of violating the U.S. Constitution for teaching an optional 12-week seminar called "Lead Like Jesus" at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island.

According to the religious liberty legal organization First Liberty Institute, Cmdr. Richard Smothers is being antagonized by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation  a group that argues for a strictly secularist interpretation of the Constitution  for promoting the seminar at the base.

MRFF sent an email demanding that Capt. Ian Johnson, commander of the Naval base, investigate Smothers and anyone else who promoted the seminar through emails or fliers. The organization argues that service members were being "voluntold" to attend the Christian-oriented event.

Michael L. Mikey Weinstein, founder of MRFF, accused Smothers of having weaponized Christianity in an interview with the Navy Times published in January. He added that those behind the discussions should be visibly and aggressively investigated and punished.

Nothing could be more disruptive to good order and discipline and unit cohesion than a message like this, he said.

Commenting on the matter, First Liberty noted that encouraging troops through faith is in the job description of a chaplain.

"Most chaplains are endorsed by a particular church or religious organization, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim or a host of other religions. They agree to uphold that organizations beliefs and to carry out their duties as a representative of their faith. If they dont, they lose their endorsement," the organization said Friday.

"Thats why its so absurd when chaplains are attacked for sharing certain aspects of their faith  like a Christian chaplain giving a seminar about Jesus. It goes against their very job description."

Cmdr. Elizabeth Baker, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman, said in response to the complaint that no one was being coerced to attend the seminar.

Its not any kind of directive from the chaplain to lead like Jesus  its a discussion series after services only for those who volunteer to attend, she said in a response to Navy Times.

An advisory board member of MRFF countered that discussions called Lead like Mohammed or Atheist Leadership would likewise not be "tolerated" on the base.

Mike Berry, general counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in an interview with Fox News earlier this month that Jesus was a leader and it's perfectly legal to study His leadership.

"Its perfectly legal to study his leadership. In fact, some of our military leaders would do well to study Jesus leadership a bit more. None other than our first commander in chief, George Washington, looked to Jesus as a model of leadership.

First Liberty Institute is the law firm that won a 7-2 victory at the United States Supreme Court last year in a case concerning the Bladensburg World War I "Peace Cross" in the case of American Legion et. al. v. American Humanist Association. The high court ruled that the monument, which has stood on public land in Maryland for approximately 50 years, does not violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Apparently, Kamala Harris wasn't the only ambitious and comely San Francisco female pol who "dated" a San Francisco political pooh-bah to advance her career.

Harris dated San Francisco mayor Willie Brown. Now San Francisco mayor London Breed says she dated Mohammed Nuru, San Francisco's entrenched director of public works (famous for its "poop patrols"), taking a $5,600 "gift" from him and "forgetting" to disclose it. She wrote about the whole thing in a "spirit of transparency" for Medium, cited here by SFGate.com:

"We dated for a brief time, two decades ago, long before I ever ran for office," wrote Breed, who was sworn in as mayor in July 2018. "Nevertheless, he, and his now-adult daughters, have remained close friends for all those years."

Nuru's now under indictment for kickbacks, pay to play, bribery, wire fraud, and use of public services for private gain in what's called San Francisco's biggest political scandal in years. Oh, and the streets of San Francisco have gone to hell on his watch.

The pair have known each other, apparently intimately, for 20 years. And Nuru is a very powerful, entrenched fixture on the scene in San Francisco politics.

Tim Redmond, a lefty fixture on the San Francisco scene since his days at the Bay Guardian, says it looks illegal.

The mayor of San Francisco is paid almost $300,000 a year. And she couldn't afford to pay for the repairs to her car, or for her own rental car, or to reimburse Nuru after he paid for those things? She still hasn't paid him back? Why did the mayor have someone who is, for all practical purposes, a direct subordinate, take her car to be fixed?

The San Francisco Chronicle put out an editorial blasting just how corrupt it was, saying it looked like a lot more than a "lapse of judgment."

It kind of tells you how things go in the wokest American cities for women. Sleep with the right guy, get yourself catapulted to the top. Casting couch politics, not too different from how Harvey Weinstein ran things in Hollywood. And somehow this happens most significantly in places of purest blue.

When Breed was elected mayor in 2018, I was struck by how lightweight her resume was. The newspapers said it was because she was black and her election was therefore "historic." Blacks have been chased out of the city by high rents, so the whole thing had a whiff of tokenism. Rich whiteys elect a black woman mayor and then pat themselves on the back for how woke they are.

Now it looks as if there was a lot more to this than just San Franciscans dropping their racist fetters, taking off their Klan hoods, dropping the Bull Connor love, and voting for a black woman for mayor, as the narrative went.

It's ridiculous, really. Politicians in a solid blue city such as San Francisco get elected by performing favors, with apparently some of these favors have nothing to do with politics, just lefty morals. Breed's biography on Wikipedia shows she got her start in politics working as an intern for Willie Brown, so maybe some other questions can be raised about how she got where she got, given Brown's proclivities. Brown is the one who "made" Kamala Harris.

Breed made the confession herself, pre-emptively, just as the IRS's Lois Lerner disclosed her repression of dissidents before her, as if she knew that something was coming down the pipe and there'd be criticism coming, disclosing her act for Medium.

It was a signal that something deeper and more disgusting was going on, the disclosure being really just a bid for spin control to conceal much worse now that Nuru is going down.

That's what it looks like here. Typically, when a big kingpin goes down in a corruption case, a host of little kingpins go down with them. One wonders if that's going to be the case with London Breed, too.

This is the basic blue-city politics Democrats would like to export to all America.

Image credit: Pax Ahmisa Gethen via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Under the Constitution, reservation is an aspect of substantive equality which imposes a duty on states to provide it for those groups who are disadvantaged in different terms

The Supreme Court of India recently ruled that states are not legally bound to provide reservation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government jobs.

In its decision last week on Friday, the top court also stated that individuals do not have a fundamental right to claim reservation in promotions. The ruling came against a Uttarakhand High Court order where the apex observed that In view of the law laid down by this court, there is no doubt that the state government is not bound to make reservations. There is no fundamental right which inheres in an individual to claim reservation in promotions. No mandamus can be issued by the court directing the state government to provide reservations," the bench said in its order.

The state governments can grant reservation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes at their own discretion, but will have to collect quantifiable data which shows their inadequate representation in public services. The Supreme Court has said that states can grant reservation to certain classes, but "there must be some material on the basis of which the opinion is formed".

The ruling of the court has irked political parties and leaders across the political spectrum. Now the question is whether there is a right to reservation under the constitutional framework as it stands currently. Article 16(4) of the Constitution says that nothing in this article shall prevent the state from making any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the state, is not adequately represented in the services under the state. The court reasoned that since the provision is just an enabling provision it doesnt impose a duty on the government to provide reservation in all cases.

Affirmative action as an aspect of substantive equality

It is a well-established principle under constitutional law that reservation is not an exception to the right to formal equality but an aspect of formal equality which takes into consideration the existing inequality in the society and seeks to alleviate the disparity.

In BK Pavitra versus Union of India, the Supreme Court held that "for equality to be truly effective or substantive, the principle must recognise existing inequalities in society to overcome them. Reservations are thus not an exception to the rule of equality of opportunity. They are rather the true fulfilment of effective and substantive equality by accounting for the structural conditions into which people are born".

It is also an aspect of transformative constitutionalism which seeks to remedy the past injustices. Transformative aspect is not just a doctrinal aspect of the Constitution but a dialogical response to historical realities which shaped the very foundation of the Constitution. The concept of 'transformative constitutionalism' is ingrained in the Preamble of the Constitution of India and manifested in the chapter on fundamental rights. It reflects a value held by the Constitution which must always be taken into consideration in case of conflict. The ideal reflected in the Preamble and Part III of the Constitution amply reflects the constitutional ambition of transformation of society as a fundamental purpose of the manuscript.

In the Preamble, the Constitution recognises India's past of injustices that left the country a legacy of vast inequality and social inequity. It bravely declares its supremacy and its object, which is to usher in a system based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights and it most crucially holds itself to be the foundation upon which such a society is to be realised. Hence, Article 15(4) and 16(4) serves the purpose of protection from social injustices and all forms of exploitation and also the redressal of past injustices and exploitation at the same time.

In India, the aim has been to provide support to the oppressed classes and castes as a means to improve and expand their social and economic positions, as well as, to ensure democratic participation in all societal activities, to overcome historic patterns of discrimination and backwardness and to make up for centuries of injustice and oppression.

Caste is a unique feature of the Indian society determining the allocation of resources and power structures for centuries. It is a rigid, immobile and birth-scribed system of social stratification not paralleled by any other institution in the world in terms of complexity, inflexibility and elaboration. The caste system perpetrated discrimination of a certain section of the society while giving privileges to another certain section, especially Brahmins and Kshatriyas.

Substantive equality under Constitutional framework

As Justice Chandrachud noted in the Sabarimala case, reading Dr Ambedkar compels us to look at the other side of the independence movement.

Besides the Struggle for Independence from the British Rule, there was another struggle going on for centuries and continues even today. That struggle has been for social emancipation.

It has been the struggle for the replacement of an unequal social order. It has been a fight for undoing historical injustices and for righting fundamental wrongs with fundamental rights. The Constitution of India is the end product of both these struggles. It is the foundational document, which in text and spirit, aims at social transformation namely, the creation and preservation of equal social order. The Constitution represents the aspirations of those, who were denied the basic ingredients of a dignified existence.

In the case of NALSA versus Union of India, the Supreme Court had addressed the issue of the disadvantaged position of the transgender community and directed the government to take affirmative action measures under Article 16 validating the demand of substantive equality under Article 16(1). Hence, reservation under Constitution is an aspect of substantive equality which imposes a duty on states to provide it for those groups who are disadvantaged in different terms.
AsiaOne Magazine & URS Media organized a Networking Meet called 'India-Thailand

The exclusive networking meet of February 6th saw the presence of eminent dignitaries such as Abhisit Vejjajiva, the former Prime Minister of Thailand and Suchitra Durai, the Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Thailand, who shared their insights about further enhancing the cordial ties between the two nations.

Bent on promoting Asian brands and leaders throughout the world, URS AsiaOne Magazine endeavoured to enhance the cordial relations between the two countries through its summit - 13th Asian and Social Forum and attempted to highlight the fact that India and Thailand share a strong historical and cultural connect.

"Thailand and India should leverage their new land link to strengthen ties when the 1,360-kilometre trilateral highway is completed next year", asserted Abhisit Vejjajiva.

"We have to bring Myanmar along and use all platforms to drive this forward. Land connectivity will make a real difference not just in terms of physical transportation but also to bridge a psychological gap that exists between Thailand and India because we don't share a land border", he further added.

Talking about the bilateral trade between the two countries, the Indian ambassador Suchitra Durai said that they are doing "reasonably well" and invited "Thai companies to come and invest in India".

"Around 2 million Indian tourists visit Thailand every year" and hoped that "more Thai people will go to India", she added.

The meet was followed by the 13th Edition of Asian & Social Forum 2019-20 & fourth Edition - Asia's Greatest Brands & Leaders 2019-20, which was held at The Marriott Marquis Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand on February 7, 2020.

It was a magnificent event, highlighted by the diplomatic representations from 13 countries and Member of Parliament, Phetchompoo Kijburana, where some of Asia's greatest leaders were recognised and felicitated for their outstanding contribution to the Asian economy and society.

"With this 13th Edition of Asian & Social Forum, AsiaOne would be completing around 3000 awards in the last five years. The entire vision of AsiaOne Magazine is to get Asia on one platform and to disrupt the perceived superiority of the western brands over the Asian brands and this notion gave birth to Asia's greatest brands. Being excited and elated about the fact that AsiaOne Summit is being held in Bangkok for the first time", declared Rajat Shukal, Global Head & Principal Partner of URS Media and AsiaOne Magazine, and co-founder & partner AsiaOne Media Holdings LLC.

"Bangkok is a phenomenal city. It is my favourite city for tourism. In 2019, it was one of the most visited cities in the world - this calls for a huge round of applause for all Thai people, who welcome people from different regions and different parts of the world with open arms", he added.

AsiaOne Entrepreneur of the Year Winner - Ajay Harinath Singh, CMD - Darwin Platform Group of Companies also shared that Darwin Avitronics, Arms and Ammunition wing of the Darwin Platform Group of Companies (DPGC), has entered into a Joint Venture with a leading defence product company from Canada - KMG which has extensive market presence in Russia, Hong Kong, and other countries. The newly formed JV would jointly market defence products globally.

"The Joint Venture will support Darwin Avitronics's plans to expand operations in different geographies. The company has taken substantial stakes in KMG", announced Ajay Harinath Singh, Chairman of DPGC over JV during the forum.

Some of the other prominent winners of research based business awards are Dr Hema Divakar - Chairperson - ARTIST, Nishita Shah - Group Managing Director - GP Group (Thailand), Sunny Leone - Actress - the Indian Film Industry & Founder - Star Struck, Ahmed Shayan Fazlur Rahman - Vice Chairman - Beximco & IFIC Bank (Bangladesh), JC Chaudhry - Managing Director - Aakash Institute, Yeasha Sobhan, Director, Bashundhara Group (Bangladesh), Harish Kohli - President & MD - Acer India, Dilip Surana, CMD - Microlabs Ltd, Raj Mallela, Managing Director, Satra Group, Adityaraj Shah, Chairman & Group CEO - Shree Hatkeshwara Group, Dr Vinodkumar Patil, Managing Director, Dr HBM Iqbal, Group Chairman, the Premier Bank (Bangladesh), Dyna Biotech, Chetan Handa, Founder Director, Glaze Trading India Pvt Ltd, Sanjeev Chhibber, Founder Director, Glaze Trading India Pvt Ltd, Safwan Sobhan, Vice Chairman, Bashundhara Group (Bangladesh), Ghanshyam Sarda, Chairman, Sarda Group of Industries, K Shyamprasad, Managing Director, Vidya Herbs, Ravi Sehgal, President, India - Thai Chamber of Commerce, Dr Chatchai, Founder & CEO, Absolute Health Regenerative Clinic (Thailand), Sayeed Hossain Chowdhury, Chairman & CEO, HRC Group (Bangladesh), Mohammad Yasin Chowdhury & Khatone Junnath, Chairman, FMC Group (Bangladesh), Farid Khan, Director & CEO, Koemmerling (Profine India Window), N Sridhar, Chairman & Managing Director, the Singareni Collieries Company Limited, Randeep Bhattacharya, Founder & CEO, Saitech Solution Co Ltd (Thailand), Manju Sharma, MD & Co-Chairperson, Eternal Hospital, Sindhu Mendke, Chairperson, New Digamber Public School, Vijay Nirani, Managing Director, Nirani Sugars Ltd, Md Ramzanul Haque Nihad, Deputy Managing Director, Amin Mohammad Group (Bangladesh), Ron Haque Sikder, Chairman, Powerpac Holdings (Bangladesh), Md Ebadul Karim, Managing Director, Beacon Pharmaceuticals (Bangladesh), K Hariprasad, President - Apollo Hospitals, Sandeep Seksaria, Joint MD, Macho, Sanjay Mishra, Joint Director & Vijay Arora, CEO & Joint Director, Apex Insurance Consultant Ltd, Ronald Colaco, Founder - Clarks Exotica - Convention Resorts & Spa, Malav Dani, Managing Director - Hitech Corporation Limited, etc.

Overall the summit was a grand success with the presence of more than 350 delegates from different countries including government dignitaries.

The next edition of Asian Business & Social Forum 2020 and sixth edition World's Greatest Brands and Leaders 2019-20 to be held in June 2020 in Dubai.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian poaching: New mechanism to seek compensation for Lankan fishermen By S. Rubatheesan View(s): View(s):

The Government is to assess the damage caused to Sri Lankan fishermen due to Indian poaching and provide compensation by setting up a joint mechanism with India.

The joint mechanism called Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar Joint Marine Fisheries Resources Management Authority has been proposed by Sri Lanka to India to resolve poaching disputes and share marine resources as the region is under the threat of depletion due to overfishing and bottom trawling  a harmful fishing method used by Indian fishermen.

The proposal was submitted to the Indian side last week during the high level meetings Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had with Indian Premier Narendra Modi and Indias External Affairs Minister S. Jayshankar.

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Douglus Devananda who was part of the Prime Ministers delegation told the Sunday Times that the Indian side welcomed the proposed joint mechanism and both parties committed themselves to resolve this issue amicably while protecting the marine resources in the Palk Bay.

We are hopeful to hear from them on this issue. The Indian government assured us that within the next three months, it would resolve the issue of bottom trawling fishing used by Indian fishermen in the Palk Bay while encouraging their fishermen to go for deep sea fishing rather than trespassing into our waters. This is a positive start, Minister Devananda said.

According to the proposal, senior government officials and fishermen representatives from both countries will take part in the mechanism outline a management process to build governance and community consensus for sharing marine resources. The mechanism will address overfishing by the shrimp trawlers, discuss existing legislation and work out a comprehensive fisheries management plan with the participation of stakeholders from India and Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan delegation also requested the Indian side to ensure the safety of Sri Lankan fishermen who undertake transit passage along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) for deep sea fishing.

The Fisheries Ministry suggested that Indian Coast Guards inspect the Sri Lankan fishing boats onboard as far as possible without escorting them to ports in India, whenever they wanted to check them on suspicion while they sailed through the IMBL for fishing in the Arabian Sea.

It was also pointed out that 196 Indian trawlers were currently anchored in various fisheries harbours in Sri Lanka. Among them, 58 were seized after the passing of Fisheries (Regulation of Foreign Fishing Boats) Amendment Act No 1 of 2018, and 42 Indian trawlers were confiscated on court order. Six boats were released on court order but not taken back and ten cases are still pending in courts.

Some 138 Indian trawlers that were seized before 2018 were released following a government decision but they are yet to be taken back since most of them are unsalvageable. At least 34 Sri Lankan fishing boats are being detained in India.
WASHINGTON  Unbowed by a public rebuke from his attorney general, President Donald Trump says he has the legal right to intervene in criminal cases and sidestep the Justice Departments historic independence. At the same time, it was revealed federal prosecutors have been ordered to review the criminal case of his former national security adviser.

A day after Attorney General William Barr said the president's tweets were making it impossible for me to do my job," Trump declared he had the right to ask the agency to intervene in cases but so far has chosen not to. It was a rare public flare-up of tensions, simmering for weeks at the upper echelon of the Trump administration, as Barr marked one year on the job Friday.

While Barr complained that Trump's tweets undermine the department's perception as independent from political interference, he has proven to be eager to deliver on many of the president's investigative priorities  often laid out by Trump for all to see on Twitter.

The attorney general stepped in this week to alter the sentencing recommendation that Trump had denounced as too harsh for his ally Roger Stone. Also, Justice Department prosecutors are reviewing the handling of the federal investigation into Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday. And Barr has appointed a U.S. attorney who is conducting a criminal investigation into the origins of the FBI's probe of the 2016 election that morphed into special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of possible Trump-Russia cooperation.

Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its probe of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, but his sentencing has been postponed several times after he complained he was misled during his questioning. The U.S. attorney in St. Louis, Jeff Jensen, is working with Brandon Van Grack, a member of Muellers team, to review the Flynn case, a Justice Department official said.

As president, Trump technically has the right to compel the Justice Department, an executive branch agency, to open investigations. But historically, when it comes to decisions on criminal investigations and prosecutions, Justice has functioned independently, unmoved and unbound by political sway. And that reputation is important to Barr, as he made clear in an interview Thursday on ABC News.

Im happy to say that, in fact, the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case, Barr said. However, to have public statements and tweets made about the department, about our people ... about cases pending in the department, and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that were doing our work with integrity.

The attorney general has repeatedly shared the same sentiment in private conversations with the president in recent weeks, telling Trump he was frustrated with the president's public comments and tweets about Justice Department cases, a person familiar with the matter told the AP. The person was granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

Barr was directly asked in the ABC interview whether he believed Trump had the authority to direct him to open an investigation.

In many cases yes, such as terrorism or fraud by a bank or something like that, Barr said.

However, "If he were to say, you know, go investigate somebody because  and you sense its because theyre a political opponent, then an attorney general shouldnt carry that out, wouldnt carry that out."

Still, Barr has proven to be a largely reliable ally and defender of presidential power. That includes his preemptive framing of the results from special counsel Mueller's Trump-Russia investigation last year in a manner favorable to Trump when Mueller pointedly said he couldnt exonerate the president of obstruction of justice.

Trump has publicly and privately threatened payback in the form of investigations against his perceived enemies including former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Director Andrew McCabe, whom prosecutors said Friday they would not charge with lying about leaking. He's also pressed for investigations into political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter, especially following Trump's impeachment acquittal over a phone call where he asked Ukraine's leaders to investigate the Bidens.

And Flynn's case has become something of a cause for Trump supporters, who have seized on the former Trump aide's assertion that he was somehow ambushed by the FBI during an interview at the White House.

As for Comey, Trump has tweeted scores of times that he should be charged with crimes. Trump was particularly incensed that no charges were filed over the former FBI directors handling of memos about his interactions with Trump, according to a White House official and Republican close to the White House not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions.

The president angrily denounced the decision not to charge Comey to aides and berated Barr over it, according to the officials. Aides expected the decision not to charge McCabe could produce a similar angry reaction.

Trump has also repeatedly complained about FBI Director Christopher Wray in recent months, saying that Wray has not done enough to rid the bureau of people who are disloyal to him.

An administration official acknowledged there has been some tension between Trump and Barr in recent weeks, but said Trump still has confidence in his attorney general.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss private conversations, said Trump also knows it would be risky to remove Barr ahead of the 2020 election and that it is highly unlikely he could find a suitable replacement before then.

Earlier this week, the Justice Department overruled its own prosecutors  who had recommended in a court filing that Trumps longtime ally and confidant Stone be sentenced to 7 to 9 years in prison  and took the extraordinary step of lowering the amount of prison time it would seek. The entire trial team of prosecutors quit the case after the amended filing, and one quit the DOJ altogether.

Barr faced intense criticism over the decision, which followed just hours after Trump tweeted his displeasure about the harsher recommendation. Trump greeted the reversal with another tweet congratulating Barr for taking action, which proved to be a tipping point for the attorney general. He opted for a public interview to air his frustrations with the president while word was sent to the White House just a short time before it aired.

On Friday, Trump quoted one of Barr's comments in the interview: The president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case. A.G. Barr  and then Trump added in his tweet  This doesnt mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!

Stone is to be sentenced by a federal judge next week. His lawyers filed a motion Friday evening seeking a new trial, though details of the motion remained under seal.

House Democrats frustrated over the Senates acquittal of Trump on impeachment charges want answers from Barr about what they see as his efforts to politicize federal law enforcement. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Barr will testify before the panel March 31.

The Justice Department insisted the decision to undo the sentencing recommendation was made Monday night  before Trump blasted the recommendation on Twitter as very horrible and unfair and prosecutors had not spoken to the White House about it.

Barr joined a roster of high-level aides who have publicly criticized Trump, though the rest left their jobs first. Former national security adviser John Bolton is to publish a book next month detailing his time in the White House, including criticism of Trump actions such as his decision to withhold military assistance while seeking a political favor from Ukraine. And former chief of staff John Kelly, who has largely kept a low profile since leaving the White House, has grown more open about his unflattering assessments of the president.

-- The Associated Press
Having been deselected by Fine Gael in December, Verona Murphy executed the perfect revenge on he former party by elevating herself to the position of the county's third most popular politician thanks to transfer votes from former junior minister Michael D'Arcy Jnr.

Only the second female TD in the county's history, Murphy said she always felt she was in with a strong chance of being elected, particularly as an Independent.

Having secured 5,825 first preference votes, her position was far from safe on the first count, but strong transfers, particularly from Michael Sheehan (1,194), Ger Carthy (1,119) and Michael D'Arcy Jnr (1,981) saw her leapfrog Fianna Fail TD James Browne into third place, having already stayed ahead of Paul Kehoe and Malcolm Byrne.

'This means a lot. I don't have a political history but I will prove myself and I hope that work ethic will prove me the right way for the people of Wexford. They won't be disappointed,' she said, adding that her victory means that the people of Wexford have put their faith in her. 'I will be a woman which will bring somewhat of a balance within the five seat constituency.'

Murphy was elected on the 11th count shortly before 3 p.m. on Monday and was overcome with emotion as she hugged her parents Paddy and Breda and daughter Robyn. Sheehan lost out on a seat, blaming a risky four candidate strategy for his vote. He secured 4,366 first preference votes and said he was overwhelmed by the support he received in New Ross.
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Harrison Ford has revealed filming on the fifth Indiana Jones movie may begin this summer.

The Hollywood star, 77, confirmed he will pick up his whip and don the famous fedora to play the beloved archaeologist once more.

During an appearance on Ellen DeGeneress chat show, Ford said: Its going to be fun. They are great fun to make.

Harrison Ford has revealed filming on the new Indiana Jones film will start later this year (Isabel Infantes/PA)

He said filming is set to start in the summer.

The first three Indiana Jones films  Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981), Temple Of Doom (1984) and The Last Crusade (1989)  are well-loved classic films.

Ford returned to the role for 2008s Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, which is not as revered.

In a separate interview with CBS, Ford said filming on the new Indiana Jones movie could begin as soon as April.

And he admitted to enjoying revisiting his classic characters, including Han Solo from Star Wars.

When we have an opportunity to make another, it is because people have enjoyed them, Ford told Sunday Morning.

I feel obliged to make sure our ambitions are as ambitious as they were when we started.

A release date for the fifth Indiana Jones film has not been announced.

Fords latest film is the Disney adventure The Call Of The Wild.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), an agency of the US Labor Department defines work environment as the establishment and other locations where one or more employees are working or are present as a condition of their employment . The work environment includes not only physical locations, but also the equipment or materials used by the employee during the course of his or her work.

Work-related injury or illness occurs when workplace events or exposures, directly result in injury or illness. A work-related injury can also happen when the work environment makes worse a previously existing condition in a worker.

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) statistics,

Approximately 2 million men and women die as a result of work-related injuries and illnesses annually

die as a result of work-related injuries and illnesses annually Globally, an estimated 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million work-related diseases occur each year

Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals accounts for about 450,000 deaths annually; 10 percent of skin cancers are caused by work-related exposures

deaths annually; 10 percent of skin cancers are caused by work-related exposures Exposure to asbestos at workplace accounts for approximately 100,000 deaths annually

Silicosis (lethal lung disease caused by exposure to silica dust) affects tens of millions of workers across the world in occupations such as mining, stone cutting and slate pencil cutting

Construction sites account for a major proportion of work-related accidents and deaths; according to ILO statistics, 1 out of every 6 major accidents occurs at a construction site

Around 60,000 fatal accidents occur in construction sites across the world annually i.e., 1 fatal accident every 10 minute

Nearly 30 percent of construction site workers suffer from back pain and musculoskeletal problems

Nearly 4% of the worlds gross domestic product (GDP) is lost due to cost of injury, death and disease, absence from work, disability and survivor benefits and sickness treatment

Younger workers are at great risk of serious non-fatal accidents due to a combination of lack of experience, lack of physical and emotional immaturity, ignorance of workplace hazards and poor safety and health-training measures

due to a combination of lack of experience, lack of physical and emotional immaturity, ignorance of workplace hazards and poor safety and health-training measures The older workers need more days away from work to recover

Aging may be accelerated by certain occupations involving handling heavy loads, untimely work shifts, exposure to high noise levels and outdoor work in extremes of temperature

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed annually on 28th April, a date that was initially established by the ILO in 2001 and 2002.

According to Juan Somavia, who was ILO Director General from March 1999 to September 2012, There has been a sign of progress on many fronts in the world of work. But work-related deaths, accidents and diseases, are still major causes for concern. Decent work must also be safe work.

The ILO has always refuted the notion that injury and illness go with the job. Prevention works. During the course of the 20th century, developed nations witnessed a significant decrease in serious injuries due to concerted efforts and advances in making the workplace safer and healthier. The biggest challenge is to extend these measures to benefit the whole working world.

Serious workplace injuries are a common occurrence. Some accidents and injuries occur across all occupational sectors although different types of jobs pose a series of hazards unique to the specific job. For example, a construction worker is at a higher risk of falls while an office worker is much less at risk for burns than a chef.

Some of the most common work-related accidents and injuries include the following:

Falls and trips  minor injuries to serious ladder fall injuries in construction sites

Muscle strains and pain especially neck and back strains

Repetitive strain injury caused by forceful repetitive activity or bad posture

Cuts and bruises

Getting hit by falling objects  can cause minor wounds or major conditions such as blindness or concussion

Crashes and collisions involving drivers or operators of vehicles, cranes and forklift trucks in construction sites or warehouses

Building collapse in construction sites

Inhalation of toxic fumes and exposure to hazardous chemicals

Exposure to loud noise, leading to loss of hearing

Contracting of disease from patients in the hospital

Muscle sprain or injury while maneuvering a patient

Walking into objects such as furniture, doors and walls, resulting in minor to serious injuries

Violence and altercations at work resulting in bodily injuries

Mark Twain once said, It is better to be careful 100 times than to get killed once. It is estimated that 80 of every 100 accidents occurring in the workplace are directly due to the fault of the person involved in the incident. Some of the common root causes of workplace-related accidents include the following:

Tiredness and over-exertion

Using incorrect technique or poor equipment

Poor housekeeping leading to unclean surroundings, dirty and slippery floors and a general lack of orderliness exposing workers to increased risk of injuries and illness

Frequent mental distractions increasing the chances of serious errors

Lack of preparation and ignorance of hazards involved and poor safety training

Taking shortcuts due to laziness and increasing the risk of catastrophic accidents especially while handling dangerous machinery or lethal chemicals

Overconfidence leading to carelessness

A conscious effort is essential each and every day in the workplace to ensure that the aforementioned mistakes are avoided. The life of not only the individual, but also the persons co-workers and the reputation and well-being of the organization is at stake.

Some of the commonly encountered work-related injuries and illnesses include the following:

Work-related stress

Back pain

Musculoskeletal disorders due to uncomfortable posture, handling heavy loads, and overexertion

Upper limb disorders - affecting the arm and shoulder, forearm, elbow, wrist, hand and fingers. Common symptoms include aches and pain, stiffness, tenderness, weakness, tingling, numbness, cramps, or swelling.

Occupational dermatitis (skin disorder) due to handling of chemicals

Occupational asthma due to exposure to smokes, fumes and dust

Exposure to excessive noise levels and hearing loss

Constant viewing of display screens and monitors, leading to eye strain

It is the obligation of the employer to ensure the safety and well-being of the worker. The following measures must be followed to ensure the same.

Employers Responsibilities

Carrying regular assessments regarding risks to health and safety standards of workers in the workplace and having safety norms and practices in place as appropriate

regarding risks to health and safety standards of workers in the workplace and having safety norms and practices in place as appropriate Provision of ergonomically designed furniture to minimize occurrence of back pain and musculoskeletal pain

to minimize occurrence of back pain and musculoskeletal pain Provision of adequate safety training , education on hazards and correct techniques of handling as well as optimal usage of machinery and equipment

, education on hazards and correct techniques of handling as well as optimal usage of machinery and equipment Ensuring proper functioning and well-maintained equipment

and well-maintained Education on fitness, healthy lifestyle and work-life balance

Having a system in place where work-related injuries or illnesses are brought to the notice of the authorities with appropriate management, which includes reassigning of duties

with appropriate management, which includes reassigning of duties Ensure regular breaks from constant activity such as staring at monitors or noisy work environment to minimize eye strain or hearing loss

from constant activity such as staring at monitors or noisy work environment to minimize eye strain or hearing loss Periodic breaks to reduce risk of fatigue and overstrain and consequent errors

Ensure safety measures to minimize occupational exposures and prompt evaluation and treatment of the same

and prompt evaluation and treatment of the same Proper and good housekeeping practices to ensure safe working environment

to ensure safe working environment Referral to appropriate specialist for advice on management and prevention of recurrence in future

Identification of source of stress at work with risk assessment and strategies to handle the same with friendly and understanding managers

Although employers are duty bound to provide a safe working environment for their workers, it is the responsibility of the individual to be careful and avoid taking undue risks that may endanger the persons safety as well as the safety of co-workers.

Avoid operating heavy machinery and equipment if tired and unwell

Follow safety precautions diligently, such as, wearing helmets at construction sites

Avoid taking shortcuts to complete a task soon without knowing the risks or dangers involved

Report any work-associated stress to authorities sooner than later for appropriate action

Avoid being distracted, focus on the work and take a break if necessary to refresh yourself

Do not handle equipment or machinery without proper training or knowledge of the hazards and correct technique of handling them

Workers compensation is insurance amount paid by the employer to workers who are injured or fall ill on the job. By this means, workers are given free/partial medical care and benefits while off work due to the injury.

Under workers compensation, the worker is automatically entitled to insurance for injury sustained on the job and in return, the worker will not sue the employer for his illness or injury.
A massive blaze broke out on



Saturday afternoon in a mall in Thane in Maharashtra and over 100 firefighters rescued 350 people from the building and brought it under control by 5pm, an official said.

The fire broke out at 1:50pm on the first floor of the mall situated in Kapurbawdi area here and was labeled a 'brigade call', the highest categorisation in terms of intensity of a fire, after it spread to three upper floors leading to deployment of 20 engines and tankers, said Thane Municipal Corporation chief fire officer Shashikant Kale.

"More than 100 personnel from the fire brigade brought it under control by 5pm. We managed to rescue all 350 people in the mall at the time of the blaze. Firefighter RK Shelar complained of breathlessness during dousing operations and was rushed to hospital," Kale informed.

"A man identified as Namdev Zore (49) was stuck on the fourth floor and firefighters had to work very quickly to rescue him, which they managed successfully," he added.

The fire destroyed a large part of the four-storeyed mall which houses several offices, and a probe had begun to ascertain the cause, Kale said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over 200 Phuket couples tie the knot on Valentines Day

PHUKET: The islands three district offices  Muang Phuket, Kathu and Thalang  were jammed yesterday (Feb 14) as couples queued to get married on Valentines Day.

culture

By The Phuket News

Saturday 15 February 2020, 10:11AM

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office on Valentines Day with Phuket Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong present as a witness. Photo: PR Dept

A total of 109 couples couples of various ages and backgrounds arrived at the Muang District Office on Mae Luan Rd in Phuket Town, where officials had special gifts for the newlyweds.

Present to serve as witnesses for those registering their nuptials were Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong and Deputy Muang Phuket District Chief (Palad) Wichet Suyanan.

Mr Wichet explained that the project to encourage couples to marry on Valentines Day is aimed at promoting the importance of a registered marriage and the right of couples under the law.

Two of the couples married yesterday at Muang District Office were a Thai marrying a foreigner.

Kathu District Office and Thalang Disctrict Office were crowded yesterday as well with 50 couples registering their marriage in each.
C aroline Flacks management said everyone was devastated at the news and criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for pressing ahead with her show trial even after her boyfriend said he did not support it.

The Love Island star was found dead at her new flat in east London on Saturday.

Flack stepped down from presenting the current winter series of the show after she was alleged to have assaulted her boyfriend Lewis Burton 27, at her then flat in Islington, north London, in December.

She entered a not guilty plea to the assault charge at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court and she was released on bail, with conditions that stopped her having any contact with Burton ahead of a trial in March.

Caroline Flack's management slammed the CPS / PA

In a statement, Francis Ridley of Money Talent Management, said: We are devastated at the loss of our client and friend Caroline Flack.

An immensely talented young woman who was at the top of her game professionally and loved by television viewers across the country.

In recent months Caroline had been under huge pressure because of an ongoing case and potential trial which has been well reported.

The Crown Prosecution Service pursued this when they knew not only how very vulnerable Caroline was but also that the alleged victim did not support the prosecution and had disputed the CPS version of events.

The CPS should look at themselves today and how they pursued a show trial that was not only without merit but not in the public interest. And ultimately resulted in significant distress to Caroline.

Our thoughts are with Carolines family at this time.

Mr Burton defended Ms Flack (Joe Giddens/PA Wire ) / Joe Giddens/PA Wire

Asked about the criticism of the decision to prosecute Flack, a Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: Our deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of Caroline Flack.

Given the tragic circumstances, we will not comment on the specifics of this case at this stage.
I made it just in time, stepping into the blinding fluorescent lights for my 7 p.m. reservation.

Ah, you must be Jeremy, the host said, grinning. My waitress told me to sit wherever Id like.

I was ready, to spend Valentines Day like I never had before: At a White Castle in Newark, alone.

The obvious question is uh, why would you do that? Didnt you have anything better to do, or someone with whom to spend this lovers holiday? No comment.

The existential dread of eternal loneliness aside, Id always been curious about the burger joint known less for sparking romance and more for runs to the bathroom. For nearly 30 years, White Castle has hosted Valentines Day dinner, complete with reservations (this year even on OpenTable), Valentines decorations, hosts and table service.

I sat down at a table for two  the thought of being alone at a four-person booth was too much even for my masochistic mood  and I was greeted by a pink, plastic tablecloth, a paper plate filled with candies, a plastic rose and an unlit candle along with White Castle-themed Valentines cards (lets get steamy and I can be cheesy for you were my favorites) plus a menu. Red and pink balloons floated in the air, while tinsel and hearts adorned the walls.

The scene at a White Castle in Newark for Valentine's Day dinner. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

While the decor was elevated, the food was not. The entire usual White Castle menu was at my disposal  no prix fixe here  and I went with three cheese sliders (one with jalapeno, gotta spice it up on Valentines, right?) fries, a coke and a chocolate shake.

My waitress Alondra, perhaps taking pity on me, was infallibly friendly throughout the evening. The whole staff was enthusiastic about the event, and not in a phony, saccharine way. Because you know what? There are worse places to spend your Valentines  oh cool, a 200% markup on chicken marsala, sounds awesome!

The couple in the booth next to me must have felt that way. They appeared to be high school age  Im pretty sure I overheard the boy calling home to see if his parents were home, and much to his chagrin they were  and they were cuddling and kissing throughout dinner. Oh, young love. That kind of thing usually annoys me, but at White Castle on Valentines Day? Screw it, anything goes.

The food came out right away  fast food, cant beat the speed  and Alondra, noticing me taking obnoxious pictures of the meal, rushed over with a lit candle. My romantic scene was set; passion, mystery, sizzling onions on the flat top.

Valentine's Day dinner at White Castle in Newark. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Now, I can appreciate fine dining, but who am I really if I cant also enjoy tiny square-shaped hamburgers slathered in grease and American cheese, crinkle-cut fries and an almost certainly not hand-spun milkshake. Its comfort food. Its self-care. Its nostalgia. Its delicious. And on this corporately contrived holiday, maybe that type of joy is more important than we realize.

I noticed a gooey butter cake on a stick" on the menu after I finished my burgers, and couldnt help myself  self-care, remember? Alondra said it was tasty, and she wasnt wrong.

Before I left, Alondra asked if she could take my picture in front of the White Castle Valentines banner for social media and I obliged, toting my milkshake as my Valentine.

NJ.com food reporter at White Castle on Valentine's Day. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The manager, decked out in a pink polo, thanked me for coming as I prepared to leave. He even told me to come back next year. I will almost certainly return (emphasis on the almost.)

Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Mohammad Umair, the Pulwama attack planner who trained in Afghanistan

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 14: India was quick to avenge the Pulwama attack. While the Balakot air strike was aimed at hitting the Jaish-e-Mohammad facility, security forces also gunned down one of the masterminds behind the attack.

The killing of Mudasir Ahmed Khan alias Mohammad Bhai at the Pinglish area of Tral in Kashmir's Pulwama district was a major operation. He was one of the masterminds of the attack. In the aftermath of the killing, security forces said that he was one of the key conspirators of the Pulwama attack in which 40 jawans were martyred.

The National Investigation Agency which is currently probing the case says that they have made plenty of inroads into the case. The probe has found that the JeM terrorist who assembled the bomb had managed to slip out and reach Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Explained: A year since Pulwama and how the Balakot hit was planned

Investigations suggest that nearly 80 kilograms of RDX was used in the attack. While the bomb maker managed to get out of Kashmir, intelligence agencies say that the mastermind of the attack is still in the state. The mastermind identified as Mohammad Umair is still operating in the Pulwama area. An Intelligence Bureau official informed that he had overseen the entire attack and was also the one who masterminded it.

Umair is the nephew of Jaish-e-Mohamamd chief, Maulana Masood Azhar. He was sent into Kashmir after another nephew of Azhar, who went by the name Usman Haider was killed in an encounter. It may be recalled that Talha Rashid, also a nephew of the Jaish chief was killed in an encounter with the security forces in 2016.

According to officials, Umair was trained in Afghanistan. An officer says that this explains why the nature of the attack was such. Vehicle ramming with bombs are reported from countries such as Afghanistan and Syria. In the aftermath of the attack, security officials had raised concerns about this style of attack and warned that it could become a norm.

Pulwama, a year gone: When Operation Bandar at Balakot shook Pakistan

Investigating officers say that while the mastermind and bomb maker has been identified, they are looking for the over ground workers, who aided the bomber with information and precise logistics. Dar was given precise information about the movement of the convoys.

The moment the convoys were spotted, he entered from the left side of bus number five and detonated the vehicle as a result of 40 jawans were martyred.

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Amid concerns raised by architects and activists over the governments revamp plan for the Central Vista in the national capital, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said there has been total transparency in the project and the architect chosen for the job had consulted multiple town planners and experts for it.

He was responding to queries from reporters over two petitions filed by activists in the Delhi High Court and concerns raised by many other heritage and architecture experts on the proposed revamp.

There has been total transparency in the project. Bimal Patel had held a meeting with editors and town planner earlier, and after that many others, and every other town planner in town. Then there was a meeting with journalists later, the minister said.

Puri said one of the concerns raised by a few people is that heritage buildings are going to be torn down.

We have shown exactly that every iconic heritage building will be exactly where it is, the Union minister of Housing and Urban Affairs said.

Gujarat-based architecture firm HCP Designs had won the consultancy bid for the Centres ambitious project to redevelop the Central Vista.

HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd, based in Ahmedabad, is led by architect Bimal Patel and has developed several projects, including the Sabarmati Riverfront Development where Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently held a mammoth event to celebrate Mahatma Gandhis 150th birth anniversary.

Asked about other concerns raised by activists that the revamp project will take away a lot of public space, Puri said, public space will in fact increase.

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is likely to be shifted from its current location as part of the Modi governments ambitious project to redevelop the Central Vista - the nations power corridor - in Lutyens Delhi, sources had earlier said.

Asked about the IGNCA, he said, A grander mega cultural centre will be built as part of the new project. It will be world-class infrastructure like Sydney Opera House and other such iconic buildings globally are, he said.

So, for the Central Vista project, the amount of consultation we have done... Bimal Patel has met every conceivable town planner, architect. I have chaired meetings, the secretary has, he said. So, that doesnt mean we are going to allow our project to be derailed, he added.

The Union minister said, by 2030, 600 million people will be living in urban areas.

You cannot rebuild spaces without complete adherence to ecological and sustainable norms, he said when asked about the ecological impact of the project. The revamp also envisages a new triangular Parliament building, with seating capacity for 900 to 1,200 MPs, that is targeted to be constructed by August, 2022 when the country will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day. The common Central Secretariat is likely to be built by 2024.
Supreme Court judge Justice



DY Chandrachud on Saturday asked students of a law university here in Gujarat to develop the "courage to dissent" and be optimistic and true to their conscience.

Speaking at the convocation ceremony at the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Justice Chandrachud also asked the budding law professionals to learn to handle failures and do something good every day in life.

"Remember to question. Very often when we grow up in a good family, we are told to abide by authority. But as you grow up in life, it is also important to stand up. Be the dissenters. Because it is only through your power to express your views, to dissent, to have the courage of stating a contrary position that you make others stop and think," he said.

"Courage is the hallmark of a lawyer. And by courage, I don't mean merely the courage of standing up to government. That's not the only courage that I am referring to. People who stand up against the state may make headlines in newspapers. But we want citizens who have the courage to stand up for someone who cannot stand up for themselves," the supreme court judge said.

Justice Chandrachud also said that it needs courage to "stand up against a judge who believes in an issue and he is wrong".

"To stand up before that judge and say, sorry, you are wrong, in a very respectful way. Standing up to your seniors and mentors..." he said.

A total 218 students graduated at the 10th annual convocation of the GNLU.

He also advised the graduating students to learn to handle failures.

"Failures are occasion to begin anew. Failure teaches you something about life," he said.

Justice Chandrachud also advised students to be optimistic.

"The great danger in our society today is the danger of cynicism. It's not of any form of extremism. But the grave danger we face is the danger of cynicism. Being cynical about society, nation, relationships, about the roads, transport...

"Be optimistic, and keep the flame within you burning bright. Every corner of your life, there will be some opportunity for temptation, whether in professionallife or in personal relationships. Ultimately, you answer your own conscience in whatever you do," he said.

Justice Chandrachud also asked the students to set their own standards.

"Do a little good turn to someone every day of your life. You do not have to be big social reformer. In electronic age, we live behind our footprints. Burt just as you leave the footprints behind, make sure they are such that you would be happy to think of ten years down the line," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By PTI

PANAJI: Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Saturday said his country fully supported India's bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. He is on a two-day visit to Goa.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of an urban design conference here, Sousa said, "India has full support of Portugal to become a permanent member of UN Security Council." Sousa said India will participate in the 2020 UN Ocean Conference to be held between June 2-6 in Lisbon in Portugal.

He said the two countries can cooperate on a variety of projects, adding that his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind were "fruitful, bilaterally and multi-laterally". "We discussed concrete projects for Portuguese investment in India and Indian investment in Portugal," he said, adding that the two countries have planned cooperation in the field of economy, technology, culture and science over the next five years.
Passengers waiting to travel home get a last health screening before disembarking from the MS Westerdam cruise ship in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Feb. 15, 2020. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

American Woman From Cruise Ship Tests Positive for New Coronavirus: Malaysia

A woman who was on a cruise ship that was rejected by five countries before being allowed to dock in Cambodia tested positive for the new coronavirus, Malaysian authorities said on Saturday.

The 83-year-old woman, an American, flew to Malaysia on Friday from Cambodia, Malaysias health ministry said in a statement. The confirmed case is the 22nd in Malaysia.

While the woman tested positive for the new COVID-19 virus, her husband tested negative. Both showed symptoms of the virus upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur and were sent to a nearby hospital for testing.

The woman is in stable condition and is in isolation at the hospital, the health ministry said. The husband, who is also a U.S. citizen, is still receiving treatment and is being monitored.

Passengers disembark from the Westerdam cruise ship in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Feb. 14, 2020. (Tang Chhin Sothy/Getty Images)

They were both passengers on the Westerdam, a cruise ship operated by Holland America. Multiple countries declined to let the ship dock over concerns about the new virus after seeing hundreds of cases on a ship that docked in Japan.

Cambodia allowed the ship to dock on Thursday night. The Cambodian Health Ministry tested 20 people and all samples came back negative. There were never any suspected cases of coronavirus on board, Holland America said in a Feb. 13 statement.

All guests on board are healthy and despite erroneous reports there are no known or suspected cases of coronavirus on board, nor have their ever been, the company stated on Feb. 12.

The Westerdam, run by the U.S.-based Holland America Line, departed Hong Kong with 1,455 passengers and 802 crew on board. The cruise was slated to run for two weeks and end in Yokohama, Japan. Holland America has said passengers on the Westerdam will be offered a full refund and that flights back home will also be covered by the firm.

A Cambodian man holds his national flag in front of the MS Westerdam, owned by Holland America Line, docked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Feb. 14, 2020. (Heng Smith/AP Photo)

The U.S. Embassy in Cambodia sent teams to help the over 200 American passengers on the Westerdam depart the country on flights on Friday, it said in a statement. Patrick Murphy, the U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, posted a picture of himself on board with his family greeting Americans after the ship docked.

Neither Holland America nor the United States has commented on the new confirmed case.

Coronaviruses circulate among animals. In rare cases, they can infect humans and then spread through person-to-person transmission. A growing number of cases worldwide are appearing in people who have not traveled to China, where the new virus emerged in December 2019.

COVID-19 has killed hundreds of people and infected tens of thousands, with the vast majority of cases and deaths being in China. The third death from the virus outside of China was reported on Saturday by French health authorities. The patient was a Chinese tourist.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Ivanka Trump, daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, where she met with women entrepreneurs and was to meet Abu Dhabis crown prince.

She was in Abu Dhabi ahead of the two-day Global Womens Forum in Dubai, where she was to give the keynote address Sunday.

In Abu Dhabi, Trump met with women business leaders at the Louvre Abu Dhabi before touring the museum. She later visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in the country.

The adviser to President Trump was scheduled to meet with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who is believed to be the Emirates day-to-day ruler.

At the Louvre, Trump discussed womens economic empowerment in the UAE with businesswomen and government officials. Officials included Reem al-Hashemi, minister of state for international co-operation; Noura al-Kaabi, minister of culture and knowledge development, and Minister of State for Advanced Sciences Sarah al-Amiri.

In the U.S. this week, Ivanka Trump announced that Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jeanne Shaheen are behind an effort to have her Womens Global Development and Prosperity Initiative written into U.S. law.

The proposed legislation would make the economic empowerment of women a priority of U.S. foreign policy and ensure the initiative continues beyond the Trump administration.

Ivanka Trump said the legislation is a long overdue goal.

The Graham-Shaheen bill must pass both the Republican-led Senate and the Democratic-controlled House before the president can sign it into law.
From the top 25 jobs in Toronto to $3,000 house plants, weve selected the best long reads of the week on thestar.com.

Want to dive into more long features? Sign up for the Weekend Long Reads newsletter to get them delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday morning.

1. These are the best 25 jobs in Toronto right now

In a list of Torontos top jobs, collars arent necessarily white or blue  theyre often optional. The Stars exclusive ledger of the Toronto regions most promising employment areas for 2020 ranks jobs according to median hourly wages, the rate of job growth in the sector over the past five years and the number of current job vacancies.

2. Heres what government can  and cant  do to end the Wetsueweten standoff

As widespread rail shutdowns cost millions of dollars in cancelled passenger travel and commercial shipping, governments, companies and Indigenous communities are all taking a hard look at their possible next moves. There are growing calls for somebody to do something. One can be forgiven for being confused about who that somebody is, and what that something should be.

3. His parents bought their first home for $45,000 in their 20s. He bought his for $690,000 in his 30s. Why first-time buyers are getting older

Home ownership eludes younger purchasers for many reasons: insufficient income; high rent prices; onerous student debt; tighter mortgage lending rules; saving for a down payment; late entry into the workforce, and the biggie  the affordability crisis in the real estate market.

4. She lost her airport job when Transport Canada didnt grant her security clearance. But how can she answer for her brothers crimes?

For two-and-a-half years, Munira Omar worked for WestJet at Pearson Airport waiting on her final security clearance to be approved. Then Transport Canada denied her clearance over concerns regarding (her) trustworthiness and reliability. Two of Omars brothers had been involved in drug trafficking, organized crime and other criminal offences. They could potentially influence her, the letter stated.

5. Behind the scenes, health officials are scrambling to prepare for coronavirus outbreak. Heres how

The city, the province, and the country are ramping up efforts to prepare for and contain the outbreak. The SARS crisis 17 years ago taught all three that a manageable infectious disease outbreak can quickly become catastrophic without preparation, communication and vigilance.

6. Would you pay $3,000 for a house plant? Why monstera collectors are investing in these delicate darlings of Instagram

On Facebook groups, photos of Big leafy bois and Queens draw adoration, emojis and envy. Prices are a constant topic. There are comparisons to tulip fever, orchid mania, the housing market. Some predict it will crash. Jonathan Villocero says prices have only gone up since hes been collecting. One Florida seller says the going rate for an oblique at auction is $3,300 to $4,000.

7. I didnt expect to live past 25: The man with the most famous tattoo in Canadian jurisprudence on life after prison

In May 2018, Warren Abbey, now 34, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for fatally shooting 19-year-old Simeon Peter, an unarmed man, in January 2004. Four months after the fatal shooting, Abbey had a black teardrop tattooed on his right cheek. The significance of that tiny mark became the focus of a legal saga spanning 14 years.

8. What happens if a dog gets coronavirus? This scientist has a plan

We shouldnt panic  but we should be prepared. In the aftermath of the SARS crisis, researchers showed that domestic cats could catch severe acute respiratory syndrome and transmit it to other cats, as could ferrets. Cats living in a Hong Kong apartment block with an unusual number of SARS patients were found to be infected with the virus. Dogs belonging to Ebola-infected health-care workers in Spain and the United States were destroyed or quarantined because officials were concerned about transmissibility. With the novel coronavirus, We have no idea if theres any risk, but we have to assume there is some until we prove otherwise, said Scott Weese, director of the Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses at the University of Guelph.

9. What my fathers dementia taught me about living in the moment

With my fathers dementia progressing steadily over the past year, I know the feeling well. Every new event is followed by a forceful blow that throws you off balance, gasping for air. Punch. Punch. Punch. Youd think it would hurt less each time. Youd think the reeling would subside. It doesnt. You just brace for it more readily. And remind yourself that youre a middle-aged woman, no longer a child. And you can handle it. Except youre not always sure you can.

10. He was in a U.S. jail 10 years ago. He starts law school in Toronto this fall

Ish Aderonmus experience within the criminal justice system, including the time he spent in jail in the United States, is the reason he wants to become a criminal defence lawyer. I feel a sense of responsibility to be given such an opportunity, Aderonmu said. Ive seen the gaps and all the work that needs to be done. And I feel I can make an impact.
One of the more outspoken GOP lawmakers during that time was now-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, then a conservative congressman from Kansas in his second term in the House. As a member of the GOP-led House Select Committee on Benghazi, he publicly grilled Clinton and other State Department officials over who was at fault for security lapses.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 00:59:59|Editor: yhy

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Bill de Blasio (R), mayor of New York City, eats Chinese food at a Chinese restaurant in New York, the United States, on Feb. 13, 2020. Several high-ranking government officials of New York City have visited Chinatowns and dined there in the past days in their show of solidarity to help quench the fear over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and support the fight against it. (Photo by Zhang Fan/Xinhua)

by Xinhua writers Xia Lin, Wei Ying, Zhang Mocheng

NEW YORK, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Several high-ranking government officials of New York City have visited Chinatowns and dined there in the past days in their show of solidarity to help quench the fear over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and support the fight against it.

BOROUGH PRESIDENT

On Friday, Gale Arnot Brewer, the 27th and current borough president of Manhattan in New York City, together with a dozen or so staff members, visited three Chinese restaurants in the Chinatown in Lower Manhattan and enjoyed the food by chopsticks.

Dumpling soup, stuffed bun and rice with braised duck were all her favorites. Brewer emphasized that it is safe to eat at Chinese restaurants as there has been no confirmed case of COVID-19 within New York State so far. The disease has been noticed to spread fast at large gatherings.

The Chinese food here is authentic, delicious and cost-effective, and the operators are kind-hearted and friendly, said Brewer, member of the New York City Council, where she represented the Upper West Side and the northern part of the Clinton neighborhood in Manhattan.

"Thanks to Manhattan Borough President @galeabrewer for her love and support to Chinatown businesses on Valentine's Day," said Chinatown NYC, a civilian organization devoted to the improvement of Chinese business concentrated areas, in a tweet on the day.

The restaurant owners told local media that their business has slumped by 30 percent to 50 percent in recent weeks, and Brewer's visit is expected to help crush the dread and bolster the sales.

MAYOR

On Thursday, with several colleagues in escort, Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, was invited by the local community to the Chinatown in Flushing, Queens, and dined at the Royal Queen, which offers Chinese dishes and dim sum in banquet-hall style.

De Blasio struggled with the chopsticks for a while and managed to enjoy himself with some dim sum, which aroused his enthusiasm to taste more.

The visit aims to root for the small businesses of Asian descents in this area, crack various rumors about COVID-19, and tell people that they can go to public places as usual because the contagion risk is low, said Corey Johnson, speaker of the New York City Council.

"As the flagship Chinese dining spot in Flushing, the Royal Queen has continuously seen cancellations of parties and wedding banquets since the Spring Festival, which affected our business seriously," Connie Zhang, president and CEO of the dining enterprise, told Xinhua.

"Fortunately, the mayor himself comes here to help reverse it and tell us that the whole city is behind us. It is a great encouragement not only for me, but all the businesses here," she added.

After the lunch, de Blasio also had a closed-door meeting with the local community, gaining more information about the impact of the epidemic and telling the people not to flinch.

There are over 250 eateries in Flushing, whose business has slid by one-third to half under the influence of this epidemic, according to reports of local media.

HEALTH COMMISSIONER

On Feb. 6, NYC Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot had her lunch in the Chinatown in Lower Manhattan, and wrote a tweet: "Today I'm enjoying a wonderful lunch in Chinatown. I've been disheartened by reports of bias and discrimination against the Asian community recently. Let me be clear - our public health response is about a virus, not a group of people."

One week later on Feb. 13, she posted another NYCSmallBusiness tweet, which said that "We're in Flushing, Queens, to show love our support for NYC's Chinese-owned businesses. We will NOT stand for any xenophobic sentiments coming from fear surrounding the Coronavirus. Let us be clear: there are 0 confirmed cases of the virus in NYC!" A photo attached to the tweet showed that de Blasio was having his lunch in flushing.

UPDATED INFORMATION

The New York State health system has publicized a telephone number for the public to get information about COVID-19, and the New York City health system has been updating its COVID-19 information on the website.

So far, there has been no confirmed case of COVID-19 in New York City as well as New York State.

There are three major Chinatowns in New York City, respectively in the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. New York and California are the two states where ethnic Chinese concentrate the most. In New York City alone, there are around 510,000 residents of Chinese descents, accounting for 6 percent of the city's whole population.
Hundreds of enterprises, both Vietnamese and foreign invested, are increasingly concerned about supply of components from China.

A representative of Datalogic Vietnam, a barcode scanner producer, said that Chinese supply has not resumed after Tet. Meanwhile, the operation of the company depends on imported materials from China.





He said the amount of components stored at the factory located in the HCM City Hi-tech Park is enough for production until the end of the week.



If the Chinese partner doesnt resume supply and goods transportation cannot return to normal, the company may have to suspend production. If so, 400 workers will have to be off while waiting for components to arrive.

Hundreds of enterprises, both Vietnamese and foreign invested, are increasingly concerned about supply of components from China.

Datalogic Vietnam is just one of many foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) that are suffering from the lack of input materials caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The supply from China, the biggest component supplier, has been suspended.



The HCM City Hi-tech Park Business Association (SBA) has sent a document to the HCM City Hi-tech Park Management (SHTP) and the HCM City IZ and EPZ Enterprise Association (HBA)asking for help to overcome the difficulties.



The document, with signatures from about 10 enterprises, including large ones such as Intel Vietnam, Jabil Vietnam, and Schneider Electric Vietnam, asked to create favorable conditions for the transportation of goods between Vietnam and China.



Prior to that, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) released Instruction No 362, on the cancellation of all flight licenses it granted before and suspension of license granting to flights between Vietnam and China, beginning February 1. The decision aims to better control the nCoV epidemic.



Meanwhile, SBA said that its member enterprises need to transport cargo, including materials, machines and equipment between Vietnam and China to maintain their production and business.



Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon quoted its source as reporting that 2,000 factories in IZs, EPZs and hi-tech parks in HCM City need materials for their production, a large part of which is from China.



Vietnamese enterprises have also been put on tenterhooks as the materials for production are running out.



Le Nhung, director of Thanh Dat Garment which makes products for export to the US and Europe, said his inventory of materials is just enough to maintain production until late February.



The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) confirmed it has received complaints from many enterprises.



LG Vietnam said if nCoV cannot be controlled in the next two weeks, it will not have materials for production. Formosa also said the lack of materials will affect its operation. Thousands of Chinese workers will not return to Vietnam until February 15.

Thanh Lich

Tourism sector seeking to attract domestic travellers amid coronavirus outbreak Vietnamese travel firms are focusing on seeking ways to attract domestic visitors amid the coronavirus spread.
(Photo : REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo) FILE PHOTO: A worker checks the temperature of a passenger arriving into Hong Kong International Airport with an infrared thermometer, following the coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong, China, February 7, 2020.

Since a lethal disease started in Wuhan, it has become a norm in China that masked professionals aim thermometer guns - or what seems to be a small white pistol - at a tourist's forehead at checkpoints throughout the country to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The thermometers, as well as more complicated cameras that also can measure the warmth coming off a person, allow officials to be quick to determine who may also have a fever after which pull the people apart for similarly testing.

The thermometer gun readings are nearly instantaneous, organizations say, and the procedure is so gentle, it can be done on sleeping children. But new research, attested by several physicians, identified these readers not as dependable as rectal thermometers.

ALSO READ: Another Scary Discovery About Coronavirus That Could Spell More Trouble: Incubation Period is Longer than 14 Days

Temperature readings should reduce the danger of spreading the virus, but...

Last month, the World Health Organization said that temperature screenings should reduce "the danger of spreading" virus. Despite the move, tens of lots of people have contracted the coronavirus, and earlier this week, deaths handed the 1,000 marks.

"These gadgets are notoriously incorrect and not reliable," said James Lawler, a clinical expert on the University of Nebraska's Global Center for Health Security. He said thermometer gun readers are "pretty frankly for show."

People passing through the checkpoints in the Mainland have complained that the thermometers are generating unrealistically low-temperature readings in some situations and artificially high readings in others, like while a traveler is examined from inside a hot car.

A person on Weibo, the Chinese social media service, wrote that the temperature gun is inaccurate after he received the temperature reading from a guard.

While the netizen and the official understood that the temperature gun is inaccurate, the person who made the post said no one says anything due to the fact it's a part of the process.

ALSO READ: The Worse is Just About to Come: New Technology Predicts Coronavirus to Peak in Mid-to-Late February This Year

High temperature doesn't mean the person is surely sick - experts

Just because an infrared device says that someone has an excessive temperature does not suggest the person is surely sick, let alone sporting the virus.

Jim Seffrin, a professional on infrared devices at the Infraspection Institute in New Jersey, told the New York Times that the person detected with 'high temperature' might have been exercising or could be taking medications.

The developing call for thermometer weapons and infrared cameras that can stumble on fevers has precipitated shortages throughout the world, from the middle of the outbreak in Wuhan to a small provider in Texas.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus isn't a Chinese bioweapon! Here Are The Most Popular Coronavirus Youtube Hoaxes, Rumors, and Lies You Should Ignore

Thermometer price increased in the market due to demand

A host of Chinese corporations make thermometer weapons ended up more expensive due to excessive demand.

Mo Yingchun, general manager of a medical factory in Shenzen, said Alicn Medical (Shenzhen) makes 2.5 million thermometer guns a year and is one of only a handful of companies in China that could deliver that level of production. Yingchun said raw material fees have surged. He added most employees couldn't get around China's outbreak containment efforts to make up for his or her jobs, which means the corporation isn't generating at full capacity.

Mr. Mo said even the governments are combating for the goods amongst themselves. The price of the thermometers, according to Mo, had soared to three to five times their usual price. Mo added local governments need to guarantee their very own goals first.

He stated the thermometer is typically used for checking on babies. The thermometer guns, Mo said, are used simplest for quick screening and aren't as correct as conventional thermometers. "It turned into a small enterprise and, if it weren't for the outbreak, it would not be put in the spotlight."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi on Sunday, where he would inaugurate over 30 projects, including a 430-bed super-speciality government hospital

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi on Sunday, where he would inaugurate over 30 projects, including a 430-bed super-speciality government hospital.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, he would flag off IRCTC's 'Maha Kaal Express' through a video link.

The first overnight private train in the country will connect three Jyotirling pilgrim centres of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and Ujjain and Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh.

The prime minister would also dedicate to the nation the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Memorial Centre and unveil a 63-feet tall statue of the RSS ideologue.

The PMO said it would be the tallest statue of the leader in the country. Over 200 artisans worked day and night for the last one year to complete the structure.

The memorial centre will have the engravings of the life and times of Upadhyaya. Around 30 craftsmen and artists from Odisha worked on the project during the past year.

Later, the prime minister would attend a public function, where he would dedicate over 30 projects to the nation. These include a 430-bed super-speciality government hospital at Banaras Hindu University and a 74-bed psychiatry hospital, also at the university.

Modi would inaugurate a two-day 'Kashi Ek Roop Anek' event at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Hastakala Sankul showcasing products from all over Uttar Pradesh. He would also interact with buyers and artisans coming from countries, including the United States, England and Australia.

The prime minister is also scheduled to participate in the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of Shri Jagadguru Vishwaradhya Gurukul and would release the translated version of the Shri Siddhant Shikhamani Granth in 19 languages and its mobile application.

According to officials in Varanasi, Modi will address a public rally and inaugurate Chowkaghat-Lehartara over-bridge. He would also inaugurate the Vedic Science Centre at BHU.
Bhopal, Feb 15 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who also heads the state unit of the Congress, on Saturday snubbed senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, saying that he was free to take to the streets if that helped force the government to fulfil the promises on farm loan waiver and absorption of guest teachers in government service.

The two have been at loggerheads with Scindia telling his supporters that he would hit the streets if the Kamal Nath government failed to fulfil the promises made in the party manifesto.

After taking up the cause of farmers over the loan waiver, Scindia fired another salvo on Friday by saying, "I will become shield and sword of guest teachers in Madhya Pradesh if their demands are not met." Kamal Nath responded by saying: "Manifesto is for five years, right? It is not for five months".

The guest teachers in the state had been promised to be absorbed in government service on better terms but the government has not been able to fulfil its promise yet.

"It is impossible that Congress makes a promise and does not fulfil it. If the Congress has promised something, it is very important to fulfil it. Nahi to sadak par utarna padega (otherwise we'll have to take to the streets)," Scindia had said.

Scindia's statement came just hours after Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Govind Singh said that his party could not waive farmers' loans due to a "difficult situation".

Responding to the media over Scindia's threat to protest if the state government fails to fulfil its promise, Kamal Nath said "to utar jayein sadkon par (do hit the streets if you wish)".

Kamal Nath had earlier showed displeasure over Scindia targeting him over manifesto promises made to the public. Though Scindia's belligerence had subsided by Saturday noon, the last has not been heard about the battle as yet.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, however, denied that there was acrimony between Scindia and Kamal Nath. "We had a meeting on Saturday morning that Scindia attended. The atmosphere was cordial. He had another appointment and had to leave by noon. But his part of discussion was completed by then," Digvijaya Singh said.

"The manifesto (or 'vachan patra' as it is described by Congress) is for five years. We have fulfilled many promises and the other promises are also being fulfilled. Scindia is not against anybody. Congress is together under the leadership of Kamal Nath," Digvijaya Singh said.

Kamal Nath himself had earlier said that the state government was not doing enough in accordance to Congress' poll promises.

Scindia is disgruntled because he believes he hasn't got his due from the party. In the aftermath of the 2018 Assembly elections, Scindia's name was floated as probable chief ministerial candidate. However, the office was subsequently assumed by Kamal Nath.

Scindia has not been considered for the PCC chief's post either. He may also be putting pressure on the party to be considered for Rajya Sabha when the state sends three candidates to the Upper House in April.

Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan also tried to add fuel to the fire by suggesting that Scindia should hit the streets against his own party's government because it had led the state to ruins.
The Supreme Court's order on the controversial AGR (adjusted gross revenues) has swung the department of telecom (DoT) into action. The three-judge court rapped the desk officer at the DoT for scuttling SC's original AGR order which asked the telecom operators to pay up their dues of Rs 1.47 lakh crore by January 23. DoT desk officer had asked circle head to not take any coercive action against telcos in contravention of the SC judgement.

But within minutes of SC's rap on February 14, DoT reportedly withdrew its previous letter that directed its officers at 22 telecom circles to not take coercive action against the telcos for non-payment. Some DoT officials at the circle level have already shot off letters to the telcos asking them to pay dues while the remaining circle officers are believed to be doing so over the course of two days.

In one particular circle, reportedly UP (West), the circle officer had asked telcos to pay their dues by the end of February 14 which created panic among telcos. Added to this panic was the reported statement made by one of the SC judges to deposit "sizeable" amounts by the end of the day (that is February 14) to avoid contempt of court action. The SC order, signed by the three-judge bench, however, did not specify a midnight deadline for payment. Instead it asked for payments to be made by next date of hearing on March 17 or demanded the presence of managing directors/directors on the day.

Though the DoT deadline has already passed, telcos such as Airtel and Tata Teleservices have promised to pay their AGR dues in days to come, there's still no clarity on Vodafone Idea's payment schedule. Sources say Vodafone Idea is holding a meeting today to discuss the SC order and its next course of action.

Among the 15 operators hit by the October 24 ruling of the Supreme Court, Vodafone Idea has been impacted the most as its dues stand highest at Rs 53,038 crore, as per DoT estimates. In comparison, Airtel's dues stand at about Rs 35,600 crore. Airtel, on Friday, wrote a letter to a DoT member promising it will deposit Rs 10,000 crore by February 20, and and the remaining amount will be paid before the next hearing date - that is March 17. Airtel said that its payments pertain to group companies such as Bharti Airtel, Bharti Hexacom and Telenor India.

"We are in the process of completing the self-assessment exercise. You will appreciate that this is a complicated process, covering 22 circles, multiple licenses and a substantial period of time and hence, is time-consuming," said the Airtel letter.

It's important to note that the DoT had asked Airtel for self-assessment more than three months ago (November 13, 2019) yet Airtel couldn't complete it. It's only after the court has come down heavily on the telco when it realised that there are no more avenues for it to find relief.

Tata Teleservices too has written a letter to DoT on February 14 which says that Tata Teleservices Ltd and Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd undertake to pay the respective due amount by March 17. As per DoT's estimates, Tata Tele is liable to pay around Rs 13,800 crore to DoT.

Vodafone Idea is yet to inform the DoT or stock exchanges on its AGR payment schedule. An email sent to Vodafone Idea seeking information on their likely payment schedule and the future course of action - after the rejection of review petition and petition seeking easier payment terms with DoT remained unanswered at the time of writing the story. The story will be updated in due course.

Also read: AGR case: What the telcos wanted vs what they got

Also read: DoT asks Vodafone Idea, Airtel to clear AGR dues by midnight
It is interesting to note that paranoia is not just observed in psychotic patients but the general population as well.

Paranoia is having a false belief or delusion . Paranoia is a relatively rare syndrome that was first characterized by Dr. Kraepelin in 1899. It is a symptom of individuals when they feel (rather irrationally) that others are targeting or threatening them through comments or actions. A paranoid individual develops an abnormal and intense suspicion and mistrust in other people and fails to have a social life. Paranoia is a predominant symptom of three disorders namely paranoid personality disorder, schizophrenia, and delusional disorders . Paranoid individuals suffer from permanent delusions. The delusions vary from jealousy, hypochondria to persecution.

Important Mental Conditions Marked By Paranoia

Paranoid personality disorder (PPD) : It is considered the mildest type of paranoia and most persons with PPD function quite normally. It is an inherent personality trait , and the associated behavior and attitudes are present during much of the persons life.

: It is considered the and most persons with PPD function quite normally. It is and the associated behavior and attitudes are present during much of the persons life. Delusional (paranoid) disorder : Presence of a single dominant delusion or false belief such as delusion of persecution, for example when a person believes that his boss is spying on him, the delusion of a terrible illness despite reassurances by doctors.

: Presence of a such as delusion of persecution, for example when a person believes that his boss is spying on him, the delusion of a terrible illness despite reassurances by doctors. Paranoid schizophrenia: This is the most severe form of paranoia and seriously limits daily functioning and relationships and requires treatment. For example, the affected person may believe that they have landed on the moon, report hearing voices that control their every action, see things that are not there, along with other bizarre symptoms associated with this condition.

There are different types of paranoia as listed below:

Religious paranoia  The individual feels the world is coming to an end or he/she is Gods messenger.

 The individual feels the world is coming to an end or he/she is Gods messenger. Erotic paranoia (erotomania)  The individual feels an unknown person (e.g., a celebrity) likes him/her.

(erotomania)  The individual feels an unknown person (e.g., a celebrity) likes him/her. Persecutory paranoia  Paranoid individuals feel they are surrounded by enemies intent on causing harm or death to them.

 Paranoid individuals feel they are surrounded by enemies intent on causing harm or death to them. Reformatory paranoia  In such cases, individuals feel they can cure or reform everyone who is suffering around them.

 In such cases, individuals feel they can cure or reform everyone who is suffering around them. Hypochondriacal paranoia  Individuals feel they are suffering from a disease and consult doctors frequently for second opinions.

 Individuals feel they are suffering from a disease and consult doctors frequently for second opinions. Litigious paranoia  Individuals tend to file cases against those who they feel have wronged them.

 Individuals tend to file cases against those who they feel have wronged them. Delusions of greatness  In such cases, individuals feel they are very important or powerful, and this can correlate with persecutory paranoia making them think they are targets of harm or death.

 In such cases, individuals feel they are very important or powerful, and this can correlate with persecutory paranoia making them think they are targets of harm or death. Jealous paranoia  Individuals feel suspicious of their sexual partner.

It is hard to pinpoint what causes paranoia. Some contributory factors are listed below:

Genes  In the case of paranoid personality disorder (PPD), genes may play a role as PPD is observed in families that exhibit a prevalence of delusional disorders or schizophrenia.

 In the case of paranoid personality disorder (PPD), genes may play a role as PPD is observed in families that exhibit a prevalence of delusional disorders or schizophrenia. Insomnia  Paranoia may be a result of insomnia since lack of sleep can trigger anxiety and depression, which are also factors that cause paranoia.

 Paranoia may be a result of insomnia since lack of sleep can trigger anxiety and depression, which are also factors that cause paranoia. Trauma  When an individual experiences traumatic life events, it can alter the individuals perception of life and create paranoid thoughts.

Altered brain chemistry  Certain drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana along with substances like alcohol can alter the signaling within the brain causing paranoia.

 Certain drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana along with substances like alcohol can alter the signaling within the brain causing paranoia. Stress  Prolonged periods of stress as seen in the case of prisoners of war can lead to paranoia.

 Prolonged periods of stress as seen in the case of prisoners of war can lead to paranoia. Socioeconomic status and race  Lower socioeconomic status and racial differences influence the quality of health services provided. Hence, paranoid individuals tend to be higher in underprivileged sections of society.

 Lower socioeconomic status and racial differences influence the quality of health services provided. Hence, paranoid individuals tend to be higher in underprivileged sections of society. Combination of causes  One must be aware that paranoia may be due to a combination of any of the above factors and not caused by one single factor alone.

Following are the symptoms associated with paranoia:

Negative beliefs that develop during childhood about others, self, or the world following certain experiences

Anxiety and irrational fear

Reaching conclusions without a clear understanding

Inability to think of alternate explanations

Abnormal experiences

Cognitive irregularities

Aggressive, argumentative, hostile

Intensely suspicious nature

Gets offended quickly

Trust issues  unable to confide in anyone, inability to maintain a relationship

Inability to forgive and forget

Inability to compromise

Inability to take criticism

Feels persecuted or victimized by everyone in the world

Hostility towards others due to mistrust

Detachment

Paranoia is diagnosed by the presence of characteristic symptoms during history taking and thorough psychological evaluation. Cognitive-behavioural therapy can effectively treat paranoia with patient cooperation.

Paranoia is a symptom observed in many mental disorders. Hence, diagnosing paranoia can be quite difficult. An effective diagnosis can be made only if the patient is affected with paranoia for at least a month. Diagnosis is carried out as follows:

Symptom assessment

Medical history to rule out other illnesses as the possible cause of the symptoms

Physical examination

Diagnosis of exclusion  rule out other psychiatric conditions that may display similar symptoms (e.g., mood disorder, schizophrenia, substance-induced toxicity, and medical disease).

Psychological assessments to determine mental health status

There is no permanent cure for paranoia. Patients are often reluctant to get treatment and hence, there is very limited research on paranoia treatment. Also, these patients may not trust doctors or therapists making treatment difficult. The management strategy ideally involves hospitalization, medications, and psychotherapy.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy  There is evidence that this form of psychotherapy is useful in reducing symptoms of psychosis by nearly half, reducing relapse rates and improving recovery speed. This form of therapy requires patient-therapist collaboration and empathy from the therapist. The CBT therapy is required once a week for six months. The therapist listens and takes notes of the paranoid experiences of the patient and then discusses the issues affecting the patient. Decisions on how to tackle these paranoid states are provided to the patient, but at the same time, the patient is involved in the decision-making process.

Medications  Anti-anxiety or anti-psychotic drugs are prescribed by therapists for psychotic conditions, such as delusional conditions, psychosis or schizophrenia. Also, the person may refuse to take medications fearing it may cause harm. There are no FDA-approved drugs for paranoid personality disorder.

Hospitalization  If the patient has a bad case of paranoia, then hospitalization is recommended until the underlying condition stabilizes.

Coping mechanisms  Patients are taught to drop their defenses and learn to face people and situations in the virtual world (by simulating situations) to prepare themselves for similar situations encountered in the real outside world. A study found patients were able to relax and felt more confident when they stepped into the real world in similar situations. Other options include practicing relaxation techniques and behavioral modification therapy.

Paranoia is a condition that can be effectively tackled with the help of an empathetic and supportive clinician. Clinicians can help to tackle depression, structure time, introduce helpful activities and reduce negative self-worth.

Based on the cause, avoiding recreational drugs or alcohol could mitigate the symptoms.

Self-help strategies to overcome paranoia are:

Do not focus on suspicious thoughts but focus on the action of the moment

Challenge irrational suspicious thoughts

Spend less time worrying about paranoid thoughts

Become detached and observe the fears

Try and understand paranoid fears before accepting them

Try and understand the cause of paranoid thoughts

A therapist can identify the triggers of paranoia and provide strategies to avoid the recurrence of paranoia.
The city of Midland reported Friday that water samples gathered from around sites near Fannin Elementary meet all drinking standards set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The citys Utilities Department gathered samples from localized sites near Fannin Elementary school, tested the samples and received the test results back on Thursday, the city said in a statement Friday.

According to the city, both arsenic and lead are non-detects; meaning, it is below the reporting limits of the test method approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Iron is below the secondary contamination limit of 0.3 milligrams per liter.  The water meets all drinking standards set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The city had said at one point on Friday that it would wait until next week to disclose its results at the same time as Midland ISD. However, the city released a press statement later in the afternoon.

Midland ISD is conducting its own testing of water from part of Fannin Elementary School in central Midland. Earlier in the week, concerned Midland ISD parents provided results to the Reporter-Telegram that showed amounts of arsenic, iron and lead above the EPA primary drinking water standards.

Mayor Patrick Payton had said this week that the city would ascertain whether the water the city was providing was a problem for students and staff inside the school. He also offered the school district any help during the process.

Carl Craigo, utilities director for the city of Midland, said this week that consistent testing by the city and the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality on Midlands water supply has never come close to those levels reported -- arsenic levels are 2.79 times above the legal limits, lead levels were 6.35 times higher and Iron levels were 60.33 percent higher (as the results offered by the parents earlier in the week indicated).

He also recommended Midlanders go to the TCEQs Texas Drinking Watch database to see results of every water test that has ever been done in Midland.

Midland ISD reported late Friday that it has not yet received results for the test of Fannin Elementary's water quality. The district hopes to get the results sometime next week.
A Jacksonville lawmaker is lashing out at a plan to fingerprint gun owners, calling it an overreach and violation of the Second Amendment.

Assistant Republican Leader C.D. Davidsmeyer said fingerprinting would not stop evil people from killing people.

Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said Thursday that lawmakers should pass a bill that would require anyone seeking a Firearm Owners Identification card to provide their fingerprints. The card is required for someone to legally buy guns or ammunition in Illinois.

The requirement is part of Senate Bill 1966, which was drafted in response to a Feb. 15, 2019, shooting at the Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora. Five people died in the warehouse shooting. The proposal already has passed the Senate but must be approved again after the House amended and passed the bill. It could go to a concurrence vote next week.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday in Springfield, Kelly outlined some of the measures being taken to counter illegal weapons. He called the fingerprinting measure a common-sense move.

As to the constitutionality and the policy and the politics of all that, thats not for the ISP to weigh in on. Thats an issue citizens and policymakers and others will debate, but if you ask us the question, will that help us get the job done better, having that fingerprint? The answer is absolutely yes, Kelly said Its part and parcel to law enforcement, its common sense that fingerprints catch bad guys.

Davidsmeyer pointed out that the Aurora shooter, 45-year-old Gary Martin, should never have had a FOID card because of an aggravated battery conviction in another state. When the past offense was discovered, Martin was sent a letter directing him to turn in his guns, but apparently ignored it.

The Aurora shooter lied on his FOID card application and the Illinois State Police still gave him a FOID card, Davidsmeyer said.

Senate Bill 1966 would make gun owners pay the cost of fingerprinting and also would increase the cost of a FOID card  now $10 for 10 years  to $50 for five years.

Two gun rights advocacy groups are suing state police after a report by the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability  of which Davidsmeyer is co-chairman  that found $29 million was swept from the Illinois State Police FOID card program and used elsewhere. The sweep also is being blamed for creating a backlog of approval for Firearm Owners Identification cards and concealed carry permits, which are issued by state police.

I respect our law enforcement and all they do to protect our families and communities. Let me be clear, the state police has been politically forced to operate a bad program and has shown the inability to process the current information in a reasonable amount of time, and now Democrats are proposing to complicate the process even further for a Constitutional right, Davidsmeyer said. Now Director Kelly is acting at the direction of the governor, not the men and women of law-enforcement that he is there to represent. He is playing politics and doubling down to put an undue burden on law-abiding gun owners by requiring fingerprinting in Illinois. This is unacceptable.

About a dozen states require some sort of permit to buy a handgun or a long gun. Opponents of Illinois Firearm Owners Identification card have pushed for the state to scrap the requirement.
Members of the Muslim outfit Thowheed Jamath stage a protest against the violence at a rally against the Citizenship amendment Act in Chennai, February 15, 2020. (PTI)

Chennai: The AIADMK government of Tamil Nadu was raked over the coals by opposition parties a day after a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Chennai turned violent.

Police used force to evict Muslim protesters at Washermanpet in Chennai after they picketed the street and looked set to turn the place into a Shaheen Bagh like protest venue. Hundreds oprotesters turned up at the venue and drew the police into a standoff that lasted into the late evening. When it looked like the protesters intended to hunker down for a long-drawn protest, police used force to scatter the crowd.

Police claimed that four of their personnela woman joint commissioner, two women constables and a sub-inspectorwere injured in stonepelting by the protesters.

On Saturday, solidarity protests were held in other parts of Tamil Nadu, and opposition parties led by the DMK lashed out at the police for using force against the protesters.

The ruling AIADMK made soothing overtures to the Muslim community and said Goebbels-like propaganda was being waged against it.

Police appealed to the public to not to share any provocative messages on social media in this connection, even as anti-CAA protests by members of the Muslim community continued in different parts of the state.

Tamil Nadu revenue minister R B Udayakumar said the Amma government had always accorded high priority to the welfare of Muslims.

Speaking to reporters in Madurai, he said chief minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam were protecting Muslims like their children and family members.

Those unable to stomach this are unleashing lies and Goebbels-like propaganda, he said.

DMK president M K Stalin said the use of force by the police was unjustified.

A lathicharge was done unnecessarily on peaceful people and this prompted people across the state to take to the streets, Stalin said in a statement.

He said Friday was turned into a black night by the police.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T T V Dhinakaran also targeted the government over the protest. Using force in peaceful protests amounts to stirring up a hornets nest, the independent legislator said in a statement.

He wished such incidents did not repeat.

The Vaiko-led MDMK adopted a resolution in its district secretaries meeting, slamming the police for using force against protestors.

BJP leader H Raja, whose party is an ally of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, slammed the violence against police personnel in the protests.

In a tweet, he said rioters should be dealt with an iron fist.

Viswanathan visited the injured police personnel admitted to a private and government hospital.

Friday nights violent protest had its echo in New Delhi on Saturday with a group of people, including students of Jamia Millia Islamia, demonstrating at Tamil Nadu House there on Saturday.

The small group of protesters tried to march from Bihar Bhavan towards Tamil Nadu House, and raised anti-BJP and anti-RSS slogans in Tamil. They were stopped midway, police said.
By Tim Kelly

TOKYO (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he wants to begin talks with Japan within weeks to conclude a trade deal this year, after a meeting with Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, who asked Britain to drop European Union food import restrictions imposed after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

"The aspiration will be to do it by the end of the year. We can certainly begin it earlier than Spring," Raab told Reuters in an interview.

"Japan is right up there in the list of priorities partly because of the size of the market, but also Japan is an absolute central country in the Indo Pacific region," he added.

Motegi, who said Japan also wanted a rapid conclusion of trade talks, met Raab in Tokyo during his first overseas trip following Britain's departure from the EU, and as it negotiates its future relationship with Brussels and begins free trade talks with other major economies including the United States and Japan.

While in the EU, Britain was part of a comprehensive trade deal with Japan that last year began reducing tariffs across a raft of products, including Japanese autos.

Britain's hurry to tie up new trade agreements could be to Japan's advantage, as it seeks to secure better terms.

Motegi said he had asked Raab at their meeting to lift import restrictions on Japanese food and other products that were imposed by Brussels after the nuclear accident at Fukushima in 2011.

The EU eased those import regulations last year, but still insists on inspections and certificates of origin for some Japanese produce, including seafood.

"Obviously anything that affects food, health and safety standards we would want to look at very carefully. We understand the Japanese concern about this and it will be science led," Raab told Reuters when asked whether the Britain would agree to Motegi's request.

Raab also sought to ease Japanese concern that the EU exit could result in trade friction with the rest of Europe. Japanese manufacturers such as Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> built plants in Britain because it offered a convenient gateway to the EU.

Story continues

There is, Raab predicted, enough political will in both the EU and Britain to conclude a deal that will decide their future relationship before a transition period finishes at the end of the year.

"We have too much in common, too much at stake for politics to trump the mutual economic self interest. On both sides we've got a chance now to focus on the positives in the relationship," he said.

Raab, who travelled to Japan from Australia, will stop in Singapore and Malaysia before returning to London.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly and Sam Nussey; Editing by Stephen Coates)
This is expected to be another history-making year for the rapidly growing global cannabis industry.

In 2018, we witnessed Canada become the first industrialized country in the modern era to greenlight recreational marijuana. This was followed in 2019 by Illinois becoming the first U.S. state to legalize the consumption and sale of adult-use weed entirely at the legislative level, as well as include an expungement clause for persons previously convicted of pot possession.

But this year holds something truly special in store. In 2020, we'll witness Mexico become the first country to legalize recreational marijuana based entirely on a ruling by its Supreme Court.

Mexico must legalize adult-use cannabis by the end of April

While this legalization is likely to happen soon, there's still a pretty big issue that needs some ironing out. But before delving into the reason for the holdup, let me provide a little background on how Mexico even landed on the verge of legalization.

It all began in late October 2018, when Mexico's highest court ruled that an absolute ban on the recreational use and possession of marijuana was unconstitutional. This ruling happened to be the fifth such occasion over a period of roughly two years where Mexico's Supreme Court reached a similar verdict. Under Mexican law, when its highest court reaches a similar verdict five times, it becomes the set standard throughout the country. In effect, the Supreme Court legalized adult-use marijuana and tasked lawmakers in Mexico with creating the legal framework for a retail marketplace.

Following this ruling, the Mexican Supreme Court gave lawmakers one year to craft the appropriate legislation and implement it. However, lawmakers didn't really get into the weeds of discussing this framework until October 2019, leaving little time to spare or room for compromise. Ultimately, Mexico's lawmakers asked for a last-minute extension to the Supreme Court's deadline and received it (albeit on a one-time basis). Now, lawmakers are required to come up with the regulatory framework for a legal market environment by no later than the end of April.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well, it's not as cut and dried as it would appear.

Social equity remains a holdup during the negotiating process

This past week, Marijuana Moment reported that, according to a top senator in Mexico, Congress would vote on a bill to legalize cannabis this month. Although the exact nature of the bill hasn't been released, we were privy to an October 2019 proposal (prior to the Supreme Court's extension) that had relatively broad favorability on a number of points.

For those who may recall, the October 2019 bill called for:

A legal age for consumption and purchase of 18 or older.

Consumption to occur in private.

Strict packaging regulations designed to deter adolescent usage.

Edibles and infused beverages to be off-limits for recreational users.

The creation of The Cannabis Institute to oversee the industry.

While not every lawmaker in Mexico necessarily wants to see cannabis legalized, the Supreme Court decision forces their hands. Among these provisions above, there was virtually no public pushback last year.

There's been disagreement in regard to social equity provisions contained in the October bill, and also in the proposal making its rounds now in Mexico's Congress. In particular, some lawmakers have called for low-income individuals, small farmers, indigenous peoples, and those most impacted by the drug war in Mexico to be first in line to receive licenses, rather than big businesses.

Considering the pushback against this provision in October, it's to be expected that lawmakers are, once again, disagreeing over this social equity provision in the new bill circulating in Congress. This makes it unlikely that Mexico will legalize marijuana in February, especially with Marijuana Moment noting that legislative leaders have yet to convene meetings on the new proposal as of yet. However, the clock is ticking, and the Supreme Court has made it clear that there's no extension to be granted this time around.

Mexico is unlikely to be a land of riches for marijuana stock investors

Although Mexico is forecast by the 2019 State of the Legal Cannabis Markets report to top $1 billion in annual sales by 2024, making it one of the highest revenue-generating marijuana markets in the world, it's unlikely to become a market of significance for investors. As noted, some lawmakers are attempting to implement a social equity provision to ensure that Mexico's adult-use industry is dominated by small businesses and local farmers. That's no good for investors in publicly traded marijuana stocks.

Making matters worse, if the new proposal were to mirror the October bill and limit access of edibles and infused beverages to medical patients, it would be a pretty significant blow to investors. Derivatives, such as edibles and infused beverages, sport considerably higher margins than dried cannabis flower. Over time, dried flower has demonstrated a propensity to be oversupplied and commoditized in a number of recreationally legal U.S. states. Thus, pot stock investors looking for their piece of the Mexican cannabis market would be banking on quantity, not quality.

Lastly, even if Mexico's lawmakers allow big businesses to get in on the green rush, there just aren't any intriguing options to take advantage of the Mexican cannabis market. Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQ:ACB) has a presence in the country through its ownership of Farmacias Magistrales, but the company isn't exactly on the best financial footing.

Aurora Cannabis recently announced a sweeping overhaul that called for significant cost cuts, including 500 layoffs, and a focus on foreign markets that would immediately generate revenue for the company. Given Aurora's potentially serious cash situation, it doesn't exactly have a lot to gain by chasing low-margin cannabis sales in Mexico when it becomes legal.

While recreational legalization should be no more than 10.5 weeks away in Mexico, it's not an event of significance for pot stock investors.
A businessman who won a landmark case against a 'Gestapo-like' police force has revealed how his hate speech ordeal drove him to a breakdown and he was found by officers after wandering 30 miles through the night.

Former police officer Harry Miller, 54, told The Mail on Sunday that the strain of battling Humberside Police over alleged transphobic tweets, and watching his wife and four children suffer, prompted a desperate desire to escape his torment.

The businessman said: 'I felt I was singled out by the police. I was trying to run away, I did not know what I wanted to do. It was definitely a minor mental breakdown.'

Former police officer Harry Miller, 54, (pictured) told The Mail on Sunday that the strain of battling Humberside Police over alleged transphobic tweets prompted a desperate desire to escape his torment

Mr Miller was investigated by Humberside Police for a series of tweets he wrote in late 2018, questioning whether trans people were biologically women

Mr Miller was investigated by Humberside Police for a series of tweets he wrote in late 2018, questioning whether trans people were biologically women.

Although he was not charged with any offence, the force recorded the tweets as a 'non-crime hate incident' on his police record, which would remain on file for his lifetime.

On Friday, a High Court judge likened Humberside Police to the Nazi Gestapo and the East German Stasi over its treatment of Mr Miller, which involved an officer turning up at the company boss's office in Immingham, Lincolnshire, and telling him: 'I am here to check your thinking.'

Mr Justice Knowles ruled that Mr Miller's freedom of speech was violated by the investigation.

Mr Miller, who lives in Lincolnshire, said in the past two years he had feared losing his business and going bankrupt, destroying the careers of his four children and his own mental health. But he said the sacrifice was worth it.

'People have given up their lives for the principles of liberty, so of course it's worth it. It's worth my mental wellbeing, it's even worth risking my family. Liberty, we either stand for it, or lose it,' said Mr Miller.

After he was interviewed by police in January 2019, Mr Miller's tweets about his experience led to comments from thousands of people, including condemnations of the police on social media.

Humberside Police were defiant, issuing a statement saying that Mr Miller's tweets were 'transphobic'.

Although he was not charged with any offence, the force recorded the tweets as a 'non-crime hate incident' on his police record, which would remain on file for his lifetime

A former constable of two years, Mr Miller discovered that the tweet incident had been entered into his police record as a 'non crime hate incident,' which would appear every time an enhanced check was performed on him.

It has emerged that police forces around the country have recorded nearly 120,000 'non-crime' hate incidents.

Mr Miller launched legal action against Humberside Police, so that a court could establish that he did not break the law. His action has so far cost 150,000.

Mr Miller revealed he and his family were the target of vile abuse and death threats. 'My wife found a tweet saying: "Let's go and find Harry Miller's family, and rape them and skin them alive,"' he recalls.

Last October, he felt he could not carry on. He switched off his mobile, drove to the Humber Bridge and left his car there.

He said: 'I didn't know what to do, I didn't contemplate suicide as such, but I wished it would all go away. Everybody in my family was terrified that I had killed myself.'

Mr Miller eventually switched his phone on at 1am in a town called Withernsea in East Riding, 30 miles away, and called home.

Eventually, the police picked him up, freezing and bruised from a fall into a ditch. The next day Mr Miller resolved to carry on the legal fight. 'It's worth the long night of the soul,' he said.

Mr Miller added he was fortunate he could afford the court action. 'That's why it's incumbent upon people like me - we have a responsibility to act on behalf of those who can't,' he said.
After three years of apocalyptic wailing and gnashing of environmentalist teeth over President Trumps decision to withdraw from the job and economy killing Paris Climate Accord, it is ironic that the one country that faces the brunt of criticism from climate change zealots such as Greta Thunberg is leading the world and the European Union in lowering emissions and promoting cleaner energy, such as natural gas, all the while not hurting the economy:

Despite shrieks of terror from the left about how President Donald Trumps presidency threatens the existence of Earth and thus mankind, the fact is that under his leadership, America continues to lead the world in total emissions decline. The United States saw the largest decline in energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019 on a country basis -- a fall of 140 [million tons], or 2.9%, to 4.8 gigatons], the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed in a report Tuesday. The entire European Union, which consists of 28 nations, meanwhile only lowered emissions by 160 million tons total, or roughly 5.71 mt per nation.

This achievement by the United States occurs amidst an economic boom led by President Trump's unshackling of the fossil fuel industr, including ending the war on coal. While the European Union achieves its reductions through draconian energy mandates and economic stagnation, the U.S. has unleashed hydraulic fracturing or fracking to produce abundant oil and natural gas, a fossil fuel that has made our emission reductions happen without laying waste to the economy with job-killing regulations as the Europeans have done and Democratic Socialists like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and, yes, Michael Bloomberg want to do.

After Fukushima, Germany turned its back on emission-free nuclear power, committing to a phase-out by 2022 But if the planet is really nearing extinction from climate change , isnt the risk of an occasional, even rare, reactor leak worth preventing planetary doom? European energy policy is not risk-free, just plain stupid. As Drew Johnson notes in the Washington Examiner:

European countries have not had much success using regulation to fight climate change. Germany recently spent 150 billion euros on an aggressive campaign to lower emissions by mandating across-the-board fossil fuel reductions. As part of this quest for renewable energy, Germany foreswore cleaner-burning fossil fuels such as natural gas. But because solar and wind don't generate enough consistent power, this means that Germany must rely on coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, to generate 40% of its electricity. As a result, Germany is projected to fall short of nearly every national and European Union clean energy standard this year Germany's experience is typical for bureaucratic climate policies, and it stands in sharp contrast to the American experience. The U.S., though heavily criticized for not signing the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, is curbing emissions today much faster than any country that actually did sign the agreement  U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have hit 30-year lows, even as global emissions have increased by 50% during the same period. And since 2005, natural gas has done more to reduce power sector dioxide emissions than all renewable energy sources combined, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The United States, with fracking and without the Paris Climate Accord, is leading the world in economic growth with wages that are rising fastest among lower incomes, soaring household median incomes, fatter pensions and 401-K retirement funds thanks to a Dow nearing 30,000, and record unemployment, especially among minorities, record labor force participation as millennials get off their parents basement couch and others that couldnt find work under Obamas environmental and regulatory straitjacket find jobs. Those who have jobs have no fear in looking for better ones, as we have more jobs than skilled applicants to fill them.

The 2020 Democrats would take all this away from us, including the record-setting emissions reductions. One gigaton is a lot of stuff and a number equivalent to the gigadollars Bernie et all would spend on climate change and free stuff.

Paying for anything without the economic growth and energy independence led by fracking, which Democrats would ban entirely, is impossible. All that would be left is economic desolation. A microcosm of the choice we face on November 2020 is seen in the northeastern United States, much of which sits astride the Marcellus Shale Formation, a layer of porous prehistoric rock from which fracking has produced abundant oil and emission-reducing natural gas.

Pennsylvania fracks, but not Bloombergs New York, Sanders Vermont, or Warrens Massachusetts. New York is in economic decline while hemorrhaging population. Pennsylvania is enjoying a renaissance thanks to its embrace of fracking, but Democrats want to reduce Pennsylvania to economic rubble for the sake of the environment, destroying its shale oil boom:

In fact, it was shale development that carried Pennsylvania through the depths of the Great Recession at the turn of the last decade. Hard-working Pennsylvanians realize energy savings of $1,100-$2,200 per household, according to Public Utility Commission data, as wholesale electricity and natural gas prices have plummeted thanks to our abundant supply. As clean, domestic natural gas maintains its position as the largest electricity production source, carbon emissions tied to the power sector continue to fall, according to new federal data, soon to reach levels not seen since the Reagan administration. This sustained improvement in air quality has saved more than 26,000 lives since 2008, according to new University of California San Diego research. Misinformed policy positions from some presidential candidates to ban the safe, responsible use of hydraulic fracturing are alarming. Should such a ban be enacted, more than 600,000 Pennsylvanians would be out of work and our states economic output would take a $261 billion hit, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report. It is no wonder voters fear the economic impact, a Rasmussen Reports survey found, of such a ban.

Put Pennsylvania in the Trump column as Democrats seek to save the planet by killing the nations economy, a policy that will lead to electoral disaster.

Fracking doesnt cause earthquakes but it does save lives by reducing emissions and it also saves jobs, families and their dreams Trumps energy policies have produced a true green new deal -- the green of dollars flowing into family bank accounts and retirement plans.

Wealthier societies are healthier societies and by relying on American technology and not liberal ideology we save both the environment and the economy.

Daniel John Sobieski is a former editorial writer for Investors Business Daily and freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Human Events, Reason Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
 Flash

A number of world leaders have expressed their sympathies to and support for China's battle against the epidemic caused by novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro noted that China has adopted innovative measures to tackle the epidemic and has made enormous efforts to protect its people, which demonstrates the advantage of the Chinese system. He also expressed belief in China's final victory.

Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi said that China's comprehensive and effective measures have not only protected its own people, but also foreign nationals, which fully displays a spirit of friendliness, kindheartedness, cooperation and coexistence.

President of Tanzania John Magufuli expressed appreciation for the Chinese government in taking swift and forceful measures, and for the Chinese people's courage and resolution.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte said the Chinese government and people have great courage and power, and he firmly believes that China will closely coordinate with the World Health Organization (WHO) to bring the epidemic under control.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed appreciation for China's resolute and decisive measures to control and prevent the COVID-19, saying that her country is willing to provide assistance to China to win the battle against the virus.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed that the international community must continue to cooperate at this difficult and uncertain time, adding that his country is always ready to provide assistance to China.

Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, speaking at the opening of the 33rd AU summit, extended sympathies to the Chinese people who are suffering from the COVID-19, and voiced full support for China's fight against the epidemic.

Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the AL appreciates and supports China's great efforts in combating the COVID-19, adding that it believes China is capable of surmounting the challenge.

Guyana, which holds the chair of the Group of 77 (G77), said the G77 fully supports the Chinese government's huge efforts in battling COVID-19, stressing that the international community should address the epidemic together in the spirit of responsibility, transparency, unity and cooperation, and avoid discrimination, stigmatization and misinformation.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking at the opening of a global forum on the disease, paid tribute to the Chinese people, praising them for showing courage and patience at this extremely difficult time.

Vowing to stand together with the Chinese people, Tedros wished them early success and health.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Vladimir Norov said the Chinese government and people have taken decisive and effective measures to combat the epidemic, pledging that the leaders of the SCO countries firmly and unconditionally support China's efforts.

In addition, support and sympathies has also been expressed by the Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Namibian President Hage Geingob, President of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba, King Letsie III of Lesotho, President of Slovenia Borut Pahor, President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare, the executive director of the United Nations (UN) Population Fund, the chair of the UN Commission for Social Development, the president of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States, the executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community and the president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
By Online Desk

Canada's federal police announced Friday the arrests of a couple linked to an overseas telephone scam in which crooks posing as tax officials bilked C$16.8 million (approx. Rs 90.7 crore) from Canadians.

The shakedown, operating out of India since 2014, involved callers identifying themselves as Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) officials, and later as police or other officials, and intimidating victims into paying fines or taxes that they didn't owe to the government.

The scam which is also known as CRA scam has been targeting the Canadian public since 2014, and despite a number of police raids on illegal call centres in India, it continued to victimise Canadians.

Some lost their life savings while few others borrowed to pay the fraudsters, according to local reports.

The CRA scam alone has resulted in reported losses of more than C$17.2 million in Canada between 2014 and 2019, Canadian media house quoted Inspector Jim Ogden of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Gurinderpreet Dhaliwal, 37, and Inderpreet Dhaliwal, 36, were arrested in a Toronto suburb and charged with fraud and money-laundering, while a Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for Shantanu Manik, 26 years of age who is believed to be in India.

Police said the swindle generated widespread fear as scammers threatened victims with arrest, and made Canadians wary when actual government officials attempted legitimate contact.

"We have disrupted the... flow of money from Canada to India which will have a big impact on the operation and the bottom line of the scammers," Inspector Jim Ogden of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told a news conference.

"The damage caused by the scam goes beyond the money Canadians have lost," Canadian news organisation National Post quoted Ogden saying

The scam has caused fear due to the threat of arrest by the fraudsters who claim to be from various Canadian government agencies, Ogden said.

This has led to Canadians becoming wary or suspicious even when the CRA is attempting legitimate contact.

Authorities in India also shut down 39 illegal call centers in Noida and New Delhi as part of a joint investigation, he said.

(With inputs from AFP)
A military offensive on an opposition-controlled region of northwestern Syria has created one of the worst catastrophes for civilians in the country's long-running war, sending hundreds of thousands of people fleeing, many of them sleeping in open fields and under trees in freezing temperatures.

The military campaign in Idlib province and the nearby Aleppo countryside has also killed hundreds of civilians, and a bitter winter has compounded the pain.

The weather has contributed to at least 10 deaths, including four who suffered hypothermia, a family of four that died of suffocation in their tent and two who burned to death when their tent caught fire, according to Mohammed Hallaj, a coordinator for the area's Response Coordination Group.

Nizar Hamadi, 43, lost his brother and three other family members, including a three-year old. Their family had been displaced multiple times to escape the swift government offensive, ending up in a settlement made up of rudimentary tents stitched together with sticks and cloth.

It was God's destiny that it was really cold. The temperatures was no less then -8 or -9 (degrees Celsius, 15 degrees Fahrenheit) and this is rare in Syria," he said, speaking to The Associated Press from the Idlib town of Binnish.

He said his brother, Steif Abdel-Razak Hamadi, had moved north as Binnish also came under attack to set up his family's next shelter in Killi.

On Tuesday, he set up a coal heater and by nightfall, as the fire died down, he moved it inside the tent and went to sleep with his family including his wife, two children and his grandchild.

For the whole night, the heater was sucking out all the oxygen in the tent, Hamadi said.

When the son sleeping in another tent woke up and came to their tent, he found them all dead.

The government's Russian-backed assault on Idlib, the Syrian opposition's last stronghold, has uprooted more than 830,000 people since Dec. 1, most of them fleeing toward safer areas near the border with Turkey, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday. At least 143,000 people have been displaced in the last three days.

Humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially, Dujarric said. The ongoing emergency compounds the already dire humanitarian situation for people in the northwest, who have been made vulnerable by years of crisis, violence, economic downturn and, of course, multiple displacements, Dujarric said.

Terrified families piled on trucks and vehicles, sitting on top of mattresses and blankets, clogging sludgy rural roads in harrowing scenes of exodus that have been recurrent in Syria's conflict, now in its ninth year.

Around half the territory's population had already been displaced from other parts of Syria, so formal camps are full.

It's cold, it's snowing and our life is terrible, we can't take this cold and neither can the kids, said a woman, who identified herself by her nickname Um Muhammad, who recently fled and was staying at a tent camp near the Turkish border.

This life, what can I say? We are broken now. I am an old woman with kids, no one is taking care of us, she said, her face wrapped up in big black scarf against the cold.

The fighting has killed 1,700 people since last April, and the latest military campaign is disrupting aid operations, according to the United Nations. As of Feb. 11, at least 72 health facilities have suspended services due to insecurity or mass displacement, it says.

The U.N. Security Council held a closed meeting Friday on the escalating violence in Idlib at the request of its European Union members France, Germany, Belgium and Estonia along with former member Poland.

Afterward, the five EU nations issued a statement expressing alarm at the military escalation and demanding an immediate end to the attacks.

This is one of the worst man-made displacements that we have seen anywhere in the world in years. And it has been and continues to be entirely avoidable," the five EU nations said in the statement.

The United Nations World Food Programme said it was forced to temporarily stop food distributions because the recent upsurge in hostilities disrupted the movement of trucks carrying supplies into the region from Turkey.

In the camps, refugees dig up mud from their flooded tent, others dust off the snow dumped by unusually cold spell. New trucks pull up with new arrivals, and mattresses piled on top.

Hooriya Al-Essa, a camp resident who arrived with his family last month from the Idlib countryside, said they lacked heaters, blankets, mattresses and firewood.

Our situation is very bad. This entire camp is poor. We have nothing. We need help money, heating, blankets, mattresses, he said, standing next to a snow-covered tent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The court obliged the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine to initiate a case against Tetiana Slipachuk under two articles: for abuse of office and receiving a bribe

Ex-head of Central Election Commission Tetiana Slipachuk Central Election Commission

Ukraines National Anti-Corruption Bureau has opened a criminal investigation into possible abuse of office by the former head of the Central Election Commission Tetiana Slipachuk. NABU press service announced this, as Ukrainian News reports.

The case was initiated by a court that ordered to submit this information to the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations.

The applicant stated in court that he had found in the decision No. 975 from June 1, 2019 and in all electronic sources of the Central Election Commission knowingly incorrect information about his place of employment and positions, including the name of the public organization and the position of the president of this organization.

The applicant alleges that without agreement with him, the CEC indicated the name of his private enterprise, which, according to its internal order, ceased business activities back in November 2017.

Immediately after the CEC's error was discovered, the applicant applied to the head of the commission asking to enter changes concerning his activity as a candidate for a parliamentarian, but his address was ignored. He then applied again to request to amend his personal data.

According to the plaintiff, he had been deliberately misled in order to prolong terms to appeal against CEC's inaction in court.

The plaintiff asked the court to oblige NABU to bring the case against Slipachuk on a number of criminal offenses.

The court ruled out that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine initiates a case against Tetiana Slipachuk under articles for abuse of office and receiving a bribe.
The Trump administration ordered the January 3 assassination of Major General Qassem Suleimani, one of Irans most senior officials, not because he posed some imminent threat, but rather in a calculated bid to disrupt Tehrans attempts to reach an accommodation with Washingtons allies in the region.

This is the inescapable conclusion flowing from a report published Thursday in the New York Times, citing unnamed senior officials from the US, Iran and other countries in the Middle East.

It recounts the arrival last September in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, of a plane carrying senior Iranian officials for talks aimed at achieving a bilateral peace agreement between the two countries.

The trip came in the context of a steady sharpening of US-Iranian tensions as a result of Trumps abrogation of the Iranian nuclear agreement in 2018 along with the imposition of a punishing sanctions regime tantamount to a state of war. This was followed by a major escalation of the US military presence in the region a year later.

While the US dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group and a B-52-led bomber task force to the region in May of last year, the same month saw the use of limpet mines to damage four oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint through which 20 percent of the worlds oil is shipped.

In June of last year, the Iranians downed a US Navy spy drone over the same area, with the Trump White House first ordering and then calling off retaliatory air strikes against Iran. And in September, Saudi oil installations came under a devastating attack from drones and cruise missiles.

Washington blamed both the attacks on the oil tankers and the strike against the Saudi oil installationsfor which the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibilityon Iran, charges that Tehran denied.

As early as last August, there were reports indicating concerns within Washington that the UAE was veering away from the anti-Iran front that the US has attempted to cobble together, based upon Israel and the Gulf oil sheikdoms. The Emirates coast guard had signed a maritime security agreement with Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the UAE had clashed openly with Saudi Arabia over the control of southern Yemens port city of Aden. At the time, the Washington Post warned that the UAE is breaking ranks with Washington, calling into question how reliable an ally it would be in the event of a war between the United States and Iran.

According to the Times report, the meeting with the Iranian delegation in Abu Dhabi, which had been kept secret from Washington, set off alarms inside the White House ... A united front against Irancarefully built by the Trump administration over more than two yearsseemed to be crumbling.

Both the Emirati monarchy and its counterpart in Saudi Arabia had become increasingly distrustful of Washingtons Iran policy and concerned that they would find themselves on the frontline of any confrontation without any guarantee of the US defending them.

Saudi Arabia also began a secret diplomatic approach to Tehran, using the Iraqi and Pakistani governments as intermediaries. Suleimani played the central role in organizing the talks with both Gulf kingdoms, the Times reports.

In October, according to the report, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Tel Aviv for a meeting with Yossi Cohen, the chief of Mossad, who warned him that Iran was achieving its primary goal: to break up the anti-Iran alliance.

Last months assassination of General Suleimani was initially defended by Trump and administration officials as a preemptive strike aimed at foiling supposedly imminent attacks on US personnel or interests in the Middle East. This pretext soon fell apart, however, and the US president and his aides fell back to justifying the extra-judicial murder of a senior state official as revenge for his support for Shia militias that resisted the US occupation of Iraq 15 years earlier and retaliation for a missile strike that killed an American military contractor last December.

That strike was launched against a military base housing American troops in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk. Iraqi security officials have since contradicted the US claim that an Iranian-backed Shia militia was responsible for the attack. They have pointed out that the missiles were launched from a predominantly Sunni area where the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is active, and that Iraqi intelligence had warned US forces in November and December that ISIS was preparing to target the base.

The US responded to the missile strike on the base in Iraq by targeting Iraqi Shia militia positions on the Syria-Iraq border, killing 25 members of the Kataib Hezbollah militia. The attack provoked an angry demonstration that laid siege to the US embassy in Baghdad on December 31.

Two days later, a US Reaper drone fired missiles into a convoy at Baghdad International Airport, killing Suleimani along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a central leader of Iraqs Popular Mobilization Forces, the coalition of militias that constitutes an arm of Iraqs security forces, as well as eight others.

In the wake of the drone assassinations, US Secretary of State Pompeo sarcastically told the media: Is there any history that would indicate that it was remotely possible that this kind gentleman, this diplomat of great orderQassem Suleimanihad traveled to Baghdad for the idea of conducting a peace mission? We know that wasnt true.

As the Times report indicates, that was precisely what Suleimani was doing in Baghdad, the US knew it and that is why it assassinated him. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said at the time that General Suleimani had flown into the country, on a commercial flight and using his diplomatic passport, for the express purpose of delivering an Iranian response to a message from Saudi Arabia as part of talks aimed at de-escalating tensions.

The more that emerges about the assassination of Suleimani, the more the abject criminality of his murder becomes clear. It was carried out neither as a reckless act of revenge nor to ward off unspecified attacks. Rather, it was a calculated act of imperialist terror designed to disrupt talks aimed at defusing tensions in the Persian Gulf and to convince the wavering Gulf monarchies that Washington is prepared to go to war against Iran.

This is the policy not merely of the Trump administration. Among the most significant moments in Trumps State of the Union address earlier this month was the standing ovation by Democratic lawmakers as he gloated over the murder of Suleimani, a war crime.

The resort to such criminal actions is a measure of the extreme crisis of a capitalist system that threatens to drag humanity into a new world war.
The coverage on this live blog has ended  but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's U.S. team. All times below are in Beijing time.

8:12 pm: China announces policies to support businesses hit by virus

The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) issued a notice on Saturday urging banks to strengthen loans to the manufacturing sector at better rates, and to provide improved financial services for businesses making protective gear. The measures are part of a wider push in the last few weeks to aid small to medium-sized businesses that have been hurt by the coronavirus, which has stalled economic activity in much of the country.

7:40 pm: China's foreign minister denies major risks to Chinese economy, says it will 'emerge stronger' from epidemic

"We are confident that China will emerge stronger from the epidemic. Its pent up consumer demand and growth potential will be quickly unleashed and China will enjoy evermore sound and sustainable economic and social development," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told an audience at the Munich Security Conference. The minister expressed optimism even as confirmed cases of the disease surge past 66,000 and analysts have warned that the virus could tip China into a technical recession.

7:17 pm: Japanese officials say Americans infected with coronavirus won't be taken back to U.S. on charter flight

Americans infected with the coronavirus won't be able to leave on a planned charter flight to evacuate U.S. citizens stuck aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship off the coast of Japan, country officials said Saturday. The plane, arranged by the State Department, will land in Japan on Feb. 16 and take an undisclosed number of Americans back to various air bases in the U.S., where they will be quarantined for a further 14 days. The cruise ship is the biggest cluster of infected people outside China, with some 285 confirmed cases out of 3,500 passengers and crew.

6:00 pm: First coronavirus death confirmed in Europe, French health minister says

An 80-year-old Chinese tourist has died of the new coronavirus in a hospital in France, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said Saturday, confirming the first fatality from the fast-spreading respiratory virus in Europe. France has 11 confirmed cases of the illness, with more than 63,800 cases around the world, the vast majority of which are in China. More than 1,500 people have died and cases have been identified in at least 24 countries. TweetFrance Until Saturday, the only deaths outside mainland China were reported in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan.

4:23 pm: Chinese minister says coronavirus hit to Chinese economy will be 'temporary' and country will 'rebound'

"The impact of the epidemic on the Chinese economy will be short term and temporary," Chinese foreign affairs vice minister Qin Gang said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. "When the epidemic is over, the subdued consumer demand will be released rapidly and the economy will rebound strongly."

4:18 pm: U.S. State Department will evacuate all Americans from Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Japan

The State Department will provide a chartered aircraft to fly American citizens aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise directly from Japan to the U.S., it said in a statement Saturday. The aircraft is set to arrive in Japan on the evening of Feb. 16, and will land in the U.S. at Travis Air Force Base in California. Some passengers will then continue onward to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. All passengers will need to be quarantined in the U.S. for a further 14 days. Those symptomatic passengers unable to board the flight will "receive the required care in Japan," the State Department said, expressing its gratitude to Japan for its "extraordinary care and hospitality" and assistance. "Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time," the State Department said. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make a final determination on this matter."

The cruise ship is the biggest cluster of infected people outside China, with some 285 confirmed cases out of 3,500 passengers and crew.

2:50 pm: China rail refunded $4.5 billion in tickets officials

Chinese officials disclosed Saturday that travel during the latest Lunar New Year period was a fraction of previous years, as people stayed home and took advantage of refund policies that authorities enacted in an effort to limit the spread of the virus. China's aviation authority said since it first announced a ticket refund policy in late January, domestic and foreign airlines have processed 20 million tickets worth more than 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion). The number of flights has been about a quarter of what it was last year, a representative said. China's railway authority said rail trips during the holiday travel period so far have been one-seventh of the 280 million it had anticipated, and that it has processed 11.5 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in ticket refunds.

2:10 pm: China says it will tolerate more bad loans

China's central bank says lenders will accept higher levels of bad loans in a bid to support firms affected by the virus outbreak, according to a Reuters report. It said that situation will be manageable as China has a relatively low bad loan ratio, the report said. He added that the problem will be manageable as China has a relatively low bad loan ratio.

12:55 pm: China bans insurers from offering virus-specific products

China's deputy chair of the banking and insurance regulator, Liang Tao, said Saturday at a press conference that there are already more than 400 insurance products that can cover risks related to the new coronavirus pneumonia. "Due to the lack of pricing data, and for the protection against violation of consumer rights, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission prohibits companies from issuing such single-liability products," Liang said, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks.

12:30 pm: 25,633 medical workers sent to Hubei so far

A total of 217 medical teams comprised of 25,633 healthcare workers have been sent to the virus-hit Hubei province as of Feb. 14, according to state-owned media People's Daily citing China's National Health Commission. The majority of them are in Wuhan. On Friday, China said that 1,716 health workers in the country have been infected with the COVID-19 virus.

11:15 am: Trump trade advisor Navarro says drug production could start as soon as this month

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro told Fox Business Network on Friday night Eastern time that testing and production of a coronavirus drug could start as soon as late February. He said on the show that the White House is "moving at Trump time" on a treatment drug and are hopeful testing and production could begin "as early as the end of the month, mid-March." Navarro told Fox Business Network a vaccine could be "hopefully as early as next November," adding that five large American companies are working to get 150 million doses of a vaccine ready.

10:40 am: US evacuating citizens aboard quarantined cruise ship off Japan

The U.S. is evacuating its citizens and their families who are onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan that has been quarantined for almost two weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There will be two evacuation flights from Japan for around 380 people, the report said. At least 218 passengers on the Diamond Princess were confirmed to be infected.

10:25 am: Support for companies to fight outbreak in China

As of noon on Friday, banks and financial institutions have supplied more than 537 billion yuan ($76.9 billion) in credit to fight the virus, Liang Tao, deputy head of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, said Saturday morning at a press conference in Beijing.

9:30 am: China's foreign minister slams global 'overreaction' to virus

China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China's efforts to control the epidemic have been comprehensive and that it's "under control," while slamming the "overreaction" of other countries, according to a Reuters report. In an interview with Reuters in Berlin, he said: "The epidemic overall is under control." ""We've taken such complete prevention and control efforts, efforts that are so comprehensive, that I can't see any other country that can do this," Wang said, adding that they would find it very difficult, according to Reuters. "But China has been able to do this." The U.S. should not take unnecessary measures that will affect tourism and trade, he said, according to Reuters. The U.S. was among several countries who placed travel curbs on Chinese citizens, or travelers who have been to mainland China.

8:50 am: IBM withdraws from RSA conference in San Francisco

IBM says it's no longer participating in a major conference  the RSA cyber security conference  in San Francisco in February over virus fears, it said in a tweet. IBM tweet The conference is scheduled for Feb. 24 to Feb. 28. Earlier, Facebook announced it has called off its global marketing summit set for next month also in San Francisco, for the same reason, according to a Reuters report. Another major event, Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world's largest trade show for the mobile phone industry, was canceled this week over those fears. That decision came after many companies pulled out of the conference, such as LG, Sony, Ericsson, Nokia, Nvidia, Intel and Amazon.

8:05 am: China confirms 143 more deaths, 2,641 new cases

China's National Health Commission reported an additional 143 deaths nationwide, as well as 2,641 new confirmed cases as of Feb. 14. That tally includes Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, where 2,420 new cases were reported, and 139 more deaths. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 66,492, and number of total deaths at 1,523, the authority said. All times below are in Eastern time.

3:03 pm: US health officials will check patients with flu-like symptoms for coronavirus

U.S. health officials will monitor people with flu-like symptoms for the coronavirus in five cities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The five labs are in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and New York City, but the agency hopes to expand the monitoring nationwide.  Feuer

1:21 pm: CDC concerned with report of infected health workers in China

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said the notice from China's National Health Commission about 1,716 health workers infected with the coronavirus was "concerning." Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters during a press briefing that there are currently no U.S. health workers infected with the virus. She also reiterated the possibility of community spread in the United States.  Lovelace

12:11 pm: Chinese official to travel to Germany to discuss outbreak

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to Germany this weekend to discuss the deadly outbreak among other national security issues. Wang is slated to give a keynote speech at the annual Munich Security Conference. Since the deadly outbreak, Wang is the first Chinese senior official to travel overseas. His trip comes as White House officials express doubts about the information coming out of China.  Macias

11:55 am: WHO and China investigate health workers infected with virus

World health officials are working with Chinese authorities to determine when the 1,716 health workers in the country were infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus. It appears infections among medical workers peaked in mid-January and has "rapidly" decreased since, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's emergencies program, said at a news conference at the agency's headquarters in Geneva. "This may reflect increased levels of training, increased levels of protection and increased levels of awareness."  Lovelace

10:44 am: WHO reveals details on its mission to China

Director-general of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news briefing he expects the WHO-led mission to China to arrive over the weekend. The team will include 12 international and WHO experts, Tedros said, as well as the same number of Chinese counterparts, though he did not identify individual members. He said the experts will visit three provinces to observe on-the-ground response efforts, but did not say if the mission will visit the epicenter of the outbreak, the city of Wuhan in Hubei province. "The goal of the joint mission is to rapidly inform the next steps in the COVID-19 response and preparedness activities in China and globally," he said. Feuer Read CNBC's coverage from the U.S. overnight: China tries to get back to work as Beijing sets a 14-day quarantine rule for arrivals.

10:14 am: Beijing authorities issue self-quarantine order for returning residents
Scholars of Sustenance Foundation ready to feed the needy in Phuket

Scholars of Sustenance Foundation (SOS) launched its food charity program after its initial opening in Phuket late last Friday (Feb 7), with the goal of providing food donations to the needy.

EnvironmentCommunityLifeHealth

By The Phuket News

Saturday 15 February 2020, 10:00AM

SOS has been working to re-purpose surplus food ordinarily discarded as rubbish, amounting roughly to five tons per month primarily hailing from the hospitality industry in Phuket alone.

According to SOS, the launch worked in conjunction with partners such as Phuket Shelter for Children and Families Office with Sawaeng Jack Kaola, Phuket Branch Manager of SOS, Vice Governor Phichet Panaphong, individual food donors, and other local officials coming together.

The Phuket branch first went live on UNWTO World Tourism Day (Sep 27). Founder and CEO Bo H Holmgreen said the hope was to show support for this amazing job-creating industry on this beautiful island. Sustainability is key to the hospitality and retail food industries, and we are proud to be facilitating environmental improvements while giving back to local communities. Good, edible food must go to people, never should it rot in the landfill. Together we make a huge impact on land and people! Thanks to our current 100 food donors adding more in this quest for Food Equity.

Phuket branch manager Sawaeng said, Phuket province receives more than a million visitors monthly. The anticipation to feed these visitors generates a surplus food supply of about five tons per month across Phuket Island. The surplus food is still edible but may be slightly past its shelf life and thus not suitable to be sold.

Realising the levels of poverty in conjunction with the massive amounts of surplus food, SOS decided to take action here in Phuket to replicate their already successful programs in the USA, Bali, Indonesia, as well as the capitol city, Bangkok, Thailand.

Sewang went on to explain that The SOS staff gather edible surplus foods from hotels and supermarkets, inspect it for quality, and serve nourishing meals to the needy. Removing this plant matter from the landfill decreases greenhouse gas emissions as well as improves the quality of life of people in the area. We improve the environment while increasing the nutritional use of uneaten resources. We are eager to offer our simple no-cost services across Phuket

Currently, SOS receives about 170 kilograms per day of surplus food from 11 hotels, four shops and supermarket in Phuket. We then distribute food to recipients such as the Good Shepherd Home for Women and Children, Phuket Sunshine Village, Holland House, Banya Literacy Centre, Phuket Shelter for Children and Families, Home and Hope, and other low-income communities in Phuket and nearby province Sewang said.

SOS welcomes all hotels and shops to be a partner in the program. If interested in participating, please contact 081-9508711, or email Jack at Sawaeng.Kaola@scholarsofsustenance.org
Why AG should not play investigators role By Tassie Seneviratne Policing the Police View(s): View(s):

Who is accountable for the Police function?

This is a question I have been asking the National Police Commission (NPC) since 2015, but I am yet to receive a reply.

The Police function is an essential component in the rule of law and is the most important link in the Criminal Justice System. Hence the question as to who is responsible for the Police function is of paramount importance.

Prior to the appointment of the NPC, the Inspector General of Police was held accountable for the Police function. But now with all powers for appointments, promotions, transfers and punishments being vested in the NPC, its silence on the question of accountability is beyond comprehension.

It is a universally accepted fact that authority and accountability cannot be separated. Former IGP Dr. Frank de Silva in his book, Police Role in Sri Lanka, has this to say in this connection: In plain common sense, too, authority and responsibility are but one, the two together, each the obverse of the other.

While the question in regard to accountability for the Police function remains in this state of affairs, the confusion is more confounded by the Attorney General assuming the Police function and directing investigations. I refer to a recent news release from the AGs coordinating officer: AG directs IGP to submit explanation before 10th for noncompliance with his advice to invoke the process in interdicted HC judge Gihan Pilapitiya case.

In regard to investigations by the Police, the AG can advise only if his advice is sought. He cannot direct investigations. Furthermore, the function of the AG is that of prosecutor, and one can describe it as quasi-judicial because he determines whether there is sufficient evidence to maintain a charge. When he takes upon himself the task of directing investigations, there becomes a conflict of interests, because he will be judging his own investigation.

When the AG directs investigation, the AG must take responsibility for any inadequacy of the investigation that may transpire later in courts. But the AG neither takes responsibility nor holds himself accountable for the action. Any problem arising later, the AG will simply pass it on to the Police!

The question of arrest and remand is part of investigation, and, therefore, is a matter for the investigating police officer to decide whether to arrest, when to arrest and whether to remand or not, all depending on the best course of action in the best interests of the investigation, but no other considerations.

I can elucidate the position of a Police investigator with a case in point: When I was the Officer in Charge of the City Vice Squad (CVS) in 1974, I had occasion to detect A.R.M. Mukthar for persistently printing and publishing matters connected to horse racing. It was known that accused Mukthar was a person who hobnobbed with the highest in the land. He was arrested along with his workers and other bookie magnates who were in his premises to collect Race Sheets.

The investigation necessitated remanding Mukthar and the others arrested with him as three more accomplices wanted in the chain of complicity, were evading arrest. There was tremendous pressure to have Mukthar released from remand but the Magistrate Hugh Moraes could not be moved.

At this juncture, I was summoned by Justice Ministry Secretary Nihal Jayawckrama and told that representations had been received by the Prime Minister to the effect that:

A medical certificate has been issued stating that Mukthar was suffering from palpitation of the heart and that his condition was serious.

Mukthars family has been long associated with Mrs. Bandaranaikes family and should the worst happen to him in custody, it would greatly embarrass her personally.

In no way, however, should the investigation or the case be impeded.

The Secretary reiterated that the operative condition was c and asked me if Mukthar could be released within that condition.

I explained that his release at this stage would impede the investigation as three suspects were still evading arrest and that his release now would impede the investigation. He then told me that he would leave the matter in my hands. Neither the AG, nor the IGP, nor any superior officer was brought in.

Back at the CVS, I was met by Alawi Moulana, a stalwart in the then ruling party. He told me that they had seen the highest in the land, but Madam refused to interfere, and pleaded that I do something to help them. I used this opportunity to get out of the sensitive situation and gave the names of the three wanted suspects to have them appear at the CVS. Within two hours, the three suspects were brought to the CVS and I had Mukthar released on bail.

In the court case, Mukthar was convicted of the charge.

Getting back to the question of accountability, the Acting IGP has to be congratulated for the stand he has taken on the unwarranted order of the AG.

(The writer is a retired SSP.

He can be contacted on

Seneviratnetz@gmail.com)
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday walked out of a meeting called by the Electoral Commission (EC) for technical persons of the political parties and the commission in planning for a new voters register.

The NDC argued that the letter inviting them to the meeting did not have an agenda, but when they arrived at the meeting Thursday, it was made clear to them that the decision to have a new voters register, had already been made.

The EC, they said, rather went ahead to discuss with them modalities on how to compile a new voters' register which they have opposed.

To them, since a decision on what they were going to discuss had already been made, there was no need to be part of the meeting.

Supporting the NDCs walkout were representatives of two other political parties, the People's National Convention (PNC) and the United Front Party (UFP).

According to them, their understanding was that the meeting was to discuss outstanding issues on whether or not a new register was needed.

Despite the action by the NDC, PNC and UFP, the meeting went on with representatives of the other political parties.

There was supposed to be a meeting today and we believe that the agreement we reached at the meeting with the Committee of Eminent Persons was to the effect that they [Electoral Commission] will continue engaging us, continue engaging the technical persons of the political parties on the technical issues relative to whether we needed a new register or not, the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia said in an interview with journalists.

So we were all expectant that we will now meet the Electoral Commission and to investigate whether we should do a new register or not based on sound technical reasons.

We had a letter some three days ago that our technical persons were expected to meet the Electoral Commission this morning [Thursday], in fact without any agenda. So we had to write back to them that we can no longer continue to be ambushed into meetings because it is an issue we raised even with the Committee of Eminent Persons, the Electoral Commission is engaged in a charade of consultations, they pretend to be consulting you when they are not consulting you Mr Asiedu Nketia said.

graphic.com.gh
No invite yet to Anna Hazare for Arvind Kejriwals swearing-in ceremony

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Feb 15: Social crusader Anna Hazare has not received an invitation as yet for the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on February 16.

Hazare has even refused any comment after learning about Kejriwal's sweeping victory in the Delhi poll, according to the Times of India report.

The oath-taking ceremony will be held at 10 am where Anna Hazare had staged a massive anti-corruption agitation in 2011.

Kejriwal considers Anna as his political guru as, in 2011, both of them had initiated an anti-corruption movement to bring the Jan Lokpal bill.

Last year, Anna and Kejriwal parted ways over Kejriwal deciding to form his own political party to bring the Jan Lokpal and other changes while Anna decided to remain apolitical.

Gopal Rai, the convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi unit, said a letter was sent to the prime minister on Friday morning.

Kejriwal to take oath with 6 ministers: PM Modi invited for swearing-in-ceremony

It was, however, not clear whether the prime minister would attend the swearing-in ceremony.

According to his schedule, he is travelling to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Sunday to inaugurate over 30 projects.

All seven Delhi MPs and eight newly-elected BJP MLAs have also been invited for the oath-taking ceremony, Rai told PTI.

No chief minister or political leaders from other states will be part of the event as it will be a "Delhi-specific" ceremony.

AAP has also invited a one-year-old who was spotted at the AAP headquarters dressed like Kejriwal ith an AAP cap, a sweater, spectacles and muffler.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 12:29 [IST]
In January, Italy's former honorary consul was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of smuggling artefacts to Europe

Related Egypt court sentences former Italian honorary consul to 15 years for smuggling artefacts Egypts Cairo Criminal Court sentenced the brother of Mubarak-era finance minister Youssef Botros Ghaly and others to 30 years in prison over two cases related to smuggling Egyptian artefacts to Europe.

The court also ordered that Botros Raouf Ghaly pay a fine of EGP 6 million ($382,130) in the cases, with the sentence coming nearly a month after a former Italian honorary consul received a jail term in absentia over the cases.

The sentences are not final and can be appealed.

Last January, an Egyptian court sentenced in absentia Italy's former honorary consul to 15 years in prison on charges of smuggling Egyptian artefacts to Europe.

Ladislav Otakar Skakal, the former honorary consul in Luxor, faced charges of smuggling around 22,000 artefacts from various historical periods from Egypt's Alexandria to the Italian port of Salerno with the help of Egyptian nationals, the Egyptian prosecutor-general said in September.

Investigations revealed that the artefacts were obtained by the former ministers brother and shipped in a container under the name of the Italian consul, and so were not inspected due to diplomatic immunity, a judicial source said.

The artefacts, which date to various historical periods, were found by Italian police in May 2018 and returned to Egypt in late June.

The collection included coins, pottery vessels from different eras, sarcophagi parts and objects from the countrys Islamic period.

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Dr Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist and author and is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. Hill is known for his work addressing the intersections of race, justice, politics and culture. His latest best-selling book is We Still Here: Pandemics, Policing, Protest and Possibility which follows on the success of Nobody: Casualties of Americas War on the Vulnerable from Flint to Ferguson. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the US National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
The district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed a Bengaluru-based insurance company to pay 15,000 compensation to two brothers of Sector 19 for deficiency in services, along with an amount equivalent of US $50.

Shreenath A Khemka, 24, and his brother Ganesh Khemka, 22, had filed a complaint against Go Digit General Insurance Ltd, Bengaluru.

On June 11, 2019, they had purchased a policy, Digit On-The-Move, from the firm for a trip to South Africa. As per the policy details, the firm provided cover for trip abandonment, emergency cash if money is stolen or needed, and loss of baggage and personal belongings.

On June 15, 2019, while they were in Johannesburg, the brothers were attacked by five to six persons, who robbed them of their wallets, debit card, credit card, drivers licence, an iPhone7 and a Timex wristwatch. The total value of the items was estimated at 54,000, it was mentioned in the complaint.

The duo wrote an email to the insurance company for reimbursement of the amount robbed, and asked for emergency financial assistance. The firm, however, declined to pay them.

The insurance company stated in their defence that the said risks were not covered under the policy and hence, the claim was repudiated. The firm denied there was any deficiency in service or unfair trade practice.

The forum, however, directed the company to pay the daily cash allowance of US $50 for one day, in equivalent Indian currency for the date of robbery, along with an interest of 9% per annum from the said date, till realisation.

Apart from this, the firm was directed to pay 10,000 compensation for causing mental agony and harassment and 5,000 litigation cost.
France's health minister said Saturday a Chinese patient diagnosed with coronavirus has died in a Paris hospital, the first death from the new virus in Europe.

Minister Agnes Buzyn said she was informed Friday night that an 80-year-old patient died from the new coronavirus, named COVID-19. The patient had been hospitalized at Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris since Jan. 25.

The patient, a Chinese tourist from the province of Hubei, had a lung infection caused by the COVID-19 virus. He arrived in France on Jan. 16 and was hospitalized Jan. 25 under strict isolation measures. His condition deteriorated rapidly.

His daughter was also hospitalized but authorities say she is expected to recover.

Europe has 46 cases of the virus that first emerged in central China in December. Nine European nations have reported cases, with Germany having the most at 16, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

The World Health Organization has not yet confirmed the death of the coronavirus patient in France.

A medical staff leaves the department of Tropical Infections and diseases at the Bichat hospital, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020 in Paris.

Two Chicago patients released from home isolation

In Chicago, two patients  a married couple in their 60s  who had contracted COVID-19 were released from home isolation on Friday, according to Chicago health officials.

On Jan. 24, the woman was the second person in the U.S. to be diagnosed with the virus after returning from a visit to Wuhan on Jan. 13. Her husband was diagnosed with the virus Jan. 30 in the first U.S. case of a person-to-person transmission. Health officials have not released their names.

China reports drop in new virus cases

On Sunday, confirmed cases of the virus in China rose to 68,500 and the number of deaths rose to 1,665, according to China's National Health Commission.

The updated numbers represent 2,009 new virus cases, the third consecutive day of declines, according to the commission.

Medical workers account for a percentage of those infections. More than 1,700 Chinese medical workers have been infected  and six have died  by the new coronavirus, a senior Chinese official said Friday.

Story continues

At a gathering of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said he was "concerned" by the reports of infected health workers. "This is still very much an emergency for (China)," he said.

Your guide to coronavirus: Everything to know about Covid-19, the deadly virus alarming the world

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), gives a statement to the media about the response to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020.

Addressing criticism that he has given too much credit to China for its efforts to contain the coronavirus, Ghebreyesus said he was "giving credit where it was due" and that now was not the time to "politicize" the issue.

"Were encouraged that the steps China has taken to contain the outbreak at the source appears to have bought the world time, even though those steps have come at greater cost to China itself," he said. "Its slowing the spread to the rest of the world."

Ghebreyesus said the WHO was working with social media companies  including Facebook, Google, Tencent, Twitter, Tik Tok and YouTube  to counter the spread of rumors and misinformation about the virus.

"This is a time for facts, not fear," Ghebreyesus said. "This is a time for solidarity, not stigma."

More than 680 cases have been confirmed outside mainland China, according to Johns Hopkins. In addition to the one in France, there have been three other fatalities outside mainland China, all in Asia: in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan, which confirmed nine more cases Saturday.

As of Saturday morning, 67,178 people worldwide had been infected with the virus, including 15 in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins.

US to evacuate Americans on cruise ship

The United States was expected to evacuate nearly 400 American passengers under quarantine due to coronavirus on board Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Japan announced early Saturday.

The Diamond Princess is thought to be the largest group of coronavirus patients outside China. As of Thursday, at least 285 people aboard the ship had tested positive for coronavirus, including at least 25 Americans.

The Princess Cruises ship was carrying 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew when it set sail and was quarantined after an initial 10 cases of coronavirus were reported Feb. 4.

Coronavirus quarantine: US to evacuate nearly 400 Americans on board cruise ship

Contributing: Morgan Hines, Julia Thompson, Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY; Associated Press

Follow Grace Hauck on Twitter @grace_hauck.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: France reports death of Chinese tourist, first in Europe
The Northern Ireland Youth Parliament is looking for new members - young people who are interested in politics, public speaking and social change.

The parliament provides opportunities for 11 to 18-year-olds to help bring about social change through campaigning.

Melissa Frame, Youth Voice Worker said: "For the new Youth Parliament term (2020-22) elections have now opened for young people who wish to put themselves forward as candidates to stand as new members of youth parliament and if successful will be in term for two years."

The NI Youth Parliament is appealing to post-primary schools and colleges to get involved and to register as polling stations for the vote. Registration for candidates closes on March 4 and results are announced on April 2.
Attorney General William Barr speaks at the National Sheriffs' Association Winter Legislative and Technology Conference in Washington, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020.

Associated Press/Susan Walsh

Attorney General William Barr installed a prosecutor to review the criminal case against Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, The New York Times reported Friday.

The news comes just days after senior Department of Justice officials publicy undermined career prosecutors by minimizing the sentence recommendation for the Republican strategist Roger Stone.

The events have fueled speculation that President Donald Trump and his allies are interfering in DOJ criminal cases.

Prosecutors resigned en masse from the Stone case after the sentencing dispute, and Barr urged Trump in an ABC interview to stop tweeting about DOJ cases because it was "impossible for me to do my job."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Attorney General William Barr assigned a prosecutor to review the criminal case against Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser who pleaded guilty in 2017 as part of the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, The New York Times reported Friday

The unusual move is likely to fuel further speculation of political interference in Department of Justice cases.

Flynn has already sought to withdraw the guilty plea he made more than two years ago. His attorneys have alleged prosecutorial misconduct in the case, accusations which a judge has refuted.

Michael Flynn.

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Barr has faced intense scrutiny in recent days, after senior DOJ officials publicly undermined the department's own prosecutors by announcing they would seek a lesser sentence for Roger Stone, the Republican strategist convicted last year of lying to Congress, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering.

Federal prosecutors had originally sought a sentence of seven to nine years in prison. But not long after Trump called the sentence recommendation "horrible and unfair," senior DOJ officials overruled the career prosecutors.

Story continues

Those prosecutors resigned en masse from the case after the sentencing dispute, and Barr urged Trump in an ABC interview to stop tweeting about DOJ cases because it was making it "impossible" for him to do his job.

The Times reported that Flynn's case was not the only one Barr has assigned prosecutors to review. People familiar with the matter told The Times that prosecutors are reviewing a number of other "politically sensitive national-security cases," though it wasn't clear which ones.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Boris Johnsons government has rejected out of hand the EU's demands for a post-Brexit trade deal after Brussels negotiators insisted they should retain control over British tax rules and state subsidies.

David Frost, the Prime Minister's chief Brexit negotiator, is this weekend finalising the UK's demands for the deal, which must be secured by the end of this year to avoid a No Deal Brexit.

Tory sources say Mr Frost and his team have been infuriated by the EU's demands in its draft mandate.

They say that the current draft mandate would involve Brussels seeking to police UK subsidies, impose rules on the UK's tax regime and ask the UK to commit to aligning with the EU's standards for ever.

Boris Johnson has rejected out of hand the EU's demands for a post-Brexit trade deal after Brussels negotiators insisted they should retain control over British tax rules and state subsidies

But asking for alignment on standards does not make sense when the EUs standards fall below those of the UK in many areas of workers rights, environmental protections and health and safety, Tory sources say.

They insist the UK is not asking for a bespoke or unique deal  just the same requirements that the EU has agreed with other like-minded countries.

Mr Frost plans to point out to his Brussels counterparts that, for example, the EU removed 99.5 per cent of tariffs in its deal with Korea, 99 per cent with Japan and 98.7 per cent with Canada  and did not expect 'regulatory alignment' with any of those countries.

The tough EU line is being driven particularly by French President Emmanuel Macron, who is pushing for the UK to be forced to make stronger commitments on regulatory alignment in return for maintaining free trade.

The tough EU line is being driven particularly by French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured), who is pushing for the UK to be forced to make stronger commitments on regulatory alignment in return for maintaining free trade

Mr Macron's stance has led to concern among some member states that the 'negotiating avenues' could be closed off even before the two sides sit down to talk in the first week of March.

A Conservative source said: 'The UK will take a proactive position in the future trade discussions.

'We have a strong mandate to get Brexit done, get a future trade deal and focus on sovereignty.

'This is in line with EU trade deals they have done before  and we expect the same to apply to us.'
Canopy Growths (WEED.TO)(CGC) sales climbed to $124 million in the companys fiscal third quarter of 2020, topping analyst estimates while posting a narrower loss. The company largely attributed the revenue increase to over 140 pot stores opening their doors.

The Smiths Falls, Ont.-based licenced producers net revenue for the three months ending Dec. 31, 2019 represents a 62 per cent increase from the $76 million reported in the previous quarter.

Adding more stores is a pressure relief valve for some of the ills of the cannabis sector at the moment, chief executive officer David Klein told Yahoo Finance Canada in an interview on Friday. The biggest driver for us is being consistently on the shelf for more consumers.

The company shrunk its EBITDA loss to $92 million, compared to $156 million in the prior period.

SMITHS FALLS, ONTARIO - MAY 15: A cart full of bagged marijuana is rolled through the corridors at the Canopy Growth Corporation headquarters in Smiths Falls, Ontario, on May 15, 2019. Canada has recently legalized recreational marijuana. (Photo by Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Toronto-listed shares shot up nearly 20 per cent in early trading.

Analysts polled by Bloomberg expected net revenue of $105 million and an EBITDA loss of $110 million.

Make no mistake, we have a lot of work to do, Klein said on a conference call with analysts on Friday. I am already taking actions to keep us in the leadership position in the cannabis industry.

The former chief financial officer of Canopys largest shareholder, Corona beer-maker Constellation Brands (STZ), started leading the pot giant in January following a months-long search to replace ousted co-CEO Bruce Linton.

In his first earnings call as Canopys chief executive, Klein spelled out his three-pronged set of priorities for the worlds largest cannabis producer by market capitalization. They include; improving relationships with customers, bringing more focus and discipline to the business, and defining a path to profitability and positive free cash flow.

We will do this by delivering on our commitments in a thoughtful and measured fashion, he said. The industry has evolved and we need to focus on specific markets where we have the legitimate right to win.

Story continues

One market he intends to win is the United States. Canopy has a deal in place to acquire New York-based Acreage Holdings (ACRG-U.CN)(ACRGF) should cannabis sales become legal under U.S. federal law. The company recently commenced online sales of its U.S.-focused CBD brand First & Free.

We want to and need to move faster and make bolder moves in the U.S., and are focused on creating brands that resonate with our consumers, he said.

Kleins plan to steer Canopy towards profitability includes an ongoing strategic review of the companys cultivation footprint. Analysts have raised concerns about Canopys inventory outstripping demand in the legal market.

We're prepared to take initial steps to right-size our business over the next 90 days, he said.

Open for business

The slower-than-expected roll out of physical retail locations in Canada, especially in Ontario, has been been a persistent headwind for the legal cannabis sector at large.

Kleins predecessor, Mark Zekulin, said last November that delays in Ontario resulted in half of the expected market in that province simply not existing.

Canadas most populous province overhauled is regulatory process for approving new stores late last year. The Ontario government expects store authorizations at a pace of 20-per-month beginning in April.

Canopy reported a dominant 22 per cent share of Canadas recreational market. Recreational sales increased eight per cent quarter-over-quarter. The company attributes that strength to strong demand for both premium and value-priced dried flower and pre-rolled joints.

The company said holiday spending in the quarter added about $5 million in incremental sales.

We were particularly encouraged to see Canopy print a solid sequential increase in its recreational sales in a period where many of its peers are anticipated to see flat to lower revenues, Canaccord Genuity analyst Matt Bottomley wrote in a note to clients on Friday.

He points out that Canopys recreational average selling price per gram was two per cent higher quarter-over-quarter at $5.79, while some peers reported declines of between 10 and 20 per cent.

Canopy saw a five per cent quarterly increase in medical sales, stronger revenue from its international C3 cannabis business and improved medical sales in Germany.

Canopy noted that cost-cutting measures and reduced stock-based compensation also led to the smaller quarterly loss.

We plan to take further steps to reduce our costs and right-size our business to ensure that we can generate a healthy margin profile and cash generation in the coming years, chief financial officer Mike Lee said in the statement.

CIBC analyst John Zamparo said the warm reception from investors on Friday may reflect relief among those who had braced for bad news.

Many investors had expected this quarter had potential for noisy results stemming from further revenue provisions and potential asset impairments. The company announced none of either, he wrote in a note to clients.

No word on drinks timeline

Notably absent in the financial filings was a promised update on the status of the companys delayed cannabis drinks portfolio.

Canopy said in December that its infused beverages would hit the market in early January, before announcing a delayed launch on Jan. 17.

Yahoo Finance Canada reported on Thursday that issues related to the companys use of aluminum cans may be responsible for the setback. Canopy told Yahoo Finance Canada in an email that it was aware the packaging could be a risk, without offering specific details.

Speaking on the earnings call, Klein did not address the specific cause of the delay. He suggested problems occurred in the transition from lab scale to commercial scale.

Weve had some issues as weve made that jump. Also, understand that its a very involved quality process that were putting ourselves through, he said. Its just taking longer than we would like, but we think its worth getting the products right as opposed to rushing them out there to make an in-market date.
Wellington (New Zealand), 15 February 2020 (SPS) - Representative of the polisario Front to New Zealand and Australia, Mr. Kamal Fadel, has urged the government of New Zealand to put an end to the illegal trade of blood phosphate from the occupied Western Sahara, indicated a statement of the Representation of the Polisario Front to Australia and New Zealand.



"This trade has caused immense suffering to our people. It encourages Morocco to continue its illegal occupation of our homeland and hamper the UN peace process. It is a criminal wrong, under well-established international law. New Zealand's import - that is, the wilfully blind decisions of a handful of corporate executives in two companies complicit in the matter - is an affront to the values of decolonization, solidarity and international cooperation that New Zealanders rightly pride themselves over. We ask that people study this matter carefully, and reject the notion that trade in the resource is somehow of benefit to resolving an occupation that is rife with human rights abuses. We urge New Zealand Government to put an end to this illegal trade which is damaging the reputation and standing of New Zealand in the world," said the Saharawi representative to New Zealand and Australia.



Morocco is once again sending a delegation to New Zealand because of its weak case to sell a Saharawi resource in the face of clear unlawfulness. Ethical investors are fleeing from involvement in enterprises which deal with or receive phosphate rock taken from a Western Sahara that continues to be occupied by armed force," he observed.



New Zealand is once again the subject of attention by Moroccan agents who seek to perpetuate the illegal import of plundered phosphate rock from Western Sahara. Morocco has dispatched a large delegation to New Zealand to lobby for the continuation of the illegal phosphate trade.



The trade - which featured in a civil court case in South Africa in 2017 - has been fostered despite declining worldwide sales, in an effort to ensure a democratic, progressive New Zealand remains a participant, giving it a veneer of legitimacy.



The Saharawi government notes that the Moroccan delegation present in New Zealand does not represent the views or aspiration of the Saharawi population. It is a group of agents who seek to prop up the waning import of a commodity that by all commentators and not a few courts in Europe, the United Kingdom and South Africa is unlawful.



The people of Western Sahara have not been consulted about the exploitation of their natural resources nor do they benefit from such exploitation. (SPS)



062/SPS
Electrons race along the surface of certain unusual crystalline materials, except that sometimes they don't. Two new studies from Princeton researchers and their collaborators explain the source of the surprising behavior and chart a course for restoring conductivity in these remarkable crystals, prized for their potential use in future technologies including quantum computers.

The studies were published in the journal Science.

For the past 15 years, a class of materials known as topological insulators has dominated the search for the materials of the future. These crystals have an uncommon property: Their interiors are insulators -- where electrons cannot flow -- but their surfaces are perfect conductors, where electrons flow without resistance.

That was the picture until the discovery two years ago that some topological materials are actually unable to conduct current on their surface, a phenomenon that earned the name "fragile topology."

"Fragile topology is a strange beast: It is now predicted to exist in hundreds of materials," said B. Andrei Bernevig, a professor of physics at Princeton and co-author on both papers. "It is as if the usual principle that we have been relying on to experimentally determine a topological state breaks down."

To get a handle on how fragile states form, the researchers turned to two resources: mathematical equations and 3D printers. With Luis Elcoro at the University of the Basque Country, Bernevig and Princeton postdoctoral researcher Zhi-Da Song constructed a mathematical theory to explain what is happening inside the materials.

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Next, Sebastian Huber and his team at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with researchers at Princeton, Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, South China University of Technology, and Wuhan University, tested the theory by building a life-sized topological material out of 3D-printed plastics.

Topological materials draw their name from the field of mathematics that explains how shapes such as donuts and coffee cups are related (they both have one hole). The same principles can explain how electrons hop from atom to atom on the surface of the roughly 20,000 or so topological materials identified to date. The theoretical underpinnings of topological materials earned a 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics for F. Duncan Haldane, Princeton's Sherman Fairchild University Professor of Physics.

What makes these crystals so interesting to scientists is their paradoxical electronic properties. The interior of the crystal has no ability to conduct current -- it is an insulator. But cut the crystal in half, and the electrons will skim across the newly revealed surfaces without any resistance, protected by their topological nature.

The explanation lies in the connection between the electrons on the surface and those in the interior, or bulk. Electrons can be thought of not as individual particles but as waves that spread out like ripples of water from a pebble tossed in a pond. In this quantum mechanical view, each electron's location is described by a spreading wave that is called a quantum wavefunction. In a topological material, the quantum wavefunction of an electron in the bulk spreads to the edge of the crystal, or surface boundary. This correspondence between the bulk and the boundary leads to a perfectly conducting surface state.

This principle of "bulk-boundary correspondence" to explain topological surface conduction was widely accepted until two years ago, when a handful of scientific papers revealed the existence of fragile topology. Unlike the usual topological states, fragile topological states do not have conducting surface states.

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"The usual bulk-boundary correspondence principle breaks down," Bernevig said. But exactly how remained a puzzle.

In the first of the two Science papers, Bernevig, Song and Elcoro provide a theoretical explanation for a new bulk-boundary correspondence to explain fragile topology. The collaborators show that the electron wavefunction of fragile topology only extends to the surface under specific conditions, which the researchers call a twisted bulk-boundary-correspondence.

The team further found that the twisted bulk-boundary-correspondence can be tuned so that the conducting surface states reappear. "Based on the wavefunction shapes, we designed a set of mechanisms to introduce interference on the boundary in such a way that the boundary state necessarily becomes perfectly conducting," said Luis Elcoro, a professor at the University of the Basque Country.

Finding new overarching principles is something that always intrigues physicists, but this new kind of bulk-boundary-correspondence might also have some practical value, according to the researchers. "The twisted bulk-boundary-correspondence of fragile topology provides a potential procedure to control the surface state, which might be useful in mechanical, electronic and optical applications," Song said.

But proving that the theory works was virtually impossible given that one would have to interfere with the boundaries at infinitesimally small atomic scales. So the team turned to collaborators to build a life-sized model with which to explore their ideas.

In the second Science paper, Sebastian Huber and his team at ETH Zurich built a large-scale mock topological crystal out of plastic using 3D printed parts. They used sound waves to represent the electron wavefunctions. They inserted barriers to block the path of the sound waves, which is analogous to cutting the crystal to reveal the conducting surfaces. In this way, the researchers mimicked the twisted boundary condition, and then showed that by manipulating it, they could demonstrate that a freely conducting sound wave travels across the surface.

"This was a very left-field idea and realization," Huber said. "We can now show that virtually all topological states that have been realized in our artificial systems are fragile, and not stable as was thought in the past. This work provides that confirmation, but much more, it introduces a new overarching principle."
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald says political rivals are 'arrogant'

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald today blasted 'arrogant' political rivals for denying her party a place in the next Irish Government.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has ruled out entering a coalition with the left-leaning party because of historic links to the IRA.

Ms McDonald told a party meeting in Belfast: 'The political establishment of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are circling the wagons in defence of a status quo that will not deliver the change citizens voted for last weekend.

'Because they don't want change. That is why they said they wouldn't talk to us.

'And it now seems that Micheal Martin's plan is to deny the people what they voted for.

'That is an arrogant and untenable position, given the strength of Sinn Fein's mandate.'

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald pictured celebrating with supporters after last week's election which saw the party win the largest number of first preference votes

Leader of Ireland's Fianna Fail party, Michael Martin, told a meeting of his TDs this week that they would form a coalition with anyone except Sinn Fein

Mr Martin told a party meeting last week that they could not seek a deal with the left wing republicans because of the damage they would do to the country.

A source from the centre-right party told the Irish Independent there was 'pretty unanimous support' for Mr Martin's decision.

Mr Martin made note of Waterford Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane's shout of 'up the Ra (IRA)' at a party bash after last weekend's election success.

'The mask slipped,' Mr Martin told his colleagues and revealed why Sinn Fein are not fit for office.

Sinn Fein emerged as the party with the largest first preference vote in last week's Irish election.

But it did not field enough candidates to fully capitalise on a wave of support inspired by discontent over problems in the health service and access to housing.

Sinn Fein's rivals ruled out joining the republican party in a coalition government due to its historical links with the IRA. Pictured: IRA masked provisionals escorting the coffin at the funeral of hunger striker Bobby Sands in 1981

Sinn Fein topped the first preference poll following the General Election and secured a total of 37 seats - one fewer than Fianna Fail and two more than Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's Fine Gael.

No single party has enough seats to govern and Sinn Fein appears to have failed to muster enough support from a coalition of small left-leaning parties and independent members of the new Irish Parliament, the Dail.

Ms McDonald said the public had given her party a chance to show it can improve their lives.

She said: 'A chance to show that will we honour our commitments. A chance to shape a government that will finally do right by ordinary people.

'They want a government for change.'
European multinational aerospace corporation, Airbus has said in a statement on February 15 that it deeply regrets the increase in tariffs on its planes imported in the United States from Europe. The company further said in a statement that Washington's decision to further increase the tariffs to 15 per cent from March 18 has escalated the tensions regarding trade between the US and the EU. Airbus also cited more instability for the American airlines which are reportedly struggling with the shortage of aircraft.

Airbus deeply regrets USTRs decision to increase tariffs on aircraft imported from the EU as well as the decision to maintain tariffs on goods from other sectors. Read our statement: https://t.co/4TifzudduE  Airbus PRESS (@AirbusPRESS) February 15, 2020

According to the official website, Airbus said, USTRs decision to impose tariffs further escalates trade tensions between the US and the EU, thereby creating more instability for US airlines that are already suffering from a shortage of aircraft.

Read - Airbus Shows Loss For 2019 Due To Big Bribery Settlement

Airbus-US discussions will be continued

The recent increase of US duties on Airbus imports which were at 10 per cent since October when Washington imposed $7.5 billion of European products. The recent statement by Airbus also said that the discussions between the US and the company will continue to take place. It further added that the US ignores many submissions made by the American airlines to call attention to the fact that the administration along with the public who flies on these planes will have to pay for the tariffs imposed by the White House.

Read - Sri Lanka Arrests Former Airline Chief Over Airbus Kickback Claims

Airbus also added that it would continue to have discussions with its American customers along with the government in order to end the 15-year long dispute. However, the company also acknowledged that any further escalation by the US will complicate the efforts to find a negotiated outcome and therefore, called it regrettable. However, the European company is sure that the position of US will change after the World Trade Organisation will authorize the EU to impose tariffs of America's Boeing aircraft including 737 Max, 787, and 777 in May or June 2020.

The statement said,  Airbus has and will continue to push for a negotiated settlement to this 15-year-long dispute. USTRs further escalation complicates efforts to find a negotiated outcome to this dispute. This is regrettable.

The United States imposed tariffs worth $7.5 billion on European goods in October 2019 including Airbus, French wine and Scottish whiskeys despite the request from the European officials to reprieve it last minute along with the warning of retaliation. The World Trade Organisation ruled that the US can impose tariffs on European goods annually because the European government had given illegal subsidies to Airbus.

Read - Airbus Closes China Plant Due To Coronavirus

Read - AirAsia's Tony Fernandes Denies Link Between Airbus Bribery Scandal & His Former F1 Team
Kuknotes.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

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United Airlines Holdings Inc extended on Friday the cancellation of Boeing 737 MAX flights until early September, a fresh delay that comes as sources told Reuters that the timing of a key certification flight may not happen until at least April. The new timeline strongly suggests that none of the 737 MAX jets will be flying for a second US summer, an issue that hit US MAX operators' profits during last year's peak travel season. The delays could also mean more potential compensation from Boeing Co to airlines impacted by the safety ban. Boeing's 737 MAX was grounded ...
Former Anglo Irish Bank executive William McAteer has been expelled from Chartered Accountants Ireland after a disciplinary tribunal found he had brought discredit on himself and the profession.

His was the third in a series of cases stemming from events linked to the 2008 collapse of Anglo Irish Bank - following the explusions of David Drumm and Sean FitzPatrick.

Separate disciplinary proceedings are still in train in relation to former Irish Life & Permanent (IL&P) finance director Peter Fitzpatrick, also a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland, as well as against Anglo Irish Bank as a corporate member of the institute.

Mr McAteer, inset below, has already been convicted twice in the courts in respect of crimes committed during the final months of his time at the bank.

The Donegal native is a UCD graduate and qualified as a chartered accountant and member of the Irish Tax Institute. He was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) prior to joining Anglo Irish Bank in 1992.

In 2016 Mr McAteer was sentenced to serve a three-and-a-half-year prison term for his part in conspiring to mislead investors by making Anglo appear more valuable in 2008 than it actually was, by using interbank loans of 7.2bn. A year later he received a two-and-a-half year term for fraudulently obtaining an 8.2m loan from the bank. The sentences ran concurrently.

Mr McAteer did not attend the brief hearing in Dublin on Friday where Chartered Accountants Ireland's Conduct Committee took the decision to expel him from the professional body.

He had consented to his exclusion from membership of the Institute and had undertaken not to make any future application for reinstatement ahead of the formal disciplinary process being concluded.

Mr McAteer had accepted the facts of a formal complaint brought against him by the Institute's Conduct Committee following the opinion certified by special investigator John Purcell.

Mr Purcell, the former Comptroller and Auditor General, was hired after the financial crash by what was then known as the Chartered Accountants Regulatory Body (Carb) to examine the role of chartered accountants during the banking crisis.

Chartered Accountants Ireland's Disciplinary Tribunal made an order excluding Mr McAteer from membership of Chartered Accountants Ireland, the most significant sanction that it can impose.

Disciplinary matters in relation to Mr McAteer have now concluded.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr is greeted by President Donald Trump at a presentation of Public Safety Medals of Valor to officers in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 22, 2019.

REUTERS/Leah Millis

Attorney General William Barr said in an interview aired Thursday that Trump's efforts to influence the DOJ is making it "impossible for me to do my job" and suggested it's time to "stop the tweeting."

"I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me," Barr said.

Trump initially responded that he "wasn't bothered by [Barr's] comments at all," but on Friday morning he took to Twitter to claim that he has a "legal right" to tell his attorney general what to do.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

On Thursday, ABC News aired an interview with Attorney General William Barr in which he said the president's efforts to influence the Department of Justice is making it "impossible for me to do my job" and suggested that his boss should "stop the tweeting."

"I'm not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody. And I said, whether it's Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president," Barr said. "I'm going to do what I think is right. And you know  I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me."

He added, "I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases."

But, Barr insisted, Trump had "never" asked him "to do anything in a criminal case."

Trump frequently demands publicly via tweet that the Justice Department show leniency toward his associates and crack down on his perceived political enemies.

On Thursday, President Trump uncharacteristically claimed he "wasn't bothered by [Barr's] comments at all" and White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a statement confirming the president had "full faith and confidence in Attorney General Barr to do his job and uphold the law."

Story continues

But on Friday morning, Trump took to Twitter to undermine Barr.

"'The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.' A.G. Barr This doesn't mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!" he wrote.

Trump has repeatedly demanded that the Justice Department initiate investigations into his political opponents, including former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter and former FBI director James Comey.

Barr told ABC that he wouldn't follow an order from Trump to investigate a political opponent.

"If he were to say go investigate somebody, and you sense it's because they're a political opponent, then an attorney general shouldn't carry that out, wouldn't carry that out," Barr said.

Earlier this week, four career prosecutors withdrew from the case against Trump's longtime adviser and ally Roger Stone after the Justice Department decided to pursue a more lenient sentence for Stone. The DOJ's move came shortly after Trump publicly criticized the lengthier sentence prosecutors wanted to pursue.

Sonam Sheth contributed to this report.

Read the original article on Business Insider
We believe both patients can now safely return to their regular activities, including work, without restrictions, Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the health department, said in the statement. They have now had multiple rounds of negative testing for the virus and are clinically well. They do not need to wear masks, and neither does anyone interacting with them. They have been cleared.
Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, where she met with women entrepreneurs and was to meet Abu Dhabi's crown prince.

She was in Abu Dhabi ahead of the two-day Global Women's Forum in Dubai, where she was to give the keynote address Sunday.

In Abu Dhabi, Trump met with women business leaders at the Louvre Abu Dhabi before touring the museum.

She later visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in the country.

The adviser to President Trump was scheduled to meet with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who is believed to be the Emirates' day-to-day ruler.

At the Louvre, Trump discussed women's economic empowerment in the UAE with businesswomen and government officials.

Officials included Reem al-Hashemi, minister of state for international cooperation; Noura al-Kaabi, minister of culture and knowledge development, and Minister of State for Advanced Sciences Sarah al-Amiri.

In the US this week, Ivanka Trump announced that Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jeanne Shaheen are behind an effort to have her Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative written into US law.

The proposed legislation would make the economic empowerment of women a priority of US foreign policy and ensure the initiative continues beyond the Trump administration.

Ivanka Trump said the legislation is a long overdue goal.

The Graham-Shaheen bill must pass both the Republican-led Senate and the Democratic-controlled House before the president can sign it into law.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Military Wives (12A)

Rating:

This hugely engaging, enormously moving film tells the true story of the first Military Wives choir, the one that started even before choirmaster Gareth Malone and the BBC got in on the act.

It hits all the right notes, with Dame Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan perfectly cast as two Army wives who propel a rather motley group of women all the way to the Royal Albert Hall. I loved it.

The director is Peter Cattaneo, who made the 1997 smash hit The Full Monty, and Military Wives has much of the same charm, the same poignant side-stories, the same uplifting triumph, against the odds, of a seemingly ill-matched collective.

Tender: Dame Kristin Scott Thomas with on-screen husband Greg Wise

But what also makes this film such a delight is what it could have been  and isnt.

It could have been irredeemably corny, cheesily sentimental. It could also have failed to overcome one obvious problem: Reality TV has turned these choirs into part of Britains cultural landscape, so a lightly fictionalised take on a story that has gripped us for real might feel superfluous.

It doesnt. Instead, Military Wives feels rousingly relevant.

The credit for that goes to Cattaneo, and to screenwriters Rosanne Flynn and Rachel Tunnard, who have done a really wonderful job.

As in all British feel-good pictures of this sort  think of the likes of Pride (2014) and Brassed Off (1996) as well as The Full Monty  the narrative cleaves to a pretty rigid set of formulae: Friction, adversity, growth, resolution. But never does it feel less than entirely authentic.

There are certain stock characters here that could almost be capitalised. The One Who Cant Sing. The One Who Can Sing Beautifully But Is Too Shy. However, they are written and acted so nicely that they only enhance the story

For the audience, the films most conspicuous asset is Scott Thomas, always a compelling actress no matter what the role, but so good here that you cant imagine anyone else giving flesh to her character. In choral terms, its an unsurpassable match of soloist and song.

She plays Kate, whose husband Richard (Greg Wise, also perfectly cast) is the colonel at a Yorkshire garrison.

The couple are mourning the recent death of their soldier son in Afghanistan, but with the stiffest of upper lips.

Military Wives might equally be titled Military Lives. Kate and Richard are Army lifers, processing the loss of their only child in the Army way.

As the film starts, the regiment is gearing up for another, six-month deployment in Afghanistan.

While the soldiers are away, Kate, partly as a means of keeping busy, has undertaken to engage and bond more with the wives.

She is a brisk, decent, well-meaning sort, typical of her class and type, but too bossy and buttoned-up to make much of a connection with the other women. There are subtle social nuances in this film worthy of a Jane Austen adaptation.

When the women decide to start a choir, Kate takes charge and tries to impose her own public-school rules. Can we hear the Ts, please. Enunciate! she cries, as they perform the Tears For Fears song Shout.

Her hectoring tendencies inevitably bring her into conflict with Lisa (Horgan, also superb), wife of the newly promoted Regimental Sergeant Major. Lisa is quite controlling too, in her way, but much more in tune with the rest of the choir.

The two keep undermining each other but are moving towards a mutual understanding when their simmering antagonism boils over.

Of course, the hesitant progress of the choir towards the Festival of Remembrance at the Albert Hall, for which it has been recommended by visiting top brass, is not on its own enough to keep the story bowling along.

Personality clash: Sharon Horgan and Dame Kristin direct the motley crew of choristers

Kate has her grief to deal with, while Lisa is constantly at odds with her truculent teenage daughter, Frankie (India Ria Amarteifio).

Afghanistan, moreover, is distant in body but not mind. The perils of active duty are never far from anyones thoughts, and when news of a fatality duly arrives, the choir seems suddenly trivial. How they de-trivialise it is the emotional core of this stirring film.

There are certain stock characters here that could almost be capitalised. The One Who Cant Sing. The One Who Can Sing Beautifully But Is Too Shy. However, they are written and acted so nicely that they only enhance the story.

From a fine supporting cast, former Coronation Street actress Amy James-Kelly deserves singling out for a notably moving performance.

Making a good film and forming a successful choir are not unalike. Everyone has to do their job impeccably. In Military Wives, everyone has. I couldnt recommend it more highly.

Military Wives is released across the UK on March 6
Gopal Sejani wanted to be a police officer when he grew up. Everyone in his village can remember him playing cops and robbers in the yard.

Its impossible to escape, he would yell at his friends, imitating Indias most famous Bollywood detective Bajirao Singham. Its a poignant memory.

Gopal was just two when his mother abandoned him and his father became too ill to look after him. Neighbours took pity on the orphaned toddler and raised him as their own.

Home was a cramped and dilapidated stone outhouse, on a smallholding in rural Gujarat, which accommodated the now nine-strong family; in just a couple of rooms.

Arti Dhir, 55, and her husband Kaval Raijada, 31, are pictured leaving court. We now know a lot more about the couple, who face six charges in India including conspiracy to murder and kidnapping, following our own inquiries both here and in India

But Gopal was happy and very much loved. He liked to draw, especially cartoons, and he won a school prize for a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.

After class  when he wasnt making an arrest  he would help harvest the crops or lend a hand with domestic chores.

Until one terrible night back in 2017. Gopal was returning from a trip to the city; he never made it home. At around 9.30pm, the car he was in was ambushed by men on a motorbike.

Gopal was dragged from the vehicle and stabbed and a relative was fatally wounded trying to save him.

The little boy was found, barely alive, on the side of the road by a passing rickshaw and taken to hospital where, hooked up to tubes, his family took one last photograph of him before he died.

His friends, his teachers, his village, they were all bereft. Gopal was ten years old.

Not a single day goes by when we can sleep peacefully, is how the Kardani family, who treated him as their baby brother, summed up their loss when we met them in Maliya Hatina yesterday, not far from the popular Gir National Park in Gujarat.

Gopal was just two when his mother abandoned him and his father became too ill to look after him. Neighbours took pity on the orphaned toddler and raised him as their own. The boy is pictured above in hospital

The culprits who seized and attacked Gopal thought the life of an impoverished little boy didnt matter; that the police in this part of the world, on Indias western coast, probably werent up to the job anyway.

They were wrong. Five suspects have since been arrested and will stand trial for murder and kidnap.

But the tragedy of Gopal Sejani doesnt end in Gujarat. It leads more than 4,000 miles  back to Britain; to Hanwell in West London.

It is where former Heathrow workers Arti Dhir, 55, and her husband Kaval Raijada, 31, live on the first floor of a modern block at the end of a row of Victorian houses; they have become central figures in these shocking events.

They are familiar faces in the local shops and pay their bills at the Post Office round the corner. No one really has a bad word to say about them.

Yet this unlikely couple  she raises funds for a breast cancer charity  living an ordinary life in an ordinary flat in an ordinary street have been accused of arranging the murder of Gopal.

According to the Gujarati police, they planned to claim 150,000 from a life insurance policy taken out on Gopal after Arti Dhir (pictured above) agreed to adopt him before hiring a gang to kill him  with the help of her husband  and dump his body in the gutter like a piece of rubbish

The motive, it is claimed, was money. According to the Gujarati police, they planned to claim 150,000 from a life insurance policy taken out on Gopal after Arti Dhir agreed to adopt him before hiring a gang to kill him  with the help of her husband  and dump his body in the gutter like a piece of rubbish.

Such a scenario almost defies belief; that a plot to murder a little boy in cold blood on another continent was plotted from a pokey housing association flat in Hanwell.

Lace-effect curtains hang in the windows, along with a lemon and dried chilli peppers in the door frame which, in Indian culture, is said to ward off bad luck.

We now know a lot more about the couple, who face six charges in India including conspiracy to murder and kidnapping, following our own inquiries both here and in India.

Arti Dhir and Kaval Raijada were air freight representatives for Worldwide Flight Services (WFS). They were sacked, the company confirmed, for a breach of contract in 2016, the year before Gopal was killed.

The dismissals were at odds with the reputation they enjoyed in the warehouse.

Arti, in particular, was very popular and fun to be with, recalled a former colleague, and readily participated in office trips to the seaside and the races as well as nights out in the West End.

Most of the time, the colleague said, her husband wasnt with her which became a bit of a standing joke: Is Kaval joining us tonight? her workmates would ask to which she replied: No, hes staying at home, hes on his computer.

The little boy was found, barely alive, on the side of the road by a passing rickshaw and taken to hospital where, hooked up to tubes, his family took one last photograph of him before he died

At 55, of course, Arti Dhir was 25 years older than Kaval Raijada; one shopkeeper near their home thought he was actually her son.

In fact, they were married at a lunchtime register office ceremony at Ealing Town Hall in 2013.

But one of the alleged accomplices in the Gopal case cast doubt on their intentions after he was arrested on his return to India.

In his statement, he claimed Raijada told him he got married to enable him to extend his visa. So was it just a marriage of convenience?

The Indian authorities now want the couple extradited, as this country would if the position were reversed.

However, last week the High Court refused to do so because judges argued that this would breach their human rights on the basis that they face the prospect of a sentence of life without parole if convicted in India.

Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights  which comes under the auspices of the Council of Europe, not the EU  was introduced after World War II in response to the Holocaust.

Surely, it was never intended to prevent the deportation of two people facing charges of double murder (Gopals older brother-in-law was also fatally wounded trying to save him) to a friendly Commonwealth country with a British-style judicial system.

Kenyan-born Dhir and Raijada strenuously deny any wrongdoing but, at a hearing in July, Britains chief magistrate ruled there was strong evidence to convict them.

Nevertheless, in the wake of the High Court judgment, the couple are, for the moment, free to do as they please without restriction; an outcome, surely, few people could possibly want.

It is heartbreaking to learn that in the weeks before his death, Gopal was so excited about coming to Britain he had acquired an English-Gujarati pocket dictionary, while at the same time, proudly informing his teachers he wouldnt need a new school uniform because he was leaving soon, promising to return one day with lots of things for his family.

He would have been 13 now.

So how did this young boy cross paths with the couple who now stand accused of planning his murder?

Kaval Raijada comes from Maliya Hatina where Gopal was born. Raijadas father was manager of the Maliya Hatina branch of the Co-operative Bank.

It was a neighbour of the Raijadas in Maliya Hatina, in fact, who learnt about Arti Dhirs hopes of adopting a child. Gopal, the boy who had lost his own parents all those years ago, immediately sprang to mind.

Gujarat has undergone rapid economic growth, driven by massive industrialisation, down the years but there is also extreme poverty, with high rates of infant mortality; nearly four in ten children under the age of five are under weight.

This is the world Gopal inhabited, which is why his family agreed to the adoption when Dhir and Raijada met them in Maliya Hatina in 2014 shortly after they were officially married.

She [Dhir] assured me that she would treat Gopal like a younger brother, said Alpa Kardani, 35, the boys eldest sister and the person who was primarily responsible for Gopal.

She would get him educated, help him find a job and do well in life. These kinds of opportunities are something we could never dream of. The entire family was thrilled. I believed her assurances. We thought very highly of the Raijadas who are a local family.

A little over two years later, Gopal would be dead, along with Alpas husband.

They had gone to the city of Rajkot, about 100 miles away, to prepare visa papers for Gopals imminent move to the UK, but, as we now know, they were set upon and killed on the way back.

What is the prima facie case against Arti Dhir and Kaval Raijada? It is set out, in meticulous detail, in the judgments of the chief magistrate and the High Court which considered evidence submitted by the Indian authorities.

First, the insurance policy.

It was taken out on August 26, 2015, just one month after the adoption deed was registered. It was with the ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company, one of Indias leading financial institutions with headquarters in Mumbai.

The policy was called a wealth builder which would pay ten times the value of the annual premium to the proposer or nominee. The proposer was Arti Dhir. The life assured was Gopal. In other words, Dhir was the person who would benefit if Gopal died.

The annual premium in this case was 1,300,000 rupees (14,000), which meant Arti Dhir stood to collect just under 150,000 after Gopals death  the insurance was never paid out because the boy was murdered.

Second, police claim there was a middle-man called Nitish Mund, who previously lived at Dhir and Raijadas flat in Hanwell. Mund has made a confession to the police in Gujarat, implicating the couple in the murder plot.

Judges ruled Arti Dhir  who was named by Interpol as one of their most wanted shortly after the killings  and her husband Kaval Raijada could not be extradited. Dhir is pictured leaving a west London gym with her face covered

He says he was recruited by them to kill Gopal, and in turn, recruited others, including the two men on the motorbike and the driver of the car that was ambushed.

He was also a passenger in the vehicle on the fateful night in question on February 8, 2017.

By then, he said, there had already been two failed attempts to murder Gopal.

On one occasion, the motorbike could not keep up with a car taking Gopal and his brother-in-law (Alpas husband) to the station, leaving Raijada, who remained in Britain, furious, Mund told detectives.

Raijada swore at him, he said, then pressurised him to get on with the killing or work.

Mund was sent 25,000 rupees (about 270) by Raijada four weeks before the murders to buy an unregistered Sim card, according to court papers, so that phone calls could not be linked between the various co-conspirators.

Nitish Mund is currently being held in prison in Gujarat along with the three other alleged accomplices.

Which brings us to the third piece of evidence the police are relying on. In her statement to the authorities, Gopals sister, Alpa, said after Mund was arrested, Raijadas own father (the local bank manager) came to see her and offered her money to tell police Mund was innocent.

Raijada Snr was arrested and is on bail in connection with the murder conspiracy. No other motive, other than collecting a potential insurance windfall, could be found for the murder of Gopal.

A penniless farm boy, unaccountably he [Gopal] was targeted by the murderers, the court papers concluded.

They were not interested in conducting a robbery of a car that had stopped at the side of the road or of its passengers.

Instead they chose to take the boy away with them. It was not suggested Gopal was robbed before he was killed. There was no suggestion he had anything of value about his person.

Still, judges ruled Arti Dhir  who was named by Interpol as one of their most wanted shortly after the killings  and her husband Kaval Raijada could not be extradited.

The authorities in India are understood to be lodging an appeal against the decision.

We have not given up hope, said Alpa, Gopals sister. We still have faith in the British judiciary.

In all this, it is worth noting that those who know the couple cannot believe they are capable of plotting to murder a little boy.

Among them is David Coombs, one of Dhirs oldest friends. He and his wife were witnesses at her marriage ceremony at Ealing Town hall.

I have spoken to Arti since the little boy died, he said.

She told me she had nothing to do with it. Arti looked after her mum and dad when they were ill. Shes got a young nephew who she loves to bits. As far as I am concerned, Arti is innocent until proven guilty.

Maybe so. But this is also the same woman who, the High Court heard, made no attempt to contact Gopals family after her adopted son had been murdered.

Additional reporting Stephanie Condron
MUNICH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Saturday that Washington was working with technology companies in the United States and allied nations to develop alternatives to Chinese 5G vendors and was already testing them at U.S. military bases.

"We are encouraging allied and U.S. tech companies to develop alternative 5G solutions and we are working alongside them to test these technologies at our military bases as we speak," Esper said at the Munich Security Conference.

"Developing our own secure 5G networks will outweigh any perceived gains from partnering with heavily subsidized Chinese providers that answer to party leadership.".

(Reporting by John Irish and Paul Carrel; Editing by Edmund Blair)
Los Angeles, Feb 15 : Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner's son Cooper is officially a member of the US Air Force Reserve.

Cooper, 28, who famously quit his father's Playboy empire to start his own media empire, the Stag and Hefner Media Corporation, had stepped back from the project to serve in the Air Force, reports aceshowbiz.com.

In December 2019, tmz.com unveiled Cooper enlisted in March, and left for basic training at an Air Force boot camp at the end of 2019.

Now, according to the New York Post's gossip column Page Six, Cooper has graduated and will depart San Antonio, Texas, on February 14, 2020.

His wife, actress Scarlett Byrne, took to Instagram and said that she was "incredibly proud" of Cooper when he departed for basic training.

Neither Cooper nor Byrne has publicly commented on his graduation.

In 2016, Cooper took over the family business as his father's health deteriorated, bringing back nudity to the iconic men's magazine.

Hefner died in 2017.
On January 30th of this year, a 12-year-old girl in Egypt died as a result of her parents having Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) performed on her. Egypt has had a law outlawing the practice since 2008. The parents have been charged. This law was written to protect females because Islamic social norms permit and encourage this practice.

According to Ian Askew, World Health Organization Director for the Department of Reproductive Health and Research:

FGM describes all procedures that involve the partial or total removal of external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It has no health benefits. More than 200 million girls and women alive today are living with FGM and many are at risk of suffering the associated negative health consequences as a result. These include death, severe bleeding and problems urinating. Longer-term consequences range from cysts and infections to complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. FGM is a grave violation of the human rights of girls and women.

Another term used for FGM is female circumcision. Some countries prefer the term FGC, as it is seen as more neutral. (The C being a reference to cutting.) This more neutral term allows their medical personnel to package FGM into the birth package. Ebony Ridell Bamber, the head of advocacy and policy at Orchid Project, a UK-based NGO working towards ending FGM, states that. "It really contributes to legitimizing and entrenching the practice even further."

In Islam, legitimization comes when shariah, Islamic law, endorses and promotes a practice. Under shariah, female circumcision is required of Muslim females. This is documented in Reliance of the Traveller:

e4.3 Circumcision is obligatory (O: for both men and women. For men it consists of removing the prepuce from the penis, and for women, removing the prepuce (Ar. Bazr) of the clitoris (n: not the clitoris itself, as some mistakenly assert). (A: Hanbalis hold that circumcision of women is not obligatory but sunna, while Hanafis consider it a mere courtesy to the husband.)"

Islamic scholars have been found using this piece to declare to non-Muslims that shariah does not agree with FGM, going so far as to claim it is unIslamic if carried out to the extreme and totally removing the clitoris:

Female circumcision, known pejoratively in its extreme form as female genital mutilation or cutting, is not prescribed in the Quran and there are no authentic prophetic traditions recommending the practice. The basis in Islamic law is that it is not permissible to cause bodily harm and any such practice of female circumcision proven to be harmful would be unlawful.

This is very deceptive. Lets look at what the abbreviations mean in the above section of shariah:

A: ... comment by Sheikh 'Abd al-Wakil Durubi

Ar. Arabic

n: ... remark by the translator

O: ... excerpt from the commentary of Sheikh 'Umar Barakat

Taking the commentary of the translator out, the passage now reads:

e4. 3 Circumcision is obligatory (O: for both men and women. For men it consists of removing the prepuce from the penis, and for women, removing the prepuce (Ar. Bazr) of the clitoris.

Many other hadiths also back up the obligation for FGM under Shariah. For example:

Jami` at-Tirmidhi Vol. 1 Book 1 #109

Aishah narrated that: the Prophet said: "When the circumcised meets the circumcised then Ghusl [full-body ritual purification] is required."

Muwatta Malik Book 2, Hadith 73

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al- Musayyab that Umar ibn al-Khattab and Uthman ibn Affan and A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say, "When the circumcised part touches the circumcised part, ghusl is obligatory."

Sahih al-Bukhari 6599, 6600

Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger said, "No child is born but has the Islamic Faith, but its parents turn it into a Jew or a Christian. It is as you help the animals give birth. Do you find among their offspring a mutilated one before you mutilate them yourself.

To say that FGM only happens in third-world countries ignores the sad and sorry truth that several countries have passed laws forbidding this cruelty to their children. Egypt passed a law against FGM in 2008 and was amended in 2016. But by 2015, a government survey discovered that 87% of Egyptian women and girls aged between 15 and 49 have been mutilated, or as the Egyptian government put it, circumcised.

February 6th was the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. This annual day of awareness was commenmorated this year by the German news source DW.coms article, Female genital mutilation feels 'like living in a dead body' by Shadia Abdelmoneim, which describes how a midwife performed FGM on her without her consent after the birth of her third child in Sudan:

It led to a lengthy period of shock thereafter where she found it difficult to trust anybody, but Shadia also vividly recalls the moment she realized what had happened. "I wanted to go to the toilet, but something wasn't right. I couldn't walk and was in considerable pain. When I saw what she had done, I was shocked. She'd cut everything open and then sewn it closed. I had no idea what to do. Shadia, already fighting against female genital mutilation and for women's rights as an activist in Sudan, was in her mid 30s at the time. She started living in a constant state of fear for her three daughters; she could barely let them out of her sight. "How could women do something like that to one another, how?" she asks, her eyes welling up with tears. "Being circumcised is like living in a dead body.

Dr. Cornelia Strunz, who works at the Desert Flower Center, met Shadia when she came to the center for help, said Shadia needed surgery to help her live with this mutilation. According to Dr. Strunz, there are many possible problems that result from FGM.

Many women have problems emptying their bladder after FGM. Menstrual blood can't drain properly. For some, sex becomes practically impossible. Women can also develop fistulas -- connections between two body parts which should not exist at all in normal circumstances. One example would be a link between the vagina and rectum, leading to them passing stools through the vagina. Obviously, that's not very easy to live with.

Social norms that allow for FGM conflict with several social norms of Western civilization. It denies a womens rights to have control over her own body, as it is a requirement under shariah. It destroys a womans ability to enjoy partaking in sexual activity when the woman marries. This makes the act a duty and not a pleasure. The act itself violates the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm. In countries where FGM is banned, parents/guardians who have this done to their own daughters are denying the validity of laws made by men.

Paul Sutliff is a federally recognized expert on Civilization Jihad. His blog can be found at http://paulsutliff.blogspot.com. You can request him as a speaker at http://paulsutliff.com. Pauls books are on Amazon.
The Presidency has said that President Muhammadu Buhari refused to interfere with the judgment of the Supreme Court, annulling the vic...





The Presidency has said that President Muhammadu Buhari refused to interfere with the judgment of the Supreme Court, annulling the victory of his party in Bayelsa state.





The Supreme Court on Thursday sacked the APC governor-elect in Bayelsa State, David Lyon after some irregularities were uncovered in the credentials of his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo.





The apex court, however, annulled the joint ticket of both Lyon and Degi-Eremienyo and pronounced the Peoples Democratic Partys candidates, Douye Diri, and his deputy, Lawrence Ewrujakpor, as the winners of the November 2019 governorship election held in the state.





The Supreme court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue fresh certificates to the candidates of the party with the next highest votes and with the required constitutional spread of votes in the results of the election, which is the PDPs Diri and his deputy governor-elect, Lawrence Ewrudjakpo.





However, INEC complied with the verdict of the Supreme Court on Friday morning by issuing a Certificate of Return to Diri.





In the same vein, the Chief Judge of the state on Friday evening administered the oaths of office on Diri and his deputy.





Shortly after the inauguration on Friday evening, an aide to the President on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, praised her principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, for refusing to interfere with the Supreme Court judgment sacking the candidates of his party, the APC, in the Bayelsa State governorship poll.





Onochie wrote on Twitter; Done and Dusted. Bayelsa Governor-Elect, Sen. Douye Diri and Deputy, have been sworn in as Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa in Yenagoa. The Supreme Court has spoken. Bayelsans have moved on.





I salute the Courage of @MBuhari for refusing to interfere with the judiciary.
A concerted bid to promote Sanskrit as a classical Indian language appears to top the Centres agenda, the Union ministry of cultures latest figures suggest.

The government spent 643.84 crore on the promotion of Sanskrit in the last three years, 22 times the combined spending of 29 crore on the other five classical Indian languages --- Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia.

The government has not set aside any separate fund for the promotion of Malayalam and Odia, and is yet to establish any centre of excellence to promote these classical Indian languages.

Earlier this month, the Union ministry of culture gave out these figures in reply to a Lok Sabha question raised by Shiv Sena MPs Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane (Hatkanangale), Hemant Sriram Patil (Hingoli) and Shrikant Eknath Shinde (Kalyan), and, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs Sujay Vikhe Patil (Ahmednagar) and Ranjeetsinha Hindurao Naik Nimbalkar (Madha).

In reply, the Centre said the Union ministry of human resource development (HRD) had established the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan in Delhi as a nodal authority to promote Sanskrit. The Sansthan was allocated 643.84 crore in the last three years. The Sansthan was allocated 231.15 crore in 2019-20, around 214.38 crore in 2018-19, and 198.31 crore in 2017-18.

The Centres spending on Tamil through the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), a Chennai-based autonomous organisation under the HRD ministry, has gone down significantly.

The CICT was allocated 10.59 crore in 2017-18, 4.65 crore in 2018-19 and 7.7 crore in 2019-20. For Telugu and Kannada, the HRD ministry set up the Centres of Excellence for Studies at the Mysore-based Central Institute of Indian Languages (CllL) in 2011. Later, the Telugu Centre for Excellence was shifted to Nellore, Andhra Pradesh.

The University Grants Commission has also approved a Centre for Classical Languages in Telugu in University of Hyderabad and a Centre for Classical Languages in Kannada in Central University of Karnataka , the Centre said.

Allocations for Kannada and Telugu were identical for the past three years at 1 crore each in 2017-18, 99 lakh in 2018-19 and 1.07 crore in 2019-20.

The HRD ministry is considering setting up of Centres of Excellence for Odia and classical Malayalam.

The proposal to confer classical status has led to discontent across other linguistic communities that want their language to be considered one. Several Maharashtra MPs are demanding to know why Marathi should not be considered classical.

The ministry of culture had said in the Rajya Sabha in 2014 that a language is considered classical if there is high antiquity of its recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years, or if it has a body of ancient literature that is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers, its literary tradition is original and not borrowed from another speech community, and the classical version of the language is distinct from its modern version and there exists a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.
Over 500 graduates from 1960 to 2005 batches reminisced their student days at the annual alumni meet Homecoming 2020 organised by Punjab Engineering College (PEC, deemed to be university) on Saturday.

Unlike the previous alumni meets which were organised by PEC Old Students Association (PECOSA) since 1965, this year, the event was organised by the college authorities themselves.

During the day, the batches of 1960,1970,1985,1995 and 2005 were felicitated for completing their diamond, golden, coral, silver and crystal jubilees, respectively.

ALUMNI FROM OVERSEAS ALSO IN ATTENDANCE

Dean alumni, corporate and international relations, Divya Bansal, in her address to the attendees informed how the event was pulled off within five weeks and total registrations, including families of the alumni, exceeded the count of 1,000. She also shared on how the engagement with the alumni had tremendously improved in the last three months with all possible communication media used to reach the fraternity, including Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, emails and phones calls. As a result, alumni from all over the world, including Malaysia, Australia, US, Nepal, Canada and London attended the event, she said.

Director of the institute, Dheeraj Sanghi, also addressed the crowd on the occasion.

Representatives from each jubilee came on the stage and shared their views about the college, their batchmates and any advice they had to offer to present students of the engineering institute.

PEC authorities decided to hold the meeting this time after the Chandigarh district court, on January 4, 2020, while upholding a lower courts November 2019 order, had declared the elections of the executive council of PECOSA for the year 2018-2020 null and void and had ordered to hold fresh elections as soon as possible. Later, a meeting of PECOSAs executive council in this regard was called on January 25.

Former students during an alumni meet at Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh on Saturday. (HT Photo)

97-YR-OLD IS CYNOSURE OF ALL EYES

The oldest alumnus was the new celebrity at PEC. As Bikram Singh Grewal of 1943 batch arrived at the venue, he was surrounded by a group of alumni waiting to get pictures clicked with him. He served as the chief engineer of Patiala from 1971 to 1981.

THREE FELICITATED FOR THEIR DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENTS

During the alumni meet organised by PEC, three distinguished alumni were felicitated with awards.

Among the awardees was Sanjeev Aggarwal, founder and CEO of Daksh, rated as the worlds best managed BPO company by the Black Book of Outsourcing. He was ranked the number 1 employer in Indian BPO market by India Delivery Centre and was also chosen Ernst & Young Global Limiteds Entrepreneur of the year in 2002. Sanjay Bhatia, chairman of Mumbai Port Trust, was also felicitated. Bhatia, who graduated from PEC in 1982, has also served as the vice-chairman and managing director (MD) of the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited. Yogesh Lohiya, a 1973 graduate in production engineering was also awarded on the occasion. He was the chairman-cum-MD of General Insurance Corporation of India from 2007 to 2011. He was also MD and CEO of IFFCO Tokio General Insurance Limited from 2013 to 2017.

Another awardee, Sandeep Bakhshi, was not in attendance during the ceremony. Having graduated in 1982, Bakhshi is the director and CEO of ICICI Bank. He has handled various assignments of the group in ICICI Ltd, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, ICICI Bank and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance.
Barclays boss Jes Staley would be willing to tell the US authorities everything he knows about paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Victims of Epstein last night called on the banking chief to hand over any information he might have about his former client.

Lawyers for the victims said Staley  who joined Barclays five years ago  might have gained valuable insights, particularly around Epstein's finances, while acting as his private banker at JP Morgan between 2000 and 2013.

As head of JP Morgan's private bank, Staley came to know Epstein well and the pair stayed in touch until 2015  seven years after Epstein was convicted of soliciting a child for prostitution.

Under pressure: As head of JP Morgan's private bank, Staley came to know Jeffrey Epstein well

Lawyers urged Staley to speak to the FBI about his dealings with Epstein  who died in prison last year  as it could help in the battle to win compensation for women who were abused, such as Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has told how she was trafficked by the former friend of Prince Andrew.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Staley. It is understood that the Barclays chief executive has not been approached by US authorities and is unsure what assistance he could offer.

However, it is understood that he would co-operate fully if asked.

Lisa Bloom, who represents several victims, told the MoS: 'For decades, prolific paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to victimise girls with impunity. Only now is law enforcement trying to get to the bottom of how this happened.

'Everyone who knew Epstein for any period of time must cooperate with law enforcement, including Jes Staley, who appears to have remained close with Epstein even after his sex crime conviction. We call upon Mr Staley to do the right thing and tell the FBI what he knows.'

Victim: Virginia Roberts Giuffre is one of the women coming forward

The intervention came as Staley's job hung by a thread last night.

Barclays chairman Nigel Higgins is understood to have become deeply concerned about the reputational damage to the bank after the UK financial watchdog last week launched a probe into whether Staley and Barclays had been truthful in their disclosures about the extent of his relationship with Epstein.

The Financial Conduct Authority is investigating after US regulators sent it a cache of emails between Staley and Epstein dating back to Staley's time at JP Morgan.

City sources said the FCA investigation had triggered a power struggle at Barclays as board members faced potential criticism for his appointment.

Barclays directors are understood to have been shown the cache of emails before they gave Staley their backing ahead of a crunch vote on his future in May.

The probe into Staley's longstanding relationship with Epstein was launched in December but only came to light last Thursday.

A friend of Higgins told the MoS: 'Clearly the current board is worried. I think the chairman is very stressed about it. [Nigel Higgins] is a nice guy, he's quite a straight-shooter. I think they're going to get rid of Staley.'

Staley has thus far received the full backing of the board in public.

Last night an influential MP slammed the Barclays board for sticking by Staley. Meanwhile, sources warned that activist investor Edward Bramson  who owns 5.5 per cent of Barclays shares  could try to use the crisis to destabilise the board.

A former Barclays executive came to Staley's defence and insisted the bank had done nothing wrong. He said headhunter firm Spencer Stuart, which helped recruit Staley, had not flagged any issues over Epstein before he was appointed.

PRINCE ANDREW'S EX AMANDA STAVELEY SET TO SUE BARCLAYS Hotshot City dealmaker Amanda Staveley will sue Barclays for 1.6billion this summer over the bank's emergency fundraising with Abu Dhabi investors at the height of the financial crisis. The legal action is due to start in June after a separate criminal case against Barclays' former executives has concluded, according to details buried in the bank's annual report. Suing: Hotshot City dealmaker Amanda Staveley's legal action is due to start in June It is thought that the case will last eight weeks. Staveley, who once dated Prince Andrew, brokered a 3.5billion investment by Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour into Barclays in 2008. Her company is estimated to have made about 40million from the deal. Investors from Qatar also took part in the fundraising, which raised a total of 7billion for the bank. Staveley, 46, from Yorkshire, will argue that her investment firm PCP Capital Partners is entitled to the same fees paid by the bank to the Qatar investors, who received 322million. Barclays has stated that her claim is now worth 1.6billion due to interest and charges. Staveley's case has been postponed so that it does not prejudice the verdict of the jury in the ongoing case brought by the Serious Fraud Office.

The former executive, who asked not to be named, said: 'Anyone who runs a wealth management business constantly meets and encourages people who are wealthy. All I know is Jes is a person of the highest integrity. It wouldn't be a sin to engage with wealthy people  and many wealthy people have skeletons in their cupboards.'

Staley visited Epstein during his 13-month prison sentence in 2008 and again in 2015 on a boat trip with his wife to Epstein's Caribbean retreat, later dubbed 'paedo island'.

The visit took place just months before Staley was named Barclays chief executive in October 2015. He has said his contact with Epstein had 'tapered off' by that point.

Questions remain over how financier Epstein  found hanged in his prison cell last August aged 66  accumulated vast wealth estimated at around $634million (485million).

He owned three valuable properties, two jets and the 75-acre island in the US Virgin Islands. He was also the owner of an expensive collection of art, jewellery and cars.

It has been suggested that his estate could be used for a victims' fund for the women he assaulted.

The Epstein scandal last summer prompted Barclays to cut ties with the flagship Pitch@Palace business initiative of Prince Andrew, who was friends with the paedophile.

Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake said: 'Barclays have decided maintaining a relationship [with Prince Andrew] would clearly bring the bank into disrepute. So they can hardly say Jes Staley's situation  if he maintained a relationship with Epstein  isn't problematic.'

Speaking to journalists last week, Staley said: 'I thought I knew him well and I didn't. For sure with the hindsight of what we all know now, I deeply regret having had any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.'

At the company's annual general meeting in May, investors will vote on the re-election of directors to the Barclays board. If Staley, 63, loses his board seat, his position as chief executive could become untenable.

Barclays, Spencer Stuart, JP Morgan and Edward Bramson declined to comment.
Belgium has not ruled out participating in a French military initiative in Mali aiming to bring together special forces from several countries, Belgian Foreign Minister Philippe Goffin told AFP Thursday.

"It's a matter of debate, dialogue. There already are many troops in Mali, Niger," Goffin said when asked in an interview whether Belgium would respond favorably to a French request that its European allies provide forces for the endeavor, known as Takuba.

He noted that Belgium has a caretaker government, and committing troops to such an operation would require a government with a full mandate, plus the approval of parliament.

"At the very least that would be the subject of parliamentary debate and afterward the decisions would be taken," he said.

"I would insist that it pass through the filter of parliament. That's essential," he added.

Of the countries approached by France, Germany declined while Estonia promised to provide several dozen soldiers.

Both countries are non-permanent UN Security Council members, while Belgium is the body's president.

The United States, meanwhile, is seeking to scale down the UN mission in Mali in June.

Goffin acknowledged that the UN mission in Mali (Minusma) -- one of the UN's deadliest and costliest -- has lost public support.

"It's true that the Malian population is now nearly in a phase of rejection of Minusma, believing it does nothing and that its activities are totally useless," he said.

"When one sees the situation worsening in terms of the terrorist positions that are developing down there, I would evidently argue for maintaining our presence.

"As for a redefinition of Minusma's role, I think it's never a bad thing to reassess what works, what doesn't work."

Belgium has 85 peacekeepers in Minusma, in Bamako and Gao, according to Belgian officials. Some are attached to the Minusma's headquarters, while others are involved in intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance.

About ten are part of a European mission to train the Malian army. Belgian military personnel also are in Niger.
A qualified nurse who remains without a job after completing school has been supported with an amount of GHc1,000.

Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

The nurse, identified as Mary Ndoo Azure, has been selling oranges on the streets due to her inability to find a job.

Marys unfortunate story was shared by Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng who works with Crime Check Ghana.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: The emotional story of 21-year-old man who survived disease in China

In a post on Instagram, Oppong Kwarteng said the lady completed Zuarangu Nursing Training College in 2017.

He said he gave the nurse an amount of GHC1,000 after she visited their office to narrate her struggles.

Oppong Kwarteng urged the Ministry of Health to facilitate the posting of graduate nurses who are currently sitting at home.

Mary Ndoo Azure completed Zuarangu Nursing Training College in 2017, but she is yet to be posted to a medical facility, he wrote.

Rather than stay home, she decided to find something to do. Her story touched us, so we invited her to our office and gave her one thousand cedis.

READ ALSO: I lost my boyfriend of 10 years to cancer - Inna Patty sadly recounts

Meanwhile, Mary is expected to use the GHc1,000 to support herself and her orange business in the meantime.

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary candidate for the Ayawaso West Wuguon John Dumelo has celebrated Valentines Day in a different and special way.

The former actor first took to his social media handles to urge Ghanaians to forgive each other their wrongs.

This is what makes 4-year-old Nii Omanye aka Kwame Nkrumah the smartest child in Ghana| #Yencomgh

READ ALSO: Bryan Acheampongs new appointment attempt to rig elections for Akufo-Addo  Asiedu Nketia

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Source: YEN.com.gh
Centre, states need to think about reducing taxes on petrol, diesel: Thakur

No comments says Anurag Thakur on Amit Shahs displeasure over goli maro chant

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: Union Minister Anurag Thakur refused to make any comment over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks that chants like "goli maro..." during electioneering by BJP leaders should have been avoided.

"No comment," said Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Thakur, when asked by reporters about the Shah crowd raising slogans like "goli maro..." in response to the junior minister's certain remarks during an election rally addressed by him.

Talking to reporters here, Thakur said despite losing the Delhi assembly elections, the BJP has emerged stronger as people are still with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"There are many states where non-BJP parties are in power as the voting pattern for the elections in states and country is different. In non-BJP states too, the BJP had secured more votes than the ruling parties in those states in the Lok Sabha elections," he added.

The minister of state also mocked the Congress party for claiming that the developmental works have been ignored in India in general and Himachal in particular.

Oppn shouts 'Goli maarna band karo against Union minister Anurag Thakur in LS

The people unable to see developmental works in the country and the state should "change the number of their spectacles" to see how much development has taken place all over India including Himachal Pradesh, he said.

Citing the 15th Finance Commission report, the minister said the central government has allocated much more grant to Himachal and it would further accelerate the pace of progress in the state.

Replying to a question on price rise, he asserted that prices have remained under control during the BJP government's tenure.

The prices of essential commodities had rather skyrocketed during the UPA I and II regimes, he asserted, adding that if there were some instances of price rise for a month or so were natural phenomena due to natural calamities.

Terming as "untrue and false" the allegations that Himachal was allocated lesser fund for railways works ibn the state, he claimed said the hilly state was rather given proportionately higher funds and it would soon be reflected due to development of railway network in the state.

The minister earlier listened to the grievances and suggestions of the people at his native village, Samirpur, and sorted out most of them on the spot.

The minister also took part in a function at Morsoo village and distributed lamps, cycles and heaters to the needy people of Morsoo gram panchayat.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 9:59 [IST]
A dried up pond cracking under the pressure of the drought has been completely transformed in the space of just weeks.

A devastating photo of the barren Busbys Pond in the middle of the popular Centennial Parklands in Sydney caused disbelief, with people saying it was one of the saddest things they had seen.

The image showed the withered bottom of Busbys Pond  a far cry from the expansive body of water that is one of the parks greatest attractions.

But the pond, reminiscent of scenes in Africa during the dry season, has evolved into a floodplain with trees and picnic tables submerged under water.

Even a sign that says please do not walk in dry ponds is now swimming in waters flowing through the parklands.

It took just a weekend of rain for Centennial Parklands to transform, with Sydney experiencing torrential rain on a scale not seen in more than 20 years as floodwaters engulfed NSW and wreaked havoc.

Between 9am on February 7 and the same time on February 9, between 200 and 400mm of rain soaked Sydney, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains.

A Weatherzone spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia many places in Sydney through to the Central Coast and further north had generally seen the biggest rainfall in more than three and a half years.

Its looking magical

Farmers are smiling for the first time in years after widespread parts of Queensland also received massive downpours.

Major flood warnings remain across the state after heavy rainfall swept away cars, flooded roads and caused rivers to swell.

The deluge prompted 15 schools and 14 child centres to close on Friday.

But as waters subside, one southeast Queensland mayor is delivering good news for the first time in months.

A severe storm hits Southeast Queensland and Brisbane CBD, causing traffic chaos and floods. Source: AAP

Long-forgotten waterfalls have been revealed in the Scenic Rim after bushfires stripped away overgrowth, mayor Greg Christensen said.

"It's looking magical," Cr Christensen told AAP.

"(The bushfires) burnt areas back and exposed waterfalls that people didn't realise existed."

Story continues

Will the drought be broken?

Farmers in drought-affected areas were celebrating the heavy rain, with dusty paddocks turning a lush, healthy green.

However, the drought is far from over, a struggle Les and Laura Jones still face on their property in Gunnedah in northeastern NSW.

Their Goolhi farm copped more than 60mm of rain between February 6 and February 10, and on January 25 was hit with a one-hour deluge of 92mm.

Dont let that fool you, Mrs Jones said of her green pastures.

"It's a false green if we don't have any more rain incoming ... I'd say days and days, weeks of it before we even contemplate coming out of the drought."

Farmer Les Jones welcomed greener paddocks at his Goolhi farm. Source: AAP

The rain has fallen on parts of drought-stricken NSW, including the northwest slopes, which received up to 100mm last weekend.

"That's more rain than they have seen in quite a few years," NSW Bureau of Meteorology acting manager Jane Golding said.

But not all farmers and rural communities had been blessed with rain.

NSW Farmers said in a statement issued earlier this week that the big wet had lifted many farmers' spirits, particularly those in livestock and some crop farming, but it had been patchy across the state's central west.

"They [governments] think: oh well, we've had some inches of rain now, let's call the drought quits - well, no, let's not," Mrs Jones said.

"Otherwise we're going to end up in the same place we were 18 months ago."

Rain helps extinguish disastrous bushfires

The RFS says the rain helped firefighters extinguish more than 30 fires, some of which had been burning for months, including the destructive Gospers Mountain mega blaze northwest of Sydney and the Currowan blaze which ripped through the south.

Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said 17 fires were still burning in NSW on Monday, all at the lowest alert level.

Water from the Georges River also inundated Milperra and Liverpool in western Sydney early on Monday, the NSW State Emergency Service said.

A before and after of a property northwest of Muswellbrook. Source: Facebook

River levels at Milperra are now higher than during the 1988 flood and major flooding is affecting other areas such as Warwick Farm and Chipping Norton.

The SES responded to about 10,000 calls for help and carried out multiple rescues of people trapped by rising rivers and floodwaters.

Sydney's parched dams are also filling up, with Warragamba Dam at more than 60 per cent capacity, surging from about 45 per cent last week.

With AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
BEIJING (AP)  France reported Europes first death from the new virus, a Chinese tourist from Hubei province, where the disease emerged in December. The United States was preparing to fly home American passengers quarantined aboard a cruise ship in Japan.

COVID-19, a disease stemming from a new form of coronavirus, has spread to more than two dozen countries.

The 80-year-old Chinese tourist who died in France was hospitalized Jan. 25 with a lung infection, according to Health Minister Agnes Buzyn. His daughter also fell ill but authorities say she is expected to recover.

On Friday, Egypt reported the first infection on the African continent.

In Japan, the U.S. Embassy said a chartered aircraft will arrive late Sunday to fly home Americans aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama, near Tokyo, but that they will face another two-week quarantine after arriving in the United States.

Those who return to the U.S. will fly to Travis Air Force Base in California and some will fly onward to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, said an embassy statement. It said no one with symptoms would be allowed aboard the flight.

The head of the World Health Organization urged governments to step up their efforts to prepare for the virus, saying its impossible to predict which direction this epidemic will take.

China reported 2,641 new cases in the 24 hours through midnight Friday, raising its total to 66,492. Mainland Chinas death toll rose to 1,523.

The number of new cases was down from the 5,090 in the previous 24-hour period after authorities changed the basis for counting patients.

Numbers of new cases have fluctuated, fueling optimism the disease might be under control and warnings that such hopes are premature.

So far, 285 people from the ship have tested positive for the virus. Japans Health Ministry allowed 11 passengers to disembark Friday. It said passengers above 80 years of age, those with underlying medical conditions and those who stayed in windowless cabins during the 14-day quarantine can move to a facility on shore.

On Thursday, the number of new cases reported by authorities in Hubei spiked to 15,152. That included 13,332 that were diagnosed with doctors analyses and lung imaging instead of the previous standard of laboratory testing. Health authorities said the new method would facilitate earlier treatment.

Nine more temporary hospitals have opened in gymnasiums and other public buildings, with 6,960 beds in Hubei, the National Health Commission announced. It said they were treating 5,606 patients with mild symptoms.

The ruling Communist Party is trying to restore public confidence following complaints leaders in Wuhan suppressed information about the disease. The party faced similar criticism after the 2002-03 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

The party should strengthen areas of weakness and close up loopholes after the epidemic exposed shortcomings and deficiencies, President Xi Jinping said at a meeting of party leaders Friday, according to state media.

Extended closures of factories and businesses prevented a flood of travel after the Lunar New Year holiday, normally the Chinese industrys busiest season, officials said at a news conference.

Total volume of daily travelers is down 80% from last year, according to a deputy transportation minister, Liu Xiaoming.

We believe there will be no peak passenger flow for return journeys, said Liu.

Business losses are so severe that forecasters have cut their outlooks for Chinas economic growth.

The state-owned banking industry has provided more than 537 billion yuan ($77 billion) in credit to industries such as retail, catering and tourism that have been hurt most, according to Liang Tao, vice chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Also this weekend, a team of World Health Organization experts were due to begin a mission in China.

A WHO official, speaking at the conference in Munich, defended Chinas handling of the outbreak.

Some of the rhetoric for me has not been helpful, not been helpful at all. China has a strong public health and health system, said Dr. Michael Ryan, WHOs chief of emergencies. I think we as the global community need to change our narrative if were going to work successfully with China and other countries to stop this disease.

In Indonesia, 285 men, women and children who flew home from Wuhan were released after a two-week quarantine on remote Natuna Island. The group included 47 flight crew members.

Related Content:
I visited my alma mater  Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va.  this week for a sneak peek at Saturday's 27th running of a 112-year tradition: The nation's best known mock political convention.

Why it matters: The students treasure their record for accuracy, despite having to make the pick early in the primary process: In 26 previous conventions, W&L has correctly predicted the out-of-party nominee 20 times (including the year I was Western regional chair, and Sen. Joe Biden was our keynoter).

Each state has a political research team that interviews superdelegates and works family contacts for insider buzz. This year, the students built a model that will spit out a prediction for all 435 congressional districts.

Every delegation designs its own shirts.

Almost every one of the 1,860 undergraduates has a role in the campus-wide party  whether you're a delegate or working security or selling memorabilia.

The convention kicks off with a parade through town. Davis White (W&L '03) tells me about a buddy whose job it was to follow the elephant and do cleanup  dressed as a clown. This year, of course, there were donkeys.

W&L students correctly forecast Donald Trump as the Republican nominee on Feb. 13, 2016  long before it was obvious to their parents.

Trump called in to accept the nomination.

 Watch live. Roll call session begins 3 p.m. ET.
A former Fire Department captain pleaded guilty Friday to insurance fraud and forgery after falsely claiming a neck and shoulder injury that kept him from working, even though he continued to work.

In all, the fraudulent claims totaled $19,000, the Bexar County district attorneys office said.

Eric Ruiz, 48, was sentenced to two years in state jail, probated for year and one year of psychiatric counseling.

The district attorneys office said Ruiz forged a battalion chiefs signature on paperwork in order to collect workers compensation checks from the citys accident insurance policy. This occurred for several months between 2016 and 2018.

Ruiz was arrested in July 2019 when police went to his home on a felony arrest warrant for insurance fraud, an SAPD report states.

Related: San Antonio Fire Department captain arrested outside Southeast Side home

Ruiz was reportedly held up inside his home and was talking to SAPD negotiators, officers said at the time.

Police kept his home under surveillance for nearly 12 hours, until he exited his South Side dwelling to get into his vehicle that was parked in the driveway. Ruiz was arrested at that time.

During the arrest, Ruiz was cooperative and allowed police to enter his home, officials said. No one was injured during the incident.

After the arrest, Ruiz was suspended from the SAFD. Officials confirmed he no longer works for the department.
Ending their over-two-week-long ordeal, two women, Fareeda Begum and Nazbunnisa who were booked under sedition charges by the Karnataka Police for staging an anti-CAA play in s school have been granted bail by a court in Bidra.

Though the duo was granted bail on Friday, they are yet to walk out of the district prison.

BCCL

"We are yet to receive the court order on bail to release Fareeda Begum and Nazbunnisa. If we receive the court order today, the women can walk out of the prison by evening," told Bidar district prison Superintendent Shivaputra Hajimani to IANS.

The two women were granted bail on a personal bond of Rs one lakh with two sureties for the same amount and have also been directed not to leave the police jurisdiction without permission from the investigation officer.

Bidar Principal District and Sessions Court granted conditional bail to Begum, headmistress of the Shaheen Group of Institution's school and Nazbunnisa, a parent of one of the students in the anti-CAA play, in which the minor students allegedly abused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and were arrested on January 30.

The controversy erupted after the video of a play staged by the students in the school on January 21 was shared on social media.

Nilesh Rakshala, an activist of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad who made the complaint said children are being used to spread propaganda against CAA, NRC and insult the PM.

Following the complaint the police had booked the school management for provocation, sedition and promotion of enmity under sections 504, 505(2), 124(A) and 153 (A) of the IPC.

It was not just the teacher and parent who were on the receiving end of the high-handed action of the authorities. Some 86 students, including some of them who were part of the play, were questioned by the police several times.

Police had reportedly questioned the children and staff about those who wrote the script and assigned to deliver specific dialogues.

Images of the school kids being quizzed by men in uniform had triggered massive outrage in the state.

Last week the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has written a letter asking police to stop questioning the schoolchildren.

BCCL

KSCPCR had also criticized the police for placing Nazbunissa's nine-year-old girl in a neighbours care.

Reacting to the bail Shaheen School CEO Thouseef Madikeri said he still couldnt believe a satire on the CAA and the proposed NRC attracted the charge of sedition and our children were interrogated for over five days.
Kyiv will not stop in its efforts to release all Ukrainians held in Donbas and Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"I would like to place a special emphasis on a very important event of a humanitarian nature. It is a mutual release of detainees. This has been already a second positive example in the past six months. And this trend must be continued to achieve a certain goal, the release under the 'all for all' formula," he said in his speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

The Ukrainian authorities will not stop as long as "over 200 Ukrainians are still held in inhumane conditions" in the temporary uncontrolled territories of Donbas and "over 100 Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars are held in Crimea and in the territory of the Russian Federation," Zelensky said.

The president recalled the important agreement of the Paris Summit: ensuring the effective operation of international organizations, in particular, the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"Today, ICRC representatives are involved in the search for missing persons. The question of their access to detainees remains open, but there is every reason to count on a positive solution to this issue," he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that as for a moment there is no any other platform for ceasefire in Donbas, except for a Normandy format and its derivative Minsk process, and it gives at least some kind of the results.

"Really, there is no other platform then the Normandy format, which fostered Minsk process. What I do really like in it? It is one only, which as for a moment gives let tiny for somebody, but the results," he said being asked during a discussion at one of the panels of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
USA: FBI Art Crime Team Announces the Repatriation of Over 450 Cultural and Historical Artifacts to the Republic of Haiti

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Art Crime Team announced today the repatriation of over 450 cultural and historical artifacts to the Republic of Haiti, marking the largest repatriation of art from the United State to Haiti to date. Representatives from the United States Embassy in Port-au-Prince, the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Haitis Ministry of Culture and Communication, and the Bureau National dEthnologie of Haiti joined the FBI Art Crime Team for a repatriation ceremony at the Bureau of Ethnology in Port-au-Prince to return the items.

The 479 Haitian artifacts were discovered in 2014, when the FBI Art Crime Team seized more than 7,000 items from the private collection of an amateur archeologist, Donald Miller, who had likely acquired the items in contravention of state and federal law and international treaties. This was the largest single recovery of culture property in FBI history. Mr. Miller amassed his collection over seven decades from locations around the world and kept it on display in his basement in Waldron, Indiana prior to turning it over to the FBI. Since 2014, the FBI Art Crime Team has been diligently working to identify the rightful home of each item in the seized collection. The repatriation today returns significant historical property, long missing, to the Republic of Haiti.

The FBI recognizes the significant role artifacts like these play in a cultures history and identity. We are honored to return these pieces to the people of Haiti, said Assistant Director Calvin Shivers of the FBIs Criminal Investigative Division. The FBI is committed to returning stolen art and other objects of cultural and historical significance to the communities to which they belong.

The FBIs work on this case is ongoing. Any official representatives of foreign governments and Native American tribes that would like to determine whether they have a claim to any of the recovered artifacts from the Miller collection are encouraged to contact the Bureaus art theft program and submit a request via artifacts@fbi.gov.

This story has been published on: 2020-02-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Ronald Lee Moore is believed to be responsible for the death of Shawn Marie Neal, who was strangled to death in June 1996. He is pictured in a mugshot taken shortly before his suicide in 2008

New DNA evidence has linked a man named in the popular 'Serial' podcast to the murder of another woman in 1996.

Ronald Lee Moore is now believed to have been responsible for the death of 23-year-old Shawn Marie Neal, an escort who was strangled to death inside a South Carolina condo in June 1996.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, police said that advancements in technology helped to find samples of Moore's DNA on a mattress and towels taken from the crime scene.

Moore - who committed suicide in 2008 while jailed on unrelated burglary charges - was named as a potential suspect in a separate killing three years later.

That case - the 1999 murder of Baltimore high school student Hae Min Lee - formed the basis of 'Serial', the podcast which became a worldwide phenomenon when it was released in 2014.

Curiously, Min Lee was strangled to death, just as Neal had been. Moore was also based in Baltimore at the time of Min Lee's death.

Shawn Marie Neal, 23, was strangled to death inside a South Carolina condo in June 1996. Her death baffled detectives for more than two decades - but new DNA evidence has linked Moore to the crime scene

Min Lee's boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was eventually convicted of her murder - but he has continued to protest his innocence while serving a life prison sentence.

Back in 2013 - five years after his suicide - Moore was also named as the likely perpetrator of another 1999 killing involving a Baltimore woman.

Annelise Hyang Suk Lee, 27, was found strangled to death in her apartment.

The fact that Moore has now been credibly suspected of strangling two other women to death could increase speculation that he - and not Adnan Syed - was responsible for killing Hae Min Lee.

Moore was named Moore as a potential suspect in the 1999 strangulation of Hae Min Lee (left). Her boyfriend Adnan Syed (right) was eventually convicted of her murder, but has always maintained his innocence.

Could he have killed Hae Min Lee? The fact that Moore (pictured in an old mugshot at right) has now been credibly suspected of strangling two other women to death could increase speculation that he - and not Adnan Syed - was responsible for killing Hae Min Lee (left)

Meanwhile, in announcing that Moore had been linked to the murder of Shawn Marie Neal on Wednesday, police said they reached out to her family to inform them of the news.

According to her family , Neal had been in South Carolina working for an escort service.

Neal is said to have met up with a man by the name of 'Don Gibbons' in North Myrtle Beach, and her boyfriend later called police to report she hadn't returned after the meet-up.

Police later learned that 'Don Gibbons' was a fake name, and obtained DNA samples from an unknown person off of Neal's clothing. However, there was no match at the time and the case went cold.

In 2017, more than 21 years later, police reopened the case. As part of the investigation they took new samples from towels and a mattress retrieved from the scene, and were able to run them through a DNA database. Moore came up as a match.

The detectives then tested the DNA sample from Neal's clothing against Moore's and also similarly discovered a match.

Law enforcement is now currently looking into whether he was responsible for more crimes.
The viral coronavirus has already infected more than 60,000 people all around the world, however, a valentine note by Singapore's Prime Minister has captured people's attention as he thanked the doctors, nurses and the health care workers for their tireless efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on February 14 took to Facebook to share the handwritten note.

In the caption, Lee Hsien wrote, Happy Valentines Day to a very special group of people, going above and beyond the call of duty to keep us all safe and well, and to keep Singapore going!.

READ: Japan PM Vows To Ensure Health Safety Ahead Of Olympics Despite Coronavirus

The post even received an overflow of responses. While several users thanked the healthcare professionals, some even applauded the gesture of the Prime Minister. One Facebook user wrote, The most meaningful way of celebrating 2020 valentine day. Deepest appreciation and salute to the medical personals who have done their best to fight against the COVID-19.

Another said, You're the great leader for the country. Appreciate on your appreciation, recognition, kindness and inspiration to all the frontline people in SG. It is a great note to showed everyone's about leadership. You are the honourable PM for the country to prove that you know the way, you show the way and you go the way. Happy Valentine's day to you and SG.

READ: China Confirms 121 New Coronavirus Deaths, Over 5,000 New Cases

Death toll nears 1,500

The outbreak which took place in Wuhan in January has now killed thousands of people. The death toll for the virus in China has also reportedly jumped to nearly 1,500 with another 121 new fatalities reportedly mostly from the worst affected Hubei province. The total number of confirmed cases across China are now more than 60,000.

The World Health Organisation has reportedly said that China's Coronavirus outbreak is a 'very grave threat for the rest of the world' and should also be viewed by other nations as 'public enemy number 1'. The virus was officially named 'COVID-19' at the conference in Geneva held by WHO, where the body's chief further said that countries had a chance of stopping its global spread. Earlier this month, WHO also declared the Coronavirus as a 'global public health emergency'.

READ: Coronavirus Vaccine May Take A Year To Develop: Australian University

READ: China Rejects US Charge Of Lack Of Transparency In Sharing Coronavirus Info


Voters across the continent will be heading to the ballot box this coming year to choose their leaders in presidential, parliamentary and local elections starting with the Comoros in January and ending with Ghana in December.

Comorians will be electing a new 33-member national assembly following presidential elections in 2019 while Ghanaians will select their parliamentarians and president on 7 December.

In Chad and Mauritius, electoral commissions have yet to decide on exact dates, but absent unexpected delays, the polls should go ahead as legally mandated. In Seychelles, the electoral body will decide in August when the presidential election will be held later in the year.

Overall, the polls are expected to be peaceful and free. Yet, for different reasons, some countries like Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali and Somalia are ones to watch.

In Ethiopia, elections of members of the House of Peoples Representatives and of regional State Councils will be held in a new political environment ushered in by the youthful Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds reforms. Having won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending a two-decade conflict with neighbouring Eritrea, observers will be eager to learn to what extent Mr Abiys changes are taking hold and how much domestic support he has earned since the award was announced.

Polls in Somalia will be the first in 50 years. Voters will elect the president and their representatives through direct ballots - the last universal suffrage polls having been held in 1969. Previous presidential elections held in 2009, 2012 and 2017 involved a system of thousands of clan delegates voting for parliamentary representatives, who in turn elected the president. Election preparations are currently underway, including the drafting of electoral laws, though security remains a concern throughout the country.

Togolese will go to the polls in April to cast their ballots for president with the possibility of a run-off should no candidate garner more than 50% of the votes. The polls will be the first to be held since presidential term limits were restored in 2019.

Since Ghanas transition to multi-party democracy in 1992 elections have generally been peaceful, and their results generally considered fair. This trend is expected to continue, amid the governments recent claims to have nipped in the bud attempts at a coup by a group of civilians, and former and current military personnel.

In Burkina Faso, Burundi and Tanzania, voters will be called to choose their presidents first, then their national assemblymen and women later in the year. Burundians will elect a new president, as the incumbent is retiring.

In Burkina Faso and Mali, recurring violence in some areas, some of it deadly, is likely to affect the polls. Over the last few months, terrorist activity has increasingly targeted civilians and security forces, including peacekeepers in Mali. Given the circumstances organising nationwide elections will be a challenge.

In Cote dIvoire things are not straightforward either. The country has remained stable since the hotly contested 2010 presidential poll that helped mark the end of a decade of armed conflict. Now Ivoirians look towards October polls, but the political coalition has progressively frayed, and old political fault lines have resurfaced.

Guineans are scheduled to choose a new assembly and president come October too. Parliamentary elections were postponed earlier this year given political tensions over plans to call a referendum on lifting constitutional term limits. Large demonstrations against the plan have been witnessed across the country, including in the capital Conakry. The heightening tension is likely to affect the upcoming polls.

https://www.un.org/africarenewal/
A revised lease for operating a park-and-ride facility in the former Kmart parking lot seeks to address concerns cited when the agreement was reviewed in January.

It also caps the use for contracted parking at 10 years, citing the possibility of a shift in direction after the first five years, depending on the results of a proposed 16-month planning effort slated to start next month.

The Rochester City Council will review the proposed changes toward the end of its 7 p.m. meeting Wednesday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE.

Approval of a three-way lease agreement is required to grant a permit for the site to be used as a parking facility since recent zoning changes only allow for publicly designated surface parking.

The proposed agreement involves the city, property owner Camegaran LLC and Mayo Clinic, which is proposing to lease 95 percent of up to 1,357 parking spaces to Mayo Clinic for use by Saint Marys Hospital employees.

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The remaining 5 percent is dedicated to the city under the lease revision. If the city generates revenue from the spaces, it will be required to pay Mayo Clinic for maintenance, since the organization will be the lots tenant and operator.

The adjusted lease sets the initial term at five years, but it allows Camegaran to extend it twice, for 2.5 years each , depending on whether new development opportunities emerge.

At the same time, the new lease also includes a variety of dated goals with potential financial penalties for Camegaran and Mayo Clinic. Among them are construction and landscaping requirements for this year and demolition of the former Kmart building by the end of 2022.

Council approval of demolition will still be required, and city staff has suggested a new traffic study will likely be needed before the added parking can be permitted.

The lease also requires Camegaran to have preliminary construction drawings and be ready to hire a contractor by the end of the 10-year lease.

Failure to meet many of the milestones would cost Camegaran or Mayo Clinic $4,000 a month until the objective is met.

Camegaran is also agreeing to add a stormwater feature and air-quality monitor to the site, and Mayo Clinic is agreeing to limit shuttle hours to between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays. Saint Marys employees will not use the site on weekends, and Mayo Clinic contractors will not have access to the weekday Saint Marys shuttle.

In addition to reviewing the revised lease, the Rochester City Council is slated to consider the permit for use as a surface parking lot.

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This week, Allison Sosa, planning supervisor for the citys Community Development Department, said the information on the proposed project has not changed since the council held a Jan. 6 public hearing on the issue.

Planning staff is recommending approval be limited to the 729 parking spaces identified in the first phase of Camegarans proposal, which would require a future permit application and review for the additional parking.

Sosa said the council has until March 12 to take action on the initial permit request.

Meetings during the week of Feb. 17 include:

Rochester

 Fire Civil Service Commission, 3:15 p.m. Tuesday in room 104 of City Hall, 201 Fourth St. SE.

 Public Utility Board, 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Rochester Public Utilities board room, 4000 East River Road NE.

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 City Council study session, 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE.

 Library Board, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in meeting room C of the Rochester Public Library, 101 Second St. SE.

 City Council, 7 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers of the Government Center.

Olmsted County

 Legislative committee, 10 a.m. Tuesday in the county administration conference room in the Government Center.

 Health, Housing and Human Services committee, 11 a.m. Tuesday in conference room 4 of the Government Center.

 Housing and Redevelopment Authority, 1 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 1 of the Government Center.

 Physical Development committee, 2 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 2 of the Government Center.

 Administrative committee, 2 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 4 of the Government Center.

 County board, 3 p.m. Tuesday in board chambers of the Government Center.

 Parks Commission, 5 p.m. Tuesday in conference room A at 122 Campus Drive SE.

 Environmental Commission, 7:15 a.m. Wednesday in the Public Works conference room at 2122 Campus Drive SE.

 Chester Heights Sewer District Advisory Board, 4 p.m. Thursday at Schott Distributing, 6735 U.S. Highway 14 E.

 Human Rights Commission, 7 p.m. Thursday in conference room 4 of the Government Center.

Rochester Public Schools

 School Board, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom of the Edison Building, 615 Seventh St. SW.
Now that we Democrats have endured Iowa and New Hampshire, can we agree never to start off the primary season with those two states again?

Democratic candidates, who once numbered a total of 25, spent a collective $100 million in Iowa and didnt even get a quality count. Then New Hampshire finished off Andrew Yang, Michael Bennet and Deval Patrick  no great loss, maybe, but that does mean the only nonwhite candidate to survive the two nearly all-white states that led off the lineup is Tulsi Gabbard. And shes barely a Democrat.

And Yang and the others werent the only ones to be finished off by New Hampshire. Joe Biden left before the votes were even counted after announcing to the people of the Granite State that he would probably take a hit there.

He might as well have said, I cant win.

In the world of politics, you gotta know when to quit. For the former vice president, its getting dangerously close to that time. California and the other Super Tuesday states are going to let us all know whether its arrived.

Yet even with Biden in big trouble, there are signs the partys moderate faction is sprouting wings. Pete Buttigieg did OK in both Iowa and New Hampshire, Amy Klobuchar was a surprise, and lurking in the Super Tuesday states is Mike Bloomberg. Hes focusing on states including California, Texas and Florida, where there are actually people of color who vote.

Hes also raking in the endorsements, especially from mayors. Theres a reason for that  Bloomberg is the only candidate who will invite you to a fundraiser and give you money rather than ask for it.

Fair is fair: Theres one thing that was all but lost in the uproar over Roger Stones four Justice Department prosecutors quitting the case after their bosses disowned their sentencing recommendation: The bosses got it right.

The prosecutors said Stone should get seven to nine years in prison for obstructing justice. Thats about what someone can get for manslaughter. Dan White was convicted of two counts of manslaughter for killing George Moscone and Harvey Milk, and he was sentenced to less than eight years.

It pains me to find myself in agreement with President Trump on this one, and our reasoning is obviously different: Hes trying to warp the system to help an ally. But if lying to Congress and telling your friend not to talk to the feds get you as much time as killing someone, thats a system thats out of whack.

And the loser is: The Oscars have come and gone, and the most charitable way of describing the show would be dull.

Parasite, a subtitled movie with Korean dialogue that only a few people in the United States saw, got best picture. All America could become bilingual if the studios would just release only movies in other languages. As it is, if most people want to read a story instead of watch it, they buy a book.

And why was Eminem out there rapping an almost 20-year-old song that had to be repeatedly bleeped because of its Trump-like language? You know a genre is passe when it shows up on an awards show.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Trafficking: When the city decided downtown Market Street should be for buses and bikes only, it should have done the same for Mission Street.

As it is, bicyclists and scooters riding on Mission are risking their lives. Because the city wont help them out, they need to take it a block north to Market. Better to chance it with the Muni buses than the free-for-all on Mission.

Movie time: Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Its outgrossing Parasite, so theres that.

If youre among those who made that happen, you can be part of my class-action lawsuit on behalf of people who paid to see this movie. Its that bad.

And finally: The lone Republican to vote to remove President Trump from office was Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. It took Lee Houskeeper back to the days of the O.J. Simpson trial: With only Mitt, you must acquit.

Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com
Aleksandar Radovanov - Fotolia

Paul Marshall Bodner, a 64-year-old San Francisco resident who was a former substitute teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District, was arrested on charges related to sex tourism in Vietnam, officials announced Friday.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, Bodner made three trips to Vietnam from 2015 to 2016, and "engaged in illicit sexual conduct" with minors as young as 11 years old. He was indicted on three counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places.
A Belfast MLA has dismissed as "envious" comments suggesting that Invest NI needs to adopt a sub-regional strategy in order to spread jobs and wealth throughout the country.

DUP MLA for South Belfast, Christopher Stalford, took issue with observations made by SDLP Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin at the most recent meeting of the economy committee where she insisted that a sub-regional strategy is needed to address economic disparities in Northern Ireland.

It follows a heated Derry City and Strabane District Council meeting where Invest NI chiefs were taken to task for failing to promote Derry to foreign investors.

The SDLP MLA called for balanced regional development and contended that a strategy is needed to address sub-regional disadvantage.

She said: We have a weak economy, we have poor productivity, we have low levels of innovation and that is felt more outside of the Greater Belfast area. And to my esteemed colleague, Christopher, quite often in the place where I live Invest NI is called Invest Belfast.

We in our region have been starved of centres of excellence, and if youre saying the pipeline is talent and skills, there are 40,000 higher education students here in Belfast as opposed to 4,000 in Derry. Thats not by default, that is by design and its by design of the economy in all of its manifestations, whether it is Invest NI or otherwise.

It is by design and it has to change, the first way to do that is to give Invest NI a new strategy with regards to sub-regional disparities.

In response, Mr Stalford said: The solution to a lack of investment in Craigavon or in Londonderry is not to try and strangle investment in Belfast. Thats the politics of envy, that is the economics of envy, people invest here because it is a good city.

When someone questioned that, he added: Yes it is, it is envy. People invest here because it is a good city, it has a highly skilled workforce and because its a good place to come and live because of the cost of living.

You will not pull Londonderry up by dragging Belfast down.

Sinn Fein representative for Upper Bann, John ODowd, said he listened to the radio and heard a story about a company making a speculative investment in an office block in Belfast.

He has no tenants for it yet but was building it on the basis that he knows theyre going to come and that is fuelled by the fact he knows theyre going to come.

He understands investment is driven towards Belfast, there is no similar investment in my constituency and Im not aware of it in Derry or anywhere else because speculators and investors are looking at how the economy is run  the investment is coming to Belfast so that is where we will build.

The Invest NI representative said it sells Northern Ireland as a whole rather than specific places and ultimately investors make the decision as to where they want to locate.

Referring to the Derry City and Strabane District Council meeting, he said his colleagues had an hour and a half of fruitful discussion on similar matters so it is not going unheard.
PIERRE, S.D.  Gov. Kristi Noem is asking the nine Native American tribes in South Dakota to enter into law enforcement agreements with the state to better tackle crime and meth on reservations.

The Republican governor on Thursday commended tribes for addressing problems with meth addiction and said the state wants to help tribes that dont have sufficient tribal police officers to counteract crime and drug addiction. But tribal leaders said the governor would have to overcome a history of trauma and strains in their relationship over the governors revival of riot boosting laws this year.

This will be a new kind of partnership that I would like to see every single tribe engage in, Noem told reporters on Thursday.

The agreements would respect tribal sovereignty while promoting cooperation between state law enforcement and tribal police officers, Noem said. State police may be allowed to act on tribal lands as part of the agreements, but would follow tribal laws. The agreements would be flexible, only applying for a certain length of time or particular type of law enforcement, she continued.

The state already has an agreement with the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe that allows Highway Patrol officers to conduct traffic enforcement on highways running through tribal land. State police officers also help with security during the tribes annual powwow, but can only enforce tribal laws.

Lester Thompson, the chairman of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, said the tribe entered into the agreement after overweight semitrailers started tearing up tribal highways. He also had concerns about people being trafficked through tribal land.

Thompson said the agreement has worked so far, but he would be cautious about expanding it to allow state law enforcement onto more tribal land.

You have a people who have had a historically traumatic experience with state law enforcement and its hard to erase that history, said Thompson. You have to build that trust again.

Thompson said Noems push this year to revive riot boosting laws ahead of the planned construction of the Keystone XL pipeline strains the states relationship with the tribes. The laws target people who urge or incite violence, but Native American groups have said it would also silence protesters. Five tribes have voiced opposition to the proposal.

Noem said while they may disagree on that issue, that doesnt mean that on every other issue that we cant continue to work together.

The governor met with representatives from some of the tribes before the session began to discuss pending legislation and issues facing the tribes. At the Great Sioux Nation Address in January, tribal leaders said meth addiction is one of the biggest threats to their communities.

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe partnered with Noems office last year to explore how to address increasing rates of meth addiction among tribal members. Rodney Bordeaux, the tribes president, said he could use 20 more officers to address meth trafficking. The tribe is working with sheriffs from surrounding counties and will consider working with state police if that goes well.

Jason Cooke, the vice chairman of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, called the tribes land a checkerboard reservation where people can travel between tribal and state land just by crossing the street. This allows drug dealers to evade law enforcement at times, he said.

Weve got to do something ... so we can get it off the reservation, Cooke said.

But the tribe is still split on whether to give state police jurisdiction on tribal land. The tribal council would have to approve an agreement with the state.

Dave Flute, the governors Secretary of Tribal Relations said Noems offer represents a chance for a new narrative moving forward that we do trust each other.

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SAN DIEGO  A man who murdered an aspiring actress after he and a friend were invited into her Lomita home was sentenced today to 40 years to life in state prison.

Hugo Jiminez, 20, pleaded guilty April 17 to first-degree murder and robbery charges in connection with the Jan. 31, 2002, death of Adriana Pinon.

The 18-year-old victim had just returned from taping a scene for the daytime drama The Young and the Restless when she was gunned down in her living room with a shot to the back of the head.

A motive for the murder was never established, said Deputy District Attorney Tia Quick.

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Hes just a horrible, horrible man, the prosecutor said outside court.

Quick said Jiminez smirked as family members told Judge Peter Deddeh of their loss. She said the defendant could say nothing about what he did that would satisfy Pinons family or his own.

Deddeh didnt hold back when he pronounced the stipulated sentence.

When defense attorney Mel Epley told the judge that his client didnt have anything to say, the judge responded, I didnt think so.

Mr. Jiminez, this is a very cowardly act, the judge told the defendant. What you did is disgusting to me.

Deddeh criticized the defendant for killing Pinon even though she didnt do anything to him.

With the life sentence, Jiminez wont be eligible for parole anytime soon, if at all, the judge told him.

You dont deserve any better than that, Deddeh told the defendant.

Pinons mother, Rosalia, said her daughter would have been a beautiful mother and actress.

I feel like were the ones who were sentenced to die, she said.

The victims older sister said the defendant didnt know his victim.

I know for a fact he didnt know my sister, Christina Pinon said. Anybody who knew her loved her.

She said her 9-year-old daughter looked up to her aunt as a role model and thought the victim was going to be a star.

Jane Gonzalez, the victims good friend, blamed herself for not being there to help the young woman.

Why did you kill her? Why did you take her from me? Gonzalez asked the defendant. She was such a good person. She taught me the meaning of love.

The victim, who was about to turn 19, had appeared on The Young and the Restless 19 times as an extra.

On the day of the murder, Jiminez asked Brian Aquino to give him a ride to the victims home for unknown reasons, Quick said earlier. Once in the living room, Aquino sat and watched a movie while Jiminez and Pinon sat on a love seat and talked.

Jiminez suddenly punched the victim three times and ordered Aquino to take a stereo outside, the prosecutor said. After sending Aquino out again to pull his car around, Jiminez shot Pinon once in the back of the head, Quick said.

She said Jiminez and Pinon were just acquaintances and had no dating relationship.

A number of weeks after the killing, police questioned Jiminez, who said he was a friend of Pinon. Jiminez initially said he hadnt been at the victims home since the previous summer, San Diego police Detective Deanna Warrick testified at a preliminary hearing last May.

But Jiminez later admitted being there, after Warrick informed him that his fingerprints had been found in the Pinon home.

Detective Joseph Cristinziani testified that DNA samples found on two drinking glasses near the victims body were traced to the defendants.

Aquino, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to robbery and being an accessory to a crime. Now 18, he faces sentencing Tuesday and could get anywhere from probation to five years-plus in prison.
Laercio Guajajara, a 35-year-old and part of the Brazilian indigenous tribe called Guajajara. His tribe lives in their ancestral land in the Amazon. He is the leader of a group that primarily supports the stop of illegal logging in the rainforest. The rainforest had supported their tribe for hundreds of years. It had provided them food and shelter.

The 'Guardians of the Forest'

They call their group 'Guardians of the Forest.' The group is made up of not exceeding 50 fighters from the Brazilian indigenous tribe. The group patrols approximately 1,600 square miles of land. They call illegal loggers as 'invaders.' When caught on the act, invaders are stopped and detained by the group.

For a group, their actions' impact is only a local battle. Many world leaders are aware of the alarming situation of the Amazon against deforestation and climate change. The fight for this difficult battle rest in the leadership of Laercio's group.

According to Laercio, the land they are protecting is beneficial for the survival of their tribe. Also, their protection in their land positively impacts the world and all the people on the planet.

The 'Guardians' Successful Operation

An article from ABC revealed that they were allowed by the 'Guardians' to document their group and their activities to protect the rainforest. Their documentation employed high-tech equipment and expert reporting methods in capturing on camera the group's operations.

According to Laercio, he does not leave his home without protection. He expresses how he wants to protect himself while outside his home by arming himself with weapons.

After two days of patrolling the forest, mostly during the night, the 'Guardians' were able to corner a group of illegal loggers in their ancestral land.

The 'Guardians' used clubs, bows and arrows, and guns as their weapons in capturing seven of the illegal loggers. The captured men were believed to have been collecting lumber through illegal means for future sale to ranchers in the area.

However, the success of the group's operation after capturing the seven illegal loggers is only a minor part of the issue. One of the captured men revealed that they did the illegal deed due to poverty.

The 'Guardians' burned the confiscated lumber and drove the seven men to the police headquarters in Imperatriz. It took the guardians seven hours to deliver the illegal loggers to the proper authorities. The seven men were charged with illegal entry to the indigenous territory. The group of men was then released after being detained for one day.

Laercio predicts that their group will be seeing the illegal loggers they've captured again in the forest doing the same deed.

President Bolsonaro and His Plans for the Amazon

The 'Guardians are claiming their disagreement with some of the powerful political and economic influences in the nation.

According to the Brazilian indigenous tribe Guajajara, the accelerated devastation of their ancestral home had started since the start of the leadership of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. Bolsonaro is also dubbed as the 'Trump of the Tropics.' Bolsonaro was reported to have expressed his support for the development of the Amazon. Upon knowing this, multiple Brazilian indigenous tribes had expressed their disagreement with the president's plans.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will say that Facebook acknowledges it may have to pay for tax as part of new global proposals. (Liu Jie/Xinhua via Getty)

Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg will on Saturday give his backing to global tax proposals that would likely see tech giants pay higher levels of tax.

In prepared remarks for a speech at the Munich Security Conference, Zuckerberg will say that Facebook accepting the scheme may mean we have to pay more tax.

The social media boss plans to say that he understands that there is frustration with how tech companies are taxed in Europe.

His remarks suggest that Facebook will support the international taxation reform that is being debated at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Read more: France pauses big tech digital tax to avoid US-Europe trade war

Under the proposals, large global firms would be taxed on their revenue or sales in a particular country, rather than on their profits, which are often booked in lower-tax jurisdictions.

We also want tax reform and Im glad the OECD is looking at this. We want the OECD process to succeed so that we have a stable and reliable system going forward, he will say.

And we accept that may mean we have to pay more tax and pay it in different places under a new framework.

Zuckerbergs support follows a dramatic showdown between the US and France over digital tax proposals.

Last month, France agreed to postpone its 3% tax on the revenues of large digital services companies while similar international proposals were being debated.

Read more: What is the digital services tax? How it impacts big tech companies and the US

The US, which had not been supportive of international proposals, said that the French tax would unfairly target American firms, and, in retaliation, threatened to impose 100% tariffs on $2.4bn (1.8bn) worth of French goods, including champagne and handbags.

France agreed to put the plan on hold after the US agreed to come back to the table at an international level.

The UK will soon introduce a similar 2% tax on tech giants, and has been reticent to put its plan on hold even after the OECD urged the country to wait for international agreement.
It happens every time I debate a liberal on Spanish TV. He wants Congress to pass immigration reform or DACA or a ban on assault weapons.

Then I ask a simple question: why didn't you do it when you had majorities?

Then they call Trump a racist, and nothing much happens after that.

Have we reached a point where Democrats are simply unable to get anything done? Are they just the talking party?

I agree with Daniel Henninger: "So what, other than hunting Donald Trump, does the Democratic Party stand for?"

I have come to the conclusion that hating or stopping Trump is the only thing that can keep two Democrats from stabbing each other to death.

Health care? They don't really agree on anything other than everyone should have access to health care.

Don't they know that Obamacare already does that? Anyone in the U.S. can go to the ObamaCare website and find a policy. You cannot be denied one because of pre-existing conditions, and there are subsidies.

So don't we already have what they are calling for? Yes. The problem is not access, but paying for the policies. The other problem is that they told people it would be affordable, but in fact it is not at all.

On raising taxes on the rich, or the canard about everyone paying his fair share, they did absolutely zero when they ran the show.

On immigration reform or DACA, lots of talk, but nothing got done. In fact, President Trump offered to sit down with them in the spring of 2018, but they wanted no part of talking about DACA. They threw the "DREAMers" under the bus rather than share a DACA victory with the administration.

Is it fair for Americans to look at Democrats and say this is not a party that can get anything done? I say yes!

The bottom line is that they got nothing done when they had the votes. They did impeach President Trump, and that's the extent of their record.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
The father and brother of a man who fought against Isis in Syria have been charged with terror offences, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.

Paul Newey, 49, is accused of funding terrorism by sending 150 to his son, while 19-year-old Sam Newey is accused of assisting his brother.

Daniel Newey, 27, joined the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) while it was being backed by the US-led coalition to push Isis out of its Syrian territories in 2017.

He returned to Britain in 2018 but travelled to Syria for a second time last year, after Turkey launched an offensive against the YPG.

A small group of protesters supporting his father and brother gathered outside Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday.

Timeline of the Isis caliphate Show all 19 1 /19 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Timeline of the Isis caliphate ISIS began as a group by the merging of extremist organisations ISI and al-Nusra in 2013. Following clashes, Syrian rebels captured the ISIS headquarters in Aleppo in January 2014 (pictured) AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared the creation of a caliphate in Mosul on 27 June 2014 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis conquered the Kurdish towns of Sinjar and Zumar in August 2014, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Pictured are a group of Yazidi Kurds who have fled Rex Timeline of the Isis caliphate On September 2 2014 Isis released a video depicting the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff. On September 13 they released another video showing the execution of British aid worker David Haines Timeline of the Isis caliphate The US launched its first airstrikes against Isis in Syria on 23 September 2014. Here Lt Gen William C Mayville Jnr speaks about the bombing campaign in the wake of the first strikes Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis militants sit atop a hill planted with their flag in the Syrian town of Kobani on 6 October 2014. They had been advancing on Kobani since mid-September and by now was in control of the citys entrance and exit points AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Residents of the border village of Alizar keep guard day and night as they wait in fear of mortar fire from Isis who have occupied the nearby city of Kobani Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Smoke rises following a US airstrike on Kobani, 28 October 2014 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate YPG fighters raise a flag as they reclaim Kobani on 26 January 2015 VOA Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis seized the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on 20 May 2015. This image show the city from above days after its capture by Isis Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces are stationed on a hill above the town of Sinjar as smoke rises following US airstrikes on 12 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces enter Sinjar after seizing it from Isis control on 13 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi government forces make the victory sign as they retake the city of Fallujah from ISIS on 26 June 2016 Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi forces battle with Isis for the city of Mosul on 30 June 2017 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of the Iraqi federal police raise flags in Mosul on 8 July 2017. On the following day, Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi declares victory over Isis in Mosul Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Female fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim Square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria in January 2019 They were among the last civilians to be living in the ISIS caliphate, by this time reduced to just two small villages in Syrias Deir ez-Zor Richard Hall/The Independent Timeline of the Isis caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate, on Saturday 26 January 2019 Richard Hall/The Independent

Security officers were called to the courtroom after one demonstrator got into an argument with a West Midlands Police officer before the short hearing.

The elder Mr Newey pleaded not guilty to sending money, while either knowing or having reasonable cause to suspect it may be used for the purposes of terrorism.

His son, Sam, was not asked to enter a plea to a charge of engaging in conduct with the intention of assisting his brother to prepare or instigate acts of terrorism.

The two men, from Solihull, were bailed to appear at the Old Bailey on 21 February.

Additional reporting by PA
Secretary General of IACO, Dr. Frederick Kawuma (In suit) in a pose with the Minister (middle)

14.02.2020 LISTEN

The Minister of Food and Agriculture of Ghana, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has been elected Chairman of the Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO).

He was elected by the representatives of 25-Member States at the 59th General Assembly of the organization held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Dr. Afriyie Akoto took over from Mwangi-Kiunjuri, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.

He is expected to steer the affairs of the Organization two years; with the major focus on helping to ensure the ratification of the NewN Coffee Agreement which will ensure the expansion of the member states to include not only producing countries but also countries with high consumption capacity.

The Minister of Food and Agriculture comes to the seat with vast experience, having served as Vice Chairman of the organization until his election last year.

Dr. Afriyie Akoto is also an internationally acclaimed expert in the commodity, working several years as a Consultant for the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and the United Nations Special Advisor on Soft Commodities.

He however assumes the seat at a time Ghana is being heralded as the next trailblazer of the African economy with agriculture at its pivot.

Under his leadership as Agric Minister, Ghana has seen a tremendous improvement in its agricultural sector through various initiatives and policy interventions seeking to transform its economy and the rest of the West African sub-region.

Ghana's agricultural ministry is currently pursuing a number of policy interventions, key amongst them being Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) which is expected to increase production of various tree crops, including coffee.

Tenure and Responsibilities

The overall objective of IACO, which was established in 1960, is to facilitate interactions amongst member countries to enable exchange of research technologies and market information aimed at tackling challenges facing the continent

By his election as Chairman of the Organization, Dr. Afriyie Akoto automatically becomes an Executive Member of the International Coffee Council, a subsidiary of the ICO and will also be the Spokesperson for African on all issues relating to coffee.

He will additionally chair meetings and draw up Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which will form the basis for decisions in the interest of the production, consumption and marketing of the commodity.

Dr. Afriyie Akoto also has the responsibility to organization the 60th General Assembly of the IACO scheduled to take place in November this year in Ghana.

Vision and Objectives

According to Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, his immediate objective is to seek to the ratification of the new IACO Agreement which will see the expansion of the member states to include countries with high consumption capacity.

At the moment, consumption of coffee on the continent outweighs production capacity; that is why it is important to get countries such as South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Libya, who consume high volume of coffee but are not members, to be part of the organization Dr. Afriyie Akoto told journalist in Accra after meeting with the Secretary General of IACO, Dr. Frederick Kawuma.

He was of the opinion that getting these countries to be members of the organization will further strengthen IACO and give it enough capacity to be able to address numerous challenges such as low coffee production, climate change and its effect on production and quality, increased value addition, agricultural credit, research and private sector participation in the industry.

We have to rejuvenate the interest of member states in the production and consumption of coffee, which for me has even bigger potentials compared to its peers, he noted.

The Minister also pointed out the operationalization of the African Coffee facility being funded by Exim Bank, Egypt, will be a major priority to consider, stressing that the improvement of credit facilities, as well as development of institutions and infrastructures must be very key on the agenda of IACO.

Meanwhile, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto said his meeting with the Secretary General of IACO, Dr. Frederick Kawuma, in Accra, was to discuss pertinent matters relating to the operations of the organization.

He said the meeting afforded the two the opportunity to deliberate issues bordering on administration, payment of dues by member states and also the upcoming 60th General Assembly of the Organization slated for November in Ghana.

Daily Guide
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A group of people, including students of Jamia Millia Islamia, held a protest near the Tamil Nadu House here on Saturday over the alleged lathi charge by the Chennai police on anti-CAA demonstrators.

The small group of protesters, which also included a couple of young women, tried to march from the Bihar Bhawan towards the Tamil Nadu House, and raised anti-BJP and anti-RSS slogans in Tamil.

The protesters were detained midway as they tried to march towards the Tamil Nadu House in Chanakyapuri, police said.

Later, a few more people, including women, were also detained.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav said 27 protesters were detained and taken to a nearby police station.

Out of them, seven were women, he said, that adding all of them were released later.

The call for the protest here was given by the Jamia Coordination Committee.

An anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest by Muslims turned violent in Chennai on Friday when the protesters clashed with police.

Four police personnel -- a woman joint commissioner, two women constables and a sub-inspector -- were injured in stone-pelting, the police said, even as reports emerged that some protesters were also hurt.

The protesters accused the police of resorting to lathicharge.
(Newser)  Matt Drudge is running a red headline across his Drudge Report on Saturday about a provocative, but unconfirmed, political scoop: He says Mike Bloomberg is considering Hillary Clinton as his running mate. The blurb (see this Drudge tweet) quotes sources close to the Bloomberg campaign as saying that "polling found the Bloomberg-Clinton combination would be formidable force." In addition, Drudge reports that Bloomberg is weighing the possibility of changing his official residence to Florida or Colorado, where he owns homes, to avoid the issue of having two New Yorkers on the same ticket. Neither Bloomberg nor Clinton has confirmed or denied the story yet.

story continues below

Drudge is also linking to coverage of his reporting, including a New York Post story that notes Clinton and Bloomberg were spotted having dinner together in December. Mediaite reports that former Clinton aide Zerlina Maxwell said she was "highly skeptical" Saturday when asked about the report on MSNBC. She also referred to Bloomberg as a "deeply flawed candidate" and tore into his mayoral record, with criticism of the NYPD's "stop and frisk" policies and more. (Bloomberg and Trump got into a memorable exchange of insults this week.)
Hyderabad: The AP Legislative Cou-ncil will be abolished by the end of March if the Centre implements its assurance to AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

In the last three days, Mr Reddy has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and requested them to introduce the Bill to abolish the Council in the second phase of Parliament Budget session which will begin on March 3.

Both Mr Modi and Mr Shah assured Mr Reddy that the Centre would introduce the Bill in the second week of March, according to sources close to the CM.

On the advice of Mr Modi and Mr Shah, Mr Reddy met Mr Prasad on Saturday. The AP Budget Session is likely to be held after March 15, and Mr Reddy wants the Council to be abolished by then. The next steps in the process are that the Union law ministry on the basis of the AP Assembly resolution on abolition of the Council will prepare a Bill and present it to the Central ministry.

Once cleared, the Bill will be introduced in both Houses of Parliament. After Parliament passes the Bill, it will be sent to the President for assent. Then, a notification will be issued to abolish the Council.

Meanwhile, Mr Modi and Mr Shah also assured that the Centre will take steps to relocate the AP High Court to Kurnool and clear the Disha Act, the other issues highlighted by Mr Reddy.

Explaining the three capitals proposal to Mr Shah, Mr Reddy told him that the AP BJP had assured in its election manifesto that the AP High Court would be located at Kurnool.

A leader close to Mr Reddy said that Mr Modi had directed the Chief Minister to meet Mr Shah and brief him on all issues. Mr Shah heard him out and directed him to mr Prasad. This shows how the top leaders in the Union government responded to the CM.
Fire through a children's home run by Pennsylvania-based religious nonprofit group in Haiti killed 15 children, officials said on February 14. A child-care worker at the home told the global news agency that the fire had begun at 9:00am (local time) on February 13 and the firefighters took at least 90 minutes to arrive. The orphanage was reportedly using candles for light amid problems with its generator and inverter.

Among those who died due to the blaze, half were babies or toddlers and others were 10 to 11 years old. The recent fire had occurred at the orphanage run by Church of Bible Understanding in the Kenscoff area outside Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. However, the cause of the fire is reportedly not clear. Jean-Francois Robenty, a civil protection official said that the rescue workers arrived on the scene on motorcycles and didn't have bottled oxygen or ambulances which were required to transport the children to the hospital.

They could have been saved, Robenty said. We didnt have the equipment to save their lives.

Read - Haitian President Lays Out Terms For Deal With Opposition

Pennsylvania-based group 'aware' of incident

On February 14, the police also raided another home run by Church of Bible Understanding and took away several dozen children in a bus over protests from the employees. International media reports have listed the problems rising in both homes run by the group. A spokesperson for the group which is based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Temi J Sacks said that they were aware of the fire incident and wanted to get the facts before making any comments on the same.

Read - Haiti Announces Screening Measures For China Virus

Sacks said, We are aware of the fire in the childrens home in Haiti. It would be irresponsible for us to comment until after all the facts are in.

After a series of inspection, the Church of Bible Understanding lost its accreditation for its homes in November 2012. The officials in Haiti faulted the group for overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, along with the untrained staff. According to the global news agency, the members of the religious group were selling expensive vintage building fixtures at high-end stores in New York and Los Angeles and then using the portion of those profits to fund its home sin Haiti. According to the most recent non-profit organisation filing, the group runs two homes with more than 200 children in Haiti as a part of a Christian training program.

Read - UN 'Decade In Review': From Haiti Quake To Paris Accord, Stories That Made 'global Impact'

Read - Two French Citizens Killed In Haiti Attack: Foreign Ministry

(With AP inputs)
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. - Lake Havasu City officials plan to end scheduled closures of London Bridge for special events, saying they dont want to block vehicle travel between an island and the rest of the western Arizona city along the Colorado River.

City officials cited safety reasons and residents concerns over closures that typically have lasted two or three hours, Todays News-Herald reported.

Events that have required bridge closures include the annual Line Dance on the London Bridge, and Camaros on the Bridge, and infrequently, Corvettes on the Bridge.

The inaugural Line Dance on the London Bridge was held in 2011, when over 1,100 dancers showed up for the event. The final time the fundraiser will be staged atop the bridge over Bridgewater Channel is Feb. 23. The event then will need to find a new venue.

The bridge is the only point of access on and off the Island. Residents complain because the closures cause too much commotion, City Manager Jess Knudson said.

Knudson said city officials were grateful for all the events that have been on the bridge in the past. But the city has decided to go a different direction now.

Lake Havasu City founder Robert McCulloch purchased the stone bridge in the late 1960s and had it transported by ship and truck from London in pieces.
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted multiple changes to elk hunting licenses and permits, including several changes coming to the Helena area.

While elk shoulder seasons featured some of the liveliest debate during Thursday's meeting, the commission also updated regulations for the general and archery seasons as well for all big game species. In December, biologists proposed a number of changes to elk and deer regulations in several districts around Helena with goals of increasing hunter opportunities but also balancing that with animal populations and access.

Hunting District 215

The commission eliminated a regulation allowing antlerless elk hunting with a general license in favor of an antlerless elk permit for the district. Permit holders may hunt for cow elk but must tag them with a general license. Those without the permit may only hunt brow-tined bulls. The commission also added an extra antlerless license that begins Aug. 15 and is not valid for national forests.

The reasons for the changes include slowing the antlerless elk harvest rate as the population drops toward objectives and addressing game damage on private land, according to biologists.

Hunting District 293

HD 293 includes the Avon and Helmville valleys north to U.S. Highway 200 and the mountains making up the spine of the Continental Divide. The commission voted to remove elk B licenses for the district in favor of cow elk permits valid only on private land, excluding Weyerhaeuser, Stimson and Nature Conservancy land. The permit is valid from Aug. 15 through the general season.

Hunting districts 318, 335, 339 and 343

The districts near Helena have a combined antlerless elk permit, which allows hunters to harvest a cow elk and then punch their general license to tag their animal. The old regulations restricted hunters from taking a bull legal to non-permit holders in 343, 318 and 335 or spike in 339, but the new permit changes that to allow either.

Hunting District 391

In an effort to reduce elk numbers for the district, the general license has been valid for both brow-tined bulls and cows districtwide. The commission voted to change that regulation to eliminate the antlerless provision on national forest land.

The shoulder season for the district is removed in favor of an over-the-counter antlerless elk license for HDs 390, 391 and 393 valid south of Duck Creek and only on private, DNRC or BLM lands. The license is good from the beginning of rifle season to Jan. 1.

The HD 391 antlerless elk license is also only valid south of valid south of Duck Creek and only on private, DNRC or BLM lands.

Hunting District 392

For the hunting district that includes the York area, the commission voted to remove the opportunity for youth hunters or hunters with disabilities to harvest antlerless elk on their general license. The number of antlerless elk licenses also dropped from 50 to 25.

The proposals aim to increase the elk population in the hunting district.

Bighorn sheep

In other Helena-area hunting news, the commission voted to allow a single bighorn sheep tag for the Elkhorns.

The ram permit is the first in more than a decade following a disease-related die-off in the mountain range. In a herd that should have numbered 220 or more, by 2008 90% of the wild sheep died of pneumonia. The limited hunting permits offered also ended at that time.

While sheep number about 50 today, and the herd includes a number of older rams.

Reporter Tom Kuglin can be reached at 447-4076 @IR_TomKuglin

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The elderly women, who have almost become the face of the protests in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh has said that they will meet Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence on Sunday.

The 'dadis of Shaheen Bagh' said they want to talk to the Home Minister about CAA and ask him to revoke the contentious legislation.

BCCL

"Amit Shah Ji invited the entire country to come and meet him to discuss issues related to the Citizenship Amendment Act. So, we'll be going to meet him tomorrow at 2 pm. We don't have any delegation, anyone who has an issue with CAA will be going," the protesters said.

Delhi: Protestors at Shaheen Bagh say, "Amit Shah ji invited the entire country to come&meet him to discuss issues related to #CitizenshipAmendmentAct. So, we'll be going to meet him tomorrow at 2 pm. We don't have any delegation, anyone who has an issue with #CAA will be going." pic.twitter.com/urVcvHmlMt  ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2020

However, the Home Ministry has said that no such meeting is scheduled with Amit Shah for Sunday.

According to reports, the Shaheen Bagh protesters are divided over the meeting with Shah.

Speaking to media, a group of anti-CAA protesters claimed that they would be going to meet the Home Minister, and every one of them would meet the Home Minister personally instead of taking a delegation.

BCCL

The protestors said no delegation would visit the Home Minister, rather each and every demonstrator along with the people who have a problem with the newly amended citizenship Act, would go and meet him.

"Amit Shah has himself invited everyone on television to meet him, so we are going to meet him tomorrow. Shah himself said that whoever is facing a problem due to CAA should meet him," said one of the protesters.

BCCL

A woman protester said that all the women would also be going to meet the Home Minister tomorrow. "Everyone will go and meet Home Minister Amit Shah at 2 pm tomorrow. It's a request that all the citizens including men and women who are facing problems due to CAA, NRC and NPR have to go and meet Amit Shah and PM Modi ji," said an elderly woman.

While a section of protesters is adamant that they will not go to meet Shah. Others are saying that is there's a meeting, all the protesters will go to meet the Home Minister. The development came two days after Home Minister Amit Shah said at Times Now Summit that anyone having doubts over CAA could seek an appointment from his office and he would be willing to meet the person(s) within three days.

BCCL

Earlier, on Friday protestors at Shaheen Bagh held heart-shaped cut-outs in which they urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit them at the protest site.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 21:35:39|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in an interview with Reuters in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

BERLIN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday that security guarantee in the Middle East region can not be achieved only with military power.

Wang made the remarks in an interview with Alessandra Galloni, Reuters global managing editor, when answering questions that whether China regards that it will eventually have to have military presence in the Middle East to ensure its energy supplies security, and if China, at that moment, need to take more responsibility considering it, like other countries, relies on the U.S. security umbrella in the region.

He said that many Middle East countries would not agree that the United States has provided security guarantee for the region.

The fact is quite the opposite, he said. "In the past decades, how many wars has the United States started in the Middle East? How much damage and devastation has it brought to the people of the region?" Wang refuted.

What the United States has done failed to bring stability and development to the Middle East, but rather endless turbulence and persistent poverty, he said, noting that the United States is taking actions out of its own interests, which has not benefited countries in the Middle East.

According to the diplomat, the most enduring and reliable security guarantee will be for countries to build mutual trust and align their interests through mutually beneficial cooperation. Security guarantee can not be relied only on military power, he added.

As for the Middle East security, Wang said that China, responding to the call of the United Nations and based on the will of countries in the region, has been working to contribute to the region's security.

China has sent over 1,800 peacekeepers to the Middle East, he said, adding that China's naval vessels have been conducting escort missions in the Gulf of Aden for over a decade.

Meanwhile, China has also initiated a Middle East Security Forum with regional countries, calling on countries to reject the old-fashioned cold-war mentality and put in place a new security architecture that underpins common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, Wang said.

"Going forward, we will continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace, security and development in the Middle East," he added.
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES -- A high-profile Elmore County murder case is the subject of a cable crime show episode.

On Tuesday at 8 p.m., Investigation Discoverys series Murder Comes Home will review the brutal slaying of Anna Cardwell, 20, of the Flatwood community.

It was Feb. 15, 2012, a day many residents in the close-knit community near Slapout would like to forget. Cardwells mother, Paula, came home from work that day and found her dead on the floor in the kitchen of the family home. She had been shot multiple times.

Joshua Caspari, of Tallassee, pleaded guilty to capital murder in the case and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Caspari, of Tallassee, and Cardwell were friends. At the time, Sheriff Bill Franklin said Caspari, then 22, was upset because Cardwell had suggested that a mutual friend to break off her relationship with him.

He stalked her at the family home on Feb. 10, 2012, the sheriff said. Caspari admitted to investigators after his arrest to watching the home from a nearby ditch. He had a bag with a mask, knife and gun in his possession and was carrying a can of gasoline, Franklin said at the time.

Franklin surmises Caspari didnt act then because Cardwell was never left alone at the home.

Carspari came back Feb. 15 and waited in the same ditch. This time Cardwell was left alone. He approached the home and investigators believe Cardwell talked with him, and at some point an argument and physical altercation began.

Evidence shows that Cardwell and Caspari were near the front door and that she fled through the house. Franklin said she was shot three times, twice in the back and once in the shoulder. She made it to the back door where Caspari told investigators he grabbed her, pulled her back into the kitchen and shot her in the head.

Then Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson handled the case. He is now chief ADA.

He remembers the violence, and the blood.

There was blood everywhere, he said. Down the hall, in the kitchen, going to the back door. What I remember most was the bloody handprint on the wall. Annas bloody handprint. It was like something out of a Friday the 13th movie.

There was the hand print and then bloody drag marks down the wall, where he dragged her back into the kitchen.

Video taken by the sheriffs office as part of the investigation showed Cardwells bloody, bare footprints on the tile floor of the kitchen.

It was one of the worst scenes Ive ever been to, Robinson said. It stays with you, a scene like that.

2020 the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.)

Visit the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) at www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


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Math Wizard #1 with Irad Ortiz Jr. riding won the $1,000,000 Pennsylvania Derby Stakes at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa. on Sept. 21, 2019. Read more

For 16 years, Pennsylvania has been saddled with an obligation to prop up a flailing horse race industry. In 2004, the state legalized gaming in large part to create a channel of money to flow to the Race Horse Development Fund, which supports breeders, owners, horses, farms, jockeys, and other racing-related expenses.

Since that time, the industry has gotten close to $3 billion dollars from the staggering $27 billion in gross revenue from slot machines  that is, the money people lose feeding slot machines all over the state.

Thats a lot of money  about $240 million per year  that should have by now stabilized and improved the sector. It hasnt.

According to racetrack casino benchmark reports filed with the state Gaming Control Board, almost every data point connected to the performance of Pennsylvania racing shows a decline. The number of wagers, the number of races, the number of horses, the purses paid, and the attendance at tracks: all in decline, a trend going back years.

Layer those problems on top of growing outcry over the treatment and deaths of racehorses around the country. Starting in 2018, for example, a rash of horse deaths at Santa Anita Park in California led one industry commenter to note, Poorly bred, overraced, exhausted horses being whipped toward the finish line is not a sport; its an exercise in sadistic exploitation.

A report last year by PennLive/Patriot-News revealed that 87 horses died in Pennsylvania in 2018 alone.

Throw in a recent cheating scandal, and we have to ask, not for the first time: Why are we subsidizing this?

Those supporting the industry claim that the money supports agricultural jobs which boosts the state economy, and by funding bigger purses, more people will bet. The reality doesnt back that up.

With so many critical and human problems this state faces, the unquestioning propping up of an industry that has shown no promise of improving is outrageous.

Thats why Gov. Wolf gets credit for his latest proposal to use about $200 million of that annual money to fund scholarships for Pennsylvania students to attend Pennsylvania colleges. Its about time.

The governors Nellie Bly Scholarship Program is intended to help students get degrees and start careers in Pennsylvania.

Wolf is responding in part to the staggering student loan debt for Pennsylvania residents, which, at $68 billion, is among the highest in the nation and averages over $37,000 per student. Investing in people that will give them the direct tools to succeed and that will encourage more of them to stay in the state is a far smarter investment.

The horse race industry is not likely to take this quietly. They are sure to galvanize, as they have in the past when questioned about the money they get. Since the Wolf plan depends on legislation in order to move forward, were afraid to say that our confidence is not high. The racehorse industry contributes to campaigns. And even if they didnt, its clear from the lack of interest in how theyve spent $3 billion with little to show for it that our elected officials are happy to keep making this bad bet.
PHILADELPHIAOn Feb. 14, 2020, attorney and CEO Thomas Earle took his Valentine, Kim Desrosiers, to see Shen Yun Performing Arts in Philadelphia to mark the most romantic day of the year. Desrosiers was all smiles as she described the gift she received.

My boyfriend got me tickets for Valentines Day, said Desrosiers, who enjoyed the dancing the most out of the performances many theatrical components: the live orchestra, bel canto vocal soloists, digitally animated backdrops, couture costumes, and more. She and Earle took in New York-based Shen Yun at Philadelphias Merriam Theater.

I loved the water dance with the sleeves that were very expressive and made me feel like I was amongst, I dont know, water fairies, Desrosiers said.

Shen Yuns beauty astounds many, but its the depth of meaning the performance holds, and the unique, divinely-inspired stories that touch people deeply and leave them with an unforgettable experience, according to audience members.

In Desrosierss case, it wasnt only her own experience with Shen Yun that moved her. She felt a positive impact on the entire hall of theatergoers.

I was most moved by the depth of the emotion of the audience in response to what they were seeing, she said.

I myself am Tibetan Buddhist, and I felt that [Shen Yun] really connected the audience with the morals and the compassion that Buddhists feel and that Ive personally experienced in China amongst the people, not so much through the government, but at the heart of the people. Thats my experience and I felt that the dance elicited that, she added.

[A dance story] also inspired meabout the abuses that happened in China, under the communist regime, [it] was very brave of them, and that was surprisingI loved it, she said.

In the roughly 20 short vignettes per performance, Shen Yun depicts scenes from heavenly realms, ancient China, and also from modern-day Chinawhere today spiritual believers such as Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Dafa practitioners are severely persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party.

Falun Dafa is an ancient meditation practice that teaches truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, along with energy-strengthening exercises. It, along with practitioners of and philosophies from Buddhism and Daoism, are peppered throughout the performance as part of Shen Yuns effort to revive Chinas true and deeply-spiritual traditional culture.

The spirituality that was brought forth, again, it really connected with basic wisdom and compassion, Desrosiers said, which is very old in China and within many teachings and Taoism and Buddhism and Confucianism and they communicated that throughout all the stories. They were very diverse and I appreciated that.

Desrosiers said she will absolutely recommend Shen Yun to her friends and family.

Her companion Earle, a disability rights attorney and CEO of Liberty Resources, said he had read about Shen Yun and seen it in the newspaper, and it looked very visually entertaining and for me. Im visually impaired, but I can see straight ahead, and the colors and the movements are amazing.

Overall, he called his experience at Shen Yun very positive. It was delightful.

I really liked the lantern dance, the water dance, and the Mongolian cowboy one, he added.

Earle was impressed by the spiritual aspect of Shen Yuns performance and the effect it had on him personally.

Very beautiful. And its very impressive, the movements. Sometimes people look like theyre floating, the dancers look like theyre floating across the stage. So, very impressive, he said.

With reporting by NTD Television and Brett Featherstone.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006.
Irked by Iraq's close ties to neighbouring Iran, Washington has begun following through on threats to squeeze Baghdad's fragile economy with delays to crucial cash deliveries and shortened sanctions waivers. This week, the US granted Iraq last-minute leave to import Iranian gas for its crippled power grids, despite American sanctions on Tehran. But Washington's patience seems to be running out -- the latest waiver was reduced from the usual 90 or 120 days to just 45. "This is the beginning of death by a thousand cuts," warned financial analyst Ahmed Tabaqchali, of the Iraq-based Institute of Regional and International Studies. "The shorter the waiver, the more we can't afford for things to go wrong in that time." Iraq is at a crucial crossroads. Its new premier is struggling to form a cabinet, anti-government protests are filling the streets and skyrocketing tensions between its two main allies, Tehran and Washington, have already spilt blood on its territory. While Iran enjoys tremendous political and military sway in Iraq, the US still holds a major trump card -- the economy. Every month or so, Iraq's Central Bank flies in $1 billion to $2 billion in cash from the Federal Reserve in New York, where all its oil revenues are kept, to pay for official and commercial transactions. But the mid-January shipment was more than a week late, a top Iraqi official and an oil industry source said, citing "political reasons" for the White House decision. "We are on a knife's edge," the Iraqi official said. - Pompeo 'yelled' at Iraq PM - It was the first sign Washington may implement a January threat to block Iraqi access to its money were Baghdad to oust the roughly 5,200 US troops stationed in Iraq. That was the Iraqi parliament's response to a US strike on its soil that killed a top Iranian commander and an Iraqi paramilitary chief. Washington has considered blocking the funds to pressure Iraq for months, a senior US diplomat in Baghdad said, describing it last year as "the nuclear option". While February's dollars arrived on time, Iraqi officials said they expect Washington to start restricting how much cash Baghdad can bring in. Losing access to its funds would have devastating ramifications for Iraq, whose economy relies almost entirely on oil exports paid with the greenback. And if the sanctions waiver expires, Iraq would have to either stop buying Iranian gas and face sweeping power cuts, or keep importing and risk US sanctions itself. Iraq's power cuts can last up to 20 hours a day. Washington has tied sanctions to other issues, including the nearly 20 rocket attacks since October on the US embassy in Baghdad and Iraqi bases hosting US troops. An Iraqi official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had "yelled" at outgoing Iraqi premier Adel Abdel Mahdi in a phone call last month. "He told him to forget talks over a waiver renewal if the attacks continue," the official told AFP. A senior State Department official told AFP that any decision to renew the waiver is ultimately up to Pompeo himself. In a worrying sign, Pompeo and other senior US officials did not meet with Iraq's federal foreign minister Mohammad al-Hakim at the Munich Security Conference. - 'Weaponise these waivers' - The US is also irritated by Iraq's slow progress in signing deals with major US energy firms and weaning itself off Iran. "(Iraqis) have continuously rejected the deals with GE and Exxon," a senior administration official told AFP, weeks before the recent waiver expired. "They are choosing to be dependent on the Iranians, giving (Tehran) a chokehold on their economy and infrastructure." Iran, which has long sought to curb US influence across the region, is the second-largest exporter of goods to Iraq. But the US dwarfs it in terms of direct investment, particularly in the vital oil sector and infrastructure. Sources in both Baghdad and Washington described a split in US policy, with the White House willing to ramp up pressure on Iraq while others argued for flexibility. Hardliners were becoming "dominant," they said, and one Iraqi official described them as "transactional bullies." In an interview with AFP following the waiver renewal, electricity minister Luay al-Khatteeb said Washington must not "corner Iraq." "I am confident the US will not weaponise these waivers to compromise public services," he said. Khatteeb cited signs of progress -- deals already signed with Jordan and the Gulf for cross-border grids and possible gas purchases from operators in the autonomous Kurdish region. And three weeks before the waiver expired, Iraq's caretaker cabinet green-lighted six gas contracts to boost power generation. "That announcement was a response to growing American pressure. You can see the Iraqi government panicked," said Tabaqchali. But the US could find itself with little leverage other than "economic-based threats", said Ramzy Mardini of the United States Institute for Peace. "That approach may work to secure US interests in the short term, but the overall bilateral relationship will remain severely impaired by distrust and animosity," he said. The US has had troops stationed in Iraq for most of the past two decades Tensions between Iran and the US have spiked amid a series of rocket attacks on bases hosting American soldiers in Iraq
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Windy with sunshine. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Windy and partly cloudy this evening. Mostly cloudy with diminishing winds after midnight. Low 29F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
A Crossville man is behind bars in connection to the alleged sexual abuse of a child.

Russell Banks, 31, is charged with sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old. His arrest came after DeKalb County Sheriffs Office investigators were contacted by officials at Crossville Middle School after a student reported they had been inappropriately touched. The report came after the student attended a sexual abuse prevention presentation by Family Services of North Alabama, the Sheriff Nick Welden said.

A subsequent investigation led to Banks arrest.

Id like to thank Family Services of North Alabama for doing what they do. Having organizations like them active in our schools is a great resource for our investigators and crucial for protecting our children, Sheriff Welden said. "If it wasnt for educating our young people, some might not realize that this behavior is not ok. This gives us the opportunity to stop it before it turns in to something worse.

Banks is currently in the DeKalb County Detention Center. Bond has not been set.
Americans on board a cruise ship quarantined off Japan since early February over coronavirus fears will be evacuated and returned to the US via chartered flight, officials said Saturday. In a message to Americans on board the Diamond Princess, the US embassy said those returning to the United States would have to undergo another 14 days of quarantine. "The US government recommends, out of an abundance of caution, that US citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring," the statement said. Washington will send a chartered plane to Japan for the evacuation on Sunday, the message said. It was not clear when the plane will depart Japan, but the letter said it will land at Travis Air Force Base in California. Japanese public broadcaster NHK said some 400 Americans were on board the cruise ship and the plane will leave Tokyo's Haneda airport as soon as early Monday. "Passengers will be screened for symptoms and we are working with our Japanese partners to ensure that any symptomatic passengers receive the required care in Japan if they cannot board the flight," the message said. "Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time," it added. While some Americans on the ship have urged their government to extract them from the boat, others on board criticised the plan. "Incredibly disappointed that the U.S. Government has decided to throw a monkey wrench into the quarantine we have maintained here on board the Diamond Princess," tweeted Matt Smith, an American lawyer. "The U.S. Government... wants to take us off without testing, fly us back to the U.S. with a bunch of other untested people, and then stick us in 2 more weeks of quarantine? How does that make any sense at all?" There were more than 3,700 people on the ship when it arrived off the Japanese coast in early February. It was placed into quarantine after a passenger who got off the boat in Hong Kong tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Since it arrived off Japan, more than 200 others have since been diagnosed and taken off the ship to local hospitals. The illness has killed more than 1,500 people and infected at least 66,000 in China while spreading to more than two dozen other countries, sparking an unprecedented containment effort. On Friday, Japan's government gave passengers on the Diamond Princess aged 80 or older and in poor health the chance to move from the ship to quarantine accommodation on land. The quarantine on the ship had been due to end on February 19 and those on board have been mostly confined to their cabins, asked to wear masks, and keep their distance from other passengers during brief outings on deck. Crew on board have expressed concern that their conditions -- including shared cabins, bathrooms and workspaces -- put them at greater risk of contracting the virus. Excluding the cases on the ship, and an infected quarantine officer, Japanese authorities have so far diagnosed at least 40 people with the virus. A US plane will carry Americans from the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan to Travis Air Force Base in California
(Newser)  After joining a Facebook group for parents of newborns, a woman in Washington spotted an ad offering free baby photos. The photographer said she was trying to build up her portfolio, so the new mother took the photographer up on the offer. During the visits, the mother noticed the photographer taking selfies with the infant, Fox News reports. More concerning, she was wiping her fingerprints off things she'd touched in the house. On the third visit, the mother became numb, drowsy and ill after eating a cupcake the photographer and her teenage daughter had given her, so she told them to leave. After noticing that her house keys were missing, she called 911. Investigators say the photographer was planning to steal the newborn and raise the child as her own.

story continues below

Pierce County authorities said the suspect, 36, and her 16-year-old daughter were arrested Friday on several felony charges. They say there could be other victims, per WPXI. They asked that anyone in the area who's had contact with a Juliette Parker, Juliette Noel or Juliette Gains who said she's a photographer call them. Deputies bought new locks for the mother's house and installed them. (Read more child abduction stories.)
The NDA government faces its sternest test of its increasingly protectionist trade policy from the visit of US President Donald Trump. India has to buy at least some more things from the USA and if those fall short it is likely that finally it will be even more quantities of gas and oil.

Unless the deal seems pleasant enough to the US President he could even call off the visit. This is the reason the India government is going the extra distance to please him with ceremonial pomp should the substance be lighter than what he would expect. The President has already raised the pitch ...
Department of Public Safety

The Texas Department of Public Safety is seeking the publics help in the investigation of an October 1994 homicide.

The Texas Rangers have exhausted leads and are looking for new ones in the death of Laura Warren, who was reported as a missing person to the Corpus Christi Police Department on Oct. 26, 1994. The 25-year-old from Corpus Christi was discovered dead south of Beeville on Oct. 31, 1994, according to a DPS news release.
Despite the steady rise of SUVs and crossovers during the past decade, passenger cars remain relevant in 2020, particularly among luxury automakers.

While it is true that consumer demand for passenger cars in North America has been on the wane for several years and the market for these vehicles overall is shrinking, many luxury marques remain firmly committed to the segment and have a host of new offerings on the horizon.

In fact, many of these new models are on display at the Canadian International AutoShow. Gathered here are four examples, three of which are all-new.

Audi A4

Audis long-running compact executive sedan receives significant updating for 2020. Exterior changes include a flatter and broader Singleframe grille, bigger air intakes and new LED headlights. The A4s body panels have been updated with fresh creases above the wheel arches and along the sides of the car.

The interior also gets a freshening, headlined by a new dashboard-mounted 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen that features new graphics, menu structure with text input and improved voice recognition. Elsewhere, the A4 is now available with S Line interior packages that include items such as unique seats, pedals, wheels, sport suspension and trim details.

Under the hood, the A4 is powered by a 2.0-litre TSFI four-cylinder engine (248 hp / 273 lb.-ft.) paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and standard quattro all-wheel drive. The 2020 A4 is on sale now.

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe

The all-new second generation 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe comes in two variants: the 228i xDrive, which is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder (228 hp / 258 lb.-ft.) paired with an eight-speed automatic with standard all-wheel drive. The uplevel M235i xDrive receives a more powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 301 hp and 332 lb.-ft. of torque. It is also mated to an eight-speed automatic with all-wheel drive.

Common to both cars are LED headlights and tail lights, aluminum hood and trunk, and high-strength steel for other body panels. M Sport Suspension is available on both models (and standard on the M235i) which lowers the ride height by 10 millimetres for improved handling. Dynamic Damper Control can also be had on either model (again, standard on the M235i) and it allows the drive to toggle between two shock settings.

Inside, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has a performance esthetic that includes items such a sport steering wheel, leather-finished seating surfaces, 10.25-inch infotainment display, and illuminated trim with six ambient lighting options.

The new 2 Series Gran Coupe goes on sale across Canada this spring.

Cadillac CT5

The mid-size 2020 CT5 sedan is all-new and it replaces the outgoing CTS four-door. Like the CTS, the CT5 is built on the same architecture as the forthcoming CT4 sedan (which will replace the now-retired ATS sedan) and the current generation Chevrolet Camaro.

In terms of the design esthetic, the CT5 has a sleek, fastback profile with exterior lighting that is all-LED across the board. The CT5 is awash in luxury details on the inside, including leather seating surfaces and available 18-way power front seats that are heated, ventilated and offer lumbar massage. In terms of tech, the CT5 features a 10-inch dash-mounted infotainment touchscreen display, and can be outfitted with Super Cruise, Cadillacs driver assistance aid.

The CT5 is available in either AWD or RWD formats in three main trims: Luxury, Premium and Sport. Two engines are on offer, a 2.0-litre twin-scroll turbocharged four-cylinder (237 hp / 258 lb.-ft.) and a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V-6 (335 hp / 400 lb.-ft.) both of which are paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Output for the V-6 in the CT5-V is rated at 360 hp / 405 lb.-ft.

The CT5 is scheduled to begin arriving in dealers this month.

Lexus LC 500 Convertible

The 2021 LC 500 Convertible is the droptop version of the LC coupe, which went on sale in 2018.

Like its coupe sibling, the LC Convertible shares its rear-wheel drive platform and its drivetrain which consists of a 5.0-litre V-8 engine that produces 471 horsepower and 398 lb.-ft. of torque and is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The LC Convertibles soft-top roof has a folding mechanism that includes a tonneau cover for storage. This designs main benefit over a bulkier hard top is that it takes up less cabin and trunk space when the roof is down. The roof can be raised or lowered at speeds of up to 50 km/h and will take about 15 seconds to open and 16 seconds to close.

On the inside, the LC Convertible features the Lexus Climate Concierge with Upper Body Heating, which is designed to keep the upper body warm by adjusting the air conditioning, seat heaters, neck heaters and steering wheel heater automatically. The climate system will also send warm or cold air to the back of the drivers hands when they are on the steering wheel.

Elsewhere, the LC Convertible features include a 10.3-inch HD infotainment display with voice-activated navigation, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

The LC Convertible goes on sale this summer.

This content was funded but not approved by the advertiser.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : A Chinese national undergoing treatment at Naidu Hospital in Pune has praised the Indian healthcare system. The Chinese citizen was admitted to the hospital after he showed symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

It has, however, yet to be confirmed if the patient was suffering from the coronavirus, according to doctors.

In a letter written -- in English and Chinese -- to the doctors of Naidu Hospital, the patient talked about the facilities in the Pune hospital. The Union Health Ministry has shared the letter on Twitter.

"Although it is an isolation ward, I have never felt that I am living in an isolation ward," the Chinese citizen wrote.

"It happened very suddenly... I was admitted to a hospital here in India. I was quite scared in the initial stages. My fear was about the facilities and language problems found in hospitals in India," the letter read.

But "everything here was very well-organised", the patient wrote, praising the Indian doctors.

"I was very scared in the hospital but everyone's attitude towards people who came from China was very helpful and positive." At the end of the letter, the Chinese citizen has thanked all the doctors, nurses and other staff of the hospital.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A terror attack, no matter how dastardly or horrific, is nothing more than an event in which people are killed and terrorists try to make a statement.

The strategic significance of a terror attack, even one like 9/11, 26/11 or Pulwama, is not so much in terms of how many people it kills or how much damage it causes, but more in terms of the impact and consequences it leaves in its wake.

Intolerance to terror

One year after the Pulwama suicide bombing by a local Kashmiri terrorist working for the Pakistani jihadist terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed, it is clear that it was a watershed moment, not so much because over 40 CRPF personnel were killed, but because of the way India drew a line in the sand. Indian signalled a complete break with the decades-old pusillanimity that had guided its response to the unrelenting export of terrorism by Pakistan.

In a strategic sense, Pulwama has been something of a disaster for Pakistan and its irredentist 'Kashmir cause'. The momentary pleasure and gratification felt by Pakistan at the sight of bodies of Indian security personnel blown to smithereens was probably far outweighed by the sheer impotent rage and the helpless flailing like headless chickens that Pakistan has been reduced to owing to the chain of events that Pulwama set in motion.

It includes the so-called annexation of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Article 370 and carving the erstwhile state to form two new entities Union Territories. By breaching the threshold of Indian state and society's tolerance, Pulwama became the metaphor for the new dynamic that has come into play, not just in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir but also on India's policy towards Pakistan. After Pulwama, India's cup of patience has run over, and this fact was emphatically declared to Pakistan and rest of the world with the Balakot airstrike. Even before Pulwama, India's patience was being stretched to the limit of tolerance, only Pakistan didn't read the signs correctly. After Pulwama, Pakistan is no longer sure of how India will react, where it will hit back, what will be the scale of retaliation.

Status quo broken

The uncertainty and ambiguity that has been injected into the India-Pakistan escalation cycle is now keeping the Pakistanis on tenterhooks, constantly guessing India's response to any adventurism by them. Pakistan has always known the dangers of pushing things too far. They tried something like this in 1965 and then had to fight a desperate rear-guard action to save Lahore. Ever since jihadist terrorism was foisted on J&K, Pakistan has carefully calibrated the violence and followed the dictum of keeping the pot simmering, but to ensure it doesn't boil over. Occasionally someone lifts his eye off the pot, or tries to push the envelope to test India's response and resolve. This happened many times, including during the Mumbai serial blasts in 1993, the Mumbai train bombings in 2006, and the 26/11 attacks. On each of these occasions, India's response and resolve was found lacking. The first time this changed was in 2016 when the Narendra Modi government ordered 'surgical strikes' in retaliation to the Uri attack. But that was a shallow thrust. After Pulwama, the Balakot retaliation signalled a clear shift in paradigm of both policy and strategy. Sure, Pakistan was quick to come back a day after Balakot, but it did this hoping that India wouldn't climb the escalation spiral.

Gloves off

India didn't last time, it most likely will be less restrained next time. This spooks Pakistan because it will mean getting into a fight it can't afford and doesn't want. PM Narendra Modi's detractors always ascribe baser motives to his reaction to Pulwama. They insinuate that the Balakot attacks were carried out with an eye on the general elections.

The fact, however, is that something like Balakot would have happened even if there were no elections, because anyone who had even a modicum of insight into the thinking of the Modi government would know they were not going to turn the other cheek like their predecessors. Pakistan knows this and this ties it in a bind. Unless it wants to risk a wider conflict by carrying out another spectacular attack, all it can do is launch minor hit-and-run operations which really don't add up to anything, even less so because of the tight security grid that is in place in India. Therefore, in many ways, Pulwama is Pakistan's biggest blunder. It has lifted the restraints from India, called Pakistan's bluff, limited its terror play and put it on the edge of uncertainty. In short, the supreme sacrifice of the CRPF personnel hasn't gone in vain.

Also read:
Drivers can save big when they shop the President's Day Event at Classic CDJRF.

The Presidents Day Event at Classic Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM FIAT is going on right now and big savings are set for shoppers considering a new Jeep SUV. Incentives and promotions are available for select 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2020 Jeep Cherokee models to encourage customers to come out and save on a new SUV.

This holiday event is going on now until March 2 and offers are limited to select models and stock. Most available incentives are limited to new models that have been in the dealerships stock the longest as of Feb. 4, 2020.

When individuals shop for select 2020 Jeep Cherokee Latitude models during the dealerships Presidents Day Event, they can receive a $2,750 Combined Cash Allowance. Texas residents will receive an additional $750 Bonus Cash for their 2020 Cherokee Latitude plus another $750 Bonus Cash when they finance the new vehicle through Chrysler Capital.

Select 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee models are also taking part in the holiday event. Customers can receive a $1,500 Combined Cash Allowance on qualifying Grand Cherokee models and Texas residents will receive an additional $750 Bonus Cash when they finance with Chrysler Capital.

Customer credit is subject to approval prior to sales and signing and not all buyers will qualify for available deals or incentives.

Individuals looking for more information about the Presidents Day Event at Classic CDJRF can visit the dealership online, https://www.classiccdjrf.com/, or contact a member of the sales team by phone, 682-226-6400. Classic CDJRF is located at 1111 I-20 East Frontage Rd., Arlington, TX 76018 and is open Monday through Saturday. The dealership showroom has sales hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
More than 130 families on Dublin's northside were among those left with no childcare as supervisors from hundreds of community schemes went on strike.

Damien McCluskey, who runs Finglas Childcare, said it was disgraceful that he and his colleagues had to take to the streets yesterday in the latest instalment in a decade-long battle with the Government for a work pension.

Now 62, he has five years of his mortgage left and will rely on the State pension when he retires. He was among more than 1,000 community employment supervisors who brought services like Meals on Wheels, care of the elderly and Tidy Towns to a halt during the stoppage and a Dublin rally.

The supervisors work on State-funded schemes.

They want an occupational pension scheme set up after the Labour Court recommended it back in 2008.

At the time, their wages were paid by Fas but they are now funded by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

However, they are not classified as public servants so do not have access to the same retirement benefits.

The court said: "[It] recommends that an agreed pension scheme should be introduced for community employment scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors."

It added 12 years ago that the parties should engage "without delay" to bring this about.

Mr McCluskey said the recommendation had not been honoured by successive governments.

"We've been pushed from Billy to Jack," he said.

"I'm going to be left now with just the old-age pension. How are you to survive on that?

"I'm 31 years working in the sector. I'm going to walk away with nothing. It's absolutely disgraceful."

Pressure

Patricia Sahbani, from Cork, said she raised three children on her own, worked hard and feels she deserves a pension following her efforts.

Previously, the Government estimated that granting the pensions could cost more than 500m, and the pressure will grow on the next government to address the issue.

This includes the fact that the number of over-65s on the dole has trebled, while a long-promised auto-enrolment scheme has not been delivered.

John King of Siptu warned that a summer of discontent looms if the dispute is not resolved.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, who attended the rally, said she would aim in government to set up a scheme for the supervisors.

This would be done "as soon as it can be done".
A woman has been left badly shaken after being confronted by a masked man wielding a hatchet during an aggravated burglary in Castlewellan.

The incident happened at around 5.15am at a house in the Mill Hill area of the town when the female occupant was awakened by loud noises.

She went into her living room when she was met by the intruder and, after a brief verbal exchange, the man fled the house with the woman's purse.

PSNI detective sergeant James Johnston said: "Thankfully, the woman was not physically injured, however, she has been left badly shaken by what must been a terrifying experience for her. This despicable act occurred in the woman's home, a place where she rightly deserves to feel safe.

"Enquiries are under way to establish exactly what occurred, and why. One line of enquiry is that the suspect may have targeted the wrong address.

"I am appealing to anyone who was in the area between 5am and 5.15am and saw any vehicles being driven in a suspicious manner, or any person or persons acting suspiciously, to call detectives at Ardmore on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 370 of 15/02/20."

Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Why are Pangolins so sought after in China?

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Feb 15: Pangolins have grabbed news headlines in recent days after a research found out that the animal could be a possible host of novel coronavirus.

Scientists in China have preliminarily named the highly poached pangolin as the possible transmitter of coronavirus to humans, potentially linking the rare and enigmatic creature to coronavirus that has killed more than 1,500 people in China.

Now animal enthusiasts fear that anxiety over the new virus that originated in Wuhan, China, could further threaten the pangolin, whose eight species native to Asia and Africa range from vulnerable to critically endangered.

Highly trafficked

Pangolin, the most trafficked mammal in the world have been used extensively in traditional Chinese medicine, and their meat viewed as a luxury item by Chinese.

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They are poached for their scales, which are used in traditional medicine although science does not endorse this. Unscrupulous witch doctors known as "tantriks" are responsible for the large-scale slaughter of these creatures due to superstition.

Why Panglolins are in demand in China

Meanwhile, traditional Chinese medicine, which utilises wild and domesticated animal products, is a $60 billion global industry, and is growing with the support of the Chinese government.

Recently, Chinese pharmaceutical companies received permits to use the scales of roughly 73,000 pangolins. The scales, which are made of the same substance as fingernails, are believed to have medicinal properties, and are the primary reason that pangolins are critically endangered.
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Some pointed out that controversial statements by Union ministers and MPs also worked against the party.

New Delhi: BJPs Delhi unit on Friday held a series of meetings to review the partys debacle in the recent Assembly elections.

The meetings were attended by Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, national general secretaries Arun Singh and Anil Jain, and state unit general secretary (organisation) Siddharthan. The Union minister for state, Nityanand Rai, was also present in the meeting in the evening.

The attendees of these review meetings pointed out that the inactiveness of municipal councilors, local organisation, and failure of leadership to counter AAPs government freebies are key reasons apart from many others for their defeat.

A party insider said: Leaders in these review meet strongly complained about the inactiveness of BJP councillors and claimed that majority acted against party candidates. Some said that ground workers and office-bearers at block level were least interested in ensuring victory of BJP candidates.

Some leaders and workers also questioned about the membership drive held last year, in which the party claimed that nearly 18 lakh new members were enrolled in the party. Few pointed out that all the data of membership drive were fudged and that the in-charge of these membership drives must be questioned about missing members.

Some pointed out that controversial statements by Union ministers and MPs also worked against the party. Few felt that youths, especially college students, voted against the party to vent out their anger in the recent violence in campuses.

Some leaders told the state leadership that the presence of too many senior leaders, Union ministers, and MPs also did not benefit as all the resources and time of candidates were wasted in making arrangements for these leaders instead of campaigning. Some complained late announcement of names of candidates.

It was noted that not only were names of candidates announced late giving them a very short period of campaigning, their door-to-door visits were hampered by a large number of start campaigners holding large number of meetings during the limited days available for it, said a party leader.
By PTI

JALGAON: NCP president Sharad Pawar shared a stage with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray a day after criticising him for allowing the transfer of the Elgar Parishad case probe to the National Investigation Agency.

Pawar and Thackeray came together on Saturday for a function in Jalgaon to give out agricultural awards named after Appasaheb Pawar, the NCP chief's elder brother.

On Friday, Pawar had told reporters in Kolhapur that it was not right on part of the Centre to hand over the Elgar Parishad case probe to the NIA from Pune police.

In a swipe at the state government, of which the NCP is a part, Pawar had said, "It was not right for the Centre to hand over the investigation into the case to the NIA. But it was even more wrong for the state government to support the transfer of the case."

At Saturday's function, however, all appeared well between the two politicians with Pawar asking that the Maharashtra CM be felicitated first while Thackeray asked that the former Union agriculture minister be honoured before him.

ALSO READ | Elgar Parishad case: Bombay HC rejects pre-arrest bail pleas of Gautam Navlakha & Anand Teltumbde

The organisers honoured Pawar and Thackeray jointly.

Speaking on the occasion, Thackeray said the farmer is the binding force of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

"Farmers have brought us together. Our not sitting together does not mean there is any problem in the Maha Vikas Aghadi," Thackeray assured the gathering.

"Farmers need not worry now. This is their government. I am aware that farmers want water, electricity and good price for their produce. Loan waiver is the first aid to take them out of their problems permanently," the CM added.

Addressing the function, Pawar said, "Today in the world, India has a standing in the field of agriculture. We have attained sufficiency in agriculture despite constraints like burgeoning population. For this, we must give credit to our farmers and scientists."

He said farmers need to look for new technologies, adopt and apply them in the field, adding that "water remains an important issue and the state and Centre need to work together".

The agriculture award, set up Jain Irrigation, was given to Dattatraya Chavan, a farmer from Nandapur in Jalna district.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 10:17:23|Editor: huaxia

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WUHAN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 217 medical teams with 25,633 medical workers had been sent to central China's Hubei Province to help combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as of Friday, a senior official with the National Health Commission said Saturday.

"The total number of medical workers has far exceeded that for rescue in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, and we did it at a much faster speed," in treatment, deputy head of the commission, said at a video press conference held in Wuhan, capital city of Hubei Province.

Wang, also member of the standing committee of the Hubei provincial Party committee, noted that the figure excluded medical staff sent by the military.

Three mobile P3 laboratories were also dispatched to the epicenter for epidemic control, Wang said.

Of the medical workers, 20,374 are now working in Wuhan, he added.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Despite support from elected officials, Staten Islands LGBTQ community is still fighting to openly march in the boroughs St. Patricks Parade for another year.

Parade Director Larry Cummings declined to comment Friday, but Carol Bullock, executive director of the Pride Center of Staten Island, said she hopes her organization will one day be given the chance to march in the parade under its own banner.

We just want to march to celebrate our Irish heritage, she said. To me, its not a Catholic parade. Its a celebration of Irish heritage.

Bullock said she has invited Cummings to visit the Pride Center to show him the work the work they do, but that he has declined.

Elected officials across New York have come out in support of allowing the Pride Center to march under its own banner.

On Friday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), State Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn), Republican Borough President James Oddo and Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore) took to social media to voice their support for the Pride Center being allowed to openly march in the parade.

Sending my love this Valentines Day to the @pridecenterSI and calling for their inclusion in this years Staten Island St. Patricks Day Parade. Our diversity makes us stronger and I urge the parade to welcome our LGBTQ community with open arms. #StatenIrelandPride  Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (@gillibrandny) February 14, 2020

Im hopeful that we can honor and celebrate all of Staten Island's rich Irish community. That means a St. Patrick's Day Parade that includes @pridecenterSI. I'm proud to stand for inclusion #StatenIrelandPride pic.twitter.com/RFL5eTieSp  Max Rose (@MaxRose4NY) February 14, 2020

We have another chance this year to have that genuinely unifying moment by welcoming the @pridecenterSI into Staten Island's St. Patrick's Day Parade. With all the division sowed around us these days, this would be so powerful. #StatenIrelandPride  Jimmy Oddo (@HeyNowJO) February 14, 2020

Staten Islanders are open and welcoming people and as always I stand with the Pride Center and urge the St. Patrick's Day Parade to become inclusive of everyone. @MoveForward_SI please get us some signs, Im proud to support @pridecenterSI  https://t.co/ybA6uJ0a8e  Senator Diane Savino (@dianesavino) February 14, 2020

I stand with @pridecenterSI this and every year.   



There is no justification for discrimination. No one should have to hide who they are  not among their families, nor their workplaces nor on Forest Avenue.



Lets have an inclusive celebration. #StatenIrelandPride https://t.co/cr17n2ziIK  Debi Rose (@CMDebiRose) February 15, 2020

It just shows that it doesnt matter your political party. Them denying us would just be discrimination, Bullock said. Im very, very thankful for their support.

Controversy over the Staten Island parade organizers refusal to allow LGBTQ people to march openly has been ongoing since at least 2014, when LGBTQ groups were welcomed into the Manhattan St. Patricks Day Parade.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Ireland since 2015, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is openly gay, and the North of Ireland had its first same-sex marriage on Tuesday.

On Sunday, about 150 people visited Flagship Brewery in Tompkinsville for an event dubbed Hops in the Name of Love supporting the islands LGBTQ community. Move Forward Staten Island, the group that organized the event, has long campaigned for the Pride Centers inclusion in the parade.

A Rainbow Run supporting LGBTQ peoples has taken place an hour before the parade along the same route for the past few years.

Last year on Staten Island, the majority of local elected officials, including District Attorney Michael McMahon, voiced their support for welcoming the Pride Center into the parade.

The district attorney tweeted on the issue Saturday.
Impressive start

QCG was originally established in 1994 as the Quoc Cuong Private Enterprise, with more than 500 employees. The main businesses of the enterprise were to exploit and process wood for exports, trade and export agricultural and forestry products and coffee, and import and export fertilizer.

In 2005, the enterprise cooperated with the Hoang Anh Private Enterprise to establish the Hoang Anh Housing Development and Construction Co., Ltd. From this joint venture, QCG jumped into the real estate business in Ho Chi Minh City with two high-end apartment projects, Hoang Anh 1 and Hoang Anh 2, and turned this field into a key business segment.

In 2007, QCG converted into a Joint Stock Company with charter capital of VND 259 bn. Soon after becoming a Joint Stock Company, QCG received capital from financial institutions such as SSI Securities Corporation. With this newly added capital, QCG poured more money into several real estate businesses, such as the Quoc Cuong Housing Development Investment Co., Ltd; Hung Thinh Housing Co., Ltd; Hiep Phu Real Estate JSC; Green Saigon Real Estate Development Investment JSC; and Giai Viet JSC. Besides these projects, QCG also invested in the Phuoc Kien project phase 1 covering 19 ha, street villas in district 8, and some high-end apartments in Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2010, QCG officially listed on HOSE at a closing price of VND 45,500 per share. At this time, QCG was the most expected real estate stock code on the stock market. After an impressive launch, QCG began to face difficult sessions due to negative impact of its business results. On the trading session on 26 June 2012, for the first time, QCG stocks dropped below face value to VND 10,000 per share. However, this was only the beginning of a long slide and rumours related to QCG continued in the following years.

Unsubstantiated Information

In early 2017, from about VND 3,000 per share, QCG suddenly saw a vertical increase after information spread that the company had sold the Phuoc Kien project to Sunny Land for USD 50 mn. In the session on 29 June 2017, QCG reached a peak of VND 31,000 per share. When QCG reached VND 30,000 per share, securities companies recommended investors to buy, because the Phuoc Kien deal did not only help in bringing in a large amount of profit, but also helped improve the financial potential of QCG. After recording an approximate ten-time increase, investors raced to collect shares and waited for official information from Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhu Loan, Chairwoman, at the 2017 annual shareholders meeting.

The Phuoc Kien project was being implemented by QCG since 2010, which included villas, townhouses, and high-rise apartments, over a total planned area of about 91 ha in Nha Be district in Ho Chi Minh City. By the end of the first quarter of 2017, the unfinished construction cost of this project had exceeded VND 4,300 bn.

Contrary to previous rumours, the official information announced by Ms. Loan at the meeting was that the Phuoc Kien project was still under negotiation. The reason being that the partner was offering an excessive amount as compensation hence the contract had not been signed. Almost immediately, QCG stocks fell sharply to VND 27,000 per share. In the session on 30 June, when the information that QCG had not sold Phuoc Kien project was announced to all shareholders, QCG fell into a state of no buyers.

An uncertain future

It is worth mentioning that the information transparency issues continue to be an obsession for investors holding onto QCG shares. In 2018, this enterprise was reminded by HOSE of violations in the market. The reason was that QCG violated the obligation to disclose information as required in the case of violations in the market. These were reminders related to non-disclosure of information about capital contribution and divestment transactions that took place from 2013-2017 of value upto VND 3,200 bn. In 2019, QCG was again fined VND 70 mn by the SSC inspector for failing to disclose information on time and in full accordance of the law on a series of published documents.

After the above violations, QCG ceased to be a favorite real estate stock of investors. Currently QCG is trading at a very low price of VND 3,500 per share, with very weak demand. In early 2020, the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee requested the Tan Thuan Company to cancel the contract for transferring the land area of 31 ha to QCG. The reason was that the signing of the contract between the Tan Thuan Company and QCG was not in accordance with the Regulations on management. All the properties including houses and land which were used by the Tan Thuan one member limited company were attached by the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

Translated by Francis



Kim Giang
Rhone vineyard Cellier des Dauphins joins Provencal rose market

Rhone wine producer Cellier des Dauphins has unveiled a new pink expression.

Officially launched at Wine Paris, Val Soleu follows dedicated research by the winemaker into the rose sector, in particular the growing popularity of premium Provencal style roses.

Targeted at the millennial market, it is a special release rose from Drome Provencale in the north of the Cote d'Azur region made with a blend of cinsault and grenache.

Cellier des Dauphins is launching the expression in a new bottle, with a lavender colour scheme to represent the lavender fields and olive groves which surround its vineyards.

The company is already a leading producer of Rhone rose, holding a 25 per cent market share, and is seeing 10 per cent year-on-year growth in its rose sales.

The launch of Val Soleu is part of a new brand strategy led by CEO Laurent Reinteau, who joined Cellier des Dauphins in 2017, which has already seen the launch of a new range of premium wines with revamped labels and a new bottle shape.

15 February 2020 - Bethany Whymark
South Sudans president said on Saturday he would return to a system of 10 states, a key opposition demand, paving the way for a unity government and an end to the countrys civil war.

The compromise we have just made is in the interest of peace...I expect the opposition to reciprocate, Salva Kiir said, after a meeting of top government and military officials in the capital Juba.

Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar are under increasing pressure to resolve their differences by February 22 and form a unity government as part of a peace agreement.

The pair have already missed two previous deadlines to enshrine peace to end a six-year conflict that has left at least 380,000 people dead and millions in dire poverty.

The number of states is contentious because the borders will determine the divisions of power in the country.

When it gained independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan had 10 states, as set out in its constitution. Kiir increased that in 2015 to 28, and then later 32.

But on Saturday, a presidential statement confirmed that Kiir had resolved to return the country to 10 states and their previous counties.

Kiirs had repeatedly refused to back down on the number of states but had come under intense international pressure to compromise.

Kiir and Machar are old rivals who have fought and made up multiple times.

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Mayor London Breed exhibited a serious lapse of judgment  and possibly violated city ethics laws  in accepting several thousand dollars worth of car-related expenses from former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru.

The mayor attempted to rationalize the arrangement by revealing in an online post that they were longtime friends, and had even dated briefly two decades ago, and the gift was in the context of that friendship.

However, their personal relationship is irrelevant to the issue at hand. The salient point is that Nuru was in charge of a large and highly visible city operation with 1,200 employees. Breed is the mayor. It is simply improper for a mayor to accept something of value from a department head whose $273,000-a-year position is contingent, in part, on her approval of his performance.

The numbers involved are not large. Breed said Nuru arranged and then fronted the cost of repairs to her 18-year-old vehicle and a rental car while the work was being done: a total she estimated at $5,600. She said she intended to pay him back once she sold the apparent clunker. (Breed is paid more than $300,000 a year.)

Still, Breed should not be taking gifts of value from any city employee, regardless of friendship.

She declined to go into detail about why she would allow thousands of dollars to go into car repairs for an aging vehicle  especially when, as mayor, the city provides her with a driver. Im not trying to make excuses for something I didnt handle well, she said.

Asked Friday why she chose to disclose the gift, Breed told us, I did what I thought was the right thing to do by putting it out there, and it wasnt easy because this is very personal. ... You know Im in the world of politics. And so, unfortunately, these things have to be handled differently than if I wasnt in politics.

Breed was asked point blank if she had received anything else of value from Nuru: No, she replied.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the reaction of the mayors critics on the Board of Supervisors has raced ahead of the facts at hand. Supervisor Hillary Ronen immediately called for Breeds resignation, suggesting that it would be wrong to call out Trump for his corruption while accepting it in San Francisco.

Its rather absurd to compare a $5,600 car repair with the scale and seriousness of the presidents abuses of power that included the withholding of military aid to pressure an ally under duress to investigate a political rival. But this is San Francisco, where perspective is often lost in the fray.

Breed said she would not resign  and noted that Ronen voted for Mark Farrell over her for interim mayor in January 2018 even though he had been accused of campaign finance violations in his 2016 race for supervisor. He ended up settling for a $25,000 fine.

Talk about the hypocrisy that continues with her, Breed said of Ronen. Its just insane.

In her blog post, Breed acknowledged that she may be weighed down from guilt by association as a result of this episode. Nuru recently resigned his post after being arrested on federal fraud charges. That corruption scandal has rocked City Hall and led to calls  including from Breed  for wider investigations of City Hall practices.

Do you think Im not angry at him? Breed said. I am livid. But Im also hurt because Mohammed has been my friend for so many years. I know his family, his girls have been a part of my life. The fact is, there are a lot of different emotions that are happening. Right now, as mayor, Im furious.

Now, as a result of her own actions, she is under intensified scrutiny.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
The Seoul Global Challenge (hereinafter called "SGC") 2019-2020, hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by Seoul Business Agency (SBA) aimed at finding innovative solutions to urban problems by inviting global innovators, culminated with the awards ceremony on the 6th, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200214005140/en/

The Seoul Global Challenge 2019-2020, hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by SBA to find innovative solutions to urban problems by inviting global innovators, culminated with the awards ceremony. The Challenge brought 106 companies from all of the world that introduced products for competition in three categories -- tunnel, platform, and train. 3 teams were selected as winners with the most effective solution. First-place winner Corning took part in the platform category by introducing a solution using its ceramic honeycomb filters. Allswell won in the platform category. It introduced a solution where its airflow control technology improved air quality by optimizing the existing ventilation system and effectively removing fine dust particles in the platform. Han-lyun System won in the train category by showcasing a solution where air purifiers for trains combined with air curtains for train doors removed fine particles and let the purified air stay in train. (Photo: Business Wire)

The subject of the 1st SGC was "Proposals on reducing fine dust levels in the Seoul Subway." The Challenge brought together 106 companies from all parts of the world, including the United States, France, and Japan as well as Korea, who introduced their products for competition in three categories -- tunnel, platform, and train.

The solutions selected as finalists were installed in the Seoul Subway to test their effectiveness in reducing fine dust levels.

As a result, three teams were selected as winners with the most effective solution. KRW 500 million in prize money was awarded to the first-place winner and KRW 50 million each for two category winners.

First-place winner Corning took part in the Challenge's platform category by introducing its solution using its own ceramic honeycomb filters.

In the platform category, Allswell was named as the winner; it introduced its solution where its airflow control technology improved air quality by optimizing the existing ventilation system and effectively removing fine dust particles in the platform area.

Han-lyun System won in the train category by showcasing its solution where air purifiers for trains combined with air curtains for train doors removed fine particles and let the purified air stay in train cars.

This year, the SGC 2020-2021 will take place, where innovators with novel ideas for fine dust reduction for the Seoul Subway will be selected and given support for the development of trial products. You can apply for the upcoming Challenge on the official website of SGC (www.seoul-tech.com/seoulglobalchallenge/eng) in April.

Innovation Growth Division Managing Director Kim Seong-min of the SBA, which organized the Challenge, said, "The Challenge will be a step toward a better environment for Seoul citizens with lower fine dust levels in the Seoul Subway system and we at the SBA will continue to take the lead in solving urban problems facing Seoul by organizing the SGC under a variety of subjects."

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200214005140/en/

Contacts:

Seoul Global Challenge Team

Jiyoung Yun

+82-2-2222-3726

sbatech@sba.seoul.kr

seoulglobalchallenge@gmail.com
A Catholic order knew in 1976 that one of its Melbourne clerics had sexually abused vulnerable children in his care, yet sent the Christian Brother to run schools in regional Victoria and Africa for decades afterwards.

Rex Francis Elmer, a retired Christian Brother, pleaded guilty in the County Court this week to the indecent assault of two boys while he was a dormitory master at the former St Vincents Boys Home in South Melbourne. It was not his first conviction.

Rex Francis Elmer (centre), also known as Brother Ignatius, leaving court after a 2018 hearing. Credit:Daniel Pockett/AAP

Prosecutors did not proceed with further charges against Elmer, related to a third victim, after Elmer entered his guilty plea on Monday. His bail was extended until his next court appearance in July.

Court documents show the 75-year-old had been charged in 2018 with 19 counts of indecent assault and one of false imprisonment in relation to three victims in 1975.
Hubballi/UNI: Tension prevailed here in the KLE Institute of Technology on Saturday, when members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) assaulted three Kashmiri students for raising pro-Pakistan slogans on the first anniversary of the Pulwama attack.

The students, who had covered their faces with masks in the alleged video, were immediately taken away by the police for questioning. After questioning, all the three students were booked under sedition law and attempt to disrupt communal harmony. Taking cognizance of the incident, the college authorities have also dismissed the trio for their activities.

The ABVP activists alleged that the accused, who hailed from Kashmir, were studying in Civil Engineering Course. They had made a video in which they shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad' (long live Pakistan) slogan, and forwarded it to their friends and the college mates.

The video had gone viral on the social media too. The accused students, reportedly, shot the video in the College's Hostel room where they were staying.

Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner R Dileep visited the Gokul Road police station and questioned the detained Kashmiri students.

Condemning the pro-Pakistan stance of the students, the members of ABVP staged a protest in the college premises demanding stringent action against them.

Karnataka Minister for Large & Medium Industries Jagadish Shettar stated that the government will not tolerate such anti-national activities. "Such incidents were not good for the progress of the country and that Hubballi-Dharwad was a peace loving twin-city and incidents like these weaken the social fabric," he said.

The police have already visited the college and are further probing the incident.
PLATTSBURGH  Two years after cryptocurrency miners were pouring into this college town near the Canadian border, the boom in this exotic new high-tech industry hasnt quite turned to bust. But it has calmed down, and a sense of reality has settled in.

One of the main players in the business left town amid a price dispute. But Plattsburgh residents have filled some of the gap, buying their own "mining" computers to seek out this new form of currency and help with their home heating bills.

Yes, you read that right: There are dozens if not hundreds of small miners who use the excess heat to replace electric baseboard heaters and generate some revenue at the same time, Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read said in an email.

Because the powerful, purpose-built mining computers use lots of electricity and throw off heat, people have actually purchased them to perform double duty as radiators.

This appetite for electricity also explains why Plattsburgh and other North Country communities are so attractive to miners of Bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency. These towns have long-standing agreements with the New York Power Authority to get cheap hydroelectric power from the dams along the St. Lawrence River. Electricity is so cheap in Plattsburgh that homeowners use it for heating, which in most parts of the state would be prohibitive.

Big players in the world of cryptocurrency mining are always seeking the lowest-cost power. Some of them actually put their banks of computers in shipping containers, making them easy to move. The North County's low energy prices were the reason that one of the first and biggest of these mining companies, Coinmint, came to Plattsburgh  and the cause of its decision to largely pull out amid a fight over electricity prices and a $1 million deposit the city wanted.

Late last year, Coinmint packed up most of its computers in container trailers and moved its operations 80 miles west to Massena, another North Country city with cheap, plentiful electricity and  another plus  empty buildings.

Cryptocurrency mining exploded through the growth of blockchain technology, in which participants make entries like deposits and withdrawals in an open online "ledger." The transactions are recorded in blocks linked together through cryptography, or complex math equations that act as a kind of key.

Because of their distributed, open nature, blockchains have been described as a Wikipedia-like system in which members of the public can make entries.

Futurists see the system as a way to eventually record things like real estate sales, business contracts and other transactions in an efficient, paperless and transparent manner.

But blockchains are best known for the cryptocurrencies that live there. About a decade ago, a Japanese programmer known as Satoshi Nakamoto  possibly an alias  created the first and still best-known cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.

Because it can be exchanged on a blockchain, where the deposits and withdrawals are open for all to see and access, its viewed as a millennial kind of currency, free from governmental constraints or manipulation that would drive its value up or down.

The coins or tokens can be exchanged for cash, or in some instances used to buy goods and services.

There have since been several brands or variants of cryptocurrency  fancifully branded as Ethereum or Ripple  but Bitcoin remains the best known, the product that is to this new monetary system what Kleenex is to facial tissue.

Bitcoin miners use special computers to run exotic and lengthy math calculations to unravel the cryptology that link the blocks together. When they do so, they are rewarded with their own tokens or shares of Bitcoins.

Bitcoin made national headlines in late 2017 when the price of a coin jumped from about $900 to almost $20,000.

That created a frenzy, with newly formed companies scrambling to find places with low-cost power to host their computers.

People started calling from all over the world, recalled Jonathan Cote of Hydro-Quebec, the provincially owned utility that provides cheap electricity throughout Quebec, just across the border from Plattsburgh.

Little job impact

The mining posed some problems for the host communities.

For one thing, the industry was never seen as a major job creator, since the actual math wizards who program the computers can live anywhere. A Bitcoin mine needs only a small number of staffers to oversee and monitor the machines.

Coinmint, for example, is based in Puerto Rico. There are Bitcoin miners based in New York, California, Russia and China, where most of the computers are made.

Due to the lack of local jobs, the New York Power Authority two years ago rejected requests to sell directly to miners since they didnt meet their requirements for job creation.

There were also worries that some miners would consume so much electricity that utilities might have to seek other, costlier forms of power if their hydro allocations were used up.

Thats exactly what we wanted to avoid, said Cote, who noted that Hydro-Quebec ended up limiting the number of miners they would sell to.

That's also what happened in Plattsburgh in 2018, when miners used up so much cheap hydropower that residents saw their electric heating bills rise as the citys utility had to buy extra power on the open spot market.

When some residents saw their costs jump, they complained to the city.

Plattsburgh responded with a moratorium on new miners, and the state Public Service Commission the same year allowed cities like Plattsburgh to charge a higher rate for Bitcoin miners if they go above a set threshold of power usage.

Worries about the impact on local ratepayers led to other changes, including a boost in the security deposit that Coinmint was charged.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

For a while, it looked as if the industry had gone bust  but homeowners were still mining, and Coinmint remained in town until late 2019, when they moved out much of their equipment.

Coinmint officials couldnt be reached for comment. But a filing with PSC sheds light on the company's feud with Plattsburgh, which is ongoing. It notes that Coinmints local subsidiary had as of November already paid more than $4 million for electricity. It also put up a $250,000 security deposit.

And a news release in late 2019 noted that the excess charge was running 5.4 cents per or kilowatt hour (KWh), which is larger than the going rate of 2.1 cents per KWh.

For comparison, most rates in New York state can exceed 10 cents per KWh.

Across the border, Quebec's cryptomining industry gets 160 megawatts (MW), compared to 80 MW for the province's data centers  networked computer servers that store, process and distribute large amounts of information. Due to their large hunger for cheap power, data centers have been setting up shop in Quebec for 15 years, while miners have been there about two years.

Move to Massena

Despite their fight with Plattsburgh, Coinmint was welcomed in Massena. Due in part to the decades-long downsizing of the region's aluminum plants and other industries, Massena has plenty of cheap excess hydropower.

Town Supervisor Steve OShaughnessy said the company's arrival helped ensure that one of Alcoas unused aluminum smelters wouldnt be torn down, which would have decimated the property tax base of the city and local school district.

We worried they would demolish the building and lower the (taxable) value, OShaughnessy said. The building generates more than $400,000 a year for the local schools, according to published reports.

Massena has seen what tax losses can do. When a former General Motors plant was removed a decade ago, the town's school tax payments plunged from more than $224,000 to $18,000, according to earlier reports.

Cryptocurrency mining has also created some opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

A recent high school graduate from Plattsburgh has grown a business, Zafra LLC, in which he supplies the racks and other mining infrastructure needed to run the computers. He has already expanding to Illinois, converting a closed steel mill into a mining center.

Weve grown a lot, founder Ryan Prienza said from Hennepin, Ill., about 50 miles north of Peoria, where he was setting up shop.

Cryptocurrency prices arent what they were in 2017, but they havent stayed depressed. As of Friday, Bitcoin was trading for $10,297 per coin, according to Coindesk, an online publication that follows the industry. Thats half of its 2017 high, but far above its lowest point.

And Bitcoin will likely be in the news this May, when the cryptocurrency will be halved. Bitcoins underlying code calls for its supply to be cut in half every four years  which means that computers will have to work twice as hard to earn the new coins.

At its outset, Bitcoin is programmed to only have 21 million coins; more than 18 million have already been mined. But as it is halved, it will take twice the computational power to mine a coin, explained David Crouse, an electrical engineering professor at Clarkson University who follows blockchain technology.

Youll see a new resurgence of interest, Crouse said of the halving.

And that will ensure the continued need for ever-faster computers, and the power to run them.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
The debate over gun rights grew more heated on Tuesday when Democratic-backed House Bill 961 squeaked through the House of Delegates by a 51-48 vote. The bill will prohibit the sale, transporting, transferring or manufacturing of certain semi-automatic firearms after July 1. Current owners will be allowed to keep their assault-style weapons, but future violators would be subject to a felony.

The bill also bans large-capacity magazines, defining large capacity as any firearm magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device capable of holding more than 12 rounds of ammunition. The bill would require anyone in possession of such a magazine to render it inoperable, remove it from the state or surrender it to law enforcement. Virginians would have a year to comply. Violators could face up to a year in prison.

Conservative lawmakers and gun rights advocates arent happy with the bill. Del. Dave LaRock, R-Loudoun, tweeted: And just like that, Virginia House Democrats vote to make millions of Virginians surrender their property or become criminals. If the Senate goes along with this nonsense, the Governor will sign it, and then AG Herring will spend YOUR $$$ to defend this unconstitutional overreach.
Paris, France (PANA) - Heads of European diplomacy will meet on Monday in Brussels, as the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU) to deal with several issues including the relationship with the African Union (AU) and the situation in Libya, PANA learned from an official source in Paris on Saturday
Semi Radradra scored two tries and collected a yellow card as Bordeaux-Begles shoved Lyon off the summit of the French Top 14 with a 37-19 home victory on Saturday. "There's something going on in Bordeaux," said home coach Christophe Urios. Former Fiji international Nemani Nadolo out-did Radradra with a hat-trick of tries as Montpellier eked out a 31-29 home victory over Bayonne. In Pau, Alivereti Raka, a Fijian-born France winger, scored with three minutes left to give visiting Clermont a 23-21. French winger Daniel Ikepfan scored two as Toulon won 34-17 at home against Brive to move up to third ahead of Sunday's games. In Bordeaux, the hosts, who have been swapping places with Lyon all season, started the day two points behind. They picked up a bonus point by scoring four tries to one despite falling behind early on. "Even if we didn't have total control, we didn't panic, we stayed disciplined, we held on," Urios said. "On the whole, Lyon played a better game than us." Despite losing first place, Lyon remain comfortably ahead of the pursuing pack. "It was a big test failed," said Jonathan Wisniewski, the Lyon fly-half. Hooker Mickael Ivaldi gave the visitors the lead after 17 minutes, touching down as the pack shoved over following a lineout. After that Bordeaux-Begles dominated. The home side replied in the 34th minute. Following a ruck five metres from the Lyon line, the home team moved the ball quickly to the charging Semi Radradra who crashed between two defenders and plunged over. The Fiji centre had only just returned from a 10-minute break in the sin bin for a high tackle on Lyon fullback Toby Arnold. Radradra scored again two minutes into the second half. Bordeaux counter-attacked after a short Lyon kick and ragged chase. Radradra burst on to a pass from Remi Lamerat and into a huge gap in midfield and ran 40 metres to touch down. Charlie Ngatai and Wisniewski kept Lyon close with two penalties apiece. The visitors trailed by just one point with nine minutes to play but were then sliced open twice. - 'Cool head' - In the 71st minute, Santiago Cordero broke from the base of a ruck, weaved past a couple of defenders, drew several more and then flipped the ball inside to Seta Tamanivalu who ran untouched to the line. The Argentina winger then sealed the victory as, once more, a short pass wrong-footed the visiting defence and the centre had an untroubled 20-metre canter to the line. "We showed that it's not a mistake that we are high up the table," said Maxime Lucu of Bordeaux-Begles. "We went looking for the bonus point," added Lucu, who came off the bench for last 15 minutes and kicked 10 points. "We kept the ball in hand. We played with a cool head." "We showed a good face today, but we have to keep it up for another 11 or 12 matches." Wisniewski was less happy. "We gave away too many presents. It was Christmas," he said, adding Lyon had to do better in every area in the race for playoff seedings. "It was a big test failed."
Girls creator Lena Dunham fulfilled a childhood dream when she made her catwalk debut at London Fashion Week.

On Friday 14 February, Dunham starred in the runway show for London-based luxury womenswear label 16Arlington.

The actor showcased an A-line dress with a gold floral skirt and black asymmetrical top as she walked down the red carpeted runway, her hair styled in a wet look.

Dunham first made the acquaintance of 16Arlington co-founders Marco Capaldo and Federica Kikka Cavenati in 2019, when she wore an orange sequinned dress by the label for the UK premiere of Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in July.

Cavenati said she felt so excited to work with Dunham, having grown up watching Girls.

Lena Dunham walks in the 16Arlington show at London Fashion Week (EPA/WILL OLIVER)

Lena takes fashion seriously, but has so much fun at the same time, and thats what we do, the designer said, according to Harpers Bazaar.

Recommended Everything you need to know about the first day of London Fashion Week

We take what we do seriously, but we also have fun with it. We just got on really well.

Capaldo added that Dunham dresses for herself, one of the reasons why the design duo wanted to work with her.

Weve been lucky to work with such powerful women from the beginning  women who are changing the world for a better place and Lena is a prime example of that, Capaldo stated.

She embodies this spirit of power and intelligence. Everything we stand for as a brand, she ticks every box for us.

Lena Dunham wears a 16Arlington creation to the UK premiere of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on 30 July 2019 (Getty Images)

Capaldo recalled that when he and Cavenati asked Dunham if she would like to participate in the autumn/winter London Fashion Week runway show for 16Arlington, she said yes immediately.

She said it was a dream of hers as a child to walk in a catwalk show and that to walk for us would be a dream come true, the designer said.

We said, No Lena youre making our dreams come true.

Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Show all 95 1 /95 Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Paris This Paris Fashion Week guest stood out on the streets of the French city with a 70s-inspired look consisting of a floral print dress, contrasting blue tights and a shearling trimmed jacket. The street styler complimented the look by wearing her hair in messy plaits. Rex Features Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Paris This fashion week guest made a bold statement in a purple printed floor-length gown and leather jacket, carrying a small silver handbag. Rex Features Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Paris This fashion week guest kept things casual in a denim boiler suit that featured visible, decorative sticking and a tie waist. She accessorised with a black-and-white bandana and a denim Dior bag. Rex Features Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Paris This street styler brightened up the pavement by layering a bright red trouser suit with a green T-shirt and gingham trench coat. She accessorised with patent green kitten heels and a teeny-tiny white handbag. Rex Features Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Paris This attendee opted for a tonal look with a classic beige trench coat and trouser co-ord. She accessorised with chunky black shoes and a matching handbag. Rex Features Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Paris Clashing textures were the key to this look, which comprises a tulle midi skirt, a poloneck top and a jacket with tasseled sleeves. Rex Features Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Paris This fashion week attendee wore a beige tailored suit that she accessorised with long gloves, a headscarf and a gold necklace. Rex Features Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Paris This street styler was dressed entirely in the same shade of candyfloss pink, wearing a tailored suit and a pair of matching stilettos. Rex Features Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This Fashion Week guest went all-out Eighties with her look, pairing a pair of high-waisted, beige trousers with leopard print strappy heels, a colourful crop top, bold specs and a hybrid denim-frilled jacket. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Matching her red lipstick to her oversized coat, mini handbag and heels, this attendee completed her casual look with a white shirt and cropped jeans. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Model Bella Hadid was playing no games when she exited her car onto the streets of Milan, carrying a Lulu Guinness Bingo Bag. Getty Images Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Gliding down the streets of Italy as though they were a runway, this fashion aficionado combined a colourful gown with a warming shawl, a pair of sunglasses and pearl-encrusted headbands. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This guest was clearly feeling the love, donning a black embellished top with a cut-out heart design at the back. Photo by Grosescu Alberto Mihai/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Fashion influencer Leonie Hanne embraced the upcoming Spring period, wearing a floral dress and an electric pink jacket. Photo by RemotePhotoPress/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan InStyle magazine creative director Mark Lakatos proved that there is no such thing as too many accessories, donning striking eyewear, dazzling rings and a multi-coloured brooch to go with his Gucci jacket. Photo by RemotePhotoPress/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This attendee stood out in a long white coat and clashing prints. Photo by REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Brightening up the sidewalk, this guest wore a shimmering yellow floral skirt and striped top, adding further elegance to her look with a pair of large heart-shaped earrings. Photo by FashionPPS/ZUMA Wire/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Fashion model Halima Aden appeared to float as she attended the sartorial event in an ethereal gown. Photo by Photoeventshd/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This attendee made a bold statement in a multi-coloured printed fleece and trouser co-ord, carrying a light brown handbag. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan There is no such thing as too many prints, this fashion guest appeared to say with her chosen outfit. Photo by Photoeventshd/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This attendee seemed to take inspiration from Prince's signature style when making a turn at Milan Fashion Week. Photo by Photoeventshd/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour stepped out in a checkered coat, wearing a floral dress underneath, snakeskin-printed boots and her signature black shades. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Brightening up the pavement, this guest opted for a garish outfit featuring several different shades of green. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This Fashion Week attendee donned a Richard Quinn-esque outfit, wearing a snakeskin top that covered their face, a flared scarlet skirt and red boots. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Milan-based Candela Pelizza, who boasts more than half a million followers on Instagram, looked effortlessly chic in a green and blue dress and white boots, carrying a white bobble handbag. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This guest appeared to take inspiration from both the past and the future with her look, donning a leather-look brown ensemble that featured 1980s angular shoulders and a pair of cutting edge orange sunglasses. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This Fashion Week attendee wore a rich blend of pinks and purples, accessorising with a simple gold pendant and pink-tinted sunglasses. Photo by Photoeventshd/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This guest opted for a curious combination of garments, wearing a baby pink coat, feathered strappy heels, a silver headband and carrying a black handbag. Photo by Photoeventshd/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This outfit had a certain Star Wars vibe about it, combining a tangerine orange hooded jacket and trousers with a pair of brown khaki heels. Photo by Pacific Press/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan YouTuber Karina Nigay, who has 1.8m followers on Instagram, strutted down the streets of Milan in an electric blue gown designed by Moscow-based boutique Aline. Photo by Grosescu Alberto Mihai/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This duo complemented one another from head to toe, from their neon-framed sunglasses to their printed ensembles and their matching poses. Photo by Grosescu Alberto Mihai/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Ami Suzuki and Aya Suzuki, the twin sisters who make up Japanese music duo Amiaya, made for a bold pair in Milan, wearing matching outfits of lemon yellow dresses, pink and grey striped coats, red sunglasses and grey heeled boots. Photo by Grosescu Alberto Mihai/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This Milan Fashion Week guest stood out on the streets of the Italian city in a white and fuchsia ensemble. Photo by Photoeventshd/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This guest combined an oversized light grey jacket with a pair of matching high-waisted trousers, a polo neck top and brown, chunky-heeled boots. Photo by Grosescu Alberto Mihai/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This attendee wrapped up for the cold, wearing a purple checkered suit, a pale pink scarf and a steel blue hat. Photo by RemotePhotoPress/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This guest dressed regally in royal purple, completing her look with an unmissable headpiece that blended with her hair. Photo by Photoeventshd/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, fashion director of Garage magazine, wore an amalgamation of vibrant prints, combining a zebra-print skirt with a graphic T-shirt, a floral coat and white heeled boots. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Who said neon could only be worn in summer? Thankfully not this Milan Fashion Week guest, who stood out in a lime green ensemble on the streets of the Italian city. Photo by REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This guest dressed brightly for Milan Fashion Week, combining yellows, greens and purples for an overall joyful look. Photo by Grosescu Alberto Mihai/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This attendee demonstrated how to pose up a storm in Milan, adding a touch of colour to her black and white look with a red lip. Photo by Grosescu Alberto Mihai/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan These Fashion Week guests wore Halloween-esque imagery, their outfits adorned with a mixture of spiders, flowers and other embellishments. Photo by Grosescu Alberto Mihai/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Another guest who took on the oversized jacket trend, this attendee opted for a sunshine yellow ensemble, completing her look with a pair of purple strappy heels. Photo by Cornel Cristian Petrus/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan Karina Nigay looked radiant in Milan, wearing a light blue creation by Moscow label CDD and jewels by Na Straze. Photo by FashionPPS/ZUMA Wire/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This fashion guest stood out from the crowd in an all-black outfit, which featured an oversized jacket and pegged trousers. Photo by Grosescu Alberto Mihai/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan These two made quite an impression at Milan Fashion Week, donning custard yellow and forest green suits respectively and accessorising with outlandish eyewear. Photo by RemotePhotoPress/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 Milan This attendee took a leaf out of the 1970s with her look, wearing retro, round-shaped sunglasses and a floral tan jacket. Photo by RemotePhotoPress/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Lauren Kulchinsky Levison, chief style officer at Mayfair Rocks in the Hamptons, brought her signature oversized style to London Fashion Week, donning a bright yellow ankle-length coat, a green and yellow checkered button-up top, a blush-pink tulle skirt and a silver bobble headband. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London This Fashion Week guest braved the cold in a blue and red floral thigh-split gown, styling her hair in a tousled bun. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Fashion designer Rachael Broussard was all smiles as she dressed for winter in the capital, wearing a black ensemble featuring an on-trend bucket hat and a lilac coat. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London What better way to stand out in a grey city than by dressing in a bold print? This attendee looked as though she was ready for apres ski with her oversized sunglasses and light blue-grey boots. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London What winter temperatures? Designer Rachael Broussard appeared unperturbed by the cold, damp weather, wearing a striking co-ord and a sheer, purple night robe. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Bona fide fashion star Billy Porter made the pavement his catwalk at London Fashion Week, wearing a light tan overcoat, a floral skirt, high-heeled boots and a sophisticated hat. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London This guest showed how to make a tartan print high fashion, combining her coat with a chunky gold belt, a black polo-top and black ankle boots. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Pastels don't have to be reserved for summer, as this attendee demonstrated with her lilac and mint blue ensemble. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour took to the streets in the capital wearing a floral dress, suede coat and snakeskin boots. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Fashion designer Alexa Chung opted for a cheerful polka dot print at London Fashion Week. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Inthefrow director Victoria Claire Magrath brightened up the sidewalk in a colourful floral gown, accessorising with a marigold yellow handbag. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Mytheresa fashion buying director Tiffany Hsu proved the cold doesn't bother her anyway with her open-toe shoes, wearing trousers cinched at the ankle and a two-tone trench coat. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London This London Fashion Week guest opted for a predominantly white and cream ensemble with splashes of block colours, completing her look with a pair of red, retro shades. Photo by Wayne Tippetts/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Net-A-Porter global buying director Elizabeth von der Goltz beamed as she was photographed at Fashion Week wearing a checkered coat, brown trousers and matching boot heels. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London This attendee demonstrated how to make clashing patterns work, donning an outfit of yellow, brown and black. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London The Independent Lifestyle Reporter Olivia Petter smiled as she was captured in the midst of London Fashion Week, wearing a pale blue and mustard yellow suit and a pair of black, pearl-encrusted heeled boots. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Model Lily Cole displayed one of the season's hottest trends  leopard print  on the streets of the capital, wearing a pair of platform shoes, knee-high socks and a white dress. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London 'London Fashion Sisters' Olivia and Alice opted for matching oversized checkered ensembles. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Fashion consultant Yasmin Sewell also mastered the oversized trend, wearing a red, leather-look jacket, a layered black skirt and black boots. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London This Fashion Week guest decided to paint the town red in her sequinned T-shirt dress, completing her ensemble with a pair of white kitten heels. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Eva Chen, director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, gave a peace sign to photographers as she walked the streets of London, wearing a grey tartan print from head to toe. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Actor Joely Richardson's outfit perfectly combined red, pink and orange for a relaxed, stylish look. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Actor Zawe Ashton pulled out all the stops in her extravagant, orange, frilled dress. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London This Fashion Week guest looked striking in black and yellow, adding a sprinkle of sparkle with her metallic gold handbag. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Fashion and lifestyle blogger Anisa Sojka stood out in a snakeskin coat and sculptural heeled boots. Photo by Saira MacLeod/REX Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Fashion stylist Abdel Queta Tavares, who goes by the name 'The Man Behind The Red Hat' on Instagram, proved that two hats are better than one, combining his bold headpieces with a leather-look coat and white, high-top shoes. PA Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Stylist Lauren Hope O'Sullivan matched the London Underground sign in the background in a red, white and blue ensemble, accessorising with a red beret and matching thigh-high boots. Her outfit appeared to have a boxing aesthetic, combining an oversized, hooded jacket with a pair of high-waisted shorts. PA Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London William D'Nero, founder and brand ambassador of fashion label D'Nero Group, kept things lowkey, wearing a dark grey hooded ensemble to London Fashion Week. PA Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London Fashion designer Rachael Broussard stood out against the grey backdrop of the capital with her tan-coloured ensemble by her brand R Michel'le The Label, featuring a pair of high-waisted, wide-legged trousers, a cropped jacket and an oversized pair of sunglasses. PA Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London This fashion week guest appeared to take inspiration from the 1970s with her get-up, wearing an old-fashioned floral garment with a high-neck white shirt underneath, and accessorising with a wide brim hat and sunglasses. PA Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 London While some opted for dark grey tones to match the quintessential British weather, others decided to bring a burst of colour to London Fashion Week. Bella, who goes by the handle @angelbaby.bella on Instagram, wore a doll-inspired outfit, combining a bubble-gum pink skirt and checkered belt with a multi-coloured, tie dyed sweater and playful accessories. PA Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This fashion week guest colour-blocked her fashion week look by pairing electric blue trousers with a mustard yellow double-breasted coat and a patterned shirt. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This attendee wore a classic beige trench coat with white patterned flared trousers, a pale pink crop top and silver boots. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This ensemble serves as a masterclass in tonal dressing, with this fashion week guest pairing her deep orange jumpsuit with a lighter orange jacket. Getty Images Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This guest paired orange gingham trousers with a black T-shirt and a yellow hooded jacket. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This fashion week guest kept things casual in a denim boilersuit paired with a yellow puffer jacket and white vinyl boots. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This attendee struck a pose in a pleated black leather skirt, collared shirt and a white duster coat. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This fashion week guest paired a metallic silver button-down dress with a black belted coat complete with a fur trim. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York Pinstripes were the port-of-call for this street styler, who paired his double-breasted suit with a black jacket, black boots and a bucket hat. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This fashion week guest went all out on textures, pairing her multi-coloured fluffy scarf with a blue fur handbag. Getty Images Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This street style guest wore a silver puffer jacket with tie-dye multi-coloured trousers, trainers and a cowboy hat. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This guest wore a bubblegum pink suit covered in brocade patterns. To keep warm in the New York chill, he also wore a navy blue wool coat over the top. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This guest paired Gucci logo tights with black lace-up boots, a checked blazer and a white Prada handbag. Getty Images Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This attendee wore a deep green leather dress, sheer tights and knee-high boots. Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York It's not every day you see a denim skirt worn over tulle, but this street styler wears it with aplomb, adding a denim jacket on top. Getty Images Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This guest wore head-to-toe black vinyl for fashion week, pairing her V-neck dress with red polka dot shoes for a splash of colour. Getty Images Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This guest posed in a beige trench coat that bore checks on the lapels and also featured a belt. She accessorised with black calve-high boots and a woolly hat. Getty Images Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York This fashion week guest wrapped up in a black puffer jacket, tights and heeled shoes. Getty Images Paris Fashion Week: Best street style stars at Fashion Month AW20 New York There's nothing wrong with a bit of logomania, as this fashion week guest shows in her Vetements overcoat. Getty Images

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Liberal senator Andrew Bragg has backed a proposal to allow private interests to take out 49-year leases over landmark sites belonging to the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, arguing the plan could be taken a step further by working in parcels of adjoining public land.

The comments are likely to inflame tensions over the future of the harbourside gems, after federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese warned leases of that length would amount to the "de facto privatisation" of the sites.

It comes as a community action group raised concerns about what it views as attempts to weaken the checks and balances safeguarding the awarding of the lucrative leases.

Cockatoo Island is one of the sites that belongs to the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust is responsible for a string of former Defence sites, including Cockatoo Island, North Head, Headland Park at Mosman, the Woolwich parklands and the Platypus former submarine base at Neutral Bay.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 21:19:37|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

"True gold can stand the test of fire," Wang Yi said. Emerging from this test, the Chinese people will become more resilient and united and the Chinese economy will achieve more solid and sustainable growth.

"Adversity reveals true friendship," he added. As China battles the disease together with the world, its friendship and trust with other countries will be strengthened and deepened.



BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- China has won the respect and recognition of the international community with its efforts and even sacrifice in the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Friday in an interview with Reuters.

The sudden outbreak of the epidemic has indeed brought a grave challenge to China and the world, but the Chinese government and people have stood up to the challenge, Wang said.

Wang noted that after the outbreak, the Chinese government, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, immediately established a nationwide mechanism to mobilize resources from across the country.

China has taken the most comprehensive, stringent and thorough prevention and control measures, many of which are well beyond what is required by the International Health Regulations and the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), he said.

Medical workers help the first batch of patients infected with the novel coronavirus move into their isolation wards at Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 4, 2020. (Photo by Fan Xianhai/Xinhua)

China's decisive response is both right and effective, and that by and large, the outbreak is controllable and the disease curable, Wang said, citing figures that as of Friday, the number of newly confirmed cases outside Hubei province has been declining for 11 consecutive days against a rapid rise in cure rate, and nearly 7,000 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital; the case fatality rate stood at around 2 percent across the country, and just 0.49 percent for regions outside Hubei.

China has, from the very beginning, acted in an open and transparent manner in reporting relevant information timely to the world and carrying out international cooperation, Wang noted.

To date, the number of confirmed cases outside China is less than one percent of the total, he said.

China has been not only doing its best to ensure the life, safety and health of the Chinese people, but also taking effective measures to stem a global spread of the epidemic, making contribution and sacrifice for global public health, said the minister.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks at a press conference after the WHO emergency committee's meeting on the novel coronavirus in China at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Qu)

WHO has on multiple occasions commended China for its responsible actions, speaking highly of China's decisive response and expressing confidence that China will overcome this epidemic, he said.

Heads of more than 160 countries and international organizations have showed their support through telegrams or letters, and the governments and peoples of several scores of countries have donated needed supplies, Wang said, expressing China's gratitude for these acts of kindness.

"True gold can stand the test of fire," Wang said, adding that emerging from this test, the Chinese people will become more resilient and united and the Chinese economy will achieve more solid and sustainable growth.

The Chinese people will continue to march confidently toward the goal of establishing a society of moderate prosperity in all respects and embark on a new journey of modernization, he said.

Photo taken on Feb. 14, 2020 shows a view of an activity showing support for China's fight against the novel coronavirus at a school in Ayutthaya province, Thailand. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

"There's another Chinese saying -- 'Adversity reveals true friendship,'" Wang said, adding that as China battles the disease together with the world, its friendship and trust with other countries will be strengthened and deepened.

Countries will realize that they live in a global village, with their future interconnected like never before, he said. 
(Photo : Screenshot from: Apple Official Website) (Photo : Screenshot from: Apple Official Website) (Photo : Screenshot from: Apple Official Website)

According to DigiTimes, Apple is rumored working on several upcoming products, including iPad, Apple Watch, iMac, and "AirPod Pro Lite," along with supply chain partners in Taiwan amid fallout from the new Coronavirus. Apple has faced a difficult situation with regards to production, which forced them to shut down all stores and offices in China.

Read Also: Here Are The Top 2020 Tech Predictions for Tesla, Netflix, Apple and More

What are AirPods?

First released in 2016, Apple's Airpods skyrocketed as users quickly purchased the wireless earphones making it the company's best product yet. It has also been vastly known for its sleek design, simple controls, great battery life, and quick charging, easy connectivity to Apple devices, and wide range Bluetooth. Looking at the product, it is identical to the EarPods that Apple has been selling, but without the cables attached, which come with their own pocket-sized charging docks or cases.

Difference between AirPods 2 and Airpods Pro

Even though there is a huge gap on the price tags, which the AirPods 2 are on sale for $159 and the AirPods Pro for a whopping $250, there are quite some good and unique features on the latter which includes an all-new design, active noise-cancellation for Apple users to enjoy. The AirPods Pro now has noise-canceling features on these new wire-free earphones, which is very convenient for those who want to just get on with work or with their day without having to hear background noises on their listening device.

When it comes to the battery life, the AirPods can go for as long as five hours of battery plus 19 more added by the charging case while the AirPods Pro can only go for 4.5 hours plus 19 more added by the charging case, but users are required to turn off noise canceling to get the maximum battery life on this device. As for its connectivity and controls, both tie in this category as there is not much of a difference when it comes to using and connecting this device. But as sound quality goes, the AirPods Pro packs a punch compared to the second-gen earphones, which has been sporting artificial bass and treble enhancements. AirPods 2 are richer, fuller, and clearer with or without the noise-canceling feature turn on.

Read Also: Better Apple Airpods Alternatives on Amazon This 2020

Whether DigiTimes' claim about this is true or not, is pretty much unclear as they are also known for being unsuccessful in forecasting future products. Only time will tell if Apple is indeed working on developing new products with Taiwan while being in the middle of the virus outbreak. It is advised that avid Apple users out there should look out for the company's announcements regarding this matter while it is only to be rumored at the moment, but without a doubt, if there is some truth to this device being worked on, "AirPods Pro-Lite" could also be another reason for Apple to elevate their name more when it comes to technology development.

Read Also: Apple Products That You Must First Buy Before iPhone 12 Release

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In New Jersey, we dont sit down and shut up. So wed like to extend an invitation to anyone whos worked closely with Donald Trump to come here, like John Kelly did, and tell the truth about this president.

Anti-Trumpers at a Drew University forum in Morristown, and all over Twitter, took the opportunity to condemn his longest-serving chief of staff for all the horrible policies that Kelly didnt denounce while at the White House, like the separation of families at the border and the Muslim ban.

Pro-Trumpers, including the president himself, slammed the retired Marine Corps general for his speech on Wednesday, too: He just cant keep his mouth shut, which he has a legal and military obligation to do, Trump rage-tweeted.

When I terminated John Kelly, which I couldnt do fast enough, he knew full well that he was way over his head. Being Chief of Staff just wasnt for him. He came in with a bang, went out with a whimper, but like so many Xs, he misses the action & just cant keep his mouth shut,.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2020

You see why many former Trump aides might opt to stay silent, as Peter Nicholas at the Atlantic points out. Do they deserve a medal for telling it like it is, well after theyve left the Trump White House? Will it wipe that stubborn orange stain off their reputations?

Not a chance. But they owe it to the country, just the same. It is their civic duty to be clinically honest, to join the chorus that alerts us to how reckless and dangerous this president can be, in the words of Richard Painter, the chief White House ethics lawyer in the Bush administration.

It gives us windows into the insanity behind the scenes, as Trump only grows bolder in trampling our democratic norms. Thats still important, in the lead-up to the 2020 election. Especially if Republicans in office arent going to make a peep.

In his speech to Drew students, Kelly sharply criticized his former boss:

The impeachment witness that Trump just fired, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, was rightly disturbed by the presidents phone call with Ukraine, and was simply following his training as a soldier when he reported the wrongdoing to his superiors.

Trumps bad decision to intervene in the case of Eddie Gallagher, the Navy seal accused of war crimes, only elevated him. Trumps North Korea policy is a total failure. Trumps border wall doesnt need to run from sea to shining sea.

And, lets face it, if you only watch Fox News because it's reinforcing what you believe, you are not an informed citizen, Kelly affirmed.

We all know whos standing in that shade: Foxs biggest fan  and his own cult of superfans. They only get Trumps version of reality, too.

Take climate change, which the president mocks and calls a hoax. A study of Fox programs found that in the first half of 2019, 86 percent of their segments on climate change were dismissive of the crisis.

Its unsurprising that one in four Americans still believes, wrongly, that theres a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether global warming is real.

So when Trump pushed for a series of staged public debates challenging climate change science  championed by his fossil fuel flunky environmental chief, Scott Pruitt  it mattered that the idea got shot down by another top Trump official: John Kelly.

Now, as Trump rolls back environmental regulations, and most voters say they believe he will be reelected, its still the right time for Kelly to speak up about this, and other disastrous policies.

The same goes for James Mattis, who resigned over Trumps pullback of our troops in Syria  betraying our Kurdish allies  and Rex Tillerson, who privately called Trump a moron.

Care to elaborate? Better late than never.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 20:29:32|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) will provide emergency financing support for three Chinese provinces to fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the bank.

The bank's vice president Zhu Xian said the three epidemic-stricken provinces are Hubei, Guangdong and Henan.

The financing support covers not only public health expenditures related to the anti-epidemic fight, but also financial gaps in the urgent purchase of medical and health supplies, the construction of hospitals and isolated facilities and the production of anti-epidemic supplies.

Zhu said the NDB will speed up its work procedure to offer their support.

The NDB said Tuesday in a statement that it is fully committed to supporting China in its time of need. It highly appreciates China's great efforts and effective measures aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bank formally opened on July 21, 2015 in Shanghai.
As Manitoba gets set to mark its 150th anniversary in 2020, the Free Press turns back the clock and takes an in-depth look at the dramatic story of how a small community living on the banks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers stood up to the federal government and demanded a say in the terms of joining Canada. The Red River Resistance of 1869-70 is a story of courage and determination by a group of Manitoba Metis who challenged a colonial mindset in Ottawa and took up arms to protect their democratic, cultural and legal rights.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Manitoba gets set to mark its 150th anniversary in 2020, the Free Press turns back the clock and takes an in-depth look at the dramatic story of how a small community living on the banks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers stood up to the federal government and demanded a say in the terms of joining Canada. The Red River Resistance of 1869-70 is a story of courage and determination by a group of Manitoba Metis who challenged a colonial mindset in Ottawa and took up arms to protect their democratic, cultural and legal rights.

It begins in October 1869 and culminates in the passage of the Manitoba Act by Parliament in May 1870  a constitutional amendment that still serves today as the legal framework for Manitobas place in Canada. The following is the second instalment of a three-part series that will follow the timeline of what unfolded in the Red River Settlement 150 years ago, and the events that led to Manitobas entry into Confederation.

Main players Metis leader Louis Riel Louis Riel: The leader of the French Metis, Riel prevented the federal government from unilaterally imposing its sovereignty on the Red River Settlement. At age 25, he led the creation of a provisional government and the establishment of an elected Convention of Forty, which drafted a bill of rights to take to Ottawa to negotiate Manitobas entry into Canada. click to read more Louis Riel: The leader of the French Metis, Riel prevented the federal government from unilaterally imposing its sovereignty on the Red River Settlement. At age 25, he led the creation of a provisional government and the establishment of an elected Convention of Forty, which drafted a bill of rights to take to Ottawa to negotiate Manitobas entry into Canada. Donald A. Smith: A high-ranking Hudsons Bay Company official sent to Red River in late December 1869 by prime minister John A. Macdonald to attempt to quell the resistance and sell the idea of Confederation to settlers. Ambroise Lepine, 1885. (Archives of Manitoba) Ambroise Lepine: The adjutant-general in the provisional government and one of the key Metis players in the resistance. Lepine was the only person ever convicted for the execution of Thomas Scott, but was spared a death sentence. John Christian Schultz: The leader of the self-proclaimed Canadian loyalists and chief nemesis of Louis Riel. Schultz was imprisoned at Upper Fort Garry for opposing the provisional government, but later escaped. He would be instrumental in whipping up anti-Metis sentiment in Ontario while delegates from Red River negotiated Manitobas terms of entry into Canada. Thomas Scott: An Irish-born labourer, Scott was twice imprisoned by the provisional government and executed by firing squad after he was convicted by a military council of opposing the provisional government and attacking a Metis guard. John A. Macdonald: Canadas prime minister during the Red River Resistance. After a failed attempt to annex the North-West Territories to Canada without consulting the people of Red River, he eventually agreed to negotiate with delegates sent from the settlement. Close

THEY came from far and wide. About 1,000 Red River settlers bundled up on a bone-chilling January afternoon and made their way by foot or sled to the courtyard inside the walls of Upper Fort Garry.

The man they came to hear was Donald A. Smith, a Hudsons Bay Company executive sent to Red River by prime minister John A. Macdonald as a special commissioner. His mission: to win over the settlers, defuse the armed insurgency that began two months earlier, and if possible, find a peaceful solution to bringing the settlement into the Canadian fold.

No building was big enough to accommodate the massive crowd (there were only about 12,000 people living in Red River at the time). Instead, most stood for four hours in the open courtyard on Jan. 19, 1870 trying to stay warm in -29 C weather.

Red River born Metis Thomas Bunn chaired the meeting. Judge John Black, head of the local Quarterly Court, was secretary. Louis Riel, leader of the fledgling and still fragile Metis provisional government, served as interpreter for the French-speaking attendees.

It was "the most important meeting ever held in the settlement," Bunn told the crowd as they opened the proceedings.

1870 political cartoon of William McDougall at Pembina. (Archives of Manitoba)

Almost three months earlier, armed Metis blocked lieutenant-governor designate William McDougall from entering the Red River Settlement. Riel and his supporters seized Upper Fort Garry in early November, imposed a form of martial law on the community and demanded the federal government negotiate with settlers before annexing the territory to Canada.

After being holed up for several weeks in Pembina, unable to discharge his duties as the Queens representative in the North-West Territories, McDougall left for home before Christmas.

For Macdonald, the insurgency was both a surprise and a thorny political problem he knew he couldnt solve overnight.

His first attempt to quell the resistance was to send two emissaries to Red River in December  Charles de Salaberry and Jean-Baptiste Thibeault.

Both men failed to have any impact on the community, largely because neither was given the authority (nor the mandate) to negotiate with Red River residents.

Timeline Dec. 27, 1869  Donald A. Smith arrives in Red River from Ottawa, sent by prime minister John A. Macdonald to try to quell the resistance and inform the provisional government that Canada is willing to negotiate the terms of entry into Confederation. Metis leader John Bruce steps down as president of provisional government due to poor health. He is replaced by Louis Riel, who had served as secretary. Jan. 19-20, 1870  Two public meetings are held outdoors at Upper Fort Garry. Donald A. Smith addresses the crowd of about 1,000, the first time a federal representative speaks directly to the people of Red River about joining Canada. Riel makes impassioned speech and moves a motion to create a Convention of Forty to consider the future of Red River. The motion passes. click to read more Dec. 27, 1869  Donald A. Smith arrives in Red River from Ottawa, sent by prime minister John A. Macdonald to try to quell the resistance and inform the provisional government that Canada is willing to negotiate the terms of entry into Confederation. Metis leader John Bruce steps down as president of provisional government due to poor health. He is replaced by Louis Riel, who had served as secretary. Jan. 19-20, 1870  Two public meetings are held outdoors at Upper Fort Garry. Donald A. Smith addresses the crowd of about 1,000, the first time a federal representative speaks directly to the people of Red River about joining Canada. Riel makes impassioned speech and moves a motion to create a Convention of Forty to consider the future of Red River. The motion passes. Jan. 26, 1870  Convention of Forty, made up of 20 French and 20 English members, meets for first time at the courthouse. Feb. 3, 1870  Riel proposes North-West Territories should enter Canada as province, not a territory as proposed by the federal government. Convention of Forty rejects the motion. Feb. 7, 1870  Convention of Forty adopts a new bill of rights to take to Ottawa to negotiate Red Rivers entry into Canada. Feb. 10, 1870  Convention agrees to create new provisional government made up of 12 French and 12 English members elected by the people. Feb. 17, 1870  A new round of Canadian loyalist prisoners are captured by the provisional government outside Upper Fort Garry after a botched plan to attack the fort. Among those captured is Thomas Scott. March 3, 1870  Thomas Scott is tried and convicted by a military council for rebelling against provisional government and for attacking a guard. March 4, 1870  Thomas Scott is executed by firing squad outside Upper Fort Garry walls. Close

Sending troops to Red River was out of the question for Macdonald at that point. The only way for Canadian or British military forces to access the territory in the winter was by train through the U.S. to St. Cloud, Minn., and then by sled to Red River.

Its doubtful U.S. authorities, still healing from the wounds of a bloody Civil War and themselves semi-interested in annexing the North-West Territories, would have allowed foreign troops to pass through their territory. Besides, no one wanted bloodshed, Macdonald included.

The prime ministers next move was to send a special commissioner to Red River with a broader mandate and a more convincing sales pitch.

Smith wasnt authorized to negotiate with the settlers. But his commission did have more teeth than his predecessors did.

He made some commitments to the crowd, as they huddled together trying to stay warm: their democratic and property rights would be honoured and Ottawa would be prepared to negotiate further details with representatives of the community.

Canadas intentions were well-meaning, he told the settlers, urging them to consider what the Dominion had to offer.

Some historians saw Smiths real mandate as more deceitful. There is some evidence that the special commissioners true intention was to undermine Riels leadership by using bribes to divide and conquer the settlement. His terms of reference from Ottawa stated the federal government would honour "any pecuniary arrangements that you may make with individuals, in the manner we spoke about."

No one is sure exactly what that meant. But to some historians, it sounded an awful lot like a green light to offer cash, or promises of employment, to anyone willing to lay down their arms and abandon Riels provisional government.

The extent to which Smith bribed people with cash is unclear. But he did succeed by mid-January in weakening the resolve of some Riel supporters, at least temporarily.

Donald A. Smith wasnt authorized to negotiate with the settlers. (HBC Archives)

The public meeting at the fort was requested by Smith. It was the first time a representative from Canada spoke officially and directly to the people of Red River about joining Confederation.

As cold and uncomfortable as it was standing for the better part of an afternoon outside, those in attendance were interested in what the special commissioner had to say.

Smith had some success on the first day. By most accounts, he was an eloquent and convincing speaker. He piqued the interest of the crowd; so much so that a second meeting was called for the following day.

A crowd of similar size turned up. Indigenous clergy Reverend Henry Cochrane was added to the stage to translate the proceedings into Cree.

It was apparent the federal government was now prepared to take a more conciliatory approach to dealing with the people of Red River.

But talk was cheap. Smith had no authority to conclude a formal agreement.

While he made some headway in convincing the people of Red River that joining Canada would be in their best interest, he didnt have a mandate to close the deal.

There were still many outstanding issues to address, including how Ruperts Land would enter Confederation.

Ottawa wanted to annex it as a territory, governed by a federally appointed lieutenant-governor and council. Macdonald promised provincial status with an elected legislative assembly at a later date (after Canadians from the east would flood the area and run for elected office).

Riel was aware of that dynamic, which is why he aggresively pursued provincial status.

A painting depicting Donald A. Smith and Metis leader Louis Riel addressing the crowd at Upper Fort Garry on Jan. 19, 1870. (HBC Archives)

Riel convinced the assembly that before the settlement could agree to join Canada, the terms of entry would have to be negotiated. The Metis leader, himself an effective orator, closed with an impassioned speech, portions of which were published the next day in the local Metis-controlled New Nation newspaper:

"I came here with fears  we are not yet enemies," Riel told the crowd, drawing loud cheers. "But we came very near being so. As soon as we understood each other, we joined in demanding what our English fellow subjects in common with us believe to be our just rights.

"I am not afraid to say our rights; for we all have rights. We claim no half rights, mind you, but all the rights we are entitled to. Those rights will be set forth by our representatives, and, what is more, gentlemen, we will get them."

"I am not afraid to say our rights; for we all have rights. We claim no half rights, mind you, but all the rights we are entitled to. Those rights will be set forth by our representatives, and, what is more, gentlemen, we will get them. Louis Riel

It was a defining moment for Riel, who had struggled in the days leading up to the public meeting to maintain support from his core constituents.

Just prior to his speech, the Metis leader moved a motion to create a convention of 40 delegates  20 French and 20 English  to consider Smiths commission and decide the appropriate direction for the settlement.

The motion passed. A "Convention of Forty" was soon created and Riel enjoyed renewed support. Whatever influence Donald Smith had when he arrived at Red River began to fade.

Riel had "put himself once more at the head of events in Red River," Manitoba historian William Morton wrote in his introduction to Alexander Beggs Red River Journal.

Arbitrary imprisonment occurred on a regular basis in Red River in the fall and winter of 1869-70.

There was no due process, no judicial principles that guaranteed an individuals presumption of innocence before guilt was proven in a court of law. There were no bail hearings, or anything resembling bail court. Even the Quarterly Court that existed in Red River prior to the resistance was suspended for about two months during the height of the armed conflict.

John Christian Schultz

For the most part, Riel and the Metis were the police, judge and jury when it came to arresting and jailing their enemies  or perceived enemies  at Upper Fort Garry. They did so frequently.

Even a hint of insubordination or a perceived threat against the provisional government would be grounds for detention.

It wasnt unusual to have 30, 40 or 50 political prisoners locked up at any given time. Those captured were often released with a promise not to disturb the peace (the closest thing to bail), or a pledge not to challenge the authority of the provisional government.

John Christian Schultz was one of those political prisoners. Schultz, who came to Red River from Ontario in 1861 in anticipation of annexation, led a group of Canadian "loyalists" opposed to Riels regime.

He was a polarizing figure in the settlement. His acrimonious relationship with the Metis  and with Riel in particular  was symbolic of the struggle between the imperial forces in Ottawa and local interests.

Schultzs "Canadian party," as he called it, supported joining Canada unconditionally. Many from the east who had already arrived in Red River hoped to profit from land acquisitions that would grow in value once Ruperts Land joined Confederation.

Schultz and his supporters had been politically active in the settlement for several years, not only promoting Canadian annexation but also excoriating the Hudsons Bay Company and its political monopoly over the region. They used the only newspaper in Red River at the time, the Nor Wester (eventually shut down by Riel), to advance their political agenda.

Schultz and his supporters not only opposed the Metis and their provisional government, they were openly contemptuous towards them.

Racial and religious tensions were ever present, which shaped the inner-conflicts in the the settlement.

The transplanted Ontarians were focused on removing whatever barriers that stood in the way of Canadian annexation, even if that meant trampling on the rights of local settlers. For that, they found themselves behind bars on a regular basis in whatever makeshift cells the Metis arranged for them at Upper Fort Garry.

One of the most significant mass-arrests occurred in December after an armed standoff between the Metis and a group of about 40 Schultz supporters, who had barricaded themselves in Schultzs home in the village of Winnipeg. The Metis suspected Schultzs group was planning an attack on the fort.

It could have been a bloodbath, which would have marked the first casualties of the resistance.

Fortunately for all involved, cooler heads prevailed.

Schultz and his supporters surrendered, no blood was shed, and they were all taken prisoner, including Thomas Scott, whose execution three months later would be the most pivotal part of the resistance.

Schultz, Scott and others escaped from captivity a few weeks later in January.

Its believed Schultz used a penknife smuggled in by his wife to dig his way through a window frame at the fort. He removed it, escaped from the building where he was housed and scaled one of the walls, injuring himself in the process.

Schultz remained in hiding for weeks, avoiding re-arrest  Riel ordered him shot on site if found  until he eventually fled to Ontario to stir up anti-Riel sentiment among eastern Canadians.

It didnt take long for the new Convention of Forty to elect members and begin drafting a fresh list of rights to take to Ottawa. It was agreed a delegation of three would be sent east to negotiate the terms of entry into Confederation.

But first, those terms had to be agreed upon by the convention. There was still much work to do.

Charles Nolin, 1874 (Archives of Manitoba)

Riel faced another hurdle: he found himself in a minority situation within the Convention of Forty. He only had 17 of 40 members on his side.

Three of the francophone Metis elected to the convention, including Charles Nolin, one of Riels chief political adversaries, were part of a small group of Riel opponents. The other 20 were from the anglophone side. That meant Riel could be overruled on some of his proposals, which he was more than once.

The convention opened in conciliatory fashion. Several articles were drafted and agreed upon with little fuss.

But Riels motion for the territory to enter Confederation with provincial status was defeated. So was his demand that the sale of Ruperts Land by HBC to Canada be nullified and renegotiated with the involvement of representatives from Red River.

Tensions ran high and a furious Riel accused the three French members who voted against him of being traitors.

"Riel said the convention had beaten him this time, but he would beat them yet," local merchant Alexander Begg  who kept a detailed diary of the resistance  wrote in his journal Feb. 5, 1870.

Riel was still very much in charge of the settlement at the time. He continued to hold prisoners at the fort, even while the convention deliberated.

While there were some democratic principles behind the formation of the committees, provisional governments and conventions in 1869-70 Red River, Riel ultimately called the shots.

When push came to shove, he ruled with an iron fist, sometimes with threats of violence and death. He commanded hundreds of armed and skilled Metis buffalo hunters loyal to his cause.

No group or faction in the settlement could match that. Those who tried, failed, and usually found themselves behind bars.

Still, Riels preference was to seek unity among the French, English and others in the settlement, which he ultimately succeeded in doing. But his message was clear: if others didnt want to join the French Metis in demanding the rights of Red River settlers, Riel and his supporters would go it alone.

If anyone got in their way, blood would be spilled.

In the town of Winnipeg brilliant fireworks were set off and bonfires lighted  guns fired and cheering and drinking universal. A regular drunk commenced in which everyone seemed to enjoy. Journal of Alexander Begg

A bill of rights was eventually agreed to by the convention. It differed somewhat from the list of rights the Metis had published in December.

But it had similar elements to it: the protection of property rights; bilingualism in the courts and the legislative assembly; the right to an elected council; demands for a railroad to connect Red River to the east; and several clauses about taxation and how land would be organized. It included a demand that treaties be negotiated with First Nations.

There were a number of versions of these lists that emerged during 1869-70. This would not be the final one delegates would take to Ottawa. But it was an advanced copy.

In the meantime, the issue of who would govern Red River still had to be dealt with until negotiations with the federal government were settled. It was agreed on Feb. 10 by the convention that a renewed and elected provisional government made up of 12 French and 12 English members would be formed, with several officers and a president (Riel) appointed by the Convention of Forty. A two-thirds vote of the assembly would overrule the veto of the president.

Despite the setbacks and the underlying tensions that remained in the settlement, the people of Red River were beginning to move in unison towards a negotiated settlement with Canada.

They were also doing so through democratically elected institutions, which didnt exist in Red River prior to the resistance (at least not since colonial rule). Red River was governed by the Hudsons Bay Company and an appointed Council of Assiniboia prior to the insurgency.

Alexander Begg, 1880. (Archives of Manitoba)

The announcement of the new provisional government was greeted with celebration in the community. There was, for the first time in many weeks in Red River, a sense of good things to come.

"In the town of Winnipeg brilliant fireworks were set off and bonfires lighted  guns fired and cheering and drinking universal," Alexander Begg wrote in his journal. "A regular drunk commenced in which everyone seemed to enjoy."

Riel, who wasnt much of a drinker, marked the occasion in his own quiet way.

Louis Riel (centre) and provisional government members. In early 1870, Riel had put himself once more at the head of the events in Red River. (University of Manitoba archives)

No sooner had circumstances quieted down in Red River when a renewed threat emerged.

Just when it appeared the future was looking bright for the would-be Manitobans, armed conflict would once again threaten the relative peace of the community.

It would lead to events that would forever change the life of Louis Riel.

Thomas Scott was recruited by Canada to fight in the Red River Rebellion and was captured and imprisoned in Upper Fort Garry by Louis Riel and his men while trying to attack it along with 34 other volunteers. Scott made an attempt to escape but was recaptured by Riel's men and was summarily executed for committing insubordination.

Unaware of (or perhaps disinterested in) the constitutional developments of the past few days at Upper Fort Garry, John Christian Schultz and his supporters were planning an attack on the fort.

They sought the immediate release of all prisoners and planned to install a provisional government of their own. But their efforts were clumsy, poorly planned and marred by weak leadership.

The Canadian "loyalists" would make the trek from Portage la Prairie, through Headingley and onto the parish of Kildonan, amassing an armed regiment of a few hundred men who would take the fort.

At least that was the plan. But they had no idea how to carry it out.

In the end, they were so poorly armed and disorganized, the mission was abandoned.

Schultz, still a wanted man by Riel, fled. Most of the others either dropped out along the way, or simply went home. But a group of about 40 detractors decided to walk within eyesight of Upper Fort Garry on their way back to Portage.

Riel and the Metis got wind of the failed coup. When they spotted the small group near the fort, they deployed a squad of armed horsemen and took them prisoner.

Among the captured was Thomas Scott (his second imprisonment after escaping in January).

His martyrdom in Ontario following his execution two weeks later would send ripples through the Red River Valley.

The killing of Thomas Scott outside the walls of Upper Fort Garry, from the Canadian Illustrated News, April 23, 1870. (HBC Archives)

Nobody knew it at the time, but the arrests of mid-February 1870 and the subsequent death of Scott would forever change the face of the Red River Resistance.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca

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The Japanese government gave 2,000 iPhones to passengers stuck aboard a Diamond Princess cruise ship where nearly 200 coronavirus cases have been confirmed, according to 9to5Mac and Macotakara.

The phones were reportedly given out so passengers could download an app on which they can request medication and talk with doctors.

Without the phones, people may not have been able to download the app if their devices were registered to app stores of countries other than Japan.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Japanese government has found a novel way to use technology as it works to combat the coronavirus outbreak, which has spread to its own backyard.

Off the coast of Japan, more than 3,500 passengers and crew members have been quarantined for more than a week aboard a Princess Cruises ship where at least 170 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed.

The two-week cruise was supposed to end 10 days ago, but since Japanese health officials found several cases of the virus when the boat pulled into port, everyone has been on lockdown on their new floating home. Passengers have gotten restless, tweeting mixed reviews of the room-service food and trying to alert local media about the lack of medicine on board.

On Friday, they received a tiny bit of good news in the form of 2,000 iPhones, or one per cabin, courtesy of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and the Japanese telecom company SoftBank, according to 9to5Mac and an earlier report by Macotakara.

The phones were distributed with a predownloaded app that allows people to request medication, arrange consultations with doctors, and receive information from health officials, according to 9to5Mac.

The SoftBank-serviced iPhones were needed because people may not have been able to download the app if their own devices were registered to app stores of countries other than Japan.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Law enforcers sent a petition to court to select the preventive measures for the suspects

On Saturday, February 15, the Prosecutor's Office reported suspicion to two persons detained in connection with the involvement in the murder of a plastic surgeon in the center of Kyiv. The press service of the Kyiv Prosecutors Office reported this information on its Facebook page.

A man was detained in Odesa; according to investigators, a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic committed the murder and was informed of suspicion under items 6, 11, 12, part 2 of Art. 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (premeditated murder by prior conspiracy by a group of persons).

The accomplice is suspected with aidingd the performer as he delivered him to the crime scene.

"Now, applications have been sent to the Shevchenkivskiy district court of the city of Kiev to select measures of restraint by the suspect in the form of detention without determining the size of the bail," the statement said.

Pre-trial investigation is ongoing. The motives of the crime are being established.

As we reported before, today, the staff of the National Police of Ukraine in Kyiv region together with border guards detained a foreigner, who is suspected of killing a plastic surgeon on the evening of February 2, in the airport of Odesa. This was reported by the Head of Kyiv National Police Andrii Kryshchenko.






BERLIN  Volkswagen said it will compensate owners of its heavily polluting diesel vehicles in Germany in a settlement that will cost the German carmaker $899 million (830 million euros).

In 2015 VW was caught by regulators using manipulated engine management software to mask excessive pollution levels in its diesel cars, sparking a raft of prosecutions and lawsuits.

The offer comes despite a breakdown in talks with German consumer association VZBV, which had been in negotiations with VW about reaching a settlement deal.

"The failure of settlement talks with Consumer Association VZBV should not come at the expense of customers," VW said in a statement, adding that all customers who had registered for compensation with VZBV would be eligible for the settlement.

VW said it had declined to reach a settlement with VZBV, blaming excessive demands for 50 million euros in fees by lawyers representing the consumer organizations.

VZBV said talks had failed because the carmaker had not guaranteed a system of redress which was adequate for consumers, adding it would continue to press for a settlement on VZBV terms through German courts.

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Motorists will have to be extra vigilant now that almost 1,000 new speed camera zones are being set up across the county in a major crack down on reckless drivers.

A total of 903 new safety areas will be implemented from 6.00am on Monday, while 574 previous zones have been removed following a review.

The overall total of these regions will now stretch to 1,322 and can be viewed on an interactive map on www.garda.ie.

The zones will be policed using a fleet of marked vehicles with cameras continuing to operate from speed vans as before.

The vans used will still be marked with high visibility, reflective material and display a safety camera symbol on the side.

Dublin recevied the highest increase of safety camera zones in the country, increasing from 229 to 291.

Co Cork also saw a significant boost from 96 to 138, while Sligo received the smallest increase from 17 to just 20.

Gardai said that the new zones highlight locations which carry high risk speed related collisions.

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A breakdown on the increase of speedzones for each county is below:

Leinster

Carlow: 11 to 16

Dublin: 229 to 291

Kildare: 55 to 75

Kilkenny: 17 to 29

Laois: 8 to 14

Longford: 9 to 16

Louth: 18 to 34

Meath: 49 to 72

Offaly: 16 to 24

Westmeath: 16 to 24

Wexford: 15 to 36

Wicklow: 27 to 40

Connaught

Galway: 50 to 77

Leitrim: 8 to 13

Mayo: 31 to 52

Roscommon: 14 to 22

Sligo: 17 to 20

Munster:

Clare: 25 to 37

Cork: 96 to 138

Kerry: 47 to 70

Limerick: 40 to 61

Tipperary: 29 to 43

Waterford: 15 to 29

Ulster:

Cavan: 20 to 35

Donegal: 46 to 60

Monaghan: 21

While motorists will be forced to observe more caution and reduce speeds, Gardai believe the new GoSafe Zones will reduce life-changing injuries and fatalities from traffic collisions.

"We urge drivers to be fully aware of the posted speed limit and drive within the speed limit for the duration of their journey. Speed kills, help save lives, said Superintendent Tony Lonergan of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau.

The number of road deaths have dropped massively from 415 in 2000 to 148 in 2019 which Gardai say shows a dramatic reduction in terms of risk and a huge increase in terms of road safety.

For a more detailed road-by-road breakdown, visit the following link: https://www.garda.ie/gosafe.html
Conjunctivitis is better known as Pink Eye in North America, and also Madras eye in India. It causes redness and soreness of the clear layer covering called the conjunctiva that coats the white of the eye and the eyelids. Conjunctivitis is the most common eye disease in the western hemisphere and varies in severity from mild inflammation with tearing to a severe inflammation that causes tissue injury and tissue death. It is responsible for 1% of all emergency visits to a hospital. Allergies, bacteria, viruses, or chemicals usually cause it. Bacterial conjunctivitis presents with a red eye, pus discharge, a gritty sensation, and occasionally sticking shut of the eyelids. Viral conjunctivitis follows an upper respiratory infection such as the common cold. The most common reason of pink eye is due to an Adenovirus infection  the same virus is responsible for common cold.

Conjunctivitis or Pink Eye or Madras Eye causes redness and soreness of the conjunctiva and is responsible for 1% of all emergency visits to a hospital.

Looking at the eye with conjunctivitis your doctor may not be able to tell if it is due to infection from bacteria or virus or due to allergy.

Pinkeye caused by a virus can be a very contagious infection and can be prevented by not touching the eye and by frequent washing of your hands.

Epidemics of conjunctivitis can hit a large population in an area and many cities in the world face this problem from time to time. Indian cities such as Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi have faced such epidemics at regular frequencies. Usually the infection can be very contagious and a few people can infect a large population in a short span of time. American Journal of Infection Control in 2002 reported that approximately 3 million school days are lost as a result of acute conjunctivitis (Guinan etal).

A type of conjunctivitis called acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) was first reported from Ghana in 1969. Since then epidemics has occurred in numerous other countries, - China, India, Egypt, Cuba, Singapore, and Japan. In 2006 the epidemic occurred in Brazil and over 200,000 people were affected.

Most of these epidemics have a self-limiting benign course and usually there are no visual impairments.

The FDA cleared a medical device to detect conjunctivitis due to adenovirus infection and help physicians. It takes 10 minutes to do the test and the reading can be done in doctors office.
The average age of the newly elected members of the Delhi Assembly (MLAs) is nearly five years more than that of the previous Assembly members. This should not come as a surprise, as three of the five youngest members of 2015 are still among the five youngest, albeit with an addition of five years to their age.

The age of the youngest MLA this time is nearly five years more than the youngest of 2015, and so is that of the oldest. In almost a repeat of its stupendous performance five years earlier, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had swept the 2015 election by ...
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The ongoing political fight for Texas in 2020 reached its first checkpoint of the year on Tuesday night, as Republican Gary Gates convincingly beat Democrat Eliz Markowitz by 16 points in a special election runoff for a Houston suburb State House seat.

Gates' victory in Texas House District 28 shows steady Republican support in the suburbs and provides a reality check for Democrats looking to compete up and down the ballot and flip the State House ahead of redistricting in 2021.

The win for Gates comes as Democratic presidential candidates endorsed or canvassed with Markowitz, with the goal of energizing the base turnout. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed Markowitz earlier this cycle, while former New York city Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former presidential candidate Julian Castro both canvassed for her this month.

Texas-native and former Representative Beto O'Rourke, who also ran an unsuccessful campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, has been consistently campaigning for Markowitz, and launched an organization focused on flipping the state House chamber.

Gates, meanwhile, received the support of Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott and partially self-funded his campaign, pouring about $1.5 million of his own money into the race.

"It shows, on the Republican side, if we get out and work hard and knock on those doors, that we can prevent many seats from flipping and maybe even take some back," Gates told reporters at his election party.

In a statement after the race was called, Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey said the coordination they saw with Gates' campaign, "is the model for our 2020 Victory efforts."

"We will defend Texas from the liberals' socialism and we will unite to fight again for victories from the White House to the courthouse this November. We will keep Texas red," Dickey said.

Story continues

National and Texas Democrats put close to $1 million into this race and have been pointing to metropolitan areas like this district, which have been historically red but have a shrinking margin of error for Republicans, as a sign of promise for the 2020 ballot.

Mitt Romney's 30-point win in this district in 2012 shrunk to a 10-point Donald Trump win in 2016. O'Rourke lost the district by just three points in his 2018 Senate race against Republican Ted Cruz.

State Representative John Zerwas held this Houston-Fort Bend seat for more than 12 years and handily won most of his reelections before deciding to step down. His smallest margin of victory came in the most recent election in 2018, when he won by 8 points.

But while encouraged by the trend lines, Democrats were looking to downplay this district's "bellwether" label ahead of Tuesday night. Forward Majority, an organization that has spent $400,000 in this race in support of Markowitz, sent out a memo this week hoping to reduce any weight put on Tuesday's results while also justifying their investment.

"We're downplaying it because it's a traditionally Republican district and the fundamentals of this district favor Republicans," Forward Majority Communications Director Ben Wexler-Waite said. "Win or lose in this district, there's a clear path to a Democratic majority in November in the Texas State House."

The runoff also serves as the first notable redistricting battle in 2020, especially in a state that is poised to gain up to four Congressional seats in 2021. After Gates' win in House District 28, and Democratic wins in House District 100 and 148, the state House remains nine seats away from flipping.

National Democratic Redistricting Committee Communications Director Patrick Rodenbush said it's imperative for Democrats to flip the chamber and "get a seat at the redistricting table and force Republicans to compromise on the maps in some way."

On Monday, the Texas Democratic Party and Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee unveiled a list of 22 state House seat targets, all of which had single-digit margins in the 2018 midterm elections. House District 28 was ranked 16th on that list in terms of favorable margins for Democrats.

At a briefing earlier this year, Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Jessica Post said there are other viable, competitive districts.

"The other nine seats in Texas are quite easier, but if we're able to win it, it says that our odds to flip Texas are even better than what we thought they were," Post said.

The DLCC is looking to spend $50 million in 2020 on state legislative races, joining other groups like the NDRC and Forward Majority, who plan to pour at least $10 million into state House races this cycle. In addition, issue-oriented groups like the Brady PAC, started by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, are also looking to invest in 20 to 25 Texas state races.

Currently, Republicans hold majorities in 59 of the 99 state legislatures nationwide. The Republican State Leadership Committee launched their "Right Lines 2020" redistricting campaign in September, and raised at least $19 million in 2019. They have not disclosed their 2020 fundraising goal yet.

Some of the state targets that both the DLCC and RSLC are expected to compete heavily in are Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

However, both Post and Wexler-Waite called Texas the "crown jewel" of redistricting.

"We see Texas as our number one strategic priority," he said. "We're going to be playing in around 20 districts in Texas in November. And I think an inherent part of our strategy is to contest in every district where we think Democrats might have a chance."

Fort Bend County Democrats Chair Cynthia Ginyard said the impact of redistricting was not a big factor for voters in this runoff, but it'll be a central message in the upcoming March primaries and November general election, which will most likely be a rematch between Markowitz and Gates.

"Then, you'll have the full gambit of the ballot on there," she said. "We need Democrats. We need our experienced legislators because they're the ones who are going to have to fight for that. And heaven knows it'll be a fight."

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With a single day off, you can end up with a four-day weekend this March. Here's how you can make the most of it.

If you, like us, have any intentions of escaping the madness of the city over the Holi weekend youre in luck because here are the places where you can get away to over the weekend from Delhi.

Dehradun (return tickets start at Rs 5,058)

Head over to the hills to escape the Delhi pollution; your lungs will thank you for that. You could always stay around in Dehradun itself or simply take the cab and head over to Mussoorie and check into the spectacular JW Marriott for a relaxing weekend.

Photograph: Md Amir Salmani / Pexels

Lucknow (return tickets start at Rs 5,643)

The galauti kebabs are enough reason for you to head down to Lucknow but the capital of Uttar Pradesh has much to offer in the history department too. Consider one of the many heritage walks being offered in the city and explore, not just the buildings but also, the many textile arts and the cuisine of the city of Nawabs.

Photograph: Shiv S Tripathi / Flickr

Khajuraho (return tickets start at Rs 8,984)

The temples of Khajuraho should keep you busy for a day but once youre done with the erotic temple art, there are several places where you can get away to. Shop for saris in Chanderi (about five hours away from Khajuraho) explore the forts of Reva (about three hours away), visit the natural reserves of Panna (some 90 minutes away) or pay your respects to the queen in Jhansi (about three hours away). Theres a lot you can take away from this particular weekend trip so plan well.

Photograph: Christopher Voitus / Creative Commons

Kathmandu (return tickets start at Rs 9,781)

With Vistara now flying to Kathmandu every day, the Nepali capital is more accessible than ever before. Walk around the city and explore the Kathmandu Darbar Square, visit the home of Nepals living goddess pay your respects at the Boudha Stupa and the Pasupatinath Temple or simply go shopping. Kathmandu has much to offer, especially for a long weekend.

Photograph: Rajesh Maharjan / Pixabay

Story continues

Istanbul (return tickets start at Rs 23,862)

The fares may be much steeper than the rest of the getaways listed here but youre unlikely to forget your trip to Istanbul. Its the city where the old meets the new, where cultures of two continents come together and where every lane and building has a story to tell. Istanbul was once the centre of the known world and has the ability to hold your attention for a long weekend  no matter if you love history or food or indeed partying.

Photograph: Benh LIEU SONG / Creative Commons
FILE PHOTO: Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed poses for a photograph during the opening of the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and the Government of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa

By Dawit Endeshaw

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's election board on Friday set a date of Aug. 29 for parliamentary elections that will be a first test of voter support for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has eased political restrictions since he took office in 2018.

The date is two weeks later than the electoral board had previously indicated, on account of weather.

"Looking at parts of the country which will be affected by the rainy season, pushing the schedule a little further will ease our burden," board chairwoman Birtukan Mideksa said at a conference on election preparations taking place in Addis Ababa.

Less areas will have rain compare at the end of the month, she said.

Ethiopia's 109 million people are experiencing unprecedented political and economic change, but Abiy's reforms have also unleashed ethnic rivalries that have spilled into violence.

Plans to hold the parliament and regional council elections in May were postponed as neither authorities nor parties would be ready, Mideksa said in January.

Ethiopia has had regular parliamentary elections since the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) took power in 1991 but, with one exception, none were competitive.

Abiy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his efforts at reconciliation with Ethiopia's neighbour and longtime foe Eritrea, has promised that this year's vote will be free and fair.

(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
The decision is likely to further exacerbate tensions between Trump and Barr, who before speaking out in the television interview had privately complained to aides and the president himself that Trumps comments about the Justice Department were undercutting his political agenda and raising questions about the departments credibility. The White House was not given a heads-up about the decision beforehand, a person familiar with the matter said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
The boyfriend of a mother-of-two who was killed in a horrific crash on Valentine's Day said he has no idea how to tell her six-year-old daughter the tragic news.

Evelin Kwok, 34, was killed late Friday night when her car collided with another vehicle in Palmerston, Darwin.

Her partner, Wei-kai Lee, how has to tell Ms Kwok's six-year-old daughter the news that her mother will not be coming home.

Evelin Kwok (pictured), 34, was killed late Friday night when her car collided with another vehicle in Palmerston, Darwin

Her partner, Wei-kai Lee (pictured together), how has to tell Ms Kwok's six-year-old daughter the news that her mother will not be coming home

Mr Lee told the ABC his partner worked as a nurse in an aged care home and described her as being 'very compassionate about her work and clients'.

'Even though she worked the overnight shift, she still spent time with the girls before they went to bed as well as on her day off,' he said.

Ms Kwok had called Australia home for ten years and were excited to see her two young daughters grow up.

'I don't know how to tell the older girl about what happened to mum,' Mr Lee said.

A GoFundMe was launched on Saturday for Ms Kwok's daughters, and said the mother was driving home from work 'to have Valentine's dinner with her partner' when she was killed.

Police say witnesses of the crash were able to free a 21-year-old passenger from the other vehicle who was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious condition.

Ms Kwok had called Australia home for ten years and were excited to see her two young daughters grow up

But the fatal crash also killed the 20-year-old driver of the other car when he became trapped inside as it caught fire.

Major Crash Investigation officers are examining the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Police say the Toyota Corolla driven by the 20-year-old man was driving down the wrong side of the road when it crashed into Ms Kwok's Hyundai Sedan.

'Police at the scene managed to extinguish the fire, and Fire and Rescue members extracted the driver, who died at the scene,' NT Police said in a statement.

Five lives have now been lost on Northern Territory roads in 2020.
No fewer than eight Nigerian inmates repatriated from Thailand to complete their prison terms close to their families are being held at Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Lagos, for more than three years beyond their release dates due to the failure of consular officials at the Nigerian Embassy in Thailand to transmit their warrants of release.

The prisoners who should have been released in early 2017 are languishing in prison despite being granted royal pardon by the Thai King and their prison terms commuted, in clear violation of a controversial prisoner transfer treaty between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Thailand.

In 2002, Nigeria signed a treaty on the transfer of offenders and co-operation in the enforcement of penal sentences with Thailand. The treaty, which was signed on behalf of Nigeria by Ademola Aderele, the ambassador to Thailand at the time, and Surakiat Sathirathai, the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs, was aimed at facilitating the successful reintegration of offenders back into society.

The treaty also sought to give foreigners who are deprived of their liberty as a result of their commission of a criminal offence the opportunity to serve their sentences within their own society, according to a copy of the treaty published on Thailand Law Forum, an online legal publication.

According to the treaty, though inmates are transferred to their home country to serve out their sentence, they are still under the exclusive jurisdiction of the transferring country.

Article 5 (1) of the treaty that deals with the retention of jurisdiction, the transferring state shall retain exclusive jurisdiction regarding the judgements of its court, the sentences imposed by the them and any procedures for revision, modification and cancellation of hose judgements and sentences.

That is to say the transferring state, Thailand has power over the judgement, including making additional order of court or any revision, modification or even to cancel the sentence they have already made. If they have sentenced any of them to 20 years imprisonment, they can also review it by reducing it by 5 years or by saying they have pardoned you, said Ezenwa Ibegbunam, counsel to some of the inmates, during a telephone chat with PREMIUM TIMES.

The king of Thailand makes royal proclamations where he grants Amnesty or pardon to prisoners. These guys, in the eyes of the law, remain prisoners in the custody of Thailand even if they were transferred to Nigeria to complete their terms. Now the king of Thailand has reduced their sentences, some of them have been reduced and the warrant has to go through diplomatic channel, which is the embassy in Thailand of the consulate in Thailand.

But the funniest part of it is that the Nigerian government, the consulate or the diplomatic channel through which these things are sent do not send it to the ministry of Foreign Affairs or the prison authorities. So, when you go to the prison to know the status of these guys, you will find little or nothing regarding their current status, he said.

He added that it took his law firm years before they could even obtain a copy of the treaty because of the nonchalance of the Nigeria Embassy in Thailand and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In Article 6 under procedure for Enforcement of Sentence the treaty states that the enforcement of the sentence after the transfer shall be governed by the laws and the procedure of the transferring state, including those governing conditions for service of imprisonment, confinement or other deprivation of liberty and those providing for the reduction of the terms of imprisonment, confinement or other deprivation of liberty by conditional release, remission or otherwise.

The section also stipulates that the receiving state shall be bound by the legal nature and duration of the sentence as determined by the transferring state.

[If] the transferring state revises, modifies or cancels the judgment or sentence pursuant to Article 5 of this Treaty or reduces, commutes or terminates the sentence, the receiving State, upon being notified of the decision give, in accordance with Article.

Repatriated inmates

Between 2007 and 2012, seven Nigerian inmates serving jail terms in Thailand requested to be repatriated back home to serve out their sentences close to their relatives in Nigeria.

The inmates include: Wasiu Amusan, Napoleon Mba, Obi Titus, Gloria Ogbonna, Henry Azukaeme, Okpala Chukwubike (also known as Oteng Samuel), Kennedy Tanya and Yakubu Yauza. Apart from Mr Amusan who was repatriated in 2007, others were repatriated in 2012.

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According to the Correctional Department of Thailand translated from Thai to English by a Thai government certified translator, two of the inmates  Henry Azukaeme and Okpala Chukwubike  who were imprisoned for drug-related offences, were granted royal pardon and their sentences commuted by the Thai monarch to one-sixth of their original sentence.

The defendant has been imprisoned for 0 days after deduction of the detention period, read an English translation of the official warrant of pardon for Mr Chukwubike dated 23 January 2017.

Therefore, under the provision of the Correction Act the punishment to the inmate Mr Oteng Samuel, the defendant, was commuted in accordance with the warrant. After having served full term of punishment, he shall immediately be released, the warrant added.

The warrant commuting Mr Azukaemes sentence similarly stated.

Media report around the time confirmed that the Thai monarch pardoned and commuted the sentences of prisoners. According to a Reuters report of 13 December 2016, Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun commuted or pardoned 150,000 prisoners to mark his ascension to the throne.

Prisoners convicted of 112 and prisoners convicted of drug offences will be included for consideration for release or commuting of sentence, Kobkiat Kasivivat, director general of the Department of Corrections told Reuters, referring to the royal insult law by its article number in the criminal code.

A representative of the repatriated inmate, Edward Azukaeme (Henrys brother), told PREMIUM TIMES that the other repatriated inmates have been similarly pardoned or have had their sentences commuted and should have been released by the Nigeria Correctional Service.

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He also alleged that instead of making arrangement to repatriate the inmates, the Nigerian Embassy in Thailand compelled relatives of the inmates to pay $1,200.00 for each of them to cover the cost of airfare back to Nigeria.

Conflicting Release Dates

However, when reached for comment, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Augustine Njoku, who confirmed that the inmates were indeed repatriated from Thailand, said it was impossible for the service to keep a prisoner beyond his or her release date.

I was the officer that handled their return to Nigeria. I was in Lagos then as the PRO. I was conversant with this issue then. A custodial centre cannot keep a person for a minute after his expiration date is due. It is very strict for a person to finish his sentence and we would keep him. We are running a decongestion programme. Unless there is a caveat in the treaty the person has not met, he said.

He gave this reporter several release dates he claimed were in the warrant sent by the Correctional Department of Thailand.

According to the NCS, the release dates of the repatriated inmates are: Okpala Chibuike 2 May 2021, Tanya Kennedy 29 August 2021, Henry Azukaeme, 3 February 2021, Wasiu Amusan, 1 April, 2025, Obi Titus, 5 September, 2043, Yakubu Mohammed 25 may, 2023, Napoleon Mba 26 June, 2042 and Gloria Ogbonna, 2022.

This is the warrant we have. We dont have any other warrant. If the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs brings another warrant that shows that they have reviewed the treaty, good and fine. We cant keep them because it is an inconvenience for us. As more as they go, we are happy, he said.

Diplomatic nonchalance

When reached for comment about the status of the repatriated inmates, an officer of the Thai Department of Corrections, Wimolrat Tangmanwitayasak, initially requested the names of the repatriated inmates to be sent to her via email and promised to share the documents with the records of the inmate with this newspaper.

However, when an email was sent to her, she replied saying the Thai Department of Corrections is prohibited from disclosing information about prisoners and added that such information can only be sent through diplomatic channels.

According to the Official Information Act B.E. 2540, your inquiries are under prohibition of disclosure. The information of prisoners who are transferred will be sent through the diplomatic channels only. Please contact the Embassy of Nigeria in Bangkok, Thailand, she said in an email.

When this reporter contacted the Nigerian Embassy in Thailand for details about the inmates, Ben, the Consular assistant, a Thai who spoke barely understandable English, said the Nigerian consulate was contacted by the Thai Department of Corrections after I contacted them and that the embassy was trying to get the warrant of the pardon of the inmates and the documents should be sent to Nigeria by the end of February.

When asked why it is taking the embassy three years to get the document from the Thai Department of Corrections and why they had to wait until this reporter started asking questions before they began the process of sending the documents over to Nigeria, Mr Ben requested all questions be sent via email to the consular.

The Embassy did not reply to the questions sent to the two email addresses Mr Ben provided.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affair, Ferdinand Nwoye, was also not forthcoming.

I dont think there is anything the Foreign Ministry can contribute to this. The job of the ministry and an embassy is to facilitate that movement so when they come back here to Nigerian the relevant agencies take control, he said.

He suggested it was the responsibility of the NCS that he does not have the record of the Nigerian Embassy in Thailand. But after much explanation he promised to pass the enquiry to the consular department at the ministry but after he was contacted to introduce the case to the consular department as he promised, he reverted to his original position that case was the responsibility of the NCS.

Legality of Treaty

Mr Ibegbunam said his law firm is also challenging the legality of the prisoner transfer treaty Nigeria signed with Thailand. He argued that the treaty falls short of section 12 subsection (1) of the 1999 Constitution, which deals with the domestication of treaties.

Section 12 (1) of the Constitution read: No treaty between the Federation and any other country shall have the force of law except to the extent to which any such treaty has been enacted into law by the National Assembly.

He said because the treaty is yet to be ratified by the National Assembly as dictated by the section of the Constitution, it lacked the force of law and no Nigerian can be denied his or her liberty on an instrument which lacked the force of law.

This treaty on transfer of offenders between Nigeria and Thailand has not been domesticated into the national assembly and the legal effect is that it does not have the force of law in Nigeria, he said.

Yes, they committed offences in Thailand, and they were sentenced to various terms imprisonment, how can you now detain them in Nigeria based on a treaty that does not have the force of law. It is our argument that it is unconstitutional and therefore their continued detention here is illegal and they should be released.

We cannot at this stage tell Nigerian government to send them back to Thailand, we are saying can you even hold a Nigerian person, can you suspend anybodys fundamental rights , liberty or movement question to a law that does not have legal effect in Nigeria. We are saying we cannot do that, he added.

The challenge of the law was dismissed at the High Court and Court of Appeal because at the time, they could not get an official English translation of the treaty.

But now the matter is at the Supreme Court. We have got a copy of the treaty and we are now asking the court to admit it as evidence, he said.
An elderly married couple who agreed to a suicide pact were a 'modern-day Romeo and Juliet', an inquest heard.

Geoffrey, 89, and Ida Platt, 90, planned their suicide and jointly made the decision to die before they took an overdose of pills in May last year.

A neighbour found the couple when they spotted an open front door but Mr Platt survived the overdose and had to watch his beloved wife of 50 years die.

An elderly married couple who agreed to a suicide pact were a 'modern-day Romeo and Juliet', an inquest heard. Geoffrey and Ida Platt, 89 and 90, took an overdose of pills

Struck by crippling grief, the retired water board engineer was found hanged in his home in Swinton, Greater Manchester, three months later, in August last year.

Bolton Coroners Court heard how Geoffrey had waited for his niece and main carer, Janet Jackson, to go on holiday in France before taking his own life.

Before she left, he spoke to her and told her he loved her before taking his own life on July 26, the court heard.

Ms Jackson told the inquest her aunt, who was 'intelligent, artistic and creative', was 'a perfect match' for her uncle who was 'passionate and opinionated'.

She told the court the couple had travelled the world despite Mr Platt's struggles with PTSD after suffering a mining accident in New Zealand which left him hearing voices and suffering night terrors.

In recent years, Mrs Platt's health had deteriorated, which resulted in her having a pacemaker fitted and undergoing operations on her eyes.

Ms Jackson added: 'Geoff had a mission in life and it was to keep Ida alive.

'He was trying to turn back the clock and make her well again.'

The inquest heard a neighbour had spotted the Platt's front door open on the morning of 12 May and found the couple unresponsive.

They were rushed to Salford Royal Hospital where Mrs Platt initially recovered and was lucid enough to tell her niece she was 'angry she hadn't died'.

Ms Jackson said: 'She was very calm but angry she was still alive.

'It was a deliberate decision she made and I have no reason not to believe her.'

Mrs Platt's condition then worsened and she died in the hospital on May 18.

Mr Platt recovered from the overdose and was discharged ten days later, despite his family and doctors pleading for him to remain under observation.

But coroner Rachel Syed said she was satisfied the right decision had been made and Mr Platt did not meet the requirements for being sectioned.

The inquest heard how Mr Platt's care was transferred to Salford Home Based Treatment Team, who were praised by Ms Syed for improving the widower's mood despite the tragic circumstances.

A neighbour found the couple when they spotted an open front door but Mr Platt survived the overdose and had to watch his beloved wife of 50 years die, an inquest at Bolton Coroner's Court heard

But his condition worsened after he was interviewed by police officers in connection with his wife's death, according to Edward Murdoch, who was one of his carers.

Mr Murdoch said: 'Geoff was a very proud man but after going to give his statement it was as if he had a weight on his shoulders.

'He was unshaven, would wear the same clothes and started to drink a bit more brandy.'

On July 26, Mr Platt asked the carer and a doctor to leave his flat and he was later found hanged by another member of staff, who had gone to his flat after concerns were raised about his mental health.

A serious incident review by Dr Martin Earl, a consultant psychiatrist for Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust, found it had been 'the correct decision' to discharge Mr Platt and the treatment team had gone 'above and beyond' with their care.

Recording a conclusion of suicide in both cases, Ms Syed described the couple as a 'modern-day Romeo and Juliet'.

She added: 'I find the correct decisions were made and there were no missed opportunities. This was a tragic set of circumstances in the truest sense of the word.'
Meghan Markle has a completely different approach to parenting than Kate Middleton. Unlike her royal counterpart, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has largely kept her son, Archie Harrison, out of the spotlight and wants him to live as normal a life as possible. Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, on the other hand, has largely raised her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, in the public eye. While Meghan has received a lot of criticism over her parenting style, royal experts have officially weighed in on which approach is best.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle | Stephen Pond/Getty Images

Meghan protects Archie at all costs

No matter how much they stay out of public view, it is almost impossible for members of the royal family to have private lives. But that did not stop Meghan and Prince Harry from trying to protect Archie from prying eyes.

Ever since his birth in the spring of 2019, Meghan has kept Archie out of the royal spotlight. Not only did she forgo the traditional photo op at the hospital following his birth, but she also kept his christening a private event.

Now that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are no longer members of the royal family, royal experts believe that Meghans parenting style will be even more noticeable, especially when it comes to keeping Archie out of the public spotlight.

Now that Harry and Meghan have chosen to shun Royal life, this differing [parenting] style becomes clear, royal expert Martina Mercer shared. Meghan and Harry have forgone royal expectations while creating a bubble around their little family, putting the welfare of Archie center stage.

Because of her need to protect Archie, Meghan failed to follow royal traditions and did not give the media any access to Archie. Instead, she has only released photos of her son on Instagram, and all of the images are thoroughly vetted before they are posted.

Kate Middleton takes a different approach

While Meghan has kept tight control over Archie, Kate has gone in a completely different direction. With her oldest son set to sit on the throne someday, the Duchess of Cambridge has not been shy about embracing royal traditions.

Kate, meanwhile, has understood her responsibilities from the outset, while choosing to follow royal tradition, Mercer explained. She has ticked every box, from the photoshoot after the birth to the annual photos of the children, while making the most of royal privileges, such as the army of staff that are on hand to help in raising the children.

Although Kate Middleton has taken a different approach to parenting, Mercer emphasized that neither method is inherently wrong. The only negative consequence of Meghans approach is that she has been criticized more in the press.

While the negative press will likely continue, Meghan Markle doesnt have to worry about it as much now that she is no longer a part of the royal family. She and Harry stepped down at the beginning of January and are expected to make their exit official this spring.

Living in North America will definitely isolate Meghan and Harry from British tabloids, which is honestly a good thing for the young family.

Why are Kate Middleton and Meghan Markles parenting styles so different?

According to Express, the royal line of succession is one reason why Kate and Meghans parenting styles are so different. Kate has always known that George will be the King of the United Kingdom someday, so keeping him out of the spotlight would do him more harm than good.

Kate Middleton and her husband, Prince William, love all three of their children, but they also understand the importance of preparing them for public life. While it is sad, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge know that keeping their kids isolated from the media is not the right way to go.

Kate and William obviously adore their children yet they also understand the huge responsibility that comes with being a Royal Family and Kates style of parenting ensures their children embrace the royal way of life from the outset while ensuring the children carry on tradition and grow to be respected royals in the public eye, Mercer stated.

Meghan and Harry, however, do not have the same expectations. Harry is currently sixth in line to the throne and will likely never inherit the crown. In fact, the couple did not even bother to give Archie a royal title when he was born, which shows how much they wanted to keep him out of the spotlight.

Experts weigh in on parenting in the royal family

In light of the differences between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, a few parenting experts weighed in on the matter and offered their thoughts on which style is better.

At the end of the day, the experts agreed that having a child who is destined to be in the spotlight is not easy. With that in mind, they did not blame Meghan for wanting to protect Archie, but at the same time, they praised Kate for handling the situation like a pro.

Having to parent in the public eye would be every mums nightmare, however, the Duchess of Cambridge does it was such grace and serenity I have to say Im a little jealous, expert Angela Spencer shared. Its lovely to see her acting so naturally with her children and that they are obviously allowed to let their individuality be part of their public life too.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, of course, have not commented on the reports surrounding their differing parenting styles, both of which clearly have their merits.
Amid persistent criticism of its approach, the government said it would begin allowing some people who have tested negative for the virus to leave the ship and finish their quarantines on shore. Priority will be given to passengers over the age of 80 and those with existing medical problems, as well as people in windowless cabins, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said.
KALAMAZOO, MI  A candidate for the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners will hold an event Saturday to launch his campaign for the boards 5th District seat.

Democrat Chris Pomeroy, 47, will hold an event to kick off his campaign Saturday, Feb. 15. Pomeroy said he has been a labor advocate for working families for years and has been exposed to discussions within local government.

Together, I have seen us accomplish great things, but I know that we can do even more, he said in a prepared statement.

Saturdays campaign launch will run from 1-3 p.m. at Latitude 42, 6101 W. Main St. in Oshtemo Township.

The first-time candidate for public office said he values community and public service. He became versed in local government as a Kalamazoo Township resident, and became aware of debates and issues within the community, Pomeroy said the statement.

I have not decided to run for this seat simply to pick up a torch, Pomeroy said. It is my desire to ensure that residents of the 5th District continue to have their voices heard.

Kalamazoo Countys District 5 covers Alamo Township and parts of Oshtemo and Kalamazoo townships. Any Democrats or Republicans seeking the seat in 2020 will be narrowed down to each political partys nominees after the August primary, and District 5 voters will elect a commissioner in the November general election.

The District 5 seat is currently held by Democrat Julie Rogers, who also serves as chairperson of the board. Rogers will not seek reelection in 2020, and previously announced her candidacy for state representative in the 60th District, a seat currently held by state Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo. Hoadley is running for the 6th District congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph.

Commissioner Stephanie Moore, who chaired the county board prior to Rogers, announced in June her plans to seek election to the 60th District seat.

Related: Kalamazoo County Board Chairperson Julie Rogers announces run for Michigan House

Pomeroy is currently the director of organizing for the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 324, he said in an email to MLive.

In my career working for labor organizations, I have spent most of my adult life fighting for working families and economic justice, he said. For 20 years I have been an advocate for educators, first responders, medical professionals and skilled workers involved in the building trades.

Also on MLive:

Candidate announces county commissioner campaign for District 9

Democrat launches campaign for Kalamazoo County District 7 seat

Kalamazoo County commissioner announces run for state House
The Feb. 10 news article 18 years on, Biden and Sanders still bicker over Iraq War, an account of the 2002 Iraq debate, did not fully explain what was happening in the Senate at the time and how it affected then-Sen. Joe Bidens (D-Del.) strategy. That fall, Mr. Biden, along with Sens. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), were promoting an alternative military force authorization that would constrain the presidents power to wage war in Iraq in important ways. Military force rejectionists in the Democratic Party posed no barrier to then-President George W. Bushs plans.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Congressionals of the Armenian Caucus joined with human rights advocates, diplomats, and the Armenian American community, in a Capitol Hill remembrance of the 30th anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku, vowing to continue US support for the security of the Artsakh Republic. Among Members of Congress sharing their commitment to stronger U.S.-Artsakh relations were Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Jackie Speier (D-CA) as well as Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), TJ Cox (D-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Andy Levin (D-MI), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). The event featured keynote remarks by Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, an Armenian refugee from Baku who found shelter in the United States along with her family.

The Capitol Hill program was organized by the ANCA, Armenian Assembly of America, Embassy of Armenia, and the Office of the Artsakh Republic in cooperation with the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.

Commemorating the anniversary of the tragic events in Baku, congressionals emphasized the crucial role of the demining program in Artsakh funded by the United States, calling on the Congress to continue the support. It is worth noting that Jackie Speier along with other congressionals, Co-chair of the Armenian Caucus, marked the anniversary of the Armenian pogroms on the floor of the U.S. The House of Representatives. She described the pogroms in Baku as the culmination of years of atrocities by the Azeris against ethnic Armenians living in Azerbaijani communities such as Sumgait and Kirovabad ''. The Congresswoman expressed concern that despite the fact that Armenia and Artsakh accepted the Royce-Engels peace proposals [proposals to withdraw snipers, expand OSCEs role via an OSCE investigation mechanism and deploy sensors along the line of contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijan international border] and Azerbaijan rejected them , today Artsakh may lose the assistance provided for the demining program funded by the US.

Speier also shared concerns over the massive disproportion increase in military aid to Azerbaijan from the United States. Making a powerful case of peace, freedom and security, Speier addressed the Congress to help those who stand for peace and democracy. We must fight for the memories of those we lost for their dreams of safety and security and for the promise of a free Artsakh,- Speier said.

Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, James P. McGovern of Massachusetts joined Rep. Speier in commemorating the Baku Pogroms, as well. Rep. Schakowsky emphasized the role of education of the history of violence targeting the Armenian people and said she will continue working with her colleagues to promote legislation to help facilitate more states to follow Illinois developing Armenian Genocide education. We must ensure that the victims of the Sumgait and Baku pogroms are never forgotten and that such hateful acts of violence never happen again. We must remain committed to achieving a lasting peace in the Caucasus, and ensure that the people of Artsakh are able to live free from Azerbaijani abuse and aggression,- said Schakowsky.

Raja Krishnamoorthi called upon the authorities of Azerbaijan to acknowledge the Armenian pogroms and take all appropriate actions to prevent further tragedies of this nature, and take the necessary steps to begin the healing process for the families of the victims.

James P. McGovern declared that the Baku pogrom was not a spontaneous and one-time event, but the culmination sofa series of ethnic violence waged against Armenians. No one has been held accountable for the violence and the deaths. Azerbaijan remains in turmoil because of the fanaticism and thirst to ethnically cleanse the entire region of Armenian Christians,- said McGovern.

Rep. Raskin underlined that the violence against Armenians in Azerbaijan continued even after the international outcry, including bipartisan resolutions, statements and letters from concerned members of Congress. He highlighted that when governments put in place dehumanizing rhetoric, policies and laws, hatred, violence and suffering follow, urging his colleagues to recognize the plight which ethnic Armenians suffered 30 years ago and to stand vigilant against the use of ethnic and religious hatred to stir violence against minorities here in the United States and around the world.

The anniversary of the Armenian pogroms in Baku were also marked by Congressional Armenian Caucus founding Co-Chair Frank Pallone on January 30. The Congressman stated that Azerbaijan has taken steps to cover up these crimes against humanity and dismiss the atrocities in Sumgait and Baku. Even more disturbing is that the perpetrators of this event and similar violent attacks have been lauded as national heroes by the Azeri government. Tragically, the Azerbaijani governments approach toward the Armenian people has changed little since the pogroms were initiated. We still hear the same violent rhetoric and witness intimidation tactics aimed at the people of the Republic of Artsakh,- stated Rep. Pallone in his Congressional statement.

Pallone called the United States government to recognize and denounce violent assaults against any civilians, underlining that if they allow the crimes to go unpunished and unrecognized, they will only strengthen the resolve of those seeking to perpetrate these crimes in the future.
WASHINGTON - A U.S. Senate race in Georgia has turned into a proxy war ensnaring three national Republican committees and top GOP congressional leaders in a battle over whose allies get to work for which candidates.

The fight pitted the political lieutenants of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., against top political advisers to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.

Ostensibly, the fight concerned McConnell's explicit support for Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., who was appointed to fill the vacancy left when Republican Johnny Isakson resigned in early January due to health problems. McConnell's team has tried to suffocate any Republican opposition to Loeffler, part of his long-standing policy to blacklist any political firms that work for candidates challenging a GOP incumbent.

But this came against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's impeachment. Trump's family and close allies pushed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to appoint Rep. Douglas Collins to replace Isakson because, in his role as ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Collins emerged as a fierce defender of the president.

Instead, Kemp appointed Loeffler the state's first female U.S. senator, tapping a political novice with a family fortune and willingness to burn at least $20 million to win the special election. Three weeks after Loeffler was sworn in, Collins jumped into the race anyway.

What has ensued since is the type of internecine battle that left many Republicans stunned over its intensity.

It also illustrates the different rules that these national party committees employ in doling out the hundreds of millions of dollars they control during election years, with leaders like McConnell and McCarthy exerting an outsize ability to dry up consulting revenue if they deem certain firms disloyal.

After years of producing hamstrung nominees from contested primaries, the National Republican Senatorial Committee announced in 2013 that it would not allow any dollars to go toward firms that worked for GOP challengers to incumbents. Only one GOP incumbent has lost a primary challenge since then.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has no such rule, so consultants for Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., face no blowback in his challenge to Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass.

McConnell's team offers no apology for its tactics. Its blacklist policy is well-known to every Republican consulting firm, as is its well-honed image of being willing to be the toughest kid in the political sandbox.

"With this emotional, ill-informed decision, Doug Collins has united conservatives in opposition to his candidacy and Senator Loeffler has quickly assembled more Republican support in Georgia than Collins ever knew existed," said NRSC spokesman Jesse Hunt, calling the four-term congressman "a swamp creature."

McConnell does not want to risk a divided GOP field in the initial Nov. 3 ballot, which under special election rules would force the top two finishers into an unpredictable Jan. 5 runoff if no candidate clears a 50 percent majority. He wants Loeffler to win on the first ballot in the jungle primary rather than Democrats pushing one candidate toward an outright victory while the Republican vote splits. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and former gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams are united behind the candidacy of the Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of the Atlanta church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.

Collins, a familiar face on Fox News, is repositioning himself as the anti-establishment outsider because Loeffler is tied so closely to McConnell.

"Kelly Loeffler and her allies have spent over $8 million on ads and haven't moved the needle. Georgia voters know that Doug is the president's foremost defender. They are just not buying Loeffler," said Dan McLagan, Collins' campaign spokesman, dubbing it the "Potomac Panic Polka."

Soon after Isakson announced his retirement plans in August, Collins began considering the Senate race. In early October, his campaign paid almost $30,000 to John McLaughlin, a well-known Republican pollster. With impeachment looming, Collins signed Convergence Media onto his House campaign account to boost his online fundraising presence.

Rob Simms and Mike Shields founded the firm after a wealth of experience helping run the National Republican Congressional Committee and the RNC. They maintain a close connection to McCarthy, whose campaign paid Convergence more than $1 million for fundraising consulting in 2019, according to Federal Election Commission records. The firm receives a $15,000-a-month retainer from the NRCC and is poised to work on the committee's vast "independent expenditures" unit that does advertising in individual House races.

The firm plays a smaller role in Senate races, collecting almost $1.5 million in 2018 from the NRSC for work on three Senate races.

Kevin McLaughlin, NRSC's executive director, served as the blunt-force object in taking on those considering working for Collins, according to participants who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the internal fight.

McLaughlin, a longtime member of "Team Mitch," as the political operation bills itself, delivered a forceful recitation of the committee's policy, explaining how firms would lose access to consulting contracts.

Clients of the firms considering the Collins' race heard from NRSC officials.

One GOP consultant told McLaughlin that he was not afraid of the purported $20 million Loeffler was willing to spend. "$100 million," McLaughlin responded.

The message was clear: Loeffler, a business executive and co-owner of a WNBA team, is willing to spend whatever it takes to win. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is chairman of the New York Stock Exchange.

The three GOP leaders - McConnell, McCarthy and McDaniel - never spoke to one another about the feud, according to their advisers. But the messages were sent at the highest staff levels.

NRSC officials complained to top advisers of McDaniel, who employs Shields' wife, Katie Walsh, as a consultant. And McConnell's world made their displeasure clear to McCarthy's orbit.

The harder McConnell's team fought, the deeper some firms dug in on their support of Collins.

Trump's lack of clarity on the Senate race has likely played a critical role in the final decisions.

At a White House celebration after his impeachment acquittal, Trump further confused things by praising Loeffler and Collins. "Something is going to happen," the president said, suggesting everything would work out.

Loeffler's side saw that as Trump looking to appoint Collins to something to get him out of the race. Collins' team read it as exactly the opposite: Trump looking to get Loeffler out.

It became impossible for firms like Convergence to go with Collins if it were possible Trump would endorse Loeffler somewhere down the line.

In a roughly 10-day span after Collins entered the race, Convergence Media declined to work on his Senate race, followed by a direct-mail firm and John McLaughlin, the GOP pollster.

The Collins campaign is stocking its lineup with other firms and vowing to fight, happy to run as the aggrieved outsider.

"The same D.C. establishment political swamp," Collins tweeted Friday, "that tried to stop President Trump is trying to stop me now!"
Ukraine is coordinating with Iran where and when the flight recorders of the downed Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 would be decrypted, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said.

"We're now deciding with the Iranians where, in what specific place, and with which partners' help it would be done. You know that a French option is being discussed, there is a suggestion. It is very complicated equipment, which is difficult to transport. Therefore, we must approach a shared point when to do that. Because it is a sensitive matter we want to give Iranians certain time to understand how to ensure full transparency of this procedure," he told journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 10:52:27|Editor: zyl

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MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The United States and the Taliban have agreed on a weeklong reduction of violence that could pave the way for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official said Friday, while cautioning that U.S. troop reductions will be conditioned on the Taliban's meeting commitments.

The deal was struck after protracted negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha and was announced after a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The U.S. administration official said the violence reduction pact was very "specific" and covered the entire country, including Afghan government forces.

The truce marks a milestone in efforts to end the 18 years of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, and could pave the way for an agreement by the end of this month on a U.S. troop withdrawal.

The peace agreement, according to the U.S. official, would call for a nationwide cease-fire, negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban and a commitment from the Taliban not to harbor terrorist groups, while setting a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

"Should the Talibs implement what they've committed to doing, we will move forward with the agreement," the offical told reporters in Munich.

The seven-day period has yet to begin, but will take effect soon, the offical said.
President Donald Trump stands with Attorney General William Barr prior to presenting the Public Safety Medals of Valor to officers in the East Room of the White House in Washington on May 22, 2019.

Carlos Barria/Reuters

Barr's criticism of Trump in an ABC News interview has raised a lot of eyebrows.

The attorney general said Trump should stop tweeting about the Justice Department, after it put him in a bind for intervening in the case of longtime informal Trump adviser Roger Stone.

Some, including congressional Democrats, suggested Barr and Trump coordinated a plan to defuse uproar over Barr's unorthodox intervention in Stone's case. But there's no evidence of this.

"It appears more than likely that the Attorney General made his public comments of his own volition, but with the implicit understanding that the president would not be overly upset by it," a Washington-based national security lawyer told Insider.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Attorney General William Barr offered rare criticism of President Donald Trump during an interview with ABC News that aired Thursday, prompting the president's critics to speculate about his motives.

Barr told ABC that Trump's tweeting habits "make it impossible for me to do my job."

"I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases," Barr said.

In response, some Democrats and media figures suggested without evidence that Barr had gotten Trump's approval to criticize him and to say the Justice Department's decisions are still independent after Barr's controversial intervention in the case of long-time Trump adviser Roger Stone, a move that alarmed his own prosecutors.

Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, for example, tweeted, "Slow your roll if you think Barr is breaking from Trump. This was a carefully staged message to cool down pissed off DOJ attys whom Barr undercut & to avoid any further internal strife. This message does not get sideways with Trump because he's already done what Trump wanted."

Story continues

Democratic Rep. Val Demings of Florida, who was a House impeachment manager in Trump's Senate trial, suggested Barr was "in cahoots" with Trump when it came to his criticism of the president's tweets.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

The president has a well-known reputation for responding with vitriol to virtually any public slights, but has so far refrained from doing so after Barr's comments, which may have been part of the reason so many raised questions about the situation.

"The President wasn't bothered by the comments at all and he has the right, just like any American citizen, to publicly offer his opinions," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement on Thursday.

The president did, however, tweet about his self-perceived right to tell the attorney general what to do, even after Barr said Trump should stop tweeting about the Justice Department.

Since he joined the Trump administration, Barr has been repeatedly and widely accused of behaving more like the president's personal lawyer than the attorney general. The attorney general is the nation's chief law enforcement officer and charged with guarding the institution of the presidency  but not the president himself.

Barr's history of inserting himself into situations involving the president in unorthodox ways has led many in Washington (and beyond) to accuse him of eroding his credibility by not behaving as an independent agent of the law.

With that said, there's no evidence that Barr's comments on Trump's tweets were part of a carefully crafted plan, but such theories still began floating around.

"It appears more than likely that the Attorney General made his public comments of his own volition, but with the implicit understanding that the president would not be overly upset by it," Bradley P. Moss, a Washington-based national security lawyer, told Insider.

"The verbiage used by the Attorney General was subtle enough that it's possible the president didn't take offense to it in the way we have come to expect. And in the end, that was likely the point: the Attorney General could be seen standing up for the Department, cooling off the internal revolt, without putting his job in jeopardy," Moss added.

Barr's intervention in Stone's case was highly unusual

Stone was convicted of seven counts in November, including obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and false statements. The charges related to his communications with WikiLeaks in 2016 and his efforts to prevent a witness in the Russia investigation from testifying to Congress or cooperating with the FBI. Stone was an informal adviser to Trump during the 2016 campaign season and in close communication with the president during that time.

All four prosecutors overseeing the federal government's case against the veteran GOP strategist withdrew from the case earlier this week after top Justice Department officials, under Barr's direction, publicly overruled their sentencing recommendation for Stone.

Trump had complained about Stone's sentencing recommendation in a tweet, calling it "horrible and very unfair." After Barr interfered, he applauded the attorney general.

"Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought," the president said in a tweet.

Schiff: 'Barr fools no one'

Barr in the ABC interview also said it was "preposterous" to suggest he "intervened" in Stone's case, contending he simply helped resolve a dispute over a sentencing recommendation.

The attorney general said that he consulted with Justice Department officials about it privately on Monday, and that Trump's tweet complaining about the sentencing recommendation as too harsh put him in an awkward position.

And he rejected the notion Trump directed him to intervene in Stone's case, or any criminal matter, even as he criticized the president's social media habits.

"Well, I have a problem with some of, some of the tweets. As I said at my confirmation hearing, I think the essential role of the attorney general is to keep law enforcement, the criminal process sacrosanct to make sure there is no political interference in it. And I have done that and I will continue to do that," Barr said, adding, "And I'm happy to say that, in fact the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case."

Given Barr's record of unconventional interference on the president's behalf, a number of people in the legal world and beyond have expressed skepticism over his remarks.

"The explanation by the Attorney General for why he felt it necessary to intervene in the Stone case is a bit hard to swallow," Moss told Insider. "Line prosecutors issue these sentencing recommendations all the time without it requiring sign off from the Attorney General itself."

"This is absolutely nonsense theatrics and I don't buy if for one moment. Barr interfered in the Stone case for purely political reasons and Barr's sole problem is the inconvenience of Trump saying it out loud," Susan Hennessey, a Senior Fellow in National Security in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, tweeted.

Similarly, Preet Bharara, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a tweet said that Barr is "shrewd, deliberate, smart, calculating, careful, and full of it."

And Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who served as the lead House impeachment manager, tweeted: "Barr admits he intervened in the sentencing of a man who lied to Congress to cover up for the President. He's only upset that Trump's tweets made the political nature of his intervention obvious. Barr fools no one. He's a witting accomplice to Trump's attack on the rule of law."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Bengaluru, Feb 15 : A school headmistress and a student's mother in Karnataka's Bidar who have been charged with sedition are yet to walk out of the district prison after getting bail on Friday, a police official said on Saturday.

"We are yet to receive the court order on bail to release Fareeda Begum and Nazbunnisa. If we receive the court order today, the women can walk out of the prison by evening," told Bidar district prison Superintendent Shivaputra Hajimani to IANS.

Bidar Principal District and Sessions Court granted conditional bail to Begum, 50, headmistress of the Shaheen Group of Institution's school and Nazbunnisa, 36, a parent of one of the students in the anti-CAA play, in which the minor students allegedly abused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and were arrested on January 30.

Nazbunnisa was arrested for teaching her 11-year-old daughter the controversial dialogue which was uttered in the anti-NRC play while Begum was arrested for allowing the play to be staged in the school.

The play enacted by minor school children on January 21, according to former Superintendent of Police Sreedhara, had abusive language against Modi, and claimed that Muslims were being thrown out of India, and openly called for the defiance of the law.

Six children who acted in the play were below 10 years of age, and rehearsed the play for 10 days.

The Bidar judge granted bail to the women on a personal bond of Rs one lakh with two sureties for the same amount.

With its head office at Shaheen Nagar in Bidar and managed by the Allama Iqbal Educational Society, the Shaheen Group of Institutions runs a string of institutes from kindergarten to undergraduation.
MUNICH - Diplomats from nations that lost citizens when Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner pushed Irans foreign minister Saturday for more co-operation from Tehran on the investigation and other issues.

Amid heightened tensions with the United States, Iran said it accidentally shot the aircraft down Jan. 8 after mistaking it for an incoming missile attack. All 176 people aboard the Ukraine International Airlines plane died.

The victims included 57 Canadian citizens as well as 11 Ukrainians, 17 people from Sweden, four Afghans and four British citizens, as well as Iranians.

Iran has not turned over the black boxes or committed to compensation for the victims. Diplomats pressed Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for action in a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said.

On behalf of the grieving nations of this tragedy, we told Minister Zarif in no uncertain terms that Iran must take steps toward resolving many outstanding questions of fact and of law, Champagne told reporters.

We pressed Iran on the need for a thorough, transparent and credible investigation in full compliance with the Convention on Civil Aviation. This, of course, means allowing for the black boxes to be transferred to a facility with the capacity to properly download and analyze their contents, he said.

Diplomats from Britain, Afghanistan and Ukraine also took part in the meeting.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said they emphasized the need for quick action in the case.

We are talking about weeks and months, he said. Were not talking about years.
Andrew McCabe was once the deputy director of the FBI. Former U.S. attorney general Jeff Sessions fired him, however, when Inspector General Michael Horowitz concluded that McCabe had not only improperly leaked intel to the Wall Street Journal about the Hillary email probe, but had also lied to the FBI about his decision. McCabe, who was smart enough to be second in command at one of the U.S.'s most powerful government agencies, later explained that he was confused.

Despite Horowitz's findings and McCabe's weak excuse, the Department of Justice opted to drop all charges against McCabe. Coincidentally or not, one of the prosecutors who signed off on that decision is the same prosecutor who cut a deal with Imran Awan, a former I.T. aide to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who may well have been spying on Congress.

The statement that J.P. Cooney and Molly Gaston, both of the DOJ, wrote to McCabe's attorneys was brief:

We write to inform you that, after careful consideration, the Government has decided not to pursue criminal charges against your client, Andrew G. McCabe, arising from the referral by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to our Office of conduct described in OIG's April 13, 2018, report entitled, "A Report of Investigation of Certain Allegations Relating to Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe." Based on the totality of the circumstances, and all of the information known to the Government at this time, we consider the matter closed.

Democrats were predictably delighted by the decision. McCabe, copying Comey, was appropriately sanctimonious. Lisa Page, who, with Peter Strzok, ranted about Trump and Trump-supporters, and dreamed of ways to end Trump's presidency, toasted McCabe's victory:

Conservatives, contrasting the DOJs treatment of McCabe, Comey, and Hillary with its treatment of Flynn, Stone, Papadopoulos, etc., were deeply upset:

Stone - Charged



Flynn - Charged



Papadopoulos - Charged



Gates - Charged



Cohen - Charged



McCabe - Pass



Comey - Pass



Brennan - Pass



Clapper - Pass



Podesta - Pass  Jack Posobiec  (@JackPosobiec) February 14, 2020

.@GenFlynns life was destroyed over a voluntary conversation with dirty FBI agents ordered to frame him by McCabe.



McCabe breaks the exact same law for which hes criminally referred by DOJs own IG; he gets a pass and airtime.



Justice is dead in America  John Cardillo (@johncardillo) February 14, 2020

Its a sad day when we learn in America that there is a #twotieredjusticesystem Andrew McCabe gets to walk - no justice after he lied to federal investigators with IG. I guess as Americans we know where we stand now. @realDonaldTrump and his campaign was illegally targeted  Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) February 14, 2020

McCabe - lied to the FBI (he admitted this).



Flynn - lied to the FBI (supposedly).



Showing that two defendants are similarly-situated and treated differently isn't Whataboutism, it's literally the fundamental way lawyers are trained to think about the law.



Socratic Method!  Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) February 14, 2020

Aside from the sense, expressed above, that the Deep State will always protect Democrats, other theories floated up to explain what happened. George Papadopoulos, himself a target of the Mueller gang, suspects that deeper doings are afoot and urges patience:

The errand boys like McCabe were never the target. Brennan was running this with Clapper. Be patient. Case is being built around them with the lower level grunts like Alexander Downer and others having already been interviewed.  George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) February 15, 2020

Some think the fault lies with Donald Trump and his tweets because they supposedly made it impossible for prosecutors to try the case. Speaking as a lawyer, that's bollocks. If a case exists, the tweets are irrelevant.

However, what gives that idea credence is the revelation that federal judge Reggie Walton stated some months ago that he was troubled by the White House:

I understand there are political implications and other implications involved in reference to whether you go forward. And I fully appreciate the complexity of the assessment, especially  unfortunately, to be candid  in light of the way by the White House, which I don't think top executive officers should be doing. Because it does, I think, really complicate your ability to get a fair adjudication from the government's prospective. Because the public is listening to what's going on, and I don't think people like the fact that you got somebody at the top basically trying to dictate whether somebody should be prosecuted," Walton said. "I just think it's a banana republic when we go down that road, and we have those type of statements being made that are conceivably, even if not, influencing the ultimate decision. I think there are a lot of people on the outside who perceive that there is undue inappropriate pressure being brought to bear.

NeverTrumpers are excited by the fact that Walton is not an Obama appointee. They shouldn't be. First, he's a George W. Bush appointee, and the Bush coterie hates Trump so much that its members will support Democrats. Second, Walton was head of the FISA court from 2013 to 2014, a court that has distinguished itself by being either corrupt, stupid, careless, or credulous (or maybe all of the above). He's defending his turf.

Another theory is that McCabe entered into a deal with the DOJ to name names and give facts and that this refusal to prosecute is his reward. John Cardillo, however, thinks this is unlikely:

If McCabe was a cooperating witness theyd have kept every investigation against him open for leverage and he wouldnt be on a media tour playing the persecuted victim.



I know its a nice thought, but it isnt so.  John Cardillo (@johncardillo) February 14, 2020

Finally, there's the practical reality that McCabe's case would have been tried in Washington, D.C. While President Trump, with Mitch McConnell's support, is finally clamping down on rogue, activist judges, the reality is that D.C. is an almost impossible venue for Democrats. Hillary won that district in 2016 with 90.9% of all votes. The DOJ may simply have made a pragmatic decision not to engage in a pointless exercise.

And then there are those of us hoping that letting McCabe go is the predicate for the DOJ asking that all charges against Flynn and others caught in Mueller's truly evil procedural traps be expunged...
A Tibetan nun who was expelled from a Buddhist center in a Tibetan area of Sichuan province and placed in an internment camp has committed suicide because she could not bear the hardship of life in detention, according to a source from inside the region.

The nun, whose name has not been identified, was among thousands of Tibetans living at the Yachen Gar Buddhist study center that were evicted from their homes after authorities razed nearly half of the 13,000 dormitories housing members of the clergy in August 2019, a source who lives at the center told RFAs Tibetan Service on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

A Tibetan nun was among those who were held in an internment camp after being removed from Yachen Gar last year, said the source, who had visited the camp, adding that the nun was originally from Jomda (in Chinese, Jiangda) county in the Tibet Autonomous Regions (TAR) Chamdo (Changdu) prefecture.

She was defiant of the political reeducation in the camp and always protested against the Chinese officials instruction and education, which often resulted in her being beaten. The management and reeducation instructor in the camp had developed a dislike for her attitude.

According to the source, the nun was last year taken to the hospital without any apparent health-related issues, leading her to protest and refuse to take medicine prescribed for her by medical staff.

Consequently, even the doctors thrashed her, said the source.

Owing to these incidents, the nun was called back to the internment camp. Finding the hardships she endured in the camp unbearable, she chose to end her life.

The source, who said he feared for his safety while speaking to RFA, hung up the phone before he was able to provide details about when and how the nun killed herself.

Monk officials fired

Meanwhile, a second source told RFA that three monk officials at Yachen Gar were arrested by authorities last year while the razing of dormitories was underway.

After the demolition at Yachen Gar last year, Chinese public security officers covertly entered the center in the middle of the night and arrested four high-ranking monk officials, who were expelled from the monastery, said the source, who also declined to be named.

The Chinese authorities have since expelled those monk officials.

According to the source, Yachen Gar has been under tight restrictions since last year.

Traveling to and from Yachen Gar meant being subjected to close surveillance, he said.

Travelers passing through the area were strictly prohibited from sharing photos or video of the center on [online messaging platform] WeChat.

The source confirmed earlier reports that prior to the razing of homes at Yachen Gar, there were estimated to be at least 10,000 monks and nuns living at the center, but that afterwards as many as 7,000 were removedmostly those from areas of the TAR.

Large-scale demolitions

In October last year, sources told RFA that Chinas demolition at Yachen Gar had removed five to six thousand homes and led to the eviction of a similar number of monks and nuns.

The account from the region, which is remote and under heavy Chinese security, followed a report issued by the advocacy group Free Tibet which carried satellite images it said verify that large-scale demolitions have leveled almost half of the complex.

Restrictions on Yachen Gar and the better-known Larung Gar complex in Sichuans Serthar (Seda) county are part of an unfolding political strategy aimed at controlling the influence and growth of these important centers for Tibetan Buddhist study and practice, a Tibetan advocacy group said in a March 2017 report.

During 2017 and 2018, at least 4,820 Tibetan and Han Chinese monks and nuns were removed from Larung Gar, with over 7,000 dwellings and other structures torn down beginning in 2001, according to sources in the region.

Reported and translated by Kalden Lodoe for RFAs Tibetan Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Veilances creative director Taka Kasuga says he prefers the term global weirding to global warming. Climate change is creating weather systems that are unpredictable, causing chillier temperatures in Vancouver, where Kasuga livesbut weather across Europe and Asia so friendly that Kasuga packed only a carry-on for a recent three-week trip that spanned Paris, Berlin, and Tokyo. Kasuga is the creative director of one of menswears most tech-forward, future-looking outerwear brands, so its not a surprise that this weirdness has been top of mind for him: it affects what he designs, the types of coats hes thinking about, and the materials Veilance seems to beam in from space. Kasuga isnt alone in his quest, either. Dramatic changes to the climate means that making and selling a winter coat requires more thought than ever from retailers and designers.

Because, without a doubt, global temperatures are rising: 2019 was the second-hottest year ever recorded (2016 tops that list), and the 10s are the warmest decade ever. Headlines detailing how this placeAlaskaand thatthe U.K.are experiencing higher-than-ever temperatures are increasingly commonplace. And on a practical level, freakishly warm temperatures mean that many of us no longer get those single-temp days requiring us to really start dressing, turning instead to lighter jackets in early January when we would typically be bundled up. After another springy day in the beginning of January spent wearing an unusually light outer layer, I wondered: is our warmer weather killing the winter coat industry? Or are those most invested in its success at least girding for its potential collapse? The answer is perhaps surprising. The winter coat industry is doing just fine.

The explanation is extraordinarily simple: when it gets coldand it still does, if not as frequently and intenselypeople buy coats. If the cold snaps on a Friday, you have a phenomenal weekend selling outerwear, says Sam Lobban, the vice president of designer ready-to-wear at Nordstrom. The first big cold snap of the winter is always, if Im honest, a massive relief for the retail world. The biggest difference is in coat-buying habits, Lobban says. Now, retailers like Nordstrom are adaptable enough that winter coats no longer sit out when customers dont want them in the early twinkles of winter. Now, September-through-November is set up to sell mid-layer pieces, and when the cold finally whooshes in in December, January, and February, the big coats hit the floor. Lobban compares it to a store pushing its umbrellas to the entrance when it starts to rain. But even with the shift, the net effect is the same: temperatures may be climbing, but in the world of retail, winter is coming. We had a really good year this year selling coats, Lobban says.

Story continues

More holistic results show that Nordstrom isnt the only one selling coats despite climate change. Global coat sales are steadily growing, according to figures provided by Euromonitor: in 2015, retailers sold $100.4 billion worth of coats, and by 2018, sales were up to $107.8 billion. That number jumped again last year to $110.7 billion. (Sales just in the U.S. stuck around the $20 to $21 billion range over that same span.) But why are coat sales sustaining in the face of rising temperatures?

Part of growing (or at least unchanged sales) comes down to brands designing more carefully. The old great days of really cold winters are gone, Andrea Cane, the creative director of coat-brand Woolrich, says a little wistfully. Adapting to changing environments is now the standard to developing garments in our industry. Over the decades, Woolrich was the coat maker of record for lumberjacks and Alaskan pipeline workers, says Cane. Now, it makes coats for, say, creative directors who need a coat to pop down to the bodega for more mango-flavored Juul pods. Woolrich has just the thing: new parkas coming out of the brands design studio emphasize breathability and lightweight materials. Lobban adds that all the brands Nordstrom stocks are pivoting to making coats with multiple different end usesmeaning a heavy jacket only useful for battling arctic colds wont cut it anymore.

We also ask different things of our coats now. Because so much of the population has decided to gather in quote-unquote urban centers, what they ask from a coat is vastly different from our tundra-facing forefathers. Todays brands and retailers are now making coats for people who leave their homes but then get on a train and then go into an office, only braving the outside for brief moments throughout the day. Veilances Kasuga thinks critically about modern-day problems, like how to make a coat that can keep people warm in freezing temperatures outside, but not overheated on a packed subway car.

For now, Veilance is working with a material it calls Shakedry, which my colleague Sam Hine described as a wearable membrane. The super-lightweight, rubber-like material brings warmth and breathability into harmony. But in the future Kasuga imagines toying with even more advanced smart fabrics, ones that can get hotter or colder at the push of a button on an app. I'm seeing a lot of experiments, Kasuga says, but theyre still quite a stretch in terms of a real application.

Kasugas boundary-pushing is driven more by his willingness to look into the crystal ball than an actual financial necessity, though. We are not seeing any huge impact from the warm winter, he emails me after hes had the chance to do what he describes as homeworklooking at sales numbersfollowing our call. The outerwear category, including the Monitor down coat, is doing really well for us, he says, referring to the brands most heavy-duty piece of outerwear.

Good sales this year, though, isnt an excuse to proceed business as usual. Kasuga remains ever vigilant for weirdness: already in the plans for next winter is an even lighter and more breathable insulation program, he says. Of course, even the most light and breathable of insulation programs can't stave off the inevitable. By finding novel ways to make and sell more coats, brands and retailers are only piling onto the problem of climate change with more stuff. The obsolescence of the winter coat has been avoided for nowbut mostly with only temporary solutions.

Originally Appeared on GQ
A court in Pakistan on February 15 ordered the release of a Pashtun leader, weeks after he was arrested charges including sedition.



A lawyer for Manzoor Pashteen told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that his client had been granted bail and ordered released.



Pashteen was arrested in the northwestern city of Peshawar early on January 27 on five charges, including sedition, hate speech, incitement against the state, and criminal conspiracy.

Pashteen's lawyer Saeed Akhtar said his client had already received bail over three of five charges against him. He said Pashteen was granted bail over the remaining two charges on February 15.



Akhtar added that he hoped Pashteen would be released from jail later in the day.



The 28-year-old Pashteen is the leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), which defends the rights of Pashtuns in Pakistan, the countrys largest ethnic minority.

The PTM has campaigned for civil rights for ethnic Pashtuns since 2018.



The group has attracted tens of thousands of people out to public rallies to denounce the powerful Pakistani army's heavy-handed operations in the militancy-hit tribal regions and the military's alleged connection with Islamist militants.



The PTM has been calling for the removal of military checkpoints in tribal areas and an end to "enforced disappearances" in which suspects are detained by security forces without due process.



Pakistan's government rejects allegations that security forces or its intelligence service are responsible for enforced disappearances.



His detention was condemned both in Pakistan and abroad, including in Afghanistan, where Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group.



Human Rights Watch (HRW) had urged Pakistani authorities to release Pashteen and drop the charges against the activist, saying that "using criminal laws to chill free expression and political opposition has no place in a democracy."



The activist had been "arbitrarily detained for exercising his human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," according to Amnesty International.



In a post on Twitter, Mohsin Dawar, a Pakistani parliamentarian and a PTM leader, expressed his thanks to all who had called for Pashteens release.
American From Westerdam Tests Positive: Coronavirus Updates from Feb. 15

Countries around the world are taking measures to stem the spread of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, as the death toll continues to rise.

This page has updates from Feb. 15. For updates from Feb. 16, click here.

American From Cruise Ship Tests Positive

A woman who was on a cruise ship that was rejected by five countries before being allowed to dock in Cambodia tested positive for the new coronavirus, Malaysian authorities said on Saturday.

The 83-year-old woman, an American, flew to Malaysia on Friday from Cambodia, Malaysias health ministry said in a statement. The confirmed case is the 22nd in Malaysia and the first among people who were on the Westerdam cruise ship.

The woman is in stable condition and is in isolation at the hospital, the health ministry said.

Her husband, who is also a U.S. citizen and tested negative, is still receiving treatment and is being monitored.

Read more here.

Passengers waiting to travel home get a last health screening before disembarking from the MS Westerdam cruise ship in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Feb. 15, 2020. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Impossible to Predict What Direction Epidemic Will Take: WHO Chief

No one can predict what direction the new coronavirus epidemic will take, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.

Let me be clear: It is impossible to predict which direction this epidemic will take, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

International experts are concerned about the continuing increase in the number of cases in China, Tedros said.

Theyre also worried about the over-1,700 health workers that China said have been infected by the new virus, the lack of funding thats come for the virus response, and the severe disruption in the market for personal protective equipment like masks, he said.

Read more here.

8 of 9 Coronavirus Patients in UK Released From Hospital

Eight of nine people in the United Kingdom who tested positive for the new coronavirus COVID-19 have been released from the hospital, UK authorities said on Saturday.

Each person tested negative twice before being released, the National Health Service (NHS) said in a statement.

Officials said the people dont pose any health risk to the public.

Five of the nine cases were in contact with a British man who traveled from Singapore to France before returning to the United Kingdom; a sixth case was the man himself. They were among those discharged this week.

The five patients in contact with the man said in a statement that they recovered quickly from the virus and required minimal medical treatment during our time in isolation.

Read more here.

Australia Weighs Evacuating Australians From Cruise Ship

Australia is sending an infectious disease expert to the quarantined cruise ship in Japan as it weighs an evacuation plan.

The expert will join a team of officials from around the world to get information about the passengers, including the 200 Australians on board, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told reporters in Canberra on Saturday, 7News reported.

We will be looking at the health and welfare of that group and what might be best done with a view to getting them off the ship, Kelly said.

The expert will arrive as early as Sunday, he said.

The United States said early Saturday that it was sending a plane to evacuate Americans from the Diamond Princess ship.

A scientist is at work in the VirPath university laboratory, classified as P3 level of safety, as they try to find a treatment against COVID-19, in France on Feb. 5, 2020. France reported the first death from the virus in Europe on Feb. 15, 2020. (Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images)

France Confirms First Death in Europe

The first death from the new coronavirus in Europeand the third outside of Chinawas reported in France on Saturday.

The patient was an 80-year-old Chinese tourist from Hubei province, the epicenter of the new virus, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn told reporters in Paris.

The male patient was hospitalized on Jan. 25 under strict isolation measures.

His condition deteriorated rapidly, he was in a critical state for several days and he was in intensive care, Buzyn said. This is the first death from the coronavirus outside of Asia, the first death in Europe.

Read more here.

Passengers onboard MS Westerdam, a cruise ship that spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard might have the coronavirus, are seen in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Feb. 14, 2020. (Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

Trump Thanks Cambodia for Taking in Cruise Ship

U.S. President Donald Trump thanked Cambodia for taking in the castaway cruise ship MS Westerdam in a rare message to a country that is one of Chinas closest allies.

Five countries turned away the Westerdam, worried its passengers could be carrying the coronavirus despite it having no known cases before Cambodias authoritarian prime minister, Hun Sen, agreed the passengers could disembark there.

Thank you to the beautiful country of Cambodia for accepting the @CarnivalCruise ship Westerdam into your port. The United States will remember your courtesy, Trump said in a post on Twitter late on Friday.

The Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp. unit Holland America Inc., docked in the port of Sihanoukville on Thursday after being shunned for two weeks.

Its 1,455 passengers began to disembark on Friday.

Cambodias Hun Sen has often sparred with the United States over its accusations of human rights abuses and its condemnation of a crackdown on the opposition since 2017.

He has brought Cambodia much closer to China, which has provided billions of dollars in aid for infrastructure projects and stood by Cambodia in the face of Western criticism.

We are very grateful that Cambodia opened its port  We hope that other countries can be equally as helpful to people in need, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy told reporters at the Westerdam.

The cruise ship Diamond Princess, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, is seen through steel fence at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama in Japan on Feb. 11, 2020. (Issei Kato/File Photo/Reuters)

US to Evacuate Americans From Ship off Japan

The United States is preparing to evacuate Americans held in medical isolation on a cruise ship off the coast of Japan.

About 380 U.S. citizens and their family members on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama, Japan, are being offered the opportunity to be sent back to the United States via a direct flight organized by the State Department.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo told American passengers and crew on board in an email sent 3:24 a.m. Saturday Tokyo time that a chartered aircraft is set to arrive in Japan late Feb. 16.

Japans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday it was coordinating with the U.S. government on the evacuation. The Japanese government believes the steps taken by the United States will ease Japans burden regarding the medical response to the situation on the Diamond Princess and it appreciates these measures, the ministry said.

Read more here.

The south tower at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on Jan. 10, 2020. (Getty Images)

Doctors Without Borders Sends Supplies to China

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, is sending some 3.5 tons of specialized medical protective equipment to a hospital in Wuhan treating patients with COVID-19.

The supplies are coming from MSF Supply in Brussels, Belgium, through the Hubei Charity Federation to Jinyintan hospital, according to an update from MSF.

Medical protective equipment is key. So, we want to contribute to supporting frontline health workers with the specialized protection they need to work safely in an outbreak of this magnitude, Gert Verdonck, MSFs Emergency Coordinator said.

The MSF is also donating one ton of personal protective equipment to the Hong Kong St. John Ambulance service to help the group until they can replenish their stocks.

The staff are transporting high-risk patients, and therefore, it is important to ensure that they have the specialized protection they need to work safely, MSF said.

A woman helps her daughter seen wearing a face mask in Pyongyang on Feb. 6, 2020. (Kim Won-Jin/AFP via Getty Images)

US Prepared to Help North Korea

The United States said its ready to assist North Korea in preventing the new coronavirus from entering the country and containing the virus if it does.

The United States is deeply concerned about the vulnerability of the North Korean people to a coronavirus outbreak, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

American officials strongly support and encourage the work of U.S. and international aid and health organizations to counter and contain the spread of coronavirus in North Korea, she added.

Read more here.

Chinese Regime Fires Party Bosses in Wuhan

State-run media outlet Xinhua reported on Feb. 13 that Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong has replaced Jiang Liangchao to be the Party boss of Hubei province.

On the same day, the Party boss of Wuhan city, Ma Guoqiang, was also replaced by Wang Zhonglin, previously Party boss of Jinan city in Shandong province.

Both of the newly appointed officials made their careers in the Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC), a Party agency that oversees the countrys security apparatus, including courts, police, and armed police.

Read more here.

This scanning electron microscope image shows the virus that causes COVID-19 (orange) isolated from a patient in the United States, emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in a lab. (NIAID-RML/CC BY 2.0)

Funeral Home Workers Across China Sent to Wuhan

Funeral home workers across China are heading to Wuhan to assist the city in dealing with the uptick in related deaths. Meanwhile, netizens shared on social media job recruitment notices offering workers high salaries to work at Wuhan funeral homes.

This adds to growing evidence that deaths due to the virus are piling up at a scale greater than authorities are officially reporting.

As of Feb. 14, the Chinese central government announced that more than one thousand patients have died in Wuhan in the past 45 days. But staff at local crematoriums told The Epoch Times in recent interviews that their intake has skyrocketed in recent weeks, forcing them to work round the clock in order to process the bodies daily.

Read more here.

Egypt Confirms First Case Africa

Egypt has confirmed its first case of COVID-19, which also marks the first case in Africa.

The patient is under isolation in hospital, and is not an Egyptian national, according to local media, citing a statement released by Egypts Ministry of Health earlier Friday. One news outlet reported that the person is a Chinese national.

The person has yet to show any symptoms of being ill, the ministry also said, adding that they were identified based on travel patterns, thanks to the ministrys contingency and prevention plan, which involves electronically registering and monitoring people coming from coronavirus-affected countries.

Egyptian Quarantine Authority employees prepare to scan body temperature for incoming travelers at Cairo International Airport on Feb. 1, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images)

The ministry said it informed the World Health Organization about the case. WHO Egypt confirmed the news on Twitter.

Egypt suspended all flights on its national carrier to China earlier this month. The suspension is expected to last until at least the end of this month. AFP reported that 301 Egyptians were earlier evacuated from Wuhan the epicenter of the virusand have remained in quarantine for 14 days.

In other parts of Africa, suspected patients have been quarantined in Ethiopia, Kenya, Cote dIvoire, and Botswana. An article in The Lancet said that WHO has prioritized support for 13 countries on the basis of their close transport links with China: Algeria, Angola, Cote dIvoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

For updates from Feb. 14, click here.

Mimi Nguyen Ly, Nicole Hao, Zachary Stieber, and Reuters contributed to this report.
A fire broke out in Lake City Mall in Kapurbawdi, Thane near Mumbai, on Saturday afternoon trapping a 45-year-old man on the fourth floor who was later rescued, fire brigade officials said.

No injuries have been reported so far.

The incident was reported around 1:30 pm. The fire had broke out in the first floor of the four-storey mall, which was vacated soon after the fire was reported, said a fire brigade official. A fire engine was sent to put out the blaze. A rescue vehicle was deployed.

A person named Namdeo Zore, 45, was stuck on the fourth floor of the mall. However, Zore was safely rescued by the fire team. The situation is under control, the official said.

There has been a spate of fires in and around Mumbai this month.

On February 12, six people, including two children aged four and six, were injured after a fire broke out in a house at Maharashtra Nagar area of Bandra (East).

On February 8, a major fire broke out at a duplex in a 21-storey building in Seawoods, Navi Mumbai that left seven firefighters injured during the eight-and-a-half hour firefighting operation.

In south Mumbais Malabar Hill, firefighters rescued 18 people after a fire broke out late in the evening on the fifth floor of a 15-storey building on February 5.

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Colombo, Feb 15 : The Sri Lankan government has strongly objected to the travel restrictions imposed by the US on the island nation's Army chief Lt. General Shavendra Silva and his family over "credible" evidence of human rights violations in decades-long civil war, media reports said on Saturday.

In a statement on Friday night, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said: "The government of Sri Lanka takes strong objection to the imposition of travel restrictions on Lt. Gen. Silva and his immediate family members by the Us, based on independently unverified information." The government reiterates that Lt. Gen. Silva was appointed as the Commander of the Army taking into account his seniority and that there were no substantiated or proven allegations of human rights violations against him, the Daily Financial Times quoted the statement as saying.

"His elevation as the Acting Chief of Defence Staff by the current President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was on account of his being the most senior serving military officer.

"The Sri Lankan government requests the US to verify the authenticity of the sources of information and to review its decision," the statement added.

In a statement earlier on Friday, the US State Department said that it imposed the travel restriction on Lt. Gen. Silva, "due to credible information of his involvement, through command responsibility, in gross violations of human rights, namely extrajudicial killings, by the 58th Division of the Sri Lanka Army during the final phase of Sri Lanka's Civil War in 2009", the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

"The allegations of gross human rights violations against Silva, documented by the UN and other organisations, are serious and credible... We urge the Sri Lankan government to promote human rights, hold accountable individuals responsible for war crimes and human rights violations, advance security sector reform and uphold its other commitments to pursue justice and reconciliation," the Department statement added.

In the final few months of the military offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels in 2009 before the civil war had finally ended, Silva was appointed the commanding officer of the elite 58 Division in Sri Lanka's northern war-zone.

The Sri Lankan Army defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 after 26 years of bloody conflict.

According to figures, the fighting killed an estimated 100,000 people and left about 20,000, mostly Tamils, missing in Sri Lanka.
: The Opposition



Congress in Kerala on Saturday launched a direct attack against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the CAG report, alleging that such serious corruption cannot take place without his knowledge.

"Considering the extent of the corruption that has taken place, it is difficult to believe that it is limited to the DGP. Such serious corruption cannot take place without the knowledge of the Chief Minister, who is heading the Home department," the leader of the opposition Ramesh Chennithala alleged.

"Why is the Chief Minister hesitant to act against DGP Loknath Behera? This is a cognisable offence and three FIRs should be registered for the missing cartridges, rifles and corruption," Chennithala told reporters here.

The report, tabled in the state assembly on February 12, had stated that 25 INSAS rifles and over 12,000 cartridges had gone missing from the Special Armed Police battalion in the state capital and there was an attempt at a cover-up.

It had also come down on the DGP for flouting norms to buy luxury vehicles and diverting funds meant for building homes for sub-inspectors for constructing villas for senior officers.

The revelations in the CAG report show that a "gang of dacoits" was heading the state police, Chennithala, a former Home minister, said and demanded a comprehensive probe into the various corruption charges raised in the CAG report.

Attacking chief secretary Tom Jose, the Congress leader said there is information, which raises doubts on whether the official also has a role to play in the corruption.

Jose, who has been criticised for using a luxury vehicle of the police department, cannot claim that there was nothing wrong in his act, he said.

While Chennithala has demanded a CBI probe into the CAG revelations, KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran sought a judicial probe.

When pointed out that the two leaders had demanded different probes, Chennithala said "I have no problem if it is a judicial probe."



Stating that there were allegations that it was during his tenure as Home minister that rifles and cartridges had gone missing, the opposition leader said that should also be brought under the terms of reference as Behera was a senior police official during then.

While Chief Minister has not yet reacted to the CAG findings, Tom Jose alleged that some portions of the report had been leaked before being tabled in the assembly.

Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran has hinted at the "possiblity of a conspiracy" angle in the episode as Congress MLA P T Thomas had raised matters relating to the contents of the CAG report, a day before it was tabled.

"There is no doubt that a conspiracy was hatched by some centres," Surendran alleged.

Thomas hit back asking the minister to show courage and demand a thorough investigation into the matter in the next cabinet meeting.

BJP also attacked the government on the matter, with Union minister V Muraleedharan saying that the Union Finance Ministry and Home Ministry would consider the matters mentioned in the CAG report seriously.

He, however, said at present the matter was not officially placed before the Central government.

Muraleedharan also questioned the timing of DGP Behera's trip to London during March first week, saying it has to be examined whether it was a private trip or an official one.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday voiced cautious optimism about a partial truce agreed between the Taliban and US and said that a further announcement was expected in the coming 10 days.

The agreement for a seven-day "reduction in violence" announced this week after long negotiations between Washington and the jihadists has raised hopes that a comprehensive peace deal could follow.

But it is still not clear when the period will begin and Ghani said that the Taliban's sincerity in entering the agreement was unproven.

"That's the billion dollar question," Ghani said at the Munich Security Conference.

But he added, "you're not going to find an answer to this question unless you engage in the peace process." The acid test of the Taliban's sincerity will be their willingness to accept elections, Ghani said - something they have always refused to engage in.

If the preliminary agreement holds, the hope is that direct talks between the Taliban and Kabul government could follow, with an eventual comprehensive peace deal the ultimate goal.

The US wants to reduce its military presence in Afghanistan, which currently numbers between 12,000 and 13,000, with President Donald Trump keen to make good on a promise to bring troops home after 18 years of war.

Ghani, whose administration has at times been frustrated at being shut out of talks between the US and Taliban, mostly conducted in Doha, insisted he was "on the same page" as Washington.

He said Afghanistan and the US would be making another announcement in the coming "week to 10 days" in order to "demonstrate mutual confidence and trust between us." "You're not going to solve this issue on the basis of paper discussions," he said.

"You are going to have to take an existential step forward and test." There have been previous false dawns in Afghanistan, with a deal all but complete in September before Trump nixed it at the last moment amid continued Taliban violence.

The Taliban, ousted from power in Kabul in a US-led invasion in 2001, has long demanded the complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. But US and Afghan officials say a reduction will depend on the militants sticking to their side of the deal.

Ghani said his country was well prepared for an initial fall in US troop numbers to 8,600, pointing out that the vast majority of combat operations are now carried out by Afghan forces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 15

By Matanat Nasibova - Trend:

Implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) large-scale project is of great importance for Europe and also contributes to the growth of Azerbaijans image in the international arena as a guarantor of energy security of the European continent, Giulietto Chiesa, famous Italian politician, prominent public figure, writer and journalist told Trend.

Chiesa said that the phased implementation of this complex project has demonstrated coordinated and purposeful activity of all its participants.

Implementation of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which reached the Turkish-Greek border last year, was a landmark event that attracted attention of whole Europe, the Italian politician noted. The world is closely watching this process, which is almost close to completion. The implementation of such a large-scale project is a historic event, it is of tremendous importance for all its participants and partners. This is a project of the highest level, which increases Azerbaijans prestige throughout the world. In fact, Azerbaijan, through the SGC, is changing the energy map of Europe.

Chiesa noted the importance of holding the upcoming SGC Advisory Council meeting in Baku, during which the activities carried out as part of the project will be discussed.

Transporting Azerbaijani gas to European markets is in the interests of all importing countries and this is a serious help in the support for this project from the EU, its launch will be a historic victory for Azerbaijan, the Italian politician said. Namely through the implementation of such significant projects as the SGC Azerbaijan is becoming more influential player in the international arena and is actually changing the energy map of Europe. The world agenda contains challenges related to energy security, on which the national security of countries depends. In this respect, the role of the SGC is indispensable.

Further, Chiesa noted the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and Italy.

The cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy is developing dynamically, but, in my opinion, these relations need to be further deepened to open new opportunities for long-term and effective interaction, the journalist added.

Azerbaijans gas supplies to Europe via the SGC will begin this year.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor was held in Baku on May 29, 2018, while opening ceremony of TANAPs Phase 0 was held on June 12, 2018 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. TANAP-Europe connection was opened on Nov.30, 2019 in Ipsala, Edirne, Turkey.

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) were connected on the Turkish-Greek border.
This more capacious notion of belonging is how heritage is lived day to day for most people. I didnt need a DNA test to identify as a Jew of European ancestry. I already knew that from my family and my culture: from my religion (Judaism), the language of my grandparents (Yiddish), the food I grew up with (noodle kugel, an almost sickly sweet casserole) and the stories of my great-grandparents, fleeing pogroms and learning of the murder of their siblings in the Holocaust. And yet, no matter how strong it was, this sense of cultural heritage didnt feel like enough for me. In a society that determines so much based on blood  money, connections, assumptions about character  culture by itself felt like an unreliable narrator of my identity. And I wasnt alone: More than 26 million people are estimated to have taken genealogical DNA tests. Why?
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal will be taking oath for the third time as chief minister of Delhi on Sunday. Kejriwal will be taking oath along with his cabinet at 10 am in Ramlila Maidan on February 16. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party convincingly managed to claim a third stint in power at the national capital by winning 62 out of 70 seats on February 11. The Bharatiya Janata Party remained a distant second with only 8 seats to its name. Congress could not win a single seat this time either.

Here are key things you should know before the swearing-in:

Arvind Kejriwal connection with Ramlila Maidan:

9-years-ago, Kejriwal along with Anna Hazare began India Against Corruption movement from Ramlila Maidan. Kejriwal will be taking oath at Ramlila Maidan for the third time. The sprawling ground has a capacity of about 1.25 lakh people. In 2013, as well as, 2015, Kejriwal's oath-ceremony took place in the same venue. In 2015, Kejriwal's ceremony was held on February 14.

Traffic advisory for the oath ceremony:

The traffic regulation will be in place in the area of Ramlila ground from 8 am to 2 pm on Sunday. No commercial vehicles or buses will be allowed from Rajghat Chowk and Delhi Gate Chowk towards Guru Nanak Dev Chowk via JLN Marg; Chatta Rail towards Delhi Gate Chowk via Netaji Subhash Marg; Paharganj chowk towards Ajmeri Gate via DBG road; Ram Charan Aggarwal chowk towards Delhi Gate chowk via BSZ marg; DDU Minto road towards Kamla Market Chowk via Vivekanand marg and Barakhamba, Tolstoy towards Ranjit Singh Flyover.

Cars will be parked at the Civic Centre and behind it. The general parking for buses would be on Mata Sundri Road, Power House Road, Velodrome Road, Rajghat parking, Shanti Van parking and service roads in Rajghat and Samta Sthal as per requirements, the advisory said. OB vans will be parked on footpath of JLN marg, opposite Ramlila Maidan beyond gate number 2 up to the roundabout near Kamla Market.

Also Read: Delhi Elections 2020: Arvind Kejriwal invites PM Modi for swearing-in ceremony

Invitees:

Arvind Kejriwal has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the swearing-in ceremony. Besides, his party has given a special invitation to 'Baby Mufflerman' Aavyan Tomar, who stole the hearts when he dressed up as Kejriwal on result day of Delhi election.

Kejriwal, through front-page advertisements in newspapers, has also urged Delhiites to attend the ceremony. Around 50 people from different walks of life who are responsible for 'Delhi nirman' will also share stage with Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony. 50 people would include teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and family of fire fighters who lost their lives, among others.

Also Read: AAP invites 'Little Mufflerman' to Arvind Kejriwal's oath-taking ceremony

Delhi's Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued a circular to its officials and teachers and principals of Delhi government schools to attend the swearing-in-ceremony. The circular also says attendance will be compiled at the entry gates of the Ramlila Maidan.

Other ministers' oath-ceremony:

Apart from Kejriwal, six other ministers will take oath along on February 16. This includes Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam.
WASHINGTON - As the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump drew to a close in Washington earlier this month, federal prosecutors in New York contacted witnesses and sought to collect additional documents in an investigation related to Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, according to people familiar with their activities.

The recent steps - including an interview with a witness last week - indicate that the probe involving Giuliani and two of his former associates is moving forward, even as the Justice Department has set up a process to evaluate claims Giuliani is making about alleged wrongdoing in Ukraine related to former vice president Joe Biden.

Attorney General William Barr said this week that the department had established an "intake process" to accept information about Biden gathered by the president's personal attorney. Officials confirmed Giuliani's tips are being routed to the U.S. attorney's office in Pittsburgh.

At the same time, the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of New York - which Giuliani led in the 1980s - appears to be continuing its wide-ranging investigation of his activities and those of his former associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, including their efforts in Ukraine.

Prosecutors from that office recently sought information related to the former U.S. ambassador in Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who the three men pushed Trump to oust, according to a person familiar with the request who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. They have also inquired about two companies with ties to Parnas, who along with Fruman was charged in October with campaign finance violations, according to people with knowledge of the queries.

The parallel developments mean that one part of the Justice Department is scrutinizing Giuliani while another is accepting information from him allegedly concerning a political rival of the president.

The remarkable dynamic comes at a moment of intense scrutiny for Barr, who intervened this week to lower the sentencing recommendation for Trump confidant Roger Stone in the wake of a tweet by the president - and over the objections of career prosecutors.

The unfolding Giuliani case could further test Barr, who told ABC News this week he is "not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody" and urged the president to stop tweeting about Justice Department criminal cases.

On Friday, Trump rejected the idea that he should stay out of such cases, tweeting that he has a "legal right" to weigh in on criminal investigations.

The president has already publicly decried the federal scrutiny of Giuliani. "So now they are after the legendary 'crime buster' and greatest Mayor in the history of NYC, Rudy Giuliani," he tweeted in October. "He may seem a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he is also a great guy and wonderful lawyer. Such a one sided Witch Hunt going on in USA. Deep State. Shameful!"

People familiar with the matter have said that Barr was briefed on the investigation in Manhattan related to Giuliani's associates shortly after taking office a year ago. His involvement since then, if any, is unclear.

The Washington Post reported late last year that Barr had counseled Trump in general terms that Giuliani had become a liability to him and a problem for the administration.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment.

Giuliani did not respond to requests for comment.

He has said his former office is pursuing the "most unfair, vindictive investigation they have ever conducted."

"I believe that the leaks and the investigation is intended to intimidate me as the president's lawyer," Giuliani told The Post in December. "I am fully confident that I did not commit any crimes of any kind."

An attorney for Parnas, Joseph Bondy, said: "It comes as no surprise to us at all that the Southern District is continuing its investigation, whether into the activities of Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Parnas or others."

"As prosecutors have consistently said, they may well bring additional charges against additional people, as well as Mr. Parnas, and as always we're prepared to defend ourselves on any new allegations," Bondy said.

A federal judge in New York has set an October trial date for Parnas and Fruman, along with two of their business partners, on charges that the men routed illegal foreign contributions to U.S. political campaigns. Prosecutors have said in court that their investigation is ongoing.

All four men have pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors in Manhattan have been exploring a wide range of potential crimes - including wire fraud and failure to register as a foreign agent - as part of the investigation, as The Post previously reported. After the arrests of Parnas and Fruman in October, investigators sought information from witnesses about Giuliani's international consulting business.

Late last year, prosecutors subpoenaed a consulting firm founded by former FBI director Louis Freeh, which hired Giuliani to write an August 2018 letter to Romanian officials calling for an amnesty for people prosecuted for corruption, The Post previously reported.

As the House pursued its impeachment inquiry in the fall, little additional information emerged about the New York probe.

But people familiar with the investigation say the FBI took new investigative steps as the Senate impeachment trial drew to a close in early February.

Prosecutors in recent weeks have sought information about Giuliani and his consulting firm Giuliani Partners, as well as about Yovanovitch, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The ambassador was recalled from her post in May after a campaign by Parnas, Fruman and Giuliani painted her as disloyal to Trump.

Yovanovitch testified to Congress that she believed they perceived her as an impediment to their business interests in Ukraine. Prosecutors have alleged in court papers that Parnas and Fruman acted against her at the direction of one or more Ukrainian government officials.

In an interview last month on MSNBC, Parnas apologized to Yovanovitch, saying he now believes he was wrong about her.

In recent weeks, federal investigators have also continued to ask about Victor Shokin and Yuri Lutsenko, two former Ukrainian prosecutors who Giuliani has said provided him with information about Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. Investigators have also made new inquiries about Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned gas company, with which Parnas and Fruman sought business last year. A top executive for the company was interviewed in November as part of the investigation.

Investigators also appear intently focused on Parnas' financial practices, according to the people familiar with their interest.

Prosecutors told a judge last year that Parnas appeared to have access to "seemingly limitless sources of foreign funding" and had received a $1 million loan in September from the lawyer for a Ukrainian gas tycoon under indictment in Chicago.

Recently, investigators contacted individuals who Parnas had urged to invest in his business ventures.

Giuliani has said that he was paid $500,000 in 2018 to advise one such enterprise, a company co-founded by Parnas called Fraud Guarantee that offered insurance to guard investors from losing money as a result of fraud.

A New York lawyer, Charles Gucciardo, funded Giuliani's half-million-dollar fee through an investment in the company, according to a statement from his attorney Randy Zelin.

Gucciardo made the investment because "he believed that Mr. Giuliani - the former Mayor of New York City; former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; and, the first name in cybersecurity - was in front of, behind, and alongside the Company," Zelin said in November.

Parnas used Giuliani's involvement in the company to urge others to invest, according to people familiar with the pitches.

Federal prosecutors also have recently sought information about an Atlanta-based data firm called Clickagy, the people said. Their interest in the company has not been previously reported.

Clickagy and Parnas' Fraud Guarantee shared a major investor, according to people familiar with the businesses. Clickagy used Parnas's connections in GOP circles to attempt to land a contract with America First, the primary pro-Trump super PAC, according to people familiar with the firm.

Clickagy's chief executive, Harry Maugans, declined to comment.

America First has said it is voluntarily cooperating with the investigation. A spokeswoman declined to comment on Clickagy.

In recent days, investigators have interviewed the investor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

He told The Post that he bought $250,000 of shares in Fraud Guarantee in 2016. The investor said that he has received no returns on his payment and that it is not clear to him whether Fraud Guarantee was a real business.

He said he was persuaded to invest in part because he said Parnas told him he could use his high-powered connections to pitch Trump on an idea the investor had to build a temple in Jerusalem on a platform high above the existing city.

The investor, whose interactions with Parnas were first reported by the Wall Street Journal, said he believed the proposal could bring together Judaism, Christianity and Islam - and usher in peace to the Middle East.

At a meeting in Florida, the investor showed Parnas a painting that he had commissioned of the temple, according to Artem Mirolevich, the painter, who was also present.

"Parnas said that Trump was the type of person who might be interesting in building something like this," Mirolevich said, noting that the investor had envisioned an 800-story structure built over the ancient city.

Mirolevich said that after the meeting, he unsuccessfully tried to persuade his friend not to invest with Parnas. "I told him: 'It's in the company's name. He's telling you there will be fraud. It's guaranteed,' " he said.

But the investor decided to proceed because he wanted to show Trump his idea for the temple in Jerusalem, he and Mirolevich said.

Bondy, the attorney for Parnas, declined to comment.

The investor said that after he paid Parnas, the Florida businessman became difficult to reach. But after months of little contact, Parnas invited him to attend his newborn son's Jewish circumcision ceremony in Boca Raton in October 2018, the investor said.

He said he was surprised when Giuliani was also among the guests. Around the same time, the investor said he received a letter informing him that Giuliani had joined Fraud Guarantee as an adviser.

After traveling extensively with Giuliani last year and assisting his efforts in Ukraine, Parnas is now a vocal critic of Trump and his attorney.

He turned over hundreds of pages of documents to House impeachment investigators. In media interviews, he has said his work in Ukraine was directed by Trump and Giuliani. His attorney also made public twovideos he said were recorded by Parnas's business partner, Fruman, showing the two men meeting with Trump twice in 10 days in 2018 at small gatherings for elite donors.

Parnas has said he is speaking out in part because he believes that the criminal investigation is an effort to undercut his account of wrongdoing by the president.

His attorney has asked that Barr recuse himself from the investigation and appoint a special prosecutor to handle the matter instead. A Justice Department spokeswoman has declined to comment on the request.

- - -

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey, Alice Crites, Shayna Jacobs and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.
Four alleged drug peddlers were arrested after 460 kilograms of poppy straw and 270 grams of heroin was recovered from their possession at different places in Ramban and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Saturday.

Gurpeet Singh, a resident of Ludhiana in Punjab, was arrested after 450 kg of poppy straw was seized during checking of his vehicle at T-Chowk in Banihal area of Ramban along Jammu-Srinagar national highway, a police spokesman said.

He said Singh was on his way to Punjab from Kashmir and was trying to smuggle out the huge quantity of contraband.

The search of another Punjab-bound truck in Banihal that was driven by Jamel Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib of Punjab led to the recovery of 10 kg poppy straw, the spokesman said adding that the driver was arrested.

Two more drug peddlers -- Sandeep Sharma of R S Pura in Jammu and Javed Iqbal of Dhangri in Rajouri -- were arrested along with 270 grams of heroin during vehicle checking at Mansar Morh in Samba district along Jammu-Pathankot highway, the spokesman said.

He said the narcotic smugglers were on their way to Samba from Jammu in their private car when they were intercepted by the police.

All the four drug peddlers were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and further investigation is on, the spokesman said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
During the meeting, Ambassador Jayasuriya conveyed the greetings of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and noted that the Thailand and Sri Lanka relations deeply entrenched in the Theravada Buddhist traditions spans over several centuries





The Prime Minister of Thailand General Prayut Chan-o-cha recalling the strong bilateral ties between the two countries reassured the support of Thailand for Sri Lankas development efforts. He made these remarks when Ambassador Samantha K. Jayasuriya, Sri Lankas envoy to the Kingdom paid a courtesy call on him at the Government House in Bangkok on 3rdFebruary 2020.













During the meeting, Ambassador Jayasuriya conveyed the greetings of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and noted that the Thailand and Sri Lanka relations deeply entrenched in the Theravada Buddhist traditions spans over several centuries and assured her fullest cooperation and proactive engagement in further consolidating the socio-cultural relations. She appreciated Thailand's support to Sri Lanka, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora and requested support in Sri Lanka becoming a Sectoral Dialogue Partner (SDP) in ASEAN. Ambassador Jayasuriya also highlighted the steps Sri Lanka has taken towards this end, by way of projects in maritime security, capacity building support to needy countries in the region etc.





General Prayut, while recalling his fruitful visit to Sri Lanka in 2018, said that Thailand stands ready to assist Sri Lanka in her development, and would extend support, particularly in agriculture, technical cooperation, tourism etc. He reiterated the importance of finalizing the proposed Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, enabling the expansion of trade and investment between Thailand and Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister also noted the exchanges of sacred relics which help strengthen the cultural and religious ties between the two countries.





The meeting was held in a cordial manner with the presence of senior officials from the PMs Office including the Deputy Secretary-General of the PMs Office Mr. BansarnBunnag and the senior officials of the Thai Foreign Ministry, while the Ambassador was accompanied by Head of Chancery; Mrs.PoornimaGunasekera, First Secretary (Commerce); Mr. Anil Sirimanna and Second Secretary; Ms. SarithaRanatunga.








By John Irish

MUNICH (Reuters) - Iran and Saudi Arabia appeared no closer to bridging their differences on Saturday with both sides sticking to their positions and regional facilitator Oman seeing no breakthrough before U.S. elections in November.

Tensions in the Gulf region stepped up after the killing in early January of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani by the United States in Iraq. European and Arab states have since scrambled to avert a full-fledged conflict between the two sides.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud both attended the Munich Security Conference on Saturday and took part in a session on defusing tensions in the Gulf.

But the two were kept apart with Zarif even claiming that his Saudi counterpart had asked to reshuffle the schedule so that he wouldn't have to meet him.

"I believe our neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia, do not want to (de-escalate)," Zarif said, adding that he believed Riyadh was firmly under the influence of the U.S. campaign to put maximum pressure on Tehran.

He said the Saudis had reached out to Iran after the killing of Soleimani, but when Iran had responded the contact had ended. He suggested the United States had pressured Riyadh.

When asked about possible contacts with Iran, Prince Faisal said there had been neither private messages nor direct contacts. He said the ball was in Iran's court, especially as it had been behind attacks on the kingdom, including drone and missile strikes on its oil facilities in September.

"Our message to Iran is to change its behavior first before anything is to be discussed," he said after Zarif had left the room thirty minutes earlier. "Until we can talk about the real sources of that instability, talk is going to be unproductive."

After Washington withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Trump began a policy of "maximum pressure", saying a broader deal should be negotiated on nuclear issues, Iran's missile program and Iranian activities in the Middle East.

Story continues

U.S. sanctions have crippled Iran's economy, slashing its oil exports. Iran has long said it will not negotiate with Washington while sanctions are in place.

Zarif said French and Japanese efforts to bring Iran and the United States around the negotiating table had "fallen on deaf ears" because Trump believed Iran was on the verge of economic collapse.

"He is wrong," Zarif said. "Everything they want is about regime change."

Oman, often considered as a facilitator for talks between Washington and Tehran, appeared downcast on the prospects.

"The reality is there are no messages," Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah said after meeting Zarif earlier in the day. "I'm not anticipating anything (will happen) in the next six months," he said, referring to upcoming U.S. elections.

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Paul Carrel and Christina Fincher)
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The unprecedented shutdown in China following the coronavirus pandemic will lead to global price correction and affect Indian companies with high exposure to the Chinese markets, according to a report.

Global shrimp prices are expected to face pressure over the next few months, as global trade adjusts to the changing demand dynamics in China, a key importer and consumer of farmed shrimp, which will affect the entire value chain, rating agency Icra said in a report.

The sizable domestic production (estimated at over 10.0 lakh tonne) and consumption of shrimp in China, makes it a key price-mover in global markets.

In fact, China was a market stabiliser during 2019, when global demand from the US, EU and Japan went down, it said.

China and Vietnam together now account for 25 per cent of shrimp exports from India (in value terms), while 45 per cent plus of India's exports are shipped to the US.

"The rapidly spreading novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China, is believed to be zoonotic and since has been transmitted human-to-human.

The reactionary unprecedented massive shutdown in China will lead to a contraction in Chinese demand for seafood, leading to a supply glut in the global market," Icra Vice President and Sector Head Pavethra Ponniah said.

She said, besides the reduced demand, disruption in China's internal logistics - unloading, storing and further processing - will play havoc with all types of seafood, the impact of which will be felt along the entire value chain, leading up to the farmers.

In terms of global trade, the US has traditionally been the largest importer of shrimp, with imports of 6.98 lakh tonne of frozen shrimp in 2019, closely followed by China with imports of 6.5 lakh tonne.

This is despite China being the largest producer globally, the report added. During the second half of 2019, China overtook the US to become the largest shrimp importer globally.

The European Union, Japan and Vietnam are the other key shrimp importing countries. The European Union and Japan have reported largely flat shrimp imports over the past five years, while imports by Vietnam crashed during 2019.

Vietnam, more a re-exporter, was the largest conduit for unreported shrimp imports into China until 2019.

With China cracking down on imports via Vietnam, India's direct exports to China jumped in FY2020. For China, the key sources of frozen shrimp imports are Ecuador (50.7 per cent during 11 months 2019), India (24 per cent) and Vietnam and Thailand (9.6 per cent each).

Typically, Q3 and Q4 account for over 60 per cent of shrimp imported from China annually. Demand peaks in December and January of each year, before falling to seasonal lows in February, post the Chinese New Year.
A survey of billions of stars in the Milky Way could have captured signs of intelligent life  and amateur astronomers are being encouraged to search for them.

Experts at the SETI Institute are developing state-of-the-art techniques to detect signatures from space that indicate the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

These so-called 'technosignatures' can range from the chemical composition of a planet's atmosphere, to laser emissions and structures orbiting other stars.

Scroll down for video

A survey of billions of stars in the Milky Way could have captured signs of intelligent life  and amateur astronomers are being encouraged to search for them. Pictured, the Very Large Array

'Determining whether we are alone in the universe, as technologically capable life, is among the most compelling questions in science,' said Tony Beasley, director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory telescope based in Virginia.

SETI scientists plan to develop a system that will 'piggyback' on the so-called Very Large Array (VLA) telescope based in New Mexico to provide data for their technosignature search system.

'As the VLA conducts its usual scientific observations, this new system will allow for an additional and important use for the data we're already collecting,' Dr Beasley added.

Life forms, whether intelligent or not, should produce detectable indicators such as large amounts of oxygen, smaller amounts of methane and a variety of other chemicals, the experts said.

So, in addition, scientists are also developing computer models to simulate extraterrestrial environments that can help support future searches for habitable planets and life beyond the solar system.

'Upcoming telescopes in space and on the ground will have the capability to observe the atmospheres of Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby cool stars,' said NASA astronomer Victoria Meadows.

'So, it's important to understand how best to recognise signs of habitability and life on these planets.'

'These computer models will help us determine whether an observed planet is more or less likely to support life.'

Meanwhile, SETI's Breakthrough Listen Initiative  which launched in 2015 to 'listen' for signals of alien life  has released nearly two petabytes of data from the most comprehensive survey yet of radio emissions from the Milky Way.

The organisation is now inviting the public to search the data gathered from various telescopes around the world and look for signals from intelligent civilisations.

SETI's Breakthrough Listen Initiative  which launched in 2015 to 'listen' for signals of alien life  has released nearly two petabytes of data from the most comprehensive survey yet of radio emissions from the Milky Way, pictured

'For the whole of human history, we had a limited amount of data to search for life beyond Earth. So, all we could do was speculate,' said Breakthrough initiative founder Yuri Milner.

'Now, as we are getting a lot of data, we can do real science and  by making this data available to general public  so can anyone who wants to know the answer to this deep question.'

The initiatives and strategies in expanding the search for extraterrestrial life were presented at the the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Seattle.
The occasion was the inauguration of our college's new president. A friend and I ran out to the grocery store for supplies, still wearing our Sweet Briar name tags. The grocery store cashier started telling us how glad she was that the small Virginia college had survived a 2015 attempt to shut it down. She and her husband owned a restaurant in nearby Amherst. Without the college students and staff, she said, they would have had to close. The man behind us in line started talking about how his mother had taken courses at Sweet Briar to finish a college degree she started years earlier. It was clear that in saving the college, we had also preserved an economic anchor in central Virginia. Across the state, private, liberal arts colleges are essential to sustaining small town and rural economies. As Gov. Ralph Northam presses his plan for free community college, the General Assembly would do well to consider what impact the proposal could have on small private institutions.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : For anti-terror operations in the Jammu and Kashmir, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has decided to use drones, which will carry out reconnaissance in built-up areas to locate terrorists.

"During operations, terrorists hide in built-up areas and start firing on forces. To identify the source of fire, drones would be used," said a senior IPS officer. The drones would also assist the forces in "close-range missions", the officer added.

The captured data of the site would help make on-the-spot strategy and pin-point the the holed-up terrorist's location. The drones would be under CRPF's command in Rambagh in Srinagar.

The CRPF, headed by IPS officer A.P. Maheshwari, is procuring 20 drones with speed up to 72 km per hour and minimum flight time of 31 minutes with 28 mm focal point. It also plans to procure drones from India-based companies promoting 'Make in India' campaign.

The drones should be foldable, portable and omnidirectional, which is six directions, the officer said. "We are looking for foldable drones as it can be carried in a bag and deployed quickly and easily," the officer said.

In 2019, the Army too planned to procure load-ferrying drones, slow moving unmanned aerial vehicle doubling up as missiles at the high altitude border areas. The decision was taken after heightened threats at borders with Pakistan.

The Army Design Bureau, facilitator for research & development and initiator of procurements of weapons and other defence equipment required by the Army, had brought all the stakeholders at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantonment to display various kinds of drones.
Delaware County Humane Society officials say the barn at the top of the tall, steep, driveway at 6396 County Highway 21 hid unspeakable horrors.

"The cages were covered in feces, blood, vomit, urine. They were urinating on each other stacked three high. It was the worst I've seen in 15 years of doing rescue. I wish I could get it out of my head. It was horrible," says Shelter Manager, Erin Insinga.

Nasir Azmat, 41, now faces 41 counts of violating New York state's animal fighting and animal cruelty laws. Sheriff Craig DuMond and shelter officials say the dog's wounds and parapharnelia found at the scene leave them with no doubt the dogs were being raised to fight.

"They had open wounds, they were bleeding, some were actively bleeding, some had very old injuries that we could see," said Insinga. The Sheriff would not elaborate on the parapharnelia, citing the ongoing criminal investigation.

The dogs, now affectionately known as, "The Franklin 20", are 18 pit bulls, one German shepherd and one Belgian. They are recovering from their injuries, some more traumatic than others. One lost his tail, which wouldn't stop bleeding. A tube had to be inserted to drain a leg wound too wide to close. Insinga says the dogs are doing great around people, and should be ready for fostering in a few weeks, then adoption. Sheriff DuMond isn't confident Azmat will show up for court on February 27th.

"You're talking 40 different counts of charges. He's not originally from the area. What's it gonna take for this guy just to get in a car and jump?" asked the Sheriff. "This is a consequence of this ill-conceived legislation."

15:38 "this is a consequence of this ill-conceived legislation"

The Sheriff and Insinga are gratefu to the person who was concerned by what they saw, and shared those concerns with authorities.

"The voices of the Franklin 20 and all abused animals will not go unheard," said Insinga. "If you see something, say something."
 Flash

Seven Taliban militants, including two local Taliban leaders, were killed in an overnight army airstrike in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province in the latest raid against the insurgents, authorities said Saturday.

"Acting on a confirmed intelligence tip, the airstrike was conducted by Afghan Air Force in Masjid-i-Safid village of Baharak district rightly at 9:00 p.m. (local time) Friday. The strike also injured three militants and destroyed several militants' motorcycles," spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hijri told Xinhua.

Among those militants killed were Jalal Sirat, alias Nasrat, deputy commander to Taliban special force Sara Keta, and a local Taliban leader named Ahmadullah Taluqani. The official said no civilians were hurt during the strike.

The targeted militants were found to be involved in terrorist crimes in Takhar and neighboring provinces in the past.

Takhar province and neighboring Kunduz and Baghlan provinces have been the scene of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban has been trying to challenge the government forces in the once relatively peaceful region.

The latest operation came as media reports suggested that significant progress had been made during recent negotiation talks between a U.S. delegation and Taliban representatives in Qatar.

The Taliban militant group has not made comments on the report yet.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : With less than 24 hours left for Sunday's swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi Chief Minister for the third successive term, preparations were on in full swing at the historic Ramlila Maidan.

While Kejriwal and the ground have a special connection, the event is even more special for both -- the city and the party.

It was from here that the 51-year-old had announced his entry into politics during the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption movement.

The ground is under the jurisdiction of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. The preparations, however, are being done by the Delhi government, NDMC and the Public Works Department.

Setting up of chairs to establishing mobile toilets and water facilities are in the final stage. AAP Delhi unit chief Gopal Rai will visit the Ramlila ground later in the day to assess the preparedness.
The disappearances of two prominent citizen journalists who dared to challenged Chinas online censorship during the Covid-19 outbreak has heightened concerns about how far residents and activists will be allowed to challenge the official narrative.

Chen Qiushi, a lawyer, and Fang Bin, a Wuhan resident who became well known after he released a video clip of dead bodies in a van outside a major hospital, both disappeared last week.

The last video Chen posted was one of him interviewing a Wuhan native called A Ming, whose father died almost two weeks ago.

A Ming had described how his father probably contracted the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 during a visit to Wuhan Union Hospital at the beginning of January for a health check-up. There were no safety precautions in place at the time.

Everybody thinks Mr A Ming is very brave. He feels that since he has experienced these things, he should share them, Chen said.

During their conversation Chen noted that many people are worried I will be detained and he was last heard from on February 7.

His friend Xu Xiaodong, an MMA fighter who has become well known for challenging and defeating traditional martial arts practitioners, said Chen had been forcibly quarantined but no one knew where he was.

Fang was taken away by plain-clothes police two days later, according to the Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK.

The Wuhan resident had become well known for the videos he filmed at the citys hospitals and had called for people to resist the Communist Party.

The pair were two of the most high-profile citizen journalists documenting the Covid-19 outbreak and highlighting stories that did not appear in Chinas tightly controlled state media, including photographs of dead bodies in hospital corridors and piled up in vans.

Although some established media outlets, including Caixin and Sanlian Lifeweek, have published unusually in-depth and critical reports, there are still lines they cannot cross.

Story continues

By contrast, state media outlets have stuck to the official line and focused on the governments efforts to tackle the epidemic.

Fu King-wa, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Hong Kong, said transparent reporting was hard to do in mainland China and citizen journalists played an important role in informing the public and filling a gap that state media cannot fill.

But by doing so they risk falling foul of the law, which requires reporters to have a press card issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication.

Only those working for registered media can apply for the card and reporters who work without one

risk being punished for illegal reporting under the cybersecurity law.

The Covid-19 outbreak, which is thought to have originated in Wuhan, has so far killed more than 1,500 people and infected more than 66,000.

The authorities put the city in lockdown on January 23 and neighbouring centres in Hubei soon followed suit.

Many Chinese people have gained an insight into what life is like in the cities thanks to ordinary residents sharing videos, pictures or stories on social media.

For instance, one woman known as Xiaohang documented her feelings of despair and helplessness as her parents fell ill and died.

She later fell ill herself, last posting on February 9, and her current condition is unknown.

But such stories are in stark contrast to the official medias reporting. For example, on January 23, the day Wuhan went into lockdown, the evening news bulletin from state broadcaster CCTV led with a speech President Xi Jinping gave at a Lunar New Year celebration and devoted less than three minutes of the 50-minute broadcast to the outbreak.

Around a third of that report was devoted to the World Health Organisations support for Chinas efforts in fighting the outbreak.

The Australia-based political artist and dissident Badiucao said Chinese state media was notorious for only portraying the positive aspects whenever a crisis hit.

Whenever something tragic happens, they turn it into a celebration of heroes and heroines  Everyone seems happy that China is still strong and can deal with any situation, he said.

Badiucao has been publishing a series called the Wuhan Diaries, written by a city resident who got in touch with him after a social media appeal for information about life inside the city.

Badiucao said that for safety reasons he did not know any personal information about the author and he had been working with a team of volunteers to translate the diary entries.

The first entry, published on January 27, described panic buying in Wuhan supermarkets. The author also criticised the central government for its handling of the outbreak.

The author noted that officials from Wuhan and Hubei had been the main focus of criticism, but wrote: I see it differently! Are they the only ones who shall take responsibility!

Badiucao said that if more people became citizen journalists the risk would be more widely shared.

We need more people to serve as citizen journalists, he said. A lot of journalists in China, young journalists, are risking their lives in Wuhan by reporting on the front line. But they face restrictions. Citizen journalists complement those reporters.

But while citizen journalists can share valuable information, there is also a danger that they will help spread misinformation.

Hong Kong Universitys Fu said the nature of social media meant that any content uploaded online, verified or not, could spread quickly and widely.

If they do not do the job well, that could be dangerous because people trust them. They could post something and delete it, but the content would remain in the public domain, he said.

Badiucao agreed that this was a risk, but said it was unavoidable given the tight controls on information in mainland China.

He pointed out that the author of the diary was locked in this information black hole as well.

All the author can see or hear is the other people who are in similar conditions. So there must be misinformation, misunderstanding of the information, he said.

But the diary, it is a kind of an internal reflection that is really loyal to the feeling of how life is inside there.

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Now a new game is underway. And officials in Central Asia, like many of their counterparts around the world, are hedging their bets when it comes to aligning with Washington or Beijing. "I'd like to once again note that we want to see Central Asia as a region of stable development, prosperity and cooperation," said Abdulaziz Kamilov, the foreign minister of Uzbekistan. "And we would really not like to feel on ourselves unfavorable political consequences in relation to some competition in our region between large powers." The US State Department released a Central Asia strategy document February 5 that said the top priority was to "support and strengthen the sovereignty and independence of the Central Asian states" a reference to warding off the influence of China and Russia.

It is a tough mission for the United States. The nations are in China's and Russia's backyards, and there have been decades of close interactions among them. Xi has made multiple state visits to the countries since he took power in 2012, most recently last year. The Trump administration has hit major setbacks in its attempts to build a global coalition against projects by the Chinese government and by Chinese companies. In fact, Britain said on January 28 that it would not ban technology made by Huawei, a Chinese telecom giant, from its high-speed 5G wireless network, despite intense pressure from US officials. Loading Pompeo made London his first stop on a recent six-day trip to Europe and Central Asia, and he said there on January 30 that the Chinese Communist Party was "the central threat of our times." The next day, he spoke about China with leaders in Ukraine. But words go only so far. The Americans fail to present an economical alternative to Huawei. And the Trump administration is discovering that its belligerent approach toward allies has a cost when it comes to China strategy.

Withdrawing from the global Paris climate agreement and the landmark Iran nuclear deal, starting trade conflicts with friendly governments and berating members of NATO make those nations less likely to listen to Washington's entreaties on China. A recent policy report on China by the Centre for a New American Security said "critical areas of US policy remain inconsistent, uncoordinated, under-resourced and  to be blunt  uncompetitive and counterproductive to advancing US values and interests." The United States did not pursue serious partnerships in Central Asia until after the September 11, 2001, attacks, when the Pentagon needed regional bases for the war in Afghanistan. China has taken a different approach.

Beijing said it will help build up the region under what it calls the Silk Road Economic Belt, which is part of the larger Belt and Road Initiative, a blanket term for global infrastructure projects that, according to Beijing, amount to $US1 trillion ($1.489 trillion) of investment. The Trump administration said the projects are potential debt traps, but many countries have embraced them. The economic liberalisation of Uzbekistan under Mirziyoyev, who took power in 2016 after the death of a longtime dictator, has resulted in greater trade with China. The city walls of Khiva in Uzbekistan. Credit:iStock China is Uzbekistan's largest trading partner, and trade totalled almost $US6.3 billion in 2018, a nearly 50 per cent increase from 2017, according to Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency. Chinese goods, including Huawei devices, are everywhere in Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent and other Uzbek cities. Uzbekistan is also committing to being part of rail and road networks that China is building across Central Asia.

Since 2001, China has worked with Central and South Asian nations as well as Russia in a multilateral group, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, to address security issues. China's People's Liberation Army has gained a new foothold in the region, in the form of a base in Tajikistan's Pamir Mountains. For at least three years, Chinese troops have quietly kept watch from two dozen buildings and lookout towers near the Tajik-Chinese border and the remote Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan. Tashkent TV Tower in the capital. Credit:iStockphoto The Afghan corridor is a strategic strip of land whose borders were drawn by Britain and Russia during the original Great Game as a buffer zone. The United States had hundreds of troops at an air base in Uzbekistan that it operated with the Uzbeks. But it wants to move the relationship well beyond the military.
Asserting that the Centre was ready to provide all help for Hyderabad's development, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy on Saturday hit out at the ruling TRS and AIMIM for allegedly failing to provide metro rail services to the old city of Hyderabad.

Neither the Congress in the past nor the present TRS government has taken up any development programmes in the old city, he claimed.

"Because, the Majlis (AIMIM) party there, they never aspire for development of old city. At least, if the metro train comes, the scene in old city can change. Metro (train) is the right of people in old city.

The people of the old city needs to understand the conspiracy of Majlis party in taking away the right, in which the TRS party becomes a partner and state government agrees to it and stalling metro coming to old city," he told reporters.

The Centre has agreed to provide Rs 1,458 crore (Rs 1,200 crore already given) to the metro rail project in Hyderabad and the agreement was to build metro rail up to Falaknuma in the old city, he said.

It was mentioned in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project which needs to be implemented, he said.

There are several tourist attractions, including Charminar, in the old city, he said.

Reddy, BJP Lok Sabha member from Secunderabad here, was speaking to reporters after travelling by the metro rail in the newly-inaugurated stretch between Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) here.

He alleged that the state government has not provided land for extending the Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) train services from Hyderabad to the temple town of Yadagirigutta.

The state government has also not furnished its share (of funds) for the MMTS project, he alleged.

"Because of that, the MMTS second phase construction works are not fully available to people.The negligence of TRS government is the reason for this," he said.

He urged the state government to ensure that metro train service was made available to people of old city and that the second phase of MMTS be taken to Yadagirigutta.

The Centre is ready to help vis-a-vis the MMTS project besides extending all cooperation for Hyderabad's development and providing its share of funds for construction of any number of houses for the poor, he said.

Reddy said TRS working president K T Rama Rao "unnecessarily" flayed the NDA government though the Centre is ready to help the cause of development of Hyderabad.

Responding to Reddy's comments, state Animal Husbandry Minister T Srinivas Yadav alleged that the Centre was not giving funds due to the states, and the union minister should say how much funds he has got for Telangana.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on February 7 inaugurated an11-km stretch of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project between the Jubilee Bus Station to the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station.

In November 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Miyapur and Nagole stretch of the project. Subsequently, some other stretches have been thrown open to the public.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  A 23-year-old man who posted on Facebook, I dont know why I dont go on a killing spree. A West Palm Beach couple who shot up their home while high on cocaine. A 31-year-old Gulf Coast man who pointed a semiautomatic rifle at a motorcyclist.

Judges took away the guns of all four Florida residents under a red flag law the state passed three weeks after authorities say a mentally disturbed man killed 17 people in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland two years ago Friday.

The law, supported by legislators of both parties, has been applied more than 3,500 times since, with the pace accelerating during the last half of 2019. Even so, an Associated Press analysis of the law showed its use is inconsistent, with some counties and cities using it rarely and others not at all.

Advocates of Floridas red flag measure say before it existed, it was often difficult to remove firearms from those making threats or suffering severe mental breakdowns. Investigators did not act on reports that the Parkland shooter was threatening to carry out a school massacre. But even if they had, it is likely he would have been allowed to keep his guns because he had no felony convictions or involuntary, long-term mental commitments, they say.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who leads a commission that investigated the massacres causes, says the shooter would have easily qualified for a red flag order. Gualtieri says while it is impossible to say that would have prevented the shooting, the gunman wouldnt have been able to legally buy weapons or ammunition, making his preparation difficult.

We have needed this law for decades, said Gualtieri, who started a unit in his department that exclusively handles red flag cases.

But the law also has vocal critics: those who say it violates the U.S. and state constitutions, including the right to bear arms, and others who argue that laws already on the books in Florida made it unnecessary. Still others say it discriminates against the poor: Because the hearing with a judge is not a criminal proceeding, low-income defendants arent provided with a free lawyer.

Sixteen other states, including California, have similar laws, 11 of which were enacted after the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Stoneman Douglas.

To get an order in Florida, police agencies must file a request with a civil court, citing serious mental illness or threats a person has made. If the judge agrees, the person must surrender their firearms to police. Within two weeks, a hearing is held during which the judge decides whether to take the persons weapons away for a year. Police agencies can apply for an extension if there is evidence a person remains a threat after a year. If not, the guns are returned.

The AP analysis shows that from March 2018, when the law was enacted, through December 2019, there was a wide disparity in its per capita usage in Floridas 67 counties. Twenty issued at least one for every 5,500 residents during that time period, the statewide average. Highlands County, near Lake Okeechobee, ranked No. 1, issuing one for every 850 residents.

On the other extreme, 12 counties issued one for every 30,000 residents or less. Another nine small, rural counties issued none.

Terry Spencer is an Associated Press writer.
DELPHI, Ind. (WLFI)  More than 420 pounds of food were donated to the Carroll County Food Pantry in Delphi Friday.

That food is from Thursday's vigil for Abby Williams and Libby German.

The Carroll County Food Pantry collects food from all over the county including 11 churches

Delphi United Methodist Church is one of the churches that donates food to the pantry.

It hosted the vigil last night.

Nancy Cripe is the site manager at the Carroll County Food Pantry.

She said she had no idea how much food was going to be donated and she's thankful for the hundreds of pounds of food collected from the vigil.

"That was just a really pleasant surprise," said Cripe. "I saw it on TV last night and we talked about it this morning. We wondered if we will get it."

It was a surprise the food pantry got it Friday because it was not expecting it until Monday.

Former Delphi Mayor Randy Strasser dropped off the food and then pantry volunteers weighed it; a staggering 420 pounds of food.
A 15-year-old girl, along with her lover, strangled her head constable mother to death in Brij Vihar Colony here, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place on Friday night around 1 pm and a complaint in this regard was lodged by the victim's husband, SP (City) Maneesh Mishra said.

The SP said Shashi Mala (44) was posted with a PCR van in Delhi.

Shashi was killed by her daughter, a Class 10 student, and her lover Jitendra as she was opposed to their relationship, the SP said.

The SP said the accused used a string to strangle the head constable to death.

When the victim's husband came home from his native place in Bihar, he found Shashi in an unconscious state after which he complained to police.

The victim was immediately rushed to the GTB hospital in Delhi, where doctors declared her brought dead.

Shashi's daughter and her lover have been detained, the SP said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 03:34:09|Editor: yhy

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TORONTO, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller on Saturday met with representatives of the Mohawk First Nation in eastern Ontario on the 10th day of a blockade that has caused the shutdown of all rail lines across Canada.

Canadian cargo and passenger rail operators announced the suspension of all railway service on Thursday due to the blockade.

The meeting began at the Wyman Road CN Rail station about 200 kilometers east of Toronto, where a group of the Mohawk First Nation protesters have been camped to support the Wet'suwet'en First Nation in British Columbia province, who oppose the development of a liquefied natural gas project that crosses their land.

The Wet'suwet'en First Nation protesters had been blocking road access to a construction site for the Coastal GasLink pipeline, a key part of a multibillion liquefied natural gas export project in the province.

Miller acknowledged the difficulties that the blockades have caused for travellers and businesses, but stressed that the government's approach was to negotiate, rather than have police dismantle them.

"All of Canada is hurting, the economy is slowing down," said Miller. "Everyone knows the reports about supply shortages, but we can't move forward without dialogue and that's we're going to do today."

A growing number of business leaders and industry groups have called for government or police intervention in the shutdowns.

On Thursday Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected opposition Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer's call to order police intervention.

"We are a country that recognizes the right to protest, but we are also a country of the rule of law and we will ensure everything is done to resolve this through dialogue and constructive outcomes," said Trudeau.

The protesters in Ontario have vowed to maintain their blockade of the rail line that passes through their territory until Royal Canadian Mounted Police leave the traditional territory of the Wet'suwet'en in northern British Columbia.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 02:28:05|Editor: huaxia

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at an event in Istanbul, Turkey, on Feb. 15, 2020. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey has "no intention to invade or annex the Syrian territory." (Turkish Presidential Palace/Handout via Xinhua)

ISTANBUL, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey has "no intention to invade or annex the Syrian territory."

Speaking at an event of his ruling party in Istanbul, Erdogan noted that the problem in Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria, would not be resolved until the government forces are drawn to the limits set by the Sochi deal.

"Otherwise, we will handle it before the end of February," the Turkish president stressed.

Earlier in the day, Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump exchanged views by phone on ending the crisis in Idlib as soon as possible, Turkey's Directorate of Communications announced on Twitter.

The two leaders agreed that the attacks of the Syrian government forces against the Turkish soldiers in Idlib were unacceptable.

On Monday, five Turkish soldiers were killed and five others wounded in a Syrian government forces' artillery attack in Idlib.

Earlier in February, the Syrian forces killed eight Turks, including five soldiers, in another artillery offensive in the region.
Montenegro needs its own Orthodox church to ward off meddling from Serbia and cement its identity, President Milo Djukanovic told AFP, as tensions seethe over who controls a faith shared by both countries. Djukanovic, who has run the small Adriatic country for nearly 30 years, doubled down on the stance as Montenegro is roiled by protests over the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) inside its borders. Long-running tensions over the issue exploded when the government passed a law in December that could turn many of the church's oldest monasteries into Montenegrin state property, trigging huge demonstrations. The SPC, based in Belgrade, is still the main religious body in Montenegro, which was one country with Serbia for nearly 90 years until 2006. Speaking to AFP in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, the president accused SPC clergy of undermining his efforts to consolidate the country's 14-year independence. "The Serbian Orthodox Church is among important instruments used by the ideologists of a 'Greater Serbia' nationalism against Montenegro, against Montenegrin independence, against its national, cultural and religious identity," Djukanovic said. The 57-year-old called for the creation of an autonomous branch of the Orthodox church in Montenegro, similar to the Ukraine church's split from Russia. It would "would unite all Orthodox believers, both those of Serbian and those of Montenegrin national affiliation," explained the leader of a country where around a third of the population identify as Serb. While an independent Montenegrin church was declared in the early 1990s, its footprint and flock are still tiny, and its religious authority is not recognised by the major Orthodox power centres. - Prayers and protests - While Djukanovic's government defends the new property law, the SPC has flexed its muscles over the past month and a half by mobilising tens of thousands of demonstrators to weekly prayer marches across a country of around 620,000 people. Priests accuse the ruling party of preparing to plunder its holy sites, which include more than 600 monasteries and churches dotting the country's rocky, picturesque landscapes. Djukanovic, a shrewd politician who masterminded Montenegro's independence, replies that the clergy are "skilfully manipulating" believers. He insists the churches will remain open for use for the Orthodox faithful, though he doesn't hide his desire to eventually cut off the spiritual chain of command from Belgrade. For Djukanovic, creating a separate church is the next "logical" step after securing Montenegro's independence. "We are driven...by an undisputable need to complete the spiritual, state and social infrastructure that will strengthen citizens' awareness of their own identity," he told AFP. "We do not accept the ideas of 'Serbing' Montenegro," he added. - Identity card - The church issue has put sensitive identity debates about Serbia and Montenegro's entangled histories at the centre of politics in the run-up to elections later this year. It has also deepened hostility and dysfunction in parliament, where Djukanovic's ruling DPS party faces a pro-Serb opposition which aligns with the Church. Some critics accuse Djukanovic of using the religious issue to rile emotions and distract from other problems that have festered under his rule. Those include low wages, widespread corruption and threats to media freedoms, all of which are standing in the way of Montenegro's dreams to join the European Union, a goal tentatively set for 2025. Others say Djukanovic's domination of power -- serving as either prime minister or president for most of the past three decades -- is the main obstacle to Montenegro's democratisation. The president, however, counters that this is the cry of sore losers, encouraging his rivals to work harder if they want to win elections expected in autumn. "If my opponents expect that I should make a concession to them so they could reach their goal, a victory by handing them power without elections, they are wrong," he said.
This single-arm, multicenter, Phase 2 study (Study 221) of lenvatinib (18 mg/day) in combination with everolimus (5 mg/day) enrolled 31 patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic nccRCC (papillary, n=20; chromophobe, n=9; unclassified, n=2) who had not received any chemotherapy for advanced disease. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by investigators using RECIST 1.1. The secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

On primary analysis, the ORR was 25.8% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 11.9-44.6) with 8 patients (papillary, n=3; chromophobe, n=4; unclassified, n=1) having achieved a partial response (PR). Fifty eight percent (n=18) had stable disease (SD) and the clinical benefit rate (CR + PR + durable SD [duration  23 weeks]) was 61.3% (95% CI: 42.2-78.2). No patients achieved a complete response. The median duration of response was not reached at the time of data cutoff (July 17, 2019).

The median PFS was 9.23 months (95% CI: 5.49-Not Estimable [NE]) and median OS was 15.64 months (95% CI: 9.23NE).

In the study, treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) leading to withdrawal or discontinuation of lenvatinib plus everolimus occurred in 32.3% of patients. TEAEs leading to dose reduction occurred in 45.2% of patients. TEAEs leading to interruption of lenvatinib and everolimus occurred in 67.7% of patients. The five most common TEAEs (any grade) were fatigue (71%), diarrhea (58.1%), decreased appetite (54.8%), nausea (54.8%) and vomiting (51.6%). Treatment-related TEAEs (Grade 3 or higher) occurred in 48.4% of patients receiving lenvatinib plus everolimus. Among the most common TEAEs (Grade 3 or higher) were hypertension (16.1%), malignant neoplasm progression (12.9%), diarrhea (9.7%) and fatigue, nausea, vomiting, proteinuria and decreased platelet count (6.5% each).

"Non-clear cell RCC is a less studied subtype of the disease that encompasses a biologically varied group of tumor types with diverse prognoses and responses to therapy," said Thomas Hutson, D.O., Director of the Genitourinary Oncology Program and Co-director of the Urologic Cancer Research and Treatment Center at Baylor University Medical Center, and Primary Investigator of the study. "I was pleased to have been involved in this trial and look forward to continuing research to enhance our understanding of nccRCC."

"We are striving to improve care for people living with cancers with high unmet needs such as non-clear cell RCC," said Dr. Kirk Shepard, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Medical Affairs for the Oncology Business Group at Eisai. "While there continue to be advancements in clear cell RCC, non-clear cell RCC continues to be an area where a strong need remains for more options, and we look forward to further exploring the potential this regimen may have for patients."

This release discusses investigational uses for FDA-approved products. It is not intended to convey conclusions about efficacy and safety. There is no guarantee that any investigational uses of FDA-approved products will successfully complete clinical development or gain FDA approval.

In March 2018, Eisai and Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada), through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration or the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of lenvatinib.

About Non-Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (nccRCC)

The latest SEER data state that more than half a million Americans (533,204) were living with kidney and renal pelvis cancer as of 2016. It is estimated that approximately 73,750 new cases of kidney cancer will occur in 2020, and about 14,830 people will die from the disease. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), also known as renal cell cancer or renal cell adenocarcinoma, is the most common type of kidney cancer, representing about 90% of cases in the United States. RCC occurs when malignant cells form in the lining of the tubules in the kidney. Non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (nccRCC) accounts for up to 20% of all RCC cases. Non-clear cell RCC includes a heterogeneous group of diseases, including but not limited to papillary, chromophobe, and sarcomatoid carcinomas, among others.

About LENVIMA (lenvatinib) Capsules 10 mg and 4 mg

LENVIMA is indicated:

For the treatment of patients with locally recurrent or metastatic, progressive, radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAI-refractory DTC)

In combination with everolimus, for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following one prior anti-angiogenic therapy

For the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Important Safety Information

Warnings and Precautions

Hypertension. In DTC, hypertension occurred in 73% of patients on LENVIMA (44% grade 3-4). In RCC, hypertension occurred in 42% of patients on LENVIMA + everolimus (13% grade 3). Systolic blood pressure 160 mmHg occurred in 29% of patients, and 21% had diastolic blood pressure 100 mmHg. In HCC, hypertension occurred in 45% of LENVIMA-treated patients (24% grade 3). Grade 4 hypertension was not reported in HCC.

Serious complications of poorly controlled hypertension have been reported. Control blood pressure prior to initiation. Monitor blood pressure after 1 week, then every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, and then at least monthly thereafter during treatment. Withhold and resume at reduced dose when hypertension is controlled or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Cardiac Dysfunction. Serious and fatal cardiac dysfunction can occur with LENVIMA. Across clinical trials in 799 patients with DTC, RCC, and HCC, grade 3 or higher cardiac dysfunction occurred in 3% of LENVIMA treated patients. Monitor for clinical symptoms or signs of cardiac dysfunction. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity

Arterial Thromboembolic Events. Among patients receiving LENVIMA or LENVIMA + everolimus, arterial thromboembolic events of any severity occurred in 2% of patients in RCC and HCC and 5% in DTC. Grade 3-5 arterial thromboembolic events ranged from 2% to 3% across all clinical trials. Permanently discontinue following an arterial thrombotic event. The safety of resuming after an arterial thromboembolic event has not been established and LENVIMA has not been studied in patients who have had an arterial thromboembolic event within the previous 6 months.

Hepatotoxicity. Across clinical studies enrolling 1,327 LENVIMA-treated patients with malignancies other than HCC, serious hepatic adverse reactions occurred in 1.4% of patients. Fatal events, including hepatic failure, acute hepatitis and hepatorenal syndrome, occurred in 0.5% of patients. In HCC, hepatic encephalopathy occurred in 8% of LENVIMA-treated patients (5% grade 3-5). Grade 3-5 hepatic failure occurred in 3% of LENVIMA-treated patients. 2% of patients discontinued LENVIMA due to hepatic encephalopathy and 1% discontinued due to hepatic failure.

Monitor liver function prior to initiation, then every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, and at least monthly thereafter during treatment. Monitor patients with HCC closely for signs of hepatic failure, including hepatic encephalopathy. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Renal Failure or Impairment. Serious including fatal renal failure or impairment can occur with LENVIMA. Renal impairment was reported in 14% and 7% of LENVIMA-treated patients in DTC and HCC, respectively. Grade 3-5 renal failure or impairment occurred in 3% of patients with DTC and 2% of patients with HCC, including 1 fatal event in each study. In RCC, renal impairment or renal failure was reported in 18% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients (10% grade 3).

Initiate prompt management of diarrhea or dehydration/hypovolemia. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue for renal failure or impairment based on severity.

Proteinuria. In DTC and HCC, proteinuria was reported in 34% and 26% of LENVIMA-treated patients, respectively. Grade 3 proteinuria occurred in 11% and 6% in DTC and HCC, respectively. In RCC, proteinuria occurred in 31% of patients receiving LENVIMA + everolimus (8% grade 3). Monitor for proteinuria prior to initiation and periodically during treatment. If urine dipstick proteinuria 2+ is detected, obtain a 24-hour urine protein. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Diarrhea. Of the 737 LENVIMA-treated patients in DTC and HCC, diarrhea occurred in 49% (6% grade 3). In RCC, diarrhea occurred in 81% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients (19% grade 3). Diarrhea was the most frequent cause of dose interruption/reduction, and diarrhea recurred despite dose reduction. Promptly initiate management of diarrhea. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Fistula Formation and Gastrointestinal Perforation. Of the 799 patients treated with LENVIMA or LENVIMA + everolimus in DTC, RCC, and HCC, fistula or gastrointestinal perforation occurred in 2%. Permanently discontinue in patients who develop gastrointestinal perforation of any severity or grade 3-4 fistula.

QT Interval Prolongation. In DTC, QT/QTc interval prolongation occurred in 9% of LENVIMA-treated patients and QT interval prolongation of >500 ms occurred in 2%. In RCC, QTc interval increases of >60 ms occurred in 11% of patients receiving LENVIMA + everolimus and QTc interval >500 ms occurred in 6%. In HCC, QTc interval increases of >60 ms occurred in 8% of LENVIMA-treated patients and QTc interval >500 ms occurred in 2%.

Monitor and correct electrolyte abnormalities at baseline and periodically during treatment. Monitor electrocardiograms in patients with congenital long QT syndrome, congestive heart failure, bradyarrhythmias, or those who are taking drugs known to prolong the QT interval, including Class Ia and III antiarrhythmics. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery based on severity.

Hypocalcemia. In DTC, grade 3-4 hypocalcemia occurred in 9% of LENVIMA-treated patients. In 65% of cases, hypocalcemia improved or resolved following calcium supplementation with or without dose interruption or dose reduction. In RCC, grade 3-4 hypocalcemia occurred in 6% of LENVIMA + everolimus treated patients. In HCC, grade 3 hypocalcemia occurred in 0.8% of LENVIMA-treated patients. Monitor blood calcium levels at least monthly and replace calcium as necessary during treatment. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue depending on severity.

Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome. Across clinical studies of 1,823 patients who received LENVIMA as a single agent, RPLS occurred in 0.3%. Confirm diagnosis of RPLS with MRI. Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue depending on severity and persistence of neurologic symptoms.

Hemorrhagic Events. Serious including fatal hemorrhagic events can occur with LENVIMA. In DTC, RCC, and HCC clinical trials, hemorrhagic events, of any grade, occurred in 29% of the 799 patients treated with LENVIMA as a single agent or in combination with everolimus. The most frequently reported hemorrhagic events (all grades and occurring in at least 5% of patients) were epistaxis and hematuria. In DTC, grade 3-5 hemorrhage occurred in 2% of LENVIMA-treated patients, including 1 fatal intracranial hemorrhage among 16 patients who received LENVIMA and had CNS metastases at baseline. In RCC, grade 3-5 hemorrhage occurred in 8% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients, including 1 fatal cerebral hemorrhage. In HCC, grade 3-5 hemorrhage occurred in 5% of LENVIMA-treated patients, including 7 fatal hemorrhagic events. Serious tumor-related bleeds, including fatal hemorrhagic events, occurred in LENVIMA-treated patients in clinical trials and in the postmarketing setting. In postmarketing surveillance, serious and fatal carotid artery hemorrhages were seen more frequently in patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) than other tumors. Safety and effectiveness of LENVIMA in patients with ATC have not been demonstrated in clinical trials.

Consider the risk of severe or fatal hemorrhage associated with tumor invasion or infiltration of major blood vessels (eg, carotid artery). Withhold and resume at reduced dose upon recovery or permanently discontinue based on severity.

Impairment of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Suppression/Thyroid Dysfunction. LENVIMA impairs exogenous thyroid suppression. In DTC, 88% of patients had baseline thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level 0.5 mU/L. In patients with normal TSH at baseline, elevation of TSH level >0.5 mU/L was observed post baseline in 57% of LENVIMA-treated patients. In RCC and HCC, grade 1 or 2 hypothyroidism occurred in 24% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients and 21% of LENVIMA-treated patients, respectively. In patients with normal or low TSH at baseline, elevation of TSH was observed post baseline in 70% of LENVIMA-treated patients in HCC and 60% of LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients in RCC.

Monitor thyroid function prior to initiation and at least monthly during treatment. Treat hypothyroidism according to standard medical practice.

Wound Healing Complications. Wound healing complications, including fistula formation and wound dehiscence, can occur with LENVIMA. Withhold for at least 6 days prior to scheduled surgery. Resume after surgery based on clinical judgment of adequate wound healing. Permanently discontinue in patients with wound healing complications.

Embryo-fetal Toxicity. Based on its mechanism of action and data from animal reproduction studies, LENVIMA can cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant women. In animal reproduction studies, oral administration of lenvatinib during organogenesis at doses below the recommended clinical doses resulted in embryotoxicity, fetotoxicity, and teratogenicity in rats and rabbits. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus; and advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with LENVIMA and for at least 30 days after the last dose.

Adverse Reactions

In DTC, the most common adverse reactions (30%) observed in LENVIMA-treated patients were hypertension (73%), fatigue (67%), diarrhea (67%), arthralgia/myalgia (62%), decreased appetite (54%), decreased weight (51%), nausea (47%), stomatitis (41%), headache (38%), vomiting (36%), proteinuria (34%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (32%), abdominal pain (31%), and dysphonia (31%). The most common serious adverse reactions (2%) were pneumonia (4%), hypertension (3%), and dehydration (3%). Adverse reactions led to dose reductions in 68% of LENVIMA-treated patients; 18% discontinued LENVIMA. The most common adverse reactions (10%) resulting in dose reductions were hypertension (13%), proteinuria (11%), decreased appetite (10%), and diarrhea (10%); the most common adverse reactions (1%) resulting in discontinuation of LENVIMA were hypertension (1%) and asthenia (1%).

In RCC, the most common adverse reactions (30%) observed in LENVIMA + everolimustreated patients were diarrhea (81%), fatigue (73%), arthralgia/myalgia (55%), decreased appetite (53%), vomiting (48%), nausea (45%), stomatitis (44%), hypertension (42%), peripheral edema (42%), cough (37%), abdominal pain (37%), dyspnea (35%), rash (35%), decreased weight (34%), hemorrhagic events (32%), and proteinuria (31%). The most common serious adverse reactions (5%) were renal failure (11%), dehydration (10%), anemia (6%), thrombocytopenia (5%), diarrhea (5%), vomiting (5%), and dyspnea (5%). Adverse reactions led to dose reductions or interruption in 89% of patients. The most common adverse reactions (5%) resulting in dose reductions were diarrhea (21%), fatigue (8%), thrombocytopenia (6%), vomiting (6%), nausea (5%), and proteinuria (5%). Treatment discontinuation due to an adverse reaction occurred in 29% of patients.

In HCC, the most common adverse reactions (20%) observed in LENVIMA-treated patients were hypertension (45%), fatigue (44%), diarrhea (39%), decreased appetite (34%), arthralgia/myalgia (31%), decreased weight (31%), abdominal pain (30%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (27%), proteinuria (26%), dysphonia (24%), hemorrhagic events (23%), hypothyroidism (21%), and nausea (20%).

The most common serious adverse reactions (2%) were hepatic encephalopathy (5%), hepatic failure (3%), ascites (3%), and decreased appetite (2%). Adverse reactions led to dose reductions or interruption in 62% of patients. The most common adverse reactions (5%) resulting in dose reductions were fatigue (9%), decreased appetite (8%), diarrhea (8%), proteinuria (7%), hypertension (6%), and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (5%). Treatment discontinuation due to an adverse reaction occurred in 20% of patients. The most common adverse reactions (1%) resulting in discontinuation of LENVIMA were fatigue (1%), hepatic encephalopathy (2%), hyperbilirubinemia (1%), and hepatic failure (1%).

Use in Specific Populations

Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants, advise women to discontinue breastfeeding during treatment and for at least 1 week after last dose. LENVIMA may impair fertility in males and females of reproductive potential.

No dose adjustment is recommended for patients with mild (CLcr 60-89 mL/min) or moderate (CLcr 30-59 mL/min) renal impairment. LENVIMA concentrations may increase in patients with DTC or RCC and severe (CLcr 15-29 mL/min) renal impairment. Reduce the dose for patients with RCC or DTC and severe renal impairment. There is no recommended dose for patients with HCC and severe renal impairment. LENVIMA has not been studied in patients with end stage renal disease.

No dose adjustment is recommended for patients with HCC and mild hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh A). There is no recommended dose for patients with HCC with moderate (Child-Pugh B) or severe (Child-Pugh C) hepatic impairment.

No dose adjustment is recommended for patients with DTC or RCC and mild or moderate hepatic impairment. LENVIMA concentrations may increase in patients with DTC or RCC and severe hepatic impairment. Reduce the dose for patients with DTC or RCC and severe hepatic impairment.

About the Eisai and Merck Strategic Collaboration

In March 2018, Eisai and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, through an affiliate, entered into a strategic collaboration for the worldwide co-development and co-commercialization of LENVIMA. Under the agreement, the companies will jointly develop, manufacture and commercialize LENVIMA, both as monotherapy and in combination with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA.

In addition to ongoing clinical studies evaluating the KEYTRUDA plus LENVIMA combination across several different tumor types, the companies will jointly initiate new clinical studies through the LEAP (LEnvatinib And Pembrolizumab) clinical program, which will evaluate the combination to support 11 potential indications in six types of cancer (endometrial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and urothelial cancer). The LEAP clinical program also includes a new basket trial targeting six additional cancer types (biliary tract cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, glioblastoma and ovarian cancer).

About Eisai

Eisai is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, with approximately 10,000 employees worldwide. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. We strive to realize our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology. In the spirit of hhc, we take that commitment even further by applying our scientific expertise, clinical capabilities and patient insights to discover and develop innovative solutions that help address society's toughest unmet needs, including neglected tropical diseases and the Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information about Eisai, please visit www.eisai.com (for global), us.eisai.com (for U.S.) or www.eisai.eu (for EMEA), and connect with us on Twitter (U.S. and global) and LinkedIn (for U.S.).

LENVIMA is a registered trademark used by Eisai Inc. under license from Eisai R&D Management Co., Ltd.

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A.

SOURCE Eisai Inc.

Related Links

https://www.eisai.com


San Francisco, Feb 15 : Google has removed the popular messaging app ToTok amid claims that it is being used for spying by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government for mass surveillance for a second time.

The app was previously pulled from Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store in December.

ToTok was allegedly used by the country to track every conversation, movement, relationship, appointment, sound, and image of those who install it on their phones, 9to5Google reported on Friday.

According to the US officials familiar with the classified intelligence assessment, the app that works like Signal or Telegram has been downloaded millions of times on Android and iOS devices in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

ToTok surged to become one of the most downloaded social apps in the US last week, according to app rankings and research firm App Annie.

An investigation by NYT found that the firm behind ToTok is known as Breej Holding which is a front firm affiliated with DarkMatter, an Abu Dhabi-based cyberintelligence and hacking firm.

DarkMatter is already under an FBI investigation for possible cybercrimes.

Earlier, the probe also linked ToTok to Pax AI, an Abu Dhabi-based data mining firm that appears to be tied to DarkMatter.
Original cornerstone coming home to the Meadows

The historic Meadows home was rebuilt of stone in the 1860s after the oringal wood frame house burned. [LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PHOTO, 1933]

FLETCHER  A pivotal chapter in local history is about to come full circle as the cornerstone from the historic Meadows property in Fletcher is returned to its original location.

Three grandchildren of Edwin T. Edgerton and Vesta Mattox Edgerton will present the cornerstone to current owners of the historic home, Michael and Judy McKnight, in a ceremony to be held on the property 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22.

Edwin T. and Vesta Edgerton purchased the house from the Blake family in 1938 and moved in with their three daughters, Gene, Sue and Carol. Gene kept possession of the cornerstone for the family. Genes children  Tracy Fayssoux Bernstein, Rick Fayssoux and Jim Fayssoux, who still lives in the Fletcher area  will attend the presentation along with two great-grandchildren and a great-great grandchild.

The cornerstones return has a special meaning to current owner Michael McKnight. For me, it's about honoring the Edgerton family, rather than the Blakes, he says. Carol and Gene visited us a few times over the years to check on the property. You could tell how special their affection was for the home and land from the childhood memories they shared with us. Their connection to the home was an inspiration to me, and we loved it when they visited. Now we are honored to have the Fayssoux family come to return this little slice of history to us.

An imprint of the cornerstoneThe cornerstone is believed to have been used in the construction of the kitchen outbuilding, which was made of brick, in 1833. At this time, shortly after Daniel Blake purchased the property (950 acres) from William Murray, the home was wood frame. Blake built the stone house after the original wood structure burned to the ground.

When the kitchen outbuilding deteriorated to the point of no return, the Edgertons had it demolished. They saved the cornerstone, and used the original red brick to make a patio at the south side of the house, as well as walkways around the house. When they sold the property, they took the cornerstone with them as a keepsake.

According to Tracy Fayssoux Bernstein, the Fayssoux siblings made the unanimous decision to return the cornerstone to the house when they found it after their mother passed away last year.

My mother had made some molds of the markings, she says, so that each of us could have one. So, when the original cornerstone was found, there was never a doubt about returning it. All three of us had met Judy and her family, and we were impressed with their appreciation of the house and the surrounding land. To us, more than anything, we wanted to see the history of the house go forward and know that someone who really loves and appreciates it is there to care for it. Its almost as if the house was a living member of our family.

Current owner Judy McKnight says she and Michael found the brick patio by chance. It was completely covered with grass and weeds," she said. "We discovered the brick while clearing the weeds and undergrowth from around the house. Wisteria was growing up the side of the house and inside through the windows in several places.

The McKnights dug up the historic brick and are searching for help to rebuild the patio, using the bricks in the design. Many of the bricks were broken and deteriorated, so we'll be using the ones that could be saved, Judy says. Thats at the side entrance that we use now. When folks see how bad it looks, they recognize it for what it is  our latest project!

As the circle of history is sealed with the cornerstones return, Tracy Fayssoux Bernstein likens it to healing the home.

Its like a wound, and it needs to be put back, she says. It belongs there.

The Meadows has a long history in the Fletcher area. According to some accounts, the Meadows estate was the original source of Catawba grapes, which are unique to Western North Carolina. The historic Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher was built on land donated by Meadows owner Daniel Blake in 1859. The house has known several owners over the generations, including the Blakes and the Edgertons (the Fayssoux grandparents). It was the site of Kellwood Textiles, and briefly the intended site of Fletcher Town Hall. Over time the house fell into disrepair, and for a short time was used by vagrants who caused damage to the property.

In 2004, the Meadows became the obsession of current owner Judy McKnight, who felt a deep attachment to the property and dedicated herself to restoring it to its former glory. The house was in a state of disrepair, Judy says. We have been fixing it up in stages. Now weve done less than half of the necessary renovations, and theres still a lot to go. Weve always felt this house doesnt just belong to us, but to the area. We have plans to make it a showcase that the community can appreciate. And now the return of the cornerstone is so perfect. Its like finding the missing piece of a puzzle youve been working on for such a long time and finally feeling a sense of completion.

The rededication ceremony for the cornerstone is open to the public. The Meadows home is located at 31 Meadows Blake House Lane, Fletcher.
The novel about a Mexican mother and her young son fleeing to the U.S. border had been praised widely before its Jan. 21 release. But anger built over American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins  a writer who primarily identifies as white  and Latinos shared reading lists and pointed to recent work that went overlooked, offering alternative options for those who wanted to read about the Latino experience in the United States.
A 22-year-old trans-masculine student of Mumbai raising slogans at a queer Pride gathering, and a widowed mother of an 11-year old student participating in a school play in Bidar, Karnataka, are only two of the at least 194 sedition charges that have been made since the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed two months ago on December 11. This exceeds the number of sedition cases filed in 2016, 2017, and 2018, as per data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). According to the Crime in India report released last year, a total of 156 cases were filed in the three years taken together.

The CAA aims to provide citizenship to non-Muslim refugees of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who have faced religious persecution. While protestors believe that the law is discriminatory and unconstitutional, the Bharatiya Janta Party-led central government has defended the law as correcting a historical injustice. Speaking in both houses of the Parliament on February 6, prime minister Narendra Modi also accused Opposition parties of spreading misinformation about the law.

However, since the law was passed, anti-CAA protests have broken out all over the country, from small towns like Latehar in Jharkhand and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh to metros like Delhi and Mumbai. Several marches in favour of the law have also been organised.

To be sure, the number of those charged with sedition is high, as many of the First Information Reports (FIR) also charge unknown persons. For instance, in Mumbai, a trans-masculine student, Kris Chudawala, was charged with sedition on February 3, but the FIR also charges 50 others, who are unnamed. In Jharkhand, 3007 people were booked for sedition, among other charges of whom only seven were named  after an anti-CAA rally in Dhanbad on January 7. The sedition charge was, however, dropped earlier this month. On December 13, 60 persons who were protesting against the CAA in Lucknow were booked for sedition for reportedly raising anti-state slogans; of them only 16 were named. The sedition charge was later dropped against all 60.

Registering FIRs with unnamed persons is a classic legal strategy that the police use, explained Anushka Singh, assistant professor at the School of Law, Governance and Citizenship at Dr BR Ambedkar University in Delhi.

It creates the possibility of implicating people by putting their names in backdated FIRs. It creates fear in people that anybody could be implicated later.

The evolution of the law

Historically, the law has been used to cull political dissent. Several freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and even Vinayak Damodar Savarkar were sent to prison under this charge during the Freedom movement.

However, the section is not easy to prove in the court of law. As per the NCRB report, of the 90 cases of sedition tried across the country in 2018 (which includes follow-ons from the previous two years), only two led to a conviction. By the end of the year, 77 cases were still pending trial. Last year, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) chief Vaiko was convicted of sedition by a special court and sentenced to one years imprisonment.

The case pertained to a speech that he had made in 2009, while releasing his book, I Accuse, which drew connections between the Sri Lankan civil war and the Indian Army. He had suggested that the Indian government was responsible for the killing of Tamils in the civil war in Sri Lanka. However, the Madras high court stayed the sentence.

Its a tough law to nail down because the Supreme Court restricted its ambit in 1962. Introduced by the British to the Indian Penal Code in the 1870s, Section 124 A states: Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in [India] shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.

However, in 1950, the Punjab high court declared the law void, as it provided an unwarranted restriction on the freedom of speech and expression. Eight years later, the Allahabad high court also stated that Section 124-A violated freedom of speech guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution and was, therefore, void. In 1962, the Supreme Court held the law to be constitutional. A five-judge bench, in Kedar Nath Singh v. State of Bihar, ruled that though Section 124-A imposed restrictions on the fundamental freedom of speech and expression, they were in the interest of public order. Significantly, the court limited the application of the law to acts that incited public disorder or violence. Everything else fell outside its ambit.

But the law continues to be used indiscriminately, feels Geeta Seshu, a member of the Free Speech Collective, which keeps track of violations of free speech in an online resource. [Sedition law] continues to be used for students who raise slogans and even people who merely like a Facebook post or even a cartoon that is seen as offensive or objectionable. At 71 years, our democracy should be mature enough to hear slogans or speeches that we may not always agree with. Instead, we see the shrinkage of space to voice dissenting opinions and ideas.

Part of the reason for its misuse could also be that it is a difficult law to interpret. In the 1962 judgment, the term disaffection used in the provision was qualified. It said that for an act to be counted as disaffection, it should have a tendency to incitement to violence or unlawful activity. Most of these cases which are registered today are not in tune with what the Supreme Court has laid down in its pronouncement. Though one should also bear in mind that because the Supreme Court didnt explain what the word tendency could mean, the scope for its misuse remained, Singh said.

A student, a mother, a headmistress

In the past two months, two cases in particular have caught the national imagination, drawing attention to the law again. One involves a headmistress and the mother of an 11-year old, both of whom were involved in staging a play that dealt with the controversial law, in a school in Bidar, Karnataka.

The matter first came to light after a certain Nileesh Rakshayal filed a complaint on January 26, after a video clip of a play enacted by Class 4, 5 and 6 students of Shaheen Primary and High school, expressing their dissent against CAA, went viral. The police faced flak for questioning students at the school, which they have visited at least five times during the course of their investigation into the matter. It is unlikely that a nine-year-old child will say such things without being taught. So we were trying to find out who told them to say such things, a police officer who did not want to be named said.

Nazbunnisa whose daughter was part of the play, and Fareeda Begum, the headmistress, were arrested on January 30 under IPC sections 504 (provocation to break public peace), 505(2) (statement which causes fear or alarm to public), 153 A (promoting disharmony), and 124 A. They were granted bail by a district court on February 14, after spending over two weeks in jail.

The school management, represented by Thouseef Madikeri, the CEO of Shaheen Group that runs the school, has also been charged with sedition; the anticipatory bail hearing is on February 17.

It is unfortunate that the headmistress and the mother of one of our student continue to languish in jail. We fully intend to legally defend ourselves as we have done no wrong. A phrase uttered by a 10-11 year old child was inadvertent and unintentional. But why slap a sedition case against us? asked Madikeri.

The other case involves a trans-masculine student of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, who was charged with sedition for purportedly raising slogans that promised to fulfil arrested Jawaharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imams dream, during the Pride gathering in Mumbai held on February 1.

A video of Imam stating that Assam should be cut off from the rest of India went viral last month. Following this, an FIR was lodged on January 25 in Guwahati crime branch police station, listing sedition, promoting enmity between different groups and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony as well national integration. Imam faces similar charges in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi as well.

On February 2, former Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian Kirit Somaiya tweeted a video from the Mumbai Pride, and asked the police to take action against anti-national demonstrations/slogans. He filed a complaint on February 3, and has been tweeting about the students, referring to them as Urban naxalites.

Queer Azadi Mumbai, organisers of the gathering, released a letter dissociating the event from the sloganeering the following day itself.

These are young students who were simply raising slogans for justice, who have been named and targeted by powerful ministers..., said Vihaan, an alumnus, speaking at a press conference organised in Delhi by members of the trans, intersex, and gender nonconforming community.

Granting interim relief from arrest, the Bombay high court on February 11 noted that Mumbai police had failed to comply with its guidelines that require the police to seek written opinion of the governments law officer before invoking sedition charges. Does this (sedition case) satisfy the twin requirements of intention and tendency to create public disorder, as contemplated under section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code, justice SK Shinde asked the public prosecutor, and added, Somebody else has proclaimed the ideology, she has merely supported it. The court directed Chudawala to report to the investigating officer and submit her mobile phone.

Vast numbers around the country

According to Arun Gurtu, former director general of police, Madhya Pradesh, National Security Act or sedition charges should be invoked only when there is a real threat to society or the country from the person accused. Many times these charges dont stand in the court of law. Sedition, in particular, should be invoked only when there is evidence recorded electronically and there is a motive to be proved in regard with the charges.

In many of these protests, sedition charges were dropped. In Dhanbad, a delegation of protestors met chief minister Hemant Soren asking that the charge of sedition against seven accused, who were part of an anti-CAA protest on January 7, be dropped. The police told HT that anti-Centre slogans were raised during the protest, prompting them to register cases against seven named persons Haji Jameer Arif, Md Sajid, Md Saif Sazzad, Ali Akbar, Md Saddam, Md Maulana Gulam Navi and Md Naushad  and 3,000 unknown people.

They were booked under a raft of sections of the IPC, including 143 (unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting and armed with deadly weapon), 186 (obstructing a public servant), 290 (public nuisance), 336 (endangering life of others), 153 A (promoting disharmony) and 124 A.

Following the CMs intervention, sedition has been dropped from the list of charges. I have received a copy of the FIR but I fail to understand why nine different sections of the IPC have been invoked against us, said Arif, 38, who is one of the accused.

In Assam, the police lodged a sedition case at Chandmari police station in Guwahati on December 13, against Akhil Gogoi, Manas Konwar, Dharjya Konwar and Bittu Sonowal, leaders of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, a peasants rights body. All four are under arrest and the National Investigation Agency has taken up the case.

On February 5, UPs Azamgarh police registered a case against a group of protestors, several of whom were women, in Bilariaganj town. Superintendent of police (SP) Triveni Singh said an FIR was lodged against 35 named and over 100 unidentified persons under 124 A, besides 15 other sections of the IPC. On the intervening night of February 5 and 6, protestors and police clashed at the site, in which at least one woman was seriously injured in stone pelting. Singh said that an FIR was lodged after the protestors raised anti-national slogans and pelted stones on the police. Nineteen people have been arrested.

Former Supreme Court judge AK Patnaik said that the sedition law cannot be invoked in the anti-CAA protests, as long as they are not violent or calling for revolt against the state. He said that the law should be reviewed to decide whether it is necessary or not. The legislature must have a fresh look at it and if they think it should be retained, then whether it should be retained in the current form or not.

But the Centre is clear that sedition law will remain in the books. In a reply to the Rajya Sabha in 2019, the Union home ministry stated, There is no proposal to scrap the sedition law. There is a need to retain the provision to effectively combat anti-national, secessionist and terrorist elements.

(With inputs from Bedanti Saran, Utpal Parashar, Rohit Singh, Ranjan)
Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart are among online retailers demanding that India scale back a proposed tax on third-party sellers on their platforms, saying the burden of compliance will hurt the fledgling industry, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The online retail industry is braced for a possible 1% tax on each sale made by sellers on their platforms from April if the proposal is approved by parliament next month.

The move is part of a broader plan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to increase tax revenues and counter a sharp economic slowdown due to weakening consumer demand.

But the tax will hurt the country's fledgling e-commerce sector, according to a presentation prepared by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for the government and reviewed by Reuters.

"(It) would cause irreparable loss to the entire industry with increased compliance burden," the lobby group said on behalf of e-commerce companies. "This will also lead to reduced trading activity."

Amazon declined to comment. A spokesman for Bengaluru-based Flipkart said it was working with industry chambers to voice sellers' concerns and highlight the increased cost of compliance.

The Finance Ministry declined to comment.

Some third-party sellers are also pushing back against the tax, arguing it would negatively impact their working capital, adding that they already contribute to a nationwide sales tax.

This tax will be "extremely detrimental to the growth and sustenance" of small online sellers and make the model "unviable", Unexo Life Sciences, a seller of healthcare products on Amazon's India website, said in an email to the Central Board of Direct Taxes that was reviewed by Reuters.

Online vendors, or sellers with revenue of less than half a million rupees in the previous year, as well as brick-and-mortar retailers, will be exempted from the new tax, although they are subject to the nationwide sales tax.

India's e-commerce sector is expected to reach $200 billion by 2026 as rising smartphone use and cheap data help hundreds of millions to shop online for everything from groceries to furniture. But companies such as Amazon and Flipkart have also had to face tighter regulations and an antitrust probe.

The tax would apply to the income of drivers on ride hailing firms such Uber and Ola as well as sales on restaurant aggregators including Zomato and Swiggy.

Ola and Uber declined to comment, while Swiggy and Zomato did not respond to requests for comment.

Modi is pushing to expand India's tax base to hundreds of thousands of manufacturers, food sellers and cab drivers who currently do not pay income tax, a senior Finance Ministry official said. Modi has said just about 15 million of India's 1.3 billion Indians people pay income tax.

New Delhi expects to collect about 30 billion Indian rupees ($419.46 million) through the tax, the Finance Ministry said. It will also provide data on billions of dollars in sales.

Also read: Amazon, Flipkart may approach govt for clarification on 1% TDS levy on e-commerce transactions

Also read: Amazon Inc challenges CCI investigation; says will cause 'irreparable loss' to company
US President Donald Trump said on Friday (local time) that he is looking forward to his two-day visit to India scheduled later this month.

"Great honor, I think? Mark Zuckerberg recently stated that 'Donald J. Trump is Number 1 on Facebook. Number 2 is Prime Minister Modi of India.' Actually, I am going to India in two weeks. Looking forward to it!" Trump tweeted.

Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the US President will visit India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A day after the announcement, Modi tweeted that India will accord a memorable welcome to the "esteemed guests" and the visit would go a long way in further cementing India-US friendship.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Trump is expected to attend an event at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on the lines of the 'Howdy Modi' function that was addressed by the US President and Modi in Houston in September last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"Although I remember having the realisation where I was thinking, 'Oh my god this is going to be life now, we're not going to have any transport, walking for hours carrying our backpacks' ... because there was no phone, or running water or power or anything like that, often you weren't able to arrange a lift. So, if you just turned up randomly, it could take two or three hours to get where you needed to go." Amber Jackson with her mum at Amazon Acres as a child. Once at the commune, Susanne changed her name to Zoe. It was a conservative option; other women took names such as Moonshadow and Jaguar. "I think it was probably about shedding your old life, in hindsight it makes sense," Jackson says. "But I often laugh about it with my husband when I just mention someone who's called Compost and he's like, 'Oh my god, you have a friend called Compost'." Women on Amazon Acres varied greatly in their backgrounds, an ABC Radio National podcast on the commune documented last year: there were gender separatists, public servants, academics such as Higgs, but also some women with little education. Some used the place to leave situations of domestic abuse.

They lived a nomadic lifestyle, travelling on horse back, camping under the stars, building shelters when they needed them and going without clothes if the weather necessitated. Decisions were made by consensus, a governing structure which proved challenging on some issues, such as women having young sons with them on the property. The commune was said to be defined by the "three Ms": no men, no meat, no machines  although Jackson claims to have sighted all three in her time there. ("A lot of the women were vegetarians, but it really more had to do with us not having fridges.") The original big hut at Amazon Acres. Credit:Reach Foundation Schooling for the children was "sporadic", says Jackson, noting that what you learnt could depend heavily on the woman whose care you were in at the time. "You'd be doing acrobatics and the next week you might be doing hardcore feminist history. Then the next week my mum would be doing meditation, and the following week you'd be doing women's anatomy." Ultimately, Jackson decided to leave Amazon Acres aged 14, moving to a share house in Marrickville with two young women to complete high school while her mum stayed at the commune. "A lot of the girls who were hitting teenagehood were a bit over it and wanted to leave," she recalls. "For me, I just needed a change and wanted to be out of the women's land."
A new innovation makes it possible, for the first time, to quantitatively assess children's spontaneous movement in the natural environment.

Researchers have developed a smart jumpsuit, or a garment that accurately measures the spontaneous and voluntary movement of infants from the age of five months. Details on their motility help in assessing abnormal neurological development, among other things.

The study on the smart jumpsuit and the related analysis method applied to 7-month-old infants was published in the Scientific Reports journal. In the future, the jumpsuit can also be used to study older children.

The assessment of spontaneous and voluntary movements is part of the neurological examination of infants. Previously, the quantitative tracking of children's spontaneous motility in the natural environment has not been possible. Instead, children have been primarily qualitatively assessed at the physician's or physiotherapist's practice, which requires taking into account the fact that the infant's behavior in the practice setting does not necessarily entirely match that seen at home.

The smart jumpsuit provides us with the first opportunity to quantify infants' spontaneous and voluntary movements outside the laboratory. The child can be sent back home with the suit for the rest of the day. The next day, it will be returned to the hospital where the results will then be processed." Sampsa Vanhatalo, professor of clinical neurophysiology at the University of Helsinki

Vanhatalo says that the new analysis method quantifies infant motility as reliably as a human being would be able to do by viewing a video recording. After the measurement, the infant's actual movements and physical positions will be known to the second, after which computational measures can be applied to the data.

"This is a revolutionary step forward. The measurements provide a tool to detect the precise variation in motility from the age of five months, something which medical smart clothes have not been able to do until now."

Neurological abnormalities should be detected early on

The data gleaned by the smart jumpsuit is valuable, since the detection of abnormalities in the neurological development of infants at an early stage enables early support. Brain plasticity is at its strongest in early childhood, and is benefited by measures supporting development, which are targeted at recurring everyday activities.

At least 5% of Finnish children suffer from problems associated with language development, attention regulation and motor development. Often, such problems overlap. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying developmental disorders are complex, but preterm birth, perinatal brain damage and the lack of early care, as well as insufficient stimulation in the growth environment aggravate the risk of developmental problems.

According to Leena Haataja, professor of paediatric neurology, developmental disorders in today's pressure-dominated world pose a considerable risk that can lead to learning difficulties and obstacles in the competition for education and jobs. Furthermore, they are a risk factor associated with exclusion from contemporary society.

"The early identification of developmental disorders and support for infants' everyday functional capacity in interaction with the family and the growth environment constitute a significant factor on the level of individuals, families and society," Haataja notes.

In the future, the smart jumpsuit can be used for the objective measurement of how various therapies and treatments affect children's development.

"This is the million-dollar question in Western healthcare. In addition, we may be able to quantify how early motor development associates with later cognitive development," Vanhatalo says.

The smart jumpsuit was developed under the Rhythms in Infant Brain (RIB) project, part of the Health from Science (TERVA) program funded by the Academy of Finland, the Foundation for Pediatric Research and the Finnish Brain Foundation. The multidisciplinary research group, which operates in the New Children's Hospital, is headed by neurophysiologist Sampsa Vanhatalo and pediatric neurologist Leena Haataja. In addition to physicians, the group comprises psychologists, physiotherapists, nurses and engineers.

The textile and usability design of the smart jumpsuit was coordinated by researcher Elina Ilen, while researchers Manu Airaksinen and Okko Rasanen from Aalto University were in charge of AI analyses. The project utilized the Movesense sensor, an open-source device developed in Finland by Suunto, and a mobile application developed by the German company Kaasa.
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - February 14, 2020) -Richmond Road Capital Corp. (TSXV: RRD.H) ("Richmond Road" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of the private placement announced on January 29, 2020 (the "Private Placement"). The Company has closed on aggregate gross proceeds of $50,000 through the issuance of 1,000,000 common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") at a purchase price of $0.05 per share.

It is anticipated that net proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to identify and evaluate assets or businesses for the Company's Qualifying Transaction (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange")), to fund the costs of the Company's continuous disclosure obligations and for general working capital purposes.

The Common Shares issued pursuant to the Private Placement were issued to insiders, thereby making the Private Placement a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Upon completion of the Private Placement, insiders Michael Doyle (Chief Executive Officer and a director), Berkley Pennock (Chief Financial Officer and a director), Michael Brown (director) and Robb McNaughton (director) each purchased, individually or through a company owned and controlled by such individual, 200,000 Common Shares thereby each owning, directly or indirectly, 450,000 Common Shares or 7.5% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares. Brett Undershute purchased 200,000 Common Shares pursuant to the Private Placement through a company owned and controlled by such individual thereby becoming an insider with total holdings of 700,000 Common Shares or 11.67% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares held by him individually and through a company owned and controlled by him. Pursuant to MI 61-101, the Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation and minority approval for the issuance of such Common Shares to these related parties pursuant to Sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 given the Company's Common Shares are listed on the NEX, a separate board of the Exchange, and the value of the transaction, in so far as it involved related parties, did not exceed 25 percent of the Company's market capitalization.

The Common Shares issued pursuant to the Private Placement are subject to escrow pursuant to the Exchange's capital pool company escrow policy. In addition, the Common Shares are subject to a statutory four-month hold period, and such other restrictions as may be required by applicable securities laws.

About the Company

Richmond Road is a capital pool company ("CPC") within the meaning of the policies of the Exchange. The Company's principal business activity is to identify and evaluate opportunities for the acquisition of assets or business. The Company was founded on September 19, 2012 and is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.

For further information please contact:

Richmond Road Capital Corp.

Michael Doyle

President, CEO and Director

(403) 708-2427

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "intend", "may", "will", "expect", and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on management's current beliefs or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information with respect to the uses of the net proceeds of the offering and identifying, evaluating and completing a Qualifying Transaction. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company including, but not limited to, the Company's ability to identify a Qualifying Transaction. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward- looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this News Release.

The offered Common Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of U.S. federal or state securities laws. This Press Release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of the Common Shares offered in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52475
Confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Sichuans Tawu county have now jumped to 38, with most patients among that total number found within three families, Chinese state media and other sources said on Friday.



Tawus six most recent patients were life-long residents of the county and had no history of traveling outside the region, media sources said, adding that all patients with confirmed cases of infection are being taken to Sichuans Dartsedo (in Chinese, Kangding) county for treatment.



Tibetan-populated Tawu (Daofu) county is now second only to Hebei province, where the infection first began to spread, as the area of China hardest-hit by coronavirus infection.



Current figures for other Tibetan areas of western Chinese provinces include Qinghai provincial capital Xining with 15 confirmed cases, Qinghais Tsojang Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture with three, Gansus Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture with eight, Sichuans Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture with one, and Sichuans Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefectureincluding Tawuwith 43, media sources say.



Speaking in a video released on Feb. 12 by Tawus Department of Information and Propaganda, one of the countys patientsidentified by the name Chongsaid he had thought at first he had caught a flu and had stayed several days in bed.



When it got worse, I saw doctors who told me that I probably had coronavirus, and I was kept in medical isolation in Tawu county. Then, when my condition still had not improved, I was sent to Dartsedo for treatment.



Now, Im getting much better, he said, adding, I urge everyone to cooperate with local officials and doctors in their fight to prevent the spread of this infectious disease.



Propaganda videos



Speaking to RFAs Tibetan Service, a Tibetan living in exile and with contacts in the region said that a monk named Geshe Dorje from Tawus Nyatso monastery had made a similar video sometime around the New Year, probably on Feb. 5.



It looks like the Chinese government is behind the making of those propaganda videos, he said.



Tawu Nyatsos monks have now been removed from their monastery and are being held in isolation at a hotel in the county, RFAs source said, adding, At first they were required to stay there for only 14 days, but now the period of isolation has been extended.



Also speaking to RFA, a source in Tibets regional capital Lhasa said that infections in the city do not appear to have spread beyond the one case already reported.



People are taking preventive measures by taking Tibetan medicines, either wearing them around their neck or burning them and smelling them like incense. Even the doctors who are treating the Chinese patient in Lhasa have told news reports that they are using Tibetan medicine to treat him, he said.



Most Lhasa residents think that the virus is now longer a threat and they have begun to go outside again, but there have been no official announcements telling them it is safe to do so, he added.



Reported by Sonam Lhamo for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.
San Francisco officials have agreed to pay $225,500 to settle a lawsuit brought by seven black men and women who said city police officers and federal agents singled them out because of their race during a sting operation intended to arrest dealers peddling drugs near schools.

The seven individuals were all arrested as part of Operation Safe Schools, a joint initiative between federal law enforcement agencies and the San Francisco Police Department intended to arrest drug dealers conducting business near schools in the Tenderloin  a neighborhood rife with hand-to-hand drug transactions.

Federal law carries a one-year minimum sentence for anyone arrested and convicted of dealing within 1,000 feet of a school. Thirty-seven people were arrested as part of the joint operation  in which San Francisco police were tasked with identifying suspects and making arrests  in two waves, from August to November 2013 and from October to December 2014.

All of the 37 people arrested were black even though the Tenderloin is a diverse area where people of all races openly sell drugs, said the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, which represented the seven defendants in their case against the city alongside attorneys from the law firm Durie Tangri.

These are not people who would otherwise ever be on the federal governments radar in any way, shape or form, said Shilpi Agarwal, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Northern California.

Some of the defendants pleaded guilty to drug charges, but 12 decided to fight their cases. Federal prosecutors abruptly dropped their charges, however, when attorneys for the alleged dealers uncovered evidence of racial targeting by police during the discovery process before trial. The lawsuit against the city also referenced the Police Departments history of racial bias, including the racist text message scandal that rocked the department when the messages surfaced in 2015.

Agarwal said federal prosecutors are protected by immunity laws shielding them from lawsuits, leaving little chance that anyone would sue the federal government over the racial targeting.

So the attorneys turned instead to San Francisco, alleging in a 2018 lawsuit that police specifically targeted black people for arrest during the Safe Schools operation. Seven individuals, including the lead plaintiff, Tiffany Cross, decided to join the suit against the city.

The federal prosecution I went through was extremely stressful mostly because I was faced every day with the possibility of having to leave my kids, Cross said in a statement.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

John Cote, a spokesman for the city attorneys office, emphasized that the federal government led this operation, and San Francisco police officers acted in accordance with federal directives. The San Francisco Police Department did not intentionally discriminate during this federal operation, and the plaintiffs have agreed to dismiss the individual officers from the lawsuit.

David Stevenson, a spokesman for the Police Department, declined to comment on the settlement, referring all questions to the city attorneys office.

As part of the settlement, San Franciscos Department of Police Accountability will also be required to include a new racial bias category on police citizen complaint forms in an effort to make it easier for victims of racial profiling to seek compensation.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
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Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 15, 2020 06:44 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064a64cd 1 World coronavirus,COVID-19,Harvard-University,health-minister,Terawan-Agus-Putranto Free

It's meant to be a helpful signaling of something that needs to be looked at, Marc Lipsitch, a Harvard professor, said in an interview published on Thursday in response to the Indonesian government's downplaying of a study that suggests there could be undetected cases of the coronavirus in the country.

Lipsitch and three of his colleagues conducted research to determine locations around the world that could have undetected cases of the virus imported from abroad.

The purpose of our study is to look at whether the detected cases are really representative of the total number of cases. So, to do that we examined the statistical relationship between the number of travelers to a country to the number of cases detected.

"There was an international average of 14 travelers per day associated with one detection of a case during the whole period we studied. By that standard, Indonesia would have been expected to have five cases, approximately, but it had zero during that period, Lipsitch said, referring to the study published by the Medrxiv preprint service for medicine and health sciences, adding that the estimation was based on the extensive link between Indonesia and China, including the epicenter of the outbreak, Wuhan, via air transportation.

In response, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto claimed the study was an "insult" to the country and its ability to handle the virus, saying the research was only a model prediction of how the virus could spread.

Nadhira Afifa, an Indonesian student in the master of public health program at Harvard University, shared a link to her interview with Lipsitch on her YouTube channel with The Jakarta Post.

Lipsitch is a professor of epidemiology who works in the department of epidemiology and the department of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.

In the interview, Lipsitch said his team conducted the study with the goal of helping countries understand how the coronavirus could spread.

Prior to publishing the research online, Lipsitch said the team had shared its research with the WHO and several of their contacts in Indonesia.

Lipsitch said that even Singapore, which has one of the highest detection frequencies in the world, had found cases it could not trace.

Which means they have missed some introductions. So, missing introductions is not an insult []. It is just a red flag  something that we need to be aware of [...]. What public health is supposed to do, among other tasks, is to find potential problems and signal them to people who can deal with them. That doesnt mean that every problem thats detected is a real one but we have to have some alarms, he said.

The government continues to maintain that not a single confirmed coronavirus case has been recorded in the country. Lipsitch said that although this was possible, the probability was very low.

It would be very strange, particularly because even the countries that are finding many cases are probably also missing cases, he said.

If indeed there were cases in Indonesia, Lipsitch said the best response was not to track importations but to find where cases were circulating in the country.

The more cases [there are] locally, the less it matters whether they're imported. The solution is not to crack down on imports. Look for local transmission, he added.
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A man was shot and killed in the Independence Heights neighborhood Friday night.

Houston Police officers found the mans body in the street on North Main near East 44th shortly before 10 p.m. He had been shot multiple times, police said.

SOUTHEAST HOUSTON: Employee shot during robbery at SE Houston smoke shop

This story will be updated as details become available.

STAY IN THE KNOW: Get caught up on what's going on around Houston. From sports to news and entertainment, check out the newsletters we're offering.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 15)  On-screen pair John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo reunited for a project just in time for Valentines Day.

Cruz and Alonzo performed Friday a live script reading of the 2014 hit movie That Thing Called Tadhana during the outdoor film screening event of Art Fair Philippines in Makati City.

They read the lines of Mace and Anthony, the characters played by Angelica Panganiban and JM de Guzman, with the independent films director Antoinette Jadaone as the narrator at Ayala Triangle. Ayala Triangle will host an outdoor movie screening of local romance films until February 16.

The two are among the prized actors of major broadcast network ABS-CBN. They did several projects together, but it was their classic roles at the 2007 box-office hit "One More Chance" that catapulted them to fame.

Cruz, who stayed out of the public eye for more than a year, is officially returning to the big screen as the lead star of a new movie Servando Magdamag. The film, which still does not have a release date, will be directed by renowned director Lav Diaz and award-winning writer Ricky Lee.

The actor announced an indefinite leave of absence from the showbiz industry in October 2017. He was previously linked to fellow network star Ellen Adarna. The two reportedly welcomed a child in 2018.

Alonzo was last seen in the film Unbreakable, where she shared top billing with Panganiban.
US Ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy on Saturday praised Cambodia for allowing a cruise ship to dock at Sihanoukville after being turned away by other Asian and Pacific governments. Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Guam had earlier turned the ship away because they feared its passengers and crew could spread the deadly new virus from China.

Murphy spoke to reporters after visiting passengers still on board the MS Westerdam cruise ship.

Meanwhile, passengers of the ship continued disembarking at Sihanoukville Port on Saturday.

After being stranded at sea for two weeks because five ports refused to allow the cruise ship to dock, the passengers of the MS Westerdam had started disembarking on Friday.

The authoritarian leader of Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen, agreed to let the Westerdam dock.

The Westerdam's operator, Holland America Line, had said no cases of the virus had been confirmed among its 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members.

Hun Sen said he acted for humanitarian reasons and that he wanted passengers to be able to return to their home countries.

The COVID-19 illness has sickened tens of thousands of people in China and a few hundred elsewhere, including 218 on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which made stops in Hong Kong and other ports before arriving in Japan last week, where it has been quarantined.

The Westerdam began its cruise in Singapore last month and its last stop before it was refused further landings was in Hong Kong, where 56 cases of the disease and one death have been confirmed.

Several hundred new passengers boarded the ship there for the second leg of the planned monthlong cruise.
While some officials cited a lack of responsiveness from officials working in the personnel office, others said that Mr. Trump had taken to blaming them for appointments that he made, on the advice of other advisers. That included Gordon D. Sondland, the Republican donor he appointed ambassador to the European Union who became a key witness in the impeachment inquiry and has now been dismissed. It also included John R. Bolton, his former national security adviser, who plans to publish a book next month revealing Mr. Trumps machinations about Ukraine.

In private conversations, Mr. Trump has complained bitterly that none of his enemies have been criminally charged, citing James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, and his onetime deputy, Andrew G. McCabe. Mr. Bolton in particular has been a source of his anger in several conversations, according to people familiar with what the president has said. He has accused Mr. Bolton of betraying him, and made clear his anger extends to anyone he believes helped Mr. Bolton.

Mr. Trumps suggestion that he may bar government officials from listening into his phone calls with foreign leaders would reverse decades of practice in the White House. Presidents traditionally have multiple aides from the National Security Council and State Department monitor foreign leader calls to help interpret their meaning, record any agreements and inform relevant parts of government.

Mr. Trump, however, felt burned early on when transcripts of his calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia were leaked to The Washington Post. During subsequent conversations with foreign leaders, he sometimes kicked out aides for more private talks and in the case of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia even demanded that his own interpreter turn over notes of the discussion.

He knows that anything even reasonably controversial out of his mouth, on the phone or off, will be reported out and construed in the most evil way possible, Mr. Rivera, a friend of the presidents who interviewed him for his Cleveland radio show, said on Saturday. As a result, he indicated to me that hes dramatically scaling back the number of people looped into a state call.

Going back to his days in the real estate business, Mr. Trump has long considered suspicion a key to success. Be paranoid, he advised in a motivational seminar in 2000. Now that sounds terrible. But you have to realize that people, sadly, sadly, are very vicious. You think were so different from the lions in the jungle? I dont know.

Nor is presidential paranoia a new phenomenon even as Mr. Trump seems to have elevated it to a guiding philosophy of his White House. From Thomas Jefferson to Franklin D. Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy, other presidents turned at times to unseemly and even ruthless methods against their enemies like illegal wiretapping. Probably no previous presidents were as paranoid as Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon and in the latter case it helped bring down his presidency.
WASHINGTON  The Government Accountability Office is opening a review of President Trumps $28 billion bailout for farmers harmed by his trade war amid allegations that the money was mismanaged and allocated unfairly.

The investigation came at the request of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who has been vocal in her concern that the aid program was biased, providing more funds to southern states that voted for Trump and favoring large and foreign agriculture companies over small farms.

The Trump administration, which signed an initial trade deal with China last month, said the farm subsidies would end this year. The program began in 2018 as a $12 billion effort to mitigate losses for farmers who lost sales or faced retaliatory tariffs from China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico as a result of the trade war. The program grew to $28 billion last year as Trumps conflict with China festered.

Critics have faulted the program for the formulas it used to determine payments for certain crops and for providing funds to big corporate farms. The program, which used a Depression-era fund, allowed farmers earning less than $900,000 a year to receive money if they produced one of the agricultural products that faced retaliation. The government also purchased certain products, such as apples, oranges and pork.

Its clear that the Trump administrations trade assistance payments pick winners and losers rather than help the farmers who have been hit the hardest by this presidents trade policies, Stabenow said in a statement Friday.

Stabenow requested that the GAO study why payments disproportionately went to large farm operations, if the Agriculture Department was effectively preventing fraud, waste and abuse in the program and whether the model the USDA used to distribute payments accurately reflected trade damage that farmers experienced. Democrats have complained that the program paid subsidies to some farmers that did not need them while leaving those that were suffering from Trumps tariff war with China without benefits.

The GAO is a nonpartisan congressional watchdog that audits government programs. The agency notified Stabenows office in a letter transmitted Thursday that it would take up the investigation.

Democrats are not the only ones that have expressed concerns with the farm bailout program.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined with Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., in asking Sonny Perdue, the agriculture secretary, to investigate JBS, a Brazilian-owned meat-processing company that received $67 million in bailout funds. Lawmakers raised concerns about the payments given the companys past legal problems: In 2017, two of JBS former top executives, brothers Wesley Batista and Joesley Batista, pleaded guilty to corruption charges in Brazil.

Rubio and Menendez also asked the Treasury Department to investigate possible ties that JBS has with the government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, who the U.S. does not recognize as the legitimate president.

Alan Rappeport is a New York Times writer.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has dared former Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia to follow his threat of taking to streets over unfulfilled party manifesto by saying "let him do".

Speaking to the media, Scindia had said, "If the Congress makes a promise, it meets it. If Congress has promised something then it's important to deliver. Otherwise, we will have to take to the streets." The two leaders are at loggerhead since the Congress came to power in MP as Scindia was also a claimant for the top post.

On the speculation that Scindia is being considered for the Upper House, Nath said the Madhya Pradesh Coordination Committee meeting on Saturday was not to discuss the Rajya Sabha election or the cabinet expansion.

Earlier on Friday, Nath met Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi in the wake of many leaders raising questions over the manifesto implementation.

"I have met the party president and discussed about how much the government in the state has been able to implement the 'Vachan Patra'," Nath said after the meeting.

Earlier, Govind Singh, a Minister in the Nath government, had said due to lack of funds many promises had not been fulfilled.
Terming India as an "economic and social" global power, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Saturday said the country's priority is to have joint expertise in various areas of the economy.

A forum, organised by industry bodies, CII, ASSOCHAM and Ficci, was also attended by Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva, Secretary of State of Internationalisation of Portuguese Republic, Eurico Brilhante Dias, and Union Minister for Railways and Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, besides industry leaders from the two countries.

"India is a global power. It's an economic global power, it is social global power. It is the largest democracy in the world. It is a trustable partner," Sousa said in his keynote address at the India-Portugal Business Forum here.

"We are trustable. The evolution about the economy shows it," the President said.

Stating that both India and Portugal know each other for a long time, Sousa said both Portugal and India are not just the European or Asian countries or cultures but they are "universal".

"We like building bridges. We are very good at it," he said adding that be it in the area of culture, education, scientific or economic, the nations are good at buildings bridges.

"For very long, we converged multilaterally, I mean established diplomatic relations," Sousa said.

The President said the two countries work with the world, for the world be it for the peace, freedom, sustainable development or climate change.

"The priority for us to have your expertise, our expertise, joint expertise as quickly. And this is the right time. First of all, India is a global power. It is an economic global power and is a social global power, it is the largest democracy in the world. He said the business community has a role to play in the economic bilateral because politicians create the framework. They open the way, they paved the way but they do not act in economics, in business every day."



Such forums are helpful in finding out in which field India can benefit from Portuguese expertise or vice versa.

He cited some of the industries and sectors such as tourism, renewable energies, ICT, environment, infrastructures, water, sanitation, public works, electrical mobility, construction and maritime transport, among others, as the some of the industries and sectors which had the potential for investment.

"The priority for us (is) to have your expertise, our expertise, joint expertise as quickly," Sousa said.

Addressing the forum, Goyal said both India and Portugal are focused on economic growth, investment, industry and innovation.

The minister said that during his meeting with the Portuguese business delegation on Friday, he did discuss various sectors such as real estate and infrastructure development.

In Goa, he suggested a government-to-government partnership to promote tourism and create the entire ecosystem around tourism.

"I believe if we were to work together to create a mini-Portugal in Goa, we could truly make it a preferred destination for visitors from around the world," Goyal said.

"I believe that it is an area which I hope during the your (President Sousa) visit to Goa, we can discuss with the government there," he said.

He said the Indian government is keen to expand its relationship with Portugal, he said.

"Also, as we look forward to expanding our relations with the European Union and as you assume the presidency of the EU in 2021, we do hope to see a great impetus in the EU-India ties under your presidency," Goyal said.

India has a number of opportunities to work together in several areas, he said adding that "the automobile sector is flourishing both in your country and in India. And, I am sure we can partner to look at electric mobility going forward to contribute to sustainability and the environment. There is a good potential for infrastructure and the construction industry".

He also said it has been decided to hold the next session of the India-Portugal Joint Economic Committee in India soon to review the gamut of the bilateral trade and economic relations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Representative Image

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus epidemic has climbed to 1,523 with 143 new fatalities reported mostly from the worst-affected Hubei province while the confirmed cases jumped to over 66,000, health officials said on Saturday.

The country's Health Commission said it received reports of 2,641 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 143 deaths on Friday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

Among the deaths, 139 were in Hubei Province, two in Henan and one in Beijing and Chongqing respectively, the commission said.

Another 2,277 new suspected cases were reported Friday, said the commission.

Also on Friday, 849 patients became seriously ill, while 1,373 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The overall confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland has reached 66,492 by the end of Friday, and 1,523 people have died of the disease, it said.

The commission added that 11,053 patients remained in severe condition, and 8,969 people were suspected of being infected with the virus.

A total of 8,096 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

The commission said 513,183 close contacts have been traced, adding that among them 30,081 were discharged from medical observation on Friday, with 169,039 others still under medical observation.

By the end of Friday, 56 confirmed cases including one death reported in Hong Kong, 10 confirmed cases in Macao and 18 in Taiwan.

On Friday, the Chinese government had highlighted the continued drop of coronavirus disease, officially termed by the WHO as COVID-19, all over the country except in Hubei province.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the use of digital technology such as big data, artificial intelligence and cloud computing to better support epidemic monitoring and analysis, virus tracing, prevention and treatment, and resource allocation.

His call came amid deployment of robots in hospitals in Wuhan treating the virus patients to supply and other materials.
The process for setting up of a



naval aircraft museum in Kolkata completed its first phase with the arrival of a Tupolev (TU) 142 aircraft in the city, a Defence official said here on Saturday.

The turboprop plane that was handed over to Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) last year was dismantled and brought to the city on a truck on Friday, the official said.

It will now be reassembled for setting up of the museum, the second of its kind in the country, he said.

Preparatory activities at the New Town site has commenced with the earmarked plot of land cleared, flattened and the base on which the aircraft will be erected has been completed.

The aircraft reassembling will commence shortly and is likely to be completed by early March, the official said.

KMDA has also started work on the next phase with identification of an architect to design the layout of the museum, the official said.

There will be a mannequin resembling a pilot in the cockpit and visitors can see the machinery, bombs, torpedoes and gunner compartments of the plane as they walk through the aircraft museum, according to sources.

The Indian Navy's workhorse long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft TU-142M was de-inducted in March, 2017 after 29 years of service



The Russian-made turboprop aircraft with four engines and eight propellers, aptly named the 'Albatross', was inducted into the Indian Navy in 1988.

The first such naval maritime aircraft museum in the country in a TU-142 plane was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind at Visakhapatnam on December 7.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After Sen. Joni Ernst worked with Sen. Dianne Feinstein to draft a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that would pass in the Senate, Chuck Schumer chose to scuttle their compromise bill and instead force Feinstein to reintroduce a House version of the act that would deprive men of due process in connection with their Second Amendment rights. That was bad. Worse is the fact that Democrat women, including former Rep. Katie Hill, have started to "victim-shame" Ernst.

Joni Ernst is a Republican, a combat veteran who retired from the Iowa National Guard as a lieutenant colonel, and a survivor of both rape and spousal abuse. Katie Hill, who's leading the victim-shaming, was a first-term Democrat representative from California who resigned in disgrace after her sleazy sexual escapades became public.

The VAWA first passed in 1994 to fund various programs and services for women on the receiving end of spousal violence. It was reauthorized in 2000, 2005, and 2013 but is currently expired.

In April 2019, the House passed a bill reauthorizing the act. Among other things, it includes a provision that would automatically and permanently ban men from being armed if they have ever been convicted of misdemeanor stalking.

Misdemeanor stalking does not require a showing of violence, threats, or even a relationship between victim and offender. In some states, it can include nasty tweets or Facebook posts. Moreover, there's no time limit, meaning a 50-year-old man could find himself summarily disarmed because of a single episode 30 years before.

Joni Ernst badly wants to see the VAWA act reauthorized. However, she knows that the Senate will not reauthorize a bill that permanently strips men of their Second Amendment rights without due process. Ernst, therefore, worked with Dianne Feinstein to create a bill that would pass in the Senate.

The two women crafted a bill that would bring more money to abused women, address female genital mutilation, and enhance abuser penalties. Chuck Schumer, however, politicized the bill and got Feinstein to reintroduce the House version:

"They're standing in the way of $1 billion of funding for resources for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault," Ernst told a group of reporters on the Hill last week. "We really do need to proceed." [snip] "I do not want to throw Dianne under the bus," Ernst explained. "Because honest to goodness, she has been very good to work with. I love working with Dianne." [snip] "She genuinely wants to find a way forward," Ernst said. "But she told me many months ago that Chuck Schumer had told her she would be the one introducing the House bill. She waited as long as she could, but I think the pressure was just too much."

In other words, there's a good VAWA bill out there that can actually be passed, but Chuck Schumer instead wants to trash Ernst, who's up for re-election this year, more than he wants to help women.

Sister Toldjah then caught sleazy Katie Hill entering the fray by victim-shaming Ernst:

Heres what Hill wrote: .@SenJoniErnst has cast a dark cloud over todays Valentines Day. By refusing to renew VAWA shes putting guns into the hands of abusive boyfriends, husbands, and stalkers  and putting countless lives at risk. #WhyJoni https://t.co/Lp1TTC1sit  Katie Hill (@KatieHill4CA) February 14, 2020

When I first read it, I gasped. Ernst herself is a survivor of sexual assault and domestic abuse. Anyone who knows this about her, which should include every House and Senate member and former members like Hill as well, would understand that Ernst's refusal to sign on to the House's reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act  which includes new provisions  doesn't have anything to do with not wanting to protect women, right?

It turns out, though, that the supposed Valentine's card linked in the tweet explicitly states that Ernst is a rape and abuse survivor. Some digging revealed even more Democrat tweets:

I came across more "Why Joni" tweets and videos, all with the same message: Survivor Joni Ernst is putting the NRA before fellow victims. Shame on her! [snip] Everyone involved in this campaign to vilify Ernst knows she's a survivor. And yet they're using it against her and, in effect, re-victimizing her.

Democrats are never pro-woman. They are always and only pro-power.
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She announced she is engaged to her 'life partner' Dion Hamilton last week.

And Jourdan Dunn continued to show off her sparkling diamond ring as she arrived in style at the glitzy Molly Goddard showcase during London Fashion Week at Central Hall Westminster on Saturday.

The model, 29, put on a stylish display in a denim maxi dress that had a pleated skirt that was given an extra glamorous flair with chic gold horizontal stripes.

Glamorous: Newly-engaged Jourdan Dunn looked stylish in a denim maxi dress as she flashed her sparkling diamond ring at glitzy London Fashion Week show on Saturday

Jourdan wore a matching jacket to go with her dress, and chose to forgo wearing any accessories for the occasion so all attention remained on her ring.

She boosted her statuesque figure in a pair of silver velvet heels which had stylish straps that were adorned with jewels.

The stunning beauty wore her raven tresses in a sleek, straight style that was parted done the middle so that framed her face well.

Jourdan was joined at the event by an array of other fashion industry mainstays, including model Adwoa Aboah and British Vogue's Editor-In-Chief Edward Enninful.

Stylish: Jourdan wore a matching jacket to go with her dress, and chose to forgo wearing any accessories for the occasion so all attention remained on her ring

Fashionista: Jourdan was joined at the event by an array of other fashion industry mainstays, including model Adwoa Aboah (pictured) who looked chic in a black jumper and a white skirt

Cosy: Adwoa kept warm by wearing a longling black coat that complemented her attire

Last week, Jourdan took to Instagram to share a gushing post that gave fans a glimpse of her beautiful engagement ring.

Posting a snap of her ring-clad hand being held by her husband-to-be, Jourdan wrote: 'Jourdan Dunn Hamilton ....... has a nice ring to it!'

In the sweet post, Jourdan couldn't hide her delight as she covered her eyes with one hand while placing the other in her beau's.

Striking: Model Edie Campbel wore a bright blue chiffon cross-body bag over her black outfit

Sharp: Editor-In-Chief of British Vogue Edward Enninful kept things simple in a black coat

Turning heads: Rose Williams was sure to garner attention with her bright green dress

Elegant: CEO of the British Fashion Council Caroline Rush looked chic in a asymmetrical coat

The new addition to her wedding finger could be perfectly seen, with Jourdan also sharing a closer look at the ring with another post on her Stories.

Following Jourdan's post, Andrew Brown, WP Diamonds CEO, offered his expertise on her engagement ring to MailOnline.

He said: 'The ring on Jourdan Dunn's engagement finger looks to be a 2ct oval with a large halo and diamond band. A nice colour clarity combination of G VS would retail for around 22,000.'

Exciting: Last week, Jourdan took to Instagram to share a gushing post that gave fans a glimpse of her beautiful engagement ring

Jourdan has kept information about her other half secret, but hinted last month that they started dating in 2019 when she shared a picture of him during their holiday in Jamaica.

The model's post in January sparked speculation that she had already married Dion, as she shared the holiday post of themselves alongside her beloved son Riley, nine.

The accompanying caption was rather telling. She wrote: '2009 my son entered my life, 2019 my life partner entered my life. Stepping into 2020 with both by my side is priceless.'

While she pixelated her man's face, the trio had all co-ordinated their outfits for the occasion.

Lots of other people noticed the wording as well and the congratulatory comments came flooding in.

Model Toni Garrn, 27, seemed rather taken aback with the news and wrote: 'Life partner,' alongside a ring emoji, heart eyes and a laughing face.

As well as this post, Jourdan shared lots of pictures from her night out, which saw her wearing a shell-shaped bra top and white high-waisted trousers.

The trio appeared to be having a blast as they stood around a large fire and watched fireworks.
All state tax filers could end up on California juries under a proposed law introduced Thursday night intended to make more juror pools more diverse.

Now, prospective jurors are pulled from the Department of Motor Vehicles drivers license and identification card lists, or from county lists of registered voters. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said Senate Bill 1001 would create jury pools reflective of Californias demographics by requiring jury commissioners to include anyone who files state taxes.

Wiener said juries unfairly skew white and wealthy and generally fail to reflect Californias diverse populations. He said the law would establish a more equitable justice system because racial minorities are underrepresented on juries.

Trial by jury of ones peers is fundamental to our democracy, and a representative jury pool is crucial to making that principle a reality, Wiener said in a statement. Our current system for selecting jury pools undermines our ability to ensure people have a jury of their peers. We need to include all Californians on our jury lists, not just those who are registered to vote who have a drivers license.

Whites make up 42 percent of California residents; Latinos 35 percent; Asian Americans 15 percent; and 6 percent of Californians are black, according to an August 2019 Public Policy Institute of California report.

Meanwhile, 59 percent of registered voters are not Latino, black or Asian, per Political Data Inc.

Drivers license and state ID lists sometimes overlap with registered voters, therefore diminishing a jury pool that reflects a fair cross-section of the community, according to a 2016 report from The Judges Journal, which said additional names could be pulled from sources like state income tax rolls to expand representation and increase the number of available and eligible jurors.

The California Franchise Tax Board processed more than 18 million tax returns in 2019.

A widened jury pool strengthens the entire legal system, said Oscar Bobrow, president of the California Public Defenders Association, the bills sponsor.

For juries to speak on behalf of the community, they must fairly reflect that community, he said.
Top WHO experts are set to arrive in Beijing this weekend to assist China to contain the coronavirus outbreak as the death toll climbed to 1,523 in China and France reported the first fatality outside Asia, fuelling concerns about the epidemic.

More than 66,000 people are now infected from the virus in China, health officials said.

On Saturday China's Health Commission said the death toll in China rose to 1,523 after 143 more people died in the country, most in Hubei, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

There were reports of 2,641 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 143 deaths on Friday from 31 provincial-level regions, it said.

A top Chinese health official said efforts to prevent and control the virus outbreak reached its most crucial stage as the virus epicentre Hubei province continues to grapple with growing fatalities over a month after the virus outbreak even though the cases began dropping in rest of China.

The virus emerged in central Hubei province in December before spreading across the country and some two dozen countries.

In France, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist died from the new coronavirus, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said on Saturday.

Only three other deaths have been recorded outside mainland China -- in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.

The most concentrated number of cases outside China is on a cruise ship quarantined off the Japanese coast, which is holding at least 285 people with the virus among its 3,711 crew and passengers.

A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, are among the 3,711 people on board the quarantined ship. Three Indians are among those infected on the ship.

Several countries have banned arrivals from China and major airlines have cut services with the country.

The coronavirus has posed a big threat to the medical staff in China as more than 1,700 Chinese health workers have been infected by the virus while treating the patients and six of them have died so far.

While China dispatched more medical teams and poured more resources to virus-hit Hubei and its provincial capital Wuhan, experts of the World Health Organisation (WHO) are converging here this weekend to join Chinese health specialists to contain the virus.

The prevention and control of the coronavirus outbreak is currently at its most crucial stage in China and Hubei Province remained the main battlefield, a senior health official said.

A total of 217 medical teams with 25,633 medical workers had been sent to Hubei to help combat the COVID-19 as of Friday. Of the medical workers, 20,374 are now working in Wuhan, figures from the NHC show.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the international joint mission with China on the novel coronavirus is moving forward, with the full team expected to reach China over the weekend.

The team will consist of 12 international and WHO experts and a similar number of their Chinese counterparts. An advanced WHO team arrived here on Monday.

"The China mission will include in-depth workshops' data review, a series of meetings with key national level institutions and field visits in three provinces to understand the application and impact of response activities at province and country levels, including urban and rural areas," Tedros was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua agency.

Tedros said that one of the goals of the joint mission is to rapidly inform the public of the next steps in the COVID-19 response and preparedness activities in China and globally.

"Particular attention will be paid to understanding the transmission of the virus, the severity of disease and the impact of ongoing response measures," he said.

Furthermore, he said, it will be important to review which type of information is needed so that the world can use this window of opportunity to prepare health systems and workers for possible outbreaks.

"I want to say again from my heart that this is the time for solidarity not stigma," he stressed.

China's National Health Commission said the joint mission with WHO experts will also pay field visits to China's three provincial-level regions to learn the implementation and effectiveness of the epidemic prevention and control measures taken in China's urban and rural areas.

One of the goals of the joint mission is to provide suggestions on the prevention and control of the coronavirus outbreak in China and globally, it said.

In addition, the expert team will visit epidemic-related institutions focusing on epidemiology, medical treatment, laboratory detection and scientific research, said the NHC.

One task of the WHO team along with their Chinese counterparts is to come up with standard medicine to cure the disease.

China has applied Traditional Chinese Medicine in treating more than half of the confirmed patients of novel coronavirus infection in Hubei province, Wang said.

The TCM has been applied in treating more than half of the confirmed patients of novel coronavirus infection in Hubei province, he said.

The Chinese government has also approved field trials for experimental US antiviral drug, Remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients. Remdesivir has been used recently to treat Ebola virus in Africa.

Jiao Yahui, also a senior official at the National Health Commission, said that the combination of traditional and western medicines have shown supportive results.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over 10,000 police personnel will be deployed as part of the security arrangements during US President Donald Trump's visit who will be visiting the city on February 24.

"Over 10,000 police personnel including 25 IPS officers, 65 ACPs, 200 police inspectors and 800 sub-inspectors will be deployed during US President Donald Trump, his wife Melania Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ahmedabad on February 24," Ahmedabad DCP Vijay Patel told ANI on Saturday.

DCP Patil also informed that the state police is coordinating with US Secret Service to oversee the arrangements.

"We are coordinating with US Secret Service and SPG to lay out a full proof security plan. Teams of Bomb Detection & Disposal Squad sanitizing venues where the two leaders will visit. We are checking backgrounds of 1.2 lakh participants of 'Kem Chho, Trump' event.

Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the US President is slated to visit India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of PM Modi.

A day after the announcement, Modi tweeted that India will accord a memorable welcome to the "esteemed guests" and the visit would go a long way in further cementing India-US friendship.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Trump is expected to attend an event at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on the lines of the 'Howdy Modi!' function that was addressed by Trump and Modi in Houston in September last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nicholas Kay, NATOs senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, says that both the Afghan security forces and civilians need to see a significant reduction in violence as part of an imminent peace deal between the Taliban and the United States.

RFE/RL: Ambassador Kay, thank you very much for your time. What does a reduction in violence really mean?

Nicholas Kay: There is a lot of talk of that as you know. I think it means something that Afghans can feel and see themselves. So, a significant reduction in people being attacked and losing their lives and also one imagines that it should also be an enduring thing. Nobody wants this to be a short-term provision. Its a step eventually toward a complete cease-fire.

RFE/RL: Does it mean that the Taliban will cease targeting U.S. troops, Afghan troops, or Afghan civilians?

Kay: Afghans need to see the benefit of this. The majority of violence and enemy-initiated attacks at the moment are against Afghan targets, government forces, and Afghan civilians. And its important in a reduction in violence that the Afghans see that reducing significantly.

RFE/RL: You know that in the long conflict in Afghanistan Afghan civilians have been hard-hit during years of war. How concerned are you about civilian casualties in Afghanistan?

Kay: Very concerned. The death toll for civilians in the last year was one of the highest ever and unacceptable. Any civilian casualty is a tragedy. Certainly, NATO in its train, advise, and assist mission gives every advice possible to the Afghan forces on how to avoid and minimize civilian casualties, and thats because NATO is not a combat mission. We are not fighting, we are training the Afghan forces, and part of the training is to avoid civilian casualties.

RFE/RL: Reports say a deal could be signed between the U.S. and the Taliban in February. How feasible does that look to you?

Kay: This has been, as you know, a long process of negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban. NATO has fully supported these efforts, and the U.S. kept NATO fully briefed on what its doing. We hope there will be an agreement signed. And its important because it opens the door to intra-Afghan negotiations when the Taliban, the government of Afghanistan, and other Afghans sit at the negotiating table and solve this conflict through negotiation. That is where we need to get, and the U.S. Taliban agreement is a way to open the door to that.

RFE/RL: You know that the Taliban have been talking and fighting simultaneously so far. What if the militant group launches its annual spring offensive in March under a new name?

Kay: This is really the time for peace. And people have expressed so clearly on so many occasions that they are desperate for peace. They have called upon the Taliban to cease their violence. The Taliban should respect the will of the people. And neither side should be preparing for a spring offensive. Reduction in violence should mean exactly that. A reduction in violence that is noted by the Afghan people and that is enduring. And that would not be compatible with the spring offensive.

RFE/RL: Many Afghans are concerned about their hard-won rights gained in the past 18 years. Especially women are concerned that in any possible potential deal their rights might be compromised. How can you reassure them?

Kay: When the Afghans sit with the Taliban at the negotiating table, these issues, I am sure, would be front and center of the negotiations. From the point of view of NATO, we want the Afghans to agree something that would be enduring, a peace agreement that will last. Our best advice, as the train, assist, and advise mission, to the Afghans will be to base that agreement on the achievements of the last 18 years: democracy, full respect for human rights, including women's rights, freedom of expression  all of those will lead to lasting peace.
The job of northern powerhouse minister has been downgraded  and responsibility handed to a home counties MP  triggering accusations that Boris Johnson is betraying his new supporters.

Campaigners reacted angrily after it emerged that Simon Clarke will take on the role, despite being a junior minister who  unlike his predecessor Jake Berry  will not attend cabinet meetings.

Responsibility at cabinet level has been given to Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, who represents the seat of Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire, just outside London.

Steve Rotheram, the Liverpool city region mayor, said: For all Johnsons talk about levelling up the north, his first act is to downgrade the minister responsible.

What kind of message does that send to people across the north whose borrowed votes helped put him in Downing Street?

Recommended Johnson delays plans for US visit after angry phone call with Trump

And Sarah Longlands, director of the IPPR North think tank, said: The symbolism behind a watered-down northern powerhouse minister role is unlikely to go down well with northerners.

While improvement in transport connectivity is an important component, to truly level up we need to get the basics right, which means good schools, decent health services and adequate housing.

James Mitchinson, the editor of the Yorkshire Post newspaper, tweeted that scrapping the role in its previous form suggested levelling up was a lie.

Some suspected that the prime minister and his aides had forgotten about the northern powerhouse role, after details of the new set-up only emerged as the reshuffle ended.

Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Show all 17 1 /17 Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Sajid Javid Resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr Javids departure comes just one month before a crucial budget, intended to chart the course for the new government  and makes him the shortest-serving chancellor for more than 50 years Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Rishi Sunak Promoted from Chief Secretary to the Treasury to Chancellor of the Exchequer after the dramatic resignation of Sajid Javid Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Esther McVey Sacked as housing minister AFP via Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Andrea Leadsom Sacked as business secretary EPA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Changed role: Alok Sharma Appointed business secretary (previously international development secretary). He has also been put in charge of the UKs COP26 climate change summit PA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Attorney General Geoffrey Cox Resigned as the government's most senior law officer AFP via Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Suella Braverman Appointed Attorney General and she will attend cabinet EPA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Theresa Villiers Sacked as environment secretary PA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: George Eustice Appointed environment, food and rural affairs secretary. He was a farming and fisheries minister Reuters Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Changed role: Anne-Marie Trevelyan Appointed international development secretary (previously parliamentary under-secretary for defence) Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Julian Smith Sacked as Northern Ireland secretary Reuters Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Brandon Lewis Appointed Secretary of Northern Ireland Reuters Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Stephen Barclay Appointed chief secretary to the Treasury PA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Oliver Dowden Appointed culture secretary, succeeding Nicky Morgan Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Chris Skidmore Sacked as eucation minister Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Nus Ghani Sacked as transport minister Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/CC BY 3.0 Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: George Freeman Sacked as transport minister Getty

Mr Johnson re-entered Downing Street promising to level up the country after winning an 80-seat majority based on snatching Labour strongholds in the North and Midlands.

Mr Berry, the MP for Bury, in Lancashire, was offered a more senior cabinet role in the reshuffle, but quit to spend more time with his family. He said: I firmly believe that the northern powerhouse was the foundation stone of the blue wall that delivered a Conservative majority government.

The slogan, dreamt up by David Cameron and George Osborne, has been undermined by northern councils suffering the steepest funding cuts and chaos on local rail lines.

Some believe giving Mr Shapps the cabinet role revealed a mistaken belief that it was all about trains, rather than devolving power to the north.

Mr Clarke, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, a local government minister, defended the set-up, saying: Levelling up is a central task of this government, and I am massively grateful to my predecessor Jake Berry for all his hard work in this brief.

Mr Shapps said he was proud to be asked by the PM to take on responsibility, adding: Ill work tirelessly to realise the incredible potential of the northern powerhouse, as part of our commitment to level up the country.
Americans for Free Trade, a coalition of more than 150 industry associations, has urged the Trump administration to remove all additional tariffs, as the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement takes effect on Friday.

"It's encouraging to see some of the Phase One Deal come to fruition. American businesses, farmers, consumers, and workers certainly need these (tariff) reductions, as they have been paying the price for these tariffs since the trade war began," Jonathan Gold, spokesperson for Americans for Free Trade, said in a statement on Friday.

As part of the China-U.S. phase-one trade deal signed last month, the U.S. government has agreed to cut additional tariffs on roughly 120 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese products from 15 percent to 7.5 percent.

China also announced last week that it would halve rates of additional tariffs on 75 billion dollars worth of U.S. products. Both of those tariff modifications are set to take effect on Friday.

"While this progress is a good first step, the administration must negotiate a Phase Two Deal that completely lifts all tariffs," Gold said.

An unnamed Chinese official with the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council also said last week that "it is our hope that both sides will work together toward ultimately removing all additional tariffs."

Multiple researches by American economists have showed that additional tariffs imposed by the United States against its major trading partners since early 2018 have led to higher prices, ultimately hurting the overall U.S. economy.

Overall, Americans have paid an additional 50 billion dollars in tariffs since February 2018 through December 2019, according to new data released by anti-tariff campaign group Tariffs Hurt the Heartland on Monday.

The U.S. trade coalition's statement came after a survey showed Thursday that members of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) overwhelmingly view the China-U.S. phase-one trade deal as positive for the commercial environment and bilateral relations.

Among those with a positive view, the majority believes the agreement stabilizes their bilateral relationship and prevents imminent imposition of new tariffs, according to the USCBC, which represents over 200 U.S. companies that do businesses in China.
I know Oak Lawn. I grew up there after we moved out of the city. It was thought of as a suburb to those who were too moronic to understand that Chicago politicians and the Chinatown crew had great influence there.
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Jordan and Egan in The New York Times:

Plunk yourself in an armchair and lose yourself in a tale of love, whether its a family saga, 12-hanky weeper or timeworn classic.

New York

Before Audrey Hepburn shimmied into that iconic black dress and dangled her cigarette holder between two fingers, the story of Holly Golightly existed only between the covers of Truman Capotes beloved novella. Way back in 1958, our reviewer summed it up in words that hold true to this day: Breakfast at Tiffanys is a valentine of love, fashioned by way of reminiscence, to one Holly Golightly  a wild thing searching for something to belong to.

Washington

David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedars

On an island in Puget Sound in 1954, the body of a fisherman is pulled out of the sea, trapped in his own net. A Japanese-American man is charged with his murder, and the ensuing trial leads the towns newspaper editor to reflect on his long repressed love for the accused mans wife. The novel, which became a best seller and was adapted into a 1999 feature film, explores the sometimes porous line between unrequited love and resentment, and how deep-seated animosity and fear can erode a community.

More here.
Jason Lewis is best known for his role as the sexy, but sensitive Smith Jerrod on HBO's hit series Sex and the City.

But unlike like his character, Lewis, 48, appears to be flourishing in the love department, as he took to Instagram on Friday afternoon to announce that he and girlfriend Liz Godwin, 28, got engaged over the holiday season.

'On December 27th, 2019 I asked the woman of my dreams to marry me...making me the luckiest man in the world,' wrote Lewis who, along with his heart felt caption, shared a photo of the romantic ocean side proposal.

Heading to the alter: Actor Jason Lewis took to Instagram on Friday afternoon to announce his engagement to girlfriend of four years, Liz Godwin

Surprise, surprise: Lewis, along with the help of his friends, orchestrated a surprise proposal atop a cliff overlooking the ocean

'I'm excited to take on every ounce of life with you, and feel so blessed that you are too,' continued Lewis who went on to thank a slew of his closest pals for helping make the 'magical day possible.'

The Sex and the City star spoke exclusively to People about the couple's recent engagement, as well as the intensity of his feelings for Godwin.

'[Liz] loves me when I am amazing, and when I am not,' gushed Lewis.

'She is always on my side and ever my support. She creates space for me in which I grow and I am a better man for knowing her, so the humble ask to take her as my wife, and of course her 'yes,' are absolute blessings to my life.'

Years in the making: Lewis and Godwin met four years ago at a party in Miami where they instantly 'hit it off'; the couple pictured on Lewis' Instagram in February of 2019

All under wraps: 'To keep Liz from suspecting anything, I organized a climbing [and] beach day out at Point Dume, Malibu, with friends and family gathered for the holidays,' explained Lewis of his top secret proposal plans; the couple were pictured on the red carpet at the 2020 Elton John AIDS Foundation's Academy Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles

With such strong feelings at play, it's no wonder Lewis called upon his closest friends to aid him in planning a 'picturesque proposal' worthy of his wife-to-be.

The 'surprise moment to pop the question' included a backdrop of a 'stunning California sunset' and an enviable ocean view.

'To keep Liz from suspecting anything, I organized a climbing [and] beach day out at Point Dume, Malibu, with friends and family gathered for the holidays,' explained the 48-year-old actor.

He continued: 'My buddies and I then sprinted up a back trail to the climb so I could be waiting for her at the top. I anchored myself to the rock  clipped her to me, just in case  then got on one knee and did the thing.'

Full of love: 'I'm overwhelmed with emotions and feelings I never knew I had,' explained Godwin who revealed she 'never say' the proposal coming

The entire surprise operation went off without a hitch with Godwin admitting that she 'never saw it coming.'

'I'm overwhelmed with emotions and feelings I never knew I had.'

Lewis and Godwin met by chance four years ago at a party in Miami where they instantly 'hit it off.'

Godwin spoke fondly of her man, describing Lewis as her 'childhood playdate and [her] adult lover, all in one.'

'He's my unwavering support system and my go-to lifeline. We don't have illusions nor expectations of each other, and we don't feel ownership of one another.'

Former flame: Lewis was previously connected to actress Rosario Dawson who he married in 2004, but would later divorce in 2006; the pair pictured on the red carpet in 2006 weeks before news of their split hit the fan

According to People, the couple have their eyes set on a 2021 wedding ceremony, but there are no distinct plans set in stone.

'Our relationship is the most nurturing, playful and ever-evolving relationship I have ever had. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him,' concluded Godwin.

Jason was formerly linked to actress Rosario Dawson, whom he married in 2004.

After less than two years together, Lewis would split from Dawson.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

As the novel coronavirus spreads around the world, scientists are using the latest computer modelling techniques to predict its fallout: from the eventual number of cases and deaths to the peak of the outbreak

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Feb, 2020 ) :As the novel coronavirus spreads around the world, scientists are using the latest computer modelling techniques to predict its fallout: from the eventual number of cases and deaths to the peak of the outbreak.

Recent decades have seen the power of new computer processors combine with ever-more sophisticated mathematical models to give health authorities a far better idea of how far and fast diseases are likely to spread.

Despite an inevitable margin of error, scientists are now able to predict the path the novel coronavirus, which has already killed nearly 1,400 people, will take.

France's health minister Agnes Buzyn said Friday that she had held telephone talks with her G7 counterparts to expedite modelling of the diseases' eventual spread and severity.

Models are built in a compound manner, taking into account data of the virus's known history -- transmission, mortality and recovery rates -- as well as human behaviour trends, such as air traffic patterns.

But it's not enough to be sophisticated: the best models are also adaptable.

"It's a trade off: the more you refine the model the harder it is to manipulate it and it opens the door to a wide margin of error," said Arnaud Banos, from France's National Centre for Scientific Research.

In order to adapt in real time to outbreak developments, researchers carry out simulations by inserting new data as it emerges.

"This might be the appearance of a new epidemic hotspot or a new public health measure that the model couldn't have foreseen," Banos told AFP.

A British team at the London school of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used computer modelling this week to estimate that the peak of the outbreak in the virus' epicentre, the Chinese city of Wuhan, could come in mid-to-late February.

"There is of course a lot of uncertainty in exactly when this will occur and how big it might be," said team-member Adam Kucharski.

Rowland KAO, professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Data Science, University of Edinburgh, cautiously welcomed the model results.

"This is an analysis by an experienced and talented team but as always the limitations of the available data will affect their predictions," he said.

Another study published at the beginning of February had modelled that at least 75,000 people were infected in Wuhan.

- AI - Some models compiled at the beginning of outbreaks turn out erroneous results due to the relative lack of data upon which to base them.

This was the case with the BSE outbreak in Britain in the 1990s.

"Some models issued by reputable research groups said there would be as many as 136,000 cases," said the of the Institut Pasteur's Arnaud Fontanet.

"These uncertainties were largely based on assumptions concerning the diseases' incubation period." In total 177 people contracted the disease.

But computer models have come a long way in twenty years, and are increasingly benefiting from input from artificial intelligence.

According to Banos, this allows scientists to pick up on what are termed "weak signals" that could prove crucial in determining the accuracy of models.

"These could be individual exchanges on social media discussing symptoms," he said.

"The idea is to permanently collect mass amounts of data so that weak signals are automatically picked up and related to the evolution of the disease," Banos added.
CHENNAI: Over 100 protesters have been detained by police in Chennai after a scuffle with them during a demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Washermanpet in Chennai late on Friday (February 14, 2020).

According to reports, the demonstrators, who had gathered in large numbers, were raising slogans against CAA and NRC during the protest.

The agitators then proceeded to push against the police barricades which triggered a scuffle, following which the police resorted to baton charge to disperse the demonstrators.

News agency ANI also tweeted a video of the scuffle, which broke out between the police and anti-CAA protestors here.

#WATCH: Scuffle broke out between Police & protestors who were demonstrating against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Washermanpet in Chennai, yesterday evening. Over 100 protestors have been detained. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/5YpiCN2tgw  ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2020

Following the detainment of demonstrators by the police, a protest was then held near Mount Road Dargah at Anna Salai, it was, however, temporarily withdrawn.
YPSILANTI, MI -- The farm that Amanda Sweetman runs isnt on a huge plot of land in the countryside. Its right next to St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Hospital.

The Farm at St. Joes is one of three community programs that received $30,000 collectively in grants for projects about access to and consumption of healthy foods, according to a news release from the Washtenaw County Health Department.

The farm received $15,000 to build a new hoop house, similar to a greenhouse, for growing plants from seeds to seedlings, to increase our ability to grow year-round," Sweetman, the regional director of farming and healthy lifestyles for Trinity Michigan, said.

You can think of it as the hospitals commitment to caring for the whole of our community, Sweetman said. Not just when you come through our doors but making sure that were joining you on your path toward better health.

The approximately 2.5-acre space grows anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of produce each year for horticulture therapy, a weekly hospital farmers market in the lobby of St. Joes Ann Arbor and produce to patient programs that give clinicians boxes of fruits and vegetables to use in things like diabetes support groups. It also grows produce for community-supported agriculture, a subscription service of produce, that families in need can get for free.

When the farm opened 10 years ago, it had a mission, Sweetman said.

Were trying to make it clear (on) our commitment to the idea of food as medicine, and that we care about you as a whole person not just your diagnosis, Sweetman said.

The other grantees, Food Gatherers and Ypsilanti Farmers Markets, received $10,000 and $5,000 respectively, Health Department spokeswoman Susan Ringer-Cerniglia said. Thirteen organizations requested a collective $145,646 as part of the Building Healthy Communities program, a county program funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Food Gatherers gained this funding to improve food pantries by identifying programming with increased amounts and kinds of healthy food, according to the news release.

Ypsilanti Farmers Market, which is funded and staffed by Growing Hope, will use the grant to host a childrens club encouraging members to taste fresh produce, according to the news release. The Power of Produce Club is for ages 5 to 12 and will spend eight weeks exposing children to conversations with farmers, educational games and produce tasting.

The program aims to expose children to new fruits and vegetables, empower them to make their own shopping decisions, and increase fruit and vegetable intake for the whole family, according to the news release.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Ann Arbor transit CEO talks future: electric buses, service expansion

Ann Arbor sets goal to get 20% of drivers in EVs by 2030

A night at the Emoni Bates show

Ypsilanti office hours extended for presidential primary absentee ballots
A section of Shaheen Bagh protesters on Saturday said they were ready to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to raise their concerns over the new citizenship law but added that the onus was on the government to call them for talks.

The protesters, mainly women, have been staging a sit-in against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) for the past two months.

They said the protest was 'leaderless' and it was up to the home minister to decide who all he wanted to call for talks.

An announcement in this regard was also made by a speaker from the dais.

"We are ready to meet the home minister. But he should make it clear how many people he wants to meet," Syed Ahmed Taseer, one of the organisers, said.

Mehrunnisa, who has been a regular at the protest, said the protesters would march to the home minister's residence on Sunday.

"We would ask him to withdraw CAA-NRC-NPR," she said, adding that the protest would continue till their demand was met.

In an interaction with a news channel earlier this week, Shah said anyone who wants to discuss issues related to CAA with him can seek time from his office.

"(We) will give time within three days," he added.

Speaking with mediapersons on Saturday, a group of protesters claimed that they would be going to meet the home minister and everyone of them would meet him personally instead of taking a delegation.

The protesters called a press conference and told the reporters that no delegation would visit the home minister, rather each and every demonstrator along with the people who have problem with the newly amended citizenship Act, would go and meet him at 2 pm on Sunday.

"Amit Shah has himself invited everyone on television to meet him, so we are going to meet him on Sunday.

"Shah himself said that whoever is facing problem due to CAA should meet him," said one of the protesters who did not wish to be named.

"Everyone will go and meet Home Minister Amit Shah at 2 pm tomorrow. It's a request that all the citizens including men and women who are facing problems due to CAA, NRC and NPR have to go and meet Amit Shah and PM Modi ji," said an elderly woman.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday said that no meeting has been scheduled between the home minister and the protesters.

'No such meeting is scheduled with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for tomorrow,' said the MHA in a statement.

-- with ANI inputs
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 10:30:25|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- China has stepped up efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Here are the latest developments:

-- China reports 2,641 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 143 deaths on Friday from 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

By the end of Friday, a total of 1,523 people had died of the disease and 66,492 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported on the Chinese mainland.

-- A total of 8,096 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Friday. China saw 1,373 people walk out of hospital after recovery on Friday.

-- Hubei Province, center of the novel coronavirus outbreak, reported 2,420 new confirmed cases and 139 new deaths on Friday. The figure of new cases included 1,138 clinically diagnosed cases, while the new deaths also included 34 who were clinically diagnosed.

Wuhan, the provincial capital, recorded a total of 37,914 confirmed cases, including 14,953 clinically diagnosed ones. The city reported 1,923 new infections and 107 new deaths on Friday.

-- Henan reported two new deaths, and Beijing and Chongqing reported one new death, respectively, on Friday.

-- The city of Xiaogan, one of the hardest-hit cities in Hubei, asked all residential communities and areas to start close-off management starting Friday afternoon. All residents will not be allowed to exit and re-enter their communities or residential areas. Daily necessities for residents will be delivered by the community committees, and purchasing services will be provided for urgently-needed goods.

-- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) universities and hospitals across China have sent 2,220 medical workers to Hubei Province to help combat the novel coronavirus outbreak.

-- The city of Huanggang, one of the hardest-hit cities in Hubei, is converting a section of a maternal and child care service centre into an emergency hospital. An estimated 400 hospital beds will be put into use by Saturday.
A traffic warning sign is seen on the A9 near Dunblane, Scotland, Britain on Feb. 15, 2020. (Russell Cheyne/Reuters)

Flights Canceled as Britain Braces for Storm Dennis

LONDONFlights have been canceled and the army drafted in as Britain prepares for Storm Dennis with the authorities warning of heavy rain and flooding in parts of England.

EasyJet has warned of significant disruption to its operations whilst Luton Airport is advising passengers to check with their airlines before setting off from home.

A total of 15 flood warnings are in place in England with Storm Dennis expected to bring very heavy rain, flooding and disruption to parts of the country, according to the Environment Agency.

It comes barely a week after Storm Ciara caused disruption to transport and left thousands of homes without power.

Flooded streets in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, as Storm Ciara hits the UK on Sunday February 9, 2020. (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

The army is being deployed to help in Yorkshire as residents prepare for the storm.

There is still uncertainty about the scale of impact that Storm Dennis could bring, but as there is a significant risk of further damage, residents and businesses are urged to be prepared, said the leader of Calderdale Council Tim Swift.

By Costas Pitas
A man escaped from a village after allegedly raping a Dalit teenager in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi district, police said on Saturday.

The incident happened in a village in Gopiganj area on Friday when Mukesh Singh alias Ravindra took the girl to a pump set room in the fields and raped her there, Circle Officer K Singh said.

The accused later fled from the spot threatening the girl of dire consequences, he said.

An FIR has been registered and police has launched a manhunt to arrest him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP's UP unit spokesperson Anila Singh on Saturday asked AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi to not teach Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath how to run the state.

Speaking to ANI, she said: "If you commit a crime in Uttar Pradesh, you will be punished."

Owaisi in a tweet on Friday had accused UP Chief Minister Yogi for misusing the Security Act (NSA)

He tweeted: "In UP, NSA has been repeatedly used by Yogi to target & persecute Dalits, Muslims & dissidents. A doctor is not a threat to security. A CM saying "thok denge" & "boli nahi toh goli" is definitely a threat to security#RepealNSA #ReleaseDrKafeel"

Singh said: "Owaisi keeps making such statements and considers himself to be Jinnah of Muslims. There is still something in his mind that they will create a separate state and divide India."

Regarding loopholes in the law to deal with a rape case, Anila Singh said: "If punishment is to be given, then all the culprits have to be given together. Nirbhaya rape convicts keep taking advantage of the law by filing separate petitions. Where is justice?"

She also strongly condemned the manner in which the girls were treated in their hostel in Gujarat.

At least 68 girls of Shree Sahajanand Girls Institute (SSGI) in Bhuj were allegedly forced to remove their innerwear to prove that they were not menstruating.

She said: It is obnoxious and highly condemnable. Do the girls not have self-respect? The college should punish the officials who treated girls like this.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It was clear before mid-morning on Sunday, as a cross-party team tallied first preference votes, that Sinn Fein's John Brady would top the poll and be elected on the first count.

Such were the celebrations as that count was being announced on Sunday night, that a patient returning officer, Mary Delahunty, asked for just a moment or two of quiet. She needed to finish her official task of declaring all the numbers and get on with the business of what would be a further 14 counts.

At the Shoreline centre in Greystones, the Sinn Fein and Brady team were in fine voice and stuck to a rendition of 'for he's a jolly good fellow' rather than anything more controversial.

Hoisted on shoulders, a jubilant Brady flew a tricolour and beamed as supporters cheered and sang. His wife Gayle and their five children were also by his side throughout.

Bray's Brady has now been elected to the Dail for a second time, having first won a seat in 2016. On this occasion, following what has emerged as a national trend, he could very well have brought a running mate across the line with his gargantuan numbers.

He was the first preference candidate for 17,297 people - just under a quarter of the 71,879 constituents who cast their votes last Saturday. He trotted to the quota of 11,887, with plenty to spare.

'People were angry,' said Deputy Brady on Saturday after he was deemed elected. 'Large numbers of people came out. It's the first time in a long time I've seen queues at polling stations. Young and old people came out in horrendous weather to cast their votes.'

Brady said that he and his team picked up some strong messages throughout the campaign.

'People were sick and tired of the civil war politics of the last 100 years with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail,' he said. 'They are sick and tired of the state of our health services, homelessness, and the housing crisis.

'People have big issues around the pension age increase, and quality of life issues here in Wicklow,' he said. 'And all the parties late on in the election campaign were promising the sun, moon and stars. But they have been in government for decades and still we have all the inefficiencies within our infrastructure in the county.'

Deputy Brady said that people are looking for hope and solutions.

'I think the message we were delivering is that there is a better way and we can provide solutions, it's a case of implementing them.

'I'm just overwhelmed and very humbled that so many people came out, supported Sinn Fein, and gave me the number one vote,' he said. 'Politics can be a volatile thing at any time. People had us written off after last year's local elections and the European elections.' He said that party leader Mary Lou McDonald has 'shown real leadership' and steered Sinn Fein to general election success. 'Elements of the media had serious question marks over her leadership,' he said. 'I think she's shown her true mettle here. We've come back. Our message has resonated with people. We haven't had a chance and we want to have a chance to get in there and fix all of the issues and stand up for ordinary people for a change instead of the vulture funds the landlords and the bankers. It's time now to bail out ordinary people.'

On whether Sinn Fein will or can form a government, there is no doubt in John's mind that the party will make moves in that direction.

'We don't contest elections just to sit on opposition benches and make up the numbers,' he said. 'We have the best policies and we want an opportunity to implement those policies. We have made no secret of the fact that we want to be in government.

'We've said from the get-go we will talk to every political party and will try to negotiate a radical republican programme for government. Whether a circle can be squared with some of the political parties or not that remains to be seen

'We want to be there to deliver Irish unity to address the issues on health service, housing, homeless, and all of the big issues affecting ordinary people.'

He dismissed what he said was a 'mantra being peddled out from spin doctors' that a Fine Gael government led to more people in employment and large improvements.

'For massive sectors of society right across Wicklow there's no quality of life,' he said. 'People are sitting in cars for three or four hours each day, commuting to and from work. There's insufficient public transport and jobs here in Wicklow. For a lot of people that do get up and go to work, there are still consistent poverty levels at all time highs'
MUNICH, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan once again reaffirmed that Nagorno Karabakh has never been a part of independent state of Azerbaijan.

Participating at a panel discussion on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict together with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Armenian PM said he sees a necessity for new ideas for the negotiations of resolving the conflict.

Commenting on Aliyevs overview of history, Pashinyan said there was no need to go so far into the history. I would ask President Aliyev not to go so far into the history because when Armenian King Tigran the Great was negotiating with Pompey, a Roman military leader, there wasnt any country in the South Caucasus and around the world in general named Azerbaijan. So I dont think that it is right to go so far because I can go even further and start from for example 400 BC, but I wouldnt do that because I dont think that it is right way to go, he said.

Pashinyan said that the Caucasian Bureau decided for Karabakh to be a part of Armenia and this was totally a lawful decision. And after that, according to the personal initiative of Joseph Stalin this decision changed in Moscow. It was like a plot between Stalin, Lenin and Ataturk. Karabakh has never been a part of independent state of Azerbaijan. Karabakh was put into Azerbaijan only in the process of forming the Soviet Union. And when we are speaking about territorial integrity, we should decide about which country territorial integrity we are speaking. My question is that if Azerbaijan respected territorial integrity of the Soviet Union, becoming independent country, as Azerbaijan left the Soviet Union in the same way as Nagorno Karabakh left the Soviet Union. You can say that I am now speaking about the country that doesnt exist, meaning the Soviet Union, but the Soviet Republic which contained Nagorno Karabakh, also doesnt exist, there is no Soviet Republic, Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan, and that is truth. And like Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union, in the same way Nagorno Karabakh gained independence both from the Soviet Union and from Soviet Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said.

Commenting on Aliyevs statements on Khojaly events, the Armenian PM reminded that in the mid-90s former president of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov in one of his interviews to a Russian newspaper stated that the provocation in Khojaly was organized by the Azerbaijani opposition to withdraw him from power. And this happened actually because as a result of that event Ayaz Mutalibov was removed from the post of President of Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said.

As for the UN Security Council resolutions, Pashinyan said the general meaning of these documents was to unconditionally and immediately establish ceasefire, stop any violence and military actions. And if we will look at the UN Security Council Resolution 884, we will see that it is written there that Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire and as a result Azerbaijan lost territories. And first of all it is Azerbaijan that didnt keep the conditions of the UN Security Council document. And this is very important to state, Nikol Pashinyan said.

But according to him, its not good for the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders every time to repeat the same thing. But unfortunately, within the past 25, 30 years we are repeating every time the same things. And I am afraid, international community maybe somehow is tired hearing the same things. And I think that we need to bring some new ideas. And when I became the Prime Minister of Armenia through the peaceful, Velvet, democratic Revolution, I understood that it isnt possible to solve 30 years lasting conflict with one or two steps. And I thought that in order to solve this conflict we need revolutions. And I started the process of micro-revolutions, he said.
As the virus continues to spread rapidly in China, the countrys leaders  after initially trying to suppress or play down the severity of the virus but discovering that belated efforts to contain it were not working  are trying to show that they are on top of the outbreak. Beijing is also increasingly worried about the impact on Chinas economy, which was already slowing.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday cast China as a rising threat to world order - saying the world's most populous nation steals Western know-how, intimidates smaller neighbors and seeks an 'advantage by any means and at any cost.'

A frequent critic of China, Esper used an address to an international security conference in Munich, Germany, to give his most comprehensive condemnation yet of a communist country that he said tops the Pentagon's list of potential adversaries, followed by Russia, 'rogue states' like North Korea and Iran, and continuing threats from extremist groups.

'The Chinese Communist Party is heading even faster and further in the wrong direction - more internal repression, more predatory economic practices, more heavy-handedness, and most concerning for me, a more aggressive military posture,' he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday cast China as a rising threat to world order - saying the world's most populous nation steals Western know-how during a speech at an international security conference in Munich

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was also at the conference, refuted assertions that the United States under President Donald Trump was rejecting its traditional international leadership role, saying: 'The West is winning'

Esper's comments were made after the U.S Justice Department hit Huawei with 16 new criminal charges where it accused the Chinese tech giant of 'plotting to steal state secrets'.

The new charges, which were unsealed on Tuesday, detail a brazen decades-long scheme to steal trade secrets from at least six U.S. companies. Cisco and T-Mobile are among the alleged victims in the case, though the companies are not actually named in the new indictment.

The U.S has also named the company's CFO, Meng Wanzhou, in the charges. She is currently fighting extradition to the U.S from Canada.

National security adviser Robert O'Brien has also accused the company of building secret back doors into its hardware that allow it to covertly access mobile-phone networks around the world.

Officials said this back door allows the company to access network data without the carrier's knowledge, potentially giving the Chinese government a potent spy tool.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have been in close contact during the coronavirus outbreak after being locked in a trade war

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hit back at Esper's comments, calling them 'lies'

Although Esper made the critical comments about China, he also stressed that the U.S does not want conflict with the country.

He also noted that the U.S. government has provided medical supplies to help China combat a coronavirus outbreak that has infected over 67,000 people. Still, he said Beijing has made clear its long-term intentions and said Europe and the rest of the world must 'wake up' to the threats that China poses.

'The Communist Party and its associated organs, including the People's Liberation Army, are increasingly operating in theaters outside its borders, including Europe, and seeking advantage by any means, and at any cost,' he said.

'While we often doubt the transparency and forthrightness of Beijing, when it comes to their security aims, we should take the Chinese government at its word,' he said. 'They have said that by 2035, the PRC intends to complete its military modernization, and, by 2049, it seeks to dominate Asia as the preeminent global military power.'

With words that echoed the Trump administration's criticisms of Iran, Esper said China represses its people and threatens its neighbors.

'We want China to behave like a normal country,' Esper said, adding 'and that means the Chinese government needs to change its policies and behaviors.'

Esper and his immediate predecessor, Jim Mattis, have sought to shift the main focus of U.S. military and security policy toward China and away from small wars against insurgents and extremists. U.S. allies in Europe, while concerned about China's rise, are more immediately worried about Russia.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later responded, telling the forum that Esper and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 'say the same thing wherever they go about China' and dismissed their remarks as 'lies.'

'The root cause of all these problems and issues is that the U.S. does not want to see the rapid development and rejuvenation of China, and still less would they want to accept the success of a socialist country,' Wang said through a translator.

He said China had a 'right to develop' and said if Beijing and Washington worked together, it would benefit the whole world.

'The most important task for China and the U.S. is to sit down together to have a serious dialogue and find a way for two major countries with different social systems to live in harmony and interact in peace,' he said. 'China's ready and we hope the U.S. will work with us.'

In remarks to the conference earlier Saturday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said China presents challenges as well as opportunities for Western nations. He said Europe and the United States need to work out a united approach to China's rise.

'There are opportunities, but also many challenges,' Stoltenberg said, adding that it's important for Western countries to keep open lines of communication with Beijing.

Also at the Munich conference, Pompeo refuted assertions that the United States under President Donald Trump was rejecting its traditional international leadership role.

'I'm happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly over-exaggerated,' Pompeo said. 'The West is winning.'
A former aide who was sacked and frogmarched out of Downing Street on Dominic Cummings orders has launched an explosive claim for unfair dismissal.

The legal action launched by Sonia Khan  who strongly denied passing information to Philip Hammond, the former chancellor  could trigger a huge and embarrassing payout by the government.

It will also put renewed focus on the behaviour of Mr Cummings, who must file a formal response within 28 days of Downing Street being served notice of the claim.

And, because Boris Johnson is the ultimate employer of all special advisers, the case could even see the prime minister being asked to testify in Ms Khans tribunal.

She will be able to require them to disclose a lot of information about her employment and the circumstances of her dismissal, said Beth Hale, a partner at the law firm CM Murray LLP.

They will have to show that a fair process was followed. I find it difficult to believe that they wont settle this before a public hearing at which senior figures may need to give evidence.

Compensation for unfair dismissal is capped at whichever is lower of 86,000 or 12 months salary, but Ms Khan is also claiming discrimination  for which there is no limit.

When the adviser to then-chancellor Sajid Javid was walked out of Downing Street by armed police last August, lawyers immediately pointed to the likelihood of legal action.

Mr Cummings claimed Ms Khan had misled him over her contact with Mr Hammond, her former boss, but she denied any wrongdoing  while Mr Javid was not even consulted.

Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Show all 17 1 /17 Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Sajid Javid Resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr Javids departure comes just one month before a crucial budget, intended to chart the course for the new government  and makes him the shortest-serving chancellor for more than 50 years Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Rishi Sunak Promoted from Chief Secretary to the Treasury to Chancellor of the Exchequer after the dramatic resignation of Sajid Javid Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Esther McVey Sacked as housing minister AFP via Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Andrea Leadsom Sacked as business secretary EPA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Changed role: Alok Sharma Appointed business secretary (previously international development secretary). He has also been put in charge of the UKs COP26 climate change summit PA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Attorney General Geoffrey Cox Resigned as the government's most senior law officer AFP via Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Suella Braverman Appointed Attorney General and she will attend cabinet EPA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Theresa Villiers Sacked as environment secretary PA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: George Eustice Appointed environment, food and rural affairs secretary. He was a farming and fisheries minister Reuters Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Changed role: Anne-Marie Trevelyan Appointed international development secretary (previously parliamentary under-secretary for defence) Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Julian Smith Sacked as Northern Ireland secretary Reuters Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Brandon Lewis Appointed Secretary of Northern Ireland Reuters Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Stephen Barclay Appointed chief secretary to the Treasury PA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Oliver Dowden Appointed culture secretary, succeeding Nicky Morgan Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Chris Skidmore Sacked as eucation minister Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Nus Ghani Sacked as transport minister Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/CC BY 3.0 Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: George Freeman Sacked as transport minister Getty

It was pointed out that proper procedures had not been followed, that she was not given the right to be represented and had been humiliated by being bundled out of her workplace.

No inquiry took place afterwards and Mr Cummings, in a subsequent meeting with advisers, is said to have warned: If you dont like how I run things, theres the door.

The episode was also the first clash between Mr Javid and the controversial chief adviser, which culminated in the chancellors sensational resignation on Thursday.

Downing Street is declining to say whether it has been served formal notice of Mr Khans claim yet, so it is unclear how long Mr Cummings has to respond.

The legal action comes amid criticism of the hiring of a new adviser who attacked womens sport and said richer people are more intelligent, after Mr Cummings call to sign up misfits and weirdos.

Andrew Sabisky also backed giving everyone a mind-enhancing drug  even at the cost of a dead kid once a year  and ridiculed the net zero climate change target.

Mr Cummings is also understood to have been confronted over his unkindness at Fridays weekly meeting of ministerial advisers.

Some were angry when, at the previous weeks gathering, held before the reshuffle, he remarked at the end: Ill see some of you next week.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said Friday there is no investigation into Vindman, who had been detailed to the White House National Security Council as Ukraine director and was due to return to the Army for a new assignment when Trump dismissed him early from the post last week. The president also removed his twin brother from his job as a lawyer for the NSC.
At least 31 civilians killed in attack on Ogossagou, the village that was targeted in a massacre last year.

At least 40 people, including nine soldiers, have been killed in a spate of attacks in central Mali, authorities said on Friday.

At least 31 civilians were killed in an attack overnight in Ogossagou, the government said, without saying who carried out the violence. Last March, 160 people died in the mostly Fulani village in a massacre blamed on Dogon militiamen.

About 30 gunmen carried out the attack, village chief Aly Ousmane Barry told AFP news agency.

Huts and crops were set alight, livestock was burned or taken away, he added, vowing that the government would find the perpetrators.

They came and shot everything that moved, Hamadou Dicko from Fulani association Tabital Pulaaku told Reuters news agency.

A local government official, who requested anonymity, had earlier said 28 people were missing.

He blamed the attack on a Dogon hunters group  an assertion that could be not be verified independently.

Clashes between the Dogon and Fulani ethnic groups are frequent, compounding a dire security situation in Malis semi-arid and desert regions, where attacks by armed groups are common.

The Dogon have lived in central Mali for centuries and are traditionally sedentary farmers. The Fulani people are semi-nomadic and are primarily cattle breeders and traders who move across West Africa.

Eight soldiers killed in ambush

In another attack later on Friday, eight Malian soldiers were killed and four others injured in an ambush in the village of Bentia in the central Gao region, the army said.

The Malian forces also suffered material damage, the military said on social media sites, without indicating who had carried out the attack.

Also on Friday, a soldier was killed in an attack on a military camp in Mondoro in central Mali, security officials said.

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The camp had been hit in October 2019 in a joint raid by fighters that also targeted the military camp of Boulkessy near the border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 25 soldiers.

Central Mali has been gripped by ethnic violence since an armed revolt broke out in the north of the country in 2012.

In addition to the latest attack at Ogossagou, 14 Fulani were killed in central Mali in January.

Some 75 Dogons were killed in the villages of Sobane Da, Gangafani and Yoro in June last year, in an attack blamed on Fulani fighters.

Epicentre of violence

Human Rights Watch this month pointed to the ethnic patchwork of central Mali as the countrys epicentre of violence.

It said more than 450 civilians had been killed in the region in 2019, the deadliest year for civilians since the armed uprising began.

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Reflecting the chronic instability, Malian soldiers are themselves frequently targeted.

On January 26, al-Qaeda-linked fighters attacked a military camp in Sokolo, central Mali, killing 20 gendarmes and wounding five more.

The violence in central Mali coincides with renewed hopes that the fragile government can reassert control over the largely lawless north.

Troops returned on Thursday to Kidal, a northern town that had been a bastion of Tuareg rebels, after a six-year absence.

The regular forces were accompanied by former rebels who have been integrated into the army under a regional peace agreement.

The deal, reached in Algiers in 2015, is considered one of the few avenues Mali has for escaping the cycle of violence.
Pakistan anti-corruption officials raided the properties of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on Saturday to collect evidence in a money laundering case, even as his mother left for London to be with her son ahead of his cardiac treatment.

An accountability court here has already exempted the 69-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo from appearing before it in the money laundering case on medical grounds and adjourned the hearing till February 28.

"Nawaz Sharif's mother Shamim Bibi left for London to be with her son while he undergoes heart treatment," PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted on Saturday.

Aurangzeb said Bibi had been advised not to travel because of her age, 90, and illnesses but she expressed her wish to be present during her son's treatment.

On Saturday, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials raided businesses and properties of the Sharif family in search of evidence related to the money laundering charges.

The accountability bureau has accused Sharif of being a direct beneficiary of Chaudhry Sugar Mills and his daughter, Maryam, who was arrested in connection with the case in August along with her cousin Yousuf Abbas, of holding over 12 million shares in the sugar mills.

The three-time premier is undergoing treatment in London for coronary artery disease. Sharif was on November 4 last year granted bail on humanitarian grounds by the Lahore High Court in the case.

The former prime minister left for London on November 19 in an air ambulance.

Sharif is suffering from "complex multi-vessel coronary artery disease and substantial ischemic and threatened myocardium for which he is due to undergo surgery, says his personal physician Dr Adnan Khan.

The Imran Khan government has not allowed Maryam Nawaz to go to London and placed her name on a no-fly list as she is also named in the money laundering case.

Nawaz's counsel advocate Amjad Pervez told Lahore High Court that his client is likely to undergo coronary angiography on February 24.

"The medical reports suggest that Mr Sharif requires continuous monitoring by the doctors in London," Pervez said, and asked the court to extend exemption to Sharif from personal appearance in proceedings against him.

The court allowed the application and adjourned hearing till February 28. The Punjab government has not yet given extension to Sharif for his London stay, seeking fresh health reports.

The medical reports prepared by the London doctors have not so far advised Sharif about air travel.

Dr David Lawrence, a cardiac surgeon known for performing minimally invasive chest surgery and lung cancer surgery, penned the report detailing Sharif's medical history from 2003 to 2019 as well as his current treatment plan.

"The stability of healthcare management is of vital importance for the patient, hence he [Nawaz] should remain under the care of his healthcare providers in the UK until his diseases are adequately addressed," he said. PTI MZ IND
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This is the heartbreaking moment murdered South Carolina six-year-old Faye Swetlik was finally brought home on Saturday, as a police procession flanked the van carrying the little girl's body.

The Charleston County Sheriffs Department provided a motorcade to accompany Faye's body back to Lexington County following her autopsy Saturday morning.

The police escort was pictured accompanying Faye on the entire journey, setting off from MUSC in Charleston at 12 pm and heading to Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington.

Members of the community, which has rallied round after the little girls' death, and officers gathered outside the funeral home to pay their respects.

Lexington Country Coroner Margaret Fisher confirmed the autopsy had been completed, but the results would not be released until Tuesday out of respect for Faye's family.

'They need privacy and time to process this information,' Fisher said in a statement.

An autopsy was also performed on the body of Coty Scott Taylor, 30, who police linked to the case. The results of that autopsy will also be released on Tuesday.

Authorities confirmed on Friday that Faye's body was found in woods between her home in Churchill Heights and a Napa Auto Parts store in Cayce, South Carolina, on Thursday around 11am.

The body of a male neighbor, Coty Scott Taylor, 30, was found in his home soon after.

Police searching through rubbish trucks found 'a critical piece of evidence' in a trash can belonging to Taylor, who lived about 100 yards away from the little girl's home.

This is the heartbreaking moment murdered South Carolina six-year-old Faye Swetlik is finally brought home on Saturday, as a police procession flanks the van carrying the little girl's body

Police motorcade for Faye Swetlik LIVE: Faye Swetlik receives a police escort home following her autopsy at MUSC. The Charleston County Sheriffs Department will travel the entire distance to the funeral home with Faye. Full Coverage: https://bit.ly/2SRqiWy Posted by WLTX News19 on Saturday, February 15, 2020

The body of Coty Scott Taylor (pictured), who is linked to Faye Swetlik's (right) death, was found dead in his house shortly after the remains of the six-year-old were discovered in the woods neighboring both their homes

The final moments: An aerial map shows the close proximity between Faye's home, the home of suspected killer Coty Scott Taylor and the wooded area where the little girl's body was found

The Charleston County Sheriffs Department provided a motorcade to accompany Faye's body back to Lexington County following her autopsy Saturday morning

The police escort accompanied the white van (above) carrying Faye on the entire journey, setting off from MUSC in Charleston at 12 pm and heading to Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington

Lexington Country Coroner Margaret Fisher confirmed the autopsy had been completed, but the results would not be released until Tuesday out of respect for Faye's family

Officers gathered to pay their respects outside the funeral home after the police escort arrived

The community has rallied round after the little girls' death, with people gathering outside the funeral home to greet the convoy

TIMELINE OF FAYE'S DISAPPEARANCE Monday, at 2.45pm Faye Swetlik is seen getting off a school bus after attending first grade at Sprindale Elementary School Monday, between 2.45pm & 3.44pm Faye is last seen playing in front of her Londonderry Square home in Churchill Heights when her mother discovers her missing Monday, 5pm Faye's mother, Selena Collins, reports her missing after a frantic search of the neighborhood. Up to 50 officers canvas the neighborhood. Department of Public Safety's Chief Byron Snellgrove said there did not appear to be any evidence of abduction at the time, and her disappearance doesn't meet the criteria for an Amber Alert Tuesday FBI and SLED helicopter teams join more than 200 law enforcement investigators in the search for Faye. A tip hotline number is set up for the public. Community members gather at Trinity Baptist Church to pray for Faye's safe return Wednesday Cops continue to knock on doors in the neighbourhood, but admit in a press conference not everyone within their search area had been spoken to. Police also search the woods behind the homes. They also make a public appeal for the drivers of an SUV and another car seen in the area to contact them. Only one driver does Thursday morning Cops discover a 'critical' piece of evidence in a trash can belonging to 602 Picadilly Square, where Coty Scott Taylor,30, lives. Police don't reveal what the evidence is, but say leads them to the woods neighboring an autoparts store behind the home Thursday, 11am Cayce Department of Public Safety Chief Byron Snellgrove discovers Faye's body in the woods behind the home of her neighbour, and near her home. Police say her body was moved shortly before she was found, and that she was killed elsewhere Thursday, after 11am Police then head to 602 Picadilly Square where they find the body of Taylor. It is not yet clear how he died Friday Authorities reveal where they discovered Faye's body and confirm that neighbor Coty Scott Taylor is linked to her death. They will not reveal anymore details about their deaths, but said autopsies will be performed on Saturday Advertisement

At the time, a search party, led by Cayce Department of Public Safety Chief Byron Snellgrove, had gathered to map out a route to re-canvass the woods behind the home.

The evidence 'led' officers to the same area they intended to canvass, and Swetlik's body was discovered shortly after by Snellgrove.

Police would not say in what condition her body was found, but that she had been moved to the area shortly before she was discovered. The body of Taylor - who is linked to her death - was then found nearly at his home at 602 Piccadilly Square.

Police would not confirm how Faye was killed, or how Taylor died.

Taylor, who did not have a criminal record and was not known to police, is not related to the little girl nor is he a friend, authorities confirmed.

'He was merely a neighbor who lived at Churchill Heights,' Sgt Evan Antley, with the Cayce Department of Public Safety, said Friday.

He also confirmed that officers had previously spoken to Taylor during the search for the missing girl.

Police confirmed the two deaths are connected.

Antley assured the community 'that there is no reason to believe there is an active threat in the community'.

No arrests had been made and officers are not seeking any other persons of interest.

Antley would not comment on the condition of the bodies or the causes of death.

Officers had returned to the scene after finding 'critical evidence' in a trash can belonging to the suspected killer on Thursday.

Antley said: 'Based on that discovery we narrowed down an area that we felt as an investigative team that we needed to go back to and look for more evidence.'

Antley confirmed they had been to the area multiple times prior to the discovery.

Officers began a new search and Faye's body was found at around 11 a.m.

Based on preliminary investigations from the coroner's officer Faye had not been in that location 'for very long at all', Antley said.

Shortly after finding Faye, officers found the body of Taylor at 602 Piccadilly Square, which is around 100 to 150 yards from the little girl's home where she was last seen alive, Antley said.

Though authorities would not confirm what the 'critical evidence' that led them to the crime scene was, Antley said it 'would have been listed on her missing person flier'.

The missing person flier stated that Faye was last seen wearing polka dot rain boots, a pink flowered skirt, and a black T-shirt with the word 'PEACE' written on the front.

Antley said he wanted 'everyone to continue to pray for Faye Swetlik'.

Authorities also released the harrowing 911 call made by Fayes mother on Monday to report her daughters disappearance.

In the call, the distraught mother Selena Marie Collins is heard gasping and sobbing uncontrollably.

I cant find my daughter, she tells the dispatcher.

She was just right in front of my front porch.

Collins describes the clothes Faye was wearing to the operator, who tells her to stay in the yard until officers arrive.

In the video, Faye (pictured) is seen getting out of her seat and walking to the front of the bus

Footage of Faye getting off the bus on Monday afternoon was release by police on Wednesday

Faye (center) is then seen speaking to the bus driver (left) before exiting the bus

The Churchill Heights neighborhood where Faye lived continued to be under heavy police presence Friday morning.

Footage posted on Twitter showed that police had extended the crime scene to a different set of apartments near Londonderry Lane where Faye lived.

WIS-TV reported that several law enforcement officers were coming and going in the apartments and the wooded area surrounding them Friday morning.

Faye was a first-grade student at Springdale Elementary School. She went missing on Monday after getting off the school bus

A coroner identified the child's body this morning, police confirmed Thursday afternoon

Yellow police tape was also across the little girl's home.

The local community had taken to social media speculating about the identity of the deceased male and his connection to Faye's murder.

The latest revelations come as heartbreaking pictures emerged of Valentine's Day cards that the little girl's classmates made for her in the hope she would be returned alive.

Some of her friends in the first grade at Springdale Elementary School made the cards for her before the news of her death broke Thursday.

Lexington School District Two released a statement Thursday saying the school community was 'heart-broken' by her untimely death.

Flowers, balloons and teddy bears are left at the entrance to the Churchill Heights neighborhood for the little girl

The heartbroken community has set up a memorial for Faye Swetlik

'We are heart-broken with news of the death of Faye Swetlik, a first-grade student at Springdale Elementary, who went missing earlier this week. When the school community experiences a tragedy like the loss of a child, it deeply affects all of us,' it said.

Flowers, balloons and teddy bears had also been left at the entrance to the Churchill Heights neighborhood for the little girl.

The search for the missing six-year-old came to an end Thursday when authorities confirmed they had found her body in her South Carolina neighborhood.

The body of a deceased adult male was also located in the neighborhood, authorities said.

Director of Public Safety for Cayce, Byron Snellgrove announced the news through tears at a Thursday press conference where he spoke for only about a minute and took no questions.

'It's with extremely heavy hearts that we announce we have found the body that the coroner has identified as Faye,' Snellgrove said.

Faye's death is being treated as a homicide and no arrests have been made, he added.

Authorities did not identify the male or release information about where exactly the bodies were found or whether the two deaths were connected.

However, Snellgrove said 'there was no danger to the public'.

DailyMail.com requests for comment to the Cayce Department of Public Safety and the Lexington County Coroner haven't been returned.

The media was alerted to intensified police activity Thursday morning, with officers and fire crews blocking anyone from entering the neighborhood, even residents.

Investigators were also seen searching trash cans.

Authorities had given an update on the investigation Thursday morning.

At that time, police said they had towed two cars from the home where the child lived.

Antley confirmed that the vehicles were removed from the home but didn't share details of anything that 'may or may not have been found in those vehicles'.

The sergeant also confirmed that officers had searched Faye's home 'multiple times'.

Swetlik's grandmother shared video on Thursday showing her six-year-old granddaughter sing 'You Are My Sunshine'

Young Faye is seen above with her grandmother, Ruth Collins, who provided the video of her singing

'My heart is out there somewhere and I don't know how to handle it,' said Faye's grandmother Ruth Collins a day after her granddaughter went missing

Faye's death is being treated as a homicide and no arrests have been made.

Faye's death is being treated as a homicide and no arrests have been made. Officers pictured during the investigation on Thursday

Authorities said the child's body was found in the Churchill Heights neighborhood where she lived. Police have also found the body of an adult male who has not been identified

Police officers were seen earlier in the week canvassing the neighborhood near Faye's home

The child had been playing in front of her home (pictured) at the time she went missing

Police initially said they were hunting for two cars that were seen in the neighborhood before Faye vanished on Monday. Officials have identified the person driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer, but investigators are still seeking information about the sedan

Police had also closed off the neighborhood where the girl lived to everyone except residents, their visitors and delivery trucks. An officer was also stationed outside of the girl's home.

Hundreds of officers in Cayce, along with state police and FBI agents, worked around the clock to try to find the little girl.

Searchers knocked multiple times on the doors of every home in the neighborhood.

Police initially said they were hunting for two cars that were seen in the Churchill Heights neighborhood before Faye vanished after getting home from school on Monday.

Cayce Department of Public Safety posted images of the cars, saying: 'The two vehicles shown were in the neighborhood during the time #FayeSwetlik was last seen.'

Antley confirmed Thursday morning that they had identified and spoken to the person driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer, but investigators are still seeking information about the silver sedan.

Faye's bereaved grandmother shared a video showing the six-year-old singing 'You Are My Sunshine' on social media in the hours after authorities in South Carolina confirmed she was found dead.

Her grandmother, Ruth Collins, had posted several messages on her Facebook page expressing hope that her granddaughter would eventually be found.

'I want my baby back,' Collins said at a prayer vigil on Tuesday. 'We've got to find her.'

After officials announced that a body had been found, Collins posted a picture of a single burning candle, and a touching picture of her kissing her granddaughter's head.

'He was merely a neighbor who lived at Churchill Heights,' Sgt Evan Antley with the Cayce Department of Public Safety said at Friday's press conference

Director of Public Safety for Cayce, Byron Snellgrove (pictured) became emotional as he announced the death of little Faye

The row of homes where Coty Scott Taylor lived (pictured) was about 100 to 150 yards from Faye's home

Faye was last seen playing in front of the Londonderry Sq home in Cayce, near Columbia, at approximately 3.45pm.

Her family reported her missing at 5pm, saying they had been searching for her.

Police did not say whether the person driving the Trailblazer lived in the Churchill Heights neighborhood.

Authorities released footage of Faye getting off her school bus on Wednesday morning as they announced that the search for the girl had been expanded.

In the footage, Faye gets out of her seat, speaks to the bus driver and then exits the vehicle. According to a witness, this was at around 2.50pm Monday.

Faye - a student at Springdale Elementary School - was last seen wearing a black shirt with neon colors, a flower print skirt and polka dot rain boots. The shirt had the word 'peace' written on it.

Snellgrove said Faye's mother, her mother's boyfriend and Faye's father had all been cooperating with the investigation.

Faye's grandmother, Ruth Collins, had been pleading to the public on social media for help with finding her granddaughter.

For the past few days, Faye's grandmother, Ruth Collins (left with Faye and right), has been pleading to the public on social media for help with finding her granddaughter. 'I'm going crazy not knowing where she is,' Collins said

On Tuesday night, community members (pictured) gathered at Trinity Baptist Church to pray for Faye's safe return

'I'm going crazy not knowing where she is,' Collins wrote in a Facebook post.

In a statement, the family told ABC News that 'Faye is a bubbly and happy little girl'.

'She's not the type of kid that will up and walk away... Faye pays attention to her surroundings. We just want to find Faye and bring her home.'

The child's mother has not made any public statements since Faye went missing earlier this week.

On Tuesday night, community members gathered at Trinity Baptist Church to pray for Faye's safe return.

Faye was lactose intolerant with a speech impediment from having a tethered tongue.

Tethered tongue, or ankyloglossia, is when a thick band of tissue tethers the bottom of the tongue to the tip of the floor of the mouth.

'When she walks into a room she brightens it up. Everyone loves Faye,' Snellgrove said.

'Faye loves dresses, fancy shoes, spending time with her family, cats and playing outside.'

Several public figures have spoken out about the Swetlik case.

Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech to The Citadel, a military academy in South Carolina, according to Fox News.

'[A]llow me to address an issue that I know is on the hearts of people all across South Carolina today,' the vice president said on Thursday.

'And as your vice president and as a father, let me say we were deeply saddened to receive word this afternoon that the remains of Faye Swetlik, a 6-year-old girl who went missing from her parents' front yard just three days ago, have been found.'

Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted: 'Like all South Carolinians, I was heartbroken to hear the news about the death of Faye Swetlik.

'I pray for the family of this beautiful young girl as they deal with this horrific tragedy.'
The Pentagon said the money it was ceding would have gone to fighter jets, combat aircraft, ships and National Guard equipment. Instead, it will be used to put up 30-foot-high barriers along six sections of the border so Mr. Trump can boast that he is fulfilling his campaign promise, despite Congresss repeated refusal to give him all the money he wants and lower court rulings that barred his use of other funds for the wall. Mr. Trump managed this in part by declaring a state of emergency a year ago to divert military funds, and in part thanks to a Supreme Court ruling that set aside lower court injunctions that prevented Mr. Trump from commandeering Pentagon cash to pay for the wall.

It has become almost tedious to recite the reasons this wall is a waste of money, starting with the fact that it was initially conjured up by Mr. Trumps campaign advisers, back when he was exploring a run for the White House, not as a solution to illegal border crossing but as a talking point to make sure that their man, famously resistant to reading from a script, would remember to talk about getting tough on immigration.

Once Mr. Trump was elected, the talking point that became his signature campaign promise then became the signature obsession of his presidency. The battle over its funding with a skeptical Congress led at one point to a partial government shutdown and the declaration of a state of emergency. Build the Wall became a mantra at Mr. Trumps rowdy rallies, the motto of meanspirited and often cruel efforts to close Americas doors to immigrants, especially Muslims or immigrants of color, legal or illegal.

The onslaught against Americas openness to immigrants has taken many shapes, from the separation of children from their parents, to the shutting down of various preferential visa programs, to the bans on travelers from some predominantly Muslim countries. The administration has won temporary approval from the Supreme Court to deny green cards to immigrants thought likely to tap public assistance programs, the so-called public charge rule. It has also barred New Yorkers from applying for trusted-traveler programs as punishment for a state law limiting immigration agents access to state drivers license information.

But the expensive and useless wall has remained the centerpiece of Mr. Trumps spiteful vision. From the outset, the project has been riddled with lies and illusions. Mr. Trump has argued that the wall would block illegal migrants, though as many as half of the undocumented immigrants in the United States entered legally and overstayed their visas. He claims that the southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, though according to the Drug Enforcement Administration most trafficking occurs through ports of entry  or, in the case of the powerful opioid fentanyl, through the mail.
With their ludicrous impeachment exercise, Democrats have forever destroyed impeachment as a political tool even as they ensured that it will get pulled out of the drawer repeatedly by their radical political progeny in the years ahead. It took mere milliseconds following acquittal before the raging impeachaholics started fantasizing about the next round.

The latest round of impeachment hysteria was triggered by President Trump's removal of the villainous Vindmans, the failed ambassador par mediocre, and other assorted swamp creatures. Patriotic Americans wondered why it took so long. Those with TDS reprised the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but instead of seeing witches everywhere, every word and action magically transformed into an impeachable offense.

First, you had the world's most jealous husband, curiously crazy George, floating a trial balloon in the Bezos Impeachment Post.

Jake Tapper and Eric Swalwell followed that up by fantasizing at impeaching Trump over Attorney General Bill Barr stepping in to adjust Roger Stone's obscenely unjust sentencing recommendation on the Impeachment News Network. It's notable in this case that it was the so-called journalist initiating the impeachment call, with hapless Swalwell just trying to keep up. Why report the news when you can create it?

Impeachment fever is starting to crescendo again, even as Nancy Pelosi fights the urge to rip the dam holding back the quickly building crazy in half.

If normal Americans tuned out the last effort, imagine how seriously they will take the next go at it. The "Hunter was a legitimate Ukrainian energy czar" impeachment, which was the equivalent of Caddyshack II both in narrative power and believability, was essentially copied from the failed Mueller investigation script. The next impeachment will be something even uglier: a copy of a copy meant to both indict and distract from revelations likely coming soon from the Durham investigation.

There is a great line from the movie Multiplicity when a cloned copy of the main character points out to the real character why another clone is nuttier than a Pelosi.

"You know how when you make a copy of a copy, it's not as sharp as...well...the original." True, but even more so when the original was the artistic equivalent of a Yoko Ono album.

When Democrat talking heads caveat conversations by saying Democrats don't wake up each morning thinking about impeachment, chances are that they wake up each morning dreaming of impeachment.

Below are five key takeaways from the failed impeachment gambit as we head toward more of the same:

1. It's hard to imagine a weaker or more disgraceful case than the last round, but stay tuned. Every single Democrat in the Senate voted for a charge so comically weak that it could exist only under the blanket of protection deployed by a virulently dishonest national media. The House charged the president and his team with obstructing Congress because they did not like that the White House's team asserted executive privilege, something Bill Clinton did 14 times. It is hard to conceive of a charge that could be any weaker, although trying to impeach the president for removing traitorous staff members might clear that low bar.

Executive privilege is a foundational protection built into U.S. separation of powers. We have the Judicial Branch to decide these questions. House Democrats were so sure that they had an ironclad case that they rushed to...not respond to the White House's legal arguments.

If going to the courts to argue executive privilege is impeachable, then everything is impeachable, and high crimes and misdemeanors has no meaning.

If this weren't a pure political exercise, that charge would have been decided 100-0. It was so outrageous that even Benedict Pierre's magical conscience could not vote for that one. Yet not a single Democrat had the courage to vote against something so blatantly foolish and risk angering their rabid base.

2. Moderate Democrats are a myth. There is simply no room in a party that has been hijacked by radical Marxists for moderate voices, which is why the differences between the Democrat candidates are defined more by style than content. Today's Democrat "moderates" will always vote with their party and against their constituents on key votes that matter to their party. Joe Manchin is counting on West Virginians having short memories. They won't. Should he elect to run again, this will be the vote that does him in, as he will never be viewed the same in West Virginia.

3. Doug Jones knows he is done. He decided that it was more in his interest to maintain a strong relationship with his party than to save his Senate career. Jones had the worst situation heading into this year's election, trying to survive in beet-red Alabama with presidential election turnout.

His corollary, the Republican with the toughest uphill climb, is Cory Gardner in Colorado. That once swing state, like Virginia, is getting bluer by the cycle. Despite the tough environment, Gardner stood with the president against the bogus impeachment, likely figuring that his best chance of survival is to generate as much Republican turnout as he can. Good call. If he loses in November, it won't be because of this vote, but a nod to math and the demographic transformation of the state.

Gardner's vote was made slightly harder by Mitt Romney, who has the distinct honor of being the only senator stupid enough to vote completely against his political interest. He clearly desires to fill John McCain's vacated role as the "good" Republican who is trotted out and patted on his head by the national media after riding on the roof of their car.

4. Much of the media coverage has focused on whether the president learned his lesson from impeachment. That's backwards. The right question is whether the Democrats have learned their lesson. Based on the rising impeachment chatter being stoked by the media, they have clearly not. President Trump will likely become the first president to be impeached multiple times. If the president is re-elected and Democrats hold the House, they will almost immediately begin plotting another impeachment attempt, if it even takes that long.

5. The media are to blame since they created the environment for and demanded runaway Democrat impeachment trains. It speaks to how far out on a radical limb the national media have wandered that in their circles, Jake Tapper, who is agitating for more impeachment, is considered a voice of sanity. While impeachment has been destroyed as a real constitutional remedy, it has been normalized as a tool for Democrats to attack Republican presidents. It is doubtful that there will ever be another effective Republican president saddled with a Democrat House who will not be impeached. In fact, at this point, it would be more of an indictment for Republicans in that circumstance to not be impeached since it would mean they were not fighting for Americans. Being impeached by today's Democrat party should be viewed as a point of pride, since being liked and admired by the national media and their anti-American party is about as strong of a character indictment as exists in modern America.

Democrats aim to see how many times they can meaninglessly impeach the same Republican president. It's left to voters to throw them out if they want to end Groundhog Day.

Fletch Daniels can be found on Twitter at @fletchdaniels.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 11:21:30|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's banks had provided over 537 billion yuan (about 76.89 billion U.S. dollars) of credit support as of Friday noon to help companies restore production amid the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak, a senior official with the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) said Saturday.

Differentiated preferential financial credit supports have been offered to enterprises and the help for the areas hit hard by the novel coronavirus has been strengthened, Liang Tao, vice chairman of the CBIRC, said at a press conference.
The United States has reached agreement with the Taliban on a weeklong reduction of violence that could lead to a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a senior administration official said on Friday, while cautioning that the insurgents must honour commitments for the accord to stick.

The deal was struck in protracted negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha and was announced after a meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The accord - if it holds - could pave the way for an agreement by the end of the month on a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a long-sought objective for US President Donald Trump, who has vowed to stop the endless wars as he seeks re-election in November.

It was violence that derailed the signing of the agreement in September. Now we have an agreement on the reduction of violence. And, should the Talibs implement what theyve committed to doing, we will move forward with the agreement, the senior administration official told reporters in Munich.

The seven-day period has not yet started, but will go into effect soon, the official said.

There were no immediate comments from Ghanis government or the Taliban.

There remains a long way to go to a peace settlement and end to the nearly two-decade-old US military presence that began shortly after the 9/11 attacks by al Qaeda. US officials have been clear that the 13,000 US troops will be cut to about 8,600 this year, with or without a withdrawal deal.

The reduction in violence agreement is a good step on a very long road, said Ronald Neumann, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan.

Long path to peace deal

A US withdrawal agreement would be followed by negotiations on a political settlement between the Taliban and an Afghan delegation that would include government officials. One of the first issues would be a nationwide ceasefire.

The so-called intra-Afghan dialogue, however, is likely to be difficult and protracted. The Taliban have refused to speak directly to the government, which they denounce as a US puppet. Kabuls negotiating team has yet to be named, and there has been long wrangling over its composition.

It also remained to be seen if the Taliban leadership has full control over all its fighters.

The senior US official made clear that a full US withdrawal will depend on the Taliban fulfilling commitments to end their close ties with al Qaeda and other extremist groups.

Our commitment, in terms of reduction of forces which is both conditions-based and in phases, is very much tied to delivery on the commitments that they have made, and will be, said the official. There will be no hosting, no training, no recruitment, no fund-raising.

The official, however, noted that provision covered only Taliban-controlled territory, meaning it does not apply to Taliban sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan, which US officials accuse of supporting the insurgents. Islamabad denies the allegation.

The official said the reduction in violence agreement was very specific and covered all Afghan forces. The US military would monitor violence levels to verify whether the Taliban were honoring it.

US and Taliban negotiators have been meeting in Doha since 2018 even as fighting has raged and hundreds of civilians and combatants have been killed as the insurgents have expanded their territorial control.

Last month the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a US government agency, assessed that there were a record-high number of attacks by the Taliban and other anti-government forces in the last three months of 2019.
Jeremy Vine has told guests on his BBC Radio 2 show not to touch him because he fears being infected with coronavirus

Jeremy Vine has told guests on his BBC Radio 2 show not to touch him because he fears being infected with coronavirus.

The presenter attached a scribbled sign, above right, on his studio door that read: Guests. Welcome! Lovely to have you, but please note that we are not shaking hands, hugging or kissing for now.

Last week leading virologist Professor John Oxford, of Queen Mary University of London gave advice,

'We need less handshaking, hugging, kissing, that sort of thing, because this virus looks like its spread by ordinary tidal breathing, not necessarily colds and coughing,' he said.

He posted about the message on Twitter.

Jeremy Vine @theJeremyVine 1:01PM Feb 13 2020 Acceptable notice for the door of my studio?

Chinese tourist dies in Paris as UK 'actively considers' cruise ship airlift

Meanwhile coronavirus claimed its first victim in Europe last night after a Chinese tourist died in Paris.

The dramatic development came as Government plans warned that half of the UK population could be at risk of infection.

Eight out of the nine people who tested positive for the virus in the UK were discharged from hospital yesterday. But globally the number of cases continued to soar, with the death toll reaching 1,523 and the number of people infected topping more than 67,000.

World Health Organisation (WHO) officials last night launched an investigation in China, as its director-general criticised world leaders for their dangerously short-sighted lack of preparation for a global outbreak.

The news came as:

Foreign Office officials were said to be actively considering an emergency airlift of 78 Britons trapped on a cruise ship that has been quarantined off the coast of Japan for ten days;

Government contingency plans revealed a worst-case scenario that half of Britons will become infected, with as many as 400,000 deaths forecast;

A leading British public health specialist urged families to draw up their own action plans to deal with the virus;

China started disinfecting and placing banknotes in quarantine a bid to stop the spread.

French health minister Agnes Buzyn announced yesterday that an 80-year-old Chinese man was the first to die from coronavirus in Europe. The man, who has not been named, deteriorated rapidly and succumbed to a pulmonary infection on Friday night, according to the French health authorities.

He had travelled to Paris on January 16 from Chinas Hubei province  the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak  before being taken ill on January 25. His daughter was also taken to hospital but authorities say she is expected to recover.

Women wearing face masks ride shared bicycles, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Beijing, China

Only three deaths had previously been reported outside mainland China  in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan. Yesterday, NHS England reported that all but one of the nine UK patients who tested positive for coronavirus had been released from hospital.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock stressed that those who had been discharged are now well and do not pose any health risk to the public. Among the newly released patients were five members of the ski group who were infected by 53-year-old businessman Steve Walsh, from Hove, the UKs so-called super spreader In a joint statement, they said they were now feeling well and looking forward to going home.

The last group of travellers from Chinas Hubei province who were quarantined at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral left the hospital yesterday, while more than 100 guests remain at Kents Hill Park in Milton Keynes.

Meanwhile, 78 Britons who are stranded on the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, were last night waiting to hear if the Foreign Office was going to rescue them.

Yesterday, the US State Department announced it was chartering two planes to airlift its 428 stranded citizens to safety  piling pressure on the UK Government to do the same. A Foreign Office spokesman said: We are urgently speaking to authorities in Japan and the UK. We are working around the clock to ensure the welfare of the British nationals on board. But in a video posted on Facebook yesterday from his cabin, British passenger David Abel, 74, said: Still no message from the UK Foreign Office  they just dont give a damn.

In China, banks started disinfecting and isolating used banknotes in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus. But Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said: Control measures, especially in China and I suspect many parts of the world, arent working.

So this is a real threat and health systems have to prepare for the possibility of major spread. We need to be prepared.

Meanwhile, a leading British public health doctor said families should draw up their own action plans to deal with the virus if there is a large outbreak here.

Professor John Ashton, a former regional director of public health in North West England, said: Everybody should have a contingency plan. Families should think about how they would carry on if one of them comes down with it. If you are keeping the children off school, whos going to look after them?

Individuals could take matters into their own hands by ensuring their immune system is primed to fight it. Look after yourself, get a decent nights sleep, eat fresh fruit and veg, he added.
Attorney General William Barr has assigned a team of prosecutors to review politically sensitive cases pursued by the U.S. attorneys office in Washingtonincluding that of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, the New York Times reported Friday.

According to the Times, Barr assembled a team of prosecutors from outside the area, including one from St. Louis, who is overseeing the Flynn case review. The U.S. attorneys office in D.C. handles federal crimes in Washington, meaning it inherited many cases first pursued by special counsel Robert Mueller. It has also been recently criticized by President Donald Trump for decisions in the Roger Stone and Andrew McCabe cases.

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In 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty in federal court to lying to the FBI about his communications with the former Russian ambassador. Flynn was first investigated by the special counsels office, and he cooperated in exchange for leniency. After the special counsels office wrapped up its investigation, career prosecutors in the D.C. office took over Flynns case. Flynn has recently asked to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming the government had concealed evidence and forced him to admit to crimes he did not commit.

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A judge dismissed Flynns complaints of prosecutorial misconduct as unfounded. Barrs team will revisit those complaints, according to USA Today.

Its unusual to bring in outside attorneys to review the work of career prosecutors. The news seemed to smack of political interference in judicial affairsthe second such case to arise this week.

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On Monday, federal prosecutors recommended that Stone serve seven to nine years in prison, in accordance with sentencing guidelines. Stone, a Trump associate who declined to cooperate with the Mueller investigation, was found guilty of witness intimidation and making false statements. On Tuesday, Trump tweeted that the recommendation was a horrible and very unfair situation. He added: The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice! Later that day, the Justice Department overruled the prosecutors decision. The updated recommendation announced that that amount of prison time would not be appropriate. The four career prosecutors involved in the initial filing quit the case, and one left the DOJ entirely.

Barr immediately came under fire and was accused of carrying out the presidents political will at the expense of the Justice Departments integrity. At the same time, Jessie Liu, the former head of the U.S. attorneys office in Washington, resigned from the Trump administration after Trump withdrew her nomination for a Senate-approved position in the Treasury Department. Trump was reportedly unhappy with Liu because of her role in some politically prominent cases, such as Stones and McCabes.

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Barr has disputed that these decisions were politically motivated. Barr has said that he had made the decision to lessen Stones sentencing recommendation before Trump tweeted. But he did complain in an interview with ABC News that the presidents actions had hurt the departments image. I think its time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases, Barr said. He added that such statements from Trump make it impossible for me to do my job.

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Trump, however, continued to tweet about Justice Department matters. He complained that Paul Manafort suffered worse punishments than Al Capone, said that Hillary Clinton should have been jailed instead, demanded to know why Tony Podesta had not been punished, suggested that Flynn and Stone should both receive full pardons for prosecutorial misconduct, and thanked Barr for taking charge of Stones case, which was out of control and perhaps should not have been brought.

CNN also reported on Friday that Trump was angered that federal prosecutors in D.C. had decided not to file criminal charges against former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. A DOJ inspector general report found that McCabe had given inaccurate statements to FBI investigators about his handling of media requests about an investigation into the Clinton Foundation during the run-up to the 2016 election. Trump has complained many times about what he sees as gentle treatment for McCabe when his own political allies have been punished for their crimes.
New Delhi: In yet another shocker from Bihar's Begusarai, a few CPI and RJD workers purified a statue of BR Ambedkar alleging that it was defiled by Union Minister and local BJP MP Giriraj Singh, a popular Hindutva hardline.

The incident happened at a park named after the architect of the Constitution in the Ballia block of the district where Singh had gone on Friday (Feb 14) and garlanded the statue before addressing a rally in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Around 24 hours later, local CPI leader Sanoj Saroj and RJD's Vikas Paswan and Rup Narayan Paswan, who have been staging an anti-CAA demonstration nearby for close to a fortnight, arrived with a bucket full of water drawn from the holy river.

They then sprinkled the Gangajal on the statue and chanted 'Jai Bhim' in praise of 'Phule' while washing the idol thoroughly. A video of the RJD and CPI workers performing the 'purification' act was also shot and shared on social media. In the video clip, they can be heard saying that 'Giriraj polluted the atmosphere when he came here and said, in his speech, that Ballia has become mini Pakistan'.

Bihar: CPI (Communist Party of India) & RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) workers washed the statue of BR Ambedkar (in pic 3), after Union Minister Giriraj Singh garlanded the statue in Begusarai. (14.02.2020) pic.twitter.com/opwCPqpaAN  ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2020

The protesters alleged that Giriraj stood for everything that Ambedkar had fought against and therefore his garlanding of the statue was tantamount to 'defiling it'.

The BJP MP was not available for comments as he has reportedly left for the national capital.

Notably, the assembly election in Bihar will be held in October 2020 to elect 243 members of the state Legislative Assembly. The term of current assembly elected in 2015 will expire on November 29, 2020.
The mother-of-two went beetroot-red in the face as I spoke to her in my GP clinic last month. Its an effect I seem to have on many of my menopausal patients these days.

Shed come in for help with hot flushes  and there I was showing her pictures of NHS-approved sex toys and suggesting she try them, alone.

As part of my standard line of questioning about menopausal symptoms, wed got on to sex.

GP Philippa Kay, pictured, routinely asks patients undergoing the menopause about their sex lives, even though it can cause embarrassment because such intimacy can significantly reduce the impact of symptoms

Ulrika Johnson, Carol Vorderman, and Zoe Ball have all spoken about how an active sex life has helped them with the menopause

Its important to get to know your body. And part of that is understanding what you like, and what you dont like in the bedroom, I said, calmly.

She winced. The truth is Ive never masturbated. I was told it was dirty, she whispered.

And Ive definitely never used a sex toy. I wouldnt even know where to start.

After a further discussion and some gentle cajoling, she eventually plucked up the courage to say: Maybe I ought to try one?

Gemma, 59, is typical of many of my female patients who suffer debilitating menopausal symptoms. Although it takes a while for them to admit it, the thing they hate the most is the effect the dwindling hormones have on their sex life.

Once they get over the embarrassment, the flood gates open. Im never in the mood  Im always tired and it hurts, said another patient, Karen, aged 54. My husband and I used to have such fun, but I guess those days are over.

I told Karen the same thing I say to all my patients in a similar dilemma: Who says it has to be? The menopause, which normally begins between the ages of 45 and 55, is not a one-way ticket to celibacy. It can be quite the opposite.

Last week former weather girl Ulrika Jonsson, 52, revealed that her sex life is healthier than ever, thanks to a passionate new relationship that ended her five-year sex hiatus.

Then theres radio presenter Zoe Ball, 49, whose secret to surviving the menopause is, she says, plenty of sex. And, at 58, Carol Vorderman enjoys a healthy libido and regularly gets up to mischief with her so-called special friends.

Up to 30 per cent of couples over 75 are still getting intimate, at least every other week, according to studies. And although British women do have less sex after menopause, research suggests this is mostly due to their partners erectile problems.

In short, you can have a fulfilling, adventurous sex life, despite the barrage of bodily changes. Yes, the lack of oestrogen, which keeps tissue supple and moist, causes dryness, itching and pain during penetration. And hormone swings also cause the dreaded hot flushes, sweating and aching joints, while testosterone deficiency may have you feeling miserable and exhausted. But there are plenty of things we can do to help.

Firstly, address the physical problems: vaginal tightness and/or pain during sex can be fixed pretty easily and your GP can advise on whether medication you may be on  such as blood-pressure and heartburn tablets  can affect libido.

Anxiety and depression are also common mood-killers, so consider treating these. And work on the psychological barriers, too. A psychosexual counsellor, available on the NHS, can help couples regain their physical relationship often, ironically, by taking sex off the table.

Up to 30 per cent of couples over 75 are still getting intimate, at least every other week, according to studies. And although British women do have less sex after menopause, research suggests this is mostly due to their partners erectile problems

The pressure to go the whole way is removed, leaving time spent only for touching and kissing, allowing you to focus on other pleasurable sensations.

Eventually you can build up to sex  if you want to. Its just a case of knowing a few tips and tricks to keep you feeling your best. After a few weeks of experimenting with her new toy, Gemma returned to my clinic beaming from ear to ear. Getting to know her body had revolutionised her sex life with her husband. The tragedy is, she needed to be granted permission by a doctor to do so because, like so many women, she was too afraid to ask how.

So here, Ive tried to answer everything women want to know about sex after the menopause  without you having to ask a single, uncomfortable question. Hopefully my answers will mean theres nothing left to do but lie back and enjoy the results. Orgasms are, after all, great for your health.

'Male' hormone gel transforms sex life

Many women ask me about replacing their oestrogen, but few ask for a top-up of the male sex hormone, testosterone. But this can prove transformative, particularly for your sex life.

Produced in the adrenal glands and ovaries, testosterone is vital for sexual arousal, bone health, muscle strength and producing the feelgood chemical dopamine. By the menopause, levels are half what they were in your 20s. A blood test can identify how much top-up you might need. Currently, testosterone, in cream or gel form, is only given to women already on HRT to ensure a correct balance between the sex hormones progesterone, testosterone and oestrogen.

Rubbed into the tummy daily, it can take three months to have an effect. If theres no improvement after six months, you will be advised to stop  too much can cause acne, hair loss and excess facial hair.

Itchy or painful down there?

I spend many hours speaking to patients about dry, sore and burning genitals, so women neednt be embarrassed when talking about it. One patient, Annie, 59, said she felt an agonising, burning sensation during sex which was causing serious problems for her relationship.

Doctors have coined this genitourinary syndrome of the menopause, or GSM. These symptoms dont just occur as soon as your periods stop. They are a gradual response to the lack of oestrogen in the tissues and can come years down the line.

Over time, the reduction in hormones in the vagina, vulva and pelvic floor muscles causes a loss of elasticity and the capacity for these delicate areas to stretch during sex. There are also fewer secretions for lubrication and fewer bacteria to protect against urinary tract infections. But there are plenty of simple, effective treatments...

Ditch lubricants with irritating chemicals

One effective way of introducing moisture back into the vagina during sex is to use a lubricant. But the products sold in supermarkets  like the infamous KY Jelly  are full of chemicals which can further irritate the sensitive skin and do little to reduce pain. Instead, I recommend Yes or Sylk lubricants, which can be ordered online.

They are made with inert chemicals, so are less likely to cause irritation, and come in oil-based, silicone and water-based versions.

Using a combination of water and silicone-based lubricant can be extra slippery, which may be needed. But be aware that oil-based lubricants can affect the integrity of condoms  and yes, you may still need them (more on this later).

The magic power of hormonal creams...

Many patients are nervous about applying hormonal creams  which replace oestrogen in the vaginal tissues  due to cancer fears. But they neednt worry.

The risks of hormone-replacement treatments like this, which are applied internally, are virtually non-existent in cream form.

So little is absorbed into the bloodstream theres no effect on the rest of the body. Oestrogen creams are inserted into the vagina  using applicators or by using a pessary.

There are also flexible rings which release the oestrogen gradually and are replaced every three months.

Doctors say sex toys are good for you

Most of my patients cant look me in the eye when I mention the term sex toy. But when I describe them as a medical treatment, they are more open to using one.

Studies show that women who use devices such as vibrators have improved sexual function, sleep better and suffer less pain or stress. Stimulating the external genitals (vulva and clitoris) increases blood flow to the vaginal area, improving symptoms of GSM-like dryness.

However, involuntary tightening of the vaginal muscles is another problem, often making penetration almost impossible. Medical devices called dilators can help.

They are small, tube-shaped objects inserted into the vagina to help open it  starting with the smallest size and working up to one a little bigger than your partner.

Lie with your legs in a diamond shape and gently insert the dilator (coated in lubricant), leaving it in for a minute, then repeating.

Your GP should be able to recommend a dilator  they typically come in a box of varying sizes.

Some have in-built clitoral stimulators to increase blood supply simultaneously, enabling you to get some positive feedback from the exercise  it should feel good!

Beware you can STILL get pregnant

I havent seen a patient as flabbergasted by a diagnosis as one woman was, when I delivered some news to her last month.

She complained of sore breasts, hot flushes and joint pains. Much to her horror, tests revealed she was pregnant at 49.

But I havent had a period for nine months! she said.

As long as you still have a womb and ovaries, you can still conceive up to the age of about 55.

One patient was horrified to discover that she was pregnant at the age of 49 even though she had not had a period for nine months

Even a year after your last period, your hormones may be fluctuating wildly and your ovaries may well pop out an egg. But this doesnt mean you need to be on contraception for ever.

Over-50s need to use it for a year after the last period. If youre under 50, its two years.

If your contraception stops you having periods, or theyre irregular, keep using it until the age of 55.

Sometimes doctors can perform blood tests to see how long you need to use it for, depending on your form of contraception.

The combined pill can also act as a form of HRT but youll need to stop taking it aged 50 as the risks begin to outweigh the benefit.

Other contraceptives, such as the progesterone-only pill or longer-term implants and coils, can be used up to the age of 55.

How not to get an unwanted infection

Recently I had to give one of the most dreaded diagnoses, telling a 71-year-old widow that she had gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The patient had recently begun a new relationship and had not thought much about contraception.

STIs in older adults are increasingly common.

Between 2012 and 2017, STI rates in the over-65s shot up by a quarter in women and by 15 per cent in men.

A combination of rising divorce rates, sex-enhancing medication such as Viagra and pitiful sex education have been blamed for the surge.

The only form of contraception that protects against sexually transmitted infection is a condom, so, just as in your younger days, keep some handy!

The M-word: Everything You Need To Know About The Menopause, by Dr Philippa Kaye, is out now (Summersdale, 9.99).
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has seven days to apologize to two men over blocking them on Twitter, according to the attorney who is representing them.

Sean M. Guay, of Hummelstown, and Jason Lindemuth, of Harrisburg, hired Marc Scaringi to represent them. They say they have a First Amendment Right to a healthy public discord on social media.

The disagreement was sparked over a picture Fetterman tweeted Tuesday of his wife, Gisele, wearing a Brazilian carnival outfit. The warning letter was delivered to Fetterman on Friday, the attorney said.

In it, Scaringi noted a PennLive article, which quoted Fetterman as accusing Lindemuth of trying to shame his wife on Twitter. Lindemuth said thats not true and that he just disagreed with how Fetterman, a public official, was spending his time.

Other recent events that involved public officials, and social media, have resulted in the public official being sued, Scaringi said. Federal courts have ruled that social media is a "designated public forum where public officials are not permitted to block Twitter users.

Here's another photo taken of Gisele Fetterman in Carnival gear.

President Donald J. Trump was sued for blocking Twitter users. That decision was made by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Scaringi wrote.

Another example, he cited, was U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She was sued for blocking a Twitter follower. In her case, she apologized.

The letter says that Fetterman has seven days to issue an apology to both men for blocking them and to Lindemuth for accusing him of trying to shame his wife or Scaringi plans to pursue a defamation lawsuit.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
New guidelines for Int'l travellers: From South Africa to Mauritius, here is a list of at-risk countries

'Turkey should not interfere in internal affairs': India rejects Erdogan's comments on Kashmir

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Feb 15: India on Saturday rejected "all references" to Jammu and Kashmir made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a joint declaration with Pakistan where he pledged his support for Islamabad's stand on the contentious issue.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kaumar said India rejects all references made by the Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the region is an integral and inalienable part of India.

"India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India," Kumar said in reference to Erdogan's comments on Jammu and Kashmir.

"We call upon the Turkish leadership not to interfere in India's internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region," he said.

In an address at Pakistan's Parliament on Friday, Erdogan compared "the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I".

Voicing his country's support to Pakistan's stand on the Kashmir issue, he said it can be resolved not through conflict or oppression but on the basis of justice and fairness.

"Our Kashmiri brothers and sisters have suffered from inconveniences for decades and these sufferings have become graver due to unilateral steps taken in recent times," Erdogan said, apparently referring to India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August last year.

"Today, the issue of Kashmir is as close to us as it is to you (Pakistanis).

"Such a solution (on the basis of justice and fairness) will serve the interests of all parties concerned. Turkey will continue to stand by justice, peace and dialogue in the resolution of the Kashmir issue," the president said.

In September last year, Erdogan raised the Kashmir issue during his address at the United Nations General Assembly.
Ericsson CEO to meet Germany's Merkel next week FILE PHOTO: An Ericsson logo is pictured at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Shanghai

BERLIN (Reuters) - The chief executive of Sweden's Ericsson will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel next week, a government spokesman said on Friday, amid debate in Berlin over how best to regulate foreign providers of telecoms equipment.

Borje Ekholm's meeting on Feb. 13 comes amid calls from some German lawmakers to ban China's Huawei, the global leader in telecoms networks, on national security grounds.

Sources earlier said Finland's Nokia would also send a representative to meet Merkel, although the company has not commented on the report.

Nokia is the world's No.2 supplier of telecoms equipment, followed by Ericsson.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Michelle Martin)
Chinese and US officials clashed on Friday over the US Justice's Department new criminal charges against Huawei Technologies.

Counts of racketeering, obstruction of justice and money laundering were also added to the case.

Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi, who also serves as China's foreign minister, said he did not understand why the United States was trying to get its allies to attack a private company, according to Reuters.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (left) and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg at the Munich Security Conference on Friday. Photo: Michael Gruber/Aussenministerium via APA/dpa alt=Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (left) and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg at the Munich Security Conference on Friday. Photo: Michael Gruber/Aussenministerium via APA/dpa

He said there was no credible evidence that Huawei has a so-called back door that harms US security.

In a 433-word rebuke on Friday, Huawei called the new charges "political persecution".

"For quite a while, the US government has been using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company," it said in a statement.

The US government "has used every tool at its disposal, whether they be legislative, administrative, judicial or diplomatic, and has even tried to turn public opinion against Huawei to disrupt our normal business operations," it said.

"They are hoping that if they throw enough mud, some of the mud will stick," Suffolk said at the conference.

Senior US officials pushed back against Huawei's defence.

"Over the last couple of years there's been more than enough evidence of the way the Chinese government has been using its national champions," said Robert Blair, US special representative for international telecommunications policy, told a press conference.

"So, really, the onus is on Huawei now. They have to show they are a trustworthy partner. They have to separate themselves from the Chinese government."

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Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said the new charges were related to a decades-long effort by Huawei and four of its subsidiaries, in both the US and in China, to engage in racketeering activities aimed at building the company into one of the world's most powerful telecoms equipment and consumer electronics concerns.

As a result, Huawei obtained nonpublic intellectual property about robotics, cellular antenna technology and internet router source code, according to the prosecutors.

In response, Huawei released a statement accusing the US of "reintroducing previously resolved civil cases as criminal cases".

The US accused Huawei of covering up its business involvement with North Korea. Pictured: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: KCNA alt=The US accused Huawei of covering up its business involvement with North Korea. Pictured: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: KCNA

"This is selective, politically motivated enforcement of the law, and contrary to common judicial conventions," Huawei's statement said.

The US allegations "are based largely on resolved civil disputes from the last 20 years that have been previously settled, litigated and in some cases rejected by federal judges and juries," the statement said.

The company stated that no court had ever found that Huawei had engaged in malicious intellectual property theft, or had required Huawei to pay damages for infringing on others' intellectual property rights.

Huawei, however, did not comment on the new charges regarding its business dealings with North Korea. Thursday's indictment accused the company of being involved in a number of projects in the hermit kingdom since at least 2008 and of covering up its activities there.

The new indictment also charged Meng Wanzhou, a daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, with making false representation to a bank, leading to the financial institution's decision to continue doing business with Huawei.

The US government has previously alleged that Meng lied to banking giant HSBC about Huawei's dealings with Iran because a truthful disclosure might have dissuaded the financial institution from continuing to work with the telecoms supplier.

Washington has been engaged in a global pressure campaign against Huawei after taking a series of tough measures against the company in the last year. In May it placed Huawei on a so-called Entity List to prohibit it from doing business in the US.

The Trump administration has been cracking down on what it calls "unfair" trade and business practices by Chinese companies to prevent China from gaining an edge over the US in global technology advancement. It is especially concerned about falling behind China in next-generation 5G cellular technology, an area in which Huawei is the world leader.

On Thursday, US Senator Rick Scott of Florida introduced legislation to further restrict US companies from selling products to the Chinese company. The bill attempts to close a loophole that has allowed US semiconductor companies to continue doing business with Huawei through foreign units.

US Senator Rick Scott has introduced legislation to further restrict US companies from selling products to Huawei. Photo: AP alt=US Senator Rick Scott has introduced legislation to further restrict US companies from selling products to Huawei. Photo: AP

"We know Huawei is supported and controlled by the communist regime in Beijing, which continues to violate human rights and steal our data, technology and intellectual property," Scott said in a statement. "Companies in the United States should not be allowed to sell to Huawei, and my legislation will further restrict their ability."

Huawei refuted US claims that any of its products or technologies "have been developed through the theft of trade secrets".

"Huawei's development is the result of our huge investment in R&D and the hard work of our employees over the past three decades," it said in the statement.

The company said intellectual property disputes are common in the international business sphere. It said data showed that while Huawei is involved in 209 IP lawsuits, Apple has 596 such cases pending and Samsung 519.

The Department of Justice declined to comment beyond the released indictments. Representatives with Apple and Samsung did not respond to requests for comment.

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This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in the stabbing death of Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors in New York City, police and prosecutors said Saturday.

The boy faces two counts of murder in the second degreeone for intentional murder, the other for felony murder committed during a robbery, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance told reporters. Hes also charged with four robbery counts.

The boy was arrested without incident at a Harlem housing project Friday night, police said.

Majors, 18, was walking in Manhattans Morningside Park near Barnard College on Dec. 11 when she was attacked, NYPD said. She was a freshman at the college.

Sadly, it cannot bring back this young woman, this student, this victim, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said of the arrest. That is something even the best most impartial investigation simply cannot do. What we can do is say that we are confident we have the person in custody who stabbed her.

Vance said the criminal complaint includes substantial blood analysis, smartphone and video evidence and a recorded statement from the defendant.

It paints a gruesome picture of what this young woman endured in her final moments, he said. As alleged, some of the last words she was known to have said were, Help me. Im being robbed.'

The defendant has been remanded into custody and will be arraigned Feb. 19, Vance said. He is being charged as an adult.

Shea said authorities had been in touch with the Majors family.

Sadly, there is no comfort that we can give them and for that, we are sorry, he said.

Barnard College is an all-womens school in Manhattan with more than 2,600 students. The schools campus stretches from West 116th Street to West 120th Street off Broadway in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York City.

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Carnival season returns to Rome from 20-25 February.

Rome celebrates Carnevale with around 100 events between 20 and 25 February.

The six-day festival, whose theme is Carnevale in citta, will feature parades, theatre, live music, films, guided tours and workshops.

Highlights of this year's Carnevale in Rome will be Ambrogio Sparagnas tarantella, with the musicians and dancers of the Orchestra Popolare Italiana crossing the Foro Italico on 22 February; and a masked musical parade in the outdoor spaces of the Auditorium Parco della Musica on 23 February.

Events for children will be central to Rome's Carnevale, with activities including animated readings in libraries and free mask-making workshops in museums.

A highlight of this year's programme for adults will be a late-night masked and costumed event at Teatro India which hosts the DJ and VJ set Mutati si balla.

Carnevale in Rome

Rome's city-run museums, including the jewel in the municipal museum circuit - the Capitoline Museums - will be open for free on 25 February, Shrove Tuesday, known in Italian as martedi grasso.

The initiative includes temporary exhibitions at city museums, with the exception of Canova: Eterna Bellezza at Palazzo Braschi and Cera una volta Sergio Leone at the Ara Pacis, while the Palazzo delle Esposizioni offers reduced entry to the exhibitions Gabriele Basilico: Metropoli and Jim Dine from 20-25 February.

Traditionally carnival is the period of fun and festivities preceding the 40 days of fasting and prayer that Christians observe during Lent, which begins this year on 26 February, with Ash Wednesday, and ends with Easter Sunday on 12 April.

For insights into the origins of Carnevale in Rome see our guide to the colourful history of Carnevale Romano, while to indulge in Roman treats for Carnevale try sugar-dusted frappe and castagnole.

Those who wish to take a carnival-themed trip should definitely consider heading to Venice for the ultimate Carnevale experience.

For full details of Rome's Carnvale programme see city website.
PHOTO: POFMA Office

SINGAPORE  Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran has on Saturday (15 February) declared the States Times Review (STR) Facebook page a Declared Online Location (DOL) under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).

A Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI) media statement said that, under the declaration, the page is required to carry a notice stating that it has been declared a DOL. Visitors to the page will be warned that the page has a history of communicating falsehoods.

The declaration will make it an offence for Alex Tan, owner of the STR Facebook page, to derive benefit from operating the page. It also bans any kind of financial support for the page for purposes of promoting its communication of falsehoods.

This is the first time a DOL has been issued by the POFMA office. It will come into effect on Sunday.

Repeatedly conveyed falsehoods

The STR Facebook page has repeatedly conveyed numerous falsehoods, three of which were the subjects of POFMA directions from November 2019.

The latest instance occurred on Friday, when Minister of Health Gan Kim Yong issued a correction direction to STR Facebook page over a post on Thursday which had numerous falsehoods on the current COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Singapore.

The STR Facebook page has not complied with any of the POFMA directions that it has been served with. MCI said that the page is linked to other websites operated by Tan, which derive monetary benefits from the falsehoods.

Numerous falsehoods in post on COVID-19 outbreak

In the latest correction direction issued by the POFMA office to STR Facebook page on Friday, Health Minister Gan took issue to a post about the 30,000 Chinese work pass holders who have not returned to Singapore.

The post, which was shared more than 300 times, had claimed that:

the Singapore government is unable to trace the source of infection for any of the infected COVID-19 cases in Singapore,

the government is the only one telling the public not to wear a mask,

each China worker will also get $100 a day for his 14-days leave of absence, fully paid for by the Singapore government.

Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo said that she was working hard to bring more workers from China into Singapore,

seven countries have since banned travel to Singapore, citing lack of confidence in the Singapore governments public health measures.

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Debunking each falsehood claim

The POFMA office said that the above-mentioned claims are entirely false. It proceeded to debunk each claim:

As of 12pm on Friday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has established through epidemiological investigation and contact tracing that 51 out of the 58 cases have either had travel history to mainland China, or links with previously announced cases.

MOHs advice  that there is no need for individuals who are well to wear a mask  is in-line with the World Health Organisation's guidance on the use of masks in the community in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. Health authorities in other countries such as the United States and Australia have also expressly advised that they do not recommend that masks be worn by people who are well.

Chinese work-pass holders who are placed on mandatory 14-day leaves of absence do not receive the $100 daily support. Instead, it is their employers who would receive the support under the Leave of Absence Support Programme.

At no time did Manpower Minister Teo say she was working hard to bring more Chinese workers back to Singapore. In fact, the Ministry of Manpower requires employers of work-pass holders with travel history to mainland China to obtain prior approval, so as to slow down their workers return to Singapore. The ministry has approved about 200 applications daily for planned arrivals between 9 and 12 February, giving priority to applications in essential services like healthcare, transport and waste management so that operations in these sectors are not compromised. Many more applications were rejected.

As of 8pm on Thursday, no countries have banned travel to Singapore.

Besides the correction direction, the POFMA Office was also told to issue a targeted correction direction to Facebook, the host of the post.

To date, the fake news law has been used to deal with five cases of falsehoods related to the coronavirus outbreak.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

Other Singapore stories:

Woman, 26, charged with abandoning baby in Bedok

Donors needed: Singapore blood supply critically low amid COVID-19 outbreak

COVID-19: Singapore confirms 9 new cases, 6 linked to Grace Assembly of God church; total at 67

Coronavirus: How it's spreading in Singapore and the world

COVID-19: Catholic Church in Singapore suspends all Masses
Veteran actor Harrison Ford has revealed that the next installment of his 'Indiana Jones" franchise will start production in summer.

"Indiana Jones 5" will see the veteran actor returning as the bullwhip-wielding adventurer.

The project, to be directed by Steven Spielberg, was originally announced three years ago and has gone through various delays since then.

In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the 77-year-old actor said the film is expected to start shooting soon, preferably in late April.

"When we have an opportunity to make another, it is because people have enjoyed them. I feel obliged to make sure our ambitions are as ambitious as they were when we started," Ford said.

The veteran star, who is currently promoting his next release "Call of the Wild", was also asked about "Indiana Jones 5" during his appearance of Ellen DeGeneres show.

"I can deny that it's not happening... It's going to be fun. I am excited. They're great fun to make," Ford said.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", released in 2008, was the last film from the beloved franchise.

Ford first played the part in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark", which he followed up with "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984) and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)




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Three people were shot and wounded by a gunman who opened fire on Friday inside an Atlanta-area restaurant owned by Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss.

Police in East Point, Georgia, have launched a manhunt in search of the gunman who struck the popular Old Lady Gang 2 eatery on Friday night.

Investigators say that the gunman entered the restaurant and targeted another man inside, WSB-TV is reporting.

After the gunman opened fire, he struck his intended target as well as two other innocent bystanders, police said.

Authorities expect all three gunshot victims to survive.

Police were seen outside the Old Lady Gang restaurant in East Point, Georgia, on Friday night after three people were shot and wounded by a gunman who fled

The Old Lady Gang is a restaurant co-owned by Kandi Burruss, the star of Real Housewives of Atlanta

According to police, the male suspect entered the restaurant and shot another man, also shooting two bystanders in the process

Captain Allyn Glover told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 'We are actively looking for a suspect but do not have any further information at this time.'

Witness Brynae Kinsey told CBS46: We were waiting for our spot at the Juicy Crab, and we were waiting outside actually at that bench right there. We heard two gunshots and I seen somebody run out that door, and I ran.'

They added: 'I just heard her scream 'ahhh,' and then I heard two pops. Pop, pop. I just wondered what was going through his head for him to pop off like that.'

Another witness described the scene, as guests ran into the kitchen in the back of the restaurant after the shots were fired.

Burruss, a singer-songwriter, and husband Todd Tucker opened the Camp Creek Parkway location back in 2018.

It was opened shortly after the success of the original Castleberry Market location opened in 2017.

Kandi has long referred to her mother Joyce Jones, Aunt Nora Wilcox and Aunt Bertha Jones as the Old Lady Gang on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Another snowstorm is about to slam the Pacific Northwest (PNW) after Mother Nature finally decided to give the region a break for the past week or so.

The PNW has been battered by rounds of heavy snow, flooding rain and fierce winds since the beginning of 2020, which led to accidents, road closures and freight movement delays.

Transportation and supply chain impacts from the upcoming storm should remain fairly localized as opposed to widespread  whether on roads, rails or runways  but shippers, carriers and drivers will still need to prepare.

SONAR Critical Events and radar: Friday, Feb. 14, 2020; Northwest Valentine's weekend snowstorm

Periods of heavy snowfall begin Friday night in the Cascades of Washington and Oregon, spreading into the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon as well as the Rockies of northern Idaho and western Montana on Saturday, possibly lasting across the region through early Monday (Presidents' Day).

Look for weekend totals of 12 to 24 inches in the highest elevations, with an additional 12 inches possible in some areas on Monday.

Roads will become slick and hazardous for truckers. Lookout and Snoqualmie passes on Interstate 90 could be trouble spots, in addition to Lolo and White passes on US-12, Stevens Pass on US-2, Santiam Pass on US-20 and Willamette Pass on OR-58. Portions of I-84 in Oregon will be dicey, especially in the Meacham and Tollgate areas.

On Sunday, some of the heavy snowfall will head to the mountains of northern California, northern Nevada, the Wasatch Range in Utah and the West Yellowstone area.

In western Washington, snow levels will start at 1,500-2,000 feet Friday night, rising to 3,000-3,500 feet Saturday, then down to 1,000-2,000 feet Sunday.

Some parts of the PNW will get wet rather than white. The valleys, lowlands and coastal areas of Washington and Oregon could get doused with up to 4 inches of rain this weekend, resulting in possible areas of localized flooding, mudslides and landslides. This includes the I-5 corridor from Seattle to Portland and spots along US-101.

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Frozen

The snowstorm that hit the Great Lakes and interior Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday is gone. However, very cold air is enveloping the regions. This will keep many roads slick for the next few days with little/no chance to thaw.

As temperatures drop, shippers that would normally ship freight in dry vans request more and more reefers to keep temperature-sensitive freight  cosmetics, chemicals, water and beer, to name a few  from freezing. This is known as "protect from freeze," or PFF. Reefers are climate-controlled trailers that allow drivers to set a desired temperature for the insides of the trailers.

SONAR Ticker: FREEZE map

For carriers running long-haul reefers loads from mild spots in the East to the markets in the Northwest, PFF protocols will be crucial the next several days. By late Friday night, temperatures in the Great Lakes and interior New England will range from 15 degrees above zero to 15 below zero. Highs on Saturday will barely reach above freezing in the Great Lakes and will only be in the teens and 20s across interior New England. Mornings will stay subfreezing into next week.

The FreightWaves SONAR map above shows the forecast daily average temperatures for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The areas in dark and deep blue represent the coldest conditions, with warmest weather in the yellow.

Next week, more snowfall is heading back to some of the same areas of the Great Lakes and Northeast that the last storm hit. This will not likely be a major storm either, but some travel disruptions will pop up.

SONAR Critical Events and radar: Friday, Feb. 14, 2020; Midwest/Northeast Presidents' Day snowstorm

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend. Please be careful out there!

Image Sourced from Pixabay

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 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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Nearly 400 Americans aboard a quarantined cruise ship in Japan will be given the opportunity to be flown Sunday to air bases in California and Texas, where they will continue to be under quarantine for two weeks as a precaution against the COVID-19 virus.

The U.S. Embassy in Japan announced that citizens aboard the ship Diamond Princess who are not exhibiting coronavirus symptoms will be flown to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, with some passengers continuing to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
Criminal justice reforms are vital, but we cannot lose sight of the first and most important function of the criminal justice system: to protect our communities. In some widely reported cases over the last few weeks in New York, dangerous offenders have been automatically released and, predictably, are reoffending. In New Jersey, prosecutors and judges can assess the danger posed by each individual offender and, if necessary, hold that person without bail pending trial. While no bail system will ever be perfect, every system will benefit from experience and adaptation. We learned from our own experience and made adjustments and improvements along the way.




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The Pagani Imola, a track-focused version of the Pagani Huayra, first broke cover in September, 2019, at an event, but official information was nowhere to be found. It took a few months, but today, Pagani released the first batch of real images and gave fans the specs they've been waiting for.

With a pre-tax price tag of $5.4 million by today's conversion rates, the Imola will be limited to only five examples, and Pagani says every car is already spoken for. The car is named for the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari racetrack in Imola, Italy, outside Bologna. There, the car logged roughly 3,728 miles during testing and validation, which the company says was the most severe tuning process ever conducted for a Pagani vehicle.

Immediately noticeable are the car's aerodynamics and fierce looks. A rear spine gives the Imola a new technical profile, several new deflectors and inlets interrupt any hope for smooth lines, and the rear could double as a geometric abstract drawing. Founder and Chief Designer of Pagani Automobili Horacio Pagani even admitted in the press release, "We cant say that its an elegant car. We wanted an efficient vehicle."

Pagani bills the coupe as a technology test lab for its entire operation. Some of the innovations have already been applied to the Huayra Roadster BC, while others will be implemented in future vehicles. As with any high-performance vehicle, the focus was on weight savings, a balance between feel and control, and power.

To increase rigidity and strength while keeping weight at bay, Pagani reformulated its Carbo-Titanium HP62 G2 and Carbo-Triax HP62 used in the monocoque. The Imola introduces Acquarello Light, a new painting process that saves 11 pounds, and the car was built with roughly 770 forged or CNC-machined components. All said, Pagani claims the Imola weighs 2,747 pounds, slightly heavier than the 2,685-pound Huayra BC coupe but significantly lighter than the 2,976-pound regular Huayra coupe.

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Under the hood, the Imola has a 5,980-cc Mercedes-AMG twin-turbo V12 that makes a claimed 827 horsepower and 811 lb-ft of torque. It works with an Xtrac 7-speed transverse automatic transmission, a triple-disc clutch, and an electro-mechanical differential. That output, which represents increases from the BC Roadster's 791 horsepower and 774 lb-ft of torque, is sent to the rear wheels.

Pagani redesigned the suspension for better power transfer and reduced brake dive, and the Imola has a new Smart Gas system. Basically, the engine, differential, transmission, and suspension talk to each other and work together to reduce shift times and sharpen driving feel. The system has interconnected electronically controlled dampers that change ride height depending on the driving characteristics. This is in addition to an active aerodynamic system that was introduced on the original Huayra.

Additionally, the Imola has a custom carbon-ceramic Brembo braking system with six-piston monoblock calipers up front and four-piston monoblock calipers in the rear. Twenty-inch wheels up front and 21-inch wheels in the rear are wrapped with bespoke Pirelli Trofeo R rubber.

For Pagani, the man, the Imola circuit was a no-brainer when it came to testing, as the track's history is equally as important as its racing characteristics.

Imola is a sacred place for car enthusiasts," he says in the release. "Its a fast, difficult, technical circuit that has always separated the wheat from the chaff, in terms of both men and machines. A circuit that has made the fastest drivers faster, one that has given rise to fierce duels between opponents and gentlemen, and where the sweetest victories and bitterest tragedies have been witnessed. A circuit in the Motor Valley of Emilia Romagna. A place that has given so much to the automotive industry. That has given so much to Pagani. The Imola circuit became a second home while the car was being developed. This is why project code PS-01 was dubbed Pagani Imola, as a tribute to the track where the vehicle was created and which is part of its identity."
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The Sunday Times Business Club on Wednesday hosted British author Michael Smith at the Hilton during its monthly meeting where Mr. Smith presented his latest book Leading with Integrity: Creating Positive Change in Organisations. Picture shows Mr. Smith (second from left) with former Minister Sarath Amunugama (speaking) who reviewed the book. Pic by Sameera Weerasekera. A detailed report of the event will appear next week.
(Newser)  Bernie Sanders just got a high-profile endorsement from one of his former rivals for the Oval Office. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who dropped out of the presidential race himself in September, gave the Vermont senator the thumbs-up on Friday, which the New York Times notes is the opposite of what he did in 2016, when he endorsed Hillary Clinton over Sanders. "I have called for a bold, progressive agenda, and that's exactly what Senator Sanders has championed for decades," de Blasio said in a statement released by the Sanders campaign, adding he's putting his weight behind Sanders because he "stands with working families." The mayor is set to stump with Sanders in Nevada starting Sunday, ahead of caucuses there on Feb. 22. CBS News notes de Blasio is now in a position to push back hard against his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, who's been rising in the polls.

story continues below

"There's no way in the world we should nominate a billionaire who epitomizes the status quo," de Blasio said after Bloomberg announced his candidacy. Per Politico, de Blasio could prove a "useful validator" for Sanders, due to his fairly large platform as New York's mayor, push to fight inequality, labor union ties, and biracial family. However, both Politico and the Times note that de Blasio offered his endorsement for Sanders only after the latter's victory in the New Hampshire primary and neck-and-neck finish with Pete Buttigieg in Iowa. Still, de Blasio now appears all in. "New Yorkers know all too well the damage caused by Donald Trump's xenophobia, bigotry, and recklessness, and Bernie is the candidate to take him on and take him down," the mayor says in the release. (Read more Bernie Sanders 2020 stories.)
Mary Lou McDonald also McDonald commended her negotiating, Executive and Assembly teams (Niall Carson/PA)

Violent dissident republicans should disband, the Sinn Fein leader said.

Anti-peace process renegades threatened the partys vice president Michelle ONeill and veteran policing spokesman Gerry Kelly after they supported a recent recruitment campaign for new Catholic officers.

Party president Mary Lou McDonald said they would not be deterred or intimidated by the gunmen.

She added: These people have no politics, no strategy and nothing to offer.

They are at war with their community and are now threatening political representatives who serve the people.

The event was intended to encourage more Catholics to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Senior commanders have become concerned in recent years over a slide in the proportion of Catholic officers amid the severe threat posed by dissident republicans who try to kill members of the security forces.

The Sinn Fein president said: Sinn Fein will not be deterred or intimidated.

These groups have nothing to offer. Its time they packed up and disbanded.

Ms ONeill and Mr Kellys attendance at a PSNI recruitment event was hailed by Chief Constable Simon Byrne as seismic and historic.

It was the first time such a senior Sinn Fein figure had attended such a meeting, although the party has expressed support for police in Northern Ireland on many occasions in the past.

Last year there were attempted bomb attacks by dissident republicans targeting police in Belfast, Craigavon in Co Armagh and near the Irish border in Fermanagh.

The New IRA and Continuity IRA are involved.

Police have branded as cruel and disgusting anti-PSNI recruitment posters depicting an officer who was severely injured in a bomb attack.

The posters used a picture of Peadar Heffron along with a warning that anyone thinking of joining the police could suffer similar injuries.

Mr Heffron lost a leg when a dissident bomb detonated under his car near Randalstown in 2010 as he travelled to work. He now uses a wheelchair.

Meanwhile, Ms McDonald commended her negotiating, Executive and Assembly teams  led by Ms ONeill  for working hard for citizens.

She listed recent successes following the restoration of devolved political powersharing at Stormont.

The party leader said: Already in the Executive we have seen measures taken to tackle poverty, including moving quickly to end the nurses dispute of equal pay; extending welfare mitigations, a new house building programme has been announced.

Additional funding has been made available for education and the victims and survivors of the contaminated blood scandal in the north will receive compensation payments.
Ive had more and more people admit to me over the last few years that while they would never do it themselves, they understand why people would sometimes feel so desperate as to take their own lives. Mental illness, dark feelings of oppression, financial burdens, family and work conflicts  so many things in our lives can create turbulence in our hearts and minds. Getting help is important.

The other day, an Uber driver asked me, more or less out of the blue: Do you ever just live a little too much in your head? What do you do about it when you do? It can be too much. Yes, it can. Talk about it! Have people in your life who wont let you live in there alone!

But what happens when our laws say there is an escape hatch for people feeling like what they have to handle is too much and is getting in the way of other people and their happiness? In places where assisted suicide is legal, we have seen, assisted suicide means an increase in all suicide. This is about the value of human life. Its about our relationships with each other.

This debate about assisted suicide isnt simply about legislation. This is a question about love. Do we love each other enough to say all life has value, and that dignity is in respecting that until the very end?

Its heart-wrenching, but amazing things can happen in those final months and days and hours. Ive seen it, and Im far from alone. Dont deprive the vulnerable of love. They need assistance of a different sort.

Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review Online and founding director of Catholic Voices USA. She can be reached at klopez@nationalreview.com.
The Congress on Saturday disagreed with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackerays decision to let the National Investigation Agency (NIA) take over the probe into the Bhima Koregaon case from the state police.

This isnt fair. Were partners and such things should be discussed. You (Uddhav Thackeray) may have power but one should use it judiciously. Our ministers are there, theyll fight, Congress Maharashtra in-charge Mallikarjun Kharge said.

A day earlier, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar too had criticized the move. Pawar had said it was not right on the part of the Centre to hand over the probe into the case, which was with the Pune police, to the NIA as law and order was a state subject.

It was not right for the Centre to hand over the investigation into the case to the NIA. But it was even more wrong for the state government to support the transfer of the case, Pawar had said.

Along with the Congress party, the NCP is a key constituent of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and its leader Anil Deshmukh is the Maharashtra home minister.

On Thursday, Deshmukh said Thackeray had overruled him on the probe in the case, in which human rights activists have been arrested for alleged links with Maoists. We were putting up our stand in the court in this direction. The Chief Minister has the right to overrule my stand, Deshmukh had said.

The case deals with the alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the Elgar Parishad conclave, held at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which according to the police had triggered violence near the Bhima Koregaon war memorial in the district on the following day.

The Pune police have claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists.

During the investigation into the case, the Pune police had arrested Left-leaning activists Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao for alleged Maoist links.
The Trump administration is deploying law enforcement tactical units from the southern border as part of a supercharged arrest operation in sanctuary cities across the country, an escalation in the presidents battle against localities that refuse to participate in immigration enforcement.

The specially trained officers are being sent to cities including San Francisco and New York to boost the enforcement power of local Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, according to two officials who are familiar with the secret operation. Additional agents are expected to be sent to Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, N.J.

The move reflects President Trumps persistence in cracking down on sanctuary cities, localities that have refused to cooperate in handing over immigrants targeted for deportation to federal authorities. It comes soon after the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security announced a series of measures that will affect both American citizens and immigrants living in those places.

Lawrence Payne, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, confirmed the agency was deploying 100 officers to work with ICE, which conducts arrests in the interior of the country, in order to enhance the integrity of the immigration system, protect public safety, and strengthen our national security.

The deployment of the teams will run from February through May, according to an email sent to border protection personnel, which was read to the New York Times by one official familiar with the planning.

Among the agents being deployed to sanctuary cities are members of the elite tactical unit known as BORTAC, which acts essentially as the SWAT team of the Border Patrol. With additional gear such as stun grenades and enhanced special forces-type training, including sniper certification, the officers typically conduct high-risk operations targeting individuals who are known to be violent, many of them with extensive criminal records.

The units work often takes place in the most rugged and swelteringly hot areas of the border. It can involve breaking into stash houses maintained by smuggling operations that are known to be filled with drugs and weapons.

In sanctuary cities, the BORTAC agents will be asked to support interior officers in run-of-the-mill immigration arrests, the officials said. Their presence could spark new fear in immigrant communities that have been on high alert under the stepped-up deportation and detention policies adopted after Trump took office.

In a statement, ICEs acting director, Matthew Albence, said the deployment comes in response to policies adopted by sanctuary cities, which have made it harder for immigration agents to do their jobs.

As we have noted for years, in jurisdictions where we are not allowed to assume custody of aliens from jails, our officers are forced to make at-large arrests of criminal aliens who have been released into communities, he said. When sanctuary cities release these criminals back to the street, it increases the occurrence of preventable crimes, and more importantly, preventable victims.

But Gil Kerlikowske, the former commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, which oversees tactical units along the border, said sending the officers to conduct immigration enforcement within cities, where they are not trained to work, could escalate situations that are already volatile. He called the move a significant mistake.

If you were a police chief and you were going to make an apprehension for a relatively minor offense, you dont send the SWAT team. And BORTAC is the SWAT team, said Kerlikowske, who is the former chief of police in Seattle. Theyre trained for much more hazardous missions than this.

The Border Patrol squads will be charged with backing up ICE agents during deportation operations and standing by as a show of force, the officials said.

The operation reflects an increasingly hawkish approach to immigration enforcement, following the firings and resignations of leaders who have been viewed in the White House as unwilling to take the harsh steps Trump and his advisers view as necessary to slow illegal immigration.

Other recent attempts at aggressive enforcement by ICE have faltered, such as a series of raids targeting more than 2,000 migrant families that were planned during the summer of 2019. Trumps advance warnings on Twitter led many of those who were targeted to refuse to open their front doors, and ultimately, only 35 of those who had been targeted were arrested in the operations first several weeks.

Even with the added show of force from BORTAC, agents will be limited in their abilities compared to the police or sheriffs deputies. Unlike operations on the border, where BORTAC agents may engage in armed confrontations with drug-smuggling suspects using armored vehicles, immigration agents in cities are enforcing civil, rather than criminal, infractions. They are not allowed to forcibly enter properties in order to make arrests, and the presence of BORTAC agents, while helpful in boosting the number of agents on the ground, may prove most useful for the visual message it sends.

The agents will not be busting down doors or engaging in shootouts, said one official with direct knowledge of the operation, who like the other official would not be identified because he was not authorized to discuss it.

Many ICE agents say their jobs have become increasingly difficult, three years into Trumps presidency, because of robust campaigns by immigrant advocacy organizations seeking to safeguard immigrants living in the country illegally by educating them on the legal limitations that ICE officers face. As a result, in many communities where immigrants living in the country illegally reside, when ICE agents are spotted, people now turn immediately to their phones to alert neighbors that they should stay inside.

Trump campaigned on a promise to crack down on sanctuary cities. Within a few months of taking office, the Justice Department moved to withhold certain federal funds from the jurisdictions. Last week, the Justice Department filed suit against state and local governments in California, New Jersey and Washington over sanctuary policies there. Also this month, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would ban New Yorkers from enrolling in programs that allow travelers to speed through customs checkpoints in airports and at the border as a result of the states decision to offer drivers licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally and bar Homeland Security agencies from accessing the states motor vehicle database.

The president again highlighted the issue in his State of the Union address, arguing that sanctuary cities release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public.

Caitlin Dickerson and Zolan Kanno-Youngs are New York Times writers.
DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been married for 45 years. When she moved out of our bedroom, I was shocked. I thought she didn't love me anymore. Then I realized that both our sleeping habits have changed over the years.

She snores, and I toss and turn. She needs the room dark, while I like a night light so I can see while I walk to the bathroom. I wasn't around when my parents got old, so I didn't realize our sleeping arrangement was going to change. We still love each other, but just sleep in different rooms. Is this normal? -- WONDERING IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR WONDERING: The reason for the change is what's important. In your case, it's not because of discord or lack of love. While I would have suggested your wife try various kinds of sleep masks to block out your night light, your new arrangement is not an indication that there is trouble in your relationship. Many couples do this. So stop worrying about whether this is normal and be glad you have a solution that works.

** ** **

DEAR ABBY: My brother and sister-in-law own a golden retriever. "Cookie" is their baby. The problem is, I live in a place where I can't have pets, plus I don't have a car. I'm disabled, so it's harder for me to get around.

I would love for my brother and sister-in-law to visit me for a couple of days. We live 2 1/2 hours apart. Well, my brother won't come and stay with me at all. He does visit, but only for about an hour or so because they refuse to put Cookie in a kennel.

What should I say to him without causing him to get mad at me? I feel he's putting that dog first, before his own sister. I miss seeing him and his wife. -- DOGGONE IT IN MICHIGAN

DEAR DOGGONE IT: Your brother and sister-in-law's goldie is also a member of their family. Demanding they put Cookie in a kennel is tantamount to telling them they must put their child in foster care for the duration of their visit with you.

If your brother is willing to drive 2 1/2 hours (each way) to visit with you for a few hours, he IS showing his love for you. Can you suggest he arrange for a neighbor to look after Cookie for two days? If not, in the interest of family harmony, stop complaining.

** ** **

DEAR ABBY: The last of our children has graduated and left the nest. My wife and I are now starting to go through years of boxes, mostly papers and photos. In the process, we have discovered several checks written to us that we never cashed -- mostly for Girl Scout cookies or other fundraising items and birthday gifts for the kids.

The checks are mostly more than 15 years old, but they add up to around $300. Would it be proper to ask the check writers to reissue their checks so long after they were written? We could use the money now. -- QUESTIONING IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR QUESTIONING: You should have been more careful with those monetary gifts. To ask that the checks be rewritten after 15 years would be an imposition and likely not well received. Furthermore, if they were intended for your children for birthdays, Christmas, graduations, etc., any replacement checks should be made out to them, not you.

** ** **

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

** ** **

For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

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Read more advice:

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Armenia and Karabakh are really ready to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan said during a joint discussion with the President of Azerbaijan at the Munich Security Conference.

According to him, they are committed to the process of peace talks, and they should be held in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group.

We are ready to make real efforts to reach a solution to the conflict, he said adding that there is a need for a real breakthrough in the negotiation process.

According to Pashinyan, after he became PM, he proposed micro-revolution in the process of resolving the conflict.

I announced the solution to the Karabakh conflict should be acceptable to the people of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh. I also called on social media users not to offer or threaten each other, but to try to better understand each other. I also tried to address Azerbaijani people directly. I do not mind if president Aliyev speaks to the Armenian people. However, Azerbaijani president is refusing to speak to the people of Karabakh. How is it possible to solve the Karabakh conflict without addressing the people of Karabakh? he said.

In response to Aliyevs remark that relations should normalize between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Pashinyan noted that Azerbaijan had signed two agreements with Karabakh in the past.

As for the Karabakh defense army, PM noted that his son went to serve in Karabakh voluntarily to protect his compatriots.
Vivien Sansour, founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library, will be visiting Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 23 to speak at the sixth annual Central Michigan Seed Swap at Chippewa Nature Center in Midland. The seed swap will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Heirloom seeds tell stories, connect us to our ancestral roots and remind us of meals families once made at special times of the year. The Palestine Heirloom Seed Library is an attempt to recover these ancient seeds and their stories and put them back into people's hands.
DEAL OF THE WEEK

Robinsons Prodigal Son Returns to FSG When President Obama awarded Marilynne Robinson the National Humanities Medal, he said, Your writings have changed meI think for the better. He and her multitudes of fans will cheer at the recent news that the Pulitzer Prize winner returns to the world of Gilead, Iowa, with Jack, due from FSG on September 15. The book, the publisher said, is about the beloved, erratic, and grieved-over prodigal son of a Presbyterian minister in Gilead.... In segregated St. Louis sometime after WWII, Jack falls in love with Della Miles, an African-American high school teacher who is also the daughter of a preacher. Their fraught, beautiful romance is one of Robinsons greatest achievements. Jonathan Galassi, Robinsons editor and president of FSG, bought U.S. rights from Ellen Levine at Trident Media. Galassi said, The Gilead novels are about the dilemmas and promise of American history. They touch the deepest chords in our national character and resonate with our deepest feelings. U.K. and Canada rights went to Virago and McClelland and Stewart, respectively.

FROM THE U.S.

Dial Believes in Santa in the City

Ellen Cormier at Dial Press prevailed in a five-house auction to win world rights for a debut picture book, Santa in the City by Tiffany D. Jackson, winner of the Coretta Scott KingJohn Steptoe Award for New Talent, and illustrated by Reggie Brown. In it, the publisher said, a curious girl named Deja sets out to prove that Santa is real and to show that magic always finds a way, even if it seems impossible to city kids. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021. Natalie Lakosil of Bradford Literary represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.

Minotaur Pays Up for More Castillo

Minotaur v-p and executive editor Charles Spicer negotiated a high-six-figure world and audio rights deal for four more Kate Burkholder crime novels with Nancy Yost, who has an eponymous agency. The 12th book in the series, Outsider, will be published in July, and the deal ensures that Minotaur will continue with Castillo up to and including the 16th installment. Spicer said Burkholder creator Linda Castillo, whose Shamed is shortlisted for the 2020 Sue Grafton Memorial Award, is an editors dream of the perfect author and a major Minotaur success story, adding, We are proud and honored to be her publisher.

Harper Goes to the Moon for Debut

Naomi Davis at Bookends Literary Agency brokered a six-figure, two-book world rights deal with David Pomerico at Harper Voyager for Sue Lynn Tans #OwnVoices debut adult fantasy, Daughter of the Moon Goddess, slated for early 2022. According to the publisher, the novel is inspired by the famous Chinese legend of the Moon Goddess, in which a young woman, who is forced to flee her cherished home on the moon when she is hunted by the Celestial Emperor for her mothers crime, seizes the opportunity to become a powerful warrior.

Bloomsbury Grabs A Previous Life

Liese Mayer, editorial director of fiction at Bloomsbury, picked up A Previous Life by Edmund White, winner of the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction. The publisher called it a delightful, irreverent novel about a married couple, who, while reading each others memoirs, recall their relationships with men and women, older and younger, over the course of their lifetimes. Bill Clegg at the Clegg Agency sold world English rights for the novel, which is due in winter 2023.

Rowleys Newest Goes to Putnam

The Guncle, a new novel from Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor (both of which have been optioned for film adaptation), went to Putnams editorial director Sally Kim, who also published the latter. According to Putnam, The Guncle is a poignant and joyous story of a reclusive television star who takes his young niece and nephew into his Palm Springs home after a family tragedy, and how his outsize lifestyle and unusual life wisdom bring about a season of healing that redefines their understanding of family and finally leads him back to himself. Rob Weisbach at Rob Weisbach Creative Management brokered the deal for North American rights.

Dutton Goes for a Third from Weisman

Carrying the nonfiction banner this week is Alan Weisman, whose Hope Dies Last went to Dutton. The publisher described it as a globally reported look at the drastically changing physical world, humanitys realistic hopes in the coming challenging decades, and the visionary people around the world who are determined to try and get us through, despite daunting odds. John Parsley, v-p, editor-in-chief of Dutton, who edited two of Weismans previous booksThe World Without Us and Countdowntook world rights from Nick Ellison of his eponymous agency.
An anti-white supremacist silent disco broke out on Hollywood's oldest major studio lot Friday as Frieze Los Angeles, a major art fair, opened its doors to A-listers and collectors. Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, created the dance work "Fuck White Supremacy, Let's Get Free" in response to the politics of US President Donald Trump. "So much of the last four years under this administration there has been a lot of anger, fear, helplessness," she told AFP. "And whenever I feel that way in my personal life, I usually go and dance." The piece sees visitors don headphones and join a choreographed line dance. Her project is part of Frieze's second show in Los Angeles -- a city which has historically struggled to maintain an international art fair, but is increasingly drawing wealthy collectors including local A-listers. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez and Natalie Portman were among visitors to a Thursday preview, where Kendall Jenner purchased an abstract light installation by California artist James Turrell. "Obviously being in LA means there is a wealth of celebrities and people in the movie industry, who are based here in the city, and many of them do actually collect art," said Victoria Siddall, Frieze's global director. New York remains the art market's global capital but Los Angeles represents a significant niche, she added. "The West Coast is a very long way from the East Coast and they are very different places with different cultures, different artistic communities," said Siddall. Outside the physical confines of Frieze's tent, where paintings have traded hands for millions of dollars, artists like Cullors have been invited to showcase projects on Paramount Studios' famous backlot replica of New York streets. Several pieces draw on the movies for inspiration. One replica Manhattan brownstone houses an exhibition dedicated to the representation -- or lack -- of Latino filmmakers in the movies. Another invites visitors to play a bizarre game of chess inside an isometric grid made of wool from endangered sheep -- all apparently inspired by an episode of "Star Trek" that was filmed close by. One week after the Oscars drew fire for its lack of diversity, Cullors says her message is as appropriate for the movie industry as the art world. Hollywood "has been white for far too long," she told AFP. "Los Angeles is one of the places that's doing the best work at having a more multi-racial, more connected art world," Cullors added. "But it's still very white, it's still very secluded, it's still very elitist."
PHILADELPHIA The American Red Cross is facing a national blood crisis  its worst blood shortage in more than a decade. Dangerously low blood supply levels are posing a concerning risk to patient care and forcing doctors to make difficult decisions about who receives blood transfusions and who will need to wait until more products become []
Contributed Photo / Torrington Police Department

TORRINGTON  A New Milford man is the subject of an untimely death investigation in Torrington after he was found unresponsive Friday afternoon, police officials said.

Around 1:30 p.m., Torrington police officers were called to the area of 101 Litchfield St. for a report of an unresponsive male victim.
JUBA, South Sudan - South Sudans rival leaders on Saturday appeared to clear a major hurdle with just a week left before the deadline to form a coalition government, with the president announcing a painful compromise on the politically sensitive number of states.

President Salva Kiir said that after meeting with rival Riek Machar on Friday he had resolved to return the worlds youngest nation to 10 states plus three administrative areas, easing a sticky issue as the country moves on from civil war.

The agreement will help move the country beyond this imposed senseless conflict, the president said, calling the compromise one of the most painful decisions I have ever made.

International pressure by the United States and others had been building on Kiir and Machar to meet the Feb. 22 deadline to again join forces in a transitional government. The deadline has been extended twice in the past year. Machar will return as Kiirs deputy, a role that has twice slid into conflict.

The U.S., South Sudans top source of humanitarian aid, even took the dramatic step in recent weeks of imposing sanctions on Kiirs first vice-president, Taban Deng Gai.

There was no immediate comment Saturday from Machars camp on the presidents announcement.

Difficult issues remain, including security arrangements that include the merging of thousands of former warring forces into a national military. That process has seen multiple delays.

South Sudans five-year civil war, which erupted just two years following independence from Sudan, killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions. The economy was shattered and nearly half the country remains in a severe hunger crisis.

The number of states has been a contentious issue for several years. A failed 2015 peace deal increased the number of states from 10 to 32. Until now, the government had insisted on keeping that number, while Machars opposition had wanted alternatively 23 or 10.

A week ago, as regional leaders applied new pressure, Kiir requested more time to consult with people at home on the issue. The details of Saturdays announcement now will be shared with the East African regional body and Machars side.
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Caroline Flack won the hearts of the nation in 2014 when she was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing.

The presenter, 40, wowed viewers when she danced a jaw-dropping Charleston to Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants with pro Pasha Kovalev.

Caroline's performance resurfaced as Strictly stars including host Tess Daly and Aljaz Skorjanec took to Twitter to pay tribute to the star, after she was found dead at her flat in London on Saturday.

Dance star: Caroline Flack won the hearts of the nation in 2014 when she was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing. The presenter's performance resurfaced as co-stars paid tribute following her death on Saturday

During an Around The World-themed episode of Strictly, Caroline took to the dancefloor with Pasha to perform a Turkey-themed Charleston which wowed the judges.

She went onto reprise the routine in the grand final, and it proved to be her winning performance as it was her last before being crowned champions.

Four years later, Caroline talked about the difficulties she faced after lifting the Glitterball Trophy, telling The Sun that she felt as though her body was 'covered' in 'clingfilm' the morning after her dancefloor triumph, adding that she felt 'ridiculous' feeling so low.

She added: 'I couldn't get up and just couldn't pick myself up at all that next year.'

Elated: The presenter, 40, wowed viewers when she danced a jaw-dropping Charleston to Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants with pro Pasha Kovalev

Stellar: During an Around The World-themed episode of Strictly, Caroline took to the dancefloor with Pasha to perform a Turkey-inspired Charleston which wowed the judges

Upsetting: Strictly Come Dancing released a statement paying tribute to Caroline following her tragic death, saying: 'The entire Strictly Come Dancing family are heartbroken to hear this incredibly sad news

Strictly Come Dancing released a statement paying tribute to Caroline following her tragic death, saying: 'The entire Strictly Come Dancing family are heartbroken to hear this incredibly sad news.

'Caroline had an infectious energy and passion for dance, she shone brightly in the Strictly ballroom every week and became an incredible champion.

'Words cannot express out sadness, she was simply one of a kind. We are sending our love to all her family and friends during this difficult time.'

Tributes from Strictly's biggest stars poured in after Caroline was found dead at her home in London aged 40.

Tess tweeted: 'Absolutely shocked and devastated at this tragic news. Rest in peace Caroline you beautiful girl. Heart goes out to your family and loved ones at this time xxxx.'

Claudia penned: 'Such heartbreaking news. Sending so much love to Caroline's family and friends. xxx'

Judge Bruno Tonioli tweeted: 'Reading and seeing all the heartfelt messages on so many accounts just shows how popular and loved #CarolineFlack was... Such fun times and memories x.'

Pro Oti Mabuse wrote: 'In a world where you can choose to be anything, choose to be kind. This lady was full of life, love and joy. You will always be iconic in my eyes and your smile will light the skies for decades to come #ripcarolineflack.'

Paying tribute: Tributes from Strictly's biggest stars poured in after Caroline was found dead at her home in London aged 40

Pro Ola Jordan posted: 'I'm absolutely heartbroken. RIP Angel.'

Aljaz simply tweeted 'Caroline' along with a broken heart emoji.

James Jordan - who previously appeared as a pro on Strictly - tweeted: 'Just seen on Twitter the devastating news that Caroline Flack has been found dead in her home.

'I'm so sad right now and I actually can't believe it. Can't imagine what her family are going through right now.'

Karen Hauer added: 'Absolutely shocked and saddened to hear about @carolineflack1. Thinking of her family & hope their wishes of privacy are met'

Tragic: It Takes Two hosts Zoe Ball and Rylan Clark-Neal also shared their own tributes to Caroline after learning the news

It Takes Two host Zoe Ball also tweeted: 'Devastating news about Caroline. Thoughts are with her family and loved ones.'

Rylan Clark-Neal - who co-hosts It Takes Two with Zoe - tweeted that he found out the tragic news in the middle of his Radio 2 show, and came off-air 15 minutes early.

Clarifying his absence Rylan tweeted: 'Apologies for the last 15 minus of my show. I'd been informed of the news and was and still am in complete show. Gutted. So sad. Sleep well Flack x.'

RIP: Caroline was found dead at her London flat at the age of 40, her family said in a statement on Saturday

Caroline took her own life after a worried friend who was staying with her went to the shops, leaving the ex-Love Island presenter alone at her London flat.

It came just hours after she was told she would face trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton. something she denied.

Her management have slammed the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for pursuing the 'show trial' after Lewis said he did not want to press charges.

He had said she hit him with a lamp at her former home in Islington in December before asking the CPS not to press charges.

Final sighting: Caroline posted a final series of snaps on Instagram on Thursday with her dog Ruby just two days before she was found dead in her London flat

Caroline had been described by friends as feeling 'she was on her own' and 'couldn't see a way out,' according to The Mirror.

It was also understood she had been struggling with her mental health and using anti-depressants before her death.

The TV presenter's death was confirmed by a lawyer for the family. The Flack family said in a statement: 'We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February. We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time.'

A worried producer friend had been staying with the star but found she couldn't get back into her flat after returning from the shops, a source said. She called Caroline's father Ian who gained entry to the flat where he found the star's body.

Family: Flack leaves behind her twin sister Jo (pictured together left) and her elder brother, elder sister, mother and father (pictured right)

Following Caroline's death, many fans have taken to social media to demand that Love Island be axed, after she became the third person associated with the show to take their own life.

Former contestants Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon, took their own lives in March 2019 and June 2018.

Among fans calling the show out was This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes who paid tribute to Caroline while insisting there needs to be 'repercussions.'

He wrote on Twitter: 'Caroline Flack .... Dear God. Shocked beyond belief. May she have found peace. #Rip Has to be repercussions for Love Island now surely?' which garnered more than 27K likes.

Eamonn later added: 'Meaning out of respect, can the series continue?' (sic)

A CPS spokesperson issued a statement, they said: 'Our deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of Caroline Flack.

'Given the tragic circumstances, we will not comment on the specifics of this case at this stage.'

TV presenters Davina McCall and Phillip Schofield were also among those reacting to the news of Caroline's death

Struggles: Four years after winning Strictly, Caroline talked about the difficulties she faced after lifting the Glitterball Trophy, telling The Sun that she felt as though her body was 'covered' in 'clingfilm' the morning after her dancefloor triumph

Her TV presenting roles have included Gladiators, Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! NOW!, The X Factor and The Xtra Factor.

She won Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 while paired with professional dancer Pasha Kovalev.

The following year she joined the revival of dating reality show Love Island on ITV2.

She hosted the first five series of the popular programme, one of the most-watched reality shows in the UK in recent years, as well as its spin-off programme Aftersun.

The current series of the programme, the first winter edition, is being hosted by Laura Whitmore after Flack stepped back from her presenting duties.

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.

Upsetting: The star took her own life after a worried friend who was staying with her went to the shops, leaving the ex-Love Island presenter alone at her London flat
Prince William used a doll to practise before putting newborn Prince George in a car seat for his son's first appearance outside St Mary's Hospital, Kate Middleton has revealed in an intimate podcast interview.

The Duke of Cambridge won praise for the seamless way he put his newborn son Prince George into a car seat after his birth - but his wife has revealed they practised with a doll.

Kate shed light on how they made sure the global moment went without a hitch when she was interviewed on a popular podcast about motherhood.

Prince William used a doll to practise before putting newborn Prince George in a car seat, Kate Middleton has revealed in a podcast with author Giovanna Fletcher. He is pictured leaving with George at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London Tuesday July 23, 2013

The royal couple felt it was 'really important' to share the public's 'joy and appreciation' of Prince George's birth. Pictured are hospital staff cheering and greeting the duke as he carries George into the car

As host Giovanna Fletcher said the duke had done a very good job putting his son safely on the car backseat, outside the private maternity unit in Paddington, London, Kate replied: 'But he probably didn't think so at the time.

'We were like 'What do we do - in a swaddle? How's this supposed to work?' We'd even tried to practise with a little baby, like a little doll, at home, but you know it just never works out the way you planned it so it was quite hard to do that on the world's stage, but no, he did a very good job.'

Mrs Fletcher, who interviewed Kate for her Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast in January, but broadcast on Saturday, questioned the duchess about the birth of six-year-old George on July 22, 2013.

Kate described the moment William became a father as 'really special' and his face was of 'pure joy'.

She confessed to feeling 'slightly terrified' about the hundreds of people waiting outside the Lindo Wing maternity unit, but said they felt it was 'really important' to share the public's 'joy and appreciation' with them.

The Duchess admitted the royal couple were 'slightly terrified' about the hundreds of people waiting outside the Lindo Wing (pictured in 2013). Speaking on the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast, she said: 'We were like 'What do we do - in a swaddle? How's this supposed to work?' We'd even tried to practise with a little baby, like a little doll, at home'

The Duchess beamed as she reflected on childbirth and how 'you are pulled to your toughest and most unknown places' on the programme, aired today. She is pictured emerging from the maternity wing with William in July, 2013

The duke drove his new family away from the central London hospital, but when they arrived home at Kensington Palace soon afterwards there was a little apprehension.

Kate said: 'William was like 'Oh my gosh is this what parenting is going to be like?'

'It took us a bit of time to get ourselves settled and going again, but that's the beauty, I suppose of having a newborn baby.

'You are pulled to your toughest and most unknown places that you hadn't necessarily even thought about before.'

Speaking about the first time she held George, the Duchess said: 'Amazing, amazing. It is extraordinary as I've said. How can the human body do that? It is utterly extraordinary actually.'

William is pictured waving to fans as he leaves St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, with baby Charlotte in 2015. The Duke appeared apprehensive about parenthood after arriving home at Kensington Palace with George, telling Kate: 'Oh my gosh is this what parenting is going to be like?'

The couple emerged on the steps outside St Mary's Hospital in west London with their newborn daughter Charlotte in 2015

Mrs Fletcher, who has also written about being a mother to three children with husband Tom Fletcher, a member of the band McFly, chatted to Kate about childhood and her hopes for her three children, George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The duchess said: 'Someone did ask me the other day, what would you want your children to remember about their childhood?

'And I thought that was a really good question because actually if you really think about that, is it that I'm sitting down trying to do their maths and spelling homework over the weekend?

'Or is it the fact that we've gone out and lit a bonfire and sat around trying to cook sausages that hasn't worked because it's too wet?

'That's what I would want them to remember, those moments with me as a mother, but also the family going to the beach, getting soaking wet, filling our boots full of water, those are what I would want them to remember.'
Californians are increasingly worried about high health care costs, and more are postponing or skipping medical treatment altogether because of it, according to a new report by the California Health Care Foundation, a nonprofit that researches health care trends.

Fifty-one percent of California residents skipped or delayed seeking physical, mental or dental health care in the last 12 months because of cost concerns, according to the report, which surveyed 1,408 adults living in California in late 2019. That is up from 44% a year earlier.

People skipped recommended tests or treatment, did not fill prescriptions, cut pills in half or skipped a dose. Among those who skipped or delayed care because of costs, 42% said their health condition got worse.

Californians are increasingly worried about costs associated with many parts of the health care system: 69% of respondents said they were worried about unexpected medical bills (up from 63% the previous year), 66% were worried about out-of-pocket health care costs (up from 56%), and 50% were worried about prescription drug costs (up from 42%).

Notably, a higher proportion of Californians are worried about certain types of health care costs than about housing costs, the survey found. Sixty-nine percent of residents were worried about unexpected medical bills and 66% were worried about out-of-pocket costs. Both are higher than the 54% of residents who worried about rent and mortgage.

In a high-cost state like California, that people are more worried about medical expenses than housing, that is really surprising, said Kristof Stremikis, director of market analysis and insight at California Health Care Foundation, which conducted the survey with SSRS, a survey and research firm. I think it says something about what a huge issue health care costs have become in the state. Its very disturbing.

The survey respondents had a mix of health insurance plans  some were covered by employer-sponsored plans, some were on Medi-Cal (the joint federal-state health insurance program for low-income residents), some were on Medicare (the federal government insurance program for seniors) and some did not have any insurance.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Uninsured residents were much more likely to struggle with paying for health care services. Forty-five percent of uninsured adults said they struggled to pay medical bills, compared to 33% of Medi-Cal recipients. But even many with commercial insurance struggled: 20% of people with employer-sponsored plans said they had trouble paying medical bills. Respondents who struggled to pay medical bills said they tried reducing spending on necessities like food and clothing, used up most or all of their savings, increased credit card debt, took on an extra job or hours and borrowed money from a friend or family member in order to pay off medical bills.

And many who sought care struggled to pay for it: nearly 1 in 5 Californians said they or someone in their family had problems paying or were unable to pay medical bills in the past 12 months.

Unfortunately, things are getting worse on a lot of fronts, Stremikis said. People are finding it more difficult to pay for health care, having more cost-related access problems, and theyre getting sicker as a result. Health care costs are now a public health issue.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
Toi Te Ora Medical Officer of Health Dr Neil de Wet says that 26 people are in self-isolation for COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board region.

On Saturday night, the Ministry of Health reported that there continue to be no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand.

In New Zealand, self-isolation registrations with Healthline continue to grow. A further 341 registrations for self-isolation were made on Friday and as at midnight February 14 just under 4000 people had registered since the register went live at 5pm on Friday February 7.

The people who are self-isolating have been registered with the Ministry of Health, and the local medical officer of health on call will be notified if any of them develop any symptoms that may be indicative of the virus.

Self-isolation means staying away from situations where you could infect other people, says the Ministry of Health website.

This means any situation where you may come in close contact with others, face to face contact closer than 1 metre for more than 15 minutes, such as social gatherings, work, school, child care/pre-school centres, university, polytechnic and other education providers, faith-based gatherings, aged care and health care facilities, prisons, sports gatherings, restaurants, and all public gatherings.

The BOP DHB have released their pandemic plan which is available on their website here. Lessons learned during the H1N1 (2009) pandemic have been incorporated into the plan which deals with the immediate response required for any outbreak of an infectious disease.

On Saturday afternoon, the Government announced that temporary restrictions on travel from China will remain in place as a precautionary measure to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The restrictions which prevent foreign nationals travelling from, or transiting through, mainland China from entering New Zealand have been extended for a further eight days. This position will be reviewed every 48 hours.

New Zealand citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family returning to New Zealand will continue to be able to enter, but are being told to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return.

Globally, the World Health Organization reports there are just over 49,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with only three of 1381 confirmed deaths occurring outside mainland China.

The number of passengers arriving directly to New Zealand from mainland China has decreased from approximately 2000 per day to 500 passengers or less.

The Ministry of Health is continuing to work with border agencies to ensure people who left mainland China after February 2 2020 are aware of the need to self-isolate for 14 days and register with Healthline.

Healthline's dedicated COVID-19 number, 0800 358 5453, is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Ministry is encouraging anyone who has not yet registered as a result of their travel to China, to do so. This will help ensure they can regularly check on peoples welfare and wellbeing while they are in self-isolation, while supporting New Zealands overall response to novel coronavirus.

The Ministry of Health also want to acknowledge and thank the thousands of people who have responded so positively to the self-isolation process.

In addition, the Ministry is also working with Customs to enable Healthline to proactively contact all people who have arrived in New Zealand from or via China since February 2 who have not registered.

With regard to cruise ship travel, the Master or ship's doctor must tell the local public health staff if there is anyone on board with symptoms of concern. This includes symptoms of COVID-19.

There are well established procedures in place which enable health agencies to share information on cases and contacts within New Zealand and with health authorities overseas.

The Ministry of Health has issued a reminder that COVID-19 is spread by people coughing or sneezing, close personal contact and coming into contact with an object or surface with viral particles on it  and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.

So practising good hygiene, regularly washing your hands, and practising good cough etiquette is really important in keeping yourself and the community safe. To do this, maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and remember to washing hands.

More information is available here:



https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/novel-coronavirus-covid-19



https://www.govt.nz/coronavirus



https://www.bopdhb.govt.nz/media/63025/bopdhb_pandemic_response_plan_feb-2020.pdf
The number of unemployed educated youth in India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has grown by over 12.5 lakh in last two years to 34 lakh, Yogi Adityanath government said at the state assembly on February 14.

In a written answer at the state assembly, UP's labour minister Swami Prasad Maurya said 33.93 lakh unemployed persons were registered as on February 7, 2020 with an online portal run by the labour department. The number of registered educated unemployed in UP stood at 21.39 lakh as on June 30, 2018. This amounts to a 58.43 per cent growth in the number of unemployed people in the state in the last two years.

The labour minister, however, did not disclose reason behind rise in the number of unemployment in the state.

Also Read: 62.38 lakh jobs created till November in FY20: EPFO

As per 2011 census, UP is the most populous state in India with nearly 20 crore inhabitants, which is over 16 per cent of the country's population.

According to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data, unemployment almost doubled in UP during 2019 compared to 2018. The average unemployment in UP jumped to 9.95 per cent during the last year as against 5.91 per cent in 2018. Unemployment rate of 10 per cent means that nearly 10 in every 100 persons are unemployed.

Also Read: Unemployment rate rises to 7.5% during Sept-Dec; high among educated youth: CMIE

It is also notable that the unemployment rate in Uttar Pradesh was higher than the national average of 7.7 owing to a marked decline in economic activity in the country, which slipped to hit an over six-year low of 4.5 per cent in July-September quarter. India's GDP growth rate has tumbled over than 2 per cent in just one year.

By Chitranjan Kumar
A British father-of-four who was jailed in Egypt for reportedly patting an airport security guard has been released, a campaign group has said.

Supporters of London businessman Tony Camoccio, 51, feared he would be falsely accused of sexual assault after the alleged incident at Hurghada International Airport on February 8.

But campaign group Detained in Dubai said on Saturday that Mr Camoccio had now been released from Egyptian custody after paying about 1,000 in bail and other related costs.

Detained in Dubai chief executive Radha Stirling said: The case has been dismissed for lack of evidence, and Tony will be flying home to the UK on the next available flight from Cairo.

Tony Camoccio has been arrested in Egypt after patting an airport security officer on the back, his friends say / Change.org

While the charges were clearly without merit, we have to emphasise that had British authorities and the international press not paid attention to this case, there is no reason to believe that Tony would be a free man today.

The dangers of legal abuse in Egypt are severe and, despite their quick resolution of this case, anyone considering travel to the country should be aware of the risks.

Mr Camoccio, who has visited Egypt several times, was at the end of his holiday with his wife and a large group of friends when the incident is said to have happened at an airport checkpoint.

More than 5,000 people had signed an online petition by Saturday calling for him to be released.

Mr Camoccio said: Im very excited to be heading home and cant wait to see all of my family and rest after the past weeks events.

Im very thankful to everyone for their support, my friends and family, my lawyer Elezab Ali Elezab, John Kenny from the consulate and Radha Stirling who have done their best to get me home.

A statement on the petition website reads: At customs in Hurghada airport on his outbound journey, he was at final checkpoint where he was, as a standard procedure for all outbound passengers, patted down by a security officer.

Tony then gently patted the officers back, and is now facing serious accusations.

He was held in a general population cell overnight where he remained in handcuffs petrified for his life as he did not know what he was supposedly being charged with or what he had done wrong.
The consequences of workplace automation will likely impact just about every aspect of our lives, and scholars and policymakers need to start thinking about it far more broadly if they want to have a say in what the future looks like, according to a new paper co-authored by a Cornell University researcher.

"Mostly, people in our field wait until technology is implemented in a workplace to study it. And then we go in and say, 'How is work different?'" said Diane Bailey, the Geri Gay Professor of Communication in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "But faced with a technology that has the potential to disrupt the landscape of work in such a universal way, immediately and simultaneously, we felt like we have to get in the barn before the horse leaves."

The paper, "Beyond Design and Use: How Scholars Should Study Intelligent Design Technologies," was published in December in Information and Organization. Bailey co-authored the study with Stephen Barley, the Christian A. Felipe Professor of Technology Management in the College of Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

According to the paper, past examples of new technology suggest it will take longer than companies predict for workplaces to become fully transformed by AI, and some jobs might not be as easily replaceable as economists believe. This means researchers have more time to gain a deeper understanding of how workplace automation will affect society, in order to have more say in how it unfolds.

Fully understanding workplace automation, the researchers said, requires an interdisciplinary approach that considers everything from the power dynamics within tech companies to the design of our societal institutions. At Cornell, Bailey and Martin Wells, the Charles A. Alexander Professor of Statistical Sciences and chair of the Department of Statistics and Data Science, are heading a core team of nine other researchers from eight departments to follow this cross-disciplinary roadmap. The group is currently seeking funding to plan the creation of an institute to study AI and work.

In the paper, Bailey and Barley identified four factors scholars should study in order to assess AI's future impact: variation; power; ideology; and institutions.

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"Maybe the reasons our neighborhoods work well is that so many of us are away from them during the day. We might have to rethink all of these things -- and that's what the paper argues we should do."

Considering variety among jobs is important, Bailey said, because not all jobs -- even in the same fields -- are identical. Researchers generally use U.S. Department of Labor databases to predict how automation might affect certain job categories, but most studies don't consider differences in implementation, skills, tasks and work practices across organizations or locations.

Because designers and engineers don't function independently, power is another crucial factor, the paper said. Which AI technologies are pursued and how aggressively they're implemented depends on the dynamics within companies, as well as the priorities of the government entities that might fund or regulate those companies.

The ideology of design can provide insight into how technologists create new systems, Bailey said. According to the paper, the AI community often approaches design with its own culture, potentially emphasizing technical over social aspects. This could mean that some systems that are predicted to replace humans might still require them, though possibly in different roles.

"We have to understand how all of these market mechanisms operate if we're going to be savvy enough to work in that world and say, 'No, we want technology that looks like this' [or] 'Design something that operates this way,'" Bailey said. "We need to work backwards from some desired future that we want, to get the technologies that will help us get there."

Researchers also need to consider the potential impacts of automation -- and the widespread unemployment it will likely bring -- on our institutions, the paper said. For example, Bailey said, being home together all day -- without the demands and concrete rewards of a paid job -- could strain marriages and families. Roads, highways and transit systems that were designed to move people from home to work will need to be reconsidered.

"Maybe the reasons our neighborhoods work well is that so many of us are away from them during the day," Bailey said. "We might have to rethink all of these things -- and that's what the paper argues we should do."

Researchers and policymakers also need to weigh the societal benefits of work, in order to make informed decisions about which jobs are worth saving.

"We have to think about what aspects of work have meaning and value to us," Bailey said. "We might decide, 'Maybe AI can do this better than a person, but we don't care, because we get some value out of it.'"
Sena targets NCB: Officers trying to extort money by framing youngsters must be arrested

Opposition front not possible without Congress: Shiv Sena leader Raut after meeting with Rahul Gandhi

Sanjay Raut on chopper tragedy: We claim to have modernised armed forces, how could this happen?

Campaign curbs should apply to all, PM Modi must lead by example: Sena's Raut

Grave consequences: Shiv Sena on US taking India off developing nations list

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Feb 15: The Shiv Sena on Saturday criticised the decision by the US to remove India from the developing list ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to India.

"The Trump administration has thrown a 'googly'. India is now no more a developing country but a developed nation. This is a big crisis for India. India is miles away from the status of developed countries on parameters like education, health, employment, cleanliness and poverty alleviation," the party said in its mouthpiece, Saamana.

"India is not a developed country and now it will no more avail the benefits that a developing nation gets. However, our Prime Minister will find a way out and will convert the bitter gourd sent by Trump into a sweet," the editorial said.

"This bitter gourd adversely affecting India's global trade prospects came at a time when the Gujarat administration making grand arrangemensts for Donald Trump's visit and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is himself monitoring it," it added.

India has been removed from the list of 'developing' countries and instead will now be considered a 'developed' nation.

Trump visit: AMC building wall to mask slum area says Congress

a notice issued by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) earlier this week said Countries with a share of 0.5 per cent or more of world trade will now be recognised as 'developed' countries.

It also stated that countries that have G20 membership, of which India is a party, will not be seen any more as a 'developing' country.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 12:45 [IST]
If aliens are out there an Australian radio telescope and curious Aussies may be the first to find them.

Scientists in the US have opened the way for amateur astronomers across the globe to help scour through two petabytes of radio emissions captured from the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy and around its black hole.

The CSIRO Parkes Observatory radio telescope in country NSW collected almost half of the raw data as part of the US-based 10-year, $US100 million Breakthrough Listen Initiative set up to listen for signals of alien life.

The Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia and the Automated Planet Finder optical telescope in California was also involved.

The CSIRO Parkes Observatory is being used to find life beyond the stars. Source: AAP

"For the whole of human history, we had a limited amount of data to search for life beyond Earth," Yuri Milner, founder of Breakthrough Initiative, said.

"So all we could do was speculate.

"Now, as we are getting a lot of data, we can do real science - and, with making this data available to the general public, so can anyone who wants to know the answer to this deep question."

The raw data comes from a survey of the radio spectrum between one and 12 gigahertz.

The Parkes telescope's location in the Southern Hemisphere is "perfectly situated and outfitted" to scan the entire galactic disk and galactic centre.

The milky way. Source: Getty Images (file pic)

"The galactic centre is the most extraordinarily energetic area of our galaxy, is an integral focus of our data gathering with all of our facilities," Breakthrough Listen principal investigator Andrew Siemion said.

"It is there that an advanced civilisation might somehow harness the energy of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy to signal its existence."

Breakthrough Listen is based at the University of California Berkeley.

Dr Siemion announced the release of the two petabytes of data at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
"The captain of the boat did not fulfill legitimate requirements of the coast guard to halt, and tried to escape," reads the statement.

Russian authorities have detained in the Azov Sea a small vessel with four Ukrainian nationals on board, according to a statement by the Russian Federal Security Service.

Russians claim that the crew had no IDs on them, according to Hromadske International.

"The captain of the boat did not fulfill legitimate requirements of the coast guard to halt, and tried to escape," reads the Russian statement.

Read alsoCrimean Tatars' leader Dzhemilev speaks about "silence" on occupied peninsula

The report says a fishing net and 300 Black Sea turbot fish were found on board.

The crew had no fishing permits at hand that the Russian occupation authorities required.

The vessel has been taken to the Russian-controlled port of Kerch in the occupied Crimea.
Study Shows its Devastatingly Common for African Mothers to Experience the Death of a Child

Experiencing the death of a child is seen as a violation of the natural order. And yet, despite global health gains, such deaths remain prevalent in many poor countries and regions around the world. But just how often do mothers suffer this almost unfathomable loss?

To quantify and better understand this bereavement burden, USC and University of Chicago sociologists propose new indicators to estimate how common it is for mothers to have experienced the death of a child. In contrast to traditional measures of infant and child mortality, their results capture the cumulative impact of child loss through a mothers lifetime.

Published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, their study demonstrates the persistently high prevalence of African mothers who have ever experienced a childs death. Using data from 20 sub-Saharan African countries spanning two decades, the researchers found that more than half of 45- to 49-year-old mothers have experienced the death of a child under age five, and nearly two thirds have experienced the death of any child, irrespective of age.

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In the shadows of very high child mortality rates that the global health community typically focuses on are all these grieving parents that never receive any attention, said study lead author Emily Smith-Greenaway, assistant professor of sociology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. These results increase our recognition of bereavement as itself a public health threat  one thats unfairly concentrated in low-income regions of the world.

These questions have not been asked or explored enough in this part of the world, said study co-author Jenny Trinitapoli, associate professor of sociology at UChicago. There isnt just an inequality in the mortality burden but also in the knowledge base. The global health community has lacked a standard metric for capturing the inequality of the risk of losing a young child from the perspective of the parents  specifically of the mothers.

Smith-Greenaway and Trinitapoli say their study grew out of the idea that parents everywhere suffer immensely when they outlive their children. While other researchers have examined similar outcomes in the United States and Europe, very few have quantified the loss felt by mothers in Africa.

This study tells us the burden of bereavement is much greater than we knew and offers a new perspective on global inequality, Smith-Greenaway said. We believe these indicators can be used to improve current understandings of mortality change, bereavement as a public health threat and population dynamics.

Decreases in infant mortality may obscure lasting grief

According to the WHO, from 1990 to 2018 the global infant mortality rate decreased from an estimated 65 deaths per 1,000 live births to 29 deaths per 1,000 live births. During that same span, annual infant deaths declined from 8.7 million to 4 million.

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Sub-Saharan African countries have experienced some of the swiftest reduction in infant and under-five mortality rates. This progress is rightfully celebrated, noted the study authors, but also obscures the long-term trauma of child loss. High rates of childhood, adolescent and young adult mortality mean that mothers continue to experience bereavement in ways that arent recognized in the intensive focus on under-five mortality reductions.

These are factors that we need to consider very carefully as we think about the consequences of stress and of aging, Trinitapoli said. Looking at child loss from the perspective of mothers gives us ideas about where interventions might be the most useful, both for improving child health and helping women.

While research on bereavement in developing countries is sparse, studies in high-income settings demonstrate that the death of a family member is an underappreciated source of social inequality. Bereaved parents are at higher risk of psychological problems, deteriorating health and relationship strain.

A new way to look at mortality data and the legacy of loss

Using data spanning more than two decades, the study authors calculated the prevalence for three categories: death of an infant, death of a child under five and the loss of any child for mothers in multiple age groups. They say the three different metrics all point to a much higher burden of loss than the story told by current indicators.

They based their calculations on demographic and health survey data funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which conducts surveys in 90 countries.

Smith-Greenaway said she was particularly struck by the fact that the majority of women alive today in some African countries have experienced the death of a child. Fewer young mothers than older mothers have experienced a child die, yet in many countries, up to one third have.

Although the study focuses on sub-Saharan Africa, the authors say these indicators can be used to measure and consider the bereavement burden anywhere with high child mortality. They anticipate these numbers would be just as high in many other low-income settings.

Traumas ripple effects

As a demographer, Im interested in tapping into a collective consciousness, Smith-Greenaway said. These premature deaths live on in the collective memory in such a way that could shape ideas about parenthood, loss and the risk for tomorrows generation of mothers.

Smith-Greenaway and Trinitapoli point to research on negativity bias, which suggests survival of children in ones social network is a forgettable event whereas a childs death registers as memorable and influential  and can live on in the collective memory for decades.

We have no reason to believe that the effect of these losses on mothers  the grief, sadness and disappointment  fades with time, said Smith-Greenaway. We can do better to shed light on the grief and trauma that is still very much alive in a population. Their bereavement matters, and until now, we havent had a mother-centered tool that quantified it.
A court here on Saturday summoned Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to appear before it in a defamation case filed by Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) took cognisance of the complaint and asked the minister to appear before it on May 2, Tharoor's lawyer told the media.

Tharoor had in December 2018 filed a defamation case against Prasad for allegedly making derogatory remarks in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death.

Tharoor had earlier sent a legal notice to Prasad, the minister for Law Justice and IT, seeking an "unconditional apology" for calling him a "murder accused."



Tharoor has stated that the investigation in the Pushkar case had been completed and the Delhi Police had filed a final report before the Additional Metropolitan Magistrate court, in which he was charge sheeted under Sections 308 and 498 A of the Indian Penal Code.

"The final report does not state that the death of the deceased was a murder," Tharoor had said



The Thiruvananthapuram MP and former Union minister said that on October 28 around 5.38 am, Prasad had posted a 2 minute 18 seconds video clip of his press conference, along with certain "false, untrue, malicious and highly defamatory statements on Twitter."Tharoor alleged that the video had been posted to defame him and thereby to "spread an untrue, false and scandalous imputation" against him that he is a "murder case" accused and that he had been charge sheeted.

This was intended to "harm" his reputation and "malign" him before the public "by intentionally giving such false and untrue statements, the colour of his office, he had said.

"It is evident that the impugned post/tweet and the contents are solely intended to malign and tarnish the reputation of the complainant," he stated.

Tharoor had sent a lawyer's notice to Prasad, seeking an unconditional apology within 48 hours of the receipt of the notice, for levelling the allegations and to delete and remove the video clip of his press conference, along with defamatory statement on Twitter.

In his reply to the notice, Prasad had defended his tweet, saying it was not defamatory.

According to the complainant, the offence against Prasad constitutes the commission of offence defined under Section 499 of the IPC (defamation), which is punishable Under sections 500 (punishment for defamation).

Tharoor had sought appropriate action against Prasad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aircel-Maxis: Letters rogatory sent to Malaysia

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: The Enforcement Directorate and the CBI filed a status report of their investigation into Aircel-Maxis cases before a Delhi court.

The ED told District Judge Sujata Kohli that active investigation into the matter was going on, while the Central Bureau of Investigation informed her that letters rogatory had been sent to Malaysia and the status was awaited.

Judicial requests, also known as letters rogatory, are issued by courts on the request of an investigation agency when it wants information from another country.

Aircel-Maxis: ED moves Delhi HC challenging ACB granted to Chidambaram, son Karti

The probe agencies are investigating how Karti Chidambaram, son of Congress leader P Chidambaram, received clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006 when his father was the Union finance minister.

The CBI and the ED had alleged that P Chidambaram, as finance minister during the United Progressive Alliance regime, granted approval to the deal beyond his capacity benefitting certain persons, and received kickbacks.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 8:28 [IST]
Late last year, Manitobas post-secondary schools received mandate letters from the province outlining a new performance-based funding model, and the expectations of a modern institution.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Late last year, Manitobas post-secondary schools received mandate letters from the province outlining a new "performance-based" funding model, and the expectations of a modern institution.

"It is critical that our colleges and universities be nimble and responsive, ceasing programs that lack responsiveness and value in a modern context and building programs that deliver the skills needed for today and tomorrow," wrote Economic Development and Training Minister Ralph Eichler in the letter, which was sent in December to Assiniboine Community College, Brandon University, Red River College, St. Boniface University, University College of the North, University of Manitoba, and University of Winnipeg.

"Together, we can contribute to achieving the outcomes of Manitobas economic growth action plan, meet the objectives of the forthcoming "skills, talent and knowledge strategy," and deliver on the commitment to build 40,000 new jobs in our province."

Tim Smith / The Brandon Sun FILES Economic Development and Training Minister Ralph Eichler

The letter is heavy on buzzwords, but light on how this kind of data will be measured, and how value will be assessed. Some institutions have raised concerns about whether or not a "performance-based" funding model would threaten some university programs, especially those in the humanities.

For generations, it was a widely held view that a university degree  at least, in the "higher" disciplines  was a pipeline to secure employment. And not just any kind of secure employment  high-salaried employment. A university education is not cheap; according to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian university student graduates with more than $26,000 in student debt. Many entry-level salaries arent much more than that. Throw in a masters degree or a PhD, and some students will be paying off their schooling until they retire  that is, if they can afford to retire.

Related Items Click to Expand Articles Feb 6, 2020: New mandate: post-secondary schools await instruction from province Maggie Macintosh

Of course, thinking about university this way leads to debates about the general liberal-arts education universities also provide, and about which disciplines are "useful" and "productive" and which are "useless" and "worthless." Major in philosophy or art history? In this economy?

But somewhere along the way, some skeptical observers  including, perhaps, some currently serving in government  seem to have lost sight of the other reasons people go to university. University education can also be about expanding, changing and shaping minds; about fostering curiosity and critical thought. About learning to work collaboratively, to meet deadlines, to problem-solve.

Those, too, are resume-worthy qualities. Education for the sake of higher learning and training for the workforce are not mutually exclusive pursuits. Regardless of a students declared major, universities encourage the development of so-called soft skills: communication, discipline, flexibility, adaptability, the ability to quickly synthesize and summarize information.

The paths people follow from the hallowed halls of university to the workforce are not always linear. Yes, some people go to nursing school and move directly into rewarding careers as nurses. But some people get degrees in history and literature and become CEOs of social-media giants (as in the case of YouTubes Susan Wojcicki).

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Which is why the province should be very clear about what the metrics are, how it is measuring them, and what, exactly, distinguishes a high-performing program from a low-performing one. Tying an academic disciplines value to the labour market might not be so straightforward. Degrees are not guarantees, especially in an age of increasing job precarity. Which is why so many students carrying a significant debt load are disillusioned about attaining that coveted "piece of paper."

Measuring outcomes is important, but its also worthwhile to remember what the multi-faceted role of a university is.
Portland City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a transportation vision leaders hope will speed up buses and streetcars stuck in traffic, reduce carbon emissions and encourage residents to ditch their cars in favor of public transit.

The final report, what the city is calling its Rose Lane Project, was the culmination of more than a year of planning, design and outreach to residents and community groups.

The council signed its support for spending up to $10 million on a suite of projects during the next two years to dedicate additional travel lanes to buses, remove or restrict on-street parking in some areas and make changes at traffic lights to give transit a head start. A second phase of projects, which could cost anywhere from $6 million to $8 million, is still in development and unfunded, and likely wouldnt move forward until 2021 and 2022.

Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who oversees the transportation bureau and championed the transit priority vision, said she knows all too well from her years navigating transit services and the city with her son, who uses a wheelchair, that Portland has its issues. This city was not made for cyclists, pedestrians or bus riders, she said before voting to adopt the Rose Lane vision, with a red rose attached to her lapel. Unfortunately it was made for automobile drivers, and we are now trying to correct that kind of over-dedication of resources.

Eudaly, who is up for reelection and faces former Mayor Sam Adams and challenger Mingus Mapps, among others, said despite broad support for improving public transit, shes aware of the political risks in doing so. I know its painful and its unpopular with some people, but it absolutely has to happen, she said.

Not all the projects entail dedicating an entire travel lane to buses or streetcars, and the precise changes at various intersections or on congested streets are not finalized. Some changes could include removing or restricting on-street parking during rush hour to give buses a chance to get around bumper-to-bumper traffic. Hannah Schafer, a transportation spokeswoman, said the bureau didnt yet know how many lane miles may be affected or converted to transit lanes nor how many parking spaces could be removed or restricted.

According to city staff, the proposed street changes could affect about 100,000 people who currently ride some 45 various bus lines or the streetcar every day.

Eudaly said time is of the essence, citing the fact that 42% of the citys carbon emissions come from transportation. By 2035, Portland hopes to essentially double its transit ridership. Just 12% of commuters today use transit, officials said.

Staff gave an update on the existing Rose Lane projects, three transit-priority lanes in downtown Portland introduced last year. Those developments are already carving minutes off riders commutes and rippling out across the city, officials said. They showed a video of the lane on Southwest Main that showed six buses carrying 272 people during a 15-minute observation period, compared with 246 cars transporting 282 people. Buses are just more efficient, the bureau said.

Bernie Bottomly, TriMets executive director of public affairs, called the transit priority projects a seminal moment for the city and likened it to other big moments in the agencys history like building the downtown transit mall and starting the light-rail network.

The tri-county transit agency seeks to add what he termed premium service to Line 6 in September and hopes to boost Lines 20 and 14 starting next year. Those changes would make buses come every 12 minutes or fewer during peak hours, he said.

He said TriMet plans to ramp up its service to meet what it expects to be increased demand. Buses will be fast, frequent and full, he said, but not overfull.

Council separately approved an emergency ordinance that gives transportation leaders the authority to execute a design-build contract with a construction firm for its second wave of projects, instead of seeking a customary low bid from prospective firms. The city transportation bureau said that will allow the city to be nimbler and move forward with the second wave of projects on time.

The more than three-hour meeting wasnt without drama.

City of Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty on Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Dave Killen / StaffThe Oregonian

Commissioner JoAnn Hardesty, the first woman of color elected to the citywide office and the lone representative who lives in east Portland, called into question the transportation bureaus claim that the first phase of projects represents a focus on racial equity. She said the first wave of projects is still clustered in close-in neighborhoods, where residents already have a number of transit options.

If we invest in the central city and then the economy takes a downturn, she said, then once again east Portland is going to be told, We dont have money for Phase 2.

Eudaly said those comments demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of the bureaus approach. The congestion is happening in the central city, she said, noting that if east Portlanders have to wait for a bus, its probably because its caught in traffic downtown.

Hardesty, who ultimately approved the plan, said that she was not buying it that everyone would benefit and noted the lagging inequalities in the existing transit service, particularly for east Portland residents. Were not starting from a place of equity, she said.

Eudaly responded that the city, which doesnt own or manage the transit agency, cant fix all the problems through one pilot project, a nod to the Rose Lane initiative.

But Eudaly also pushed Bottomly and TriMet to do more to increase service. I had hoped for a greater commitment to increase service to run simultaneously with the Rose Lane(s), she said.

Bottomly said he viewed the agencys service expansions, which would likely be funded by the 2017 statewide transportation package, as a down payment. I would hope we look at this as a minimum commitment from us, he said. If we can do more, we will do more.

Some members of the public testified that the transit agency is actively choosing not to do more.

Kem Marks, who is legally blind and is a long-time transit advocate, pictured in a file photo along Southeast Powell near 130thThomas Boyd/The Oregonian LC- The OregonianLC- The Oregonian

Kem Marks, an east Portland resident and representative from the Rosewood Initiative, said he looks forward to holding Bottomlys feet to the fire if the agency reneges and decides to further eliminate bus stops in east Portland, as is occurring on the Division Street high-capacity bus line. Thats a hill were willing to die on, Marks said.

Marks said TriMet, through the Metro regional governments 2020 transportation package, has chosen not to add additional service, noting that the agency hasnt asked for money through that package to do so.

Jose Mikalauskas, an east Portland resident who works with works at the Cully-based nonprofit group Verde, testified that close-in neighborhoods still see outsized advantages. What weve seen TriMet propose is simply not enough, he said.

Mary-Margaret Wheeler-Weber, the chair of North Portlands Portsmouth Neighborhood Association, told the council that the grueling congestion on her commute caused her to abandon the Line 35 bus.

Wheeler-Weber said she did so despite knowing that climate change is real and despite the fact she has a free bus pass to use thanks to her employer. She now drives to work most days.

I actually enjoy a ride that doesnt suck out my life force by the time I get home from work, she said.

Potentially good news for Wheeler-Weber: The city plan does call for restricting street parking on North Greeley Avenue during peak hours to create a bus-only lane.

That project will likely occur in Phase 1, meaning it would move forward this year or in 2021.

On Friday, the bureau announced that it would hold open houses to get community reaction to the next wave of projects expected to break ground, which include extending the bus-only lane on East Burnside Street to 12th Avenue and speeding up bus service in Southwest Portland near Collins Circle, among other changes.

UPDATE: A previous version of this story said city officials observed and counted buses and vehicles for 30 minutes on one of the dedicated bus lanes. The observation period was 15 minutes.

-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen

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A Saudi fighter jet crashed in conflict-torn Yemen, the Riyadh-led military coalition supporting the government announced Saturday, as the Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they downed the plane. The Tornado aircraft came down on Friday in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to assist Yemeni government forces, the coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. It did not specify the fate of the crew or the cause of the crash. The Huthis' Al-Masirah television said the jet was downed by the rebels using an "advanced surface-to-air missile". The insurgents reported multiple coalition air strikes on Saturday in the Huthi-controlled area where the plane went down as local residents gathered near the wreckage, according to Al-Masirah. The bombing raids left "dozens" of people dead or wounded, Al-Masirah added, a claim that could not be immediately verified by local aid workers. The coalition intervened against the Huthis in 2015, first with air and naval forces and later with ground forces as well. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, and sparked what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The coalition has been widely criticised for the high civilian death toll from its bombing campaign, which has prompted some Western governments to cut arms deliveries to the countries taking part. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have purchased billions of dollars' worth of weapons from the United States, France and Britain. On Wednesday, the coalition said it would put on trial military personnel suspected of being behind deadly air strikes on Yemeni civilians. The cases being investigated include a 2018 air strike on a school bus in the northern region of Dahyan that killed at least 40 children, Saudi-based Arab News said. Saudi Arabia has been leading a controversial bombing campaign against rebel-held areas of Yemen since 2015
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 04:34:13|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in an interview with Reuters in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

"We need to get rid of the division of the East and the West and go beyond the difference between the South and the North, in a bid to build a community with a shared future for mankind," says Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister.

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday called for crossing East-West difference and practicing multilateralism at the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

In his speech, Wang elaborated the attendees on the current situation of China's fight against the outbreak of the novel coronavirus under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The top diplomat said that the strict measures taken by the Chinese government are taking effect, and China is fully confident in and capable of winning the fight against the epidemic.

"I believe that after the epidemic, the Chinese economy will stride forward on a healthier and more sustainable track. The Chinese people will become more resolute to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, eradicate the absolute poverty and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," Wang said.

He added that the epidemic had made mankind realize that it is now an era with traditional and non-traditional security threats being interweaved. A regional issue can be transformed into a global one, and vice versa. Therefore, no country can stay alone and be immune to the threats. Instead, all countries are inter-connected and share a common destiny.

"Strengthening global governance and international coordination is urgent right now. We need to get rid of the division of the East and the West and go beyond the difference between the South and the North, in a bid to build a community with a shared future for mankind," added Wang.

Wang made four suggestions for multilateralism. Firstly, countries should stick to multilateralism and seek common development. Multilateralism denies the priority of a single state; instead, it holds that all countries share the same right for development.

"It is not multilateralism if only the Western countries prosper while the non-Western countries lag behind forever. It would not achieve the common progress of mankind," said Wang.

"China's modernization is the necessity of history. China's national conditions decided that it could not copy the Western pattern, and China's cultural genes do not allow the country to follow an old way of seeking hegemony as major powers in history," said Wang.

He said China sticks to peaceful development, seeks cooperation and a win-win deal with the world. The socialist path with Chinese characteristics has achieved great success and is showing energetic vitality and promising future.

China respects the Western countries' choices and hopes to learn from developed countries' experience in a bid to achieve common prosperity, he said.

Meanwhile the West should also discard its subconscious mentality of civilization supremacy, give up its bias and anxiety over China, and accept and welcome the development and revitalization of a country from the East with a system different from that of the West, Wang said.

Secondly, Wang noted that major nations should practice what they preach when it comes to sticking to multilateralism. Success of multilateralism calls on major nations to play key roles and take major responsibilities.

Therefore, big nations must shoulder responsibilities and safeguard the common interests of all countries, Wang said.

He added major nations should strive to maintain the openness of the world, not to confront and counteract each other, and to join hands to safeguard world peace and stability.

Wang said China will further deepen the strategic partnership of coordination with Russia, continue to explore ways of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation with the U.S., and will comprehensively deepen cooperation with Europe.

Thirdly, Wang noted that international norms should be upheld in sticking to multilateralism.

He said multilateralism does not accept unilateral acts, and it implicates that international relations should be democratized and should be based on the rule of international law and the upholding of global justice.

China has always adhered to its original aspiration and is a firm defender of the international law and the purposes of the UN Charter, said Wang.

He added that China's foreign policy is based on the purpose of maintaining global peace and promoting common development, and stems from the adherence to the basic principles of international law and international relations, therefore it is not affected by temporary events and has no self-interest.

It has stood the test of history and won the trust of countries worldwide, said Wang.

Fourthly, he noted that the awareness of the community should be fostered in sticking to multilateralism.

Wang said that China's proposal to build a community with a shared future for mankind is based on the Chinese cultural tradition "all under heaven are of one family", reflecting the profound thinking and humanistic care of the future for mankind.

Wang said China is willing to work with all parties to transcend social systems, history, culture, and different stages of development, to take good care of the planet, and to build a global village shared by all.
New Delhi/Washington, Feb 15 : The US government and the Taliban, by the end of this month, are to sign their peace treaty which includes a plan for a week-long ceasefire and withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan over a period of 18 months.

Top sources involved in the negotiations between the US and the Taliban in Qatar, told IANS that the two sides have agreed to sign the peace deal on February 29, just four days after President Donald Trump concludes his trip to India.

The deal, which the Trump administration has been negotiating for long, includes talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani which are to begin on March 10.

The Afghan government had stayed away from the US-Taliban negotiations, due to strong reservations about the militant group's religious extremism and violence.

The sources said that the US, as per the treaty, has also agreed to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners between February 29 and March 10.

"That is a huge concession," sources based in Kabul said.

The Taliban on the other hand has consented to a week-long ceasefire when neither they nor the US troops will conduct any operations.

"Both sides have succeeded in defining what reduction of violence would entail," a source in Qatar said.

The negotiations for the peace deal, after they were resumed after four months in January this year, had been stuck over the disagreement on the definition of "reduction in violence".

The Trump administration has committed itself to withdraw all its forces from the war-torn country over a period of 18 months.

The US and NATO forces launched a war against terror in Afghanistan 18 years ago after the global Islamist terror group Al Qaeda sheltered and supported by Taliban attacked the US on September 11, 2001.

America has around 11,000 troops in Afghanistan and has been gradually withdrawing forces.

President Trump, who is running for re-election later this year, during his last election campaign promised that he will end America's wars and bring back US troops home.


(Photo : Unsplash)

When you've suffered from an injury then you will want the responsible party to pay for damages, be brought to justice and be stopped if you fear that the neglect or criminal behavior will continue. Personal injury law encompasses medical malpractice, product liability, negligence, nursing home abuse, dog bites, and all sorts of accidents involving ships, pedestrians, and planes. So the first thing you want to do is hire an attorney who practices in the specific area that you are looking for representation in. For example, The King Personal Injury Law Firm in Southern California offers an array of services for clients who have been injured by defective products, at work, or in accidents involving a motor vehicle.

Once you've found an attorney who can represent you for the specifc area of need, it's time to gather evidence. The most effective types of evidence are:

Medical records

Photographs

Witness statements

Police reports

Character reference from an employer

Driving and employment records

Medical Records

If you haven't seen a doctor for your injuries, then go now. The longer you delay, the more you risk not receiving compensation. If you had any surgeries or care, then you will want to present the medical bills for those to calculate damages. Your attorney may also recommend having your physician write a letter explaining how the injuries were caused by the accident, and if they suggest any long-term care, such as physical therapy, that you will need for years.

Photographs

Not only do you want to take pictures of injuries at the accident, but you want to continue taking pictures of physical injuries as they worsen or heal. Remember that in any car accident you always want to get pictures of the damage from many angles, and include the license plate numbers in the images.

Witness Statements

If anyone witnessed the accident then the police may have spoken to them and recorded their observations on the police report. These people can be valuable in helping your case. Any time you are in an accident you want to ask witnesses for their name, phone number, email address and address so you can provide that to your attorney.

Police Reports

If you did not leave the scene of the accident with a copy of the report then you will need to contact the local police department's records office to request a copy. This report will include the date, time, and location of the accident, as well as the narrative from both you and the other driver regarding what happened. Witnesses will also be documented. The insurance company and your attorney will need this document in order to proceed with your case, so be sure to get it immediately.

Character Statements And Letters

You might be asking a few key people for letters and statements on your behalf. If you have a great driving record, then you will want documentation of that to help your case in court. The same goes for character references from your employer, and a track record of your attendance or successes at the company can be used as evidence. If you are still working and your employer has noticed a change in your abilities since the accident, they can note that. Your doctor can also write a letter explaining the long-term treatment you will need.
Deputy James Browne has retained his seat in Dail Eireann during this year's General Election having been elected yesterday at the 11th count.

In an election that saw sweeping voter change across the country with Sinn Fein's popularity soaring amid a kickback against Fine Gael and his own Fianna Fail party, Deputy Browne's re-election could justifiably be regarded as a major victory.

Speaking to this newspaper he said he was happy with his own performance having secured 8,058 first preference votes, however, he conceded that Fianna Fail running four candidates in a five-seater constituency was a strategy unlikely to succeed.

'I knew I wasn't going to top the poll or anything like it but I was confident of retaining the seat,' he said.

'There was a lot of that going around, that I was safe and all that, but I knew it was going to be a fight,' he added

'That was never going to happen with four candidates and it was never going to happen with a Sinn Fein candidate and a Fine Gael minister in the town [of Enniscorthy].'

Deputy Browne went on to comment: 'The maths for that never added up because even we had a brilliant day and we had received 32 per cent of the vote, which is what some were hoping for in Fianna Fail, that would still only have given me about 2,200 votes and you then divide that by four, even if one candidate was ahead of the other there was no way that anyone in Fianna Fail was going to get above 10,000 max.'

Deputy Browne said he didn't give 'any credibility to that' [pre-election speculation].

Over-enthusiastic optimism from within the party was something he had to fight during his campaign.

'It was one of the hardest things I had to fight back against throughout the campaign,' he said.

'This notion that I was safe or I was going to top the poll; it was never going to happen.'

'It was just mathematically impossible for what candidates we had and with two sitting TDs in Enniscorthy and then Johnny Mythen - and that was before Johnny Mythen got his surge and once that happened it was never going to happen [for me].'

With regard to the kick back nationally, and in county Wexford, against Fianna Fail with regard to how the electorate feel both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have let them down Deputy Browne said the 'perception' that his party was in Government went against them.

'I think the problem wasn't so much that they think Fianna Fail let them down but they were finding it difficult to differentiate Fianna Fail from the Government, being in a confidence and supply arrangement for four years,' he said.

'That was a real difficulty and I would also argue that Sinn Fein offered an awful lot of easy solutions that are going to be very hard to deliver,' he added.

However, he agreed that people are very angry and disillusioned at the moment and that's what contributed to the seismic shift in the Irish political landscape.

'People are very frustrated and angry at the moment,' he said. 'I met a lot of people on the doors who were saying they are not getting a break at all; their child couldn't get a health appointment or their grandmother couldn't get a health appointment,' he added.

Deputy Browne also said issues like large college fees, huge rents lack of access to broadband.

'It's everything across the way,' he said.

'The cost of living is high and they just felt they were not getting a break anywhere,' he added.

'I think because Fianna Fail has stayed in and kept the Government there for so long they just wanted something totally different.'

While the position that Fianna Fail party leader Deputy Micheal Martin was at pains in the run up to the election to say his party would not go into Government with Sinn Fein there appeared to be a slight softening of that view by the Fianna Fail party leader as the election progressed and it became clear that Sinn Fein were going to receive a massive amount of support.

However, while Deputy Browne disagreed there was a 'mood change' he did say 'we are in a very unprecedented situation that no-one thought we would be in'.

'We are going to have to digest this and people are going to have to consider the situation where we now have three parties who are all within probably three, four or five seats of each other,' he said.

'Nobody with any hope of going off and forming a coalition [can do so] without one of the other two,' he added.

'It will take a lot of time to digest this new situation.'

When asked if he would be happy to see Fianna Fail going into Government with Sinn Fein, he replied: 'Well at this stage, wherever the last few seats go across the country will have a dramatic impact on the situation so from my perspective I don't think today is the time to think about it.'

'However, whatever happens we do need a stable Government,' he said.

'There is no benefit to this country to going out for another General Election in two or three months and there is no benefit in having some sort cobbled together arrangement which is going to collapse in eight or 12 months and have no power to make any decisions,' he added.

'Whatever is going to come out of this we do need a stable Government for four or five years, especially in the case of Brexit as well.'

When asked about what his specific key priorities will be for county Wexford during his next term in the Dail, Deputy Kehoe said the 'Wexford is a county with huge opportunity'.

'It's only down the road from Dublin but that potential is not being met and the reason for that is that, to me, is that we don't have a university,' he said.

'You will not get a big American company coming in and setting up to bring loads of jobs to the south east because they want a university attached where they can train up their employees when they need to do so,' he added.

He also said Rosslare Europort has not been exploited to its maximum potential.

'Rosslare Europort has massive potential for Wexford and the entire south east,' he said.

'We have the highest unemployment rate of any region but even those employed are in very low paid jobs,' he added.

'There's no spare money in anybody's family now and that's the difficulty.'

He went on to comment: 'I think if Rosslare is taken back from the British, and we put in a stand-alone port company, I think if you do to the two of those and nothing else that alone would unleash huge potential.

He also said Wexford has massive tourist potential and said it's an industry that also creates jobs.
This present year of 2020 marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of what is fondly known by Dundalk people as 'The Big Bridge' over the Castletown River at the end of Bridge Street.

It was built in 1819 with money raised by the Louth Grand Jury under William Parkinson Ruxton of the 'Red House' Ardee, who was the High Sheriff of Louth that year. This about the same time as the present Courthouse building at the Square was being completed. The Grand Jury was composed of prominent landowners who were summoned to meet twice a year, at the time of the beginning of the Spring and the Summer judicial Aussies to deal with legal matters and the maintenance of highways.

The exact date when the public were first allowed to use the bridge is, as far as I am aware, not known but I have read that one of the first vehicles to make the crossing was a steam traction engine and that there were great fears that the device would cause the structure to collapse. As a result a weight restriction was imposed. How this restriction was enforced is not clear, as there were no police in Ireland at the time and law was enforced by local magistrates with the support of the military.

Apparently one of the rules was that a man carrying a red flag should walk in front of any vehicles crossing the bridge and, if the authorities considered that the load was too great, some of the goods would have to be unloaded and carried across by hand after the wagon had passed over. How they controlled herds of heavy animals is another matter which is not recorded that I am aware of but, presumably, the herdsmen were ordered to keep them to a narrow column!

All these worries, however, proved unfounded as the structure has stood up to much heavier vehicles crossing than could have been envisaged two centuries ago. Oddly enough the question of the weight of vehicles using the bridge did come up again only about forty years ago and it did cause the closure of the bridge for a short period! I do not remember the exact date but it was shortly after Ireland became a member of the European Common Market! The matter was raised by the late Councillor Thomas Bellew who pointed out, at a meeting of the Dundalk Urban District Council, that weight and size of the lorries and volume of traffic using the main Dublin-Belfast Road had greatly increased after Ireland joined. The result was that an engineering inspection was ordered and the subsequent report showed that stonework had been damaged and was in some danger of collapse. The new Tain Bridge had not been completed by that time and traffic on the main road had to be diverted over the even older bridge at Toberona while remedial work on the Big Bridge was carried out.

Of course, the heaviest of vehicles were not suitable for this route and some of the traffic between the Island's two main cities was diverted through Ardee or other inland routes.

The work also cost a lot of money that County Louth could not afford but, fortunately, the expenditure was covered by the Department of Local Government!

There are many other stories relating to the 200 year history of Dundalk's 'Big Bridge'. It is sometimes referred to as the 'Newry Road Bridge', for obvious reasons, but its official name is 'The Dundalk Bridge' and has been marked on Ordnance Survey maps of the area by this name since they were first drawn up in the 1830s.

Older maps, commissioned by the Grand Juries of the County, show that there was a bridge at this point in 1777. Some even earlier maps do not indicate a bridge but old print drawings show a five arched stone bridge over the river and some accounts indicated that the present bridge was constructed on the foundations of this older bridge.

Tradition has it that there was a covered wooden bridge spanning the river from the time the walls of the Town were built in late 12th century but no trace of this bridge has ever been discovered. There is, however, an account taken from native Irish sources, of the Battle of Faughart in October 1318 in which it is related that a Scottish knight who had been fighting for Edward Bruce was captured and was being dragged along a causeway leading to the bridge. Apparently he struggled free before he could be taken into Dundalk to be executed or held for ransom and made good his escape to tell the tale.
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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has underlined that effective mechanisms are needed for ensuring comprehensive ceasefire in Donbas, which has been agreed at the meeting of the leaders of the Normandy format in Paris on December 9.

"We agreed in Paris that we will confirm commitment to the comprehensive ceasefire. And the respective statement of the Trilateral Contact Group was adopted on December 18, 2019. But complete silence has not been achieved. More than 400 shell attacks of Ukrainian positions was recorded for almost two months, as a result of which our soldiers continue to die. We need effective mechanisms due to which the ceasefire will be fulfilled not in words, but in deeds," he said during the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
In 2009, a GM manager complained to a 59-year-old GM technician about the hassle of retrieving items from a pickup truck bed after driving shifted the cargo. In two days, the tech had come up with the ideas that, ten years later, would debut as the MultiPro tailgate. The engineering teams kept the tailgate secret in part by hiding mock-ups in a locked storage closet in GM's Vehicle Engineering Center in Warren Michigan for two years. A piece in the Detroit Free Press reveals that another storage closet in Warren would play the same role in a different cloak-and-dagger operation, this time for the power-sliding center console in GM's new full-sized SUVs. During a meeting in early 2017, bosses gave the job of the console's creation to 24-year-old design release engineer Alex Archer, just two years out of Stanford University with a degree in engineering and product design.

This time, the catalyst for the feature was an internal GM think tank called co:lab, where employees suggest ideas. Execs gave Archer the task because "They needed someone willing to ask a lot of questions," her 36-month mandate to produce a six-way console that could be a standard cubby or a gaping maw able to swallow four gallon jugs or hide a secret compartment. Clearly, she succeeded. It took Archer and the team nine months to devise a prototype, another six months to get the green light for production.

As with the tailgate, the team working on the console grew to include designers, production engineers, and suppliers. Archer, now 26, shepherded the process, and her name is on the patent. "It took a ton of people, I'm just somebody who stuck with it the whole time," she said. GM like her work well enough to produce the "Day in the Life" segment above, five months before the world would hear about the console.

Archer's path to engineering was as unlikely as getting the job for the console. She had entered Stanford with plans to be a doctor. But an innovation class during her freshman year, and a sophomore summer spent helping her grandfather rebuild a 1937 MG engine recharted her course. Her grandfather told her, "You know, you could be an engineer for a car company."

Story continues

Consumer reaction to Archer's work won't be far off, the SUVs slated to hit dealerships soon. Meanwhile, she's busy on something that could be just as intense as the console: Restoring a 1955 Packard Clipper in her garage. Head to Freep to check out the story of Archer and the console.

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The first suspected case of the new strain of coronavirus was reported in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, involving a person who had recently returned from China -- the epicentre of the outbreak.

The person, who hails from Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has been put under observation at the Ayub Medical Hospital (AMH) in Abbottabad.

Coronavirus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year. It has since then killed more than 1,500 people in that country alone, while cases have been registered in several countries across the world, including India.

No confirmed case of coronavirus has been reported in Pakistan, through suspected cases have been reported in the past.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Alpha Delta Kappa

Lambda Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa met at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 at the home of co-president Nancy Meier. Alpha Delta Kappa is an international organization for women educators. Lambda Chapter members are from Fremont and Blair.

The meeting was called to order by Meier.

President-Elect Nancy Morris reminded members to bring their altruistic reports next month. Meier also reminded members that nominations are being taken for new officers. The new officers will be installed at the May meeting.

Meier gave a short presentation on her trip to Iceland as part of Alpha Delta Kappas World Understanding program.

The Alpha Delta Kappa State Board meeting was held in Grand Island on Jan. 25. Morris, who attended the meeting along with Meier, gave a short report on the meeting.

A new chapter is being started in York. Lambda chapter members decided to make a small donation to help the chapter get started. The Nebraska State Alpha Delta Kappa Convention will be held in York on April 4. All local chapters are being asked to donate a raffle basket to raise money for altruistic projects. The money raised in the raffle will be given to the Ronald McDonald House and one other charity to be chosen at the Nebraska State Convention.

Members attending the convention will vote on which charity will be chosen. There will be three charities to vote on: Angels Among Us, Orphan Grain Train and Set Me Free. Morris gave a brief description of each charity so that members could think about which charity to vote for.

Ideas for the raffle basket that Lambda chapter needs to donate for the state convention were discussed.

An update about a survey taken by a state committee to determine whether or not the Nebraska Alpha Delta Kappa Conference and Convention should be held at a central location was also given. Not all chapters have completed the survey, so more time is being given for them to do so.

Sue Wilt read the application that Midland University student Chaleigh Mattson submitted when applying for a scholarship given by Lambda Chapter. Mattson was the winner of the scholarship, which she received last December.

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(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. wont change its policy on intelligence-sharing with the U.K. over Britains decision to allow Huawei Technologies Co. into next-generation broadband networks, a senior official said.

President Donald Trump tried to persuade the British government to exclude the Chinese company from the U.K.s 5G networks and was unhappy that Boris Johnson defied him, berating the British prime minister during a heated phone call last week. The U.S. has warned about Huaweis ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the risk of espionage.

However, Robert B. Blair, Trumps special envoy for international telecommunications policy, said that the U.K. will continue to be one of Washingtons closest partners.

Well have to take a hard look at how the implementation of this new policy -- and its still a policy at this point -- will affect our ability to take care of information with them, but there will be no erosion of our overall intelligence sharing operation with the Brits, Blair told reporters Friday at the Munich Security Conference.

He said the idea of restricting U.K. access to U.S. intelligence had never been a threat, and reassessing the treatment of data was simply a matter of reacting to potentially compromised networks.

QuickTake: Can a 70-Year-Old Spy Alliance Endure in Era of 5G?

He appeared to pour cold water on an option broached by Attorney General William Barr for the U.S. to invest in Huawei competitors Nokia Oyj of Finland and Ericsson AB of Sweden.

We will push the market in a particular direction, frankly we are more at the point of working to bring everybody inside the tent rather than focusing on putting U.S. taxpayer dollars toward a particular solution, he said.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of Trumps staunchest critics, said at the Munich conference that she agrees with his assessment of the threat posed by using Huawei equipment in the new 5G networks.

The U.S. raised the stakes in its fight with Huawei this week, charging the company with racketeering to engage in intellectual property theft. A company representative said the new charges are without merit and are based largely on recycled civil disputes.

Story continues

No Evidence

Huawei has ripped up its supply chain in an attempt to insulate itself from U.S. attacks, and the equipment provider said Friday that it doesnt use American components in its 5G networks anymore.

We do believe over a strategic period as America weakens and non-American companies strengthen, that actually will be good for all companies and all countries and consumers, said John Suffolk, the Shenzhen-based vendors global cybersecurity and privacy chief. There will be a lot more competition in the world.

In the final weeks of 2019, Huaweis investment branch scouted startups and venture capital firms in countries including Germany and France to invest in European tech companies to build a non-American supply chain.

Suffolk said Huawei doesnt provide the specific equipment which allows law enforcement to listen in to communications, and that function is under the control of network operators themselves. Suffolk was previously chief information security officer for the U.K. government.

There is no evidence to support any of the allegations that America is making, Suffolk said. He was referring to a report published Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal that said the company has been able to use lawful intercept technology to eavesdrop on communications for more than a decade.

We believe theyre deliberately misleading and hoping if they throw enough mud then some of that mud would stick, Suffolk added.

--With assistance from Helene Fouquet, Thomas Seal and Patricia Hurtado.

To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Donahue in Munich at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Iain Rogers, Larry Liebert

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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Industry body COAI on Saturday asserted that the government has "vast powers and options" to address the sector's issues, even in the light of the Supreme Court order on payment of statutory dues.

A day after the Supreme Court rapped the telecom department and companies over non-compliance of its order on payment of statutory dues, COAI Director General Rajan Mathews told PTI that it is up to individual members (companies) to seehow they would interpret and comply with the SC order.

"We continue to believe that government has vast powers and options to address the issues of the sector even in the light ofthe SC order," Mathews said.

Meanwhile, after UP (West) and Rajasthan, the DoT's field offices in circles of Gujarat, UP (East), West Bengal and others zones have directed telecom companies to pay up outstanding dues "immediately" failing which action would be initiated based on provisions of licence agreement "without any further notice".

A notice issued by UP (East) circle to telecom operators said the office of Controller of Communication Accounts will remain open on Saturday to facilitate payment of statutory dues by the companies.

Mathews said that while Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) sees plenty of opportunity for mobile operators to flourish, enabling policies and regulations will be key to this.

Citing COAI's position that the industry has to move quickly to a Rs 300 ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) level to maintain its financial health, Mathews said that theSC order only makes this imperative "more urgent".

"We have stated before that present tariffs are inadequate to sustain the financial health of the sector and the industry has to move quickly to a Rs 300 ARPU number to maintain its financial health. The SC order only makes this imperative even more urgent," Mathews said.

On Friday, the SC had directed the managing directors and directors of telcos and other firms to explain why contempt action be not taken against them for non-compliance of its order to pay adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of Rs 1.47 lakh crore to the Department of Telecom (DoT).

After Supreme Court rap, the telecom department on Friday had begun issuing orders asking firms such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea to clear past dues immediately.

The Supreme Court has asked companies to clear dues, totalling an estimated Rs 1.47 lakh crore, before the next date of hearing on March 17.

Airtel on Friday responded to the DoT order by offering to pay Rs 10,000 crore by February 20 and the remaining before March 17. Airtel owes nearly Rs 35,586 crore, including licence fee and spectrum usage charge, to the government.

Vodafone Idea,in a regulatory filing on Saturday, said it is assessing the amount that can be paid towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, although it reiterated that continuation of business in India will depend on "a positive outcome" of its modification plea filed before the apex court.

"The Company proposes to pay the amount so assessed in the next few days," said VIL, which is confronted with dues of over Rs 53,000 crore.

COAI's Mathews said that "duopoly is not in the best interest of the nation, customers or even the industry".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: As expected, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Friday announced a slew of initiatives for agriculture sector that would benefit the farming community. Panneerselvam announced that Mission of Sustainable Dry Land Agriculture would be relaunched as Tamil Nadu Mission for Sustainable Dry Land Development on a cluster-based approach to cover 10,000 clusters of 250 acre each, in a period of three years.

With a view to provide technical advice on farming operations to farmers, Farmers-Agri Officers Interface Scheme would be launched. Under this, apart from one-to-one field level interaction, information and communication technology would also be leveraged. Bringing cheers to farmers engaged in horticulture, Panneerselvam announced special centres for cashew to come up in Cuddalore, onion in Perambalur, moringa in Theni, turmeric in Erode, acid lime in Tenkasi and chillies in Thoothukudi at an outlay of Rs 18 crore.

He said eight agro processing clusters at a cost of Rs 218 crore would be established in Theni, Dindigul, Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai, Salem, Cuddalore, Villupuram and Madurai districts. Besides, food parks would be set up in Dharmapuri, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Karur, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram and Tenkasi districts at a cost of Rs 70 crore. Similarly, integrated market complexes would come up in Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Madurai, Trichy and Tirunelveli districts on a pilot basis at a cost of Rs 50 crore.

Panneerselvam said 1,364 irrigation works would be taken up under Kudimaramath Scheme at a cost of Rs 500 crore. Further, rural and urban bodies would take up deepening and improvement of remaining ponds and ooranies in villages and rehabilitation of water bodies including temple tanks. He said a transport subsidy of upto Rs 100 per MT of sugarcane would be given for current crushing season at a cost of Rs 110 crore.
With a critical phase of the San Pedro Creek improvement project more than halfway completed, officials Friday toured the three-block section under construction in a busy part of downtown.

Im really excited about this project thats going to be done, said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who was part of the group that donned hard hats to see the work going on from Houston Street to Nueva Street, near where the new federal courthouse also is going up.

Construction of the San Pedro Creek projects Phase 1.2, the second improved segment of the creek, began in June 2018 and is set for completion by mid-2021. One of its showpiece elements is a 250-foot-wide, 15-foot-tall water wall feature with an interactive sound and light public art installation.

The outdoor plaza just south of Houston Street, across from the massive water wall feature, is the area most fully developed so far, with much of the concrete and stone already in place.

On ExpressNews.com: Creek project to include interactive art installation

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who also was on the tour organized by the San Antonio River Authority, said a solid wall on the west side of the city-owned Spanish Governors Palace will be replaced with a wrought-iron fence, providing a view from the creek of the historic sites lushly landscaped courtyard.

Wolff said the creek will be different from San Antonios famed River Walk, with wider sidewalks and vistas, less commercialization and more interpretive art, inscriptions and signs celebrating the communitys history as a Spanish-indigenous colonial village.

Its more up at ground level. It has a lot more landscaping to it. And so I think the stroll down the San Pedro Creek, when we get through, is an entirely different deal than the River Walk, Wolff said.

The creek project seeks to provide an attractive space to complement public and private investment downtown, including a restored Alameda Theater, new offices and studios for Texas Public Radio and an expanded University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown Campus.

The old 1960s Bexar County Jail, long viewed as an eyesore, will be razed to make way for a new UTSA School of Business building.

In addition to touring the work in progress Friday, officials celebrated the final reimbursement of federal funds on a previous project that could help finish the creek overhaul and aid similar improvements on the West Side.

The county has secured the $26 million last reimbursement installment on the $61.3 million it advanced to improve the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River, completed seven years ago. The previous $35 million in reimbursements has been spent or programmed into the first four segments of the six-segment, 2.2-mile San Pedro Creek Culture Park.

Cuellar, D-Laredo, said a very courageous county Commissioners Court trusted the federal government when it committed in 2008 to cover part of the federal share of the $271 million, 8-mile Mission Reach on the South Side, the largest urban ecosystem restoration project in the country.

Cuellar, who represents a part of San Antonio, credited the citys congressional delegation, the Army Corps of Engineers and the federal Office of Management and Budget with recognizing the countys commitment to the river and creek projects and repaying the funds.

On ExpressNews.com: Old jail to be razed as part of land sale

County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez, speaking at a news conference preceeding Fridays tour, said the San Pedro Creek project will stimulate more economic investment downtown and, at its southern terminus near Interstate 35, connect with Apache Creek, one of three West Side Creeks that have been considered for similar improvements.

Local officials have said full reimbursement of funds for the Mission Reach allows them now to focus on seeking aid for the West Side creeks.

When we talk about what thats going to do, potentially, on ecosystem restoration, on flood control, to really renovate and bring life, invigorate the West Side, its going to make significant impacts, Rodriguez said.

He said he hopes to achieve the goal of his predecessor, the late Commissioner Paul Elizondo, to finish the San Pedro Creek project and enhance its confluence with the Apache as the gateway to the West Side.

Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 14, 2020) - Peekaboo Beans Inc. (CSE: BEAN) (OTCQB: PBBSF) ("Peekaboo Beans" or the "Company") announces that it will offer all holders of common share purchase warrants (the "Warrantholders") a reduced exercise price of $0.05 on all outstanding common share purchase warrants for a limited period of 20 days (the "Warrant Incentive Program"). The purpose of the Warrant Incentive Program is to provide the Company with a further means of raising additional capital through the potential exercise of these warrants. The Warrant Incentive Program commences today, February 14, 2020 and expires on March 4, 2020.

The Company has received a waiver from the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") from the requirement to obtain approval from all of the Warrantholders for the Warrant-Incentive Program. Rather, the Company will make an offer to each of its Warrantholders to accept a reduced exercise price of $0.05 on warrants held during the duration of the Warrant Incentive Program.

The Company currently has 14,806,114 common share purchase warrants outstanding with exercise prices ranging from $0.15 to $1.00 (the "Warrants"). 1,604,914 of the Warrants were set to expire on February 16, 2020, but will be extended for 20 days under the Warrant Incentive Program. Pursuant to the Warrant Incentive Program, the Company will make an offer the Warrantholders to accept a reduced exercise price of $0.05 on the Warrants for a limited period of 20 days. If a Warrantholder does not exercise their Warrants under the Warrant Incentive Program, the Warrants will revert back to their original terms following the 20 day offer period.

About Peekaboo Beans Inc.

Peekaboo Beans is a children's apparel brand with a focus on environmentally responsible clothes that are intentionally designed to inspire play. Through an omni-channel approach, Peekaboo Beans engages sellers through social platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, as well as online retailers, to maximize revenue and build brand loyalty. The Company works to promote a playful lifestyle for children by designing comfortable clothes that are built to last.

To learn more about Peekaboo Beans, visit: www.peekaboobeans.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Peekaboo Beans Inc.

Ms. Traci Costa, President and CEO

(604) 279-2326

For more information, please contact the Company at:

IR@peekaboobeans.com

1-604-279-2326

Reader Advisory

This news release may include forward-looking information that is subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions, such information is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52476
A safe place? Meanwhile in the camp, conditions are deteriorating with snow, freezing rain and the night-time temperature falling to minus eight degrees in recent weeks. The Kurdish authorities who control the region are also growing impatient as the security situation in north-eastern Syria becomes increasingly chaotic. Kurdish authorities are making preparations to start from next month putting perhaps 1000 foreign fighters - including 10 Australians - on trial in Syria because western governments are refusing to take them home. A child at the fence at al-Hawl camp in Syria. The camp houses the wives and children of former Islamic State fighters. Credit:Mohammed Shaker for Sesame Seed Films Kurdish foreign relations chief Abdulkarim Omar said last week the foreigners, including women and children, were a huge problem on the international level and we cannot solve it on our own. There was an urgent need for a solution to the issue and the autonomous region wanted to pressure states to receive their nationals.

The Syrian Kurds are planning to send an unknown number of Iraqis over the border to be tried there in a legal system that was strongly criticised by a recent United Nations report. Meanwhile US troops were shot at on Wednesday night, and armies or militia from Russia, Turkey, Syria, the Kurdish region and Iran are all active and contesting territory in the countrys north-east. Some activists are pushing for an option of a safe place for the Australians somewhere in the Middle East to act as a holding pattern in the event of people escaping or being released from the camp and trying to make their way to Australia. The government has said it would deal with Australians if they could make it to any of the regional embassies, but there are no active plans underway to create a holding location. Inside the camp Conditions for the Australians inside the camp are dire as Syria endures a cold and wet winter. A photograph sent by one woman to her family shows a small child of the Australian group apparently suffering from frostbite. Another had the tip of his finger chopped off in an accident.

When I took him to the hospital they only gave me one paracetamol tablet and nothing else, said the boys mother in a message to family in Australia. I found from [other women] some gauze wraps and stuff to use, but its finished now  Dont think so good of the world. A boy (unnamed) living in the al-Hawl camp in Syria who lost the tip of his finger in an accident. Videos and photographs obtained by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald show tents battered by heavy rain and undermined by floods, with children shivering in the snow. According to Australian documentary filmmaker Giselle Hall, who has been a regular visitor to the camp in recent months, many tents have flooded, torn and collapsed with the strong winds and heavy rain, often in the middle of the night. Aid agencies provide kerosene heaters, but distribution of kerosene is sometimes delayed by security concerns, leaving families without any way to heat their tents, Ms Hall said.

Many of the women and children are afraid of the kerosene heaters, which have set tents alight, but feel they have no other choice but to use them in the freezing temperatures  "Violence is rife and often carried out by the women living in the camp, with weapons such as kitchen knives and hammers. Guards have been attacked and killed. Men, women and children living in the camp have also been brutally murdered. One of the Australian women in al-Hawl camp and a group of children. Credit:Shorash Radwan Khalil for Sesame Seed Films If they return While there are no plans to extract any of the women and children in the camp, the Australian government has been making contingency plans in the event they take matters into their own hands. This includes building cases against women who security agencies believe could remain an ongoing threat. There are concerns within security agencies that many of the children have been radicalised after years in Syria.

Criminologist Clarke Jones, a senior research fellow at the Australian National University, is working with Muslim communities in Sydney and Melbourne to try to prepare the ground for any possible returns. He said it might be difficult for the police to prosecute the returning women because, for some, its a difficult proposition to say the women have broken the law. Some went under duress, some were tricked, some were children when they went - there are different stories, so ... trying to prove that they've been involved in violence, support of terrorism or militancy is going to be a really difficult one. On the other hand, their reality has been trauma, abuse, including sexual abuse, and insecurity, not to mention how unstable they would be around relationships - their husbands have been killed, then they have remarried two or three times. Australian Maysa Assaad, 9, holding Shayma Assaada's daughter Mariam (2nd from left) in al Hawl camp. Credit:Kate Geraghty Among the children, some might have been radicalised and, the older they are the higher risk they would be, Dr Jones said. All the children, though, would need treatment for trauma, and strong social support, being normalised as soon as possible, including going back to school.

Dr Jones says the governments engagement with the families in Australia had been non-existent. There's no one consulting the people on the cultural, religious aspects of bringing these people home, Dr Jones said. That concerns me - the lack of consultation, the lack of communication with the people who they need to be in touch with. Loading Mat Tinkler, the Director of Policy and International Programs at Save The Children agreed there had been limited contingency planning, adding that, if the government was serious about it theyd work with the families now to co-design deradicalisation and community reintegration programs. Kamalle Dabboussy, the community advocate and father who has been working to have his daughter, Mariam, grandchildren and other Australians released from the camp, is increasingly frustrated at the governments approach.

The women have all agreed to be subject to control orders if they return, and the government has not accepted that offer. Instead, all weve got is police raids. That, in my view, is a heavy-handed response. Loading They're saying that if the women can get themselves and their children to an embassy then we'll help them, Dabboussy says. They are saying we'll support them if they get out illegally, but we won't help them get out legally. To me, that is astounding. Ingy Sedky, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria, says the harsh weather conditions are adding more strains to the already vulnerable conditions of the people in the camp, exposing them to additional health risks. She says the ICRC has a field hospital in the camp which has treated over 6600 wounded and sick people since opening in June last year, but the situation is unsustainable and medical needs remain huge.
REPUBLICAN BALLOT

**Note: County Commissioner and Constable candidates will differ based by voting precinct.

CANDIDATES

President:

Donald J. Trump

Roque Rocky De La Fuente Guerra

Joe Walsh

Bob Ely

Matthew John Matern

Zoltan G. Istvan

Bill Weld

Uncommitted

United States Senator:

Dwayne Stovall

Virgil Bierschwale

John Anthony Castro

John Cornyn

Mark Yancey

United States Representative, Dist. 19

Jodey C. Arrington

Vance W. Boyd

Railroad Commissioner

James Jim Wright

Ryan Sitton

Chief Justice, Supreme Court

Nathan Hecht

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6, unexpired term

Jane Bland

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7

Jeff Boyd

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8

Brett Busby

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3

Bert Richardson

Gina Parker

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4

Kevin Patrick Yeary

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9

David Newell

Member, State Board of Education, District 15

Jay Johnson

State Senator, District 28

Charles Perry

State Representative, District 88

Ken King

Chief Justice, 7th Court of Appeals District

Brian Quinn

Justice, 7th Court of Appeals District, Place 4

Larry Doss

Steven Denny

District Attorney, 64th Judicial District

Wally Hatch

County Attorney

Jim Tirey

Sheriff

David Cochran

County Tax Assessor-Collector

Roland Nash

Constable, Precinct No. 3

Terry K. Timms

Constable, Precinct 1

Tommy Baker

County Commissioner, Precinct 3

Ray F. Perez

Kenny Kernell

County Commissioner, Precinct 4

Brent Ramsower

Harold King

County Chairman

Kenna Hatch

PROPOSITIONS

1: Texas should not restrict or prohibit prayer in public schools

2: Texas should reject restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms

3: Texas should ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying, which allows your tax dollars to be spent on lobbyists who work against the taxpayer.

4: Texas should support the construction of a physical barrier and use existing defense-grade surveillance equipment along the entire southern border of Texas

5: Texas parents or legal guardians of public school children under the age of 18 should be the sole decision makers for all their childrens healthcare decisions including, but not limited to, psychological assessment and treatment, contraception, and sex education.

6: Texas should ban chemical castration, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital mutilation surgery on all minor children for transition purposes, given that Texas children as young as three (3) are being transitioned from their biological sex to the opposite sex.

7: Texans should protect and preserve all historical monuments, artifacts, and buildings, such as the Alamo Cenotaph and our beloved Alamo, and should oppose any reimagining of the Alamo site.

8: Texas election officials should heed the directives of the Office of the Governor to purge illegal voters from the voter rolls and verify that each new registered voter is a U.S. Citizen.

9: Bail in Texas should be based only on a persons danger to society and risk of flight, not that persons ability to pay.

10: Texas should limit our state legislators terms to 12 years.

___

DEMOCRATIC BALLOT

President

Amy Kobuchar

Deval Patrick

Julian Castro

Andrew Yang

Joseph R. Biden

Bernie Sanders

Michael Bennett

Tulsi Gabbard

Roque Rocky De La Fuente

Marianna Williamson

Tom Steyer

Michael R. Bloomberg

Pete Buttigieg

Cory Booker

Robby Wells

Elizabeth Warren

John K. Delaney

United State Senator

Adrian Ocegueda

Royce West

Sema Herandez

Jack Daniel Foster Jr.

Chris Bell

Annie Mama Garcia

Victor Hugo Harris

Mary MJ Hegar

D.R. Hunter

Amanda K. Edwards

Michael Cooper

Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez

United State Representative, District No. 19

Tom Watson

Railroad Commissioner

Mark Watson

Roberto R. Beto Alonzo

Kelly Stone

Chrysta Castaneda

Chief Justice, Supreme Court

Jerry Zimmerer

Amy Clark Meachum

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6  Unexpired Term

Kathy Cheng

Larry Praeger

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7

Brandy Voss

Staci Williams

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8

Peter Kelly

Gisela D. Triana

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3

Dan Wood

William Pieratt Demond

Elizabeth Davis Frizell

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4

Steven Miears

Tina Clinton

Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9

Brandon Birmingham

Member, State Board of Education, District 15

John Betancourt

Propositions

1: Right to Healthcare: Should everyone in Texas have a right to quality healthcare, protected by a universally accessible Medicare-style system that saves rural hospitals, reduces the cost of prescription drugs, and guarantees access to reproductive healthcare?

2: Right to 21st Century Public Education: Should everyone in Texas have the right to high-quality public education from pre-k to 12th grade, and affordable college and career training without the burden of crushing student loan debt?

3. Right to Clean Air, Safe Water, and a Responsible Climate Policy: Should everyone in Texas have the right to clean air, safe water, affordable and sustainable alternative energy sources, and a responsible climate policy that recognizes and addresses the climate crisis as a real and serious threat that impacts every aspect of life on this planet?

4: Right to Economic Security: Should everyone in Texas have the right to economic security, where all workers have earned paid family and sick leave, training to prepare for future economies, and a living wage that respects their hard work?

5: Right to Dignity & Respect: Should everyone in Texas have the right to a life of dignity and respect, free from discrimination and harassment anywhere, including businesses and public facilities, no matter how they identify, the color of their skin, whom they love, socioeconomic status, disability status, housing status or from where they come?

6: Right to Be Free From Violence: Should everyone in Texas have the right to live a life free from violence  gun violence, racial hatred, terrorism, domestic violence, bullying harassment or sexual assault  so Texans can grow in a safe environment?

7: Right to Housing: Should everyone in Texas have the right to affordable and accessible housing and modern utilities (electricity, water, gas, and high-speed internet) free from any form of discrimination?

8: Right To Vote: Should every eligible Texan have the right to vote, made easier by automatic voter registration, the option to vote by mail, guaranteed early and mobile voting stations, and a state election holiday  free from corporate campaign influence, foreign and domestic interference, and gerrymandering?

9: Right to Fair Criminal Justice System: Should everyone in Texas have the right to a fair criminal justice system that treats people equally, uses proven methods for de-escalating situations instead of excessive force, and puts and end to the mass and disproportionate incarceration of people of color for minor offenses?

10: Immigrant Rights: Should there be a just and fair comprehensive immigration reform solution that includes and earned path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants and their children, keeps families together, protects DREAMers, and provides workforce solutions for businesses?

11: Right to Fair Taxation: Should Texas establish equitable taxation for people at all income levels and for businesses and corporations, large and small, so our state government can fund our educational, social, infrastructure, business, and all government services to improve programs necessary for all Texans to thrive?
She revealed on Instagram that she spent the romantic occasion with her pals in London.

And Gemma Collins hinted that she was happy to see Valentine's Day come to an end in a cryptic Instagram post on Friday.

The TOWIE star, 39, shared the video after her on/off boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent reportedly checked himself into rehab following 'two drug overdoses in two months' last year.

Funny: Gemma Collins hinted that she was happy to see Valentine's Day come to an end in a cryptic Instagram post on Friday

In the brief video Gemma performed a hilarious dance after heading into London for a Valentine's Day lunch with her pals.

Clad in a chic black frilled jumper and matching leggings, the star delivered a cheeky jig as she strolled along an area close to the River Thames.

She captioned the brief video: 'Anyone happy valentines is over. Roll on Pancake Day!!'

Gemma's post came after her boyfriend James returned to social media earlier this month with his first post in two years.

Starting afresh: The TOWIE sta shared the video after her on/off boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent reportedly checked himself into rehab following 'two drug overdoses in two months' last year

Funny: In the funny video Gemma was clad in a chic black ensemble as she delivered a hilarious dance while strolling through London after enjoying Valentine's Day with pals

Telling: The caption for Gemma's post hinted that she was glad to see the end of Valentine's Day

The former TOWIE star revealed he's set to take to the stage at pal Elliott Wright's Olivia's La Cala restaurant in Spain later this year.

Sharing a promotional poster of his residency on Instagram, the media personality will perform at the fine eatery's Famous Thursday events on selected dates from April until September.

The Waltham Forest native wrote on his social media account: 'After many comments & dms I can finally reveal Ill be back @olivias_la_cala for my 2020 residency! Jessie J & Tyson Fury amongst others joined me last year.

'There will be many more familiar faces joining me this year! Here is a list of all of my gigs, Please book ASAP to avoid disappointment as theyll all be guaranteed sell outs!', he wrote alongside a series of his performance dates.

He's back! Gemma's post came after her boyfriend James returned to social media earlier this month with his first post in two years

James' last Instagram post was shared in late September, when he uploaded a gushing tribute to his best friend Mark Wright for the platform's decade challenge.

The troubled star was recently taken to hospital for the second time in two months after friends and family feared he had attempted a second 'overdose'.

Paramedics rushed to his 1.3million home in South Woodford, Essex where they found the star 'disorientated' shortly before friends - including Mark - rallied around in a bid to help him get the support he needs.

Insiders told MailOnline: 'Mark was at his house for around six hours to support him. This was after Arg had been to hospital and come home again...

'Arg cant afford rehab but Mark and other close friends and family are clubbing together to put him in a good place so he can overcome this.'

A friend indeed: James' last Instagram post was shared in late September, when he uploaded a gushing tribute to his best friend Mark Wright for the platform's decade challenge

James' on/off girlfriend Gemma Collins was said to be 'worried sick' following his admission but vowed to stand by her man in his time of need.

He allegedly started the New Year with an indefinite stay at a 20,000 a month retreat in Thailand until he feels 'happy and healthy' enough to come home.

An insider told The Sun: 'Arg has jetted off to Thailand to start the New Year at a specialist facility.

'He has realised he needs help with his recent addiction issues and with his weight loss battle, so has turned to professionals.

'Arg is receiving some of the best care in the world and so is in an environment to finally improve his physical and mental state.'

MailOnline contacted James' representatives for further comment at the time of publication.
(Natural News) According to a study led by researchers from the Federal University of Western Para in Brazil along with colleagues from France and Germany, ancient tribes that lived in the Llanos de Moxos region in Bolivia for thousands of years used a network of fish ponds to support their settlements. The researchers also believe that these fish ponds were used to protect the tribes against the months-long droughts that are common in that area of the Amazon Basin.

The researchers, whose findings were published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, studied ancient settlements found in the Llanos de Moxos region in Bolivia. This area is a vast savanna that floods annually from around October to April and then receives virtually no rain for the rest of the year. The researchers say that humans that settled in the area began construction on massive earthen mounds that acted as permanent settlements beginning at around 500 AD. One such settlement, known as Loma Salvatierra, was located more than 31 miles (50 km) from the nearest river, the Mamore River that belongs to the massive Amazon River system.

Previous research into the Llanos de Moxos area suggests that pre-Hispanic settlements like Loma Salvatierra built a series of shallow ponds that surrounded the earthen walls and were connected through a series of canals. These ponds are believed to serve multiple purposes for the settlement, including capturing rainfall to store fresh water for the dry season, and acting as a drainage system for the settlement. Researchers even believe that they were used as fishing ponds, but how the fisheries functioned in such conditions is still not well understood.

Fish bones tell the tale of the people of Loma Salvatierra

The researchers examined these ponds and the remains of over 17,000 fish found in midden piles. These bones were documented and analyzed by the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. They found that there were over 35 different taxa of fish and four species were dominant: swamp eels, armored catfish, lungfish and tiger fish. These fish had adapted to the conditions of living in the ponds. Specifically, they had adapted to living in a pond with fluctuating water levels and with low levels of oxygen. These conditions are only expected to arrive if the area experienced long dry periods between annual rains.

This evidence, along with the previous research concerning the pond networks in other parts of the region, suggests that the ponds were used to harvest fish all year round away from other large natural open-water habitats. This proves that the humans that settled in this area were able to modify their environment in order to survive during periods of drought. (Related: New research exposes the risks of geoengineering to artificially intervene in global warming: It may devastate the planet.)

Although many studies have drawn attention to how Pre-Hispanic inhabitants of these savannas managed to deal with excess water, little attention has been paid to understanding how large and permanent populations were sustained during long periods of drought, said the authors of the study in their latest report.

They added: The savanna, in contrast to the large Amazonian rivers, presents a distinct set of fishing habitats where humans likely established specific fishing strategies.

The researchers believe their study takes knowledge about landscape modification and specific cultural technologies a step further. However, they also believe that more research needs to be done on the area. Specifically, studies need to investigate how fish were stored and whether the fishing activities changed in response to the irregular precipitation and landscape fluctuations. Other settlements in the area with fish ponds also need to be investigated. Two other regions in South America, the Venezuelan Llanos and Marajo Island in Brazil, also have ponds appear next to earthwork settlements. Future research needs to consider if these kinds of environmental modifications were limited to the Llanos de Moxos region or were widespread.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

ScienceDaily.com

Journals.PLOS.org
A Jhunjhunu family is running from pillar to post to bring back the body of their relative who died died in Iraq's capital Baghdad over two weeks ago.

Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (45), a resident of Nar Singhani village in Jhunjhunu district, had died on January 28 in Iraq but his mortal remains could not be brought back to the country due to complex official formalities.

Shekhawat had been working in Baghdad for the past nine years and was to return home due his ill health.

His brother-in-law Vikram Singh told PTI over the phone that they were informed about Shekhawat's death on the same day after which they paid US dollar 1,000 to the Iraq government and completed all formalities to bring the body back.

However, he said the delay was caused by some objections raised by a judge in a Baghdad court.

"I have tweeted a complaint in this connection on official Twitter handles of the authorities concerned and have spoken to the Indian embassy in Baghdad but the body is yet to arrive," Vikram Singh said.

Meanwhile, state Youth Congress general secretary Charmesh Sharma, who was in communication with the Indian embassy over the issues, said an embassy official told him that the body had been kept in a mortuary of a Baghdad hospital.

He said the embassy official told him over the phone that they were ready to bear the expenses for the transportation of the body but the judge at the court was "raising objections at every step".

Sharma also submitted a memorandum in this connection to the Bundi district collector, who on February 13 sent an e-mail to the personal secretary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting to initiate efforts in this regard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A grandfather has been confirmed as the latest Australian to be diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus after catching it on a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan.

The 80-year-old, from Perth, will be moved from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama to receive treatment in a hospital on the mainland.

There are 219 cases of the virus on board the vessel, with 15 Australians confirmed to have contracted the illness.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship has docked at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan as infected travellers are quarantined

According to reports on February 14, 218 passengers on the vessel have tested positive for the coronavirus, including an elderly man from Perth

There are more than 200 Australians on the ship of more than 3,500 passengers.

Health officials approved the disembarkation of 11 elderly passengers who returned negative results when tested for coronavirus.

It's hoped other older passengers will be approved to leave the vessel before the 14-day quarantine period concludes on February 19 amid concerns about ailing health.

Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Thursday passengers aged 80 or over who pass the virus test will be allowed to leave the ship.

The measure was introduced amid concerns about the health of passengers with chronic health issues or in cabins without windows that can open.

'We are doing our utmost for the health of crew members and passengers who remain on the ship,' Mr Kato told a news conference.

The 80-year-old, from Perth, will be moved from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama to receive treatment in a hospital on the mainland

Perth woman Marcelly, who didn't give her surname, told ABC radio a doctor told her father Val on Friday morning he had tested positive to the virus and would be taken to hospital.

Her mother Iris returned a negative result and remains on the ship.

They had both boarded in Perth in 'fantastic health'.

'He's actually feeling really good - that's the strangeness about this situation,' she said.

'A lot of the crew have also fallen ill that are preparing the food so there are people saying it may be coming from the food, but again there's nothing conclusive.

'My mum and dad both had a bit of mild gastro.'

She said her biggest worry was staying in contact with her father as he does not have a mobile phone.

Confirmation is being sought from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

An ambulance drives towards the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama
FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside a Tesco extra superstore near Manchester

LONDON (Reuters) - Tesco <TSCO.L>, Britain's biggest retailer, unlawfully stopped major supermarket rivals from opening shops near its stores, the country's competition regulator said on Friday.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it first discovered that Tesco had been preventing landlords from letting property to other supermarkets during monitoring in 2018.

Tesco then reviewed all of its land agreements, finding 23 breaches in total.

"Its unacceptable that Tesco had these unlawful restrictions in place for up to a decade. By making it harder for other supermarkets to open stores next to its branches, shoppers could have lost out," said Andrea Gomes da Silva, executive director, markets and mergers, at the CMA.

Tesco trades from 3,787 stores in the UK and Ireland, employing 340,000.

"We do not use restrictive property agreements. However, in a small number of historic cases between 2010-15, administrative errors by former advisors meant that our internal processes were not followed correctly," Tesco said, noting the discovered breaches represented 0.4% of 5,354 land deals reviewed.

The CMA said Tesco has agreed to take remedial action for all affected agreements and improve its internal processes and staff training to avoid future breaches.

The regulator plans to monitor Tescos progress and may take formal enforcement action if further breaches are found.

It is also writing to six other supermarket groups - Sainsbury's <SBRY.L>, Walmart <WMT.N> owned Asda, Morrisons <MRW.L>, Marks & Spencer <MKS.L>, Waitrose and the Co-operative Group <42TE.L> - asking them to show that their land agreements are not in breach.

The CMA warned if any group is not compliant, it will consider taking enforcement action.

Gomes da Silva said the CMA wants the ability to fine businesses if it finds they are in breach of its orders and has asked the government for more powers.

(Reporting by James Davey; editing by Alistair Smout and Louise Heavens)
Current methods for diagnosing depression are simply too subjective and imprecise to guide clinicians in quickly identifying the right treatment, Etkin said. In addition to a variety of antidepressants, there are several other types of treatments for depression, including psychotherapy and brain stimulation, but figuring out which treatment will work for which patients is based on educated guessing.

To diagnose depression, clinicians rely on a patient reporting at least 5 of 9 common symptoms of the disease. The list includes symptoms such as feelings of sadness or hopelessness, self-doubt, sleep disturbances  ranging from insomnia to sleeping too much  low energy, unexplained body aches, fatigue, and changes in appetite, ranging from overeating to undereating. Patients often vary in both the severity and types of symptoms they experience, Etkin said.

As a psychiatrist, I know these patients differ a lot, Etkin said. But we put them all under the same umbrella, and we treat them all the same way. Treating people with depression often begins with prescribing them an antidepressant. If one doesnt work, a second antidepressant is prescribed. Each of these trials often takes at least eight weeks to assess whether the drug worked and symptoms are alleviated. If an antidepressant doesnt work, other treatments, such as psychotherapy or occasionally transcranial magnetic stimulation, may also be tried. Often, multiple treatments are combined, Etkin said, but figuring out which combination works can take a while.

People often feel a lot of dejection each time a treatment doesnt work, creating more self-doubt for those whose primary symptom is most often self-doubt, Trivedi said.

Looking for a biomarker

The EMBARC trial enrolled 309 people with depression who were randomized to receive either sertraline or a placebo.

For their study, Etkin and his colleagues set out to find a brain-wave pattern to help predict which depressed participants would respond to sertraline. First, the researchers collected EEG data on the participants before they received any drug treatment. The goal was to obtain a baseline measure of brain-wave patterns.

Next, using insights from neuroscience and bioengineering, the investigators analyzed the EEG using a novel artificial intelligence technique they developed and identified signatures in the data that predicted which participants would respond to treatment based on their individual EEG scans. The researchers found that this technique reliably predicted which of the patients did, in fact, respond to sertraline and which responded to placebo. The results were replicated at four different clinical sites.

Further research suggested that participants who were predicted to show little improvement with sertraline were more likely to respond to treatment involving transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, in combination with psychotherapy.

Using this method, we can characterize something about an individual persons brain, Etkin said. Its a method that can work across different types of EEG equipment, and thus more apt to reach the clinic.

Etkin is on leave from Stanford, working as the founder and CEO of the startup Alto Neuroscience, a company based in Los Altos, California, that aims to build on these findings and develop a new generation of biologically based diagnostic tests to personalize mental health treatments with a high degree of clinical utility. Part of getting these study results used in clinical care is, I think, that society has to demand it, Trivedi said. That is the way things get put into practice. I dont see a downside to putting this into clinical use soon.

Broad effort

When EMBARC was launched, it was part of a broader effort by the NIMH to push for improvements in mental health care by using advances in fields such as genetics, neuroscience and biotechnology, said Thomas Insel, MD, who served as director of that institute from 2002 to 2015.

We went into EMBARC saying anything is possible, Insel said. Lets see if we can come up with clinically actionable techniques. He didnt think it would take this long, but he remains optimistic.

I think this study is a particularly interesting application of EMBARC, he said. It leverages the power of modern data science to predict at the individual level who is likely to respond to an antidepressant.

In addition to improving care, the researchers said they see a possible side benefit to the use of biologically based approaches: It could reduce the stigma associated with depression and other mental health disorders that prevents many people from seeking appropriate medical care.

Id love to think scientific evidence will help to counteract this stigma, but it hasnt so far, said Insel. Its been over 160 years since Abraham Lincoln said that melancholy is a misfortune, not a fault. We still have a long way to go before most people will understand that depression is not someones fault. (President Lincoln suffered bouts of depression.)

Other Stanford co-authors of the paper are postdoctoral scholars Yu Zhang, PhD, and Jing Jiang, PhD; former postdoctoral scholar Gregory Fonzo, PhD; neuroscience graduate students Molly Lucas and Camarin Rolle; research assistants Carena Cornelssen and Kamron Sarhadi; clinical research coordinator Trevor Caudle; former clinical research coordinators Rachael Wright, Karen Monuszko and Hersh Trivedi; and former neuroscience graduate student Russell Toll. All Stanford authors, including Etkin, are affiliated with Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System and the Sierra Pacific Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center in Palo Alto.

Etkin is a member of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford.

Researchers at South China University of Technology, the Netherlands Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University and the Netherlands neuroCare Group also contributed to the work.

Insel is an investor in Alto Neuroscience.

The EMBARC study data are publicly available through the NIMH Data Archive.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (U01MH092221, U01MH092250, R01MH103324, DP1 MH116506), the Stanford Neurosciences Institute, the Hersh Foundation, the National Key Research and Development Plan of China, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 03:23:50|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The four EU members of the UN Security Council -- Belgium, Estonia, France and Germany -- plus Poland, which has just left the council, on Friday asked for an immediate end to the military offensive in northwest Syria for the sake of civilians.

Ongoing military escalation in northwest Syria is creating massive displacements, said a joint statement of the five countries.

"We are deeply alarmed by the ongoing military escalation in northwest Syria that has displaced more than 800,000 people since Dec. 1. This is one of the worst man-made displacements that we have seen anywhere in the world in years. And it has been and continues to be entirely avoidable," read the statement.

"We demand that the parties, especially the Syrian regime and its allies, immediately end their military offensive, establish a genuine and lasting cease-fire, guarantee the protection of civilians, and fully adhere to international humanitarian law."

They also urged all parties to the conflict to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to people in need of assistance, and to respect the rules and obligations of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.

They stressed that there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict. Sustainable peace, stability, and security in Syria can only be achieved through a political settlement under the auspices of the United Nations, said the statement.

Millions of civilians remain trapped in the area, the vast majority of whom are women and children. They are facing harsh winter conditions without being able to cover basic needs for shelter, water, food, and health care, noted the statement.

The United Nations describes the already dramatic humanitarian situation in Idlib in northwest Syria as the biggest humanitarian catastrophe since the beginning of the Syrian conflict. Attacks continue to include civilian targets in densely populated areas, medical facilities, and settlements for internally displaced people, it said.

Deliberate strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure are outrageous and a blatant violation of international law, not to speak of the basic principles of humanity. Those responsible for these violations must be held accountable, said the statement, noting that more than 1,700 civilians have been killed since April 2019.
Year after year, incarcerated people dwell upon our past mistakes and the serious harm we caused that can never be reversed. We try to do all we can to transform our lives and the lives of those around us. This is especially true for the thousands of us serving life sentences with little hope and few, if any, avenues for release.

Transformed through self-examination, rehabilitative programs, and education, many people in prison serving death-by-incarceration sentences strive to better ourselves and others with whom we are incarcerated. If afforded the opportunity for release, many of us would continue this work in the outside world by seeking to benefit people, families, and the communities we once damaged. Here the question arises: Are we doing society a disservice by continuing to incarcerate long-term aging people in prison?

We live in a society that promotes ideals of acceptance, understanding, and forgiveness. But punitive sentencing laws do not allow our society to practice these ideals by denying hope and a second chance to countless people and families. It's common knowledge that the United States incarcerates more people than any other country, and that we represent roughly five percent of the world's population but confine 25 percent of the world's incarcerated people. However, less well known is how mass incarceration and long prison sentences have rippled throughout the country. New York is a troubling example.

Nearly 20 percent of the 46,000 people currently confined in a New York state prison are serving a life sentence. This rate is even higher for New Yorkers from certain parts of the state. Nearly one in four Long Islanders in prison is serving a life sentence and one out of every three people in prison from Brooklyn has a life term. Most are people of color. Many are growing old, sick, and dying behind bars despite their incredible transformations while in prison. I am one of them.

In December of 1992, I changed the course of my life and the lives of many others for the worse. During the course of a robbery, I shot and killed a man, causing devastating harm to many of his loved ones and the community as a whole. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about that awful day. I quickly came to realize that life can have a sudden and abrupt end. I'll never be able to forgive or forget my terrible actions and can only try to atone for them through my actions during my 50-years-to-life prison sentence.

Over the last 27 years of my incarceration, I have channeled the accumulation of my regrets into my rehabilitation and into trying to positively change the lives of those around me. I immersed myself in higher education and received two college degrees with top honors. I've used the knowledge I acquired to educate, tutor, and mentor others by developing pre-college algebra courses. I've taught basic math to countless of my younger peers who will one day be free even though I'll likely never have that same opportunity. I am currently 61 years old and not eligible to appear before the New York State Parole Board for a chance at release until 2042. By then, I'll be 83 years old, an age I will likely never see.

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New York has a unique opportunity to address a non-redemptive criminal justice system by passing the Elder Parole Act in Albany this legislative session. This bill would allow an individualized review and chance at release for incarcerated people aged 55 and older who have served 15 or more years in prison. The bill would not release just anyone, but instead allows hope and a comprehensive vetting mechanism for older people who have already served decades in prison.

Elder Parole would provide a means for families, communities, and society as a whole to reap the benefits of older incarcerated people who have transformed their lives. Like many formerly incarcerated people, many of us still confined could return home to interrupt gun violence, get gang-involved youth on a better path, and mentor younger people who so desperately need direction.

If New Yorkers truly believe in redemption and second chances, then the Elder Parole Act is the right move. My life and the lives of so many others depend on it.

Robert Ehrenberg is from Long Island and is currently incarcerated at Sullivan Correctional Facility where he is serving a sentence of 50-years to life.
Minds can get pretty overwhelmed in a modern office. Image: Getty Images

Your colleagues are having a conversation around you and in the background, you can hear someone else talking loudly on the phone.

Doors slam and people scurry past into meeting rooms, disrupting your chain of thought as you try to get on with work and check your emails. Meanwhile, your phone pings with notifications from WhatsApp and Slack.

In the modern world of social media, instant messaging, emails and more, we are required to do several things at once. Our brains are busier, but despite this, we are still expected to take in, process and produce huge amounts of information  which can leave us feeling mentally strained. Dubbed cognitive overload by researchers, its a growing problem that affects our work and our health.

Emotionally exhausted

Recalibrating our operating systems to keep pace with the new challenges, as well as opportunities, that come with progress, is not always a simple matter, says Dr Ken Druck, a psychologist, author and expert on personal and professional development.

Inundated with even greater capacity for processing and managing information, we can become mentally and emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed.

READ MORE: How to sort out your overloaded inbox once and for all

Although technological advances in the workplace are frequently lauded, they come with downsides. The dangers and problematic side effects, such as cognitive overload, must also be considered and addressed. Side effects such as burnout have become an intricate part of popular culture and our language for the past 40 years, Druck says.

When our minds are tasked with an unrelenting stream of critical thinking, problem solving, complex interpersonal communication and strategic decision-making, our minds get tired, he adds.

Driven by the desire to maintain, protect or attain even higher organisational status and productivity, and keep pace with organisational goals, we push ourselves harder. Exhausted, overworked and depleted, we experience a state mental fatigue that diminishes our capacity in all of the critical functions listed above.

Story continues

Research has shown that both our health and work suffers as a result of cognitive overload. A study by the University of California, Irvine - The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress  suggested that people compensate for the constant interruptions by working faster. Although this sounds positive, it comes at a price: workers experience more stress, higher frustration, time pressure and effort.

Work smarter, not harder

Although we might pride ourselves in being able to do several things at once, our brains arent actually designed to multitask. As multiple studies have shown, we actually get far more done by doing less.

And according to Stanford University researchers, people who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information do not pay attention, control their memory or switch from one job to another as well as those who prefer to complete one task at a time.

Multitasking has also been found to increase the production of the stress hormone cortisol as well as the fight-or-flight hormone adrenaline, which can overstimulate your brain and make it difficult to think clearly.

So what can you do to reduce cognitive overload at work? Although this isnt easy - particularly if you work in an open-plan office with noise and distractions - Druck says there are a variety of effective individual, departmental, organisational and work-life balance approaches to reducing the mental strain.

READ MORE: How to be mindful at work

Firstly, its important to work smarter, rather than just harder. This might mean setting aside 15 minutes every few hours to check your emails, so you can concentrate on your work the rest of the time with fewer interruptions.

It might not be feasible to do the same with platforms such as Slack, as many workplaces use such apps as the main form of day-to-day communication between bosses and employees. However, setting your status to away in order to focus on your work every so often may help.

Unfortunately, the likelihood is that were likely to be bombarded with even more distractions in the form of new technology and apps, so its a matter of setting clear boundaries when it comes to using them. Many of us find ourselves checking Facebook, Twitter or Instagram without even thinking about it, so logging out  or blocking the websites on your work computer  may make you less likely to scroll mindlessly.

Reducing extraneous noise can help too, which may mean bringing earphones or ear plugs to work so you can cut out background noise when youre trying to concentrate.

Perhaps most importantly, take regular breaks to disconnect from work and step away from your computer and smartphone, Druck adds. Balance your menu of daily activities with music, silence, exercise, walks in nature, lifelong learning and laughter to get your mind off of the steady stream of work problems to be solved.
Actress

Anne Enright Jonathan Cape 16.99

There are plenty of buried secrets to be unearthed in the 2007 Booker winners latest novel, which delves deep into the mother-daughter relationship.

Its heroine is Katherine ODell, a red-haired beauty who starts treading the boards aged ten and goes on to attain both celebrity and notoriety.

Her life story encompasses the razzle-dazzle of post-war America and the drabness of Seventies Dublin, and is told by her only child, Norah. A potent brew of fame, sexual power, hypocrisy and bad men.

Hephzibah Anderson

Out Of Darkness, Shining Light

Petina Gappah Faber 16.99

The Victorian explorer David Livingstone is still a household name. Less well known, but resurrected here with rare skill, are the faithful servants who, after his death, ensured that his bones were returned to England.

Their epic journey from the African interior to Zanzibar is narrated by Halima, a wonderfully earthy cook, and Jacob, a freed slave.

Zimbabwean-born Gappah proves not just a fine storyteller, but an astute observer of a fascinating period. The result is one of the finest novels to come out of Africa in recent years.

Max Davidson

The Book Of Echoes

Rosanna Amaka Doubleday 12.99

Narrated by the spirit of an African slave transported from Nigeria to Jamaica 200 years ago, this impressive debut follows two young black lives in the closing decades of the 20th century.

Ngosi is an orange-seller from a village in Nigeria who yearns for education and a better life, while Michael, a Londoner of Jamaican descent, grows up in the racially charged furnace that is Eighties Brixton.

Inevitably these two narrative strands converge and if the denouement feels contrived, this is nonetheless a beautifully written testament to oppression that reverberates across the centuries.

Simon Humphreys
By Express News Service

HUBBALLI: Police have detained three Kashmiri students studying here at KLE Institute of Technology after their video raising pro-Pakistani slogan along with a song hailing Pakistan in the background. Members of ABVP and VHP staged a protest at the college premises seeking action against the students.

On the day the entire country was mourning the anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on the CRPF contingent at Pulwama, this video of the tech students has gone public. While other students came to know about this misadventure by the Kashmiri students, it became an issue and members of right-wing organisations came to protest in the college premises on Saturday. Members of ABVP and VHP raised the slogan and demanded action against the students.

In the video, a song is heard in the background and along with that the three students introduce themselves. One of them is seen saying about 'Azadi' and another 'Pakistan'. In the end, they raise 'Zindabad' slogans. Once the police came to know about it, they rushed to the college, detained the students and took them to Gokul police station in a vehicle belonging to the college administration.

Witnesses alleged that the students were attacked by police as they were taken out of the college.

An ABVP leader said that strict action should be taken against the students for raising anti-national slogans while the county was mourning the martyrs of the Pulwama attack and that they should not be allowed to continue their education and write the exams.

Later, Police Commissioner R Dilip told reporters the matter is under investigation and students were detained considering their safety. He, however, refused to speak about taking the students in a non-police vehicle by saying that it could be a strategy of the staff which cannot be discussed in the public.

Meanwhile, KLE Institute of Technology principal Basavaraj Anami has filed a complaint at Gokul Raod police station over the incident.


If aliens are using an interstellar beacon to contact Earth, scientists at the SETI Institute are going to find it.

The team believes advanced lifeforms have placed a transmitter in the center of the galaxy and are developing techniques to detect signatures from the technology.

SETI scientist are developing a system that 'piggybacks' off the Very Large Array (VLA) telescope based in New Mexico to listen for 'technosignatures', which are signs of advanced alien civilizations.

A trove of nearly two petabytes of data was released on Thursday from the most the most comprehensive survey yet of radio emissions from the plane of the Milky Way galaxy and the region around its central black hole, which SETI is encouraging the public to sift through.

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SETI scientist are developing a system that 'piggybacks' off the Very Large Array (VLA) telescope (pictured) based in New Mexico to identify anomalies in the stellar 'light curves' and listen for 'technosignatures' - both of which are signs of advanced alien civilizations

The project, called Breakthrough Listen, is being supported by a grant from Yuro Milner, an Israeli-Russian billionaire who told the American Association for the Advancement of Science: For the whole of human history, we had a limited amount of data to search for life beyond Earth.

So all we could do was speculate.

Now, we are getting a lot of data, we can do real science  and, with making this data available to the general public, so can anyone ho wants to know the answer to this deep question.

Many scientists believe the first beings found in distant worlds will be in the form on tiny bacteria that live under rocks on Mars or in the icey ocean of Saturns moon Titan.

If aliens are using an interstellar beacon to contact Earth, scientists at the SETI Institute are going to find it. The team believes advanced lifeforms have placed a transmitter in the center of the galaxy and are developing techniques to detect signatures from the technology (stock)

However, Dr. Andrew Siemion with SETI, belives techno-signatures will be the first clue.

The first is the search for chemical signatures from planets and the second is the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

SETI is forming partnerships all over the world in its search for alien life, as in October the group announced its alliance with NASA to use its Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellites (TESS) to search for 'technosignatures' in deep space.

The partnership between NASA and SETI was announced at the International Astronautical Congress in Washington, DC.

The TESS and Listen collaboration will expand Breakthrough Listen's target list (adding over 1000 'objects of interest' identified by TESS); refine Listen's analysis strategy (for example, utilizing new knowledge about planetary alignments to predict when transmissions might be more likely to occur); and provide more meaningful statistics in the event of non-detections.

SETI is forming partnerships all over the world in its search for alien life, as in October the group announced its alliance with NASA to use its Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellites (TESS) to search for 'technosignatures' in deep space

Dr. S. Pete Worden, Executive Director of the Breakthrough Initiatives, said, 'It's exciting that the world's most powerful SETI search, with our partner facilities across the globe, will be collaborating with the TESS team and our most capable planet-hunting machine.'

'We're looking forward to working together as we try to answer one of the most profound questions about our place in the Universe: Are we alone?'

The captured data will be analyzed for 'technosignatures', which are created by technologies of advanced civilizations and come in different forms such as radio waves, transmitters and propulsion devices.

NASA announced a the partnership with SETI scientists in October. The team will scan hundreds of exoplanets (pictured is a concept drawing of K2-18b)

Researchers will also be on the lookout for anomalies in the stellar 'light curves' TESS collects, as such oddities could be caused by orbiting megastructures built by advanced civilizations.

And the organization already has its eyes on a few targets  specifically interstellar visitors Oumuamua and Borisov.

Dr. Andrew Siemion, leader of the Breakthrough Listen science team said 'The discovery by the Kepler spacecraft of Boyajian's Star, an object with wild, and apparently random, variations in its lightcurve, sparked great excitement and a range of possible explanations, of which megastructures were just one.'

WHAT IS THE VLA TELESCOPE? The Very Large Array (VLA) is telescope found in new Mexico, US and is a collection of 27 antennae in New Mexico. The VLA comprises twenty-seven 25-meter radio telescopes deployed in a Y-shaped array and all the equipment, instrumentation, and computing power to function as an interferometer. Each of 27 dishes has diameter of 82 feet (25 meters) and weighs 230 tons (209 metric tons). It was first seen in 2016 by the Very Large Array (VLA) telescope in New Mexico using radio signals (pictured). The scientists concluded that this was not a 'brown dwarf' or a failed star, but a free-floating planet The VLA stands at an elevation of 6970 ft (2124 m) above sea level. It is a component of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). It is designed to pickup radio signals and help spot young planets from outside our Solar System. It works in conjunction with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile. Advertisement

'Followup observations have suggested that dust particles in orbit around the star are responsible for the dimming, but studies of anomalies like this are expanding our knowledge of astrophysics, as well as casting a wider net in the search for technosignatures.'

TESS is expected to find up to 10,000 new planets, many of them considerably closer to Earth than those spotted by Kepler.

In April of 2018, SpaceX launched NASA's $337 million TESS into space, which is equipped with four cameras that allows it to view 85 percent of the entire sky, as it searches exoplanets orbiting stars less than 300 light-years away.

Two months ago, TESS discovered was deemed a super-Earth exoplanet just around 31 light years away in the in the so-called habitable zone, an area far enough from its star to not be too hot but close enough to not be too cold.

In this region, it is possible for liquid water to exist on the surface of a planet if it is rocky, although further research is needed to work out whether GJ 357 d's atmosphere is dense and warm enough to host liquid water.
A day after senior YSR Congress party leader and Andhra Pradesh minister Botsa Satyanarayana hinted at his party joining the National Democratic Alliance if necessary, the Bharatiya Janata Party ruled out any such possibility.

BJP national general secretary and in-charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs Sunil Deodhar on Saturday said there was no question of having any alliance with the YSRC. We have an alliance only with the Jana Sena Party of actor Pawan Kalyan. Both YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam Party are our political rivals and opponents, Deodhar said, at a meeting of party workers in Visakhapatnam.

On the other hand, the YSRC leaders also quickly denied the talk that party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddys latest visits to New Delhi was aimed at holding negotiations with the BJP on joining the NDA.

Minister Satyanarayana said his statement had been distorted by the media and clarified that he had never said the YSRC would join the NDA if necessary. I only said there was no need for having confrontation with the Centre and that the YSRC would only give issue-based support to the NDA government, he said.

Satyanarayana pointed out that Jagan had met the Prime Minister and other Union ministers only for securing funds from the Centre by maintaining cordial relations. At the same time, every political party has its own ideologies and philosophies. We have our own policies and the BJP has its own, he said.

Senior YSRC leader and advisor to the chief minister on public affairs Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy also tweeted that a section of the media had wrongly reported about YSRC joining the NDA only to divert the attention of people from Income Tax raids on people close to the TDP.

The BJP general secretary said YSRC was as dangerous a political party as the TDP. He accused Jagan of taking wrong decisions and pushing the state into a financial crisis. He said his party strongly opposed the shifting of the capital from Amaravati, though it was the states prerogative to relocate the capital city.

BJP Andhra Pradesh unit president Kanna Lakshminarayana also said there was no information from the party high command about any alliance with the YSRC. We maintain equal distance with the TDP and YSRCP, he declared.

The chief minister, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday, came to the national capital again on Friday evening to meet Union home minister Amit Shah late in the night and Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday to lobby for clearance to his three capitals plan and also abolition of legislative council, besides shifting of the state high court to Kurnool.

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A lot has happened in the past year for the royal family. Not only was Prince Philip involved in a car accident, but Prince Andrew sullied the familys name when he became entrenched in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Plus, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex recently made the decision to step down from royal duties.

Now well into her 90s, Queen Elizabeth II wont reign forever. And many people fear that Prince Charles eventual appointment as king could topple the monarchy as the world knows it.

Prince Charles is far from the most popular royal

Prince Charles may be first in line for the throne, but his popularity doesnt match his status. In fact, the future king was the seventh most popular royal, according to a 2018 poll. Harry and Meghan were more popular than Charles, as were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The queen and Prince Philip also beat out Prince Charles in popularity.

Media have lambasted Meghan ever since she joined the royal family. So the fact that she still polled better than Prince Charles is telling, though Meghan and Harry recently stepping down from royal duties might affect any new poll numbers.

Some experts fear the prince will encounter serious popularity problems when he does eventually take the throne, according to Express. The issues could be so severe that they might seriously alter public perception of the monarchy.

Could Megxit cause future problems for Prince Charles?

The alleged rift between Prince Harry and his royal family was highly publicized in the months leading up to his decision to step back from royal duties. Tabloids covered hushed talks of growing dissent in the ranks.

Now that the pair has decided to live as private citizens, the world is waiting to see just how lasting the effect of their decision could be on the royal family. In fact, some experts fear the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs decision to step back could have far-reaching effects, including on Prince Charles future.

Prince Charles popularity never really recovered following his divorce from Princess Diana. Beloved around the world, the death of the Peoples Princess made things worse. Now, Prince Charles appears to have troubled relationships with his sons.

According to Express, there is significant tension between Prince William and his father, and its only growing now that Prince Harry and Meghan are out of the picture. The public spectacle of Megxit might lead to even less confidence in Prince Charles once he moves into the role of king. After all, if he cant manage his own family, can he be trusted to rule?

Will Prince Charles ever be king?

The monarchy isnt going to end tomorrow  at least, thats not the way it seems right now. And Prince Charles is the next in line to the throne. While many have called for the prince to be passed over in favor of his son, Prince William, that seems unlikely. There are rules that are followed within the system, and there is no precedent for Charles to be passed over in favor of his son.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles | Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

When the queen decides to step down, or when she dies, Prince Charles will automatically become the king. Theoretically, he could abdicate the throne, handing over the reins to Prince William, who at that point would be next in line.

There is some precedent for abdication in the past. After all, Queen Elizabeth II was moved in line to inherit the throne when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson. Whether Prince Charles will do so remains unknown, though it would be a surprising decision.
Having integrated its computer-aided dispatch system with other technologies last year to make it more interoperable, CentralSquare has nabbed a $74.9 million contract to become Chicagos next CAD provider.The deal will give Chicagos emergency responders a single dispatch system for police and fire, according to a news release this week, which described the deal as one of the largest public safety software contracts of the past decade.As in most cities, Chicagos current CAD involves separate systems for police and fire. The news release also said that system was deployed in 1995, when people could not have imagined the sorts of digital inputs that are part of a dispatchers job today, from mobile phone calls to on-scene photos and videos. CentralSquare said its CAD system will manage all of these inputs, and allow police and fire responders to share information with each other. The system also promises to minimize response times by automatically determining a callers location, detecting and alerting the nearest first responder, and prioritizing incidents by urgency.Among the selling points highlighted in CentralSquares news release was the fact that the new CAD system will integrate with Chicagos existing technology, including security cameras and gunshot detection sensors. This aligns with the companys strategy in recent years of acquiring or partnering with other public safety technology companies to make its software more interoperable.For instance, when it acquired Tellus Safety Solutions in May 2019, CentralSquare said it intended to incorporate that companys CAD-to-CAD communication software, allowing dispatchers to see each others incidents and resources and send their own responders to an incident when local units were farther away. In October 2019, CentralSquare teamed up with Genetec to integrate its CAD with an evidence management system that could find and access camera feeds near a 911 callers location.CentralSquares news release this week noted that Chicagos new system will receive automatic updates, so future integrations are possible.
An accountability court here has exempted Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from appearing before it in a money laundering case on medical grounds and adjourned the hearing till February 28 in the matter, according to media reports on Saturday.

The 69-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo is undergoing treatment in London for coronary artery disease.

Sharif appealed to the court to extend exemption from personal appearance in proceedings against him in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, the Dawn report said.

The court allowed Sharif's application and adjourned the hearing in the case till February 28, it said.

Sharif was on November 4 last year granted bail on humanitarian grounds by the Lahore High Court in the case. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accused Sharif of being a direct beneficiary of Chaudhry Sugar Mills and his daughter, Maryam, who was arrested in connection with the case in August along with her cousin Yousuf Abbas, of holding over 12 million shares in the sugar mills.

Sharif left for London on November 19 in an air ambulance to seek medical treatment.

Sharif's lawyer Amjad Pervaiz said that a new medical certificate about the former premier's health was submitted to the court, The Express Tribune reported. Nawaz Sharif is under clinical supervision, Pervaiz said while stating the medical certificate provided by Nawaz's consultant in London.

He [Nawaz] will undergo a medical examination which is scheduled to take place in the last week of February, he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. Pervaiz said that Sharif's doctor believes that Nawaz is not fit to travel to Pakistan.

Nawaz Sharif will face trial when he recovers, he said. The judicial remand of Sharif's nephew Yousaf Abbas was extended till February 28 in the case, while Maryam, who was on bail, has been exempted from personal appearance till the filing of a reference by the NAB.

Image Credits: ANI
Ochheu Teal Beach, long, sandy and narrow, is the nicest beach closest to the port city of Sihanoukville. On Friday afternoon, beachgoers included passengers who disembarked hours earlier from the MS Westerdam. It is the cruise ship welcomed by Cambodia after other ports rejected it due to coronavirus fears.

The passengers left the ship after passing health checks that determined they were free of COVID-19, the deadly, fast-spreading coronavirus first reported in Wuhan, China.

The government of Cambodia, which has strong ties to Beijing, had allowed the stranded cruise liner to anchor off its coast Thursday morning prior to docking. The vessel, with 1,455 passengers and 802 crew on board, had been turned away by Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand and the U.S. territory of Guam. The ship, which is owned by U.S.-based Holland America Lines, left Hong Kong on February 1.

'See the beach'

Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has downplayed the risk of COVID-19, greeted the passengers by handing out roses.

They can go out and see the beach, he told reporters. He added that it may take as long as a week for all the passengers to disembark.

On Friday, Nguyen Anne, 60, a Vietnamese-Canadian, told VOA Khmer that she was on a two-month cruise that began in mid-January in Singapore. A retired high school teacher, she said her health was fine.

Everybody in the ship is healthy, said Anne, who was cruising with her husband, Paul Le, 72, a retired doctor. There is no disease, no coronavirus. I dont know why they refused to welcome us.

At the beach, Anne spread a towel that proclaimed Holland America Line on a chair, then began taking photos of the beach, the sea and the islands as her husband sat nearby.

I read a lot of news and it said that everybody in the ship is very unhappy and very worried. It is not true at all, she said. Holland America takes care of us. Everything is excellent on the ship. We were not worried at all.

Holland America Lines provided the passengers with homeward travel, a 100% refund of their cruise fare, plus an additional 100% future cruise credit, according to a release from the company. Passengers and crew also received complimentary onboard internet and phone access.

At the port, more than 400 passengers had boarded buses with Welcome to Cambodia signs, then headed to Sihanoukville International Airport for flights to Phnom Penh. Some told VOA Khmer they planned to stay in Phnom Penh on Friday and then fly to their respective countries on Saturday, or as soon as flights could be arranged.

I will stay one day in Phnom Penh. I have my health check card with me, Ann-Maree Melling, 66, who was on the cruise with her husband, told VOA Khmer. I think the people outside were more concerned than us because we were well looked after and health checked. ... So we were lucky on the Westerdam.

The ship is amazing. Coming to Cambodia is amazing as well.

Caution is understandable

When asked about the countries that had refused to let the ship dock, Melling said: We were a little bit sad, but understood very well. [Its] very important to be cautious.

On Saturday morning, Melling planned to fly from Phnom Penh to Australia via Singapore.

Another passenger, Wann Phithin, 64, a Cambodian Canadian, said she purchased her ticket three months ago. She flew from Cambodias Siem Reap province to Hong Kong to board the cruise, which had scheduled visits including Manila, three in Taiwan, four in Japan and one in South Korea before the final docking in Shanghai.

The situation on the ship [was] normal. We didnt even wear masks. I dont know what information has been spread outside, said Wann Phithin, who was cruising with her husband, sister-in-law and two sisters.

The information has been distorted, she added. There was a news [report] that there are 1,000 Chinese in the ship. But there are less than 100 [passengers] from Asia. Only three Chinese from Hong Kong. ... There are no Chinese from China.
(CNN)  The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted that its decision to kill Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was justified because he posed an "imminent threat" to American lives, but that phrase was notably absent in an official White House report sent to Congress that outlines the legal and policy rationale for conducting last month's strike.

A copy of the report -- released by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel Friday -- is an unclassified version of what is called a 1264 notification, which the White House is required to send to Congress if it changes its view on the legal framework for using military force.

In this case, the notice not only outlines the administration's legal justification for killing Soleimani, but acknowledges that the White House expanded its interpretation of the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force to include military action against Iran.

"Iran's past and recent activities, coupled with intelligence at the time of the air strike, indicated that Iran's Qods Force posed a threat to the United States in Iraq, and the air strike against Soleimani was intended to protect United States personnel and deter future Iranian attack plans," the report reads.

It argues that the airstrike is consistent with longstanding interpretation of the President's authority under Article II of the Constitution and the 2002 AUMF, as the use of military force was "tailored narrowly to the Qods Force target's presence in Iraq and support to ... Iraqi militias that attacked US personnel."

The administration suggests that the notice itself reflects a change "in application" of existing legal and policy frameworks, but, "it obviously reflects a significant change in the executive branch's view of its legal authority to strike Iran," according to Ryan Goodman, a law professor at New York University and co-editor-in-chief of Just Security.

"It is very different from the Obama report, and it is very different from what senior US officials told Congress in 2019," he added.

State Department officials repeatedly assured lawmakers last year that "the administration has not, to date, interpreted either the 2001 or 2002 AUMF as authorizing military force against Iran, except as may be necessary to defend US or partner forces as they pursue missions authorized under either AUMF."

The administration's claims prompted a sharp rebuke from Engel who called their legal theory "absurd," their explanation "spurious" and said he looks forward to questioning Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the matter during his expected testimony on February 28.

"This official report directly contradicts the President's false assertion that he attacked Iran to prevent an imminent attack against the United States," said Engel, a New York Democrat. "This spurious, after-the-fact explanation won't do."

In the weeks since the strike, top administration officials have backed away from the imminent threat argument after being pressed to provide details backing up that assertion amid rampant skepticism from Democrats.

The report released Friday makes no mention of an imminent threat while discussing the facts surrounding the strike or the legal justification for carrying it out, raising concerns about the President's expanding authority to take the country to war with Iran without consulting Congress.

"The administration has dropped any reference to the idea that Soleimani posed an imminent threat. That spells danger for the future. It means that one person alone in the Oval Office can take the nation to war with Iran even if time would easily allow going to Congress beforehand," said Goodman, who served as Special Counsel to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense during the Obama administration.

Additionally, Engel slammed the administration's claim that Trump had the authority to carry out the strike on Soleimani under the 2002 AUMF.

"To avoid having to justify its actions to Congress, the administration falsely claims Congress had already authorized the strike under the 2002 Iraq war resolution. This legal theory is absurd," Engel said in his statement Friday.

"The 2002 authorization was passed to deal with Saddam Hussein. This law had nothing to do with Iran or Iranian government officials in Iraq. To suggest that 18 years later this authorization could justify killing an Iranian official stretches the law far beyond anything Congress ever intended," he added.

Last month, the House voted to repeal the 2002 AUMF and to block funds from being used to wage war with Iran, in an effort to curtail President Donald Trump's military actions in light of heightened tensions with Iran. That bill has not gone to the Senate floor and Engel urged his colleagues to take up the vote in his statement Friday.

Goodman agreed, telling CNN that the "administration's position cannot sustain legal scrutiny."

"There's a reason the Obama administration and the Trump administration, at least before this point, never made such audacious legal claims. The assertion that Congress has authorized the executive branch to use force against Iran is unsound. A bipartisan majority of both houses of Congress have rejected that view in just the past few weeks through congressional findings," he said.

"The administration's position is dangerous. It holds Iran directly responsible for abuses committed by armed groups under a new-fangled theory that the United States would not want to see applied to our support for armed forces including the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen and the Syrian Kurdish forces' treatment of detainees," Goodman added.

This story was first published on CNN.com "'Imminent threat' explanation noticeably absent in White House report justifying Soleimani strike"
PM Modi's Ferozepur rally in Punjab postponed after stuck on road for 15-20 mins

Viral: This Animated video released in 2020 looks exactly the sequence of PM security breach

MHA showcauses Bathinda SSP, 5 other officers over 'major lapses in security' during PM's visit

4 students in Punjab burnt alive after school van catches fire

India

oi-Mousumi Dash

Chandigarh, Feb 15: In a tragic incident four children were killed in Longowal town in Sangrur district, Punjab on Saturday, after a school bus with twelve students onboard caught fire. The incident took place when the children were returning from school, the police said.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

According to the police, rest of the eight children among the twelve were rescued by the people working in nearby fields.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

The students killed in the incident were in the age group of 10-12 year-old.

Massive fire breaks out at an eatery near Koramangala in Bengaluru

The intitial probe by the police confirmed that the driver tried to open the doors of the bus after it caught fire but failed.

The Punjab CM took on to Twitter and wrote, "Very sad to learn of the news from Sangrur, where we lost 4 children because their school van caught fire. Injured have been rushed to the hospital. DC & SSP Sangrur are on the spot & I have ordered a magisterial enquiry. Guilty will be strictly punished."

Very sad to learn of the news from Sangrur, where we lost 4 children because their school van caught fire. Injured have been rushed to the hospital. DC & SSP Sangrur are on the spot & I have ordered a magisterial enquiry. Guilty will be strictly punished.  Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 15, 2020

The Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said a police team has been sent to the accident spot.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 17:29 [IST]
From sprucing up the sprawling ground to extensive traffic and security arrangements, workers and authorities were busy making final preparations at the historic Ramlila Maidan here for the swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister of Delhi for the third successive time on Sunday.

Big banners bearing messages like 'Dhanyawad Dilli' along with the image of the AAP supremo were put up on Saturday in and around the venue ahead of the mega function which is "open to public".

With AAP scripting its third consecutive win in the Delhi assembly elections, excitement is palpable among party workers and senior leaders alike, all of whom are expecting a huge crowd at the event.

Around 50 people from different walks of life who are responsible for 'Delhi nirman' will share stage with Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said.

He said these people would include teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and families of fire fighters who lost their lives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to the ceremony, besides BJP MPs and MLAs from Delhi. The AAP had said no chief minister or political leader from other states will be part of the event as it will be a "Delhi-specific" ceremony.

On the eve of swearing-in ceremony, Kejriwal called a dinner meeting of his ministers-designate to discuss the roadmap for Delhi's development, especially the initiatives that need to be prioritised in the coming three months, according to party functionaries.

All the six ministers in the previous government -- Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam -- have been retained.

Workers were on Saturday giving a fresh paint job to the white ceremonial platform at the Ramlila Maidan, and the area around it was being decked up with potted plants and flowers.

A large contingent of security personnel was given briefing by Delhi Police authorities at the Maidan.

Officials said 2,000 to 3,000 security personnel from the Delhi Police and paramilitary forces, including the CRPF, were being deployed for the ceremony which is scheduled to begin at 10 am. Drones were likely to be used for aerial surveillance.

Traffic regulations will be in place in the area from 8 am to 2 pm, they said.

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said as this is an event open for public.

"We are expecting a good number of people to turn up tomorrow," he said.

"Baby Mufflerman'' Aavyan Tomar, who stole the hearts when he dressed up as the AAP convenor on counting day, is a 'special invitee' at the ceremony.

The AAP supremo had on Thursday extended invitation to Delhiites to attend his oath-taking ceremony to "bless their son". Advertisements were also issued in leading dailies.

"Delhiites, your son is going to take oath of Delhi chief minister for the third time. You must come to bless your son. Sunday, February 16, 10 am, Ramlila Maidan," Kejriwal had tweeted in Hindi.

Rai had earlier said that all seven Delhi MPs and the eight newly-elected BJP MLAs have been invited for the oath-taking ceremony.

In a near-repeat performance of 2015, the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, which was floated in November 2012, retained power with a scintillating win in the just-concluded Delhi Assembly polls, trouncing its main rival BJP and completely decimating the Congress in a keenly-watched battle that took place in the midst of anti-CAA protests.

As the AAP bagged 62 out of the 70 seats, leaders cutting across party lines, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi (Congress), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Naveen Patnaik (BJD) and MK Stalin (DMK) had congratulated Kejriwal for the victory.

For the 51-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician who will assume the post of Delhi chief minister for the third time, the Ramlila Maidan holds special significance as it had served as his battleground during the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption movement.

The Delhi government, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which owns the Maidan, and Public Works Department are working in tandem to make the venue ready for the occasion.

"We had levelled the ground during the PM's event that took place recently. So, other ground work is being done. The PWD is making necessary arrangements too," a senior NDMC official said.

Toilet blocks are in place in and around the Maidan. Arrangements for other sanitation facilities like mobile toilets, are being done, he said.

The ground, where socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan had addressed a massive gathering during the 'Total Revolution' movement in 1970s, has a capacity of about 1.25 lakh people.

Sources said that besides seating arrangements, there will be space for people to stand.

In 2015 too, Kejriwal's oath-taking ceremony had taken place at Ramlila Maidan. It was held on February 14, coinciding with the Valentine's Day.

In 2013 after his party's first poll victory, the swearing-in ceremony was held at the same venue. Over a lakh people had attended the event on December 29 that year.

The AAP had in 2015 stunned its opponents with a massive win in the assembly polls, clinching 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.

Kejriwal repeated his triumph in the high-profile New Delhi constituency, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party's Sunil Kumar Yadav by a margin of 21,697 votes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The meeting between Archbishop Paul Gallagher and Wang Yi took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference

The foreign ministers of the Vatican and China have met on Friday in what is believed to be the highest-level official encounter between the two sides in decades.

The meeting between Archbishop Paul Gallagher and Wang Yi, previously unthinkable, took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The Vatican and China have not had diplomatic relations since the 1950s.

Today is the first meeting between the Chinese and Vatican foreign ministers, Wang said, according to the Peoples Daily newspaper.

This is a continuation of the exchanges between China and the Vatican for a period of time. It will open up more space for future exchanges between the two sides, he said.

They discussed the landmark September 2018 deal between Rome and Beijing, which gave the Vatican final say on the appointment of bishops, a matter that had long been contentious, a Vatican statement said.

It added that the two sides agreed to continue institutional, bi-lateral dialogue aimed at benefitting the Catholic Church and the Chinese people.

Improved relations

The Peoples Republic of China broke off relations with the Vatican in 1951.

Chinas roughly 12 million Catholics have for decades been split between a government-run association, whose clergy were chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.

Relations between the Vatican and Beijing have improved since the 2018 deal.

However, some Catholics objected to the pact, accusing the Vatican of having sold out to the communist government.

The deals most outspoken critic has been Cardinal Joseph Zen, the former archbishop of Hong Kong. The Vatican says not pursuing a deal would have risked a schism  a group that broke with the Roman Catholic Church to form a rival church.

Fridays meeting was the latest in a series of signs of improving relations in recent weeks.

Last month, the pope praised what he called Chinas great commitment to contain the coronavirus outbreak and later the Vaticans charity arm sent hundreds of thousands of medical masks to China as a gesture of goodwill.

Many see the 2018 deal on the naming of bishops as a precursor to re-establishing diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Beijing after a rupture of nearly 70 years.

If they resume full relations, the Vatican would have to sever relations with Taiwan, which Beijing considers a wayward province. The Vatican is the only state in Europe to still recognise Taipei.
The prevalence of polymelia alone in the Indian population is difficult to ascertain; however, the prevalence of birth defects as a whole is 61 to 69.9/1000 live births. Since polymelia is an extremely rare condition, it is plausible that it forms only a minute fraction of the total prevalence of birth defects.

Polymelia is a rare birth defect in which the affected individual has more than the usual number of limbs, usually five or more limbs. In this congenital defect, the extra limb is most commonly abnormal in shape and size and may appear as a shrunken limb. The presence of extra limbs, higher than the normal number is technically termed as supernumerary limbs. Polymelia can be in the form of dipygus deformity , which is a severe congenital anomaly in which the body axis forks along the abdomen and the lower extremities such as the pelvis and legs become duplicated, giving rise to two pelvises and four legs.

The type of polymelia depends on the position at which the accessory limb is attached to the body. Thus, polymelia can be classified as follows:

Cephalomelia: Extra-limb attached to the head

Extra-limb attached to the head Pyromelia: Extra-limb attached to the pelvis

Extra-limb attached to the pelvis Thoracomelia: Extra-limb attached to the thorax

Extra-limb attached to the thorax Notomelia: Extra-limb attached to the backbone

Polymelia can be caused by one of several factors:

Genetic Factors: These include defects in the chromosomes and transgenes. One or more genes may undergo a change, technically termed a mutation. Sometimes, a part of a gene may be missing. These changes can result in improper cell division and/or proliferation, leading to polymelia. In this genetic birth disorder, conjoined twins can sometimes be formed in which one of them undergoes degeneration while still in the womb, but its shrunken limbs may remain attached to the remaining fetus, thereby giving rise to polymelia.

External Factors: Exposure to infectious agents, medications, and chemicals during pregnancy can influence the pattern of gene expression that can lead to polymelia. The thalidomide disaster is a classic example, where pregnant women consumed an innocuous cough syrup containing the drug thalidomide and gave birth to children having multiple limb defects like polymelia, amelia, phocomelia, polydactyly, abnormal hand position (AHP), limb reduction defects (LRD), and arthrogryposis. Exposure to the rubella virus, commonly known as German measles, as well as toxic chemicals such as hydrocarbons, can also give rise to congenital birth defects.

The signs and symptoms of polymelia are quite obvious. These include presence of limbs that are more than the normal number. This congenital anomaly is responsible for the extra number of limbs, as a result of which more than two arms or more than two legs are formed. Sometimes the limbs may be rudimentary or may be greatly deformed and disproportionate in size.

Prenatal (prior to birth) screening of fetuses while still in the womb offers a convenient way to identify birth defects associated with abnormalities in the limbs, so that timely preventive measures can be instituted. Prenatal diagnosis should be carried out by a multidisciplinary medical team so that a proper diagnosis can be established and institution of possible treatment strategies such as orthopedic surgery can be planned.

Commonly used diagnostic strategies include the following:

Fetal Ultrasonography: Fetal ultrasonography is the diagnostic tool of choice for detection of visible fetal abnormalities such as limb defects. Ultrasonography can effectively reveal the presence of polymelia, while the fetus is still in the womb. The general build of the patients body, fetal position, quality of the ultrasound machine, and operator skill have a major impact on the diagnostic efficacy of prenatal ultrasonography.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): MRI can be used to detect fetal limb abnormalities. However, this technique is very rarely used in clinical practice for detecting fetal malformations, largely due to lack of knowledge of fetal anatomy and pathology, which is required for proper interpretation of the images.

Crucial Information Impacting Diagnosis: The medical history of the mother as well as a detailed family history influences a correct diagnosis. Therefore, the following aspects should be considered:

Maternal History:

Diabetes mellitus

Propensity for formation of blood clots (hypercoagulability)

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or other autoimmune diseases

Myotonic dystrophy

High blood pressure (hypertension)

Exposure to teratogens

Family History:

Congenital limb abnormalities

Recurrent miscarriage

Stillbirths

Mental retardation

Inherited disorders

Consanguinity

Treatment requires surgery to detach the soft tissue between the false limb(s) and other adjacent structures. Typically, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon would carry out the operation under general anesthesia. The surgery is quite complicated and involves the removal of the extra limbs from the body, taking utmost care not to excise other structures. A successful surgery is a life-changing event for the infant. However, the surgery can sometimes lead to disability and other complications.

Polymelia can be prevented by carrying out a thorough prenatal screening to detect any birth defects before the child is born. In case of any severe anatomical abnormalities such as supernumerary limbs, the gynecologist may advise the medical termination of pregnancy in a timely manner.

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But the police appealed to them to end their protest several times. Since they continued to protest, the police dispersed them.

Chennai: The Chennai Police lathi-charged protesters who had been demonstrating against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) at Washermenpet on Friday evening.

The protesters, including students and activists protesting against the CAA and the impending NRC near Lalagunda street in old washermenpet were lathicharged in order to remove them and clear the area when the demonstrators did not budge.According to sources, at around 2 pm on Friday, hundreds of people, including women and children, turned up for a protest, fully intent on demonstrating for as long as possible. But all of them had to go home at night after the police denied them permission for a long-drawn protest. However, the protesters continued raising slogans against CAA and Modi government.

Sources said the protesters had come with plans to spend the night and continue their protests. But the police appealed to them to end their protest several times. Since they continued to protest, the police dispersed them.
A 17-year-old influencer is making more money a year than the average Australian after becoming a hit success on the social media platform TikTok.

Rory Eliza has seen her follower count hit 1.6million this month as the video-sharing service became the second-most downloaded app behind WhatsApp.

Her talent management agency defines the youngster from Newcastle, New South Wales - who has built a cult following through her comedy skits - as a 'top tier' influencer.

While she's coy about how much money she's earning from sponsorship deals, it's believed she's earning thousands each week.

Scroll down for video

Newcastle-based influencer Rory Eliza, 17, (pictured) has become a viral internet sensation on video-sharing service TikTok

Rory's follower count hit 1.6million this month and she specialises in comedy skits on the TikTok video-sharing service

Rory has already left school, but is making enough money for her to turn her dream job into a living

Rory has also spun her hobby into a partnership with fast-food chain Hungry Jacks and headlined a flash mob-style commercial in December promoting the brand's new Tropical Whopper burger.

Her videos are humorous takes on her life, while her sponsored content features Superdry-branded clothing or a promotion for a music event.

Other promotions the online star has taken part in include those for ice cream company Baskin-Robbins and soft drink giant Fanta.

She started posting content on Musical.ly - which later merged with TikTok - in 2015 before seeing her success on the app explode and finding an agency to represent her.

In August, along with other high-profile Australian TikTokers boasting multi-million follower counts, she drew crowds of about 300 people at the opening of a new Superdry store.

The Melbourne store opening was so popular one girl at the event was pulled out of school by her mother so she could meet Rory and fellow influencers Caleb Finn and Ricky Chainz.

An average day in the life of Australia's teenage TikTok star Rory receives briefs from companies who sponsor her telling her what kind of videos they want her to create.

She also works on her own skits - writing out point by point what she wants for each video.

She spends about 15 minutes shooting each clip and making sure it is exactly right

She may go for a photo shoot which will be uploaded to her Instagram profile Advertisement

The youngster has become a phenomenon by posting short videos of up to 60 seconds about her everyday life as a teenager

Rory has spun her hobby into a partnership with fast-food chain Hungry Jacks and headlined a flash mob-style commercial in December (Rory is pictured in the flash mob second from left)

Between the three of them put together they now have more than ten million followers on the platform.

Rory has already left school, but is making enough money for her to turn her dream job into a living.

It has been my dream job since I was young to be an influencer. Now I'm just going to bite the bullet and really go for it.

'It has been my dream job since I was young to be an influencer. Now I'm just going to bite the bullet and really go for it,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Her management company Born Bred Talent said Rory makes more than the average full-time worker and sits in the median range in terms of income.

The median annual salary nationally is $55,000 a year, according to 2018 research by the Australian Institute.

Despite her success, Rory said she is no longer in close contact with a lot of her friends from school and has moved on with her life.

Rory has also appeared at the Queensland Government's CONVO2019 to discuss the challenges of cyber bullying

'It's funny actually because I've lost a lot of friends from school,' Rory said.

'I've also got a lot of people from school being nice to me but they're the ones who bullied me so it's a bit strange.'

TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin's popularity has largely been driven by a teenage audience, with the Asian-Australian community its largest demographic domestically.

Rory was hand-picked by her talent management company to use the power of influencer marketing to fight the online issue

Rory has also used her newfound fame for wider social good, appearing at the Queensland Government's CONVO2019 to discuss the challenges of cyber bullying.

'I was bullied at school but I think that built up my resilience. It's less hurtful when things are said online than they are in person,' Rory said.

Rory was hand-picked to be a 'TikTok Queen' by Born Bred Talent to use the power of influencer marketing as a way of fighting the online issue.

'Rory has such a positive story and she was a real stand-out for me to appear at that event,' the management company's founder Clare Winterbourn said.

'Now she uses her social media platform to address the issue and she has such a strong and positive story for people who may be being bullied.'
Our solar system's second known interstellar visitor appears to be keeping quiet, just like the first.

The Breakthrough Listen SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) project has scanned the interstellar Comet Borisov for "technosignatures" but come up empty so far, scientists announced today (Feb. 14).

Breakthrough Listen also encountered radio silence during an earlier investigation of the mysterious 'Oumuamua , the first confirmed interstellar object ever spotted in our solar system. The null results may be disappointing to alien enthusiasts out there, but they're valuable all the same, project team members said.

Related: SETI & the search for extraterrestrial life

"If interstellar travel is possible, which we don't know, and if other civilizations are out there, which we don't know, and if they are motivated to build an interstellar probe, then some fraction greater than zero of the objects that are out there are artificial interstellar devices," Steve Croft, a research astronomer with Breakthrough Listen and the Berkeley SETI Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement.

"Just as we do with our measurements of transmitters on extrasolar planets, we want to put a limit on what that number is," Croft added.

It's also worth noting that SETI silence does not necessarily guarantee a natural origin for Borisov and 'Oumuamua. It's possible, for example, that they're transmitting a type of signal that we're not looking for, or that they're defunct alien craft.

Indeed, a possible artificial origin has been invoked by some scientists  notably, Avi Loeb, the Harvard astronomy department chair  to explain 'Oumuamua's very weird combination of characteristics. Loeb has suggested that 'Oumuamua, which looped around the sun in September 2017, might be a light-sailing alien spacecraft . (Comet Borisov made its closest approach to our star in December 2019.)

The Borisov news is part of a huge data dump by Breakthrough Listen , a $100 million life-hunting effort established in 2016 by billionaire Yuri Milner. During a news conference today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Seattle, project team members announced the release of nearly 2 petabytes of SETI data, much of which astronomers have not yet had a chance to study in detail.

Breakthrough Listen team members said the newly released information represents the most comprehensive survey to date of radio emissions from the plane of our Milky Way galaxy and the region around its central supermassive black hole .

"The galactic center is the subject of a very specific and concerted campaign with all of our facilities, because we are in unanimous agreement that that region is the most interesting part of the Milky Way galaxy," Breakthrough Listen Principal Investigator Andrew Siemion, of the University of California, Berkeley, said in the same statement.

"If an advanced civilization anywhere in the Milky Way wanted to put a beacon somewhere . . . the galactic center would be a good place to do it," he added. "It is extraordinarily energetic, so one could imagine that if an advanced civilization wanted to harness a lot of energy, they might somehow use the supermassive black hole that is at the center of the Milky Way galaxy."

Related: 13 ways to hunt intelligent aliens

And you have a chance to help turn up evidence of such advanced creatures, if any are there to be found: Breakthrough Listen is inviting the public to help analyze this trove of SETI data.

"Since Breakthrough Listen's initial data release last year, we have doubled what is available to the public," Matt Lebofsky, Breakthrough Listen lead system administrator, said in the same statement, referring to a petabyte-size data dump in June 2019 . "It is our hope that these data sets will reveal something new and interesting, be it other intelligent life in the universe or an as-yet-undiscovered natural astronomical phenomenon."

You can learn about how to participate here .

About half of the new data comes from the Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales, Australia, team members said. The rest was collected by the big radio dish at West Virginia's Green Bank Observatory and the Automated Planet Finder, an optical telescope located at Lick Observatory in California. (SETI signals don't necessarily have to be in the radio spectrum, after all; laser flashes could betray the presence of intelligent aliens as well.)

Also today, the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) announced an agreement to start installing technosignature-hunting gear on NRAO dishes.

So, the search for E.T. continues to ramp up, which is just what Milner wants.

For the whole of human history, we had a limited amount of data to search for life beyond Earth. So, all we could do was speculate," Milner said in the same statement. "Now, as we are getting a lot of data, we can do real science and, with making this data available to the general public, so can anyone who wants to know the answer to this deep question."

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook .
Mining giant Peabody has applied for a permit to explore for coal over a 20-square kilometre area of Greater Sydney that takes in part of the city's water storage.

The application, announced in the Government Gazette on Friday, comes as the city's dams continue to swell from the deluge of a week ago. Dam levels have risen by almost 1 trillion litres.

Discolouration in the Eastern Tributary, in the Woronora catchment area, south of Sydney, with environmental groups blaming underground coal mining for the change. Credit:Janie Barrett

Peabody wants to explore an area adjacent to its existing Metropolitan underground coal mine near Helensburgh. The permit to explore 2042 hectares, part of which covers the Woronora storage, would help extend mine operations beyond 2030.

Metropolitan Mine is proud of its proven track record of protecting the environment and we have chosen an area to explore that minimises interaction with the Woronora Reservoir, minimises potential subsidence impacts and requires little surface disturbance," a company spokeswoman said.
Attorney General William Barr gave up his last shreds of credibility with the Justice Departments bizarre move last week to overrule its own prosecutors in the sentencing recommendation of Roger Stone, President Donald Trumps longtime crony. The action occurred just hours after Trump inappropriately weighed in, advocating a reduced sentencing recommendation.

Barrs intervention, clearly compromising his pledge to keep his departments work independent of political influence, highlights an unmistakable pattern of prioritizing Trumps interests over the pursuit of justice. This is the man who misled America about the Russia investigation and used his office to hound Trumps enemies and investigate whatever loopy conspiracy theories catch Trumps fancy.

Barr tried to repair the damage in an ABC News interview Thursday after coming under heavy criticism, trying hard to reassert his independence by saying he wouldnt be bullied by Trump. But the House Judiciary Committee has more than enough justification to demand an accounting for Justice Department political manipulation.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Artsakh, Defense Army Commander, Lieutenant-General Karen Abrahamyan today held a consultation with the participation of the members of the armys Military Council and heads of military-law enforcement bodies, the Defense ministry of Artsakh told Armenpress.

The consultation participants discussed the recent cases of deaths of soldiers registered in the Artsakh armed forces. Commenting on the situation the Commander of the Army separately analyzed all the cases, talked about their causes and future actions.

The death of each soldier is a great loss for us. Despite our daily heightened works, the recent cases show that we are not doing something right somewhere, he said.

At the end Minister Abrahamyan gave concrete instructions to the responsible officials to improve the situation.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
(Natural News) Stung by special counsel Robert Muellers politicized prosecution and an outsized sentencing recommendation by four rogue prosecutors, longtime GOP operative and presidential ally Roger Stone is seeking a new trial after discovering the lead juror was a Democratic congressional candidate who hates President Donald Trump.

Lawyer and Internet sleuth Techno-Fog posted a tweet Friday announcing that Stones defense team had made a request before the court where he was tried but has yet to be sentenced.

Lawyers for Roger Stone have filed a sealed Motion for New Trial. Based on the prior sealed motion, this has to do with controversial juror  and Russia collusion hoaxer/Trump critic  Tomeka Hart. pic.twitter.com/ve78mLMwqN  Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) February 14, 2020

The demand for a new trial comes a day after the federal judge in the case, Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, rejected his request for a new trial, according to the Washington Examiner.

The news site reported:

According to the judges ruling, unsealed on Wednesday afternoon, Stones argument that a new trial was warranted hinged on two main claims about why the juror, whose identity was concealed in the filing, should have been removed. The first was because the juror is employed at a division of the Internal Revenue Service, which Stone claimed works hand-in-hand with the Department of Justice prosecuting criminal tax matters. The second was because Stone claimed the juror violated the courts order to avoid media coverage of the case.

Berman Jackson, however, rejected both of those claims and argued that the GOP operatives defense team has not presented grounds for a new trial under appropriate rules nor has shown any reason to believe there has been a serious miscarriage of justice.

That seems comical considering what was discovered about the lead juror in the days after the trial concluded.

As reported by Fox News, former Memphis City Schools Board President Tomeka Hart revealed in a Facebook post she was the foreperson of the jury that convicted Stone. She explained that she was angered after the four government lawyers handling Stones prosecution quit the case when the Justice Department intervened to recommend a lower sentence than the seven-to-nine years they were seeking.

Should automatically trigger a new trial

I want to stand up for Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, Michael Marando, and Jonathan Kravis  the prosecutors on the Roger Stone trial, Hart wrote in the post. It pains me to see the DOJ now interfere with the hard work of the prosecutors. They acted with the utmost intelligence, integrity, and respect for our system of justice.

Investigative journalist Mike Cernovich managed to uncover several of Harts tweets, all of which were disparaging of President Trump, one even addressing him with the hashtag #KKKPresident.

Juror on Roger Stone case:  Democrat candidate for Congress  Despised Trump and his inner circle  Far left wing activist pic.twitter.com/jEAqhg90hc  Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) February 13, 2020

In an interview with Fox News Tucker Carlson after Harts bias was reported, the networks chief legal analyst, Andrew Napolitano, a former superior court judge in New Jersey, said she must have been deceptive about her views when she was being questioned by defense attorneys and prosecutors in the pre-trial phase.

This is information that she must have hidden from the lawyers and the judge, who interrogated her before she was put on the jury, he said, as reported by BizPac Review.

The purpose of the interrogation is to weed out people that have a bias prejudice, knowledge of the case or interest in the outcome, he explained. She obviously had a prejudice against Roger Stone  a bias in favor of his prosecution and an interest in seeing him convicted that should automatically disqualify her.

Earlier in the day on Thursday, Napolitano told Fox & Friends that kind of obvious bias is normally an automatic trigger for a new trial.

The proper thing for the judge to do, he said, is to bring this juror back in the courtroom in the presence of Roger Stone and his lawyers, and in the presence of the four prosecutors who have since resigned  and interrogate this woman in order to determine whether the bias influenced her guilty vote and whether that bias was passed on to other members of the jury, he said.

We wont hold our breath.

Sources include:

BizPacReview.com

FoxNews.com

WashingtonExaminer.com

NaturalNews.com
New Delhi, Feb 15 : Just a month to go for the biggest multilateral naval exercise -- Milan - in the Indian Ocean, Indian Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh said that the exercise "offers an opportunity for friendly navies to engage as professionals, learn from each other, and absorb best practices in the maritime domain." "Milan 2020 includes a wider array of exercises at sea in multi-national groupings with seamanship drills, simulation of complex operational scenarios, tactical manoeuvres and others," Admiral Singh said.

He stressed that each event is aimed at honing the skills of operators, maintainers, planners and executors across the full range of skill-sets, responsibilities and authority onboard a warship.

Forty-two countries, including the US and Russia and some others who don't have much in common, have been invited to Milan, which will be conducted at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, in March.

The theme for Milan is 'Synergy Across the Seas'.

Indian Navy chief also said the exercise would provide an opportunity for operational commanders to exchange ideas on common maritime priorities and challenges being faced, as also identify possible solutions.

The harbour phase of the exercise would allow participating navies to discuss maritime subjects of common concern and share solutions.

Milan, a multilateral naval exercise hosted by India, made a modest beginning in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1995 with participation of four littoral navies.

"It is biennial congregation of friendly navies," Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

He said that it will provide an "excellent opportunity to the participating navies to come together to nurture stronger ties besides fostering co-operation through naval exercises and professional interactions".

Over the last two decades and half, it has progressively grown in magnitude with the previous edition in 2018 being attended by 17 countries.

The exercise is restricted to only friendly countries. India has not invited Chinese Navy for the exercise. The Indian Navy has been watchful of the Chinese presence since 2008.

Last year in September, the Indian Navy directed a Chinese research vessel, Shi Yan 1, to leave from India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Bay of Bengal after it was detected there.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The surge of popular support for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, now the clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has touched off frantic retaliation by the Democratic Party establishment and the corporate media.

While Sanders himself is a known quantity in capitalist politics, with a 30-year career as a loyal supporter of the Democratic Party and American imperialism, there is consternation in the ruling class over the shift to the left among workers and young people that underlies the strength of his campaign.

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders arrives to speak to supporters at a primary night election rally in Manchester, N.H., Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020 [Credit: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais]

Sanders won the most votes in both the February 3 Iowa caucuses and the February 11 New Hampshire primary. He has taken a wide lead in polls of prospective Democratic primary voters both nationally and in many of the states scheduled to vote over the next month, which will select two-thirds of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

A Morning Consult poll published Thursday found Sanders with a double-digit lead among likely Democratic voters nationwide. Sanders was at 29 percent, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden at 19 percent and the billionaire former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, at 18 percent. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who finished second in both Iowa and New Hampshire, was in fourth place nationally at 11 percent. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was at 10 percent, while Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota was at 5 percent.

The support for Sanders reflects shifts to the left in the working class and among young people. Exit polls in New Hampshire showed Sanders leading by a wide margin among working-class voters, both those with incomes below $50,000 a year, and those without a college education. He had 51 percent support among young people under 30, compared to 4 percent each for Klobuchar and Biden.

Nationally, half of US college students support Sanders, according to a poll from Chegg/College Pulse, which surveyed 1,500 full and part-time students attending both four-year and two-year colleges. The students named climate change and income inequality as their top issues. Warren came far back in second at 18 percent.

The widening support for Sanders, along with the apparent demise of Bidens campaign, after a fourth-place finish in Iowa and fifth place in New Hampshire, has provoked angry denunciations of the Vermont senator from the Democratic Party establishment and the corporate media.

The Biden campaign led the way, with its campaign co-chairman, Representative Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, telling a conference call with reporters that there would be down-ballot carnage for the Democrats if Sanders won the nomination. If Bernie Sanders were atop of the ticket, we would be in jeopardy of losing the House, we would not win the Senate back, he said.

Two right-wing Democrats in the Senate openly denounced Sanders for his claim to be a democratic socialist. Senator Doug Jones of Alabama said, I dont agree with the socialism label. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia said, If Bernie ends up being one of these frontrunners, hell have to moderate. Im not going socialist. Never been a socialist.

Campaign consultant James Carville, a fixture in Democratic politics for three decades, was more vituperative, making repeated television appearances this week to denounce Sanders as an easy target for the Republican right, and at one point directly echoing Trump in calling Sanders a communist.

The corporate media was filled with anti-Sanders commentary, ranging from laments (Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times), to cynical sneers (Paul Krugman in the Times) to outright denunciations (Chuck Todd on MSNBC).

Krugmans column, under the headline, Bernie Sanders Isnt a Socialist, makes the correct observation that Bernie Sanders isnt actually a socialist in any normal sense of the term. He doesnt want to nationalize our major industries and replace markets with central planning, and suggests that Sanders would be better described as a European-style social democrat.

The column goes on to echo the warnings of the Democratic establishment that if Sanders is nominated, Trump would win an easy victory, concluding I do wish that Sanders werent so determined to make himself an easy target for right-wing smears. Krugman says nothing about the fact that the right-wing smears have already begun from the Democrats.

As for Todd, during MSNBCs coverage of the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, he quoted from a diatribe against Sanders by Jonathan Last of Bulwark, who wrote: No other candidate has anything like this digital brownshirt brigade. I mean, except for Donald Trump. The question no one is asking is this, what if you cant win the presidency without an online mob?

This comparison of supporters of Sanderswho is Jewishwith the fascist thugs of Hitler and Mussolini is typical of the smear tactics by the corporate media against anyone who criticizes the super-rich. Todds commentary was reposted by the Sanders campaign, where it was viewed nearly a million times, no doubt adding to Sanders support.

The consternation over Sanders rise in the polls has already led to calls for the consolidation of the moderate (i.e., openly right-wing) forces in the Democratic Party against him. A focal point of these appeals is billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who entered the race for the nomination in November and will be on the ballot for the first time in the March 3 Super Tuesday states.

Bloomberg has poured $100 million into advertising just in those 14 states, a major part of the $300 million he has already invested in winning the Democratic nomination. His campaign has rolled out endorsements from congressmen and local government officials, particularly mayors of cities where Bloomberg has long used his gargantuan fortune to buy influence.

Rather than risk a four-way split among Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg and Klobuchar, to Sanders advantage, there have been multiple suggestions in the media of various combinationsa Bloomberg-Klobuchar tie-up, for example.

More likely than an open alliance is a splintering of the delegates among five or six candidates, that would preclude any one candidate gaining an absolute majority, leading to a brokered convention in which the various right-wing candidates would combine to block a Sanders nomination.

Sanders directly addressed this possibility in an appearance on MSNBC. The convention would have to explain to the American people, 'Hey, candidate X got the most votes and won the most delegates at the primary process, but we're not going to give him or her the nomination,' he told host Chris Hayes. I think that would be a divisive moment for the Democratic Party.

While his opponents are implacably determined to prevent his nomination, Sanders himself has repeatedly reiterated his determination to support whoever the convention chooses and oppose at all costs any break by his supporters from the Democratic Party.

At his campaign rallies, Sanders makes a rhetorical appeal to opposition to social inequality and war. However, he is also making a case to the political establishment that he can be trusted to defend the interests of the ruling class.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Sanders said that he would consider using military force in a preemptive war against Iran or North Korea. He also fully endorsed the anti-Russia campaign of the Democratic Party, agreeing that it should be considered an adversary, or even an enemy if it continues on its current course in Ukraine.
Photos and personal information belonging to patients of the NextMotion plastic surgery tech firm have been exposed online through an unsecured S3 bucket.

Hundreds of thousands of documents containing photos and personal information belonging to patients of the plastic surgery technology company NextMotion have been exposed online through an unsecured Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 bucket.

NextMotion is a French plastic surgery tech company that provides imaging and patient management software that allows complete treatment records on an aesthetic patient.

The software is able to create before and after pictures and videos of patients during the treatment process.

 Nextmotion is an ecosystem based on a medical cloud that allows you to sort, store and access your data wherever you are, states the company on its website.

In that sense, all your data is covered with the highest requested security level as it is hosted in France on servers authorized by the Haute Autorite de Sante (French Health Authority)  in our case, AWS who is certified.

The S3 bucket contained approximately 900,000 files, including highly sensitive patient images and videos, as well as plastic surgery, and consultation documents.

The compromised database contained 100,000s of profile images of patients, uploaded via NextMotions proprietary software. These were highly sensitive, including images of patients faces and specific areas of their bodies being treated. reads the post published by vpnMentor . Our team had access to almost 900,000 individual files. These included highly sensitive images, video files, and paperwork relating to plastic surgery, dermatological treatments, and consultations performed by clinics using NextMotions technology.

The personal patients information viewed by the experts included invoices for treatments, outlines for proposed treatments, video files, including 360-degree body and face scans, profile photos of the patients (both facial and body).

According to NextMotion, patient data stored in the unsecured database had been de-identified, but vpnMentor experts pointed out that paperwork and invoices leaked also contained Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data of patients.

We were informed on January 27, 2020, that a cybersecurity company had undertaken tests on randomly selected companies and had managed to access our information system. reads the notice published by the company. They were able to access and extract medias (videos and photos) from some of our patients files. Those media were on a specific database separated from patients text database (names, birth dates, notes, etc )  only the media database was exposed, patients database was not exposed.

Experts explained that the type of data leaked online can be abused to target patients in a wide range of malicious activities, including scams, fraud, and phishing and other attacks.

NextMotion pointed out that it has immediately implemented corrective measured to protect its customers.

Below the timeline of the discovery of the data leak:

Date discovered: 24/01

Date vendors contacted: 27/01

Date of contact with AWS: 30/01

Date of Action: 5/02

Date of Reply: 11/02

In October 2017, another incident affected plastic surgery patients. The celeb London Bridge Plastic Surgery clinic confirmed in a statement that it was the victim of a cyber attack, the alleged culprit is a well-known hacker that goes online with the moniker The Dark Overlord.

Pierluigi Paganini
Bray Municipal District could be allocated a further 70,000 in discretionary spending, members heard last Tuesday evening (4th).

The money is coming back to the council from Irish Water.

District engineer Liam Bourke recommended that the money be used for footpaths, and included that in the roads report.

There is a reduced budget of just 25,000 in 2020 for footpath renewal. In Bray, this budget is usually dedicated to new footpath construction or extensive upgrade works.

The requirement for three new sections of footpath had been identified at Pinewood Close at the turning area, at Herbert Road beside Rectory Slopes and the Balyorney Road. In view of the inadequate footpath budget to carry out these works, the engineer proposed that an additional amount of 70,000 of public realm funding that was not allocated to projects, be assigned to carry out these new footpath works instead.

Cllr Aoife Flynn Kennedy said that members should discuss that sum and how it would be spent. 'I'm not necessarily saying we shouldn't allocate it to footpaths, but we need to look at the list again,' she said.

She said that there are footpath issues an a number of areas when it comes to access, in that people are unable to get off the path to access other areas.

Cllr Grace McManus said that there is further discussion required before members decide where the extra money goes.

Meanwhile, in response to a query by Cllr McManus, Mr Bourke said that he has looked at the paths in Wolfe Tone. He said that there are areas where the paving has settled at manhole covers and so on. He said that repairs can be done on a local basis where dealing with trip hazards, but not a revamp of the whole scheme, which would costs hundreds of thousands.

Cllr Steven Matthews said that with regard to the extra 70,000, he would like a detailed list of paths proposed.

He also said that if there is a 20 per cent increase from the Department then Bray should get its full share of that from Wicklow County council. 'It's up for us as councillors to fight for it,' he said. 'We don't have the longest length of roads, but they are heavily trafficked and under pressure. We need to ensure a sufficient share comes back to allow the engineer to do his work.
More than 800 businesses and 8,700 employees have been affected by the novel coronavirus epidemic, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung visits Samsung Electronics Vietnam in Thai Nguyen Province on Thursday.  Photo vtc.vn

The ministry has just released a report on the impact of coronavirus.

Accordingly, a survey of 30 provinces and cities showed that 322 out of 181,597 enterprises have suspended operations, while 553 enterprises reduced or narrowed their production and business scale.

Twenty-two provinces and cities reported that 8,773 workers had been affected and 1,027 made unemployed.

In the report of 63 localities, 33,775 Chinese workers working in localities have been granted work permits. Of these, 26,388 Chinese workers returned home to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Most Chinese workers have not returned due to the epidemic.

As of 4pm on February 10, 15,018 Chinese workers were working in Vietnam, including 7,388 workers who stayed in Vietnam during the Lunar New Year and 7,630 Chinese workers returned after the holiday.

Data on the number of Vietnamese workers working abroad under contracts showed that Vietnam currently has 524,153 employees working in mainland China and other countries and territories where COVID-19 cases have been confirmed, including Taiwan, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, UAE and the Philippines.

No Vietnamese workers working abroad have been infected with coronavirus, so far.

The survey by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs also stated that there had been no major changes in labour and employment nationwide so far.

Most businesses, especially large enterprises, were still stable with normal operation. There was not yet a risk of a labour shortage, said the ministry.  VNS

Coronavirus hits FDI firms production, business The shortage of materials and various labor-related problems attributable to the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus have affected the production and business activities of large foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises in Vietnam.

Transport firms face huge losses from coronavirus outbreak Many transportation firms reported that they are incurring huge losses and slow business due to the coronavirus outbreak.
There was relative peace in lsiama Afaraukwu autonomous community, Umuahia North local government area of Abia State, home of Nnamdi Kanu as his parents, His Royal Highness, Israel Okwu Kanu and his wife, Ugoeze Meme Sally, are being buried on Friday.

The city of Umuahia more especially Afaraukwu is beefed up with security operatives both Police, DSS, soldiers and others fully armed.

Despite the heavy security presence, thousands of mourners from all parts of the South-East zone were seen dressed in black.

Their bodies were taken to HRH late Sir, Eze Israels compound for lying in state, government house, Umuahia North local government headquarter, other places and finally to the church for final Christian service.

During the burial service at St. Andrews Anglican church Isiama Afara Ukwu, the Anglican Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, Bishop Geoffrey Ibeabuchi, who presided over the service, in a sermon, urged the congregation to live Christ-like, stressing that death is a must which when it comes would not be rejected.

He advised that the living should repent from their sins and be born again, saying that the judgement day is coming when we will face thy Lord to give an account of what we did.

According to the Bishop, The living knows that they will die while talking about death, many things came to mind. We will reject it but when it will come it must take place, he said.

While regretting the death of HRH Eze Israel, who was lying lifeless in a stage, he stated that death knows nothing, respect nobody, stressing that Eze Israel was known for his punctuality in the church, good leadership and generally kind-hearted human being till death.

Also speaking, briefly after the burial service, Senator representing Abia South, Senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe, commended IPOB for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner. He disclosed that Igbo people fear death and give it different names, like Onwu Amara Egbu, Onwu Amara Enyi, Onwu Egbughi Aha.

He prayed that death will never kill the name of HRH Eze Israel who has played a vital role in uniting Igbo people, stressing that God would guide everybody who attended the burial home peacefully.

Former senator, representing Anambra Central, Sir Victor Umeh, regretted the burial of parents of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, HRH, Eze Israel, saying it is an emotion-provoking event.

Senator Umeh who was speaking to a journalist before the burial of the traditional ruler of Afara Ukwu community, Abia state urged Ndigbo to bear the loss with fortitude noting that death was a phenomenon every man should look forward to.

He also commended the federal government for ensuring that the burial was peaceful.

We have come here to join the Afara Ukwu people Abia State and indeed Ndigbo to bury the traditional ruler of Afara Ukwu, Mazi Israel Kanu and his beloved wife.

Today, according to our custom and tradition, it necessary for those who are alive to bury the dead not only that but today we are burying a great man, a king, a community leader and a Night of the Christian Church. So you can see it is an emotion-provoking event.

We also come to commiserate with the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his siblings and all the other relations to ask them to bear this double tragedy with fortitude and with Gods grace. I pray that God will grant them eternal rest in paradise.

To the Afara Ukwu community, brothers and friends of Nnamdi Kanu, they must see it as something that must come in life and submit to the will of God.

We commend the federal government for allowing us to bury our brother and sister and IPOB for organising themselves in a peaceful manner as they used to be, he said.

Umeh further commended IPOB members for not yielding to media threats aimed at discouraging them from attending the burial.

In a special parent tribute by one of his sons, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, regretted the death of their parents, stressing they gave them blood untainted with vice, the opulence of undiluted health, education and close-knit family built on a foundation of love for one another and knowledge of God.

He also disclosed that in time of trouble that their parents were always there for them, stressing that they have done a lot to perpetuate ones bloodline and prayed the seed of universal freedom for the dear nation, Biafra they planted would flourish forever.

In a statement by the media and publicity secretary of IPOB, Comrade Emma Powerful, lamented that Nigerian Soldiers arrested peaceful people going to Afara Ukwu Umuahia to pay last respect to HRH Eze Israel and his wife, along Enugu- Igweocha Port Harcourt expressway.

Powerful, also accused Facebook of partnering with the Nigerian Army in meting injustice on Biafrans.

As the provocation, harassment, intimidation, kidnapping and arrest of mourners continue unabated along Enugu-Igweocha (Port Harcourt) Expressway, there are confirmed reports that 3 Coaster buses conveying mourners to Afaraukwu were hijacked by Nigerian soldiers at Ubakala Junction. We hope the world can see what these vandals in uniform are doing and duly taking note for future reference.

It appears Facebook Nigeria are working hand in hand with the murderous Nigerian army and police, that failed woefully in the fight against Boko Haram in the north, by preventing real-time dissemination of live video coverage of events on their platform, thereby aiding and abating human rights abuses in Biafraland.

He, therefore, requested for their immediate release to enable them to proceed to the burial ceremony and meet their families.

Dignitaries at the burial include former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, Senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Former senator, Sir Victor Umeh, Barr Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Chief Uka Sanye, Abia State House of Assembly, and other Igbo leaders.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 15)  The Philippine government is looking into removing the travel restrictions imposed on visitors from Chinas special administrative regions as protective measure amid the novel coronavirus health threat, a tourism official said Saturday.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told CNN Philippines Newsroom Weekend that the travel restrictions are based on how a country or a territory implements protocols on how to address the new viral infection, officially named as COVID-19, which started in Wuhan, China.

Romulo-Puyat made the statement following the consensus among infectious diseases task force members to scrap their order to bar the entry of tourists coming from Taiwan, citing the self-administered states implementation of very strict and excellent protocols in handing travelers.

Authorities have started imposing travel restrictions on tourists from China, including its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau, two weeks ago to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, officially named COVID-19.

Before, there was a question [on whether] people from China could go to Taiwan and come to the Philippines without detection. Now before they come here, we already know if they have been to China or not, Romulo-Puyat said.

In the case of Hong Kong and Macau, they have yet to meet the condition set by the Philippines Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the official said.

Romulo-Puyat said early this week that the Philippines' tourism industry stands to lose 42.9 billion in revenue because of the restrictions imposed on travelers heading to or from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The secretary said the huge loss is assuming the travel ban will last for three months.

To cushion the blow, Puyat said they are working to boost domestic tourism. Some airlines, including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia as well as hotels have agreed to come up with multiple promotions to help address the drop in their income.

Mainland China has more than 66,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with almost 1,500 deaths. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has reported 56 confirmed COVID-19 cases with one death; Taiwan recorded 18 cases and Macau, 10 cases.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference and discussed Indo-US bilateral relationship ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to India this month.

"Good to see @SecPompeo at #MSC2020. Allowed us to take stock of the relationship as we look forward to @realDonaldTrump's visit," Jaishankar wrote on Twitter.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the schedule announced this week. In addition to New Delhi, the visiting dignitary will also visit Ahmedabad to address a joint public meeting with Modi at a newly-built Motera stadium on the lines of the 'Howdy Modi!' function that was addressed by Trump and Modi in Houston in September last year.

Prior to this, Jaishankar also met house speaker Nancy Pelosi and said her "consistent support" to India-US ties has always been a great source of strength.

"Such a pleasure to catch up with @SpeakerPelosi. Her consistent support to India-US ties has always been a great source of strength," the minister tweeted.

Jaishankar, who arrived here on Friday to attend the security conference, met US ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Knight Craft on the sidelines of the conference.

On the sidelines of the conference, Jaishankar met several other leaders attending the meet.

The Munich Security Conference, being held here from February 14-16, is the world's leading forum for debate on international security policy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Majorcan Hotel chains are expanding in Cuba despite orders from the US State Department and President Donald Trump not to invest in the Caribbean Island or develop commercial relations with the public tourism companies, Cubanacan case, Greater Caribbean and Seagull.

There are seven Majorcan chains in Cuba including, Melia, Iberostar, Be Live, Barcelo, Roc, Valentin and Blau and they manage more than one hundred hotels between them.

At the moment there are many opportunities to be able to stay with establishments, the result of part of the tightening of the US blockade by decision of the US president. Government companies offer us new hotels and each one works accordingly according to their own interests, said hotel sources.

In the last five months, the three main Cuban Tourism Companies, Cubanacan, Gran Caribe and Gaviota have closed their operations in the main holiday enclaves of the country, particularly in Varadero and the Majorcan Hoteliers intend to take advantage of the opportunity to expand.

Melia & Iberostar

Iberostar is snapping up emblematic buildings in the main cities in the interior of the country for its historic hotels project, a newly created segment of unique establishments which are of architectural, historical or cultural significance and hold a special charm. Trump's blockade does not affect this expansion strategy in Cuba.

Melia plans to strengthen its leading luxury vacation brands by reforming its most emblematic hotels to improve facilities and services.

Both chains account for about 70 establishments and are the main foreign tourism companies in Cuba.

Neither Iberostar or Melia plan to halt their projects despite threats from the Trump Administration.

Valentin, Roc, Blau, Globalia and Barcelo Group also agree that despite all the problems generated by the US economic blockade, they will continue with their expansion plans.

Investing in Cuba is a commitment to the future and we will increase our presence according to the projects presented to us, they said.
Juba (AFP) - South Sudan's president said on Saturday he would return to a system of 10 states, a key opposition demand, paving the way for a unity government and an end to the country's civil war.

"The compromise we have just made is in the interest of peace...I expect the opposition to reciprocate," Salva Kiir said, after a meeting of top government and military officials in the capital Juba.

Kiir said the country would now be divided among the original 10 states, plus three "administrative areas" of Pibor, Ruweng and Abyei.

The opposition welcomed the move but immediately raised questions over the fate of Ruweng, a key oil producing zone.

The number of states is contentious because the borders will determine the divisions of power in the country.

- Oil zone arguments -

Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar -- who lives in exile -- are under increasing pressure to resolve their differences by February 22 and form a unity government as part of a peace agreement.

They have already missed two previous deadlines to enshrine peace and end a six-year conflict that has left at least 380,000 people dead and millions in dire poverty.

Kiir and Machar met last week in neighbouring Ethiopia but the talks ended in deadlock.

However, Saturday's announcement meant a key concern of Machar appeared to have been resolved.

"This decision may not have been the best option for our people, but for the sake of peace and unity in the country, the Presidency sees it necessary," a government statement said.

But after the surprise announcement, Machar's party said they welcomed Kiir's compromise but opposed splitting off oil-rich Ruweng.

Oil provides almost all of the government's revenue in South Sudan, one of the most oil dependent nations in the world.

Ruweng has been one of the most heavily fought over areas in the civil war and is claimed by both the Dinka people of Kiir and the Nuer of Machar.

"We welcome this decision but we only have one complaint; the establishment of Ruweng Administrative Area," said opposition party spokesman Pouk Both Baluang. "The issue of the states has not been resolved completely."

Story continues

But Baluang said he expected Kiir and Machar to meet soon to discuss their differences. Kiir said the final matter of states would be debated once the unity government forms.

When it gained independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan had 10 states, as set out in its constitution. Kiir increased that in 2015 to 28, and then later 32.

Kiir had repeatedly refused to back down on the number of states but had come under intense international pressure to compromise.

- Machar return urged -

Fighting has abated since September 2018 when Kiir and Machar -- old rivals who have fought and made up multiple times -- signed a deal to end the the bloodshed that erupted in 2013, when the president accused his former deputy of plotting a coup.

They agreed to come together in a coalition in May last year but disputes over territory and security arrangements dogged negotiations and the deadline was missed, followed by another six months later.

In November, the pair were given 100 more days to resolve these sticking points -- an extension that finishes next Saturday.

Any extension beyond February 22 was "neither desirable nor feasible", the eight-nation East African bloc of nations, IGAD, warned last week.

South Sudan vice president Taban Deng Gai said Machar must now return from exile to help form the government.
The Flint Group has announced the investment in Climate Control Experts, headquartered in Las Vegas, NV.

Climate Control Experts is a leading provider of HVAC, plumbing and energy solutions, serving residential and commercial applications in the western United States. The Flint Group continues to expand in key geographic markets by acquiring high-performing home service businesses with strong brand equity.

Climate Control Experts has licenses to perform work in 6 states: Nevada, California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. The company was started 2012 by Christopher Roth who will continue to manage the operations at Climate Control Experts and optimize the brand legacy for the Flint Group.

We are thrilled to partner with the Flint Group for the next stage of our growth. We have always put our customers and our people first, and the Flint Group is committed to investing in our strong culture and our core values. asserts Roth. The Flint Group brings unique expertise and resources that will help us continue to build our position in the market through strategic acquisitions and growth initiatives.

Climate Control Experts brand strategies have achieved record sales growth and garnered industry acclaim. They are a nationally recognized, award winning company, and have been touted by INC 5000 for the last three years as one of the fastest growing companies in America.

Trevor Flannigan, Chief Operating Officer of the Flint Group, said, We chose Climate Control Experts because they are a respected leader in the industry. Their high quality standards and home service reach have created impressive long-term customer relationships, along with a strong track record of growth.

At Climate Control Experts, we have built a successful business by consistently delivering experts services and high-quality solutions to our community, said Roth. I am confident that the Flint Group is the right partner to add value to our customers, and help us achieve the next stage of market share and expansion.

The Flint Groups investment in Climate Control Experts is the latest example of the firms increasing momentum in the home services arena. In 2019, the Flint Group partnered with Wolfers Home Services Portland, OR - a legacy brand offering HVAC, plumbing and electrical services since 1901. The Flint Group plans to continue to invest in home service companies over the next five years to build Flint Group into a national leader.

About Flint Group

Flint Group is a collection of the best residential home service businesses in the country. Our focus is on plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and related home service segments. The Flint Group has a decade-long history of partnering with great managers, building great teams, and delivering superior returns to investors and sellers alike.

Website: https://www.flintg.com/

About Climate Control Experts

Climate Control Experts is a leading brand in the heating, air conditioning and plumbing industry, specializing in service, repair and replacement for residential and commercial applications. Ranked one of the fastest growing companies for the last three consecutive years in INC 5000, and recognized nationally through numerous certificates and awards, Climate Control Experts is a leading plumbing and HVAC company with licenses to perform work in 6 states.

Website: https://climatecontrolexperts.com/
PRECINCT 1

Harold King, 56

King was born and raised here in Plainview. He has served as commissioner of precinct one for nine years. He took office when he was appointed to fill an unexpired term and has now completed two full terms in office.

Q: Why did you choose to run for commissioner?

A: I ran for commissioner because I believe with the Commissioners Court, city council and the school district is all about economic development that we need. We put it together now. Were all working in one direction for the county and all the cities and the school districts in this county. Thats what were working together for growth.

Q: What would you say is the No. 1 issue facing Hale County?

A: Number one is unfunded mandates. We face that every time the state legislature meets down in Austin. These are things they decide we need but they dont want to help foot the bill for it.

Q: How would you propose to attack it?

A: Just talking with our state representatives.

Q: What is the most pressing need for Hale County and how do you propose to fix it?

A: The most pressing need is just bringing in industries and business. Thats why we built the industrial park. The EDC is doing a fair job of marketing this. And thats the way you bring in more money for the counties and the cities here. You get good industries in here and keep them happy.

Q: Do you have any short-term and/or long-term goals for the county?

A: One of the things that I know we have got to do and we have got to work on is the county jail. Thats a big issue. Thats a long-term goal. Its not going to happen overnight. The short-term, weve already started work in on it is starting to set aside money in a line item for seed money for a new county jail at some point in the future.

Q: What about for your precinct? What do you propose to do to fix them moving forward?

A: Just continue roadwork. Right now, were still coming out of a five-year drought that we had a few years ago where you couldnt really work the roads the way they were supposed to. Now in the last couple of years, weve had some moisture to where we could do that. So just basically keep trying to improve the precinct with roads and culverts and general maintenance that you have to do. I guess that goes with the next one.

Q: If resources were available, what one area of county services do you feel could use additional resources?

A: I think a resource we could use is more money in our budgets because just like precinct one, which I think is the smallest of all, it encompasses the city of Plainview. There are 300 miles of road in precinct one, 600 miles of ditches, plus I also have Seth Ward. Were trying to take care of all of those roads with four maintainers. Seth Ward is a great place but it is a small city with its own set of road systems. Its hard to keep up with all of it with four maintainers. I think the other precincts, its the same way too. We could use more dollars to add another machine or two and more hands to take care of some of that.

Q: Is there any part of the countys budget that you feel should be shielded from cuts?

A: I thought about this. I sat around for nine years watching the other offices. I think everybody from the sheriff to the county clerk, district clerk, county attorney, everyone  youve sat in on some of the budget meetings  I think everybody does a really good job with their budgets. I dont think they overspend. The county treasurer and everybody is spot on. They do a great job with the money that they get. I dont think anybody overspends.

Brent Ramsower

Asked if he would meet with The Herald, Ramsower declined stating he believes his advertisements answer many of the questions presented. He added: I dont think its necessary to be in there again on an interview Saturday also.
Dozens of burglars robbed Rs 20 lakh from a grocery businessman's house here on Friday evening.

The robbery took place at the residence of Bhubaneshwar Goyal's residence at Delta Sector 2.

The robbers held the whole family at gun-point when they looted cash and 50 tola of gold. A case has been registered at Greater Noida, Surajpur Police station, police said.

Speaking to ANI, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Harish Chandra said, "The incident took place between 7 pm to 9 pm at Bhubaneshwar Goyal's residence when he was at his shop. Dozens of goons attacked his family members and held them at gun-point. They robbed Rs 80,000 and 50 tola of gold. Approximately, Rs 20 lakh is said to be stolen by the robbers."

"Soon, after receiving information, Police arrived at the crime spot. The team began their investigation. A forensic team was also called. According to the family's statement, police registered a case and a probe is on to nab the culprits," he added.

Police said that as per the statement of the family, the robbers barged into their house and Goyal's wife and two sons were present. One son was held at gunpoint and the thieves were repeatedly asking about cash.

In the meantime, the goons also indulged in a scuffle with three persons.

Initial investigation suggested that the criminals pre-planned the whole robbery as they entered the house by mentioning Goyal's name.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Editors Note: The following is another profile of a District 11 congressional candidate from the Texas Scorecard, which provided permission to run the article.

In the race to replace retiring Congressman Mike Conaway, congressional hopeful Casey Gray isnt afraid to speak his mind or stand up for what he believes.

Gray, 38, resides in Odessa with his wife, Brittnie, and is a proud father of five.

A retired military veteran, Gray has attended the Boots in Business program through Syracuse University and has hours toward a degree in history from the University of Maryland.

I had three jobs at an early age and got a provisional drivers license at 15, Gray said, recalling his early life. When I was in high school, I was poor. We had Hamburger Helper without the hamburger, Gray said, with a chuckle.

The thing I like to say about capitalism and a free market, though, is if you want more money, all you have to decide is to work harder, and you can earn that money.

Before joining the military, Gray worked for IRI International, which later became National Oil Well Varco.

Gray said he has served in two separate branches of the military. He first joined the Navy at age 17, and worked in Naval Special Warfare and, among other details, earned his Ranger tab at Fort Benning, Georgia. In addition to military service, Gray said he has also worked in the intelligence community; his campaign website includes a section about his work with the Central Intelligence Agency.

After his service in the Navy, Gray enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard 19 special forces group and was severely injured in a helicopter crash while deployed with that unit. Gray retired from the military in 2015.

Before moving back to his hometown of Odessa, Gray lived in California for a time. It was there that he started the paperwork to run for Congress and contemplated challenging Rep. Adam Schiff. He said he opted against running because he didnt have enough time to prepare.

CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE HERE: http://bit.ly/31XKha9
Reuters

South Korean news outlets say the novel coronavirus has spread to North Korea.

Though the country has further isolated itself from the rest of the world, its lack of medical supplies and "crumbling" healthcare system leave it ill-equipped to handle an outbreak, experts say.

Kim Jong Un recently canceled an annual parade that celebrates the founding of the military's armed forces. He did not give an explanation, fueling suspicions about the virus.

"They cannot produce the medicine they need because of the sanctions," a former World Health Organization official told Insider. "Nothing new has come to the country to updates their medicine or technology."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus infects tens of thousands in China and hundreds of others around the world, one country has remained silent about the progress of the virus within its borders: North Korea.

Though North Korean leaders have yet to report any coronavirus cases, several South Korean outlets with sources inside the country report that the virus has arrived. Experts are worried that the poor, isolated country could be devastated by the illness, now officially known as COVID-19.

"There's not enough medicine for the country. I'm really concerned about them facing an outbreak," Nagi Shafik, a former project manager and consultant at the World Health Organization and UNICEF offices in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, told Insider. "It will be dangerous for them  it could go everywhere."

North Korea has isolated itself even more amid the outbreak

North Korea was one of the first countries to block foreign tourists from entering its borders in response to the coronavirus outbreak. It has since sank deeper into isolation by limiting trade with China  the source of the outbreak  and curbing diplomatic travel into the country in the hopes of keeping COVID-19 from spreading within its borders, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Story continues

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's cancellation of an annual parade  often a huge military spectacle reported on by state-run media  without explanation has only flared suspicions that there are coronavirus infections in the country. Experts, however, say it might also be a preventive measure.

"North Korea is on lockdown. The country is on lockdown. And that's saying something," Michael Madden, a nonresident fellow at the Stimson Center who is an expert on the country, told Insider.

A South Korean soldier pulling barricades across a road leading to North Korea's Kaesong joint industrial complex at a military checkpoint in the border city of Paju.

AFP

Madden said bolstering public health had been a priority for Kim, but it may not be enough to combat the coronavirus.

At least two South Korean media outlets claiming to have sources inside North Korea have reported on possible coronavirus cases in the country.

Chosun Ilbo, one of South Korea's largest newspapers, reported that there were at least two suspected cases of the illness in the city of Sinuiju, which borders China. The South Korea-based Daily North Korea reported that as many as five people had died of the novel coronavirus in the same city. Additionally, coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Japan and South Korea.

Many suspect the coronavirus could have crossed the 880-mile border between China and North Korea, a "porous" border where smugglers often help North Korean defectors escape and exchange goods, according to Chosun Ilbo. A Chinese region near the North Korean border reported its first coronavirus case on January 30, according to the news agency UPI.

North Korean leaders have yet to report any cases of the coronavirus, however. A representative from the World Health Organization told Insider there were no reports of a coronavirus case in the country yet.

The country's isolation measures may not be enough

If the coronavirus were to spread within the borders of North Korea, experts say, its healthcare system would most likely not be equipped to fight it.

Though the North Korean government has asserted that "everyone" in the country "receives medical service of all categories equally, practically and free of charge," a 2010 Amnesty International report called the country's healthcare system "crumbling." The organization found chronic shortages of medicines and medical supplies and decreased access to medical facilities in rural areas.

Shafik, who worked on behalf of the WHO in Pyongyang until 2009, said the country had many trained nurses and doctors, some of whom are sent to other countries to be trained. According to Shafik, while the country has the healthcare infrastructure to handle a health crisis, it most likely lacks the medical supplies to prevent, diagnose, and treat the coronavirus.

He says the country probably doesn't have enough masks and protective clothing to protect its citizens and wouldn't have the laboratory equipment, including chemicals and reagents, to test for the virus.

A man carrying his daughter as they leave the Pyongyang Circus in 2017 in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Wong Maye-E (Associated Press)

While Shafik says North Korea should focus on getting protective gear first, he said the country would also need antibiotics to treat the fatal symptoms of the virus.

"People died from the secondary complication of pneumonia," Shafik added. "You have to have antibiotics. I doubt that they have antibiotics to treat such cases." Though North Korea has the factories to produce the necessary medicine and vaccines to treat the country, Shafik says, international sanctions have stifled medical progress in the country.

"They cannot produce the medicine they need because of the sanctions," Shafik told Insider. "Nothing new has come to the country to updates their medicine or technology. What even is the best doctor without equipment?"

Shafik noted, however, that he believed North Korean leaders would call for help if the situation became dire, as they did with the SARS outbreak, which was also caused by a coronavirus.

Madden echoed that issues with combatting the coronavirus would come down to resources in the country. Madden noted that the treatment would most likely be concentrated on people of better standing in the country.

"There's a massive disparity of its medical treatments in hospitals," Madden told Insider. "They have a caste system. People of a higher caste can receive better medical treatment than people in the lower caste."

A double-decker bus at the end of a work day in 2017 in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Wong Maye-E

Madden, however, believes North Korea is doing what it can to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Beyond the measures the country has taken to keep foreigners outside its borders, it has also restricted the movement of goods like rice and sounded alarms about the infection.

"North Korea is taking steps to mitigate coronavirus," Madden told Insider. "They're broadcasting internationally and internally that the government and regime is taking all necessary precautions."

Additionally, the power the country does have at its disposal is the ability to move and quarantine people. China has carried out similar measures, quarantining entire cities and millions of people to prevent the spread of the virus.

But beyond the dangers the virus could pose to the country's population, an outbreak could deal a bigger blow to Kim's delicate authority over the country and its people.

"This is something they can't control," Madden said. "They can control information, population movement, but things like epidemics  that's the kind of stuff that the regime can control  nobody can control it. It could create the image that the regime is not the great powerful Oz. it will cause some fissures that Kim Jong Un would have to deal with personally."



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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that "none of the memorandums and documents" protect Ukraine, only strong army, nuclear weapon and NATO are "defenders of sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"I do not believe in any papers. I want to tell other states as well: one should not believe in the documents. Nobody guarantees nothing. The 21st century is power of a strong one," he said being asked on significance of the 1994 Budapest memorandum on the guarantees of security of Ukraine.

He also said that for restoration of the integrity of Ukraine "Russia must wish to give us our land back."
Iran stands ready to negotiate oil supplies with Belarus, including in terms of price that can be below the world average, Iranian Ambassador in Minsk Saeed Yari said in an interview with Sputnik Belarus.

"Iran is an oil exporting country. It is only natural if we negotiate oil supplies with Belarus, too. It is a purely commercial matter. Are are ready to cover Belarus' demand of oil and petrochemicals," Yari said, Sputnik reports.

The ambassador recalled that Iran and Belarus have once conducted pilot transfers of oil and said that it should be a question to be considered outside of the political context.

"If our Belarusian friends are interested in these supplies, we are ready to launch negotiations.

And we are ready to sell at a convenient price, perhaps even lower than the global average. It depends on the Belarusian government's decision, whether they are ready to buy oil from us," the diplomat said.

Starting January 1, Russia stopped pumping oil to Belarus, and even though supplies partially recovered, Minsk intensified efforts for finding alternatives to the Russian oil. Among potential importers, Belarus considers Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic countries, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

On January 26, Belarus received the first shipment of oil from Norway, counting 35 tankers with about 3,500 tonnes of oil.
Dancing with the Stars Credit:

DANCING WITH THE STARS



7.30pm, Ten

With the first-night nerves out of the way, its time to get serious about these fledgling ballroom dancers and send someone home with their tail feathers between their legs. By now, the contestants will have inadvertently revealed not only their moves but their ability to cop a bit of criticism on the chin, especially from Craig Revel Horwood (pictured, left), the closest judge this panel has to Todd McKenney. The categories tonight are the quickstep, the foxtrot and the cha-cha.
"This is really a classic example of a case where everybody's interests are best served by collaboration. And everybody needs to recognize the remarkable efforts that China is making to deal with this problem," UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said.

United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock speaks in an interview with Xinhua at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

China's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak is remarkable and the international community shares a common interest in collaborating to tackle the epidemic, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock has told Xinhua.

Commenting on the measures China has taken to combat the epidemic, Lowcock lauded the country's "quite wide agreement" to try to first of all "contain the virus and its spread."

Lots of the measures that have been taken are intended to have that effect inside China, he said.

Lowcock also lauded China's efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus beyond China, adding that China is taking efforts to "buy time to learn more about the virus and how to deal with it."

A staff member disinfects the administrative area of the construction site of China Eastern Airlines' production auxiliary area (phase one) in Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by Xu Bingjie/Xinhua)

"The secretary-general, the head of the World Health Organization, and all the senior colleagues in the United Nations really admire the way China is trying to deal with this problem," he added.

The UN official also called for global cooperation to tackle the epidemic.

"This is really a classic example of a case where everybody's interests are best served by collaboration. And everybody needs to recognize the remarkable efforts that China is making to deal with this problem," he said.

Commenting on the appeal made by Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, on Wednesday that the international community should "increase mutual trust, foster an awareness of a community of shared future for mankind, oppose politicization of health issues and leave no breeding ground or space for any racist comments, discrimination or stigma," Lowcock said those were "extremely wise words."

"They fully represent the view of the United Nations that the virus does not respect borders. The virus does not discriminate between one sort of person and another sort of person. The virus has the potential to affect everybody," he said.

"We need to understand the virus, and then we need to develop a means of diagnosing people who may have it," said Lowcock, adding that one of the priorities is to see what can be done to develop new therapies.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has felicitated with His Excellency, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, on the occasion of his 60th Birthday on Sunday 16th February, 2020.

Lawan said Governor El Rufai's life evinces the importance of vision, focus, tenacity, wisdom and courage in leadership.

The Senate President said those attributes have propelled El Rufai to the outstanding successes that he has recorded in every role that providence has called him to play in the public affairs of Nigeria.

"Whether as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Secretary of the National Council on Privatisation, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and now as the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, you have left indelible records that will continue to challenge all who come after you and inspire every Nigerian who may aspire to expand the frontiers of service to our country.

"As you reach the milestone of three scores in your life, may Allah the Most Beneficient and Most Merciful continue to imbue you with good health, wisdom and long life for continued tireless and inspirational service to our fatherland," Lawan said.

Lawan rejoiced with family, friends and associates of the Governor and wishes him many more years of service to Nigeria.

Signed:

Ola Awoniyi

Special Adviser (Media)

to President of the Senate

Saturday, 15th February, 2020
A monarch in Osun State, the Agbowu of Ogbaagba, Dhikrulahi Akinropo, has narrated how he was assaulted by Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrosheed Akanbi, on Friday, over a land dispute.

He said the alleged assault took place at the office of the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Zone 11, in Osogbo.

The AIG, Bashir Makama, had summoned a peace meeting to settle a land dispute in Iwo.

Sources familiar with the matter disclosed that before now, Mr Akanbi had asked other monarchs in Iwo to stop selling land without his consent.

Several meetings reportedly held in Iwo to restore order ended in deadlock and this was what necessitated the intervention of the police.

Other monarchs at Fridays peace meeting were Quadri Adeoye, Oluwo of Iwo-Oke; Oyebamiji Oyeleso of Oluponna, Adio Oyediran of Igegeland, Solomon Ojo of Ikonifin, Moshood Oparonke of Eesu, among others.

The police spokesperson, Folasade Odoro, said the state command will update the public after their investigation.

How I was attacked

Mr Akinropo who spoke with BBC Yoruba from the hospital said the matter had been on before the current AIG in Osogbo.

Oluwo wrote petition against eight monarchs in Iwo over land issue. He alleged that weve been selling his land without his consent which we all denied.

Several meetings held in Iwo last year which he scattered and that was why the AIG intervened. At the meeting, he asked the police to warn us and we also maintained our stance that we did not sell his land.

I was the one sitting close to him. He got annoyed as he questioned why we would interrupt while hes also talking. He said hes the leader of all of us and he started punching me on my head.

This happened in presence of AIG, Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Chairman Iwo Local Government and other traditional rulers.

He stood up aggressively and attacked me. Even OC, Legal was there. I was rushed to hospital and I have since then remain there. At least, police were there and weve written out statement, he told BBC.

He disclosed that he is still at the state hospital in Asubiaro receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES sought the Oluwos reaction to the claims by the monarch.

His media secretary, Alli Ibrahim, in a brief statement to journalists at the Iwo palace, said the assaulted monarch, while making his speech called Oba Akanbi unprintable names, pointing his staff of office at Oluwo while an attempt to stick the staff in his eyes was defended.

He did not elaborate further.
Throughout last weekend's General Election coverage, I kept thinking of Keelin Shanley and of the distinctively unfussy and incisive contribution she would have brought to RTE's coverage of this momentous occasion.

But it was not to be and the news of her passing last Saturday cast a pall over coverage of the proceedings. There have been other and more high-profile RTE deaths in recent months, but the demise of a woman in her broadcasting prime was especially wrenching.

I didn't know her well but she was a near neighbour and in the last couple of years I frequently encountered her in our local restaurant, where she and her family often went after her day's work was over. I liked her a lot and admired her even more, and I was thrilled when she became co-anchor on the Six One news, to which she brought a real sense of authority and gravitas, alongside a true journalist's engagement with breaking stories and a kindly concern for those affected by many of these stories. She'll be greatly missed.

But speaking of the election, which I'm not, I keep consoling my liberal friends with the thought that, if Sinn Fein had properly gauged the public mood and had fielded 120 candidates rather than 42, we might now be living in a one-party state and wouldn't that be nice?

Anyway, credit to Bryan Dobson, Miriam O'Callaghan, David McCullagh and all their colleagues and pundits for helping to make this seismic election so engrossing, if unsettling, too. Ah well, the people have spoken.

On The Tommy Tiernan Show (RTE1) last weekend, the comedian's first guest was President Michael D Higgins, which was clearly very nice for both of them. "One of my best friends," declared Tommy as they warmly embraced. "Thank you, it's shared," replied Michael D. "Great, great," said Tommy.

The love-in continued when they sat down, leaving the viewer to wonder if this really was what Tommy's famously unpredictable chat show was meant to be about. But they were enjoying themselves so much that it was hard to begrudge them their delight in each other.

And their chat turned out to be very engaging, with lots of good one-liners, including Michael D's observation that the Brits are "still talking to us even if they've discovered greatness again".

But the host didn't seem to know anything about another guest, national archivist Catriona Crowe, even though she's an ubiquitous contributor to all sorts of RTE documentary series. But he's an attentive and enquiring interviewer and his conversation with her about the importance of preserving public records was absorbing.

The same couldn't be said for the second instalment of Herstory (RTE1), which was just as dutiful and dull as the first. It concerned Donegal-born but Pennsylvania-raised Kay McNulty, who worked as a mathematician for the US Army during World War II and who was involved in the creation and development of the world's first electronic general-purpose computer.

Video of the Day

Again, this was the story of a woman fighting for recognition against male odds, but its flag-waving tone took precedence over human details that might have made her achievement seem more interesting.

At the very start of The End (currently streaming on Sky Atlantic), we see sixty-something Edie, recently widowed and lying on her bed in her English home, an empty bottle of vodka by her side and a plastic bag over her head. Then a fire breaks out in the kitchen and self-preservation kicks in with Edie jumping from her upstairs window.

That doesn't kill her, either, and so doctor daughter Kate flies her out to Australia, ensconcing her against her will in a nearby retirement home. Then one of Kate's patients, a young woman with incurable cancer, hangs herself in her hospital bed.

All of this takes place in the first of 10 30-minute episodes and it's offered by creator-writer Samantha Strauss as black comedy. So far I've only seen two episodes, but I found them very engaging, not least for the barbed script but mainly for the terrific playing by Harriet Walter as Edie and Frances O'Connor as Kate.

And in their determinedly unsentimental way, these opening episodes have already explored such feelings as grief and loneliness. Certainly worth a look.

And I'll be watching tomorrow night's second instalment of The Pale Horse (BBC1), if only to find out what will happen to suave businessman Mark, whose wife has been electrocuted in her bath, whose mistress has died in the bed they were sharing and who seems fated for death himself.

So what's going on in this adaptation by Sarah Phelps of a little-known Agatha Christie story? Search me, but there's a coven of witches in a sinister rural village who might, or might not, be at the root of it all. And there's Rufus Sewell as Mark, once again such a striking screen presence that you wonder why he has never achieved real stardom. Perhaps it's because of an essential coldness to him that precludes any real identification with the persona he projects, but he certainly commands the screen.

Meanwhile, The Split (BBC1) has returned for a second season with its tale of a family of divorce lawyers whose own relationships are a complete mess. This aspires to be an English take on The Good Wife and its follow-up The Good Fight, but it nowhere reaches the writing and acting heights of those two American series.

And they're such an unlikeable bunch in this glossy but vacuous soap opera that it's impossible to root for any of them.
They take our votes for granted and think we were born yesterday.'

So said a former Labour voter last month in the North East of England, reflecting on what had become of the party he once regarded as his own.

While Labour had once been for 'normal working people, who pay for their house, pay for their car', it was now mostly for 'young people and students, and the unemployed'  that or 'middle-class radicals', and 'people in London who go on marches to get rid of Brexit'.

Americans know that policies such as free college and free universal healthcare are not free at all, and they will be the ones to pay. Cautious, moderate voters will not easily be persuaded to vote for a big tax hike, even if it means tolerating four more years of Trumpian antics

Such views, which emerged in the research for Diagnosis Of Defeat, my new report on where Labour stands with the voters following its worst defeat since 1935, tell us even more about the party's predicament than the Election result itself.

While senior Labour figures and the party's own official inquiry claim the outcome was all about Brexit, the truth is that their problems go much deeper.

While many did vote to get Brexit done, more serious still was the belief that, when it came to the referendum result  but not just that  Labour no longer listened to them.

The party had become too Left-wing, could not be trusted with their money, and seemed to have adopted values far removed from their own sensible, practical outlook on life.

Former Labour voters often told us that their erstwhile party had embraced a politically correct or 'woke' culture and seemed to disapprove of people who didn't share it, or its liberal positions on things like immigration. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is pictured above

Many described Labour's manifesto, with its wild spending promises and expensive irrelevancies such as free broadband, as 'pie in the sky'.

It is Labour members, now pondering the choice of leadership candidates, who will decide which direction to take their party.

Meanwhile, in America, a similar drama is being played out. Labour's recent history should serve as a cautionary tale for their allies in the US Democratic Party as they shape up for their battle with Trump in November's presidential election.

The parallels are not exact, but close enough for the Democrats to beware of enacting a transatlantic sequel to the Corbyn story. First and most obvious is the choice of candidate.

Following his victory in last week's New Hampshire primary, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination is Bernie Sanders, a septuagenarian socialist who has often been compared to his North London comrade.

In Britain, many Leave voters  along with many Remainers who wanted to get it done and move on  were exasperated that their Labour MPs voted against Brexit at every turn

Both spent long careers in politics fighting for unfashionably Left-wing causes and, as many saw it, siding with their respective countries' opponents in matters of foreign policy, before bursting to prominence and winning a devoted following among like-minded (but usually much younger) admirers.

Moderates, meanwhile, are reluctant to put people of their ideological ilk at the head of government  and, in the case of 78-year-old Sanders, wonder if he is personally up to the rigours of office.

Following his victory in last week's New Hampshire primary, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination is Bernie Sanders, a septuagenarian socialist who has often been compared to his North London comrade

Second is the question of competence.

One of the many complaints about Labour was that they were simply not ready for government, as attested by multiple gaffes from bungling spokespeople, hopeless division, and a policy on the central issue of the day (renegotiate Brexit and hold a second referendum in which they may or may not campaign against the new deal they had just secured) which voters found scarcely credible.

The fiasco of the Iowa caucus earlier this month  with results delayed after an app used to tabulate the votes malfunctioned  may be of a completely different kind, but the effect is the same: if the Democrats can't run their own candidate selection process properly, voters may ask, how can they run the country?

As the President himself tweeted: 'The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is 'Trump'.'

Third is the matter of priorities. In Britain, many Leave voters  along with many Remainers who wanted to get it done and move on  were exasperated that their Labour MPs voted against Brexit at every turn.

They seemed more absorbed with parliamentary games and partisan advantage than acting on their constituents' wishes.

Here the US analogue is the Democrats' failed impeachment of the President. Even many reluctant Trump voters saw this as part of a 'witch hunt' waged against him from day one, just as they did the Mueller investigation, which his opponents hoped would prove that his campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 election.

For three years, Democrats in Washington have often seemed intent on bringing down the man, rather than working on anything that would improve the lives of Americans.

This is closely connected to the question of values. Former Labour voters often told us that their erstwhile party had embraced a politically correct or 'woke' culture and seemed to disapprove of people who didn't share it, or its liberal positions on things like immigration.

Here there is a striking comparison with Hillary Clinton's 2016 description of Trump voters as a 'basket of deplorables' which, not at all surprisingly, the voters in question still remember.

And as with Trump, so with Brexit: the opponents of both failed to understand why a reasonable person would vote for either, and gave the impression of believing those who had done so to be backward or bigoted.

While Labour had once been for 'normal working people, who pay for their house, pay for their car', it was now mostly for 'young people and students, and the unemployed'  that or 'middle-class radicals', and 'people in London who go on marches to get rid of Brexit'

Finally, there are the promises. Voters in Britain did not believe Labour's manifesto pledges would ever come to pass  or that if they did, the cost would be much more debt and much higher taxes.

Similarly, Americans know that policies such as free college and free universal healthcare are not free at all, and they will be the ones to pay.

Cautious, moderate voters will not easily be persuaded to vote for a big tax hike, even if it means tolerating four more years of Trumpian antics.

The Democrats can avoid such a fate.

They have still to choose their candidate and define their policy programme, and they may yet convince enough Americans that they are on their side and have their interests at heart.

But if they choose the same path as Labour and suffer the same fate, they can't say they didn't see it coming.

Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster.

Full details of his research can be found at lordashcroftpolls.com. For information on his general work, visit lordashcroft.com. Follow him on Twitter @LordAshcroft.
Explained: What the farmers protest is all about

Anti-CAA protesters of Shaheen Bagh likely to meet Amit Shah tomorrow

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Feb 15: Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to meet Shaheen Bagh protesters, who are demanding withdrawal of against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens.

This development comes a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that he is open to discuss matters related to the Citizenship Amendment Act with anyone, including the protestors at Shaheen Bagh.

The home minster on Thursday said he was open to discussing matters related to the Citizenship Amendment Act with anyone, including the protestors at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh locality, but any conversation would take place on merit, The Indian Express reported.

Shaheen Bagh's anti-CAA protesters' Valentine's Day invitation to PM Modi

Breaking his silence on the BJP''s Delhi poll debacle, Shah had on Thursday disapproved of slogans like "goli maro" and "Indo-Pak match" used during the campaign and said these remarks may have been one of the possible reasons for the party''s defeat.

During the Delhi election campaign run, several BJP MPs crossed the line and gave controversial statements.

Shaheen Bagh has been the epicenter of anti-CAA protests in Delhi for the last two months. The protesters have been demanding the government to withdraw NRC, NPR, and CAA for a long time now.

Since December 15, muslim women have been sitting in a round-the-clock sit-in against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens.
Twitter was founded in 2006. Fourteen years later, and perhaps thanks to the influential example of President Trump, the masters of the universe have apparently learned to post to it. This week alone, a plethora of influential politicians and business leaders have at least attempted to use the social media platform with the same air of casual authenticity coupled with severity that characterises many of Trumps tweets. On Thursday, Mike Bloomberg, responded to a taunting tweet from Trump  pitting him against his rival for the Democratic candidacy, Senator Bernie ...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A cargo ship rocketed toward the International Space Station on Saturday, carrying candy and cheese to satisfy the astronauts cravings.

Northrop Grumman launched its Cygnus capsule from the Virginia seashore. The nearly 4-ton shipment should arrive at the orbiting lab Tuesday. It took three tries over the past week to get the Antares rocket off the pad, with it finally taking flight at 3:21 p.m.  an auspicious 3-2-1.

Awesome launch, Joel Montalbano, NASAs deputy space station program manager, said once the capsule reached orbit.

Besides the usual experiments and gear, the capsule holds cheddar and manchego cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables, chocolate and three kinds of gummy candy expressly requested by the three station astronauts: Skittles, Hot Tamales, and Mike and Ikes.

Periodic supply runs by Russia, Japan and NASAs two private shippers, Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, usually provide more than experiments, equipment, clothes and freeze-dried meals. The capsules also bring family care packages, as well as fresh food to offset the run-of-the-mill station grub.

This latest delivery should have arrived well before Valentines Day. But last-minute equipment concerns at the Wallops Island launch pad halted last Sundays countdown for the Antares rocket, then bad weather moved in. Dangerously high wind scuttled Fridays attempt.

This was the companys 13th space station delivery for NASA. The Cygnus capsules get their name from the Swan Constellation.

This particular Cygnus has been christened the SS Robert H. Lawrence in honour of Americas first black astronaut. Lawrence, an Air Force major, was chosen in 1967 as an astronaut for a classified military space program known as the Manned Orbiting Laboratory. He was killed five months later in a plane crash and never flew in space.

The space station is now home for Americans Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan and Russian Oleg Skripochka. Morgan has been up there since July and the two others since September; theyll remain on board until April. Three other astronauts returned to Earth earlier this month.

Until astronaut launches resume from Florida  possibly by SpaceX this spring  the station crew will be limited in size to three. NASA astronauts now launch on Russian rockets from Kazakhstan.

Boeing, NASAs other commercial crew provider, is struggling with software problems in its astronaut capsule. A December test flight was marred by coding errors.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
At least six people were injured after a clash broke out between two groups in Chembur's Mukund Nagar area in Mumbai.

The incident took place around 10 pm on February 14.

"The incident took place at around 10 pm and six people were injured. The two groups pelted stones on each other and attacked with sticks too. A few others, including a woman, who were not involved in the clash also got injured," Police Inspector Jitendra Sonawane told reporters here on Saturday.

Police have registered a case in this regard.

"We are registering a case and an investigation will be done on the matter," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hihacker.org scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 3 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the hihacker homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the hihacker homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the hihacker homepage on Twitter + the total number of hihacker followers (if hihacker has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the hihacker homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the hihacker homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if hihacker has a Facebook fan page).

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE -U- DESCRIPTION -U- KEYWORDS -U- OTHER KEYWORDS



The title found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE Chinese (Simplified, China) Chinese (Simplified, China) SERVER Microsoft-IIS/6.0 (PHP/5.2.5) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2003

Character set and language of the site. The language of hihacker.org as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Operative System running on the server. Type of server and offered services. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0)

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for hihacker.org by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND

The URL of the found Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
The Department for Education has provided over 144m to the Irish language sector in the last five years, it has been revealed.

The figures came to light following an Assembly written question from TUV leader Jim Allister.

In response to his question the department revealed that 144,351,854 had been spent on Irish medium education from 2015/16 to 2019/20.

The figures for 2019/20 include allocations to date and are subject to change.

Mr Allister said the money put to bed the idea of the Irish language sector in Northern Ireland being any kind of "poor relation" when it comes to funding.

However, Comhairle na Gaelscolaiochta (CnaG), which promotes Irish language medium education and schools in Northern Ireland, said Irish language schools were still being left behind when compared with their English counterparts.

A CnaG spokesperson said that it costs just 116 more per year to educate children through Irish medium than the English system and that this made up 0.1% of the overall education budget in Northern Ireland.

The highest spend came in 2017/18 when the Department for Education provided 32,347,139 to the Irish language sector, with the lowest being the 26,618,522 committed for 2019/20.

There are currently over 40 Irish medium schools in Northern Ireland at primary and post-primary level.

Irish language provision has been a controversial topic in Northern Ireland in recent years. Stormont collapsed in January 2017 partly due to the withdrawal of funding from the Liofa Irish language bursary scheme.

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Sinn Fein refused to return to Stormont without a standalone Irish Language Act in place.

The New Decade New Approach deal, agreed last month to restore the Stormont institutions, includes a number of measures to promote the Irish language, including the appointment of an Irish language commissioner, however the deal falls short of a standalone act.

Mr Allister said that the funding given the schools was "very generous" and rejected claims the language was underfunded.

In light of the fact that for years we have been fed propaganda about alleged discrimination against Irish speakers these figures will doubtless come as shock to anyone who gave any credit to the claims," the North Antrim MLA said.

In truth the Irish language sector is in receipt of very generous sums of public money. Over 144 million in the past five years.

These figures should put to bed the idea that Irish is the poor relation when it comes to public funding in Northern Ireland. It also strengthens the case against the Irish Language legislation proposed by Mrs Foster and Ms ONeill. There is no basis on which to warrant further endless squander on Irish when essential public services are under serious pressure.

SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone rejected Mr Allister's comments, saying that whether children were educated through the English or Irish mediums their education would still have to be paid for by the department.

"Whether they are educated in English or Irish it will still have to be paid for by the public purse," the fluent Irish speaker said.

"When you look at the education crisis we have at the minute I don't think there is a school in the country that would accept they get too much money.

"I think Jim Allister should go and visit some of these Irish language schools and then see if he still thinks they are being over-funded."

The CnaG spokesperson that Irish medium schools had to go through the same development process as any other school before being approved.

"For people asking why we need further funding, at present 60% of Irish medium schools are housed in non-permanent buildings," the spokesperson said.

"We are the fastest growing education sector at present, we have no assessment tools and no learning support centres.

"There is a complete lack of teaching and learning resources at all levels."
HARARE (Reuters) - A court in southern Zimbabwe ruled on Friday that an opposition official was not guilty of trying to topple President Emmerson Mnangagwa, moments after proceedings were halted when police fired teargas to disperse supporters, his lawyer said.

Job Sikhala, who faced up to 20 years in jail if he had been convicted, was arrested in July last year on charges of attempting to subvert Mnangagwas government.

But Sikhala, who is the deputy national chairman and lawmaker of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), denied the accusation.

He had asked the court to drop the charges saying the state had failed to prove he had a case to answer.

Lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said High Court Judge Garainesu Mawadze in Masvingo town, 300 km (210 miles) south of the capital Harare, had found Sikhala not guilty.

The states evidence hinged on a video that circulated on social media last year in which Sikhala appeared to tell supporters at a rally that his party would ovethrow Mnangagwa before the next elections in 2023.

The judge ruled that political commentary is allowed by the constitution and that his utterances do not disclose an offence. He has been acquitted, Mtetwa told Reuters.

Outside the court, police had fired teargas to disperse supporters of Sikhala and fumes filtered into the court room, forcing a suspension of proceedings.

Dozens of government opponents have faced subversion charges, with critics saying this shows the government is muzzling the opposition by reverting to harsh security laws from the era of Robert Mugabe, who died last September.

Political tension has increased as Zimbabwe grapples with its worst economic crisis in a decade.

Zimbabwe remains a deeply polarised country, with the MDC refusing to recognise Mnangagwas victory in the 2018 presidential vote, that was expected to draw a line on the countrys history of contested election outcome. (Reporting by Nelson Banya, Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe, editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Angus MacSwan)
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan newspapers this week gave wide coverage to the UN Security Council session which adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Libya "without condition"
Faction fighting in Ireland lasted from the start of the 18th century to the end of the 19th, yet has received little attention from historians.

It consisted of mass brawls at Irish fairs, markets, funerals, race meetings and other gatherings.

In Days of the Blackthorn, folklore researcher Sean Moraghan provides a visceral sense of this brutal activity in Co Kerry.

In this exclusive extract, he recounts the enmity between two notorious families, the Cooleens and the Lawlers, that led to the Battle of Ballyeagh that took place on June 24, 1834, at Ballyeigh Strand, near Ballybunion

In Kerry, at least in the northern part of it, the cry of Here is a Cooleen! [at] a fair or any public place of meeting, was promptly answered by hurroo, here is a Lawlor for ever!



 The Tralee Chronicle, 11 September 1868

Of all the districts of the county, North Kerry had the greatest reputation for faction activity. There, fighting at fairs, pattern days and races was endemic.

Many of the fights in this wide area were carried out by the two most famous gangs of North Kerry, the Cooleens and the Lawlors (although there were also other factions at work, such as the Dillanes at Duagh and the Ballymacks at Ballylongford).

During the 1830s it was stated that the Cooleens and the Lawlors had been feuding for above half a century, so perhaps since the 1780s. The Lawlors fought in combination with their allies, the Mulvihills, also known as the Black Mulvihills.

The Lawlors and Mulvihills came chiefly from the northernmost barony of Kerry, Iraghticonnor, and their faction was sometimes known as the Iraghts, or the Iraght Men.

A writer in The Tralee Chronicle commented: It was a very general thing to see a man of the Lawlor faction married to a woman of the Cooleens, and vice versa; and, to the credit of the ladies  rarely have they abandoned the principles of their youth.

Thus it was that many families were divided among themselves, and, in their eagerness to gain over the husband, the leaders did not hesitate to make the wife use that awful means of influence  a curtain lecture; and if she were unable to get him to fight for her party, to endeavor, at all events, to keep him at home the day of battle.

It sometimes happened, too, that where the father of a family was not a fighting man, the sons took different sides, according as their affection inclined towards the paternal or maternal relatives.

Limerick man Richard Denihan (speaking in the 1960s on the basis of his fathers recollections) observed: There were laws too about servant-boys, as to whom theyd be with. Because very often a Black Mulvihill servant boy would be working with a Cuilin farmer.

It was later observed that sides were taken because of family connections and district affiliations but there was no specific territory completely sympathetic with either side.

(Perhaps such anomalies are reflected in a fight of 1865 in which a number of men assaulted a man named Mulvihill, who, a policeman had to explain, instead of being a Mulvihill happened to be a Cooleen.

Despite their allegiances, both parties antipathy did not necessarily spill over into daily life; apart from their dreadful fights, commented a contemporary, he had known the two opposing parties to meet and work at digging ground in the same field, converse together, and have no altercation whatever.

Different issues were later suggested to have lain at the foot of the factions long-lived hostility towards each other.

There was the story of an attempted sale of a horse to a Lawlor man in a forge in Coolnaleen:

The buyer of the horse demanded a minimum height in his prospective purchase but the horse in question was a half inch short  seemingly, the buyer in the course of the bargaining stalked from the forge in the traditional manner of all dealers, but later, on persuasion and in keeping with tradition, returned.

At this stage the seller demanded that the animal be again measured and this time the horses height measured up to all requirements.

Faction fighting between families was endemic across Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially in North Kerry.

The astute buyer, however  had his eyes open and noticed a difference in the horses shoes. The dexterous smith had in his absence changed the shoes for ones with advantageous cocking that lifted the horse the required half inch.

Alternatively, the conflict may have originated from an incident where a man named Lalor was beaten by some parties from a district named Cool  and gradually large numbers of young men were enrolled on both sides.

Another tale related that the rivalry started with a row at a May fair in Listowel between some Coolnaleen men and some Lawlor men from Maghera over the comparative merits of potatoes grown in both districts.

Colourful as these stories are, the factions great enmity may have had a more banal source. The Cooleens were Kerry natives, while the Lawlors and the Mulvihills were comparative outsiders.

In the early 1600s, the Lawlors (or Lalors) had been among seven strong families (septs) transplanted from Queens County where they had been regarded as too hostile to the English plantations established there; they were subsequently settled around Tarbert, in Iraghticonnor.

Similarly, in the mid-1600s, the OBriens, lords of Co. Clare, who owned the lordship of Tarbert, settled many Clare families in North Kerry, including the Mulvihills; this created resentment among several local families, and led to many bloody fights.

The Cooleen faction mostly comprised representatives of old Kerry families, chiefly the Flahertys, as well as the Ahernes, the Bani OConnors and the Sheehys. Another account also numbered the Houlihans, the OCallaghans and the Roches in their ranks.

On the other side, the Lawlors and Black Mulvihills were supported by the Walshs, the Keanes, the OBriens, the Sullivans and the Enrights.

The Cooleens and the Lawlors often met at Listowel.

Indeed both groups were characterised in 1826 as Listowel factions.

In January 1828, they arrived there shouting and roaring and wheeling their cudgels, and with genuine whiskey courage, driving men, women, children, pigs, cows, goats, and sheep before them in sad dismay.

Afterwards, The Kerry Evening Post stated that the assistant barrister and local magistrates were determined: to suppress the horrible and demoralising spirit of faction and outrage which has long been the curse and disgrace of this country, and which in almost every instance, proceeds from an immoderate use of whiskey: and to such a pitch has this savage spirit arisen in Listowel and its neighbourhood, that a very respectable Magistrate of that vicinity, declared it was impossible with safety to carry on the ordinary business or intercourse between man and his neighbour at fairs or markets.

At Listowel bridge, in December 1831, Maurice Shea, a servant, was attacked by Patrick Sullivan, William Bourke and John Bourns.

While returning from the town fair, Shea was hurraing for the Sheas, Cantys, and Coolheens, and in what may have been a sequel to a previous fight, he used his stick to hit a cart on which a sister of one of his assailants was sitting.

A fight ensued which finished when the woman held him down on the ground while Sullivan gave him the last fatal blow with a two-handed stick.

After the inquest into his death, The Kerry Evening Post observed: It is very generally the consequence of faction and party feuds, among the lower orders of the people, that the defeated faction will seek every opportunity of waylaying and murdering individuals of the victorious party.

Sullivan was very quickly apprehended, but Bourke and Bourns went on the run. Sullivan was sentenced to transportation for seven years, while the other two men, who were eventually captured and later stood trial, were acquitted.

In 1834, it was said that scarce a fair day passed at Listowel without a serious fight.

In other episodes in Listowel, John Stokes, described by a policeman as one of those who did bad work in the country, was arrested with stones in his hands and in the act of calling out for Cooleens and factions at the fair held in August 1836.

In February 1848, both parties fought at a fair in the town. Ten years later, five men were sent to prison for violent assault and faction fighting in the Listowel area, arising out of the old Cooleen and Lawlor feud.

Their feud was not just centred in Listowel, however. Ardfert too was, for many years, the theatre of bloodshed between rival parties known as Cooleens and Lalors.

It was a Cooleen stronghold and included an area called Cuil, which was remembered as the largest street in Old Ardfert, and the brigade headquarters of the old faction fighters  it may have contributed to the faction nickname.

A fair there in June 1832 was very much impeded by a fight between two well-known factions, the Lawlors and Cooleens, which was at length put down with difficulty by the persevering efforts of William Collis  a magistrate of the County.

At a fair a month later, there was a barbarous riot in which a number of men were irrecoverably maimed and rendered forever unable to earn support for themselves or their wretched families.

At a fair in 1846 skirmishes commenced between the old rival factions, the Cooleens and Lawlors, with their mobs on this occasion amounting to several thousands. Among the participants was a woman who supported the assailants with stones from her apron during the assault.

During the event, after handcuffing a man, a policeman became separated from his fellows and was trapped and beaten by the crowd: Leahy [the policeman] was down in a saw pit and many assaulting him, still holding with a death grasp his manacled charge.

Faction fighting between families was endemic across Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially in North Kerry.

A farmer from the neighbourhood of Ballyheigue intervened and, with persevering exertions, and at great personal sacrifice warded off the foolish people.

In 1857, magistrates meeting to decide the allocation of police to different districts still considered that the people of the neighbourhood were very much addicted to drinking in the public houses in the village, and to rioting and disorder.

Various other villages of North Kerry also provided platforms for the feuding parties. Fighting took place in Newtownsandes (later known as Moyvane):

Long ago people used to fight with blackthorn sticks  That fighting used to be going on in Newtownsandes between people called the Cooleens and the Black Mulvihills.

They fought after Mass on Sundays, and when they met at fairs and markets they fought also. The parish priest of Newtownsandes often tried to stop the fighting but it was of no use.

One Sunday they met to fight a terrible battle. They were fighting from about nine oclock in the morning [until] about five oclock in the evening, and at that time one of the Cooleens was dead.

At Lisselton, on Christmas Day 1828, Maurice Flaherty was attacked by three men of the Mulvihills and a man named Fitzgerald, and cruelly beaten with sticks and stones.

It appeared that a drunken fellow [,] one Fitzgerald, infuriated with whiskey, brandished his cudgel and halloed for one faction; he was instantly replied to, and a most bloody affray soon commenced.

It was asserted that Flaherty was killed under circumstances of the

most shocking and unmerciful cruelty.

John Mahony Mulvahill, a young man, was convicted of manslaughter, and, seemingly based on the terrible nature of the killing, sentenced to transportation for life, amidst the deafening shrieks and lamentations of his male and female friends.

At Ballyheigue, on the evening of St Patricks Day 1839, a crowd of about 20 people, whom a policeman believed to be Cooleens and Lawlors, struck each other as hard as they could pelt.

At Beale, Ballybunion, the pattern day was usually marked out for a faction fight between the two great factions then in North Kerry  the Cooleens and the Mulvihills, said a later folklore interviewee.

A recollection of Beale fair, which was held on 21 September, written in 1928, stated: It was the battle ground of the old faction fighters and next to Ballyeigh ranked as North Kerrys biggest event. Many and sanguinary were the fights that took place there between the rival factions that held sway in North Kerry and old men still tell tales of broken heads and bones.

The two parties also met at the pattern days held annually in Knockanure on 15 August.

In the earlier part of the nineteenth century this Pattern was the scene of many a faction-fight between what were known as the Couleens and the black Mulvihills; young and old assembled there to see the fight; the contending parties being armed with black-thorn sticks  Hard strokes were given and received, and many a young man was maimed for life.

The fortunes of war varied from year to year, the defeated party always turning up the next year with fresh men, and attacked their opponents with renewed vigour.

We must suspect that some of the earliest faction fights in North Kerry involved the Cooleens and the LawlorsBlack Mulvihills, even if there is no definitive proof.

Perhaps they were the two contending parties who fought in Listowel in 1806, or the two factions who entered the town and engaged in a furious attack on each other in 1814.

Not surprisingly, at various times and places attempts were made to put a stop to the activities of the two gangs.

This was often, though not exclusively, undertaken by the clergy, such as at Newtownsandes following the day-long fight which left a man dead: Every other Sunday after that the priest came out in the street after Mass, and ordered all the people to go home, and not to fight any more.

The two sides were advised by him, and they never again fought.

In December 1828, to reconcile contending factions, a priest had a large crowd of people from Ballylongford, Lisselton, Tarbert and the Galey walk, as a penance, from Tarbert to Tralee.

In 1832, there was an effort to persuade the two parties to cease fighting by a gentleman from Brandonwell, Ardfert, and it was reported that a cordial and sincere reconciliation has taken place between the factions of the Couleens and Lawlors.

That honest and ardent patriot, Mr J OConnor  has been chiefly instrumental in effecting this good work. Such reconciliations did not last.

FAMOUS FIGHTERS

Over the course of the two gangs long existence several notable fighters stood out, and stories about them continued to be remembered among the people of North Kerry long after the factions had ceased to exist.

By far the most famous of these men was John, known as Seon, Burns, who fought with the Cooleens. He was a well-to-do farmer from Coolaneelig, Duagh.

According to a folklore source from the Listowel area, he was a powerfully built man, standing about five feet eleven inches high with shoulders like a gint [giant] and weighing about 17 stone.

It was from his mother that Burns got the terrible strength, said another. She was a Kenny from Castle Island known here as old Mammy Kenny. Her people were known to be terrible strong.

Another Cooleen hero was Neanntanan Sheehy. [He] was famed far and wide for his strength. There was only one person stronger than him and that was Seon Burns, recalled Richard Denihan, whose father had been a member of the Cooleens:

Neanntanan Sheehy was engaged in very many factions and he was never brought to his knees by any man, but he met his doom in the end and Ill tell you how he did because I was witness to it. We were living below in Athea at that time.

Myself and my brother Tom were only garsuns about seven or eight at the time. We were sent to bed early in the night and the window of our room looked out in the street. About eleven oclock we heard some skirmish in the street and faith we jumped up to the window.

Who should be in the street but Neanntanan Sheehy  we knew his voice well and two other men. My mother, God rest her, came down to us. Who are they, Mother? says Tom. Oh, says my mother, thats Neanntanan Sheehy and two men from over in Knockanare. With that the fight started and one of them must have hit Neanntanan and knocked him for we heard one of the men saying to the other Hit him down on the head.

My mother told us to leave the window and she went away.

Next morning Neanntanan was over inside the wall and he covered with blood. He died later on in the day. My mother warned us on our life not to cough a word as to what we saw or heard. For, says she, we didnt see anyone, only heard them, and so we cant be sure.  My mother the poor woman didnt want to come into any trouble if she could avoid it.

The harm was done and she didnt want to bring the wrath of the others upon her. The place was full of police for a few days but they never took anyone for the murder, and it all passed away.

The Lawlors and Black Mulvihills also had their champions. Gearoid Mulvihill was descended from the Mulvihills of Knockanira, Co. Clare, who had the reputation of being great fighters and men of splendid physique.

He led the Black Mulvihills in many a bloody contest. Gearoid used to stuff his hat with hay so as to lessen the impact of the blows on his head. The following story about him also features a formidable fighter for the Cooleens, Sean Sheehy, from Coolaneelig, who was known as the Dailc (the hulk).

Gearoid Mulvihill had many notable victories and was held in high esteem even by his enemies. At that time the champions of different factions used to challenge each other to fight in order to see who was the better man  Big Jim Hartnett of Abbeyfeale sent a challenge to Gearoid, which he accepted. He took none of his followers with him.

It was a long hard fight which Gearoid eventually won. When the Abbeyfeale men saw their leader stretched on the ground they rushed at Gearoid and almost killed him.

The Dailc and his followers, who were present, went to his rescue and beat back his attackers. The Dailc took him to his own home and got two doctors to attend him. After a long illness Gearoid recovered, but he fought no more.

Daniel Keane was another strongman. It is told of him that he often took a sack of meal on his back from Duagh village to his home in Lybes nearly half a mile away. He was Second only to Shone Burns  he often measured his strength against Shone.

Another folklore interviewee remembered: One Sunday the Cooleens wanted to prevent the Mulvihills of going to Mass. Shone (Seon) was not there that day.

The Cooleens lined up at each side of the road and Daniel Keane led his party, and the Cooleens striking him at each side, his head was turning from side to side with the blows of blackthorn sticks, [but] he cleared the way and every man he struck fell to the ground.

Sean Doody, known as Shawn Laidir (the strongman), also fought for the Mulvihills. A tall tale was told to convey his strength: Beale strand was crowded with people as well as the usual tents & apple carts seen at a race meeting, reported a folklore interviewee of the local pattern day.

Shawn Laidir [,] wishing to clear a space for the opposing parties [to] meet on, went over to an apple cart and took the donkey which was unharnessed by the side of the cart.

Catching the donkey by the tail he raised him up & swung him around & flung him right over a tent and into the midst of the crowd scattering the people in all directions.

Women also took part in fighting for both these factions, but some of them had another role, that of bainfhile, partisan songwriters who could quickly conjure up verses to celebrate the heroes of their own faction or mock their rivals.

The pride and the passion of the Cooleens, the Lawlors and the Mulvihills, so well demonstrated in these verses, was most fiercely and fatally expressed on the field of battle at Ballyeagh strand, near Ballybunion, on Tuesday 24 June 1834.

There a huge number of men and women amassed for a conflict which transformed into a rout and left between eighteen and twenty-nine people dead, scandalised the local and national press, required two official inquiries, and resulted in transportation or imprisonment for a number of North Kerry men.

From Days of the Blackthorn  Faction fighters of Kerry by Sean Moraghan, published by Mercier. Now available nationwide @ 16.99.
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event gave us the new and improved Galaxy S20 series, another foldable smartphone and updated Galaxy Buds. However, the star of the show was undoubtedly the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. The device packed a powerful chipset, mammoth battery, the best smartphone display, and an impressive camera setup that might just be the best in the world. Samsung also launched 5G and LTE versions of the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Plus with new and improved hardware. Despite the Galaxy S20 series' impressive specs, the unsung hero of the show had to be the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung's second foldable smartphone and first clamshell folding phone. The Z Flip also showed up at the 2020 Oscars before it was unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked event.

Earlier this week, GSMA, the organisers of the Mobile World Congress, pulled the plug on this year's event due to concerns about the novel coronavirus. In the past couple of weeks, several OEMs began pulling out of the event over fear of coronavirus infections. The move doesn't come as a surprise, given that big names like LG, Intel, Nvidia, and Nokia among others, began dropping out in the weeks leading up to the cancellation of the event. However, it is still an unprecedented move as MWC is considered as the mobile world's biggest annual event. Before being called off, MWC 2020 was scheduled to take place from February 24 to February 27 in Barcelona.

In a new twist in the US and China trade war, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien claimed that there was evidence Huawei had backdoor access to networks from all over the world for over ten years. According to the Wall Street Journal, O'Brien said, "We have evidence that Huawei has the capability secretly to access sensitive and personal information in systems it maintains and sells around the world." The US government first noticed Huawei's access in 2009 but had waited until 2019 to disclose its findings to allies Germany and the UK. A senior executive from Huawei denied the allegation.

Xiaomi launched the highly anticipated Mi 10 series in the after of Samsung's big S20 unveil. The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro arrived with Samsung's monstrous 108-megapixel camera sensor and the Snapdragon 865 SoC, ensuring 5G connectivity on both devices. The Mi 10 lineup was one of Xiaomi's most impressive yet, with the Pro model claiming the top spot on DxOMark's list of best smartphone cameras. The phone went on sale in China on February 14 and was sold-out within seconds. Xiaomi India chief Manu Kumar Jain also teased an Indian launch for the Mi 10 series.

In 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for about $21.8 billion, a huge sum, given the messaging service's user base was around 500 million at the time. However, Facebook's gamble seems to have paid off with WhatsApp reaching two billion users this week. WhatsApp reached one billion users in 2016 and increased that user-base by 500 million more in the next two years, now the official number of WhatsApp users has quadrupled since it was acquired by Facebook. The company's blog post cited the messaging app's security and privacy policies and measures as the driving factor behind WhatsApp's popularity.

Speaking of chat apps, Google removed ToTok from the Play Store, alleging it to be an espionage tool for the United Arab Emirates. In December last year, the app was pulled from both Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store after The New York Times published a report of the app allegedly being a "spy tool". Although Google quietly reinstated the app last month, it has now been removed once again without any explanation from the search giant. ToTok has denied the allegations in a statement released in December.

On February 11, the world observed Safer Internet Day and Google emphasised the importance of password safety. The search giant marked the day by sharing a password checkup tool that will help users check the strength of their passwords using a variety of parameters. A vast number of netizens use insecure passwords with the UK's National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) reporting "123456" as the world's most widely used password. Google's Password checkup tool will tell you if your password or passwords have been compromised, number of reused passwords, and lastly, a look at accounts linked to Google with weak passwords.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are said to be 'besotted' with each other and treating nine-month-old Archie as their priority, according to a US weekly magazine.

The couple are also said to be enjoying hiking in the woods around their hideaway on Vancouver Island, Canada, and were thrilled to show their son snow for the first time.

The news will come as a kick in the teeth for the 15 staff members dedicated to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as the pair wound down their household after stepping back from royal duties.

Prince Harry is also alleged to be in meetings with global investment bank Goldman Sachs about signing a multi-million pound deal as the business's motivational speaker.

Meghan and Prince Harry are also said to be enjoying woodland walks together around their bolthole in Canada before relaxing at home with Archie and the dogs. They are pictured together visiting Canada House last month

'Archie is the priority,' an alleged friend of the couple gushed to People magazine.

'It's very much still about taking care of him and putting the family first. He's a happy kid - he loves to laugh.

'Archie and Harry have such a good time together. And Meghan is a great mom. She's very much about tending him. They are trying to live their life as regular parents.'

The friend also told how the couple would hike throw the woods around their home before relaxing indoors with Archie and the dogs.

The couple allegedly told their work force in January that they would be made redundant, following the announcement that they were stepping down as senior royals.

Prince Harry is said to be in talks about securing a multi-million pound contract with investment bank Goldman Sachs. He is pictured with Meghan at Royal Lancaster House in October 2019

Among those to lose their jobs are the couple's newly appointed private secretary Fopma Mcilwham and their hugely experienced communications chief Sara Latham.

In a move branded 'crass' by royal commentators Meghan uploaded a video of herself wearing a sparkly hat with the editor of British Vogue Edward Enninful just hours after the redundancies were announced.

While holed-up in Canada the couple have also taken a private jet ride to speak at a JP Morgan event.

They have also had security beefed up at their $14million bolthole.
Tom Burlinson. Occupation Actor and singer. Age 64. Relationship status Married. Best known for The Man from Snowy River. Currently Performing Swingin the Great Standards.

Tom Burlinson.

My maternal grandmother, Gertrude, and paternal grandmother, Doris, got their nicknames, Red Granny and Blue Granny, because of the colour of their cardigans. Both were very present in my childhood, between the ages of six and 10, when we lived in England.

My mother, Angela, was a teacher; she studied geology and worked at a university before she had four children with my dad, Tony. They relocated to Canada after World War II and I was born in Toronto, as was my elder sister Susan, who is two years older. Mum was a stay-at-home mother after that, and had two more daughters  my sisters Kath [four years younger than me] and Lee [six years younger].

Dad worked in the corporate world  his work saw us move to New York, then to England until I was 10, and then we migrated as a family to Australia. It was six months after arriving in Australia that my parents divorced. It was traumatic for the family; it changed our lives.
An American Airlines airplane sits on the tarmac at LAX in Los Angeles

By Tracy Rucinski and David Shepardson

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc <AAL.O> and United Airlines Holdings Inc <UAL.O> are pushing back the return of Boeing 737 MAX flights until August and September, respectively, a fresh delay that comes after sources told Reuters that the timing of a key certification flight may not occur until at least April.

American is cancelling 737 MAX flights until Aug. 18 and United until Sept. 4, the two said in separate statements on Friday. The other U.S. 737 MAX operator, Southwest Airlines Co <LUV.N>, has extended its flight cancellations until Aug. 10.

The new timelines mean that the three carriers will be flying without the 737 MAX for the second straight U.S. summer, an issue that hit their profits during last year's peak travel season.

Boeing's 737 MAX was grounded worldwide last March after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.

The U.S. planemaker has spent months updating software believed to have played a role in both crashes, but fresh issues have surfaced, complicating regulators' efforts to reapprove the plane.

The timing of a certification flight, a key step in the approval process, has been delayed repeatedly. The latest unofficial guidance was for the flight to happen this month, but now it is unlikely to occur while Boeing tries to resolve the new problems, sources said this week.

American, Southwest and United had been planning to fly the jets in early June if regulators had approved the plane in the first quarter, but that now looks unlikely.

One key issue yet to be resolved is whether Boeing must separate two wiring bundles that may be too close together, which could lead to a short circuit and crash if pilots do not respond appropriately.

Boeing has told the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration it does not believe it needs to separate wiring bundles, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Once regulators approve Boeing's fixes, airlines will still need around 30 days or longer to prepare their fleets and pilots before using the planes for commercial flight.

Story continues

The longer the 737 MAX is grounded, the more Boeing will ultimately have to compensate its customers.

Boeing spent $1.4 billion on compensation for 737 MAX customers last year and Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith said this week the company expects "a good portion" of additional settlements to take place this year.

Meanwhile, carriers including Delta Air Lines <DAL.N> that do not operate the 737 MAX are picking up travel demand that United, Southwest and American have been unable to meet given their reduced fleets.

(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Matthew Lewis)
The Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) tracked and identified around 21 destitute and homeless children at north Delhi's Madhuban Chowk and nearby areas in a week-long rehabilitation campaign organised by the Rohini District Court.

According to a statement issued by the Rohini District Court, in the campaign held between January 31 to February 7, nine of the children were provisionally admitted in government schools, five identified as drug addicts were sent to a rehabilitation centre and five children whose parents could not be contacted are under process of being rehabilitated.

In another initiative, the legal services authorities of Rohini District Court organised a health check-up camp in association with Shree Aggarsain International hospital for the judicial officers and staff on February 13, the statement said.

Inaugurated by District and Sessions Judges R P Pandey and Swarana Kanta Sharma, the camp focused on health advice by doctors as well as provided facilities like ECG, blood sugar, and blood pressure check-up, physiotherapy, bone mineral density check-up, it said.

Besides, new technology for checking spine alignment and body balancing to find out postural problems were also provided at the camp, the statement said.

District Judge (Commercial court) Vinod Kumar, Judge Paramjeet Singh, DLSA Secretaries Sandeep Gupta and Sunil Gupta were also a present at the occasion.

The DLSA also organised an old-age home visit programme for students of V S P K international school on February 13 to make them understand the condition of elderly people residing there, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Erdogan had compared the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan pose for photos before a meeting, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday. PTI photo

India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments on Kashmir and asked him not to interfere in India's internal affairs.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India rejects all references made by the Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the region is an integral and inalienable part of India.

In an address at Pakistan's Parliament on Friday, Erdogan compared the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I.

India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India, Kumar said in reference to Erdogan's comments on Jammu and Kashmir.

We call upon the Turkish leadership not to interfere in India's internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region, he said.
Celeste Barber made history when she raised a staggering $52million for Australia's rural firefighters.

But a legal roadblock could mean the donations never reach those most in need, so the comedian has had to call in lawyers to sort out a dispute over the money.

The Australian comedian started the Facebook fundraiser for the NSW Rural Fire Service, and encouraged 1.3million people from across the globe to donate.

She directed funds to the RFS Brigades Donations Fund, but was unaware money sent to this fund is only used on training, resources and fire equipment - not the volunteers and their families or fire-affected communities.

Celeste Barber (pictured at Tom Ford runway show on February 7) smashed world records when she raised a staggering $52million to help victims of bushfires and brave volunteer firefighters saving lives

Charlotte O'Dwyer, the young daughter of Rural Fire Service volunteer Andrew O'Dwyer, with Andrew's wife Melissa at his funeral

When she found that none of the money could be donated to families or shared with other charities in need, she decided to take legal action.

Ms Barber's lawyers will be meeting with members of the RFS this week to discuss whether the money can be legally divided, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Urgent discussions are now underway to find a way the money can to where it was intended after Ms Barber promised to donate to a range of different charities in other states.

The $52million has been transferred from GoFundMe to a trust fund run by the RFS - but none of it has been spent.

A source told the publication Ms Barber was 'frustrated' when she found out none of the money could be spent 'on the ground'.

'She's not happy. There's been tensions because she wanted the money to go to the troops and the RFS said they decide where the money is spent,' he said.

'At the end of the day there are rules within the RFS that money has to be spent on equipment and training. That's not where she wanted it to go.'

On its own annual report, the fund said it operates 'solely for the purpose of supporting the volunteer-based fire and emergency service activities of the brigades'.

It says these activities included buying and maintaining firefighting equipment, as well as providing training and resources among other administrative expenses.

The $52million has been transferred from GoFundMe to a trust fund run by the RFS - but none of it has been spent. Pictured: RFS firefighters

This means the families of dead or injured firefighters could be left without a cent, as could other volunteer fire brigades.

While Ms Barber initially pledged to the NSW RFS and Brigades Donation Fund, she quickly changed the terms of her appeal to take into account other states battling the devastating bushfires.

She widened the appeal and wanted to share the money with Victorian and South Australian firefighting agencies, animal welfare group WIRES, the Red Cross and the widows of fallen firefighters.

Spokesman Ben Shepherd insisted the RFS wanted to honour Ms Barber's wishes and said the lawyers will try and find a way.

'No one is being bad about this, it's all very amicable, and we will try and see her wishes through. But, as it stands, the RFS is the beneficiary and we can't donate money people gave us to other charities,' he said.

Donors hoped the vital funds would go to helping firefighters (pictured) and the communities devastated by blazes

If the lawyers can come to an agreement to divide the funds with other charities, they will then need to agree on how much money will go to each charity.

In 2017/18, the fund received just $768,000 in donations, meaning the $50 million is completely unprecedented.

Midway through 2018, it had just $2.1 million in the bank.

A spokesperson for NSW RFS said: 'Throughout this emergency we have been humbled by the amazing support and extraordinary donations being made to our Brigade Donations Trust.

'It's important that our members, who know what's best for their brigades and communities, have a say in the use of donated funds.

Celeste Barber (pictured with husband Api Robin in 2018) has organised her lawyers to try and find a solution to share the $52million among other charities

'Once the bush fire emergency eases, the NSW RFS will work with senior volunteers and brigades to ensure donated funds are used for the greatest benefit of our members and their communities.'

Barber's fundraiser quickly broke a world record by becoming the single largest hosted on Facebook globally.

The comedian took to Instagram in January promising her followers she would try her best to share the money around.

'It seems with raising a f***-tonne of money comes with a f***-tonne of people telling you what you should do with it,' she said.

'So it's going to the RFS and it will be distributed out. I'm going to make sure that Victoria gets some, that South Australia gets some, also families of people who have died in these fires, the wildlife.

'I get it, I get it all, I'm hearing you all. I want you to know that, otherwise why raise this money if it's not going to go to the people who absolutely need it?'
Cal State LA to Take Part in Statewide Civic Action Fellowship Program

Cal State LA has been selected to participate in a new statewide fellowship program that encourages student dedication to community engagement and public service.

The Civic Action Fellowship program, which involves eight universities across California, was unveiled by Gov. Gavin Newsoms California Volunteers office during a Feb. 10 news conference at the Capitol in Sacramento.

Under the program, Cal State LA will select up to several dozen students who will serve as fellows with nonprofit organizations in eight cities and two unincorporated areas of Southeast Los Angeles County. The nonprofits are working with community partners to address environmental, economic development, and health and education issues in neighborhoods that straddle the 710 Freeway.

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As part of our commitment to public service, we collaborate with communities across Los Angeles to leverage opportunities and address challenges, said Cal State LA President William A. Covino, who spoke at the news conference. Were proud to work with the governors office and AmeriCorps to deepen our impact in historically underserved communities.

Participating undergraduate and graduate students will sign up as AmeriCorps Fellows as part of the Civic Action Fellowship program. Scholarships will be awarded to the students after they complete their fellowships, according to the governors office.

Governor Newsom has laid out a bold vision to unite Californians around service and provide opportunities for every Californian to help tackle our greatest challenges, said Josh Fryday, Californias chief service officer. We hope this new partnership with universities will become a model for calling on young people to serve, while helping them pay for college.

In 2018, Cal State LA was designated as an anchor institution by the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. Anchor institutions are dedicated to enriching the economic and social vitality of communities, which aligns with Cal State LAs ethic of engagement and service for the public good, as well as the goals of the Civic Action Fellowship program.

By deepening our partnerships with nonprofit organizations in Southeast Los Angeles, we will be better positioned to work together to serve our communities, said Cal State LA Provost and Executive Vice President Jose A. Gomez.

The other universities announced as participants in the new program were Cal Lutheran, Dominican University of California, San Jose State, Stanislaus State, UC Berkeley, UC Merced and the University of the Pacific.
Indians who were airlifted from Hubei province of Wuhan, undergo screening at a quarantine facility set by up ITBP, at Chhawla area in New Delhi on Saturday.(Photo: PTI)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health minister K.K. Shailaja on Saturday disclosed that the coronavirus patient under treatment at Kanhangad district hospital in Kasargod will be discharged soon.

The student who was tested positive for coronavirus had returned from Wuhan University.

The decision to discharge the patient was taken following the negative reports of the tests carried out at the virology institute.

Meanwhile, the minister said 2,210 persons are under surveillance in Kerala.
Tokyo [Japan], Feb 15 (ANI): The Indian Embassy here on Saturday said that the health condition of the three Indians infected with the novel coronavirus on the cruise ship anchored off the Japanese coast has improved and no new cases of infection among the Indians on the quarantined vessel have been reported so far.



"Happy to inform that health conditions of 3 Indians being treated for COVID-19 have improved and no new cases of infection of Indians on the ship. @IndianEmbTokyo is in discussion with #GOJ and ship company regarding the disembarkation modalities and welfare of Indians," the Embassy said on Twitter.

At least 218 people on the ship have tested positive out of 3711 persons on-board (including 2666 guests and 1045 crew members) as of Friday. Among all, 132 crew members and six passengers are Indian nationals.

The Mission also said that it was making efforts for early disembark all Indians from the ship after the end of the quarantine period.

One more Indian quarantined on Diamond Princess Cruise Ship tested positive for the deadly virus, which has claimed more than 1500 lives so far, taking the total numbers of Indian nationals infected with the disease to three on Friday.

Infected individuals have been taken to hospitals for further treatment. Their health conditions have been confirmed to be stable and improving.

The Embassy, in a statement further noted that it has contacted all the three Indian nationals who had tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently receiving treatment at medical facilities.

In addition, Japanese authorities have also confirmed that they are following the designated health protocols.

The Embassy has reached out to the Indian nationals through emails and telephone calls and has explained to them about the quarantine regulations of Japanese authorities.

Many of them have responded and expressed their understanding. The embassy has been in constant touch with the ship management company and the employer of the six passengers for appropriate facilitation.

As per information available with the Indian embassy in Tokyo, no other Indian national onboard Diamond Princess Cruise ship has developed any symptoms of infection.

The Japanese government had announced on February 13 that passengers aged 80 or older will be given the option to disembark the ship if they test negative for COVID-19. (ANI)


COLOGNE, GermanyAndreas and Claudia Frohn, both doctors, drove an hour from Siegen to enjoy Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Musical Dome Cologne, Germany, on Feb. 13, 2020.

They were looking forward to a performance by the worlds top classical Chinese dancers. Shen Yun, according to the website, was formed in 2006 by artists in New York who shared a passion for reviving the lost culture of ancient China, said to be divinely inspired. The name Shen Yun translates into the beauty of divine beings dancing.

Deserves Highest Respect

Claudia was amazed seeing the performance for the first time, and said, Shen Yun was absolutely wonderful, fascinating and spellbinding. This is a first for me to attend such a show.

Watching the digital interactive backdrop, Claudia was astounded to see the flowing water, something that is unbelievablesomething I had never seen anywhere.

Shen Yun uses a digital backdrop as a vehicle to bring together the scenes of Heaven, earth, the dynasties, and ethnic regions of ancient and contemporary China.

Then Claudias thoughts moved on to the performers, What a surprise to see the effortless with which the dancers moved over the stage. The harmony among the dancers deserves the highest regard.

According to the Shen Yun website, Shen Yun performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers. For 5,000 years, divine culture flourished in the land of China. Through breathtaking music and dance, Shen Yun is reviving this glorious culture.

Claudia expressed her thoughts before leaving, My deepest thanks to the performers. We have the highest regard for what they have accomplished and shown to us today. We understand that they have truly achieved much, and we are deeply aware of the training they have to go through to get towards the point they are today.

With reporting by NTD Television and Heide B. Malhotra.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006.
Stephanie Davis appeared in good spirits on Friday as she enjoyed a girls' night out in Manchester for Valentine's Day.

The Hollyoaks star, 26, stunned in a metallic asymmetrical mini dress which featured an intricate floral design with purple and green hues.

Stephanie's gown was nipped-in at the waist which accentuated the star's toned physique.

Celebrate: Stephanie Davis appeared in good spirits on Friday as she enjoyed a girls' night out in Manchester for Valentine's Day

For dramatic effect, the reality star teamed the silver dress with a matching pair of thigh-high heeled boots.

The beauty wore her long raven locks out in large curls that bounced over her shoulders and down her back.

She accentuated her features with a strong smouldering eye and added a touch of bronzer to either side of her face, while opting for a dark nude lip.

Wow: The Hollyoaks star, 26, stunned in a metallic asymmetrical mini dress which featured an intricate floral design with purple and green hues

Galentine's day: For dramatic effect, the reality star teamed the silver dress with a matching pair of thigh-high heeled boots

The girls' night out comes after the star revealed that she tried to kill herself last year and was rushed to intensive care in an emotional post last Friday.

Stephanie who insisted she is in a 'really good place right now', admitted she was sharing the candid message to help her fans.

Detailing her mental health battle, Stephanie shared a photo of herself sitting on a pier overlooking a lake, a snap of herself kissing her son Caben-Albi, three, and an emotionally distressing video of herself recording her final goodbye.

She penned alongside the post: 'Swipe right to read>> THIS IS NOT NOW, Im in a really good place right now, I wanted to share this from what I went through last year.

Distressing: The girls' night out comes after the star revealed that she tried to kill herself last year and was rushed to intensive care in an emotional post last Friday (pictured after being reunited with son Caben, three, following her hospital stay last year)

'Makes me feel sick watching this, I just remember the darkness, body trembling I was that mentally and physically exhausted!!!!

'I felt like my body gave in too not just my head, the only way I can describe it is everything shut down & I didnt have any thing left to restart it.

'Warning some may find the video distressing, Im posting this to help others, it was a video I was sadly leaving behind. Ive Never been in so much pain in my life, ever.'

Stephanie then praised her friends and family for their 'unconditional love' and for helping her through the dark period.

'Good place': The Hollyoaks star who insisted she is in a 'really good place right now', admitted she was sharing the candid message to help her fans (pictured after her first walk out following her hospital stay last year)

Brave: She penned alongside the post: 'Swipe right to read>> THIS IS NOT NOW, Im in a really good place right now, I wanted to share this from what I went through last year.'

She continued: 'Im so proud of my self for how far Ive come in such a short time with my amazing beautiful son, family and friends with their unconditional love & strength for carrying me when I could not walk my self to keely & all the staff who helped me too.

'The light it back. Everyone is fighting battles we dont know about. I know i have to carry on the message to help others, and I will!! Fighter, always have been always will be! We will make a change TOGETHER!!!'

Stephanie then encouraged any fans who are going through something to seek help, she added: 'If anyone needs help please call 116 123 If its not ok its not the end. We can & will fight this- Together .'

Speaking out: The soap star also shared several messages alongside her emotional snaps, explaining in one post: 'This photograph was taken in September, social media isn't real. (sic)'

The soap star also shared several messages alongside her emotional snaps, explaining in one post: 'This photograph was taken in September, social media isn't real. (sic)

'I posted this and various other photos and videos around this time to pretend all was fine when I shouldn't have had to. Why did I? So other strangers will think I'm OK? And I have to pretend I'm strong to everyone yet I'm crumbling.' (sic)

Stephanie then explained that the photo of her on the pier at the lake was her 'first walk out', she added: 'To this day I don't know how I'm here, but someone was definitely watching over me, as I am so so lucky to be here.' (sic)

The soap star also shared that the photo of her and son Caben, three, was when they were first reunited.

Mental health: It comes after the Hollyoaks star revealed in December that she was an hour away from death after she tried to take her own life earlier in the year

Stephanie emotionally penned: 'My absolute world, my rock, my everything. Everything I do is for you Caben and I hope one day I make you proud with everything we have gone through together, I love you <3.' (sic)

It comes after the Hollyoaks star revealed in December that she was an hour away from death after she tried to take her own life earlier in the year.

The actress, 26, told her Instagram followers 'I finally broke' as she described feeling her body giving up after being rushed to intensive care.

Detailing her mental health battle, Stephanie, who plays Sinead O'Connor on Hollyoaks, revealed her absence from the soap was because she suffered a relapse after a 'long time sober'.

Candid: Stephanie, who plays Sinead O'Connor on Hollyoaks, revealed her absence from the soap was because she suffered a relapse after a 'long time sober'

She penned; 'I've cried before posting this, I haven't been ready to talk about this and I am still fragile so please respect how hard this is for me. I haven't been back to work because the real truth is I relapsed and tried to kill myself'.

Stephanie continued, alongside an emotionally distressing video of herself recording her final goodbye: 'I was working on something which I went through in real life that brought up a lot of pain for me, I lost my trust and self worth...

'I hated myself and didn't feel good enough anymore. It's hard being a single mum, my uncle died and I was battling badly with my mental health without any help or medication and I finally broke...

'I knew I was breaking for a good while before this, but I was trying my absolute BEST to be ok, but I wasn't.

Struggle: The actress, 26, told her Instagram followers 'I finally broke' as she described feeling her body giving up after being rushed to intensive care

Out in the open: The actress explained that if she 'was left another hour I would have died'

Emotional: Stephanie wrote a heartfelt message for her family, as she thanked them for their support during her recovery

Grateful: Stephanie said that her three-year-old son Caben was her 'rock and reason to live'

MailOnline contacted Stephanie's representatives and Hollyoaks for comment at the time.

Alluding to her turbulent relationship with ex-boyfriend Jeremy McConnell, Stephanie explained she was still suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

What is Border Personality Disorder? According to the NHS, Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental illness which makes it hard for a person to feel comfortable in themselves, causes problems controlling emotions and impulses, and causes problems relating to other people. Advertisement

The soap star, who is proud mum to three-year-old son Caben-Albi (whose father is Jeremy), said she was admitted to hospital for a week before she tried to take her own life after feeling like her body had 'given up'.

In the emotional post, Stephanie said: 'I was rushed into hospital by blue light and straight into intensive care, if I was left another hour I would have died.'

With the help of doctors, the actress was given a diagnosis- Borderline Personality Disorder.

According to the NHS, Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental illness which makes it hard for a person to feel comfortable in themselves, causes problems controlling emotions and impulses, and causes problems relating to other people.

Stephanie added she also has high-functioning autism and is 'only just getting to know herself' after being given the right medication.

Stephanie has been open about her battle with mental health and alcohol addiction. Back in January 2019, the former CBB star revealed she drank three bottles of wine every morning and 'didn't want to live' at the height of her mental illness.

Stephanie's emotional statement Warning this video in next slides may distress viewers. I've cried before posting this, I haven't been ready to talk about this & I am still fragile so please respect how hard this is for me. I haven't been back to work because the real truth is I relapsed & tried to kill my self. This was a suicide video I was leaving behind saying I'm sorry & canot continue. I can still feel the pain in my chest when I watch this it's really hard to watch. like Zoe said 'We will share our storys because if we didn't feel we would be part of the problem of not breaking the stigma & yet more people that there can be far more going on for someone behind closed doors. We choose to talk about it. "When we have stigma, we are creating shame & we're creating blame. Would we blame somebody for having type 1 diabetes? No, absolutely for having Type 1 diabetes? No, absolutely not. This is no difference." I relapsed after a long time sober, I did so well and I am proud of my self for that. Because of a build up of events that happened I should have made a completely different decision with certain things & stood by everything I worked so hard for & my self worth, BUT I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason as it lead me to my diagnosis. I was working on something which I went through in real life that brought up a lot of pain for me, I lost my truth & self worth, I hated my self & didn't feel good enough anymore, it's hard being a single mum, my uncle died & I was battling badly with my mental health without any help or medication & I finally broke. I knew I was breaking for a good while before this, but I was trying my absolute BEST to be ok, but I wasn't My heart couldn't take anymore pain after the horrendous DV relationship which I have trauma and PTSD from & still hasn't dealt with properly. I felt like life was unfair, I couldn't breath, I was anxious, why was all this pain happening to me when all i wanted desperately was to be happy. I was in hospital a week before but I slowly felt my body giving up, I lost feeling in both arms & then my legs... I was rushed into hospital by blue light & straight into intensive care, if I was left another hour I would have died. This picture was at the end of me getting well with Keeley my amazing nurse who I owe my life too, she kept me going every day, just a day at a time she made me get though it from screaming out in pain, self harming and battling not wanting to live she held my hand the whole way and was there for me through it all, to hospital & back & to the end of our journey. She helped me get a diagnosis and explained what was going on with me, she sat with me for hours and helped me, she helped me get the right medication I needed for my mental health. She could see I was a good person just in need of help, love and support. I have been diagnosed with BPD which explains why I was suicidal and the pain hurts so much, I also have a fear of loss and abandonment and really sensitive, I have High functioning autism which is why I find it hard to process things, understand things and lies etc, also why I'm so particular about order with things, lists and new places etc. I'm only just starting to get to know my self, it's still been hard, I'm still battling but I needed to get this off my chest. If I wasn't in the public eye I would be dealing with this with my family and loved ones, but I feel I need to be honest because the pain I've been through has been so UNBEARABLE that I HAVE to help other people. Also thank you to Obi who helped me too, I'd be lost without you. And to my producer Brian Kirkwood for always standing by me and understanding me, I love you very much. Mum I am so sorry for breaking your heart and thinking of leaving you all, mum, you have wiped away my tears, held me to sleep, stroked my head ad sold me over and over it was going to be okay. You have done everything for me. My dad who now is so involved in helping me with my recovery. My aunty gill for being there for me every step of the way. My beautiful brothers who have had to endure so much, you stand by me proudly knowing what I've over come, your patience and strength blows me away, I'm so proud of the men you have become. And my beautiful friends and the good hearted people who stood bye me and helped me through. I'm coming out the other side now. managment have always been amazing, Claire I love you dearly. Everyone fights battles, I'm not messed up, I'm STRONG, because some people wouldn't have got through half of what I have. I've just been put though a lot of s*** in my life which I never should have had to, and my brain has tried to survive. To anyone battling reading this, JUST GET THROUGH TONIGHT. Then get through tomorrow. I'm getting rid of fake s*** on Instagram now and keeping it real. Thank you to all those who follow me and have supported me. I'm back to not the old Steph but the funny Steph everyone knew and loved but 10000x better. I'm so proud of my self for getting through what I just have and to the beautiful good hearted people who helped me. I hope to make a difference next year regarding mental health nd addiction and make a difference! but right now I still need to work on my self, build up my strength. Finally - Caben... You are my Absolute everything, without you I wouldn't be hear, I love you so much, you are my rock and reason to life, I love you with all my heart. All my love... Stephanie. Xx Advertisement

Fuelled by achieving fame at the tender age of 17, the actress addicted to alcohol and was consequentially booted off Hollyoaks as she arrived on set 'unfit for work' in July 2015.

While losing her job and addiction were at the centre of her life, the star went on to embark on a relationship with Beauty School Cop Outs star Jeremy, 28, during their time on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2016.

Their on/off relationship resulted in public spats, domestic violence and a consequential three-year restraining order.

Candid: Alluding to her turbulent relationship with ex-boyfriend Jeremy McConnell, Stephanie explained she was still suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (pictured in 2016)

Jeremy was charged for domestic violence in August 2017 after being accused of assaulting Stephanie in a drug-fuelled row, and was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months and 200 hours community service.

After a stint in rehab, the reality star returned to Hollyoaks as Sinead last year and was awarded a nomination for Best Actress at the British Soap Awards.

At the end of her brave post, Stephanie reassured fans she was well on the way to recovery, adding: 'Im so proud of myself for getting through what I just have and to the beautiful good hearted people who helped me.

Looking to the future: Stephanie said on a positive note that she hoped 'to make a difference next year regarding mental health and addiction and make a difference'

'I hope to make a difference next year regarding mental health and addiction and make a difference.'

After thanking her friends, family and work colleagues for their support, she finally thanked her son Caben.

'You are my absolute everything, without you I wouldnt be here, I love you so much, you are my rock and reason to live,' Stephanie wrote.

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
Wendy Williams has always been known to speak her mind, and she does so bluntly. However, her latest remarks about gay men wearing women's clothes is definitely uncalled for.

Now, Twitter users have slammed the television host for it.

Say It As You Mean It

During the Hot Topics segment of The Wendy Williams Show on Thursday, the host criticized all men for thinking that they know what women go through. It started when the host asked her audience who was going out for Galentine's Day -- a holiday celebrated the day before Valentine's to encourage women to celebrate womanhood.

Williams expressed her delight when the women from her audience cheered, but she lost her cool when she saw a man clap.

"If you're a man and you're clapping, you are not even a part of this. You don't understand the rules of the day," the host ranted, per Radar Online. She continued on to say that the holiday (referring to Galentine's Day) is all about women going out and getting saucy without their men.

"You are not a part of it. I don't care if you're gay. You don't get an [menstruation] every 28 days," Williams exclaimed.

After that, she started talking about gay men, and that is when she got personal -- a little too personal, to say the least.

"Stop wearing our skirts and our heels," Williams said, referencing the popular style called gender-fluid fashion. "Seriously, what do we girls have left for ourselves?"

It did not take long for gay men, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community to blast the TV host for her seemingly insensitive comments.

One Twitter user wrote: "Woah... did @WendyWilliams just say gay men need to stop wearing high heels & skirts ??? Crazy because a lot of Gay men & Trans men support her because SHE LOOKS ALOT LIKE THEM! I am a Straight woman & I was offended! Some shit you should KEEP TO YOURSELF."

Another user pointed out: #"WendyWilliams is trying to alienate the gay community when they are some of her biggest supporters. Oh, dear."

Lesson Learned

After the massive backlash she has received, the 55-year old television host apologized for the offensive comments she said about gay men wearing women's clothing.

On her official Twitter account on Friday, the host shared a video where she can be seen apologizing to the gay community. She claimed to be "out of touch" with her words after being heavily criticized for the remarks she made on Thursday's episode.

Wendy explained that she herself found her comments offensive, saying she watched the episode when she got home to critique her performance like she always does. The host became teary-eyes when she began to reflect on the long career that she has had.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I was just having a conversation. I live and let live every day," Williams said.

Wendy then expressed her gratitude to the community for supporting her and promised the gay community that she "will do better."
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (1st L) meets with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (1st R) in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz here Friday, and vowed to promote cooperation in various fields.

During their talks, Wang thanked Austria for its precious support for China in fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic.

With frequent high-level exchanges between China and Austria, Wang said, bilateral relations have grown rapidly in recent years.

Recalling the visit of Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Kurz to China in 2018, Wang said that the visit, as a much-told story in the history of international exchanges, has been exerting positive effects on the China-Austria relationship.

China will further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas with Austria as a trusted partner and strengthen mutual support and cooperation in international affairs, said Wang.

Kurz wished China success in the fight against the epidemic at an early date, saying that Austria is ready to continue to provide necessary support.

As the year 2021 will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, Kurz said, Austria will take it as an opportunity to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, to strengthen cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, and tourism, as well as to push for fresh progress in the Austria-China friendly strategic partnership.
On Friday, the Associated Press reported that Customs and Border Protection last month issued a memo to agents telling them they couldnt search buses along the border without the bus companys consent, as required by the Constitutions Fourth Amendment. The positionthat the Fourth Amendment still applies in this country, even along the borderis made newsworthy by the fact that the countrys largest bus carrier, Greyhound, had maintained the opposite legal opinion for months, claiming it was powerless to stop CBP from boarding its fleet and searching its passengers along the Northern border, the Southern border, and both coastlines.

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Greyhound now has to decide whether it wants to continue to willingly abet searches that passengers have compellingly alleged involved racial profiling and that state officials allege include other violations of state laws.

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In August, when I first reported on Greyhounds position, the company told me that to argue that the Fourth Amendment gave the bus company the right to prevent CBP from boarding its buses was tendentious and false. A spokesperson for FirstGroup, the company that owns Greyhound said this at the time:

We do not consent or allow to searches by CBP of passengers of any age; we do not have a say in the matter.  To suggest we have lawful choice in the matter is tendentious and false.

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This was in line with a seven-page letter that Greyhounds senior vice president for legal affairs, Tricia Martinez, sent Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson last February claiming that Greyhound cannot deny Customs and Border Protection (CBP) access to its buses.

Now CBP says the companys legal positionthat the Fourth Amendment doesnt apply on its buses and theres nothing it can do to keep agents from searching its passengersis false. According to a memo issued by outgoing Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost on Jan. 28: When transportation checks occur on a bus at non-checkpoint locations, the agent must demonstrate that he or she gained access to the bus with the consent of the companys owner or one of the companys employees. The memo continued, telling its agents they could not do anything that would not cause a reasonable person to believe that he or she is unable to terminate the encounter with the agent.

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When I asked Tricia Martinez on Friday if she maintained the legal position that Greyhound cannot deny Customs and Border Protection (CBP) access to its buses, she told me, Im maintaining the position that you need to call our communications specialist.

Greyhounds communications specialist informed Slate that [t]he company will not be providing any statements at this time. Greyhound is being sued in California by a U.S. citizen for allegedly allowing CBP to racially profile its passengers.

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Its unclear what prompted the change from CBP, which has been subject to allegations of harassment and racial profiling for the searches on buses for years going back to the Obama administration. On Friday, a comedian whose description of his CBP search on a Greyhound bus went viral, Mohanad Elshieky, sued the federal government for false arrest.

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The ACLU, which has pressed both Greyhound and CBP, celebrated Fridays news as a win, but demanded that Greyhound now comport with the policies of other bus carriers that dont allow CBP officials on buses without a warrant or probable cause.

This change by CBP, the largest federal law enforcement agency in the nation, is a win for civil rights and civil liberties. You cant tell someones immigration status based on how they look or sound. Attempting to do so leads to harmful racial profiling, wrongful detention, and the widespread fear and harassment of Black and brown passengers, said Andrea Flores, deputy director of policy of the ACLUs equality division. There is still more work to be done: both to ensure CBP officers comply with the new policy, and for Greyhound to make clear that it does not consent to these searches. The onus must not fall on individual employees to stand up to law enforcement. The company as a whole has a responsibility to take a clear stance against the racial profiling and harassment of its customerswe will be watching to ensure it does so.
Jenkintown Road closed from Monday through May
Wanted Global terrorist Hafiz Mohammad Saeed will most certainly be released soon after the verdict of the Financial Action Task Force ( FATF ), according to informed sources who added that there are intentional loopholes in the verdict which permit that.

The FATF meeting in Paris from February 16 will decide whether or not Pakistan finally needs to be blacklisted for failing to act against terror.

The lawyer of the Mumbai terror attacks mastermind, who along with an aide was convicted by an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday, says they will appeal the judgement in the Lahore High Court.

According to Dawn newspaper, Saeed's counsel argues that his client was convicted for no other reason than due to FATF "pressure" ahead of its upcoming meeting.

Pakistan's leading daily said besides involvement in foreign theatres, and the ensuing opprobrium this has brought to Pakistan, the fact is that LeT/JuD terrorists have also contributed to instability within the country.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) led LeT has maintained links with the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda, as well as with elements that evolved into the Punjabi Taliban.

Considering these precedents, it can only be welcomed that Saeed has been sent to prison.

Another major point that the conviction of the JuD chief raises is that, in Pakistan, militant groups are proscribed while their leaders and cadres continue to operate as per routine.

Informed sources said that Pakistan Army continues to provide logistics, training and funds to these terrorist outfits and use them as proxies against its neighbours, India and Afghanistan.

Many of these outfits are engaged in the illegal drugs trade and earn handsome revenue to maintain their cadres.

The Government of Pakistan in June 2018 made a commitment to work with the FATF to plug the loopholes. But a review by the intergovernmental organisation in October 2019 revealed a "lack of progress" by Pakistan Government to address its terror financing risks.

The FATF noted that Pakistan had only largely addressed five of the 27 items on the action plan, with varying levels of progress made on the rest. The FATF had then set February 2020 as the deadline for Pakistan to tighten the legal framework to curb money-laundering and squeeze the flow of funds to the terrorist outfits.

The organization warned if Imran Khan Government had failed to plug the loopholes by then, it would take actions, which might include calling on financial institutions of other nations to be cautious while dealing with counterparts in Pakistan.
The Galaxy S20 Series was launched by Samsung last week in San Francisco and we finally know what the smartphones will cost in India.



Samsung will launch three models i.e. Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 + and S20 Ultra in India that come with all the specifications that you expect from a flagship smartphone.



Pre-bookings for the smartphone are now open and customers will get their hands on the smartphone from March 6th 2020 onwards.



 Samsung

The Galaxy S20 series comes with new and improved camera features that include 100x zoom capabilities on the Galaxy S20 Ultra. On the ultra model, it uses multi-image processing to reduce quality loss at high zoom levels to keep the overall picture quality intact.



The Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ have a 64MP camera, while Galaxy S20 Ultra has 108MP camera. All three smartphones are capable of capturing videos in 8K resolution. In terms of the display, the Galaxy S20 series come with a panel with a 120Hz refresh rate.



The Galaxy S20 will be available in three colours i.e. Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, and Cloud Pink. The Galaxy S20 Plus will be available in three colours as well i.e. Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, and Cosmic Black. Lastly, the Galaxy S20 Ultra will be available in only two colours i.e. Cosmic Grey and Cosmic Black.



 Samsung

All three devices in the Galaxy S20 series Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra will retail in India for the below prices:



Galaxy S20 : INR 66,999



Galaxy S20+ : INR 73,999

Galaxy S20 Ultra: INR 92,999

Additionally, Samsung is also offering pre-booking offers that include great deals for the Galaxy Buds+ at an additional price. Customers will be able to avail the below deals when pre-booking the Galaxy S20 Series:



S20 Ultra: Galaxy Buds+ @ INR 1,999 & Samsung Care+ @ INR 1,999



S20+ : Galaxy Buds+ @ INR 1,999 & Samsung Care+ @ INR 1,999

S20: Galaxy Buds+ @ INR 2,999 & Samsung Care+ @ INR 1,999

If you are looking to pre-book any of the Galaxy S20 models, it is currently open to all customers on Samsungs official website here.
The last time the City Council had to address Councilman Andy Kings transgressions, it suspended him for 30 days without pay and had a monitor oversee his office in hopes that he would learn a lesson.

Less than four months later, Mr. King is in trouble again. And this time, he could be kicked off the Council altogether.

On Friday, the Councils ethics committee announced new charges, including disorderly conduct and conflict-of-interest violations, against Mr. King, a Bronx Democrat. If he is found guilty, the Council speaker, Corey Johnson, said that he should be removed from office.
Premium

Mary Kenny Opinion Hes been branded right wing and racist. So why does this TV host represent free speech?

Eric Zemmour is a media celebrity in France: he may very well be a candidate as president of France in succession to Emmanuel Macron. Unlikely that hell get to the Elysee Palace next April, but as a candidate, he would draw votes away from other parties, and certainly make a splash. After the recent regional elections, 10,000 posters appeared across France with the words, Zemmour for President.
There are few more beloved statewide institutions in New Jersey than Wawa, in part because of its versatility. Its a gas station. Its a convenience store. Its a sub shop. Its whatever you need it to be, really.

But do we need it to be a burger joint?

The Pennsylvania-based company recently launched a pilot program at six locations serving burgers, chicken sandwiches and waffle fries. None of the participating locations are known to be in New Jersey, but a Wawa in Horsham, Pa., about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, is taking part. So I made the trip across the Delaware to try the burger. After all, its almost Presidents Day and this is why George Washington braved the icy waters, right?

While GWs trek helped win our countrys independence, my stomach felt like it lost a war after this journey.

It pains me to say, but I hope Wawas burgers never make it to New Jersey.

Wawa making a bad food item is kind of like when your favorite actor swings and misses in a big role, or when Bruce Springsteen releases a dud of an album. Its kind of hard to be critical of something we love so much and has given us so much joy and satisfaction over the years. But Wawa, I respect you too much to lie to you, so Im just gonna keep it real.

Those burgers arent good. Those chicken sandwiches really arent good. And the fries are meh at best.

The trial program offers up eight different styles of burger (classic cheese, bacon cheese, American, BBQ, smokey chipotle, Southwest, French Onion and spicy cherry pepper relish) and seven styles of chicken sandwiches (classic, deluxe, BBQ, cajun, buffalo, club and bacon ranch) as well as the option to customize both with seemingly every topping in the Wawa hoagie arsenal. I went with the classic version for each sandwich, and both had me wishing we had gotten more toppings to hide the lackluster patties.

The classic cheeseburger at Wawa. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The classic cheeseburger tastes more like a salisbury steak from a TV dinner than a burger, with a limp, textureless and woefully flavored patty. The cheese was basically plastic and the garlic aioli was utterly bland. The bun was fine, but when the bread is the star of a burger, you know youre in trouble.

Yet somehow, the chicken sandwich was miles worse. If Wawa had entered into the great chicken sandwich wars of 2019, it would have been a massacre. While Chick-fil-A and Popeyes serve up juicy, tender chicken, Wawas is rubbery and completely unappetizing. I hardly got through a single bite.

The chicken sandwich at Wawa. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The waffle fries were about as good as the ones you get from the frozen food section of a grocery store and heat up in the oven. Lacking seasoning, lacking crispness. All around blah.

Look Wawa, we admire the fact that you refuse to rest on your laurels and continue to churn out new foods. Your smoothies are surprisingly good! Your quesadillas arent half bad! And your club sandwiches are an elevated version of the classic hoagies weve all come to know and love.

But uh, were gonna pretend this trial run never happened and leave the burgers to McDonalds, okay?

Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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This is the hilarious moment a group of tourists on a pedal bus brave Storm Dennis as they are lashed by wind and rain.

The group were seen pedalling furiously through the Irish capital as amused passersby looked on.

They were spotted this afternoon enjoying their beverages as the 1,200-mile wide 'Dennis the Menace' storm brought winds of up to 60mph and 100mm of rain in some areas.

One onlooker said: 'It looked like they were doing their best to finish the tour as soon as possible and get to the nearest pub.'

The resilient tourists clearly weren't put off by the grim weather forecasts and were determined to enjoy their tour of the city, and their drinks, on the open-sided bus.

The Dublin Pedal Tours website says that riders are provided with 'ponchos for what rain the roof doesnt keep away (to be sure to be sure)'.

They hire the buses - which come with a u-shaped bar and can carry up to eight people - to tourists including hen and stag dos and work colleagues on team building excursions.

The drinkers weren't put off by the grim weather and huddle around the u-shaped bar enjoying their beverages as they pedal like mad

The footage was posted on Twitter where one user joked: 'That's their morning after transport to the airport, clears the head before getting home.'

Storm Dennis became a 'bomb cyclone' on Thursday, when air pressure dropped 24 millibars within 24 hours, and the bleak weather caused flights to be cancelled trains to be delayed.

A woman struggles with an umbrella in strong winds on the Millennium Bridge, in London

Shoppers in Birmingham city centre battle through Storm Dennis's gusty conditions

No fewer than 40,000 passengers have been affected by travel disruption so far as budget airline easyJet cancels 234 flights.

Another 60 will not take off tomorrow - affecting a further 10,000 people - as the storm brings 70mph winds and 100mm of rainfall to some areas.

Amber weather warnings are in place across Dartmoor and south Devon, most of Wales, the Pennines and large swathes of Yorkshire until 3pm tomorrow.

Storm Dennis has claimed its first two victims today as a man who fell overboard off the coast of Kent was found dead in the water, just hours after a teenage boy died after being washed up along the shore.

The Ministry of Defence has deployed British Army personnel to assist people in West Yorkshire, which was badly hit by flooding during last weekend's Storm Ciara.
REPATRIATES who enter the country through the Mactan-Cebu International Airport but are not residents of Cebu may undergo quarantine either in Cebu or in their home provinces.

Eight Filipinos from Taiwan arrived at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) via Eva Air on Friday morning, February 14, 2020, before the travel restrictions were lifted.

Of the eight passengers, only one is a non-resident of Cebu.

Terence Anthony Bermejo, Bureau of Quarantine-Cebu chief, said repatriated overseas Filipino workers from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Macau now have the option to undergo quarantine either in a Cebu facility or in their home provinces.

If they choose to proceed to their home provinces, Bermejo said arrangements will have to be made between the Department of Health Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Resu) 7 and the Resu of their respective local government units.

It is clear now that those who are not from Cebu will immediately be repatriated to their localities, said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.

If theyre not from Cebu and on their way to other local government units like Davao, adto na sila (let them go). Atong dawaton lang ang dire sa Cebu (We will only accept those from Cebu), Garcia added.

Earlier, 21 Filipino passengers from Taiwan who were quarantined in an evacuation facility in Barangay Apas, Cebu City, were flown to their hometowns in Mindanao after they constantly complained about the state of the facility.

Nine others were moved to a government center in Pinamungajan town, western Cebu which has better infrastructure and almost a hotel-like accommodation, according to a Capitol press release.

The evacuation facility is now vacant. In the first place, it was never identified as a quarantine station. It was only the governors temporary arrangement, explained DOH Central Visayas Director Jaime Bernadas in a phone interview with SunStar Cebu.

The 30 passengers were interned in Barangay Apas because the DOH facility and the Women and Childrens Center were already full.

Story continues

Garcia placed the passengers under quarantine in accordance with President Rodrigo Dutertes directive to place Filipino passengers and permanent visa holders from China, its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan under mandatory quarantine for 14 days, the incubation period for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Travel restrictions for Taiwan, however, were lifted Friday. How this would affect Filipinos who flew in from Taiwan and were required to undergo quarantine was unclear as of Friday.

In Mandaue City, the Covid-19 Incident Management Team recorded 31 persons under monitoring (PUMs) who were home-quarantined for 14 days. Five have completed their quarantine period as of Friday.

Mandaue City Health Office Chief Rose Marie Tirado said Mandauehanons need not be alarmed by the PUMs because they are just passengers who stopped over in countries affected by the Covid-19 en route to Cebu and they are not sick.

The Mandaue City Government has allocated P1.5 million from its Disaster Risk Reduction and Management fund for the purchase of surgical masks, eye protection shades, hazardous materials (hazmat) suits, sanitizers, and a thermal gun for the citys 27 barangays.

Other developments

Two Badian town residents who recently flew in from Taiwan expressed dismay over alleged delays in the processing of arriving passengers at the MCIA.

Guiller Escarpe and his niece Meme Jorolan were both looking forward to coming home to Cebu, but their homecoming was far from enjoyable as soon as they arrived on Wednesday, Feb. 12 on board an Eva Air flight from Taiwan.

Jorolan was reportedly labeled as a passenger from Hong Kong, an administrative region of China, instead of her point of origin which was Taiwan.

I agree with the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease, but they must also uphold basic human rights in the holding area. They must immediately conduct a background check and thoroughly review the entries in the arrival cards, Escarpe said in a mix of English and Cebuano. (WBS, KFD, HBL, WITH PR / RTF)
MUNICH - U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday cast China as a rising threat to world order  saying the worlds most populous nation steals Western know-how, intimidates smaller neighbours and seeks an advantage by any means and at any cost.

A frequent critic of China, Esper used an address to an international security conference in Munich, Germany, to give his most comprehensive condemnation yet of a communist country that he said tops the Pentagons list of potential adversaries, followed by Russia, rogue states like North Korea and Iran, and continuing threats from extremist groups.

The Chinese Communist Party is heading even faster and further in the wrong direction  more internal repression, more predatory economic practices, more heavy-handedness, and most concerning for me, a more aggressive military posture, he said.

Esper stressed that the United States does not want conflicts with China, and noted that the U.S. government has provided medical supplies to help China combat a coronavirus outbreak that has infected over 67,000 people. Still, he said Beijing has made clear its long-term intentions and said Europe and the rest of the world must wake up to the threats that China poses.

The Communist Party and its associated organs, including the Peoples Liberation Army, are increasingly operating in theatres outside its borders, including Europe, and seeking advantage by any means, and at any cost, he said.

While we often doubt the transparency and forthrightness of Beijing, when it comes to their security aims, we should take the Chinese government at its word, he said. They have said that by 2035, the PRC intends to complete its military modernization, and, by 2049, it seeks to dominate Asia as the preeminent global military power.

With words that echoed the Trump administrations criticisms of Iran, Esper said China represses its people and threatens its neighbours.

We want China to behave like a normal country, Esper said, adding and that means the Chinese government needs to change its policies and behaviours.

Esper and his immediate predecessor, Jim Mattis, have sought to shift the main focus of U.S. military and security policy toward China and away from small wars against insurgents and extremists. U.S. allies in Europe, while concerned about Chinas rise, are more immediately worried about Russia.

C hinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later responded, telling the forum that Esper and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo say the same thing wherever they go about China and dismissed their remarks as lies.

The root cause of all these problems and issues is that the U.S. does not want to see the rapid development and rejuvenation of China, and still less would they want to accept the success of a socialist country, Wang said through a translator.

He said China had a right to develop and said if Beijing and Washington worked together, it would benefit the whole world.

The most important task for China and the U.S. is to sit down together to have a serious dialogue and find a way for two major countries with different social systems to live in harmony and interact in peace, he said. Chinas ready and we hope the U.S. will work with us.

In remarks to the conference earlier Saturday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said China presents challenges as well as opportunities for Western nations. He said Europe and the United States need to work out a united approach to Chinas rise.

There are opportunities, but also many challenges, Stoltenberg said, adding that its important for Western countries to keep open lines of communication with Beijing.

Also at the Munich conference, Pompeo refuted assertions that the United States under President Donald Trump was rejecting its traditional international leadership role.

Im happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly over-exaggerated, Pompeo said. The West is winning.

_____

David Rising contributed to this report.
MWC 2020 isn't happening, this much is clear by now. Companies dropped out one by one and ultimately the event's governing body canceled it altogether - an unfortunate consequence of the raging novel coronavirus outbreak in China.

One of the last remaining participants to announce it will be pulling out of the congress, Nubia has made it official. A statement posted on the company's official Weibo account says they respect the GSM Association's decision and will be postponing the Red Magic 5G's announcement.



Nubia statement on exiting MWC 2020

The upcoming smartphone that is set to be the first one with a 144Hz display will instead be unveiled in China. However, no specifics are set in stone for now as the company is regrouping and planning anew.

Source
The advent of the digital space has made it all the more easy for film industry bigwigs to tell the stories that they want, even if multiple people are trying to tell the same story.

For example, the stock market scam perpetrated by the late stockbroker Harshad Mehta has been picked up as the subject for Abhishek Bachchans upcoming film The Bigg Bull, as well as a web series called The Bull Of Dalal Street starring Ashmit Patel and Iqbal Khan among others.

The the web has given a quick answer to projects that want to come soon, without waiting for a telecast time on a channel or the wait for an appropriate release date. Hence, a lot of projects that are being made need not necessarily be just films; it can be in the form of a web series and a web film itself. So it does not directly compete or eat into the business of the other project of the same subject, explains Atul Mohan, Editor of Complete Cinema.

If Akshay Kumars Kesari was beaten to the post by a TV series 21 Saragarhi starring Mohit Raina, Kangana Ranauts Manikarnika was edged out by a TV series on the Rani of Jhansi. The web series and the film on Narendra Modi came around the same time due to the dictates of the Election Commission of India.

Similarly, Akshay Kumars Mission Mangal came in August 2019 just as Ekta Kapoors web series on Indias Mars orbit misson with four women called Mission Over Mars (MOM)  starring Balaji favourites Sakshi Talwar and Mona Singh along with Nidhi Singh and Palomi Ghosh came onto the web platform. When Batman came in the US as a film, a show called Gotham also came. Since all the characters of Batman became famous, it did help Gotham do well, explains Ekta about how the content can co-exist and perhaps even be symbiotic.
A string of government emails obtained this week by NJ Advance Media illustrates what happened during the last hours of the life of a wild turkey that had become a mascot in a local bedroom community before federal and state officials seized him on a rescue farm 40 miles away and put him to death.

Glenny, as he was known, was humanely euthanized last week hours after he was taken from the Funny Farm in Mays Landing, a federal wildlife official said.

Glenny had had been classified as nuisance wildlife. Complaints had piled up about him disrupting traffic on the busy Black Horse Pike, a road that intersects both Interstate 295 and the Turnpike, in Haddon Heights, a 1.5 square-mile town 11 miles from Philadelphia.

Laurie Zaleski, owner of Funny Farm, a rescue refuge for more than 400 animals, including several other wild turkeys, wanted to help Glenny and Haddon Heights. She coaxed him into her arms nearly two weeks ago and ferried him off to what many had hoped would be a better life.

Instead, wildlife officials said Glenny had to die because he had been in contact with domestic birds and presented a disease risk to native wildlife.

A flurry of emails obtained by NJ Advance Media reveal how they came to that decision. The emails, exchanged between at least seven state and federal wildlife officials over the course of three days, were prompted by a Facebook post from Zaleski announcing that Glenny was at the farm, and soon going to be interacting with people.

Some of the emails were sent under the subject line, Wild turkeynapper.

She cannot legally possess the turkey, a state wildlife officer wrote of Zaleski. And despite the fact that the, turkey has gotten celebrity status and has quite a following, the official said the rescue organization mishandled the bird.

Funny Farms Facebook page also showed the turkey was housed (with) chickens meaning that it must be euthanized because it cannot be released to (commingle with) wild turkeys now, he wrote. Also, this bird needs to be seized soon because the Funny Farm is planning a public release of Glenny the turkey.

After several other officials weighed in, all in agreement, the final email was sent at 5:02 p.m. on Jan. 29 from a conservation police officer:

The turkey was seized without incident and euthanized/ disposed of by Dep AG personnel.

But Zaleski defends her actions with Glenny.

He should never have been killed, Zaleski said Thursday. He was such a friendly turkey. It was senseless.

Zaleski has started a petition on Change.org to bring attention to what happened to Glenny and try to prevent a similar incident from recurring.

Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-Gloucester, supports her.

Im very unhappy with the way this played out, Burzichelli said. The public interest was not handled well.

Burzichelli doesnt represent Mays Landing, Atlantic County, where Zaleskis farm is or Haddon Heights where the Glenny saga began six months ago. But the story of Glenny, named for the Glenwood Elementary School, where he liked to hang out, has warmed the heart of many, including legislators from other districts and more than 1,200 who have signed Zaleskis petition.

Burzichelli said he is exploring how federal wildlife officials swooped in, seized Glenny and killed him after it appeared he was out of harms way.

Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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During a reception for Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General To Lam, who paid a working visit to Malaysia from February 12-13, King Abdullah noted with pleasure the fruitful development of the strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as relations between the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.

For his part, Lam stressed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the strategic partnership with Malaysia which was set up in 2015 and has served as an important premise for the two countries to boost bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The minister expressed his hope that the Vietnam-Malaysia strategic partnership would develop more comprehensively, practically and effectively in the time ahead.

Lam briefed King Abdullah on the outcomes of the talks between the two ministries during which they agreed on orientations to boost cooperation in ensuring security and order, and combating transnational crime, especially in 2020 when Vietnam serves as the Chair of ASEAN and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council while Malaysia hosts APEC meetings.

During the earlier talks, Minister of Public Security To Lam and Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs Muhyddin Yassin agreed to accelerate the organisation of the first meeting of the deputy ministerial-level joint working group on transnational crime combat within the framework of the above-said agreement.

At the same time, they will continue with their partnership in counter-terrorism through bilateral and multilateral channels like the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and the ASEAN National Police (ASEANAPOL), while strengthening cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community.

The two sides will also step up the sharing of information relating to cyber security and cyber and high-tech crime, and consider establishing a coordination mechanism in this regard.
Free face masks are given to the public at a railway station in Hanoi, February 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy,

The Health Ministry has suggested fines of VND3-7 million ($129-301) for those littering face masks putting others at risk of the novel coronavirus infection.

While the Vietnamese government and international agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) have recommended that people use face masks in crowded places to protect themselves from the highly infectious Covid-19, they have also provided guidance on their disposal.

Users have been advised to hold the elastic band and take them off from behind the ears, remove the mask from the face and discard it in a closed bin.

However, many people have ignored this advice, littering the used masks indiscriminately on the streets, spoiling the environment and increasing the danger of infections spreading, undermining public safety, the ministry said in a statement sent Friday to the ministries of environment and public securities, as well as the administration of all cities and provinces.

The health ministry asked each locality to ensure that people discard used face masks in the right places.

It suggested fining people throwing the masks on streets, sidewalks, drainage system and other public spaces between VND3-7 million following regulations imposing financial penalties for environmental pollution.

The localities should also arrange enough closed trash bins in public areas, the ministry said.

Vietnam has recorded 16 infection cases, seven of whom have been discharged from hospitals.

The global death toll had climbed to 1,526, three of them outside mainland China.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Crisis Group Robert Malley in Munich.

The head of state reiterated the country`s position on the fair settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. President Ilham Aliyev said that the conflict must be resolved only on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and within internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan and its territorial integrity.

It was noted that the International Crisis Group prepared various reports on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The sides stressed the importance of the fact that issues related to illegal activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as well as Armenian illegal settlement policy were reflected in the recent reports.

They exchanged views on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other issues of mutual interest.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

D.H. writes: I am writing about my situation with Global Wine Exchange Limited. I have two cases of wine which cost me 6,000 early last year, sold to me on the promise that the wine would be sold at a profit last July.

That wine has not been sold. GWE then told me that if I bought two more cases, they would sell all four.

I declined, and the company broke off communication, saying it would not handle the sale of the original two cases.

Promise: The Chateau D'Yquem vineyard in France and a bottle of the 1999 wine

You have told me you were cold-called by Global Wine Exchange (GWE), and last March you paid 2,700 for a case of Chateau D'Yquem 1999 after being told that GWE would sell this for you at the end of July for a very precise 3,218.

And in May, you paid 3,500 for a case of the same wine, 1996 vintage, which would also be sold in July.

But as July approached, GWE told you the sale had fallen through. However, if you bought two more cases, all four would be included in a sale to take place in September.

Sensibly, you declined. And worryingly, the bonded warehouse that was supposed to store your wine then told you it held nothing in your name.

I asked GWE about this. I also asked the company's owner, Adrian Loftman, to explain how his business could be just one year old according to Companies House, yet claim on its website to have more than ten years of experience in the fine wine market.

If this was his personal track record, where did he work to gain this experience, I wondered.

Finally, I found that GWE had been advertising for junior brokers  salesmen in fact  expected to make up to 300 phone calls a day. So wasn't Loftman simply running a telesales operation, cold-calling people like you who have registered to say they want no such calls?

He replied: 'I will put my hands up to the fact it seems a vigorous technique to drum up sales, and since liaising with the Information Commissioner's Office and taking advice from them, we have massively changed how we operate with regard to the volume of calls made.'

The case of wine that cost a reader 3,500 was on public sale for 2,250 (stock image)

Loftman agreed that you had bought wine on the promise that it would quickly be sold. He blamed a private buyer who had changed his mind. But he denies that GWE will no longer act for you.

And your wine has now been delivered to the warehouse, with Loftman telling me: 'I admit our delivery of stock to our clients has been somewhat pressured and a little slower.' The wine 'does take time to arrive from France', he explained.

There was no comment or explanation though about where Loftman or anyone else at his company gained their knowledge of fine wines or their investment value.

I found that the wine you bought for 2,700 could be had for 2,300 without any difficulty. And the case that cost you 3,500 was on public sale for 2,250. The chances of making a profit would seem to be remote in the extreme.

I put this to GWE and the company gave you a refund of 1,650. And then things turned very interesting.

Under pressure from GWE, you told me you expected the whole situation to be resolved in your favour, and you added: 'I have to instruct you not to use any statements that I have made during our exchanges or that I approached you for help.'

You added that you felt bad about this. I explained that you could honestly tell Adrian Loftman that you had demanded my silence, and that I had ignored you.

After all, if I let companies censor what I write, then all they would have to do to stifle one complaint would be to pay the reader, leaving other potential complainants out in the cold.

Have there been other complaints? Oh yes. Loftman says the vast majority of his customers are happy, and that to publish your letter would be 'extremely unfair and inaccurate and we would challenge it strongly'.

He added: 'If you do publish an article or warning about Global Wine Exchange, we will be challenging it legally and we are prepared to take action against yourself and your newspaper.'

Well, thank you for the heads-up Adrian, see you in court.

Mastercard in my name is a fraud

S.B. writes: I received a welcome letter addressed to me and containing a Mastercard and account details, all from Cashplus.

I had not applied for these, so I called Cashplus but they said they could do nothing unless I reported this to Action Fraud and obtained a crime number.

I did this, though Action Fraud told me that as nobody had lost anything, there had not been any fraud.

And a few days after I gave the crime number to Cashplus, I received a letter from them, asking for a clutch of identity documents.

Sinister: Whoever applied to open the current account with Cashplus and obtain a Mastercard used basic information about S.B.'s personal circumstances

Whoever applied to open the current account with Cashplus and obtain a Mastercard used basic information about your personal circumstances.

Cashplus told me it had used normal banking procedures to confirm your details, but those checks would, of course, have been into things like your appearance on the electoral register, or your personal credit record.

They would not have proved that the application actually came from you.

Cashplus told me: 'Mr B being alerted to the impersonation attempt is a result of these procedures working as they should.'

As I see it though, the Mastercard was issued with no proof of identity, after which the only safety net was that the card went to your address.

If you lived at a multi-occupation address, it would not have been hard for the fraudster to grab the card. I put this to Cashplus and was told this would not be easy, as the culprit 'would need to illegally steal or access their neighbour's personal information'.

It's unthinkable, of course, that a card fraudster might steal personal information.

This 'asset recovery' firm is scam No 2

S.M. writes: I was taken in by a scam involving Redthorne Realisations Limited. Now I have been called by Richard Thorpe, of Asset Recovery Consultants Limited, but I feel strongly that this is a follow-on scam.

Scam: According to an email from Richard Thorpe, his company has been appointed as the liquidator of Redthorne Realisations, which was wound up by the High Court in 2018

According to an email from Richard Thorpe, his company has been appointed as the liquidator of Redthorne Realisations, which was wound up by the High Court in 2018.

The company's assets have been seized, he says, and you can be compensated if you supply copies of your passport, card statements, and so on, as proof of identity.

You are also expected to pay 15 per cent 'for the liquidator to begin realisation of assets'. And that, of course, is the scam.

The real liquidator of Redthorne Realisations is the Official Receiver, whose office confirmed to me that Asset Recovery Consultants has absolutely no involvement in this. However, there really is a company called Asset Recovery Consultants.

It is based in Swindon, and cheekily, the fraudster calling himself Thorpe has used its company details and a Swindon telephone number in his email.

The boss of the genuine company, Stephen Hales, told me: 'I can confirm we do not employ Richard Thorpe, and I have never heard of him.'

My own enquiries suggest that calls to the fake firm's Swindon number  01793 230406  have been diverted offshore.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 30, 2020) - Minera Alamos Inc. (TSXV: MAI) ("Minera" or the "Company" or "Buyer") is pleased to announce it has entered into an Equipment Purchase Agreement ("EPA") with Mako Mining Corp., Marlin Gold Mining Ltd. and Oro Gold de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (collectively the "Sellers") to acquire a complete crushing, screening and agglomeration system for the future growth of the Santana gold project.

"This agreement leverages the financial flexibility provided by our relationship with Osisko Gold Royalties to take advantage of a unique opportunity that presented itself and that will significantly reduce longer term capital and operating costs for the development of the Santana project," stated Darren Koningen, Minera Alamos CEO. "The acquisition for this excellent collection of equipment is a small fraction of the original purchase cost and underscores our philosophy of finding innovative ways to build our projects with some of industry's lowest capital intensity."

Photo 1 - The Crushing Circuit previously in operation at the La Trinidad mine in Sinaloa, Mexico

To view an enhanced version of Photo 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4183/51963_e2d36ed6644309a2_001full.jpg

Equipment Details and History

The acquired crushing system was originally installed at Mako Mining's La Trinidad gold heap leach operation and was in commercial service for a relatively short period of time until it was shut down in 2019. The circuit was fully operational up to the point that the operation shut down. Highlights include:

Design capacity of approximately 300 tph (5,000-6,000 tpd) taking run-of-mine ("ROM") heap leach material and crushing/screening (three stage crushing) to a fine size passing 3/8".

Also included is equipment to agglomerate the final ore before it was conveyed through a series of portable conveyor sections to a radial stacker which deposited the final material on the leach pad.

Operations are controlled via an advanced PLC automation package which monitors/controls all individual unit operations from a central control area.

All the equipment was transported back to the United States after mine shutdown and has been inspected and considered to be in excellent condition.

Story continues

Opportunities to Minera

The Company is planning to start initial operations at Santana using contractor portable crushing equipment until optimal crushing strategies are better understood. The new system will allow for the Company to transition to a larger capacity crushing operation capable of accommodating Minera's future plans for significant increases in the production profile at Santana as the overall scale of the project increases through its ongoing exploration. Such a move towards an in-house (non-contractor) crushing system will be significantly less costly as a result of the purchase of the system and is expected to yield significant savings in crushing unit costs. In addition:

The system as purchased has multiple stages that can easily be rearranged making it flexible to suit whatever arrangement is optimal for the different future ore sources/pits at the Santana project.

Existing capacity is excellent and can be expanded further by increasing the ultimate crush size that is generated (testwork to date at Santana has demonstrated optimal crush sizes significantly greater than 3/8"). An additional crushing/screening stage(s) could be incorporated to expand capacity even further.

The PLC control system automation is decidedly beneficial as it allows for easy operation with minimal personnel.

The system was just recently packaged and shipped to Arizona, U.S. for storage and is in excellent condition to easily ship back across the border to Sonora, Mexico.

Terms of the Equipment Purchase

The aggregate purchase price to be paid to the Sellers is C$1.2 million in a series of staged payments. C$300,000 upon execution of the equipment purchase agreement; C$700,000 on the Closing Date (April 30th, 2020 or such other date on or before September 30, 2020 agreed to in writing by the Buyer in its sole discretion); and C$200,000 on the earlier date of the shipment of the equipment from storage in Pearce, Arizona and June 30, 2020.

Minera is examining finance options that could include a "lease-to-own" arrangement with third parties that will cover the full acquisition cost and will provide additional information in due course on this arrangement should it be consummated as planned.

Photo 2 - The additional stacking equipment included as part of the Crushing Circuit equipment

To view an enhanced version of Photo 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4183/51963_e2d36ed6644309a2_002full.jpg

For Further Information Please Contact:

Minera Alamos Inc.



Doug Ramshaw, President

Tel: 604-600-4423

Email: dramshaw@mineraalamos.com

Website: www.mineraalamos.com

Victoria Vargas de Szarzynski, VP Investor Relations

Tel: 289-242-3599

Email: vvargas@mineraalamos.com

About Minera Alamos Inc.:

Minera Alamos is an advanced-stage exploration and development company with a portfolio of high-quality Mexican development assets, including the La Fortuna open-pit gold project in Durango (positive PEA completed and change of land use permit granted) and the Santana open-pit heap-leach development project in Sonora (permits received).

The Company's strategy is to develop low capex assets while expanding the project resources and to continue to pursue complementary strategic acquisitions.

Mr. Darren Koningen, P. Eng., Minera Alamos' CEO, is the Qualified Person responsible for the technical content of this press release under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Koningen has supervised the preparation of and approved the scientific and technical disclosures in this news release.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking information and Minera Alamos cautions readers that forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations of Minera Alamos included in this news release. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements", which often, but not always, can be identified by the use of words such as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". These statements are based on information currently available to Minera Alamos and Minera Alamos provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements with respect to Minera Alamos' future plans with respect to the Projects, objectives or goals, to the effect that Minera Alamos or management expects a stated condition or result to occur and the expected timing for release of a resource and reserve estimate on the projects. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, the economics of processing methods, project development, reclamation and capital costs of Minera Alamos' mineral properties, the ability to complete a preliminary economic assessment which supports the technical and economic viability of mineral production could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons. Minera Alamos' financial condition and prospects could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: an inability to finance and/or complete an updated resource and reserve estimate and a preliminary economic assessment which supports the technical and economic viability of mineral production; changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with Minera Alamos' activities; and other matters discussed in this news release and in filings made with securities regulators. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Minera Alamos' forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on Minera Alamos' forward-looking statements. Minera Alamos does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by Minera Alamos or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The Company does not have a feasibility study of mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability for the Santana project, and, as a result, there may be an increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of minerals or the cost of such recovery, including increased risks associated with developing a commercially mineable deposit. Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. There is no guarantee that construction will proceed as planned or that production will begin as anticipated or at all. Failure to commence production would have a material adverse impact on the Company's ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund operations.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/51963
Taj Mahal 1989

Director - Pushpendra Nath Misra

Cast - Neeraj Kabi, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha, Anud Singh Dhaka, Anshul Chauhan

Set at a time when Karamchand was on cable and B-Tex was on the billboards, Taj Mahal 1989 is a quietly effective little series from Netflix, about themes as evergreen as the majestic monument it is named after.

Tinder didnt exist back then, a character says, breaking the fourth wall. This is an exposition-delivery technique that creator Pushpendra Nath Misra deploys on multiple occasions early in the show, only to discard it later on, perhaps recognising that it didnt quite fit in the first place.

Watch the Taj Mahal 1989 trailer here

In 1989, India was a simpler place, still a few years away from economic liberalisation, and Indians were a more tolerant people, more likely to accept the union of a Muslim man and a Hindu woman than they seem to be now. Back then, love wasnt disposable, like a poorly taken digital photograph; it required patience, skill, and effort.

These are all virtues that Akhtar Baig, a professor of philosophy at Lucknow University, believes he has. But his marriage to Sarita, who teaches physics at the same school, is withering like the half nimbu inside the refrigerator of every middle-class Indian household.

Akhtar and Sarita represent the central conflict of the show  the clash of pragmatism and romanticism, of knowledge and education. What good will reciting the politically charged poetry of Faiz do when a woman is being attacked by her abusive husband? Is the beauty of the written word obscuring our view of the cruelty that the real world is capable of? These are all questions that Taj Mahal 1989 asks, without having the sure-footedness to arrive at definitive answers.

On paper, Akhtar and Sarita are the polar opposites of each other. While he is partial to attending evening mushairas, there is nothing that she enjoys more than a good Bollywood masala film. During one of their trips to the theatre, Akhtar endures a mindless potboiler with an expression that reminded me of the time I binged Bard of Blood in a single sitting.

The great Neeraj Kabi, as Akhtar, is the shows standout performer. He brings an element of believability to a character that could have come across as rather hopelessly out-of-touch with reality, perched on his tower of privilege, oblivious to the pains of his lesser mortals. Aside from a couple of scenes that should have, ideally, been deleted, Taj Mahal 1989 is a wonderful showcase for Kabis unparalleled ability to inject subtle ticks  a wave of the hand there, a delicate pause here  and elevate ordinary scenes.

Its quite understandable for a show as old-fashioned as Taj Mahal 1989 to be more empathetic towards the older characters than it is towards the younger ones. In parallel to Akhtar and Saritas love story, the same university campus is the playground for students scouting for sex and love, without the emotional maturity to understand that one can exist independently of the other.

Playing a character that is perhaps meant as a more youthful mirror image to Akhtar, Anud Singh Dhaka as Angad is easily the finest performer of the young cast. He is the only one who doesnt allow Kabi, and to a certain extent Sheeba Chadha, from completely obliterating the parallel plot line featuring confused college kids who flirt, like the show, with politics without ever committing to it.

Misra, who is also credited as the writer and director of the shows seven episodes, is far more comfortable handling one tone, specifically the cutesy quirkiness that he douses the opening couple of episodes in, than two. Tragically let down by poor background music that underscores every emotion with the subtlety of a Mughal son scorned, Taj Mahal 1989 in later episodes turns into a misguided melodrama.

The only thing more jarring that the tonal shifts are the scene transitions. At first, the technique comes across as positively avant-garde and very vignetty  loosely structured and temporally fluid scenes that hop from one set of characters to the next like a television channel abruptly changed. But it only takes a few minutes to realise that this effect is, instead, the result of poor editing. I could swear that one character  Akhtars old friend Sudhakar  was introduced twice.

But Misra captures the essence of Lucknow rather well. The sets feel lived-in and suitably rustic, from the linoleum on the tables to the Milton water coolers in the kitchens. And the occasional insert shots of motichoor laddoos and tunde kababs perform double duty of smoothing out some of those irregular transitions and adding vital local flavour.

It has now become abundantly clear that the quality of a Netflix India original is inversely proportional to the amount of publicity it gets. Like Little Things, Soni, and the recent Jamtara, Taj Mahal 1989 will require a positive press and vigorous word-of-mouth to be heard among the deafening roar of the Karan Johar and Red Chillies content that is given prime real estate on your Netflix homepage. Consider this a solid recommendation. Top marks to whoever struck the deal with Viacom18.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

The author tweets @RohanNaahar
Michael Eatson has spent the majority of his career looking at the road ahead, planning for the future, anticipating trends.

Last October, he permitted himself a rare opportunity to look into the past as his dealership celebrated its 50th anniversary. My parents opened Peterborough Volkswagen in September, 1969, and the journey from then until now has been extraordinary, said Eatson, dealer principal at Peterborough Volkswagen.

To have my parents on hand to participate in that milestone was a proud moment for our family and staff.

Peterborough Volkswagens 50th anniversary event included an Oktoberfest theme, in keeping with the dealerships VolkFest in the Kawarthas event that it has hosted in recent years, which celebrates the heritage of the Volkswagen brand.

Eatson reflects fondly on that 50th anniversary celebration and his career at Peterborough Volkswagen. His experience in the car business began a generation earlier, in 1951, when his parents immigrated to Canada from Europe. Eatsons father, Peter Eatson, worked through the ranks, from floor sweeper to technician to service manager and salesman to store owner.

When I began working at Peterborough Volkswagen, after graduating from the University of Guelph in 1987, Id spent years around the dealership, Eatson said in an interview. My father insisted that I work in all departments. His belief that fixed operations were the heartbeat of the dealership helped me to appreciate how much more there is to this business than selling cars.

Throughout his career, Eatson has maintained a strong focus on customer satisfaction and professional development. He provides his staff with a supportive working environment and the tools to succeed.

In 2009, after 40 years in downtown Peterborough, Peterborough Volkswagen moved into a new facility in the north end of the city. The economy was in a tailspin and there was anxiety attached to this move, Eatson said. But with a great team, we were able to transition and prosper. We have many new faces, as we have grown, but our core team remained with us throughout this period.

With its move to a larger facility, Peterborough Volkswagen has maintained its community focus. Eatson said that his parents instilled in him a philosophy of giving back. We are proud to contribute to many important causes locally, including Community Care, Hospice Peterborough and the YWCA, he said.

Peterborough Volkswagen has also developed relationships with high schools and their co-op programs. Over the years, the company has hired students to stay on in part-time and full-time placements.

We encourage these relationships and hope that the school system continues to promote our industry in a positive light. The Trillium Automobile Dearlers Associations education initiatives have provided dealers with tools to help promote the opportunities that exist in our businesses. This is not the car business of yesterday; dealers are hiring marketing and digital experts, along with business development teams, product specialists, accounting and business managers.

Eatsons TADA involvement has come naturally to him. His father was past president of the former Ontario Automobile Dealers Association.

After my initial involvement with the OADA, I was fortunate to be involved with the merger of the Toronto Automobile Association and the OADA, Eatson said. These were interesting times for a small dealer from Peterborough, and it was especially rewarding to be involved with such respected dealers from the big city.

In April, Eatson will become the new president of the TADA on a one-year term. He is excited about this opportunity to provide leadership and expertise for the association, which represents 1,100 members across Ontario.

One of my mandates as president will be to promote careers and education, Eatson said. Our association has deployed many resources in creating awareness about the career opportunities that exist in our industry.

Working in the retail automobile environment has not been without its challenges. From manufacturer demands to customer expectations, our industry is experiencing a period of rapid change and transformation, Eatson said. Many new technologies are available to assist in our daily operations and to communicate with clients. Finding the right pieces that work for our dealership, customers and, most importantly, our staff, is an ongoing challenge.

Eatson admits that digital marketing has altered how customers research and buy cars. The average car shopper experiences more than 900 digital interactions when buying a car, and so its vital that we understand that process and be where our customers are, he said.

As he looks to the future, Eatson is encouraged by the direction of his dealership and with the Volkswagen brand. VW has a unique offering for the driving public, Eatson said. Our customers expect something out of the ordinary, and as we move forward through this digital world, VW will be at the forefront of vehicle-to-customer-to-dealer communication.

Its going to be exciting times in the car business, especially VW, as we launch the refreshed Atlas SUV and Tiguan, which include full digital customizable instrument clusters, as well as car-to-customer-to-dealer communications.

Just as Eatson followed in the footsteps of his father at Peterborough Volkswagen, his sons are doing the same. After graduation from Georgian College, Eric joined the team full-time in 2017 and is now the pre-owned manager while furthering his education in the AUDM (automotive business management) program at Georgian, a one-year intensive program designed for working automotive professionals. Graeme, after completing the automotive business program, is now extending his education to complete the automotive business degree program, which includes co-op experience.

Im proud to see my sons carrying on the automotive traditions of our family, Eatson said. My advice to them is the same advice that my father gave to me all those years ago: you get out what you put in.

This content was funded but not approved by the advertiser.
Canadas homegrown tech company Shopify Inc. is on a tear.

After surging annually since its 2015 initial public offering, it has rallied 36 per cent to a market value of almost $82 billion in 2020, making it the seventh-largest company on the S&P/TSX Composite Index. That puts it about $8 billion away from usurping Bank of Nova Scotia  the fifth-biggest company. Canadian National Railway Co. is No. 6 on the benchmark.

Shopifys value has climbed about $7.9 billion just this week as fourth-quarter revenue topped analysts estimates and the provider of online shopping tools gave an optimistic forecast for the year.

Shares of Shopify have skyrocketed to fresh records amid a dearth of quality tech companies on the S&P/TSX Composite Index. The benchmark tech gauge has a mere 10 members compared with over 71 on the S&P 500s tech index, which includes FAANG giants such as Facebook Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Netflix Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc.

Still, Shopifys meteoric rise has some analysts calling for caution. Credit Suisse analyst Brad Zelnick downgraded the stock to the equivalent of a hold on its lofty valuation but raised his share price target for the U.S.-listed stock to $575 (U.S.) from $450. He did, however, contend that company has a great business. The stock is currently sitting at about $527.
"This is an important part of our corporate responsibility to help provide clarity of the situation to our business partners to enable informed decisions and actions to be taken for business continuity," said Mr M.Gandhi, Group Managing Director (ASEAN Business), Informa Markets.

"We strongly support the government's position that the response to this must be based on facts, science and authorised sources and not unverified postings on social media. We are happy by the attendance at the briefing, it indicates our partners are interested in getting the real and full picture of the virus situation, they need the information to decide on their next move."

Datuk Dr Noor Hisham said the situation was under control in Malaysia and the cluster of cases currently under containment did not amount to an outbreak.

"It is crucial that during times of crisis and uncertainty that we seek the truth and facts from valid and authorised sources. Each and every one of us must be responsible when sharing information. If the source and validity is dubious, it is better for us not to share. Up to date information on the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia is readily available on MOH's official social media channels. Based on MOH's most current assessment, the situation of COVID-19 infection is under control and in the early containment phase. MOH will continue to strengthen preparedness for the possibility of the next phase i.e. late containment and subsequently, the mitigation phase.."

The health situation in Malaysia is being managed by the Ministry of Health, National Disaster Management Agency and various other ministries and agencies under a committee chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Dr Wan Azizah Dr Wan Ismail.

Up-to-date information on the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia is readily available on the Health Ministry' website (www.moh.gov.my) and official social media channels.

To learn more about the facts of COVID-19, please watch https://youtu.be/14ylDwjO9yo

Note to Editors

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organiser, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

SOURCE Informa Markets

Related Links

http://www.informamarkets.com


T he Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked all cities and provinces to focus on correctly disposing discarded face masks, especially in quarantine sites, in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-2019.

A discarded face mask on the street in Hanoi.

In a document sent to the peoples committees of all cities and provinces on Thursday, the ministry said due to the spreading of the novel coronavirus, more people are wearing face masks to protect themselves from the virus, leading to a huge quantity of discarded masks.

However, the disposal of used masks was not properly implemented, posing a potential threat to the community.

In order to ensure the prevention and control of the epidemic, the ministry has asked local authorities to help people comply with the ministry's recommendations on proper disposal of used masks.

The People's Committees of localities were asked to help health facilities set up special dumping sites for used masks as a kind of medical waste.

They were required to closely co-ordinate with local specialised units to intensify supervision of violations in which collected discarded medical masks were re-sold and re-used.

Other used masks for ordinary protection purposes must be collected and discharged as ordinary waste.

Recently, images of used face masks littering the streets were posted on online newspapers and social media, raising public concern over the spreading of the disease.

Under the Governments Decree 155/2016, those who littered discarded medical waste such as medical masks in public places would be fined between VN3-5 million (US$129-214). Fines of up to VN7 million would be given to those who littered in the citys drainage system.

Sufficient supply of medical masks

Many enterprises have joined efforts to boost production of medical masks amid the spread of the coronavirus.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the enterprises have committed to not increasing prices to meet the public demand in preventing the spread of the virus.

The Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group currently has a production capacity of about 250,000 pieces per day. The number is expected to reach 450,000 pieces per day after February 17.

The Textile Research Institute Joint Stock Company under the group has processed antibacterial solution for 10 tonnes of fabric and provided four tonnes of cloth, an equivalent to 200,000 masks, for production by domestic garment enterprises.

Hoang Duong Trading and Service Joint Stock Company (Canifa) will provide 250,000 cloth masks with stable prices at all stores nationwide between February 8 and March 8.

Supermarket chains, including Saigon Co-op, Big C, Vinmart and Vinmartplus, reported that face masks and hand sanitiser will be available from the end of February.  VNS

Over 36 tons of masks exported amid local virus scare More than 36 tons of face masks was shipped overseas from HCMC within one week even though the domestic market is falling short of the product and the Government is finding ways to shore up mask supplies.




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Chinese Billionaire Guo Wengui

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A Chinese billionaire has come out to state that the Chinese government has been lying about the coronavirus deaths and notes that 50,000 people have died since the outbreak.This information was disclosed by Chinese Guo Wengui in an interview with former White House strategist Steve Bannon. According to him, inside information reveal that there are 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in China.So I got inside information. The truth is 1.5 million people is not only [an] observation, [it] is confirmed [cases]. And the number of people who have died, as the burned bodies show, [is] more than 50,000.Guo WenguiHis death toll number is roughly 50 times higher than the official number of 1483 given by the Chinese government. Wengui noted that the number provided by the government regularly was at a constant percentage of 2.1% and didnt change. He questions how the data provided by the Chinese officials could be so constant all through.He went on to say that there are 49 crematoriums in Wuhan which have been operating 24/7 for the past 20 days. This information was backed by a local crematorium worker identified as Mr Yun who said that he and his co-workers have been working 24 hours a day.Mr Yun said at his location, 100 bags are required a day. While not all bodies going to the crematoriums are victims of the coronavirus, that still accounts for a small percentage of the new work-rate of cremations.Almost all staff at each funeral home in Wuhan are fully equipped, and all Wuhan cremation chambers are working 24 hours.Mr YunWengui went on to call out the Chinese government for suppressing the media in giving a clear picture of what is actually happening in the country. An example is of Dr Li Wenliang when he got arrested by the government for blowing the whistle about the Wuhan coronavirus. Officials also tried to suppress news of his death on February 7, 2020.Dr Li warned his med school classmates in a post to an online chat group on Dec 30. Wuhan health authorities then summoned him in the middle of the night to explain why he told them about coronavirus quarantines in the hospital.Then police forced him to sign a statement confessing his post was illegal behaviour. Authorities accused him of spreading rumors and severely disturbing the social order.While some facts provided by Guo Wengui can be backed by facts from other news sources, his reported death numbers are yet to be verified. The numbers might be exaggerated but worth to note given the Chinese governments efforts to oppress the media from disclosing information to the world.
Mr Esper spoke on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich. Photo: Reuters/Michael Dalder

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper yesterday defended his decision to divert billions of dollars in funding for Navy and Air Force aircraft and other military programmes to help pay for President Donald Trump's promised wall on the US-Mexico border.

Mr Esper was asked by a reporter about criticism from Democrats and Republicans in Congress, including Mac Thornberry, a Republican congressman from Texas, who called the diversion of funds contrary to the constitutional authority of Congress.

"Border security is national security," Mr Esper said, "and national security is our mission."

He added: "The action we took is legal under the law, and so it should be no surprise, and I'll just leave it at that for now."

Mr Esper spoke on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich.

The Pentagon announced on Thursday that Mr Esper approved shifting $3.8bn (3.5bn) in funds that Congress had previously authorised for F-35 fighter aircraft and other military programmes. The money is being diverted to help the Department of Homeland Security build portions of the border wall. The Pentagon indicated that more such actions could be coming to provide additional funding for Mr Trump's signature campaign promise.

The action drew sharp rebukes from Democrats as well as Republicans.

"Today's reprogramming request confirms once again that the president is obsessed with fulfilling a campaign promise at the expense of our national security," Adam Smith of Washington, the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

"This administration has already stolen billions from the Department of Defence in order to begin building the president's vanity wall and today they are doubling down on bad policy."

Last year, despite congressional opposition, Mr Trump faced no consequences when making similar transfers by cancelling or postponing dozens of military construction projects to free up $3.6bn.

In reaction to Thursday's Pentagon announcement, Mr Thornberry, the top Republican on the committee and a supporter of wall construction, said that while the administration's constitutional role is to recommend how tax dollars are spent, final choices are made by Congress.
The history of cash bail shows why New Yorkers have reason to be cautious about giving such latitude to judges. For decades in New York, judges routinely used their discretion to set bail that poor people could not pay. As NY1s Errol Louis noted recently, thats how the state ended up with so many people charged with low-level offenses behind bars before trial in the first place. In 2017, the citys Independent Budget Office estimated that 72 percent of those incarcerated in the city pretrial were behind bars solely because they could not afford to post bail at their arraignments.

Whats really needed is a focused campaign by prosecutors, the police and others worried about crime to strengthen and increase funding for the states mental health system. City officials estimate that roughly 40 percent of the individuals jailed at Rikers Island struggle with mental illness, so its likely that many of the people accused of committing low-level offenses in New York need help, not punishment.

Rolling back the reforms would be a mistake. Its possible that the law would benefit from small changes, but those ought to stem from substantial data analysis, not from the bullying of elected officials by the states law enforcement lobby.

Commissioner Shea and others who oppose many of the reforms argue that an uptick in crime in recent weeks is proof that the changes are a danger to the public. But policing experts, including New York Police Department analysts, have contended for years that crime trends should be studied over long periods of time. Dips and spikes in crime can be attributed to many causes, including the weather. This is especially true when the actual number of crimes is small, as is the case in New York City today.

These reforms were enacted by a Legislature and governor elected by New York voters, who in 2018 delivered Democrats a clear majority in the State Senate for the first time in years.

If prosecutors, the police or others believe that the law is causing public harm, it is their job to make a reasoned case. Instead, too many have resorted, once again, to whipping up fear over crime to defend policies that lead to over-policing and incarceration.

Regularly missing from their lectures about public safety is any significant recognition of the ways these policies have harmed the safety and dignity of black and Hispanic people in New York.
L ove Island stars have paid tribute to Caroline Flack after the TV presenter was found dead in her apartment.

Along with hosting Love Island's weekly spin-off show Aftersun, Flack, 40, had hosted all five series of the popular programme, one of the most-watched reality shows in the UK since it launched in 2015.

In 2018, she was present as Love Island won its first TV Bafta for best reality and constructed factual show.

Friends of the TV star paid tribute to her on social media.

Friends paid tribute to her on social media / Ian West/PA Wire

Laura Whitmore, who took over hosting the winter series of Love Island from Flack, tweeted: Im trying to find the words but I cant, followed by a broken hearted emoji.

Former Love Island contestant Wes Nelson wrote a long message on Instagram next to a picture of himself with Flack.

He wrote: I cant believe what Im reading! Caroline Flack was an absolute diamond, my hearts genuinely broken! One of the warmest funniest people Ive ever met, I have nothing but great memories! It was just weeks since we were chatting away!.

Another former Love Island contestant, Amber Davies, who won the ITV2 series in 2017, tweeted: My heart is actually broken.

Derry Girls actress Nicola Coughlan tweeted: I met Caroline Flack last summer, she was so sweet and genuine and couldnt have been kinder to me. She did not deserve this. Its absolutely devastating, all my love to her family and friends.

Radio and TV presenter Edith Bowman tweeted: I cant quite believe what has happened. Caroline you didnt deserve this. Such sad and tragic news. Love to all her family.

The media and social media have SO much to answer for. RIP Lovely Flack.

Phillip Schofield described his heart as 'breaking' at the news / Invision/AP

Zoe Ball tweeted: Devastating news about Caroline. Thoughts with her family and loved ones.

This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield paid tribute to Flack with a post on his Instagram stories.

He added text above a message that Flack had posted on social media, which read: In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

Schofield wrote: You poor darling girl my heart is breaking #BeKind.

A spokesperson for ITV said: "Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news. Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends."
Foreign Ministry criticises countries that have introduced trade and travel restrictions on China.

The death toll from a new coronavirus epidemic in mainland China surged past 1,500 on Saturday, as France reported the first death outside of the Asia-Pacific region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi acknowledged that the virus, known as COVID-19, was a significant challenge but defended Beijings management of the epidemic and lashed out at the overreaction of some countries.

His comments came a day after those returning to the Chinese capital from extended Lunar New Year holidays were ordered to quarantine themselves for 14 days.

More than two dozen countries have confirmed cases and several have suspended trade and travel links with China in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

Four deaths have been recorded outside mainland China  in Hong Kong, Philippines, Japan and the most recent in France.

Here are the latest updates:

Saturday, February 15

Face masks are the hot item at LFW

Fashionistas sported face masks and clutched their hand sanitisers at a London Fashion Week that is facing disruption due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Some designers have been unable to get their garments out of China, while Chinese models, journalists and influencers have been affected by travel bans.

Read the full story here.

Toyota to resume China output at three plants next week

Toyota Motor Corp said it plans to resume output at three of its four main car plants in China next week.

The resumption of production had initially been slated for February 3 following the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays, but was delayed because of the new coronavirus outbreak in China.

Operations at Toyotas plant in Changchun, Jilin province, and another plant in Guangdong province, will restart on Monday, while a factory in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin will resume operations on Tuesday, Toyota said.

Business, but not as usual, at Singapore Airshow

Normally, suppliers and customers attending the Singapore Airshow would be discussing cutting-edge technologies and networking in the hope of making multi-million-dollar deals.

But this year the event opened under the shadow of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Read the full story here.

Spectators still came out to enjoy the aerial displays, albeit wearing masks [Edgar Su/Reuters]

China tells officials to help feed, poultry firms

Chinas government told local authorities to allow companies involved in feed production and poultry slaughtering to resume work as soon as possible and overcome disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Local authorities should ensure transport runs smoothly between cities and the countryside and should provide tax rebates, low interest rates and other financial support to help the companies, Chinese state planner, agriculture and transport ministries said in a joint statement.

The ministries said the support was needed to ensure the industrys basic production capacity would not be undermined and to guarantee the effective supply of meat, eggs, milk and other products to consumers.

8/9 UK cases leave hospital

Eight of the nine people diagnosed with coronavirus in the US have left hospital having now tested negatively twice for the virus, NHS England said.

I want to stress that any individuals who are discharged from hospital are now well and do not pose any public health risk, said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The last of the guests staying at Arrowe Park after returning from China have now left the hospital. Read the latest update from NHS strategic incident director, Professor Keith Willett. #Coronavirus https://t.co/n3yIp02lSF pic.twitter.com/95jClCIZ2m  NHS England and NHS Improvement (@NHSEngland) February 15, 2020

The final person is still being treated at Guys and St Thomass Hospital in central London.

All 94 people who were quarantined at Arrow Park hospital in north west England after being evacuated from Wuhan have now left the site but more than 100 people are still in quarantine in a hotel north of London after arriving from China last week.

Malaysia says US citizen from cruise ship tests positive

Malaysia has said that an 83-year-old US passenger on a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia has tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The woman took a flight to Malaysia on Friday from Cambodia, the Malaysian health ministry said in a statement, adding that her husband had tested negative.

The Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp unit Holland America Inc, docked in the port of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Thursday after being shunned by several countries over fears that passengers could be carrying the virus.

Read more about where cases have been confirmed here.

WHO chief says coronavirus still an emergency for China

The coronavirus outbreak is still an emergency for China and it is impossible to tell where the epidemic will spread, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said.

Tedros told the Munich Security Conference in Germany he was encouraged by actions China had taken to slow the spread of the virus but was still concerned about the increasing number of cases.

France reports first coronavirus death in Europe

An elderly Chinese tourist hospitalised in France has died from the new coronavirus, the first fatality confirmed in Europe and outside of Asia, French health minister said.

Agnes Buzyn said she was informed on Friday that the 80-year-old man  in hospital in northern Paris since January 25  had died of a lung infection due to the coronavirus. His condition had deteriorated rapidly after several critical days, she said.

Read the full story here.

Protests in Hong Kong against planned quarantine clinics

Hundreds of protesters marched in multiple Hong Kong neighbourhoods against the governments plan to potentially turn some buildings into coronavirus quarantine centres, demanding full closure of the border with mainland China.

Al Jazeeras Sarah Clarke, reporting from Hong Kong, said: These people have rallied against what they say is the governments lack of public consultation with these communities to identify and set up these coronavirus treatment clinics.

Five protests across Hong Kong took place, with more demonstrations planned for Sunday, Clarke reported.





WHO: China running 82 trials for virus treatment

China is currently running more than 80 trials for treatment of the novel coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Michael Ryan, director of the WHOs Emergencies Programmes called on nations around the world to work with Beijing to fight the virus.

There are 82 different trials under way in China right now  everything from traditional medicine all the way through to anti-HIV drugs and thats in collaboration with the the external scientists and investigators, Ryan said.

Some of these trials will have results in two to three weeks, he added.

Another 67 people tested positive on cruise ship in Japan

Sixty-seven more people on board a cruise ship quarantined off Japans coast have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the countrys health minister said.

The new cases, from 217 tests, bring the number of people diagnosed on the Diamond Princess, docked in the Japanese port city of Yokohama, to 286, including a quarantine officer who contracted the illness.

We understand there are many questions around upcoming cruises in Asia. We appreciate your patience with us, as we take care of the health and well-being of our guests and crew onboard #DiamondPrincess, and handle the evolving travel restrictions and port closures in Asia.  Princess Cruises (@PrincessCruises) February 14, 2020

China confident epidemic will be over soon: Minister

China is confident the coronavirus epidemic will be over soon and that the subsequent economic impact will only be temporary, Qin Gang, Chinas vice minister of foreign affairs said.

The impact of the epidemic on the Chinese economy will be short term and temporary, he said at the Munich Security Conference.

When the epidemic is over, the subdued consumer demand will be released rapidly and the economy will rebound strongly, Qin added.

US to evacuate citizens from cruise ship in Japan

The United States government is preparing to evacuate American citizens aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been quarantined at Japans Yokohama port since early February, the US embassy said.

Washington plans to send a chartered plane to Japan for the evacuation on Sunday, it said in a letter to US citizens on board.

The evacuees will be required to undergo a further quarantine of two weeks following their arrival in the US, the letter said.

We understand this is frustrating and an adjustment, but these measures are consistent with the careful policies we have instituted to limit the potential spread of the disease, it added.

The cruise liners quarantine is set to end on February 19 [Kyodo/Reuters]

Thailand reports new case of coronavirus

Thailand has recorded one new case of coronavirus, bringing the total in the country to 34 since January, a health ministry official said.

The new case is a 35-year-old Thai female medical worker, who was infected through contact with a patient, Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchia, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, told a news conference.

Fourteen patients in Thailand have recovered from the infection and returned to their homes.

Coronavirus epidemic at most critical moment

Liang Wannian, a senior official at Chinas National Health Commission, said the COVID-19 epidemic in the country was at the most critical moment or in a state of stalemate confrontation.

Speaking in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, Liang said it was a good sign that the number of confirmed cases in all provinces except Hubei have been on the decline for the past 10 days. Hubei, of which Wuhan is the capital, has been the most hard-hit by the virus.

Wang Hesheng, the new top health official of Hubei province, said Wuhan will build more field hospitals to take on all the confirmed and suspected cases. So far, Wuhan has built nine field hospitals with over 6,900 beds, he said.

Chinese gymnasts pull out of World Cup in Australia

The Chinese gymnastics team has pulled out of next weeks World Cup in Melbourne due to Australian government travel restrictions put in place to limit the coronavirus outbreak.

Canberra extended restrictions on foreign nationals travelling from China for another week on Thursday, effectively ruling out Chinas participation at the February 20-23 World Cup, which offers qualifying points for this years Tokyo Olympics.

It has been a very challenging few weeks for us all, but none more so than for the Chinese gymnasts and officials who have been training and preparing to come to Melbourne, Gymnastics Australia CEO Kitty Chiller said in a statement.

Citing the Chinese Gymnastics Association, Chiller said the delegation from China are well and have shown no sign of infection but despite this, we all have to respect the Australian Governments travel restrictions.

No Plan B for Tokyo Olympics

Tokyo Olympics organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said there is no Plan B for the 2020 Games, which open in just over five months and have been jolted by the coronavirus outbreak in neighbouring China.

John Coates, head of an IOC inspection team, told reporters on Friday that Tokyo 2020 remains on track.

Certainly the advice were received externally from the WHO [World Health Organization] is that theres no case for any contingency plans or cancelling the games or moving the games, he added.

China reports 143 new deaths from coronavirus on mainland

Chinas National Health Commission said the death toll from COVID-19 had reached 1,523 in the mainland as of the end of Friday, up by 143 from the previous day.

All but four of the deaths were in Hubei, where some 56 million people remain under quarantine.

Across mainland China, there were 2,641 new confirmed infections on Friday. The total accumulated number so far has reached 66,492.





Japanese man who visited Hawaii confirmed with coronavirus

A man who visited Hawaii was confirmed to have coronavirus when he returned home to Japan, according to officials in Hawaii.

Health officials were tracking down details about his travel in the US island chain, including his flight information and people with whom he had close contact.

The man was in Hawaii January 28 to February 7 and had cold-like symptoms during his last few days there, said Hawaii Health Director Bruce Anderson. He only developed more serious symptoms when he returned to Japan, where he tested positive for the illness, Anderson said.

Because of when his symptoms began, officials believe he became infected in Japan or while in transit to Hawaii, said state epidemiologist Dr Sarah Park.

Our focus at this point is to try and understand who potentially this person may have had close, prolonged contact, Park said, adding that theyre concentrating on his whereabouts while on the island of Oahu because that is where he developed symptoms.

Death toll in China surges past 1,500

The death toll from Chinas new coronavirus epidemic surged past 1,500 after 139 more people died in Hubei province.

The provinces health commission also reported 2,420 new cases of the COVID-19 strain, about half the number from the previous day.




Haiti - USA : Trafficking of historical objects, 479 stolen artifacts returned to Haiti by the United States





Friday, February 14, 2020, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison joined Haitian Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin also Minister of Culture, and Director General of the Haitian Bureau of Ethnology Erol Josue in a ceremony to repatriate 479 cultural and historical artifacts to the Republic of Haiti.



The Haitian artifacts were discovered in the largest single recovery of culture property in the history of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI); this is the first such repatriation of cultural patrimony from the United States to Haiti. To commemorate, representatives from the FBI Art Crime Team, the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Haiti's Ministry of Culture and Communication gathered at the Bureau of Ethnology in Port-au-Prince.



In her remarks, Ambassador Sison noted that, "Today, we celebrate the vital role that the rule of law and all its processes serve to protect a nation's people, property, and heritage. Intellectual property rights and arts crime units serve to foster vital collaboration between law enforcement units around the world."



For his part, FBI Acting Deputy Assistant Director Michael Nordwall added, "the FBI recognizes the significant role artifacts like these play in a culture's history and identity. We are honored to return these pieces to the people of Haiti."



Returning these artifacts to Haiti continues a long tradition of U.S. support for Haiti's rich cultural heritage. Through the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, the U.S. Embassy has provided more than $720,000 to fund nine unique cultural heritage preservation projects around the country. Through this program, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti has provided over $250,000 to a project surveying earthquake damage done to historic buildings in Port-au-Prince in order to help with their preservation; over $135,000 to support the preservation of the Citadelle and Palais de Sans-Souci; and $200,000 in 2018 to conserve and restore the Maison Viviane Gauthier.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30018-haiti-heritage-usa-returns-to-the-haitian-government-stolen-objects-of-ancient-art.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















MEDIA  Emotions ran high Friday afternoon during a gun law reform rally and memorial to the 17 people killed two years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Were here because were demanding action, said rally organizer Deb Ciamacca, a retired U.S. Marine and former Conestoga High School teacher who is running as a Democrat for the 168th Legislative District seat currently occupied by Republican Chris Quinn of Middletown.

Were not only recognizing the fact that all of these children have died, were asking our state legislators  were demanding from our state legislators that we do something, she said. Do your job!

Quinn, contacted earlier in the day, said he was glad Ciamacca wants to join the fight. Quinn said Harrisburg is a diverse place that makes passing these kinds of bills somewhat difficult.

We can use as many people as possible, he said.

Quinn noted he authored a bill currently pending in the House with broad bipartisan support to close the gun show loophole that does not require background checks for private sales of long guns, as well as another bill that would prohibit those with violent juvenile records from legally obtaining a gun until they are about 30 years old.

A lot of this is common sense, said Quinn. Most people you talk to theyre looking for common sense legislation to help prevent violence in our community and closing the background check, to me, its a no-brainer. And I think those people that have a little bit of common sense are completely in favor of doing that.

At the rally, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said that he joined the Delaware County District Attorneys office 20 years ago, shortly after the mass shooting at Columbine High School. Unfortunately, he said, that was not the last this country saw of those types of shootings, though he added there is gun violence every day in many communities across the country.

We are working in the District Attorneys office as hard as we can, with local law enforcement, with county council, with all of our elected officials to try to put an end to gun violence, Stollsteimer said. But we cant do it alone. We need new tools, we need our legislators to stand up and take a stand against gun violence.

Stollsteimer said U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-5 of Swarthmore, has been a great advocate, but the U.S. Senate is beholden to the National Rifle Association and refuses to move any piece of legislation aimed at curbing gun violence in this country.

Closer to home, state Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26 of Swarthmore, said his colleague state Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown, has proposed a red-flag bill that would temporarily remove guns from people exhibiting signs of distress or mental imbalance, but it has not moved out of committee for a year.

He said the majority of Pennsylvanians do support common-sense reforms like universal background checks and mandates to report lost and stolen guns, but there seems to be little appetite for those changes in Harrisburg.

I cant do a whole lot because theres not the political will there in Harrisburg to actually make these things happen, he said. What we need to do if we want that to occur is we need to change the political will, and thats only going to happen when we change leadership, change the leadership that occurs within the Senate, within the House.

Quinn has also supported the House version of a red-flag bill introduced by Rep. Todd Stephens, R-151 of Montgomery County, but said he wants to ensure the law contains a provision for those without means to defend themselves to have representation in court.

State Rep. Jennifer OMara, D-165 of Springfield, said she remembers getting signatures for her nominating petitions two years ago shortly after the Parkland shooting and greeting concerned citizens at their doors who were asking what she was going to do about gun violence.

I am proud to say I have been trying very hard, but like Tim said, its really hard to get anything passed in Harrisburg that has to do with common-sense gun safety because right now, the chair of the Judiciary (Committee) in the House has refused to run any bill related to common sense gun safety, said OMara. And I think what were also forgetting is that by failing to act, were letting children grow up in a world where their mental health is being forever changed.

OMara noted that her own father died by gun suicide when she was just 13 years old, an act that changed the entire course of her life. She now has 7-year-olds asking her what she is doing about gun violence after their schools are running active-shooter drills.

Also speaking was Michelle Roberson, an activist and the mother of Bianca Roberson, who was killed in a road-rage shooting on Route 100 in West Goshen in 2017. Her killer, David Desper, of Trainer, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison in 2018.

State Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-156 of West Chester, introduced a bill dubbed Biancas Law in 2018 that would prohibit motorists from carrying loaded firearms in their vehicles, but Roberson said that simple request has also stalled in committee.

Why do you need to drive down a road with a loaded gun ready? she said. All Im asking is that we just separate the bullets from the gun. That way if you want to call it road rage, when youre angry, it takes you a second to get your gun and put it together, and by that time youre saying, Uh-uh, wrong move. My daughter would be alive today if that bill had been passed.

Roberson said there needs to be harsher penalties for acts of gun violence to deter future crimes and pleaded for those who carry guns to put them down.

I was robbed because the man, his gun and his bullet took my future, took everything from me, she said, crying. Please, put the guns down. Stop. Another parent should not have to pull a blanket over her child and close the coffin and put them in the ground. We should not.

Ciamacca wrapped up the rally by reading the names and ages of the Parkland victims before a moment of silence. She thanked those in attendance for coming and urged them to contact their legislators to demand action on things like background checks, red-flag laws and other common-sense gun legislation.
The Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) has announced it will release onto the market an upgraded version of petrol to serve customers better from February 17.

According to the company, it will start serving the general public a higher grade petrol known as the RON 95 from next week Monday to boost the performance of engines and also keep engines clean of carbon deposits.

A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) Robert Kyere said, GOIL Company Limited has released onto the market higher grade petrol (RON 95) fuel type for the benefit of the petrol consuming public.

It added, The high-grade petrol (RON 95) will from Monday, February 17, 2020, be sold country-wide at all companys over 400 service stations at no extra cost to our cherished customers.

With the introduction of the new high-grade petrol on the market, the statement noted that consumers will experience less vibration, less noise from their engines, get a better fuel economy and other mileage for their vehicles at the same price.

The company has assured that they will continue to have the interest of customers at heart and ensure that they get value for money for fuel bought at all stations nationwide.
Elon Musk reveals prototypes of the Tesla Solar Roof on October 28, 2016 Tesla

Even with a record fourth quarter for its solar energy and storage systems business, Tesla's energy revenue declined by over $24 million in 2019, after several rounds of layoffs that started the prior year. The company is now under pressure to get the business going again. Tesla said, in its annual financial report on Thursday, that it's ramping up solar photovoltaic production at its plant in Buffalo, New York. "We have recently started manufacturing solar panels at this facility in collaboration with Panasonic," the filing states.

CEO Elon Musk needs to increase headcount at the Buffalo plant, dubbed Gigafactory 2. If Tesla fails to employ 1,460 people there in April, it will have to pay a $41.2 million penalty to the state of New York or get an exemption. The mayor of Buffalo said, citing company officials, that there are currently around 1,100 workers at the plant. Empire state taxpayers doled out $959 million to build Tesla's factory, including equipment purchases, which is $209 million more than originally expected. In addition to his race against the clock in upstate New York, Musk is also in a battle with Tesla shareholders, who sued the automaker in 2017 over its $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity. They say the deal never should have happened and called it a bailout of Musk and his cousins, Lyndon and Peter Rive, who started SolarCity. Musk was co-founding chairman of SolarCity and its biggest shareholder at the time of the acquisition. He's expected to stand trial in Delaware's Chancery Court in March. Tesla told Reuters in September that the allegations were "based on the claims of plaintiff's lawyers looking for a payday, and are not representative of our shareholders."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 21:20:37|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in an interview with Reuters in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

BERLIN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the United States to respect the recommendations made by the World Health Organization on the epidemic of COVID-19 and to create favorable conditions for implementing the China-U.S. phase-one trade agreement.

In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Wang expressed his hope that the United States would not adopt unnecessary trade and personnel restrictions in the difficult times of epidemic.

"Given the U.S.' highest-level travel advisory against China, practically that will bring about some challenges to the implementation of the agreement," he said.

The Chinese people always honor their commitments, Wang said, adding that the phase one trade agreement has been reached between the two sides based on equality and mutual respect.

China stands ready to work with the United States to implement the agreement, which will truly benefit both China and the United States, as well as the whole world, Wang said.

The Chinese market is big enough to withstand the impact of the epidemic, which is temporary, Wand said, pointing out that when the epidemic is over, the subdued consumer demand will be released quickly, the dynamism of China's economy will rebound strongly, and the market will continue to grow.

There will be better conditions to implement the consensus in the phase-one deal as China deepens reforms and expands opening up in accordance with its own timetable and roadmap, said Wang.

He said that China will keep up its end of the bargain and hopes the United States will deliver its commitments to China as well.
Hotels, pastry chefs and coffee chains can soon start offering guests customized 3D-printed chocolate thanks to a little-known Swiss chocolatier.

Barry Callebaut, the behind-the-scenes producer of a quarter of the worlds chocolate, is giving gourmet clients access to a method of printing personalized designs en masse, the Zurich-based company said in a statement Friday. The technology will first be available through the companys Mona Lisa brand.

After experimenting with 3D-printing chocolate for years, Barry Callebaut has figured out a way for the printer to handle the tempering of the chocolate, a process that requires constant movement at specific temperatures and which could take as long as an hour in the past. Now, Barry Callebauts printers can print thousands of pieces in a much shorter time.

The move comes as the chocolate industry faces meager growth prospects. Barry Callebaut said last month that the global market stagnated in the three months through November and Lindt & Spruengli has said it plans to close 50 stores in the U.S.

Business clients can come up with their own designs, shapes and sizes, with the final creations fit for use in desserts, confectionery, hot drinks and pastries.

The important thing is this is not a one-off type of printing like in the past, said Pablo Perversi, Barry Callebauts innovation chief. We can produce at scale.

Chocolate lovers looking for more personalized chocolate in stores will have to wait a few years, though. Barry Callebaut will first work with gourmet clients before entering the next phase with manufacturers, Perversi said.

Ultimately, consumers may even have 3-D chocolate printers in their kitchens.
Storyful

An affable deer created somewhat of a buzz in a neighborhood near Salt Lake City, Utah, he regularly visited over the holiday period.The deer, nicknamed Cooper by local residents, has been playing with children in the neighborhood of Herriman and was even spotted posing for photos, reports said.Herriman resident Angelica Lujan recorded footage of the tame deer interacting with her children outside of her home on South Rowell Drive.Speaking to KSTU, a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources representative said despite the deers friendly attitude, the best thing for the animal is for people to leave him alone.People dont realize these beautiful, cute deer can be aggressive as they get older. Weve had times in the past where these friendly deer, they do get aggressive, said Scott Root, Conservation Outreach Manager, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.Weve had kids hurt at bus stops. Bad things happen when we feed deer in a residential area, Root added. Credit: Angelica Lujan via Storyful
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 18:19:18|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in an interview with Reuters in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- China played an important role in facilitating the final signing of the Paris Agreement, and will "100 percent" fulfill its promises on climate action, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday in an interview with Reuters.

China is the largest developing country, and the process of industrialization has not yet been completed, Wang said, noting that it is necessary to speed up the development process so that the Chinese people can lead a better life.

Meanwhile, China, as a major country, is willing to shoulder its due international responsibilities and obligations, Wang said.

For a country with a population of 1.4 billion, fulfilling its promises on reducing emissions is the biggest contribution to the world and the human development, Wang said.

China has completed its annual emission reduction target per unit of GDP ahead of schedule over the past years, and it is now home to half of the world's new energy vehicles. Its installed capacity for renewable energy accounts for one third of the world's total amount, Wang said.

China joined the international community in combating climate change with solid actions, not with slogans, Wang noted.

He also said China insists on the new development concepts of innovation, coordination, green development, openness and sharing, and strives to realize sustainable and high-quality development.

China and Europe have complementary advantages on green development, and China is willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in this regard, he said.
Photo: BC SPCA Journey is now searching for a home in Metro Vancouver or the Lower Mainland.

Her journey is close to a happy ending.

You may remember a cat that arrived in Prince George back in April 2019 after coming from Shenzen, China (via Vancouver) and it survived more than three weeks in a 40-foot shipping container.

It was believed the cat survived by drinking the condensation. She was found by staff at a local glass distribution company where she was discovered among pellets, shredded cardboard and styrofoam inside the large container.

The BC SPCA issued a plea for donations and help for the six-year-old female, who was later dubbed 'Journey,' and more than $20,000 was raised for her care.

SPCA staff and volunteers have spent hundreds of hours caring for six-year-old Journey, ensuring that she received life-saving medical treatment and on-going behaviour modification to help her overcome her extreme fear of humans, BC SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk says.

When she was well enough, she was transferred from Prince George to the Lower Mainland, where she has been fostered for the past several months by Dr. Karen van Haaften, a board-certified veterinary behaviourist and the BC SPCAs senior manager of behaviour and welfare.

Chortyk adds while Journey has made great progress through her daily behaviour sessions, she may never be a cat who seeks out attention or enjoys being pet.

But she loves to play and can now tolerate being touched," she says. "She is ready for a forever home where she can continue to build trust with people.

Journey was in foster care in the Lower Mainland as of Nov. 29 with a video showing her progress from being in the SPCA's care to her playing in her new temporary home.

The feline will be up for adoption and searching for a home in Metro Vancouver or the Lower Mainland.

She's looking for a calm, adult-only home with a predictable routine and an indoor-only lifestyle inside a small home (such as an apartment or condo) with no other cats and someone who is willing to continue with her touch-tolerance training and also give her lots of playtime.

"Experience with under-socialized cats would be an asset, but the SPCA can provide training & ongoing support for her behaviour needs," a release reads.

She never stopped believin'.
A man has been killed and four people have been injured after a shooting outside a music venue in Berlin.

Authorities said one or more people opened fire outside the Tempodrom, near Potsdamer Platz in the centre of the capital, before fleeing the scene.

A 42-year-old man was killed, a spokeswoman for prosecutors in the city said.

Four other people were injured, some seriously.

Police and emergency cars stand in a crowed near the Tempodrom venue after a shooting in Berlin / AP

The spokeswoman could not confirm whether the injuries were caused by the gunfire.

Investigators do not yet have any indication about the motive for the shooting but it does not appear to be terrorism-related, she added.

According to police one person was killed / AP

The incident took place in a square in front of the Tempodrom as a Turkish comedy night was being staged inside.
Sinn Fein has topped the poll in Dublin Fingal in a stunning victory for Louise O'Reilly.

The party suffered disappointing results in Fingal in the local elections and last November's by-election but surfed in on a wave of support for the party across the country to top the poll this time around.

Louise O'Reilly who has been a TD for the constituency for the past four years, provided the party with a high-profile candidate as Sinn Fein's spokesperson on Health, one of the pivotal issues in this General Election campaign.

She romped home with a staggering 15,792 first preference votes, over 5,600 votes ahead of her nearest rival, Fianna Fail's Darragh O'Brien who had been widely tipped as the poll-topper going into the General Election campaign.

As the Fingal Independent went to press on Monday, we were still waiting on official confirmation of who would fill the next four seats but the picture was becoming increasingly clear.

Fianna Fail's Darragh O'Brien turned in the party's best performance in Dublin and returned to the Dail.

The by-election result back in November was confirmed by the Fingal electorate as they chose Joe O'Brien of the Green Party to again fill one of the precious five seats.

Fine Gael hung on in Dublin Fingal to secure the fourth seat for Alan Farrell who will return to the Dail.

The only thing in some doubt at lunchtime on Monday was the destination of the fifth seat. Duncan Smith was retaining a significant lead over independent candidate, Tony Murphy and Independents4Change candidate, Dean Mulligan early on but by lunchtime, Mulligan had leap-frogged Smith into fifth place making the fifth seat too close to call as the Fingal Independent went to press.

Smith was in a battle to keep the traditional Labour seat in the constituency after Brendan Ryan stepped down.
The condition of the three Indians infected with the novel coronavirus on board the cruise ship moored off the Japanese coast has improved and no new cases of infection among the Indians on the quarantined vessel have been reported, the Indian Embassy in Japan said on Saturday.

A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711 people on board the quarantined ship that arrived at the Japanese coast earlier this month.

Three Indians were among the 218 people infected with COVID-19 on the ship.

The Indian Embassy said it was making efforts for early de-boarding of all the Indians from the ship after the end of the quarantine period.

"Happy to inform that health conditions of 3 Indians being treated for COVID-19 have improved and no new cases of infection of Indians on the ship," the embassy tweeted.

The embassy is in discussion with the Japanese government and the ship management company for the disembarkation modalities and welfare of Indians, it said.

"We have continued our efforts with all of them for early disembarkation of our nationals after the end of the quarantine period and subject to favourable results of their tests for COVID - 19," an embassy official told PTI on Saturday.

The ship was quarantined after a passenger who de-boarded last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the COVID-19 on the ship.

The embassy also sent an email to all Indian nationals on board the ship, assuring them of all help and assistance.

They are also requested to follow the Japanese government's health and quarantine protocols, the embassy said on its Facebook page.

The Japanese government on Thursday announced that passengers aged 80 or older will be given the option to disembark the ship if they test negative for COVID-19. Those who meet the age requirement and have pre-existing conditions or are staying in rooms without balcony will be prioritised for disembarkation.

No Indian national falls under this category, eligible for early disembarkation, the statement said on Friday.

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus epidemic climbed to 1,523 with 143 new fatalities reported mostly from the worst-affected Hubei province, while the confirmed cases jumped to over 66,000, health officials said on Saturday.

More than 580 cases have been confirmed outside mainland China and three deaths, one each in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.

The coronavirus outbreak originated in central China's Hubei province in December last year and has spread to several countries, including India.

Many countries have banned arrivals from China while major airlines have suspended flights to the country.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the use of digital technology such as big data, artificial intelligence and cloud computing to better support epidemic monitoring and analysis, virus tracing, prevention and treatment, and resource allocation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Meaning to Voice 2020 View(s):

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, the legend in Lankas century old radio broadcasting, is inviting young people, who can to carry the baton forward.

The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), formerly Radio Ceylon, is the oldest radio station in South Asia, and was founded as Colombo Radio in 1925. Edward Harper who was then the Chief Engineer at the Telegraph Department in 1921, was the first person who initiated experimental broadcasts in Ceylon.

SLBC is calling all young talented male and female announcers, who can manage precise radio language to be trained as radio broadcasters to achieve the national expectations as the precursor of the worlds second radio broadcaster and the, premier in the South Asia.

Application and audition will be called from the age group of 18-30 who intends to be announcers through application procedure and microphonic voices will be selected. A panel of veteran announcers will be in the selection process. The main channels in all three languages at the Head office in Colombo and the entire regional channels will be in this operation.

The radio broadcasting arena is immensely in need of brilliant set of youths at this moment of prosper and new expectations borne in entire nations to work towards a national renaissance said the head of the panel of veteran announcers.

The SLBCs prime objective is to actively get involved the talents of young generation all over the country into a single stream of great mission of building this country. Thus, this great opportunity opens up for younger generation of the country who anticipate moving in to radio communication.

Calling applications, voice audition, selection of male and female announcers, preparing a waiting list of announcers to submit to any channel of the Corporation in need, setting up a voice bank to submit any reputed institution are included in this process .

A comprehensive training will be provided to all Announcers. A national recognized certificate will be awarded upon their skills and success.

Application can be downloaded from the SLBC official Website: www.slbc.lk. In addition the application is available from the SLBCs reception and all its regional offices. The closing date of application is 20 March 2020. For further details are available on: 0112696602.
KAMPALA  More than 1.2million refugees in Uganda are at risk of disastrous hunger after a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it is in a funding crisis, confirming, the agency may run out funds to provide them with food aid.

WFP said on Thursday that it immediately needs at least $16m every month to support the displaced refugees in Uganda with food assistance.

The plea was made at the WFP Warehouse in Nalukolongo, Kampala during the official handover of 4750 metric tons of rice consignment donated by the government of Japan.

Mr. El Khidir Daloum, WFP Country Director made the plea following shortfalls in funding that might hinder the organizations ability to offer food to refugees come end May 2020.

He said without support from donors, WFP will not have food to feed refugees as from May.

As of now, we only have food enough until the end of May. And then, for cash, it is only enough until the end of the month (February 28), he said.

WFP needs about USD 16 million a month to feed 1.2 milion refugees currently in settlement areas that include Kyaka II, Kyangwali, Rwamanja, Nakivale among others but the USD16 million is also for only one priority out of the WFP six priorities.

If we dont receive international community funding, then, we will only protect those who are vulnerable, single mothers, families with many kids, but this is a situation with most of the refugees, he said.

El Khidir said on time if the agency doesnt get the money, on time, it may be forced to again cut food rations.

He added: If you give me cash today to buy food, and distribute it to the people, it is not possible, so you need at least two or three months ahead of the deadline. If we are to contain this situation, we need to procure food before the month ends and deliver it to the refugees, he noted.

Japanese consignment delivered in October last year but that the biggest percentage was distributed on arrival but it meant a lot from October to today.

El Khidir issued a blunt and urgent appeal to donors, asking them to honour their commitments and warning that the situation would have a devastating effect on the lives of more than 1.2 million people.

Asked whether the government of Uganda has any plans of procuring food for the people of concern, Simon Gerald Menhya, the Commissioner for refugees at Office of Prime Minister said; Uganda is part of the international community, we have played our part, but we are not solely responsible for these people.

Government has no plans for procuring the food to refugees, he said noting that, it is the role of the international community to provide the necessary funding.

Uganda through the government of Japan made a contribution of in-kind rice to refugees. The rice contribution was a contribution Japanese government to the people OPM, which topped up UGX.2 billion in cash to meet the associated costs including transport, handling and storing food from donors.

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Newly elected to Dail Eireann in last November's by-election, Green Party Deputy Joe O'Brien has once again gained the support of the people of Fingal, retaining his strongly contested seat in the Dail.

Speaking to The Fingal Independent at the National Show Centre in Swords last Sunday, Deputy O'Brien spoke of how the by-election compared with General Election 2020: 'I'm very happy with the vote, the by-election was great but you kind of want to see it on the bigger stage at the general election, so the last few weeks on the doors were indicating that the support levels were as good if not better than by-election levels, so good to see it turning into votes so hopefully if not tonight then tomorrow, I'll get across the line.'

Asked what it was like to be back on the election trail again so soon after the November by-election, the Green Party candidate said: 'I was quite happy to, we knew it was going to be short, the stint in the Dail, but kind of the sooner it came after the by-election, the better for me and I was happy to do it. The weather in Novemember was a lot worse than it has been in the last three or four weeks, I didn't really get my feet under the table in the Dail, it was only nine sitting days ultimately, seven to eight weeks from when I got in until the election was called, so it was very short.'

Asked how he would feel about potentially working with Sinn Fein in the formation of a government, O'Brien said: 'We'll talk with everyone, that's our position from day one, we feel that if people elect people from other parties, they need to be shown at a minimal level, respect, which involves talking to them.'

Refelecting on his own campaign, he said: 'The campaign went great, it was really good, we had people joining us on the canvas every other day, new people joining us, there was a fair bit of momentum behind us, so it was good.

'It was enjoyable and I probably enjoyed it more than the by-election, so I think that nationally we're looking to treble our numbers or quadruple them, so it's really going to be a record-breaking day for the Green Party, whichever way it goes.

'We're looking like we're going to have more TDs than we ever had before,so that's a big deal for us.'
After three decades in business, a local travel agency is saying bon voyage next month.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Shiela and Bill Chapman of Uniglobe Clark Travel are retiring after 30 years in business. (Colin Slark/The Brandon Sun)

After three decades in business, a local travel agency is saying bon voyage next month.

Shiela and Bill Chapman decided to retire last year and have been working on winding the business down. Theyre not sure what specific day that the doors will close permanently, but it will be by the end of March at the latest when the lease expires.

For its entire existence, the business has operated out of 710 18th St., in the same strip mall as Toymasters and Little Caesars. The office is almost like a second home, adorned with knickknacks and souvenirs brought back as gifts from clients visiting diverse locals.

There are small items, like a small model of the pyramid at Chichen Itza. On the larger end, theres a large African mask carved out of wood that must have been difficult to transport back to Canada.

Many of their clients are locals, but their customer base also includes corporate customers as well as clients from across the border in North Dakota and Minnesota.

While theyve enjoyed their work, they decided that it is time for them to spend more time with their family and do some travelling of their own.

"Its been awesome," Shiela said. "Really enjoyed it. Its been different every day and thats been a bonus."

The pair say that the industry has "hugely" changed over the last 30 years. Once they had to write plane tickets out by hand and get put on hold for long phone calls to confirm bookings. Now everything is done online and electronically.

Bill said that having to write down travel and financial details for every trip they sold was extremely time-consuming. "That was eight hours a day, five days a week," he said. "Now I can be in and out of here in two hours."

While all-inclusive vacations are still available and fairly popular, Shiela said that customers are opting for a different approach to their travels these days. Travellers want trips customized for them rather than buying a cookie-cutter experience from a catalogue.

Shiela said that a great lesser-known vacation spot is Seychelles, an archipelago made up of more than a hundred islands off the eastern coast of Africa just north of Madagascar. She said that it has great beaches and warm weather but usually isnt as busy as other hot spots like Mexico or the Carribean.

She added that a lot of South Pacific countries like Fiji have a lot to offer as vacation destinations. For history buffs, she recommends taking a trip to World War landmarks and monuments in France, especially if people have a personal connection.

Modern technology also helps customers come into the office more informed about what kind of experience theyre looking for.

"They come in and have a pretty good idea of what they want to do, theyre just not sure how to do it and how to put it together," Bill said. "And then theres always the what-ifs. What if something happens? What if it doesnt go right? What if this person I booked doesnt show up, that kind of thing. As a travel consultant, thats where you come in."

Shiela spoke about the satisfaction of hearing from customers that their vacations went well.

"It gives you a really good feeling that their holiday, that they only get so much time a year (for), they had the best time and they made some great, great memories," she said.

"When youre dealing with somebody, theyve worked all year to get those two weeks, three weeks (off), whatever theyre doing," Bill added. "You want to try to make sure it meets their expectations or exceeds it."

The Chapmans said that theyve tried to treat their customers like family and have stayed in touch with many of their customers from throughout their years.

"Over the 30 years, weve made a lot of repeat customers," Bill said. "Their kids have grown up with our kids."

On a Facebook post announcing their retirement made on Thursday, more than a dozen people commented to congratulate Bill and Shiela on their retirement and to say how much theyll be missed.

Though the doors are closing in March, that wont mark the couples complete retirement. Theyre remaining available to customers who have already booked trips to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Their family is likely to use their services, too. One of their daughters is getting married this year and mom and dad have helped arrange the honeymoon. However, it wont be a destination wedding.

As experienced travel agents, theyll be able to use their expertise to plan their own holidays from now on. Theyre looking at doing a European river cruise on the Rhine and would like to visit Portugal at some point.

 cslark@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
By Asif Shahzad

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said he would help Pakistan stay off a terrorism financing blacklist at a meeting of a global finance watchdog, a move he suggested would counter "political pressure" from Islamabad's critics.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which tackles money laundering, told Islamabad late last year that it could face blacklisting if it continued to apply inadequate controls over terrorism financing.

The FATF is meeting next week in France, and support from Turkey and longtime allies like China, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia could help Pakistan remain off the blacklist. A minimum of three votes are required for any country to escape the blacklisting.

If it joined the blacklist alongside Iran and North Korea, Islamabad would face sanctions and economic setbacks at a time when its economy is struggling with a balance of payment crisis.

"We will be supporting Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force meetings, where Pakistan is subject to political pressure," Erdogan told Pakistan's parliament a day after he arrived in Islamabad.

The FATF already has Pakistan on its "gray-list" of countries with inadequate controls over curbing money laundering and terrorism financing.

But its arch-rival India, which came close to war with its nuclear-armed neighbor last year, wants Pakistan blacklisted.

Of 40 recommendations made by the watchdog, Pakistan had fully complied with only one, largely complied with nine, partially complied with 26, and totally missed four parameters, which were mandatory if Islamabad wanted to be removed from the gray-list, a review by the group last year said.

The FATF says Pakistan should adequately identify, assess and understand risks associated with militant groups operating in Pakistan such as Islamic State group, al-Qaeda, Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continue to raise funds openly.

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Pakistan says it has made a significant improvement on the requirements since the last review.

Islamabad says it has seized the groups' assets and put the militants on trials, like the entire leadership of the JuD, including its chief Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks in India, which killed 166 people.

In a move praised by Washington as an important step forward, Saeed was jailed for 11 years on Wednesday on terrorism financing charges.

Pakistan remained committed to the earliest completion of its FATF action plan, Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar tweeted on Wednesday.

(Writing by Asif Shahzad, Editing by William Maclean)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 21:48:40|Editor: xuxin

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GAZA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday slammed a military strategic plan recently announced by the Israeli army, saying that the plan seeks a "lost victory."

Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in a press statement that "It is a plan of gangs that disregards all international laws and conventions."

Aviv Kochavi, Israeli army chief of staff, declared the new military strategic plan for the year 2020 to 2024.

Israeli Radio reported that the plan includes strengthening land weapons and renewing the armored vehicles and aircraft to counter what Israel calls "the Iranian threats."

"All these military plans and preparations for wars will never stop our people carrying on with their resistance to grab their rights and freedom and end the occupation," said Qassem.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 07: Actor Freddie Prinze, Jr. discusses his new cookbook 'Back to the Kitchen' during AOL Build Speaker Series at AOL Studios In New York on June 7, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro/WireImage)

WARNING: There are SPOILERS ahead for Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker.

So if youre yet to see the final installment to the Skywalker saga then please proceed cautiously.

At the end of The Rise Of Skywalker, Star Wars fans were overjoyed when Rey heard nearly a dozen Jedi voices, which meant that Ewan McGregor and Alec Guiness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu and Frank Oz as Yoda, to name but a few, were all able to cameo.

Read More: JJ Abrams will learn from the poor response to Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

One of the other actors to feature was Freddie Prinze Jr as Kanan Jarrus, a hugely popular Jedi Knight from the Star Wars Rebels animated series. The actor has now opened up about his return as Kanan, telling IGN that he was originally approached by Rebels creator Dave Filoni about the mysterious part.

Freddie Prinze Jr talks Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker

I was like, Yeah, whatever you guys need. I always like to do that. And they were like, Okay, but this one might be a little different. And so right away I was like, Oh, it's for the movie!

Prinzes guess was right, because once he arrived J.J. Abrams was there and he soon started to break down the scene, as well as what was going on with Rey and what she was needing from the Jedi at that point, because the Force provides you with what you need - not the Jedi per se, it's the Force kind of dictating that.

Read More: Colin Trevorrow confirms that the leaked Star Wars IX artwork is the real deal

Abrams didnt reveal which other characters were involved in the scene, although Prinze was made aware that more Jedi actors were set to record the exact same lines.

Obviously, Prinze was ecstatic to be involved in The Rise Of Skywalker in any capacity, and when it comes to the future of the franchise he is excited to see that Filoni is still involved with The Mandalorian, too, as he added, I love Dave's influence over the brand at this point.
Sometimes when you look at markets, they seem to bottom when fear is at its zenith. Oil prices are poised for the first up week since the news of the coronavirus started to break because traders are beginning to buy on the fact that prices have fallen too far because of fear.

Fear that the coronavirus will spread. Fear that oil demand will have its first quarterly drop since the financial crisis in 2009. Yet traders are starting to believe that the market has exaggerated the fear and the current impact on global oil demand.

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In fact, despite the fears that this virus might get worse and continue to zap energy demand, cooler heads are suggesting that the historic hit to demand may be manageable. Oil prices have already plunged over 22 percent on virus fears, and while some of that price drop was justified, it probably exceeded what was rational, at least at this point. U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette was telling the world that there is no need to panic about coronavirus impact on oil markets.

Reuters reported that Brouillette said that, The coronavirus epidemic in China has had a marginal impact on energy markets and is unlikely to dramatically affect oil prices even if Chinese demand falls by 500,000 barrels per day. Of course, he did not mention that the price of oil had already fallen over 20 percent, but you get his drift.

While we still hear horror stories about the coronavirus and its impact on global oil demand, in the whole scheme of things, a loss of 500,000 barrels a day of demand is manageable, assuming that things do not get worse. I know that is a big assumption but traders are looking at life after the virus.

Besides, there is a high probability that OPEC and Russian will, at some point, act to offset that loss. In an extended energy meeting, the group tried to engineer a 600,000-barrel-a-day production cut. The problem is that so far Russia has been reluctant to agree to a cut. They say they want to take more time to assess the situation. Yet sources say that at some point, the Russians will go along with a reduction in production.

Story continues

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With all of the focus on the demand destruction from the virus, the crude oil market has ignored production outages in other parts of the globe, most noticeably in Libya. Libyan oil production is at a virtual standstill because of the civil war there. Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar is using force and wants to seize control of Libyas oil and gas sector. Libyan oil exports have stopped and oil production has fallen by close to one million barrels a day. That is a number that might be twice as much as the current demand loss from the coronavirus.

The International Energy Agency (IEA), for comparison, has said they expect that oil demand will fall by 435,000 BPD this quarter. This is the first decrease since the financial crisis in 2009 due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Thursday.

I will also mention that there are still geopolitical risks as well. Tensions with Iran seem to have calmed down after President Trump took out Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, yet the country is again creating havoc in the Middle East.

On top of that, in the U.S. oil demand, because of a strong economy and high consumer confidence, could shatter oil demand numbers this year. Not to mention that February tends to be a low point for oil and gasoline anyway, and they start to rise as the summer driving season is right around the corner.

Phil Flynn is senior energy analyst at The PRICE Futures Group and a Fox Business Network contributor. He is one of the world's leading market analysts, providing individual investors, professional traders, and institutions with up-to-the-minute investment and risk management insight into global petroleum, gasoline, and energy markets. His precise and timely forecasts have come to be in great demand by industry and media worldwide and his impressive career goes back almost three decades, gaining attention with his market calls and energetic personality as writer of The Energy Report. You can contact Phil by phone at (888) 264-5665 or by email at pflynn@pricegroup.com.

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Takeo Nakajima - Chief representative Japan External Trade Organization Hanoi Office Currently, Japanese businesspeople are refraining from non-urgent business trips within the region. Large events and gatherings may be cancelled or postponed to avoid the spread of the epidemic. Our organisation is planning to receive many business people and government delegations from Japan in February and March. Therefore, we actively engage in communicating with partners about how to safely handle the events in co-ordination with instructions by the Vietnamese and Japanese authorities. We do not have any information about shifting investment from Vietnam to other countries because not only Vietnam but Japan and most of the ASEAN members including Thailand and Malaysia are affected by the nCoV at the same magnitude. We would see even more companies in China accelerate shifting production capabilities to Vietnam. Containing an epidemic is difficult in an open and globalised society. If a country mishandles the situation, the worst could happen. In this sense, the Vietnamese government so far has been quick and decisive in introducing strict enforcement measures against the spread. However, we have seen more negative development among the Japanese business community over the last week, though it is still too early to see real business setbacks caused by the epidemic. China, Vietnam, and Japan are strong trade and investment partners, and any incident like this may cause damage to the free flow of goods, services, and people in this area. Tourism is one of the hardest-hit industries, and the trade, transportation, and agriculture also could face negative effects of the epidemic. Meanwhile, healthcare services, hygiene goods manufacturers, and remote digital services may receive more business orders. Nicolas Audier  Chairman European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam The European business community is monitoring the coronavirus carefully and is taking simple, sensible precautions as advised by the World Health Organization (WHO). While the virus is fairly concerning, the number of cases in Vietnam is still low, and we have not seen a knock-on effect on European business sentiment in Vietnam. EuroCham has shared the advice of the WHO with its membership to ensure all European enterprises and their employees understand the simple steps to prevent the spread of germs The next stage for the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will be up for a vote next week, and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will decide whether or not to ratify the deal. We are hopeful to see a positive outcome. A delegation of our chamber has been in Brussels for nearly a month, attending various meetings before and after the vote of the European Parliaments Committee on International Trade where the EVFTA hopefully overcomes its penultimate hurdle. The delegation will also travel to Strasbourg next week for this final step, to meet with MEPs ahead of the vote and urge them to ratify this historic FTA. Our chamber has supported the EVFTA ever since negotiations first began, and has promoted this deal in Europe and throughout Vietnam. In our view, the coronavirus outbreak will have no effect at all on the outcome of the vote. While the economic benefits of the EVFTA are undisputed, we know that some MEPs have reservations around areas such as social and labour rights. We hope to persuade them that the EVFTA will accelerate Vietnams progress in these areas, and urge them to vote convincingly in favour of the deal to recognise Vietnams strong record of reforms over the last few decades. Adam Sitkoff - Executive director American Chamber of Commerce Hanoi The ongoing virus outbreak in China has led to the largest quarantine in human history. This is an evolving situation, and additional time is needed to adequately assess the threat. This could go either way - turning out to be a lot of mild infections that dont require much medical attention, or it could turn out to be a very serious problem. For the economy - both here in Vietnam and around the region - this is already a serious problem which goes far beyond the immediately vulnerable travel and tourism sectors. Travel and supply chain disruptions will impact many business sectors. The ripple effects of the outbreak will cause changes in employment, wages, consumer confidence, and even monetary policy. Businesses are working hard to mitigate the negative effects of the virus outbreak, but we are still in the early days of this unfortunate situation. I have not seen any shifts in investment to other countries. The epidemic is a serious concern to many US investors, and is affecting travel, events, and life around the world. However, it is not a problem that is specific to Vietnam. This is a worldwide problem. The global business community is watching closely to see how things will turn out. The best thing for Vietnam to do is to take this public health issue seriously, act transparently, and continue to take the necessary steps to isolate and prevent widespread transmission of the virus, as well as to remain committed to economic reforms that improve the business climate for investment in Vietnam. There are already tens of thousands of people infected with the virus as the official number of cases. The main concern is the transmission from person-to-person. When that occurs in large numbers, the situation becomes more serious and dangerous, especially in places like Vietnam that have weaker healthcare systems. US companies are prepared to respond quickly to the fast-changing situation, and are focused on maintaining safe workplaces and business operations during this disruption, as well as taking care of their team members and customers. Again, this is an evolving situation and there is cause for concern. However, it is important that people act logically, reasonably, and make decisions based on facts and necessity. Shanmuga Retman - Vice chairman Singaporean Business Association in Vietnam During this period businesses must focus on their long-term growth plans. The current crisis is only a glitch and we have already faced many challenges within Asia over the recent years. Tourism is bracing itself for possible cancellations of events and tour groups if the situation intensifies in the coming months. We continue to receive trade facilitation inquiries from across Asia, including from Singaporean clients, for market expansion and acquisition opportunities in Vietnam. We are currently reviewing the establishment of a green bank, an innovation valley, and a greenfield hospital project  all of which are essential infrastructure projects in Vietnam, regardless of the virus outbreak in China. Singapores tourism industry is expected to see a decline in arrivals from China, which make up 20 per cent of the total inbound market. The country continues to look towards Vietnam as an attractive destination and source market for inbound tourism. The launch of the Singapore Vietnam Business Council shows that both countries are deepening their relationships across public and private sectors. Hong Sun - Vice chairman Korean Chamber of Business in Vietnam China is Vietnams key trading partner. Thus, the epidemic is causing big impacts on Vietnams exports to its neighbour, especially in agro-forestry-fishery. Moreover, imports of materials for textile and garments as well as electronic spare parts are also being affected. Service sectors such as tourism and hospitality are being hit. So far, many South Korean groups have cancelled trips to Vietnam. However, the outbreak does not affect the overall investment sentiment among South Korean businesses in Vietnam. Despite the serious development of the epidemic, South Korean enterprises will continue their investment plans in Vietnam. They are keeping their eyes open and intensifying protective measures. At the same time, they are seeking to stabilise operations, while continuing to seek new opportunities. We are hoping that Vietnam will soon halt the outbreak and continue facilitating a business environment that will guarantee rapid socio-economic development. VIR
The pair are known for flaunting their bold style statements at high-profile industry events.

And Lady Amelia Windsor, 24, and Lady Mary Charteris, 31, pulled out all the stops on Friday as they attended the Shrimps show during London Fashion Week.

Wearing racy cut-out black jeans with neon pink lace detailing, Lady Mary opted for a 2000's punk rock look complete with her signature pink dip-dyed hair.

Punk rock: Lady Amelia Windsor, 24, and Lady Mary Charteris (pictured), 31, pulled out all the stops on Friday as they attended the Shrimps show during London Fashion Week

She completed the look with a pearl edged jacket, a pair of chunky black Dr Martens - with only one boot featuring laces.

While Lady Amelia opted for a vintage feel flared blue jean, a dainty off-the-shoulder red crop top and a beaded handbag.

Lady Mary is the daughter of Scottish aristocrat, the 13th Earl of Wemyss and 9th Earl of March, she was raised on an estate in Gloucestershire featured in the Harry Potter films.

Dainty: Lady Amelia opted for a vintage feel flared blue jean, a dainty off-the-shoulder red crop top and a beaded handbag

Royal event: Lady Amelia, 39th in line to the throne, is the granddaughter of the Queen's cousin

Since launching herself as a model in her teens, Lady Mary has carved out a niche as the ultimate Sloane Raver, making money and a name for herself from various fashion endorsements, DJ-ing gigs and a near-naked wedding dress.

Meanwhile, Lady Amelia, 39th in line to the throne, is the granddaughter of the Queen's cousin.

The queen of fake fur: Founder and creative director of Shrimps Hannah Weiland attends the brand's Autumn/Winter show

Pink knits and pearled handbags: Shrimps, famous for its fake fur designs was founded by Hannah Weiland in 2013, the brand has now expanded to include more than just coats

Valentine's day dress: Naomi Shimada wore a red sheer dress with matching coloured heeled boot and a pearled bag as she attends the Shrimps show during LFW

Others to grace the Shrimp's Autumn Winter show were model Naomi Shimada and artists Katy Hessel and Polly Nor.

Shrimps, famous for its fake-fur designs was founded by Hannah Weiland in 2013 and brought some of the first truly luxury fur alternative coats to hit the market.

The brand has since evolved into a ready to wear fashion label offering a variety of garments.

Cowgirl boots and fur coats: Artists Katy Hessel (left) and Polly Nor wear some of Shrimps best fake fur designs with pearled Shrimps handbags

Strong boot: Model Sarah Holt attended the Shrimps show during London Fashion Week wearing a belted leopard print dress, a pair of pointed knee high boots and a pearled bag

Earlier in the day on Friday, Lady Amelia was seen cutting a relaxed casual figure as she walked through the streets of west London armed with a hot drink in her hand.

Amelia teamed her oversized grey coat with a pair of leopard print leggings and flat brown ankle boots as she braved the winter chill.

She was later seen showcasing her baby bear and mother bear tattoo as she wore an altogether more summery outfit to the Shrimps event.

Strolling: Earlier in the day on Friday, Lady Amelia was seen cutting a relaxed casual figure as she walked through the streets of west London armed with a hot drink in her hand
KTVT-TV spoke to the Dallas Police who said, a 5-year old boy was shot by his older brother as he was playing with his parents pistol Friday night.

Both children were being watched by an 18-year-old family member when the shooting occurred.

After the shooting the victims brother ran to the neighbors house asking for help.

The unidentified child was shortly transported from the 1800 block of Stella Avenue Dallas, Texas to a nearby hospital.

CBS 11 news reporter, Andrea Lucia spoke to the victims neighbor, Rosa Maria Martin, who said the little boy was hit in the shoulder but is expected to survive.

Officials said the shooting was an accident and that the child is conscious at this time.
My attitude is, Ive got a job to do, Cruz said in an interview. To do my job, Ive got to work with the president. And, you know, I could have made the choice to allow my feelings to be hurt, to take my marbles and go home. But I think that wouldve been an irresponsible choice.
A Hearne man was arrested in Bryan after mechanics reported finding a stash of crack cocaine in a truck that was being serviced, police said.

According to Bryan police, officers responded to a dealership along Texas 6 late Thursday morning, where mechanics said they found narcotics inside a customers truck. Though the customer had left the dealership by the time police arrived, an employee had documented finding what he believed was crack cocaine stashed in a hidden compartment in the truck.

Officers were able to stop the truck, driven by 48-year-old Jeanfreau Eugene Strange, at a nearby business. Strange declined to allow police to search the vehicle, and his girlfriend, the trucks owner, later arrived. She also denied consent for a search and said she was not aware of any criminal activity. A police K-9 was called in and indicated on the truck, which led to a probable cause search. Police said they found crack, a razor blade and a small amount of marijuana. Authorities said they found more than $1,500 in cash in Stranges pocket.

He is charged with delivery of 5.6 grams of cocaine, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison, and misdemeanor marijuana possession. He was released from the Brazos County Jail on $15,000 bond.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said he would carry a gun and decline a security detail if elected mayor of New York City on an FAQ NYC podcast late last month. Yes I will, number one, Adams said. And number two, I wont have a security detail. If the city is safe, the mayor shouldnt have a security detail with him. He should be walking the street by himself.

The former New York City Police Department captain has repeatedly sought to present himself as a law-and-order politician. He considers himselfextremely conservative on crime, and his commitment to carrying a gun echoes pro-gun interest groups argument that more armed officers are an effective solution for reducing crime, a strategy also endorsed by President Donald Trump. However, Adamss comments raised eyebrows in New York City, a place with some of the strictest gun control laws in the country.

This is not the first time Adams made headlines for his provocative or unexpected statements. Here is a rundown of Adams most shocking and surprising remarks over the years.

1993: As the leader of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, an association of black police officers, Adams criticized Heman Badillo, the Latino candidate for New York City comptroller, accusing him of betraying his heritage by marrying a Jewish woman. He returns to his community when he needs votes, Adams said. He should have returned there when looking for a wife. Adams later apologized directly to Badillo about his remarks.

March 2010: As a state senator, Adams was so disgusted by boys wearing low-slung pants that he launched his "Stop the Sag" campaign. He sponsored the construction of Brooklyn billboards targeting young black men and encouraging better social behavior. The lawmakers campaign sought to crack down on New York City crime. According to Adams, The first indicator that your child is having problems is the dress code.

November 2017: Adams opposed the shuttering of Woodland, a popular restaurant and bar on Flatbush Avenue with mostly black and Hispanic clientele that had been subject to noise complaints and arrests and threatened with a State Liquor Authority penalty. But when a resident raised concerns at a public meeting in Prospect Heights, Adams said, Im not going to be closing people down because folks are saying, I dont like the way customers look. The neighbor responded, Vomit doesnt have a racial tint.

Adams has held several fundraisers at Woodland, received campaign contributions from owner Akiva Ofshtein and reportedly was close friends with the operators, twin brothers Robert and Zhan Petrosyants. Stefan Ringel, a spokesman for the borough president, denied at the time any such relationship and claimed Adams relation to the Petrosyants is no different than any relationship he has with anyone that lives or works in the borough."

April 2018: At a private event, Adams reportedly pledged he would out-white New York City Comptroller Scott Stringerin the 2021 mayoral race. A registered Republican from 1995 to 2002, a time when Democrats arguably failed to effectively combat high crime in the city, Adams has long tried to appeal to white voters, especially when it comes to public safety. People look at a black candidate and they think he cant go into the Baysides, Bay Ridges and Marine Parks, and Im not going to be the candidate that cant do that, Adams told the Times.

October 2018: After the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, Adams urged off-duty officers to carry handguns into church.If we have officers who are trained on how to respond to emergencies, how to move people to safety, how to properly use a firearm  if theyre leaving those firearms at home, Im saying to them, stop leaving your firearms at home, Adams said. Do as I do: Bring your firearm to church. Adams was criticized by some Democrats, including New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who said the borough presidents suggestion is not how we heal and move forward.

September 2019: To combat the citys rodent crisis, Adams debuted an unusual rat extermination plan. He unveiled a battery-operated, odor-free device provided by the company Rat Trap that would eliminate the rodents once and for all. During the demonstration, a Rat Trap worker scooped out rat corpses drowned in water and alcohol. Adams, a dedicated vegan and animal advocate who protested the slaughter of geese in Prospect Park in 2011, spurred a backlash from the Voters for Animal Rights, which called the traps barbaric and sadistic.

December 2019: At the opening of the citys first affordable housing center for LGBTQ seniors, Adams gave a confusing speech. I cant celebrate a building that is not going to be inclusive, Adams said. That is not who I am. Those who know me, they know who I am. And Im unapologetic about who I am. According to the New York Post, attendees were taken aback by Adams concern over the diversity of a building that is set to house African American, Asian American and Latino residents of 62 years and older with an income below 50% of the area median income.

January 2020: On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the mayoral contender unleashed a controversial attack on the citys gentrifiers. Go back to Iowa! You go back to Ohio! New York City belongs to the people that was here and made New York City what it is, Adams said. In response to criticism for his remarks on social media, Adams responded, Anyone can be a New Yorker, but not everyone comes to our city with the spirit of being part of our city. Mayor Bill de Blasio counteredits a city for everyone. Later, Adams said that his divisive words were a gaffe.

February 2020: Some mayoral contenders are hoping for a more polite campaign in 2021, thanks to a new process in which voters can rank their top candidates for the first time. The new ranked-choice voting structure was approved by ballot in November, and some experts think it could result in more civil debate so as not to alienate voters who might pick them second. But during a recent event alongside rivals Stringer and Johnson, Adams disagreed, warning, Trust me, its going to be a dirty campaign.
One day after the revelation Toronto police tested a controversial facial recognition technology, two more Greater Toronto Area police services have revealed they have also used the U.S.-based Clearview AI investigative tool.

Officers in Peel and Halton regions confirmed to the Star Friday that they ran tests of the highly divisive artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition tool. Both have stopped using the technology.

Halton Regional Police confirmed it began a free trial of the tool in October 2019. It has since stopped and an internal evaluation is underway.

Unlike Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders  who was apparently unaware his officers were testing the tool, and ordered them to stop once he learned they were  Halton Chief Stephen Tanner confirmed in an email Friday he knew his officers were doing a pilot project with facial recognition software of some type.

A Peel Regional Police spokesperson Sgt. Joe Cardi confirmed Friday that a demo product of the Clearview AI software was provided to the service for testing purposes only. Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah has since directed that testing cease until a full assessment is undertaken pursuant to a concurrent ongoing facial recognition review project.

Our review team is working closely with the Information and Privacy Commissioners Office as well as other police organizations to ensure any future application of facial recognition technology is in keeping with privacy legislation, guidelines and contemporary standards, Cardi said.

The Clearview AI technology was never used in any active investigations, Cardi said. The direction was made on Jan. 27 2020 to cease any active testing.

Spokesperson Const. Ryan Anderson said Halton police is also not making any decisions regarding future use of the application pending the review by the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

In a statement, Ontarios Information and Privacy Commissioner Brian Beamish urged organizations to contact the office if they are considering using new technologies that could pose a potential privacy risk to citizens.

After the Star informed Beamishs office that other Ontario police services had tested the tool, Beamish said Friday afternoon that they should stop this practice immediately and contact my office.

Ive also asked my staff to contact those weve become aware of through the media to discuss the legality and privacy implications of their use of this technology, he said.

Beamishs office was unaware Toronto police were using Clearview AI technology until contacted by them last week. Noting there are vital privacy issues at stake with the use of any facial recognition technology, Beamish said we are relieved that its use has been halted.

We question whether there are any circumstances where it would be acceptable to use Clearview AI, he said.

Called reckless by critics, the much-criticized Clearview AI technology uses a database of billions of images scraped from the open web  including social media sites  and identifies people by scanning for matches. The companys law enforcement tool first came to light in a New York Times story last month.

The technology can be used by police to run an image of a person  a suspect, person of interest or possible victim  against this vast database, finding matches in images that have been drawn from across the web. Previously, the Toronto police told the Star it was only judicially authorized to use facial recognition technology to search for matches in its internal mugshot database.

Clearview AI did not respond to a series of questions from the Star, including whether the company had approached Canadian police services to offer a free trial, and if so, when.

The company also did not respond to a question about the identity of an officer behind a testimonial on the companys website. The cop is identified only as a detective constable in the Sex Crimes Unit of a Canadian police service.

Clearview is hands-down the best thing that has happened to victim identification in the last 10 years. Within a week and a half of using Clearview, [we] made eight identifications of either victims or offenders through the use of this new tool, the officer is quoted as saying on Clearview AIs website.

Toronto police revealed Thursday that its officers began informally testing Clearview AI in October 2019. Once Saunders learned about this, he ordered them to stop, Toronto police spokesperson Meaghan Gray said Thursday.

Ontarios Information and Privacy Commissioner and the Crown Attorneys Office have been asked by Toronto police to review the technologys appropriateness, Gray said.

At no time was the Clearview AI technology used for livestreaming or real-time information gathering and there were no costs associated with its use, Gray said in an email Friday.

Our current review includes a comprehensive analysis of each time the technology was accessed by an investigator, she added.

Its unclear whether any arrests were made as a result of Toronto police officers use of the technology.

Christian Leuprecht, a policing and technology expert affiliated with Royal Military College of Canada and Queens University, said the use of Clearview AI is part of a larger trend where the technology evolves much faster than we have the ability to actually think about it from an accountability and review perspective.

I think the lesson from this is, when this type of technology comes out, any sensible police force would go to their privacy commissioner in their province to get clear directions on how it can be used, he said.

In the last month, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have all demanded that the company stop using data scraped from their websites, according to media reports.

Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis

Read more about:
Robbie Williams and Ayda Field attend the Opening Night Gala of "The Band" to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation supported by The Evening Standard at Theatre Royal Haymarket on December 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field Williams have taken to social media to announced they have had a baby boy via a surrogate.

Field Williams revealed the birth on Valentines Day much to the surprise of fans.

The couple also revealed to Instagram followers their new addition would be named Beau Benedict Enthoven Williams.

Read more: Robbie Williams wants private detective to help him find Take That bandmate Jason Orange

She wrote: On this Valentines Day, we would like to celebrate love in the most awesome way.

As with Coco, he is biologically ours, but born via our same incredible surrogate.

We are so blessed to have our healthy son safely in our arms and are officially complete as a family.

Alongside the message she shared a photograph of the babys feet next to those of his siblings.

The post had over 65,000 likes and 3,500 comments just fifteen hours after it went up.

Their daughter Colette (Coco) Josephine Williams was also born using a surrogate in 2018.

They also have daughter, Theodora, born in 2012, and son Charlton, born in 2010.

Williams and actress Field began dating in 2006 and married in 2010. However, the early years of their relationship proved to be rather on-off and Williams recently revealed he was told to stick at it by a Hollywood A lister.

Read more: Robbie Williams met wife Ayda Field just after sleeping with drug dealer

Williams told the Daily Mail's You magazine: "I bumped into Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore.

"I started talking about this person Id just ended a relationship with and was listing all these things about her brilliance when Cameron said, 'I dont think its over'."

Field has become a staple of British television in recent years, appearing regularly on shows such as Loose Women.

She also appeared as a judge on The X Factor alongside her husband in 2018.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in an interview with Reuters in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday that it is the United States that threatens China, not vice versa, thus the problem is to address the U.S. threats.

In an interview with Reuters here, Wang criticized the United States for increasingly exerting pressure on China and frequently blaming and defaming China.

Wang also slammed the gross U.S. interference in China's internal affairs as the U.S. Congress reviews and approves one bill after another to impose itself on China's domestic issues.

He added that the United States has also constantly threatened China by sending military ships and aircraft, flexing its muscles at China's doorstep, and by imposing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction on Chinese enterprises, restricting China's development rights.

It is in plain sight which side is making threats against the other, said Wang.

Wang urged Washington to abide by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, as China has always been doing, and work in joint effort with Beijing to establish and develop long-term, stable friendly and cooperative relations.
Johnson could rip up Javids fiscal rules

Boris Johnson is considering ripping up Sajid Javids fiscal rules to allow for more spending and tax cuts to boost the economy after Brexit. No 10 signalled on Friday that the spending rules set out in the Conservatives general election manifesto could be loosened as the Prime Minister attempts to lift the economy. It came amid speculation that Rishi Sunak, the new Chancellor, will back Mr Johnson on VAT reform and investing in free ports. The Government this week began a consultation on the economic zones, which runs until April. The Budget may include stamp duty cuts for main homes, which Mr Johnson supports, and cuts to high street business rates. The Tory manifesto committed the party to fund day-to-day spending without borrowing, although it did not set a time frame for the pledge.  Daily Telegraph

Plan would allow him to splurge billions on new infrastructure projects  Daily Mail

Downing Street stirred up trouble with budget leaks, say ex-Chancellors allies  The Times

Prime Minister shows his hand with Treasury power grab  Daily Telegraph

More:

Sunak hopes to be seen as more than just a supplicant  FT

New Chancellor challenged over hedge fund past  The Guardian

>Yesterday:

Cummings choose housing specialist to head new joint adviser unit

Boris Johnsons chief adviser has chosen a policy specialist in housing and left-behind towns to head up the new joint economic unit between Downing Street and the Treasury that will shape the upcoming Budget. Dominic Cummings has selected Liam Booth-Smith to lead the team of advisers co-ordinating economic policy between Number 10 and Number 11 after Sajid Javid abruptly resigned as chancellor on Thursday. He quit after refusing the prime ministers ultimatum to replace his aides with a joint team and was replaced by Rishi Sunak. The new unit, which is expected to be physically based in No11, is seen by some Whitehall insiders as a power grab by the prime minister to tighten his grip over fiscal policy.  FT

Chief of Staff challenged over unkindness to spads  The Times

Comment:

He could cause serious damage to Boris Johnsons administration  Stephen Glover, Daily Mail

>Yesterday:

Charles Moore: A bit of tension between the Downing Street neighbours is no bad thing

Since special advisers (Spads) are the only people in their departments whom ministers can appoint, if Mr Sunak cannot choose even them he cannot guarantee a single person at his side who puts his interests first. As it happens, Dominic Cummings has handed him a couple of excellent Spads; but the fact remains that if your boss, not you, has appointed the people closest to you, they are not really your servants. Mr Sunak will be an exceptional man indeed if he can turn his relationship with the Prime Minister into a partnership of anything like equals. Yet that is what it is when it works best. The answer to the natural conflict between the Treasury, which tries to save money, and No 10, which seeks to spend it, is not to abolish any clash, but to make the disagreements as grown-up as possible.  Daily Telegraph

Javids bungled exit undermines the case for restraining the Treasury  Camilla Cavendish, FT

Thanks to Johnsons powerful new central machine, this will be our finest hour  James Forsyth, The Sun

This reshuffle was the start of a Whitehall revolution  Juliet Samuel, Daily Telegraph

>Today: David Gaukes column: Javid, Smith, Cox. Three fine Ministers fired  so that Number Ten could take back even more control.

Downing Street backs judge over transgender tweet ruling

Police have been urged to rewrite the rules on hate crime after a judge likened a force to the Gestapo over its handling of a businessman who tweeted about transgender people. Mr Justice Knowles warned yesterday that Britain was in danger of slipping into an Orwellian society after Harry Miller, 55, was visited by officers at work and told that his tweets would be recorded as a non-crime hate incident Last night Downing Street expressed concern over the operation of the colleges guidelines and indicated that it was prepared to press for a review of the situation. A No 10 source said: The UK is an open and diverse country and freedom of speech is one of the values that defines us as a society. It is important we distinguish between strongly felt debate and unacceptable acts of abuse, hatred, intimidation and violence.  The Times

The trans rights charter is another way for Labour to put women in their place  Suzanne Moore, Daily Telegraph

Labours trans pledge turns into a witch-hunt  Janice Turner, The Times

>Today: ToryDiary: A victory for free speech. But clear legal safeguards are still needed.

Cabinet agrees immigration restrictions

UK prime minister Boris Johnsons newly formed cabinet has agreed to restrict the flow of low-skilled workers into Britain from January 2021 and introduce what it called a points-based system meant to prioritise higher-paid, more valuable workers. The ministers on Friday approved the plans at their first meeting since Thursdays reshuffle. A Downing Street spokesman said the new system would end reliance on importing cheap, low-skilled labour and bring down immigration numbers overall. However, details of how ministers envisage the scheme working will not be laid out until an immigration paper, planned for next week. The spokesman said Mr Johnson had been very clear that he wanted to see low-skilled migration fall.  FT

Exception to job requirement for global talent  Daily Telegraph

EU migrants will need to earn 23,000  The Sun

Eurosceptic concern as Johnson drops US visit

Boris Johnson has cancelled plans to visit America as concern grows among Eurosceptic Tories that he will prioritise an EU deal. The prime minister had planned to visit Washington last month to meet President Trump after the election, but moved the date to February. The trip has now been shelved entirely and the two will not meet face to face before the G7 summit at Camp David in Maryland in June. A government source said the visit had been cancelled out of worry about criticism from Mr Trump over Britains decision to allow Huawei to help build Britains 5G mobile network There is mounting fear, however, that the deals will be negotiated by two separate teams. David Frost, who is leading the trade talks with Brussels, is understood to have made clear that he does not want any involvement with the US negotiations.  The Times

US delegation to fly to London to urge government to change position on Huawei  Daily Telegraph

Trump has u-turned on punishing Britain  Daily Express

More:

China offers to build HS2 in five years  FT

Gove to oversee constitutional review

Michael Gove is set to take the political lead in Boris Johnsons upcoming constitutional review that will examine the role of British judges and the use of judicial review. Government officials said that the constitutional review would be overseen by the Cabinet Office, which is headed by Mr Gove, who will work alongside justice secretary Robert Buckland and Suella Braverman, the new attorney-general An independent individual will formally lead the commission with Lord Sumption, a former Supreme Court judge, tipped by officials to head up the review. Mr Gove, who is also overseeing preparations for the end of the Brexit transition period at the end of the year, is expected to pay particular attention to alleged political interference by judges and may include whether judicial review needs to be reassessed.  FT

Britain could quit European Convention on Human Rights to curb courts  The Sun

FCO and DfID to merge in the autumn

A full merger of the Department for International Development (DFID) into the Foreign Office (FCO) will be carried out in the autumn, the Daily Telegraph can reveal. Dominic Cummings, the Prime Ministers chief adviser, wants to time the changes to go with the completion of a cross-government review by Professor John Bew in Number 10s policy unit. On Thursday, the day of the Cabinet reshuffle, senior government sources privately reassured those calling for a full merger to just wait until October. The Bew Review is examining how to administer the UKs 14 billion aid budget as part of a wider look at foreign policy and how the UK interacts with the world. It is expected to conclude that the current system is disjointed.  Daily Telegraph

Knight says licence fee dodgers should pay bigger fines rather than go to jail

People who refuse to pay the licence fee should pay bigger fines rather than go to jail, the head of the Commons body which scrutinises the media says today. Julian Knight, the chairman-elect of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee, said maximum fines could be decriminalised and doubled from 1,000 to 2,000. Mr Knight also said that the BBC should sack middle managers on six figure salaries to save money, rather than cut numbers of journalists. Currently, anyone who watches or records live TV or uses iPlayer without a TV licence  which costs 154.50 a year  is guilty of a criminal offence and could go to prison. Last month the then-Culture secretary Baroness Morgan of Cotes said it was time to think about keeping the fee relevant in a changing media landscape as she announced a review of the penalties.  Daily Telegraph

He wants to ensure the corporations income was not excessively affected  The Guardian

More:

Axe licence fee and marketing men will rule, warns BBC boss  The Times

Foster urges new Northern Ireland Secretary to limit scope of controversial Troubles probe

Arlene Foster has urged the new Northern Ireland Secretary to limit the scope of the controversial Troubles probe. The DUP boss will pressure Brandon Lewis to revisit the Historical Investigations Unit, which was key to persuading Sinn Fein to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland last month. The HIU must be set up within 100 days of the Stormont Assembly agreement. But it could lead to a fresh witch-hunt against thousands of vets  and that would break the Tory election pledge to protect military veterans from new, spurious claims On a visit to Belfast in his first full day in the job, Mr Lewis insisted he will continue to stick by the commitments made in The New Decade, New Approach deal.  The Sun

Johnson should prepare for a united Ireland, says Sinn Fein leader  The Times

Victorious Carlaw announces Scottish Conservative policy review

Jackson Carlaw on Friday promised a comprehensive review of the Scottish Conservative partys policies after winning the emphatic backing of its members to become their new leader. Mr Carlaw, who had been interim leader of the Scottish Tories since the surprise resignation of his predecessor, Ruth Davidson last summer, easily defeated challenger Michelle Ballantyne by 4,917 votes to 1,581. The Tory veteran said his goal was now to supplant a morally and politically bankrupt governing Scottish National party as the largest force in the Edinburgh parliament at elections scheduled for May next year. This is no longer about asking the SNP to concentrate on the day job, this is now about changing the government, Mr Carlaw said.  FT

Sturgeon savaged as new Scottish Tory leader lashes out at IndyRef2  Daily Express

Scottish Labour urges UK party to learn from fall of tartan wall  The Guardian

Comment:

Our precious Union is dying through neglect  Emma Duncan, The Times

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Carlaw elected new Leader of the Scottish Conservatives

Thornberry eliminated from the Labour leadership contest

Emily Thornberry was eliminated from the Labour leadership race last night after narrowly failing to secure enough nominations to make it on to the final ballot paper. The shadow foreign secretary had secured 31 nominations from constituency Labour parties (CLP) at the midnight deadline, two short of the 33 required to go forward to the third round of voting  the ballot among Labour members. Ms Thornberry said it was a shame she had not made it through, but praised her brilliant campaign team for their efforts. We had a standing start after the election, and operated on a shoe string, but we gave it everything, she said. She also paid tribute to loyal Labour supporters in the wake of the heavy election defeat the party suffered in December.  The Times

Hopefuls ramp up campaigns for final round  The Guardian

Long-Bailey rejected by the Jewish Labour Movement  Daily Express

#ComeKipWithMe: 2,000 Londoners take up Rory Stewarts offer

More than 2,000 people have signed up for a chance to have the former Conservative minister and London mayoral candidate Rory Stewart as a guest in their home, taking him up on his offer to see things through their eyes. Stewart launched his #ComeKipWithMe campaign earlier this week, proposing to stay on Londoners sofas in order to listen to their concerns about life in the capital. The former Tory leadership candidate, who announced in October he would stand as an independent for mayor in the capital after being kicked out of the parliamentary party for voting to block a no-deal Brexit, likened the scheme to a trip he took across Afghanistan where he stayed with locals.  The Guardian

News in Brief:
New Delhi, Feb 15 : In the backdrop of the Supreme Court questioning the road blockade by protestors at Shaheen Bagh, a section of agitators have expressed willingness to meet Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, a day before the apex court conducts a full-fledged hearing on the issue.

Protesters seems to have split into various groups with divergent opinions about carrying forward the protest as well as meeting the Home Minister.

According to sources, the protestors have urged people from across the country to become part of the delegation hat would go to meet the Minister. "We will visit the Home Minister and seek appointment for an immediate meeting," said a protestor.

According to a senior police officer, the protestors have not sought the Delhi Police's permission to meet the Home Minister in a large group.

On February 17, according to sources, a group of old women are likely to attend the Supreme Court hearing and they will be represented by advocated Anas Tanvir Siddqui.

On February 10, a Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K.M. Joseph, while hearing a petition seeking removal of protesters, said they (protestors) couldn't block public roads indefinitely.

Justice Kaul said the protest had stretched for many days and there must be a designated area to protest. "You just can't block the road. There can't be indefinite protest in public areas," he said.

The Bench declined to pass any direction without hearing the other parties, which included the Delhi Police. "Is there anybody present from the government side? We will issue notice," said the Bench.

The Centre's counsel was not present during the brief hearing.

Remarking that protests can't be carried out at the cost of citizens' interest, the Bench said, "The people have grievances against a law. The matter is pending in the court. Despite this some people are protesting," said the Bench.

The observation came after counsel Mehmood Pracha for Bhim Army chief Chandershekhar Azad contended the matter was about balancing rights. On this, Justice Joseph said, "Can you block the public road".

Justice Kaul observed protests couldn't be carried out in parks too and there should be defined area for protests.

Advocate Amit Sahni had moved the apex court seeking directions to authorities to remove the blockade on the Shaheen Bagh stretch of the road connecting Kalindi Kunj and Noida.

As the hearing was drawing to an end, counsel for another petitioner urged the court to pass some direction in the interest of the people who were facing trouble due to blockade. The court replied, "You have waited for over 50 days, you can wait for a few more days."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded on Saturday that Syrian government forces immediately withdrew from areas close to Turkish observation posts in Idlib, backtracking from his previous pledge to wait for the move until the end of February, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

"Until the regimes [Syrian government] forces pull out beyond the borders [of the Idlib de-escalation zone] outlined in the Sochi agreement, the problem will not be solved. If they do not leave, we will do this work without waiting until the end of February," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul, broadcast by the NTV channel.

Erdogan has repeatedly threatened military action unless Syrian armed forces halt their operation in Idlib and withdrew from the de-escalation zone by the end of the month.

The situation in Idlib has been tense for months. Tensions spiked recently after Turkish military units came under fire from Syrian government forces, and two Syrian helicopters were shot down.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference and discussed bilateral relationship ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to India this month.

"Good to see @SecPompeo at #MSC2020. Allowed us to take stock of the relationship as we look forward to @realDonaldTrump 's visit," Jaishankar tweeted.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was announced this week. In addition to New Delhi, Trump will also visit Ahmedabad to address a joint public meeting with Modi at a newly-built stadium.

Jaishankar, who arrived here on Friday for the prestigious security conference, also met House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and said her "consistent support" to India-US ties has always been a great source of strength.

Jaishankar on Friday met US ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Knight Craft on the sidelines of the conference.

Trump on his maiden trip to India will also meet the country's top business leaders in New Delhi on February 25, in a bid to push for deeper trade and business relations between the two nations.

On the sidelines of the security conference, Jaishankar met several other world leaders attending the meet.

The Munich Security Conference, being held here from February 14-16, is the world's leading forum for debate on international security policy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
When churches close, congregations are faced with many questions: What happens to the staff? What happens to the remaining members? What about the building?

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When churches close, congregations are faced with many questions: What happens to the staff? What happens to the remaining members? What about the building?

One question near the bottom of the list may be: What happens to the records?

While it might not be top of mind for churches that are closing, its at the forefront for archivists in Winnipeg. With many churches considering shutting down in the next few years, they wonder: Where is all that stuff going to go? And who will pay to process it?

Religious archives can be a diverse respository of faith history. They can include everything from baptismal records to church council minutes; sermons; service bulletins; photos; recordings; letters, diaries and memoirs; church property records; sheet music and hymnbooks; artwork; and, in some cases, sacred items and religious regalia.

"Congregations are closing regularly, and their archival records are coming to us at an unprecedented rate," said Erin Acland of the United Church of Canada archives at the University of Winnipeg.

Archdiocese of Winnipeg archivist Tyyne Petrowski says adequate storage space is an ongoing concern.

"As congregations close, the need for archives increases, but the funding for them diminishes."

For Acland, the problem is not only space  the United Church archives ran out of on-site storage space in 1996, and now stores about half its collection off-site  but also funding to deal with the new materials being dropped off.

Shes not alone; other religious archives in the province are facing the same problem as churches close or individuals downsize.

"For decades, archivists have made do with very limited funding and support," she shared. But making do is no longer good enough "to solve some of the big issues were facing."

Something similar is happening at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg, where Tyyne Petrowski is the director of archives.

"Space is always a concern for us," she said, noting some of their collection is also stored off-site.

Conrad Stoesz with a doll that was used to smuggle money out of Russia in the 1920s.

"It would be much better to have everything on-site, if only we had the space and proper storage conditions to keep them here."

Any time people want items stored off-site it not only takes more time, she said, but the archive needs to pay a fee.

Added to her challenges is what happens when religious orders close; some may send materials to mother houses in other provinces, but others will expect the Winnipeg archdiocese to look after their records.

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At the Jewish Heritage Centre, executive director Belle Jarniewski also struggles to find space for the many items in the collection  more than 70,000 photos, 1,300 sound and moving image recordings, 1,000 textual records, 200 bound volumes of newspapers and more than 4,000 artifacts.

"The urgency is great," said Jarniewski of the crisis facing her archive. "Some items are becoming very fragile and we can no longer make the originals available to the public. And with an aging population we receive donations of various items all the time."

Vestments belonging to Archbishop Sinnott.

To meet the challenges, the centre has launched a $2-million fundraising campaign to hire a full-time archivist, make sure the materials are stored properly, and digitize the collections.

For Jason Zinko, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canadas Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario synod, archives are an ongoing issue.

As congregations close, he says there will be a significant challenge in archiving materials since congregations approach record keeping in different ways.

"We cant anticipate the kinds of material we could receive, or how well it is documented," he said, adding they currently store items in three locations.

One thing they likely couldnt take, he explained, would be furnishings and other objects that are significant to closing congregations  something he knows would be disappointing for many.

"I hope that we will be able to strike a balance between what is practical and what allows us to remember and tell our story," he said, adding finding money to do proper records management and cataloguing of the collection is a challenge.

Papal documents with a metal seal giving a new designation to Archbishop Sinnott (painting on the wall) in 1952.

For him, "maintaining a historical record of who our church has been and how God has been active in our congregations over the years is incredibly important," he stated. "It is a significant way for us to pass on the story of our ministry with God in our communities."

Church closures are not a big concern for Conrad Stoesz at the Mennonite Heritage Archives; his challenge is all the material coming from individuals.

"For the first time in history two generations are downsizing," he said, noting boomers are getting rid of stuff by moving into condos or apartments while their parents are doing the same as they move into assisted living.

He has enough space right now. "The big issue is humidity and proper temperature-controlled environment to store and catalogue things properly," he noted.

At the same time, he noted a lot of new digital content is being created that needs specialized tagging and cataloguing  along with the expensive software that can access it.

For Gordon Goldsborough, president of the Manitoba Historical Society, the situation facing archives in the province is fast becoming a crisis.

More reliquaries containing fabric, bone or items related to specific saints and religious figures.

"Archives are not a high priority for anyone these days," he said. "That really worries me. So many things could be turned away."

He wonders if religious and other archives need to work together  maybe find a building they can share.

Faithful preservation Erin Acland is the self-described keeper of the archives for the United Church in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. She provides a glimpse into the challenges she faces preserving and providing archival material for people in Manitoba and across Canada. I only work part-time, 21 hours a week. Several years ago, in less busy days, it was determined that two full-time staff were needed. Not only have I been doing my best to do a two-person job in a quarter of the time, but the backlog of work not done continues to build every year." click to read more Erin Acland is the self-described keeper of the archives for the United Church in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. She provides a glimpse into the challenges she faces preserving and providing archival material for people in Manitoba and across Canada. I only work part-time, 21 hours a week. Several years ago, in less busy days, it was determined that two full-time staff were needed. Not only have I been doing my best to do a two-person job in a quarter of the time, but the backlog of work not done continues to build every year." The problem of staffing is not new. Weve never had enough staff, but the problem is getting worse. In a few cases, records donated more than 35 years ago (longer than Ive been alive) remain unprocessed. Time and time again Ill process a collection, and another one will arrive that afternoon. Processing records is a Sisyphean task. External government and private grants take a lot of time to apply for, are project-based  not that helpful when one requires long-term sustainable funding. They are also extremely competitive, and few in number. Every time I apply for a grant, I gamble with my time and money. Fulfilling reference requests, and managing expectations of users, is a challenge. I receive about 500 research requests each year with the vast majority requiring at least one hour to fulfil, and some considerably more. While many genealogists contact me, I also receive requests from academics, Indigenous communities, lawyers, and from the United Church itself. The most common request I fulfil is a search of our baptism and marriage records. These are often requested by the people named in the record and are required for legal or spiritual reasons. Most requests are fulfiled within three weeks. If researchers want to visit in-person they must make an appointment for when I am physically on-site. With half of our collection off-site, I need about 48 hours notice to order a box to be delivered. The United Church also continues to create new records. In an increasingly complicated information world, archivists often have to act as record managers. This comes with its own challenges and time needs. Digital records also must be preserved and made accessible. Digital infrastructure must be created and maintained so that digital material can be preserved intact in a world where technology can become obsolete within two years. Metadata (descriptions about digital records) has to be created and embedded. In effect, a second parallel archive must be constructed to care for digital records alongside analog. The care of digital records is far more complicated and complex than can easily be summed up. Expensive software is being considered to help the issue, but it is yet one more financial and staff burden to manage. The church cares deeply for its archives and is determined to preserve and enable accessibility to its records, but ultimately the Church is not in the business of archiving. Hard financial choices were made in the past and will continue to be made in the future. Close

"Why not the Bay?" he asked. "Why not build a world-class archive there? Its structurally solid, large and in a central location. What better place for an archive than a heritage building?"

For that to happen, he said, the provincial government would need to show leadership.

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Another option is to re-purpose a church that is closing, he noted  something happening in Kingston, Ont. where the local Roman Catholic archdiocese and two religious orders are turning a closed historic church into a shared archival centre.

But with all the challenges facing many denominations, he knows religious groups are in a tough spot. "Archives arent essential to their core mandate," he acknowledged, noting there are many other frontline ministries they need to support.

Even though things are dire, Acland hopes there can be a resolution to the challenges facing religious archives so they can remain accessible to the public.

"I cannot understate how incredible our archival collection is," she said, noting it holds unique insights into the history of the people from over 600 communities in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario since 1838.

Added Petrowski: "Its easy to say that you cant afford something, until you need to trace something for legal, historical, cultural purposes. Then, in those cases, you cant afford to not to have an archival program."

Faith@freepress.mb.ca

John Longhurst

Faith reporter John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News. Read full biography
The parents of the Kurdish-Syrian teenager had survived years of war but began to panic when they heard rumours military conscription teams were coming to town.

So, they paid a smuggler $200 and sent their oldest son, Mohamed, who was about to turn 18, from the border town of Kobani 350km east to northern Iraq.

For most of the nine-year civil war, being drafted into the army of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad had not been a concern for the inhabitants of the Kurdish-controlled northeast of the country.
Death toll in China's coronavirus has gone up to 1,631 with 143 new fatalities reported from all over the country, Chinese health officials said on Saturday.

Hubei Province, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, reported 2,420 new confirmed cases and 139 new deaths on Friday, China's National Health Commission said.

Two deaths were reported from Henan and one each from Beijing and Chongqing as the overall death toll reached 143 with 2,641 new confirmed cases of the infection being reported from 31 provincial-level regions, the Commission said.

The number of new cases included 1,138 clinically diagnosed cases, which have been seen as confirmed cases, it said.

The latest report brought the total confirmed cases in Hubei province to 54,406 cases. The total number of cases in China have gone up to 67,535.

On Friday, the Chinese government had highlighted the continued drop of coronavirus disease, officially termed by the WHO as COVID-19, all over the country except in Hubei province.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the use of digital technology such as big data, artificial intelligence and cloud computing to better support epidemic monitoring and analysis, virus tracing, prevention and treatment, and resource allocation.

His call came amid deployment of robots in hospitals in Wuhan treating the virus patients to supply and other materials.

More than 580 cases have been confirmed outside mainland China and three deaths, one each in the Philippines and Hong Kong and now a Japanese woman in her 80s. Health officials are investigating how she got infected.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four persons including a woman were arrested in connection with the alleged gang rape of a woman in Koom Kalan village of Ludhiana district in Punjab.

"The FIR in this matter was registered on February 11. The first arrest was done on the same date, following this the three others were arrested on February 13," ADCP-4, Ajinder Singh told reporters on Friday.

According to the police, the victim had alleged that the lady had acted as an accomplice and called the other accused, under the pretext of showing a room for rent, following which the crime was committed at a secluded place.

Further details are awaited.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The province announced Friday it has partnered with the federal government to give $8 million to help rebuild the Hope Mission's Herb Jamieson Centre for homeless men.

The funds cost-shared between the two senior levels of government will cover half of the estimated $16-million rebuild cost.

The province had originally committed the full $8 million, but the federal government, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, committed $4 million, Premier Jason Kenney said Friday at the news conference.

"That building really represents the whole history of Hope Mission," he said.

"For nearly a century, they have been there for people at the margins, for the poorest in our society, for the homeless, for those facing personal crises, for those who need a roof over their heads."

The new Herb Jamieson Centre will be built at the same location as the old shelter, at 10014 105A Avenue.

It will be a 24/7 emergency shelter with capacity for 400 people.

It's a big change from the 285-person capacity of the old centre.

As of Friday afternoon, Hope Mission had raised $6.9 million from private donors, still $1.1 million short of the goal.

The shelter is expected to open in fall 2021.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 15:50:00|Editor: xuxin

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MUMBAI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- India dispatched its first consignment of 1,500 crates of oranges to Dubai, a statement from the country's commerce ministry said on Friday.

The oranges originate from Nagpur, 938 km from Mumbai, which is also the second political capital of the country's western state of Maharashtra.

The fruit was produced in the central and western part of India and matures between February and March for harvesting every year.

In Maharashtra state alone, 4 million hectares of land are under cultivation for oranges in Nagpur district as a cluster, the statement said.

In 2018, international trade for orange was 10.18 billion U.S. dollars with India producing 8,781 tons of orange, including mandarin and clementine.
Why Should We Rejoice and Be Glad?

What, after all, are we being saved from? Were not being chased by a powerful, jealous ruler or facing a giant who despises us and our God. Or are we?

As long as the sun has burned in the sky and the earth has spun on its axis, God has had an enemy. That foe knows that the best way to hurt God is to harm the people He created and loves. What would be worse than someone weaseling their way into your childs heart, convincing them that you didnt love them or want the best for them, and enticing them to rebel against you, to run away and never return?

Satan tricked the first people on earth into distrusting God and rebelling against Him, binding them to himself in slavery to sin, and hes continued hunting us ever since. 1 Peter 5:8 warns, Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

He ensnares our hearts before we can walk, teaching us to serve ourselves, to fight for our way, our plan, our desires. By the time we can talk, we are at war with the world and any authority who dares tell us no. In our sin, we are really at war with God. We reject His authority, His strange way of running the world. Satans plan has worked, and we are his prisoners and pawns in his fight against King of Kings.

But the King sees us floundering and wounded as we battle against Him and in His love and mercy makes a way of salvation, a Gate we can pass through. Our filthy armor is traded for the robes of a prince or princess, a son or daughter of the very King we were fighting against.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins  Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christs physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22).

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, it was as a triumphant King preparing to conquer our enemy and bring us into His kingdom and adopt us into His family. Zechariah 9:9 foretold the crowds reaction to His arrival,

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The Hero has come. The enemy will be vanquished. Its the moment in the movie when all is lost, when the dark side is getting ready to overrun the fortress, and the hero crests the hill with his army. He is here!

Photo credit: Getty Images/Warren Goldswain
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has written to its international partners and foreign tourists announcing that Vietnam is still safe and is adopting various measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Foreign tourists in HCMC. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has written to its international partners and foreign tourists announcing that Vietnam is still safe

This is the second time the head of the administration has sent a letter to its international partners and foreign visitors since a drop in the number of tourist arrivals was recorded in the country because of the spread of the coronavirus, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

In the letter, written in Chinese and English, released on February 12, Nguyen Trung Khanh, head of the administration, provided an update on the countrys efforts to control the virus.

He noted that since the virus spread to Vietnam, the Government has quarantined Vietnamese citizens that recently traveled to China and those in close contact with coronavirus-infected patients.

Khanh stated that tourist destinations, heritage sites and restaurants are open to serve tourists as normal, adding that the administration is collaborating with localities and travel firms to apply numerous measures to minimize the potential spread of the virus and ensure the safety of visitors.

Recently, many countries have warned their citizens against travelling to certain nations and territories in Asia due to fears of coronavirus infection.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has committed to cooperating with the relevant agencies to ensure the safety of tourists and regularly update information on the development of the virus.

Some days ago, the administration had estimated that the coronavirus outbreak would cost Vietnams tourism sector up to US$7.7 billion in the next three months and that international tourist arrivals in the country would decline by 3.7-4.7 million, while local tourists are predicted to fall by 50%-70%, or 11-15 million. SGT

Minh Duy

Air tickets more affordable amid travel fears Airfares are now more affordable for people who want to travel. The coronavirus outbreak has hit the civil aviation industry hard, so air ticket prices have edged down.
When it comes to the success of New Zealand-bred Italian Delight N in the U.S., Darran Cassar says there are no secrets. Italian Delight is 3-for-4 since making his American debut in mid-January and the trainer says the addition of Lasix has been a key in the horse living up to his potential.

Lasix helps him a lot and hes just a professional horse, Cassar said. Nothing bothers him. He makes my life, everyones life a lot easier. Hes good-gaited. He just does everything right. No headpoles and he wants to do it. I have to give credit to the horse, really. Hes made my job easy because he really doesnt take a lot of work. Its just a matter of keeping him happy.

Cassar began watching Italian Delight N in 2018 when an agent informed Cassar the Bettors Delight gelding was for sale. Cassars interest piqued after seeing Italian Delight N beat Seaswift Joy in Auckland on April 6, 2018. However, at that time Cassar felt the price was too high and Italian Delight N was sold to Australia.

The first thing is hes a Bettors Delight. Usually Im a big fan. They usually make good racehorses once theyre over here, Cassar said. If you go back through his form in New Zealand, he actually beat a horse called Seaswift Joy. Shes a good Open mare over here for Tony Alagna. He sat on her back and beat her fair and square and that was when I started paying attention.

Italian Delight Ns Australian performances lacked luster. He only won two races in 26 starts Down Under between Oct. 20, 2018 and Nov. 23, 2019. Cassar again had the opportunity to purchase Italian Delight N, and this time he and owner Windermere Stable took the chance, despite a late modification to the deal.

When youre buying them for the right price, you can always take a chance on a horse like that, Cassar said. He was up in the classes, in the Opens or just below it, and he was still functioning without being as good as he probably could have been. If he was more money, maybe I wouldnt have taken a chance, but Ive bought a few horses off the same trainer before and hes usually steered me in the right direction.

Italian Delight N arrived in Cassars barn in early December. He looked the perfect size for a Bettors Delight, but was just OK in his first training trip. Cassars experience told him the horse had a bleeding problem.

The second time (training), I gave him Lasix and he was a totally different horse. Ever since then, we really havent trained him too hard because of the bleeding situation. It just seems to be working, Cassar said. We took care of the bleeding and got him on a program where we dont stress him, he doesnt injure himself during the week and we just race him from there.

After that second training trip, Cassar knew the deal they had struck to buy Italian Delight N would pay off.

We had him bought and then they came back and said, no, we want (more), Cassar recalled. Usually, I walk away from things like that, but I told the owner, you know what, lets just buy him. I texted him a week before the qualifier and said, that $5,000 you just spent is the best $5,000 you will spend for a long time. 

Italian Delight qualified on Jan. 4 at The Meadowlands, a couple weeks ahead of schedule. With Dexter Dunn driving, Italian Delight finished fourth and qualified in 1:55.4 with a :27 final quarter. One week later, Italian Delight made his pari-mutuel debut in a $16,000 Big M overnight and kicked home in :25.4 to score an off-the-pace 1:50.1 victory.

He never kicked the earplugs. I think it was a bit of a drop in competition from what he was racing, but he was a pretty good closer back in Australia and the race setup right for him, Cassar said. I give credit to the horse because hes so professional. Theres no fancy equipment, no headpoles, he just goes on the track and wants to do it. When they dont stress themselves, it makes a big difference.

Italian Delight N stepped up in class on Jan. 18 and doubled up when making another late move, but was only third on Feb. 1 in a $37,500 Meadowlands event when he raced on the lead.

Hes definitely better closing. I think we saw that at the Meadowlands when he had to cut that mile, Cassar said. Saying that, I dont think he was quite 100 percent that night. He was sick after that second win and I just dont think was quite right for that Meadowlands start when he ran third.

Last week (Feb. 8), Italian Delight N made his Yonkers Raceway debut in a $27,000 overnight. After warming Italian Delight N up, Cassar felt confident when handing the lines to Brent Holland.

I spoke to Brent before the race and said, listen, nothing fancy, just take him off the gate, first-over and hell win, and I was pretty confident when I told him that.

Everything went according to plan as Holland watched from five lengths behind as Anythingforlove set the tempo in :27.4 and :56.4. Holland tipped Italian Delight N first-over as the field straightened away into the stretch the first time around. Italian Delight N advanced willingly and drew even with Anythingforlove through three-quarters in 1:24.1.

Racing around the final turn, Holland sat statuesque as Italian Delight N headed Anythingforlove. In the lane, Holland put the whip on Italian Delight Ns tail and the horse took off, leaving his competition 2-1/2 lengths behind in a 1:52.4 mile.

He got around Yonkers perfect, Cassar said. He just did it pretty easy in the end. It was a perfect situation where he just got the job done. There was no traffic, he just got to do his own thing and he was good enough to do it. It was a stress-free race considering he had to go first-over in 52.

Although the MGM Borgata Pacing Series -- formerly the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series -- wasnt initially on Cassars radar, the trainer and owner made the decision this week to nominate Italian Delight N.

Its a tough series for a horse that just came over considering hes only had four or five starts since hes been here and theres good horses in there, Cassar said. But after we spoke about it, there may not be another place to race. The other tracks arent all open, plus theyre not really going to fill Opens, so if you dont go to the Levy, you really dont have any other places to race. Is he good enough? I think so, but were just going to have to manage him the right way. Its a tough series. But as of now, hes going to be in there.

Italian Delight N will face his toughest test to date Saturday night (Feb. 15) in the $40,000 Open Handicap Pace. He and Holland will start from post three in the pacing feature and are 7-1 on the morning line.

The competition includes Trump Nation, who exits a 1:49.4 victory in the Meadowlands Preferred on Feb. 8. George Brennan will drive the five-year-old from post seven for Ron Burke. Jacks Legend won last weeks local pacing feature at odds-on and will look to repeat from post six for Jason Bartlett and Rich Banca.

Ostro Hanovers win four-race streak snapped with last weeks runner-up finish to Jacks Legend; the Rene Allard trainee will look to start a new streak from post five. Joesstar Of Mia, Harambe Deo, and Tookadiveoffdipper complete the lineup.

If Cassar has his way, Italian Delight N will make a first-over move again and try to duplicate last weeks win.

Ill leave it up to Brent now that hes driven the horse once. He knows the competition, Cassar said. Personally, Id like to see the same thing. Its tougher competition, its probably going to be the toughest hes faced. Whatever Brent does, he does. Im sure the horse can be used a little bit early, but after last week, if it aint broke, I wouldnt fix it.

Every week you just dont know whos going to show up. Its the Open, thats just how it is. If he doesnt face (Trump Nation) this week, hes going to have to face him in a month in the Levy. Hes pretty exciting right now, but if thats his limit, thats his limit, Cassar said.

Well just take care of the horse. Hes been good to us so far, we want to do the right thing by him. Ive got a lot of horses there now that are 9, 10, 11 years old that are still racing because we do the right thing by them. They show up to Yonkers week in and week out and that can be a little bit tough on them, but if you do the right thing, they can last a long time and make a lot of money.

Saturday nights card also features the $40,000 Open Handicap Trot.

(SOA of NY)
BOISE  Idaho lawmakers listened to more than an hour of testimony Thursday about whether they should allow sexual assault survivors to seek protection orders against abusers.

The House Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee heard from survivors of sexual assault, advocates, lawyers and law enforcement. The committee will reconvene and vote Monday on a bill that would change victims ability to obtain the orders.

Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, pitched the bill Thursday by first making clear that it would not affect a persons ability to own firearms. It is meant only to give victims of sexual assault the ability to request protection.

Under current Idaho law, a victim of a sexual assault that went unreported would not be eligible for a protection order if they arent in a relationship with the abuser. The only exception is if a criminal case has been filed, in which case a judge may put a no-contact order in place.

Annie Hightower, director of law and policy for the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, told lawmakers that it takes an average of 85 days for a criminal charge to be filed in a sexual assault case. Thats from the date of the assault to the date of the arrest.

In the meantime, those victims cannot ask a judge for a protection order meant to keep the alleged perpetrator from attempting to contact them.

Wintrow also noted that in many sexual assault cases, criminal charges are never filed because the abuse does not get reported.

If her bill were to pass, a victim could request a civil protection order and would be entitled to a hearing within 14 days. At the hearing, the victim would tell his or her story to a judge. The accused person also would be allowed to present evidence. A judge would decide whether there is enough evidence for a person to be granted a temporary protection order due to immediate and present danger.

In many sexual assault cases, the perpetrator is known to the victim but they are not in a domestic relationship  meaning the attacker is not a current or former spouse, or a dating partner. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) says that 8 out 10 rapes are committed by a person known to the victim, and 39 percent are an acquaintance.

Wintrow offered the example of a casual date, or even a first date. If a woman is sexually assaulted on a date but not in an ongoing, established relationship with that person, she would not be able to seek a protection order under current Idaho law.

Aleshea Boals, a victim witness coordinator for the Canyon County Sheriffs Office, spoke to the committee about how victims of sexual assault and their parents are often shocked when they learn that they are not eligible for protection while an investigation is ongoing.

Boals spoke candidly about the experience of having her 13-year-old sister be sexually assaulted by a neighbor. In that scenario, her sister would not have been eligible for a protection order. At the time, she said, the family moved her sister out of state while waiting for an arrest.

Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue said he supports the bill because it eases a victims fear of running into a suspect while law enforcement does its work.

Let the judge make the decision, Donahue said. But give that person a little bit of peace of mind.

Other advocates testified about how victims are often terrified of doing day-to-day activities because they fear their abuser may approach them.

Scott Smith, executive director for the Bingham Crisis Center, testified in favor of the bill. He said a protection order could help victims know that they can call law enforcement if an accused abuser tries to contact them. Violating a protection order is punishable as a misdemeanor.

Ultimately, it is just a piece of paper, Smith said. But that piece of paper gives them the sense that they are not alone.

Committee members asked more questions about how the accused would be affected than they did about the rights of victims.

Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, asked about cases in which someone makes a false claim of rape, and wondered whether a protection order in that case would be on the accused persons record.

Ada County Sheriffs Office chief legal adviser Terry Derden explained that it would not be on a permanent record.

Scott also asked the bills sponsor, If sexual assault is a criminal act, why wouldnt they want to tell a police officer?

Wintrow explained that victims process assault differently, and other times they fear how law enforcement might react.

According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, an American is sexually assaulted every 73 seconds, and three out of four of those assaults wont be reported to police.

Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, wanted to know whether an accuser could be responsible for a persons legal fees if a false claim is made. Derden said that if a person makes a false report and submits it to a judge as evidence, the reporting party could be charged with perjury. In that scenario, the falsely accused could sue the accuser.

Only two people offered testimony in opposition to the bill, both questioning whether it would strip accused people of their right to due process.

Civil protection orders that domestic violence victims currently request in Idaho are filed under seal. The court records are not public and the hearings are not public.

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Still, all five seemed genuinely appreciative of the chance to bring their private grief into the public eye because this is about the ones they lost. While some family members were more reluctant than others, each seemed grateful for a chance to say their slain fathers or brothers or sons or husbands name once more, to tell the story of a purposeful life that ended in senseless violence. And in sharing those emotions, they reminded us of where the focus of this and every other anniversary should always fall.
(Newser)  United Airlines and American Airlines said Friday they are removing the grounded Boeing 737 Max from their schedules longer than previously planned, which means thousands more flights will be canceled during the peak summer travel season. The reduction in flights could mean slightly higher fares, the AP reports. United said it took the plane out of its schedule until at least Sept. 4. It had 14 Max jets when they were grounded, but expected to be flying more by now. The airline said it will scrap 80 flights a dayabout 2,500 a monthover the summer. American followed a few hours later by saying it won't use the plane until Aug. 18, more than two months beyond its previous target in early June. American said it acted in response to the latest guidance from Boeing and safety regulators. American will cancel about 140 flights a day, or about 4,300 a month during the summer.

story continues below

The other US airline that owns Max jets, Southwest, announced Thursday that it's pulling the plane from its schedule through Aug. 10. By taking the planes out of the schedule now, the airlines hope to avoid last-minute cancellations that could strand passengers. The airlines are bracing for a second straight summer without the jet, which was expected to become a bigger part of their fleets. However, Max jets around the world have been grounded since last March after two crashes killed 346 people. It has taken Boeing far longer than it expected to fix the plane. Boeing is testing updates to flight-control software that played a role in the crashes by pushing the planes' noses down based on faulty readings from sensors. Boeing does not expect the FAA to sign off on the changes until this summer, however, and airlines will need extra time to update planes and retrain pilots on the Max.

(Read more Boeing 737 stories.)
Prince Andrew brazenly 'groped girls' while staying at the so-called 'Paedo Island' home of his friend, convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a top prosecutor has claimed. He is pictured on a yacht of Corsica in 2011

Prince Andrew brazenly 'groped girls' while staying at the so-called 'Paedo Island' home of his friend, convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a top prosecutor has claimed.

Denise George, Attorney General of the US Virgin Islands, where Andrew was a frequent visitor to Epstein's private island Little St James, alleged the Duke of York never sought to shield his activity from the disgraced financier's staff.

Ms George, who is taking legal action against Epstein's 500 million estate to prevent his lawyers from 'hiding' his assets, told Vanity Fair magazine: 'An employee told me that he saw Prince Andrew on a balcony out at Little St James groping girls right out in the open. He said he remembered walking up to him and saying, 'Good morning, your Highness.'

The claims cast further doubt on the Prince's judgment in remaining friends with Epstein even after the billionaire admitted procuring an underage girl for prostitution in a controversial 2007 plea deal.

An American woman, Virginia Roberts, has accused Epstein of 'forcing' her to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, the first in London in 2001 when she was 17 and the following year in New York and during an orgy at the financier's island home.

Prince Andrew has vehemently denied all her claims, with Buckingham Palace saying: 'It is emphatically denied that the Duke had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.'

Denise George is taking legal action against Epstein's 500 million estate to prevent his lawyers from 'hiding' his assets

In court papers, Ms Roberts, 37, who now goes by her married name of Giuffre, said of her alleged island encounter with the Prince: 'Epstein, Andy, approximately eight other girls and I had sex together. The other girls all seemed and appeared to be under the age of 18 and didn't really speak English. Epstein laughed about the fact they couldn't really communicate, saying they are the easiest girls to get along with.'

During his now infamous Newsnight interview last November, Andrew denied ever meeting Ms Roberts despite being photographed with his arm around her waist.

Epstein took his life in jail last summer just weeks after New York prosecutors announced he would face multiple child sex charges.

In the interview with Vanity Fair on Friday, Ms George said former employees of Epstein should be released from non-disclosure agreements they had signed with him.

She claims lawyers acting for his estate have said they will only compensate his victims if they agree not to sue anyone else associate with his crimes.

Denise George, Attorney General of the US Virgin Islands, where Andrew was a frequent visitor to Epstein's private island Little St James, above, alleged the Duke of York never sought to shield his activity from the disgraced financier's staff

'These are victims who have been raped by other people. They're trying to protect their friends and it's not fair to the victims,' she said. '

Prosecutors in the US have vowed to continue the investigation into Epstein's alleged 'co-conspirators' including Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and his purported 'madam'.

The claims cast further doubt on the Prince's judgment in remaining friends with Epstein even after the billionaire (above) admitted procuring an underage girl for prostitution in a controversial 2007 plea deal

Geoffrey Berman, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which is leading the American case, has accused Andrew of failing to co-operate with the FBI. He disputes that claim.

Ms George's comments come at the end of yet another bruising week for Andrew, who will celebrate his 60th birthday on Wednesday.

Last Thursday, another of his billionaire friends, Canadian fashion tycoon Peter Nygard, 78, was charged with raping and sexually assaulting 12 women, some as young as 14, at his Bahamas home.

While there is no suggestion that Andrew knew of Nygard's alleged crimes, he was photographed at his home in 2000 during a holiday with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and their daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

Last night, Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
HCM City is taking steps to improve road and water drainage infrastructure to mitigate its traffic and flooding problems.

Construction of Tunnel N2 at the An Suong intersection in HCM City restarted on February 13 after a prolonged suspension.

Construction of the second (Tunnel N2) of a double tunnel under the An Suong intersection restarted on Wednesday after prolonged suspension due to land acquisition problems.

It was suspended in February last year when affected households refused to accept the compensation amount and move.

Tunnel N2 will run 385 metres, taking traffic from Cu Chi District towards the city when it is completed by the end of July.

The 445m N1 taking traffic in the opposite direction was finished in March 2018 after nearly 13 months of construction.

Work on the double tunnel costing VN514 billion (US$22.2 million) began at the start of 2017 and was originally expected to be completed by the end of 2018.

It is expected to ease traffic flow at An Suong intersection situated between District 12 and Hoc Mon District, where traffic jams and accidents regularly occur during peak hours.

The intersection is a junction of several major roads like national highways Nos 1 and 22 and Truong Chinh Street.

In another development, the Japan International Co-operation Agency will provide nearly VN397.5 billion ($17.5 million) in the form of non-refundable aid to the city to reinforce old and degraded water drainage systems in urban areas using the sewage pipe renewal (SPR) method.

An agreement with the city for this is expected to be signed this month.

The work will cost VN467.5 billion ($20.5 million).

It will upgrade and repair around 2.7km degraded sewer system, mostly in districts 1 and 3, contributing to flood control and prevention in the central areas.

The use of SPR will prevent the blocking of traffic flow during the construction.

About 100 kilometres of old sewers in the city need upgrades.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on strengthening management capacity in urban railway system in HCM City is expected to be signed soon.

The MoU will be signed by the citys Urban Railway Management Board, Urban Railway No 1 Limited Company and Japanese railway company Tokyo Metro.  VNS

HCMC seeks to convert 384 hectares of farmland into urban land The HCMC government has proposed the prime minister allow it to change the use purpose of 384 hectares of agricultural land in its outlying district of Hoc Mon into urban land to reduce pressure on the inner-city areas.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : US President Donald Trump is excited about his India trip and he can't stop gushing over it.

In a recent tweet a week ahead of his visit, Trump said: "Great honor, I think?A Mark Zuckerberg recently stated that "Donald J. Trump is Number 1 on Facebook. Number 2 is Prime Minister Modi of India.

"Actually, I am going to India in two weeks. Looking forward to it!" This is not the first time that the US President has claimed to be the number one on Facebook. A month ago, Trump claimed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has offered him congratulations for being "number one" on the social network.

As the post went viral, social media also went abuzz with mixed reactions.

A user wrote: "President Trump is the one most powerful man in the entire world! We love him!" Another wrote: "Thank you for bringing the corruptness of the Republican party to light. You have been able to show it's true nature as a racist corrupt political party. It's been transforming since the civil rights amendment passed and culminated with you." A post read: "America we must cherish this wonderful President, especially on Valentine's Day! America you gotta love your man. Take him by the hand, make him understand. The world on you depends, our life will never end. Gotta love your man, yeah!" "Trump is probably confusing fame with infamy. But even setting that aside, Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg are total trash for allowing Cambridge Analytica to steal private data from millions of Facebook users to help Trump game the election with targeted ads and disinformation," a user said.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will be in India on a two-day visit on February 24 and 25. He will be visiting Ahmedabad and Delhi.

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
All men would be forced to have vasectomies when they reach the age of 50 or have a three children, under a new law proposed by an Alabama lawmaker.

Rep. Rolanda Hollis, a Democrat, on Thursday put the bill forward requiring men in the state to pay for the procedure within a month of turning 50 or the birth of their third biological child.

The HB 238 bill to sterilize all men in the state has been branded an 'outrageous overstep' by critics.

Rep. Rolanda Hollis says Republicans have tried to 'dictate a woman's body and her reproductive rights'

Hollis said that her bill is a reaction to Alabama's near-total abortion ban, which was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in October 2019 after it was passed by the state

Hollis said she was trying to counter Alabama's abortion ban, which was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in October 2019.

The law, which was passed by the state where Republican's hold the majority last year, would block nearly all terminations for women.

Hollis defended her proposal on Twitter on Friday, saying that it was intended to 'neutralize' the abortion ban bill.

'The responsibility is not always on the women. It takes 2 to tangle. This will help prevent pregnancy as well as abortion of unwanted children,' she said.

Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Hill, a Republican, said that the bill was the first of its kind that he had come across.

The Democrat's proposed bill has been branded 'an outrageous overstep' by opponents

Hollis defended her proposal online, saying she wanted to 'neutralize' Alabama's abortion ban

'I've never seen a bill that attempted to sterilize a person, male or female,' he told CNN.

Hollis acknowledged in an interview with WSFA that her bill is seen as 'an outrageous overstep' by opponents.

She said: 'Year after year the majority party continues to introduce new legislation that tries to dictate a woman's body and her reproductive rights.'

She said she wanted to send a message that 'men should not be legislating what women do with their bodies'.

Randall Marshall, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, praised Hollis for making the statement but said that the bill would not progress.

'Everybody knows that this bill isn't going anywhere,' he said.

'But it really does underscore the hypocrisy of Alabama's legislature in making medical decisions for women that it would never dream of making for men.'
Minister of State for Home, G Kishan Reddy said on Friday that in order to curb the threat posed by drug trafficking, the affected nations must put in considerable efforts by sharing their experiences and information.

Speaking about the concluding session of 'Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking' for BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Partner Nations, G Kishan Reddy said that multi-dimensional danger of drug trafficking can be dealt through comprehensive strategy with a joint and collective approach.

As per the press release, G Kishan Reddy said, BIMSTEC countries have a centuries-old deep cultural and traditional bonds and are often faced with similar marine security threats.

"The issues of terrorism and drug trafficking have increased manifold through the maritime route and this makes the coordination among these nations all the important," he said.

READ | Combating Drug Trafficking Conference Concludes; Govt Reiterates 'Drugs Free India' Aim

The government takes steps against drug trafficking

Speaking of the steps taken by the Central government to combat drug trafficking, the Minister said that it has planned a strategy to increase coordination among various agencies.

The conference was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who stated that the Centre was overhauling the entire Drug Law enforcement in India. He asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of a 'Drugs Free India' was possible through capacity building, increased manpower, technology, and resources.

READ | Rajasthan HC Asks State Govt About Steps Taken To Curb Drug Menace In Jodhpur

Challenges pertaining to drug trafficking

As per a press release issued by the Narcotics Control Bureau, the challenges posed by drug trafficking to both the Indian subcontinent and the BIMSTEC countries are very similar. The geographical proximity to the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle, which are major opium production regions of the world puts the BIMSTEC nations in a very delicate position. The bumper harvest of opium in Afghanistan has increased the supply of heroin to all the BIMSTEC nations.

READ | Central Government Taking Definitive Approach To Control Drug Trafficking, Says Amit Shah

The release also notes that drug traffickers are using the Bay of Bengal to their advantage. Moreover, the BIMSTEC region is also vulnerable to diversion and trafficking in pharmaceutical drugs. The use of darknet in drug trafficking has also added to the challenge of law enforcement agencies. The sessions of the conference were organised keeping in mind these aspects.

READ | Air Force Discloses Drug Investigation At Nuke Missile Base

(With inputs from ANI)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday traded barbs with European leaders over diminishing Western influence, rejecting as "grossly over-exaggerated" their claims that Washington had retreated from the global stage.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Pompeo sought to assuage European anxiety over the transatlantic bond under an unpredictable President Donald Trump, saying: "The West is winning and we're winning together." But he was immediately contradicted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned of "a weakening of the West".

The annual gathering of world leaders, generals and diplomats to discuss security challenges has been dominated by fears over the West's diminishing role in the face of a more assertive China and Russia.

In his opening speech a day earlier, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested that the United States rejected "even the idea of an international community" and was acting "at the expense of neighbours and partners".

"Those statements don't reflect reality," Pompeo retorted.

"I'm happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly over-exaggerated," he added, paraphrasing a famous Mark Twain quote.

He said Washington was playing a key role in keeping Europe safe by reinforcing NATO's eastern flank on the border with Russia, as well as leading a multinational effort to defeat the Islamic State jihadist group.

"Is this an America that 'rejects the international community'?" he asked. Pompeo stressed the need to work together against threats ranging from Russia's territorial ambitions, China's military build-up in the South China Sea and Iran's "campaigns of terror" through proxy conflicts in the Middle East.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who also took to the stage in Munich, joined Pompeo in voicing dismay at the gathering's pessimistic tone.

"There is a competition out there in so many areas, with so many different actors, but simply lamenting that we have lost our way will not provide us with a way forward," Stoltenberg said.

"Europe and North America are indispensable partners." But France's Macron echoed the German concerns.

The US was undergoing "a rethink of its relationship with Europe", Macron said, strengthening his belief that the continent had to take charge of its own destiny.

"We need a European strategy that renews us and turn us into a strategic political power," he said.

The US-European divisions were on stark display in the spat over Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Washington has pushed hard for countries to bar Huawei from building their next generation 5G mobile networks, claiming its equipment can be used to spy for Beijing.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Huawei was the "poster child" for China's "nefarious strategy" to infiltrate and dominate crucial western infrastructure.

But key allies including Britain and France have resisted the pressure so far, agreeing to impose restrictions without going so far as to ban the company.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Europeans to make "an independent and wise choice" while providing "a fair business environment for all companies".

In a nod to concerns about European dependence on Russian gas, Pompeo announced at the Munich forum that the US would finance energy projects in eastern EU countries.

"The United States -- through our International Development Finance Corporation, and with the support of the US Congress -- intends to provide up to USD 1 billion in financing to the Central and Eastern European countries of the Three Seas Initiative," Pompeo told the conference.

"Our aim is to galvanise private sector investment in their energy sectors." The initiative is a club of 12 eastern and central EU countries that have grown increasingly concerned about the Russian giant in their backyard since Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

At a Three Seas meeting in 2017, Trump offered to supply the grouping with US liquefied natural gas so they would never be "hostage" to a single Russian supplier.

Pompeo's announcement comes amid fierce US opposition to Russia's controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, set to double the country's gas shipments to Germany.

Washington believes the pipeline will give Russia too much influence over security and economic issues in western Europe.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In her new book The Ahuman Manifesto, Professor Patricia MacCormack argues that the only way to prevent ecological disaster is to begin gradually phasing out reproduction.

Speaking to CambridgeshireLive, Professor MacCormack made it clear who would be first on the evolutionary chopping block.

The basic premise of the book is that were in the age of the Anthropocene, humanity has caused mass problems and one of them is creating this hierarchal world where white, male, heterosexual and able-bodied people are succeeding, and people of different races, genders, sexualities and those with disabilities are struggling to get that, she said.

According to CambridgeshireLives Alistair Ryder, despite literally calling for the entire human species to be wiped out, the book has a joyful and optimistic tone.

Ok, then.

MacCormack said her ideas were first inspired by her interest in feminism and queer theory. Imagine my shock.

The professor also wants to completely dismantle religion, although whether that would extend to her own beliefs is unclear.

MacCormack appears in a YouTube video entitled Performing the Occult in which she discusses the crucial topic of vulvic deamonitalia.

She also featured in a DVD called Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide, in which she reviews a movie called The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, which is about an exploited Aboriginal Australian who commits a massacre in the name of racial justice.

Hats off to Morticia for cutting to the chase, writes Dave Blount. Worship of the other, hatred for your kind is at the core of liberal ideology. This has inevitably led to support for open boarders, Affirmative Action, anti-Americanism, et cetera. It leads to wanting humanity exterminated just as inevitably. A liberal who doesnt want the human race to die out has not thought matters through.

* * *

My voice is being silenced by free speech-hating Silicon Valley behemoths who want me disappeared forever. It is CRUCIAL that you support me. Please sign up for the free newsletter here. Donate to me on SubscribeStar here. Support my sponsor  Emergency Survival Foods  delicious dishes & a 25 year shelf life!
Poet and Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi has been slapped with a recovery notice of a little over Rs 1 crore by the Uttar Pradesh police for taking part in an indefinite 'dharna' in Moradabad town, about 350 kilometers from here, against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The police, in the notice, have claimed that they have been spending more than Rs 13 lakh every day over deployment of the security personnel at the site of 'dharna'.

The dharna by hundreds of people have been going in the town since January 29.

According to the sources, the police had served notices to around 145 people asking them to pay the cost incurred on the deployment of the forces.

Similar recovery notices have been sent to the people, who had taken part in the anti-CAA protests elsewhere in the state as well. In the state capital of Lucknow also, dozens have been served such notices.

The Allahabad high court had a few days back stayed the recovery notice issued to an anti-CAA protester in Kanpur stating that the matter was pending consideration in the supreme court.

In the earlier recovery notices, the police had included the cost of lathis and helmets, broken in the violence during protests against the CAA, besides other things while calculating the loss of public properties.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, soon after the violence in Lucknow, said that the government would 'avenge' the loss of public properties from the protesters.
The man fell ill during the second week of his vacation in Hawaii. At the time, officials said, the couple was staying at a time-share in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. Before that, the couple had been in Maui, but the man showed no symptoms while he was there. It remained unclear if the woman showed any symptoms while on vacation.

Officials said that the man began showing signs of illness on Feb. 3, and wore a mask when he went outside the time-share, the Grand Waikikian by Hilton Grand Vacations, in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. Representatives for Hilton did not respond to a message seeking more information.

Several days later, on Feb. 7, the couple returned to Nagoya, Japans fourth-largest city. A day later, the man visited a hospital after developing a fever, but he was not admitted, Japans health ministry said. He learned he had pneumonia two days later, but was again released from a hospital.

On Thursday, he was taken in an ambulance to a hospital for the third time, and Hawaii health officials learned on Friday morning that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. His wife also went to the hospital on Friday with a fever, and on Saturday, she was also confirmed to have the virus.

Dr. Sarah Park, the state epidemiologist for the Hawaii Department of Health, said that the man was most likely infected either before he came to Hawaii or while he was on his way to Hawaii in late January. He did not have symptoms of the coronavirus while he was on Maui, officials said, and he wore a mask on the plane when he returned to Japan.
Panaji/UNI: The Public Works Department (PWD), Government of Goa and Aguas de Portugal Internacional, Ministry for Environment of the Portuguese Republic, on Saturday signed a contract for Technical Co-operation Partnership for Water and Waste Water Management'.

Principal Chief Engineer of PWD U P Parsekar and Alexandra Serra from Aguas De Portugal signed the contract in the presence of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and President of the Portuguese Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Souza.

The contract is a part of MoU which was signed in September 2018 in the state for Technical co-operation partnership between Government of Goa and the Ministry for Environment of the Portuguese Republic for Water supply and Waste Water Management.

The contract will be in operation initially for two years. The key areas for implementation are assessment of existing Salaulim and Opa Water Supply Project, Software tools for decentralized sewerage treatment plant on a pilot basis, Study on the removal of Manganese in Salaulim water supply systems and Capacity building.

On the occasion, another MoU for Co-operation between V M Salgaoncar Institute of International Hospitality and Education and Turismo De Portugal and MoU between Estaleiros Navais De Peniche (ENP) Portugal and Goa Shipyard Ltd. (GSL) for Shipbuilding Collaborations were signed.

Yet another MoU for Academic exchange in the field of Law and Language and culture between G R K College and University of Combra was signed. Also, five MoUs and five letters of intent between the Portuguese Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science were signed between the University of Porto and IIT, Goa.

The strategic tripartite agreement for research and exchange between three institutions: INSEC TEC, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto and IIT Madras focusing on Marine Exploration and Energy Technologies, MoU for Co-operation between INSEC-TEC and IIT Madras was also signed on the occasion.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Friday that she believes the Walmart shooting in El Paso and escalating threats of violence at schools helped change the legislative landscape in New Mexico  where policymakers have approved three gun-control bills in the past year.

She also pledged to sign the latest piece of legislation  a proposed red flag law  soon after it reaches her desk. It passed the state House late Thursday, the final approval necessary to send her the bill.

Passage of the proposed Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act comes after a similar measure stalled in the state Senate last year. And after years of failed attempts, the state in 2019 enacted a background checks bill and prohibited the possession of guns by domestic abusers.

Lujan Grisham said school lockdowns  prompted by safety fears  and the shooting at an El Paso Walmart in August contributed to changing attitudes in New Mexico.

The state also has endured school shootings in Aztec in 2017 and Roswell in 2014.

These risks have shifted and changed the landscape, Lujan Grisham told reporters Friday, and I think thats demonstrating itself in how policymakers are now voting.

The firearms legislation coincides with increasing Democratic influence inside the Capitol. Lujan Grisham took office in 2019, and Democrats pushed their edge in the House that year to 46-24.

As for future firearms bills, Lujan Grisham said its too early to say whether she will push for more gun legislation. The next step, she said, is to evaluate the impact of whats already been passed.

We shouldnt be doing anything we cant say has a demonstrated impact, Lujan Grisham said.

Heading into the final week of the session, Lujan Grisham took questions from reporters for about a half-hour Friday and expressed optimism about her legislative priorities. At stake are bills to establish a new scholarship program, creation of a fund to help seniors and a variety of health care proposals.

Our track record has been pretty good so far, Lujan Grisham said.

On another topic, the governor said she expects to continue the push to legalize recreational marijuana next year. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week rejected a legalization bill.

I was disappointed, unquestionably, that we couldnt get it out of Judiciary, she said. But were going to keep working at it.
By Trend

The first meeting of the working group on energy between the governments of Azerbaijan and Hungary has been held in Budapest, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijans Energy Ministry.

Speaking at the meeting, chairman of the working group from Azerbaijan, Head of the office of the Energy Ministry Zaur Mammadov shared his views on the current state and prospects of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Hungary.

The working group on energy will contribute to the further expansion of this cooperation, reads the report. Zaur Mammadov noted the importance of studying the experience of Hungary in the field of geothermal energy and conducting joint activities.

Head of the working group from Hungary, Ambassador-at-large for energy security Pal Sagvari highly appreciated the leading role of Azerbaijan in the successful implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project. Sagvari expressed his countrys interest in developing energy cooperation with Azerbaijan.

The parties emphasized the importance of organizing energy events between the two countries, sharing experience and investing in energy, expanding cooperation in marketing and trade, including introduction of new technologies to the energy sector and the supply of crude oil and oil products, the report said.

Azerbaijan and Hungary agreed to cooperate in the study of renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency, as well as explore opportunities for cooperation in the field of transportation and distribution of natural gas in the future, the report said. The sides expressed support for the development of strategic partnership between Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR and Hungarys MOL Group.

Following the first meeting of the working group on energy, Zaur Mammadov and Pal Sagvari signed a protocol. It was decided to hold the second meeting of the working group in Azerbaijan.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The risk of employees catching the virulent coronavirus is prompting global corporations to ban international business travel, a move that will put significant pressure on airlines and associated businesses.

Business travel to and from Australia is likely to plummet over the next few months as corporations restrict employees movements, particularly on airlines, with global business services firm EY and developer Lendlease among firms introducing strict travel bans.

Some corporations have cancelled all business travel to Asia. Credit:AP

Weve taken the decision to cancel all business travel to Asia and all non-essential business travel to other destinations globally, a spokesman for Lendlease said.

The $10 billion multinational construction, property and infrastructure company, which has about 13,000 employees, has projects in Australia, North America, Europe and Asia.
But the alacrity with which Warren has been hustled out of the story should put us on guard. We shouldnt let quickie postelection stories be the sum of what we know and think, or a guide to what we do.
A childrens rights group expresses concern after 20 children are injured in shelling in Rakhine state.

By Robin Gomes

A rights group has strongly condemned all forms of violence against children in conflict situations as fighting between Myanmars army and the insurgent Arakan Army intensified in Rakhine state.

Some 20 children were injured on Thursday when mortar shells hit their school in Khamwe Chaung village in Buthidaung township in the restive state of Rakhine. Government forces and the Arakan Army have accused each other over the shelling.

Artillery fire hit the school in Khamwe Chaung village in Buthidaung township in the restive state of Rakhine. Government forces and the Arakan Army have accused each other over the shelling.

Save the Children condemns attack

Our thoughts are with the children and their families impacted by this horrible incident, said Duncan Harvey, national director for Save the Children in Myanmar.

It is not just our moral obligation to make sure children are safe and secure but a legal one too. All the warring parties in Myanmar have a duty under international law to make sure children are protected and schools are kept out of the line of fire.

For a child in a conflict zone, Harvey said, the school provides access to a safe space to learn, protection from risks such as violence, child marriage and recruitment into armed groups, and a crucial sense of routine and calm.

Attacks on schools are one of the six grave violations against children and this is yet another tragic indication that conflict is intensifying for children, he added.

Rakhine conflict

At least seven civilians have been killed and 30 injured in the past 13 days in fighting in Rakhine, according to aid groups. The Rakhine conflict has killed at least 90 civilians and displaced thousands more since it flared up again in December 2018.

At least 44,000 people are displaced in 119 sites in Rakhine and more than 1,800 people are displaced in 12 sites in Chin state, according to the UN.

The Arakan Army is a largely Buddhist militia fighting for greater autonomy and rights of indigenous ethnic Rakhine in the state. Rakhine also has a separate conflict that has seen more than 700,000 Muslim Rohingya flee to neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017 due to military offensives.

UN against violence against children

On Wednesday, International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lamented that hostilities were soaring against some 250 million youth living in countries affected by fighting.

Speaking at a high-level Security Council briefing at the UN in New York, he said emphasized that children have no role in conflict and that attacks on hospitals and schools deny children education, healthcare and lifesaving emergency assistance and force families from their homes.

Guterres pointed out that children in war zones are threatened by horrific abuses such as sexual violation, abduction, being enlisted as child soldiers or exploited as messengers.

These violations cause lasting damage to the children themselves, and to their communities and societies to which they belong, Guterres said, warning that this can feed the grievances and frustrations that lead to extremism, creating a vicious circle of tension and violence.


(Newser)  The day after Oklahoma's Max Townsend lost his adult son in a car accident, police say he plowed his pickup into a group of teen runners. Two died within a day of the Feb. 3 crash; now a third has died. KFOR reports the Prayers for Kolby Facebook page on Saturday announced the death of Kolby Crum. The post reads in part, "It is with immeasurable grief and sorrow that we share that Kolby left his earthly home to finish his race in heaven this morning. ... Please pray for peace that surpasses all understanding for his family and friends as they grieve the tremendous and devastating loss of this precious young man."

story continues below

The AP reports Crum, 18, was one of seven runners from Moore High School who was hit while on a Moore sidewalk. Police say Townsend was traveling 79mph in a 25mph zone; the Oklahoman reports he was allegedly driving drunk at the time. Crum suffered a head injury and collapsed lung and had been on a ventilator. Townsend, 57, has been charged with manslaughter in the deaths of Rachel Freeman, 17, and Yuridia Martinez, 16, and faces life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors say that with Crum's death, he'll be charged with a third manslaughter count. (Read more Oklahoma stories.)
Leaders of the World Health Organization have applauded China's massive response to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus multiple times in recent weeks, and they have also been challenged by some skeptical reporters as to why they kept praising China.

When a reporter from Euronews, a French TV network, again raised the question at a news conference on Wednesday evening, asking if it was the Chinese government that asked the WHO for praise in order to save face, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus became emotional.

He told reporters that when the WHO board met lately, almost all member states praised China for what it did, and they said that because China took massive action at the epicenter of the outbreak and shut down Wuhan. It helped to prevent the virus from being exported to other places in China and the rest of the world, he said.

The board members were all saying that China's action "is making us safer", Tedros said. He quoted a board member from the United Kingdom as saying that "this is heroic" when describing China's action because shutting down a city or province bears serious consequences for the economy and other areas.

"So what's wrong with acknowledging this?" Tedros asked.

Tedros, who assumed the post in 2017, said China immediately shared with the WHO the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus, which has been named 2019-nCoV. "They have helped actually in preparing other countries and in preventing the problem from growing," he said.

He also said Chinese authorities immediately notified Germany when a Chinese woman who visited Germany tested positive for the virus after returning to Shanghai. It enabled German authorities to take prompt action to prevent any serious problem.

With the WHO's other leading officials and top scientists sitting next to him, Tedros said that it's important to appreciate such good actions, and he was "just telling the truth".

The WHO chief added China doesn't need to ask to be praised. He said he and his colleagues have seen firsthand why China deserves appreciation, citing their trip to China in late January.

Tedros was impressed that President Xi Jinping was directly leading the fight against the outbreak. "You know we always ask for political commitment, political leadership. That's what we have seen," he said. "What's important is not stigmatizing a country or attacking a country, but standing in solidarity in fighting against the common enemy."

"The number of newly confirmed cases reported from China has stabilized over the past week, but that must be interpreted with extreme caution. This outbreak could still go in any direction," he said.

On Wednesday, China reported that Tuesday had the lowest number of novel coronavirus pneumonia cases in half a month. But on Thursday, as authorities changed their threshold for diagnosis, Hubei health authorities said the hard-hit Central China province reported 14,840 additional cases of the disease, which the WHO has named COVID-19, by midnight Wednesday.

The news conference on Wednesday was held at the end of a two-day global forum in Geneva on research and innovation that centered on the novel coronavirus. More than 300 scientists and researchers discussed all aspects of the outbreak and ways to control it.
Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev publicly butted heads over the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after holding fresh talks in Munich on Saturday.

Aliyev and Pashinian gave no indications of major progress towards the conflicts resolution when they spoke during a panel discussion at the annual Munich Security Conference.

Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, this is the historical truth and ... the territorial integrity is recognized by the whole world, and Nagorno-Karabakh is an integrated part of our country, Aliyev said.

Over the past 25 years, 30 years, we are repeating every time the same thing, responded Pashinian. And I'm afraid that the international community is tired of hearing the same thing, and I think we need to bring some new ideas.

Echoing statements by Armenias former leaders, Pashinian said that Karabakh had never been part of an independent Azerbaijani state and that its predominantly Armenian population exercised its right to self-determination during the collapse of the Soviet Union. He also called on the international community to make clear to Baku that there can be no military solution to the Karabakh conflict

The international community should first and foremost explain that Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan and, secondly, exert pressure on the aggressor, countered Aliyev.

The public discussion moderated by a former senior U.S. defense official followed a brief meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders. No details of those talks were immediately made public.

Aliyev and Pashinian met in the southern German city two weeks after their foreign ministers concluded two days of negotiations in Geneva held in the presence of U.S., French and Russian mediators.

In a joint statement with the mediators, the ministers said the intensive discussions focused on possible next steps to prepare the populations for peace; principles and elements forming the basis of a future settlement; and timing and agenda for advancing the settlement process. They did not elaborate.

An Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said the Geneva talks were the most intensive in years.
For better or worse, 90 Day Fiance couple Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester may be on their way back for a second season. Maduro has received plenty of flak from fans of the show due to her perceived treatment of South African lover Syngin Colchester. Notably, Maduro spent 30 days of Colchesters 90-day visa in Costa Rica without him, and also told him that hes not her soulmate. Now, it seems as if the 90 Day Fiance couple may be filming for another season together  possibly including time in South Africa. [Warning: spoilers about the current status of Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchesters relationship ahead.]

Supposedly spotted by a 90 Day Fiance fan

Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester of 90 Day Fiance | syngin_colchester via Instagram

The the chagrin of some 90 Day Fiance fans, and possibly the pleasure of others, it seems as if Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester are filming a second season with TLC. A fan of the show posted on Reddit, explaining that an acquaintance of their saw the couple filming in a restaurant.

The Reddit user wrote, My wifes boss was out to dinner in Colchester, CT last night and there was a camera crew there with Tania and Syngin. Apparently Tania was in a car accident recently and was in a walking boot. She was not wearing the pink shirt. She told my wifes boss that the episode will air in the summer. She didnt talk to Syngin at all. She said Tania yelled at him the entire time and they reshot the scene a bunch of times. Nothing groundbreaking, but last I heard, he was back in South Africa.

While we cant confirm the veracity of the claim, its not the only rumor regarding the couple filming thats been floating around in recent times. And while fans might not particularly like Tania Maduro, shes an easy target for fans of 90 Day Fiance to rally against  so it might make sense for TLC to pursue another season with them, since Maduros antics seem to draw in viewers.

Are Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester filming in South Africa?

Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester of 90 Day Fiance | syngin_colchester via Instagram

Soap Dirt recently reported that Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester were also spotted filming in Cape Town, South Africa. This lends even more credence to the idea that the couple will be appearing on a second season of 90 Day Fiance.

In the photographic evidence obtained by Soap Dirt, fans can see Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester at a picnic table in Cape Town. It seems as if the two are having a chat about something. Fans might be pleased to hear that Maduro appears to be wearing a green shirt, not her signature pink shirt  which many have come to loathe.

In another shot, fans can see Syngin Colchester speaking to the camera as Tania Maduro watches. Some are speculating that this is filming for 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. This spin-off follows couples after they marry and documents their relationship as it grows.

Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester are married

The fact that Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchester have gotten married lends more weight to the idea of a 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After appearance for the couple.

Soap Dirt also acquired a copy of Tania Maduro and Syngin Colchesters marriage license, which confirms that the couple decided to tie the knot and try and stick things out together. It seems as if they waited only two days after receiving their marriage license to get hitched.

Whatever fans might think of Maduro and Colchesters relationship, the two have drawn out many reactions, which is probably exactly what TLC is looking for.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 19:36:25|Editor: xuxin

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SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- A California lawmaker and police chiefs of several Bay Area cities on Friday urged the state to take more stringent measures against the rampant car break-ins and property theft that have plagued the region for years.

Assemblymember Kansen Chu, who represents the Southern Bay Area cities of Fremont, Milpitas, Newark, Santa Clara and San Jose, is planning to introduce legislation this month to increase punishment for those who commit crimes including auto burglaries, Chu's office said in a statement.

Chu said car break-ins not only cause property damages, but could also lead to the leak of confidential data of vehicle owners.

"The Bay Area is seeing rampant disregard for people's property and there are criminal organizations committing these crimes methodically and frequently. Increasing penalties and making these crimes a felonious offense will deter potential criminals," he said.

Local residents of the Bay Area cities have witnessed rashes of auto break-ins in neighborhoods and business centers since early this year.

In San Jose, a dozen car break-ins happened on a single morning, while two people were arrested for breaking into 30 cars in Fremont last month.

Smash-and-grabs have increased from 14 percent to 50 percent in the Bay Area cities over the past few years, according to Chu's office.

Chu's initiative has received strong support from the chiefs of several police departments in those cities.

"Organized criminal groups have learned that auto burglaries are low risk with high reward, with little to no punishment even when caught. It's time we corrected this lack of accountability in the current law," said Armando Corpuz, chief of police at the Milpitas Police Department.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 15:40:59|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Education has issued a circular to ensure support for medical staff from affiliated hospitals of universities who are now fighting against the epidemic outbreak in Hubei Province.

Medics standing out in the fight against the virus will be commended and rewarded, as well as given priority in appraisals and incentive payments, according to the circular.

The circular stressed efforts to guarantee the protective gear and medical supplies for medical staff, appropriately arrange their shifts to ensure they have enough time to rest and provide safe and healthy food for them.

It said that subsidies and allowances for frontline medical personnel should be allocated on time and in full.

All-out efforts will be made to treat frontline medics who are infected with the novel coronavirus during their work, and the recognition of their occupational injuries will be prioritized, the circular said.

It also called for protecting children of frontline medics as well as offering one-on-one support for relatives of medical staff with difficulties.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Cloudy with periods of light snow late. High around 5F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 70%. Snowfall around one inch..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this evening. Low 3F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. Snowfall around one inch.
Patriarchy is not just men subjugating women socially. Patriarchal men feel entitled to a womans personal space and her body; they feel they 'own' a woman as one would property.

So it is not entirely shocking when we hear the news of a husband beating up his wife after finding out that she was having an affair.

Representative Image/Pinterest

But in a disturbing incident, a man in southern Kenyan county of Kitui tried to seal his wifes genitals with superglue after finding out that she was having an affair with at least four other men, Mirror UK reports.

According to reports, Dennis Mumo, found out about his wife's alleged affairs through her social media messages. The wife reportedly engaged with other men while the husband was away on business.

Representative Image/Istock

Before his business trip to Rwanda, Mumo sealed his wifes vagina with superglue, to stop her from having intercourse with other men.

The news shocked the people around and Mumo was reportedly arrested. He confessed to the incident to the police and justified it by saying that he did it to save his marriage.

He said he had proof that his wife was having affairs with multiple men. He even claimed to have found a nude photo of his wife that was sent to one man with the message, Next week there will be fireworks!

Representative Image/Istock

According to the report, Mumo is expected to appear in court soon where he might be charged with domestic abuse.

Meanwhile, his wife will also face charges of adultery.
The City police here on Saturday arrested three Kashmiri students hailing from Shopian district in Jammu & Kashmir, and studying at the KLES Institute of Technology, situated near airport on Gokul Road in the City, and filed sedition case against them, along with a case of disturbing communal harmony, for shouting pro-Pakistan slogans.

The accused students have been identified as Ameer, Basit, and Talib. They are studying in the 1st semester of Civil Engineering.

A programme was organised in the college to remember the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers in the Pulvama attack, on February 14. But, these three students, who stayed back in the hostel, made a video in which they shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad', and 'Azadi' slogans. They had uploaded the video to WhatsApp groups of their friends. The video had become viral on the social media.

College Principal Basavaraj Anami, who came to know about the video, immediately summoned the students to his chamber for enquiry on Saturday. At the same time, members of Bajarang Dal also arrived at the college, staged a protest against the Kashmiri students. Some of the protestors even barged into the principal's chamber and expressed their ire against the accused students for their pro-Pakistan slogans.

The principal, who sensed that the situation was going out of control, informed the police.

The police, who arrived at the college, wanted to take the accused students to the police station safely. But, the Bajarang Dal workers opposed the police's decision and questioned why the 'traitors' were being given protection. They shouted slogans against the police and one of the accused students was also manhandled by the protestors.

Reacting to the incident, principal Basavaraj Anami said: "The Kashmiri students have taken admission into the college under the government quota. After seeing the video, the college has filed a case with the police. The accused students have already been suspended from the college. They have been handed over to the police for further action," he said.

Police Commissioner R Dileep said, sedition charges had been filed against the students, and the case was being investigated. A thorough probe would be conducted to know who were the students, who were behind them, and why they had shouted the pro-Pakistan slogans.

Shettar reacts

Meanwhile, coming down heavily on the incident wherein engineering students from Kashmir raising pro-Pakistan slogans during the first anniversary of Pulwama attack, Large & Medium Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar stated in Dharwad on Saturday that the government will not tolerate any anti-national activities.

Already, the police have visited the collage and are inquiring the accused students, and the college staff. Based on the inquiry report, the police will take further action. However, Shettar said that such incidents are not good for the progress of the country. Hubballi-Dharwad is peace loving twin-city and such incident weaken the social fabric.
No Longer Able To Afford The Crossroads, Kansas City Artists Once Again Pioneer New Neighborhoods Kansas City's relatively new problem of affordable housing is also squeezing artists out of studios. That's especially noticeable in the Crossroads Arts District, which was a mostly abandoned area south of downtown when artists began to establish galleries and studios there in the mid-1980s.

Subtitle: The hipsters want to push minorities, poor white people and seniors out of their homes and smile whilst they're doing it.Posted with snark because. When healthy looking youthful folks dressed in shabby chic coming knocking . . . Make sure they paywhen they ask to cut a deal in hopes of garnering dirt cheap property for flipping.Here's "public" radio cheering their pals and targeting people lower down the food chain:
CANTON, Ohio, Feb. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Canton QSL, LLC , the independent owner and operator of Quaker Steak & Lube, Canton, Ohio ("restaurant"), provides notice of an event that may affect the security of payment card information used by certain customers at this restaurant between June 14, 2019 and August 23, 2019.

What Happened? Canton QSL, LLC utilizes a point of sale system at its restaurant that is managed by Midwest POS Solutions, Inc. ("Midwest POS"). Canton QSL, LLC was alerted to unusual activity relating to payment cards that may have been used at this restaurant and immediately began working with third-party forensic investigators to investigate the report.

Through these investigations, it was discovered that payment card information may have been accessed as a result of the installation of malicious software on the point of sale system utilized at this restaurant. It was further determined that Midwest POS credentials were used to remotely access the point of sale system at this location, which allowed an unauthorized actor to deploy the malicious software into the point of sale system.

What Information May Have Been Involved? The investigations determined that payment card information such as name, card number, expiration date, and/or CVV (magnetic stripe Track data) that were used at the restaurant between June 14, 2019 and August 23, 2019 may have been involved in this incident.

What Canton QSL, LLC is Doing. Canton QSL, LLC worked with multiple forensic investigative firms to conduct investigations into this incident and to assist in remediation efforts. Canton QSL, LLC deployed tools to contain, disable, and remove any malware that may have been installed on its restaurant systems and enhanced existing security measures to reduce the likelihood of future incidents.

This incident was also reported to Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express and to law enforcement.

For More Information. Canton QSL, LLC has established a dedicated assistance line for individuals seeking additional information regarding this incident. Customers can call 1-866-977-1007, 9am - 9pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (excluding U.S. holidays).

What You Can Do. Canton QSL, LLC encourages customers to remain vigilant against identity theft by reviewing their financial account statements regularly and monitoring their credit reports for suspicious activity. Customers should immediately report any unauthorized charges to their card issuer. The phone number to call is usually on the back of the credit or debit card.

Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.

You have the right to place a "security freeze" on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below:

Experian TransUnion Equifax PO Box 9554 P.O. Box 160 PO Box 105788 Allen, TX 75013 Woodlyn, PA 19094 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 1-888-397-3742 1-888-909-8872 1-800-685-1111 www.experian.com/freeze/center.

html www.transunion.com/cre

dit-freeze www.equifax.com/personal/cre

dit-report-services

In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.); Social Security number; Date of birth; If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior five years; Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill; A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, military identification, etc.); If you are a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.

As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below:

Experian P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/fraud/ center.html TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016 1-800-680-7289 https://www.transunion.com/ fraud-alerts Equifax P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348 1-888-766-0008 www.equifax.com/personal/ credit-report-services

Additional Information

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov , 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

SOURCE Canton QSL, LLC
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration said it would raise tariffs on European aircraft in an effort to pressure Europe in a long-running trade dispute over airplane subsidies.

The United States Trade Representative said late Friday that it would increase the duty it had imposed on European aircraft to 15 percent from 10 percent, effective March 18. It also removed prune juice for the list of taxed items, and added a 25 percent tax on French and German butcher and kitchen knives.

The annual value of the goods subject to tariffs would remain at $7.5 billion, as before, the trade representative said.

The tariffs are part of a 15-year-old complaint over subsidies European governments gave plane maker Airbus, which put its American competitor, Boeing, at a disadvantage. In October, the World Trade Organization granted the United States permission to try to recoup its losses by taxing as much as $7.5 billion of European exports annually. Those tariffs are expected to continue until Europe removes its subsidies or the two governments come to a negotiated resolution.
Photo: Jon Manchester

UPDATE: 1:20 p.m.

The police presence outside Vernon Jubilee Hospital Saturday was related to an investigation of a serious assault earlier in the morning.

A 24-year-old man walked into the hospital just after 4:30 a.m., leaving a large pool of blood outside the hospital.

Police say the man's injuries were consistent with an assault, but he is not co-operating with the police investigation.

As the man was bleeding as he walked to the hospital, our Police Dog Section was utilized to conduct a track from the hospital to the scene where the incident occurred, said Cpl. Tania Finn of the Vernon RCMP.

The victim, of no fixed address, remains in the hospital, while police continue to investigate.

UPDATE: 10:15 a.m.

While it's still unclear what prompted a police presence at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Saturday morning, Interior Health says there was no incidence of violence.

"No violent incident occurred at the hospital and there was no impact to services," said Brad Buie, with IH communications.

Police tape remains up at the hospital, and a pool of what appears to be blood can be seen near the Polson Tower entrance.

UPDATE: 9:15 a.m.

Police have left Vernon Jubilee Hospital Saturday morning, but police tape remains up at the scene.

A pool of what appears to be blood can be seen by a bike rack near the entrance to the Polson Tower, behind the police tape.

It's still unclear what occurred in the area. Castanet is waiting to hear back from the RCMP.

Photo: Steve Wraith

ORIGINAL: 8:35 p.m.

A police incident unfolded this morning at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

RCMP had the Emergency Department entrance taped off shortly after 7 a.m.

Several police cars were on scene, although it's not yet known what prompted the response.

Castanet is reaching out for more information on the nature of the incident and will update as details become available.

It's not yet known if the incident impacted service at the hospital.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday traded barbs with European leaders over diminishing Western influence, rejecting as "grossly over-exaggerated" their claims that Washington had retreated from the global stage. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Pompeo sought to assuage European anxiety over the transatlantic bond under an unpredictable President Donald Trump, saying: "The West is winning and we're winning together." But he was immediately contradicted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned of "a weakening of the West". The annual gathering of world leaders, generals and diplomats to discuss security challenges has been dominated by fears over the West's diminishing role in the face of a more assertive China and Russia. In his opening speech a day earlier, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested that the United States rejected "even the idea of an international community" and was acting "at the expense of neighbours and partners". "Those statements don't reflect reality," Pompeo retorted. "I'm happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly over-exaggerated," he added, paraphrasing a famous Mark Twain quote. He said Washington was playing a key role in keeping Europe safe by reinforcing NATO's eastern flank on the border with Russia, as well as leading a multinational effort to defeat the Islamic State jihadist group. "Is this an America that 'rejects the international community'?" he asked. Pompeo stressed the need to work together against threats ranging from Russia's territorial ambitions, China's military build-up in the South China Sea and Iran's "campaigns of terror" through proxy conflicts in the Middle East. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who also took to the stage in Munich, joined Pompeo in voicing dismay at the gathering's pessimistic tone. "There is a competition out there in so many areas, with so many different actors, but simply lamenting that we have lost our way will not provide us with a way forward," Stoltenberg said. "Europe and North America are indispensable partners." But France's Macron echoed the German concerns. The US was undergoing "a rethink of its relationship with Europe", Macron said, strengthening his belief that the continent had to take charge of its own destiny. "We need a European strategy that renews us and turn us into a strategic political power," he said. The US-European divisions were on stark display in the spat over Chinese tech giant Huawei. Washington has pushed hard for countries to bar Huawei from building their next generation 5G mobile networks, claiming its equipment can be used to spy for Beijing. US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Huawei was the "poster child" for China's "nefarious strategy" to infiltrate and dominate crucial western infrastructure. But key allies including Britain and France have resisted the pressure so far, agreeing to impose restrictions without going so far as to ban the company. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Europeans to make "an independent and wise choice" while providing "a fair business environment for all companies". - Russian energy reliance - In a nod to concerns about European dependence on Russian gas, Pompeo announced at the Munich forum that the US would finance energy projects in eastern EU countries. "The United States - through our International Development Finance Corporation, and with the support of the US Congress - intends to provide up to $1 billion in financing to the Central and Eastern European countries of the Three Seas Initiative," Pompeo told the conference. "Our aim is to galvanise private sector investment in their energy sectors." The initiative is a club of 12 eastern and central EU countries that have grown increasingly concerned about the Russian giant in their backyard since Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. At a Three Seas meeting in 2017, Trump offered to supply the grouping with US liquefied natural gas so they would never be "hostage" to a single Russian supplier. Pompeo's announcement comes amid fierce US opposition to Russia's controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, set to double the country's gas shipments to Germany. Washington believes the pipeline will give Russia too much influence over security and economic issues in western Europe.
Senior PDP leader Shah Mohammad Tantray has resigned from the primary membership of the party, citing his unhappiness with it over "unnecessary expulsions" of leaders for meeting Lt Governor G C Murmu here.

The 64-year-old leader, who was elected to the state assembly on a PDP ticket from the Poonch-Haveli seat in 2014, said Article 370 had become a "dead stock" as a result of nearly three dozen amendments during the Congress rule.

The Centre abrogated Article 370 provisions giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into union territories in August last year.

On January 9, the PDP expelled eight party leaders -- Dilawar Mir, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Zaffar Iqbal, Abdul Majeed Padroo, Raja Manzoor Khan, Javaid Hussain Baig, Qamar Hussain, Abdul Rahim Rather besides Tantray -- two days after they met the Lt Governor under the leadership of former party leader Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari.

The PDP had said, "In view of the development post August 5 and the unilateral move of the government of India which has violated the will and hurt the sentiments of people, it has come to the attention of the party that certain party leaders have been part of the parleys which go against the interests of the state, official position and core beliefs of the party.

"The party disciplinary committee has recommended the expulsion of all these leaders from the basic membership of the party."



The expulsion of the eight leaders followed the resignation of four more party functionaries -- former MLA Rafiabad Yawar Mir, PDP state secretary Mir Samiullah, Muntazir Mohuiddin and Syed Showket Gayoor -- amid speculations that Bukhari is launching a new political party with the help of disgruntled leaders in the PDP, the Congress and other parties.

Tantray said the expulsion of the party leaders was not in a "good taste" as they should have been served a show cause notice first.

"After a thought, I decided to say goodbye to the party on the call of my conscience," he said.

"I will decide the future course of action after consulting my colleagues, friends and well wishers on the issue of joining hands with Bukhari," he added.

Tantray said he was dejected after the party announced expulsion of eight leaders for meeting the Lt governor. He said he had demanded a review of the "wrong decision" but there was no response from the party on the matter.

"Meeting Lt Governor is not a crime...In the present scenario, we have to talk to the Centre and the Lt governor, and raise the demand for restoration of the statehood along with protection to the lands and jobs akin to the constitutional provision available to Himachal Pradesh. It is possible only through dialogue," he said.

Tantray said Article 370 was a "dead stock" in the wake of nearly three dozen amendments in the provisions during the Congress rule.

"With or without Article 370, we are linked with our country. The people need to come forward and help in improving the situation," he said.

He said demands of regional parties like PDP's self-rule were "hollow slogans" and "we need a new approach to move forward to take the erstwhile state to peace and prosperity".

After the death of PDP founder and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who was a "charismatic leader", the party is in disarray which started with the "unfortunate" expulsion of prominent leader and former finance minister Haseeb Drabu, Tantray said.

Dozens of PDP leaders including former ministers and legislators resigned from the party after the fall of the PDP-BJP government in June 2018, with majority of them joining the People's Conference headed by former minister Sajjad Gani Lone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Greg Roumeliotis

(Reuters) - Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications Inc is in sale talks with a consortium of investors, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.

The consortium led by former Viacom Chief Finiancial Officer Wade Davis and investment company Searchlight Capital Partners is in the lead to acquire the company after submitting the highest bid in an auction.

The deal could value the broadcaster between $8 billion and $10 billion, the source said, adding there was no certainty that a deal would be reached.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the news on the talks.

Earlier in 2019, the company said that it is exploring a possible sale and had hired advisers.

Davis did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while Searchlight Capital Partners and Univision declined to comment.

(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York, Amal S in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
Gov. Charlie Bakers administration has announced $260,000 in grants to assist towns in the states most rural areas conserve forests and promote nature-based tourism.

Baker said the grants to 10 towns in Western Massachusetts offer opportunities to strengthen such tourism as an economic development strategy. The grants will support the states Mohawk Trail Woodland Partnership Grant Program.

Improving the stewardship of our forests makes them more resilient to the impacts of climate change, strengthens local economies by encouraging nature-based tourism and benefits rural communities, Baker said. These grants are a terrific example of the collaborative spirit weve worked to foster here in the Commonwealth, and we are proud to partner with these communities to preserve our forests and natural resources for generations to come.

Adams will receive $20,000 to expand a partnership between the town and Mass Audubon, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Williams College. The money will support the design of an exhibit space for the Greylock Glen Education Center focusing on forests and climate change.

Another $20,000 will go toward a 1.5-mile loop trail from Ashfields Sanderson Elementary School through a diverse forest ecosystem. The trail will include educational kiosks at points of interest and brochures for children.

In Conway, $20,000 will help complete an inventory, assessment and plan for two town forest areas.

A new trail and picnic area connecting Heaths 350-acre town forest to a nearby 1,300-acre state forest would benefit both town residents and visitors to the area. The state plans to invest $20,000 in the design and construction of the improvements.

In New Ashfords woodlands, grant money will help complete forest stewardship plans and trail repair work. The $20,000 grant will benefit hikers, snowmobile riders and hunters.

In Peru, a $20,000 grant will be used to rehabilitate a section of Curtin Road and install wayfinding signs from Route 143, so the public can access the Peru State Forest and its hiking trails to Garnett Peak.

Hiking trails in North Adams on both city and private property will be mapped, and a trail map will be produced and marketed for tourists and residents using a $20,000 grant.

Rowe will receive a $20,000 grant to gather input from meetings and a survey about how best to manage more than 1,400 acres of town-owned park and forest areas.

A $20,000 grant will be used to design and construct a trail from Shelburne Falls village to create a link to a regional trail along the Deerfield River. The trail will ultimately connect the Connecticut River to the Hudson River, and will include trail signage and kiosks.

Williamstown will receive $20,000 to complete an inventory and assessment of its 1,800 acres for a forest carbon offset project. The Franklin Regional Council of Governments will receive $60,000 to conduct a regional tourism assessment and map out nature-based tourism infrastructure in the 21-town region and prepare recommendations for infrastructure needed to expand tourism.
Pakistan Foreign Office on Saturday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to lodge a protest over India's retaliation to ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) a day before.

In a statement, the Pakistan Foreign Office claimed that the firing by the Indian forces in Nezapir and Rakhchikri Sectors on Friday resulted in senior injuries to a 13-year old civilian.

"Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by Indian occupation forces, an innocent civilian minor, 13-year-old Abida Jamal d/o Muhammad Jamal, resident of village Fatehpur, sustained serious injuries," the statement read.

New Delhi has repeatedly urged Pakistan to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement between the two countries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The CBI on Saturday carried out searches at four locations in Delhi and Ghaziabad in a case of attempted conning of the Venkateshwara Medical College chairman by three persons on the pretext of getting him favours in an agency case against the institute, officials said.

The searches followed an FIR by the agency against the three accused -- Rakesh Tiwari, Raj Kumar Gupta and Vipin Agrawal.

The accused had allegedly intended to take Rs 50-60 lakh from Sudhir Giri, the Chairman of the Meerut-based Venkateshwara Group of Institutions, on the pretext of helping him in a CBI case using purported links with the investigating officer, they said.

Giri, along with former Odisha High Court judge I M Quddusi, is accused in a corruption case filed by the CBI.

The searches were conducted at three locations in Delhi, including the Ashram Chowk and Kalkaji residences of Tiwari and Gupta respectively, and at the residence of Agrawal in Ghaziabad, they said.

It is alleged Tiwari got in touch with Gupta and Agrawal claiming his contacts with the investigating officer of the CBI, following which they entered into a criminal conspiracy but could not succeed to collect money from Giri, they said.

The CBI had carried out a preliminary enquiry which revealed that in furtherance of the criminal conspiracy in order to gain trust and confidence of Gupta and Agrawal, Tiwari told them that CBI had 160 recorded telephonic conversations pertaining to the case against Giri.

He even told them some specific words used in the intercepted telephonic conversations, they said.

Tiwari further told them that he could provide a copy of those recorded telephonic conversations, if Giri was interested in obtaining favours in the matter, they said.

Another member of the alleged conspiracy, Sudhir Gupta, who had demanded money from Giri is now dead, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has entreated Africans in the diaspora to seize the opportunity offered by the recently Commissioned Beyond the Return initiative of the Government of Ghana which is aimed at fostering economic, trade and investment relations between Ghana and all people of African descent across the globe.

The 10-year strategic plan is believed to be governments attempt to build on the dividends of an earlier campaign dubbed 'Year of Return which was declared in 2019 and recorded over 750,000 arrivals into the country, generating income for Ghana to the tune of 1.9 billion U.S dollars.

However, speaking at the closing ceremony of the 1st session of the Ghana  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines permanent joint commission for cooperation In Accra on the 14th February, 2020, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey noted that

As I am sure you are well aware, the "Beyond the Return" is a 10-year strategic plan aimed at building on the dividends of the 'Year of Return which was declared in 2019. We hope that the initiative would not only promote tourism and homecoming of Africans and Ghanaians in the diaspora, but would also foster economic, trade and investment relations between Ghana and all people of African descent across the globe. As you depart Ghana, therefore, we trust that you would be champions of this initiative in the Caribbean.

Over the 4-day (Feb.11-14, 2020) period the permanent joint commission deliberated on a wide range of areas including agriculture, fisheries, aviation, tourism, arts and culture, health and investment, which according to the minister are, undoubtedly, sectors that are critical to the development and prosperity of the two countries.

The 2nd Session of the permanent joint commission will be held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2022.

----classfmonline
Around 200 people attended a meeting about the proposed development of a new wind farm at Kilranelagh.

The meeting, held at St Peter's Parish Centre, was organised by West Wicklow Wind Action Group (WWWAG).

ABO Wind Ireland Ltd recently announced it was proposing to develop a nine-turbine wind farm on a site at Kilranelagh near Baltinglass.

There were a number of speakers on the night including archaelogist Robert Hambridge, Dave Fingleton of Wind Aware, Richard Moore O'Ferrall of South Wicklow Wind Action Group, Paul Carberry of Kilranelagh Lodge, David Case and Edel Grace, a community planning and environment officer.

The event was organised by WWWAG with the purpose of providing information and discussing the opposition to the potential wind farm. Much of the discussion on the night focused on the archaelogical significance of the proposed site, explained Paul Carberry of WWWAG.

'There is a need for archaelogical investigations on the site. In my view, this site is more important than the pyramids,' added Mr Carberry.

The meeting also outlined some of the historic features of the proposed site and surrounding land which the Boleycarrigeen stone circle, cairns, an ogham stone and a number of ringforts.

ABO Wind have previously indicated that more detailed investigations are to take place on the proposed site in the coming months as the company plans to submit a planning application during summer 2020.
Queen Elizabeth is reportedly having some thoughts about the monarchys future amid Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussexs stunning departure. The queen kicked off 2020 with a series of royal scandals, and things arent getting any better. Now that her grandson Peter Philips has separated from his wife of 12 years, royal experts believe Queen Elizabeth is reassessing the future of the royal family.

Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

The royals get hit with another controversy

The first big controversy to hit the royal family in recent months came in the form of Prince Andrews scandal. Andrew was linked to the disgraced financier-turned-pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, and stepped down from his royal duties as a result.

Queen Elizabeth was hit with another bombshell at the beginning of January when Harry and Meghan announced their exit from the royal family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently living in Canada as they take the proper steps to make their exit official.

As if that werent bad enough, the royals are dealing with another scandal this month in the form of a royal divorce.

Queen Elizabeths grandson Peter just confirmed he is getting a divorce from his wife, Autumn Philips. Peter is Princess Annes son. Although he rarely appears at royal engagements, he is usually spotted at the big events, such as Trooping the Colour.

Queen Elizabeth is reassessing the future of the monarchy

In light of Peters divorce, an expert on the royal family claims that Queen Elizabeth is looking hard at the future of the monarchy. According to Express, expert Katie Nicholl claims the queen is forcing everyone to reassess where things stand and think hard about what the future holds for the royal family.

Its forcing the institution to look at itself, to reassess its future, Nicholl said. What is the monarchy going to look like now that we are three senior royals down?

With Harry and Meghan stepping down as senior members of the royal family, their workload will likely be divided up among the other royals. The same holds true for Andrews engagements, especially if he does not return to his old post soon.

Queen Elizabeth Requests Meghan Markle, Prince Harry & Baby Archie's Return to U.K. for Royal Event https://t.co/0ia1oD19sb  People (@people) February 9, 2020

The only problem with this is that the rest of the senior members of the royal family already have packed schedules. In fact, Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge have already taken part in over 10 royal engagements apiece in 2020.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are also in the middle of scheduling a tour of Australia. The two are visiting the region as a show of support after the devastation caused by bushfires.

Who will else pick up the slack?

There has been a lot of speculation about which members of the royal family will increase their workload in the coming months.

There is little doubt that William and Kate will shoulder the brunt of the extra engagements, though there has been some speculation that Andrews daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will also take more prominent roles.

However, Princess Beatrice is getting ready to tie the knot with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in May and will likely be unavailable in the months leading up to her wedding.

The two also have professional careers outside of the monarchy and would be required to quit their jobs if they took on more responsibilities.
The bodies of eight slain men were found in southern Michoacan state on Friday the same day President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador visited the state to celebrate the opening of another National Guard installation there.

Authorities said the shooting deaths happened in Huetamo, roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Jiquilpan, where the president celebrated the guard's new deployment on Valentine's Day. The men had all been shot high-powered weapons, official said.

A stolen SUV was also found at the scene. No further details were released by investigators.

Mexico is experiencing record-levels of homicides since Lpez Obrador took office December 1, 2018, after campaigning on a hugs not bullets platform that rejected prior government efforts to stem violence. Michoacan is one of the deadliest Mexican states.

Last week, gunmen killed three boys, a teenager and five others who were playing video games at an arcade in Uruapan, another dangerous city in the state where drug organisations are battling for territory.

At the celebration Friday for the National Guard's latest installation in Michoacan, the president doubled down on his philosophy, saying the country must address the roots of violence first, like creating more jobs with better pay and seeing justice through.

You can't confront evil with evil, he said.

The National Guard now has 22 outposts in Michoacan, Lpez Obrador said. The president created the guard to combat violence, although thousands of its agents have been given the task of immigration enforcement across the country.

We are committed to guaranteeing peace and tranquility in our country," he said.

There were a reported 35,588 homicides in Mexico last year, the most since comparable records began to be kept in the 1990s, though the rate of increase was far lower than in previous years.

Since then-President Felipe Caldern launched a militarized anti-drug offensive beginning in late 2006, annual killings have more than tripled in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Asia

India: Jammu and Kashmir public health engineers walk out

Around 33,000 daily wages workers in the public health engineering (PHE) department in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir struck for 24 hours on February 8 over long pending demands. The strike affected the water supply in Jammu and other parts of the territory. The PHE Employees United Front called the strike after its 15-day ultimatum on the territory administration was ignored.

Demands include transfer of daily wages workers into permanent jobs, payment of monthly wages to all workers, release of pending wages and wage rates as per the central government norms. Sections of regular employees seeking rationalisation in the promotion process supported the strike.

Punjab government school teachers protest against privatisation

Government teachers in the Indian state of Punjab demonstrated in Sangrur on February 8 on several issues including opposing privatisation of public schools. The Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) alleged that to help private companies to take over public schools, the government has been handing over the control of schools to village councils (panchayats). DTF accused the government of merging schools while permanently closing schools in many areas of the country.

A major concern of teachers is that thousands of teaching posts remain vacant while the Unemployed Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) and graduates of BEd have been protesting for regular jobs. Other demands include release of Dearness Allowance, implementation of the 6th Pay Commission report, job permanency, transfer of 3,582 teachers, cancellation of charge sheets, and promotions.

Andhra Pradesh teachers hold lunch-hour demonstrations in schools

Teachers staged lunch-hour demonstrations in all of Andhra Pradesh states municipal schools on February 7 to demand the immediate withdrawal of the proposed unified service rules. Teachers claimed that the rules would deprive them of their seniority, promotions and unsettle their families.

In the present system, municipal teachers transfers are confined to a particular municipal town or corporation. Unified service rules will allow authorities to shift teachers from one town to another within the district leaving nearly 12,000 families at the mercy of political representatives.

The Municipal Teachers Federation (MTF) raised concerns that teachers will be transferred from existing towns after completion of eight years of maximum service into other towns, cancelling future promotion due to the unit transfer system.

Punjab state bank workers protest in Ludhiana

Bank employees organised by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) demonstrated in the industrial city of Ludhiana, Punjab in front of the Civil Lines and Fountain Chalk branches of the State Bank of India on February 6 with over ten demands.

The main demands were a 20 percent wage increase with adequate loading thereof, equal pay for contract employees, a five-day week and merger of special allowance with basic pay. Other demands included the scrapping of the new pension scheme, pension update, improvement in family pension, allocation to the Staff Welfare Fund based on operating profits, exemption from income tax on retiree benefits, uniform definition of business hours and introduction of leave accumulation.

Haryana brewery workers remain on strike after two years

Workers from the AB InBev beverage brewing plant in Sonipat, Haryana have been on strike for over two years protesting the sacking of four union members on fake charges. Workers and family members held a demonstration in Sonipat on Monday accusing the company of union busting by the illegal termination of union leaders, withdrawal of union recognition, and management's refusal to discuss the demands of the union.

AB InBev is the worlds largest brewer producing beer for Budweiser, Hoegaarden, Corona and hundreds of other labels and employing 180,000 people globally. Its Sonipat unit has 82 permanent employees and around 350 contract workers.

The strike began after AB InBev suspended and then terminated four union members. Over 20 workers rejected the strike and established a company endorsed union. The majority of workers, however, have remained on strike demanding the company recognise their independent union the Haryana Breweries Ltd Mazdoor Union (HBMU).

In an attempt to counteract low wages and poor conditions, in 2016, the workers tried to revive the HBMU which had fallen dormant. The workers completed all the necessary procedures. However, AB InBevs management refused to recognise the union and forcefully removed six people. Four of the six, including the then general secretary and president of the union, were fired and two were suspended.

Bangladeshi garment workers maintain protests over safety and sexual assault

Protesting garment workers formed a human chain around the Ashulia Press Club in Dhaka on February 7 to oppose ongoing sexual assaults in the factories. The action followed a demonstration by garment workers in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on January 17, followed by a street procession. That protest was in response to the alleged rape of two garment workers in Dhakas Savar area on January 15 and December 31.

The Bangladesh Garment Sramik Samhati organised the protests. A spokesman claimed that rape incidences have increased due to the culture of impunity. Workers called for the establishment of anti-harassment committees at all garment factories to protect female workers.

While a court order is in force allowing the formation of such committees, they have only been established in 4 percent of factories. A NGO report in April last year said about 14 percent of garment workers experience sexual harassment at their workplaces.

Sri Lanka: Government workers protest in Colombo

Hundreds of workers from several Sri Lankan government departments protested opposite the presidential secretariat in Colombo on Monday as part of a series of protests that began a week earlier with a group of sacked government employees who were demanding reinstatement. The Rajapakse government claimed that these workers, from various government departments, including the central cultural fund, archaeology department and petroleum cooperation, among others, had been given politically biased appointments by the previous government.

At Mondays demonstrations, laid off contract workers from the Department of Archaeology blocked the road opposite the secretariat demanding reinstatement. Police forced them to the agitation site recently set up by the government. A group of dismissed contract workers from the National Housing Development Authority were forced to end their demonstration by riot police.

Sri Lanka Railway workers protested demanding that more than 1,500 temporary workers with more than five years service be given permanent employment. At the same time, other groups of railway workers protested opposite the Fort and Maradana railway stations with the same issue. Wildlife guides joined the protest at the secretariat demanding their daily wage be increased to 700 rupees ($US9.8).

Australia and New Zealand

Warehouse workers in New South Wales win improved work agreement

About 90 workers from the Onelink warehouse in Yennora, Sydney have won an improved enterprise agreement after walking off the job for 24 hours on Monday. Onelink is a trading name of Symbion, owned by the EBOS group. It provides medical supplies such as sanitary items, IV tubing and gowns to hospitals across NSW.

According to the United Workers Union (UWU) workers at the Yennora warehouse were paid almost $200 a week less than workers employed by the same company 10 km away. In the improved EA workers will receive a modest pay increase of 10 percent over three years, improved compassionate leave, sick leave and an extra public holiday.

Greyhound bus drivers in Queenslands mining sector remain locked out

The mining sector bus transport company Greyhound Resources is maintaining its lockout against six members of the Transport Workers Union (TWU). The indefinite lockout was the companys response after workers took a 45-minute work stoppage on January 30 as part of industrial action for a new enterprise agreement (EA). The lockout applies to drivers in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland.

The dispute involves 66 TWU members who are entitled to take protected strike action but the union has not extended industrial action to include all members in the dispute. Instead, it has made a public appeal on Facebook for donations to cover lost wages of the locked out drivers and is picketing the offices of mining companies who contract to Greyhound Resources, making useless appeals to them to take responsibility for their supply chain and take Greyhound to task for their dodgy actions.

According to the union, drivers receive rates of pay that are not much better than the award. Unlike most other DIDO (drive in-drive out) or FIFO (fly in-fly out) workers in the mining industry, Greyhound Resources drivers receive little or no assistance to fund the costs of travel to and from the mining communities where they work.

New Zealand: Bus drivers vote for more industrial action

The Tramways Union reported on February 11 that 86 percent of its Auckland bus driver members had voted to reject an offer from employer NZ Bus. The workers have approved industrial action, however the union says this will only happen if last-ditch talks with the company next week fail to reach a deal.

Auckland bus drivers, members of both FIRST Union and Tramways Union, have been involved in a long-running and bitter industrial dispute with NZ Bus and the Labour Party-controlled Auckland Council over low wages and poor conditions, including long working hours. Drivers work 14-hour days, with a lot of unpaid downtime between shifts.

Last December both unions called off bus drivers industrial action, falsely claiming that a council resolution was a step towards resolving the dispute. After calling off strike action, FIRST Union then turned against migrant workers, scapegoating them for low wages.

Tahiti: Social workers strike ends

A strike by French Polynesias agency for families (DFSE), which began on Wednesday, was called off on Thursday after Minister of Families Isabelle Sachet and other ministers signed a memorandum of understanding with the unions CSTP/FO and A Tia I Mua.

Dozens of social workers had rallied outside the presidential palace in Papeete on Thursday. The workers say they are overworked and families and children are at risk from under-resourcing. They had also demanded improved wages.

It is unclear if any of these demands have been met. A report on Radio 1 Tahiti did not explain what is in the memorandum of understanding. The social workers strike follows a wave of industrial action on the French territory, including by teachers and others against the governments planned pension cuts.

New Caledonia miners strike expands

Pickets have been set up at two more SLN nickel mine sites in solidarity with a strike that began at the mine site in Thio in mid-January. The strikers oppose a restructure which includes longer hours on working days but fewer days of work. The company reportedly wants workers to do 10.5 hour shifts and work 147 hours per month. Strikers want a return to 120 hours per month, with no shifts past midnight.

SLN is New Caledonias biggest private sector employer, with 2,000 workers. It has been beset by industrial action in recent years due to cutbacks following an economic downturn. In seven years SLN has lost $US1 billion. Meanwhile, in an ongoing restructure of Vale, another nickel company that operates in the French territory, up to 140 employees are expected to be made redundant.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo company Alessandro Profumo in Munich.

The sides noted that relations between Azerbaijan and Italy were successfully developing in all areas. It was underlined that the two countries enjoy good cooperation in political, economic, trade and other spheres. They hailed the fruitful activity of the intergovernmental commission.

It was noted that the Italian companies were closely involved in the implementation of ongoing projects in Azerbaijan.

The sides also exchanged views on the cooperation prospects.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Bengaluru: Three students from Kashmir studying at a private engineering college in Hubballi district of Karnataka were arrested on sedition charges for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans and posting a video of it on a messaging platform, police said on Saturday.

Police said, according to preliminary information, the students are from Shopianin Kashmir and action has been taken on the basis of a complaint from the college management.

"We received information that three students hailing from Kashmir studying at the KLE Institute of Technology had raised slogans supporting Pakistan.

They had made a video about it which has gone viral. Immediately our team headed by Inspector Gokul Road station went to thespot and arrested them," Hubli-DharwadPolice Commissioner R Dileep said.

Right-wing activists, including those from Bajarang Dal who had gathered near the college, demanded stringent action against the three.

As the students were being taken to the police station with their faces covered, an activist tried to attack them, but police escorted them safely. The FIR has been lodged under IPC sections relating to sedition and affecting communal harmony, the official said. "We are investigating, and whatever comes out as per evidence, law and facts, we will take further action. "We will look into their background, whether anyone has tried to mislead them," Dileep said, adding that the arrest should not be seen as action against any particular community or region.

According to officials, the selfie video of the three has gone viral as they posted it on Whatsapp.

In the video one of them can be purportedly seen initially uttering something with background music on, after which they chant 'Azadi' one after the other. Then joining chorus to the music that is playing, they purportedly say "Pakistan Zindabad."

The music they played is said to be Pakistani military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) song, which police said needs to be ascertained.

The video seems to have been recorded at the college hostel, where the students were put up.

College principal Basavaraj Anami said the college has given complaint to the police and the students will be suspended.

The students were admitted under central quota and two are doing their first year civil engineering, while the other is a third year student in the same stream, he said.

According to him, the three had made the video and posted it on WhatsApp.

"It came to our notice in the morning, following which I called the students immediately to my office, and informed the police," the principal told reporters.

"In the video, they have purportedly shouted pro-Pakistan slogans allegedly in the backdrop of the Pulwama attack anniversary yesterday," he added.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi, who hails from the district, described the act unfortunate and demanded strict action against those involved.
About 400 Americans are set to be evacuated from a quarantined cruise ship off the coast of Japan amid concerns about spreading coronavirus, the CDC confirmed on Saturday.

The State Department will lead the repatriation mission, which involves flying the Americans back to the U.S. and quarantining them on military bases in California and Texas.

These planes will be met by a team of U.S. Government personnel deployed there to assess the health of the passengers, the CDC said.

The decision represents an abrupt reversal in the U.S.s approach to the coronavirus-afflicted cruise ship, which had been held at sea since Feb. 4 and quickly became the largest concentration of cases outside China.

At least 218 passengers have reportedly tested positive for the virus. Health officials originally sought to contain the spread to the ship by quarantining everyone on board. But that calculus changed in recent days, amid political pressure and growing alarm over the conditions aboard the ship.

POLITICO first reported on Thursday that Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) and other lawmakers pressured the Trump administration for an evacuation after Roe received a firsthand account from Arnold Hopland, a friend and primary care doctor stranded on board. In a letter, the lawmakers urged officials to "act swiftly to ensure the health and safety of our citizens."

On Saturday, the CDC cited the dynamic nature of the outbreak for its new recommendation that all U.S. citizens leave the ship. The U.S. Government is taking these measures to fully assess and care for these repatriated Americans to protect them, their loved ones, and their communities, the agency said.

However, the lead-up to the evacuation plan was marked by internal dissension, two individuals with knowledge of the plans told POLITICO. As recently as late Friday, CDC and the State Department were not in agreement on whether the Japanese health department's quarantine had failed, and the Defense Department had yet to finalize key details of evacuation flights.

Story continues

Passengers aboard the Diamond Princess had not yet received any information on the planned evacuation as of Saturday morning, Japan Standard Time, said Hopland.

But Hopland  a friend of Roe whose first-person account earlier this week prompted calls to evacuate Americans from the cruise  told POLITICO that hed spoken to U.S. officials and believed they recognized the gravity of the situation.

My recommendation was to evacuate people, said Hopland, who spoke with HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec earlier in the day. Unofficially, I was told that decision has been made and will be forwarded to us shortly.


To borrow a phrase from an earlier campaign: Its the empathy, stupid!

That could well be the overarching theme of the 2020 election. And if the Democratic nominee for president is Amy Klobuchar, you can bet it will be.

The Minnesota senator, who began this race last February in a Midwestern snow storm and then went on to position herself as a moderate in a field of Democrats that took a hard left, has seized on the e-word.

As a former prosecutor who knows how to grab and hold the attention of a jury, Klobuchar is good at telling stories. The story she is now telling America is about how empathy is one of the most important qualities separating her from President Donald Trump.

The lawyer is making the case that America is suffering through a crisis of empathy, and that it starts with the occupant of the White House.

Trump exploited our empathy drought

Respectfully, I disagree with Klobuchar on that point. Weve been a quart short on empathy for a few decades now, at least as long weve had a homelessness crisis in many U.S. cities. Americans just dont think much about the plight of the less fortunate.

Trump exploited our empathy drought, but he didnt cause it.

Unlike its cousin sympathy, which people display by feeling compassion, sadness or pity for the struggles and hardships that another person has to deal with, empathy is when you're able to understand how another person feels, sometimes because youve been there.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar celebrates in Concord, New Hampshire, on Feb. 11, 2020.

Empathy is a sign of good character, and it contributes to ones level of emotional intelligence. It makes it easier to relate to another person, and for that person to relate to you. And it enhances ones authenticity.

It can also be the natural enemy of elitism. After all, its tough to feel superior to someone if youve gone through what theyre going through now.

And when a society is running low on empathy, as ours is at the moment, the national dialogue breaks down, differences harden, and divisions deepen. We get short-tempered with one another, question motives and refuse to consider alternative views.

Story continues

So there you have it. Empathy. Trump doesnt put much stock in it. The country is in desperate need of it. And the Democrat who has the most of it might just win the partys presidential nomination and give Trump a run for his money.

Klobuchar's bad-boss flaws are worrying: Should Democrats write her off for 2020?

Thats how Klobuchar sees it, based on her speech to supporters Tuesday night after a respectable third place finish in the New Hampshire primary.

The core was a story she told during her excellent closing statement at last weeks Democratic debate. Its about the funeral train of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and how a regular guy was standing by the tracks sobbing with his hat across his chest, and how a reporter asked that man if he had known Roosevelt. No, responded the man. I didnt know President Roosevelt, but he knew me.

She senses what Americans need from their president

Klobuchar argues that this ability to relate to ordinary Americans is the special sauce that is absent from what passes for leadership these days.

That is whats lacking right now in the White House, she told cheering supporters after her strong showing in New Hampshire. That empathy, that ability of a president to put himself or herself in the shoes of the people of this country..

Its obvious that Trump prefers his own custom-made loafers, and that he has no interest in trying on anyone elses shoes.

Klobuchar thinks there is a sacred trust that exists  or rather, should exist  between Americans and their president. She doesnt believe it is there now, and again she blames Trump for that. She promises to restore trust if she is elected.

Clay Aiken on 2020 primary: Why I'm changing my vote from Joe Biden to Amy Klobuchar

Look, Im old school journo. Ive been writing about politics and covering politicians for 30 years. Ive been lied to, tricked, manipulated, scapegoated, neglected and spun around. I hate both parties, and Im as cynical as they come. In fact, as I often tell groups I speak to, its a wonder I still vote at all.

But I dont mind telling you, when I first heard Klobuchar recite that story about Roosevelt during last weeks debate, I got chills. When she retold the story Tuesday night after finishing in the money in New Hampshire, my eyes welled with tears.

The president of the United States knew me. What a beautiful and powerful idea! And, Im proud to say, what a uniquely American concept.

I dont know where that went, or where along the trail we lost it. But, as is likely the case with many other Americans, Id sure like to get it back.

Ruben Navarrette Jr., a member of the USA TODAY Board of Contributors, is a syndicated columnist with The Washington Post Writers Group and host of the podcast, Navarrette Nation. Follow him on Twitter: @RubenNavarrette

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Klobuchar is running against Donald Trump on empathy and it might work
Seven hundred South Koreans repatriated from a Chinese city at the center of the new coronavirus outbreak are set to be released from quarantine in two provincial towns on Saturday and Sunday.



They have stayed in isolation at two state-run facilities in Asan and Jincheon, both about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, for more than two weeks, the estimated incubation period of COVID-19.



They were declared free of the virus in the final test on Thursday and permitted to go home, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The do not require follow-up medical checks after discharge, the ministry said.



The Asan compound has accommodated 527 people, with 173 in Jincheon.



On Saturday, a total of 366 evacuees who arrived from the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Jan. 31 -- 193 in Asan and 173 in Jincheon -- will be freed.



The following day, the Asan facility will free 333 people who arrived on Feb. 1 and a non-evacuee who has been there to take care of his two children.



Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Interior and Safety Minister Chin Young plan to attend farewell ceremonies there.

The government will mobilize 37 buses to transport them to major locations near their homes, officials said.



The ministry added that 111 civil servants, who supported them at the facilities, will also be released on Sunday and Monday after completing disinfection and waste disposal. (Yonhap)




[February 14, 2020] CIBT Education Group Inc. Reports Director Election Results

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE  CIBT Education Group Inc. (TSX: MBA, OTCQX International: MBAIF) (CIBT) reports the director election voting results from its annual general meeting held today. All of the director nominees, as listed in the management information circular dated December 23, 2019, were elected. Proxy voting as to each of the director nominees was as follows: Votes in Favour Votes Withheld Morris Chen 93.82% 6.18% Toby Chu 93.72% 6.28% Tony David 93.82% 6.18% Derek Feng 93.82% 6.18% May Hsu 93.84% 6.16% Troy Rice 93.82% 6.18% Shane Weir 93.72% 6.28%



About CIBT Education Group:

CIBT Education Group Inc. is one of the largest education and student housing investment companies in Canada focused on the global education market since 1994. Listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and U.S OTCQX International, CIBT owns business and language colleges, student housing properties, recruitment centres and corporate offices at 45 locations in Canada and abroad. The total annual enrollment for the group exceeds 12,000 students. Its education providers include Sprott Shaw College (established in 1903), Sprott Shaw Language College, Vancouver International College and CIBT School of Business. Through these schools, CIBT offers business and management programs in healthcare, hotel management, language training, and over 150 career, language and vocational programs. CIBT owns Global Education City Holdings Inc. (Global Education), an investment holding and development company focused on developing education related real estate such as student hotels, serviced apartments and education centres. The total portfolio and development budget of projects under Global Educations GEC brand is over C$1 billion. The various GEC properties provide accommodations to over 1,500 students and other tenants. CIBT also owns Global Education Alliance (GEA) and Irix Design Group ("Irix Design"). GEA recruits international students on behalf of many elite kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities in North America. Irix Design is a leading design and advertising company based in Vancouver, Canada. Visit us online and watch our corporate video at www.cibt.net. Toby Chu

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

CIBT Education Group Inc. Investor Relations Contact: 1-604-871-9909 extension 318 or | Email: [email protected]

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav



Thackeray has assured to take a decision on the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) "in the interest of people" through discussions, NCP leader and state Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad said here on Saturday.

Awhad dismissed as "baseless" the reports claiming that the state government had directed officials to start collecting data for the NPR from May 1 to June 15 in a special drive.

"It is unfortunate that some groups were trying to create disputes in the alliance government without any reason," Awhad tweeted.

The NCP and the Congress are the ruling constituents in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The NCP leader also said that he had spoken with the officials concerned who were quoted in the reports.

The officials informed me that the details mentioned in these reports were not true, he said.

"I discussed the issue with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who told me that discussions regarding the NPR and the NRC will be held with all the concerned (parties), and a decision which is in the interest of citizens of the state will be taken," he said.

Notably, in his recent interview, Thackeray, who heads the Sena, had said that there was no need to fear the Citizenship Amendment Act, but asserted that his government will not allow implementation of the proposed NRC as it would "impact people of all religions".

Meanwhile, AICC general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Saturday refused to reply to questions of reporters here about the implementation of the NPR.

When asked to respond to opposition BJP's criticism that the the MVA government will not last its full term, Kharge said, "the BJP is dreaming".

Mumbai Congress spokesman Charanjit Singh Sapra alleged the "misinformation" on the NPR was being spread by the BJP's "dirty tricks" department to derail the MVA government.

He clarified that the government has only decided to conduct the exercise for the Population Census from May 1, as per the existing procedure.

"Three days ago, a meeting was held at the Sahaydri guest house in Mumbai on Census rollout. In that meeting, which was conducted by GAD (General Administration Department) secretary in the absence of the chief minister and chief secretary, it was decided to conduct Census (data) exercise from May 1," Sapra said in a statement.

"This is an old process. The Census had been conducted in the country 16 times in the past. This time, it will be eighth time since Independence," he said.

Notably, seeking repeal of the CAA, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had last month demanded immediate stopping of the process of the NPR, calling it a "disguised NRC".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bachelor In Paradise alums Krystal Nielson and Chris Randone have split after less than one year of marriage.

The couple, who tied the knot on camera after meeting on the hit dating series, announced their separation on Valentine's Day in a statement to Bachelor Nation.

'It hurts to announce that at this moment, we have mutually decided to separate. Never did we imagine this scenario, but we've come to a point where we both need to work on ourselves,' read the statement from Krystal, 32, and Chris.

'It hurts to announce': Bachelor In Paradise alums Krystal Nielson and Chris Randone have split after less than one year of marriage (pictured August 2019)

'We are best friends that love and care for each other so deeply. We've appreciated everyone's love and support so far throughout our journey and we just ask that you please respect our privacy as we navigate through this.'

Bachelor Nation watched Krystal and Chris fall in love and become engaged on the beaches of Sayulita, Mexico during the fifth season of Bachelor In Paradise.

One year later, the couple returned to Mexico to tie the knot.

Cameras rolled as Krystal and Chris exchanged vows at the Vidanta Hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where Bachelor host Chris Harrison officiated the nuptials.

I now pronounce you man and wife! Cameras rolled as Krystal and Chris exchanged vows at the Vidanta Hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where Bachelor host Chris Harrison officiated the nuptials

Head over heels: Bachelor Nation watched Krystal and Chris fall in love and become engaged on the beaches of Sayulita, Mexico during the fifth season of Bachelor In Paradise (pictured during their engagement party)

The wedding was a who's who of Bachelor stars, including Ashley Iaconetti, Jared Haibon, and Ben Higgins.

'We are so excited to start this new chapter of our lives together,' Krystal told People at the time.

The Missoula, Montana native said she and Chris 'will have each other's backs forever' after tying the knot where they had their first date.

Hello petal! The couple joined a small group of others to tie the knot after Bachelor In Paradise, including Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert

The couple joined a small group of others to tie the knot after Bachelor In Paradise, including Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert.

Krystal's claim to fame came after appearing on Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s season of The Bachelor in 2018.

Chris competed for Becca Kufrin's heart on the following season of The Bachelorette that same year.
Building management staff conduct temperature screenings of visitors and tenants of a building in the financial district of Singapore on February 10, 2020.(PHOTO: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images)

By Goh Puay Guan

SINGAPORE  The novel coronavirus is spreading even as governments tried to contain it through travel restrictions and quarantine procedures.

The global death toll from the coronavirus outbreak reached nearly 1,400 and the head of the World Health Organization warned about the potential for more cases beyond China.

Businesses cannot wait. They need to consider how their sales and operations may be disrupted by the virus outbreak, and activate business continuity plans. Here are some factors companies should consider to create a system of prevention and recovery from potential threats and risks including natural disasters.

Product availability and alternative sourcing

Companies need to look at their sources, and whether their suppliers will be affected by work stoppages. The story is real for Hyundai Motors and Kia Motors, which suspended production at plants in South Korea, because of disruptions in the supply of parts from China. Companies need to work out terms and conditions with alternative suppliers, even to start secondary sourcing from them in order to cultivate commercial relationships in advance.

The location matters. If these suppliers are in the same vicinity, the risk remains. For example, massive floods in Bangkok in 2011 crippled suppliers for the automotive and disk drive industries, which were generally clustered around the same areas. This led the industries to suffer large losses in production and sales.

Alternative operational sites

Alternative manufacturing or warehouse sites can also act as buffer. Companies have become much more efficient in their supply chains over the years. It is great in normal times that stock levels are minimised. It is not so great to have minimal stock levels during a period of extended disruption. Thus, companies need to evaluate the amount of raw materials or finished goods required to last through this period.

Stocking up requires a greater storage capacity, or alternative storage sites. As fewer shoppers go out, unsold inventories may pile up, increasing warehouse demand as well. Companies have to factor in demand slowdown and adjust production accordingly.

Story continues

As for companies that sell goods with a short shelf life, a greater risk stands in front of them. Unsold or expired products may lead to great losses for the companies, thus affecting cash flow management. This may involve negotiation with banks and suppliers to extend payment terms.

Prioritise risks

Putting in place contingency plans would cost money and effort. It would be impossible to back up all operations, so the key priorities and risks need to be identified in advance. It is not a game of musical chairs where the first risk that pops up gets attended to first.

Management needs to consider the strategic accounts, contractual obligations, pricing margins, the likelihood of occurrence of the risks and their impact, before deciding on the mitigation plans. For one, ComfortDelGro has said that they have stockpiled masks and disinfectants for their drivers and staff.

Forming business continuity teams

Teamwork is important, all the more in a cross-functional business continuity team. This would facilitate central coordination and regular feedback of on-ground information to and from different operating units, negotiation with customers and suppliers on contractual obligations, as well as the planning of new (and possibly delayed) delivery schedules. This central team needs to take charge of relevant communication to staff and customers. It would also be responsible for putting in place alternative suppliers and sites, and executing contingency plans in the event of the disruption.

CapitaLand has, for example, announced that it put in place a special task force to coordinate operations in China and in other markets, among its other contingency measures.

Communication with customers and suppliers would also need to be transparent. Customers are likely to be understanding if orders are being delayed provided businesses are upfront and open with them. External partners need information so they can make plan accordingly.

Another issue for consideration is staff mobility for business continuity. Since the SARS period, companies have become much more connected and Internet-enabled. The widespread availability of cloud computing, remote access to company systems through VPN, and video conferencing via apps such Skype or Zoom should make remote communication and work much easier than in the past. Other measures include enabling staff to work from home or to re-assign tasks.

Be Prepared

Companies need to set up their plans and alternatives in advance. When a crisis hits, it may be difficult to find options while trying to deal with the ongoing operations disruption. They may also find that the cost of alternatives will be very costly as they are purchasing at the last minute, or even face some form of predatory pricing from the suppliers as well.

At the end of the day, it is also about understanding the potential gaps and how these can be plugged. Mitigation plans are like disinfectants. They do not promise to resolve the virus outbreak. But they can reduce the harmful impact on the business. In addition, these plans will provide a clear operating roadmap for management and staff during this period.

Goh Puay Guan is an associate professor in the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business Schools Analytics & Operations department. The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not represent the views and opinions of NUS.

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Express News Service

PATNA: A police posted in Bihar's Vaishali district was arrested and sent to jail on charges of demanding a bribe for not arresting an accused of a case on Friday evening.

According to Vaishali SP Dr Gaurav Mangla, additional sub-inspector (ASI)Jay Kumar Singh was posted in Bidupur police station.

Singh had allegedly made a demand for Rs 12000 from the kin of an accused for letting him escape an arrest.

The audio of demand for a bribe in cash was recorded and produced before the superintendent of police (SP)Dr Gaurav Mangla.

When the person turned up at a said place to meet the demand to that ASI, a team of police sent by SP, trapped the ASI at Hajipur.

The SP said that the ASI was booked under the anti-corruption charges and sent to hajipur jail. The arresting of a cop was appreciated by a large number of public as well as senior cops.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 23:34:52|Editor: yan

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ZOMBA, Malawi, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Principal Resident Magistrate Court in Malawi Friday sentenced 4 men, including a police officer, to a 15-year jail term for possessing human bones believed to be of persons with albinism.

The four, aged between 29 and 53, were arrested in April 2018 in the eastern border district of Machinga where they were found with bones believed to be of persons with albinism.

They were charged with being found in possession of human tissues, and selling or buying human tissues.

Local pathologist Charles Dzamalala, testified in court that upon examination, found that the bones were human bones and belonged to two different male persons.

The court convicted the four describing the offences as "heinous and immoral", before slapping them with the 15-year jail term.

Cases of ritual attacks and killings of persons with albinism for their body parts have been common in Malawi since 2013.

Over the years, more than 20 persons with albinism have been killed in Malawi with over 165 reported cases of attacks, abductions and exhumation of graves of remains of persons with albinism.
An illustration of what it might look like to arrive at Disney's Galactic Starcruiser.

Soon, you will have a chance to reserve a spot on the ultraimmersive Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.

We don't yet know exactly when reservations will open up, but according to a press statement from Disney Parks, reservations for the "Star Wars"-themed resort/experience will open up sometime this year. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which is currently under development near "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge," the new "land" in Disney's Hollywood Studios park in Florida, is expected to open next year.

The Galactic Starcruiser is "a completely new type of experience. For the first time were gonna invite guests to become the hero of their own star wars adventure," Ann Morrow Johnson, an executive producer and creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, said in the video above.

Video: See What a Trip to Star Wars: Galactic Starship Will Be Like!

Related: 'Star Wars'! 40 Facts from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

An artist's rendering of the Halcyon, the fictional spacecraft that Disney's Galactic Starcruiser resort/experience is based off of. (Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

The unique facility is small relative to Disney's other deluxe resorts, with only 68 cabins . Also unlike Disney's other resorts, you can't stay for a single night; guests on the Galactic Starcruiser can only stay for two days and two nights as part of an all-inclusive, immersive experience.

Instead of being a place to simply rest your head and have your breakfast in the morning, this resort promises to be more of a role-playing experience in which you become a character in your own "Star Wars" story.

Even finding your way to the resort is an experience like no other. To get to the Starcruiser, you first arrive at a location similar to a small private cruise terminal, Johnson said. From there, you will step into a launch pod and ride a simulated shuttle that will "dock" with the Halcyon starship where you will spend the next two days. Once onboard, you will have the opportunity to tour the ship and engage in a number of unique experiences, including, of course, lightsaber training.

A look into what "lightsaber training" might look like on Disney's Galactic Starcruiser. (Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

While it hasn't opened yet, the resort experience is rumored to cost upward of $3,000 per person (yes, per person, for the two-day experience). The experience also includes a "port visit" to Galaxy's Edge, in which guests at the Starcruiser will board a themed shuttle that will deliver them directly into the heart of Batuu, the terrestrial planet that holds Galaxy's Edge.

Though the price is steep, given the response that Galaxy's Edge and early descriptions of the resort have gotten thus far, space is expected to fill up quickly.

So, if you're a "Star Wars" fan looking to board the Starcruiser and launch on a galactic voyage like no other, keep your eyes peeled for more announcements about when Disney will start accepting reservations.

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .
A member of the Algerian military was killed in a car-bomb in the south of the country close to the border with Mali last weekend. While it was not clear which terrorist group was responsible for the attack, the triangle of southern Algeria, northern Mali and south-west Libya is an active theatre for Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group and their affiliated local terrorist groups. Last weekends incident was not the first incident of its kind, and it will probably not be the last.

The rise of terrorist activities in North Africa, the Sahel region and the Horn of Africa is of great concern to many in the region. The Arab Gulf countries are at the forefront of those concerned, not only for their interest in Africa, but also for their strategy to combat terrorism and radical Political Islam, with only Qatar standing out as an exception.

Libya is becoming the focus of the terrorist threats, especially after Turkey stepped up its intervention in transferring IS fighters to the country from Syria. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are looking for ways to reduce this threat, and both countries back Egypt in its action against the Libyan threat and its stand against Turkish intervention. Only Qatar is supporting the Turkish efforts, sticking to its long-standing policy of backing the Political Islamists and associated terrorist groups.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has attempted to draw Libyan neighbours Tunisia and Algeria into his endeavours to support the militias controlling the Libyan capital Tripoli against the Libyan National Army that has been trying in recent months to neutralise the threat they represent. Though the Tunisian Muslim Brotherhood Ennahda Party dominates politics in Tunisia, secular and nationalist forces in the country have rendered Erdogans efforts unsuccessful.

Algeria is a key party to any settlement in Libya, and Erdogans attempts to win it to Turkey and Qatars side have been swiftly met by intensified Gulf diplomatic efforts to bring Algeria into line in combating the terrorist threats that Erdogan has been feeding in Libya and elsewhere in Africa. Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Faisal Bin Farhan visited Algeria last week and met with Algerian President Abdel-Majeed Tabun. Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed had visited Algeria and Tunisia the week before and had met with both countries presidents.

Libya and terrorism in Africa were the focus of the two foreign ministers discussions with the presidents of the two countries. Their visits came days before the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, where Libya and the rising terrorism threat in Africa will also be the focus. Some analysts attribute the recent diplomatic activity to changes in Algeria after the ousting of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika last year as a result of popular protests and actions by the Algerian army.

However, one British academic who is an expert on Turkey and the Gulf said this was not the only explanation for the changes. Its not only that Algeria is reclaiming diplomatic activity after years of stagnation, but Saudi Arabia is also slowly adopting a proactive foreign policy to protect its interests and advance a moderate and pragmatic approach. Part of this is to change long-held perceptions of its foreign policies, but its also a positive development within the context of the changes Saudi Arabia is now seeing, the academic told Al-Ahram Weekly, speaking under condition of anonymity.

The UAE champions the fight against radicalism and terrorism, but the Saudi enthusiasm to join forces with it is worth noting. Riyadh recently took up strong positions against Turkey in the conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean over oil and gas resources and met with Cypriot and Greek leaders. Of course, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi both acknowledge that Erdogans ultimate target is Egypt, where his Brotherhood allies were thwarted after their brief control of the Middle Easts largest and most strategic country.

The UAE is a main backer of Egypt, and Saudi Arabia is now matching this with a special interest in Africa and stopping Turkish and Qatari support for terrorist and militant groups on the continent.

Early last month, Riyadh hosted foreign ministers from the Horn of Africa countries at a meeting addressed by Saudi King Salman that aimed at forming a Council of Arab and African States on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The council will include Egypt, Jordan, Eritrea, Yemen, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia, and the countries at the Riyadh meeting issued a 12-point agenda pledging to enhance their political, economic, cultural, environmental and security cooperation.

While the Saudi interest in Africa might not be new, its strategy is different. Years ago, the West was taking part in a campaign against Gulf interest in Africa. The Western media and NGOs launched a campaign against it, accusing the Gulf countries of engaging in a land grab to ensure their food security. That was a false accusation, and the world now needs to acknowledge that Gulf efforts in Africa to combat terrorism are for the good of the world as a whole and aim at protecting global security and stability, one Saudi commentator said.

The rivalry between the Arab Gulf countries, excluding Qatar, and Erdogans Turkey also cannot be discounted as a factor behind the new Saudi approach. Turkey has been focusing on countries in chaos hosting terrorists and militia groups, with first Somalia and now Libya being the main arenas of the Turkish destabilisation campaign in Africa. Turkey has been providing arms and logistical support to militant groups in these countries, replenishing them with terrorists transferred from Syria and Iraq.

The Gulf countries are more concerned that the rise in terrorism in the Red Sea through North Africa and to the west coast of Africa is a threat to their security and stability and not merely to their interests in another continent.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 13 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Move you fat git.

That's the message I frequently take from the little buzz that arrives through my wrist at 10 minutes to the hour while sitting at my desk.

If I haven't walked 250 steps in 50 minutes, my Fitbit vibrates to warn me I have been too static and to get moving, an easy habit to slip into for office workers.

More often than not, it prompts me to rise, walk to the water machine or make a coffee to please my device and get the steps in before it's too late and the hour ticks over.

Stat attack: My Fitbit device shows how many steps I've taken, my heart rate, calories burnt, mileage covered - and the time

This gamifcation of exercise is all part of the wider statistics the device - linked to an app on my phone - spits out each day, with 10,000 steps being the target.

Since I picked up the fitness tracker in November, I have let it influence my daily habits somewhat, mainly by making time for extra walks.

Data is the new oil  or at least, that is the claptrap some peddle. Personally, I do find it interesting to see how many steps I've taken, miles I've covered, how I've slept, my average heart rate and how much I've sat still on a given day.

I am a journalist who deals in statistics and figures - I love nothing more than trawling spreadsheets for trends and crunching data.

Others might find that entirely dull. I may come to a point soon where I too find it boring - or a bit too like an episode of the dystopian satire Black Mirror, as I walk around frantically, glancing at how many steps I'm doing.

But at the moment, I quite like to find out my sleep score on a scale of 100 and what percentage of my day I spend on my backside.

And the fact that I see plenty of others walking around checking the fitness tracker on their wrist suggests I am not alone.

For many, the worry is how companies such as Fitbit or Apple, with its smartwatches, use all this data. Fitbit is currently in the process of being bought by Google for $2.1billion.

Fitbit tell me: 'Consumer trust is paramount. Strong privacy and security guidelines have been part of our DNA since day one.

'We will continue to put users in control of their data and will remain transparent about the data it collects and why.

'The company never sells personal information or Fitbit health and wellness data.'

Its privacy policy states that if the Google takeover is completed, it will 'give affected users notice before transferring any personal information to a new entity'.

Popular: Wearable technology to track fitness, steps and sleep have become big business in the last decade - will it continue? (stock image)

The perfect Valentine's gift?

Wearable technology has been a fast moving trend in the last decade. Fitness tracker sales themselves have dipped off slightly in recent years, with more people wanting smartwatches.

An estimated third of Britons have some sort of fitness tracker while Fitbit itself has nearly 30million users globally.

This is likely to rise when it releases it releases its annual report this Thursday which will give a more up-to-date snapshot.

It has been one of the fastest growing trends of the decade. Millennials are the most likely to own one, and those aged 55-75 the least likely, according to Statista data.

It is forecast that 1billion of the global population will have one - or a smartwatch that does the same thing - by 2030.

Even my wife, who couldn't understand the appeal before I started using mine, requested one as a Valentine's gift.

It's not quite a set of scales, but it doesn't feel far off. She wants to measure how many steps she makes each day as she feels her smartphone tracker isn't an accurate depiction. She has succumbed.

'There is no way I'm letting it track my sleep,' she has told me sternly though. I bet she will. It's a curiosity itch too good not to scratch.

A fitness tracker transformed my life

Consumer Trends This is Money assistant editor and consumer journalist, Lee Boyce, writes his Consumer Trends column every Saturday. It ranges from food and drink and retail, to financial services and travel. Have an idea or suggestion? Get in touch: lee.boyce@thisismoney.co.uk

One adopter of the technology is my mum.

Last July, for her birthday, my sister bought her a relatively inexpensive fitness tracker.

She was once a heavy smoker, but gave up in 2005.

However, six years ago, she was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease  or COPD  thanks to the cigarettes.

It is estimated around 3million Britons have the condition.

Unfortunately, it left her short of breath and made it impossible to even go for short walks with her and my daughter, born in 2018.

When she received the gift last summer, little did we know it would kick-start my mum's health and result in her losing around a stone and a half in weight.

She has slowly built up her fitness to the point now where last weekend, she walked five miles to my house from hers, which includes plenty of hills, leaving me gobsmacked.

Six months ago, my retired mum would have struggled to walk for five seconds out of the house without wheezing. She goes for morning meanders, afternoon walks and evening strolls  the change in her health is clear to see.

Now, she frequently does 30,000 steps a day, the equivalent of 15 miles.

This wouldn't have happened without that fitness tracker encouraging her.

She says: 'I was cynical when I first put that device on. But I was shocked into action. I saw how few steps I was doing in any given day.

'I was determined to get to 10,000. Then 11,000 and so on.

'Everyday, I have tried to beat my best and I feel healthier than I have done for years - even decades.

'I've got to the point where I am singing the praises of my fitness trackers to anyone who will listen - it really has changed my life in the last six months.'

I genuinely never thought that fitness tracker would work and I'm thankful my sister bought it for her  I'm looking forward to the summer where we she can accompany her granddaughter and I on walks without becoming breathless, a far cry from summer 2019.

Someone else told me on Twitter that they use a tracker as part of managing diabetes, with the additional information 'helpful in a number of areas.'

What I've discovered: From predicting illness to how well I'm going to sleep

I am traditionally a slow adopter to technology, mainly over data fears.

Someone ridiculed me recently because I refuse to give up my paper train ticket for a plastic one, and I like to spend cash as much as I do contactless.

But after seeing the success my mum had, I decided I wanted a Fitbit to see if it could help shift my fat bits, which have become a little more doughy since becoming a parent.

Three months later, here are some of the titbits I've discovered:

It knew I was becoming ill: My resting heartbeat is typically in the low 60 beats per minute.

However, before Christmas, over a few day period, it spiked to nearly 70. Lo-and-behold, I came down with an acute virus.

Weekend spike: My heart rate spikes at the weekend, the fitness tracker shows me - meanwhile, I need to improve on my cardio - my 2020 goal is to get out of the average score

My resting heartbeat spikes at the weekend: I am more chilled at my desk than I am at home looking after my daughter.

My heartbeat revs up a few beats per minute, probably as I fret over keeping a tiny human alive.

Midweek walks: I attempt to get away from my desks most days for a brisk walk to clear my head and burn those all important calories

I walk more: As well as the non-activity prompts, I have been inspired to get out at my lunch break at least three times a week to do a 45 minute power walk.

This was after I realised I was spending around three quarters of my waking hours non-active  IE, sitting at my desk, on the commute home or on the sofa.

This helps clear my head, get the creative juices flowing and improve my mood.

Mobile: This matrix keeps track of whether you've done your 250 steps each hour while it automatically registers exercise, such as brisk walks

Motivational messages: The app also gives some daily motivation. For instance, it recently told me:

'Research shows adding two minutes of walking for each hour you sit during the day may be linked with a longer life expectancy. A two-three minute walks = about 250 steps.'

And: 'A 30 minute walks or jog may help prevent a buildup of stress during the day. Aerobic activities help keep levels of cortisol  the stress hormone  in check.'

Both these messages hit home.

Bad sleep vs good sleep: The screenshot on the left showed a particularly bad night sleep - the one on the right a good one, along with the period you slept deep, light or in REM

Sleeping (like a baby): As a relatively new dad, I was interested to see how parenthood was hitting my sleep.

It breaks it down into deep sleep, light sleep, REM and awake. I can now pinpoint the exact moments my daughter wakes in the night, or the cat comes in and decides to paw my face.

It can also give me an indication as to why I'm feeling tired the next day and the effects booze has on your sleep.

In the past 30 days, I typically spent 51 per cent of my sleep in 'light' mode. This, the app explains, makes up the most of your night and promotes mental and physical restoration.

I spent 20 per cent in deep sleep which helps with physical recovery and aspects of memory and learning. The app adds that if you spend solid time in this stage, you're likely to feel extra refreshed.

Meanwhile, I spend 17 per cent in REM - rapid eye movement sleep. This typically occurs later at night and is apparently important for your memory and mood. This is the stage where dreams are more vivid, heart rate is elevated and breathing is faster.

Sleep: The tracker measures your sleep out of 100, with 80+ being good and also gives you a 30 day average, along with a benchmark of other your gender and age

Competition increases exercise: Four of my colleagues also use Fitbits. In the app, you can set up a league table with others.

Upon much ridicule of our non-Fitbit colleagues, the five of us embarked on a few days of frantically checking the table and trying to outdo each other.

As a result, most of added thousands more steps than we usually would. It also encourage far more walking to each others desks, then simply emailing.

'Leaving it behind' anxiety: There have been a couple of occasions where I have left my tracker at home. It definitely has an impact - it's almost like having a 'cheat day.'

It's replaced my watch: Out has gone the Hugo Boss number I wore. What's the point of wearing a watch that doesn't nothing else but tell the time?

All of the above was recorded on a Fitbit Inspire HR device that I picked up for 69.99 from Currys/PC World. Not all fitness trackers have the features above, so research the models before purchase.

Will the trend continue?

Wearable technology is ranked the number one fitness trend of 2020, as it has been since 2016. By 2023, the market is set to be worth half a billion pounds.

Some companies now offer the gadgets for free as long as users get the right amount of steps.

Where could this lead to the future: Cheaper insurance for those who are more active? Medical bills for those not doing enough or refusing to wear one?

Fitbit itself has launched a 'premium' service. It almost like a stat-driven Weight Watchers with guided programs, more detailed health insights, advanced sleep tracking and tailored workouts. It costs 80 a year.

It even has its own scales which measures weight, body fat percentage and BMI and puts them into a neat little graph.

In the last 12 years, Fitbit tells me it has created the largest global health database. It has 228billion hours of heart rate data, 202trillion steps logged, 517billion minutes of exercise and 10.5billion nights of sleep.

It claims that three quarters of users with a weight loss goal with a Fitbit lose weight and users get 10 minutes more sleep with one.

The two are linked, it says, as there is a 12 per cent higher chance of losing weight with seven hours sleep per night.

When I was 16, I wrote a list of things I wanted to achieve in my life. One was to buy a an antique Rolex - I think I have waved goodbye to that dream, thanks to technology.

A Rolex wouldn't vibrate to tell me to stop being lazy, no matter how beautiful it looks. That said, it wouldn't hold precious data about me and my lifestyle.
The safety of world leaders visiting Britain for a major climate change summit has been put at risk by an astonishing security breach.

Two hundred heads of state and tens of thousands of delegates will gather in Glasgow for the Conference of the Parties (COP) summit in November.

The security bill for the two-week event at the Scottish Event Campus is expected to be tens of millions of pounds.

But highly sensitive plans of the site  described as a 'manual' for terrorists  have been published online by bungling civil servants.

Two hundred heads of state and tens of thousands of delegates will gather in Glasgow for the Conference of the Parties (COP) summit in November. The security bill for the two-week event at the Scottish Event Campus (pictured) is expected to be tens of millions of pounds

Detailed drawings reveal secret tunnels, the venue's power hubs and generators, and its gas, electricity and drainage networks.

The plans show where counter-terror bollards are positioned to prevent vehicle attacks and even show backstage and dressing areas, VIP lounges, security control rooms and the media centre.

Chris Phillips, a former head of the UK National Counter Terrorism Security Office, said: 'It's a manual for how to damage this building. It's blown any hope of security in the run-up to this event. This information shouldn't be in the public domain.'

The plans were published on the Government website gov.uk last December as part of an invitation to companies to apply to help run the event.

The blunder is the latest controversy to hit the conference following a row over the estimated 200 million cost of policing it.

Terrorists have previously carried out surveillance of targets using detailed plans of buildings. In 1984, the IRA spent weeks studying the Grand Hotel in Brighton (pictured) before planting a bomb targeting the Tory Party conference

Officials are gearing up for widespread climate-change protests after last year's UN climate conference in Madrid drew crowds of up to 500,000 marchers.

Terrorists have previously carried out surveillance of targets using detailed plans of buildings.

In 1984, the IRA spent weeks studying the Grand Hotel in Brighton before planting a bomb targeting the Tory Party conference. Five people died when it exploded.

A Government spokesman said: 'Public access to these documents was granted in error and has since been removed.'
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Americans on board a cruise ship quarantined off Japan since early February over coronavirus fears will be evacuated and returned to the US via chartered flight, officials said Saturday.

In a message to Americans on board the Diamond Princess, the US embassy said those returning to the United States would have to undergo another 14 days of quarantine.

"The US government recommends, out of an abundance of caution, that US citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring," the statement said.

Washington will send a chartered plane to Japan for the evacuation on Sunday, the message said.

It was not clear when the plane will depart Japan, but the letter said it will land at Travis Air Force Base in California.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said some 400 Americans were on board the cruise ship and the plane will leave Tokyo's Haneda airport as soon as early Monday.

"Passengers will be screened for symptoms and we are working with our Japanese partners to ensure that any symptomatic passengers receive the required care in Japan if they cannot board the flight," the message said.

"Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time," it added.

While some Americans on the ship have urged their government to extract them from the boat, others on board criticised the plan.

"Incredibly disappointed that the U.S. Government has decided to throw a monkey wrench into the quarantine we have maintained here on board the Diamond Princess," tweeted Matt Smith, an American lawyer.

"The U.S. Government... wants to take us off without testing, fly us back to the U.S. with a bunch of other untested people, and then stick us in 2 more weeks of quarantine? How does that make any sense at all?"

There were more than 3,700 people on the ship when it arrived off the Japanese coast in early February. It was placed into quarantine after a passenger who got off the boat in Hong Kong tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Story continues

Since it arrived off Japan, more than 200 others have since been diagnosed and taken off the ship to local hospitals.

The illness has killed more than 1,500 people and infected at least 66,000 in China while spreading to more than two dozen other countries, sparking an unprecedented containment effort.

On Friday, Japan's government gave passengers on the Diamond Princess aged 80 or older and in poor health the chance to move from the ship to quarantine accommodation on land.

The quarantine on the ship had been due to end on February 19 and those on board have been mostly confined to their cabins, asked to wear masks, and keep their distance from other passengers during brief outings on deck.

Crew on board have expressed concern that their conditions -- including shared cabins, bathrooms and workspaces -- put them at greater risk of contracting the virus.

Excluding the cases on the ship, and an infected quarantine officer, Japanese authorities have so far diagnosed at least 40 people with the virus.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the CRS-17 Dragon cargo mission for NASA in May 2019. The same booster will make its fourth flight to launch SpaceX's Starlink-4 mission on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  SpaceX successfully fired up the Falcon 9 rocket booster that will launch the company's next batch of Starlink satellites today (Feb. 14) in a test that sets the stage for a weekend liftoff.

That Falcon 9 rocket is expected to send 60 Starlink internet satellites into space no earlier than Sunday (Feb. 16). Liftoff is set for Sunday at 10:25 a.m. EST (1525 GMT).

The company originally planned for a launch on Saturday (Feb. 15), but poor weather at the rocket's recovery zone prompted the 24-hour schedule slip.

The company conducted a so-called static-fire test on Friday (Feb. 14) at 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) of a Falcon 9 rocket at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the company said on Twitter. The upcoming launch will mark the third Starlink flight this year.

Video: See SpaceX's 1st Starlink satellites in the night sky

The veteran Falcon 9 rocket rolled out of its hangar on Thursday (Feb. 13) and went vertical on the launch pad in advance of the planned test-firing of its nine first stage engines on Friday morning.

The two-stage rocket featured in the upcoming launch includes a thrice-flown first-stage booster, having previously lofted two commercial Dragon resupply missions (CRS-17 in May 2019 and CRS-18 that July) as well as a hefty telecommunications satellite in December.

This marks the fourth time a SpaceX booster will fly four times.

But before it can launch, SpaceX put the vehicle through a routine launch rehearsal, called a static-fire test. This is a standard part of prelaunch procedures and one of the last major milestones before liftoff. During the test, teams loaded the Falcon's super-chilled propellants  kerosene and liquid oxygen  into the rocket and then briefly ignited the first stages nine Merlin 1D engines.

Related: SpaceX's 1st Starlink megaconstellation launch in photos!

The engines briefly fired at 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT), generating more than 1 million pounds of thrust while the booster remained firmly on the ground.

"Static fire of Falcon 9 complete ahead of launching 60 satellites  due to poor weather in the recovery area tomorrow, now targeting launch on Sunday, February 16 at 10:25 a.m. EST, 15:25 UTC," SpaceX tweeted shortly after the test.

Static fire of Falcon 9 complete ahead of launching 60 Starlink satellitesdue to poor weather in the recovery area tomorrow, now targeting launch on Sunday, February 16 at 10:25 a.m. EST, 15:25 UTCFebruary 14, 2020 See more

This test was slightly different from typical hold down tests that SpaceX performs prior to each launch in recent years.

SpaceX test fired this Falcon 9 with a payload attached. Typically, the company rolls out just the rocket's first stage, fires it up, and rolls it back so they can attach the payload. SpaceX has followed that method since 2016, when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launchpad, destroying its satellite payload, during preparations for a static fire test.

However, with the Starlink launches, the company has decided to fire up the rockets with the payload sitting on top. This isn't a new practice for this launch, but is something the company is doing with most of its Starlink launches. Since SpaceX owns the payload, it assumes the risk if there were an anomaly. Plus, it cuts down on processing time, allowing the company to test fire one day and launch the next.

This practice was something SpaceX did in the past, but stopped after the loss of the AMOS 6 satellite in 2016. That explosion was attributed to issues with the composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) in the rocket's upper stage. The COPVs are responsible for keeping the rocket pressurized during flight as its fuel is depleted

Since then, the company has redesigned the COPVs and began using them when they started flying the Block 5 version of Falcon 9 in May 2018. In a prelaunch news conference prior to that inaugural launch, SpaceX CEO and founder, Elon Musk, described the COPVs as the most advanced pressure vessel developed by humanity.

NASA required SpaceX to fly the newly redesigned pressure vessels at least seven times before the company could begin carrying astronauts to the space station  a task they completed last year. With one successful uncrewed test flight , and a demonstration of the Crew Dragon's launch escape system , the only hurdles SpaceX has left to complete before that coveted crewed mission are a few more parachute tests and paperwork.

According to SpaceX, the Crew Dragon vehicle has arrived at the launch site. If all goes as planned we could see SpaceX launch people to the International Space Station in the next few months.

Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
Their relationship has gone from strength to strength since they were first linked last year.

And Tara Reid looked loved-up with boyfriend Nathan Montpetit-Howar as they headed to Madeo restaurant in Los Angeles on Friday.

The American Pie actress, 44, looked chic in a scarlet top paired with a black furry and leather jacket as she posed with her love.

Happy couple: Tara Reid looked loved-up with boyfriend Nathan Montpetit-Howar as they headed to Madeo restaurant in Los Angeles on Friday

The star paired this with black jeans and knee-high boots and accessorised with a scarlet handbag.

Her blonde tresses were styled sleek and straight while her pretty features were enhanced with a rich palette of make-up.

Producer Nathan looked dapper in a black and white Sex Pistols jumper and jeans as he posed with Tara.

Reid has a checkered love life, with past boyfriends including The Voice host Carson Daly  to whom she was briefly engaged  and Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis.

Cute couple: The American Pie actress, 44, looked chic in a scarlet top paired with a black furry and leather jacket as she posed with her love

She was also rumored to have brief relationships with Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst and rapper Eminem.

Her last boyfriend was reportedly Israeli DJ Erez Eisen, although the pair never confirmed they were an item.

The insider also said that the Minnesota native has been searching for the perfect ring and that they expected the couple to be engaged within three months, at the time of the interview.

Montpetit-Howar is one of the founders of Los Angeles-based production company Phantom, as Vice President of Technology Design.

According to his company bio, he 'is an Executive Producer credited with over 150 music tracks.'

The couple have been seen out together on many occasions in the last year, typically attending events and enjoying the LA social scene.
Jasmine Yarbrough flaunted her blossoming baby bump as she shopped up a storm with her stepdaughter Ava Willow Stefanovic, 14, in Sydney's North Shore on Saturday.

The 36-year-old wasn't afraid to do some heavy lifting, carrying three plastic bags brimming with new purchases.

The two Stefanovic girls kept things casual as they looked around Mosman, donning summery ensembles in order to keep cool in the warm weather.

Girls' day out! Pregnant Jasmine Yarbrough (rigth) was spotted her taking stepdaughter Ava Stefanovic, 14, (left) shopping in Mosman on Sunday. Both Ava and Jasmine wore shoes from Jasmine's Mara & Mine footwear collection

The Mara & Mine designer rocked a feminine spaghetti-strap white maxi-dress, which featured cascading frills and a dainty pink floral pattern.

The frock's smocked elastic clung flatteringly to her burgeoning bump.

She styled the summery ensemble with white knotted-strap leather sandals from her luxury footwear brand - with Ava wearing the same pair.

Let's go! Jasmine flaunted her blossoming baby bump as she strolled with Ava

Pregnancy craving? The 36-year-old browsed some sweet treats and snacks

As well as carrying their shopping bags, Jasmine lugged a black handbag with studded gold hardware.

The blonde beauty pulled her long locks off her face, securing a messy bun with a velvet muted pink scrunchie.

Taking advantage of her pregnancy glow, Jasmine went completely make-up free.

Summery: The two Stefanovic girls kept things casual as they looked around Mosman, donning singlet styles in order to keep cool

Fashionable: The Mara & Mine designer rocked a feminine spaghetti-strap white maxi-dress, which featured cascading frills and a dainty pink floral pattern

The pair stopped off in a local bakery, pausing to decide which sweet treats they would indulge in.

According to Woman's Day, Jasmine's due date is May 2020, which means she is currently five months pregnant.

Blossoming: The frock's smocked elastic clung flatteringly to her burgeoning bump

Expensive: She styled the summery ensemble with white knotted-strap leather sandals from her luxury footwear brand worth $175. Ava wore the same pair

She has kept her pregnancy journey relatively private so far on her Instagram, but flaunted her bump on Tik Tok.

Photos taken of Jasmine in a swimsuit in Byron Bay in December confirmed rumours the couple were excepting their first child together.

Karl later announced the news via Instagram by writing: 'After a great deal of speculation...the rumours are true.'

Too heavy? As well as carrying their new shopping finds, Jasmine lugged a black handbag with studded gold hardware

Karl and Jasmine began dating in late 2016, just months after he had separated from ex-wife Cassandra Thornurn.

The former couple, who were married for 21 years, share three children: Jackson, 20, River, 12, and Ava, 14.

In December, Karl and Jasmine celebrated their one-year anniversary after tying the knot in 2018 at Mexico's five-star One&Only Palmilla resort.

Trendy: The blonde beauty pulled her long locks off her face, securing a messy bun with a velvet muted pink scrunchie
Hyderabad: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) continued its winning spree, this time in the cooperative elections on Sunday. The party won 90 per cent of the seats of directors of Primary Agriculture Co-operative Credit Societies (PACS).

The TRS is now in a position to win all the District Cooperative Cent-ral Banks, District Coop-erative Market Societies and Cooperative Marke-ting Federations in the state.

Even though the elections were held on non-party basis, the main political parties fought for the victory of their supporters. The state has a total 909 PACS, of which elections were unopposed in a few of them. For the remaining 6,248 wards, a total of 14,530 candidates were in the fray.

In Sircilla PACS, where TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao is the legislator, all 13 director posts were won by TRS supporters. The ruling party won all the posts in the Huzurabad Assembly seat previously represented by TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy.

On Sunday and Monday, the directors will elect PACS chairpersons. The-se chairpersons will elected the heads of the district banks and market societies. The notification for these polls will be issued on Monday or Tuesday.

Following the victory, Mr Rama Rao posted on Twitter: Heartfelt thanks to the farmers of Telangana for giving yet another resounding victory to the TRS.
Roger Stone has asked for a new trial, a day after Donald Trump accused the jury of bias.

Amid anger and dismay after it emerged William Barrs department of justice had changed its sentencing recommendations for the veteran Republican operative following comments from the president, papers filed by the 67-year-olds lawyers indicated he was seeking a new hearing.

CNN said federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson, acknowledged the longtime Trump ally and adviser had again for a new trial, and the justice department had yet to respond to the request. She had previously denied such a his appeal for a fresh hearing.

Further details about his request were not immediately available because the court filings were under seal.

Now it looks like the fore person in the jury, in the Roger Stone case, had significant bias, Mr Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Show all 6 1 /6 All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Alan Dershowitz Dershowitz is a controversial American lawyer best known for the high-profile clients he has successfully defended. Those clients have included OJ Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. One longtime Harvard Law associated told the New Yorker Dershowitz "revels in taking positions that ultimately are not just controversial but pretty close to indefensible." Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Ken Starr Starr became a household name in the 1990s as the independent counsel who led the investigation that led to Bill Clinton's impeachment. That investigation began as a look into a real estate scandal known as Whitewater, and eventually led to impeachment after Mr Clinton lied under oath about having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. AP All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Jay Sekulow Sekulow is the president's longtime personal attorney, and, now, personal lawyer in the White House. He has been accused by former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas of being "in the loop" during the Ukraine scandal. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pam Bondi Bondi is the former attorney general in Florida, and a longtime backer of the president's. She made a name for herself in Florida for taking hyper partisan stances on issues, and her penchant for publicity. She is likely to be a prominent public-facing figure during the trial. AFP/Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Pat Cipollone Cipollone is the White House counsel, and leading the president's defence team. Getty All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Rudy Giuliani While not officially named as one of the president's impeachment lawyers, it is hard to ignore Giuliani's outsized role in this process. The former mayor of New York has been making headlines for months as he defends his client, and for his apparent role in the effort to compel Ukraine to launch the investigation into Joe Biden. We'll see how he figures in the actual trial, which he has said he would like to be a part of. Reuters

Add that to everything else, and this is not looking good for the Justice Department.

Mr Trump was apparently referring to a Facebook post that had been written by Tomeka Hart, a former president of the Memphis City Schools Board of Commissioners and unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress.

She identified herself as the forewoman of the jury that found Stone guilty last year.

 'Impossible for me to do my job': Barr calls out Trump in scathing interview over Stone scandal

She said she cant keep quiet any longer in the wake of the justice department move to reduce its sentencing recommendation for Stone from the seven-to-nine years recommended by front-line prosecutors.

On Thursday, William Barr, the attorney general and the man who oversaw the decision to reduce Stones sentence, gave an interview in which said he wished the president would not tweet about cases.

He denied, however, being asked by the president to reduce Stones charge, something that triggered the resignation of four prosecutors linked to the case.

I want to stand up for Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, Michael Marando, and Jonathan Kravis  the prosecutors on the Roger Stone trial, Ms Hart wrote in the post.

It pains me to see the DoJ now interfere with the hard work of the prosecutors. They acted with the utmost intelligence, integrity, and respect for our system of justice.

On Friday it was reported Mr Barr was also reviewing the case of another Trump ally, former general Michael Flynn, who briefly served as national security adviser but resigned.

He later admitted lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russias ambassador to the US.
India is vulnerable to the trafficking of narcotics as it is sandwiched between the 'Golden Crescent' and the 'Golden Triangle', the major opium production regions in the world, officials said on Saturday.

This was highlighted at the two-day conference on 'Combating Drug Trafficking' for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) partner nations, which concluded on Friday.

"The geographical proximity to both the 'Golden Crescent' and the 'Golden Triangle', major opium production regions of the world, puts all the BIMSTEC partner nations in a very precarious position.

"India's position is more vulnerable as we are sandwiched between the 'Golden Crescent' and the 'Golden Triangle'," an official statement said.

The Golden Crescent region of the South Asia comprises Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. The Golden Triangle is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers.

These two areas are known as the major opium production regions of the world.

The bumper harvests of opium in Afghanistan for the last few years have given rise to increased supply of heroin in all the BIMSTEC countries.

Another major issue for worry is the large number of methamphetamine manufacturing facilities that are prevalent in some of the BIMSTEC countries, the statement said.

These facilities manufacture a large quantity of methamphetamine, which is further trafficked to all the BIMSTEC countries.

Over two days of extensive deliberations at the conference provided an important platform for the partner nations to share ideas and exchange best practices required to combat the drug menace in the region.

Another area of concern is drug trafficking through sea route that affects the BIMSTEC nations. While the Bay of Bengal facilitates trade worth billions of dollars, the drug traffickers also use this vast network to their advantage, an official said.

Two recent seizures of 371 kg and 1,156 kg methamphetamine by Indian authorities from two vessels in the Bay of Bengal are glaring examples of this facet.

Further, the BIMSTEC region is one of the most thriving centres of pharmaceutical manufacture and trade.

It is also in very close proximity to China, which is another leading country in the pharma sector.

This has also made the BIMSTEC region very vulnerable to the diversion and trafficking in pharmaceutical drugs, the official said.

The developments in technology have thrown a challenge to the drug law enforcement agencies.

The use of darknet is one of the ugly facets of technological use in drug trafficking.

The combination of darknet and courier/postal deliveries have made the narco/psychotropic trafficking more anonymous in nature.

Keeping in mind these problems that are common to the BIMSTEC nations and the Indian subcontinent in particular, the various sessions of the conference were designed, the official said.

The conference brought out the best practises followed in terms of drug law enforcement in the BIMSTEC nations. All the BIMSTEC nations reaffirmed their commitment to increased cooperation.

According to another official, Asian countries are increasingly being affected by drug trafficking and BIMSTEC, being the key link between South Asian and South East Asian Nations is one of the most effective platforms to tackle this global threat.

The BIMSTEC is a regional organisation comprising seven member states lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, besides India, constituting a contiguous regional unity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A resident passes by empty shelves in the supermarket in Wuhan, China on Feb. 12, 2020. (Getty Images)

Funeral Home Workers Across China Sent to Coronavirus Epicenter of Wuhan to Handle Corpses Piling Up

Funeral home workers across China are heading to Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 virus outbreak, to assist the city in dealing with the uptick in related deaths.

Meanwhile, netizens shared on social media job recruitment notices offering workers high salaries to work at Wuhan funeral homes.

This adds to growing evidence that deaths due to the virus are piling up, at a scale greater than what authorities are officially reporting.

As of Feb. 14, the Chinese central government announced that more than one thousand patients have died in Wuhan in the past 45 days. But staff at local crematoriums told The Epoch Times in recent interviews that their intake has skyrocketed in recent weeks, forcing them to work round the clock in order to process the bodies daily. One crematorium official said the facility recently peaked at processing 127 bodies in one day.

Some local medical workers have also revealed the true severity of the outbreak.

On Feb. 13, Wang Hui, chief nurse at the Wuhan Tongji Hospital, one of more than 40 hospitals in the city designated to treat virus patients, said in a media interview: We have collected hundreds of thousands of samples for diagnosis. This reveals that the Tongji Hospital alone is treating hundreds of thousands of suspected COVID-19 patients.

Support for Wuhan

On Feb. 12, a photo was broadly shared on Twitter, where 14 people dressed in the same uniform were standing in front of the Shiqiaopu Funeral Home in Chongqing City.

They unfurled a banner, which read: Chongqing supports Hubei Province, funeral home service team. Chongqing lies just to the west of Hubei Province, where Wuhan is the capital.

That same day, a Chinese independent reporter posted on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform, that an 8-member team from the Chongqing branch of Fushouyuan International Group, Chinas largest funeral service provider, went to Wuhan to offer support.

On Feb. 7, three workers from the Luoyang Funeral Home in Henan Province arrived in Wuhan, according to state-run newspaper Gongyi Shibao. The report was later removed.

The Hunan provincial-government-run media Xiaoxiang Morning also reported on Feb. 7 that four funeral home workers were dispatched from Changde City to Wuhan in order to support funeral homes dealing with coronavirus patients bodies.

Before the virus spread widely in Hubei, funeral workers from other Hubei cities were sent to Wuhan to support the latters funeral services.

Recruitment

Netizens shared a recruitment notice from the Wuchang Funeral Home posted onto a chat group on WeChat, a social media and messaging app. The Wuchang facility is one of the three main funeral homes in downtown Wuhan.

According to the recruitment issued on Feb. 12, the funeral home needs 20 workers to pick up bodies from midnight to 4 a.m. Listed among the requirements for the job candidates are 16 to 50 years oldbeing physically strong and brave.

The salary is 1,000 yuan ($143) per houra high sum compared with the average Chinese salary.

Another funeral home in downtown Wuhan also needs more workers to pick up bodies. On Feb. 12, a netizen named Xinzhou posted a recruitment notice from a local volunteers chat group on WeChat. The notice from the Hankou Funeral Home says it is recruiting workers, with pay compensation of 2,000 yuan ($287) for every cadaver they pick up. Some in the chat group said they were interested in the position.

Chinese health authorities have mandated that people who die from the COVID-19 be cremated.

The crematorium official whom The Epoch Times spoke with explained that about 60 percent of the patients died at home without receiving a final diagnosis; thus, they are unlikely to have counted toward the official death toll.

On Feb. 12, a Wuhan resident shot a video that quickly circulated among netizens, showing personnel in protective suits picking up what appears to be a cadaver wrapped in a body bag, from within a residential building complex. When the personnel opened the back door of the van, several body bags could be seen inside.

The newly named COVID-19 by the World Health Organizations (WHO) is a type of coronavirusa family of pathogens that also includes SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and the common flu. It first broke out in Wuhan in early December 2019.

On Feb. 11, the British Imperial College London published their latest study, in which its scientists estimated that only one in 19 people infected in Wuhan were being tested for the illness.

It further estimated the case fatality ratio to be 18 percent among people with severe symptoms in Hubei.
What with Valentines Day now in our rear-view mirrors, I had hoped to get through the rest of frosty February without being forced to write another heart-felt column about romance.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

What with Valentines Day now in our rear-view mirrors, I had hoped to get through the rest of frosty February without being forced to write another heart-felt column about romance.

I can see now that I was a fool. I felt an obligation to once again opine on matters of the heart after my buddy John Longhurst, the faith columnist for the Free Press, forwarded me a news release that contained shocking information about the relative capacity for romance among Friendly Manitobans.

GERRY CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba has long been a secret source of romance, as this message written in snow outside the Manitoba Legislative Building in 1970 confirms.

The news release from picodi.com, an international e-commerce platform that provides discount coupons for online stores, contained an informative map showing where Canadas most-romantic residents call home.

The website created its "Romance Map of Canada" via the time-honoured technique of analyzing the number of "romantic" queries on the internet in each of Canadas provinces and territories, which, when you think about it, is only mildly creepy.

"Our queries list consisted of terms like Valentines Day, love confession, flowers, love, and others that would associate with Valentines Day," the breathless news release explained.

I will end your suspense and quit beating around the romantic bush, so to speak, by getting down to the nitty gritty and blurting out the big news that lovers in this province are dying to hear  Manitobans are the third-most romantic Canadians in the entire country.

"After looking closely at Googles figures, it turns out that the most romantic Canadians live in Nunavut, Ontario, and Manitoba," picodi.com revealed. "In these provinces, the increase in popularity of queries connected to Valentines Day was the highest. It looks like cold temperature encourages Nunavut residents to cherish warm relationships more than others."

Is that exciting news, or what? In the entire (bad word) country, the only people who are more romantic than us live in Nunavut (No. 1) and Ontario (No. 2).

You are no doubt wondering where the least-romantic Canadians live. Well, wonder no more, because it turns out Canadas coldest-hearted citizens live in (pause for dramatic effect) Quebec (13th place), Saskatchewan (12th place) and my old stomping grounds, British Columbia (11th place).

The question is: How do we Manitobans feel about being rated third in terms of our ability to  OK, how can I put this?  pitch woo?

I think my personal feelings can best be summed up in the following love-related poem that I just made up in a sincere effort to pad this column to the length required for me to continue receiving a paycheque.

It goes like this: "Chocolates are expensive/But kisses are free/So pucker up, sweetheart/Because Were No. 3!"

I have to admit I was mildly surprised that Nunavut was declared Canadas most romantic spot. Despite being a crusading newspaper columnist, I do not know a great deal about Nunavut other than the fact that it is  and this comes from the bottom of my heart  even colder than Manitoba.

Again, I think my feelings on this topic are best explained through rhyme, so here is another poem that may help explain the somewhat surprising romance rankings.

It goes like this: "Roses are red/Olympic medals are gold/We have to canoodle/Because its so (bad word) cold!"

So I can understand why frosty areas such as Nunavut and Manitoba rated so high in terms of romance, but I am at a loss to explain why Ontario (Motto: "Even we dont find ourselves all that attractive") managed to edge us out for second place.

The bottom line is I am feeling upbeat about how well we did on the national romance ranking. I think our provincial government might want to consider tweaking our legendary licence plates to read: "Frisky Manitoba (Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink)." Or possibly: "Friendly Manitoba: We Love You More Than Yesterday But Less Than Tomorrow." Or even: "Friendly Manitoba: We (heart) you!"

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

I dont want to bum anyone out on the day after Valentines Day, but the bad news is that, once again, Manitoba was shut out on Amazon Canadas annual list of the nations most romantic cities.

Not a single Manitoba community made the cut this year. Brace yourselves for a shock, but the online retail giant picked Fort McMurray, Alta., as Canadas most romantic city. We have nothing against Fort Mac, but romance is not the first thing that comes to mind when we think about a city in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands.

It is important to remember there is a big difference between sexy and romantic  sexy has more to do with things such as leather pyjamas and industrial-sized tubs of vegetable oil, whereas romance has more to do with heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, flowers and Hallmark cards, although not the ones that make farting noises and carry the heart-tugging command: "Pull my finger!"

As arguably the most romantic person in the third-most romantic province, I would like to leave you with a tip on how to express your innermost feelings for the one who floats your boat. I suggest you snuggle on the couch and watch a romantic movie, even if there is a Jets game on the other channel.

You can do it, Romantic Manitobans, because deep in your frozen hearts you know one thing is true: Were No. 3!

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca
The Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel along with the Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on Friday, February 14, inaugurated the Cha-Chai, installation of the artwork of Joana Vasconcelos at the National Museum in Delhi. As per the Union Minister, this installation represents the five o'clock tradition of serving tea in Portugal that originated in the 17th century. Patel also invited the artist Joana Vasconcelos along with the Portuguese President to the event.

India and Portugal to develop cultural projects

According to an official release, he said that India and Portugal were collaborating to develop various cultural projects in India. Talking about the teapot artwork installation in the museum, the Portuguese President said that the artwork was symbolic depicting cultural bridges between people and people-to-people relations between the two countries. He added that the 5 pm tea is a family tradition in Portugal that strengthens family bonding.

Read: Portuguese President Sousa describes India as 'superpower', holds talks with PM Modi

President Sousa visits India

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa held delegation-level talks at the Hyderabad House in the national capital. This is not just the first Indian visit for Sousa but also the first time that any President of Portugal has visited the country since 2007. Describing India as a superpower, he stressed on strengthening the historic friendship between the two countries.

Read: India, Portugal ink seven pacts after Modi-Sousa talks

The discussions focused on deepening bilateral ties in areas of trade, investment and education. On Thursday night, Sousa was received by Minister for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya on his arrival. The President of Portugal has been accompanied by Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Professor Augusto Santos Silva, Secretary of State for Internationalization Professor Eurico Brilhante Dias, and Secretary of State for National Defense Jorge Seguro Sanches.

Read: Netizens Flummoxed Over Euro 2020 Group F Draw Which Includes Portugal, France & Germany

India and Portugal ink seven pacts

India and Portugal also signed seven agreements to boost cooperation in a range of areas after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa held extensive talks. The pacts provide for cooperation in areas of investment, transport, ports, culture and industrial and intellectual property rights. PM Modi has described Portugal as an important country for India in Southern Europe, and bilateral ties have witnessed steady progress in the last 15 years.

(With Agency Inputs)

(image credits: ANI)

Read: No CMs, Just PM: Arvind Kejriwal Invites Narendra Modi To His Feb 16 Swearing-in
To say last weeks debut victory by the three-year-old pacing filly One Gorgeous Gal was eventful would be a major understatement.

Owned by Billie Schwartz and Junior Wilkinson and trained by Wilkinson, the dark-hued miss was sent off at 19-1 in her debut at Cal-Expo, no doubt some of that lack of support coming from her pre-race antics.

I had never been behind her before, related Roberts. Luke Plano had qualified her and was supposed to drive, but he had a horse of his own in the race.

Junior told me she was nice filly, but she could be a touch on the lazy side. It was also going to be her first time under the lights.

Roberts explained that about five steps after she set foot on the track, One Gorgeous Gal started kicking and became uncontrollable, including shying when the outrider tried to lend some assistance.

She settled down by the time the gate rolled, her pilot noted.

The Schwartz/Wilkinson homebred left cleanly, was out and moving before the half while racing second over, swung out for the drive and was up by a half-length for the $41 upset.

Its good that we came out, because a horse made a break and scattered the field, Roberts said. All things considered, it was a pretty amazing performance and Junior was ecstatic.

Taking note of what went on before and during the race, track announcer Gary Siebel proclaimed as they hit the finish line, From the ridiculous to the sublime!

One Gorgeous Gal was one of three wins over the weekend for Roberts, who also guided He Grins Again and Getter Queen Flush to victory for trainer George Reider. One Gorgeous Gal was scheduled to make her second start on Friday nights program.

Roberts has landed in the charmed enclosure following 16 of his 101 trips to the post at this meeting, and its unlikely any of those performances was quite an interesting as the one turned in by One Gorgeous Gal.

Cal Expo Open Trot brings out streaking Pridecrest

Pridecrest will look to make it a hat-trick as he heads the cast in Saturday nights featured $7,400 Open Trot.

The main event will be the third on an 11-race card presented by Watch and Wager LLC and things will get underway at 6:10 p.m.

Pridecrest is a six-year-old son of Angus Hall who is owned by Heather Mathews, takes his lessons from Steve Wiseman and has Mooney Svendsen giving directions. He comes into this assignment with 37 wins from his 148 starts with a 1:53.2 mark and $327,055 in his account.

The dark-hued sidewheeler is coming off back-to-back wire jobs at the top level. Pridecrest took them all the way with Wiseman at the controls on January 24, then came back two weeks later to win comfortably as the 3-5 choice with Svendsen in the bike.

Mandeville competes for owner/driver/trainer Gerry Longo, and has recorded a win and a second from his two appearances. Hes looking for his 24th lifetime score with $221,000 in earnings.

Mandeville started 2020 with a powerful win at this Open level going a mile and a half, then missed a start before having to settle for second behind Pridecrest after that one jogged on the front end last week. He figures to be tighter for this assignment.

Pridecrest and Mandeville have the outside two posts in the field and will be challenged by Majestic Lady Jo, Dougs Hobby Horse, Windsun Galaxie and Bankers For All.

(Cal Expo)
William Barr assumed the reins of the Department of Justice (DOJ) a year ago, succeeding Jeff Sessions as attorney general (A.G.) of the United States. By universal consensus, the tenure of Sessions was an epochal shipwreck, disfigured as it was by Sessions, who infamously and needlessly recused himself from the entire Deep State Russia Hoax while simultaneously declining to root out Deep State operatives obsessed with removing Trump from office (to say nothing of maintaining and even extending legal protections afforded the likes of Hillary Clinton and Lois Lerner, among other Democrat-friendly government officials). Like Pontius Pilate, Sessions washed his hands of the matter and allowed the coup-plotters of the ironically named Justice Department to proceed against Trump unopposed.

Among law-and-order conservatives and defenders of Trump, it was widely hoped that Barr would be an A.G. unintimidated by the Deep State, with the intestinal fortitude to push back against a DOJ corrupted by progressive lawyers and grandiose bureaucrats blinded by their irrational and atavistic hatred for Trump. Perhaps Barr might even mete out long delayed justice to the chief plotters, among them the lawless James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Rod Rosenstein, John Brennan, and James Clapper, along with nihilistic progressive minions like Peter Strzok, Bruce Ohr, and Lisa Page.

After contentious confirmation hearings with ubiquitous and baseless left-wing smears, Barr was confirmed on Valentine's Day 2019. In the year since Barr's confirmation, conservative stalwarts from Roger Simon to Sean Hannity have sung the praises of Barr and his deputy, John Durham, all but guaranteeing criminal indictments any day now against senior members of the Obama administration (which had spied on Trump's campaign and colluded with multiple foreign actors to subvert American democracy, both before and after the 2016 election). Inspector General (I.G.) Michael Horowitz was designated as a third white knight by conservative true believers who maintained the I.G. would get to the bottom of everything. A full trio of Elliott Nesses, seemingly the only incorruptible G-men remaining in American government, would bring the blatantly partisan DOJ to heel.

Yet, in the same way that CNN's mindless and enraged lemmings hyperventilated over bombshells against the Trump administration that never materialized, so too did conservative media figures hype imminent findings of criminality against senior DOJ figures, intoning that heads would soon roll, with (take your pick) Horowitz, Durham, or even Barr himself leading the righteous charge.

Skeptical conservative voters were admonished to be patient, and that the likes of Comey, Susan Rice, Loretta Lynch, and Brennan would soon be charged for their crimes and jailed. Yet, amid the frantic waving of pom-poms, something perfectly predictable happened on the way to the Deep State's day of reckoning. The days turned to into weeks, the weeks into months, and now a full year.

It has been said that justice delayed is justice denied. It has now been more than three years since the broad outlines of the coup became public knowledge, as explicated in excruciating forensic detail by Mark Levin, Gregg Jarrett, Deroy Murdock, Mollie Hemingway, and John Solomon, among numerous others. And still, to this day, no Deep State coup-plotter has been charged with a crime. Fringe associates of Trump sit in prison (e.g., Manafort, Stone) or wallow in legal limbo (Flynn) for "crimes" of obvious government entrapment that pale into nothingness compared to the open and audacious felonies of Comey, Clapper, Brennan, and their ilk. Indeed, the coup-plotters have cashed in and monetized their notoriety, with bestselling books, shameless GoFundMe Pages, lucrative cable news contracts, and an open-door forum to espouse their anti-Trump venom on all forms of media.

And what of the sainted Bill Barr? Barr's DOJ has all but exonerated McCabe of any crimes -- indeed, on February 14, the DOJ indicated that it would not pursue charges against McCabe. If Barr and the DOJ are unwilling to hold McCabe accountable, why would conservatives expect anything different with Comey, Brennan, or Clapper, or Obama, or any of the others who were so central to the coup that continues to this day? It's business as usual at Barr's DOJ  Republicans continue to be targeted (e.g., Duncan Hunter), while Democrats (Hillary, Comey, McCabe, take your pick) skate free every time.

Perhaps even more disturbing, Barr's prosecution (and declination) decisions have been scarcely different from those of Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, or even Jeff Sessions (namely, prosecute Republicans or their affiliates on any charge, no matter how spurious, and look the other way when Democrats engage in incidentals like illegal spying or entrapment). Barr's recent decision to prosecute Lev Parnas, a shady Rudy Giuliani associate, with campaign finance violation charges is perfectly aligned with DOJ objectives (to prosecute Republican affiliates and protect Democrats). Lev Parnas can now be squeezed and made to compose a story to wound President Trump.

It could very well be that Parnas is guilty, but it's curious how the DOJ invariably (indeed, always) tunnel on Trump associates (largely in the hopes of finding, or creating, Trump dirt). Democrats who are equally guilty of campaign finance violations (or espionage, or falsifying records, or lying to a FISA court) seemingly have nothing to fear.

Could it be that Bill Barr, while an honorable man, simply has no stomach to prosecute long-time associates (and in some cases friends) in the DOJ, FBI, or CIA? Or, even worse, perhaps Barr has been intimidated into submission as the enfeebled Jeff Sessions was?

Conservatives who yearn to witness the scurrying of Deep State cockroaches from the exertions of Barr, Durham, and Horowitz should instead prepare to be disappointed...again. And with the coup relay torch passed from Comey, McCabe, Brennan, et al. to the Democrat-controlled Congress/#Resistance and their media allies, the original coup-plotters can sit back, laugh, cash in, and enjoy the show.

They clearly aren't worried about Bill Barr. Perhaps the president should be.

Image: Office of Public Affairs via Flickr.
Youth Congress president



B V Srinivas on Saturday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to destroy the Constitution and said that the BJP- led government at the Centre has introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act to divide the country along communal lines.

He hit out at the RSS saying it had involved itself in "chaplusi" or flattery of the British colonial power instead of fighting for Independence.

Srinivas also urged the people not to produce any paper during the survey for the National Population Register.

"Our Constitution was framed by Babasaheb Ambedkar and great leaders like, Pundit Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and others. It grants us the right of citizenship.

"But the BJP government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to destroy the Constitution", Srinivas said at a public meeting at Manu market in Dhalai district, about 110 km from here.

Attacking BJP and the RSS, Srinivas said they had not made any contribution in the struggle for the country's freedom and not a single RSS activist had sacrificed his life for it.

Not a single RSS activist had ever died in our freedom struggle, instead the organisation had engaged in 'chaplusi' or flattery of the British colonialists," he said.

"BJP had made poll pledges that two crore jobs would be given, black money would be returned, higher wages would be given. But after winning for the second consecutive term, they have tabled the CAA in Parliament", Srinivas said.

The Youth Congress activists were heard chanting slogans like 'Humein Chahiye Azadi', 'NRC se Azadi', 'CAA se Azadi', 'NPR se Azadi', 'Modi, Shah se Azadi' during the public meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uncle Louies is a great compliment to the community offering a fresh approach to cooking and delicious pizza at affordable prices.

Mommas Kitchen, 19 West Grand Avenue, Montvale, New Jersey, has been sold according to David A. Alvarez of Bielat Santore & Company, Allenhurst, New Jersey, the salesperson involved in the sale. The building was sold previously in 2019, leaving the business available for purchase. The new proprietors plan to transform the Italian eatery into a second location for their successful pizzeria and restaurant, Uncle Louies.

While former owner Bobby Meidanis is sad to see the doors close to a business he has devoted the last five years of his life operating, he feels it is the right time for a new owner to take the business he established to the next level. It is bittersweet, said Meidanis. I will miss the employees and customers, but I am happy to see the restaurant become a new Italian concept.

The eatery will be in good hands under the direction of esteemed restaurateur, David Brancato, who has over 30 years of experience in the industry. His partners Aldo Nocera and Francisco Armando Ortega also have over 20 years of culinary expertise. I am excited to start serving the community of Montvale and Pascack Valley, said Brancato. Uncle Louies is a great compliment to the community offering a fresh approach to cooking and delicious pizza at affordable prices.

Uncle Louies is currently serving patrons at 754 Franklin Avenue, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. There is no word yet on a grand opening date for this new location, but Uncle Louies will be offering a similar menu including pizza, pasta, seafood, chicken and veal dishes.

About Bielat Santore & Company

Bielat Santore & Company is an established commercial real estate firm. The companys expertise lies chiefly within the restaurant and hospitality industry, specializing in the sale of restaurants and other food and beverage real estate businesses. Since 1978, the principals of Bielat Santore & Company, Barry Bielat and Richard Santore, have sold more restaurants and similar type properties in New Jersey than any other real estate company. Furthermore, the firm has secured in excess of $500,000,000 in financing to facilitate these transactions. Visit the companys website, http://www.123bsc.com for the latest in new listings, property searches, available land, market data, financing trends, RSS feeds, press releases and more.
Local startups Unicar and ZuumViet are preparing to launch ride-hailing apps alongside delivery and other logistics.

Unicar, a start-up based in Vietnams central Nghe An province, is currently testing out its services in the provinces capital, Vinh Town.

Services on the Unicar app includes Uni Car (car ride-hailing), Uni Bike (motorbike ride-hailing), Uni Fast (express delivery service), Uni Truck (logistics service) and Uni Rent (self-drive car rental).

The company says it plans to expand its services to central towns of Hue and Nha Trang, two major tourist hotspots in Vietnam, in the near future.

ZuumViet, another startup, has been posting driver recruiting advertisements for its ride-hailing app since early December, offering financial incentives such as reduced royalty collection for its first 3,000 drivers.

ZuumViet's services will include ZuumBike (motorbikes), ZuumCar (4-seater and 7-seater cars) and ZuumLux (luxury cars like Audi, BMW), according to the companys website. The company has yet to publicise a launch date.

To compete with domestic firms, Singapore-based ride-hailing giant Grab, which dominates the market now, has also recently introduced an "Advance Booking" service in Hanoi, which allows Grab customers to book rides at least seven days in advance.

The company said it will test out the service in Hanoi this month, before rolling it out to other provinces and localities.

According to latest figures by global market advisory firm ABI Research, Grab led the Vietnamese market in the first half of 2019, accounting for 73 percent of market share in terms of ride-hailing trips. Local app Be held second position, with 16 percent, followed Indonesias Go-Viet with 10.3 percent.

Vietnams ride-hailing market was the fourth largest in Southeast Asia last year behind Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, according to a report by Google, Singaporean state-owned holding company Temasek and U.S. management consultancy Bain.

ABI Research estimated the market's worth was $1.1 billion last year and said it could rise to $4 billion by 2025.
Air strikes by a Riyadh-led military coalition fighting in Yemen killed 31 civilians on Saturday, the United Nations said, after a Saudi fighter jet crashed.

Preliminary field reports indicate that on 15 February as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in strikes that hit Al-Hayjah area... in Al-Jawf governorate, said a statement from the office of the United Nations resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen.
SHANGHAI  China has flooded cities and villages with battalions of neighborhood busybodies, uniformed volunteers and Communist Party representatives to carry out one of the biggest social control campaigns in history.

The goal: to keep hundreds of millions of people away from everyone but their closest kin.

The nation is battling the coronavirus outbreak with a grass-roots mobilization reminiscent of Mao-style mass crusades not seen in China in decades, essentially entrusting front line epidemic prevention to a supercharged version of a neighborhood watch.

Housing complexes in some cities have issued the equivalents of paper hall passes to regulate how often residents leave their homes. Apartment buildings have turned away their own tenants if they have come from out of town. Train stations block people from entering cities if they cannot prove they live or work there. In the countryside, villages have been gated off with vehicles, tents and other improvised barriers.

Despite Chinas arsenal of high-tech surveillance tools, the controls are mainly enforced by hundreds of thousands of workers and volunteers, who check residents temperature, log their movements, oversee quarantines and  most important  keep away outsiders who might carry the virus.
SACRAMENTO  Looking to jump-start his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in a state where he has yet to break through, Pete Buttigieg rallied thousands Friday evening in Californias capital.

Buttigieg said the state, the biggest prize on the presidential primary calendar, would be a proving ground for his surging campaign.

So much depends on what happens next, said the former mayor of South Bend, Ind. And so much depends on what happens when the future-oriented, forward-looking, racially diverse, justice-minded state of California has its say.

The crowd cheered enthusiastically for his promise to appoint a secretary of education who valued public education and broke into a few chants of President Pete.

Many of those who came to the downtown Cesar Chavez Plaza, however, said they were still deciding between several candidates in a race where the top tier has yet to narrow. They said they were drawn to Buttigieg, 38, as a force for change in politics and someone who could potentially unify the country.

It is refreshing to have a younger person go for it, rather than it just being all old men, said Susan Nash, 18, a student from Granite Bay (Placer County) who is also considering voting for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. She was one of the younger members of a crowd that was largely older and white.

Buttigieg is trying to carve a moderate path to the Democratic nomination, arguing that he could win back disaffected Barack Obama voters who supported Donald Trump in 2016.

Despite top-two finishes in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, polling suggests that Buttigieg is struggling to build momentum in upcoming contests in Nevada and South Carolina, as well as key Super Tuesday states like California and Texas, where he faces a far more diverse electorate.

In California, which has already mailed out ballots for the March 3 primary, Buttigieg was in a distant fourth at the end of last month, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. Surveys generally have shown him picking up only half the 15% support he would need to win delegates in California, though most of those polls predate the Iowa and New Hampshire voting.

Buttigieg was introduced Friday by Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who endorsed him this week. Aside from her backing, his institutional support in the state is thin  no California members of Congress or state legislators have endorsed him.

West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, who interviewed Buttigieg with crowdsourced questions at Fridays event, asked the candidate about his weakness with African Americans and other nonwhite voters. Buttigieg said they they had suffered under Trumps presidency more than any other group and that he would appeal to them with an economic empowerment plan to close the racial wealth gap.

The only way to win the African American vote is to deserve it, he said.

Kim Smallwood, 50, came from San Francisco to attend the rally. She said more black voters like her would come around to Buttigieg once they found out who he was.

Smallwood was originally a Joe Biden supporter, but said she was turned off by what she felt was a weak response to Trumps attacks on his sons business dealings in Ukraine. She said Biden also appeared to take African Americans votes for granted. She said she thought Buttigieg could win by appealing to more moderate voters like her family in Missouri and help Democrats regain control of the Senate.

The more he speaks, the more Ive heard him say, the more I think hes what he need, Smallwood said.

Earlier in the day, Buttigieg held fundraisers in San Francisco and Palo Alto. The San Francisco event, a breakfast at the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts, was briefly interrupted by three protesters who were quickly ushered out, according to a pool report.

The protesters were part of an activist group of young queer people of color organized by the Democratic Socialists of America and San Francisco Rising Action Fund, which rallied outside the fundraiser to accuse Wall Street Pete of listening to wealthy donors instead of working-class voters.

A handful of LGBT protesters also appeared outside the Sacramento rally to argue that Buttigieg, who would be the first openly gay person to be elected president, isnt liberal enough on key issues. Guillermo Riesgo, 38, a health professional from Sacramento, said Buttigieg was co-opting the queer community for his own benefit.

What we need is health care, he said. Its not our goal to have a president who is a member of our community.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
RUSSIAN EDUCATION FAIR 2020 View(s):

ANC Future Center in collaboration with Education First Russia hosted the Russian Education Fair 2020 on the 8th of February 2020 at the Hilton Colombo. The event was graced by leading university academicians specializing in Medicine, Aviation, Engineering, Auto-Mobile Engineering, Business & Law. Providing a wide range of university options to students in Sri Lanka.

Dignitaries of event included Mr. Saravanan Periyasamy (Group CFO/Director  ANC Education), Dr. Harry Prasad (Assistant General Manager  ANC Future Center) Ms.Svetlana Vaskina (Managing Director, Education First Russia), Ms.Inga Jeng (Business Development Director, Education First Russia), Dr. Dmitry Morozov (Director Center for International Education  I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (SLMC Recognized)), Mr.Radzhab Safaraliev (Specialist of International Department, People Friendship University Russia (SLMC recognized)) Ms. Erica Galstyan (Vice Dean for Preparatory Courses, Residency and PhD Studies for International Student  Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (SLMC Recognized), Dr. Olga S. Sinelshchikova, (Head of the External Relations Department- Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI), Ms. Natalia Vodina (Deputy Head of International Projects Management International Department Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), Ms. Svetlana Morokhina (Acting Dean, Vice-Dean for Academic Affairs, Preparation Faculty, Financial University), Ms.Svetlana Dubrovskaya (Head of International Students Service- National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Ms.Olga Demina (Manager of International Students Service, International Affairs Office National University of Science and Technology (MISIS).

STUDY IN RUSSIA FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

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During his usual flurry of Saturday morning Twitter activity, Donald Trump essentially bragged that following his fake acquittal by the GOP-led Senate, he is a king, not a president who can be held accountable.

In a pair of tweets, the president quoted a recent New York Times article which suggested that the results of the impeachment trial  partisan acquittal by complicit Republican lawmakers  have emboldened Trump.

Ralph Waldo Emerson seemed to foresee the lesson of the Senate Impeachment Trial of President Trump. When you strike at the King, Emerson famously said, you must kill him. Mr. Trumps foes struck at him but did not take him down. A triumphant Mr.Trump emerges from the..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2020

..biggest test of his presidency emboldened, ready to claim exoneration, and take his case of grievance, persecution and resentment to the campaign trail. Peter Baker @nytimes The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2020

The Times article Trump was happy to quote on Saturday read more like a warning about the unshackled and emboldened president that Republicans have now created, but Trump appeared to bask in it.

The full passage via The New York Times:

Ralph Waldo Emerson seemed to foresee the lesson of the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump. When you strike at a king, Emerson famously said, you must kill him. Mr. Trumps foes struck at him but did not take him down. With the end of the impeachment trial now in sight and acquittal assured, a triumphant Mr. Trump emerges from the biggest test of his presidency emboldened, ready to claim exoneration and take his case of grievance, persecution and resentment to the campaign trail.

MSNBCs Joy Reid blasted Republican lawmakers on her program on Saturday after Trump boasted about his new king status.

Well done, GOP: Joy Reid blasts Republican lawmakers after Trump boasts that his acquittal has essentially turned him into a king. #ctl #p2 #amjoy pic.twitter.com/dSnQ9IzS1C  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 15, 2020

The Republican Party has created this monster

Everything Donald Trump has said and done since he was acquitted in the Senate impeachment trial has made Republican lawmakers look like fools.

Many of the GOP senators who voted to acquit did so on the basis of the completely ludicrous idea that Trump had learned a lesson and would conduct government business differently going forward.

Instead, what weve seen is a president who knows he has the Republican Party by the neck and he can conduct himself as a lawless king instead of an accountable president.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
One incident many versions: Here is what really happened at the resort housing Cong MLAs

Two down, more to go, BJP inches closer towards forming govt in Karnataka

Karnataka government: How more MLAs need to resign for BJP to form government

Anand Singh ready to change portfolio if BSY wants

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Bengaluru, Feb 15: Amid growing criticism over his appointment as Forest minister as there are several cases pending against him, including under the Karnataka Forest Act, Anand Singh on Friday said he is ready, if Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa wants to change his portfolio.

Accepting that there are 15 cases pending against him, the MLA from Vijayanagara in mine rich Ballari district also said anyone can go through the charge sheets and find out whether there are any direct charges against him.

Claiming that the cases against him were "minor violations", he had earlier linked them to traffic violations by a vehicle owner.

"If Chief Minister Yediyurappa feels that because of my continuing as Forest minister, Karnataka's forests will get looted, will get destroyed, and wants to change my portfolio, Im ready to change my portfolio," he said.

Ex-CEO of crisis-hit Sri Guru Raghavendra bank in Karnataka booked

According to Singh, of the 15 cases pending against him, 12 have been stayed by court while three are under trial.

"What opposition leaders are saying and what I have submitted to the Election Commission is true- that there are 15 cases against me.

I will never do politics by keeping people of Karnataka in the dark, but media friends and opposition leaders have to thoroughly examine the charges against me," Singh said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said "many of them (opposition leaders) are advocates, they have to go through the charge sheets against me, if there are direct charges against me, media can question me."

Singh's statement has come at a time when there is speculation within BJP circles about Yediyurappa contemplating on changing his portfolio, after drawing flak from various quarters.

The Congress has hit out at Chief Minister for appointing Singh, a businessman with mining interests, as Forest minister and threatened to raise the issue during the upcoming assembly session.

Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Siddaramaiah said if one is giving the ministership of a department under which he is facing cases, it will look like government is openly supporting corruption.

He demanded that either the Chief Minister has to immediately change his portfolio, or Singh himself should resign.

Terming Yediyurappa's decision as wrong as there are cases against Singh under the very department he will be heading, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao said his portfolios should be changed immediately, or else it will lead to suspicion.

"It is the Chief Minister's duty to showcase transparency and honesty in the administration," he said, adding that his party will raise the issue in the assembly, if the action is not taken immediately.

Several twitter users have also opposed Singh being made the Forest Minister, pointing out a conflict of interest.

An online petition has also been started, demanding that the Chief Minister drop him immediately.

Karnataka man kidnaps 21-year-old niece, forcibly ties 'mangalsutra, films video

Singh, one among the newly elected BJP legislators after defecting from Congress and facing disqualification, was inducted into the ministry by Yediyurappa on February 6 and initially given the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs portfolio on February 10.

Buckling under pressure from some newly inducted ministers, reportedly including Singh, who were unhappy with portfolios allocated to them, the Chief Minister the very next day reallocated certain portfolios, which included appointing him as minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment.

However, Singh on his part has maintained that the portfolio was allocated to him by the Chief Minister and that he did not ask for it.

Singh's election affidavit filed ahead of the December 2019 bypolls says he has 15 cases pending against him, as also offences under the Indian Penal Code and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, to be read with violations of the Karnataka Forest Act.

He was arrested by CBI in 2013 in connection with alleged illegal export of iron ore from Belikeri port in Karnataka, and in 2015 by the Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka Lokayukta on charges of illegal transportation of iron ore.

Two of Singh's cabinet colleagues Laxman Savadi and C T Ravi have come out in his defence, stating that cases against him were still being probed and not proven.

Singh, who was a close associate of tainted mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, was in the Congress party before defecting to the BJP recently.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 9:42 [IST]
The Human Rights Writer's Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is delighted to observe that the Nigerian army put up a very professional style of enforcement of the law during the just-ended funeral rights for the parents of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) director Nnamdi Kanu in Afaraukwu-Umuahia the Abia State capital.

Apart from minor reports that was fed to us about an arrest that was made of some Jewish worshippers which we have already issued a statement to the effect that the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai should order for the investigation of whether that allegation is true and if it is, then those people should be released..

Apart from that minor report, there seems to be not a lot more allegations brought forward by some members in Abia State. However there are no other negative reports from that burial that took place in Abia. This is a very commendable step and we want to encourage the Nigerian Army to sustain this tempo of rights- based internal security operations across Nigeria. "This Army Chief Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai is making his boss President Muhammadu Buhari proud by showing iconic leadership embedded in the finest military traditions of loyalty and faithfulness to the Nigerian Constitution. It is clear that President Muhammadu Buhari must have asked the Nigerian Army to comply totally with best global practices."

Secondly we want to say that the Nigerian military should find a way of cultivating working partnerships and relationships with international groups in Nigeria particularly groups like Amnesty International. There is no need for the Nigerian military and Amnesty international to coexist and live like cats and dogs because Amnesty International is an international platform of activists and Amnesty International in Nigeria should not be seen as a foreign entity because there are a lot of Nigerians that are registered members of Amnesty International so the Nigerian military should find a way of carrying Amnesty International along. We are not saying that the military should try to pocket Amnesty International because no military in any country in the world has the (financial) capacity or otherwise to pocket Amnesty International, not even in Britain where Amnesty International is based and where their members are active and are deeply ideologically religious in terms of payment of membership fees . Furthermore Amnesty International is not a group that would undermine the territorial or national security of any nation: it is not possible because as I said a lot of Nigerians including myself are members of Amnesty International. So this misunderstanding between Amnesty International and the Nigerian military is not good and must find an amicable solution and a way out.

We, speaking as the eight thousand REGISTERED members of the Human Rights Writers Associstion of Nigeria (HURIWA), we are urging Amnesty International to avoid so much emphasis or dwelling so much on negative reports regarding the war on terror. If Nigeria is no more there will be no space for Amnesty international to set up an iperarional office called the Nigerian office. It is in tge self enlightened interests of the well over twenty thousand or more registered members of Amnesty international of Nigerian origin that the territorial integrity of Nigeria is sanctified and upheld. Amnesty international in Nigeria should not work at cross purposes with the Nigerian people BECAUSE Nigerian members of Amnesty international will gain more as human rights activists should Nigeria regain national peace, tranquility and freedom from terrorists attacks. Nigeria is at war so all partties must not antagonize the overall national security interests of Nigeria. Amnesty international should be concerned more about the wellbeing of the victims of boko haram terrorism and not appear to be tge advocates for the terrorists.

Most of the reports that are released by Amnesty International are usually very damaging and it damages the integrity and respectability of the Nigerian Army and paints it as an army of occupation. Maybe the organisation would benefit from an editorial reevaluation. If one is making allegations about a community that had been burnt, then there is a need for such writers to report the other side of the story to balance in order to ensure that all parties are carried along.

No one is saying Amnesty International should cover up for the Nigerian Army but if you're reporting based on allegations and hearsay you must also try to reflect the side of the institution you are talking about. If you want to complain that the Nigerian Army has killed one citizen illegally then you must endeavour to make provisions for the accused institution's perspective. That is what makes a report balanced, objective and fair.

We at HURIWA are not comfortable as human rights activists that a group of people have formed a habit of going to the Amnesty International's Nigerian office to create a public disturbance. In as much as we are activists and support the right to civil protest, we should not allow Nigeria to get to a level where a certain organisation will be treated as an outcast. Amnesty International will never be an outcast because a lot of Nigerians are active members of Amnesty International. It is even a thing of joy that Amensty International decided to open an office in Nigeria. Some of us became Amnesty International members as far back as the 1980s. These days it's even easier to join Amnesty International: you can do so with ease by way of email address to register you. It's a very organised setting and if you get to a time when you want to start paying fees doing so is possible. It is very transparent and their way of governance standards is very high but we are appealing to Amnesty International to reorganise their module and reporting style in order to reflect all sides and they must endeavour not to paint the impression that the Nigerian military is not professional, because they are. Nigerian Army is one of the best in the World.

In regards to the military, the defence headquarters spokesperson should be called to order and we are appealing to the Chief of Army Staff to do so. The way he speaks regarding Amnesty International, as if the organisation is a Boko Haram sponsor: they are not because Amnesty International is a well-known, credible, global organisation with their head office in London. The Defence spokesperson should visit their office in London and witness how efficient and well organised they are. Amnesty International is not a group that can be used by any country to destabilise Nigeria because even in Britain this organisation observes and reports on issues that the British government face.

Amnesty International is not a tool that can be used to destabilise Nigeria.

We are not speaking on Amnesty International's behalf; we are simply speaking on what we have observed. We have also pointed out their faults, particularly the way they write their reports on Nigeria. If you want to write on institutions that do not meet the human rights threshold in their internal security operations, then you must also give the accused a hearing chance in order to ultimately protect the rights of the citizens.

Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko;

NATIONAL COORDINATOR; HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). 15th/Feb/2020.
The BJP will organise mass



awareness programmes across Maharashtra against the Uddhav Thackeray government which was formed after disrespecting the mandate of the people in the October Assembly polls, said senior leader Vinod Tawde on Saturday.

The BJP was the largest party with 105 seats in the 288-member Assembly but Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party got together to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

"The BJP has resolved to create awareness about this cheating and has decided to play the role of an aggressive opposition party. The MVA government has scrapped people oriented schemes of the Devendra Fadnavis government like Jalyukt Shivar and Marathwada water grid," Tawde said at a press conference in Navi Mumbai.

He said the MVA government's farm loan waiver scheme was faulty, while corruption and crimes against women had increased, adding that "people are feeling the heat in three months" of the Uddhav Thackeray government getting formed.

Tawde said the BJP will hold a one-day conclave in Nerul on Sunday in which 10,000 workers are expected to attend, and it will be inaugurated by national chief JP Nadda.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis will deliver the valedictory address, while Chandrakant Patil, who has been reappointed state unit president, will officially take charge at the meeting, Tawde said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Not long after Valentines Day ends, a massive asteroid estimated to be between 1,443 feet and 3,248 feet long will pass by Earth around 6:05 a.m. ET on Saturday. Based on the size range, it could be anywhere between the size of a suspension bridge to taller than a skyscraper.

But the experts at NASAs Center for Near Earth Object Studies say were in no danger.

The asteroid will pass within 3,590,000 miles of Earth. Thats 15 times the distance from Earth to the moon, according to NASA.

The asteroid, known as 2002 PZ39, has been tracked since its discovery in August 2002 and its orbit and trajectory are well known. Observations of this particular passing began by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico on Feb. 11 and will continue through Feb. 17.

The Minor Planet Center has classified 2002 PZ39 as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid, according to NASA. Thats true of any object larger than 492 feet that approaches Earth within 4.6 million miles. But based on the asteroids trajectory, it shouldnt come any closer than expected.

A few more asteroids, within the house to airplane-sized range, will also pass by Earth on Sunday and Monday, with the closest one coming within 1.4 million miles of Earth on Monday.

Coincidentally, Saturday marks the seventh anniversary since an asteroid entered Earths atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013. It exploded in the air, releasing 20 to 30 times more energy than that of the first atomic bombs and generating brightness greater than the sun. It damaged more than 7,000 buildings and injured more than 1,000 people. The shock wave broke windows 58 miles away.

In addition to tracking Near-Earth Objects that could pose a threat, NASA and other agencies currently have missions underway to study near-Earth asteroids and potentially mitigate the danger of a collision.

Knowing the size and orbit of an asteroid is the main battle, as this enables prediction Near-Earth Objects.

In a few years, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will come online and enable the discovery of tens of thousands of asteroids in orbits that could bring them closer to Earth, said Ed Lu, executive director of the Asteroid Institute and a former NASA astronaut.

Its an exciting time for planetary defense because we are on the verge of an absolute flood of new observations that will allow us to track 10 times more asteroids than weve ever tracked before, Lu said. In about two years, the LSST will turn on, and its discovery rate will be more than all the rest of the telescopes combined. In the first year, it will find tens of thousands of asteroids and be able to track them.

Missions like NASAs OSIRIS-REx and Japans Hayabusa2 are exploring asteroids in our solar system and aim to return samples to Earth in the coming years. The Near-Earth Object Camera, called NEOCam, is characterizing near-Earth objects.

Other missions are also planned. NASAs DART, which stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test, is a planetary defense test to prevent an asteroid from hitting Earth. DART, which has a launch window opening in July 2021, will visit a binary asteroid system where two asteroids orbit one another and aim to deflect a small asteroid.

DART will crash into a moonlet of near-Earth asteroid Didymos, that is comparable in size to an asteroid that could pose a threat.

The European Space Agencys complementary Hera mission will precisely measure how it changed the velocity of the larger asteroid and study DARTs impact crater on the moonlet.

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JUNEAU, Alaska - An Alaska Capitol room that hosts House education and social service committee hearings will be named for the late former lawmaker Bettye Davis.

The Senate voted Friday to rename Capitol room 106 for Davis, who was the first black woman elected to the state House and the first black senator in Alaska. Davis died in 2018.

The House previously approved the resolution.

Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, an Anchorage Democrat, became emotional during a floor speech, describing Davis as a friend and an inspiration.

She paved the way for me to be sitting here with all of you today, as the second African-American woman to serve with this body, and I am truly honoured, Gray-Jackson said.

In a statement, she described Davis as an advocate for public education, foster care, mental health, suicide prevention and juvenile justice. Anchorage Democratic Rep. Ivy Spohnholz, who sponsored the measure, called Davis a trailblazer.

A bronze plaque will be placed near the door of the room memorializing Davis, according to the resolution passed Friday.
"People aren't just asking for change, they're shouting for it." That was view of the newly-elected TD for Sligo/Leitrim, Marian Harkin after taking the second seat in her return to politics on Irish shores.

When she threw her name in the ring for the 2020 General Election there was a collective groan from Ireland's two biggest parties (of 2019).

Fianna Fail and Fine Gael knew she would be a spanner in the works, and boy was she. The former MEP polled 6,972 first preference votes, but, the story of her success is in her transferability, 200 here, 460 there, she was mopping up across the region, from left leaning candidates to gathering very healthy transfers of what could be perceived to be a female vote.

Harkin tells The Sligo Champion that with a Sinn Fein 'tsunami' and rural Independents securing seats nationwide, have not only called for change but 'shouted' for it.

"There's been a lot of rural Independents elected across the country. With the surge in Sinn Fein and rural Independents that is sending a loud message. I think the message is to some extent 'We haven't been getting our fair share' and this is a way it may be delivered."

She adds, "Sinn Fein definitely represents that, but, if it was only that why did they elect so many Independents, because they know what the perspective of the Independents is."

In a big analogy, the Ballintogher native compares the national trend in voting left to an 'Irish Brexit'.

"Sinn Fein is certainly about change, but it's also about its own policies. This in a way is the Irish Brexit, of a different type. A lot of countries have gone to the right, we've gone to the left, and I think that reflects a sense that yes, we have a growing economy but ordinary people aren't feeling it. It's not so much the money in their pockets, of course that matters, I think it's more about health and housing."

Harkin said she met people on the canvass who said they felt ashamed by the health and housing crisis.

"They feel we [the country] can do better and they know what that would mean for their children."

Harkin believes a grouping of like-minded rural TDs is what is needed to achieve change and demands for regional balance.

"I started out my career being a councillor for the west and that was all about balanced regional development. I just felt that opportunity was there, otherwise I wouldn't be running."

The newly-elected TD doesn't beat around the bush when asked where to next when looking to form a Government.

"Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein have to talk."

But, asked where she fits into that, the experienced politician kept somewhat tight-lipped.

"We haven't seen the final numbers, but there won't be enough to form a government and I think you will need a grouping, whether it's small parties or Independents and that will to some extent depend on what Sinn Fein might want or what Fianna Fail might want, to give stable government. We have to wait and see the final outcome."

With Independents looking to possibly form some part of a Government formation, does Harkin have an eye on a role at the 'table'?

"I hope my role will be with others demanding fair share to the regions, whether we do that as part of a government or making sure that the promises that were made in all the manifestos we'll see.

"There's Independents elected all over the place, not all of those Independents will be able to work together but some of them will." And what of the voters who showed their support on the ballot sheet?

"Anybody who is elected is hugely grateful, not just for the No.1s, but for the twos and threes and also, for a warm reception. We got a lot of good will, and that made it so much easier for canvassers and candidates."

Rolling up her sleeves straight away Harkin is definite when it comes to her first task.

"Talking to other Independents, that's number one, where that can go. We have to wait and see, that could be a week, that could be six weeks."

Responding to speculation of a possible second election, Harkin believes the main parties [traditionally], will not want that a second bite of the cherry.

"Sinn Fein is one of them [main parties] now, there are many constituencies where they will run a second candidate.

"The people have voted and they expect politicians to form a government. Could it be Fianna Fail/Fine Gael, it could, but that would not reflect the change people were looking for but sometimes it comes down to what is possible.

Either way, is Harkin prepared to be involved in some form of setup regardless of the makeup, she's very direct. "I've no red lines, I ran in this election and one reason only, to get our fair share to the regions, Sligo, Leitrim, North Roscommon and South Donegal."
The New York Times on Friday reported that Attorney General William Barr recently assigned an outside prosecutor to review the criminal case against President Donald Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn, one of several ongoing reviews of politically sensitive cases in the U.S. attorneys office.

Sources familiar with the matter told the Times that over the last two weeks, a handful of outside prosecutors installed by Barr have grilled U.S. attorneys office prosecutors on investigative steps and reasons for making prosecutorial moves on several cases related to national security.

The Justice Department is already under fire for accusations of political interference, with several prosecutors withdrawing from the case against Trump confidant Roger Stone, who was convicted on charges of making several false statements and witness intimidation. Barr overruled career prosecutors recommendations that a judge sentence Stone to seven to nine years in prison, which fell within standard sentencing guidelines.

Barr on Thursday gave an interview with a rare rebuke of the president, asking Trump to stop tweeting because it makes it impossible to do his job. Barr said he would never be bullied by the president or anyone to steer a prosecution or sentence a certain way; he said he simply believed the sentence against Stone was too harsh.

The president had praised the attorney generals decision to overrule career prosecutors on Stones sentence recommendation.

In a tweet, Trump on Friday said he had never asked the Justice Department to intervene in a criminal case, but he declared that he had the right to do so.

The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case. A.G. Barr This doesnt mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2020

Special Counsel Robert Mueller initially brought the case against Flynn, who in late 2017 agreed to plead guilty to lying to investigators, in exchange for his cooperation. The Times reported that the U.S. attorneys office took the case over when Mueller wrapped up the investigation into Russias election interference, and the case has since been delayed by Flynns attorneys claims of prosecutorial misconduct and an attempt to withdraw his guilty plea.
While Justice Minister Cliff Cullen continues his long and winding review of the Police Services Act, the relationship between the Winnipeg Police Service and the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba continues to burn.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While Justice Minister Cliff Cullen continues his long and winding review of the Police Services Act, the relationship between the Winnipeg Police Service and the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba continues to burn.

Letter of the law: WPS, IIU clash in court Click to Expand MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Posted: 7:00 PM Feb. 11, 2020 A precedent-setting legal dispute between the Winnipeg Police Service and the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba has taken an important step forward. Competing interpretations of the rules governing police clashed Tuesday in the Court of Queens Bench, as lawyers representing the two agencies presented their arguments for the first time in open court. Read Full Story

For several years now, its been all-out war between the provinces largest police force and the provincial body that investigates all serious on- or off-duty incidents involving police officers. In general, the former has generally refused to co-operate with the work performed by the latter.

In the fall of 2018, in the wake of an investigative series by the Free Press showing how the WPS was obstructing the IIUs work, the government of Premier Brian Pallister pledged a comprehensive review of the Police Services Act, the law that governs both the police service and the IIU. Not much was done on that file until May 2019, when Cullen announced his department was searching for a consultant to conduct a review.

According to a departmental spokeswoman, that consultant, the non-profit Community Safety Knowledge Alliance, is expected to deliver a report in mid-2020. There was no indication of when, or if, legislative amendments would be forthcoming. The Tory governments pledge, after all, was to conduct a review and not necessarily to change the law as it exists right now.

It is not unusual for a provincial government to take a deliberate, methodical approach to reviewing a major piece of legislation. Given that the PSA defines the legal roles and responsibilities of the Manitoba Police Commission, the IIU and all municipal and First Nations police boards and services, this is no simple task.

Still, Cullen seems to be taking an all-too-leisurely approach to an issue that is very much on his front burner, blazing away like an untended tire fire.

Justice Minister Cliff Cullen seems to be taking an all-too-leisurely approach to an issue that is very much on his front burner, blazing away like an untended tire fire. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)

The most recent example of this dysfunctional relationship unfolded last week in the Court of Queens Bench, where the IIU and WPS continued to spar over access to civilian police cadets who witnessed events that led to the in-custody death of 34-year-old Matthew Richard Fosseneuve.

In July 2018, police and cadets responded to a report of a man behaving aggressively. Police would eventually use a Taser to subdue Fosseneuve. After becoming unresponsive, he was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The IIU sought access to all police personnel, including the cadets, who witnessed the events leading to Fosseneuves death. The WPS refused to provide much of what the IIU requested. Last April, this prompted the IIU to file a lawsuit against the police service that is only now being heard.

Matthew Richards Fosseneuve died in police custody on July 28, 2018. (Facebook photo)

Although this legal action involves Fosseneuves death, the case will largely be determined by the courts interpretation of the terms of the Police Services Act, the very legislation Cullen has pledged to review.

In short, the WPS believes the IIU has no legal right to interview the cadets or look at their notes, given that the police act only requires full-fledged peace officers who witness an incident to participate in an independent investigation. Cadets are civilian peace officers in training.

The IIU has countered by arguing that their requests, which are meant to fairly and completely assess the actions of police in the death of a suspect, are very much in keeping with the spirit of the law, if not the letter of it.

If the interests of justice are paramount, there is little doubt that the powers of the IIU, as outlined in legislation, need to be clarified and expanded. Timely, independent investigations of incidents involving the police are not just good for the general public, they are ultimately good for police. Flawed or profoundly delayed investigations severely undermine confidence in police.

That being said, the PSA review is a political hand grenade for the Pallister government.

The more WPS Chief Danny Smyth and the WPS refuse to cooperate with the IIU, the more reasonable people will be entitled to ask what it is, exactly, that they are hiding.

Many voters love politicians who are strong on law-and-order issues. However, legislation that imposes greater transparency and accountability on the police can easily be misrepresented as a cynical bid to hamper the ability of law enforcement agencies to do their jobs. And this government certainly does not want to send signals to its core supporters that it is trying to hamper police, particularly following a year with growing meth-related crime and a record homicide count.

For those within the law-enforcement community itself, a legislative review and the potential that IIU powers will be enhanced could be perceived an attack on front-line officers. WPS Chief Danny Smyth has said publicly that in refusing to provide documentation and personnel for interviews, he is only trying to ensure that the process is fair for his officers.

The issue of fairness is certainly valid in this dispute. Police are currently carrying an unfathomable burden. As meth and murders wreak havoc, city council is attempting to curb the astronomical growth in the annual police budget. Its a classic rock-and-a-hard-place equation, where police are being asked to do more with potentially less taxpayer support. In that scenario, its not hard to cultivate frustration and resentment among front-line officers.

However, Smyth needs to take the long view on the issue of fairness.

WPS Chief Danny Smyth has said publicly that in refusing to provide documentation and personnel for interviews, he is only trying to ensure that the process is fair for his officers. (Mike Deal / Free Press files)

It is certainly unfair for anyone to look at a case such as Fosseneuves and conclude  absent of a complete set of facts  that police acted rashly or used excessive force. In fact, this could very well be a case of a tragic result coming from an appropriate use of force.

But heres the problem facing Smyth: that latter conclusion can only be reached by a thorough and independent review of the incident. The WPS history is littered with stories about botched internal investigations that scuttled criminal cases against police officers. The more Smyth and the WPS refuse to co-operate with the IIU, the more reasonable people will be entitled to ask what it is, exactly, that they are hiding.

It also should be said that despite ongoing hostilities, there is no specific evidence suggesting the IIU, led by Civilian Director Zane Tessler, has been unfair or rash in its assessment of other incidents. More often than not, Tessler has declined to lay criminal charges against WPS members involved in serious incidents, many involving the death or injury of a suspect.

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In some instances where Tessler has recommended criminal charges, Smyth has generally concurred. That was the case earlier this year when the IIU recommended criminal charges against a WPS officer who illegally manipulated a computer system to nullify a photo-radar speeding ticket.

Following the decision to charge the officer involved, Smyth said "the integrity of the conduct of police officers and the integrity of police systems must be paramount if the people we serve are to trust the police."

At some point, Smyth should realize the work of the IIU helps ensure the integrity of both police officers and policing systems. And that obstructing the IIU with arcane interpretations of provincial law does not.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Budget carrier SpiceJet on Friday posted 21 per cent jump in its net profit for the quarter ending December 2019 to Rs 73.2 crore against Rs 55.1 crore profit it has clocked in the same quarter in the last fiscal. The profit is likely because of the interim offer of compensation it received from Boeing on the grounding of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Based on the current stage of discussions with, and considering the interim offer of compensation received from, the aircraft manufacturer, its own assessment and legal advice obtained by the group, management is confident of collection of the above income recognised by the group, it said.

The airlines losses during the second quarter had widened to Rs462.6 crore. SpiceJet said, This profit (in Q3) is after a non-cash forex charge on account of Ind AS 116 of Rs75.9 crore without which the profit would have been Rs149.1 crore. The domestic carrier now expects the return of the 737 MAX in mid-2020 to boost operations and profitability.

Further, 737 MAX aircraft continues to remain grounded worldwide following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines near Addis Ababa last year. In Q3 of FY20, SpiceJet recorded a 47 per cent rise in operational revenue to Rs3,647.1 crore. Going ahead it expects to grow profitably while maintaining tight control over costs in 2020.

We were expecting the MAX to return to service by January but that hasnt happened. The continued grounding and the delay in its return to service have undoubtedly hit our growth plans adversely and resulted in inefficient operations, said Ajay Singh, chairman and MD, SpiceJet.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, speaks at the 56th Munich Security Conference on Coronavirus.

MUNICH  As the number of coronavirus cases surges past 60,000, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on global leaders to not politicize the deadly outbreak.

"We must stop stigma and hate," he said Saturday during an address at the Munich Security Conference.

"It's easy to blame, it's easy to politicize, it's harder to tackle a problem together and find solutions together," he added. "We will all learn lessons from this outbreak, but now is not the time for reclamations or politicization."

His comments come on the heels of the first coronavirus death confirmed in Europe, an elderly Chinese tourist who was hospitalized in late January. There have been reports from around the world that people of Asian descent have faced discrimination in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

On Saturday, the U.S. State Department announced it would evacuate American citizens stuck aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship that's been quarantined off the coast of Japan. The vessel represents the largest cluster of infected people outside China, with 285 confirmed cases out of 3,500 passengers and crew.

The flu-like virus, now named COVID-19, has killed more than 1,500 people and sickened more than 66,400 worldwide.

Earlier in the day, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi also addressed the Munich Security Conference and said the epidemic has proven to be controllable and largely curable.

Wang also said that any impact the coronavirus may have on the Chinese economy would be "temporary and short-lived."

"We are confident that China will emerge stronger from the epidemic. Its pent up consumer demand and growth potential will be quickly unleashed and China will enjoy evermore sound and sustainable economic and social development," Wang told an audience at the Munich Security Conference.

"The Chinese economy is well-positioned to overcome all risks and challenges. The fundamentals sustaining sound economic growth have not changed and will not change," he added.
The United Kingdom has officially left the European Union. With a year's transition period in which the UK and EU will negotiate the terms of this departure, many travelers from third countries, such as Canada, are wondering how Brexit will affect them. See further information about Brexit for Canadians.

As of January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is no longer a member of the continental trading bloc.

While many of the ties between the UK and the EU will remain in place until certain agreements are reached, this marks a significant moment in the long-running "Brexit" saga.

In June 2016, the British public voted on whether to leave or remain part of the EU. The result was a slim victory for the leave campaign (52% to 48%). Since then, Brexit (the "British exit" from the European Union) has created uncertainty for the country as the government struggled to negotiate a deal that would allow them to leave the customs union.

The island nation made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland is no longer a member of the European organization, but will remain in effect part of the EU's customs union until the end of 2020 while negotiations on trade deals are concluded.

The EU's freedom of movement policy is still in place for the UK, but the British government plans to abolish this before the end of the year. This will have an impact on EU nationals traveling to Britain, but will not affect visitors from countries such as Canada.

Canadians can currently travel freely to the UK as well as most other European countries without having to obtain a visa or travel authorization.

This is unlikely to change immediately, as the UK has always maintained its own immigration and visa policies, separate from other EU members.

Brexit is unlikely to affect travel to other European countries. However, the EU is planning to launch an electronic travel authorization called the European Travel Information and Authorization System or ETIAS.

This will be similar to Canada's own eTA. Canadians traveling to countries in Europe's Schengen Area (which includes 22 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) will have to register with ETIAS once it is launched in 2021.

It will also be obligatory for nationals of any other country that currently enjoys visa exemption for sovereign states within the Schengen Area.

Since the UK has never been part of the Schengen Area and the ETIAS was planned before Brexit, the process of Britain leaving the EU will not affect this in any way.

The UK is considering launching its own electronic travel authorization to improve security at its borders.

These systems, which act as visa waivers, help countries to monitor who is coming in and out. Travelers can be screened before they arrive and security risks can be identified and denied entry.

In this way, eTAs can help to fight international crime, terrorism, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and illegal immigration.

The issues of tightening borders and clamping down on immigration were central to the Brexit debate. It seems likely that the UK government will introduce some changes to its policies on travelers entering the country and whether this will affect visitors from Canada remains to be seen.

However, it is worth noting that Canada and the UK enjoy a close international relationship stemming from a shared history and the fact that both are members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Various British politicians have suggested that the UK may seek to make closer ties to the Commonwealth after Brexit, which could mean that Canadians could benefit.

Until the UK introduces its own eTA or makes any other change to its immigration and visa policies, Canadians will continue to be able to visit the country visa-free.

Besides the question of visas, Brexit may have other effects on travel to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

One potential downside is longer queues at UK airports. Citizens of EU countries will now have to join the same lines for passport control as the rest of the world, meaning more people will be waiting in those queues.

On the other hand, a big advantage of Brexit for Canadian holidaymakers is the fact that the pound sterling has slumped in value. The uncertainty over the future of the UK has led the currency to reach historic lows against the Canadian dollar.

While this is unfortunate for Britons, it is beneficial to Canadians, who can now get more British pounds for their dollars-in effect getting better value for their money during their vacation.

Brexit: Background information

Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union, having been a member since its formation in 1993.

The UK first became a member of the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 and remained a member for 2 decades before the EEC was reorganized into the EU.

However, Euroscepticism has been rising in British politics since the 1990s, with the country divided between those who believed that the benefits of the European Union outweighed the costs and those who believed the country was better off outside it.

This culminated in a referendum on 23rd June 2016. The British public were given the opportunity to vote on whether to leave the EU or remain a member. 72% of voters turned out for the referendum.

Of these voters, 51.89% voted to leave the EU, narrowly defeating the 48.11% who voted to remain. The decision was made to begin the withdrawal process.

The British Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron, resigned following the vote.

In 2017, the new Prime Minister, Theresa May, notified the European Council of its intention to leave, triggering Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This allows for a member state to leave the union after a 2-year negotiation period for an agreement to be made on the country's future relationship with the EU on matters such as trade.

The departure date, initially set for March 2019, was extended twice due to difficulties reaching an agreement on certain issues, particularly the issue of whether to reintroduce border checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Ms. May also resigned following multiple rejections of her deal by the UK Parliament and pro-Brexit leader Boris Johnson became head of government.

After calling and winning a general election, Mr. Johnson's withdrawal agreement was passed by both the UK House of Commons and the European Parliament.

On 31st January, the UK's membership of the EU finally came to an official end.

However, it has now entered a transitional period, in which the majority of EU laws will continue to apply and the UK will still be part of the customs union until an agreement on a deal is made between the 2 parties.

By the end of 2020, it is expected that the UK will no longer be subject to any EU law or regulation, whether or not a deal has been reached.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
By Chayut Setboonsarng

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The plight of the cruise ship off Japan with more than 200 coronavirus infections and the shunning of another by five ports despite no known cases has led to a sharp change in tack for an industry in shock: avoid Asia.

To that end, many cruises in the region are being cancelled while others currently sailing are being re-routed, skipping originally scheduled stops in China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd <RCL.N> on Thursday cancelled 18 cruises in Southeast Asia after calling off eight trips to China last week. It joined industry leader Carnival Corp <CCL.N> <CCL.L> in warning that full-year earnings would be hit by the epidemic.

"It is important that every organization acts responsibly, and we have already taken aggressive steps to minimize risk through boarding restrictions and itinerary changes," CEO Richard Fain said in a statement.

The flu-like virus has so far claimed 1,380 lives with the total number of infections at more than 63,000, most of them in China.

Asia accounts for just some 10% of the global cruise industry, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.

But the fear is that the negative headlines generated by the predicament of the Diamond Princess ship off Japan - the location of the most new coronavirus infections outside China - as well as by the two-week shunning of the MS Westerdam will spill over to the entire industry.

"While the early impact due to concerns about the coronavirus is mainly related to Asia, recent bookings for our broader business have also been softer," Royal Caribbean said in its statement.

The Cruise Lines International Association said it was confident in its members' "resilience and ability to overcome current challenges over the long-term".

RESCHEDULED STOPS

Ships re-routing include the Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2, owned by Carnival, which has cancelled a stop in Singapore scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and is sailing straight to Fremantle, Australia.

Story continues

Another Cunard ship, the Queen Elizabeth, called off stops in Hong Kong and Shanghai through April 4. Its revised itinerary has yet to be announced.

Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have introduced enhanced safety measures, denying permission to board to planned guests who have been through mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau in the preceding two weeks and initiating mandatory health screenings of other guests who may be at risk due to their travel history.

The Norwegian Spirit liner will no longer conclude its March cruise in Singapore but will end in Greece, and its Asia itineraries from April through Dec. 2020 have also been cancelled, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings <NCLH.N> said.

Similarly, P&O Cruises' Arcadia liner has removed stops in Shanghai and Hong Kong in March, although it has yet to announce alternative ports.

Fears about the impact of the outbreak have driven sharp slides in the shares of the industry's top three liners, which together had some $34 billion in revenue in 2018.

Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean have seen their shares lose about 15% for the year to date, while Norwegian Cruise Line has fallen 8.5%.

The MS Westerdam was finally allowed to dock in Cambodia on Thursday and passengers began disembarking on Friday.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship, also owned by Carnival and which has been quarantined since it arrived in Yokohama on Feb. 3, now has 218 cases among its 3,500 passengers and crew.

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Writing by Kay Johnson and Edwina Gibbs)
The department is mulling penal action against operators for failing to pay in time the dues as directed by the Supreme Court, according to an official source.

With Saturday being a holiday in various offices, the Department of (DoT) is likely to wait till Monday evening for the payment before sending out the next set of notices with updated penalty and other punitive action as per the licence norms, the source told PTI.

"The DoT has sent five notices to with reminders and penalty provisions on October 31, November 13, December 2, January 20 and now on February 14. are bound to pay as per the SC order and the department never gave them any extension. Now, telecom operators are saying they will pay a sizable amount by Monday but action will be taken against them for every delay," the official said.

The DoT had issued stringent order to telecom operators to pay by Friday midnight after facing the ire of the SC for no action taken by it to recover dues and passing an order to not take any coercive action against the defaulters. However, none of the made the payment on February 14.

The DoT source said the order was issued for internal processes to avoid any complication as the matter was sub-judice.

"DoT did not pass any order to telecom operators. Telecom operators filed a modification plea before (the) SC. The apex court after admitting the plea and just before the last date of payment listed the matter for a later date. This left DoT with no room to seek any clarification from the court. Hence, the department passed an internal order to avoid complication and any chance of contempt to the court proceedings," the source said.

The official further said there will be action against telecom players for delay in payment and the same has been mentioned in the notice and reminders sent to them.

According to the last available estimates, telecom operators have to collectively pay Rs 1.47 trillion (AGR) dues.

Public sector companies, that don't sell telecom services, owe the DoT around Rs 2.65 trillion, with GAIL India alone owing around 65 per cent of the total amount. However, these PSUs have the option to approach the court for a legal recourse.

Airtel responded to the DoT order of February 14 by offering to pay Rs 10,000 crore by February 20 and the remaining before March 17. Airtel owes nearly Rs 35,586 crore, including licence fee and spectrum usage charge, to the government.

Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea on Saturday said it is assessing the amount that can be paid towards AGR dues, even as it flagged concerns over the continuation of its business.

Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL), whose liability is estimated to be around Rs 53,038 crore, including Rs 24,729 crore of spectrum dues and Rs 28,309 crore in licence fee, has already warned of shutdown if no relief is given.

India has been divided into 22 telecom circles or zones for the issue of licenses to operators. And their revenues are calculated circle-wise.

And so, the DoT issued circle wise demand notices to telecom firms.

An order for the UP (West) Telecom Circle asked "all telecom service providers" to clear dues by 11.59 pm Friday.

It asked to "make the payment of outstanding dues of licence fee and spectrum usage charges by 14.02.2020, 11:59 PM positively".

Another order issued for the Rajasthan circle sought "immediate" payments, failing which action would be initiated. It sought "immediate payment of due licence fee and spectrum usage charges along with interest, penalty and interest on penalty (if applicable)" and warned that if the dues are not paid immediately, "necessary action will be taken in terms of the provisions of licence agreement without any further notice".

"This may be treated as most urgent," it added.
shridhar786 wrote:

The seaside hotel in Torquay inspiring John Cleese to create the beloved British sitcom Fawify Towers during the 1970s and was known of late for hosting Favwity Towers themed events which attracted a steady stream of fans from across the world, is being demolished to make way for retirement homes.



(A) inspiring John Cleese to create



(B) that inspired John Cleese in the creation of



(C) that was inspirational for John Cleese in creating



(D) that has inspired John Cleese to create



(E) that had inspired John Cleese to create

Since the sentence is talking about the "Seaside Hotel", the underline in the sentence "inspiring John Cleese to create" should be parallel to "was known of late for hosting Favwity Towers".A: "inspiring John Cleese" is a modifier and "was known of late for hosting Favwity Towers" is verb+object, so these two are not parallel. Hence A is incorrectB: B seems okay in parallelism but "in the creation of" seems incorrectC: "was inspirational to John in crating" is not conveying the correct meaningD: "has inspired" is incorrect, since the inspiration is not continuing in the present scenarioE: "had inspired" is parallel to "was known of late for hosting Favwity Towers" as both are past tense. Also the use of Past Perfect is correct here, since the inspiration happened way-back in the past and the parties started happening after that.So IMO E is the correct answer.
During visit, the Ukrainian leader will hold series of meetings with foreign leaders

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky began a two-day working visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. The press service of the Presidents Office reported this.

Zelensky will attend the 56th Munich Security Conference. During the forum, Volodymyr Zelensky will speak at a separate session focused on Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine will also hold a series of meetings with leaders of foreign states during the visit.

As we reported before, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin discussed the process of exchange of persons detained in separate areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Crimea and the Russian Federation during the telephone conversation.

In the course of the conversation, the presidents discussed the implementation of the agreements reached during the Normandy Summit, which was held on December 9, 2019, in Paris, as well as the preparation for the next meeting of the Normandy Four leaders.

Also, Russian President Putin demanded that the President of Ukraine Zelensky really implement the Minsk agreements.
Recently I took a Saturday sunset drive up to Manaia in the Coromandel. I actually had no exact idea where I was going, but had been invited to a birthday celebration, left work at 5pm and set off.

It had been one of those extremely hot January days, so with aircon and GPS on, and a safe distance between myself and the large bus ahead, I enjoyed a quiet motor up through Waihi, Thames and Kopu.

I hadnt been up the coast along the Firth of Thames since I was about 20. I looked in vain for the small bach my parents took us to stay in as children and remembered back to those glowing holidays with cousins. My parents had also spent their honeymoon here.

As I rounded into each stunning bay, it struck me that the road was like a wider version of the Mount base track with pohutakawa trees and rocky beach below. Whakatete Bay, Ngarimu Bay, Te Puru, Waiomu  I kept having to pull over and take photos, as sunset is a perfect time to capture that horizontal light. Past carved pou, a brightly painted striped loo, a jandal pole and beach sculptures, soon it was time to climb up from Wilsons Bay to the lookout and head down towards Manaia.

Fortunately just before the night dropped around me, a van came out of a driveway and I pulled over to ask if they knew where my friend lived.

Yes follow us, its right next door.

Up the drive, the birthday party was in full mellow relaxed mode, with nearly 60 people enjoying a hangi and live music; with tents and campervans around the property. And amongst them, I found someone who knew my father from about 40 years ago. Theres nothing better than a long yarn while sitting by a brazier outside on a warm evening.

The next morning, on a whim, I decided to drive about 15 minutes further on to the town of Coromandel. After parking, I went to take a photo of some of the turn-of-the-century buildings, only to find someone coming around the corner with a Hi Rosalie how are you?

Its amazing to drive a few hours away, step out of the car and within a minute be greeted by someone you know. This is New Zealand. We headed off to the local gallery together, following which I checked out their local museum.

I was so smitten with the town of Coromandel that Ive decided I really must return at Queens Birthday Weekend, from May 29-31 for the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the visit of the Royal Navy Ship Coromandel, after which the town and peninsula are named, and for the Coro 200 Illume Festival.

Theyre planning to hold a themed ball and a night street parade. This festival of light is immensely popular, with the town turning out for the parade, illuminated floats, music and food. All I need is some electroluminescent wire, or EL wire for short, and a small battery pack, sew the lights to some clothes and get involved.

Coro Illume Festival. Photo: Supplied

Coro Illume Festival. Photo: Supplied
Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein who has been in hiding since his arrest and death, has been served with a new lawsuit by email in an unusual move because accusers have been unable to track her down.

The location of Maxwell, who been portrayed by Epstein's victims as a 'madam' and a 'fixer' and is the focus of an FBI investigation, has been a mystery since her former lover died.

Judge Debra Freeman took the rare step in a federal Manhattan court of allowing Annie Farmer to email the complaint, which was filed in November, the New York Post reported.

Ghislaine Maxwell's location has been a mystery since her former lover Jeffrey Epstein was arrested for sex trafficking and then died in prison in 2019

Farmer, 40, has accused the 58-year-old former socialite of trafficking her from Arizona to Epstein's New Mexico ranch in 1996, where she claims Maxwell sexually assaulted her.

Lawyers for Farmer had complained in the New York court that that they'd been trying to find Maxwell to serve her but had been unable to track her down.

On Wednesday Freeman ordered Maxwell to be served by email and through attorneys representing her in the lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, 36, one of the most prominent accusers of Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell was said by Farmer's lawyers to be actively participating Giuffre's defamation case in the same court.

Farmers lawyers told the Post that they didn't think Maxwell should be able to 'doge the law'.

Annie Farmer (centre) has accused the Maxwell of trafficking her from Arizona to Epstein's New Mexico ranch when she was a teenager, where she claims Maxwell sexually assaulted her

Freeman said that Farmer had 'attempted to locate and personally serve Maxwell to no avail.

'Her counsel has conducted extensive public records searches and located various addresses for Maxwell,' she said.

The judge added that Farmer had 'adequately demonstrated that personal service would be impracticable'.

Maxwell has until by March 6 to respond or a default judgment will be placed against her. She is also facing at least one other civil suit in federal court in Manhattan.

Maxwell, the daughter of the disgraced median mogul Robert Maxwell, has fallen off the grid since her ex-boyfriend died in August 2019 was found dead in his jail cell aged 66 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide but this has been disputed by his lawyers.

She has been reported to be based in locations ranging from the US to Israel but remains elusive.
Ever since the nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) began in December last year, a large section of those who were in support of the two has been branding the demonstrator everything from pro-Pakistan, anti-nationals, traitors and much more.

BCCL

This includes some minister MPs and legislators of the BJP. MoS Finance, Anurag Thakur had courted controversy during the Delhi Election campaign after crowds chanted 'shoot them' in response to his question on 'how to deal with traitors?'.



BJP leader and candidate Kapil Mishra had equated the Delhi Elections as India vs Pakistan.

But now the Bombay High Court has said that citizens protesting peacefully against a law cannot be called traitors or anti-nationals.

BCCL

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay HC made the comment while setting aside an order challenging the denial of police permission to an agitation against the CAA in Beed, the court said people wanting to agitate in a peaceful way "cannot be called traitors, anti-nationals only because they want to oppose one law".

The petition was filed by one Iftekhar Shaikh challenging two orders passed by the additional district magistrate of Beed district and the Majalgaon city police denying permission for an anti-CAA protest.

The ADM had denied permission citing the Beed superintendent of police's report which expressed apprehension about a deterioration in the law-and-order situation. Thee Court, however, noted that the protesters had given an undertaking that no slogans would be raised against the country, any religion, or unity and integrity of the nation.

BCCL

"We must keep in mind we are a democratic republic country and our Constitution has given us rule of law and not rule of majority. When such act (CAA) is made, some people may be of a particular religion like Muslims may feel that it is against their interest and such act needs to be opposed," the bench said in its order.

The Court said that agitation cannot be suppressed only on the ground that people are agitating against the government. It also noted that, in such matters, the court needs to consider whether fundamental rights of citizens are breached by the order under challenge.

BCCL

"In the British period, our ancestors fought for freedom and also for human rights and due to the philosophy behind the agitations, we created our Constitution. It can be said that it is unfortunate but the people are required to agitate against their own government now but only on that ground the agitation cannot be suppressed," the bench said.

India got freedom due to agitations which were non-violent and this path of non-violence is followed by the people of this country till this date. We are fortunate that most of the people of this country still believe in non-violence, it added.
Passengers in the Norwegian Jewel vessel berthed in Sydney have been cleared of coronavirusnow called COVID-19. Reports of a potential outbreak of the disease on board the ship have been causing concerns for many.

Due to the possible outbreak, the cruise ship was reported to be placed in lockdown as it arrived from Auckland to Sydney on Friday, but authorities confirmed Friday afternoon that the news was false.

This morning, there were various false media reports related to illness onboard our ship. There is absolutely no truth to those stories, Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson told SBS News.

We have no guests with any respiratory-related illness on board. The vessel remains in operation, and all guests on board are in good health, he said.

Some passengers reportedly said they were delayed for approximately 45 minutes before disembarking. Still, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New South Wales told SBS News that the delay was caused by a new screening procedure implemented by New South Wales Health.

Before anyone can disembark the ship, they are going on board, screening those passengers, and if all clear, everyone will come off the ship, the spokesperson said.

So, that is causing a delay, but the ship isnt in lockdown or anything like that.

The New South Wales Health spokesperson confirmed that there was no outbreak of the coronavirus after screening all passengers on board before disembarking.

Passengers on a cruise ship arriving into Sydney this morning were assessed. None had been in China in the previous 14 days, and there was no outbreak of any disease on board. NSW Health spokesperson said according to a tweet from an NHK journalist.

NSW healths initial report of all passengers being in good health condition was later revised and said some passengers came down with a stomach illness, unrelated to the coronavirus.

There were three routine medical transfers, none related to respiratory illness. One person has been tested for respiratory illness on board with results expected this afternoon, the spokesperson said.

Testing was done as a precaution as there is no indication that the person is at particular risk of COVID-19, and at this point, there is no concern for other passengers or people in and around Circular Quay, the spokesperson continued.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday called upon the youths to come up with innovative ideas to address the problems faced by the country.

Addressing the students and faculty of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM), Naidu said that youngsters should come up with ideas on how to best use technology for easing people's lives and bring transparency in governance.

He further said that our aim should be to build an inclusive society in which every person feels integrated into the nation's development.

Exuding confidence that India was well on way to becoming the five trillion-dollar economy, Naidu called upon the youth to develop a positive outlook towards life. "It is very important to succeed in life as it gives you new energy and dynamism," he said.

However, he expressed concern over the low levels of digital literacy, especially in rural India. He called for sustained efforts to increase digital literacy and suggested special focus at the school and college level.

Naidu also called for creating more digital content in Indian languages.

"If the benefit of digital technology and e-governance have to reach the last man, it has to be in Indian languages", he said and exhorted the students and academia to work for creating more digital content in Indian language, terming it as their 'Digital Social Responsibility' towards the society and nation.

Naidu also called for making cybersecurity an inalienable part of all our digital literacy programs. This would help in faster adoption of technologies, he said.

Discussing various challenges and opportunities on the economic front, the Vice President expressed concerns that India despite being the world's fifth-largest manufacturer, the share of manufacturing in our GDP has remained around 16 per cent.

"Our aim is to increase this share to 25 per cent of GDP," the Vice President said while listing various government initiatives to promote manufacturing such as Make in India, Start-up India, MUDRA and Stand-up India, easy availability of credit to MSMEs and setting up of industrial corridors.

Naidu said that MSMEs face more challenges as compared to bigger corporations in the adoption of new technologies and exhorted institutions such as IIITDM to address this by creating professionals who specialize in 'Smart Manufacturing'.

Expressing disappointment over the fact that none of the Indian university figures in the top 100 global institutions, he called for concerted efforts to improve the teaching methods and the learning outcomes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Robert M. Hoatson, president of Road to Recovery, a nonprofit that helps sexual abuse victims, speaks at a news conference announcing a six-figure settlement with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia over a sex-abuse case in front of the archdiocese's office in Philadelphia on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020. Read more

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia last year paid a six-figure settlement to a man who alleged he was abused by the Rev. John J. Bradley at St. Charles Borromeo parish in the 1980s. But the accusers lawyer and church officials couldnt agree Friday on which John J. Bradley was accused.

The issue, a church spokesperson said, is that two priests by that name worked at the Drexel Hill parish  one between 1963 and 1968, the other between 1977 and 1996. The archdiocese maintains that its victim compensation fund settled the case over the alleged conduct of the latter priest, who died more than two decades ago.

But at a news conference outside the archdioceses Center City offices Friday, the accusers lawyer and an activist blamed the other priest, who is still alive, and criticized the archdiocese for letting him retire quietly to an archdiocesan home in Darby Borough.

Three hours later, they admitted they had accused the wrong man after The Inquirer raised questions about the discrepancies between their account and that of archdiocesan officials.

I believe that the sexual abuser in this matter was the late Father John J. Bradley and not any other priest, given the recent admission by the representative of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Mitchell Garabedian, the accusers attorney, said three hours after the news conference.

Either way, neither Bradley appears on the archdioceses public list of credibly accused priests, raising questions over how comprehensive and transparent it is.

We would hope that the archdiocese would have gone to those parishes where that priest was and told them about the settlement, to alert them, said Robert M. Hoatson, cofounder and president of Road to Recovery, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families. But they didnt, so we said, Well, wed better do it ourselves.

Still, the misidentification was a very public mistake by Garabedian, one of the nations foremost plaintiffs attorneys representing clergy sex abuse victims, who was portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the Academy Award-winning movie Spotlight.

His client  now 50 and a divorced father of two  did not attend Fridays news conference. He first lodged his allegations in a claim with the compensation fund for clergy sex abuse victims, launched in 2018. The man alleged he was fondled, forced to perform oral sex, and sodomized on about 10 occasions from about 1982 to 1984, when he was serving as an altar boy at St. Charles Borromeo and was between the ages of 12 and 14.

His settlement is just one of the roughly 180 the independently managed compensation fund has issued over the last two years  at a cost of nearly $40 million. The fund has not announced any individual settlements and has opted to discuss payouts in aggregate.

Ken Gavin, a spokesperson for the archdiocese, did not immediately answer questions Friday about whether the names of priests accused through fund claims are being added to the public list of credibly accused priests maintained on the archdiocesan website.

In an email, Gavin said the archdiocese has not made proactive statements regarding settlements with victims of clergy abuse, as we would not take it upon ourselves to speak on their behalf. He added that the allegation involving Bradley, who died in 1997, was brought to the attention of church officials two years ago. It was forwarded to law enforcement in accord with archdiocesan policy, he said, without specifying which agency.

It will not be possible to proceed with a canonical investigation of the claim against Father Bradley as he is deceased and therefore unable to answer to the allegation, Gavin said.

During the news conference on the sidewalk, Garabedian  who spoke from Boston via speakerphone  and Hoatson, a former priest in the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., called on the church to make future settlements public. They implored the archdioceses new leader, Archbishop Nelson J. Perez, to release the names of every priest who has been credibly accused of child sexual abuse, to protect the parishes where they worked.

It is very important that incoming Archbishop Perez list the names of all credibly accused pedophile priests who have not been listed publicly before, and that includes John J. Bradley, Garabedian said.

He added later: My client is now a survivor. He is trying to remain stable emotionally. This has affected his belief in the Catholic Church to a great degree.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Carnival of Gonaives postponed

Neil Latortue the Mayor of Gonaives announced the postponement to an unspecified date, of the traditional Independence Canaval which is usually held on February 14, 15 and 16, explaining that due to insecurity and logistical problems it was impossible to parade the musical floats in the streets. Festival-goers will therefore have to content themselves with waiting... with the atmosphere of the walking bands.



5 former Senator always believe to be in office

5 of the 9 senators (Jean Renel Senatus, Youri Latortue, Nenel Cassy, Dieupie Cherubin and Jean Marie Junior Salomon) of the second tier who contest the decision of President Moise to have terminated their mandate https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29760-haiti-flash-the-senators-react.html , in the absence of a court decision in their favor CEP https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29910-haiti-flash-the-cep-rejects-the-request-of-the-former-senators-on-the-duration-of-their-mandate.html and Criminal Court https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-29944-icihaiti-justice-failure-of-former-senators-against-moise-at-the-correctional-court.html , consider that they are still in function and continue to accomplish their tasks...



Crisis : New dialogue failure

The political dialogue for a way out of the crisis, relaunched Friday, February 14, is again at an impasse. The radical opposition political party "Mache Kontre" signatory of the Marriott agreement left the table of discussions by continuing to demand that President Moise to shortens his mandate, a requirement rejected by the representatives of the executive present at the meeting... See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29984-haiti-flash-president-jovenel-moise-optimistic-about-the-outcome-of-negotiations-with-the-opposition.html



Jacmel : 1.8 Megawatt more electricity

This week, a brand new 1.8 megawatt (Mw) generator was put into operation at the Jacmel thermal power plant. Total installed power increased from 4.6 to 6.4 Mw



Orphanage fire : words of sympathy

"The U.S. Embassy is shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic loss of life resulting from the devastating fire at the Orphanage of the Church of Bible Understanding in Kenscoff. We offer our deepest condolences to the loved ones of these children, whose lives were cut too short."



"The French Embassy learned with deep sorrow of the death of at least fifteen child victims at a fire that ravaged their orphanage. It offers its condolences to the relatives of the victims and joins the mourning that strikes the Haitian people."



"The Embassy of Spain expresses its dismay at the tragic fire which claimed the lives of at least 15 children in Kenscoff. All our solidarity with Haitian families and people."



See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30027-haiti-flash-fire-at-an-orphanage-15-children-died.html



COVID-19 Global report 15 February

Saturday February 15, 2020, the number of people infected worldwide by the Coronavirus COVID-19 (laboratory and clinical confirmed cases) amounted to 67,091 an increase of 2,644 cases, however less than that of the previous day https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30026-haiti-news-zapping.html ; 1,527 deaths (+ 10.3%) or 143 more than the day before (1,384); 8,497 people healed, or 1,381 people (+ 38.9%) more than the day before and 5.5 times more healing than death compared to 5.1 times the day before. To date, there have been 595 infected people outside China, 10 more than the previous day (+ 1.7%). Number of deaths abroad (4): 1 in the Philippines, 1 in Hong Kong, 1 in Japan and 1 in France.



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ROCKVILLE, Md. - A woman arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing an acquaintance during an argument in a Maryland home has been identified by news reports as a daughter of a former U.S. ambassador.

Sophia Negroponte, 27, has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Yousuf Rasmussen, 24, of Bethesda, at a residence in Rockville late Thursday, according to Montgomery County police.

Negroponte is a daughter of former U.S. diplomat John Negroponte and one of five children that he and his wife adopted, according to the Washington Post.

Diana Negroponte, Sophias mother, told the Post that their daughter has their total support.

We love her deeply, she said.

Police department spokesman Rick Goodale said Sophia Negroponte is due in court on Tuesday for a bond review hearing.

Police arrested her at the scene of the stabbing. Rasmussens body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy, police said.

Detectives determined Rasmussen was stabbed during a disagreement with Negroponte inside the home, police said.

In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed John Negroponte as the nations first intelligence director. He later served as deputy secretary of state. He also has been ambassador to Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, the United Nations and Iraq.
A 17-year-old boy was in critical but stable condition Friday night after he allegedly reached for a gun in his waistband during a pat down in North Philadelphia and was shot three times by a Philadelphia police officer.

Just before the shooting, officers were surveying the area of 28th and Newkirk Streets just after 9 p.m. in response to an armed robbery that occurred earlier, when they spotted the teen, said Staff Inspector Sekou Kinebrew.

The officers, a man and a woman, conducted a pedestrian investigation and were patting down the teen when one of them felt an object in his waistband, Kinebrew said. The teen then allegedly reached for a revolver in his waistband and the 35-year-old male officer fired three times, wounding the teen once in the lower back and twice in the legs.

Police transported the teen to Temple University Hospital.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, still in her first week on the job in Philadelphia, showed up at the scene to monitor the investigation.

The gun was still on the ground at the scene as the investigation continued late into the night, Kinebrew said.

The earlier robbery occurred at 22nd and Somerset Streets at 8:42 p.m. The female victim was not injured.
A policewoman stands in front of the counter of Argentina's flagship air carrier Aerolineas Argentinas at Buenos Aires airport

By Nicolas Misculin

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Aerolineas Argentinas will add new flights to New York and Madrid as the government-controlled carrier seeks to ramp up sales outside its home country and boost income in an effort to beat back persistent operating losses.

In an exclusive interview with Reuters, the chairman of Argentina's namesake airline said he expects income to hit $1.7 billion in 2020, in line with the previous year, thanks to the sale of nearly 13 million tickets.

"If we can carry out our growth plan, the company's deficit will gradually be reduced," said Pablo Ceriani, who took over as chairman of the company's board in December under incoming Argentine president Alberto Fernandez.

Aerolineas [AERA.UL] has an operating deficit of $570 million.

The airline, which currently flies four times a week to New York, will add an additional flight there in May, and another in July. It will also boost flights to Madrid from seven to 10 in July. Increasing tourism within Argentina is also part of the company's growth strategy, along with strengthening its operations throughout the region, Ceriani said.

Improving its fleet is another objective, he added.

The company hopes that toward the middle of the year it will get its five Boeing 737 MAX airplanes back online, Ceriani said.

The U.S. planemaker's once best-selling jet, the 737 MAX, was grounded in March following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.

"Boeing has already agreed to compensation with other airlines. We are asking for equal treatment," said Ceriani. "There is a good predisposition to find a way out of this situation that is satisfactory to us."

The Argentine company ordered another 12 737 MAX aircraft, which will be delivered in 2021 and 2022.

"The compensation (from Boeing) can take different forms. It can be a direct payment or come by way of some other benefit, such as future deliveries," Ceriani said.

(Reporting by Nicolas Misculin; Writing by Dave Sherwood and Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Lisa Shumaker)
From bonds of friendship to bonds of acting By Sashini Rodrigo Nandun Dissanayake and Eraj Gunewardena talk about their challenging roles in the two-person play, Guards at the Taj directed by Anushka Senanayake View(s): View(s):

The bonds of friendship will be tested to their limits, as heartbreak is coupled with humour in this slice of 17th century Mughal life. Theatre Junction presents Guards at the Taj, a captivating two-person play by American playwright Rajiv Joseph, directed by Anushka Senanayake and starring Nandun Dissanayake and Eraj Gunewardena.

The play will go on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on February 21, 22 and 23 at 7.30p.m. and will feature original music by Natasha Senanayake and Ridma Weerawardena.

Set in Agra in 1648, the play centres on two Imperial guards, Babur and Humayun, on duty the day before the Taj Mahal is unveiled to the public. When the two are ordered to perform an unthinkable task, we follow their journey in dealing with the aftermath where they will be forced to question everything they know with their friendship tested in brutal ways.

This dark comedy leaves no stone unturned, exploring everything from beauty and trust to power and loyalties. Its a clear reflection of what society is, and how politics and higher powers can influence it in some ways, Eraj observes, while Nandun adds that though it has political connotations, it isnt political in a literal sense.

The play focuses on the moral issues that the two guards face, as they are confronted with the struggle of remaining loyal in the face of abject cruelty by their higher powers. Its about walking that fine line between loyalty to your friend and loyalty to your conditioning and your superiors, Nandun says.

As the actors see it, the play aims to shed light on the unfair boundaries created by those that have control, and the extent that abuse of power can affect creativity and talent. In the midst of exploring those themes, the bond between Babur and Humayun remains the driving force of the play. The heart of Guards at the Taj is in the conversations between the protagonists and the evolution of their relationship.

In the day-to-day conversations we have with each other, there is so much depth. Without our knowledge, we talk about very deep things, but its still very conversational, says Eraj on why this piece is so engaging in its stripped-down simplicity. Nandun adds that it is exactly this balance of humour and darkness that keeps the play as thrilling as it is.

Eraj was director Anushkas first pick for a role in Guards at the Taj, as they had worked together before in Theatre Junctions productions of Next To Normal and Cinderella. Eraj tells us he already had the script last year when they meant to stage it initially, but the production was postponed until 2020 following the Easter Sunday attacks.

When looking for the last piece to complete the puzzle, Eraj suggested Nandun, whom he has known since their schooldays at Ananda College, having taken part in productions like Dracula in 2015 together.

Ive known Anushka for a grand total of 30 days! Nandun laughs. In those 30 days however, the trio has made every available minute of their rehearsal time count.

The best thing about having a director who knows what to say and do, is that she is able to communicate exactly what she wants. Not in a million words, but shes able to give the one that you need, Nandun adds.

The engaging script coupled with the minimalistic, abstract set design ensures that the audiences attention will be focused solely on the actors, which is a challenge in itself for them. It was an intense process of hands-on collaboration to find the right interpretation for each and every moment, from the words themselves to reactions both calculated and involuntary.

With a two-hander play at a

runtime of about an hour and a half, the two actors were faced with a staggering amount of lines to learn. And yet that was only half the battle, as it was just as important (if not more so) to make those lines feel natural and authentic.

But as the actors explain it, there is no monotony because the conversation evolves, where something comical can morph into something sinister and violent. The added bonus of knowing each other well and already having that trust made the process easier. The roles demand that kind of closeness. If the actors themselves arent comfortable with each other, those intimate moments of friendship wouldnt feel the same, Eraj says.

Hilarious yet heavy, expect a tumultuous journey, an emotional rollercoaster that is just as relevant to us today, as it was to two Imperial guards in 17th century India.

The play contains strong language and violence  hence is recommended for mature audiences.

Tickets priced at Rs. 3500, Rs. 2000 and Rs. 1500 are currently available through the bookline hotline on 077 2311 360. Follow Theatre Junction for more details at https://www.facebook.com/TheatreJunction
New measures approved after the killing of a pro-immigration politician and a deadly attack on a synagogue and kebab shop in Halle by an anti-Semitic gunman include tougher rules on gun ownership and stricter monitoring of hate speech online. Photo: PA

German police detained 12 men yesterday suspected of setting up a far-right organisation with the goal of carrying out attacks against politicians, asylum seekers and Muslims, the Federal Prosecutor's Office (GBA) said.

Prosecutors said four of the suspects had set up a "terrorist organisation" in September 2019 and regularly met and contacted each other by phone and in online forums and chat groups. They had no immediate plan to carry out an attack. The other eight men were detained on suspicion of supporting the organisation with money and weapons, the GBA said.

The suspects wanted their attacks to create havoc and an atmosphere of fear that resembles a civil war.

"The goal of the organisation was to shake and eventually destroy the democratic system and social cohesion of the federal republic," the GBA said.

"For the purpose of creating conditions that resemble a civil war, attacks that were not yet concrete against politicians, asylum seekers and members of the Muslim faith were planned."

The German government last year launched a crackdown on right-wing political violence in response to a rise in hate crimes.

New measures approved after the killing of a pro-immigration politician and a deadly attack on a synagogue and kebab shop in Halle by an anti-Semitic gunman include tougher rules on gun ownership and stricter monitoring of hate speech online.
West Linn police officers raised concerns about embattled Sgt. Tony Reeves years ago, saying he made racially insensitive remarks, lied and risked tarnishing the departments reputation, according to documents released late Friday by the Clackamas County District Attorneys Office.

Reeves was placed on paid leave Wednesday as the district attorney investigates the questionable arrest in 2017 of an African American man in Portland. Reeves was the lead detective on that case. It prompted two federal lawsuits, with the city paying $600,000 this week to settle the claim against police.

But records show Reeves colleagues voiced strong reservations about him long before.

In May 2015, then-West Linn Sgt. Kirk Tonkin told a Clackamas County sheriffs investigator that Reeves was "racially insensitive'' on the job when Reeves was under his supervision and had made comments about black people in front of other officers. Tonkin said he "verbally counseled'' him for it.

Another West Linn officer confirmed to an investigator that Reeves made an insensitive comment about black people during a police briefing and said he believed Reeves was "addicted to arresting people,'' the records show.

The same officer, Nick Amendolara, told investigators that Reeves had a history of not properly documenting incidents and making "false statements.'' Reeves changed his last name from Poitras in 2017.

"I do not feel comfortable working with Officer Poitras and especially do not feel comfortable having him present on any of my calls or covering me,'' Amendolara wrote to a West Linn police captain in 2012.

"I am concerned that someone who exhibits this type of behavior and character is allowed to work on the street, interact with the public, make arrests, submit reports and participate in the judicial process. I am concerned about the risk this places on the City, the Citizens, the reputation of this department and those prosecuting cases submitted by Officer Poitras.''

West Linn Officer Nick Amendolara wrote this email to a West Linn police captain on Nov. 11, 2012, about Tony Reeves, who then went by the last name Poitras: "I am concerned that someone who exhibits this type of behavior and character is allowed to work on the street, interact with the public, make arrests, submit reports and participate in the judicial process.''

Reeves also had received a "memo of counseling,'' for one racially insensitive statement while on the job. After a sergeant alerted officers that a group of African American magazine salespeople were going door-to-door in town one evening, Reeves said, "You cant see black people in the dark.''

Reeves, in a sworn deposition from the civil suit against police, said his remark was taken out of context but he signed his counseling memo and said it was explained to him how the remark could be perceived.

In 2015, the Clackamas County District Attorneys Office had asked the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office to investigate these and other allegations involving Reeves, conducting whats called a Brady review to determine if there were crimes or truthfulness issues that would warrant no longer calling him as a witness in court, effectively ending his career, or if they needed to share any information about him with defense lawyers that could possibly be used to impeach him on the stand.

The district attorneys office later determined there was insufficient evidence to warrant a Brady finding on Reeves.

The Reeves investigation was partly prompted by attorney Dan Thenell, who represented three West Linn officers, and had sent a letter in May 2014 to the West Linn city manager, detailing alleged misconduct by Reeves, then-Police Chief Terry Timeus and Lt. Mike Stradley. Stradley also had gone to the Clackamas County District Attorneys Office, urging the office to investigate West Linn officers who he said were raising false allegations against him.

Michael Fesser's lawyer Paul Buchanan asks Reeves about the discipline he received for saying, "We don't see black people at night,'' while on the job at West Linn Police Department.

The Oregon Department of Justice initiated a separate criminal investigation into Stradley and Timeus, evaluating allegations that Stradley changed a police report to remove mention of the chiefs name to protect him from alleged misconduct and then forged another officers signature, and Timeus alleged tampering with a police exam to pass his girlfriends sister. In a December 2014 letter, the Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Colin Benson wrote to Thenell that they found insufficient evidence that either committed any crimes.

Thenell said Friday that hes frustrated that it took this weeks settlement to spur a deeper look at the longstanding misconduct allegations.

Its sad that that had to happen to have it exposed,'' he said. All of these entities could have stopped this a long time ago.

The $600,000 payout came after Michael Fesser, 48, filed a wrongful arrest and racial discrimination lawsuit against West Linn police. West Linn police, led by Reeves and assisted by Portland police, pulled Fesser over on his way home from work after illicitly recording and watching him at his job on Feb. 25, 2017.

In 2015, then-West Linn Sgt. Kirk Tonkin told a Clackamas County sheriff's investigator of his concerns about racially insensitive remarks made by West Linn Officer Tony Reeves, who then went by the last name Poitras.Clackamas County DA's Office Record

Fesser was taken to jail that night on an aggravated theft accusation that was dropped days later but then indicted in November 2017 on more theft charges that also were later dismissed.

Through depositions, subpoenas and other court records, the case revealed that West Linn police initiated their investigation of Fesser at the behest of Timeus. The police chief had set his officers on Fesser at the request of a fishing buddy, Eric Benson, owner of A&B Towing in Southeast Portland, who said he thought Fesser was skimming money from the business. Fesser worked at the towing company.

Fesser said the arrest was in retaliation for his complaints about a racially hostile work environment at the towing company. Benson and his company later paid $415,000 to Fesser to settle a separate discrimination and retaliation suit.

The litigation turned up a string of racist and crude text messages exchanged between Benson and Reeves while the West Linn police were conducting the surveillance of Fesser at work with the help of civilians.

Also Friday night, West Linn Mayor Russ Axelrod and the City Council joined the call for a federal investigation into Fessers wrongful arrest.

"As the representatives of the citizens of West Linn, we have an obligation to hold those within city government accountable, including ourselves,'' they wrote in a letter to Oregons U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.

Though West Linn City Council members said they were briefed in an executive session Monday night about the settlement, Council President Teri Cummings said they received few details about what happened.

U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer have urged Williams to initiate a civil rights investigation. Williams has not commented.

"We believe it is imperative for any law enforcement agency to have the full confidence of the citizens it serves,'' the mayor and council said in their letter to WIlliams. "To achieve that, we are committed to finding answers and join our community, state leaders, federal representatives and our current Police Chief in calling for a thorough outside review by the Department of Justice into the actions of the City of West Linn and the West Linn Police Department in this case.''

In the meantime, Clackamas County District Attorney John Foote and Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill have opened separate investigations into Fessers arrest and indictment.

Gov. Kate Brown also directed the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards & Training to conduct its own inquiry into the handling of Fessers case. She also had Stradley, now a trainer at the states basic police academy, placed on paid leave while an investigation proceeds.

Portland Police Chief Jami Resch called for an internal affairs investigation to determine if any bureau policy was violated in the case. Portland police gang enforcement officers were called in to assist in the traffic stop and arrest of Fesser.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.
The UK could see disruption to the supply of fruit and vegetables after the government confirmed it will enforce post-Brexit transition border checks, an industry body has warned.

Consumers could see supply issues as controls are set to come into force next January at the end of the transition period, the British Retail Consortium said.

Such checks at the border could cause significant delays, including for the thousands of lorries which carry fresh produce.

A high-tech, simplified 'smart border' will not come into force until 2025, officials have said.

Until then, businesses in the European Union and the UK will have extra paperwork. The government said there is enough time to prepare.

But director of food and sustainability at the BRC, Andrew Opie, urged ministers to 'move fast' to put in place border infrastructure.

He said: Without the necessary infrastructure up and running from day one, consumers in the UK will see significant disruption, particularly in the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables.

If you think this is going to hit us in January, that's our peak import season for things like fresh fruit and vegetables.

Customers are really going to see the problems on supermarket shelves unless we get that infrastructure, he said.

Michael Gove, the government's Brexit planning chief, said the UK 'will have to be ready' for the customs procedures and regulator checks that will follow after the transition period.

As a result of that we will be in a stronger position, not just to make sure that our economy succeeds outside the EU but that we are in a position to take advantage of new trading relationships with the rest of the world, he said earlier this week at a Border Delivery Group event.

The Brexit transition period is due to finish at 11pm on 31 December this year.
Alibaba issued its latest earnings report yesterday, and the Chinese eCommerce giant reported that cloud revenue grew 62 percent to $1.5 billion U.S., crossing the RMB10 billion revenue threshold for the first time.

Alibaba also announced that it had completed its migration to its own public cloud in the most recent quarter, a significant milestone because the company can point to its own operations as a reference to potential customers, a point that Daniel Zhang, Alibaba executive chairman and CEO, made in the company's post-earnings call with analysts.

"We believe the migration of Alibaba's core e-commerce system to the public cloud is a watershed event. Not only will we ourselves enjoy greater operating efficiency, but we believe, it will also encourage others to adopt our public cloud infrastructure," Zhang said in the call.

It's worth noting that the company also warned that the Coronavirus gripping China could have impact on the company's retail business this year, but it didn't mention the cloud portion specifically.

Yesterday's revenue report puts Alibaba on a $6 billion U.S. run rate, good for fourth place in the cloud infrastructure market share race, but well behind the market leaders. In the most recent earnings reports, Google reported $2.5 billion in revenue, Microsoft reported $12.5 billion in combined software and infrastructure revenue and market leader AWS reported a tad under $10 billion for the quarter.

As with Google, Alibaba sits well in the back of the pack, as Synergy Research's latest market share data shows. The chart was generated before yesterday's report, but it remains an accurate illustration of the relative positions of the various companies.

Alibaba has a lot in common with Amazon. Both are eCommerce giants. Both have cloud computing arms. Alibaba, however, came much later to the cloud computing side of the house, launching in 2009, but really only beginning to take it seriously in 2015.

Story continues

At the time, cloud division president Simon Hu boasted to Reuters that his company would overtake Amazon in the cloud market within 4 years. "Our goal is to overtake Amazon in four years, whether thats in customers, technology, or worldwide scale," he said at the time.

They aren't close to achieving that goal, of course, but they are growing steadily in a hot cloud infrastructure market. Alibaba is the leading cloud vendor in China, although AWS leads in Asia overall, according to the most recent Synergy Research data on the region.
WASHINGTON  American democracy has been thoroughly eulogized in recent years, written of with grief and nostalgia in numerous best-selling books. Law professor Ganesh Sitaraman has also taken up the subject, but his has a more aspirational title: The Great Democracy.

Im particularly excited to talk about this book because Ive been thinking about it for 20 years, Mr. Sitaraman said at an event celebrating the book in Washington last month. Which I know seems crazy because I dont look that old.

Mr. Sitaraman is, in fact, not that old. He is 37, which is old enough to run for president. Like his close friend and Harvard classmate Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., is doing.

The Great Democracy makes the case for expansive democratic reform  its a time for transformation, Mr. Sitaraman writes, not a return to some old normal. And the ideas in the book are getting decent airtime on the 2020 campaign trail. Mr. Buttigieg is wrestling with the notion of democratic reform through his own campaign; and Mr. Sitaraman now serves as a senior adviser to Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a mentor since Harvard Law School.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (1st L) meets with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (3rd R) in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

China is very proud of having a good friend like Serbia, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday.

Wang made the remarks while meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the sideline of the 56th Munich Security Conference.

The brotherly friendship with China is very important to Serbia, Vucic said, adding that his country will never forget the sincere help offered by China when Serbia was facing difficulties.

Serbia is always a trustworthy and reliable partner of China, the president said.

As the Chinese people are fighting against the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, Vucic said he is ready to visit China at any time to demonstrate firm support for the Chinese people with concrete actions.

Wang thanked Vucic for sending a message of condolences to President Xi immediately after the epidemic broke out.

"We are proud of having a good friend like Serbia," Wang said.

China has made positive progress in combating the epidemic. With the efforts of the Chinese people and the firm support from all parties including Serbia, it is only a matter of time before the battle is finally won, Wang noted.

Serbia is small, but it is a fair and upright country, a country that values principles, friendship and has backbone, Wang said.

China will also always stand with Serbia, he said.
Two suspects have been charged in the November killing of two boys at a Union City elementary school, the Union City Police Department announced Friday morning.

The suspects, 18-year-old Jason Cornejo of Castro Valley and a 17-year-old boy from Hayward whose name was not released, have both been charged with shooting deaths of 11-year-old Kevin Hernandez and 14-year-old Sean Withington.

The suspects were in police custody on unrelated charges when they were arrested, police said.

The boys, both Union City residents, were gunned down at about 1:30 p.m. Nov. 23 while they were inside a van in the parking lot of Searles Elementary School on Sherman Drive.

Withington was pronounced dead at the scene and Hernandez was pronounced dead while in route to a local trauma center, according to police.

Police didn't give a motive for the shooting or explain what evidence allegedly ties the suspects to the killings but Union City Police Chief Jared Rinetti called the suspects "dangerous gang members," according to a news release sent out Friday morning.

During the investigation, Union City police worked with several other law enforcement agencies and officers were able to serve search warrants at six different East Bay locations -- four in unincorporated Alameda County, one in Hayward and one in Richmond, police said.

Officers were able to find about 40 pounds. of marijuana, 8 pounds of methamphetamine, 2 handguns, 3 assault weapons, more than $10,000 in cash, several high capacity magazines, ammunition and other evidence related to the boy's killings, according to police.

The Marin County Sheriff's Office said a man and a woman were found dead in a driveway in the area of W. Oak Knoll Drive in the Sleepy Hollow area located north of San Anselmo of Friday morning.

The sheriff's office responded around 8 a.m. and reported the deaths on Twitter around 9:20 a.m.

"Due to the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the individuals we are waiting for the Marin County Hazardous Materials Team to respond to the scene and assist with the investigation," sheriff's Sgt. Brenton Schneider said. Further information will not be released at this time, Schneider said.

The sheriff's office said there is no threat to the community.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed revealed intimate details about her relationship with embattled former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru on Friday, whom she said she's known for over two decades.

Breed disclosed the details in a post on Medium, more than two weeks after FBI agents arrested Nuru in connection with a public corruption probe.

According to Breed, she wrote the post to be transparent with the public and to dispel any rumors about their close relationship.

"Mohammed Nuru and I have been close personal friends for more than 20 years. We dated for a brief time, two decades ago, long before I ever ran for office," she said.

Breed said when she learned that federal prosecutors had charged Nuru with services wire fraud, as well as lying to the FBI, she felt, "shock, sadness, disappointment and anger."

Breed also revealed that last year, she received gifts from Nuru, worth about $5,600, which she said would be listed in her annual "Statement of Economic Interests," due on April 1.

The gifts stem from when Nuru, acting as her friend, helped her fix her 18-year-old car last year, and when the car still didn't work properly, he helped her secure a rental car.

She said because Nuru was a personal friend, the gifts are not required to be reported under the California Fair Political Practice Commission's rules.

Prosecutors allege Nuru, along with Lefty O'Doul's restaurant owner Nick Bovis, attempted to bribe a San Francisco International Airport commissioner for help to obtain a restaurant concession.

Although Nuru and Bovis have both been charged for that alleged scheme, prosecutors also allege Nuru engaged in four more corrupt schemes in 2018 and 2019 and that Bovis participated in two of them. However, those alleged schemes never came to fruition.

A man was killed and a child injured Friday morning when a big-rig hit two vehicles on State Route 4 near Discovery Bay in unincorporated San Joaquin County, according to the California Highway Patrol

The big-rig was headed eastbound on State Route 4 near South Tracy Boulevard shortly before 8 a.m. when it crossed the double-yellow lines and slammed head-on into an SUV, CHP Officer Joe Whitlock said.

The crash killed the SUV's driver, and a child inside suffered major injuries and had to be flown to a hospital, Whitlock said.

After hitting the SUV, the big-rig sideswiped a mini-van. No injuries were reported by those in the mini-van, the CHP said.

The driver of the big-rig is suspected of driving under the influence, according to the CHP.

The victim in a fatal crash on Feb. 7 was a 24-year-old San Jose man, according to the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office.

Jesse Garcia died in a solo crash at about 4:23 p.m. on Tully Road just east of Quimby Road.

Police reported Garcia lost control while driving a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria. He was pronounced dead at the scene after hitting a tree in the center of the road.

There were no other passengers in Garcia's vehicle.

The wreck is San Jose's third fatal crash this year.

Police on Thursday took a second suspect into custody in connection with a homicide that occurred in January in San Jose.

Marcus Sloan Pardohendry, 33, of San Jose, was taken into custody Thursday at around 3:08 a.m., according to the San Jose Police Department.

Richard Alexis Torres, 28, of San Jose, was previously arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder, police said.

On January 15 at 10:19 p.m., officers responded to a person shot at Clayton Road and Squeri Drive and located San Jose resident Richard Huy Nguyen, 26, suffering from at least one gunshot wound.

Nguyen was pronounced deceased at the scene.

On Tuesday, police located Torres in Santa Clara.

Police said Torres did not comply with officers' commands, and a San Jose police K9 was used to take the suspect into custody.

Torres was transported to the hospital for medical treatment and was paper booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of murder, police said.

As of Thursday, Torres remained in custody at the hospital and was going to be booked into the jail once he was medically released.

On Wednesday at 3 p.m., officers located Pardohendry at a residence in the 2500 block of Vista Verde Drive in San Jose.

Police said Pardohendry barricaded himself inside the residence and ultimately exited the residence Thursday morning at 3:08 a.m.

He did not comply with officers' commands, so officers discharged a projective impact weapon at him twice and used a K9 to take him into custody.

Pardohendry was taken to a hospital for treatment and will ultimately be arrested on suspicion of murder, police said.

Police are investigating a shooting in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood in which people inside two separate cars were allegedly shooting at each other Thursday morning.

The shooting was reported around 10:25 a.m. near the corner of Van Dyke Avenue and Ingalls Street, police said.

In addition to the shooting, one of the vehicles involved also struck other parked cars, according to police.

Officers were unable to locate the suspects, described as two unknown suspects and one 29-year-old man, and no arrests were made. The vehicles were described as two sedans, police said.

Deputies in Santa Clara County have arrested a suspect in connection with stealing $3,000 in shoes from a residence in unincorporated Morgan Hill.

Jorge Ozuna Ramos, 22, was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and burglary, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said Ozuna Ramos also caused more than $1,300 in damage to a vehicle.

Deputies said he had burglary tools and narcotics in possession at the time of his arrest.

The arrested was reported Thursday evening.

Police in Redwood City on Thursday arrested a suspect in connection with an assault.

Scott Deasy, 32, was arrested on suspicion of assault with serious bodily injury, false imprisonment and strong-armed robbery, according to the Redwood City Police Department.

On Thursday, officers responded to a report of a physical altercation between a mother and her adult son.

Police said the victim suffered injuries to her head, face, neck and arms.

The suspect, identified as Deasy, fled the scene before police arrived.

Deasy was ultimately located in San Francisco and was later taken into custody without incident.

Police are investigating a suspicious incident involving a high school student that occurred Thursday in Millbrae.

On Thursday at 8:25 a.m., a 17-year-old high school student was walking to school when a man driving an older model sedan approached the student, according to the Millbrae Police Bureau.

Deputies said the man stopped the vehicle near the student, honked the horn and motioned for the student to approach the car.

The student approached the car, but turned around and immediately walked home when the student realized the man was a stranger.

Deputies said the driver did not say anything to the student.

The driver is described as an Asian man, about 40 to 50 years old and with short dark hair.

He was driving an older model brown or orange four-door sedan.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Millbrae police at (650) 259-2300 or the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office's Anonymous Tip Line at 1-800-547-2700.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Fresh off a three-week international tour, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido is hoping to ramp up pressure against President Nicolas Maduro but must first overcome his supporters' increasing listlessness. Having flouted a travel ban imposed by the Maduro regime to shore up support abroad and meet with foreign leaders such as those of Britain, France and the United States, Guaido must now find a way to reinvigorate his base. The National Assembly speaker rose to prominence in January 2019 when he declared himself the country's acting president in a direct challenge to Maduro, whom he deems an illegitimate leader due to a 2018 re-election widely derided as rigged. - 'Collapse of expectations' - While Guaido has called for mass mobilization against Maduro, his supporters are suffering from a "collapse of expectations," said Benigno Alarcon, head of political studies at Andres Bello Catholic University. The 36-year-old attracted tens of thousands of people to his rallies at the start of 2019 and garnered the support of more than 50 countries, but by the end of the year only a few hundred supporters would turn up. And his popularity rating dropped from 63 percent to 39 percent, according to pollsters Datanalisis. That said, his international tour was "a fleeting work of art" considering his failure to deliver on the home front, said Luis Vicente Leon, Datanalisis president. On Wednesday, Guaido did manage to generate some excitement as university students took part in a demonstration against Maduro in Caracas. - Sanctions 'on everyone' - After Guaido's meeting with US President Donald Trump, Washington expanded its Venezuela sanctions to include state airline Conviasa. The United States has already sanctioned state oil company PDVSA and imposed a financial blockade that prevents Venezuela from renegotiating its $140 billion debt. "There will be more sanctions... on everyone who supports the dictatorship," Guaido warned on Wednesday. In Brussels, Guaido urged the European Union to block Venezuelan exports of gold, which have already been hit by US sanctions. Such actions point to "a sanctions scheme with greater international coordination," Alarcon said. Guaido was meanwhile given a bipartisan standing ovation at Trump's State of the Union address, fueling renewed calls from the most radical elements of Venezuela's opposition for Washington to deliver a military intervention. While the US government has repeatedly refused to rule out such an option, the American public has shown little interest in a dramatic dislodging of Maduro. "The Trump administration has few options available to effect a material change," said Paul Angelo of the US-based Council on Foreign Relations. Instead, said Alexander Main of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, US policy has "exacerbated Venezuela's economic crisis, resulting in increased human suffering." The United States' Venezuela policy "is tightly linked to electoral strategy" in a bid to win Latin votes rather than help the Venezuelan people, he said. - 'Position of strength' - Maduro has said he's willing to relaunch a dialogue with the opposition following failed Norway-mediated efforts in 2019. However at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last month, Guaido branded that a "joke." The Venezuelan government, which is supported by the military as well as China, Russia and Cuba, is in a "position of strength," said Alarcon. There's little chance of Maduro giving in to the opposition's demands that he resign and allow new general elections. Meanwhile legislative elections are scheduled for later this year in which Maduro hopes to regain control of the National Assembly, the only branch of government in opposition hands. The opposition has little faith that the vote will be free or fair, and many are debating whether to even participate at all, experts say. In addition, the opposition is once again becoming fragmented. A rival opposition politician, Luis Parra, declared himself speaker in Guaido's absence. While Maduro backed Parra's claim, Guaido says he still has the support of more than half of the opposition-controlled National Assembly. Juan Guaido, speaking at a rally on February 11, returned to Venezuela with renewed vigor and the belief he can fire up street protests once again Juan Guaido received a mixed reception at the Caracas international airport on February 11 with some Maduro supporters calling him a 'fascist' and 'traitor' Juan Guaido, pictured February 11, has urged his international allies to ramp up sanctions against Maduro's regime
An elementary school teacher from Michigan found out during an ultra-sound that she had two vaginas and two wombs.

Bethany McMillin from Michigan stunned doctors when they realized she had the rare condition uterus didelphys  meaning she had two uteruses, cervixes and vaginas.

Bethany, 27, miscarried during her first pregnancy in 2018 and said she was 'devastated' when she found out that the condition could mean she would never become a mother. The fetus had stopped developing at six weeks.

She was told that if she were to fall pregnant, the risk of a second miscarriage or preterm labor was high because of the condition.

Bethany, pictured with her baby daughter Maeve, now five months old, found out she was pregnant about a year after her miscarriage. She was told during her ultrasound scan after her miscarriage that she had two wombs and two vaginas

Doctors were stunned when they realized that Bethany McMillin from Michigan had the rare condition uterus didelphys  meaning she had two uteruses, cervixes and vaginas

Bethany, 27, said she was devastated when she found out that the condition could mean she would never become a mother

Bethany, from Allen Park, said the doctor who discovered her condition during the scan was 'baffled'.

'He had never seen a patient with anatomy like mine before, so there wasn't really anything he could tell me about it,' she said.

'A little over a month later, I went for a check-up, and the gynecologist there noticed that I also have a full vaginal septum that divides my vagina into two sections; essentially, I also have two vaginas.

'I was very confused. I had never heard of such a thing before, I didn't know it was even possible. I didn't understand how I could have been born this way and never known.'

Against the odds, the teacher discovered she was pregnant about a year later. She gave birth, Maeve, in September 2019.

The elementary school teacher and her 25-year-old husband Paul welcomed baby Maeve in September 2019

Bethany McMillan and her husband Paul show off baby Maeve shortly after her birth

She said when she found out she was pregnant with Maeve she was reluctant to get too excited because of the risks

During her pregnancy, McMillin's pregnant bump appeared to shift to the right at 24 weeks

She said when she found out she was pregnant with Maeve she was reluctant to get too excited because of the risks. 'I was worried because I didn't know if any doctors in my area were knowledgeable enough about uterus didelphys to provide adequate prenatal care for my specific situation,' she said.

'I didn't let myself have hope until after my nine-week ultrasound scan, when I saw my baby's healthy heartbeat.

'It was farther than we had gotten the last time, and statistics say that having a healthy heartbeat after just six weeks is a strong indicator that you won't miscarry.'

Bethany now wants to raise awareness of her condition after it took her several months to gather information on how to deal with it. She has discovered ways to make living with her condition easier - like wearing two tampons for each vagina during her period.

'Get to know your own body,' she advised women. 'This condition is rare and can vary vastly from woman to woman. There is a lot that is unknown about it, and even what is known about it may not apply to every woman who has it.'

Bethany, pictured with Maeve and husband Paul after the birth, said she wants to raise awareness of her condition after it took her several months to gather information on how to deal with it
Rattled by the eruption of mass protests against its anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Indias governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought to use the assembly elections in Delhi, the countrys National Capital Territory, to mount a political counter-offensive.

However, its efforts to polarize the electorate though an incendiary communalist campaign largely failed.

When the votes were counted last Tuesday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAPCommon Man's Party), which captured power in Delhi in Dec. 2013 just 13 months after its formation, remained firmly ensconced in office.

The undeserving beneficiary of mass popular anger against the BJPs vile communalist agenda and pro-investor socio-economic policies, the AAP won 62 of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly. With support surging among Muslim voters who were determined to prevent a BJP victory, the AAP captured 53.57 percent of the vote, 0.73 percent less than the previous election in 2015.

The BJP did increase its share of the vote from with the 2015 Delhi assembly election. But its 38.9 percent vote-share was down sharply from last Mays national election, when it won 56.5 percent of the vote in the National Capital Territory and all seven of Delhis Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress Party, the historic party of the Indian bourgeoisie and till recently its preferred party of national government, saw its vote-share almost halved, from 9.7 percent to a derisory 5.44 percent.

An ethnically and culturally diverse Union Territory of 18.5 million people, Delhi has been a focal point of the nationwide protests against the CAA. While students from Jamia Millia Ismalia University and Muslim housewives in the working-class Shaheen Bagh neighbourhood initiated the anti-CAA protests in Delhi, they have been joined by students, workers, and professionals of all faiths and religious backgrounds.

Because it is Indias national capital and the center of its largest urban agglomeration, Delhi plays an outsized role in the politics of India. But this years state assembly elections took on added political significance, as the BJP in the hopes of seizing back the political initiative choose to fight the campaign on so-called national issuesthat is, by championing its noxious Hindu supremacist agenda, which includes placing Indian-held Jammu Kashmir under permanent central government trusteeship, and pressing forward with the building of a Hindu temple on the site of the razed Babri Majid (mosque) in Ayodhya.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice spoke at election rallies. But with the BJP declining to nominate its choice for Delhis chief minister, the dominant figure in the BJP campaign was Modis chief henchman, the central government Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah spoke at some 52 BJP meetings and rallies.

Invariably, he used them to denounce opponents of the BJPs Hindu chauvinist policies as anti-national and for being in league with Indias arch-enemy Pakistan. Shah accused the Congress and AAP of creating mini-Pakistans like Shaheen Bagh, a reference to the continuous all-day, all-night sit-in Muslim women have mounted on a major through road in that south Delhi neighbourhood since the CAA was adopted in mid-December.

Yogi Adityanath, the BJP chief minister from Uttar Pradesh and an infamous Hindu chauvinist, was also a star election campaigner, appearing at a dozen rallies. Adityanath who ordered a violent crackdown on anti-CAA protests in his state in December that left 20 people dead, insinuated that the Shaheen Bagh protesters were terrorists who should be fed with bullets not biryani.

Two other examples will suffice to give the fascistic tenor of the BJP campaign. BJP MP Parvesh Verma warned that the anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh would enter Delhi residents' houses and abduct your sisters and mothers, rape them, kill themthats why today is the moment.

Modis junior finance minister, Anurag Thakur, was caught on video leading BJP supporters in chants of shoot them downa Hindu right war-cry that gained currency after the head of the West Bengal BJP, Dilip Ghosh, boasted that the BJP state governments in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Karnataka had shot anti-CAA protesters like dogs.

Seeking to act on these criminal incitements, three Hindu supremacists opened fire at or near Shaheen Bagh in the days immediately following Thakurs provocation.

In a further attempt to whip up reaction, stoke communalism, and incite fear in the run-up to the Feb. 8 election, the Delhi Policewho are directly under the control of Shahs Home Ministryrepeatedly launched violent attacks on anti-CAA protests. And when thugs from the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad), the student movement of the RSS, the BJPs ally and ideological mentor, savagely attacked students at Jawaharlal Nehru University on January 5, the Delhi police stood down, failing to intervene till the pre-planned assault was finished.

The BJPs defeat in Delhi is the latest in series of state election setbacks for Indias ruling party since it won re-election last May. The state election results are a distorted reflection of the mounting social anger among Indias workers and toilers that has animated the anti-CAA protests and a wave of social struggles, including a general strike against the Modi governments neo-liberal policies on January 8 in which tens of millions of workers participated.

BJP governments were unseated after elections in October in Maharashtra and in Jharkhand in December. In Haryana, which borders Delhi, the BJP lost it majority in last October state election, but was able to cling to power with the support of smaller parties.

Although the Congress Party won the Jharkhand election and now has a share of power in Maharashtra because it has agreed to serve in a government led by the BJPs erstwhile ally, the fascistic Shiv Sena, it has failed to gain significant traction nationally from the mounting anger against the BJP.

Its election result in Delhi, where it formed the government under Sheila Dikshit for 15 consecutive years, from December of 1998 to December 2013, was nothing short of disastrous. Predictably the Congress is trying to explain away its debacle in Delhi, saying it was due to voters determination to thwart the BJP. But the reality is the Congress is deeply discredited, having for decades spearheaded the bourgeoisies drive to make India a cheap-labor hub for global capital and a strategic partner of US imperialism.

The AAP was able to suddenly come to political prominence in 2013 by exploiting the growing anger against the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance national government, which during its 10 years in office presided over a massive growth in social inequality.

The AAP undoubtedly benefited in the 2020 election from the determination of much of Delhis population, Hindu and Muslim alike, to strike a blow against the BJP and its rabid Hindu chauvinist politics.

But the AAP, like the rest of the Indian political establishment, is steeped in communalism.

During the election campaign, AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal conspicuously failed to speak out against the BJPs Hindu chauvinist policies. Nor did he visit the centers of popular opposition to the BJP, from the Shaheen Bagh sit-in to JNU and Jamia Millia Ismalia University, or even publicly campaign in predominantly Muslim neighbourhoods. Kejriwal did, however, have time to visit a Bajrang Bali Hindu temple and to publicly recite a Hindu hymn, the Hanuman Chalisa.

The AAP supported the BJPs surgical strikes inside Pakistan in Feb. 2019, which brought the nuclear-armed countries to the brink of war, and backs the building of a temple in Ayodha where Hindu chauvinists tore a 16th century mosque to the ground at the instigation of the BJP leadership.

Speaking to the News18 channel on December 18, Kejriwal attacked the BJPs CAA not because it discriminates against Muslims, but for purportedly opening the door to mass migration to India of non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Echoing the BJPs vile anti-immigrant campaign, Kejriwal demagogically proclaimed, Who will give them jobs, where will you make them stay? Will you give them housing in Delhi, Mumbai, Assam, Tripura?

The AAP use populist phrases in an attempt to mask that it is a bourgeois party, no less beholden to Indias billionaires and multi-millionaires than the BJP and Congress. During its seven-year-rule, social conditions in Delhi have worsened.

Delhi is one of the most air-polluted cities in the world, with air pollution last year surpassing the WHO limit by as much as 40 times.

Together with the BJP central government, the AAP provides employers free rein to use Delhi as a cheap-labour sweatshop. The Global March Against Child Labor noted in 2017 that around 100,000 children work for more than 14 hours a day in the illegal sweatshops in and around Delhi. In December a fire in a four-storey building housing more than a dozen illegal factories making garments, toys and other consumer goods killed more than 40 workers.
Jennifer Morano, ballet dancer, Latin dancer, and choreographer, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2020. (NTD Television)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.Jennifer Morano is a ballet dancer and Latin dancer who attended Shen Yun Performing Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, and gave the dancings artistry, technique, and choreography high praise. A choreographer herself, Morano shared her thoughts about how perfectly Shen Yuns dancers executed their tumbling steps.

I enjoyed [Shen Yun] a lot. I appreciated the artistry. The choreography was wonderful. The colors, the scenery was all really entertaining. The acrobatics are amazing, too, said Morano, who took in the performance on Feb. 14, 2020, at the Mahaffey Theater.

Classical Chinese dance is an ancient art form that New York-based Shen Yun has breathed new life into as part of its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture itself.

According to Shen Yuns website, All these jumping, turning, and flipping techniques, along with the exquisiteness of the bearing and form, give classical Chinese dance special expressivity.

[Shen Yuns mission] is beautiful. Its absolutely beautiful. I would definitely recommend it and I would see it again, she said.

Chinas authentic culture is considered divinely-inspired and contains rich inner meaning as well as thousands of years worth of profound legends, spiritual wisdom, and beauty. But Shen Yun cannot perform in China today, due to a campaign by the Chinese Communist Party to eradicate traditional Chinese culture.

Morano said she appreciates the divinely-inspired aspect of Shen Yuns performance. I appreciate it. I appreciate learning about the Chinese culture and their dance and where its inspired from. So it gives me a better understanding of how to enjoy a performance, she said.

The dancer and choreographer had more to say about the artistic and technical aspects of the dancers performance.

I appreciate the symmetry, and everyone keeping their lines, Morano said. I know thats important because Im also a choreographer. The acrobatics were all perfectly landed, you know. It was very technically entertaining. As well as the digital background; we really liked that a lot. The colors of the costumes were really highlighted by the light. So, very enjoyable.

The stories were all really entertaining. Our favorites were the water sleeves because of how they retracted their sleeves and then threw them out like flowers. And that they did respect to the ethnic dances. We also appreciated that as well, she added.

To the artistic director, I would keep going, keep moving forward.

The dancersbravo, Morano said, applauding with her hands as she said it.

You know, its a beautiful thing to see people enjoy their art and celebrate their culture. I do it, so I love it. I appreciate it a lot, she said.

With reporting by NTD Television and Brett Featherstone.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006.
After days of ridiculous claims that a left-wing coalition was possible, Sinn Fein has finally re-entered the real world, writes Political Editor Daniel McConnell.

Finally, after five days of charades and gameplaying, some clarity and reality has entered the picture as to how a new Government will be formed.

Since the final seats of the 33rd Dail were filled, a big lie has been circulated that Sinn Fein won the election.

Mary Lou McDonald has declared it, some slavish members of the media have declared it  even some within Fine Gael and Fianna Fail said it.

The only problem is, its not true.

While Sinn Fein has increased its vote and its seat total and got more votes than all other parties, on 25% of all votes cast, it most certainly did not win the popular vote.

Having been humiliated into third place, Fine Gael would deeply love to run into opposition, and the bruised Blueshirts are more than happy to slow the pace of talks down and allow Mary Lou try and fail.

After days of ridiculous claims that a left-wing coalition was possible, Sinn Fein has finally re-entered the real world.

Friday began with a leading Sinn Fein TD admitting his party cannot form a stable Government without either Fianna Fail or Fine Gael.

However, Eoin O Broin accused both of the old Big Two parties of arrogance and recklessness for refusing to talk to Mary Lou McDonald about a coalition.

O Broin, one of Sinn Feins Government formation negotiators, said Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin is doing the most irresponsible thing by snubbing Sinn Feins voters. He also suggested that a new grand coalition Government that was rejected at the ballot box.

Asked on RTEs Radio as to how Sinn Fein can form a Government without either Fianna Fail or Fine Gael, O Broin conceded bluntly: You cant.

The most irresponsible thing to do is what Micheal Martin has said  to say he wont talk to a party that now represents 24% of the electorate.

Hes talking about putting back in power the Government that has just been booted out of power and he is threatening another election at a time when the public want politicians to do their job, form a Government for change, and start fixing the problems that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael created through four years of bad government.

O Broin said political parties refusing to talk to others and who are threatening elections dont just smack of arrogance, but I actually think there is a certain recklessness.

O Broin did not have to wait long for a response.

Fine Gael TD Heather Humphreys said there is no point talking to Sinn Fein, as the parties wouldnt be able to agree a programme for government.

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The policies of both parties are absolutely miles apart. It is up to those who won the election to form a Government and, in this case, Sinn Fein won the popular vote and Fianna Fail won the most seats, Humphreys said.

Crucially, when pressed, the business minister declined to rule out going into Government with Fianna Fail ahead of her partys parliamentary meeting on Monday.

Fianna Fails Dara Calleary said his party leader Micheal Martin would meet Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald but was very clear that they would not go into a coalition together.

The Mayo TD said the policy issues are too incompatible between the two parties.

There are too many bridges, he added.

On the issue of a deal with the old enemy, Calleary said Fianna Fail will make an approach to Fine Gael at some stage, adding that the outgoing Government party has yet to meet as a parliamentary party.

In the meantime, Fianna Fail is establishing its negotiating team and reaching out to other like-minded parties, he said.

Despite the lies and gameplaying, it has been perfectly clear that for a Government to be formed, two of the three largest blocks  Fine Gael, Sinn Fein, and Fianna Fail  would have to come together and agree a deal.

With both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail clearly now ruling out a deal with Sinn Fein, logic dictates that those two parties have to either examine a reverse confidence and supply arrangement, or examine the idea of the grand coalition, perhaps with the Greens involved.

Well, as we reported today, Fine Gael senior figures are absolutely ruling out any notion of supporting or facilitating Fianna Fail from the opposition benches.

Fianna Fail calls for Fine Gael to support it in Government from the opposition benches have been dismissed as arrogant and unworkable.

Senior figures in Fine Gael told us that reversing the confidence and supply deal and facilitating a Fianna Fail-led Government from opposition is a non-runner.

Fine Gael ministerial sources hit back to calls for them to consider paying back the deal agreed to in 2016.

It wont work, said one senior figure. Not happening, we couldnt be clearer. It would also mean Sinn Fein would be the lead opposition party. Fianna Fail would want to drop the arrogance, or this is going nowhere. Humphreys was also pretty clear. The public gave its verdict on confidence and supply. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail both lost seats, she said.

So as the options narrow, it becomes clear that the so-called super grand coalition of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Greens is the best and most viable option in terms of sorting the Dail numbers conundrum.

With 80 seats needed for a majority, such a three-way arrangement gets you to 85, and if you add a few gene pool independents for security, a stable Government emerges.

Neasa Hourigan celebrates with her family after being elected as a Green Party TD in Dublin Central. The partys finance spokesperson made it clear that the Greens inclusion in a coalition Government cannot be taken for granted, as many appear to be doing. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

I was on RTE Radio late on Thursday night with new Green TD Neasa Hourigan, the partys finance spokesperson. She made it clear that her partys inclusion in Government cannot be taken for granted, as many appear to be doing.

She insisted her party will only commit if a complex set of priorities are agreed along with detailed implementation plans. She also made it clear that her party faces significant resistance from within their base to any deal with Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, or Sinn Fein.

Meanwhile Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are happy to sit back and let Mary Lou McDonald try and fail in her bid before they get serious.

While both parties can see the benefit of being in opposition, they know if a second general election is to be avoided, they will not have that luxury.

The people voted for change. Perhaps we might actually get the change a large majority voted for.
Pharmaceutical firms are among the few who could profit from recent global events and are planning to extend operations further Photo: Le Toan

According to the latest report on the novel coronavirus (nCoV) crisis from BIDV Securities, there are positive signals for companies in pharmaceuticals and healthcare, with them expecting to be one of the beneficiaries from the outbreak. Conversely, aviation, oil and gas, tourism, and other sectors that consist of strong exports to China are set to suffer the most.

Shares of pharmaceutical firms have gained in recent days, with Imexpharm Pharmaceutical JSC (IMP), Hau Giang Pharmaceutical JSC (DHG), and OPC Pharmaceutical JSC being the most impressive. IMP, DHP, and Ha Tay Pharmaceutical JSC are gaining from an increase in demands for antibiotics, while Binh Dinh Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment JSC and OPC Pharmaceutical JSC are benefiting from bactericides.

The drug firms trading via the over-the-counter (OTC) channel and with a high rate of products related to the nCoV outbreak will gain as local demands are growing, the report stated.

IMP, DHG, OPC, and Traphaco JSC are among the biggest drugmakers in Vietnam. Traphaco now has one distribution company and 28 distribution branches, while DHG has 37 distribution branches and OTC is one of their main business lines.

In addition to growing demands, the governments newly-approved policy that gives an exemption from import duty for medical masks, materials for local healthcare mask production, and water disinfection to further efforts to prevent and fight against the nCoV outbreak will become another boon for those trading these products.

A representative of Dai Uy Pharmaceutical JSC, which produces masks, said that it has about six quintals of filters for gauze mask production. If its factories run at the maximum capacity of three shifts a day, they can produce nearly 100,000 units on a daily basis. However, this means they will run out of filters within the next 10 days.

In this trend, along with domestic drug makers, multinational corporations (MNCs) are also earning an advantage. 3M Vietnam, established in 1994 as a leader in personal protective equipment, has been growing steadily in the country. In recent days amid the nCoV epidemic, 3M-branded gauze masks have been the most sought-after in Vietnam. 3M is increasing global production of respiratory protection products as quickly as possible in response to the outbreak, a representative of 3M told VIR.

Novartis, Sanofi, GSK and Pfizer, which are the leading producers of medicines and vaccines, are also important players in the medicine supply chain. The epidemic does not affect our operations in Vietnam. We are working to ensure the supplies of brand-name drugs and necessities for patients, said Roeland Roelofs, country president at Novartis Vietnam.

In 2019, the value of Novartis medicines in Vietnam reached more than $120 million.

To expand in Vietnam, Novartis last month inaugurated its new legal entity in the country, Novartis Vietnam Co., Ltd., becoming one of the first MNCs in the country to successfully transform from a representative office to a foreign-invested enterprise importer. This new move will enable the firm to ship more branded drugs to Vietnam.

Similarly, at a regional and global level, Sanofi is currently leveraging its unique expertise in infectious diseases to help China and the rest of the world combat the emerging outbreak.

At this moment, our focus is ensuring there is no discontinuation in the production and distribution of our medicines and vaccines in China by closely monitoring the situation, said Haissam Chraiteh, general manager of Sanofi Indochina.

After 50 years of presence in Vietnam, Sanofi developed a leading position in the national pharmaceutical market. In 2019, Sanofi made a significant contribution to developing the local healthcare industry by providing around 50 scientific training sessions, offering integrated care solutions to help millions of Vietnamese patients prevent and treat ailments, and bringing millions of vaccine doses to help protect adults and children from infectious diseases.

Last year also marked an important one for Sanofi after it received an import license from the Ministry of Health, thus enabling it to ensure and stabilise product supply to Vietnamese consumers.

Vietnam is now open to receive many kinds of branded pharmaceuticals and vaccines produced in third countries. MNCs tend to produce branded drugs and vaccines in related nations to reduce costs and to tap into local advantages and Vietnam, where drug spending per capita rose 10.6 per cent on-year in 2018, and is forecast to increase further in the coming time.

With two-digit growth forecast in the next five years, reaching an estimated $7.7 billion in 2021 from the current $5 billion, Vietnams lucrative pharmaceutical industry continues to be on the radar of many MNCs.

Vietnam is likely to see strong business and investment activities from such groups in the near future, driven by the enforcement of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.
Kejriwal has also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing-in ceremony on Sunday at the Ramlila Maidan.

New Delhi: After its landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party has decided to contest elections to local bodies across the country as part of an ambitious plan to expand its footprint beyond the national capital.

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said the party has called a meeting of its national executive on Sunday to deliberate on expanding the party by projecting its positive nationalism. The meeting, to be held after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet takes the oath in the morning, will decide the future course of action for the party.

Mr Kejriwal has also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing-in ceremony on Sunday at the Ramlila Maidan, where the former will take the oath as Delhi chief minister for the third time. It is, however, not clear whether the Prime Minister will attend the swearing-in ceremony as he is due to travel to Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, on Sunday to inaugurate over 30 projects.

After the oath-taking ceremony, the AAP is set to launch a massive campaign to increase its volunteer base across the country. Mr Rai, a minister in the outgoing Kejriwal government, said people will be able to join the AAPs nation building campaign by giving a missed call on the phone number 9871010101.

Mr Rai said: We will fight local body elections in other states also. We will be focusing on a few states as well. The decision on the same will be taken on February 16. In future, we will also focus on the Lok Sabha elections.

Asked whether Mr Kejriwal could become the face of the Opposition in the next Lok Sabha elections, Mr Rai said that the AAP supremo had already become the face of positive nationalism and people across the country relate to this kind of nationalism. He said: Kejriwalji is not a face of the Opposition. He is the face of the politics of work. He also attracts BJP supporters. The Delhi polls were a fight between negative nationalism and positive nationalism. The BJP is standing with negative nationalism and the AAP is with positive nationalism.

Terming the BJPs nationalism negative, Mr Rai said the AAP will expand its base by highlighting positive nationalism. He said: In Delhi, we spread positive nationalism, which is based on love and respect. The BJPs nationalism is based on hatred and divisive politics... The experiment done by the AAP in Delhi has become a role model for the entire country. Our positive nationalism gives a guarantee of good education, healthcare and livelihood to every section of society, including farmers.

On the BJPs attack on Mr Kejriwal for reciting the Hanuman Chalisa on a TV channel in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls, Mr Rai said for the saffron party, religion is a political weapon, but for the people of the country, religion is a belief. The BJP does not respect the people of India ... and it sees every person as its votebank, he added.
NASA updated its timeline launch of a cargo ship to the International Space Station from Valentines Day to Feb. 15, according to a statement.

The next launch attempt for Northrop Grummans 13th commercial resupply mission is scheduled at 3:21 p.m. on Saturday. Coverage begins at 2:45 p.m. eastern standard time on NASA TV.

Depending on the weather, Pennsylvanians looking south might be able to catch a glimpse of the rocket. The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft will launch from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

According to a NASA statement, Investigations studying tissue culturing, bone loss and phage therapy will be launching, along with more scientific experiments and supplies, to the International Space Station.

Its the second mission under Northrops Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract with NASA, the statement explained. The missions help NASA to deliver critical research to the orbiting lab and increase its ability to conduct new investigations."

Rocket, check  Chocolate, check  Upper level winds? Unfortunately, check. 



We are standing down from today's launch attempt of @NorthropGrumman's CRS-13 mission. Liftoff has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3:21 p.m. EST. pic.twitter.com/uWsojE0HmP  NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) February 14, 2020

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SPRINGFIELD  A former Westfield police detective accused of killing his wife and staging it as a suicide was released Friday on $200,000 cash bail.

Brian Fanion, 56, a 34-year member of the police department, was arrested and charged in November in connection with his wifes death in May 2018.

Amy Fanion, 51, died of a gunshot wound to the head that was originally ruled self-inflicted. Investigators later turned their sights on Brian Fanion, whom they argued shot his wife with his service pistol amid an extramarital affair.

At a hearing Friday in Hampden Superior Court, defense attorney Jeffrey Brown made a bid for his clients release on $75,000. Brown said his client is innocent and has the backing of the couples two grown children and members of Amy Fanions immediate family.

They accept that Amy Fanion killed herself, Brown told Judge Michael Callan on Friday.

Callan later ruled that Fanion could be released on $200,000 bail. A pretrial conference was scheduled for June 29.

State prosecutors argued Fanion should remain behind bars pending his trial, which has yet to be scheduled.

There was only one way to enjoy his retirement and his new love affair ... that was to kill his wife, Hampden Assistant District Attorney Mary Sandstrom argued during a previous bail hearing, asking that Fanion be held without the right to bail.

Prosecutors have argued Amy Fanion was a devoted wife and mother with a strong religious bent and no aim to die. Brown has countered that Amy Fanion had demons, and grappled with depression and insecurities dating back to having been abused as a child.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 16:53:09|Editor: xuxin

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BERLIN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- One person has died and three others were injured in a shooting near a local music event late Friday, German authorities said.

Police said on Saturday that unknown people opened fire outside the Tempodrom hall near Potsdamer Platz in central Berlin.

Police were looking for several suspects.
On January 30, the Russian government approved a number of acts concerned with rendering new economic benefits and subsidies to businesses or investors willing to engage in projects in the countrys High North. The adopted proposals were jointly prepared by the Ministry of Finance (Minfin), the Ministry of Energy (Minenergo) and the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East (Minvostokrazvitya). Taken together, this initiative provides a steady foundation for the introduction of Russias Arctic strategy until 2035 (1sn.ru, January 31), which is premised on the following documents:

 The Federal Law on a Special Economic Regime of the Arctic;

 The Foundations of State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic Until 2035;

 The Strategy on the Development of the Arctic Zone Until 2035; and

 The Foundations of State Policy in the Arctic.

This legal framework covers Murmansk Oblast, Chukotka, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Nenets Autonomous Okrug as well as portions of five other federal subjectsArkhangelsk Oblast, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Krasnoyarsk Krai, the Republic of Karelia and the Republic of Komi. Related: Oil Rig Count Inches Higher As Prices Stabilize

As a means to attract foreign financial capital to the above-mentioned Arctic territories, Russia has outlined four main groups/types of projects under consideration for various government benefits (Arctic-russia.ru, January 30):

 The extraction of hydrocarbons located offshore, on Russias continental shelf, with a severance tax (imposed on the removal of natural resources) set at 5 percent for oil and 1 percent for natural gas over the next 15 years, starting from the inception of industrial extraction. It is also rumored that the Russian state might be willing to provide additional benefits for surveys, assessments and exploration for hydrocarbons in this area;

 The extraction of hydrocarbons on the continent, with an emphasis on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas-chemistry (gazokhimiya). New investors are expected to be promised a severance tax of zero percent in the next 12 years upon starting industrial extraction;

 The production of LNG (as well as other projects related to the gazokhimiya industry). Investors will have to pay the severance tax in full only after 17 years of industrial production;

 Other projects (prospective benefits will largely depend on what will be extracted and the scope of the project). Aside from non-hydrocarbon-related branches (including minerals), this group will include various infrastructure projects (such as seaports and pipelines).

The head of the Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, Alexander Kozlov (appointed in 2020), has stated that the key idea behind the proposed benefits and stimuli for investors is premised on Moscows strong determination to break the post-1991 trend in the region. Specifically, he argued that the Arctic zone, whose actual share of Russian GDP is close to 10 percent and receives 10 percent of total foreign direct investment (FDI), suffers from chronic under-population, containing less than 1.5 percent of the total Russian population. Furthermore, he argued that all major components of the Human Development Index (HDI), including education, healthcare, employment and economic wellbeing, are lower in the High North than the Russian average. As a result, he stated, For the past 15 years, the local population has decreased by 0.3 million (Yakutia-daily.ru, November 26, 2019). Sergey Veller, the president of the Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs of Murmansk Oblast, expressed similar concern and argued that the only way to stop further depopulation of the Russian Arctic is to increase its attractiveness through new economic opportunities and job creation (Murman.ru, June 19, 2019). Related: Goldman Slashes Oil Price Forecast By $10

These and other concerns are all reflected in the above-mentioned government planning documents. The main expectations pinned to the initiative are premised on the prospect of creating more than 21 new large regional mega-projects (including the Indiga Port, in Nenets Autonomous Okrug), exploration of large deposits of platinum and other metals in Krasnoyarsk Krai and Murmansk Oblast, and the creation of a full-cycle lumber/timber-producing complex in Arkhangelsk Oblast. These and hundreds of smaller commercial initiatives (to become fully operable within the next 15 years) are expected to result in the creation of 200,000 additional jobs in the region and make the Arctic attractive to Russian youth and young specialists (Rossiyskaya Gazeta, November 25, 2019).

That said, it is important to underscore that Russias main economic interests the Arctic region actually boil down to just two elements (Rossiyskaya Gazeta, November 25, 2019). First is production of liquefied natural gas, which, in the upcoming 15 years, could turn Russia into one of the largest players on the global LNG market. This will be achieved primarily through Yamal LNG (located in Sabetta, on the Yamal Peninsula) and Arctic LNG 2 (Gyda Peninsula). Second, Russia is making huge investments in the so-called Northern Sea Route, intended not only to give Russia access to Arctic natural resources, but also to provide a maritime corridor for Chinese goods traveling to the European Union. Russia aims to be solidify its role as the main transportation artery between the twoboth on land and by sea.

Importantly, in line with the above-mentioned legal documents and proposals, some specific suggestions have already been voiced. Namely, it has been argued that a subsidized mortgage program (2 percent annual rate) should be created to aid all who are willing to move to the Arctic region (Rossiyskaya Gazeta, November 13, 2019). Additionally, Minvostokrazvitya proposed creating a new state corporation, Roshelf, specifically tasked with the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons in the High North and the Far East. Accordingly, this corporation should be given exclusive rights to represent Russias interests and to exploit [Russian] resources and grant the right to participate in projects [to] private investors (Rossiyskaya Gazeta, December 31, 2019).

Two important inferences should be drawn from these developments related to the Russian Arctic. First, for the first time, an initiative of this scope and ambition has been jointly drafted by three powerful institutions, with one of them being made directly responsible for the region. Second, the Arctic Strategy has outlined Russias most important national interests in the High North. And aside from its economic aspects, this Strategy clearly points to a necessity to defend Russian sovereignty and territorial integrity in this remote but resource-rich region.

By Jamestown Foundation

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 17:57:16|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The annual Board Examinations began on Saturday across India, with over 3.1 million students studying in Grade-10th (around 16 years old) and in Grade-12th (around 18 years old) sitting the exams.

The Board Examinations will continue till March 30.

Question papers of the Board Examinations are set by the Central Board of Secondary Examinations (CBSE), and the answer sheets are evaluated by teachers appointed by the Board.

Students sitting for Board Examinations put in an extra effort throughout the year in a bid to score best possible grades, as the results assume a special significance in the Indian education system.

According to CBSE's Controller of Examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj, there were nearly 30,000 different combinations of subjects that the students of Grades 10th and 12th had opted for this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to students to prepare for the examinations while being stress-free.

"As the CBSE Class X and XII exams commence today, best wishes to all young Exam Warriors, their parents and teachers. I urge my young friends to appear for the exams in a happy and stress-free manner. Months of hard-work and preparation will surely lead to great things!" tweeted Modi on Saturday.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : A Delhi court will take on February 28 cognizance of a supplementary charge sheet naming Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana, a close aide of meat exporter Moin Qureshi, in a money laundering case.

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday filed a supplementary charge sheet in the case. The investigating agency said in the chargesheet that a new money trail has been found.

Sana was arrested by the ED in July last year in a case relating to purported purchase of shares worth Rs 50 lakh of a company linked to Qureshi. He is currently out on bail.

In October last year, on the basis of a complaint filed by Sana, a case was registered against then CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana on charges of accepting bribe from a businessman, who was related to the case.

Asthana was recently given a clean chit by the CBI in the bribery case registered by the agency in 2018.
Rotary fights cancer through prevention and early detection in partnership with NCCP View(s):

Today more people die from cancer than from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

The aim of World Cancer Day observed on February 4 around the world, is to help save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer, and calling on Governments to take action against the disease.

In Sri Lanka, where cancer ranks amongst the leading three Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), and is on the rise, with over 15,000-20,000 new cases diagnosed every year, there is an urgent need to arrest this serious problem. Recognising the tremendous value of screening and early detection which could significantly bring down the deaths by cancer , the Rotary Club of Colombo, over 15 years ago, joined hands with the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) of the Ministry of Health and launched the Cancer Prevention and Early Detection project. The project completed 15 years in 2019.

According to studies, 30-40% of cancers can be prevented, and another one third cured with screening, early detection and timely follow-up treatment. The project has therefore focused entirely on prevention and early detection of cancer, particularly the curable ones such as breast, cervical and oral cancer with the goal of saving lives otherwise lost to cancer.

The National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Centre in Colombo , located at 516 Elvitigala Mawatha Narahenpita, is open from 8.30 a.m to 4p.m. This is the only national facility, dedicated to screening, early detection and prevention of cancer, offering its services entirely free of charge. The present Narahenpita Centre is supported by leading telecommunications provider Dialog Axiata PLC, the Corporate partner in this project.

Through the generosity of major donor Rotary Club of Birmingham Alabama USA, as well as other local and overseas donors, and funding through a Global Grant from Rotary International with partner clubs Rotary Club of Birmingham Alabama, Nuremberg- Sigena in Germany and Zurich-Shital in Switzerland, the Centre now offers screening and early detection primarily for breast cancer, cervical and oral cancer as well as counselling, education and awareness programmes for prevention. These are carried out by a team of doctors and nurses from NCCP. The focus is on breast cancer through mammography screening, this having the highest incidence of all cancers. Screening for cervical cancer, which has the second highest of cancers in females, is carried out through HPV/DNA testing and Colposcopy screening. Oral cancer, the highest incidence in males is screened through a fully equipped dental unit. A Health Education Unit handles the prevention activities such as social awareness programmes and education.

A mobile screening and social awareness programmme is also carried out throughout the country to reach outlying remote areas. The project has also reached out to the regions to make screening and early detection available to those communities, with the setting up of a breast cancer screening unit at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital in 2016.

In partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Club is also targeting the elimination of cervical cancer by 2030. This ambitious and far reaching initiative which will make Sri Lanka free of cervical cancer, is planned to screen women all over the island in the 35 and 45 year age group through HPV/DNA testing with equipment donated by The Rotary Foundation global grant and supported with public awareness and assisting in training of healthcare personnel, whilst reaching remote areas through two mobile screening buses.
Even for disabled soldiers, You are my lifes Valentine View(s):

While Valentines Day is normally celebrated by young lovers, Sri Lankas Army Commander Shavendra de Silva, currently in the eye of a diplomatic storm, took it to disabled soldiers with a special ceremony on Friday at Attidiya. Some 50 soldiers who were seriously wounded in defeating terrorism, and their family members took part in the event. One of the disabled soldiers is seen welcoming the Army Chief by offering him a sheaf of betel.
At the end of the pilot program, the board can decide if it wants to continue allowing the fowl on residents property or do away with it. If they choose the latter, Dirks and anyone else with chickens would have to dismantle their coops and relocate the animals, according to Gilbertson.
France and the United States clashed over the future of the West today as Emmanuel Macron blasted the Americans for turning their backs on Europe.

The French President dismissed claims by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the transatlantic alliance was still strong.

He told the Munich Security Conference: 'There is a weakening of the West.

'There's an American policy that started several years ago and not just under this administration that includes a certain kind of withdrawal, of a rethink of its relationship with Europe.'

Emmanuel Macron (left) warned that the West was 'weakening' after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (right) insisted: 'The West is winning and we're winning together'

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses the Munich Security Conference today

Pompeo earlier rejected European pessimism about Washington's retreat from the global stage, saying the death of the transatlantic bond had been 'grossly over-exaggerated'.

He said: 'The West is winning and we're winning together.'

The annual gathering of world leaders, generals and diplomats to discuss security challenges has been dominated by fears of diminishing Western influence in the face of a more assertive China and Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron says the West is 'weakening'

In his opening speech yesterday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested that the United States rejected 'even the idea of an international community' and was acting 'at the expense of neighbours and partners'.

'Those statements don't reflect reality,' Pompeo retorted.

'I'm happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly over-exaggerated,' he said, paraphrasing a famous Mark Twain quote.

He said Washington was playing a key role in keeping Europe safe by reinforcing NATO's eastern flank on the border with Russia, as well as leading a multinational effort to defeat the Islamic State jihadist group.

Pompeo added: 'Is this an America that 'rejects the international community'?

'The free West has a brighter future than illiberal alternatives.'

Pompeo urged allies to have 'confidence' in the transatlantic bond.

He stressed the need to work together against threats posed by Russia's territorial ambitions, China's military buildup in the South China Sea and Iran's 'campaigns of terror' through proxy conflicts in the Middle East.

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger

Macron said on Saturday that Europe's policy of defiance towards Russia in recent years had failed and, as nobody wanted to confront Moscow directly, the only option was to have a closer dialogue to resolve differences.

'I hear the defiance of all our partners, I'm not mad, but I know that being defiant and weak ... it is not a policy, it's a completely inefficient system,' he said, adding that he saw none of his allies willing to confront Russia.

'There is a second choice which is to be demanding and restart a strategic dialogue because today we talk less and less, conflicts multiply and we aren't able to resolve them.'
A contractor has started confiscating vehicles belonging to the Ghana Highways Authority for auction after a court order.

The authority is indebted to a contractor who is known only as Big Adu.

The contractor is, in turn, indebted to Best Point Savings and Loans and proceeded to court to demand payment from the state to settle the financial firm.

Citi News checks indicate that the contractor has attributed his inability to pay his debts to the failure Authority to pay him for work done.

When Citi News visited the offices of the authority in Accra, over 10 of its vehicles were seen being towed away to an undisclosed location.

It was a heated atmosphere at around 1:00 pm when work was disrupted by the seizures.

The vehicles seized included an office bus which conveys workers of the company from their destinations to the offices on a daily basis.

Some Nissan pickups and four-wheel-drive vehicles used by officials of the institution were also seized.

Most of the cars were towed because the authority insisted it had no keys to the vehicles.

Some workers of the Authority, who had their items in some of the cars, were given the chance to clear them before the cars were taken away.

Sources say the contractor was engaged by the Ghana Highway Authority to construct roads several years ago.

The seized vehicles are to be auctioned in the coming days to recover the money owed the financial firm.

Though the government claims it has so far paid over GHS5 billion as outstanding arrears to road contractors since 2017, a number of them continue to complain they have not been paid.

citinewsroom
Protests continue to swell over the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline, a long-distance pipeline carrying natural gas from Alberta to the Pacific Coast.

The pipelines route would travel more than 400 miles to the coast at Kitimat, British Columbia, where it intends to deliver gas to a massive LNG export project, under construction by a joint venture led by Royal Dutch Shell.

The $6.2 billion Coastal Gaslink pipeline, which is being built by TC Energy, runs through territory of the Wetsuweten Nation. Some First Nations chiefs support the pipeline, but others do not. Those opposed have demanded a halt to construction.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) began arresting indigenous peoples on their territory earlier this month. Forcing indigenous peoples off their own territory is in complete and disgusting violation of the United Nations Declaration on the Right of Indigenous Peoples, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs said in early February.

Solidarity protests have sprung up across the country, multiplying and raising pressure on TC Energy. They have blocked roads, ports and railways. The protests have also disrupted the legislative session in British Columbia.

Canadian National Railway said on Thursday that it was forced to initiate a disciplined and progressive shutdown of its operations in Eastern Canada due to the protests, CN said in a statement. While the illegal blockades have come to an end in Manitoba and may be ending imminently in British Columbia, the orders of the court in Ontario have yet to be enforced and continue to be ignored.

Canadas oil industry has shipped increasing volumes of oil by rail, due to pipeline constraints. Its unclear if the rail outage will impact oil flows. CN Rail said that it expects to ship 250,000 bpd by the end of the first quarter, an increase from 180,000 bpd in September.

The shutdown also comes a week after a derailment and explosion of an oil train, merely the latest in a string of disasters. The most recent derailment also caused disruptions as the rail industry was forced to reduce speeds.

After six days of protest, hundreds of trains hauling everything from fresh produce to chlorine for municipal water purification were parked on the tracks, which are filling rapidly, the Globe and Mail wrote on Wednesday. The CEO of Cenovus Energy Alex Pourbaix denounced the protestors. Shutting down the countrys ports, shutting down highways, whatever; this is really ridiculous behavior, he said. Related: Shale Gas Drillers Are Facing A Perfect Storm

For his part, TC Energys CEO Russ Girling said he was extremely disappointed that enforcement was required.

But the heavy-handed crackdown on protestors and First Nations has only enflamed criticism of the RCMP, arguably contributing to the explosion of protest. The Canadian Association of Journalists issued a press release on February 8 stating that the RCMP had been blocking journalists from reporting on the protests. All week the RCMP have been unnecessarily threatening reporters who are simply trying to perform their democratic duties, CAJ president Karyn Pugliese said in a statement. Yesterday the RCMP promised to respect media rights, but today they continue to abuse their powers and blatantly disregard the law in a way that is previously unheard of in Canada and unthinkable in a democratic country.

We remind B.C. RCMP that Canada is not a police state, the association said on Twitter.

In December, The Guardian reported that RCMP were prepared to shoot indigenous people protesting the pipeline, and according to documents, they were ready to use lethal force.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has supported the project, but has also tried to stay above the fray, arguing that the conflict is a provincial matter. His support for the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline is also relevant context  the oil industry has long criticized Trudeau for his insufficient support of the Alberta oil industry, but some environmentalists see him as a hypocrite, giving lofty speeches about climate change, but also pushing long-distance pipelines.

Trudeau has been unable to thread the needle on the Trans Mountain Expansion, angering both sides even as he supports the project. But his strategy this time, to stay out of it, looks increasingly untenable.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
58 million people out of a total of over 83 million called to the polls. Over 7 thousand candidates are competing for the 290 Majlis seats. Most are an expression of the conservative and radical faction. Moderates and reformists rejected because accused of corruption or unfaithfulness to Islam. Khamenei and Rouhani urge participation.

Tehran (AsiaNews) - The election campaign has started in Iran and will end on February 21st with the parliamentary elections, a key step to verify the weight of the various components - conservatives, moderates and reformists - in the Majlis. More than 7 thousand candidates are competing for one of the 290 seats that make up the Islamic Consultative Assembly; for experts, the real struggle is between the hard and radical wing of the country and the conservatives, because most of the moderate and reformist candidates have not been admitted to the election.

About 58 million voters out of a total of over 83 million inhabitants will be called to express their preference. The reasons given to justify the rejection of such a large number of candidates include generic accusations of "corruption" or "infidelity to Islam".

Analysts and experts point out that the vote constitutes a test for President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who is trying to keep his promises of growth despite the unfavorable international framework. The elections come in a context of strong international tensions and internal economic difficulties: from the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) to the introduction of sanctions, from the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani to Tehran's reprisal with the subsequent shooting down of the Ukrainian plane, many knots are still unsolved.

The danger for the Iranian leader is represented by abstention, in a context in which candidates close to the fundamentalist religious establishment prevail.

Rouhani has launched repeated appeals aimed at electoral participation. He then strongly criticized the Council of Guardians of the Constitution - a constitutional body called to evaluate the candidates' suitability - for rejecting thousands of names (in the moderate and reformist camp), including 90 parliamentarians currently in office.

Marking 41 years of the Islamic Revolution, the president urged the Iranians to "not be passive" and to go to the polls despite "possible complaints and criticisms". A similar appeal came from the supreme leader, the great Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said that the vote is an act of patriotism in a context of strong tensions with the United States.

According to numerous observers, the next parliament will be dominated by extremists and radicals, also because 90% of the reformist candidates will not be able to run. In 2016 the blockade formed by reformists and moderates had conquered 41% of the 290 seats, 29% went to the conservatives and radicals linked to religious leadership and 28% to the independent ones.

Among the personalities vying for a seat in the Assembly is the former conservative mayor of Tehran Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. The outgoing President of Parliament Ali Larijani and the moderate Mohammad Reza Aref, leader of the reformist wing, will not be standing. Among the names rejected in the selection of the candidates that of Ali Motahari, a moderate, and the reformist Mahmud Sadeghi representing the constituency of the capital stand out.
LAS VEGAS  Progressive firebrand Bernie Sanders jabbed his more moderate rivals Saturday for taking campaign cash from billionaires as Democratic officials at some sites across Nevada were overwhelmed by long lines on the first day of early voting in presidential caucuses.

Sanders, who has emerged as a front-runner in the 2020 nomination fight after strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, went on the offensive during a rally at a Las Vegas high school.

Democracy is not candidates going to the homes of billionaires raising money, he charged in a thinly veiled attack against competitors like Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, who have aggressively courted wealthy donors over the past year. Buttigieg met with donors behind closed doors in Seattle at roughly the same time Sanders made the comments.

While Nevadas formal presidential caucuses are still a week away, Democrats began casting votes at more than 80 locations across the state on Saturday. Nevada Democrats are hosting four days of early voting for its caucuses, the first test of a candidates appeal before a diverse population with strong labor unions.

In northern Nevadas Washoe County, a line of more than 300 people snaked through aisles of book shelves at a public library as another 100 lined up at the county partys headquarters. Dozens left without voting.

Its going to take a while, site leader Carissa Snedeker said.

Early votes cast on paper ballots will be added to in-person caucus votes made on Feb. 22, when Democrats will attend about 2,000 precinct meetings around the state.

This year, with the results of Iowas caucuses muddled by technology and reporting problems, Nevada is under heavy pressure to pull off a problem-free caucus. The Nevada State Democratic Party abandoned its plans to use an app like the one that caused trouble in Iowa and has scrambled to come up with a new system to tabulate results.

Amid heightened concern over the process, several candidates were making urgent get-out-the-vote pushes with rallies and town halls.

Biden, looking to Nevadas diverse electorate to help revive his campaign after weak finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, seized on President Trumps hard-line policy and incendiary rhetoric on immigration as he courted voters.

Everybody knows how Donald Trump is. We gotta let him know who we are, Biden said, drawing a roar from about 100 campaign volunteers gathered at a Las Vegas middle school gymnasium for a Latino organizing event.

Biden thanked the volunteers, emphasized the importance of the Latino vote and touted his relationships with unions. He later told reporters that he didnt need to win Nevadas caucuses to mount a comeback.

I just have to do well, the former vice president said when asked what he needs out of the state. Asked whether he has to win, he replied, No, I dont think I have to, but I think we have a shot at winning.

Elizabeth Warren, meanwhile, also reeling after a weak performance last week in New Hampshire, looked to Nevadas women for momentum.

The Massachusetts senator pitched her universal childcare plan as she addressed about 30 people, mostly women, at a downtown Las Vegas bar. After being introduced by actress Yvette Nicole Brown, Warren said her childcare plan would be paid for by a wealth tax of 2 cents on every dollar for fortunes of more than $50 million.

Its good for our babies, Warren said. Think about what it means for every mama. Every mama who can now finish her education, even if shes just had a baby. Every mama and every daddy who could take a job.

Mike Bloomberg, who isnt competing in Nevada as part of a strategy to skip the first four states voting for a nominee, was on the cusp of qualifying for Wednesdays presidential debate in La Vegas. Hes increasingly become a target of the Democratic Partys far-left wing as national polls show suggest he is on the rise.

Both Warren and Sanders criticized the role of big money in politics and billionaires seeking the presidency. Bloomberg and Tom Steyer are in that category.

Democracy is not billionaires spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to get elected. Democracy is when working people stand up, fight for justice, Sanders declared.

Bloombergs campaign announced the opening of seven new offices in Florida, bringing the total to 10. The former New York mayor has more than 2,000 paid staff spread out across the nation.

Steve Peoples and Michelle L. Price are Associated Press writers.
China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed U.S. criticism of his country as "lies" on Saturday, shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticised its foreign policy and desire for "empire".

"All these accusations against China are lies, not based on facts," Wang told the Munich Security Conference. "But if we replace the subject of the lie from China to America, maybe those lies become facts."

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, speaking at the conference immediately after Pompeo and before Wang, accused Beijing of a "nefarious strategy" through telecommunications firm Huawei.

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New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday (February 15) said that no meeting has been scheduled between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters of Delhi's Shaheen Bagh. "No such meeting is scheduled with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for tomorrow," the MHA said in a statement.

The development comes hours after protesters at Shaheen Bagh claimed to be going to meet the Cabinet minister at his residence or office on Sunday afternoon to discuss issues related to CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Barely two days ago, Amit Shah had stated at an event that anyone having doubts over CAA could seek an appointment from his office and he would be willing to meet the person(s) within three days.

A large number of people have been staging a protest at Delhi`s Shaheen Bagh since mid-December last year over the CAA, seeking its withdrawal. It`s being dubbed as the "people's protest" because it has no leader or coordinator.

Speaking with mediapersons on Saturday, a group of anti-CAA protesters at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh claimed that they would be going to meet the Home Minister, and everyone of them would meet the Home Minister personally instead of taking a delegation.

"Amit Shah has himself invited everyone on television to meet him, so we are going to meet him tomorrow. Shah himself said that whoever is facing problem due to CAA should meet him," said one of the protesters who did not wish to be named.

A woman protester said that all the women would also be going to meet the Home Minister tomorrow. "Everyone will go and meet Home Minister Amit Shah at 2 pm tomorrow. It`s a request that all the citizens including men and women who are facing problems due to CAA, NRC and NPR have to go and meet Amit Shah and PM Modi ji," said an elderly woman.

On Friday, protestors at Shaheen Bagh held heart-shaped cut-outs in which they urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit them at the protest site.

The Citizenship Amendment Act grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian refugees who came from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh on or before December 31, 2014.
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The Duchess of Cambridge gave an unprecedented insight into her personal life, revealing that she suffers constant guilt as she juggles motherhood and work.

In an extraordinary interview  one of the most intimate ever given by a senior Royal  she shared her anxieties and doubts about parenting including battling 'mummy guilt' and worrying about falling short in her parenting to George, Charlotte and Louis.

The 38-year-old described herself as a 'hands-on-mum', but believes any mother who does not admit to feeling like a failure from time to time is 'lying'.

She spoke of her dismay at how royal duties sometimes force her to abandon parenting tasks such as doing the school run - and joked that her children berate her it.

In the deeply personal interview, Kate also revealed she tried hypnobirthing - a form of meditation - to banish fears of childbirth following horrendous morning sickness during her pregnancies.

The duchess told all to the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast hosted by Giovanna Fletcher, who has also written about being a mother to three children with her husband Tom Fletcher, a member of the band McFly.

Asked if she struggled from 'mum guilt', the duchess replied: 'Yes absolutely  and anyone who doesn't as a mother is actually lying. Yes  all the time.'

Kate who has a nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, said during the podcast: 'There's such a pull, but I am such a hands-on mum, and whatever you're doing you want to make sure you're doing the uttermost best job you can for your children.'

The Duchess of Cambridge has confessed to struggling with 'mummy guilt' and said she tried 'hypnobirthing' when pregnant

Kate Middleton has opened up about battling 'mummy guilt' and often worries she falls short in her parenting to George (bottom left), Charlotte (bottom right) and Louis (in William's arms)

The duchess, mother to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, suffered from a severe form of morning sickness during her pregnancies (pictured with George in 2013)

Kate's interview was recorded at the end of January after the duchess made an early-morning visit to a nursery and pre-school in Stockwell, south London, and she joked about how her two eldest children chastised her over her priorities as a mother.

She said: 'And you know, even this morning, coming to the nursery visit here, George and Charlotte were like, 'Mummy how could you possibly not be dropping us off at school this morning?'

Kate Middleton podcast highlights MUMMY GUILT 'Anyone who doesn't as a mother is actually lying. Even this morning, coming to the nursery visit here - George and Charlotte were like 'Mummy how could you possibly not be dropping us off as school this morning?' It's a constant challenge.' HOLDING GEORGE FOR THE FIRST TIME 'Amazing, amazing. It is extraordinary as I've said. How can the human body do that? It is utterly extraordinary. And he was very sweet. And I was also relieved that he was a happy, healthy boy. Also seeing your husband and seeing pure joy on his face  its really special. HYPNOBIRTHING 'I'm not going to say that William was standing there sort of, chanting sweet nothings at me. He definitely wasn't! I didn't even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself.' HER FIRST PREGNANCY AND MORNING SICKNESS 'It was fine. I got very bad morning sickness. So Im not the happiest of pregnant people. Ive had it every time. Lots of people have it far worst but it was definitely a challenge. Not just you, but those around you. William didnt feel he could do much to help. Its hard for everyone to see you suffering when they cant do anything about it. I felt utterly rotten. I was really sick.' ON SHOWCASING GEORGE ON HOSPITAL STEPS 'It was slightly terrifying, not going to lie. Everyone had been so supportive and both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about and you know were hugely grateful for the support that the public had shown us, and actually for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt really important.' BRINGING PRINCE GEORGE HOME 'I was keen to come home as all my memories of being in hospital were from being sick so I didnt want to hang around and was desperate to come home and get back to normality. I think, with your first baby, you think everything will go back to how it was and I underestimated the impact it had on our lives from that moment and unless have a child you dont realise, no amount of planning and preparations can get you ready.' HER OWN CHILDHOOD 'I had a very happy childhood. I t was great fun I'm very lucky I come from a very strong family. My parents were hugely dedicated. I really appreciate now as a parent how much they sacrificed for us.' WHAT SHE WOULD LIKE HER CHILDREN TO REMEMBER 'I think, would I want them to remember me trying to do maths and spelling homework? Or that weve tried to cook sausages on a bonfire but it didnt work as its too wet. Thats what I want them to remember and also as a family, us going to the beach. filling our boots full of water and getting soaking wet. Not a stressful household where were trying to do everything.' Advertisement

'But no, it's a constant challenge, you hear it time and time again from mums.

'Even mums who aren't necessarily working, aren't pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life  there's always something.'

Kate added: 'And always sort of questioning your own decisions, and your own judgments, and things like that, and I think that starts from the moment you have a baby.'

At the start of all of her pregnancies the duchess suffered from a form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes severe vomiting and can lead to dehydration, weight loss and a build-up of toxins in the blood or urine.

Because of the illness she described herself as 'not the happiest of pregnant people', adding: 'Lots of people have it far, far worse, but it was definitely a challenge. Not just for me but also for your loved ones around you.'

The duchess went on to say: 'You know, William didn't feel he could do much to help and it's hard for everyone to see you suffering without actually being able to do anything about it.'

The duchess explained how her experience with the severe morning sickness led her to hypnobirthing, as she came to realise the importance of 'mind over the body' after trying everything to overcome the illness.

She joked: 'I'm not going to say that William was standing there sort of, chanting sweet nothings at me. He definitely wasn't. I didn't even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself.

'I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that, that they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick, and actually I realised that this was something I could take control of, I suppose, during labour. It was hugely powerful.'

Kate was asked what parts of her childhood she wanted to give to her children, and spoke poignantly about a picture of her four-year-old daughter.

She said: 'I've got this one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, and really for me, it's moments like that mean so much to me as a parent.

'And I try every day to put moments like that in, even if they're small or even if I don't have time  but that in an ideal world (that) is what I would like to do.'

Kate also opened up about her own childhood, and gushed over her own parents for their 'huge dedication'.

She said: 'I had a very happy childhood. It was great fun and I'm very lucky I come from a very strong family. My parents were hugely dedicated. I really appreciate now as a parent how much they sacrificed for us...

'They came to every sports match, they'd be the ones on the side line shouting...

'But what resonates most is the simple things. I see that now with my own children. Life now is so busy and distracting and sometimes simple things like watching a fire on a really rainy day provides such enjoyment.

'I remember that from my childhood, the simple things, like going for a walk together, I try to do this with my children.

'It totally strips away complications and pressures. I think those experiences mean so much to children and the world they're in which is a real adventure at that age.'

Kate was interviewed for the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast hosted by Giovanna Fletcher (right)

In the candid discussion about parenthood, Kate described herself as a 'hands-on mum' to George (right), Charlotte and Louis (left)

What is hypnobirthing? Hypnobirthing is when deep breathing, meditation and mindfulness techniques are used to reduce pain during labour and birth. The UK's leading baby charity, Tommy's, says the method aims to distract the mother-to-be by getting her to focus on her body and the birth of her baby. It also uses visualisation techniques, where the parent-to-be imagines the birth of their child and what they will do with their baby, and deep relaxation to help improve their focus and block out the noise around them. It is hoped this will reduce the levels of stress hormones, such as adrenalin, making the birth a 'calmer experience'. A 2013 NHS study on 680 women did not conclusively show that the method was effective. Hypnotherapy can be taught through classes either privately, in a group, or online. Georgina, who tried hypnobirthing, told Tommy's: 'My husband made me a relaxation album to use through labour and pregnancy. It really helped me to find calm serenity in the clinical hospital environment. 'I used hypnobirthing when having both my children. In my first pregnancy I had a lot of pre-labour, with my body slowly getting ready for the big event. Using hypnobirthing techniques helped me to feel empowered when my labour properly started. 'My second was completely drug free with no interventions. I had the most positive experiences at both births but my second was so amazing because of being able to relax throughout and be present and enjoy the experience drug free. I'm also convinced it helped me to recover faster too.' Source: Tommy's Advertisement

The Duchess also spoke about what sort of childhood she would like to give to George, Charlotte and Louis.

She said: 'From my experience coupled with what I know now, theres few things  one is the quality of relationships, the moments spent with people around you.

'I remember that from childhood, my amazing granny devoted so much time. Playing, doing arts and crafts, cooking, gardening. I try and incorporate that into experiences I give my children now. Also environments they split their time in  having a happy home a safe environment.

'Also as children they spend lots of time outside  and its great for physical well-being. It's a great environment to spend time building quality relationships in without the distractions.'

In an especially candid section of the interview the Duchess was asked who she would write a letter about motherhood too and what would she say.

After taking a second to consider her answer, the mother-of-three replied: 'Could I write back to myself? Is that weird? Id like to have written at beginning of my pregnancy with my first child.

'Think now with my experience as a mother and what I have learnt on this journey diving deeper into the early years landscape.

'Ive learnt a huge amount I would like to go back and tell myself at beginning.

'Simple things really make a difference, quality time with children is what matters not whether youve done very single drop off and pick up.

'Quality moments like properly listening and understanding what they feel and taking time as mother to think 'how am I feeling?' or is this bringing up how I feel and making it worse for them?

Kate's interview was recorded at the end of January after the duchess made an early-morning visit to a nursery and pre-school in Stockwell, south London (pictured)

Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge show their newly-born daughter Charlotte in 2015

Kate said she wanted to begin a 'generational change' in early years development, and highlighted her Five Big Questions On The Under-Fives survey, launched in January to spark a UK-wide conversation about creating the best foundations for children to thrive.

The month-long online poll, conducted by Ipsos Mori on behalf of Kate's Royal Foundation, is thought to be the biggest survey of its kind and the data will guide the duchess' future work.

The Five Big questions On The Under-Fives has now attracted 200,000 responses. Kate said: 'What we're doing with the survey is asking people  what is it that matters for them in raising their children today.

'It's going to take a long time, I'm talking about a generational change, but hopefully this is the first small step: to start a conversation around the importance of early-childhood development.'

The Duchess spoke at length about her survey, saying the project has been 'quite a journey' and that she's 'excited to talk about it a bit more publicly.'

She said: 'Since being married and looking into this, its become a huge passion - going out and listening to what makes people tick and also things that unify people and also struggles people are facing right in the early days.

'Meeting people struggling with abuse, homelessness and things like that you really get moved by some of the challenges that people are facing and its heart-breaking to hear. The more you look into everybodys experiences so much of those get traced back to earliest years of someones life and you hear that time and time again across the nation and the world.

The royal joked that although Prince William looked like he seamlessly put his new baby son into the car, 'he probably didnt think so at the time! We were like, what do we do .. the swaddle! How is that meant to work? We'd even tried to practice with a little baby, like a little doll, at home. It never works out the way you planned it.' Pictured are hospital staff cheering and the duke as he carries George into the car

'You hear the sad reality that actually what experiences you have in childhood have a life-long impact on your future health and happiness. I suppose that has really driven my interest in digging deep [into early years]. Ive been speaking to doctors, charities, trying to work out what can be done to help prevent some social challenges.'

Kate also mentioned her Heads Together campaign, which she ran alongside Prince William as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

During the chat Giovanna said: 'You find talking to mums, everyone has something in common - so many elements that overlap whether thats sleepless nights or feel like Ive failed today, work guilt. Tiny elements can become so heavy on you and talking about them lifts us all up.'

The Duchess replied: 'We saw some of that in the Heads Together campaign. Theres a taboo and secrecy around speaking out about emotions.

'There's so many milestones, especially as a first time mother, which focus on the physical development and theres not lots on social and emotional ones of the child which is a precursor of talking about mental health later in life.

'Im really glad people are thinking about it [the 5 questions survey]. I didnt want to make the questions too specific. One mother I recently chatted too said she had been on Google to try and help answer, and I told her theres no right or wrong answers! Were not going to mark you at the end!

'I think the results will be fascinating and one of the privileges of being in the family and having the job that I do is we end up meeting lots of people from all walks of life and I feel I know sometimes what theyre struggling with but am always surprised.

'Sometimes it [conversations] take a totally different turn. We're all focused on our own environment and sometimes its really good to look outside and see what others are struggling with, or at the same time and what theyre all doing to pull together.'

Kate Middleton describes 'terrifying' experience of debuting her three children to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing just hours after giving birth Kate Middleton has revealed that debuting her three children to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing just hours after giving birth was 'terrifying'. The Duchess of Cambridge welcomed all her children - George in 2013, Charlotte in 2015 and Louis in 2018 - at the exclusive wing at St Mary's Hospital, London . The mother-of-three was speaking as a guest on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast when she was asked by host Giovanna Fletcher what it was like to stand in front of the crowds with a newborn baby in her arms. Kate Middleton has revealed that debuting her three children to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing just hours after giving birth was 'terrifying'. Kate Middleton has revealed that debuting her three children to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing just hours after giving birth was 'terrifying'. Pictured: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after the birth of Prince George in 2013 The mother-of-three was speaking as a guest on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast earlier today when she was asked by host Giovanna Fletcher what it was like to stand in front of the crowds with a newborn baby in her arms. Ms Fletcher, who was speaking about Kate's first appearance with Prince George in 2013, asked: 'What was it like knowing that there were so many people outside after you've given birth and you're in your little cocoon with your new family?' The Duchess of Cambridge said: 'Slightly terrifying, I'm not going to lie. 'Everyone had been so supportive and both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about and we're hugely grateful for the support that the public had shown us, and actually for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt was really important. 'But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, and inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.' The Royal Family has been using the Lindo Wing since 1977 and Diana chose it for the births of William in 1982 (pictured) and Harry in 1984 Meghan Markle was the first to shun the four-decade long tradition for the birth of baby Archie in 2019. She, along with Prince Harry, instead opted for a maternity wing closer to their home before holding a photo call at Windsor Castle a few days after the birth The Royal Family has been using the Lindo Wing since 1977. The Princess Royal gave birth to first child Peter Phillips at the hospital wing followed by daughter Zara a few years later in 1981. Diana also chose it for the births of William in 1982 and Harry in 1984. Meghan Markle was the first to shun the four-decade long tradition for the birth of baby Archie in 2019. She, along with Prince Harry, instead opted for a maternity wing closer to their home before holding a photo call at Windsor Castle a few days after the birth. Advertisement

Her childhood, raising three children, and her early years survey: Kate Middleton reveals personal stories in a very candid appearance on Giovanna Fletcher's podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby

Giovanna: Welcome to the podcast! Can you tell I'm nervous - I'm talking so fast. It's a pleasure to welcome you, I see you've been busy working.

The Duchess of Cambridge: Yes, Its been quite a journey, Im excited to talk about this a bit more publicly. Since being married and looking into this [early years], its become a huge passion - going out and listening to what makes people tick and also things that unify people and also struggles people are facing right in the early days. Meeting people struggling with abuse, homelessness and things like that you really get moved by some of the challenges that people are facing and its heart-breaking to hear. The more you look into everybodys experiences so much of those get traced back to earliest years of someones life and you hear that time and time again across the nation and the world. You hear the sad reality that actually what experiences you have in childhood have a life-long impact on your future health and happiness. I suppose that has really driven my interest in digging deep [into early years]. Ive been speaking to doctors, charities, trying to work out what can be done to help prevent some sad social challenges...

I have a personal interest now I'm a mum, there's stuff I would have done so differently right at the beginning, considering what I've learnt now. I've spoken to doctors and experts, but it's important to chat to families as well.

G: A huge part is opening up conversation

K: I don't know whether it's part of everyday conversion. It's mixed, people doing it [raising children in the early year] appear publicly to be doing it very well and everything's hunkidory but there's also those finding it hard. I've found there's so much, no matter what life you come from, so many things that unify parents and families. It's really powerful to find ways to unify people to work together.

The Duchess' touching answers to Giovanna Fletcher's end of podcast sentences To wrap up her podcasts Giovanna Fletcher starts three sentences which those appearing end. The Duchess' were: G: Being a mum means... K: Compromise! G: Since being a mum I... K: Compromise! (they both laugh). I sleep less, that is a reality. I have found a new enjoyment out of life. G: I'm happy when... K: I'm with my family outside in the countryside and we're all filthy dirty. Advertisement

G: I have found talking to mums, that everyone has something in common - so many elements that over lap whether it's sleepless nights or feeling like I've failed today, or work guilt. Tiny elements can become so heavy on you and talking about it lifts us all up.

K: We saw some of that in the Heads Together campaign. Theres a taboo and secrecy around speaking out about emotions. So many milestones especially as a first time mother focus on the physical development and theres not lots on social and emotional ones of the child which is a precursor of talking about mental health later in life.

That's also why your podcast is so beautifully named. There's scientific evidence about how how the parent feels and how that links to family well being.

G: So many people since the survey launched have talked about it to me. Are you surprised by the reaction?

K: Im really glad people are thinking about it [the 5 questions survey]. I didnt want to make the questions too specific. One mother I recently chatted too said she had been on Google to try and help answer, and I told her theres no right or wrong answers! Were not going to mark you at the end! Hopefully its quick so everyone can take part.

G: What was your childhood like?

K: I had a very happy childhood. It was great fun I'm very lucky I come from a very strong family. My parents were hugely dedicated. really appriciate now as a parent how much they sacrificed for us

G: That's a typical thing you always hear, I appreciate my parents so much more now!

K: Very true! My parents came to every sports match, theyd be the ones on the side line shouting. There was always family holidays together. But what resonates most is the simple things. I see that now with my own children. Life now is so busy and distracting and sometimes simple things like watching a fire on a really rainy day provides such enjoyment. I remember that from my childhood, the simple things, like going for a walk together, I try to do this with my children. It totally strips away complications and pressures. think those experiences mean so much to children and world they're in which us a real adventure at that age.

Kate was promoting her Five Big questions On The Under-Fives survey on the podcast which has now attracted 200,000 responses and said that the questions were designed to be easy for everyone to answer (she is pictured during a visit to the Ark Open Farm, at Newtownards, near Belfast, on Wednesday)

G: I was thinking about my childhood recently and remembered how when we were kids every weekend we used to go Currys or Comet and play with washing machines [laughs]

K: Yes testing it all out! And how about your childhood?

G: I was very happy at home, but also badly bullied. I know parts of my childhood have played into the kind of mum I've become.

K: Yes, I was at a prison recently looking at intergenerational links and how things can become so embedded in family traditions, behavior patterns and relationships.

A wise man did say to me, because I was having doubts an questions and guilty element of being away for work, they said actually although the idea that a nuclear family, the responsibility of family being that of the people who are in charge, were actually more like animals than we think we are.

We need people around us and the more people around our children who are safe and loving and caring the better. it was a weight off my shoulder. its not totally my responsibly to do everything. we all have good days and bad days. If you can dilute that with others who arent on that particular day struggling it makes such a difference for your child.

G: Do you struggle with mum guilt?

K: Yes! Anyone who doesnt as a mother is actually lying! All the time, even this morning going to the nursery visit here George and Charlotte were like mummy how could you possibly not drop us off at school this morning. Its a constant challenge. I hear from mums who are not even working yet they get pulled in different directions, trying to juggle. There's always something. Questioning your own decisions starts from moment you have a baby. I also feel a huge responsibility as what Ive learn over years is so fascinating. Definitely would have done things different even in my pregnancy knowing what I know know about early years.

I now know so much about exercise and healthy diet and also how emotional wellbeing of mother impacts baby youre growing. I was much more aware third time round than first.

G: What was your first pregnancy like?

K: It was fine. I got very bad morning sickness. So Im not the happiest of pregnant people. Ive had it every time. Lots of people have it far worst but it was definitely a challenge. Not just you, but those around you. William didnt feel he could do much to help. its hard for everyone to see you suffering when they cant do anything about it.

I felt utterly rotten. I was really sick. I wasnt eating what I should be eating and yet my body still able to take all goodness and grow new life which I think is fascinating.

After having the morning sickness, I realised power of the mind over body I tried everything to get me through it [labour]

G: I think people are talking more and more (about mind and hypnobirthing) and I wish more spoke about it as it is amazing!

K: There's levels of it. I'm not going to say that William was standing there sort of, chanting sweet nothings at me. He definitely wasn't. I didn't even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself. I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that, that they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick, and actually I realised that this was something I could take control of, I suppose, during labour. It was hugely powerful.

Because I was so bad in pregnancy, I quite liked labour! I knew it was an event there would be an ending too. I know some people have really difficult times, so its not for everybody. No pregnancy, no birth, is the same! You think I've done this before I know what I'm doing.

Prince William used a DOLL to practice before putting newborn Prince George in a car seat, reveals Kate Middleton in intimate podcast interview Prince William used a doll to practice before putting newborn Prince George in a car seat for his son's first appearance outside St Mary's Hospital, Kate Middleton has revealed in an intimate podcast interview. The Duke of Cambridge won praise for the seamless way he put his newborn son Prince George into a car seat after his birth - but his wife has revealed they practised with a doll. Kate shed light on how they made sure the global moment went without a hitch when she was interviewed on a popular podcast about motherhood. As host Giovanna Fletcher said the duke had done a very good job putting his son safely on the car backseat, outside the private maternity unit in Paddington, London, Kate replied: 'But he probably didn't think so at the time. The Duchess admitted the royal couple were 'slightly terrified' about the hundreds of people waiting outside the Lindo Wing (pictured in 2013) 'We were like 'What do we do - in a swaddle? How's this supposed to work?' We'd even tried to practise with a little baby, like a little doll, at home, but you know it just never works out the way you planned it so it was quite hard to do that on the world's stage, but no, he did a very good job.' Mrs Fletcher, who interviewed Kate for her Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast in January, but broadcast on Saturday, questioned the duchess about the birth of six-year-old George on July 22, 2013. Kate described the moment William became a father as 'really special' and his face was of 'pure joy'. She confessed to feeling 'slightly terrified' about the hundreds of people waiting outside the Lindo Wing maternity unit, but said they felt it was 'really important' to share the public's 'joy and appreciation' with them. The duke drove his new family away from the central London hospital, but when they arrived home at Kensington Palace soon afterwards there was a little apprehension. Kate said: 'William was like 'Oh my gosh is this what parenting is going to be like?' 'It took us a bit of time to get ourselves settled and going again, but that's the beauty, I suppose of having a newborn baby. 'You are pulled to your toughest and most unknown places that you hadn't necessarily even thought about before.' Advertisement

Something which came up time and time again [in the survey], was mothers expectation and what they felt should or what they want to happen and the guilt that came through when things don't work out how they think they should have... Nature does take course - midwives are so extraordinary, providing so much reassurance. It's amazing to watch how they support a mother in their care.

There's lots of information over the labour but then I think the challenge is when you're sent home with a newborn baby - especially as a first time mother - and you're like oh my goodness am I ok to do this?!

G: What was it like when you help Prince George in your arms?

K: Amazing, amazing! It is extraordinary as I said how the human body does that its utterly extraordinary. He was very sweet and also I was relived he was happy and healthy. We didnt know he was a boy, it was a surprise. And also seeing your husband and seeing pure joy on his face  its really special.

G: Joy and simplicity

K: Thats what we as parents have to try and remember, its the simple things that matter. What I try and remind myself on a daily basis. Speaking to holocaust survivors recently it was heart-warming to hear it's things that matter to all of us like family which are what actually make the biggest difference to everybody.... theres lots that unites us to core values of human kindness.

G: What was it like knowing so many outside after giving birth? When youre in your cocoon ... did you switch on the tele like theyre covering this as well?

K: It was slightly terrifying, not going to lie. Its hard to compartmentalize the whole thing. Because everyone is so supportive and William and I were really conscious that everyone was really excited about. We were hugely grateful for the support the public showed us and for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with public felt really important. But equally that was coupled with a new born baby and inexperienced parents and the uncertainty of what that held.

G  How many hours after the birth did you come out?

C - Oh wow, its all a bit of a blur. I stayed in hospital overnight. I remember there was a huge thunderstorm so I didn't get much sleep. But I was keen to come home as all my memories of being in hospital were from being sick so I didnt want to hang around and was desperate to come home and get back to normality. I think you think with your first baby everything will go back to how it was and I underestimated the impact it had on our lives from that moment and unless have a child you dont realise, no amount of planning and preparations can get you ready.

G I remember watching you coming out, I was so excited and the Duke, when he put George in the car the first time- that was seamless.

K: He probably didnt think so at the time! We were like, what do we do .. the swaddle! How is that meant to work? We'd even tried to practise with a little baby, like a little doll, at home. It never works out the way you planned it. It was hard to do that on the worlds stage.

There's a wonderful support network for women in pregnancy and delivery, then a lonely period before going into education system. There's not a huge amount out there for inbetween. It can be a lonely period for a mother, and families. What we're looking for [with the survey] are ways to join the dots.

G: Yes, when you leave the hospital and get home, there can be this eerily silence.

K: Yeah, it wasnt that quiet in our household! [laughs] It took us a little time to get ourselves settled again but thats the beauty of a new-born baby. Youre pulled to the toughest and most unknown places really that you hadnt necessarily thought of before.

It can almost be worse if you read the [parenting] books! That plays into thinking things should happen like this.

G: What parts of your childhood do you want to give your children?

K: From my experience coupled with what I know now, theres few things  one is the quality of relationships, the moments spent with people around you. I remember that from childhood, my amazing granny devoted so much time. Playing, doing arts and crafts, cooking, gardening. I try and incorporate that into experiences I give my children now. Also environments they split their time in  having a happy home a safe environment. Also as children they spend lots of time outside  and its great for physical wellbeing. It's a great environment to spend time building quality relationships without the distractions. Theres one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, and that means so much to me. I try so hard to fit moments like that in.

G: If you wrote a letter about motherhood, who would it be too and what would you say?

K: [hesitates for a moment] Could I write back to myself? Is that weird? Id like to have written at beginning of my pregnancy with my first child. I think now what my experience as a mother and learnt on journey diving deeper of early years landscape. Ive learnt a huge amount I would like to go back and tell myself at beginning.

Simple things really make a difference, quality time with children is what matters not whether youve done very single drop off and pick up. Quality moments like properly listening and understanding what they feel and taking time as mother thinking how am I feeling or is this bringing up how I feel and making it worse for them?

I was asked recently what would you want your children to remember about their childhood. It's a good question to think about. Is it Im sitting down trying to do maths and spelling homework? Or that weve tried to go out and cook sausages on a bonfire but it didnt work as its too wet. Thats what I want them to remember as a mother and also as a family going to the beach. Filling our boots full of water, getting soaking wet. Those are what I want them to remember, not a stressful household where were trying to do everything.

There's lots of pressure. I read a quote from the founder of the National Trust recently which said our lives are so busy, hectic all we need is quiet and things to be still. That was written years ago, imagine what she'd say now! You can get so distracted, and put pressure on yourself which impacts children.

G: Yes, three children can be chaotic! Ours are similar ages.

K: When the third comes along you think, how can you physically get all three out the car at same time? And you can't! [laughs]

It's such a pull but I'm such a hands on mum and whatever you're doing you want to make sure you're doing the best you can for your children.

Getting mothers to speak openly about their experiences is what we hope happens with the survey, and we hope to be addressing stigma as I think that stops people reaching out

Don't mention the P-word and you won't feel a thing (that's the theory) By KATE MANSEY for the Mail On Sunday Increasingly popular in the UK, hypnobirthing sessions  undertaken in the weeks leading up to the birth  teach women mind-over-matter techniques to help them cope with labour. Many practitioners recommend six to 12 sessions in the run-up to the due date and these typically involve deep relaxation techniques to lull mums-to-be into a hypnotic state, and breathing exercises. As demand rises, a growing number of NHS hospitals are offering the classes to expectant women, including those in Colchester, Bury St Edmunds, Stevenage, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Gloucester and Exeter. The claim by some mothers that it has helped achieve almost pain-free births is at the heart of its huge appeal. So when I became pregnant with my second baby, after a harrowing experience with my first and a gnawing anxiety about the impending birth, my husband and I went to see hypnotherapist Kristin Hayward at her South London home. She says hypnobirthing works on the principle that pain is usually caused by fear, which can be eliminated if the body is relaxed and that a womans body is perfectly designed to give birth to a baby. I was actually extremely sceptical about what seemed at first to me to be a procedure from the hippy dippy school of medicine. But I was intrigued by the theory that if youre scared when you go into labour then your body tenses up and you prolong the birth. Hypnotherapy teaches you techniques to embrace the pain, move into positions that will make the contractions stronger and hurry the whole awful business along. Or, if its all moving too fast, it gives you control to slow it down. Most hypnotherapists even change the language of labour: contractions are referred to as surges and the p word  pain  must not be uttered. The idea is that if you dont acknowledge pain, you cant feel it. Right... On my first session with Kristin  who, as it happens, is perfectly happy to use the p word  she hypnotised me and asked me to imagine a place where I felt safe. Soon, in my head, I was wandering around a tropical rain forest by a waterfall, as if in a vivid dream. Over the next few sessions, she asked me to think of my favourite colour drifting down through my body. Another time she had me imagine that I was giving birth easily and naturally. When she counted me back into the room  5,4,3,2,1  I was almost surprised to find no baby in my arms. She also taught me breathing exercises, and every night I listened to recordings of her soothing voice telling me to release my fears. When I went into labour, I arrived at the hospital at 3am imagining a turquoise blue colour washing over me and trying to self-hypnotise to transport myself to my woodland happy place, all the while mooing away like a farmyard animal. Obviously it wasnt easy and there was a last-minute scream for an epidural  far too late, apparently  and a reminder to my husband that I was never doing this again. But, do you know what? I wasnt scared for one minute. I gave birth to our beautiful daughter  a whopping 10lb 4oz  in a birthing pool at 5.21am with just gas and air, no stitches, and was home for tea and toast by 8am. Id recommend hypnobirthing to any prospective mother. But its nice to know the drugs are there, too. Advertisement

Kate Middleton gushes about her 'very happy childhood' growing up as part of a 'strong' family during candid podcast

Duchess of Cambridge, 38, appeared on Giovanna Fletcher's podcast and spoke of her 'very happy' childhood

She praised parents Carole and Michael Middleton for their 'huge dedication' in raising her and two siblings

Kate revealed they would 'always be cheering on from sidelines' at sports events and came to every match

By Jack Elsom and Bryony Jewell for MailOnline

Kate Middleton has spoken about her 'very happy childhood' and growing up with a 'strong' family.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, told several personal stories while appearing as a guest on Giovanna Fletcher's Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast.

During the tell-all chat she praised her parents Carole, 65, and Michael, 70, for their 'huge dedication' in raising her and her two siblings, Pippa, 36, and James, 32.

The Duchess said: 'I had a very happy childhood. It was great fun and I'm very lucky I come from a very strong family. My parents were hugely dedicated.

Kate Middleton, 38, has spoken candidly about her 'very happy childhood' growing up with a 'strong' family and how this has impacted the way she parents (pictured with Prince William and their children L-R Louis, Charlotte and George)

'I really appreciate now as a parent how much they sacrificed for us. They came to every sports match, they'd be the ones on the side line shouting.'

Reflection on how she was raised, and how this has impacted the way she wants to parent, the Duchess said it was the small things which she remembers the most.

She said: 'But what resonates the most is the simple things. I see that now with my own children. Life now is so busy and distracting and sometimes simple things like watching a fire on a really rainy day provides such enjoyment.

During the tell-all chat she praised her parents Carole, 65, and Michael, 70, for their 'huge dedication' in raising her and her two siblings, Pippa, 36, and James, 32 (pictured together)

Reflection on how she was raised, and how this has impacted the way she wants to parent, the Duchess said it was the small things which she remembers the most. Pictured: Kate, aged three, on holiday in the Lake District (left) and aged five in the UK (right)

'I remember that from my childhood, the simple things, like going for a walk together, I try to do this with my children.

'It totally strips away complications and pressures. I think those experiences mean so much to children and the world they're in which is a real adventure at that age.'

When asked what parts of her childhood she wanted to give to Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, she spoke poignantly about a picture of her four-year-old daughter.

The Duchess of Cambridge also confessed to struggling with 'mummy guilt' and said she tried 'hypnobirthing' when pregnant during her chat with Giovanna (pictured together)

She said: 'I've got this one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, and really for me, it's moments like that mean so much to me as a parent.

'And I try every day to put moments like that in, even if they're small or even if I don't have time  but that in an ideal world (that) is what I would like to do.'

She continued: 'From my experience [as a mother] coupled with what I know now [from working in early years], theres few things  one is the quality of relationships, the moments spent with people around you.

The Duchess of Cambridge is the eldest of three children. Her brother James recently became engaged to French financier Alizee Thevenet (pictured together)

Duchess of Cambridge following her sister Pippa Middleton during her wedding ceremony at St Mark's Church in Englefield, London, in 2017

'I remember that from childhood, my amazing granny devoted so much time to us. Playing, doing arts and crafts, cooking, gardening. I try and incorporate that into experiences I give my children now. Also environments they split their time in  having a happy home a safe environment.'

The Duchess of Cambridge is the eldest of three children. Her sister Pippa, 36, is married to James Matthews and has one son, Arthur.

While her brother James, 32, recently became engaged to his French financier girlfriend Alizee Thevenet.

'I was having doubts about the guilt of being away for work. Then I realised no mother can do everything': Kate Middleton reveals how she juggles being a mother-of-three with her high-profile role as wife to the future King

Duchess of Cambridge opens up on balancing the competing demands of three children with high profile role

Katie Middleton says she 'absolutely' suffers from mum-guilt and any mother who doesn't is 'actually lying'

She says that George, six, Charlotte, four, and 22-month-old Louis pull their mother 'in all sorts of directions'

By Ian Gallagher and Kate Mansey For The Mail On Sunday

She may be the wife of the future King, but, as she makes clear today with striking candour, the Duchess of Cambridge shares the same fears, joys and guilt as mothers everywhere.

Grappling with the competing demands of three children and a high-profile working role often leaves the Duchess  who declares herself a hands-on mum  with 'doubts and questions'.

Asked if she suffers from mum guilt, she replies frankly: 'Yes, absolutely. And anyone who doesn't as a mother is actually lying! Yep, all the time.

The Duchess of Cambridge, pictured above on a tour of Canada in 2016, recalls 'a very wise man' advising her that she didn't necessarily have to be with her children all the time as long as they were surrounded by people who are 'safe and loving and caring'. She is pictured above in Canada in 2016

'And you know even this morning... George and Charlotte were like, 'Mummy, how could you possibly not be dropping us off at school this morning?'... It's a constant challenge  you hear it time and time again from mums, even mums who aren't necessarily working and aren't pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life.'

Asked if she suffers from mum guilt, she replies frankly: 'Yes, absolutely. And anyone who doesn't as a mother is actually lying! Yep, all the time'. Kate says she's at her happiest in the country with her children

In her landmark interview with podcaster Giovanna Fletcher, the 38-year-old Duchess concedes that she was 'having doubts... about the guilty element of being away for work'.

Inevitably, she adds, you find yourself 'questioning your own decisions and your own judgments and things like that, and I think that starts from the moment you have a baby'.

She recalls 'a very wise man' advising her that she didn't necessarily have to be with her children all the time as long as they were surrounded by people who are 'safe and loving and caring'.

'So yeah, it was a real weight off my shoulders that it's not totally my responsibility to do everything,' she adds.

'Because we all have good days, bad days  and if you can dilute that with others who aren't, on that particular day, struggling I think it makes such a difference for your child, and keeping them as constant and happy as possible.'

At times, the podcast feels less like an interview than a chat with an old friend over a coffee  and what emerges is all the more illuminating because of it. Above everything, it is the sheer bliss the Duchess derives from having children that shines through.

'I have found a new enjoyment in life,' she declares, adding she is at her happiest when 'with my family outside in the countryside and we're all filthy dirty'.

George, six, Charlotte, four, and 22-month-old Louis pull their mother 'in all sorts of directions', she says.

'We all need space': The Duchess  pictured with a then 13-month-old Prince Louis at the Chelsea Flower Show last May  says its vital to take time to focus on what really matters for your children

More than once during the conversation, the Duchess conjures domestic scenes familiar to many parents, but which might seem hard to reconcile with her status.

'When the third [child] comes along, how can you physically get all three children out of the car at the same time? You can't,' she says.

While acknowledging that mothers 'get a huge amount of support' during pregnancy 'the challenge is when you're then sent home with your new-born baby, particularly as a first-time mother, you're like, 'Oh my goodness, am I OK to do this?'

The family are pictured left at the wedding of Kates sister Pippa, while Kate is seen right with Charlotte on Christmas Day

'William was like, 'Oh my gosh is this what parenting is going to be like?' It took us a bit of time to get ourselves settled and going again, but that's the beauty, I suppose, of having a newborn baby. You are pulled to your toughest and most unknown places that you hadn't necessarily thought about before. It's almost worse, also, if you read the books, too, because that again plays into how things should happen.'

The Duchess says she has learned 'a huge amount that I would really love to tell myself at the beginning of pregnancy, right at the start, what things I feel now really matter in terms of being a parent, but what also matters to the children.

'It's the simple things that really make a difference. It's spending quality time with your children, it's not whether you've done every single drop-off and every single pick-up. But actually it's those quality moments that you spend with your child where you are properly listening to them, properly understanding what they feel and if things are going wrong really taking time to think, 'How as a mother am I feeling? Am I actually making the situation worse for my child because this is bringing up all sorts of things I feel rather than just focusing on them and how they might be reacting or responding to certain situations?' That would be another piece of advice I would like to give myself back then.

Mixed emotions: Kate, at a regatta with Charlotte last year, says motherhood is a combination of joy, guilt and uncertainty

'Someone did ask me the other day, what would you want your children to remember about their childhood? And I thought that was a really good question because actually, if you really think about that, is it that I'm sitting down trying to do their maths and spelling homework over the weekend? Or is it the fact that we've gone out and lit a bonfire and sat around trying to cook sausages that hasn't worked because it's too wet?

'That's what I would want them to remember, those moments with me as a mother, but also the family going to the beach, getting soaking wet, filling our boots full of water... not a stressful household where you're trying to do everything and not really succeeding at one thing.'
Dead palm trees lie on dry, yellowish earth near an abandoned adobe house in Moroccos arid southeast, as drought threatens ancient oases. I grew up in this oasis and I have seen it shrink, says 53-yearold Mohamed El Houkari, who lives in Skoura, a rural oasis area of around 40 square kilometres (15 square miles).

For centuries, Moroccos oases have been home to human settlements, agriculture, and important architectural and cultural heritage, thanks also to trans-Saharan trade caravan routes. Long a buffer against desertification, they have gone through cycles of drought in recent decades and are now threatened with extinction, Greenpeace has warned, due to the impact of high temperatures. In most of the Skoura oasis, the ground is dry and cracked. Until the 1980s, pomegranate and apple trees flourished here, says Houkari, who is also part of a local development NGO.

Now, only hardy olive trees grow in the shadow of the palms. Over-exploitation The Skoura region used to attract farmers. These days, most young people work elsewhere, though some stay for the developing tourism sector. I am ready to sell my land, but there is nobody to buy it. Everyone has left, says Ahmed, a farmer. The man in his 50s settled in Skoura with his family 25 years ago, when the area was green and there was plenty of water. But the drought has destroyed everything.

Electrician Abdeljalil spends most of his time between the cities of Marrakesh and Agadir. Our life isnt here anymore, the 37-year-old says. He observes that the use of electric pumps and has contributed to the overexploitation of the groundwater. Residents say they now need to dig down over 40 metres (130 feet) to find water, compared to seven to 10 metres (23-33 feet) in the 1980s. Houkari laments the abandonment of traditional methods -- like the khatarat canal irrigation system -- that allowed water to be distributed economically and rationally.

Using the pumps is also costly, Ahmed, the farmer complains. Moroccos high level of water stress doesnt just affect life in the oases. In 2017, protests were held in the semi-desert southern town of Zagora against repeated water cuts. This year, the kingdom launched an almost $12 billion national program for the supply of potable and irrigation water through to 2027.

Under a separate initiative, we set ourselves the goal of mobilising one billion cubic meters (35 billion cubic feet) of water by the end of 2020, says Brahim Hafidi, director-general of the national agency for the development of oasis zones (ANDZOA), referring to efforts to build dams and rehabilitate irrigation canals.

Very real danger According to Greenpeace, droughts have increased in frequency in Tunisia, Morocco, Syria and Algeria over the past decades, rising from once every five years to once every two years in Morocco. Oases rely on subterranean waters, which generally come from snow, notes Lahcen El Maimouni, a local academic, who says global warming has hurt the oases. The Atlas mountains, visible on the horizon from Skoura, are capped in white.

But the snow is not enough to sustain the dry beds of the wadis that cross the oasis, and the effects of drought are visible along the rugged road that leads to Skoura. To rehabilitate oasis areas, ANDZOA has planted three million trees, the agencys director-general says. Morocco has lost two-thirds of its 14 million palms over the last century, according to official figures. But for Skoura resident Houkari, saving the oases also requires raising awareness of the risk of desertification. Palm trees have even been removed and sold to villa owners, he adds with regret. The danger of the oases disappearing is very real, he says, in front of a dry irrigation canal.
The passengers would be required to undergo further quarantine of 14 days upon arriving in the United States

Tokyo: The United States said it will send an aircraft to Japan to bring back US passengers on the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess, where the most coronavirus infections outside China have occurred.

The US Embassy in Tokyo said in a letter on Saturday to passengers that a chartered plane would arrive in Japan on Sunday evening and that it recommended out of an abundance of caution that US citizens disembark and return home for further monitoring.

The passengers would be required to undergo further quarantine of 14 days upon arriving in the United States and if they choose not to return on the flight, they would not be able to return home for a period of time, the letter said.

We understand this is frustrating and an adjustment, but these measures are consistent with the careful policies we have instituted to limit the potential spread of the disease, it said.

It also said passengers would be screened before the flight and the US government was working with Japan so that any people with symptoms would receive proper care if they could not board the plane.

The cruise ship, owned by Carnival Corp, has been quarantined since arriving in Yokohama on 3 February, after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong before it travelled to Japan was diagnosed with the virus.

It had some 3,700 passengers and crew on board. Another 67 people have tested positive for the virus, Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Saturday, bringing the total to 285 cases. Those testing positive are transferred to Japanese hospitals.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK has reported that there were more than 400 US citizens on board.

The cruise liners quarantine is set to end on Wednesday and while some passengers were disheartened at the prospect of more time in quarantine, others were more understanding.

They are very concerned about spreading the virus, and theres no good way to transport people from Japan without possible transfer of virus, so it is the logical thing to do, Sawyer Smith, 25, told Reuters.

The plane will land at Travis Air Force Base in California and some passengers will then continue onward to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

The letter did not specify how long US citizens who choose not to board the chartered flight might have to wait before they could return home, saying only that the final decision would be up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A multi-level security arrangement will be in place on Sunday for the oath-taking ceremony of chief minister-elect Arvind Kejriwal at the Ramlila Maidan here, officials said.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 am and traffic regulations will be in place in the area from 8 am to 2 pm, they said.

The officials said 2,000 to 3,000 personnel from the Delhi Police and paramilitary forces, including the CRPF, will be deployed as part of the security arrangements.

Drones are likely to be used for surveillance.

Only one reporter and one camera person from every organisation will be allowed to cover the event, according to officials.

Police had issued a traffic advisory on Friday regarding the restrictions.

Roads leading to the Ramlila Maidan will be under CCTV surveillance, the officials said.

Door frame metal detectors and baggage scanners will also be installed in and around the ground.

Kejriwal will be sworn in as the chief minister of Delhi on February 16 for the third time. He has taken oath as chief minister twice before at the same venue.

On Sunday, cars will have to be parked at the Civic Centre and behind it. Buses will be parked on Mata Sundri Road, Power House Road, Velodrome Road, Rajghat parking, Shanti Van parking and service roads in Rajghat and Samta Sthal as per requirements, according to the advisory.

OB vans will be parked on the footpath along JLN Marg, opposite Ramlila Maidan and beyond gate number 2 up to the roundabout near Kamla Market, it stated.

No commercial vehicles will be allowed from Rajghat Chowk and Delhi Gate Chowk towards Guru Nanak Dev Chowk via JLN Marg, Chatta Rail towards Delhi Gate Chowk via Netaji Subhash Marg, Paharganj Chowk towards Ajmeri Gate via Desh Bandu Gupta Road, Ram Charan Aggarwal Chowk towards Delhi Gate Chowk via Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, DDU Minto Road towards Kamla Market Chowk via Vivekanand Marg and Barakhamba, Tolstoy Road towards Ranjit Singh flyover, the advisory said.

The Aam Aadmi Party swept the Delhi assembly polls, held last week, bagging 62 out of 70 seats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Posted by Mathias Johnson on Saturday, February 1, 2020

On Feb. 1, a Facebook Live video accompanied by photos of several lewd text conversations was posted to social media, accusing a Villa Rica man of attempting to molest a 15-year-old boy.

The video shows a man from Alabama confronting the Georgia man, telling him he was going to post his evidence to Facebook in an effort to get him arrested.

I'm making a promise that you end up in the Carroll County Jail for pedophilia and soliciting a 15-year-old boy, the Alabama man said. I will make sure that you face charges."

On Wednesday, his promise came true.

Deputies arrested Brian Anthony Bartlett, 64, on counts of enticing a child for indecent purposes and criminal attempt to commit child molestation, the Carroll County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. Investigators cited the Alabama mans video and Facebook post as critical evidence that led to the arrest.

LOCAL MAN UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR ENTICING A MINOR FOR INDECENT PURPOSES AND CRIMINAL ATTEMPT TO COMMIT CHILD... Posted by Carroll County Sheriff's Office on Monday, February 3, 2020

The Alabama man told authorities that he posed as a 15-year-old boy on a social media app and exchanged several messaged with Bartlett. The messages became explicit and described various sexual acts, the release said.

The Facebook post included some of the messages the two allegedly sent each other. The Alabama man claims to be a 15-year-old boy several times in the messages, even asking multiple times whether his age bothers Barlett.

Bartlett allegedly responded, No nothing bothers me.

The messages end with Bartlett giving the Alabama man his phone number and address, asking the man, who he thought was underage, to come to his house, the release said.

The Alabama man drove to Bartletts house off Hitchcock Drive and confronted him while filming the interaction. The video, which has amassed more than 100,000 views, contains explicit language and discusses graphic sexual acts.

During the conversation, Bartlett eventually asked, What do you want?

What I want is for you to tell the truth, the Alabama man responded. Why were you trying to meet up with a 15-year-old boy?

Bartlett replied, I was fixing to tell him to go home, while refuting the claim that he was trying to lure or seduce a child. After several attempts to get him to confess, Bartlett eventually said, I was wrong. Thats all Im saying, later adding that the lewd messages was just (expletive) talk.

The conversation lasted a few more minutes, which mostly consisted of Bartlett clarifying whether the Alabama man was the person he was conversing with online.

There are people like you who shouldnt be walking these streets near a middle school, the Alabama man said, pointedly. Theres people out here like you who should not be out here to touch kids in this neighborhood.

Bartlett was booked into the countys jail without bond, according to online jail records.

The sheriffs office is asking for anyone who had contact with Bartlett and feel they may have been a victim to call investigators at 770-830-5916.

2020 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.)

Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.com

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Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda is scheduled to hold a meeting with members of BJP's State Executive Committee, in Mumbai on Sunday.

The issues that would be discussed in the meeting are yet to be known.

Meanwhile, the BJP has held introspection meetings to find causes for its defeat in the Delhi assembly elections in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) bagged a landslide victory by winning 62 of the 70 seats.

The BJP managed to secure just eight seats in the Delhi Assembly election, five more than it had won in the 2015 polls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A man walks past a sign put up by protesters blocking the CN tracks in Tyendinaga, Ont., on Feb.7, 2020, in support of the Wet'suwet'en members' blockade of a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C. (The Canadian Press/Lars Hagberg)

An Uprising in Canada? What a Pity

Commentary

Ten years ago, Douglas Bland, a retired lieutenant-colonel from the Canadian Armed Forces and former chair of defence studies at Queens University, published Uprising: A Novel.

In this 500-page work of fiction, Bland outlines how militant Indigenous warriors and their allies could, in the tradition of Louis Riel, hold Canada for ransom, stopping rail traffic, blocking highways, disrupting government offices, and even bombing hydro towers north of Winnipeg.

Like Riel, these terrorists do not succeed in the long run, but in the short run they cause considerable damage to the Canadian economy, making many hard-working citizens distressed because they truly want to help Indigenous people take their rightful place in this country.

Without due care, such radicals would easily alienate liberal Canadians without realizing that they are their natural allies. Of course, their cause would fail, but it would take time and a lot of wasted resources and considerable anguish for this to happen. The perceived racism against this small group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, however, would last forever.

Blands book is a strategic plan for how such radicals can destroy the goose that lays the golden egg. These warriors and their allies seem to have forgotten that all Canadians, including themselves and their relatives, rely on a functioning economy for food, electricity, heat, water, and transportation.

The warning signs for such a crisis have been evident for many years. However, most citizensand all our leadershave misinterpreted the signs.

In 2007, for example, Phil Fontaine, then-national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, told a CTV reporter, We have a right to be frustrated, concerned, angryanger thats building and building.

The same year, Manitobas Terrance Nelson, then-chief of the Roseau River First Nation, told CTV: There are only two ways of dealing with the white man. Either you pick up a gun or you stand between him and his money.

So far, the radicals in the current rash of anti-pipeline rail blockades are only standing between Canadians and their livelihood. Fortunately, they have not yet resorted to guns.

Reconciliation and UNDRIP

Over the last 25 years, there has been the recognition that Indian reserves are First Nations. Then came the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the Liberal governments decision not to enforce part of the First Nations Financial Transparency Act, and finally the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report.

Embedded in this 3,500-page report are demands that Canada, the provinces, churches, and businesses accept the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). In fact, 16 calls to action mention the declaration as a necessary step for reconciliation. Reconciliation cannot happen without accepting the declaration.

The British Columbia legislature has accepted UNDRIP in provincial legislation. But it will pay a high price for this foolish decision, and so will other Canadians.

UNDRIP gives Indigenous Peoples power over many economic, environmental, and developmental projects in B.C. More problematic, the declaration implies that the B.C. government will need to renounce some of its sovereignty because the United Nations will become the court of last appeal, especially in disputes with Indigenous people.

The clearest statement of this call to action is buried in Volume 6 of the report.

What is clear to this Commission is that Aboriginal peoples and the Crown have very different conflicting views on what reconciliation is and how it is best achieved.

The Government of Canada appears to believe that reconciliation entails Aboriginal peoples accepting the reality and validity of Crown sovereignty and parliamentary supremacy in order to allow the government to get on with business. Aboriginal people, on the other hand, see reconciliation as an opportunity to affirm their own sovereignty and return to the partnership ambitions they held after Confederation, the report reads.

Canadian governments and their law departments have a responsibility to discontinue acting as though they are in an adversarial relationship with Aboriginal people and to start acting as true fiduciaries.  Therefore, we conclude that Aboriginal claims of title and rights should be accepted on assertion, with the burden of proof placed on those who object to such claims.

Clearly these two short paragraphs mean that Canadian governments must agree with Indigenous claims even when they are unfair to other Canadians. If governments disagree with Indigenous interpretations of B.C.s laws and policies, they will not be acting as fiduciary stewards of Indigenous rights.

This requirement for reconciliation clearly discounts the responsibilities that democratic governments have in balancing the complex, overlapping, and often competing interests of various citizens. In a democracy, laws and policies are always contested, and politicians need to balance various interests.

Most Canadians probably think that reconciliation means showing mutual respect and providing equal opportunities to people regardless of their cultural background, thereby eventually coming to an agreement.

But the TRC report rejects this notion by sustaining the validity of Indigenous peoples interpretation of what reconciliation really means. In fact, the report implies that reconciliation cannot be achieved unless all Indigenous people agree. If one person disagrees, reconciliation has not been achieved.

Of course, cynics are wondering when the young warriors will pick up guns, like Riel, and make the Oka crisis look like a sandbox spat between two 6-year-olds. Too bad that the municipal, provincial, and federal governments are not tuned in to the cynics concerns.

Rodney A. Clifton is a professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba, author, and senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. (rodney.clifton@umanitoba.ca)

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
(Natural News) Covid-19, as theyre now calling it, also known as the Wuhan coronavirus, is spreading so quickly into nearby Vietnam that the southeast Asian country has now implemented its own mandatory quarantine, the first outside of China.

Roughly 10,000 people living near Hanoi, Vietnams capital, are reportedly under a government-imposed lockdown after six new cases of the coronavirus were identified at the Son Loi commune, located roughly 25 miles outside of the Hanoi city center.

As of February 13, 2020, we will urgently implement the task of isolation and quarantine of the epidemic area in Son Loi commune, reads an official statement from Vietnams health ministry. The timeline  is for 20 days.

Twenty days is certainly better than the 14-day quarantines being implemented here in the United States, seeing as how new evidence shows that the coronavirus can incubate for as long as 24 days. At the same time, 20 days still isnt enough to ensure no further spread of the disease.

After a sixth case of the coronavirus was recently identified at Son Loi, following five earlier cases, authorities decided to set up check points in Binh Xuyen, a district located in the outskirts of Son Loi. There, health workers wearing protective suits are spraying disinfectant daily on vehicles as they pass in and out of the area.

Life has been badly affected, stated local resident Tran Van Minh to AFP, adding that even before this quarantine was set up authorities were going around warning locals to avoid large gatherings. Now, we cannot get out and even if we do, clients dont welcome us that much as before.

Its obviously time to start thinking beyond containment, seeing as how the coronavirus has now gained a foothold well outside of Chinas borders. To learn more about how to protect yourself and your family, check out the following episode of The Health Ranger Report:

Vietnamese province now under lockdown is home to factories owned by Honda and Toyota

Some say that this quarantine and its checkpoints around Son Loi are a harbinger of much more to come. Its certainly within the realm of possibility, some reports indicate, that the entire nation of Vietnam could soon be under mandatory quarantine, as Vietnam directly borders China.

At the turn of the month, Vietnam issued travel bans on all flights to and from mainland China, as well as suspended all new tourist visas for Chinese nationals and foreigners whove visited China within the past two weeks. But it could be too little, too late.

Over 10,000 residents of the (Son Loi) commune will not be permitted to leave for the next 20 days, starting from today, a Vietnamese official who wished to remain anonymous told the media on Thursday about this next-step containment attempt.

As of this evening, we will still allow those who wish to return home to enter but, in the next few days, this place will be totally sealed, he added.

As it turns out, the Vietnamese province thats now under lockdown, known as Vinh Phuc, is home to factories owned by both Honda and Toyota, Japans two largest automobile manufacturers.

Everything is still under control, this same anonymous official claimed. We are trying very hard to stop the virus spreading to other areas and provinces.

Vietnam has also made plans to quarantine Vietnamese citizens who recently traveled to China in multiple other areas of the country, including 950 who reportedly will be held at military camps outside of Hanoi, as well as 900 at temporary facilities set up on the Vietnam-China border.

To keep up with the latest coronavirus news, be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

You can also listen to more coronavirus episodes of The Health Ranger Report at Brighteon.com.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com

NYTimes.com

Brighteon.com
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Im not sure what the conventional wisdom is about the current health of Donald Trumps presidency, but at least one version were hearing is a triumphant one: He has defeated impeachment and is now stronger than ever.

Well  maybe not.

Oh, Trump is certainly trying with some success to take revenge on various real or perceived enemies. And he absolutely has a go-ahead from Republicans in Congress to politicize the Justice Department. The odds seem higher than ever that the Democratic presidential nominee, whoever that turns out to be, will be the subject of a formal investigation, however little evidence of wrongdoing there might be.

But beyond that?

Just this week, the Senate gave Trump another black eye: Eight Republicans joined Democrats to support a war-powers resolution that would constrain the presidents options in Iran. Granted, that number is far short of what would be needed to override an expected veto. But its hardly a show of support: Eight senators who just last week voted to acquit him in the impeachment trial now voted to reduce his ability to do whatever he wants in foreign policy  something that Trumps lawyers argued was an inherent power of the presidency.

Meanwhile, it appears likely that yet another Trump nominee for the Federal Reserve Board is going to be defeated. Judy Shelton is facing more than a little skepticism from Senate Republicans in addition to solid opposition from Democrats. The president has had a series of Fed nominees or potential nominees spiked because they couldnt get confirmed. Yes, President Barack Obama had Fed nominees defeated, but only by Republican filibuster. (This was back when executive-branch nominations could be defeated that way; now they only need a simple majority to be confirmed.)

And in the House, the Democratic majority has only just begun to exploit Trumps unending scandals, such as how much his private businesses have been pocketing in taxpayer money.

Story continues

Its not just Congress that presents a challenge to the president. Hes so worried about people in the executive branch  within the White House  who are out to get him that hes systematically undermining his own ability to do his job.

Consider foreign policy and national security. Trump was already stripping his National Security Council of expert staff. Now, as Justin Sink of Bloomberg News reports, hes considering banning the standard practice of having professional staff monitor his calls to foreign leaders.

This is an excellent plan if hes planning to commit crimes in future calls, and not a terrible idea if he embarrasses himself and doesnt want it to be known within the government or leaked to the media. But if he wants to use those calls to actually govern, its a disaster.

Not only will it make it easy for foreign nations to invent their own version of what was said without fear of being corrected; it will also make it almost impossible for the U.S. to follow through on Trumps decisions. After all, in many cases the people who have to carry out the policies wont know what commitments the president has made. He may think that he speaks and things happen all by themselves, but thats not how the U.S. government works.

There are numerous signs already of failed policy coordination, most recently the possibility that the Philippines may scrap the Philippines-U.S. Visiting Forces Agreement. The more Trump rids himself of staff he doesnt trust and tries to govern with a handful of family and loyalists, the more the government will be an unwieldy, uncoordinated mess of fiefs run by those skilled at flattering Trump and then going off and doing what they want.

So far this hasnt derailed the economy or provoked any foreign-policy disasters significant enough to affect public opinion. But its no way to run a government  or to maintain a functioning democracy.

1. Norm Ornstein on waiting to get the election count right. Good to see several people pounding on this point publicly. Now, we need more folks on TV to repeat it.

2. Seth Masket has his latest survey of Democratic early-state activists.

3. Lauren Wright at the Monkey Cage on celebrity politicians.

4. Megan Messerly on how Nevada Democrats are planning to report caucus results. Remember: The national Democratic Party changed a lot about how to conduct caucuses for this election cycle; thats why Iowa Democrats came up with new procedures, which, of course, failed miserably. Well see how Nevada Democrats do  they havent always smoothly administered these caucuses.

5. Dean Baker on Pete Buttigieg and the deficit.

6. Alex Ward on Buttigieg and foreign-policy questions.

7. And my Bloomberg Opinion colleague Conor Sen is bullish on economic growth.

Get Early Returns every morning in your inbox. Click here to subscribe. Also subscribe to Bloomberg All Access and get much, much more. Youll receive our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, the Bloomberg Open and the Bloomberg Close.

To contact the author of this story: Jonathan Bernstein at jbernstein62@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Katy Roberts at kroberts29@bloomberg.net

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University and wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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Just before the Delhi election campaign got underway, the president and his predecessor both stressed the importance of debate and discussion in a democracy. Speaking at The Indian Express Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, President Ram Nath Kovind said: A democracy like ours deeply relies on uncovering facts and the willingness to debate them. Giving the first Sukumar Sen Memorial Lecture, in memory of Indias first chief election commissioner, former President Pranab Mukherjee said: Democracy depends on listening, deliberating, discussing, arguing, and even dissent.

Ignoring this presidential wisdom, the standard of the debate and discussion in the Delhi election sunk to levels lower than I can remember in any Indian election I have witnessed. That view was echoed by other experienced journalists during the campaign and the vote counting. Perhaps it was the west Delhi Member of Parliament Parvesh Verma who plumbed the lowest depth when he alleged that the Shaheen Bagh demonstrators could enter peoples houses to rape and kill their sisters and daughters. Mind you, Arvind Kejriwal did not raise the level of the campaigns debate when he insulted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders by describing them as farzi Hindus who couldnt recite the Hanuman Chalisa.

The BJPs election campaign in Delhi centred on the issue of nationalism and a perceived threat to the unity of India. The Shaheen Bagh demonstrators were portrayed as anti-national, tukde tukdewallahs. The depths to which the Delhi election sunk surely indicate the need for a serious and sober debate on the subject of secularism, which became central to the discussions on nationalism in the years leading up to Independence and remains so . The BJP, for instance, needs to clarify how the claim in its 1999 election manifesto that the true meaning of Hindutva is consistent with the true meaning and definition of secularism can be justified.

The Congress needs to be able to argue that its secularism accommodates Hinduism and is not just an ideology rooted in the West. To do that the Congress might turn to Sarojini Naidu, the poet-politician who was the first woman president of the Indian National Congress, and was imprisoned three times during the freedom movement. Naidu said, Religion at its best had given the Hindu civilisation that immutable quality of spiritual vitality that had made India survive all dynasties. As the logical sequence from that personal human vision of love and that personal spiritual vision of faith must come the highest of all visions, the vision of patriotism.

It seems to me that a vision of nationalism which involves arousing the fear that tukde tukdewallahs are threatening the unity of India is, in fact, anti-national. It denigrates India by suggesting that the bonds which bind the nation together are so weak there is a danger that they will be broken. A secularism which does not find a place for the role Sarojini Naidu said Hinduism had played in Indias history is failing to recognise the unique contribution Hinduism has made in the past, and can play both in the present as well as the future.

Why is there a deadlock between the BJP and the Congress view of secularism? Why is there no meaningful debate among politicians on this fundamental issue? In her book, Indian Secularism, A Social and Intellectual History, the historian Shabnum Tejani suggests it is because secularism and communalism have been locked in binary opposition. This should not be so, she argues, because secularism is not a stable, predetermined universal category but one whose meaning is particular to its historical context.

Surely the time has come to break this deadlock by debating secularism in an attempt to find an ideology or ideologies of secularism and hence of nationalism relevant to todays context.

The views expressed are personal
A developer is seeking state funding to acquire and rehabilitate a Tomball apartment complex for affordable rental housing, and they have the City Councils support.

Rural Housing Developers is a company with apartments in six states, including Texas and Oklahoma, and is applying for 2020 Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program funds in the amount of $250,000 to acquire and renovate Tomball Square Apartments, 611 James St., which would be renamed Tomball Village Apartments. Tomball Square Apartments is already classified as low income housing.

Related: Tomball sees growth in residential developments

A letter from the developer to the city states the renovation work would cost about $50,000 a unit for 24 units, about $1.2 million

There are three different ways to qualify meeting this tax credit by having at least 20% of the complexs units occupied by tenants making 50% or less of the area median income, at least 40% of the units occupied by tenants making 60% or less of the area median income, or with at least 40% of tenants having an average income of 60% or less of the median income and no tenants with income greater than 80% of the median income. Rural Housing Developers did not state which way they would qualify for their project and did not return requests for comment.

As part of the approval by City Council, Mayor Gretchen Fagan will send a letter of support for the project to the Texas Department of Housing Community Affairs and provide the developer with $250 for fee waivers on the project. City Manager Rob Hauck clarified that this isnt approving anything to be built.

Related: Developer eyeing new apartment complex on FM 2920

When people are seeking state funding, they oftentimes look for the community government to basically give them just a letter of support as they make their appeal to the state, Hauck said.

Council members approved the item with a vote of 3-1, with only Council Member Lori Klein Quinn voting against the project. Council Member Mark Stoll was absent.

Quinn said she didnt have enough information to vote for the project.

What is the target for this one? Quinn asked. Usually, the elderly arent doing stairs and I dont see any elevators on here, so Im wondering who are the candidates to stay in this village once it is complete.

In Rural Housing Developers proposal for the project, they state the property was originally built consisting of 24 two-bedroom apartments with a small community clubhouse building. Should their application be approved, they state the developers would make needed upgrades to the property, modernizing the interiors of the units and the community amenities, as well as adding garbage disposals, energy-efficient fixtures, a larger community building with a laundry room and playground equipment.

Mayor Pro Tem Derek Townsend Sr. was one of the three council members to vote in favor of the project.

Im thinking that anytime we have an opportunity to have somebody come in and improve a piece of property structurally, its a good thing for everybody, Townsend said. And there are not always people who are as fortunate as others, and I believe if were going to be a hometown with a heart like we say we are, we need to be able to reach out and give people who have not had some of the opportunities others of us have had.

paul.wedding@hcnonline.com
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's brother-in-law Anil Kumar met with an accident on Saturday after his car fell into a gorge near Garikapadu checkpost in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district.

Anil Kumar sustained minor injuries and was discharged from the hospital after the first aid.

Anil, who is an evangelist, was heading to Vijayawada with his driver and gunman when his vehicle fell into a roadside gorge near Garikapadu checkpost at around 5.30 am.

After receiving the information, YSRCP MLA Udayabhanu Samineni rushed to the spot and took the trio to MJ Naidu Hospital in Vijayawada, where Anil was discharged after the first aid. He resumed on his journey afterwards.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China has offered to build a cheaper, faster HS2 service in just five years, it was reported last night.

British officials are in talks with Chinese counterparts about getting the high-speed rail project back on track.

Beijing claimed it could build the line by 2025 for less money and with faster trains, according to the Financial Times.

The Department for Transport confirmed preliminary discussions were under way between HS2 and the state-owned China Railways Construction Corporation. No firm commitments are said to have been made.

China has offered to build a cheaper, faster HS2 service in just five years, it was reported last night. Pictured: Artist's impression of an HS2 train on the Birmingham and Fazeley viaduct

A spokesman said: 'We are always keen to learn from the experience of others and to consider approaches that offer value for money.'

Boris Johnson gave HS2 the green light earlier this week despite total cost estimates reaching more than 100billion.

CRCC has built most of China's 15,500-mile high-speed network in a decade, accounting for two thirds of all fast lines globally.

It wants to deliver speeds of 260mph for HS2 trains, which is well above the current projected maximum range of between 200mph and 225mph.

Last month, the company wrote to HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston claiming it 'stands ready to solve all of the issues that the project currently faces'.

CRCC added: 'We are certain that we can offer a cost that is significantly lower than the projections we have seen.

'The advantages, are, in our opinion, too great to dismiss on the basis that there are obstacles to overcome. You will find that the Chinese way is to seek solutions, not linger on obstacles and difficulty.'

British officials are sceptical about the logistics of the Chinese proposals.

Boris Johnson gave HS2 the green light earlier this week despite total cost estimates reaching more than 100billion

They point out that building a railway line in China is simpler than in a democracy such as Britain which has property rights, protected landscapes and a powerful anti-development lobby.

There are also concerns over further Chinese investment after the Government approved Huawei's involvement in a 5G mobile roll-out despite security fears.

CRCC acknowledged this in the letter, saying: 'There seems to be a willingness on the part of government to embrace a major contribution to 5G from the Chinese with regard to Huawei. We believe that this situation could be compared.'

Work is set to start within weeks on the first stretch of the line between London and Birmingham, with a second phase going to Manchester and Leeds. Mr Johnson wants to bring forward the date that it is fully operational by five years to 2035.

Downing Street said it believed the Prime Minister could deliver the entire HS2 project for between 72billion and 98billion with a dedicated minister tasked with preventing 'further blowouts' on budget and schedule.

China showed its prowess in high-speed construction only this month by building a hospital in coronavirus-stricken Wuhan in just ten days.
Twitter  

February 15, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko met with German counterpart Heiko Maas. The press service of the German Foreign Ministry reported this on Twitter.

Maas noted that Germany supports Ukraine on its path to reform and an end to the conflict in the Donbas.

"We support Ukraine on its path to reform and ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. In order to reach a political solution, the Minsk agreements must be implemented, and the Norman format creates faith in this," Maas stated.

As we reported before, on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva.

It is noted that this is the second meeting of the head of the Ukrainian state with the head of the IMF this year.

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky began a two-day working visit to the Federal Republic of Germany.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said that the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) was for the government and that he had no role to play in it.

"This is for the government, not for me. There is a procedure for everything...We have institutions and we must learn to respect them. This report will go to PAC, from there it might go to Assembly. I have no role in that," Khan told reporters on Friday.

The CAG report on the audit of modernisation of weapons in Kerala Police has found that 25 rifles and 12,061 live cartridges are missing from Special Armed Police Battalion (SAPB).

The audit also observed that the Stock Register and related records of arms and ammunition in the SAPB were not properly maintained.

"The entries in the Stock Registers had many over writings, use of white correction fluid and striking off of entries etc. The entries and corrections were not properly authenticated. The audit could not find any evidence of the conduct of periodical physical verification by higher officers from the records available at SAPB," the CAG report stated, and also went on to point out other shortcomings.

The opposition in Kerala had demanded a probe by an agency like CBI or NIA in the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Discussions at Legionella Conference 2020: Prevention of Disease and Injury From Waterborne Pathogens in Health Care will focus on hazards related to medical devices, cleaning and disinfection in sterile settings and water quality requirements in hospitals and health care facilities.

Co-hosted by NSF Health Sciences, an NSF International company, and the National Environmental Health Association, themes for the Aug. 19-21 Chicago conference include:

Preventing health care-associated waterborne disease outbreaks

Microbiological contamination control in sterile processing

Environmental sampling strategies

Lessons from conducting outbreak investigations (surveillance, reporting and response)

Reducing energy and water consumption while reducing infection risk

Building design, construction and renovation

Regulatory frameworks for reducing waterborne disease risks in building water systems

State and local regulatory inspection of building water systems

Updates on federal, state and local legislation and regulations

The spread of Legionella can cause Legionnaires' disease, which is fatal to 25% of patients who contract it in a health care setting, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has also reported that 90% of outbreaks in all settings evaluated by the CDC could have been prevented with a comprehensive water management plan.

The number of Legionnaires' disease cases reached a record high in 2018 - 9,933, an eightfold increase over 2000. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has conservatively estimated the actual number of cases each year in United States could be as high as 70,000.

This will be the third annual Legionella Conference bringing together industry experts and policy makers to discuss solutions and prevention. Dr. Patrick Breysse, Director of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, delivered the keynote address to the 360 attendees at the 2019 conference in Los Angeles.

Proposals for expert speaker and research poster presentations for this year's Legionella Conference are now being accepted.

Public health leaders, policy makers, regulators, researchers, infection prevention practitioners and water management systems experts are invited to submit proposals. The deadline for oral presentations and poster presentations is April 1. Applications may be submitted online at http://www. legionellaconference. org/ call-for-abstracts/ .

Legionella Conference 2020 will be held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel on Chicago's downtown river walk.
With a presidential election this year, our countrys past, present, and future are on everyones minds. As candidates and their teams work hard to sway voters with speeches, debates, and advertisements, publishers are hustling too, reaching out to inform readers with books.

In contrast to this years political books for adultswhich skew toward tell-alls by Trump administration insiders and investigative journalistspolitical books for young readers go beyond personalities and current politics. Childrens books scheduled for release in 2020 for the most part provide an overview of what makes our country a democracy, with titles on the presidency, the Constitution, and voting rights. There are even books examining another essential component of civic participation in a democracy: activism and protest.

Its an interesting time, says Charlesbridge executive editor Alyssa Pusey. Such books are always so important, but especially this year; thats why everybody is doing them.

Of course, there are the usual biographies of politicians in the news, including two spring picture books about presidential candidates who may or may not be on the Democratic ticket come November: Elizabeth Warrens Big, Bold Plans by Laurie Ann Thompson, illustrated by Susanna Chapman (Atheneum, May), and Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Holt, May).

According to Holt editorial director Christian Trimmer, even if Buttigieg does not win his partys nomination this summer, educators, booksellers, and parents are hungry for more LGBTQ+-themed picture books. Mayor Buttigieg is the first openly gay person to pursue the Democratic nomination for president. Regardless of what happens, Mayor Pete will always have that distinction. Plus hes breaking down barriers for the next LGBTQ+ candidate, so his story matters beyond the 2020 election.

Another publishers offering is not on a presidential candidate but rather on the women leaders in the legislative branch whose impact is also historic. Abrams is releasing in March a revised edition of Ilene Coopers A Woman in the House (and Senate). According to Howard Reeves, editor-at-large at Abrams, it was essential to update the book, which was originally published in 2014.

So much has happened for women since then, Reeves says. Hillary Clinton ran for president and won the popular vote. Women have marched in solidarity in numbers never seen before; and the most diverse population of women was sent to Congress. We want girls and boys to learn what an incredible part women have played in Americas history, and what an important role they have today and will have tomorrow.

Several new books focus on the office of the presidency rather than any individual inhabiting it (or aspiring to), including The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future of Americas Presidents by Kate Messner, illustrated by Adam Rex (Chronicle, Mar.); Election Connection: The Official Nickelodeon Guide to Electing the President by Susan Ring (Random House, July); and the Scholastic Book of Presidents 2020 by George Sullivan (Dec.).

Foundations of U.S. democracy

The Constitution has come under scrutiny, as President Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress have ratcheted up debate over executive vs. legislative powers. During the impeachment hearings and recent Senate trial, the Constitution was invoked repeatedly, both by those defending the presidents actions and those denouncing them.

This spring, Black Dog & Leventhal will release OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say? by Ben Sheehan (Apr.), which is not being marketed as a childrens book per se, but is written in what the publisher promises to be a nonboring style that should appeal to young readers. For middle grade readers, Workman is publishing The Constitution Decoded: A Guide to the Document That Shapes Our Nation and Your Rights by Katie Kennedy, illustrated by Ben Kirchner (Sept.). And DK believes it is never too young to learn about the Constitution; it is publishing The Constitution for Babies (May).

Two other publishers contributions focus on specific amendments. Free for You and Me: What Our First Amendment Means by Christy Mihaly, illustrated by Manu Montoya (Albert Whitman, Apr.), explores the First Amendment, which addresses freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. Whose Right Is It Anyway? The Second Amendment and the Fight Over Guns by Hana Bajramovic (Holt, June) addresses the debate over gun control.

Albert Whitman senior editor Wendy McClure says of Free for You and Me, This is a good way for adults to sit down with children and share what these issues are all about. Its a free countrypeople say this all the time. But what does that really mean? How are these rights that children hear about relevant to their daily lives? McClure believes that there should be early education in schools about citizenship. Learning about ones rights and responsibilities, she says, is the building block of being a good citizen.

As for Whose Right Is It?, Holts Trimmer points out, Kids face daily reminders of the threat of gun violence in the form of metal detectors, clear backpacks, active shooter drills, and the like. Young people are at the forefront of the debate. Bajramovic looked at the entire history of the amendment, alongside state and federal gun legislation, to give young readers as much of the story as she could so that they can create informed opinions.

Several books define democracy and explore what it means to live under such a system of government. These books, for readers ages 12 and up, include You Call This Democracy? How to Fix Our Government and Deliver Power to the People by Elizabeth Rusch (HMH, Mar.) and For Which We Stand by Jeff Foster (Scholastic, Sept.)

Three more books on the subject are intended for babies and toddlers, including two DK titles: When I Grow Up... Great Leaders (Mar.) and Babys First United States (May). Charlesbridge is publishing Baby Loves Political Science: Democracy! by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Greg Paprocki (Apr.).

Children are going to see a lot of messages, signs, and posters this year, notes Spiro, creator of the Baby Loves Science series. As with those books, she says, she sought to take complicated ideas on a timely topic that would be of interest to parents and distill them to their essence, adding, This book provides a simple way to explain whats going on and why its important. It also makes the point that in an election, someone wins and someone doesnt; but we all still have to work together.

The avalanche in 2020 of childrens books about voting demonstrates the importance of citizen engagement, with titles ranging from picture books for toddlers to instruction manuals for teens voting for the first time. These books are pouring into the marketplace as primary season heats up, and will continue to be released throughout the summer and into the fall.

Straightforward titles on the importance of voting aim to educate young people about civic responsibility, regardless of whether or not they are old enough to cast a ballot this year. These titles include I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference by Mark Shulman, illustrated by Serge Bloch (Holiday House/Porter, out now); Votes of Confidence, 2nd Edition: A Young Persons Guide to American Elections by Jeff Fleischer (Lerner/Zest, Mar.); Thank You for Voting: Young Readers Edition by Erin Geiger Smith (HarperCollins, June), whose edition for adult readers is coming out at the same time; V Is for Voting by Kate Farrell, illustrated by Caitlin Kuhwald (Holt, July); and A Vote Is a Powerful Thing by Catherine Stier, illustrated by Courtney Dawson (Albert Whitman, Sept.).

Neal Porter, who acquired I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference, says, I was surprised that there didnt seem to be a book for young children that introduced voting at its most fundamental leveli.e., to vote is to make a choiceand our goal was to present this notion in an accessible and entertaining way. While kids cant participate directly in the 2020 election, there are still many opportunities for them to votefor their class pet or president, for instanceand to be introduced to other aspects of civic responsibility.

Fights for voting rights

Some of the 2020 releases about voting emphasize not just the act itself, but that voting is a privilege, rather than a right automatically bestowed upon all citizens. People have fought for the right to vote from our nations beginnings up through the present day, as several new and forthcoming books point out, including Stolen Justice: The Struggle for African American Voting Rights by Lawrence Goldstone (Scholastic Focus, out now); Give Us the Vote!: Over Two Hundred Years of Fighting for the Ballot by Susan Goldman Rubin (Holiday House, Feb.); and Equalitys Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Magdalena Mora (S&S/Beach Lane, Feb.).

Scholastic Focus editorial director Lisa Sandell, who edited Stolen Justice, says the mission of the Focus imprint is to ensure that the next generation comes up knowing how to think critically, and how to assess how the past influences the present and the future. Explaining how Stolen Justice fits into that mission, Sandell notes that suffrage is the most crucial right we have, adding, Its important for young people to understand that the Constitution made promises of rights to all Americans, and these promises of rights were not granted to a huge swath of the population; its a problem that continues to this day with, for example, voter rolls being purged in some states with large African-American populations, a move that many believe is being done to suppress voter turnout.

A number of 2020 releases commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, including Women Win the Vote! 19 for the 19th Amendment by Nancy B. Kennedy, illustrated by Katy Dockrill (Norton Young Readers, out now); How Women Won the Vote: Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and Their Big Idea by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, illustrated by Ziyue Chen (HarperCollins, May); The Suffragist Playbook by Lucinda Robb and Rebecca Roberts (Candlewick, June); and History Smashers: Womens Right to Vote by Kate Messner (Random House, July), part of Messners series of middle grade books on American history.

Young people have the power

Several books delve into the history of protest in this country, including Mother Jones and Her Army of Mill Children by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter (Random/Schwartz & Wade, Feb.); Rise Up! The Art of Protest by Jo Rippon (Charlesbridge, Mar.); How to Make a Better World (DK, Mar.); Into the Streets: A Young Persons Visual History of Protest in the United States by Marke Bieschke (Zest, May); and We Are Power: How Nonviolent Activism Changed the World by Todd Hasak-Lowy (Abrams, Apr.).

Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights by Karen Blumenthal (Roaring Brook, Feb.) focuses on womens roles in effecting political change both in the courts and through activism relating to one of the most divisive issues of our time. There is no other comprehensive book on this subject for young people, editor Emily Feinberg says, describing this book as groundbreaking. She adds, We want to provide young people with the information and tools to enter this conversation meaningfully and confidently. The fight for abortion rights in America affects them; it affects all of us.

Lerner executive editor Ashley Kuehl says, Protest is a part of this countrys very fabric. Into the Streets is an overview of this tradition, with a lot of photos and other visuals that make it approachable for young readers. After all, young people are usually the ones doing the protesting.

And Charlesbridges Pusey notes, Young people can make a difference. Just because you are young doesnt mean you should not be out there, trying to make the world a better place. Rise Up! includes a history of activism in America, as well as sections on movements that have drawn in young people, and in some cases were initiated by them: the peace movement, womens rights, the March for Our Lives against gun violence, the movement for LGBTQ civil rights, and, most recently, the fight against climate change propelled forward by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg. We want readers to realize that things dont happen in a vacuum, that there are things that have come before, Pusey says.

Though Abramss Reeves was referring specifically to We Are Power, his companys spring release endorsing nonviolent activism and peaceful protest, he could have been talking about the impact of all of the above books when he expressed his hope that kids today will see that they actually do have the power to make radical and important changes in our world.
HARDEST-WORKING RESIDENTS: According to a new study from Zippia, lengthy commutes partly explain why Queen Creek residents are what one group says are the hardest workers in Arizona. Along with average commute times and the number of adults with college degrees  arguably a measure more of academic achievement than on-the-job work  the study also looked at more conventional factors such as average hours worked, workers per household and the labor-force participation rate.

Question: How fast should my internet connection be for streaming TV services?

Answer: With so many options for streaming TV, making sure your network is up to the task is the only way to avoid the dreaded "buffering" of your shows.

While theres no such thing as too much speed, theres no reason to pay for more than you actually need.

Your internet service provider has a vested interest in guiding you to the highest speeds they can, so I would not suggest relying solely on their recommendation.

There are variables that have to be taken into consideration in order to accurately estimate how much speed your household will need.

It starts with the number of devices youll have connected and what each of those devices will be doing. For instance, smart home devices such as doorbells and thermostats use very little data, while streaming audio or TV devices and video chat will require faster data speeds.

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The number of people in your home requiring simultaneous access of high demand devices will be another important factor.

A great online resource for considering all of these variables is located at HighSpeedInternet.com.

Selecting the correct GHz

Unless youre using a really old wireless router, youll have two different Wi-Fi connections available on your network.

The primary difference is that 2.4 GHz has a larger coverage area and can penetrate physical barriers better but is slower in speed. This lower frequency is also more congested as lots of common household devices like garage door openers, baby monitors and cordless phones also use it.

5 GHz gives you the faster connection speeds and has less congestion, but has a tougher time with physical barriers so youll get a smaller coverage area.

Another consideration is whether the device you are connecting even has the need for a faster connection.Those that dont should be connected to the 2.4 GHz network.

Story continues

The reality for both frequencies in most households is that they are much faster than your actual internet connection, which is why the congestion and location variables are much more important.

Ethernet vs. internet connection

When possible, using an Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi to connect your streaming devices will give you the best possible speeds and avoid the pitfalls of a wireless connection.

Many of the newer 4K-ready streaming devices from Apple, Roku, Google and Amazon offer an option to directly connect to your router via an Ethernet port or adapter.

Adjusting QoS Settings

An additional tweak you can make to your network is through the Quality of Service settings in your router.

This allows you to assign priority levels for the different devices or types of data packets being handled by the router. Think of it as the HOV lane on the Information Superhighway, which you want your streaming devices to use.

The options vary widely based on the brand and model of router you have, so the best way to get specific instructions is to do a Google search for "QoS settings for (brand) (model) router."

Ken Colburn is founder and CEO of Data Doctors Computer Services, datadoctors.com. Ask any tech question at facebook.com/DataDoctors or on Twitter @TheDataDoc.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How to find correct internet speed to match your household's need
Amazon Data's new state-of -the-art 350m data storage facility at the IDA Business and Technology Park on the Donore Road, creating up to 50 jobs in the process as well as 400 during the set up process, has been given the green light.

Meath CC has granted permission for the development which will stretch to over 19 hectares and the target date for commencement of construction of the first building is in the second quarter of this year, with full operation expected by mid 2023.

The Environmental Impact Assessment Report states that the development will be operated by Amazon Data Services Ireland Ltd and the applicant is CAP Developments LLC, an American firm.

The lifespan of the proposed development is not defined but it is anticipated that it will be at least 10 - 20 years.

The application states that Drogheda vied with a site at Navan, Co. Meath, and a site at Grange Castle, Dublin 22 for the project, but the town won out.

The proposed development will require additional electrical power supply from the national grid, but Eirgrid has provided confirmation that there is sufficient capacity from the existing area network for the required power demand. There is no predicted impact on power supply to local residential or business users.

The building will be c.28,573 sq. m, with a maximum height of c. 25m, which will accommodate data halls, associated electrical and mechanical plant rooms, loading bays, maintenance and storage space, office administration areas, etc.

The impacts on the local population in terms of residents and businesses are considered to be mainly positive in the sense of creating direct employment opportunities and indirect additional business, both during the construction and operational phases.

There are a number of conditions with the application. The developer has to pay up to 160,000 as part of the application to Meath CC.
Vodafone Idea on Saturday said it will deposit payment for adjusted gross revenue (AGR) related dues to the department of telecommunications (DoT) in next few days. The telecom major, in filing to exchanges, said it is currently assessing the amount that it will be able to pay to DoT towards the dues calculated based on AGR in order to comply with the October verdict of the Supreme Court.

"The company proposes to pay the amount so assessed in the next few days," Vodafone Idea said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The company issued this statement a day after the Department of Telecommunications, which faced the ire of Supreme Court for putting on hold recovery of dues from telecom companies, asked telcos to clear AGR dues before Friday midnight.

As per DoT estimates, Vodafone Idea AGR dues stand at a cumulative Rs 53,038 crore, including Rs 24,729 crore of spectrum usage charges and Rs 28,309 crore in licence fee. The company failed to pay dues on last date set by the Supreme Court requesting time from Department of Telecommunications to wait for outcome of its plea before the court.

Also Read: What's next for Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel after Supreme Court's AGR blow?

During third quarter ended December 31, 2019, Vodafone Idea reported a net loss of Rs 6,439 crore, its sixth successive quarterly loss, dented by loss of subscribers, high costs and a one-time charge related to its AGR dues. The company had posted the largest loss of India Inc in previous quarter at Rs 50,897.9 crore in the previous quarter. The telco warned of continued threat to its "ability to continue as going concern was dependent on positive outcome of the application for modification of the Supplementary Order before the Supreme Court and subsequent agreement with DoT for the payment in instalments after some moratorium and other reliefs".

Earlier on Friday, Supreme Court rapped the DoT desk officer for scuttling its original AGR order which asked the telecom operators to pay up their dues of Rs 1.47 lakh crore by January 23. DoT desk officer had asked circle head to not take any coercive action against telcos in contravention of the SC judgement. The court also pulled up Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for not paying their AGR dues to the Department of Telecommunications.

Also Read: AGR row: After SC rap, telecom dept orders operators to clear dues before midnight

Following the court's order, Airtel said that it's in the process of doing self-assessment of the dues, and will submit Rs 10,000 crore by February 20. Airtel has total dues of over Rs 35,000 crore to pay the government. "We are confident we will complete the self-assessment exercise shortly... supporting documentation and calculations (financial year and license wise) in respect of the self-assessment and payments, will also be submitted by us in due course," said Airtel's letter to the DoT member.

By Chitranjan Kumar
Singapore  The makers of next-generation military jets and civil aircraft gather every two years at the Singapore Airshow, billed as Asias largest aerospace and defence event.

Suppliers and customers attending the high-profile show typically discuss cutting-edge technologies and network in the hope of making multi-million-dollar deals, while being entertained by overhead fighter jet aerobatics.

This year, however, the 7th Singapore Airshow opened on Tuesday in the shadow of the outbreak of a deadly coronavirus leading dozens of companies to pull out. Officially known as COVID-19, the virus emerged in the Central Chinese city of Wuhan in December and has since spread to more than two dozen countries around the world, with Singapore having the second-highest number of cases after China.

More than 70 exhibitors were reported to have withdrawn, about eight percent of the roughly 1,000 firms originally slated to appear, including 12 Chinese companies facing restrictions on entry into Singapore, which banned arrivals from mainland China.

No-shows included US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, Canadas Bombardier and plane maker De Havilland. Other companies that withdrew include defence firms Raytheon Co, Bell, Gulfstream, Textron Aviation, Honeywell Aerospace, Viking Air and CAE Inc.

Overall, organisers of the show that will close on Sunday said there were some 930 exhibiting companies and close to 30,000 trade attendees, down from the 2018 event when more than 1,000 companies and more than 54,000 trade participants took part.

Spectators wearing masks at an aerial display at the Singapore Airshow [Edgar Su/Reuters]

No contact

Sean Lee, an Airbus spokesman, said it was worth being an exhibitor at the show despite the reduced turnout.

We were able to meet many customers, military delegations and other stakeholders, Lee told Al Jazeera. It was worth coming for us.

Another exhibitor, Simon Imanuel of Just Fly It, which makes educational aircraft models, said anticipated business was down by half. Its very quiet. People are worried. We are still around because we want to show people what we do, he told Al Jazeera.

Still, several big-money business deals have so far been announced, including JTC Corporations contracts with aerospace companies worth $500 million Singaporean dollars ($359m). But it was unlikely that such agreements were sealed by a handshake  a no-contact policy has been enforced this year at the show in response to the viral outbreak.

There was, however, the widespread presence of temperature screenings, hand sanitisers, cleaning crews, some protective face masks, while doctors and medics were on standby for visitors who might feel unwell.

A view of an empty booth at the Singapore Airshow [Edgar Su/Reuters]

Organisers have done their best

Some industry insiders and aviation enthusiasts who would normally have attended the airshow also chose to stay home and took issue with Singapores decision to allow the event to go on at a time when many people are avoiding public contact.

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The airshow should have been cancelled. Singapore has a moral responsibility to the world, not just an economic responsibility to its citizens, Shashank Nigam, an aviation consultant who was raised in Singapore and lives in Toronto, wrote on his LinkedIn page.

Many of those who did the attend the public portion of the airshow on Saturday expressed mixed feelings about the reduced turnout and dampened expectations.

To be honest, the trade is quite disappointing, David Burke, an aviation enthusiast who travelled with his wife from New Zealand to attend the airshow, told Al Jazeera. Theres not the exhibitors, theres not the foot traffic.

Families with young children were among those who had a chance to get up close to cutting-edge aircraft and watch the soaring aerial acrobatics overhead.

Jolin Ong, a Singaporean food blogger who came out to see the wide array of local foods on display on the sidelines, was among the many who expressed confidence in efforts to maintain health standards at the airshow.

Theres no point in being so afraid and hiding at home, she told Al Jazeera. Im sure the organisers have done their best in protecting everybody, with all the security and the temperature checking at the entrance.

A static model of a Mitsubishi Aircraft SpaceJet on display at the Singapore Airshow [Danial Hakim/AP Photo]

Several countries including Kuwait, Qatar, South Korea and Israel have issued travel advisories against going to the island nation, and many cruise lines are avoiding Singapore and other Asian ports.

The US Pentagon decreased the size of its delegation to the airshow. Those taking a pass included Undersecretary of Defence Ellen Lord, the Pentagons chief weapons buyer.

South Korean air forces aerobatics teams also pulled out due to the outbreak. Yet despite Singapores travel ban on arrivals from mainland China, a Chinese military aerobatics team was allowed to enter the country to participate in the airshow.

Regular attendees such as Stephen Trimble, the defence editor at Aviation Week Network, said the airshow paled in comparison to previous ones.

These shows function as a sort of speed-dating opportunity for meetings with suppliers and customers. Some executives, particularly Airbus, Boeing and the Israelis, still came, but the overall reduced presence made this show very different than any I had ever attended before, he told Al Jazeera.

Among those who attended was Martijn Moret, co-founder of aviation startup AirFi, who was glad the show went on.

As expected, it was quiet and I think many airlines stayed away. Business and prospecting is still conducted but I wonder how effective it was compared to other years. My personal expectation is that it would be even less busy, so was pleasantly surprised, and for me and AirFi the day was quite fruitful, he told Al Jazeera.

Tan Kong Hwee, the assistant managing director of Singapores Economic Development Board, said in a prepared statement: The presence of global players at the Singapore Airshow this year, in spite of the COVID-19 situation, reflects the importance and confidence that international businesses have placed in Singapore as a leading aerospace hub.

Follow Tom Benner on Twitter @tgbenner
Irish tech and telecoms companies are set lose millions of euro from the cancellation of the Mobile World Congress trade fair in Barcelona as the economic fallout from coronavirus races ahead of the outbreak itself.

The giant Barcelona event was due to host 100,000 telecoms-focused visitors from all over the world at the end of the month, but was called off this week after dozens of major exhibitors pulled out due to fears of coronavirus exposure from Chinese attendees.

As well as losing out on deal-making opportunities, Irish exhibitors who have booked space at the event may not get refunds.

"Given this is a force majeure situation, no refunds will be provided under clause 21.10 of our standard terms and conditions for exhibition, advertising and sponsorship," exhibitors have been informed by the GSMA, which runs the Mobile World Congress.

Exhibition costs at the Mobile World Congress vary widely, from 10,000 for small booths to millions for giant pavilions. "Ours cost over 100,000 in space and stand fees," one Irish exhibitor said. "We've been told we're not getting a refund."

The largest single Irish exhibitor is thought to be Enterprise Ireland, which had confirmed a large stand to host 12 Irish companies.

A spokesman declined to confirm the cost, but Mobile World Conference is one of the state agency's biggest single budgetary events of the year.

"Enterprise Ireland is currently assessing the financial implications of the GSMA decision and is in contact with both the organisers and its insurance brokers regarding redress and refund options," the spokesman said.

However, the state body may have an uphill battle on its hands, if it is depending on access to the organisers' insurance.

Although the conference has insurance in place, the terms and conditions give the body a potential escape route from paying out for a cancelled event if it is related to "any fear or threat, [in] connection with any communicable disease". This applies, the policy says, whether that threat is "actual or perceived".

Separately, Rise, a web summit conference due to be held in March in Hong Kong, was cancelled before Christmas for reasons unrelated to the coronavirus.

Factory closures in China caused by the outbreak are straining global manufacturing supply chains, while in Ireland the exported services are seeing disruption. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva yesterday called on governments and central banks to work on a response to the outbreak once the impact becomes clear.
After Michael and Kyly Clarke called time on their seven-year marriage last week, the rumour mill ran hot that the marriage of another cricket superstar was also on the rocks.

Ellyse Perrys appearance at the Australian Cricket Awards in Melbourne last Monday night  where she won the Belinda Clark award for the third year running  without her wedding ring appeared to confirm long-running speculation that she had split from her rugby-playing husband Matt Toomua. She did not mention Toomua, who plays for the Rebels, in her acceptance speech and she has unfollowed him on Instagram.

Ellyse Perry with her Belinda Clark Award at the event last week. Credit:Getty Images

However, the couple insist theyre still very much together.

"While we both currently live with demanding schedules and responsibilities related to the nature of our careers, we are committed to our relationship and refute any claims to the contrary," the pair said in a statement to Emerald City. "We have a strong love and respect for one another and any report that our marriage has ended is incorrect."
Most of us have seen the disturbing video footage of a South Carolina school police officer throwing a student across a classroom. The video was captured by another students cellphone camera. If it were not for the cellphone video, this incident could have gone unchecked or written off as just another student/law enforcement confrontation in a classroom.

Because the majority of schools do not have video surveillance systems in the classroom to record discipline incidences, the number and frequency of incidents like this that go unchecked in classrooms across the country remain unknown.

The San Diego Unified School District serves more than 132,000 students and is the second largest district in California. There are more than 225 educational facilities with more than 13,500 employees. Nearly 6,000 teachers are in classrooms at the districts various educational facilities, which include traditional elementary schools, K-8 schools, traditional middle schools, high schools, charter schools and alternative schools. San Diego Unified School District is such a large district that it has its own police department, and with so many students and teachers it is impossible for administrators to know what is going on in every classroom.

The debate over placing cameras in the classroom has gone on for some time, but now with technology being more cost-effective, less intrusive and requiring less wiring, cameras in the classroom should be given serious consideration by our local school districts.

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Cameras in the classroom could serve several purposes. They would allow law enforcement the ability to monitor every room from one central location. This capability would increase law enforcements ability to respond more effectively in the event of a school shooting, school lockdown or student hostage situation. Cameras in the classroom would also help school administrators monitor teaching and learning in the classroom, and the mere fact that behavior is being monitored via cameras may help teachers with classroom management. Cameras in the classroom might persuade everyone to behave more appropriately and encourage mutual respect between students and teachers. Video footage could also be shared with parents to demonstrate a students positive and negative behaviors in the classroom.

We use video cameras to protect our homes, our banks, our pets and even our grocery stores, but not our children  who spend over 35 hours a week in school classrooms. Cameras will protect the safety of both students and teachers. A video recording could be the one thing that saves a teachers job when there are false accusations of misbehavior, and could protect a student from a teacher who is abusing them verbally, emotionally or even physically.

When body video cameras were implemented by the San Diego Police Department, complaints against officers fell 23 percent between July 2014 and June 2015. Misunderstandings of discipline issues between students and teachers are common and school administrators are usually the ones who are left to sort out the details and conduct an investigation. Video footage would reduce the amount of time spent investigating wrongful claims, freeing up administrators to be instructional leaders on campus, not internal affairs investigators. Cameras in the classroom could also help to ensure students are being protected from bullying or harm by other students.

For those worried about privacy, the camera data and controls could be kept in the principals office and be only accessible by school district authorized personnel. To ensure privacy, cameras would not be linked to the Internet for anyone to access or hack into. As we have seen multiple times, video surveillance is already being captured by students in the classroom, but often the actions by students and teachers leading up to an event are not recorded. I recommend that the San Diego Unified School District outfit at least one school to see if cameras in the classroom are an effective way to ensure learning in a safe environment for both teacher and student.

Powell has served as a teacher, vice principal and a dean of students with San Diego Unified School District. He is professor at National Universitys School of Teacher Education and a small-business owner.
Back in September I wrote a column about the coming flu season. I warned about the very serious threat of a new virus emerging and causing a pandemic.

It wasnt a case of if, I said, but when.

So will Covid-19, the coronavirus infection that has been devastating China, turn out to be a pandemic  a disease that sweeps the globe causing widespread death and destruction? It is too early to say, but it is certainly beginning to look that way.

Like many of the worst viral outbreaks of recent years, such as Sars, Mers and ebola, Covid-19 almost certainly originated in bats. The thing about bats is when they get infected, their bodies mount a particularly rapid and fierce immune response.

This protects them against infections, but it also means that the viruses that manage to get a foothold have learnt how to reproduce quickly in a very hostile environment.

So when these viruses jump from bats to other animal species, including humans, they are battle-hardened and not only capable of reproducing swiftly but also highly transmissible.

Will Covid-19, the coronavirus infection that has been devastating China, turn out to be a pandemic  a disease that sweeps the globe causing widespread death and destruction? It is too early to say, but it is certainly beginning to look that way. (Above, a residential area in Beijing is disinfected on Saturday)

Although many coronaviruses start in bats, they typically come to us via other creatures.

Sars, for example, which killed ten per cent of those infected, reached humans via the Asian palm civet (a cat-sized mammal). Mers, which killed one in three, came via camels.

We dont know for certain which animal, if any, acted as an intermediary for Covid-19, but the best candidate is a creature called the pangolin  a scaly, ant-eating animal which, despite being endangered, is still heavily used in Chinese traditional medicine.

Could malaria drugs help battle against this bug?

Covid-19 has killed more than 1,500 people and has the potential, in theory, to kill at least 50 million more. Thats roughly how many died from Spanish flu a century ago.

Like other forms of flu, the new virus spreads through coughs, sneezes and close contact.

But what makes it different from normal influenza is that it is brand new, so few people will be resistant.

And here's how to wash your hands... properly You have to use soap and water, and you should wash your hands for about 20 seconds, making sure to rub the tips and get into the gaps between the fingers. Much less than 20 seconds will be ineffective, much more will risk damaging your skin. One way to estimate 20 seconds is to sing the whole of the Happy Birthday To You song, twice. You have to use soap and water, and you should wash your hands for about 20 seconds, making sure to rub the tips and get into the gaps between the fingers. One way to estimate 20 seconds is to sing the whole of the Happy Birthday To You song, twice It is especially important that you wash your hands when you come in from mixing with others and when you are about to eat. If you cant wash your hands, then alcohol wipes and those hand gels you get from pharmacies are better than nothing, but they are certainly not as good. We can only hope that, like Sars, Covid-19 fizzles out before becoming a full-blown pandemic. Im not optimistic. Advertisement

That said, most people who get infected experience something mild, more like a cold. It is only when it turns into pneumonia that you are at serious risk of dying.

The current best guess is that it will kill about one per cent of the people who get it, making it considerably less lethal than Sars.

Our best long-term hope is a vaccine, which most experts agree is at least 18 months away from being available. But a couple of existing drugs could help.

There is, for example, an antiviral called remdesivir, originally developed to combat ebola.

Last week the New England Journal Of Medicine reported the case of an American who had recently come back from China and who was diagnosed with Covid-19. Showing signs of developing pneumonia, he was put on remdesivir and within 24 hours he had started to get better.

Tests done in the lab have shown that both remdesivir and chloroquine, a common anti-malarial drug, are very effective against this particular coronavirus.

But more tests need to be done before either is widely used.

Don't become a super-spreader

The rate at which a virus spreads leads to it being given a basic reproduction number, usually abbreviated to R0. This virus appears to have an R0 of 2.6, which means that, on average, each person who gets it gives it to 2.6 others.

But there are some people who become infected only mildly, and then pass it on to lots of others.

They are known as super-spreaders, and Steve Walsh, a British businessman who last week was revealed to have infected at least 11 people, is a good example.

As well as super-spreaders, who are infected but dont know it, others rapidly develop major symptoms which cause them to sneeze and cough vigorously.

By the time they do something about their cold, they have spread their viruses everywhere.

Many seem to be convinced that wearing a fabric face mask  like those worn by surgeons in operating theatres  is the answer to reducing this spread. But I wouldnt bother.

Many seem to be convinced that wearing a fabric face mask  like those worn by surgeons in operating theatres  is the answer to reducing this spread. But I wouldnt bother

If you are infected theres a small chance that wearing a mask will stop you spreading to others  and perhaps protect you if someone coughs directly in your face.

But as soon as that happens, you have to get rid of the mask right away. A dirty, damp mask is worse than useless.

The best defence is far simpler, and cheaper: proper hand-washing. Most of us already know this, but few people bother doing it properly, probably because we cant actually see germs on our hands.

Meet my hand hygiene hero

One of my medical heroes is Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, a Hungarian doctor, who showed more than 170 years ago how important hand-washing can be.

In the 1840s he was working in a hospital in Vienna and noticed a greater number of pregnant women were dying of puerperal fever  also known as childbed fever  in the wards where they were being looked after by medical staff, rather than by midwives.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR MOSLEY? Email drmosley@mailonsunday.co.uk or write to him at The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT. Dr Mosley can only answer in a general context and cannot give personal replies. Advertisement

He decided this was because the medics would come straight from the morgue, where they had been examining corpses, to the bedside, where they would do intimate, internal examinations on their female patients.

Although this was well before we knew about the existence of microscopic germs, Semmelweis was convinced the doctors must be carrying something on their hands.

He insisted they wash their hands in a chlorinated lime solution, and death rates from puerperal fever soon fell dramatically.

But his fellow doctors regarded hand-washing as faddish and resented the implication that they were killing their patients.

So they ganged up and had him removed.

One of my medical heroes is Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis (pictured), a Hungarian doctor, who showed more than 170 years ago how important hand-washing can be

Poor Semmelweis had a mental breakdown and was taken to an asylum, where he died from an infection at the age of 47, after being beaten up by his guards.

Years later his claims about the importance of hand-washing were widely accepted.

Depressingly, even now studies have shown that only about 70 per cent of people wash their hands after going to the toilet.

And of those who do, only 50 per cent use soap and water for the recommended 20 seconds.

Researchers calculated that if we could simply boost hand-washing at airports to triple the current rates (studies show just one traveller in five has clean hands), this would slow the spread of diseases such as coronavirus by up to 70 per cent.

The moral of the story is that the best way to protect yourself and the rest of your family is to wash your hands, particularly if you have been in a crowded space like an airport or railway station, where you might have picked something up.
DTMMS Students of the Red Lodge Program describe it as the ceremonial guidebook to spiritual growth. This program combines some of the greatest wisdom from various ancient traditions in a useful way for our contemporary world. You will not find these teachings anywhere else.

Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society (DTMMS)

In this world of New Age everything, it is very hard to separate fact from fiction. Sometimes, the old ways just might be the right spiritual path. In any event, tradition should at least get a vote when you are looking for a path to pursue. One such path that has withstood the test of time and has a global student body is the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path supported and taught through the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society (DTMMS). Through traditional teachings and ceremonies, the vision of DTMMS is to inspire beauty, excellence and knowledge so that all people gain direct access to peace, happiness and a higher sense of purpose.

The Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society (DTMMS) is home to the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path and seeks to transform the experience of all life through empowerment, hope and inspiration. Spiritual seekers who attend DTMMS programs discover how to make a difference in the world through personal growth.

Sacred Law School & the 30 Sacred Laws: What is it?

What can we learn from the 30 Sacred Laws? From the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path, it is said that these Laws teach us to hear the spirit of natures voice and to learn from natures guidance. They are an adventure into discovering your truth, values, and bottom-line principlescreating the foundation for a true dharmic lifestyle in alignment with nature. There is a special emphasis on learning to apply the Laws to your relationship with yourself, others, and Spirit. The result is that you become a healthy cell in Great Spirits body.

Sacred Law School provides a unique container in which to explore concepts and knowledge that works within the Sweet Medicine SunDance path. The weekends include teachings, group workings, ceremony, personal time and camaraderie in beautiful locations.

Claudia van Corva, Ph.D. and Joerg van Corva, M.A., blend spiritual teachings from the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path with their backgrounds in chemistry, critical thinking, and philosophy. The Sacred Law School workshop is offered in Phoenix, Chicago, Toronto, Germany and Australia. Visit https://dtmms.org/programs/sacred-law-school/ or http://www.sacredlaws.org for more information.

Red Lodge Longhouse 2020 - Open Enrollment

The Red Lodge Longhouse Program, offered by DTMMS, provides teachings that are designed for self-growth and a personal journey into ones undiscovered self. Students of the Red Lodge Program describe it as the ceremonial guidebook to spiritual growth. This program combines some of the greatest wisdom from various ancient traditions in a useful way for our contemporary world. You will not find these teachings anywhere else.

The program helps you find your own spiritual expansion in ways you can apply in your life and to the greater community. The Red Lodge Program offers the tools to ground your spirituality into your lifestyle and teaches you how to be part of the solution instead of the problem. Red Lodge is the experience of magic, matrix, and potential for harmony.

The Red Lodge Longhouse meets six or seven times over a 12-month period  once every other month for six weekends and an additional week that includes a full ceremonial experience in nature. Dont miss it. The first session in Arizona starts Friday, February 21st.

Visit https://dtmms.org/programs/red-lodge/ for more information. Contact Debra Laughlin at shiningfox@cox.net or 602-799-8564

Desert Dreaming - A Womans Retreat: March 5th - 8th

Dont miss these magical, peaceful, and enriching teachings on the feminine at a special location in the heart of Scottsdale for three days of natural beauty, creativity, empowerment, renewing ceremony, and dreaming.

This yearly residential retreat is designed to allow women to dream together and renew their bonds of sisterhood. In this workshop, participants drum, sing, and do ceremony in nature together, as well as receive teachings about the feminine from the Sweet Medicine SunDance Path.

The Star Nation Dreamers Sisterhood in Phoenix sponsors this yearly event. Barbara Brachi, the lead facilitator & teacher, is an internationally renowned instructor who will guide the participants into the Dreaming. The Desert Dreaming workshop is March 5-8th in Scottsdale Arizona. For more information, visit https://dtmms.org/events/

Friends of the Deer Tribe

The Friends of the Deer Tribe is a new outreach program available to the public and is designed for introductory teachings, products, and information about the various programs offered by DTMMS. Some of these programs include Rites of Passage, LongHouse programs, healing ceremonies, physical mastery classes, community ceremonies, and enhanced relationship workshops. For more information, go to https://friendsofthedeertribe.org.

More About DTMMS

Visit dtmms.org to learn about 2020 events around the world including womens retreats, martial arts seminars, and ceremonial programs in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia. Go to https://twitter.com/DeerTribe and https://www.facebook.com/DTMMS/ for more details about DTMMS.
My Kitchen Rules most controversial contestants Sonya Mefaddi and Hadil Faiza have broken their silence on their infamous exit from the show.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Sonya said MKR: The Rivals terrible ratings 'serves them right' after the pair were infamously axed from the series in 2018.

Speaking after their TV gag order was lifted on Saturday, Sonya slammed the show's producers for 'causing drama' in their season and painting the pair as 'villains'.

Speaking out: Sonya Mefaddi (left) and Hadil Faiza (right) have broken their silence on the new season, following a string of dismal ratings. The pair were controversially kicked out of the show in 2018 following accusations they bullied other contestants

'I signed up to be part of a cooking show,' Sonya said, adding that she didn't expect it to be so produced and was shocked that producers only wanted drama.

MKR had just 422,000 metro viewers on Tuesday night, while Married At First Sight had an audience of 1.178 million.

'It serves them right,' she added. 'The cause of MKR ratings dropping is simply the effect of the producers' wrong doings.'

Drama: Last year, an astonishing 2.389 million viewers tuned in to see Sonya and her BFF Hadil booted from My Kitchen Rules for 'bullying' behaviour

After the show, Hadil revealed she was diagnosed with severe PTSD, depression and anxiety.

The two were famously booted out of the competition by judges Manu Fieldel and Pete Evans, after a dinner party showdown with rivals Jess Alvial and Emma Byron, known as the 'Botox sisters'.

Tensions reached fever pitch when Sonya and Hadil made unkind remarks about Jess and Emma's physical appearance, leading Manu and Pete to kick them off the show.

An astonishing 2.39 million viewers tuned in to watch the argument take place.

A new twist! An e-mail from Manu Fieldel said he and Pete had to follow the orders of Channel Seven's executive decision, and said they believed the pair could have won the competition

In the same interview, the pair also revealed never-before-seen emails from the judges, in which Manu said he and Pete were 'upset' with the way the women exited.

A message from Manu said he and Pete had to follow Channel Seven's executive decision, adding that they believed the pair could have won the competition if they'd stayed.

'It was a shame the way things ended the way they did and I only have good memories of you being part of the competition,' Pete wrote to Sonya.

'I only have good memories of you being part of the competition': In secret leaked emails, Pete and Manu said Sonya and Hadil would've WON My Kitchen Rules if they hadn't been kicked off

'We truly enjoyed working with you,' Manu added. 'The sad thing is we do believe you could have won this competition.'

Daily Mail Australia have contacted a representative for Channel Seven for comment.

Their interview comes after MKR: The Rivals judge Colin Fassnidge revealed he thought the drama involving the two women was the beginning of the end for Seven's once-unbeatable cooking show.

Nail in the coffin? My Kitchen Rules continues to struggle in the ratings, with this season raking in its lowest ever ratings. Pictured: Pete Evans (left) Colin Fassnidge (centre) and Manu Feildel (right)

The Irish chef, 46, told The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Thursday that the bullying saga involving Sonya and Hadil turned viewers off.

'I think we're getting crucified for a little incident a couple of years ago with Sonya and Hadil. Remember they got kicked out?' he said.

'The drama went through the roof and a lot of people got turned off,' he added.
An assistant principal in a Missouri school was sentenced to two years probation after she was charged with raping and sodomizing a 16-year-old student.

Elizabeth Beth Giesler, 40, was fired from her job as assistant principal at Ste. Genevieve Middle School in Ste. Genevieve Township in eastern Missouri, about 45 miles south of St. Louis, in May 2018.

She was arrested and charged with three counts of sexual contact with a student, three counts of statutory sodomy in the second degree, and two counts of statutory rape in the second degree.

This week, however, Giesler was given unsupervised probation as part of a deal with prosecutors in which she entered an Alford plea to one count of second-degree harassment.

As part of the plea bargain, Giesler is required to surrender all of her teaching credentials, according to Daily Journal.

Had the case gone to trial and resulted in a conviction on all counts, Giesler could have faced a maximum of more than 30 years in prison.

Elizabeth Beth Giesler, 40, agreed to forfeit her teaching certificate and promise never to teach again in Missouri in exchange for two years of unsupervised probation

When a defendant enters an Alford plea, they acknowledge that there was enough evidence to find them guilty should the case go to trial. An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a 16-year-old student at Gieslers former school told investigators that she performed a sex act on him at her home sometime between April 7 and 8 of 2018.

The student told authorities that they engaged in sexual intercourse and sex acts twice between April and May. These alleged encounters also took place in her home.

The boy was staying with Giesler and her family at their residence. A friend of the boy told school officials that he revealed the sexual contact with Giesler.

Ste. Genevieve County Prosecuting Attorney Wayne Williams said that initially the boy denied having any sexual contact with Giesler.

He said that several factors weighed into his decision to agree to a plea bargain.

As a prosecuting attorney, Im considering several things, said Williams.

Number one was the fact that the defendant doesnt have any prior criminal history whatsoever.

I also took into consideration in extending this recommendation on misdemeanor harassment that it was conditioned upon her giving up her teaching credentials, he said.

She was as assistant principal at Ste. Genevieve Middle School in Ste. Genevieve Township in eastern Missouri when police say she had at least three sexual encounters with a 16-year-old boy

And part of my thinking on that was, OK, Im trying to help this victim and looking at helping other potential victims if she remained in her employment status.

I think that it was a priority for me as a prosecuting attorney looking at other potential victims she might encounter.

Williams said that the odds of Giesler harming another child are slim since she will never be allowed to teach in Missouri again.

Some people might not understand the bargain that was struck in this case unless they really understand what she had to give up voluntarily to get that bargain, Williams said.

He added: That was basically her livelihood, and she had to surrender that.
A man has been charged with serial grooming after allegedly meeting teenage females for sex over Snapchat.

But cops believe they have only scratched the surface in their investigation into Andrew Forsythe, a court has been told.

Forsythe (22) appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court on Saturday where he was remanded into custody on eight underage sex charges and one of causing grievous bodily harm.

They include inciting a female under 16 to engage in sexual activity, sexual activity with a female under 16, making an indecent image and possession of an indecent image of a female under 16.

All are dated between February 12 and 13 and concern four female teenagers aged 14 and 15.

The charge of grievous bodily harm relates to Forsythe allegedly breaking the thumb of a stepfather of one of the girls when he confronted him in her bedroom.

Opposing bail for the Carrickfergus man, a police officer told the court they were alerted by a stepfather of one of the teenagers.

According to the girl, Forsythe pretended to be a 16-year-old boy and began sending her sexual messages, then sexual images before asking her to engage in sex acts via a live camera.

He also allegedly asked her to send him sexual images of her and performed a sex act while she in her school uniform.

The girl then agreed to meet Forsythe for sex at the Forestside shopping centre in south Belfast.

In the case of another teen he went to her fathers home while he was out and spent two hours there and tried to kiss her before the girls friends arrived.

The friends pointed out to her that Forsythe was not 16 before getting her father who came and told him to leave.

Forsythe told him he wasnt leaving without his girlfriend and when the man stepped towards the bed Forsythe allegedly grabbed his thumb and fractured it in three places.

The officer told the court there were two other cases of a similar nature but added that when they get access to his phones and laptop they believe there will be many more possible victims.

He added their investigation had identified potential offences dating back to 2017 but in four separate interviews Forsythe gave no comment throughout.

The officer added that Forsythe has not provided investigating officers with the PIN or passwords to devices.

Forsythes solicitor said if he was granted bail to his parents house he would have no access to any internet capable devices.

He said he came from a strong family unit and was on bail throughout the investigation.

Giving evidence in support of the bail application, Forsythes father told the court his son takes medication but when doesnt he is a different person.

He also said that he once reported his son to police in 2017 on suspicion of inappropriate behaviour and asked them to lock him away for a night.

When asked by the prosecution lawyer if he was blaming his sons alleged offending on him not taking his medication he replied no.

Refusing bail the district judge said he could not release Forsythe due to fears of reoffending.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday asked people of Lucknow to make efforts to keep the Gomti river clean.

"The government is making efforts at its level to clean the Gomti river. People here should also be aware of this so that we could restore the river to its old form," the CM said addressing a function at King George Medical University.

Addressing the gathering, he said, "Water is life. We should make an effort to create awareness about the purity of water."



Referring to the Namami Gange project, the CM said when he visited the Ganga along with NDRF personnel during floods, soldiers told him that four years ago they used to get red rashes on their body while touring the river for rescue operations but the situation had changed now.

The CM said the Swachh Bharat Mission has reduced diseases and due to this, there is a sharp decline in cases of encephalitis in Gorakhpur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jayden Svitak's life has made a dramatic turn for the better since Jack came into his life.

Jack, a blue heeler, or as officially categorized by the American Kennel Club, an Australian Cattle Dog, was prescribed to Jayden by his doctor nearly two years ago.

Everything from mood, attitude, focus and basic quality of life has improved dramatically for Jayden since Jack, a trained service dog, became part of the Svitak family a year-and-a-half ago.

But, Jack also became the fourth family dog when he entered the household in August 2018 - a number that technically violates Columbus city code.

As a result, the Columbus Police Department has informed the Svitaks that they face potential fines if the number of dogs in the home remains at four.

The Svitaks said they believe because of Jack's status as a service dog, he either doesn't fit the parameters of the code, or if his existence does in fact exceed the limit, an exception must be applied because of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The family received a letter from the Columbus Police Department on Friday dated Feb. 12 and signed by Chief Charles Sherer giving the Svitaks 10 days to comply with the city ordinance.

The letter states that on Feb. 24, the department will visit the home for inspection. If the family is determined to be non-compliant, a uniform citation will be issued, a court date set and the matter forwarded to the county attorney for prosecution.

"Its very overwhelming. It feels completely unfair. Were not sure what to do," said Katrina Svitak, Jayden's mother. "Me and my husband are stressed to the max because were not sure what to do next. All we want to do is protect our son and give him what he needs. It feels like were fighting a losing battle, or at least, a never-ending one."

Jayden had always displayed some symptoms of anti-social behavior from birth, but it became most apparent in kindergarten and as he progressed into grade school. He was eventually diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

In the spring of 2018, Jayden's doctor prescribed a service dog to help manage and control his anxiety. With three dogs already in the household, and mindful of the city ordinance limiting household dogs to three, the Svitaks contacted Animal Control and then-officer Shawn Flowers.

Katrina alleged Flowers informed her that because they would be acquiring a service dog, so long as the dog was licensed and followed an immunization schedule, there would be no violation of city code.

So, the Svitaks acquired Jack for $500 and had him trained. For Jayden, everything changed.

"During anxiety attacks, Jack puts pressure on (Jayden), which helps control the attacks. Jack lays on Jayden on the couch or the bed or the floor. He can sense when the attacks are coming. He knows before we do," Katrina said. "His behavior has drastically gotten better. His anxiety attacks have decreased greatly. His grades and life at school have drastically improved. He went from being a problem child at school to being one of the best kids in school."

Flowers then resigned from his post in May and moved to Omaha. In December, Katrina said a neighbor called in a complaint that the Svitaks were exceeding the dog limit.

Katrina alleged though she explained to a handful of Columbus Police officers that the dog was protected under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), one officer told her the city doesn't recognize service dogs and required proof of certification. Another officer, she said, indicated the city would not make accommodations for the family to exceed the city code.

Asking for a service dog's documentation is not allowed by the ADA.

In mid-December, the family found a temporary home for Jack when an initial deadline was set to comply with the ordinance. Jack was back in the house on Jan. 22 while the city decided to again review the matter, but, Katrina said Animal Control came by on Tuesday.

She contacted Chief Sherer, who she claimed advised no accommodation would be made, then the letter came on Friday.

The letter set the Feb. 24 deadline and stated: "(City Attorney) Mr. (Neal) Valorz is not prohibiting your ADA Service Animal, but the service animal by definition is a dog and is subject to the number of dogs that are allowed on residential properties per City Ordinance."

Additionally, the letter stated that the family has four dogs, and since the other three are not ADA service dogs, Katrina would have to select which two of the three will remain in the house, forcing a removal of one of the family's three chihuahuas.

"Those two dogs," the letter stated, "in conjunction with your ADA service animal will be three dogs; the maximum allowed by City Ordinance."

City Administrator Tara Vasicek, Interim Support Division Commander Sgt. Bret Strecker, CST/Animal Control Officer Michelle Opplinger and Elizabeth Lay from the Platte County Attorney's Office were copied on the letter.

Information provided by the ADA online disagrees with the city's opinion that Jack is, by definition, a dog. Louis House, a housing investigator with the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission, explained as much.

"If someone is saying that you have four animals, and one of those animals is a service animal, they would be incorrect," House said. "There would only be three animals and one service dog, and that service dog is always considered an employee because any time they have that service animal jacket on, or they are around their owner, they're working."

Were Jack an emotional support animal, he would not qualify, and thus not be a service dog. But because he is trained to sense and spot Jayden's anxiety attacks, and either prevent the attacks or lessen the impact, he qualifies as a service animal.

So what exactly does one of Jayden's attacks look like?

"He basically shuts down completely. He doesnt talk to anybody. He starts pulling out his hair," Katrina said. "He justcompletely shuts down and withdraws inside himself. Its hard to get him back out."

Because Jack is trained for exactly that, House said he cannot, and should not, be counted simply as a dog.

"Just by doing that job alone, again, it is a worker and not an animal," he said. "It doesn't have to be something that's a 24-hour service thing. It could just be the dog warns of something or perceives something coming on just by being able to sniff pheromones, different hormones, different things like that.

The Telegram contacted Valorz's office on Friday afternoon for a reaction to House's comments but he could not be reached.

Katrina said she got in touch with Jayden's doctor, but he didn't have any way to help. The family has also tried various attorneys in town but she said none will take the case, citing a lack of experience with ADA cases.

Meanwhile, Jayden has suffered through a yo-yo of emotions over the past month when the family moved Jack to a temporary home and then brought him back.

"Basically, we slid back a year in all of his progress," Katrina said. "It was horrible for him."

There is a lawyer in Lincoln that might be able to help, but the Svitaks said they can't necessarily afford the representation.

Following the arrival of the letter, Katrina wrote up her own letter she plans to mail to the city requesting an accommodation. She pointed out that once the family's 12-year-old chihuahua passes away, the city ordinance would no longer apply.

She also acknowledged her requirement to keep Jack licensed and up-to-date on shots and offered to provide a copy of the physician's service animal recommendation and proof of the impact Jack has had on Jayden's life.

At this point though, it seems the city has made the other three dogs the issue. What counts and what doesn't count may have to be sorted out in front of a judge.

"(The dog) can be there for that reason, but again, they're working. That's the key thing with a service animal, you can't consider it an animal, because whenever you see it, most of the time, it's working," House said. "It has to be looked at as a worker or an employee."

Nate Tenopir is the sports editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at sports@columbustelegram.com.

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Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Saturday extended his support to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over his "decision" to transfer the Bhima-Koregaon case to the central government.

"There are differences over the issue between Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar over this.But, I welcome this decision of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray," he told ANI here.

Yesterday, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had said that the Maharashtra government's alleged decision to transfer the Bhima-Koregaon case to the Centre is "constitutionally wrong" as the investigation of crime falls under state's jurisdiction.

On January 1, 2018, violence had erupted during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle.

One person lost his life while several others were injured in the incident. Police had filed 58 cases against 162 people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has dropped its objections to a Commerce Department proposal to further restrict U.S. technology sales to Chinese telecom giant Huawei, raising the odds that the proposals will advance, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Department of Defense had previously opposed Commerce's recommendation, saying it would ultimately hurt U.S. semiconductor companies, which the Pentagon relies on to help produce cutting-edge military tech.

But after pressure from Commerce officials and members of Congress, the Pentagon has reversed course, according to the people familiar with the government discussions, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential matters.

The proposal is expected to be discussed again at a Feb. 28 cabinet-level meeting.

"DoD supports a collaborative interagency process that allows the facts and concerns of all parties to be heard before adopting potential major regulatory changes," said Sue Gough, a Pentagon spokesperson. "We will have nothing to provide until that process has concluded and a decision on this issue has been made."

One person familiar with the discussions said the Treasury Department still has some objections to Commerce's proposals. Treasury officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Trump administration has spent months attempting to block Huawei's growth as a large seller of telecom network equipment and cell phones. The White House calls Huawei a security risk, saying China's ruling Communist Party could tap Huawei equipment installed overseas to spy on the West - allegations Huawei denies.

Frustrated that U.S. actions don't seem to have derailed Huawei's business, the Commerce Department recently proposed tightening the crackdown on the Chinese company.

Last year, the U.S. added Huawei to a trade blacklist, which banned exports from the U.S. to the Chinese company. Some companies skirted that rule by exporting chips and other components to Huawei from their overseas facilities.

The Commerce Department now wants to close that loophole by tightening regulations on the overseas shipments. Currently, foreign-made components may be sold to Huawei if they contain up to 25 percent American content that is governed by export controls. Commerce wants to lower that limit to 10 percent.

The Pentagon and semiconductor industry last month objected to Commerce's idea, saying it would further deprive U.S. tech companies of sales and undermine their research and development.

Huawei has been a large buyer of U.S. components for years, saying it spent $11 billion on U.S. technology in 2018, before the export ban. Since the ban, Huawei says it has shifted some of its component buying to companies in other countries and has scrambled to produce more of its own chips and other parts.

Some in the tech industry fear the ban will cause a wide swathe of Chinese buyers to shift purchases away from U.S. chip makers, which have traditionally dominated the industry, claiming about half the global market.

The Trump administration "may not like the fact that China is more than a third of American chip revenue, but there's no alternative to it and without it we simply will not be competitive," said one semiconductor-industry executive who opposes the Commerce proposal.

"We continue to urge the administration to not pursue counterproductive policies that ultimately do nothing but harm U.S. semiconductor leadership, which is critical to national security and the broader economy," John Neuffer, chief executive of the Semiconductor Industry Association, said Friday.

After the Pentagon objected, the Commerce Department's director of policy, Earl Comstock, urged Pentagon officials including Under Secretary for Policy John Rood to change their minds, one person familiar with the deliberations said.

Three Republican senators and China hawks also wrote to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper asking for an explanation on the Pentagon's reported objections.

"Huawei is an arm of the Chinese Communist Party and should be treated as such," Sens. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marco Rubio of Florida wrote in their Jan. 24 letter.

On Friday, Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., proposed legislation that mirrors the Commerce proposal, cutting to 10 percent the amount of American content a foreign-made product may contain if it is to be sold to a blacklisted company.

"Companies in the United States should not be allowed to sell to Huawei, and my legislation will further restrict their ability," the senator said in a statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 13:56:46|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Most of the capital goods monitored by the government posted lower prices in early February compared with the previous 10 days, official data showed.

Of the 50 major goods monitored by the government, including seamless steel tubes, gasoline, coal, fertilizer and some chemicals, 26 saw their prices fall from Feb. 1 to 10, while seven posted higher prices, and the prices of 17 were unchanged, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The price of live pigs went up 2.4 percent, while that of liquefied natural gas fell 3.3 percent.

The reading, released every 10 days, is based on a survey of nearly 1,700 wholesalers and distributors in 24 provincial-level regions.
Bogota, Colombia  Families of young men extrajudicially killed by Colombias army in what is known as the false positives scandal accused former army chief Mario Montoya this week of making a mockery of them and of withholding key information behind the widespread execution of civilians that resulted in at least 2,248 dead.

In a widely anticipated multi-day hearing that started on Wednesday, the retired general was expected to disclose new details about the false positives scandal. For decades, the Colombian army killed civilians, dressed them in rebel fatigues, and recorded their deaths as enemy combat kills to inflate body counts and support claims that they were winning the war against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Montoyas testimony has been seen as an important step towards truth and reconciliation as Colombia struggles to establish long-lasting peace after a 52-year-old armed conflict.

Rights groups believe Montoya is the key to uncovering how high up the command chain knowledge of these crimes went and whether former President Juan Manuel Santos and Senator Alvaro Uribe, the defence minister and president respectively at the height of the false positives scandal, were involved. Santos went on to be awarded the Nobel peace prize for his efforts in establishing the landmark 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC.

Protesters hold a sign outside the JEP with the photos of some of the victims of the false positives scandal [Christina Noriega/Al Jazeera]

Colombias peace tribunal, a transitional court system created from the 2016 peace deal to investigate atrocities committed during the armed conflict, called on Montoya to share his account after 11 military members testified against him.

But on the first day of hearings, Montoya initially told judges he would invoke his right to remain silent. After a brief recess, the judges proceeded to ask questions related to an attorney generals investigation and accusations made by other military members, but lawyers for the families say he denied any involvement or knowledge of the crimes and answered questions vaguely.

The way Mario Montoya answered the questions was another way to remain silent, said German Romero, a victims lawyer who was present during the hearing. The peace tribunal says he answered each one of their questions, but those answers contribute absolutely nothing to the truth.

During the second day, victims protested when Montoya reportedly told the court that the soldiers poor backgrounds were at the root of the crimes, arguing that the army needed more men from higher social classes to prevent these cases from continuing.

They were very poor and ignorant soldiers that didnt understand the difference between results and casualties and thats why they committed these crimes, Montoya is reported to have said.

Hurtful

Ana Paez, whose 32-year-old son was killed in 2008, said the only thing Montoya did was to make a mockery of us.

Its been really hurtful to hear all this without being able to say anything, she told Al Jazeera.

Former commander of the Colombian Army General Mario Montoya leaves a hearing at the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) court in Bogota, Colombia [File: Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters]

Eight military men, including one colonel, were found guilty of her sons murder and later granted conditional freedom when they transferred their cases to the peace tribunal.

We need to know the truth, this doesnt end here, she said.

Montoyas statements have again fuelled concerns among victims families that the retired general, the highest-ranking official to appear before the court, may attempt to get off with a lighter sentence and other benefits offered by the peace tribunal without complying with his obligation to contribute to the truth.

Victims rights groups called on the court to take action in response to Montoyas delay strategy and refusal to make real contributions to the truth.

The Special Peace Jurisdiction (JEP) said it would consider the victims request to either expel Montoya from the tribunal or to initiate a judicial procedure that could result in a 20-year prison sentence. If the court decides the former, Montoyas case may face charges in the ordinary justice system that could carry a 40-year sentence.

Accusations against Montoya

Reports of extrajudicial killings peaked from 2006 to 2008, when Montoya led the army as chief commander. Military officials have testified that Montoya verbally pressured officials to increase combat kills. Military units that reported high body counts were also rewarded with holiday time and promotions. According to the Attorney Generals Office, at least 2,248 people were killed from 1988 to 2014, although rights groups say the number could be far higher.

Testifying before the peace tribunal, one retired colonel, Gabriel de Jesus Amado, said that Montoya demanded litres and tanks of blood, making it clear to officers that he required combat kills and not captures. He also accused Montoya of suggesting he take injured men from the operation table, dress them as rebels, and present them as combat kills in 2005.

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 44 men were allegedly killed by 4th Brigade troops while now-retired Montoya commanded it from 2001 to 2003. The Attorney Generals Office also investigated Montoya for eight false positive cases and concluded in one report that the general failed to sufficiently implement control mechanisms during his leadership and ignored external and internal warnings that could have curbed extrajudicial killings.

If we knew the truth, then these crimes wouldn't happen again. Jeider Ospino, a former Colombian soldier

Montoya denied these claims during his testimony this week, adding that former military members had testified against him in retaliation for having fired them when news of the scandal broke in 2008.

The JEP will cross-examine these statements with reports they have received from rights groups and the Attorney Generals Office.

According to Romero, the peace tribunal must also focus on its independent investigations.

If the JEP plans to work on the basis of trading confessions for benefits, then its going to be difficult to establish everything that happened, Romero said. I think the JEP forgets that its a criminal justice court and that it has to have a strong investigative component.

As Montoya spoke during the first day of this weeks hearing, Jeider Ospino, a former soldier who says he was fired for refusing to kill an underage rebel fighter in 2008, gathered outside the tribunal with victims families.

Ospina said it was important now more than to ever to stop these crimes and to prevent more families from suffering.

If we knew the truth, then these crimes wouldnt happen again, he said.
Julia Donaldson shouldnt have a worry in the world.

The 71-year-old is probably the most successful and loved childrens picture book author alive, worth a reported $50 million or so.

The Gruffalo's author Julia Donaldson. Credit:Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Her characters  the Gruffalo, Zog, the Highway Rat, the witch (and cat) from Room on the Broom  are instantly familiar to children, and her books rhythmic, witty verses are burned into the brains of parents around the world.

But she worries that along the way, she made a mistake. That, without realising it at the time, she made too many of her characters male, characters that had no reason to be any gender in particular.
Judge Maureen Ward Kirby declined to reinstate the measure while chastising Quinn for trying to enter documents into evidence that were not first considered by the Evanston electoral board, which is not allowed on appeal. She also criticized Quinn for trying to enter a new argument  that the Evanston election board was biased in its decision and should be reconstituted  through improper channels.
Foreign ministry urges Ankara to develop proper understanding of facts after Turkish presidents remarks on Kashmir.

India has told Turkey not to interfere in its internal affairs, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Indian-administrated Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region where tensions remain high since the Indian government stripped it of its limited autonomy last year.

In a statement cited by Indian media on Saturday, Raveesh Kumar, spokesman for the external affairs ministry, rejected all references to Jammu and Kashmir made in a joint declaration issued by Ankara and Islamabad following Erdogans visit to neighbouring Pakistan on Friday.

We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in Indias internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region, Kumar said, calling Kashmir an integral and inalienable part of India.

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During his trip to Islamabad, Erdogan said the suffering of the Kashmiri people had worsened in recent years due to the taking of unilateral steps.

This approach, which aggravates the current situation and revokes the freedom and vested rights of the Kashmiri people, benefits no one, he was quoted as saying by Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency.

The Kashmir problem can be solved not by conflict or oppression, but on the basis of justice and equity.

Both India and Pakistan claim the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir in full, but administer separate portions of it. The nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have fought two of their three wars over the region.

Tensions have remained high since India passed a constitutional amendment in August last year, revoking a special status and autonomy for Indian-administered Kashmir and absorbing it into the countrys governance mainstream.

Earlier in 2019, the two countries also fought a limited military conflict over Kashmir, conducting air attacks on each others territory.
Thirteen years ago, a young writer from Tyrone named Michelle Gallen published a short story, 'Double Tub', in literary journal The Stinging Fly. The story told of Conor, an overweight fish-and-chip-shop worker who makes revolting use, at the narrative climax, of an open tub of mayonnaise.

But ultimately it was a touching tale, written in a unique local vernacular, in which a hard-working boy living with the disappearance of his father contends with his alcoholic mother. It met the same fate as a lot of short stories, in that it found a small audience for a short time before becoming unavailable. But for the author the story endured.

"It wouldn't let go of me," says Gallen. "I felt this person had a lot more to say."

Conor became a girl, Majella; the story was expanded into a novel, and the result is now sitting on the table between the author and I.

Expand Close Author Michelle Gallen. Shot on location at the Mayson Hotel in Dublin. Picture: Arthur Carron. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Author Michelle Gallen. Shot on location at the Mayson Hotel in Dublin. Picture: Arthur Carron.

Big Girl, Small Town has caused a small stir already, even earning itself an annoying if rousing hashtag, #teammajella. The book's 13-year gestation makes comparisons with Derry Girls, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Milkman more coincidental than suspect (the novel has been described as Derry Girls meets Milkman). "I didn't watch Derry Girls quite deliberately until I finished the second draft of my second book," says Gallen.

It was a bumpy ride to publication, but then, nothing has been easy for the author whose life since the brain injury she suffered in her twenties has been marked by a struggle to recover and a work ethic that goes something like "work work work, until I fall over". Take for example the novel.

After publishing her story in The Stinging Fly, she took a month off to follow a NaNoWriMo (National Write a Novel in a Month) plan. She produced 70,000 words in 30 days, and the book took three more years to finish. It then took another 10 years to get it to the stage she is now at, with the book hitting shelves this month. "I really believed in the book, I thought it was good," says Gallen. "Interestingly, I got zero interest in Ireland. A standard 'no thanks'."

After much slog she sold the book at the Irish Novel Fair to John Murray, and found a literary agent in Marianne Gunn-O'Connor.

Written with 100 years of Partition in mind, there is an IRA uncle Bobby, a disappeared father and a murdered grandmother. The story follows Majella from her shifts at the chip shop to her telly binges with her dissolute mother to a surprising relationship with her married co-worker. (It gets very good indeed around page 27.) The autistic protagonist hates gossip and small talk, which makes her a fascinating medium through which to discover the whispering and traumatised small border town in which she lives. The book has a lot to say - but so does its author.

Gallen is drinking her fifth coffee of the day when we meet and she has a cold and hasn't slept. (After the interview, she came down with fever.) A petite person with shiny black eyes, she is intense and inquisitive. Before I've quite sat down she asks me who I like to read.

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"Edith Wharton?" she probes.

I confess that Edith Wharton is still just a name to me.

"You've got to read her," she tells me.

Other female authors paved the way for her, from Lisa McInerney to Fifty Shades of Grey author EL James, to fellow Northern Irish author Anna Burns - who she is in awe of, as you'll tell from the book's epigraph.

An "omnivore", she also counts Crazy Rich Asians and The Hunger Games among her spirit animals.

Gallen describes herself as "non-neurotypical".

"I have a brain injury. But I don't think I was neurotypical growing up, either. I had a photographic memory. I always felt I had to learn how this world works. You figure it out and learn the rules."

What happened? Reluctantly, she describes how, at 23, she got encephalitis, a rare brain injury "which is basically where your brain swells up and crushes itself".

Having left a "tough" background to study English at Trinity College and Publishing at Stirling, she was working in London. Her job as a financial writer involved "picking stocks randomly and saying, 'This is the best stock ever - you should buy it.' I wrote headlines for selling financial products. My absolute best-performing headline was '25 and don't have a pension yet?' Like in beauty magazines, you figure out what someone's weak point is and go for it."

She had gone so far past her own weak point she couldn't see it anymore, as I gather the more she reveals. What was she going through? "Really bad headaches, completely out-of-character behaviour." She tells me that she couldn't feel her hands and her feet weren't working properly.

"I was pretty wild and outrageous anyway so when my behaviour was deteriorating, people weren't that shocked," she adds.

She had just decided to leave her job, do a TEFL course and travel, and the future looked bright. She says something that would sound heartbreaking, had things turned out differently and she had not become the thriving person she has.

"I have this life that is very much a 'before' and 'after'. I can still feel the person that I was before, her potential, and energy," says Gallen, and her voice catches. "I'm never going to be that person again."

In hospital in London she got a diagnosis of "probable encephalitis". Back in Tyrone, her diagnosis was upgraded to "auto-immune encephalitis". A "slow descent", she says.

She had left London and come through the airport arrivals gate in a wheelchair to meet her father. She moved back into her busy parents' home (they were both teachers, and she is one of six). She needed help walking and she was unable to feed herself.

It was 1999, a year after the Omagh bombing.

"Medical services were really stretched then in the North," says Gallen who, in her writing and her conversation, sees all personal experience through a clear political lens.

Gallen lists off her symptoms with a sigh. She had seizures, hallucinations, she couldn't perceive depth (she still hates Apple stores for that reason). She lost a lot of friends. "It's very hard for people to stick with you when you're not very well," she explains.

She got onto a rehabilitation scheme that got her back to work and while she was recovering, she used technology. "Tech is great because it's black and white. You sit at your screen and you know exactly what you're doing."

And this is how she became "geeky", and a success.

She needed a memory aid to match names to faces, so she launched an app called Schhmooze. It was intended as a social-networking site but it failed because people just wanted to stalk each other, she explains. At home a lot and curious, she wanted to teach herself Irish so she launched the site talkirish.com, which took off.

"After I had the brain injury, I was told, 'You have a brain injury, your life is what it is, go and do a course in aromatherapy and find a man. You can still procreate.' They were like, 'You look pretty, and your eggs are fine. You should be able to find a man.'

"I was trying to prove I could do things again. 'Look, I'm doing this I'm doing that.' It's only recently I've stopped and asked, 'What do you want to do?' I feel like I was playing catch-up. Many of the things I did came at a great cost.

"There were some appalling treatments and advice. Some of it was based on what they didn't know at the time, but some of it's entirely sexist, right? The only way I got better was to fight my corner and really try hard. There wasn't a lot of kindness in that."

Much of her thirties were taken up with tech pitches and tech panels - once, she was billed to appear alongside Mark Zuckerberg, who failed to show. But in this world of start-ups and venture capitalists, the urge to write was always biting at her. "Writing was my thing," she says, and tells me a lovely story.

When she was 14 she wrote a short story which was picked out of 30,000 other stories in the WH Smith Young Writers' Competition (at the same time, her contemporary Caitlin Moran won a short story competition and started writing for The Times. Her mother used to present Michelle with Caitlin Moran's clippings. "I felt she was the English me," Gallen laughs wistfully.)

Among the judges was the poet Ted Hughes. It was Michelle's first time in London and her mother bought her a dress. The dress turned out to be much too short. Ted Hughes walked over to greet her. "I remember feeling my skirt was too short. He was very attractive", she whispers.

"He said to me, 'You are one of the finest young writers I've ever met.' He was big into nature. My story may have had a bomb in it but it had nature and bombs. He gave me a really strong sense that it was fine to write the way I wrote. And the way I wrote was completely about the North."

A sequence of writers' groups have kept her in production - from the online forums she turned to while recovering from her brain injury to the one in Belfast chaired by poet Sinead Moriarty to the alluringly named 'The Misfit Writer's Pop-Up Gin Club' in Dublin.

But the idea of being a writer people seek opinions from now sits uneasily with her.

"I get very anxious when people look at me," she says. She can't imagine being a talking head at a literary festival. "I imagine it's exhausting. And I don't know what people want from writers. What do they want from a writer?"

She tries to explain her ambivalent feelings. "I grew up in a town that was under extreme surveillance. You're under surveillance by the security forces. And you're under surveillance by the army. And you're under surveillance by the church. And you're under surveillance by your own community."

The town was Castlederg, which was named by one historian as the 'most bombed town in Western Europe' between the Second World War and Sarajevo. "There were a lot of bombs."

There were 3,000 residents, with an equal split between Catholics and Protestants. "You had Catholic schools and Protestant schools, Catholic pharmacies and Protestant pharmacies, Catholic shops and Protestant shops. I'm not Catholic anymore," she adds.

She recalls running into a young friend on the street who told her excitedly: "We just petrol-bombed the last Prods out of the park."

Brexit, on its eve, is "genuinely terrifying" to her, she says.

"People forget how inflammatory it is to have an army on your streets. To have an infrastructure of security. The RUC stations, the watchtowers, the barricades."

Years ago she met Lyra McKee, the journalist who was murdered at a rally in Derry last year, and they stayed in touch. Like many people, Lyra's death has deeply upset Gallen. "She was one of your bright shiny lights," she says, quoting Anna Burns.

Having moved back from London and bought a house in Dublin, she is still trying to grasp the reasons for certain certainties "down south". The difference between Fine Gael and Fine Fail, for instance. "Somebody shot somebody a long time ago, and this is where we're now at. It feels to me like they are the Tories. And everyone else is not the Tories."

Is she voting Green in the general election? "An area the size of England has just burned in Australia. Everything we do in Ireland should be viewed through the lens of the planet. Brexit is this great distraction.

"Wouldn't it be amazing if we didn't have to worry about that shit? If we could look at housing, health, the island as a whole, power, sustainability, planting trees as a gift to the future. Green should just be the new religion. I don't think there should be a Green party - I think every party should be green."

With two young sons at home, and a second job as a "digital content provider", she describes herself in frank terms as a "stressed-out person". Her husband, Mehdi, is "amazing. He's a great person". Mentioning his name, she fills up with a tear.

Recovery, and its draining effects, seem to be an ongoing struggle for her. She still suffers from occasional seizures and bad headaches. When she gets sick, her immune system has an "ultra-response", she says. "This is one of the reasons I'm so into MedTech."

One evening last October, she was looking after her boys when she came down with a high temperature. The Fitbit she wears was able to inform her that her heart was racing and that something was wrong.

At the hospital she found out she had pneumonia and, soon enough, sepsis. "My immune system said, 'What we're going to do here, Michelle, is attack you! 'Awesome,' I said. 'Been here before.'"

Her next novel, Factory Girls, based on a group of girls working in a shirt factory, has been more difficult to write, says. She once worked in a shirt factory in Tyrone herself.

On a lucky streak to realising her dream, she still can't quite accept that she has come this far.

"It feels like an indulgence to sit with a book in front of you. It's a dream come true, but it's terrifying. I'm doing something I love," she reflects.

"You know when you're 10 and you have a dream of what you want to do? And it's paint pictures, or write or whatever. It feels like an indulgence.

"I think sometimes people want a very simplified narrative. That you recover and everything's fine. I'm not sure life works like that.

"I'm very lucky in my bad luck," Gallen adds thoughtfully.

'Big Girl, Small Town' will be published by John Murray on February 20
By PTI

MUMBAI: Thousands of people, including a large number of women, on Saturday gave a call against the CAA-NRC-NPR regime at Mumbai's Azad Maidan amid recitation of Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz's popular poem 'Hum Dekhenge' and slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The "maha-morcha" protest was organised by the Maharashtra chapter of the 'National Alliance Against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR)'.

The participants came to Azad Maidan from various parts of Mumbai and the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane as well as other parts of Maharashtra.

Waving the tricolour and holding banners denouncing the CAA-NRC-NPR in their hands, the protesters raised slogans like "Modi, Shah se Azadi" (freedom from PM Modi and Amit Shah) and "freedom from the CAA and the NRC".

ALSO READ | Shaheen Bagh protesters ready to discuss CAA with Shah, MHA says no meeting scheduled

The protesters resolved against showing any documents (during the NPR exercise or otherwise), saying that they are citizens of India since time immemorial. Resolutions against the CAA-NRC-NPR regime were also passed on the occasion. They demanded that the new citizenship law be repealed in the current Parliament session.

At the stage at Azad Maidan, speakers recited noted Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz's famous Urdu poem "Hum Dekhenge" (We will see), which has of late emerged as a kind of anthem for the anti-CAA protests in the country.

Women protesters raised slogans like "Hum betiyan hain Jhanshi ki rani ki aur Mata Jijau Ki". Convener of the protest, Justice (retired) Kolse Patil, social activist Teesta Setalvad, actor Sushant Singh, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi etc. were present on the occasion.

Speaking at the rally, Sushant Singh said, "When I was shooting for 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh', I hadn't thought I would get to see a revolution. You all have fulfilled that dream and I thank you for this".

"I was listening to an interview of the home minister where he said that everyone has the right to peacefully protest in the country, but no one should burn buses and that whosoever has burnt the bus should be punished," he said.

Singh further said, "Today, I would like that we all pay our tribute to that one burnt bus because in our country, people can be killed, afterall there are so many. Kill them in UP, Bihar, put curfew in the entire Kashmir and Assam but buses are less, they shouldn't have been burnt.

"Let's fold our hands in paying tribute to that bus and in return you put NSA on Dr Kafeel Khan and put him behind bars. Beat up students of Jamia and JNU, fire shots, pull gunshots in Assam because people are more and buses are so less. Let's pledge to not burn buses," he said.

Singh said he was thinking that they would cause another Mahabharat where we will fight as Pandavas and Kauravas, "but then I thought that there's actually a new Ramayana that is being written. The difference is that this time that they have tried to kidnap the name of Lord Ram".

"This time it will be the 'Sitas' of this country who will burn their Lanka. And behind the 'Sitas', there are Bajrang Bali and Ali standing shoulder-to-shoulder. And guiding us would be Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar, Jesus, Guru Nanak, Buddha, Mahavir Bhagwan. Come, let's fight," he added.
VP Oktay says Ankara fulfils its responsibilities in Idlib as Syrian army offensive on rebel-held enclave continues.

Turkey said it has fulfilled its responsibilities in Syrias Idlib region and warned it would take necessary steps if diplomatic efforts with Russia fail, amid a continuing Syrian government offensive on the last rebel-held region in the country.

Ankara, which backs several Syrian rebel groups, and Moscow, which supports the Syrian government, agreed in September 2018 to set up a de-escalation zone in opposition-controlled northwestern Syria.

Under the 2018 deal, Turkey has 12 observation posts in Idlib, with some of them now being in Syrian government-controlled territory following gains by Damascus.

Turkeys Vice President Fuat Oktay on Saturday insisted Ankara had enforced its side of the agreement.

Observation posts were set up and the regime had to stay outside of this area. Russia and Iran were to ensure the regime stayed outside, Turkey had responsibilities too, Turkey fulfilled these, Oktay told the NTV broadcaster.

Undertaking an extremely risky and difficult duty, Turkey took real initiative to stop the bloodshed of civilians, to prevent a new migration wave and to ensure it did not become a terror nest.

Later on Saturday, the Turkish presidency said in a statement that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, discussed ways to end the crisis in Idlib and condemned the attacks by the Syrian government in the region.

Stressing that the regimes most recent attacks are unacceptable, the president and Trump exchanged views on ways to end the crisis in Idlib without further delay, the presidency said in a statement after the two leaders spoke on the phone.

Escalating tensions

Launched in April last year, the Syrian government offensive has disrupted fragile cooperation between Turkey and Russia. After several failed ceasefire attempts last summer, the Syrian government intensified its assault on the region in December, killing hundreds of civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.

The situation escalated further this month when 13 Turkish military personnel were killed. Ankara responded by hitting scores of Syrian government targets.

On Friday, a Syrian military helicopter was shot down in the western countryside of Aleppo province, in an attack claimed by rebel groups. The incident came days after rebels said they shot down another government helicopter near the town of Nairab.

According to the United Nations, about one million Syrian refugees are living near the border with Turkey, with camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) already at capacity.

The Russian defence ministry said earlier this week Turkey did not separate fighters from the moderate opposition from terrorists, referring to an agreed demilitarised zone within Idlib.

President Erdogan said later on Saturday that the situation would not be resolved until Syrian government forces withdrew beyond the borders that Turkey and Russia outlined in the 2018 agreement.

The solution in Idlib is the [Syrian] regime withdrawing to the borders in the agreements. Otherwise, we will handle this before the end of February, Erdogan said, appearing to bring forward a previously stated deadline of the end of February.

We would like to do this with the support of our friends. If we have to do it the hard way, we are also up for that, he said.

Until we clear Syria of terrorist organisations and the cruelty of the [Syrian] regime, we will not rest easy.

Necessary steps will be taken

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a Turkish delegation would visit Russia on Monday to discuss the situation in northwestern Syria.

Cavusoglu said Turkey wants to resolve matters with Russia over Idlib through diplomacy, but will take other steps if necessary.

If it wont work through diplomatic channels, we will take the necessary steps, Cavusoglu told reporters at the Munich Security Conference, adding that he would meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later on Saturday.

Ankara says it wants to stop the Syrian governments aggression in a bid to stop the deaths of civilians and to prevent a wave of refugees fleeing to Turkey.

Turkey is already home to more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees. Turkey cannot withstand another migration wave, Oktay said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the Syrian government to withdraw from Turkish-manned posts by the end of February, otherwise Ankara will take matters into its own hands.

In recent days, Turkey has sent multiple military reinforcements to Idlib, and the Hurriyet daily newspaper on Saturday reported that a 60-vehicle convoy carrying commandos and armoured carriers was sent to beef up the Turkish posts.
Lawyers will meet to try to break a deadlock over the $52m raised in bushfire relief funds by Celeste Barbers Facebook campaign.

Barber originally directed funds to the NSW RFS Brigades Donations Fund, but was unaware money sent to this fund is only used on training, resources and fire equipment  not the volunteers and their families or fire-affected communities.

The $52million has been transferred from GoFundMe to a trust fund run by the RFS  but none of it has been spent.

While Barber initially pledged to the NSW RFS and Brigades Donation Fund, she quickly changed the terms of her appeal to take into account other states battling the devastating bushfires.

She widened the appeal and wanted to share the money with Victorian and South Australian firefighting agencies, animal welfare group WIRES, the Red Cross and the widows of fallen firefighters.

Spokesman Ben Shepherd insisted the RFS wanted to honour her wishes.

No one is being bad about this, its all very amicable, and we will try and see her wishes through. But, as it stands, the RFS is the beneficiary and we cant donate money people gave us to other charities, he said.

Barbers fundraiser broke a world record by becoming the single largest hosted on Facebook globally.

Barber hosts todays Fire Fight Australia concert, seen on Seven and Foxtel.

Source: Sunday Telegraph
The foundation stone for setting up



a centralised kitchen under the 'Kaalai Unavu Thittam' (breakfast scheme), to serve the students of corporation schools, was laid here on Saturday.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister K Palaniswami took part in the foundation stone laying ceremony for the kitchen to be set up by NGO Akshaya Patra Foundation, here.

"I am delighted to be here today for the Bhoomi Pooja of Centralised kitchen for Kaalai Unavu Thittam for school children," Purohit said.

"On this day, we celebrate a momentous occasion that will help us, as the state takes a step further in the direction of fulfilling the nutritional requirements of our students," he said.

Last month, Governor Banwarilal Purohit handed over a cheque of Rs two crore to the foundation to set up the kitchen.

The plan to set up the kitchen follows the 'Kaalai Unavu Thittam' - a breakfast programme run by the Foundation to distribute food for students of schools run by the Chennai Corporation, which was inaugurated by Purohit in Feburary 2019.

Purohit said after seeing the operations of Akshaya Patra Foundation in Nagpur, Guwahati and their track-record of almost 20 years, it was the best way to launch the breakfast programme by them.

"The success of this programme has convinced me to find and extend this scheme to more than 12,000 Corporation school students," he said.

The Governor noted that the Foundation, which was feeding 1,500 children in Bengaluru in 2000, has grown to become the world's largest NGO run school meal programme.

"Akshaya Patra Foundation is providing breakfast to 18 lakh under-privileged children every day in 13 states. It is a commendable achievement indeed", he said.

The Raj Bhavan would continue to support various initiatives to support the of under-privileged children of Tamil Nadu, he added.

Following the success of the breakfast programme, Greater Chennai Corporation permitted the Foundation to set up a centralised kitchen in the city.

The Foundation has estimated the project to cost Rs five crore.

As part of supporting the NGO, Raj Bhavan entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Foundation on January 25.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
They have been going strong since 2015.

And Sarah Paulson, 45, and Holland Taylor, 77, were the picture of cheer when they were seen leaving dinner in West Hollywood on Valentine's Day.

The couple were enjoying a night out with pals at the San Vicente Bungalows, where Jennifer Lopez also happened to dine that night with her fiance Alex Rodriguez.

On the town: Sarah Paulson, 45, and Holland Taylor, 77, were the picture of cheer when they were seen leaving dinner in West Hollywood on Valentine's Day

Sarah slipped into an attractive polka dot dress that fell to the ankle, allowing for a glimpse of her black leather high-heeled boots.

She wrapped up against the cold in a long black northeastern chic overcoat, rounding off the look with a casual leather clutch.

Meanwhile, Holland wore a fitted black trouser suit that emphasized her still enviably trim figure, as well as a print top.

The Emmy-winning actress, who is also a Tony nominee, balanced on a pair of sky-high heels as she carried a bag of takeaway from the restaurant.

Place to be: The couple were enjoying a night out with pals at the San Vicente Bungalows, where Jennifer Lopez also happened to dine that night with her fiance Alex Rodriguez

Sarah revealed a couple of years ago that she initially considered staying mum about Holland for professional reasons.

'I'm with a much older person, and people find that totally fascinating and odd, and to me, it's the least interesting thing about me,' she said in The Edit in 2017.

'Early on, when people found out I was with Holland, some said: "I think you have to be careful, I'm afraid it's going to affect your career negatively." I was like, what? It never occurred to me at all,' shared Sarah.

Sleek and chic: Sarah slipped into an attractive polka dot dress that fell to the ankle, allowing for a glimpse of her black leather high-heeled boots

She announced the romance in the New York Times in March 2016, telling the Grey Lady that when they were first introduced at a dinner party she thought Holland was 'probably the most exquisitely beautiful woman Id ever seen.'

That September she won an Emmy for playing O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark and told Holland she loved her from the stage.

She told The Edit of the speech: 'It occurred to me, should I not do that? And then I thought, why would I not?'

Sarah continued: 'The fact I'm having this thought is wrong. But I had a moment of societal concern; wondering if, maybe, people who didn't know that about me would be like, wait, what? But then, you know, I did it anyway.'
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held several meetings on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, including with the US special envoy on Afghan reconciliation and the Saudi foreign minister, and discussed regional and global issues with them.

"Met @US4AfghanPeace Zalmay Khalilzad at #MSC2020. Appreciated his update on the Afghanistan negotiations," Jaishankar tweeted.

In another tweet, he said he had a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday (local time) and "appreciated his perspectives on global and regional issues".

"Look forward to working with him in the Strategic Partnership Council," he added.

The meetings come in the backdrop of a possible deal between the US and the Taliban to reduce violence, which could eventually lead to withdrawal of American troops from the war-torn Afghanistan.

The Munich Security Conference, being held from February 14-16, is the world's leading forum for debate on international security policy and is held annually. It was established in 1963.

The external affairs minister also met Australian and Singaporean defence ministers Linda Reynolds and Ng Eng Hen, respectively, and said India is working with them to take security cooperation forward.

On his meeting with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, Jaishankar said, "Our contemporary relationship has been built on strong historical and cultural foundation. Will work together to take it to greater heights."



He met members of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee and held "a very good conversation" on the EU, Germany and India.

"Appreciated their strong interest in taking our relationship forward," he said.

The external affairs minister also had a meeting meeting with a US congressional delegation led by Senator Jim Inhofe, the chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.

"Discussed our growing strategic cooperation.Value their interest in building this relationship," he said.

Earlier Saturday, Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and discussed bilateral relationship ahead of American President Donald Trump's visit to India this month on February 24 and 25.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
H S2 could be built by China in under five years, it has been reported.

Beijings state-owned railway builder,the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), said it could create the line at a much lower cost than is currently forecast, according to the Financial Times

Department for Transport (DfT) officials confirmed preliminary discussions had taken place between CCRC and HS2 Ltd, but said no concrete commitments had been made.

The DfT is always keen to learn from the experience of others and to consider approaches that offer value for money to the taxpayer, one official said.

The Euston dream: artist impression issued of the proposed HS2 station at Euston / PA Archive/PA Images

Under current plans the final stretch of the line is not due to be completed until 2040  although Mr Johnson has said he wants that brought forward to 2035.

However, the FT reported that CCRC had written to HS2 Ltds chief executive last month saying it could build the line by the middle of the decade, for a much reduced price tag.

The letter, first reported by Building Magazine and seen by the FT, states: We are certain that we can offer a cost that is significantly lower than the projections we have seen.

The advantages are too great, in our opinion, too great to dismiss on the basis that there are obstacles to overcome.

You will find that the Chinese way is to seek solutions, not linger on obstacles and difficulties.

CCRC has transformed Chinas transport system, building most of the countrys 15,500-mile high-speed network.

However, British officials are said to be sceptical that it could operate in the same way in a democracy with property rights, protected landscapes and powerful lobbying groups.

Any move to give Beijing a further role in the UKs infrastructure would almost certainly prove controversial, after Mr Johnson reportedly incurred the wrath of US President Donald Trump  as well as upsetting many Tory MPs  with his decision to allow tech giant Huawei to supply equipment for the 5G mobile network.

The chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has said that allowing the Chinese state railway company CRCC to build HS2 would be extremely questionable.

Tory MP Tom Tugendhat told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: We are in dire need of a proper China strategy. We are being offered, at extraordinarily generous terms it appears, everything to connect our telephone networks, to connect our cities and to connect our power networks.

What is it that we want out of China? Have we decided to take back control from Brussels just to hand it over to Beijing? The idea that we should allow others to act like we did in places like India and Nigeria for the best part of 200 years here in the UK would be extremely questionable.

Mr Tugendhat, who was an outspoken critic of the Governments decision to allow the Chinese tech giant Huawei a role in building the UKs 5G network, questioned CRCCs claim it could build the entire line in just five years.

The reason why Chinese projects in China are very often so quick is because they dont worry about such minor matters as planning consent or workers rights, he said.
Numbers matter to President Donald Trump: the size of the crowd at his rallies, opponents height and weight, the size of the bank balance; and, of course, social media reach.

On Friday, just days before his upcoming visit to India, President Trump claimed he was No 1 on Facebook and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was No 2, and for citation, he used a purportedly direct quote from Mark Zuckerberg.

Hindustan Times could not find the quote on the internet, and it may have been an observation made privately. But the numbers of likes and followers on their respective Facebook pages  created, coincidentally just a month apart in 2009 and much before they were elected to their present positions  tell a vastly different story. Modi is way ahead.

Here is the presidents tweet: Great honor, I think? Mark Zuckerberg recently stated that Donald J. Trump is Number 1 on Facebook. Number 2 is Prime Minister Modi of India. Actually, I am going to India in two weeks. Looking forward to it!

President Trump is indeed looking forward to the trip and has seemed most excited about a rally he is to address in Ahmedabad, where he expects to see millions of people, vastly more than, he has himself acknowledged playfully, than the 50,000s he has been notching up here at a time. As stated before, numbers matter to him.

The President and First Lady Melania Trump begin their two-day visit on February 24.

The numbers dont bear out the Presidents claims, unless he, or supposedly Zuckerberg, are looking at a different set of numbers.

Modis Facebook page, created in May 2009, has 44,380,858 followers and says 44,624,128 people liked the page.

Trumps page, created in April 2009, lists 27,543,545 followers, and 25,969,909 likes. Another page, in the name of President Donald J Trump, created just days before his inauguration in January 2017, has 5,388,767 follows and 3,100,731 likes.

President Trump fares much better on Twitter though. With 72.5 million followers, he easily beats Prime Minister Modi, who crossed 50 million last September and is now at 53 million.

Their social media reach has been closely followed and commented upon. A senior White House official had spoken of it in a briefing to preview Prime Minister Modis June 2017 visit to the White House for his first meeting with President Trump. They are the worlds two most followed political leaders on social media, the official had said. Even back then, Modi was ahead of Trump on Facebook and trailed him on Twitter.
MARQUETTE And theyre off! For the 30th year, crowds lined Washington Street in downtown Marquette to cheer on mushers and dog teams as they exited the starting gates on their icy, grueling journey across Michigans Upper Peninsula.

Two of the three races started Friday evening, Feb. 14: the UP200 and the Midnight Run. Temperatures were in the single digits with the wind chill pushing the real-feel below zero.

The UP200 is a 12-dog, mid-distance race and a qualifying race for the Iditarod, a 938-mile race from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska held in March.

The UP200 covers 238 miles, trekking through hills, creek crossings, deep snow and isolated trails from Marquette to Grand Marais and back. Each musher is required a total rest time of 16 hours over the course of the journey, with a minimum 5-hour rest at the Wetmore checkpoint about 65 miles from the start of the race.

The top finishers usually are on the trail from 22-24 hours. A total of 19 mushers entered the race this year.

The top 15 finishers receive diminishing shares of prize money worth $32,525 in total. First place receives $7,800, second place wins $6,100 and third place $4,700.

15 The 30th running of the UP200 dog sled race

The Midnight Run is an eight-dog, 82 mile race that also begins in downtown Marquette, traveling to Chatham and returning just East of Marquette to Ojibwa Casino on M-28 on Saturday morning.

A total of $12,575 is award to the top 15 finishers in that race, with first place receiving $2,700. A total of 20 mushers entered the 82-mile race this year, including 12-year-old Kiana Beaber of Antigo, Wisconsin. Her 14-year-old sister, Kelsey, and her father, Ryan, also were competing.

The third and final race of the weekend is the Jack Pine 30, which is a 25-mile race that begins on Saturday, Feb. 15. This race starts and finishes at First Baptist Church in Gwinn. The top 10 teams are awarded a total of $1,310, with first place receiving $250.

Cant get enough Michigan dog sledding? Check out video of the 2019 race below:
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met today with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric in Munich, the PMs Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian PM highlighted the meeting and stated that it is a good opportunity to discuss the current issues. As you know, Armenia currently is in the process of large-scale democratic reforms which accelerated especially after the 2018 peaceful, Velvet, democratic Revolution. It soon was revealed that the Constitutional system of our country was occupied before the Revolution, moreover, it was covered with mines. And now we are making efforts to demine the democracy and the judicial system in Armenia. I am glad for this opportunity to make you informed about the ongoing developments because recently we made a decision to hold a referendum on the Constitutional Court. I am happy to inform what is happening and why, and what will happen later, the PM said.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for this opportunity, which, as you said, is very important in terms of being informed about the ongoing developments. Let me remind that we have already started the intensive cooperation between Armenia and the Council of Europe after the visit of the CoE high-level working group last May. I know that you asked the CoE to engage in this process. And the CoE started closely following what is taking place. There are some concerns, and it would be interesting to listen from you how you see the future developments and how we can continue assisting your country, the CoE Secretary General said.

Pashinyan introduced the ongoing democratic reforms in Armenia, including those in the judiciary. He stated that last year Armenia recorded a great progress in international rankings on democracy, human rights and freedom of speech. He thoroughly introduced the details of the upcoming referendum scheduled on April 5.

Marija Pejcinovic Buric expressed the full support of the Council of Europe to Armenias reforms, including in the judicial field, and stated that they will continue the discussions with the Armenian government regarding the cooperation on this path.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
KALAMAZOO, MI  Popular local restaurant Nonla Burgers second location in Kalamazoo will welcome diners for a grand opening Sunday, Feb. 16.

Nonlas original location on South Burdick Street in Kalamazoo has been a community favorite since it opened up around 2 1/2 years ago. The second Nonla Burger, located at 1700 S. Drake Road near the intersection with Stadium Drive, will open this weekend, co-owner Natashia Monk said.

The new location, which is equipped with a drive-through window, will will have seating for around 45-50 people. That is about double the seating capacity of Nonlas cozy Burdick Street location, which will remain open after the Drake Road restaurant opens.

Both locations are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday.

The new Nonla Burger will have the same menu as the original location, with items including burgers, a chicken sandwich, a vegetarian burger, fries, a salad, a shake of the day and rotating specials.

Nonla Burger is co-owned by Natashia and Kyle Monk and Johnny and Kelly Nguyen.

The Monk and Nguyen families also co-own Nonla Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant, which opened in November 2018 in Schoolcraft. The Nguyens own two other Nonla restaurants: Nonla Vietnamese Street Food in Mattawan and Nonla Bahn Mi Togo in downtown Kalamazoo.

Also on MLive:

Nonla Burger plans to open second location, with drive-through, in Kalamazoo

Schoolcraft restaurant offers Mexican cuisine in DIY atmosphere

22 restaurants, bars and more that opened or closed in the Kalamazoo area this year
If you live within walking distance of New Yorks unofficial Thai Town in Elmhurst, Queens, you have lots of choices for places to get your curry fix. Khao Kang is mine.

The moment you open the door to Khao Kang, you know youre in the company of people who take their food seriously. Aromas of fish sauce, coconut, and prickly herbs hit you in concussive bursts. As you step closer to a steam table containing a dozen-odd dishes to ladle over rice, the aromas marry and snap into focus: a twang of fermented bamboo in brothy, sour curry; the meaty whiff of kua kling, a dry curry of ground pork in a thick coat of spices, comforting as sloppy joe and hotter than a subway station in August.

When I first asked Sopon Kosalanan, the owner of Khao Kang, for a lesson in how to make curry paste at home, I had no idea the kitchen made its own from scratch. Very few American Thai restaurants doits simply too costly and labor intensive to meet customer demand, and besides, expecting housemade curry paste at your average Thai restaurant is like demanding that an Italian joint forego canned tomatoes for fresh ones year-round. But if your top priority is vivid flavor, the kind of aromatic intensity that makes great Thai cooking so memorable, DIY is the way to go.

Khao Kang - INSET Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sopon Kosalanan

Youre going to smell the herbs, the chile, the lemongrass, the galangal, Kosalanan says. If you get it from a can, I dont feel like its green curry. It doesnt have the same aromas. Its just something that you cook in coconut milk. Making curry paste from scratch also gives you the freedom to adjust the heat level to your own taste. While some of Khao Kangs kaengsthe Thai word for curryare knock-you-over spicy, others exhibit only the slightest kick.

When Kosalanan arrived in the United States 17 years ago from the town of Chanthaburi, finding curry paste essentials like galangal and makrut limes was a tall order. These days, he says, its much easier. He and his mother, Tongtad Jarernnan, who is also the restaurants chef, use a network of local Thai markets, but they also mail-order produce from specialty growers in Florida to gather the supplies for Khao Kangs popular green curry. Civilians like us can find most of the fresh produce to make Thai curry paste online at websites like Import Food.

Story continues

Once youve assembled your curry components, making the actual paste is no more difficult than whipping up a batch of hummus or pesto.

Khao Kang Ingredients - HERO Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sopon Kosalanan

Your Green Curry Ingredients Checklist

Some of the ingredients for Khao Kangs kaeng khiao wan (green curry, sometimes spelled gaeng khiaw wan) can be found in the average grocery store. Others may be harder to find. Heres what to look for, and what they add to the curry.

Thai bird chiles: These tiny green peppers, no longer than your pinkie finger, bring a blast of heat and green color to the paste. Remove the stems but leave the pods whole; seeds are part of the package.

Thai basil: Back home, Kosalanans family uses other Thai herbs to lend spicy green aroma and color to their curry, but here, Thai basil is a worthy substitute. Its a distinct plant from the common Italian basil: less sweet and with a subtle licorice bite, so I wouldnt recommend swapping one for the other. If you cant find Thai basil, shiso or perilla leaves would be your next best bethardly a common substitution, but thematically on point.

Lemongrass: Many Chinese and Southeast Asian markets carry fresh lemongrass. When pounded into curry paste, the fibrous stalks release their full citrus-balm flavor.

Galangal: A rhizome that looks a lot like ginger, but with a thinner skin and tougher fibers. Its taste is hard to describe: notes of citrus and pine with a distinct cooling character in opposition to gingers heat. It keeps well if tightly wrapped in the refrigerator, and is an integral part of several Thai soups.

Ka chai: Another hard-to-find rhizome that has an earthiness similar to fresh turmeric root. Even now, Kosalanan says, getting fresh ka chai in the U.S. is nearly impossible, so he buys it jarred. You can also reconstitute dried ka chai by soaking it in hot water for 20 minutes, or you can take a page from another school of Thai green curry by substituting fresh turmeric.

KhaoKang - INSET Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sopon Kosalanan

Makrut lime zest: A bumpy-skinned citrus you may know by another name. The aromatic leaves are a popular Thai flavoring, but for this curry paste, you specifically want the zest for its fresh, bright aroma. Fresh makrut limes are hard to find in the States, so if you cant find them and don't want to order online, a smidge of supermarket lime zest is better than nothing, though it lacks the makrut limes subtle florality.

Shrimp paste: Kosalanans mom used to make her own shrimp paste in Thailand by curing tiny shrimp in sea salt, then pounding them into a briny seasoning. At the restaurant, she buys the Klong Kone brand, which is made of nothing more than three parts shrimp to one part salt. Kosalanan advises that standard seafood-shopping rules apply: look for shrimp paste that smells fresh, like its from the sea, and not aggressively funky.

Youll also need garlic, ginger, and shallots to make the paste, along with fish sauce and palm sugar for seasoning the final curry. Khao Kangs coconut product of choice varies depending on the specific curry theyre making, Kosalanan explains. Aroy-D cartons of coconut milk are their go-to for green curry, while a Panang-style curry benefits from richer coconut cream.

Khao Kang - INSET Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sopon Kosalanan

Making the Paste

Traditionally, curry paste is made with a mortar and pestle, starting with the toughest ingredients like lemongrass and galangal before pounding in more delicate ones. This method yields the best results, Kosalanan tells me, and its how his family still does curry paste at home. It tastes better when you pound itthat way all the oils from the herbs come out.

The downside is this method takes timeupwards of 30 minutes of pounding and scrapingand at the restaurant, time is money, so there they use a high speed blender. The procedure is basically the same, Kosalanan says, but requires the addition of some water at the beginning to get the blender going, as well as some tamping down as you go. The resulting paste is much looser than what youd expect from a can, (something like a salsa verde) and it needs more time on the stove to cook out that moisture.

Kosalanan begins by blending the lemongrass and galangal until chunky, then adds slivered matchsticks of ka chai, whole chiles, whole garlic cloves, and roughly chopped shallots to the blender. The Thai basil leaves and makrut lime zest come last, along with the shrimp paste.

If youre not planning to make curry right away, Kosalanan advises holding off on the shrimp paste until youre ready to start cooking. Without the shrimp, your curry paste should keep for three to four days in the fridge (and a couple of months in the freezer), but once you mix it in, itll kick off fermentation in the paste, he says, and not in a fun way. Since the shrimp paste is already broken down, mashing it in last minute isnt much of a chore.

Green Curry Paste - RECIPE Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

Once you have your curry paste, the makings of the rest of the curry are up to you. Khao Kang does a lot with chicken wings; their skin and fat do a lot to tame the currys fire. Fish balls, fresh shrimp, slivered bamboo, cubes of firm and fried tofu, and bell peppers also make regular appearances. Im a big fan of winter squash and daikon in mine. This is the killer thing about kaeng, and what youll learn from a meal at Khao Kang: once youve prepped your paste, there are lots of ways to whip up a curry all your own.

Thai Green Curry Paste

Sopon Kosalanan

Khao Kang Restaurant, Queens

Originally Appeared on Epicurious
New Delhi/IBNS: A day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoAYan said it will stand beside Pakistan on the 'Kashmir issue', India on Saturday asked the country not to interfere in its 'internal affairs'.

Rejecting the President's comments, Indian MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a statement: "India rejects all references to Jammu & Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India."

"We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in India's internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region," he said.

ErdoAYan is currently visiting Pakistan

Addressing a joint session of the Pakistani parliament, the President was quoted as saying by Daily Sabah: "And now, we feel the same about Kashmir today. It was Canakkale yesterday and Kashmir today; there is no difference between the two," ErdoAYan said, adding that Turkey will continue to support Pakistan."

During his address, the President said the suffering of the Kashmiri people had worsened in recent years due to the taking of "unilateral steps."

"This approach, which aggravates the current situation and revokes the freedom and vested rights of the Kashmiri people, benefits no one," ErdoAYan said.

"The Kashmir problem can be solved not by conflict or oppression, but on the basis of justice and equity," he added.

"Turkey is in favor of resolving the Kashmir issue by taking into consideration the expectations of our Kashmiri brothers, through dialogue based on UN resolutions," ErdoAYan also said.

India and Pakistans relationship touched new low last year and one major cause was the Aug 5 decision taken by Indian government over the Kashmir issue.

In a ground-breaking move since Independence, the Indian government on that day scrapped the Articles 370 and 35A which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir.The government also bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir with an assembly and Ladakh without an assembly.

Article 35A of the Indian Constitution allowed the Jammu and Kashmir state's legislature to define permanent residents of the state and also provided special rights and privileges to those permanent residents.

Article 370 allowed Jammu and Kashmir to have its own constitution, flag and right to handle its own laws except on matters that impact national security.

Soon after the abrogation of the articles, Kashmir was in a lockdown and senior Kashmir leaders were put under house arrest. While the government eased the restrictions in phases, top leaders of the erstwhile political elites of the state like Omar Abdullah or Mehbooba Mufti are still under detention.
Choosing a novel way to draw attention to the plight of the city's crumbling heritage, a group of residents celebrated Valentine's Day by hugging pillars of the centuries-old Patna Collectorate, which is facing demolition.

Among those who chose to spend a date with the centuries-old Collectorate on Friday included a US-educated lawyer, a young poet and a few other residents of the city.

"It is sad that a historic building like Patna Collectorate is facing demolition," said Kumar Shanu, a lawyer at the Patna High Court.

"We wanted to highlight the issue and so chose to spend time with the collectorate. We should celebrate our heritage and not demolish it. All world-class cities preserve their built heritage while building new things. As youth we must come forward to protect our legacy," he said.

Shanu, 26, who returned to India late last year after completing his masters in law from the prestigious Tufts University in the US, said he was in the neighbouring town of Barh for some work, but came back in the evening to mark the day in a special way.

In the US, many people know Bihar because of its poverty, but they also know about the rich cultural heritage of the state, the Patna-based lawyer said, adding "many of my friends in America and other countries know about the collectorate, which is facing demolition".

The call to celebrate Valentine's Day 'with' the Patna Collectorate was given by 'Save Historic Patna Collectorate', a civil society-led movement for historic preservation in Bihar.

Anchit Pandey, a young poet based here, went to the collectorate during the late afternoon and took photographs and selfies.

"A city's identity is not made by its fancy malls and glitzy showrooms, but its old buildings, which carry within their walls the layers of history of the city and our heritage," Pandey said.

"Unlike London, New York and Venice or even Delhi or Bombay, it is sad that our Patna and its heritage buildings have not been romanced that way. Youths like us should come forward and contribute towards heritage preservation. Government should be wiser and not think of demolishing it at all, rather, reuse these buildings as libraries, museums, cafes or art galleries," he said.

Heritage lovers went to the collectorate and hugged pillars of the Dutch-era Record Room and took pictures with the buildings in the backdrop. Many even came after dark to mark Valentine's Day with meaningful action.

Located near the Gandhi Maidan, the collectorate includes a portion built by the Dutch in the late 16th century. It also comprises the District Board Patna building, set up in 1938 by the British.

The centuries-old Patna Collectorate is endowed with high ceilings, huge doors and hanging skylights, and is one of the last surviving signatures of Dutch architecture in the Bihar capital, whose fate currently hangs in the balance.

After hearing two PILs filed by the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture (INTACH), the Patna High Court had last September stayed the proposed demolition of the government complex while restraining the state authorities from "causing any harm to the collectorate building until further orders", bringing some relief to the heritage lovers.

In 2016, the Patna Chapter of INTACH had sent a strongly-worded petition to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to immediately scrap the impending demolition plan, saying it would set a "very bad precedent and further jeopardise the fate of other heritage buildings in the city and eventually in the state".

Soon after the proposed demolition in 2016, the then Dutch Ambassador Alphonsus Stoelinga and London-based Gandhi Foundation had appealed to spare the demolition of the collectorate, where parts of the Oscar-winning film 'Gandhi' were shot.

Some iconic scenes in the Richard Attenborough movie were filmed at the collectorate, whose Dutch-era Record Room was shown as Motihari jail while British-built DM Office building was shown as a court in the film.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Coronavirus in China: Epidemic Reporter Laurie Garrett Explains the Tough Realities & the Possibility of a Global Pandemic

Through the eyes of a reporter who has worked in over 30 epidemic zones, including SARS in China and Ebola in West Africa, just how big a threat is the current coronavirus outbreak?

How can coronavirus be transmitted? How virulent is it, and how does it compare with SARS, MERS, and the 1918 influenza pandemic?

How has the Chinese Communist Partys cover-up of information contributed to the spread of coronavirus in Wuhan and beyond?

And, what are the best precautions to avoid infection?

This is American Thought Leaders , and Im Jan Jekielek.

In this episode, well sit down with Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Laurie Garrett, an expert on epidemics and a columnist for Foreign Policy. She breaks down the current COVID-19 outbreak, preventative measures, and why she will be looking closely at Singapore and Hong Kong in the coming weeks to determine if this will develop into a global pandemic.

American Thought Leaders is an Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube
New STEAM Lab Unveiled at South L.A. Elementary School

Kaiser Permanente, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District, on Feb. 7 unveiled a new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) lab at Flournoy Elementary School in Watts that will serve the 500+-student K5 grade school.

The lab is equipped with tools and materials that engage students in challenging STEAM-related, hands-on activities. The lab offers a bold, 360-degree, color-blocked mural that wraps the room with images of STEAM heroes and their bios in vibrant colors, inspiring students to pursue their interests and excel in the classroom. Additionally, a vivid mural at the school entrance welcomes students, parents, teachers and guests with a striking mosaic jungle complete with the schools mascot.

This is a new, wonderful and exciting learning opportunity for our students, said Michael Romero, superintendent, Local District South. It will enable our students to succeed in a way that will better prepare them for the future. Thanks to Kaiser Permanente and this new fully equipped STEAM lab, our students will be much better prepared to enter productive careers when they grow up.

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Kaiser Permanente has a long-standing commitment to improving the health and future of the communities it serves, including in South Los Angeles, according to Julie Miller-Phipps, president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Health Plan and Hospitals.

Thats why projects like this new STEAM lab are so exciting and worthwhile to us, she said. We know that schools are at the center of healthy communities. When children grow up to become healthy and productive adults, they contribute to the overall health and well-being of their communities, and thats a vital part of Kaiser Permanentes mission.

The new STEAM lab at the school  located at 1630 111th St.  is the result of a collaboration between Kaiser Permanente and LAUSDs Achievement Network.

As part of this project, Kaiser Permanente employees  in partnership with school staff, students and families  also painted, cleaned and assembled tables and benches on campus, planted drought-resistant plants and embellished the chain link fence to create paw prints of the schools tiger mascot.
Gerald Williams III, former Apple engineer who oversaw the development of the A-series chips, has accused Apple of poaching employees from his startup and stifling innovation.

Williams left Apple in early 2019 after working at the company for over nine years. During this tenure, he saw the development of key A-series chips used by Apple inside its iPhones and iPads. Soon after leaving Apple, Williams started his own company called Nuvia Inc which aims at creating chips for use in servers. He even managed to poach some Apple employees and received a funding of $53 million.

This led Apple to sue its former lead engineer for breach of contract. The engineers request to dismiss the lawsuit against him was rejected by the court. Now, Williams has countered Apples lawsuit by claiming that it is designed to suffocate the creation of new technologies and solutions by a new business, and to diminish the freedom of entrepreneurs to seek out more fulfilling work. The engineer added that he has maintained his distance from Apple and its employees after leaving the company. He also claims that one of Apples employees, Anand Shimp, sent him a number of documents marked as confidential in April this year. Williams then told Shimpi that this was inappropriate and unwelcome.

In his court filing, Williams also says that Apples Srouji offered him a six-month paid sabbatical to get him to not leave the company. As a parting gift, Apple gave Williams an iPad engraved with signatures of the companys top executives.

It is unclear if this legal battle between Apple and Williams will go into trial or not. Even if it does, the final result is a while away.

[Via Bloomberg
The U.S. administration has not decided whether to extend the historic New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia because it wants more time to persuade China to join the negotiations.

A senior administration official told reporters in a White House briefing on February 14 that Beijing's silence on the matter raises questions about its intentions and will force the United States to strengthen its military readiness to counter any potential threat.

The Trump administration has said it wants an extension of New START -- which is set to expire in February 2021 -- to include China. The United States and Russia are the two signatories of the treaty that went into effect in 2011.

China, the third-largest nuclear power, is on track to double its nuclear arsenal over the next decade. However, Chinas arsenal would still be less than half of that of the United States and Russia.

Beijing has not publicly expressed any interest in such talks.

"Continued silence from China creates uncertainty about their intentions and only brings about the need for a renewed focus on deterrence and military readiness for the United States," the U.S. administration official said.

New START limits deployed strategic nuclear warheads and bombs held by the United States and Russia to 1,550, a reduction of nearly 75 percent from the 6,000 cap set by START 1, according to the Arms Control Association, a Washington-based, nongovernmental organization.

The treaty also allows for the verification of warheads held by each side, something U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (Democrat-Oregon) called a huge breakthrough for nonproliferation.

It can be renewed for up to five years if both sides agree. Moscow has already offered to extend the treaty.

New START is now the last remaining nuclear arms agreement between Russia and the United States after Washington withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in August 2019 amid accusations Russia had developed a weapon banned by the agreement.

The U.S. administration official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity on February 14, said Washington and Moscow support the idea of bringing China into the pact to avert a costly nuclear arms race.

U.S. national-security adviser Robert O'Brien said earlier this week that so far -- and this is not surprising -- the Chinese are not interested in arms control.

They've got the money, and they're moving ahead very quickly on every type of advanced platform and weapons system known to man, whether it's space-based, cyberbased, all different types of kinetic systems.

I think we're hopeful that if we can move forward with the Russians...that there will be pressure on the Chinese, or there will be a desire on the Chinese part not to...incur the expense of an arms race.

The administration official said that, as the treaty's expiration date nears, the United States might agree to extend New START to provide more time to include China in an agreement.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
An 80-year-old Chinese tourist infected with the coronavirus has died in France, the first fatality in Europe and the fourth outside mainland China.

The death comes as Beijing's latest figures on Saturday showed 66,492 cases of the illness and 1523 deaths, mostly in Hubei province.

Outside mainland China there have been about 500 cases in some two dozen countries and territories, with four deaths - in Japan, Chinese-ruled Hong Kong, the Philippines and now France.

In the French case, the Chinese man died at the Bichat hospital in Paris of a lung infection due to the flu-like virus, authorities said on Saturday.
(Photo : Screenshot From The Cruise World (Bilingual) Facebook Page) the MS Westerdam

After about two weeks of aimlessly navigating for a port to land on, a Quarantined Cruise was finally able to dock in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Saturday, Feb. 15. The MS Westerdam cruise passengers seemed to have an extended vacation, which they could not complain about. The only single biggest complaint was from a 60-year-old Robert Sayers saying that the hash browns run out as well as the tomato sauce!



The world thought was ready to pity them

Although the whole world was going on about how they pity the quarantined cruise passengers for not being able to dock around and being turned away from Japan, Taiwan, Guam, Philippines, and even Thailand. It seemed like Cambodia was the only country that let this ship dock after a seemingly two-week voyage.

Read Also: Is There A Cure for Boredom? Quarantined Coronavirus Cruise Passengers Gets Free Access to Adult Site CamSoda

A beautiful statement was given by Hun Sen, who is viewed as an authoritarian ruler and is facing condemnation from Western countries for various human rights abuses. The warm message stated that the bigger disease around the world is fear and discrimination and gave direct remarks about Cambodia opening its doors to this cruise ship by saying if they did not allow this ship to dock, where would the 2,000 passengers go?

Aside from the wonderful cruise, passengers would even be reimbursed!

Holland America personally sent a letter to the passengers stating that the complete cost of the cruise would be reimbursed! The passengers were basically able to board the cruise ship for free! The cherry on the top of the cake was when Holland America even offered to give passengers another free 14-day cruise as well as chartering their flights home! The company even stated that the class of the flight of the passenger's original booking would possibly be matched according to Holland America's capacities.

Comments of the passengers resulted in nothing but positivity.

According to a retired Canadian aerospace engineer named Pierre Ashby, this experience was the best cruise ever! According to Ashby, when people book their cruises, they are usually offered just what they expected, but the cruise was different because it was nothing like he expected! In fact, Ashby stated that it was quite an enjoyable adventure and the best cruise of his life.

Nobody on this cruise ship was found to be positive of the coronavirus

When further results came to light, it was also found that the coronavirus actually infected none of these passengers from Wuhan, which has already claimed the lives of about 1,500 people. Although the gravity of the situation was pretty serious, the quarantined cruise passengers were able to experience the cruise of their lives absolutely free!

Read Also: With Global Coronovirus Cases Now at Alarming Level, U.S. Will Use Influenza Surveillance System to 5 Pilot Cities

The coronavirus from Wuhan has been making headlines everywhere, which have affected the decisions of certain countries to ban passage from other countries like what happened to the MS Westerdam. Now, because of the unfair discrimination experienced by the quarantined cruise passengers, they can now enjoy another 14-day cruise for free! Free Porn. Free Food. Free Internet. And now, A FREE 14-DAY CRUISE ONCE AGAIN!

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Another 67 people on board a cruise ship quarantined off Japans coast have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the countrys health minister said on Saturday.

The new cases, from 217 tests, bring the number of people diagnosed on the Diamond Princess to 285, excluding a quarantine officer who also contracted the illness.

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Extremely Rare Silver Washington "Seasons" Medal Designed by John Trumbull in 1796. The Shepherd, part of the legendary Baker Collection owned by HSP for over a century, sold at auction at Stack's Bowers in Baltimore for $43,200 Nov. 16, 2019. Detail. Read more

When William Spohn Baker, legendary collector and authority on all things Washington, died in 1897, he gave his vast trove of books, prints, engravings, documents, coins, and commemorative George Washington medals to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, where he had served on the board for about 15 years.

And the historical society was overjoyed to have it all.

With this material, carefully used, he formed a collection of great value, enabling him to speak with authority in his own work on the Revolution, and especially the career of Washington," wrote John W. Jordan in HSPs scholarly journal, the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, in 1898. In bequeathing all his treasures to the Historical Society, he knew that they would always be appreciated and receive the care and attention he had bestowed on them and that they would be made accessible to the historical student.

But times change, and students will now have to seek enlightenment without some of those treasures.

On Nov. 16, 2019, with little notice to the general public, the 1,102 medals in the Baker Collection were sold in individual lots at a Baltimore auction, fetching about $2.2 million for the cash-strapped historical society. The medals all relate to Washington in some way, whether they were made during his time, ordered struck by him, depict him, or have another connection. The rest of the Baker Collection, including documentation of the medals, remains with the society.

Baker had explicitly stated in his will that the prints, medals, books, and other elements of the collection should be kept together and marked and known as The Baker Collection with the distinct understanding that no print, medal or book shall on any pretense whatsoever be removed from the building housing the historical society at 13th and Locust Streets.

The medals are now in private hands, scattered to the winds, and the collection is irrevocably broken.

According to public records, the sale came after Philadelphia Orphans Court lifted Bakers supposedly permanent restrictions without even holding a hearing. The state Attorney Generals Office, which is charged with looking after the public interest in matters related to charitable nonprofits, had no objections to the sale and advised HSP on how to write its petition to achieve the desired result  liquidation.

Charles Cullen, HSPs part-time chief executive, justified the sale in a recent interview by arguing that the Baker Collection medals had hardly any research value in them that I could see to the historical society, which is a library and not a museum.

They were objects, and we dont collect objects actively anymore as of several years ago. We dont add objects to our collection. And it was thought that we should not try to place these objects elsewhere, but sell them and support the collections with the proceeds.

The senior deputy attorney general handling the case, Lawrence Barth, has retired and is not available for comment, a spokesperson from the AGs office said.

The sale comes at a time when the historical society is under such extreme financial stress that it laid off a third of its self-described bare bones staff last April. Then, this past summer, plans and hopes for an affiliation with Drexel University died, a Drexel spokesperson says now.

After an in-depth examination of the Historical Society of Pennsylvanias financial situation and a lot of due diligence, Drexel found it was unable to move forward with the affiliation, the spokesperson said.

HSP says the proceeds from the Baker sale will be used solely for care of its collection, which now numbers about 21 million documents and a handful of artifacts. But under the societys collections management policy, those funds can cover staff salaries, utility bills, and other operating costs that might be tied to care of the collections.

What comes next, after the Baker medal windfall, could well involve sale of another HSP treasure  the legendary gold Freedom Box given by the citizens of New York in 1735 to Philadelphian Andrew Hamilton, the man who inspired the tag Philadelphia Lawyer," for his spirited defense of New York newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger.

Zenger was under attack by the kings colonial governor and no New York lawyers would defend him. Hamilton rode to the rescue, cleared Zenger of libel charges  establishing the basis for freedom of the press and the First Amendment in the process  and was presented by grateful New York officials and citizens with a small golden box in thanks.

Etched on the box: Acquired not by money, but by character.

After being held by Hamiltons descendants for two centuries, the box was bestowed on HSP by Lena Cadwalader Evans in 1935. The gift was made permanent in 1939. The box is now being shopped around, according to HSPs Cullen.

The Freedom Box is available for sale, Cullen said. HSP has been unable to find a buyer so far.

Cullen said there are no donor restrictions hampering the sale of the box. In 1941, the donor wrote HSP saying it was her desire that the box not leave the building," Cullen wrote in an email. Over the ensuing decades, staff considered the item restricted until reviewing the documents revealed that her letter sent 14 months after the gift was precatory [a request] and not binding since it was not made at the time of gifting.

Cullen says HSP consulted with the Attorney Generals Office regarding the proper procedure for deaccessioning the Freedom Box. The attorney general determined that the box was not restricted by the donor and no Orphans Court petition is necessary to sell it, Cullen said.

Attorney Mark Zecca, an authority on such cases, disagrees with this decision. He believes that the later request from the donor to HSP that the box not leave the building indicates that the donor always believed that the gift was to be owned by HSP and not put up for sale.

Theres a process, said Zecca, and they should go to court. Particularly with something of such huge significance to the nation, the First Amendment, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia."

In the case of the Baker Collection medals because of the donor restrictions, HSP was obligated to petition Philadelphia Orphans Court prior to any sale or transfer.

The court petition, filed in 2018, says that HSP is a library, not a museum, and is not equipped to care for three-dimensional objects.

HSP has discussed the acquisition of the Washington medals with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, the Museum of the American Revolution, and Mount Vernon in Virginia, the petition reads. Each such entity has expressed no interest in purchasing the Washington medals because the entities recognize that the Washington medals have no research value and provide no historical context as to George Washington and his times. Each entity believes the medals are the 19th century equivalent of Franklin Mint medals which are of interest to and given value by collectors of such items.

Its shocking that that language, or that comparison, would find its way into a legal argument, said Kenneth Finkel, a professor of history at Temple University. There are 19th century equivalents of the Franklin Mint and this is not it. This is a serious collection and eventually its time will come. If its not going to be valuable to one generation, that doesnt mean it wont be to the next.

Leaders of the four institutions who Cullen said were offered the collection said they did not turn it down because of a purported lack of research value or a similar objection.

Douglas Bradburn, president and chief executive of Mount Vernon, said HSP wanted well over $1,000,000, which was a non-starter for us at the time. He said he made no negative comparisons regarding the collection.

David Brigham, head of PAFA, said he met with Cullen quite a while ago. Brigham also said he recalled no comments about the collections research value. Curators and directors of the Museum of the American Revolution and the Philadelphia History Museum (which is in the process of joining with Drexel) said they were not aware of any offers made by HSP.

Cullen said, "I talked to PAFA, Mount Vernon, and a few other places to see if they had any interest in acquiring the medals, and they did not, partly for the same reason that Ive just said: We thought they had no research value, and they were collectors items instead of things that were of historic interest.

The spokesperson for the Attorney Generals Office said, in an email, that the petition seeking the lifting of the donor restrictions on the Baker Collection was properly filed in 2018 and the attorney general was notified. HSPs court petition contained a copy of a letter from Barth to HSPs counsel stating the Attorney Generals Office had no objection to the lifting of the restrictions.

We will not object to this petition to sell the Baker Collections Washington Medals," Barth wrote on May 18, 2018. "I would suggest, however, that to assist the court in reaching the conclusion that I have, the information contained in the second paragraph of your letter also be included in the petition.

According the court records, the information contained in the letter to the attorney general became the petitions assertion that the Baker Collection medals had no historic research value and were akin to Franklin Mint commemoratives, and that HSP was seeking the best and appropriate method of sale.

Zecca, a private attorney with no involvement in the case, called the sale of the Baker Collection medals particularly frustrating." He cited the minimal public notice and the absence of a hearing on the matter.

In addition to the gold Freedom Box, HSP has been seeking to sell a large Benjamin West double portrait of William Hamilton, Andrews grandson, and Williams niece, Ann Hamilton Lyle. The painting is in need of substantial conservation and has not sold.

Were sort of trying to correct what was done in the past," Cullen said, "or at least set a course that will be smooth and correct and restore us to health, financial health specifically.

Might anything else go on the block?

Thats it," said Cullen. No more discussion about objects that we might deaccession because the only objects remaining are now-built-in fireplace mantels rescued in the 1890s after the Graff House, where Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, was torn down in 1883.

Theres no talk about trying to get rid of those or trying to liquidate them, Cullen said.

If the HSP building is torn down, he said, there might be interest in a sale.

Ive been told that the State Department would be interested in having the fireplace, he said.

Correction: A previous version of this story did not specify that only the Baker Collection medals have been sold. The rest of the Baker Collection, including documentation of the medals, remains with the society.
Portuguese President Marcelo



Rebelo de Sousa on Saturday said his country fully supported India's bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

He is on a two-day visit to Goa.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of an urban design conference here, Sousa said, "India has full support of Portugal to become a permanent member of UN Security Council."



Sousa said India will participate in the 2020 UN Ocean Conference to be held between June 2-6 in Lisbon in Portugal.

He said the two countries can cooperate on a variety of projects, adding that his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind were "fruitful, bilaterally and multi-laterally".

"We discussed concrete projects for Portuguese investment in India and Indian investment in Portugal," he said, adding that the two countries have planned cooperation in the field of economy, technology, culture and science over the next five years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Strasbourg, 15 February 2020 (SPS) - The new representative of the Polisario Front in Europe and in the European Union (EU), Oubbi Bucharaya Bashir, welcomed on Thursday the creation of the European Parliamentary Intergroup "Peace for the Saharawi people," considering it as a "core part" of Saharawi people struggle for independence and self-determination.



"The European Parliamentary Intergroup "Peace for the Saharawi people" is required to make Europe more accountable to our people and to keep pace with its just struggle in the context of supporting the diplomatic action of the Polisario Front and the Saharawi Government in general," said Oubbi Bucharaya Bashir, shortly after the official announcement of the creation of this new support group for the Saharawi people, led by German Social Democratic Party MP Joachim Schuster.



According to the Polisario Front's Representative, Europe has been in recent years, especially since the decisions of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in 2016 and 2018 and due to the positions of some influential countries within this continental bloc, "part of the problem of Western Sahara instead of contributing to the efforts to achieve a final solution in accordance with legitimacy and law as stipulated in the relevant United Nations and Security Council resolutions."



"Despite the challenges presented, due particularly to Moroccan arrogance and intransigence, which are fed by the lack of political will of the UN Security Council to exert sufficient pressure for the organization of the referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara, and the negative role of some parties, there are promising opportunities during this year and also in 2021, in particular with regard to the expected court decisions and also with regard to the appointment of a new personal envoy of the UN Secretary General to resume the process of settling the conflict in Western Sahara," occupied by Morocco since 1975.



The European intergroup "Peace for the Saharawi people" was officially announced on Thursday in Strasbourg.(SPS)

062/SPS/APS
Her boyfriend went all out to spoil her for their first Valentine's celebration together.

And after spending the evening in a balloon filled hotel room, Molly-Mae shared a snap of herself on heir romantic date night with her Instagram followers on Saturday.

The Love Island star, 20, looked nothing short of sensational in a form-fitting crimson dress with a deeply plunging neckline and bardot-style sleeves.

Wow! Molly-Mae shared a snap of herself on heir romantic date night with her Instagram followers on Saturday

Molly-Mae showcasing her sizzing physique in the sultry snap, where she was posing in a funky mustard-coloured velvet chair.

The blonde beauty wore her locks in a voluminous curly style, while opting for a typically glamorous coat of make-up including a bronze smokey-eye.

Gushing over her Valentine's experience, she penned: 'Last night, after the most perfect day.'

Love: Love Island's Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury showcased their love with an extravagant display to celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday

It comes after the couple showcased their love with an extravagant display to celebrate the romantic event on Friday>

Tommy, 20, surprised his girlfriend by decorating a suite at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hyde Park, London, after spending the morning at The Lanesborough for breakfast.

Taking to Instagram, Molly-Mae shared a series of photos from her romantic treat which showed a photo of Tommy laying on a sofa surrounded by a huge balloon display and an extravagant bouquet of roses.

Roses are red: Tommy, 20, surprised his girlfriend by decorating a suite at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hyde Park, London, after spending the morning at The Lanesborough for breakfast

Alongside the photos, she wrote: 'No words for this human. I love you.'

The couple also shared a series of snaps on their Instagram Stories which revealed that no corner of the room was left untouched by red rose petals or foil balloon displays.

Along one side of the hotel room, individual balloon displays were spaced out along the floor, with rose petals scattered upon every surface.

Not even the bathroom had been able to escape the love bomb with various balloon displays filling the space.

Tommy also shared a video which encapsulated the extent of the grand gesture, that involved a sea of balloons that hovered above the bed and the words 'I love you' mapped out with rose petals.

One snap showed the blonde beauty posing beside a grand bouquet of red roses as she put on her best pouting display for the camera.

Sweet: Tommy also shared a video which encapsulated the extent of the grand gesture, that involved a sea of balloons that hovered above the bed and the words 'I love you' mapped out with rose petals

Wow: Tommy didn't hold back when it came to decorating the hotel room for the annual celebration

The loved-up couple met on last year's season of Love Island and have been smitten ever since.

The happy couple were recently reunited after Molly-Mae had spent some time in LA for her work with clothing brand Pretty Little Thing.

Taking to Instagram Stories, Tommy documented their reunion with several sweet posts.

Celebration: Not even the bathroom had been able to escape the love bomb with various balloon displays filing the space

Cute: Along one side of the hotel room, individual balloon displays were spaced out along the floor, with rose petals scattered upon every surface

Getaway: The loved up reunion followed a a romantic holiday in December, which saw the couple enjoy some quality time in the Maldives (pictured in January)

One showed the couple cosied up as he penned 'reunited' followed by a red heart emoji on the clip.

While a different update saw Molly with her white hood up as she playfully posed for the camera and he zoomed in, he captioned it: 'Back with my egg,' followed by a red heart emoji.

The loved up reunion followed a a romantic holiday in December, which saw the couple enjoy some quality time in the Maldives.
PARKESBURG  The Blevins family has a new edition.

His name is Floyd.

He is a one-year-old treeing walker coonhound. The breed is descended from the English and American foxhounds.

These hounds can end up abandoned when hunting season is over, said Cindy Blevins, whose family officially adopted Floyd on Oct. 19.

I want to speak for the voiceless, she said.

Floyd found his way to his new Parkesburg family after being rescued, at less than 10 months old, in September by the Northeast Coonhound Rescue when the nonprofit retrieved him from a very rural, overcrowded shelter in southern Virginia.

Floyd was first discovered as a stray pup with a hunting collar around his neck.

Back then he was very skinny. He weighed 37 pounds at the time of his rescue, instead of a normal and healthy weight of 50 pounds based typical for dogs his age and breed.

Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter shelters nationwide every year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Of those, approximately 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats.

I understand people end up in bad situations, Blevins said. But when you commit, you commit.

She added, I cant imagine dropping off a dog on purpose or abandoning it.

She suggested people make plans with others if something happens and they can no longer take care of their dog.

Our last dog ended up not being entirely the right fit for our family, Blevins said, adding that Marty, a border collie and terrier mix, was hyper, anxious and challenging. But you work with it. I am a loyal person, taught a good work ethic. I was taught not to give up.

A few weeks after Marty died, who was 16 years old, Blevins said she began scrolling the internet for rescue pups up for adoption.

My daughter, Lindsay, and her finance, Bruce, live in Boston. They adopted a beagle mix puppy named Walker three years ago from the Animal Rescue League of Boston, she said. Thats when we were first made aware of the plight of the hounds down south. We fell in love with Walter and the hound breed. He is a very smart, sweet dog.

Then this past fall, Blevins filled out an application to adopt a dog with Northeast Coonhound Rescue, but he ended up already having a family interested in him. She said the organization next sent her photos of a few dogs that would be heading to Massachusetts from Virginia in November.

When she saw Floyds photo, Blevins said, it was love at first sight.

She asked the rescue organization about the dogs history and well-being. They could only tell me what they knew so far from the employees of the holding kennel where he was at  since he wasnt up north in foster (care) yet.

Northeast Coonhound Rescue informed her that Floyd showed no signs of food aggression and would make a good family dog. The rescue answered all of my questions, Blevins said. They were easy to work with and made me feel as though I was the only person they were working with, she said, adding, I found comfort that they were experts of the breed.

The family has adopted several different dogs over the years, of different ages and breeds, but never a hound before.

Of Floyd, Blevins said, We hold a special place in our hearts for him because of the situation he came from. The thought of him being abandoned and not wanted just breaks our hearts to the points of tears.

She continued, He is so trusting and forgiving.

The family drove to a gas station in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to meet up with a rescuer who had driven Floyd up north to begin his new life with the Blevins family.

We surprised ourselves by adopting him without meeting him first, Blevins said. I trusted what they told me about him. Also, that photo.

I do not have a number for hounds dogs abandoned each year but it is probably thousands, said Ann Lambertus, director of the Northeast Coonhound Rescue, adding of the dogs who are euthanized in shelters each year, in the southern states, many of the deceased pups are hounds. Her nonprofit has recused more than 1,000 hounds within the last decade.

Floyd was rescued from Russell County Animal Shelter in rural southwest Virginia, she said. Most of our dogs are transported from Virginia and neighboring states, where we have a network of partners who help us get them from county shelters. We took several from Russell County that week when the shelter was full of hounds. We had to make the difficult choice of which ones would come to our rescue. We can only hope that the remaining dogs found rescues that week.

Northeast Coonhound Rescue transports most of its rescued hounds up to New England to find homes. But increasingly, as coonhounds are gaining popularity as pets, we have adopters long the way in northern Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and some of our dogs get off the transport truck and go to adopters in those states.

Blevins has been married to her husband, Jeff, for 33 years. Their two children are grown up making the couple officially empty nesters.

We played with the idea of not getting another dog because we might want to travel, Blevins recalled. However, I couldnt stand the quite and just sitting in an empty house. Dogs give you a reason to get out of the house. I wanted to stay active.

Indeed, Floyd is now her hiking buddy. They make your life whole, Blevins said. You can have a bad day, be grump and heres your dog, giving you kisses, so happy. Unconditional love.

Although Blevins said she suffers from chronic illness, she and her daughter recently started their own business called Studio de Poulet Candles.

Because of Floyd, I have become more active, Blevins said. We take walks every day. We go to the dog park and Ive met nice people because of that.

She is inspired by the words of Mother Teresa, who said, I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters that creates ripples.

For information on Northeast Coonhound Rescue, visit: http://necoonhoundrescue.org.

To check out Studio de Poulet Candles, visit: https://www.studiodepoulet.com/.
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'Danger to life' weather warnings during Storm Dennis have been upgraded as downpours are set to lash the country for the second weekend running.

Following four deaths during Storm Ciara last week, the Met Office raised the alert to amber for Dartmoor and south Devon, most of Wales, the Pennines and large swathes of Yorkshire  where up to 5.5 inches of rain is expected to fall.

The amber warning area includes towns in West Yorkshire where hundreds of homes were flooded after Storm Ciara brought more than a month's rain last weekend.

A rainbow appeared over Clayfield Copse, Berkshire, yesterday morning during the calm before Storm Dennis sweeps across the country bringing inches of torrential rain

The sunrise at Christchurch Quay, Dorset, was captured yesterday morning as the UK braces itself for more weather disruption for the second weekend running

In York, where the Ouse peaked at more than 14ft on Tuesday, river levels remained high at nearly 11ft yesterday.

'Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded.

'Fast-flowing or deep flood water is likely, causing danger to life,' the Met Office said.

The Met Office raised the alert to amber for Saturday (left) and Sunday (right) across Dartmoor and south Devon, most of Wales, the Pennines and large swathes of Yorkshire  where up to 5.5 inches of rain is expected to fall

Storm Dennis is likely to cause gusts of up to 50mph around the country until midday tomorrow, rising to 70mph in southern and western coastal areas

Storm Dennis is likely to cause gusts of up to 50mph around the country until midday tomorrow, rising to 70mph in southern and western coastal areas.

But last night rail firms had not warned passengers not to travel  unlike during Storm Ciara, which brought gales of up to 97mph.

The amber warning is in place from noon today until 3pm tomorrow and a wider yellow weather warning for heavy rain is in place until 9pm.

Yesterday in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, officials were seen desperately trying to prepare for Storm Dennis by using sandbags as flood defences

Many in Mytholmroyd are still dealing with the aftermath of Storm Ciara which brought gales of up to 97mph

This covers southern England, the North West, Wales, Cumbria and the Pennines, with up to two inches of rain forecast.

Storm Dennis will also bring mild temperatures of up to 14C (57F) in southern England this weekend, before returning to cold and blustery weather next week.

Steven Willington, of the Met Office, said: 'There is a risk of significant impacts from flooding, including damage to property and danger to life from fast flowing floodwater.'
PSUs not only play a pivotal role in the economy, but also contribute overall to nation building.

Indias economy has been sliding almost non-stop. The fundamentals of our economy, namely savings, investment, consumption and employment are severely challenged. The government on the revenue side has consistently been unable to mop-up enough revenues. The lack of tax collections is manifesting itself as a problem in myriad ways. Two key issues relating to the inadequacy of tax revenues are that on one hand the government has cut program allocations, and on the other, it is pressuring Public Sector Units (PSUs) to contribute more to the central kitty. PSUs are being asked to contribute more by either bearing the subsidy burden on the governments behalf or by making costly acquisitions to improve the governments budgetary position or by paying government heavy dividends.

PSUs not only play a pivotal role in the economy, but also contribute overall to nation building. The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) in the financial sector, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in the energy sector and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) as the guarantor of food security are sterling examples of this paradigm.

The LIC was established in 1956 with a capital of Rs 5 crore and is today estimated to be valued around Rs 8-10 lakh crore. The LIC is one such asset that the Indian state invested in early, and reaped dividends for several years thereafter. The LIC is among Indias biggest institutional investors. It is also the largest participant in public sector bond issuances. Therefore, it acts as a key lender to the government, without which the government would not be able to make infrastructure investments at the scale that it does. Today, the LIC is ailing. The LIC has an exposure of more than `20,000 crores to various debt instruments that have now been downgraded to default category by credit rating agencies. The contagion that started in the shadow banking sector, then spread to housing finance companies and then to cooperative banks, has now made its presence felt in the insurance sector too, with none other than the gargantuan LIC feeling the heat. Its bond investments in various failing entities now in the headlines are all now default grade.

The LIC is not only suffering because of risky companies on its portfolio. The LICs precarious finances are also due to acute political pressure during the BJP-governments rule starting in 2014. Under that pressure, the LIC bought heavy stakes in a number of public sector companies when they went for their IPO. These include New India Assurance Company in November 2017, General Insurance Corporation in October 2017, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. in March 2018 and of course in its acquisition of loss-making state-run IDBI Bank. By September 2019, the LICs equity holdings in IDBI had fallen to Rs 10,967 crores from Rs 21,624 crores about a year ago. Such gross injustices to the LICs financial position due to the governments interference is sheer callousness on its part given that the LIC deals with peoples savings. The problem is that the LIC is one of those companies in India which is just too-big-to-fail. And unlike in the United States, the Indian government might not be able to save it, given its sheer size. So when it does fail, it will take the Indian economy down with it.

ONGC is also reeling under a mountain of debt, after the BJP-led governments interference brought matters to a head. Not long ago, ONGC was among Indias richest PSUs that was virtually debt-free, but has been reduced to a shadow of its former self by the current dispensation. ONGC is now cash-strapped and under a mountain of debt due to high dividend pay-outs and unnecessary acquisitions. In March 2018, ONGCs cash reserves were at their lowest since March 2001, and had registered a drop of more than 90 per cent in just one financial year. The government basically treats ONGC as its cash cow, expecting it to declare dividends whenever the government is looking to plug a fiscal shortfall. In FY-18, ONGC had to pay its highest dividend till then of Rs 8,470 crore, further imperilling its financial position.

However, this is not it. Two decisions that almost dealt a death blow to ONGCs financial position were its bailout of the debt-ridden Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) and the buy-out of the Central governments stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL). The GSPC investment turned out a dud due to limited production in its KG basin gas block. And because it could not acquire HPCL fully, it had to take on Rs 35,000 crore worth of debt from three private banks and four public sector banks, all of which could turn into NPAs because ONGC is struggling to service these loans. Not only will ONGCs downfall imperil banks, but it would also endanger Indias energy security, which is already under pressure due to sanctions on Iran and the wider tensions in the Middle East.

The story at FCI, which is the agency that manages the procurement and distribution of food grains and administers the Food Security Act, is no different. FCI has witnessed its debt treble since the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014. With no income stream of its own, FCI is completely reliant on budget allocations from the Union government for servicing its debt. Debt levels have grown from Rs 91,409 crore in March 2014 to Rs 2.65 lakh crore in March 2019, which is an increase of over 190 per cent. This is because the BJP-led government at the Centre had been budgeting much less than the required food subsidy amount, leading to FCI borrowing from the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF) to fill the gap. By the end of FY-19, FCI debt through the NSSF alone had ballooned up to Rs 1.91 lakh crores. Citizens below the poverty line benefit from the FCIs food grain distribution. As India further slips on the Hunger Index, on which it is already placed at 102nd among 117 countries  FCI may well become among the first public sector titans to turn into a NPA.

That is why I had commenced the discussion on the Union Budget by asking the finance minister to articulate whether the government believes that the public sector should exist in India or not.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday discussed with US counterpart Donald Trump ways to end the crisis in Idlib, Syria's last major rebel bastion, and condemned Damascus' attacks there, the Turkish presidency said.

"Stressing that the regime's most recent attacks are unacceptable, the president and Trump exchanged views on ways to end the crisis in Idlib without further delay," the presidency said in a statement after the two leaders spoke on the phone.

The situation in Syria has become more tense as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad intensifies his assault on Idlib backed by Moscow air power.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed while 800,000 Syrians have been forced to leave their homes to flee the offensive since December, according to the United Nations. Turkey has 12 observation posts in Idlib as part of the 2018 Ankara-Moscow agreement made in southern city of Sochi.

Erdogan threatened to attack Damascus if regime forces did not return to the positions agreed in the Sochi deal before the end of February after 14 Turks were killed by Syrian regime shelling in Idlib this month.

"We'll do the job ourselves," he said in a televised speech in Istanbul. He added that Turkey was creating a "safe zone" in Idlib and building homes for people fleeing. Turkish officials say up to four of the posts are surrounded by the regime forces.

"We see that the regime is starting to encircle our observation posts. It is not possible for us to remain silent when confronted with this," Erdogan had said in comments published by the Hurriyet daily earlier on Saturday.

Ankara fears those fleeing the bombs will come to Turkey, already home to more than 3.6 million Syrians.

"We are not in a position to accept a million more people," Erdogan told Turkish journalists on his plane after a visit to Pakistan this week.

After Russia accused Turkey of failing to "neutralise terrorists" in Idlib, Erdogan dismissed this claim and said Turkish forces would fight against any terrorist.

He criticised Moscow's statements after his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, but did not give details.

"The very next day, there are serious accusations in a statement. There was nothing like this in our call. What's going on?" In the speech on Saturday evening, Erdogan again criticised Moscow over its support for the Syrian regime, and its effort only to "ensure the regime's survival."



But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier on Saturday insisted that Turkey-Russia relations "shouldn't" be affected by differences of opinion over Syria.

Relations between Turkey and the US have been strained over multiple issues including Syria but it appears the Americans are trying to capitalise on the tensions over



Idlib between Ankara and Moscow. US special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey visited Ankara earlier this week, and voicedWashington's support for Turkey's "legitimate" interests in Syria and in Idlib. Although Jeffrey referred to Turkey's losses as "martyrs" this week, Erdogan said he was "not convinced" by such remarks, Hurriyet reported.

The Turkish presidency also said Erdogan and Trump discussed the situation in war-torn Libya and "underlined the importance of restoring peace and stability." And the leaders agreed to restart negotiations to increase bilateral trade to USD 100 billion per year, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghan boys sell fresh fruit on carts, signs are written in Dari or Pashto, and restaurants in the bustling bazaar sell Afghan dishes such as Kabuli pulao. But this "mini Kabul" is in Pakistan, which this week marks 40 years of hosting Afghan refugees. It is a grim milestone for entire generations of families who fled war to create a life in Pakistan, but still face an uncertain future and no clear path to citizenship. "We spent an entire life here," says Niaz Mohammed, a 50-year-old labourer from Afghanistan's Nangarhar province who fled to Pakistan in the 1980s. "We had weddings and marriages here, our kids were born here ... We have jobs and work here, while there's no peace in Afghanistan. That's why we are happy here." On Sunday UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will arrive in Islamabad for a conference the United Nations says will "send a global reminder about the fate of millions of Afghans living as refugees". "The main challenge right now is to continue to provide support to Pakistan in hosting them ... and also give access to skills and education for the young Afghan population here," Indrika Ratwatte, Asia director of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, told AFP on Friday. - Temporary status - Pakistan is one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world, home to an estimated 2.4 million registered and undocumented people who have fled Afghanistan, some as far back as the Soviet invasion of 1979. Many live in camps, while others have built lives for themselves in Pakistan's cities, paying rent and contributing to the economy. "Mini Kabul", the bustling Refugee Market in the northwestern city of Peshawar is home to some 5,000 shops -- all run by Afghan refugees. But their status has always been temporary, with deadlines set for them to leave Pakistan repeatedly pushed back as the conflict in Afghanistan worsens. Many Pakistanis view them with suspicion, accusing them of spurring militancy and criminality, and calling for them to be sent home. Even those who have spent decades in the country cannot own property or obtain identity cards, and were only recently allowed to open bank accounts. Shortly after he came to power, Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to grant them citizenship -- but the controversial promise sparked outrage, and has not been spoken of since. - 'I prefer to stay' - Nevertheless, many of the refugees who spoke to AFP in Peshawar recently said they love their adopted home. Javed Khan, 28, was born in Pakistan, has married a Pakistani woman and has three sons of his own. "I will leave only if Pakistan forces me," he told AFP. The situation could yet change: Afghanistan may be about to take the first step on the long road to peace. Late Thursday the US said it has secured a seven-day reduction in violence in the country that it hopes will allow it to strike a deal with the Taliban, as President Donald Trump said a peace accord was "very close". Such a deal would allow Washington to begin withdrawing troops, in return for security guarantees from the Taliban and a promise to begin peace talks with the Afghan government. However refugees were sceptical about what it would mean for them. Mohammed Feroz, who came to Pakistan just over 40 years ago from Kabul, now runs a cloth shop in "mini Kabul". Sitting in a chair at the front of his shop, he said he supported the withdrawal of US troops -- but was leery of US and Taliban motivations. "They are after their interest. No one cares about us, God is the only hope for us," he said. Even if peace comes, most refugees said that they would prefer to stay in Pakistan, where they can support their families. In the Khurasan refugee camp outside Peshawar an estimated 5,000 refugees live in poverty. Yaseen Ullah, 26, collects scrap and sells it to junkyards. His family -- his mother, four brothers, and four sisters -- share a two-room mud house with no plumbing. They also came from Nangarhar province across the border -- and, despite the harshness of life in the camp, are not eager to go back. "I have no job, no work in Afghanistan. So what will I do there?" Ullah asked. Mohammad, the labourer from Nangarhar, agreed. "I have to feed my family, my kids," the father of seven, all born in the camp, told AFP, speaking Pashto with a Pakistani accent. "I am saying it from my heart and I am very clear on it, that I will prefer to stay here. I do not want to return." Pakistan is home to an estimated 2.4 million registered and undocumented people who have fled Afghanistan Many live in camps, while others have built lives for themselves in Pakistan's cities, paying rent and contributing to the economy An Afghan refugee woman and her daughter make carpet at her home in a refugee camp in Peshawar
Guideline: The watchdog said it did not recommend wearing facemasks. Picture: AFP/Getty

Workers have been told to maintain a distance of three feet from the general public in case they have the coronavirus, according to new advice from Ireland's disease watchdog.

This "social distance" is particularly important if the customer is coughing, sneezing or has a fever, said the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.

There has been no confirmed case of coronavirus in Ireland so far, although health experts warn that it is "very possible" the infection will arrive here.

The guidance for "workers dealing with the general public" does not recommend the wearing of facemasks if the customer is feeling well and does not have respiratory symptoms.

"Facemasks are not recommended because there is no evidence that using them in this setting is of any benefit in people who are not sick."

It said the most important action these people can take to protect themselves from the coronavirus is "regular handwashing and good respiratory hygiene", covering the mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue if coughing and sneezing.

They should avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth because they can transfer the virus with contaminated hands.

The guide states that the likelihood of ongoing person-to-person spread in public settings in Europe is low.

Fears of the coronavirus have prompted Mullingar parish to advise Mass-goers that they do not have to shake hands during the sign of peace.

It has not banned the handshake but said if parishioners are concerned they can say "peace be with you" or acknowledge the other person by the wave of a hand.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said legal changes making coronavirus a notifiable disease can go ahead - despite the Dail not sitting.

The department also plans to add it to the list of infections which would call for the detention of a patient who refuses to self-isolate if they are in danger of spreading it.

A spokeswoman said that Health Minister Simon Harris proposes the exercise of powers already conferred on him, to prescribe Covid-19, by regulation, as an infectious disease. This does not require a fresh Act of the Oireachtas.

An expert group overseeing the plans to protect against the virus is also approaching the Department of Social Protection about support for an employee who must self-isolate for two weeks.

Chinese pharmaceutical firm WuXi Biologics, whose campus is in Dundalk, Co Louth, has suspended employee travel to and from China as a result of the coronavirus.

Ban

It said the temporary travel ban, which has been in place since late January, was put in place "to prioritise the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees".

Currently, some 100 people are employed directly by WuXi Biologics and around 1,200 are working on site construction.

The travel ban "will continue until further notice pending guidance from the WHO and international health agencies", it added.

Meanwhile, almost 65,000 patients around the world have now caught the virus and nearly 1,400 have died.
The Lok Sabha secretariat has sought the Union law ministrys opinion on a request by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for sanction to prosecute three sitting Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, accused in the Narada sting operation case, within weeks of receiving the agencys request, senior officials at the lower house said.

The CBI, which has been probing the case since 2017, had sought the Lok Sabha Speakers permission in April last year for filing a charge sheet against the accused MPs. Owing to the general elections, however, no decision was taken. The central agency is still awaiting the approval.

This 2016 sting by the Narada news website operation purportedly showed about important leaders of the TMC accepting cash from a representative of a fictitious company.

Lok Sabha officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that within a few weeks of receiving the CBIs request, the Speakers office had sent the file to the law ministry seeking legal opinion on the matter. As per protocol, we send the file to the Union law ministry for legal clarification. The law ministry, in turn, refers the matter to Attorney General or Solicitor General. The governments legal officers reply does not come directly to us. It gets routed through the law ministry, said a senior Lok Sabha official on condition of anonymity.

According to Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, prosecution sanction is mandatory for filing a charge sheet against a public servant before the courts can take cognizance of the charges.

The senior official of the Lok Sabha cited above said the law ministry had returned the file to the Lok Sabha secretariat with its opinion on the issue a few months ago. But there were still many queries left and the file was sent back for legal opinion with new queries, said the official. The grounds cited or sanction of prosecution of the MPs were not entirely satisfactory, he added.

The agency initially sought sanction to prosecute TMC leaders Saugata Roy, Prasun Banerjee, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Suvendu Adhikari, who were members of the previous Lok Sabha. Adhikary is not a member of the present Lok Sabha.

The second official said that now the Lok Sabha does not have jurisdiction over Adhikary. The CBI would need West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjees approval to prosecute Adhikary, who is a minister in the West Bengal government.

A CBI spokesperson said: The agency doesnt comment on ongoing investigations.

The four TMC leaders were seen receiving money from a journalist posing as a representative of a private company in the Narada sting operation. The sting operation was publicized ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections in 2016. TMC president Banerjee called the sting a political ploy by rivals ahead of the elections.

A senior Trinamool leader refused to comment on the issue, saying these were legal matters and the party was not aware of the developments.
On average, anywhere between 200 and 2,000 species go extinct annually. These are conservative numbers. Expert scientists calculate that the average extinction rate ranges between 0.01 and .1%. Sometimes, we get it right, and before a species goes extinct, conservation efforts are able to bring back a species from the brink of non-existence. Here are ten birds weve saved from extinction!

Chinese Crested Tern

The Chinese crested tern is a critically endangered species that used to be believed to be extinct. In 2000, less than 10 birds were found in the Matsu Islands. The number of breeding adults seems to vary every year, although it does remain consistently low. As of 2014 there were at least 43 breeding adults. Records of its existence were sporadic over the years only 21 birds were identified between June & July 1937 and they were not sighted again until 1978! Egg poachers pose the biggest threat to these birds.

Bald Eagle

The bald eagle is the poster child for birds saved from extinction. People used to hunt them for sport and the widespread use of DDT drastically reduced their numbers. Once DDT was banned, their numbers started to increase. Bald eagles are known to mate for life and they usually began breeding when they are between 4 and 5 years old. Today bald eagles are considered Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Trumpeter Swan

The trumpeter swan is another success story of what can be done when we work to ensure that specific bird species do not become extinct. Due to hunting and interest in their feathers, by 1933, there were less than 70 known wild trumpeters alive. Trumpteer swans are the largest known extant waterfowl species, with a possible weight of up to 30 pounds and a length up to nearly 6 feet! What saved the trumpeter swans was the discovery of a separate population that was slowly reintroduced into the population at large. The trumpeter swan now has a population of over 35,000 birds living throughout the North Americas.

Echo Parakeet

The echo parakeet is native to the Mascarene Islands of the Republic of Mauritius. In the 1980s, roughly 10 birds were still alive and only a few of them were female. The birds are on average 16 inches tall. Male birds have a slender pink collar around their neck, while females do not. Today, more than 800 echo parakeets roam the forests of the island. In general the parakeet lives in forest canopies. Hopefully, this bird will continue to thrive and not join the Dodo, which was also endemic to Mauritius, but no longer exists.

California Condor

The California condor went extinct in the wild in 1987; at that time, there were only 27 California condors in captivity. Although it is no longer classified as such, it does remain Critically Endangered. Lead poisoning and habitat destruction both contributed to its decline. In the 90s, the birds were reintroduced to the wild. In the wild, the California condor can live for up to 60 years. Its a scavenger and weighs between 18 and 31 pounds. With a wingspan of up to 10 feet, the bird is the largest flying bird in North America. Currently, there is conversation about reintroducing the species to Redwoods National Park, in California.

Cherry-throated Tanager

The Cherry-throated tanagers native habitat is the mountain forests in Brazil. The bird has always been rare; its first sighting was in 1870 and it did not appear again until 1941. Cherry-throated tanagers are seasonally monogamous and usually produce two to three eggs per clutch. The birds distinctive red, white, and black feathers match its loud, sharp call. The bird remains on the Critically Endangered list, although the reason for its scarcity remains a mystery.

Whooping Cranes

The whooping crane is one of two crane species endemic to North America. Its snowy white plumage and crimson cap of feathers make it unforgettable. They are nearly as tall as Great Blue Herons but significantly heavier. Their main habitat is wetlands and sometimes, the marshes. In the 1940s, between 15 and 20 birds still existed. Focused efforts to increase their numbers included captive breeding as well as reintroduction into the wild. The efforts succeeded: today there are several hundred whooping cranes in the wild. The whooping crane is not completely safe, however. It remains on the IUCN list as Endangered.

Yellow-Eared Parrot

The yellow-eared parrot resides in the high Andes mountains. It was widely believed that the species was extinct until 1999, when a group of researchers discovered 81 yellow-eared parrots in the Colombian Andes. After this rediscovery, conservation efforts have increased, but the bird remains on the list, now classified as Endangered. Part of what threatens it is the continued use of wax palm fronds by residents. The wax palm tree houses yellow-eared parrot nests and roosts. Wax palm trees are slow-growing trees and so their destruction is not quickly remedied. Efforts to reduce use of wax palm fronds and the trees wood have been mostly successful. Currently there are more than 1,000 yellow-eared parrots alive in the wild.

Seychelles Warbler

The Seychelles Warbler is a small songbird that lives in the Republic of Seychelles, off the coast of East Africa. In 1968, fewer than 30 Seychelles Warblers were alive in the wild. The birds plumage is greenish-brown and its legs are long. The bird mostly forages for insects. To help protect and conserve the species, Cousin Island (where they were in 1968) was declared a nature reserve. The work was successful! By 2014, there were more than 3,000 individuals comprising the population. This resulted in a reclassification as Near Threatened.

Tahiti Monarch

Tahiti Monarchs are found in French Polynesia. In 2006, only 19 adult birds were known to be in existence. The bird is very small and its feathers are black. As of 2015 that number has grown to 52. While the growth is not insignificant, the birds habitat is confined to only four valleys in Tahiti and so it remains Critically Endangered.
DES MOINES  Mark Smith was chosen Saturday to lead the Iowa Democrats at a time of turmoil for the party.

Smith, a state lawmaker from Marshalltown and former leader of the Democrats in the Iowa House, was elected interim chairman at an emergency state party meeting Saturday afternoon at a labor hall in Des Moines.

Smith replaces Troy Price, who resigned in the wake of the partys inability to report timely results of the Feb. 3 presidential precinct caucuses.

I believe that the people of Iowa are going to be looking for what things the Democratic Party does to win elections in November, and I believe that I will have a strong message out there that we are correcting those issues and that we have many more strengths as a party than (there were) issues that night, Smith told reporters.

Smith is serving his 10th and final two-year term in the House; he previously announced his plan to retire from the Legislature. He will serve as interim state party chairman through the November general election.

A computer program designed to transmit results from the roughly 1,700 precinct leaders to state party headquarters faltered on caucus night, and the state partys backup systems also failed to perform as hoped.

As a result, the state party did not release partial results until the Tuesday afternoon after the Monday caucuses, and full results were not completed until that Thursday, three days after the caucuses.

The slow trickle of results  with the world watching  caused a black eye for Iowa Democrats and fanned the flames of another debate over the caucuses role as the first step in the U.S. presidential nominating process.

Smith said by most accounts the caucuses ran well, but acknowledged the issues with reporting the results.

The state party plans an independent review of the issues that arose on caucus night.

We will fix the problems that occurred on caucus night, Smith pledged in his remarks to committee members before Saturdays vote.

Smith will guide Iowa Democrats through a crucial election cycle, in which their goals include winning back one of Iowas U.S. Senate seats from freshman incumbent U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, protecting two of their own freshman incumbents in U.S. House races in eastern and central Iowa, and flipping enough seats to earn a majority in the Iowa House and halt Statehouse Republicans complete control of the state lawmaking process.

Priority No. 1 is to get out across the state and to talk to everyday Iowans and restore the faith in the Iowa Democratic Party, Smith told reporters. So Ill be traveling across Iowa and meeting with folks, hearing their concerns, and activating the volunteerism that we need to be successful in our elections in November.

Price announced his resignation Thursday, nine days after the caucuses. In his remarks to the state leadership committee, Price said he hopes his resignation will allow Iowa Democrats to move past the caucuses and focus on winning elections.

Theres no doubt this past week has been rough. But the fundamental strength of our party remains strong, Price said.

Members of the state partys leadership committee nominated a total of four candidates for interim state chair. The others were former congressional candidate Gabriel De La Cerda, Iowa Latino leader Joe Henry, and activist and frequent political candidate Bob Krause.

The state party does not publish vote totals in elections for party positions. The rules chairwoman who conducted the election called the results conclusive.

On Sunday, the state party will begin a recanvass of the caucus results from 143 precincts. The recanvass was requested by the presidential campaigns of former mayor Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. The campaigns believe errors were made in those precincts that could alter the caucus results.

As reported, the caucus results show Buttigieg with the most state delegate equivalents by a historically slim margin over Sanders.

Photos: Caucus night locally

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The uproar after the Iowa Democratic Party caucus reporting software failed was a harsh reminder for programmers of how bad things can get. Counting up a few simple votes isnt as complicated as building an autonomous car, training an AI to recommend movies, or even updating a bank database safely, yet the programmers couldnt pull this off. One particular damning tweet read, Hard to believe we put men on the moon.

The thing is that the comparison to flying to the moon isnt really fair. Even though guiding the Apollo lander to the moon seems much harder than tabulating a few thousand votes, all of the extra work wrapped around the modern vote tally is what makes it much more complex.

Some parts are getting easier. The new so-called serverless option promises to let us write the most essential logic and be finished, but were not there yet. Sure, writing the functions is simpler, but the rest of the time were wrestling with configuration options. We spend hours writing hundreds of lines of YAML, spelling out decision after decision, but for some reason that isnt considered coding.

Coding or not, all of this thinking adds up. The non-programmers wont understand thisand I want them to understand the reasons offered as an explanation, not an excusebut crafting software is dramatically more difficult and complicated today. Here are five reasons why.

Code was simpler then

The best way to get a feel for what NASAs job was like is to read some of the code, now immortalized in a GitHub repository. Choose a file at random. GROUND_TRACKING_DETERMINATION_PROGRAM.agc, for instance, has 204 lines and more than 85 of them are comments. Each of the lines consists of only one operation, unlike modern languages, which can pack dozens of operations with multiple options into one line.

The simplicity becomes obvious as you page through the files. Even though the code looks impressive when its printed out and put in binders, as it is in the famous photo of Margaret Hamilton, there are only several hundred files and most of them are short and filled with comments. They had to be. The Apollo Guidance Computer had only 36k of ROM to hold the compiled version.

That meant the programmers could easily brush off feature requests and concentrate on only the most important steps.

The code itself will look positively inscrutable to most modern programmers because very few developers today learn to read assembly language or machine code. Even fewer learn to write it. While it looks quite cryptic, the semantics are much simpler. After all, the machine had just a few registers, some RAM, and some IF-THEN options for branching.

Compare these to the rules that modern programmers must master to handle abstractions like closures or recursive object data. The Java team is rolling out version 14 now, and every new version along the way came with clever new mechanisms to be grokked. Even ideas that are intended to make programming easier, like callback functions in JavaScript, require quite a bit of abstract thinking.

Once you figured out the cryptic instruction names of assembler, it was actually much easier and simpler to write.

Security was simpler

Yes, security was tight at NASA for the launch, but the programmers didnt have to worry about writing code for a machine connected to the Internet. The Apollo Guidance Computer talked only to Houston, and only infrequently. Today, every smartphone is constantly interacting in the background with dozens of websites and services that might be secretly malicious.

This makes shipping code today a security nightmare. Deploying a basic container requires juggling a special file full of passwords and secrets that keep everything secure. Android and iOS app developers have to manage multiple secret keys for signing their app before it can be uploaded to the various stores. If any of these secrets slip out, anyone with a connection to the Internet might be able to break in and have their way with the machine.

The modern Internet is a cesspool of bad actors, and the spammers, clickjackers, and phishers are the nice ones. There are plenty of worse actors working serious cons and evendramatic Hollywood pausemurder. Aside from the Soviet Luna 15, a craft rushed into space just three days before Apollo 11, the programmers back then didnt have to worry about anyone else.

Function was the focus

Back then, there were no design committees pondering whether a button should be moved over a pixel or two. There were no splash screens, moving icons, background shading, or millions of fonts. Heck, IBM didnt launch the Selectric with changeable fonts until 1961.

While a modern programmer can leverage nice standards like HTML, CSS, and SVG, and untold millions of lines of libraries like React or Vue, the same programmer must also live up to their standards. The astronauts were just happy that the little glowing vacuum tubes were still glowing. They didnt care about the shade of green.

Fewer moving parts

Mechanical engineers tend to count the number of moving parts and use it as a proxy for the complexity. The Lunar Landers guidance computer had one very important job, tracking the position, and thats about it. The modern smartphone does a bazillion things at the same time, many of which are taken for granted by an unthinking and uncaring populace of ingrates who will uninstall an app if it doesnt respond in milliseconds.

All of this complexity adds up. Yes, automated build code, well-defined APIs, and endless libraries mean that programmers can let the magic elves in the continuous integration pipeline do most of the work, the complexity is still there. A Go app compiled with version 1.7 that only prints Hello World is 1.6 megabytes alone, and the Go world was totally thrilled with this news because it was 2.3 megabytes before.

Consider Isaac Newtons line about standing on the shoulders of giants. Modern programming feels a bit like being on top of one of those human pyramids built by the most insane cheerleading teams. Sure, everyone below you is doing much of the heavy lifting, but just keeping your balance is a feat.

Freedom from lawyers

According to my count, there are 22 thousand words in the basic Terms of Service for renting a machine in Amazons cloud. There is also an entirely different TOS for using the website to rent the machine. Then each individual product often has its own TOS, like this one for Activate. Add them up and theyre much longer than the 36 thousand instruction words in the ROM in the Lunar Landers computer.

The Apollo programmer didnt know that the movie Aliens would come along with the tag line, In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream, but they understood the idea well and knew this meant that no ambulance chasing lawyer would hear you, either. And if the lawyers did get involved, the principle of sovereign immunity is a beautiful tool for brushing aside all of the legal hassles that confound modern programmers.
Two-wheeler sales in India (January 2020) were not that great and the market went down by 16.05%, overall.

The Indian two-wheeler market (amongst other vehicle categories) is busy with back-to-back launches of new BS6 products. Since every popular name on the market is bound to go through the update before the April-deadline, potential buyers have decided to wait until the product of their choice comes in its BS6 avatar. For the same reason, two-wheeler sales have gone through a substantial low at the start of the new decade.

With a total sales of 13,41,005 units in January 2020, the Indian two-wheeler market faced a sales decline of about 16% compared to 15,97,446 units at the starting month of 2019. As expected, Hero MotoCorp led the way in January 2020 at 4,88,069 units, but with a sales dip of 14.37% compared to January 2019.

No Two Wheeler Jan 2020* Jan 2019 Diff % 1 Hero MotoCorp 4,88,069 5,69,962 -81,893 -14.37 2 Honda 3,74,114 4,00,695 -26,581 -6.63 3 TVS Motor 1,63,007 2,28,654 -65,647 -28.71 4 Bajaj 1,57,796 2,03,358 -45,562 -22.40 5 Royal Enfield 61,292 70,872 -9,580 -13.52 6 Suzuki 56,012 63,209 -7,197 -11.39 7 Yamaha 35,913 55,355 -19,442 -35.12 8 Piaggio 4,358 4,655 -297 -6.38 9 Harley Davidson 210 107 103 96.26 10 Kawasaki 151 348 -197 -56.61 11 Triumph 60 54 6 11.11 12 Mahindra 23 177 -154 -87.01  Total 13,41,005 15,97,446 -2,56,441 -16.05

*Jan 2020 sales data via Auto Punditz. Coming in at second position on the chart is Honda Motorcycle India. The Japanese brand sold 3,74,114 units in the country last month and faced a relatively mild sales loss of 6.63%. On the other hand, the sales decline became 28.71% for TVS Motor as it hit 1,63,007 units in January 2020. However, the Hosur-based two-wheeler manufacturer performed better than Bajaj Auto which gathered a total sales figure of 1,57,796 units in the same month; a loss of 22.40%.

Royal Enfield sold 61,292 units last month in comparison to 70,872 units in January 2019. The sales drop of 13.52% is mainly due to the fact that many are eagerly awaiting the debut of the next-gen single-cylinder models such as the 2020 Classic 350, Thunderbird 350 and ThunderbirdX 350. Meanwhile, Suzuki and Yamaha settled for sales figures of 56,012 units (-11.39%) and 35,913 units (-35.12%), respectively, in the month of January 2020.

Piaggio is the only manufacturer to gather four-digit sales figures. At 4,358 units, the collective likes of Aprilia and Vespa went through a sales drop of 6.38%. Interestingly enough, Harley-Davidson secured 9th position on the chart and first spot as the best-selling premium brand in the country, with a sales figure of 210 units in January 2020 or a growth of a strong 96.26%!

Kawasaki India is the last brand to have three-digit sales in January 2020; at 151 units and a market decline of 56.61%. Following the Jap is the Brit, Triumph Motorcycles with a sales count of just 60 units last month, but an appreciable growth of 11.11%. Finally, at the bottom of the list rests Mahindra Two Wheelers with just 23 units as its monthly sales figure at the start of the year. The Indian brand, with just the Gusto, Centuro and Mojo range of scooters and motorcycles, faced a sales decline of about 87% in January 2020. In January 2019, Mahindra sold 177 units; which isnt that impressive either for a regular two-wheeler manufacturer.
New and updated property tax information has just been compiled by (Hale County Appraisal District) and is available now to assist taxpayers. This property tax information is current and covers a wide range of topics, such as taxpayer remedies, exemptions and appraisals, and has information for select groups, such as disabled veterans and persons age 65 or older.

Whether you are a homeowner, business owners, disabled veteran or taxpayer, its important you know your rights concerning the property tax laws, said Nikki Branscum, Chief Appraiser of the Hale County Appraisal District. You can contact us about any property tax issues with full confidence that we will provide you the most complete, accurate and up-to-date available information to assist you.
Technavio has been monitoring the glycerol market and it is poised to grow by USD 965.8 million during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of 7% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200214005337/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled global glycerol market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

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Glycerol Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Glycerol Market is segmented as below:

Application

Pharma and Personal Care

Alkyd Resins

Food and Beverages

Polyether Polyols

Tobacco Humectants

Others

Source

Biodiesel

Fatty Acids

Fatty Alcohols

Soap Industry

Geographic segmentation

Americas

APAC

EMEA

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30054

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CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

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About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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NCP president Sharad Pawar shared a stage with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray a day after criticising him for allowing the transfer of the Elgar Parishad case probe to the National Investigation Agency.

Pawar and Thackeray came together on Saturday for a function in Jalgaon to give out agricultural awards named after Appasaheb Pawar, the NCP chief's elder brother.

On Friday, Pawar had told reporters in Kolhapur that it was not right on part of the Centre to hand over the Elgar Parishad case probe to the NIA from Pune police.

In a swipe at the state government, of which the NCP is a part, Pawar had said, "It was not right for the Centre to hand over the investigation into the case to the NIA. But it was even more wrong for the state government to support the transfer of the case."



At Saturday's function, however, all appeared well between the two politicians with Pawar asking that the Maharashtra CM be felicitated first while Thackeray asked that the former Union agriculture minister be honoured before him.

The organisers honoured Pawar and Thackeray jointly.

Speaking on the occasion, Thackeray said the farmer is the binding force of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

"Farmers have brought us together. Our not sitting together does not mean there is any problem in the Maha Vikas Aghadi," Thackeray assured the gathering.

"Farmers need not worry now. This is their government. I am aware that farmers want water, electricity and good price for their produce. Loan waiver is the first aid to take them out of their problems permanently," the CM added.

Addressing the function, Pawar said, "Today in the world, India has a standing in the field of agriculture. We have attained sufficiency in agriculture despite constraints like burgeoning population. For this, we must give credit to our farmers and scientists."



He said farmers need to look for new technologies, adopt and apply them in the field, adding that "water remains an important issue and the state and Centre need to work together".

The agriculture award, set up Jain Irrigation, was given to Dattatraya Chavan, a farmer from Nandapur in Jalna district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
She recently revealed she's is ready to add to her hectic life by welcoming a third baby into the family as she turns 30.

And ahead of her baby plans, Billie Faiers flaunted her taut midriff as she joined her family at the star-studded Nickelodeon Adventure launch in Thurrock Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex on Saturday.

The reality star, 30, looked great in a cropped pink jumper as she posed with husband Greg Shepherd, 35, and children Nelly, five, and son Arthur, two, at the event.

Looking good: Billie Faiers flaunted her taut midriff as she joined her family at the Nickelodeon Adventure launch in Thurrock Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex on Saturday

Billie's cosy top featured horizontal green stripes, with the star adding to her casual look with pale blue jeans and white trainers.

The Mummy Diaries star added a touch of glam with a shimmering palette of make-up, while her blonde tresses were styled with a sleek centre-parting.

Billie appeared in good spirits as she joined her adorable family, with daughter Nelly showing off her fun sense of style in a smart white coat.

Billie's sister Sam, 29, was also in attendance and was joined by her partner Paul Knightley and children Paul Jnr, four and Rosie, two.

Family time: The reality star, 30, looked great in a cropped pink jumper as she posed with husband Greg Shepherd, 35, and children Nelly, five, and son Arthur, two, at the event

Sam cut a glamorous figure in a furry tan jacket, which she paired with a beige top, skinny jeans and chunky white trainers.

The mum-of-two was full of smiles as she sweetly posed with her brood ahead of their fun day out.

Also joining in the fun was Frankie Bridge, her husband Wayne Bridge, 39, and their children Parker, six, and Carter Bridge, four.

The former Saturdays star kept things casual in a black jogging suit and trainers as she happily posed with a giant SpongeBob character.

Family affair: Billie's sister Sam, 29, was also in attendance and was joined by her partner Paul Knightley and children Paul Jnr, four and Rosie, two

Fashionista: Sam cut a glamorous figure in a furry tan jacket, which she paired with a beige top, skinny jeans and chunky white trainers

The event saw the stars and their families immerse themselves in the worlds of their favourite Nickelodeon characters including SpongeBob, PAW Patrol and Dora the Explorer in four fun interactive zones.

Billie's outing comes shortly after she revealed her husband Greg is 'coming round to the idea' of them having a third child.

She admitted to OK! Magazine: 'We always talk about baby number three. I'm throwing it out there  it's going to happen.'

The former TOWIE star is already mother to daughter Nelly and Arthur and shares the highs and lows of parenting on ITVBe reality show Mummy Diaries.

But since hitting the big three-oh, Billie says she feels more like a 'proper adult' and want to get a third baby in as soon as possible.

Cute: The mum-of-two was full of smiles as she sweetly posed with her brood ahead of their fun day out

Day out: Also joining in the fun was Frankie Bridge, her husband Wayne Bridge and their sons Parker and Carter

Low-key: The former Saturdays star kept things casual in a black jogging suit and trainers as she happily posed with a giant SpongeBob character

Husband Greg, who Billie married in an extravagant ceremony in the Maldives last year, is apparently less thrilled at the prospect of triple trouble.

She said: 'Greg is coming round to the idea too  he said the other day, 'When we have another baby... Oh, my God, did I just say that?'

'I don't know if it will be this year as I don't have enough time to fall pregnant! But maybe next year. We need to do it sooner rather than later as I don't want a huge gap. Arthur is going to be three in March so time is ticking!'

The sister to model Sam Faiers continued: 'My twenties were the most life-changing, amazing years of my life. I feel very grateful. I married Greg, and we're lucky to have Nelly and Arthur.'

Yummy mummy: Billie Faiers has revealed she is ready to welcome a third baby to her family after recently turning 30

Wedding belle: Billie and husband Greg, seen here on their wedding day in the exotic Maldives, already share two children daughter Nelly and Arthur

Billie explained that she still had some maturing to do, but felt ready to take on the challenge of a third child.

The reality TV star celebrated entering her third decade last month with a bang, as her sister Sam surprised the star with a party at their mum's Suzanne Wells' house, which was festooned with balloons.

Birthday girl Billie was delighted and further surprises were in store when her daughter Nelly popped out of a huge present box wrapped in gold paper.

But the big surprise was when Sam and Suzie revealed they're taking her to NYC for a girls' getaway.

Billie took to Instagram to show her 2.1million followers a snap of herself and sister Sam pouting cheekily in matching New York jumpers in the First Class lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5.
The Jacksonville Tree Project, an effort to plant trees throughout the area, is turning 5 this year  and its roots are digging deep.

We have planted 100 trees to date, said Mike Flynn, chairman and founder of the project. Were getting trees lined up and down the streets, he said.

The newly planted trees, which have a green ribbon tied to them, can be seen at places including MacMurray College; Illinois College; Routt Catholic High School; Community, Duncan and Nichols parks; and throughout the historic district. Trees also have been planted along both State Street and College Avenue.

Even though its on city property, we talk to neighbors out of courtesy, Flynn said, adding that several residents have requested trees be planted in their yard. Were going to be planting more trees in the downtown area this spring.

Years ago, the City of Jacksonville was nicknamed Elm City because of the hundreds of mature elm trees throughout the downtown area, along major streets and in parks. However, during the 1950s, a combination of Dutch elm disease, age and a lack of organized replacement programs largely wiped them out, Flynn said.

Recognizing the loss inspired Flynn to bring back the beauty and splendor of having the city lined with trees.

It makes the city more walk-able and will revitalize Jacksonville, he said. It also has an environmental impact.

The program initially was started through the Jacksonville Rotary Club. While it has expanded, donations still are funnelled through Rotary via its 501(c)(3) status, which makes donations all tax deductible.

We feel more comfortable running it through a 501(c)(3), said Shelley Singleton, project co-chair.

To help fund the project, Singleton also chairs Jacksonville Night at Busch Stadium, proceeds from which will go for a second straight year to the tree project.

Last year we donated over $10,000, Singleton said.

Jacksonville Night at Busch Stadium is an event that, like the trees, slid away during the 1970s before Singleton revived it.

The past is our greatest asset, Singleton said, explaining that the city and past events have proven to be successful and supportive. One hundred percent of the money stays local, she said.

This years Jacksonville Night will be July 25, when the night game will be between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Sales from the tickets, which range from $65 to $75 each, go to fund the tree project. This years goal is to raise $20,000.

The Cardinals organization has been super supportive, Singleton said.

Tickets are available at Prairie State Bank on Morton Avenue.

The fundraising amounts might seem like a lot, but its really not, organizers said.

One tree costs $300 including the tree, its planting and securing and, of course, the ribbon.

Its a labor of love, Singleton said.

An interactive map pinpointing where trees have been planted is available online at jacksonvillerotary.org/rotary-trees.

We dont place plaques at the sites, but the website has information about each tree, Flynn said.

The project is not just planting elm trees.

We have planted several new varieties of elms, Flynn said. However, we have also planted other hardwood trees, such as oaks, maples, lindens, zelkovas. Today, its best to plant a wide variety of trees to avoid losing many of the same trees to a particular disease.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Newly-elected BJP MLA Vijender Gupta wrote to AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday requesting him for withdrawing a circular that made it "compulsory" for government school teachers to attend his oath-taking ceremony as Delhi chief minister.

Gupta, leader of Opposition in the previous assembly, called the Friday's circular "dictatorial" that shattered his belief that Kejriwal's focus after coming back to power would be on governance and strengthening democratic ethos.

"By virtue of the order, 15,000 teachers and officials will have to attend the oath ceremony," Gupta wrote in his letter to Kejriwal.

Gupta, who has been re-elected from Rohini constituency, said he would attend Kejriwal's oath-taking ceremony at the Ramlila ground on Sunday.

Reacting to Gupta's objection, the vice-chairman of Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission, Jasmine Shah, said teachers and principals were "architects" of Delhi's transformation in the past five years and they "deserved to be invited" for the swearing-in ceremony.

"When did BJP last think of teachers in at the centre of your 'vikas' (development) model? Never did, never will," Shah tweeted.

The AAP returned to power after winning 62 of the 70 Assembly seats in the Delhi assembly election.

Kejriwal and his cabinet members will take oath in a grand ceremony on Sunday.
Vijayawada: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan on Saturday said his Jana Sena Party and the BJP had a written agreement to ensure development of capital at Amaravati and, reverse its decentralisation if CM Jagan ahead with his plans of setting up of executive capital at Visakhapatnam, judicial capital in Kurnool and legislative capital in Amaravati. Though relocation of capital is States prerogative it was wrong on the part of the YSR Congress to take a U-turn after extending support to the capital construction at Amaravati. He vowed to fight until the agitating farmers and women got justice.

When the women urged him to take them to Prime Minister Narendra Modi so that they would ask for his intervention to stall capital decentralisation, Mr Pawan told them that the Centre had a limited role as it was up to the State to decide on such matters.

He said that though the PM laid the foundation stone for the capital, State government had discretionary power to relocate it to a place of its choice.
Stoltenberg expects further assistance from Ukraine in international missions and sees progress in achieving peace through the restoration of the Normandy format.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday had a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg within the framework of the Munich Security Conference.

The president thanked Stoltenberg for NATO's continued solidarity with Ukraine, support for the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

"The reforms we are working on bring Ukraine closer to NATO. We are modernizing the country's security and defense sectors in accordance with NATO standards," Volodymyr Zelensky stressed.

Read alsoZelensky: It's not entirely right to say "war in Ukraine", this is "war in Europe"

The president noted the ongoing implementation of the relevant annual national programs under the auspices of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which are an effective tool for systemic transformations in the country. The issue of the Alliance granting Ukraine the status of the Enhanced Opportunity Partner was also raised.

Jens Stoltenberg expects further assistance from Ukraine in international missions and sees progress in achieving peace through the restoration of the Normandy format.

The parties discussed the implementation of the agreements after the meeting of the Normandy Four in Paris on December 9, 2019, and the situation in Donbas.
Victims of sexual abuse committed by two Catholic priests, who received the most severe conviction for this type of crime in Argentina's judicial history, travelled to Geneva on Friday to accuse the Vatican of a cover-up. The victims are set to appear before the UN Committee against Torture and the Committee on the Rights of the Child in order to testify that the Holy See knew of the abuse taking place at the Antonio Provolo Institute.

A statement from the various organisations that assist victims said the Vatican "had knowledge of the events that occurred prior to the beginning of the criminal investigations and did nothing to avoid abuse."

The Antonio Provolo Institute is a school for deaf and hearing-impaired children in Mendoza, some 1,000 kilometres northwest of Buenos Aires.

The case first became public in 2016.

At the end of November, an Argentine court sentenced Italian priest Nicola Corradi to 42 years in prison and Argentine priest Horacio Corbacho, to 45 years in prison for 20 acts of abuse and rapes suffered between 2005 and 2016 by a dozen students from Provolo.

They were the most severe penalties against clerics for abuse in Argentina.

Three alumni whose testimonies were vital to the trial will be in Geneva to testify to UN officials and then travel to Rome to meet other victims of abuse.

Lucas Lecour, lawyer for the victims and president of the organisation "Xumek" for the promotion and protection of human rights of Mendoza, said that the Holy See continued to "cover up cases of ecclesiastical sexual abuse" and deny compensation to victims.

So far the Pope has not made public comments on the allegations of abuse in Provolo or met with the victims.

(Picture Credit: pixabay)
Courtesy Summer Mossbarger(DALLAS) -- A Texas father had another chance to hear his sons heartbeat -- nearly two years after he died.



In a touching video, Jordan Spahn listens via a stethoscope to Kristi Richard Russ chest. Russ was a recipient of Spahns late sons heart.



"So strong, so strong," Spahn says in the video.



"That it is," Russ tells him. "When its quiet at night we can hear it without the stethoscope."



Matthew Spahn, Jordans son, was 21 years old when he was struck by a vehicle walking home and later died in October 2018, Summer Mossbarger, Jordan Spahns fiancee told ABC News. Matthew was an award-winning runner.



"Yeah, hes probably out there running laps," Spahn says in the video as he listens to his sons heart beating in Russ chest.



Since Matthews untimely death, he has donated seven organs, saving the lives of up to five people -- including Russ.

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
The executive editor of the Miami Herald addressed the papers readers Thursday night, hours after news broke that parent company McClatchy was filing for bankruptcy. Her message: Were not changing.

Rest assured, that important work  covering our communities and holding the powerful accountable  will continue as vigorously as ever at the Herald, wrote executive editor Aminda Marques Gonzalez.

She also spoke out about the state of media today, especially in local newsrooms: This reorganization is not unprecedented among newspaper companies. Since 2008, more than 20 U.S. newspaper businesses have reorganized in order to stay in operation. This is crucially important in todays challenging news media climate, as scores of local newspapers have shut their doors, leaving news deserts in communities throughout the country. When local news is no longer reported effectively, the voices of the vulnerable are silenced, the powerful are not held to account  and ultimately, justice suffers.

Also Read: McClatchy, Owner of Miami Herald and Sacramento Bee, Files for Bankruptcy

McClatchy Co., the fifth-largest newspaper company in the U.S. by circulation according to Statista, filed for bankruptcy Thursday, the company announced.

According to the company  which publishes dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, Kansas City Star, Idaho Statesman, Fresno Bee and Charlotte Observer  this is a move that will end family control of Americas second-largest local news company and hand it to creditors who have expressed support for independent journalism. The filing will also, it says,  allow McClatchy to restructure its debts and, it hopes, shed much of its pension obligations.

In November 2019, McClatchy announced it was looking for a bailout of its pension fund.

In reporting its third-quarter results at that time, McClatchy said it is negotiating capital and pension restructuring with PBGC and key stakeholders.

Read original story Miami Herald to Readers: Be Rest Assured of Papers Future as Parent Company McClatchy Files for Bankruptcy At TheWrap
MUNICH, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met with Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Armenpress correspondent reports from Munich.

From the Armenian side the meeting was attended by PMs assistant Hrachya Tashchyan and head of the department of foreign relations at the PMs office Tsovinar Hambardzumyan.

The Armenian PM welcomed his counterpart of Norway and stated that he is very happy for this meeting as it is a good opportunity to discuss issues of bilateral interest, outline the ways to boost the relations of the two countries. Dear Mrs. Prime Minister, Armenia is currently at a period of reforms. We have an agenda of reforms in various areas, in particular, in the judicial field, Pashinyan said, adding that they have a goal to put democracy on institutional basis.

The Armenian PM thoroughly introduced the process of ongoing reforms in the judiciary. He said the European Union is Armenias key partner on the path of reforms.

Pashinyan said the support of international partners to the reforms is very important.

The PM of Norway praised the process of reforms in Armenia and expressed readiness to discuss issues of bilateral interest.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: With the Bihar election a few months away, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is all set to bank on his prohibition poll plank targeting women voters who had fetched him groundswell of support five years ago.On Sunday, Kumar is especially coming to the national capital to attend a meeting for pushing the agenda of prohibition across the country. Representatives of the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Mizoram will also attend the meeting. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh will preside over the meeting to further the cause of prohibition.

The Bihar Chief Minister is also likely to meet senior JD(U) leaders in the national capital to take stock of the political situations after expelling Prashant Kishor and Pavan Varma from the party. This meeting in the national capital has been called by prohibition activists from across the country. Nitish Kumar has emerged the top political leaders endorsing the cause of prohibition and strictly enforcing it in Bihar. The people and women, in particular,

have in the past shown support to the prohibition measures in which strict action was taken against erring police personnel also. It will indeed be the key poll plank in Bihar in the Assembly election in October-November, said a senior JD (U) functionary.Barring a brief period when Jitan Ram Manjhi became the CM, Kumar is in power since 2005 in the politically crucial state.The JD(U) boss will be seeking a fresh mandate in the face of the likelihood of the alliance of the RJD-Congress and other smaller parties. With the JD (U)-BJP combine banking on the upper caste and non-Yadav OBCs, the Bihar elections will be a bipolar contest on the lines of Delhi where the BJP was routed convincingly by the ruling AAP.
North West Hospice in collaboration with the HSE has submitted an application to Sligo County Council for planning permission to extend its facility on the grounds of Sligo University Hospital.

This will see the hospice's inpatient unit increase from its current 8 bed inpatient capacity to a 12 bed single room inpatient capacity. The enhanced hospice facility will include accommodation for the Community Palliative Care Team, outpatient and consultation facilities, administration and management offices and will have meeting room facilities to support HSE, community and volunteer activities which support the delivery of specialist inpatient, community and acute palliative care services.

North West Hospice services are currently revenue co-funded from the HSE and voluntary contributions.

HSE Estates are managing the capital project on behalf of the North West Hospice to ensure compliance with all relevant HSE protocols and statutory requirements.

The total cost of the project which is included on the HSE's capital plan for funding is approximately 8 million with the North West Hospice having contributed approximately 300,000 to bring the project to design stage.

Once planning permission is received, subject to funding availability it is expected that building would commence in 2021 with completion of the build in 2023.
Cashless and cardless payments are the first step for transformation Vietnam into a digital dragon Photo: Le Toan

Those who love Vietnamese street food can now try out the experience of going cashless at some of the authentic local places like those on Nguyen Huu Huan Street in Hanoi, where you can get an egg coffee and pay with your smartphone.

Ousmane Dione, country director for the World Bank in Vietnam

In the past year, consumers in Hanoi have gone cashless, and even cardless  meaning that sometimes you do not even need conventional bank cards. Bills can be settled using e-wallet apps or by scanning QR codes.

Hundreds of thousands of small merchants across the country have joined the network of major fintech companies looking to capture Vietnams ever-growing market of young and tech-savvy consumers.

In 2018, a report by Google and Temasek referred to Vietnams digital economy as a dragon being unleashed. Last year, the same report put Vietnam and Indonesia at the forefront of Southeast Asias digital economy growth, with Vietnams digital economy in particular expected to top $43 billion by 2025. Investors have also been pouring money into the country to fuel growth across many sectors.

Despite much fanfare, there are still significant obstacles to harnessing the power of digital technology and increasing digital inclusiveness so that people outside the large urban centres can also benefit.

As described in our recent regional report The Digital Economy in Southeast Asia  Building the Foundations for Future Growth, the main building blocks for any thriving digital economy are connectivity, payments, skills, and logistics, as well as policies and regulations.

Vietnams performance

Connectivity: Affordable, high-speed internet is the backbone of any digital economy. Vietnam has made great strides in expanding the reach of the internet from virtually zero in 2000 to 64 per cent of the population today.

The next challenge is to get the majority of people connected to 4G and 5G mobile networks, and further expand broadband fibre optic networks, particularly for businesses, schools, and large institutions.

Payment: While more people are embracing cashless payment methods, the majority of transactions are still cash-based. Access to cashless payment methods is particularly limited among the population living outside cities.

According to the World Banks financial inclusion survey in 2018, only 22 per cent of Vietnamese made or received digital payments in the previous year. And last year, only 41 per cent of adults had a bank account.

While the usage of digital payments is growing, including through non-traditional providers, the limited usage indicates that people still lack trust in these options.

Banks and regulators will need to work together to develop this enabling environment, including regulations on consumer protection, interoperability of different digital payment systems, and using secure digital payments for government services.

Logistics: Vietnams logistics cost is among the highest in the world, taking up 25 per cent of GDP. Seamless logistics services are a major enabler for the growth of trade and commerce. The rise of e-commerce has led to a growing need for new types of logistics services, including door-to-door and last-mile delivery, particularly for low-value and small parcels. In the World Banks 2018 Logistics Performance Index Rankings survey, Vietnam performed relatively well, rising by 25 places to the 39th spot. It is close to catching up with other countries in the lead time for import and export indicator.

However, there is significant room for improvement in the quality, efficiency, and cost of logistics services, not only cross-border services but also last-mile delivery.

Labour: A study by the International Labour Organization estimated that about 56 per cent of all employment in five ASEAN countries including Vietnam is at a high risk of displacement by technology over the next decade. How Vietnam prepares its workforce now is absolutely crucial for its next stage of growth. Skill development is needed on multiple levels, particularly for advanced technical skills, soft skills, and generalised computer literacy. This will require a better understanding by policymakers of the dynamics of the digital skills labour market, and closer collaboration between the private and public sectors for lifelong learning.

Vietnam must better prepare for, and adapt to, the impact of Industry 4.0 on drivers of growth and job creation. Accelerating Industry 4.0 offers both opportunities and risks in terms of future employment creation, as Vietnam embarks on new growth pathways. It is anticipated that automation and AI will displace jobs in several sectors that have been driving Vietnams growth. The International Labour Organization 2016 report The future of jobs at risk of automation, suggested that 70 per cent of jobs in Vietnam were at risk of automation. Sectors with a very high proportion of jobs at risk of automation include: agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (83.3 per cent at risk), manufacturing (74.4 per cent), food and beverages (68 per cent), garments (85 per cent), electronics (75 per cent), wholesale and repair of motor vehicles (84.1 per cent), the service sector (approximately 32 per cent), retail (70 per cent), and hospitality and banking (slightly above 40 per cent). The Oxford Economics and Cisco 2018 report Technology and the future of ASEAN jobs: The impact of AI on workers in ASEANs six largest economies projected that 7.5 million jobs (largely in agriculture, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail) would be displaced by AI in the next 10 years in Vietnam. At the same time, the report anticipated that millions of new jobs with different functions in mostly the same sectors would be created through what the report called the income effect. Thus, the net job loss is about 1.7 million, 90 per cent of which will be in the agricultural sector. Source: United Nations Development Programme

Solutions

So given these challenges, what are the steps for Vietnam to ensure that the growth of its digital economy can benefit all, and what should the Vietnamese government do to facilitate a conducive environment for all stakeholders to participate?

First and foremost, policies and regulations to protect and thereby promote trust among internet users in the digital space must be established. The cross-cutting legal and regulatory framework should cover electronic transactions, cross-border data flows, cybersecurity, data privacy, and consumer protection.

The country has enacted a cybersecurity law and drafted legislation on data privacy. In this area, Vietnam and other nations will benefit from regional co-operation and harmonisation.

Expanding coverage and improving the efficiency of connective infrastructure in Vietnam would be impossible without market-based regulatory reforms.

To bring broadband internet to everyone, for example, Vietnam needs to promote competition along the broadband value chain and facilitate infrastructure sharing within and across sectors. Further modernisation of the regulatory framework for logistics also enables faster, cheaper, and more reliable shipping.

The Vietnamese government should invest heavily to prepare citizens in various stages of their careers to adapt to new challenges of the digital age. This is where the private sector should be engaged closely given the rapid pace of change for relevant skill sets.

While Vietnam already has developed a master plan for the digital economy, it should consider broadening the scope and coverage to go beyond the development of the e-commerce sector towards the whole economy. There is also a need to translate the plan into detailed, time-bound action plans, with adequate oversight over implementation and effective intersectoral co-ordination.

The government can lead by example by becoming more digital itself.

Vietnam is on the right track by launching numerous initiatives towards building a digital government. The rollout of an e-cabinet to streamline government business processes and a national e-services portal for public service delivery in 2019 are encouraging moves in this direction.

The country is also planning the introduction of a digital ID. At this stage, the proposed digital ID scheme is to enable electronic transactions with government agencies only.

But in the longer term, the national digital ID system should be expanded to facilitate greater financial inclusion (enabling people to open bank accounts with much easier know-your-customer requirements), and more efficient delivery of social services through effective targeting and information management.

Digital transformation holds tremendous potential for Vietnam to achieve not only sustained but also inclusive economic growth. To reap the full benefits while managing the associated risks and vulnerabilities, Vietnam should prioritise investment and regulatory reforms to reinforce these six building blocks.

The World Bank has been a partner on Vietnams journey to reduce poverty and build infrastructure and we are ready to support this exciting new phase of growth and ensure that new achievements in the digital economy will not leave anyone behind.
A man hunt is under way after a terrified woman was allegedly grabbed and choked by a stranger with a belt in broad daylight.

The 27-year-old woman left Chester Hill Railway Station, in Sydney's west, at 6.15pm on Thursday.

As she went to cross a road, a man allegedly looped a belt around her neck and choked her.

Police have released CCTV (above) of a man who was seen walking behind the woman

The woman allegedly turned and confronted the man who allegedly ran away.

The woman was unharmed and reported the alleged attack to police.

Officers have now released CCTV footage of a man who was seen walking behind her.

In the footage taken before the attack, a man can be seen following the woman closely behind while looking at his phone and carrying a shopping bag.

In the CCTV footage taken before the attack, a man can be seen following the woman closely behind while looking at his phone and carrying a shopping bag

Police said the man in the CCTV is of Indian appearance, aged in his 20s and between 170cm to 180cm tall with a medium build.

He was last seen wearing washed-out blue jeans, a black polo shirt and had short black hair.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Five people were arrested in



Raipur in Chhattisgarh for allegedly looting Rs 49.10 lakh from staff of a plywood trader at gunpoint, police said on Saturday.

Senior Superintendent of Police Arif Sheikh identified them as Ashok Jakhad (30), Prem Jaat (22), Jaikishan Godara (20), Ganesh Jaat (22) and Bhawar Choudhary (20), all residents of Bikaner in Rajasthan.

On February 13, the five had barged into the flat of Bajrang Sharma who looks after the cash collection of a timber trader in Devendra Nagar area and looted Rs 49.10 lakh.

CCTV footage showed they had boarded Gitanjali Express from Raipur for Nagpur and subsequently got into Delhi-bound Nizamuddin Express, he said.

They were caught by a Chhattisgarh team camping in Delhi for another case, he added.

"We have cracked the case of armed loot within 24 hours of its occurrence and arrested five robbers from a Delhi bound train. The accused have criminal records and have served jail terms," he said.

Melaram, a former staff of the trader, is on the run, the SSP added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Fixes typo in para 3 to 'string' from 'strong')

By Susan Heavey and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he has "the legal right" to interfere in criminal cases, capping a tumultuous week that raised questions about whether he is eroding the independence of the U.S. legal system.

Trump's criticism of the judge, jury and prosecutors in the criminal case of his longtime adviser Roger Stone prompted an unusual rebuke from Attorney General William Barr, his top law enforcement official and has spurred new demands for investigation from the Democrats who unsuccessfully tried to remove the Republican president from office.

It is the latest in a string of aggressive actions by Trump since the Republican-controlled Senate acquitted him of impeachment charges last week.

Trump has transferred or fired government officials who testified about his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate a potential political rival in November's presidential election.

He also dropped his nomination of former U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu, who oversaw the Stone case, for another government post in the Treasury Department.

Sources close to the president said Trump has a greater sense of freedom in the wake of his Senate acquittal.

"You have to remember, hes not of government. He gets frustrated when people tell him something cant get done. Hes like: 'Just get it done,' said one administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Barr on Thursday said Trump's posts on Twitter made it "impossible" for him to do his job leading the Justice Department, telling ABC News in an interview: "It's time to stop the tweeting."

Trump "has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case," Barr added.

The president responded on Friday morning. "This doesnt mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!" he wrote on Twitter.

The White House earlier said Trump was not bothered by Barr's remarks and that the president remained confident in the attorney general.

Story continues

But Trump's insistence that he has the right to interfere in criminal cases runs counter to the practice of previous U.S. presidents, who have generally kept an arms-length distance from the Justice Department since the Watergate scandal of the 1970s.

Despite Barr's high-profile rebuke, the attorney general has been an outspoken defender of the president and has aggressively sought to implement his agenda, frequently drawing charges from Democrats and former Justice Department officials that he is politicizing the rule of law.

The Justice Department on Tuesday asked for a lighter sentence for Stone, scaling back prosecutors' initial request that he serve 7 to 9 years after being found guilty of lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering. That prompted all four prosecutors to resign from the case in apparent protest.

Barr has also ordered an investigation into the Obama administration's activities in 2016 as it examined possible ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign, and has gone after states and cities that have defied his hard-line immigration policies.

Barr's Justice Department sought to quash the whistleblower complaint about Trump's effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, which led to the president's impeachment.

He confirmed earlier this week that the department is taking evidence from Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who has been seeking information in Ukraine about Biden.

Democrats who control the House of Representatives, called for Barr to testify next month over the matter and asked the department's watchdog to investigate but have little other recourse.

"WRONG THING TO DO"

Trump also had strong words for his former chief of staff, John Kelly, who criticized Trump earlier this week.

"When I terminated John Kelly, which I couldn't do fast enough, he knew full well that he was way over his head ...He came in with a bang, went out with a whimper," Trump tweeted, adding that Kelly "misses the action & just cant keep his mouth shut."

Kelly had defended Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a decorated war veteran, who was ousted from his White House job last week after testifying in Trump's impeachment inquiry. Kelly also criticized Trump for interfering in another recent case involving former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was convicted of war crimes.

"The idea that the commander in chief intervened there, in my opinion, was exactly the wrong thing to do," Kelly said in a speech, according to the Atlantic magazine.

Like Barr, Trump's Republican allies in Congress have said they wish he would be less outspoken on Twitter, even as they have consistently defended his actions.

The Senate on Thursday sought to impose some restrictions on Trump, voting to limit his ability to wage war with Iran and questioning whether one of his nominees is qualified to serve on the board of the Federal Reserve.

Meanwhile, the president has moved to rebuild his staff with those he sees as loyalists, including former communication director Hope Hicks, who worked closely with Trump in his business before serving as his 2016 campaign press secretary.

He also rehired his former personal assistant Johnny McEntee to lead his personnel office, who sources say will be tasked with ensuring that new hires are loyal to the president. (Writing by Susan Heavey Editing by Andy Sullivan and Alistair Bell)
Breege and Stephen Quinn with a picture of their son Paul Quinn

The parents of IRA murder victim Paul Quinn are to visit Stormont on Monday to raise Sinn Fein minister Conor Murphy's refusal to say their son wasn't a criminal with MLAs.

Breege and Stephen Quinn will meet representatives from every political party bar Sinn Fein.

They have said they won't meet that party until Mr Murphy unambiguously states that their son was not a criminal.

Mrs Quinn said: "We are visiting Stormont on Monday and we hope that, when we are there, Conor Murphy will be man enough to come out and say Paul wasn't a criminal.

"Mary Lou McDonald has said it. Michelle O'Neill has said it. Conor needs to find the courage to do the same.

"Why will he not speak the same words as his Sinn Fein colleagues?"

Mrs Quinn will arrive in Parliament Buildings as MLAs gather for a plenary session.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to talk to the politicians face-to-face," she said.

"We will be appealing to them to use whatever influence they have with Conor because he hasn't listened to us so far.

"I would hope that our presence in Parliament Buildings would encourage him to look into his heart and say the words that would mean so much to us."

Mrs Quinn said that Mr Murphy had "a big job now as Finance Minister". She said: "I know that he's has a lot of things to do but he still has a responsibility to my family given the great wrong he did us in 2007.

"We appreciate what Mary Lou and Michelle have done. But it was Conor who blackened Paul's name and we need to hear those words from him."

Mrs Quinn added: "It was never about the Dail election for Stephen and me. We've been talking about Paul for 13 years, and we'll talk about him for another 13 if we have to."

Paul Quinn was beaten to death by the IRA in a barn in Oram, Co Monaghan, in 2007. The 21-year-old Cullyhanna man had previously clashed with the son of the local Provisional commander.

Following the murder Mr Murphy branded Paul a criminal and a smuggler.

He later denied making the remarks but was forced to admit them after a tape of the BBC interview was unearthed.

He retracted his comments last week and apologised but has refused the family's demand that he categorically state that Paul wasn't a criminal. Stormont's Finance Committee has written to the minister telling him that his conduct "calls into question" his fitness for office.

The letter asks him to explain why he branded Paul a criminal and why he "denied the comments for the past 13 years".

It states: "It is the committee's view that your conduct calls into question your fitness for office."

Responding to the letter, a Sinn Fein spokesman said: "When Conor Murphy took up the post of Finance Minister only weeks ago, nearly all of these parties wished him well and supported him in the role.

"And now, over the last week, they have developed serious considerations about his place in office over remarks made 13 years ago.

"Conor has written to the family, unreservedly withdrawn his remarks and apologised, and he continues to carry out the important task of Finance Minister."
China reported another sharp jump of more than 140 deaths from the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak overnight as capital city Beijing imposed mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for those returning to the cit.

Beijing authorities announced the new rule late on Friday night as the city attempts to cope with a staggered return of millions after the extended Chinese New Year (CNY) holidays amid the outbreak.

Those not following the quarantine or the rules in containing the outbreak will be punished, city authorities said.

The announcement comes as China continues to struggle to contain the epidemic, which has now killed 1523 and infected over 66500 across the country.

Among the new deaths, 139 were in Hubei Province, two in Henan, and one in Beijing and Chongqing respectively, the national health commission said Saturday morning.

The commission added that 11,053 patients remained in severe condition, and 8,969 people were suspected of being infected with the virus.

A total of 8,096 people had been discharged from hospital after recovery.

The commission, as quoted by the state media, said 513,183 close contacts had been traced, adding that among them, 30,081 were discharged from medical observation Friday, with 169,039 others still under medical observation.

The state-controlled Beijing Daily cited a notice from Beijings virus prevention working group put out late on Friday night: From now on, all those who have returned to Beijing should stay at home or submit to group observation for 14 days after arriving. Those who refuse to accept home or centralised observation and other prevention and control measures will be held accountable under law.

Anyone returning to Beijing will be required to submit travel plans to their community in advance, the notice added.

Beijing, a sprawling city of 21 million, has so far reported nearly 400 cases of Covid-19 and four deaths.

As of Thursday midnight, 77 clusters of infection cases of novel coronavirus were reported in Beijing, the state-controlled China Daily reported.

Among them, 70 cases were infected by family members, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Diseases Prevention and Control.

Multiple family clusters of infection cases occurred in Beijing recently, and its vital to put every citizen under quarantine at home for protection, she said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged an improvement in the preventive mechanism in response to major public health crises and the countrys public health emergency and management system. Xi also stressed the importance to roll out a biosecurity law as soon as possible.

Xi, according to state media, encouraged the use of big data, AI, cloud computing and other digital technologies to support epidemic monitoring, analysis and resource allocation.

More than two dozen countries have confirmed cases and several have suspended trade and travel links with China in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

So far, three deaths have been recorded outside mainland China - one each in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan.

Egypt reported its first case of the coronavirus on Friday, becoming the first country in the African continent to confirm a case, and the second in the Middle East region, after the United Arab Emirates diagnosed its first cases late last month, the Al Jazeera reported.

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Bahamian police are investigating new allegations of sexual assault against Winnipeg-based fashion magnate Peter Nygard, reports CBC investigative program The Fifth Estate.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/2/2020 (695 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bahamian police are investigating new allegations of sexual assault against Winnipeg-based fashion magnate Peter Nygard, reports CBC investigative program The Fifth Estate.

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No charges have been laid in the investigation, which reportedly involves four women who allege Nygard sexually assaulted them when they were under the age of 16, the Bahamian legal age of consent.

Peter Nygard, who founded his clothing company in Winnipeg, is reportedly under investigation by police in the Bahamas for the alleged sexual assault of four underage girls. (Mintaha Neslihan Eroglu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images/TNS FILE PHOTO)

The Royal Bahamas Police Force did not respond to requests for comment from the Free Press on Saturday. The police forces commissioner confirmed to CBC that Nygard was under investigation, but would not confirm whether the investigation involved sexual assault, according to a report published Friday evening.

Doneth Cartwright, a Bahamian lawyer representing the four women, told CBC the assaults took place as recently as 2015 during parties at Nygards home on the island. Cartwright did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

A lawyer for Nygard told CBC the investigation "will go nowhere," and portrayed the allegations as part of a conspiracy against his client.

The Fifth Estate report comes on the heels of a class-action lawsuit against Nygard filed Thursday in New York. The lawsuit alleges Nygard sexually assaulted ten women, some younger than 18, at his Bahamas home over a period of years. The allegeations against Nygard have not been proven in court.

 staff
An Airbus A380 takes off for its demonstration flight at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget airport, Paris, on June 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

US to Raise Tariffs on European Aircraft in Ongoing Dispute Over Subsidies

The U.S. Trade Representatives Office (USTR) on Friday said it would increase tariffs on aircraft imported from the European Union to 15% from 10%, ratcheting up pressure on Brussels in a nearly 16-year transatlantic dispute over aircraft subsidies.

The USTR said it remained open to reaching a negotiated settlement with the EU on the issue, but could revise its actions if the EU imposed tariffs of its own in connection with a pair of disputes over the subsidies.

In a statement released late on Friday, USTR said it would make minor modifications to 25% tariffs imposed on cheese, wine and other non-aircraft products from the EU, including dropping prune juice from the list. It did not raise the tariff rates on those product, as it had suggested it might do in October.

The higher aircraft tariff will take effect March 18.

The U.S. action comes as President Donald Trump, emboldened by agreement on a Phase 1 trade deal with China, has trained his sights on restructuring the more than $1 trillion US-EU trade relationship, raising the specter of another major trade war as the global economy slows.

EU officials have said they want to negotiate with Washington but will not be bullied into submission.

European planemaker Airbus said the U.S. move would hit U.S. airlines already facing a shortage of aircraft and complicate efforts to reach a negotiated settlement with the European Union in the longstanding dispute.

Airbus said it would continue discussions with U.S. customers to mitigate effects of tariffs insofar as possible and hoped USTR would change its position, particularly given the threat of EU tariffs on U.S. products in its own case before the World Trade Organization.

USTRs decision ignores the many submissions made by U.S. airlines, highlighting the fact that they  and the U.S. flying public  ultimately have to pay these tariffs, the company said in a statement.

EU officials had no immediate comment on Fridays news.

The USTR had announced in December that it could increase tariff rates up to 100% and subject additional EU products to tariffs, following a decision by the WTO that EU launch aid to Airbus continued to harm the U.S. aerospace industry.

The WTO in October had awarded Washington the right to impose tariffs on $7.5 billion of annual EU imports in its case against Airbus. Washington then slapped 10% tariffs on most European-made Airbus jets and 25% duties on products ranging from cheese to olives and single-malt whisky, from Oct. 18.

Boeing, in a statement, said it was working with U.S. federal and state officials to promptly bring the United States into full compliance with WTO rulings.

The EU and Airbus could end these tariffs by finally complying with their legal obligations, ending these illegal subsidies, and addressing their ongoing harm. We hope they will, the company said in a statement.

Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Makini Brice; Editing by Daniel Wallis
The Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) Board on Saturday recommended aligning the financial year of the central bank (July-June) with that of the governments fiscal year (April-March) from 2020-21 in order to provide better estimates of the projected surplus transfers to the government for budgeting purposes.

The Board recommended aligning the financial year of RBI, currently July-June, with the Governments fiscal year (April-March) from the year 2020-21 and approved forwarding a proposal to the Government for its consideration, it said in a statement.

The proposal was moved at the 582nd meeting of its Central Board of Directors in New Delhi that also witnessed a customary post-budget address by the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The finance minister in her address outlined the thinking behind the Union Budget 2020-21 and the focus areas of the Government. The Finance Minister indicated increased complementarity in policy between the RBI and the Government to address growth concerns, it said

Also Watch | Projected growth of 6% for next year: RBI Governor at post-budget meeting

The decision to align RBIs financial year with governments fiscal year is in sync with recommendations of the Bimal Jalan Committee report, two officials with direct knowledge of the matter said requesting anonymity.

The Committee, which submitted its report in August 27, 2019, said, With regard to distribution of interim dividend, the Committee recommends that the RBI accounting year (July to June) may be brought in sync with the fiscal year (April to March) from the financial year 2020-21. The RBI, in consultation with the Union government, had constituted a six-member expert committee to review the Extant Economic Capital Framework of the central bank.

Historically, the July-June year would have been linked to the agricultural seasons, which is not a consideration in these times. The benefits from such a transition are manifold, it said.

According to the report, the RBI would be able to provide better estimates of the projected surplus transfers to the government for the financial year for budgeting purposes. It could reduce the need for interim dividend being paid by the RBI. The payment of interim dividend may then be restricted to extraordinary circumstances, it said.

The committee said that the transition to the April-March year would also bring about better cohesiveness in monetary policy projections.

The Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in August last year decided to transfer a sum of 1,76,051 crore to the Central government comprising of 1,23,414 crore of surplus for 2018-19 and 52,637 crore of excess provisions identified as per the revised Economic Capital Framework (ECF).

The revised ECF was calculated on the basis of recommendations by an expert panel under the chairmanship of former RBI governor Jalan. The Jalan committee was constituted on December 26, 2018 to resolve differences between the government and the central bank over RBIs reserves. The total reserve of the RBI at that time was about 9.6 lakh crore. The Centre felt that the RBI was more than adequately capitalized; hence it should pass on the surplus to the government.

The RBI has a statutory mandate under Section 47 of the RBI Act that its profits shall be transferred to the government, after making provisions. The Jalan committee was asked to review the justification of various provisions, reserves and buffers of the RBI in lines with global best practices.
Christians risk lives to help fight coronavirus in China as death toll skyrockets

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As the death toll from the coronavirus reaches at least 1,383, according to numbers released by the Chinese Communist Party, Christians on the mainland are risking their lives to provide aid to families in cities that have been deemed high risk for the disease.

Mark Hogsed, World Helps vice president of international programs, told The Christian Post that the Christian nongovernmental organization is partnering with local pastors to distribute emergency relief in the provinces surrounding Wuhan, where the infection now known as COVID-19 is thought to have originated last December.

For over 20 years, wed been working with a network of local Chinese pastors and church planters doing Bible distribution, church planting, and evangelizing, he said. So we heard this network is willing to distribute protective masks as well as food to the people theyre ministering to. All they needed were the resources. We are actively on the ground right now, providing masks and food to as many people as they can to help prevent the virus.

With an additional 5,000 reported Friday, the number of coronavirus cases in mainland China has now surged past 63,000.

Adam Kamradt-Scott, an infectious diseases expert at the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney, told Reuters the new figures give no indication the outbreak is nearing a peak.

"Based on the current trend in confirmed cases, this appears to be a clear indication that while the Chinese authorities are doing their best to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the fairly drastic measures they have implemented to date would appear to have been too little, too late," he said.

Over 1,700 medical workers have been infected by the virus, and six have died, Reuters reports. Additionally, hospitals are experiencing a severe shortage of face masks and other supplies.

While the pastors and other aid workers partnering with World Help are taking preventive measures, they are risking their lives to provide aid to those in need, Hogsed told CP.

Our partners are being as safe as possible, theyre taking every precaution they can, but they feel this is a calling and a time to step up, he said. One of the effects of the virus is people are staying inside. Theyre not going outside if they dont have to, so these pastors are choosing to go out into their communities out of love for the people and as a practical way to spread the Gospel."

We feel strongly that we can be an example of a very practical Gospel, he added. This is one way that Christians on the ground can practically help those who need it, even in the face of danger.

In Hubei province numerous areas are under quarantine. Last week, the government ordered officials in Wuhan to round up everyone who should be rounded up, as part of a wartime campaign to contain the outbreak, reports The New York Times.

On Friday, Chinese state-run television announced that everyone returning to Beijing would be required to isolate themselves for 14 days. Anyone who does not comply shall be held accountable according to law, according to a text of the order released by state television.

Because of this, Hogsed told CP that World Help is focused on the provinces surrounding Hubei, adding, Theres so much lockdown right now and the threat of a spread is so real that we are primarily focusing on the outskirts of Hubei, which is also a high-risk area.

The coronavirus is now a global concern: At least 25 countries have confirmed cases and three deaths have been recorded outside mainland China  one in Hong Kong, one in the Philippines, and one in Japan.

The World Health Organization has warned the virus poses a "grave threat" to the world. Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus could have "more powerful consequences than any terrorist action.

As the number of novel coronavirus cases rises, Christians are on the frontlines sharing the Gospel and practical aid to those in need, Hogsed said. God, he stressed, is present even in the darkest of times.

It is an awful, awful tragedy and its hard to find any good that would come of this, he said. But hopefully, those that are being ministered to in a practical way will see that this is what Jesus has commanded us to do, to help those in need of help. Hopefully, that will in turn into the spread of the Gospel.

The Gospel has been rapidly spreading throughout China throughout the last several decades despite severe persecution, Hogsed declared, adding that God continues to bless the efforts of those who are so dedicated to reaching China for Christ, even at risk to themselves.

He encouraged Christians to pray for those affected by the coronavirus, stressing, We need to pray for those who have been affected and for those who have lost loved ones to it.

Theyre saying a vaccine is months away, so pray for a quick vaccination for this deadly disease, he said.

He also asked believers to donate to World Help, revealing that just $20 can provide one person a weeks worth of food and a protective mask to help stop the spread of the illness.

When were providing practical, tangible help like this, its with the goal that physical aid will translate into spreading the Gospel and everyone is helped will come to know Jesus, he said.

Visit World Help to find out more information or to donate.
NEW ORLEANS  The options for French Quarter walking tours are many: cocktail bars, iconic restaurants, haunted houses and streets, riverbend history, voodoo and vampires.

But the tours led by Quinn Laroux cover a fascinating swath of the citys colorful underbelly: vice and corruption, sexuality and sex workers, the former red light district known as Storyville, gay bars and the tangle of gay nightlife in the French Quarter affectionately known as the fruit loop. Laroux is a great storyteller, but shes also armed with abundant historical material about this city that is the gay mecca of the South, or as she proudly puts it, one of the most openly queer cultures in the country.

Its appropriate that Larouxs tour aims to put queer people in the center of the story. She hosts Nola Drag Tours, a lively walking tour she founded last year as an alternative to the traditional and conventional-minded tours that thread the city daily. As one of the citys new generation of drag queens, Laroux leads her tours in full regalia: a dress, wig and artful makeup. (On the steamy, end-of-summer day I spent walking about 2 miles through the French Quarter, she also carried a ladylike parasol.)

Though its hard to raise an eyebrow in this anything-goes neighborhood, Laroux is turning heads for all the right reasons. She and her drag sisters are the hottest thing going in New Orleans these days.

Fueled by the popularity of entertainers such as RuPaul and the Emmy Award-winning RuPauls Drag Race, drag culture is blossoming in the Crescent City as drag goes mainstream nationwide. Drag queens and performers, long pillars in the citys LGBTQ community, are being seen in a new glitter-eyelash light by both locals and tourists who fuel the citys economy.

Nola Drag Tours is just one example of the lavender spotlight being shone on the citys drag community. Drag brunches now flourish throughout the city and in venues unthinkable only a few years ago. Iconic, Old Guard restaurants such as Brennans, Broussards and Antoines have played host to champagne-fueled brunches stoked by powerhouse drag performers, some graduates (or drag-uates) of the New Orleans Drag Workshop, a multiweek drag curriculum overseen by founder and local drag superstar Vinsantos DeFonte.

And it just so happens that the Louisiana State Museum is presenting a first-of-its-kind exhibition called Grand Illusions: The History and Artistry of Gay Carnival in New Orleans, which runs through December at the Presbytere on Jackson Square. The exhibit covers gay Mardi Gras krewes, underground gay balls and carnival costumes from a time when Mardi Gras was the only day of the year when it was legal for men to cross-dress in public.

But the citys drag culture got its biggest bump with the recent publication of Drag Queen Brunch, a cookbook by Poppy Tooker as a valentine to New Orleans most beloved restaurants and most resplendent drag performers.

Tooker, a culinary activist, radio and television host, cooking instructor and author, decided to write the cookbook after publishing Tujagues Cookbook, in 2015, honoring a French Quarter landmark that calls itself the second-oldest restaurant in New Orleans. She learned that the restaurant had its own drag ghost  yes, a familiar specter of an actor often appeared in drag in the early 20th century  from when the space was known as Begues. Two New Orleans traditions are now celebrated in Drag Queen Brunch, which Tooker worked on with photographer Sam Hanna, whose images of some of the citys most colorful queens are the books highlight.

The publication of Tookers book  larded with recipes from chefs from restaurants including Brennans, Palace Cafe, Commanders Palace, SoBou, Tableau, Antoines, Toups South, Ralphs on the Park, Saba, MoPho and Maypop  unleashed something of a drag furor in New Orleans.

Weve kicked down doors with this book and taken the concept of drag queens and drag brunch into regular company, said Tooker, the host of the award-winning Louisiana Eats! radio show on NPR. We keep breaking down barriers.

Tooker hosts Poppys Pop-Up Drag Queen Brunch, a nearly monthly event that serves as a fundraiser for CrescentCare, formerly known as the NO/AIDS Task Force  the next pop-up is 11 a.m. March 29 at Bourbon House, 144 Bourbon. Today, there are regular drag brunches at venues such as Cru, Pythian Market, the Country Club and The Fillmore, to name a few.

It has definitely gone mainstream, Tooker said. Now everyone and their brother is hosting a drag brunch.

Thats not a knock. Tooker sees positive results in the citys drag queens having greater opportunity to perform their art, no longer exclusively in gay bars and clubs.

Tooker said one of her favorite photographs in the cookbook is a cluster of drag queens in the Rex Room at the venerable Antoines Restaurant, the oldest family-run restaurant in the country that is deeply steeped in New Orleans culture.

That tells me something, Tooker said. There is no more sacrosanct Mardi Gras place in New Orleans than the Rex Room at Antoines.

So how would Tooker characterize the citys drag renaissance?

Its a greater understanding, a greater acceptance, she said. When we had our first pop-up brunch, we never could have predicted what would happen. Now its a wave, an evolution. And people want to be part of it.

greg.morago@chron.com

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A man in his 70s who was arrested in connection with an investigation into Scouting Ireland was released without charge last night.

A file will now be prepared for the information of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A fundraiser event held back in October of last year has managed to successfully raise 30,000 for its chosen charity, the Ronald McDonald House.

The 'Athea Runs Faster In Stripes' fundraiser is one which feels like it has been around forever, such is the hype that preceded it and how successful it was on the day itself and its legacy afterwards.

That October day comprised of a 5k fun run which saw runners and walkers decked out in their best 'Where's Wally/Ronald McDonald' outfit.

The presentation of this cheque to Ronald McDonald House charity is a bittersweet moment for everyone involved in the fundraiser as it marked the end of months and months of working on the project.

"We were delighted to travel to Ronald McDonald House on Sunday last to deliver the cheque for 30,000, proceeds from our fundraising weekend last October. A plaque has been erected in the current building engraved 'Athea Community Limerick' and we look forward to visiting the 'Athea Room' in the near future," said Damien Ahern, one of the organisers of the event.

"Regrettably, we have placed the final piece of the 'Athea Runs Faster in Stripes Jigsaw', but the legacy of the event will last forever," he said.

The Ronald McDonald House was very much a charity close to the heart of many in Athea with many in the community have used the service in the past including the Kiely family who said that "allowing our family a space to recharge our batteries and focus on what is important - being by being our child's bedside."
Take a look at front line medical couples, who are fighting the battle against the novel coronavirus pneumonia in Jinyintan Hospital, Wuhan, Hubei Province.

1. Huang Hanping and Zhang Li

Huang Hanping, right, 54, and Zhang Li, 51, doctors at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, pose for a photo. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

The two were school fellows when they studied at the School of Medicine of Wuhan University. They met during the May Day holiday in 1988, then got married after graduation and work together. The pair gets along with each other just like when they were young. They also fought against SARS in 2003 in Wuhan.

In normal days, they take charges in their respective departments. After the novel coronavirus outbreak, they have worked together side-by-side. They write each other's names on their protective suits.

They said they have two daughters who have married, and that "We have nothing to worry about in facing the outbreak."

They hope to go back to their university to admire cherry blossoms after the outbreak ends.

Huang Hanping talks with his patient. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Zhang Li inspects her patient in a ward. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

2. Yang Zhifeng and Zhou Xia

Yang Zhifeng and Zhou Xia [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Zhou Xia, 42, deputy director of South Building No. 3, and Yang Zhifeng, 42, doctor at the No. 3 general ward area, were recruited together in 2001 by Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, and married each other in 2003.

After the outbreak of novel coronavirus, both have worked on the front lines at the hospital and have little time to take care of their families, even Yang, who has a mother suffering from gout.

The two buildings where they work are nearby, but the couple has little opportunity to see each other. They had to organize shifts to go back home to take care of their families, and take photos to comfort the one at the hospital.

They hope the outbreak of novel coronavirus can end as soon as possible with their efforts, and the work and lives of the people can go back to normal. They hope to bring their two children to walk around the campus of the Peking University and Tsinghua University in Beijing after the end of the outbreak.

Yang Zhifeng reviews a patient's pathography in his office.[For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Zhou Xia, right, inspects her patient. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

3. Deng Xiongbo and Xie Jiaqiang

Deng Xiongbo, left, and his wife Xie Jiaqiang. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

36-year-old Deng Xiongbo and his 35-year-old wife Xie Jiaqiang have been married for more than 10 years and have never quarreled. After the outbreak of the epidemic, the computerized tomography department where Deng works has been burdened with heavy tasks. His wife Xie not only needs to work as a nurse, but also take good care of patients.

For more than a month, the couple never returned home, devoting themselves to fighting the epidemic. They said they wish it will end soon so the patients can return to their normal lives, and people who are away from home can be reunited with their families as soon as possible.

Deng Xiongbo on duty in the computerized tomography room, sorting out diagnosis results of patients. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Xie Jiaqiang communicates with her colleague about work. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

4. Li Yi and Ding Han

Li Yi, right, and his wife Ding Han. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Li Yi and his wife Ding Han met and fell in love at the hospital in 2002 and got married in 2004. They said they are not afraid to work at the front lines, though it is really laborious. Referring to the couple's recent life, Li said they are tired every day, and when they're back home they don't even have the strength to talk.

Li said they hope they can be more involved in their child's studies after the epidemic ends, so the middle school student can be admitted to a good high school and later a good university.

Ding Han calls her colleague in a ward. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Li Yi writes a prescription. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

5. Li Donghua and Wu Shuang

Li Donghua and Wu Shuang [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Li Donghua and Wu Shuang, an alumni couple from Guangxi Medical University, work in Jinyintan Hospital and are both 39. They fell in love when they were graduate students. They got married in 2009 and have a 7-year-old daughter who has been sent to her hometown Henan for winter holiday. The couple has been working on the front lines since Jan 20 and live in a hotel separately.

Li Donghua looks at a patient's CT scan. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Wu Shuang learns how to use an oxygen cylinder. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

6. Liu Wei and Fang Guoyan

42-year-old Liu Wei and 44-year-old Fang Guoyan met and fell in love with each other at Jinyintan Hospital. They got married in 2002 and have a daughter who is going to take the college entrance exam this year. The couple sent their daughter to her aunt after the coronavirus outbreak. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Liu Wei takes off his protective gear after leaving an isolation ward. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Fang Guoyan is in tears when learning her daughter, who suffers from severe anemia, has still not recovered. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

7. Wu Zhiqiang and Xiong Yan

Wu Zhiqiang, left, 56, is a doctor who works at the hospital's clinical laboratory, and his wife, Xiong Yan, 57, is a medic in charge of nucleic acid tests at the laboratory. They met each other in school and got married in 1987.[For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Wu disinfects public areas near the laboratory. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Xiong prepares for nucleic acid tests. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

8. Zhang Shaobin and Wang Fang

Zhang Shaobin, left, 51, is head of the isolation wards on the fourth floor of the hospital's North Building, and his wife, Wang Fang, 47, is a nurse working on the second floor. The two have been married for 24 years, and their son is a university student. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Zhang prepares to check the isolation wards. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Wang picks up protective clothing for her colleagues. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]



9. Kang Boyin and Wu Yuanjun

Kang Boyin and his wife Wu Yuanjun pose for a photo at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province on Feb 13, 2020. This Friday marks their sixth wedding anniversary. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Kang Boyin picks up lunches for patients delivered by a fellow worker at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province on Feb 13, 2020. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Wu Yuanjun works at an isolation ward at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province on Feb 13, 2020. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

10. Tu Chao and Cheng Fang

Tu Chao and his wife Cheng Fang pose for a photo at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province on Feb 13, 2020. Tu is in charge of an ICU and Cheng Fang is a head nurse at the hospital, and they have been married for nearly 20 years. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Tu Chao checks the condition of a patient at an ICU of Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province on Feb 13, 2020. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Cheng Fang sorts through patients' medical records while answering work calls at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province on Feb 13, 2020. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

11. Yu Ting and Ding Na

Yu Ting, 42, a deputy director at the fourth floor of the South Building of Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, and his wife Ding Na, 37, a nurse at the sixth floor of the building. They got married in 2008 and have an 11-year-old daughter. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Yu Ting, right, talks with nurses on the condition of patients. Since Dec 30, Yu has joined in the fight against the novel coronavirus. He returns home rarely, and only to change clothes. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Ding Na watches the monitoring devices of patients. Though her husband works one floor above her, they meet few times. She returns home more often than her husband and always brings back some essentials for him. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

12. Hu Huoping and Dong Jing

Hu Huoping, 50, a technician in charge of the Radiology Department, and his wife Dong Jing, 50, a nurse in charge of the hospital's supply room. They got married in 1994 and their son is 25 years old. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Hu Huoping instructs patients to prepare for a CT scan. One day, he helped 17 patients who could not move themselves for CT scanning, and his facial mask slipped off. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Dong Jing disinfects medical tools. Since the outbreak began, Dong Jing took charge of the collection, washing, disinfection and distribution of medical tools. She usually arrives at the hospital at 7 am and leaves for home at 6 pm. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

13. Mi Hefeng and Chen Li

Mi Hefeng, an ambulance driver at the hospital, and Chen Li, a canteen employee. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

51-year-old Chen Li works for the canteen of the Jinyintan Hospital and his wife, 47-year-old Mi Hefeng, is an ambulance driver.

"Driving an ambulance needs skills. Because you should drive both quickly and carefully to take patients to hospital safely in the shortest time," Mi said.

Mi Hefeng disinfects her ambulance. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

Chen Li serves dinner for medical workers at the canteen. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Chen Zhuo]

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
File photo: Xu Hui (2nd, R) joins an inspection of the work on preventing and controlling the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). [Provided by Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine]

Xu Hui, former vice-president of Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and deputy director of the hospital's command unit for prevention and control of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), died at her working post on February 7 unexpectedly while fighting against the epidemic.

Xu had immersed herself in the epidemic prevention and control work since January 20.

"Xu comprehensively involved herself in the fight against the epidemic by participating in conferences, formulating plans of prevention and control work, setting up a medical expert team and raising epidemic prevention and control materials," said Xie Faren, deputy director of the hospital's Department of Infection Management. According to Xie, Xu had been working without one day break since January 20. "She was on 24-hour duty and hadn't eaten a meal on time or had a good sleep."

During the past 18 days, Xu led 16 experts to formulate a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment plan for COVID-19, dispatched three experts to diagnose suspected cases in the public health center, set up emergency response mechanisms, and made the prevention and control work of the hospital more orderly.

"She made us feel warm. No matter what difficulties we met, she always supported us," said Sun Jing, vice-president of the hospital's Chengnan Branch.

Xu helped package protective materials for medical team members who were going to assist Wuhan. She altered shift times of medical members in fever clinics from eight hours to six hours to let them had more time to rest.

"She always kept patients and staff in her mind, but she never thought about herself," said Chen Yannian, secretary of the Party committee of the hospital.

On February 11, Lou Qinjian, Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, called on the whole medical staff to learn from Xu, joining hands in the efforts to the fighting against the epidemic.

On the same day, Xu was honored as the Jiangsu Provincial March 8th Red-banner Holder by the Jiangsu Women's Federation and she was awarded the title of Outstanding Party Member of Nanjing posthumously.

File photo: Xu Hui is at work. [Provided by Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine]

(Source: China Women's News/Translated by Women of China)
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. says China wont let its health workers help fight the virus. Beijing says theyre welcome to come. The World Health Organization says nothing has been decided.

The confusion surrounding a planned WHO mission of experts to China shows how lingering mistrust between the worlds biggest economies could hamper efforts to combat a pathogen quickly spreading across the globe. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the worlds preeminent public health agency, has often played a key role coordinating and funding global efforts to contain past outbreaks, including of Ebola.

U.S. epidemiologists, virologists and medical doctors could assist China in measuring the effectiveness of their response, said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. They could also help prepare for a broader outbreak, provide technical advice, improve the bio-safety of Chinese labs and even improve treatment protocols and medicine combinations for patients, he said.

My hunch is that all of this is politicized, said Huang, who also directs the Seton Hall Universitys Center for Global Health Studies. Thats made pure public health cooperation difficult.

The failure to cooperate on a pressing global health issue that has killed almost 1,400 people and infected more than 64,000 others shows just how much the relationship between the U.S. and China has deteriorated over the past few years. While President Donald Trump often touts his relationship with Chinas Xi Jinping, the strategic competition between the countries has only deepened since they signed their phase-one trade deal last month.

The U.S. this week charged members of Chinas military over one of the biggest data thefts in American history. On Thursday, Washington also increased the charges against Huawei Technologies Co. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou -- who is currently fighting extradition to the U.S. from Canada -- to include racketeering conspiracy charges, which claim the Chinese company engaged in decades of intellectual property theft.

Story continues

Members of the Trump administration also hit out at China over its response to the virus, even while the president himself has offered praise.

We thought there was going to be more transparency, but were a bit disappointed, Larry Kudlow, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, said Thursday. Were more than willing to work with the UN WHO on this, and they wont let us. I dont know what their motives are. I do know that apparently more and more people are suffering over there, and thats not a good thing.

On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China had worked with the international community in an open, transparent and highly responsible manner. He added that Chinese officials have been in regular contact with American counterparts to exchange information about the epidemic.

We welcome foreign experts participation in the China-WHO Joint Mission, including those from the U.S., Geng said in Beijing.

Still, the WHO said Friday that nothing had been resolved. We are still awaiting confirmation on the composition and program for the joint mission of experts, Teena Nery, a representative for the WHO in China, said by email.

After initial praise for Chinas efforts, evidence that provincial officials censored early reports of the outbreak -- allowing the virus to spread unchecked -- fueled criticism around the world, as well as within China. Authorities in Beijing are now also trying to balance containment measures with efforts to maintain political stability and minimize the economic fallout.

Beijing remains deeply concerned about the potential for foreign criticism of its containment efforts, said Carl Minzner, a law professor at Fordham Law School, who wrote a recent book on how Chinas authoritarianism is undermining its rise. They fear that negative analysis by authoritative foreign experts -- whether justified or not -- might feed domestic popular distrust or discontent with how Chinese officials have handled the epidemic.

Part of the worry is economic: Vice Premier Hu Chunhua has called for all-out efforts to ensure stable employment amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Chinese officials have repeatedly slammed the U.S. for imposing harsh travel restrictions, while praising traditional developing country allies in Asia -- including Pakistan and Cambodia -- for expressing support, keeping flights routes open and even declining to evacuate their citizens.

Battling against the global coronavirus outbreak together couldve been an opportunity to forge closer U.S.-China ties, according to Susan Shirk, a former deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for U.S. policy toward China, Taiwan and Mongolia.

The epidemic is a lost opportunity to rebuild some goodwill between China and America and other countries, said Shirk, who is now a professor and chair of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California, San Diego.

She said China hasnt provided any channel or outlet for people around the world who want to help, and has undermined foreign and local non-government organizations that typically provide relief during disasters. But she added that part of the blame lies with U.S. political leaders, who have not expressed much sympathy for Chinese citizens enduring a terrifying experience in quarantines.

In the U.S., the Congressional Executive Commission on China -- a group headed by U.S. lawmakers to monitor human rights -- has blasted Beijing for silencing Li Wenliang, the doctor who raised the alarm about the virus and later died from it, and for detaining citizen journalists documenting the response.

Transparency is key to addressing a global health crisis, not censorship or repression, the commission said on Twitter.

Totally Wrong

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo further irked China with a speech this week in which he warned U.S. state governors that their pension funds could be investing in companies that help Chinas military and repress Muslims in its western Xinjiang region, which Chinas ambassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai, said was totally wrong.

Competition with China is happening inside of your state and it affects our capacity to perform Americas vital national-security functions, Pompeo told the governors. Competition with China is not just a federal issue.

On Friday, Chinas Geng spent about as much time criticizing Pompeo as addressing concerns about the virus response.

A sound and stable bilateral relationship serves the interests of both countries and is what the international community wants to see, Geng said. We advise certain people in the U.S. step out of their Cold War mindset and ideological stereotypes, stop discrediting Chinas political system, and stop undermining bilateral exchange and cooperation.

To contact the reporters on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Dandan Li in Beijing at dli395@bloomberg.net;Peter Martin in Beijing at pmartin138@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten Kate

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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Bengaluru: Several Karnataka Congress leaders led by Dinesh Gundu Rao and Siddaramaiah were detained by the police when they marched to picket chief minister B S Yediyurappa's office in Bengaluru Saturday.

The party organised a protest march to protest the alleged misuse of the police by the BJP government.

The march began from the Gandhi statue on Race Course Road and led to a traffic gridlock. Gundu Rao and Bangalore rural MP D K Suresh tried to jump a barricade erected by the police, but were stopped before they could reach the chief minister's office.

The state Congress organised the protest over the sedition case filed against a Bidar school and the arrest of a parent and headmistress (now out on bail) for staging a drama portraying prime minister Narendra Modi in poor light.

The opposition party alleged that the law was being violated across the state with false cases being filed for sedition against political opponents, especially those from the Congress and those opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.

Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP was using the police to suppress the Congress. He pointed out that cases have been booked against Congress leader U T Khader and a student from Mysuru for opposing the CAA and NRC, while no cases have been filed against ruling party leaders like Somashekara Reddy and AnantKumar Hegde for making inflammatory speeches.
During that time one thing has become abundantly clear: DCFS is an agency in need of systemic change, Reick said. The tragic death of AJ Freund has shined a bright light on the problems which exist in the agency as a whole and the McHenry County office in particular. The goal of this legislation is to create a framework to make this new county agency a model for the rest of the state. Under the jurisdiction of local government, the purpose of this new agency is to provide more responsive, effective and efficient child welfare services to the people of this community.
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Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika and Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Bali  Sat, February 15, 2020 11:41 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064b2078 1 National Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,Chinese,Bali-Airport,COVID-19,Jin-COVID-19-patient,nCoV-19 Free

The Bali Health Agency has managed to identify a hotel where a Chinese tourist who allegedly tested positive for the novel coronavirus had stayed during his vacation in Bali.

We have checked the data from the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, and found out that we have a record of the tourist who came to Indonesia through I Gusti Ngurah Rai airport on Jan. 22, Bali Health Agency head Ketut Suarjaya said in a written statement received by The Jakarta Post on Friday. However, he did not disclose the exact name or location of the hotel.

Read also: 'We will trace his movements': Bali officials respond to report of coronavirus-infected tourist

Judging from the virus incubation period as well as the tourists travel duration, it is difficult to determine if the tourist was infected in Bali, he added.

Since the tourist returned to their hometown on Jan. 28 and the first symptoms of the disease appeared on Feb. 5, it is very likely the infection occurred on mainland China, Ketut said.

He also explained that if the 14-day incubation period was taken into account, there was a possibility the tourist did not contract the virus in Bali as there was an eight-day gap between their flight from Indonesia to Wuhan and the day when the symptoms started to appear.

Read also: Lion Air confirms passenger named 'Jin' among 188 on Wuhan-Bali flight

The Health Ministry had received 77 samples from 16 provinces across the country as of Thursday. So far, 71 coronavirus samples have tested negative, while the remaining six are still being examined.

Bali is safe from the coronavirus and we are always ready to welcome visitors, Ketut said.
LONDON  A Chinese tourist has died in France of the coronavirus, the French health minister said on Saturday, becoming the outbreaks first fatality in Europe and outside Asia.

Frances health minister, Agnes Buzyn, said the tourist, who was 80 years old and from the Chinese province of Hubei, the center of the outbreak, died at the Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris on Friday after weeks of hospitalization. His daughter, who also has the virus, is receiving treatment and is expected to be discharged soon, Ms. Buzyn said.

The man and his daughter were among 12 confirmed cases in France. Of those cases, seven remain hospitalized and four have been discharged, according to health authorities.

The mans death comes as officials in Europe grapple with preparing for the spread of the disease on the Continent, where there have been 44 cases, according to data from the World Health Organization.
COLONIE, N.Y.  Looking for love in all the wrong places. The Colonie Police Department Special Investigations Unit made three arrests Thursday evening following a citizen complaint about prostitution activity.

The citizen complained about a prostitute working out of the Sycamore Motel at 956 Loudon Road, but after two days of unsuccessful attempts to contact her, she did respond to undercover investigators and it was learned that she had moved to the Golden Circle Motel at 706 Loudon Road.

Undercover investigators arranged via text message to pay $100 for sex with Annie L. Emery, 36, of Glens Falls, and while the room was under surveillance observed the other two defendants, Glenn R. Massoth Jr., 31, of Waterford, and David P. Hopeck, 64, of Rensselaer, exit Emerys room and use drugs in a vehicle in the lot, according to police.

Police say Emery was arrested in room 18 and found to have heroin in her possession and was also found to be wanted by the Troy Police Department. Emery was charged with prostitution and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Massoth and Hopeck were arrested in the lot and a crack pipe was recovered from Hopeck, according to police. Hopeck was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and first-degree loitering.

Police say Massoth lied about his identity to prevent the discovery of two warrants for his arrest out of Troy and Waterford. Massoth, was charged with second-degree criminal impersonation and first-degree loitering.

All defendants were issued appearance tickets for Colonie Justice Court on March 4, 2020 at 6 p.m.

Troy police and Waterford police were unable to respond to pick up the defendants on their outstanding warrants. The arrests occurred at the Golden Circle Motel 706 Loudon Road on Feb. 13 at 11:45 p.m.
Ready access to drugs is just a Snapchat or Instagram post away for teenagers living in rural areas of Cork and throughout the country.

So says a Millstreet woman who has experienced a drugs tragedy in her own family and who subsequently became a drugs-education facilitator in local schools.

Nicole Ryan, whose brother Alex died in January 2016 after he took a synthetic dose of what turned out to be the powerful party drug Nbomb, has been giving talks to secondary school students, parents and teachers since September of that year and has recently begun giving talks in primary schools.

Her approach is not the standard 'Just Say No', but focuses on the impact the choices people make have on their lives, and on the importance of being fully informed regarding the risks surrounding drug taking.

"It's a more realistic angle," said Nicole.

"Teenagers are clued in about drugs, but their brains are not fully developed at 16 and 17; they don't see the full picture as adults would.

"The drugs scene has evolved very quickly in Ireland, but our understanding of the issues hasn't evolved in pace."

While in previous years drugs such as ecstasy would have been taken as a 'party drug', the focus has shifted now to drugs such cocaine, which is readily available; and synthetic drugs, which are cheaper.

Nicole also instances the rise in steroids, which are used by body-conscious teenagers to build up their muscles; and prescription drugs, which are very addictive, to deal with issues of anxiety to which teenagers are prone.

The other major change in Ireland in terms of drugs is the ready access teenagers have to narcotics. In rural towns like Millstreet, where Nicole is from, she has only to look at nearby communities like Kanturk and Rathmore, where there have been recent drugs finds by Gardai - but those finds merely emphasise the ready availability of drugs all over rural areas.

She recounted her own experience of using social media such as Snapchat and Instagram to test the accessibility of drugs. By merely adding one person to her circle, she could get access to any drug she might have asked for.

"You can even come across people advertising drugs on social media," she said.

Nicole also believes that teenagers are prone to taking a split-second decision to take a drug, and that split-second decision may have a life-long - or life-ending - impact on their futures.

She also said that parents try to shelter their children too much but, in the end, it is they themselves who are living sheltered lives as they are not aware of the myriad choices and pressures faced by their teenage children.

One of the issues which makes young people in rural areas possibly more prone to drug-taking is the lack of social options as a lot of rural services have been shut and, after dark, there's little to do.

"After the teenage discos, the next thing to do is to try drugs - there's little else," she said.

Shortly after her brother's death, Nicole began giving talks to schools, and this became her mission.

In September 2016 she founded Alex's Adventures, and developed a programme about the possible life-long impacts of a split-second decision to take drugs.

She believes that teenagers in schools she visits find it easier to be open with her, someone external, than would be the case if it were a teacher delivering a workshop similar to the one she has designed and delivers.

They also don't have the time to do the research and then design the lesson plans that would make an impact on their students. Nicole's story began in January 2016 when her only brother, Alex, went to a house party in the Greenmount area of Cork city and took a synthetic substance believing it to be a less potent drug called 2-CP.

Alex had thought he had done his research on the substance he was trying. He was 18 years of age and had a lot of plans for his future. Alex ended up taking a huge dose of the lethal drug known as Nbomb, which resulted in him being brought to Cork University Hospital, where he never regained consciousness, and four days later he sadly passed away after being pronounced brain-dead.

Alex changed the lives of four people by donating his two kidneys, his liver and his heart but Alex's story did not end there. Nicole wanted what happened to her family to never happen to another, so she decided to tell the story of her brother to other teenagers, teachers and parents.

She gave up her career as a marine and plant engineer to come home and build Alex's Adventure. Over the last three years, Nicole has travelled the length and breadth of the country visiting schools and delivering her workshop, educating and sharing how our choices can impact our lives forever.

She has visited over 55 schools, colleges and youth clubs and has delivered this workshop to over 5500 students nationwide. Nicole and her team have developed a brand-new programme that aims to help the students learn more about substance misuse and about the impacts our choices have on the greater community.

Further information is available on www.alexsadventure.ie.
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has set in motion the process of an organization rejig, appointed the presidents of three state units on Saturday.

While K Surendran has been given charge of the Kerala unit, Lok Sabha MP from Khajuraho will be the head in Madhya Pradesh and Dal Bahadur Chauhan was given a second term as the Sikkim unit chief.

The top post in Kerala was vacant after Sreedharan Pillai was appointed Mizoram Governor last year. A state general secretary till recently, Surendrans appointment comes ahead of the Kerala local body election later this year and the assembly polls in 2021.

In Kerala, the BJP is fighting a pitched battle against the LDF government. It has locked horns with the LDF over issues as lifting the ban on the entry of women of all ages to the Sabaraimala shrine, the political violence between the cadre of the RSS and the left.

In MP, Sharma replaced Rakesh Singh, under whose watch the party contested the assembly polls but failed to retain control of the state. During his tenure, the party unit faced allegations of friction between the various groups that has emerged.

Sharma is an old RSS hand and credited for strengthening the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students wing of the RSS, in Madhya Pradesh in 1990s.

The Kamal Nath-led government has made a mess of Madhya Pradesh. Strong and capable workers of the BJP would give a befitting reply to it for the rampant mismanagement created in the state, he told reporters in Khajuraho after offering prayers at a temple.

Chauhan who will lead the party till 2023 in Sikkim played a key role in strengthening the party in the state where it won two assembly bypolls.
Reaction follows Erdogan comparing Kashmir to Battle of Gallipoli.

New Delhi: A day after Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan compared the situation in Jammu-Kashmir to the Battle of Gallipoli, and talked about oppression in the Union Territory, the Indian government issued a strong statement asking him not to interfere in its internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts.

Reacting sharply to Mr Erdogans comments and rejecting his remarks on Jammu & Kashmir, India said the biggest threat to the region is due to terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

India rejects all references to Jammu & Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India. We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in Indias internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Saturday.

Mr Erdogan during his address in Pakistans Parliament on Friday had compared the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I.

In his speech, Mr Erdogan mentioned Kashmir several times and went on to say that the Kashmir issue can be resolved not through conflict or oppression but on the basis of justice and fairness.

Events that happened a hundred years ago in Canakkale in Turkey are being repeated in Indian occupied Kashmir and Turkey will continue to raise its voice against the oppression, he said adding, Turkey will continue to stand by justice, peace and dialogue in the resolution of the Kashmir issue Today, the issue of Kashmir is as close to us as it is to you (Pakistanis), while reiterating Turkeys support for Kashmiris.

Mr Erdogan had also said, No distance can build a wall between the hearts of believers. If there is torture against any believers in the world, its our duty to help them Our Kashmiri brothers and sisters have suffered from inconveniences for decades and these sufferings have become graver due to unilateral steps taken in recent times.

Kashmir had also figured in Turkey-Pakistan Joint Declaration.

A strong ally of Pakistan, India-Turkey relations have taken a dip due to its repeated statements on Kashmir. Last October, Prime Minister Narendra Modis proposed trip to Ankara was called off after Mr Erdogan irked India by criticising it on Kashmir at the United Nation General Assembly.

Pakistan is trying to ramp up support among Islamic nations on the Kashmir issue and Turkey and Malaysia have been vocal in backing it.
Students have had their university essays investigated by police and faced questioning by staff under government counter-terror measures, The Independent can reveal.

Campaigners and experts warn that free speech is being stifled on campus and trust destroyed because of the overzealous Prevent programme, with students and lecturers becoming suspects and informants.

Freedom of Information requests reveal that academic materials have been flagged in response to the governments anti-radicalisation strategy  but it is understood that no action has been taken against students.

At De Montfort University in Leicester, three students essays were flagged to university security before their work was assessed by police.

Meanwhile, at the University of Wolverhampton, a students piece of work prompted staff to question the student.

Student news in pictures Show all 34 1 /34 Student news in pictures Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain a student demonstrator during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain student protestors during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. The protesters demanded that the parliament takes steps to impeach President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures Filipino demonstrators face off with anti-riot police during a protest near the US Embassy in Manila, Philippine EPA Student news in pictures Hundreds of protesters including Indigenous People, students and militant groups marched towards the US Embassy to protest against the presence of US military troops and condemning the violent dispersal which left at least forty people hurt including twenty police officers and three people who were run over by a police van EPA Student news in pictures A federal judge in Mexico has ordered that a once-fugitive police chief be held on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of 43 students Student news in pictures A man holds up a photograph of a missing student with a caption reading 'We are missing 43,' during a meeting marking the 25-month anniversary of the disappearances of 43 students in the southern state of Guerrero, in Mexico City. A federal judge in Mexico has ordered that a once-fugitive police chief be held on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of 43 students AP Student news in pictures Miguel Perez, an intern student from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, puts away his cell phone before walking into the operating room at the Dr. Isaac Gonzalez MartInez Oncological Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Once they complete their general surgery training, many residents are moving to the United States in search of better wages, one of the main factors linked to the current shortage of specialists in the Island Student news in pictures Fewer EU students have applied to start university courses in the UK next autumn. There was a 9% fall in the numbers who had applied for courses, according to admissions service UCAS. PA wire Student news in pictures University students protest against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela. Masses of protesters jammed the streets of Venezuela's capital on the heels of a move by congress to open a political trial against Maduro, whose allies have blocked moves for a recall election AP Student news in pictures University students protest against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela AP Student news in pictures Thousands, most of them high school students, march during a demonstration in Madrid, Spain, on a one day strike to protest about the country's education law that increases the number of annual exams AP Student news in pictures Students gather on the west mall to confront the Young Conservatives of Texas student organization over a controversial bake sale on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas-Austin sparked the protest with an affirmative action bake sale. The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action Student news in pictures Donald Parish Jr, right, confronts Electrical and Computer Engineering senior Dewayne Perry over a controversial bake sale on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas-Austin sparked the protest with an affirmative action bake sale. The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action AP Student news in pictures Brigham Young University announced that students who report sexual assault will no longer be investigated for possible violations of the Mormon-owned school's strict honor code that bans such things as alcohol use AP Student news in pictures Students of secondary education march to protest against the final examinations and LOMCE (The Improvement Quality Education Law) law, after a call by trade unions, in Murcia, Spain EPA Student news in pictures South African police have used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of protesters who had marched to the parliament building to call for free university education, where the finance minister was giving a budget speech AP Student news in pictures Police break up student protests outside the parliament in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures South African Policemen fire rubber bullets at student protestors in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures A student protestor is hit by a rubber bullet in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures An injured student is helped by colleagues during protest outside the parliament during South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's medium term budget speech in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures Plaintiffs and bereaved families of elementary school students killed in the tsunami that followed a major earthquake in northeastern Japan in 2011, show banners that say 'victory in a suit filed with the Sendai District Court' in Sendai. A Japanese court ordered municipalities to pay $13.7 million dollars to families of school children who were swept away to their deaths by the 2011 tsunami Getty Student news in pictures A group of student at Ewha Womans University calls for a thorough investigation into those involved in years of engagement with state affairs backstage by Choi Soon-sil, a personal confidante of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, at the school's front gate in Seoul, South Korea EPA Student news in pictures Students raise placards during a strike action called by the student union, in Madrid against university entry exams Getty Student news in pictures Libyans throw a newly graduated student into a fountain as they celebrate during the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Libyans celebrate as they attend the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Libyans celebrate as they attend the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Thousands of Thai Catholic students take part in mourning tributes and in singing the Thai Royal Anthem to honour late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Saint Dominic School in Bangkok, Thailand EPA Student news in pictures Students of Silpakorn University paint portraits of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the university campus in Bangkok Getty Student news in pictures A student of Silpakorn University paints a portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the university campus in Bangkok Getty Student news in pictures St Andrews University students take part in a foam fight known as Raisin Monday in the Lower College Lawn behind St Salvator's Quadrangle following the Raisin Weekend PA wire Student news in pictures St Andrews University students take part in a foam fight known as Raisin Monday in the Lower College Lawn behind St Salvator's Quadrangle following the Raisin Weekend, an annual tradition where student 'parents' inflict tasks on the unfortunate first-years they have adopted as 'children' as part of a mentoring scheme PA wire Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) in Havana, Cuba Reuters Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) take part in a practice in Havana, Cuba Reuters Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) wait in line to enter a classroom in Havana, Cuba Reuters

Waqas Tufail, a senior lecturer in criminology at Leeds Beckett University, called the figures shocking and added the new data shows how Prevent has encouraged a McCarthyite culture on campus.

He said: You would not think students essays were being policed in a democratic state. In what way can the police be arbiters when it comes to an essay?

While the flagging of academic texts to Prevent has been previously documented, experts say this is the first time they have heard of universities reporting students for their essays.

The University of Reading faced criticism for flagging an essay by a prominent left-wing academic, which examines the ethics of socialist revolution, as sensitive under the Prevent duty.

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The new data reveals that some universities also require students and academics to fill out forms before they can access material related to certain topics for their studies.

On the latest data, Dr Tufail, who has carried out research on Prevent, added: It is just perhaps more evidence that Prevent is not working. And despite what the government has said for a long time, it does discernible harm. It really hits home when you think about the impact on academic freedom and general freedom of speech. There hasnt been quick enough action from the government.

I think the government has a lot to answer for. But we shouldnt let individual universities off the hook.

The government launched a review of the Prevent programme scheme last January, after years of allegations that it discriminated against Muslims and violated freedom of speech and religion.

But the probe has been beset by controversy, seeing Lord Carlile leave his post as independent reviewer after a legal challenge accused him of bias.

Alison Scott-Baumann, a professor of society and belief at Soas, University of London, found in her research that many academics and students connect inhibition of free speech with Prevent.

On the findings showing that students work is being investigated, she said: It completely destroys trust between the staff and the students and it also distorts the subject matter that staff feel they can teach.

Ms Scott-Baumann, a senior academic whose work involves researching free speech, added: It suggests to me that because other means of uncovering radicalisation are not working  because there is no radicalisation on campus of a dangerous kind in my view  then if you cant find what you are looking for you go into essay surveillance having failed to find anything on campus.

Fope Olaleye, black students officer at the National Union of Students (NUS), said: The level of surveillance being experienced by students, especially vulnerable students, is already having a censorious and chilling effect on who can engage in educational spaces.

They added: There is no doubt that the relationship between lecturers and students has changed, from one of partners in learning to that of suspects and informants, and this must change.

Universities and colleges should be spaces of critical thinking, not sites of surveillance.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) think tank, said: While everyone must be live to the dangers posed by extremism, I do worry about the potential chilling effect of Prevent on free speech at universities. The complaints are too loud and come too often to ignore.

It is ironic that so many academics feel the real threat to free speech comes from the government, when the last Conservative manifesto said free speech needed strengthening in universities.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: The Prevent programme threatens freedom of speech and stifles debate and open discussion. Staff and students must be free to discuss and debate controversial issues without fear of being referred to the authorities. Prevent does more harm than good if it closes down debate on contentious topics or makes people less likely to speak up.

A Universities UK spokesperson said: Universities continue to work hard to implement effective approaches to Prevent that are supported by students and staff, that protect freedom of expression while complying with their wider duties.

Institutions are committed to promoting and protecting free speech, provided it is done within the law and balanced with safeguarding responsibilities to all students.

A government spokesperson said: Prevent is a safeguarding duty and seeks to stop people from being drawn into terrorism. It does not restrict academic freedom nor recommend that students work undergoes security checks. In its most recent report, the universities regulator found no cause for concern on how institutions balance their free speech responsibilities and the Prevent duty.
Kimberly Young is months away from finishing a masters degree in education.

Her five children range in age from 7 to 16. Young is a teachers assistant in Northwest Portlands Chapman Elementary and, next year, hopes to become a teacher herself.

And she said that none of that would be possible if it wasnt for federal housing assistance programs. Young lives in Southwest Portlands federally subsidized Stephens Creek Crossing complex, which includes on-site after-school programs and a childrens center.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, visited the complex Friday and heard stories from residents including Young and a handful of other women for whom Section 8 housing vouchers provided much-needed assistance.

Its not our plan to sit back and get handouts, Young told Wyden. We just need a boost.

Oregons senior senator on Capitol Hill plans to pitch legislation to alleviate homelessness for students across the country. The bill, which Wyden calls the Decent, Affordable and Safe Housing Act, would pour about $1 billion into affordable housing programs nationwide, he said.

The bottom line is to get a roof and decent shelter over the head of every child in Oregon, he said.

Wydens legislation is meant to help children like Youngs and those of her neighbors who, he said, may need a leg up.

During Decembers Oregon Leadership Summit, Wyden recalled stories hed heard of one coastal district that re-routed a school bus to a state park to pick up children whose families set up camp in the forest.

We know its incredibly hard to come off that experience and, just a few hours later, go to school, Wyden said.

Kimberly Young lives at Stephens Creek Crossing and has five children, ages 7 to 17, who go to school at Wilson High and Tigard's Muslim Educational Trust. She told Wyden the childcare and programming are valuable resources for the complex's tenants.Photo by Eder Campuzano/Staff

Young relayed her experience as a teachers assistant in Northwest Portlands Chapman Elementary, where she works with students experiencing homelessness and poverty. The upscale neighborhood is home to more than one shelter for families whove lost housing. About one in five Chapman students qualifies for free or reduced lunch, according to district figures.

Those kids are innocent and loving and they want to learn, Young said. But how can they when their basic needs arent met?

She was just one of several women who told Wyden that Stephens Creek, with its early childhood center and after-school programs, provided a lifeline.

Diane Ortiz was on the brink of losing the two-bedroom Northeast Portland apartment where she cared for three of her great-grandchildren and two grandchildren. She was on a waitlist for Section 8 housing for about a decade, Ortiz said.

Wyden asked Ortiz what she did to ensure the children were taken care of.

Whatever it took, she said.

Officials from various Portland-area housing and homelessness resources told Wyden they wanted him to ensure his legislation will include funding for services like those Stephens Creek Crossing offers. Centennial School District officials have said they are eagerly awaiting the opening of a new apartment complex with affordable units specifically set aside for families of Centennial students who have lost housing or are on the verge of doing so.

Wyden and Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran nodded in agreement as the Stephens Creek women spoke, saying their efforts tied into a safety net to help the states most vulnerable residents.

Housing is health. You cannot take care of yourself if you dont have a place you can call home, Meieran said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated how much money the DASH Act would provide for affordable housing. The figure is $1 billion nationwide.
ALMA  Two suspects in a Harlan County armed robbery were sentenced Friday to six to eight years in prison.

According to court records, Davontay Wilcox, 23, and Brock Teel, 30, both of Kearney, were sentenced by Harlan County District Court Judge Terri Harder at the Harlan County Courthouse in Alma for felony burglary. Wilcox will receive 166 days credit and Teel will receive 332 days credit off their prison sentences at the Nebraska Department of Corrections for already serving those days in county jail.

Harder issued a bench warrant Friday for Rylie Bryson, 19, of Kearney, who was scheduled to appear in court but did not make an appearance. An additional $25,000 was attached to Brysons bond of $50,000. Bryson had pleaded not guilty to four felonies: use of a firearm to commit a felony, robbery, burglary, terroristic threats and two misdemeanors of third-degree assault and criminal mischief. She had posted $5,000 of the $50,000 bond.

Wilcox, Teel and Bryson, along with Damecius Grigsby, 24, and Jake George, 23, were accused of robbing an elderly couple at gunpoint as they laid in their bed at 7:30 a.m. March 11.
https://www.aish.com/tp/i/sacks/504938511.html

God made us into the world's archetypal strangers so that we would fight for the rights of strangers.

There are commands that leap of the page by their sheer moral power. So it is in the case of the social legislation in Mishpatim. Amid the complex laws relating to the treatment of slaves, personal injury and property, one command in particular stands out, by virtue of its repetition (it appears twice in our parsha), and the historical-psychological reasoning that lies behind it:

Do not ill-treat a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in Egypt. (Exodus 22:20) Do not oppress a stranger; you yourselves know how it feels to be a stranger [literally, "you know the soul of a stranger"], because you were strangers in Egypt. (Ex. 23:9)

Mishpatim contains many laws of social justice - against taking advantage of a widow or orphan, for example, or charging interest on a loan to a fellow member of the covenantal community, against bribery and injustice, and so on. The first and last of these laws, however, is the repeated command against harming a ger, a "stranger." Clearly something fundamental is at stake in the Torah's vision of a just and gracious social order.

If a person was a son of proselytes, one must not taunt him by saying, "Remember the deeds of your ancestors," because it is written "Do not ill-treat a stranger or oppress him."

The Sages noted the repeated emphasis on the stranger in biblical law. According to Rabbi Eliezer, the Torah "warns against the wronging of a ger in thirty-six places; others say, in forty-six places."[1]

Whatever the precise number, the repetition throughout the Mosaic books is remarkable. Sometimes the stranger is mentioned along with the poor; at others, with the widow and orphan. On several occasions the Torah specifies: "You shall have the same law for the stranger as for the native-born."[2] Not only must the stranger not be wronged; he or she must be included in the positive welfare provisions of Israelite/ Jewish society. But the law goes beyond this; the stranger must be loved:

When a stranger lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The stranger living with you must be treated as one of your native- born. Love him as yourself, for you were strangers in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. (Lev. 19:33-34)

This provision appears in the same chapter as the command, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). Later, in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses makes it clear that this is the attribute of God Himself:

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are strangers, for you yourselves were strangers in Egypt." (Deut. 10:17-19)

What is the logic of the command? The most profound commentary is that given by Nachmanides:

The correct interpretation appears to me to be that He is saying: do not wrong a stranger or oppress him, thinking as you might that none can deliver him out of your hand; for you know that you were strangers in the land of Egypt and I saw the oppression with which the Egyptian oppressed you, and I avenged your cause on them, because I behold the tears of such who are oppressed and have no comforter... Likewise you shall not afflict the widow and the orphan for I will hear their cry, for all these people do not rely upon themselves but trust in Me.

And in another verse He added this reason: for you know what it feels like to be a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. That is to say, you know that every stranger feels depressed, and is always sighing and crying, and his eyes are always directed towards God, therefore He will have mercy upon him even as He showed mercy to you [and likewise He has mercy on all who are oppressed].[3]

According to Nachmanides the command has two dimensions. The first is the relative powerlessness of the stranger. He or she is not surrounded by family, friends, neighbours, a community of those ready to come to their defence. Therefore the Torah warns against wronging them because God has made Himself protector of those who have no one else to protect them. This is the political dimension of the command. The second reason, as we have already noted, is the psychological vulnerability of the stranger (we recall Moses' own words at the birth of his first son, while he was living among the Midianites: "I am a stranger in a strange land," Ex. 2:22). The stranger is one who lives outside the normal securities of home and belonging. He or she is, or feels, alone - and, throughout the Torah, God is especially sensitive to the sigh of the oppressed, the feelings of the rejected, the cry of the unheard. That is the emotive dimension of the command.

Rabbi Chayim ibn Attar (Ohr HaChayim) adds a further fascinating insight. It may be, he says, that the very sanctity that Israelites feel as children of the covenant may lead them to look down on those who lack a similar lineage. Therefore they are commanded not to feel superior to the ger, but instead to remember the degradation their ancestors experienced in Egypt.[4] As such, it becomes a command of humility in the face of strangers.

Whichever way we look at it, there is something striking about this almost endlessly iterated concern for the stranger - together with the historical reminder that "you yourselves were slaves in Egypt." It is as if, in this series of laws, we are nearing the core of the mystery of Jewish existence itself. What is the Torah implying?

Concern for social justice was not unique to Israel.[5] What we sense, however, throughout the early biblical narrative, is the lack of basic rights to which outsiders could appeal. Not by accident is the fate of Sodom and the cities of the plain sealed when they attempt to assault Lot's two visitors. Nor can we fail to feel the risk to which Abraham and Isaac believe they are exposed when they are forced to leave home and take refuge in Egypt or the land of the Philistines. In each of the three episodes (Genesis chapters 12, 20, 26) they are convinced that their lives are at stake; that they may be murdered so that their wives can be taken into the royal harem.

There are also repeated implications, in the course of the Joseph story, that in Egypt, Israelites were regarded as pariahs (the word "Hebrew," like the term hapiru found in the non-Israelite literature of the period, seems to have a strong negative connotation). One verse in particular - when the brothers visit Joseph a second time - indicates the distaste with which they were regarded:

They served him [Joseph] by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. (Gen. 43:32)

So it was, in the ancient world. Hatred of the foreigner is the oldest of passions, going back to tribalism and the prehistory of civilisation. The Greeks called strangers "barbarians" because of their (as it seemed to them) outlandish speech that sounded like the bleating of sheep.[6] The Romans were equally dismissive of non-Hellenistic races. The pages of history are stained with blood spilled in the name of racial or ethnic conflict. It was precisely this to which the Enlightenment, the new "age of reason," promised an end. It did not happen. In 1789, in revolutionary France, as the Rights of Man were being pronounced, riots broke out against the Jewish community in Alsace. Hatred against English and German immigrant workers persisted throughout the nineteenth century. In 1881 in Marseilles a crowd of ten thousand went on a rampage attacking Italians and their property. Dislike of the unlike is as old as mankind. This fact lies at the very heart of the Jewish experience. It is no coincidence that Judaism was born in two journeys away from the two greatest civilisations of the ancient world: Abraham's from Mesopotamia, Moses' and the Israelites' from Pharaonic Egypt. The Torah is the world's great protest against empires and imperialism. There are many dimensions to this protest. One dimension is the protest against the attempt to justify social hierarchy and the absolute power of rulers in the name of religion. Another is the subordination of the masses to the state - epitomized by the vast building projects, first of Babel, then of Egypt, and the enslavement they entailed. A third is the brutality of nations in the course of war (the subject of Amos' oracles against the nations). Undoubtedly, though, the most serious offence - for the prophets as well as the Mosaic books - was the use of power against the powerless: the widow, the orphan and, above all, the stranger.

To be a Jew is to be a stranger. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that this was why Abraham was commanded to leave his land, home and father's house; why, long before Joseph was born, Abraham was already told that his descendants would be strangers in a land not their own; why Moses had to suffer personal exile before assuming leadership of the people; why the Israelites underwent persecution before inheriting their own land; and why the Torah is so insistent that this experience - the retelling of the story on Passover, along with the never-forgotten taste of the bread of affliction and the bitter herbs of slavery - should become a permanent part of their collective memory.

It is terrifying in retrospect to grasp how seriously the Torah took the phenomenon of xenophobia, hatred of the stranger. It is as if the Torah were saying with the utmost clarity: reason is insufficient. Sympathy is inadequate. Only the force of history and memory is strong enough to form a counterweight to hate.

The Torah asks, why should you not hate the stranger? Because you once stood where he stands now. You know the heart of the stranger because you were once a stranger in the land of Egypt. If you are human, so is he. If he is less than human, so are you. You must fight the hatred in your heart as I once fought the greatest ruler and the strongest empire in the ancient world on your behalf. I made you into the world's archetypal strangers so that you would fight for the rights of strangers - for your own and those of others, wherever they are, whoever they are, whatever the colour of their skin or the nature of their culture, because though they are not in your image, says God, they are nonetheless in Mine. There is only one reply strong enough to answer the question: Why should I not hate the stranger? Because the stranger is me.

NOTES



1. Bava Metzia 59b.

2. Exodus 12:49; Leviticus 24:22; Numbers 15:16, 29.

3. Ramban, commentary to Exodus 22:22.

4. Ohr Hahayim, commentary to Exodus 22:20.

5. See Moshe Weinfeld, Social Justice in Ancient Israel and in the Ancient Near East (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1995).

6. The verb barbarizein in ancient Greek meant imitating the linguistic sounds non-Greeks made, or making grammatical errors in Greek.

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New Delhi: A female head constable of the Delhi Police was murdered in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh by her minor daughter and her boyfriend. The head constable named Shashi Shukla was posted at Brij Vihar police station in Delhi.

After an initial investigation, the police suspected the daughter's involvement in the murder.

During interrogation, she broke down and confessed to the murder.

The daughter did not like her mother's interference, and she was upset with her mother telling her to not meet her boyfriend.

According to SP City Ghaziabad Manish Mishra, "The female policeman repeatedly reprimanded her minor daughter asking her to stay away from the boy, which she did not like."

Upset with her mother, the daughter hatched a conspiracy to kill her.

The police have arrested the girl and her lover.
A surge in misinformation has grown with the internet, making wellness strategies appear to have scientific foundations when instead they're fueling baseless and sometimes harmful theories.

What's happening: Wellness products such as vitamins and supplements are under the purview of the Federal Trade Commission, meaning they are not subject to scrutiny or testing like prescription medication and medical devices, which are managed by the Food and Drug Administration.

By the numbers: The wellness industry, from personal care to nutrition and weight loss, is presently worth $4.2 trillion worldwide, jumping 12.8% between 2015 and 2017, Global Wellness Institute reports.

The pursuit of wellness "has been co-opted to being afraid of toxins and going for cryotherapy ... all these things that have zero basis in science and actually could be harmful."

 Dr. Jen Gunter, pain medicine physician and gynecologist tells Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on his health podcast "America Dissected"

Between the lines: Some products are backed by misleading studies from predatory publishers  journals that are not peer-reviewed, the New York Times reports.

Such publications are more often free for readers and claim to be indexed and sourced, but are not, the FTC has said.

Be smart: Beware of studies drawn from small sample sizes that aren't representative of the general population, are funded by a manufacturer for its own products or that shift results in their favor.

Some of these products present more risks than benefits and could expose people to unknown substances, Gunter added.

For the record:

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow's company Goop was fined $145,000 in California last year for "unsubstantiated claims" on three products on its website that could have harmed women, CNN reports. Paltrow now has a Netflix show on wellness she markets as "out there" with tactics often unregulated.

Some medical professionals have actually pushed back against vitamins, saying they're unnecessary: "There is no added gain from taking a multivitamin, Erin Michos, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, told CNBC.

Social media influencers have caused online vitamin sales to skyrocket 40% in the last year, according to market-research firm Rakuten Intelligence.

Yes, but: Women are responding to gender bias and mistrust in medical research by starting their own health and wellness businesses in an attempt to find and offer alternatives to traditional medicine, the Global Institute notes.

Go deeper:
SCHENECTADY  Dozens of nurses picketed outside Ellis Hospital in freezing temperatures Friday to raise public awareness for what they say are dangerously low staffing levels at hospitals across the Capital Region.

Nurses from Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, Bellevue Womans Center in Niskayuna and Albany Medical Center say theyre being asked to take on more patients and tasks than they can handle, and worry theyre putting patients in danger as a result.

They marched on the sidewalk along Nott Street around noon, chanting battle cries and holding signs aloft that call for more staffing. Nurses from all three hospitals are in the middle of contract negotiations right now. Their union, the New York State Nurses Association, organized the rally.

We want the community to know whats going on here, said Jennifer Gunderman, a nurse of 25 years who works in Bellevues neonatal intensive care unit. This is their hospital. They come here expecting their life and the life of their families to be saved and their health to be restored and we want to do that. But more and more we are being stretched to the limit and we worry. We dont feel were providing safe care, even as we try to the best of our ability to do just that.

The issue is not just a shortage of nurses, she said, but also of ancillary staff such as lab technicians and aides, whose duties she says nurses are now being asked to take over.

Gunderman said her unit  which cares for sick and premature babies  has no ancillary staff. As a result, the nurses are now transporting their own labs, ordering dinner for parents and being pulled away from assignments to draw blood for outpatients, she said.

We spend more time on non-nursing functions many days than we do on nursing functions, she said. We simply dont have the staff we need to take care of our moms and our babies properly.

Kara Keller, a nurse at Ellis, said the hospital recently shut down the pediatrics part of its medical-surgical-pediatrics unit. The result, she said, is that kids are being held in the emergency room while staff wait for a bed to open up at Albany Med more than 30 minutes away.

Ellis also recently informed staff it would be discontinuing outpatient surgeries at its McClellan Street campus, transferring those cases to Bellevue and its main campus instead. Keller said theyve been told some nurses will be laid off as a result, but that the hospital has provided few other details.

Were looking at cuts to nursing again, she said. Its time we start cutting at the top and not at the bottom, because our patients deserve quality care and our community deserves better.

Ellis Medicine, the health system that oversees Ellis and Bellevue hospitals, declined to answer a number of questions regarding unit closures and staff vacancies, but insists its providing the highest possible quality of care and service to patients.

In a statement, it suggested a statewide nursing shortage is to blame for staffing issues  an argument that Albany Med has also made in response to criticism over staffing levels.

Theres no question that New York state has a nursing shortage, and like all healthcare providers, Ellis is doing our very best to fill staff vacancies through competitive wages and benefits and a variety of recruitment incentives, spokeswoman Leah LaPointe said. Do we want more nurses? Absolutely, and were working very hard to attract them.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Friday's event was attended by Assemblymen Phil Steck and Angelo Santabarbara, who are co-sponsors on legislation that would implement minimum staffing ratios in hospitals and nursing homes across the state. The state Department of Health is currently in the process of finalizing a study on the issue, though Steck expressed doubt that it would lead to meaningful change. California is the only state so far to successfully implement hospital staffing ratios.

Ellis nurses have been bargaining for over a year now on a new contract. Their last one expired last February. This is the nurses first public rally since negotiations began.

At Albany Med, nurses are nearly two years into negotiations on their first contract after a successful 2018 campaign to unionize. That campaign and subsequent contract negotiations have turned ugly at times, with both management and union officials accusing each other of shameful behavior and negotiating tactics.

At Fridays event, Albany Med nurses showed up to offer solidarity and support to their fellow nurses. They have insisted for years that staffing levels at the regions only Level 1 trauma center are putting patients in jeopardy, and are fighting for higher wages and benefits they say will help with recruitment and retention.

We feel its necessary for the community as a whole to realize that their nurses are standing up for them, and that its not a singular fight, one hospital at a time, said Curtis Strife, an Albany Med nurse, at the rally. All hospitals in this area are suffering the same staffing problems, he said. And if we all work together, maybe we can effect some positive change across the board for everyone  the nurses, the hospitals and the patients in the community.
WASHINGTON  Federal agents who normally patrol the U.S. border will be deployed to sanctuary cities across the country that are hindering stepped-up immigration enforcement, officials said Friday.

The deployment of Customs and Border Patrol agents, some with tactical training, to the interior of the country is unusual and represents another escalation in the confrontation between the Trump administration and local jurisdictions that are resisting stricter immigration enforcement.

Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Matthew Albence said additional forces are needed because sanctuary cities are releasing immigrants who are in the country without legal authorization from local jails before his agents can take them into custody.

This effort requires a significant amount of additional time and resources, Albence said in a statement. When sanctuary cities release these criminals back to the street, it increases the occurrence of preventable crimes and, more importantly, preventable victims.

The acting director did not disclose where the agents would be deployed, but an official said they would include such major sanctuary cities as San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Boston.

Albence also did not provide details on the specific types of agents being deployed, but the official said they would come from varied U.S. locations and would include officers with tactical training that is typically intended to prepare them for potential confrontations with traffickers and other criminals.

The deployment, first reported by The New York Times, comes as President Donald Trump and others in his administration look to increase pressure on the sanctuary city movement.

The Justice Department this week filed one lawsuit against New Jersey for prohibiting state and local law enforcement from sharing information about inmates in the U.S. illegally and another against Washington states King County over a policy that prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from using the King County International Airport-Boeing Field for deportation flights.

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security said it would bar New York residents from such trusted traveler programs as Global Entry because of state law that prohibits immigration agents from accessing motor vehicle records.

It is unclear if CBP agents have been or will be dispatched to Albuquerque, a self-declared immigrant-friendly city. A spokesman for the department sent a statement that did not directly address Journal questions.

But earlier this week, city officials issued a statement referencing a recent surge in local arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. They said area immigrant advocacy groups reported about 30 to 40 ICE arrests per week during early February, up from the typical two to three per week, and that agents were seen wearing vests that say police. Albuquerque officials reiterated that the agents are not Albuquerque Police Department officers.

Albuquerque policy prohibits the use of city resources to assist in the enforcement of immigration law and also prohibits immigration agents access to nonpublic areas of city property without a judicial warrant. City agencies cannot ask about anyones citizenship status unless it is required to determine eligibility for a benefit program or city employment.

We want immigrants to feel safe when they need to call police for help. Use of Police uniforms is misleading and undermines the trust that the Albuquerque Police Department has worked so hard to build, the citys Office of Equity and Inclusion and Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs said in a statement Wednesday.

ICE did not respond to Journal questions about how many arrests it has made in Albuquerque this month or if its agents wear police vests.

A spokeswoman said the agency does not comment on planned operations or specific resource allocation.

Recently, Albuquerques sanctuary city status has sparked friction between local leaders and the federal government. Officials have warned that Albuquerques policy may make it ineligible for millions of dollars in federal grant funding meant to fight violent crime. The program, Operation Relentless Pursuit, has nothing to do with enforcing immigration law, but the citys refusal to certify that it complies with certain immigration laws would disqualify it, according to U.S. Attorney for New Mexico John Anderson.

Albuquerque leaders have described the conditions as political extortion.

Journal staff writer Jessica Dyer contributed to this report.
Students of a public university in Uttar Pradesh staged a protest on Saturday against the alleged abduction and rape of a fellow student.

According to Hapur deputy superintendent of police Tejveer Singh, the 21-year-old postgraduate students parents lodged a complaint when she did not reach home on Thursday evening. She studies at CCS University.

Police traced her mobile phone and rescued her from Siyana in Bulandshahr district, Singh said. She has been admitted to a medical college in a critical condition but she is stable, he said.

Inspector General of Police, Meerut zone, Praveen Kumar, said, Investigation revealed that she went with her classmate on her own. She got injured after falling from a bike. Rape has not been confirmed in the medical report. This is not a case of abduction or gang rape.

The casualty medical officer at Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College (LLRMC) in Meerut, Dr Harshvardhan, said, Initial medical examination only helps in identifying whether someone has been raped or not, but its confirmation needs further lab testing which takes two to seven days time.

Meanwhile, enraged by the IGs statement, a large number of university students gathered outside his office, and staged the protest on Saturday.

The students questioned the claim of the IG. How did the cops jump to conclusion so quickly, a student asked. The IG said the main suspect had been detained and was being interrogated about the alleged incident.

Police said the girl was under treatment in Meerut Medical College Hospital and her father had lodged a case of gang rape in the Garh Mukteshwar police station of Hapur district under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. He named three persons -- Priyanshu Sharma, Aakash Dev and a man identified as Soni -- in the FIR for abducting and raping his daughter.
That connection is reflected in Machados work, as most of his 50-plus plays  including Celia and Fidel, which will have its world premiere at Arena Stage later this month  focus on Cuba in some form. That differentiates him from Nilo Cruz, his fellow Cuban-born playwright, whose Exquisite Agony is now in production at GALA Hispanic Theatre. Although Cruz has gravitated toward Cuba, his work is more eclectic in subject matter. But as an immigrant who came to the United States on a Freedom Flight in 1970, when he was 10, Cruz feels his Cuban American identity remains an inherent aspect of his creativity.
SAO PAULO, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The chief executive officer of Brazilian state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA, Roberto Castello Branco, said on Friday the company's contingency plan to deal with a workers' strike will last as long as necessary.

On the sidelines of an event in a hotel in Rio de Janeiro, he reiterated the strike had not affected oil production. Petrobras, as the company is known, has hired during a strike called by unions to protest against layoffs at a money-losing fertilizer factory. (Reporting by Gabriela Mello; editing by David Evans)
Prosecutors at Weinstein's trial were accused of creating a universe that strips women of responsibility. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

Harvey Weinstein believed he was so powerful he could get away with denigrating aspiring actresses drawn into a world where he considered them "complete disposables", a prosecution lawyer has said.

Joan Illuzzi-Orbon was delivering closing arguments at the fallen movie mogul's rape trial in New York.

"The universe is run by me and they don't get to complain when they get stepped on, spit on, demoralised and, yes, raped and abused by me - the king," Ms Illuzzi-Orbon said, mimicking Mr Weinstein.

Using a TV monitor next to the jury box, the prosecutors displayed photos of 'Sopranos' actress Annabella Sciorra and five other accusers who also gave evidence.

Ms Illuzzi told jurors that aside from the more successful Ms Sciorra, the others were "complete disposables. They were never going to be in his world."

She also showed a side-by-side comparison of Ms Sciorra's evidence about confronting Mr Weinstein in the mid-1990s after he allegedly raped her and similar evidence from his rape accuser about how the mogul reacted when she told him she had a boyfriend in 2013.

"His eyes went black and I thought he was going to hit me right there," Ms Sciorra told the court. With the click of a button, the rape accuser's evidence popped up: "His eyes changed and he was not there. They were very black and he ripped me up."

Ms Illuzzi's closing argument came a day after the defence offered an hours-long closing argument painting the prosecution's case as a "sinister tale" and the allegations as "regret renamed as rape".

Mr Weinstein (67) is charged with raping a woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on a different woman, Mimi Haleyi, in 2006.

Other accusers, including Ms Sciorra, gave evidence as part of a prosecution effort to show he used the same tactics to victimise many women over the years.

In response to defence claims that Ms Haleyi and the alleged rape victim were opportunists who had consensual sex with Mr Weinstein because they thought it would help their careers, prosecutors were seeking to focus the jury's attention on accusers' harrowing accounts alleging rapes, forced oral sex, groping, masturbation, lewd propositions and casting couch experiences.

Some women said Mr Weinstein ignored pleas of "no, no, no" as he assaulted them. The woman Weinstein is charged with raping said he would turn violent when he could not get his way and added: "If he heard the word 'no', it was like a trigger for him."

Another woman recalled Mr Weinstein sneering, "You'll never make it in this business, this is how this industry works", when she laughed off his advances.

The prosecution's task has been complicated because the women he is charged with assaulting did not abandon him after the alleged encounters.

In her closing argument on Thursday, Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno accused prosecutors of creating an alternative universe that "strips adult women of common sense, autonomy and responsibility".

"In this script the powerful man is the villain and he's so unattractive and large that no woman would ever want to sleep with him voluntarily. Regret does not exist in this world, only regret renamed as rape."
It was the summer of 1969. All the post-production houses in London were unavailable. We moved the editing of Leo the Last to Ardmore studios in Co Wicklow.

It was a beautiful summer and we walked the Wicklow Mountains. We fell in love. We started to look around for a cottage that we could come back to for holidays. We were shown an old rectory that sat in a small valley with a river running through it. It was a Sunday and we could not look inside it, furthermore it was being auctioned on the next day. No time to have it inspected and assessed. I put it out of my mind.

I happened to be in Dublin the next day and passed Adam's auctioneers, and there was a picture of the house in the window. I wandered in. The auction had already begun. I had a strange experience, I was floating up to the ceiling, and there below, two people were bidding for the house, and one of them appeared to be me. Then I was down there amongst the mortals being congratulated. I had bought the old rectory in Annamoe. What was I going to tell my wife? We had been living in Los Angeles for four years. I had sold my house in London for 10,000 and I just bought this Irish house for 21,000.

We moved to Ireland. This rash decision had solved the problem. I did not want our four young children to go to school in Los Angeles, nor did I want to go back to England. America had been wonderfully positive after the negativity of England, but LA was draining the spirit. My subconscious had made the decision for me, we were to live in Ireland.

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My wife, Christel, took it in her stride and set about making a home. We built extensions, put in central heating, a new roof. We built a pool in which I taught all the village kids to swim, and constructed a conservatory. It swallowed all our money. There were 70 acres and many mature trees, and the beautiful Avonmore river ran through it. The river was mostly shallow, but I discovered a deep pool, a swimming hole. We put in a diving board and a bench. It became my favourite place in the whole world.

There was a telephone. You had to lift the receiver, and wind a handle to get the attention of the operator. I would give her a number in Los Angeles I wished to call. She would say: "Don't give it to me, I will connect you with the overseas operator." After a while the overseas operator came on the line. I gave her a number in Los Angeles I wished to call, it was a Monday. The overseas operator said that she could make the call for me on Wednesday at 6pm. Coming from the city of the telephone, it was a welcome change. It suited me just fine. I did not want to spend half my life on the phone.

The dominant figure in Annamoe was Robert Barton, then in his 90s. He owned a large estate and had employed many men and women during the bad years. He was a signatory to the Treaty of 1921. I bugged him with questions. What was Michael Collins really like and what is the best thing to grow up here? Trees, he said, and I have planted many thousands over the years.

His horror at the damage alcohol has done to Ireland is the reason Annamoe has no pub. This is compensated for by next-door Roundwood having five. Another anomaly is that the Bartons have one of the great Premier Crus, Leoville Barton. The tradition was that the elder son cared for the estate in Annamoe, while the younger went to France to look after the vineyards. I visited them once and met Anthony Barton. He seemed rather sceptical of wine connoisseurs. He said: "What is wine after all? A brief interlude between grape juice and vinegar."

Whenever I was invited to lunch by the Bartons, their cellar was well stocked with the family wine, but later on they had a butler who drank the cellar dry. Robert and his wife sat side by side at the end of a long dining table. "We had our suspicions," said Robert, "when instead of placing our plates before us, he shied them down the length of the table."

Erskine Childers the elder spent his boyhood summers in Annamoe with Robert Barton, who was his cousin. Erskine was a British army officer. He famously filled his yacht with arms and sailed to join the cause of Irish freedom. He was never quite trusted and eventually executed as a spy. On the eve of his execution, his young son, also called Erskine, visited him in his cell.

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"If people ask you how your father died, tell them that he died for Ireland."

Young Erskine was deeply affected by this and devoted himself to politics and rose to the rank of Tanaiste. He was having dinner at my house and refused another glass of wine saying: "I'd better not have another one, Jack Lynch is away and I'm in charge of the country." He was thought to be pompous, but I found him rather innocent and touching.

Eventually he became President and suffered a fatal heart attack whilst addressing the Royal College of Surgeons. Is there a doctor in the house? Yes, about 200.

Robert Barton was too frail to attend the funeral in Dublin, so I was deputed to bring him to the burial ground. From high up we watched the cortege approaching with a military band playing and people lining the street. "Extraordinary," I said, "this outpouring of affection for Erskine."

"All the more surprising since there was no evidence of it whilst he was alive," said Barton, drily. During these 50 years I made many films in Ireland, and others around the world, but always brought them back home for the post-production.

We raised seven children in that house. Most of them were back for last Christmas. The house blacked out. I called the ESB. I was astonished that 20 minutes later, a man in his 60s turned up and fixed it. I thanked him and he said: "You don't remember me." I did not. "You taught me to swim."

'Conclusions', a memoir by John Boorman, is out on February 20 (Faber and Faber)
US defence secretary Mark Esper has said using Huawei's 5G technology in the UK communications network could 'jeopardise alliances'.

The US-European divisions were on stark display in the spat over the Chinese tech giant during Mr Esper's speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

He again discussed security concerns that 'reliance on Chinese 5G vendors could render ... critical systems vulnerable to disruption, manipulation and espionage.'

It comes as senior US officials are set to fly to London to raise their concerns directly with Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street on Wednesday.

U.S Secretary of Defense Mark Esper makes a speech during the 56th Munich Security Conference at Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany today

Washington has pushed hard for countries to bar Huawei from building their next generation 5G mobile networks, claiming its equipment can be used to spy for Beijing.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Huawei was the 'poster child' for China's 'nefarious strategy' to infiltrate and dominate crucial western infrastructure.

But key allies including Britain and France have resisted the pressure so far, agreeing to impose restrictions without going so far as to ban the company.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Europeans to make 'an independent and wise choice' while providing 'a fair business environment for all companies'.

During his speech Mr Esper said: 'Reliance on Chinese 5G vendors could render our partners' critical systems vulnerable to disruption, manipulation and espionage.

'It could also jeopardise our intelligence and communication-sharing capabilities, and by extension it could jeopardise our alliances.

It comes as senior US officials are set to fly to London to raise their concerns directly with Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured on Thursday) at Downing Street on Wednesday

'The Chinese Communist party is heading even faster and further in the wrong direction with more internal repression, more predatory behaviour, more heavy-handedness and a more aggressive military posture. It is essential that the international community wake up to the challenge.'

He also urged governments and business leaders to build an ecosystem of 'industry champions' that can provide alternatives to Huawei.

Speaking on Saturday, Mr Esper told the conference that Washington was already working with vendors to develop and test new 5G technologies.

He said: 'We are encouraging allied and U.S. tech companies to develop alternative 5G solutions and we are working alongside them to test these technologies at our military bases as we speak.'

Mr Johnson is also coming under renewed pressure over his controversial decision to give Chinese tech giant Huawei a role in building the UK's 5G network.

A delegation of senior US officials - including Donald Trump's acting chief of staff - are set to fly to London to raise their concerns directly, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that MPs on Australia's intelligence and security committee have pulled out of a visit to the UK next month following a diplomatic row with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

Mick Mulvaney, who is leading the US delegation, is expected to call on the UK Government to change its decision on Huawei when they meet senior officials on Wednesday.

The Telegraph quoted a source close to the delegation as saying they expected to deliver a 'bollocking' to British officials. 'One thing is on the agenda, and it's not a trade deal - it is Huawei,' the source said.

Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China, is pictured speaking on the second day of the conference in Munich today

The visit comes after an 'apoplectic' President Trump reportedly vented his fury with Mr Johnson when the Prime Minister telephoned him to explain the UK's decision last month.

The US has repeatedly warned that it would withhold intelligence-sharing from any ally which allowed Huawei access to its communications networks, which it regards as a national security threat.

The furious row has led to Mr Johnson reportedly delaying a planned visit to Washington which had been expected to take place over the spring.

A Number 10 spokesman insisted on Friday that the Prime Minister is still looking forward to travelling to the US but is 'currently focused on driving through the Government's ambitious domestic agenda'.

American concerns about China were underlined by Mr Esper who accused Beijing of stealing Western know-how while using its power to intimidate smaller neighbours.

'The Communist Party and its associated organs, including the People's Liberation Army, are increasingly operating in theatres outside its borders, including Europe, and seeking advantage by any means, and at any cost,' he said in speech to the international security conference in Munich.

Mr Johnson has faced criticism for downgrading Britain's presence at the event, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and MI6 Chief Alex Younger pulling out and newly-appointed Foreign Office Minister James Cleverly attending instead.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also appealed yesterday at the conference for countries to steer clear of Huawei. She said: 'China is seeking to export its digital autocracy through its telecommunication giant Huawei.

'Nations cannot cede our telecommunication infrastructure to China for financial expediency. Such an ill-conceived concession would only embolden (President) Xi (Jinping) as he undermines democratic values, human rights, economic independence and national security.'

Chinese domination of 5G 'would be to choose autocracy over democracy,' the speaker said. 'We must instead move to an internationalization.'

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a Republican, emphasized broad agreement in the U.S. that 'Huawei technology is a threat to the United States and, we really think, to world order.'

'Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump are probably not going to have many dinners together but, if you ask them about British purchase of Huawei, they'll give you the same answer,' Graham said.

'We owe it to the world, all of us do, to give you an alternative - we just can't say no forever to 5G,' he added.

'But we are very firm in our commitment, Republicans and Democrats, that if you go down the Huawei road, you're going to burn a lot of bridges.'
The National



Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC) on Saturday asked the Jharkhand government to fast-track the February 7 gang rape case in Ramgarh district.

A 24-year-old woman was allegedly gang raped while she was returning from a tourist spot with her uncle on a motorcycle near Ramgarh-Ghato road.

All the four accused were arrested and sent to judicial remand.

NCSC member Yogendra Paswan told reporters here that the victim should get quick justice.

"Rape is a crime against humanity and the states should ensure speedy trial in fast track courts to punish the guilty at the earliest. The civil society should also boycott such culprits," Paswan said.

The NCSC member said he met and discussed the issue with officiating Ramgarh Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Sinha, Superintendent of Police Prabhat Kumar and Mandu Block Development Officer.

Paswan said that the commission has asked the state and district authorities to ensure payment of Rs 8.35 lakh as compensation to the victim as per the provisions under the ST/SC Act.

"We spoke to state social secretary over the phone about the compensation," he added.

Paswan said the victim has no pucca house and is living in a hut and she should get a concrete house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reported revenues of 2.2 billion represent an increase of 417 million (23.2%) on 2018

Operating income of 424 million represents an increase of 78.6 million (22.7%) on 2018

All products performed well, but highlights are the year-on-year growth of the Groups immunoglobulin product portfolio, as well as Nuwiq, albunorm and fibryga



Commenting on the Groups results, Octapharma CEO and Chairman Wolfgang Marguerre said: Octapharma delivered an exceptionally strong result in 2019. We achieved good growth in all three of our therapeutic areas. We continued to invest significantly in R&D to fund the discovery and development of new life-changing treatments, as well as in our plasma collection capacities to ensure the future supplies of our life-saving products for patients. Our new subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG), cutaquig, received approval in Europe following approvals in 2018 in the USA and Canada. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved an updated label for our recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII), Nuwiq to include data on effective bleed protection with twice weekly dosing using personalised prophylaxis. Fibryga received European approval to treat acquired fibrinogen deficiencies, extending the earlier approval for use in patients with congenital fibrinogen deficiency. These approvals bring substantial benefits to patients as well as physicians. Based on our existing product portfolio and our development pipeline, Octapharma is well positioned to continue to perform strongly in the coming years.

The Octapharma Group has delivered a strong performance in 2019. Sales of 2.2 billion represent an increase of 417 million (23.2%) compared to 2018. Furthermore, operating income increased by 78.6 million (22.7%) compared with 2018, to 424 million.

Gross profit in 2019 was 783 million, which is 152 million more than 2018. Despite continued investments in plasma collection and production capacities to fulfil the growing global demand for our products, gross margin increased by 0.3% to 35.4%.

Significant investments were made for the Groups future prosperity in R&D and into the extension of plasma collection and production capacities. Important milestones in the expansion and utilisation of the plasma and recombinant product portfolio became a reality during the last 12 months. To ensure each litre of plasma is optimally used, the Group will continue to enter new markets and expand its portfolio with innovative new products and services.

Last year our products touched hundreds of thousands of patients globally, said Roger Machler, Chief Financial Officer of the Octapharma Group. Our significant investments in research and infrastructure strongly position Octapharma to fulfil the unmet needs of more healthcare professionals and patients around the world in the coming years.

The Annual Report 2019 provides a comprehensive overview of the Octapharma Group, including details of corporate governance and the financial results. To download the full Octapharma 2019 Annual Report visit: www.octapharma.com/annual-report.

About Octapharma

Headquartered in Lachen, Switzerland, Octapharma is one of the largest human protein manufacturers in the world, developing and producing human proteins from human plasma and human cell lines. As a family-owned company, Octapharma believes in investing to make a difference in peoples lives and has been doing so since 1983; because its in our blood.

At Octapharma, our passion drives us to provide new health solutions advancing human life. This is our vision. We thrive as an organisation in which people take ownership, have integrity, demonstrate grounded and confident leadership, drive sustainability, and are inspired by and eager to embrace entrepreneurship.

We employ more than 9,300 people worldwide to support the treatment of patients in 118 countries with products across three therapeutic areas:

Haematology (coagulation disorders)

Immunotherapy (immune disorders)

Critical care (bleeding management and functional volume replacement)



Octapharma has seven R&D sites and six state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Austria, France, Germany, Mexico and Sweden, in addition to more than 120 plasma centres across Europe and the US. For more information visit: www.octapharma.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200214005230/en/
The United States will start testing people in five cities who are showing flu-like symptoms for the new coronavirus COVID-19, a top Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official said on Friday.

CDC has begun working with five public health labs across the U.S. to tap into their ability to conduct community-based influenza surveillance, so that we can begin testing people with flu-like symptoms for novel coronavirus, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters in a phone call.

The cities are Los Angeles and San Francisco in California, Seattle in Washington state, Chicago in Illinois, and New York City.

More sites will be announced in the coming weeks.

The same labs that are testing for influenza in the United States will test samples that turn up negative for the flu for the virus.

Testing previously only took place among those who have symptoms consistent with COVID-19coughing, fever, and respiratory issuesand who have been to places where the outbreak is spreading or had contact with confirmed or suspected cases.

The laboratories doing the testing will be leveraging existing influenza and viral respiratory surveillance systems to monitor people for flu-like symptoms, the director said. Authorities have a good head start on the new virus because of planning for previous outbreaks, especially influenza, she said.

This is an extra layer of our response that will help us detect if and when this virus is spreading in the community, Messonnier said. All of our efforts now are to prevent the sustained spread of the virus in our community, but we need to be prepared for the possibility that it will spread.

Results from the surveillance would be an early warning signal to trigger a change in the official response strategy, she said.

No cases of COVID-19 have been detected in any of the cities so far except for Chicago, where a woman who traveled to China tested positive last month. Her husband later tested positive in one of the only two cases in the United States that came from person-to-person transmission.

Fifteen patients have tested positive in the country. The majority are located in California, with cases also confirmed in Washington state, Arizona, Illinois, Texas, and Massachusetts. Three of the cases are among the people evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the new virus.

Messonnier said that some spread of the new virus may happen before people show symptoms. Studies and reports from multiple countries indicate the virus can be transmitted by people not showing symptoms, a phenomenon known as asymptomatic spread. The spread is compatible with what health experts know about other respiratory viruses, including the flu, or influenza.

Asymptomatic transmission or contact transmission, defined as transmission through touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the eyes or the mouth, are not the main drivers of the spread, Messonnier said. She said the virus primarily spreads from person-to-person through close contacts, or within six feet, through respiratory droplets from an infected person coughing or sneezing.

The announcement was originally made the previous day with few details. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, testifying to Congress in Washington, said that the CDC had begun working with health departments in five cities to use its flu surveillance network to test individuals with flu-like symptoms.

Many questions about the virus remain, and this effort will help see whether there is broader spread than we have been able to detect so far, he added.

From The Epoch Times
Rafe Swan/Getty Image

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)  Police arrested a suspect after two women were injured in separate attacks early Saturday along San Francisco's waterfront, police said.

In the first attack, a woman at Pier 19 was stabbed shortly before 7 a.m. by a man who then rode away on a bicycle, police said. Then, about 7:10 a.m., a suspect attacked another woman at Pier 39 with a tool, police said.
They enjoyed a romantic lunch for two in the lovely city of Milan, Italy on Valentine's Day before his big concert with his brothers.

But that didn't stop Nick Jonas and his wife Priyanka Chopra Jonas from sending each other some virtual V-Day love as well, via twin Instagram posts to each other on the occasion of the lovers' holiday.

In Nick's post, captioned simply with 'My Valentine' along with a black heart emoji, a trio of black and white photos show the beautiful couple in various romantic moments.

In the first image, they are seen coming in close for a kiss, with Priyanka, 37, smiling coyly as she wraps her manicured hand around the back of her husband's neck.

In the second, they're holding hands walking down a hallway, while in the third Priyanka looks up at Nick, 27, and caresses his cheek lovingly while he grasps a microphone.

In all three photos, Chopra wears the same lovely black and white polka-dotted jumpsuit she was seen in on Friday in the northern Italian metropolis.

Nick, for his part, is in a becoming double-breasted black blazer with the sleeves rolled up.

Hubby appreciation: Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas from sent each other some virtual Valentine's Day love, via twin Instagram posts on the occasion of the lovers' holiday

As for Priyanka's post to her husband, it was an action shot from the stage of the Jonas Brothers' Milan show that evening, with a buff looking Nick riffing on his electric guitar.

He wears a black t-shirt in the snap, plus leather cargo pants.

For her caption, Priyanka went with, 'My forever valentine. He just happens to look like GI joe in those leather pants!!' before adding the hashtag #husbandappreciationpost.

She also uploaded a sweet snap to her Story of two glasses of red wine from their romantic tete-a-tete, with the caption 'toast for two' along with some hearts.

Italian lunch of bread and wine: Priyanka also uploaded a sweet snap to her Story of two glasses of red wine, with the caption 'toast for two' along with some hearts

Absolutely lovely: In Nick's posts, Chopra wears the same lovely black and white polka-dotted jumpsuit she was seen in on Friday in the northern Italian metropolis

Nick and his brothers Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas are currently in the midst of wrapping up the European leg of their Happiness Begins world tour, which launched back in August of last year in Miami, Florida.

After a break for the holidays, they started up again at the end of last month in Birmingham, England, and continued throughout the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium before playing their Valentine's Day concert in Milan on Friday.

Their next stops are in Spain and France before concluding the tour in Paris on February 22.

Handsome couple: Nick and his brothers Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas are currently in the midst of wrapping up the European leg of their Happiness Begins world tour
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT) investors who have suffered losses in excess of $100,000 to submit their losses now to learn if they qualify to recover their investment losses. Only three days remain until the February 18, 2020 lead plaintiff deadline in a securities fraud class action that has been filed against the company and senior executives.

Class Period: May 9, 2018  Nov. 7, 2019 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Feb. 18, 2020 Sign Up: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/GDOT Contact An Attorney Now: GDOT@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895

Green Dot Corporation (GDOT) Securities Class Action:

The Complaint alleges Defendants misled investors concerning Green Dots business and operations.

More specifically, according to the Complaint, Green Dot, CEO Steven W. Streit, and CFO Mark Shifke misrepresented and concealed that: (1) Green Dots strategy to attract high-value long-term customers was at the expense of one and done customers; (2) Green Dots one and done customers represented a significant source of revenues in its legacy segment; and, (3) consequently, Green Dots business strategy was self-sabotaging.

The truth about Green Dots failed business strategy was revealed over a series of disclosures beginning on Feb. 21, 2019, when Green Dot reported poor FY 2018 financial results, which drove the price of Green Dot shares down about 10% that day.

Then, on May 9, 2019, the Company disappointed investors when it slashed earnings guidance and announced it would be dramatically increasing spending on technology and marketing to attract new users. This news caused a massive 26% drop in Green Dots share price.

On Aug. 8, 2019, Green Dot announced another guidance reduction due to a steep decline in legacy prepaid card product line and the Companys delay in launching its newest BaaS product. This news caused Green Dots shares to plummet another 42%.

On Nov. 7, 2019, CEO Streit blamed disappointing financial results for the third fiscal quarter and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2019 on the continuing year-over-year decline of accounts in its active consumer business approximating 620,000 and revealed these were mostly one-time use accounts. This news caused Green Dots shares to plummet over 18% on Nov. 8, 2019.

On Dec. 18, 2019, Defendants announced that CEO Streit and CFO Shifke would be leaving their positions effective Dec. 31, 2019. This news drove the price of Green Dot shares down as much as 15% during intraday trading that day and prompted certain analysts to issue sell ratings.

Recently, on Jan. 14, 2020, a Seeking Alpha contributor published an article concluding, Green Dot (GDOT) looks like a raging dumpster fire to me. The contributor observed (1) loan delinquency is skyrocketing in a booming economy where other banks are reporting robust consumer behavior, (2) GDOTs active accounts are declining (down 5% in Q3 19) due to competitive pressure, and, (3) [w]ith the sudden departures last month, investors should heavily discount GDOTs product road map.

If you invested in Green Dot between May 9, 2018 and Nov. 7, 2019 (the Class Period) and suffered significant losses, you may qualify to be a lead plaintiff  one who selects and oversees the attorneys prosecuting the case. Contact Hagens Berman immediately for more information about the case and being a lead plaintiff.

Were focused on investors losses and proving Defendants misled investors about Green Dots growth prospects, asset quality, and existing account metrics, said Hagens Berman partner Reed Kathrein.

If you purchased shares of GDOT and suffered significant losses, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman .

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Green Dot should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email GDOT@hbsslaw.com .

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a national law firm with nine offices in eight cities around the country and eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com . For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw .
There is a small detail in the Income Tax (I-T) provisions of Budget 2020 that you might have missed: A life insurance policy without the cover being a certain multiple of the annual premium means you lose out on tax exemptions even if you pay as high as Rs 1.5 lakh for it annually.

The assumption is that the Finance Ministry has allowed policies with a cover which is seven times the annual premium to be tax-exempt. But that is not the case.

While a slew of life insurance products is now available with low ticket sizes, these policies will be eligible for Section 80C tax deduction only if the cover is 10 times the annual premium. So while making a decision, do consider more than the lower premium on offer.

In a bid to improve insurance penetration (as a percentage of GDP) in India, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority now allows products, where the sum insured, can be up to seven times the annual premium (compared to 10 times the annual premium earlier).

However, these are not tax-exempt.

For instance, if you pay an annual premium of Rs 20,000, the size of the policy has to be a minimum of Rs 2 lakh to avail Section 80C benefits. Thus, even if you pay the maximum exempt limit of Rs 1.5 lakh as insurance premium yearly, it is not eligible unless the cover is at least Rs 15 lakh.

As per Section 80C of the I-T Act, annual insurance premiums paid are tax-exempt to a maximum limit of Rs 1.5 lakh.

Insurance company officials said that many customers buy smaller covers since the premiums are lower, however, these are not only inadequate but may also increase their overall yearly expenses without underlying benefits.

There was an expectation that the 80C exemption limit would be reduced to seven times the annual premium. However, no such change was made in Budget 2020 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Not all customers are aware that the income tax exemption is applicable to only a certain category of insurance products. Agents, too, have been unable to spread awareness on the tax provisions.

A few insurers are now considering only offering products with sum assured of 10 times the annual premium and above. This will not only prevent misselling complaints but also ensure that unaware customers do not buy inappropriate products.

Insurers have stated that tax exemption is not the primary reason for people buying a life policy, but the fact remains that it is at least a major consideration while buying a product.

Thus, making it clear that only some products offer tax exemption under 80C is crucial. If the commission structure is changed to offer a higher incentive of selling a 10 times annual premium cover, distributors will also fall in line.

Insurance is primarily an income-replacement tool in case the bread-earner of the family dies. Hence the focus should be on offering covers of a standard size depending on the annual earning capacity of an individual rather than pushing cheap products.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The flu season is well underway, and the Collective Prevention Service (CPS), a department within the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), has observed a consistent increase in the number of influenza cases over the past four weeks, with fever and respiratory symptoms being most reported.

CPSs flu-prevention guidance is to get vaccinated which offers effective protection against influenza; adhere to proper handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and cough/sneeze etiquettes (cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing).

Influenza spreads from an infected person to others through the air by droplets (secretion) as a result of coughing and/or sneezing, or by direct contact with the virus on hard surfaces or peoples hands that have the viruses on them then touching the mouth, nose or eyes.



Influenza is a highly contagious viral infection. Unlike the common cold, influenza can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications such as pneumonia and bronchitis, which often require hospitalization.



The flu poses a risk or can be especially dangerous for certain groups such as the elderly (65-years and over), pregnant women, very young children (aged six months and over) as well as for people with underlying medical conditions known as immunocompromised (such as severe asthma, lung or heart disease, low immunity, diabetics).

The flu usually differs from a cold as symptoms develop suddenly and can lead to complications such as chest infections and pneumonia  particularly among the elderly and young children.

Flu symptoms tend to develop abruptly one to three days after infection and can include: tiredness, high fever, chills, headache, coughing, sneezing, runny noses, poor appetite, and muscle aches.



Prevent the spread of influenza and reduce the number of cases by: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; Avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.



Avoid close contact with people who are sick. People who have cold-like symptoms should cover their mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing and wash their hands frequently and correctly (with soap and water for at least 20 seconds).



Avoid sharing cups and eating utensils with others and refrain from kissing others who have the flu and stay at home when your sick.



For more information, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A lot of people joined hands and did the love, honor and cherish thing at San Francisco City Hall, it being Valentines Day.

I do, said two freshly minted spouses, on Friday at 10 a.m.

Also at 10:10 a.m., at 10:20 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m., and that was just the first half hours blush of love.

On Valentines Day, the city hands out free roses, chocolate and photographs  one red rose, eight Hersheys kisses and four photos per couple. All of a sudden, getting married can seem like a pretty good deal.

Plus, said more than one groom  while their spouses pretended not to hear  by getting married on Valentines Day youre less likely to forget your anniversary.

Heather Lee took the day off from teaching fifth grade and, with soon-to-be spouse Andrew Lindgren, hopped onto a romantic BART train in the Mission. Their wedding, one of 151 booked at City Hall, was scheduled for 10 a.m. sharp.

They trooped up the grand stone staircase as if heading for a meeting of the Board of Supervisors, which, fortunately for all things romantic, was not in session.

Their ceremony took four minutes and 27 seconds. City administrator Naomi Kelly stuck to the printed script titled Marriage Vows (short). Theres a longer one that gets used sometimes, but not when 150 other couples are cooling their high heels, awaiting their turns beneath a single rotunda.

We are gathered here for the purpose of uniting in matrimony (blank) and (blank), the form said and, as Kelly read it, she deftly inserted the names Heather and Andrew, which were not the names she would be inserting for the 10:10 a.m. ceremony.

Lindgren, who met Lee through an online dating site a year ago, smiled and said one good thing about Valentines Day is that, in future years, a Valentines Day present can double as an anniversary present. He said he was just kidding but, on the other hand, he gave Lee only one gift  a set of koala earrings. Another present would be coming later, he added, not the first husband to utter those words.

Getting married in City Hall is a lot cheaper than getting divorced in the courthouse across the street. The marriage license costs $110, the marriage ceremony costs $90 and the marriage certificate costs $15. No lawyers are required for entering the arrangement, only for exiting.

It was no day for skeptics, however. It was a day for satin and splendor. It was a day for smiling at the camera, for passing tissues to your brand new mother-in-law, for fishing anxiously into tuxedo pockets for the small box containing, with any luck, the rings. Everywhere were red hearts and pink hearts. Also scarlet, crimson, ruby and vermillon hearts.

There are rules, all spelled out in the printed application. Six guests, maximum, including the photographer. No throwing rice. No strewing rose petals. City Hall minces no words. Rice and rose petals, even on a wedding day, are a form of litter.

Theyre also slipping hazards, said building supervisor Eric Nelson, who was keeping a sharp lookout.

And, if you get cold feet at the last minute, ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS. The clerks office, which knows much about the love struck, felt the need to put that part on the form in capital letters.

Eleanor and Emily Smith of San Francisco, newly hitched, picked the rotunda because, Eleanor said, they have a soft spot for City Hall and for its landmark history of gay marriages.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Theresa Marquardt and John Antonio of Oakland picked San Francisco City Hall because, Marquardt said, its iconic  Oakland City Hall, not so much.

On a normal day, City Hall does a few dozen weddings. On Valentines Day, it does four times that many. Kelly said the city takes in so much in fees that it can afford to spring for the chocolate, the roses and the photo booth rental.

Or maybe Kelly is trying to drum up business. Marriages in San Francisco were off 4% last fiscal year. There were only 10,710 marriages, compared with 11,196 the year before. No one knows why. Especially, said Kelly, not her.

Marriage is only slightly more mysterious than marriage licenses. According to the rules, you may designate yourself either a bride or a groom, or neither, but not both. You must tell the clerk how many times youve been married before, even if it doesnt seem like any of the clerks business.

You may also change your name when you get married, no extra charge. It doesnt have to be your spouses name, it can be any name. Once you change it, you cant unchange it without a judges OK. No do-overs.

I understand, states the marriage license application. You must initial a line that says you do, even if you dont, if you want to go through with the whole thing, until death or until some other reason (dissoultion, annulment, terminated domestic partnership or not/applicable, says the application) do you part.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com
Canada driver captures rare sighting of mother lynx and her kittens Guardian

Researchers identify 1,500 dance moves bees use to communicate Daily Mail (David L)

Ski season in the Alps may soon be over, permanently CNN

Trafficking industry hit as sex worker chatbots fool thousands Guardian (David L)

Scientists discover largest bacteria-eating virus. It blurs line between living and nonliving. LiveScience (David L)

A Radio Frequency Exposure Test Finds an iPhone 11 Pro Exceeds the FCCs Limit IEEESpectrum

Mumps cases hit decade high in England BBC. Resilc: All the antivacers in USA USA are a bigger risk than noko, Iran and ISIS put together.

The joy of intimacy Aeon

Why Witchcraft Is on the Rise Atlantic (Adrien F)

#2019-nCoV

China?

An EU judge told Google its landed on Monopolys Go to Jail square and reportedly threatened to increase its $2.6 billion antitrust fine Business Insider. Delicious. I hope Google is hoist on its own petard. Sadly, you have to read the WSJ version to learn this idea came from one of five judges, and theres only one precedent for fines being increased, and then, it was not by much.

Brexit

This absolutely extraordinary. Is Lewis saying the UK is going to renege on the Withdrawal Agreement? https://t.co/jvwUuZjA9K via @rte  Chris Grey (@chrisgreybrexit) February 14, 2020 Brexit: out of court Richard North. North says Connelly in the story above has it wrong.

New chancellor Rishi Sunak challenged over hedge fund past Guardian (Kevin W)

Wallace reprimanded over European Parliament remarks about Juan Guaido RTE. PlutoniumKun: Guido an unelectable gobshite (apparently you cant say this in the European parliament)

Big Brother is Watching You Watch. Creeped me out. I went to a gym that Ive visited when in Dallas since 2012 (and yes, I missed the Bernie rally, which bums me out, Im cant handle walking much plus getting a ride back wasnt viable, but we had a very good small meetup). Said gym for members now makes you not just insert a card but put your finger in a print reader! No way!

Algorithms consistently more accurate than people in predicting recidivism, study says TechXplore (Robert M). Precrime is coming.

Trump Transition

Mistrial Declared in Kafkaesque D.C. Trial of Venezuela Embassy Protectors Mint Press (JALP)

2020

Ryanair: Boeing 737 Max deliveries could be two years late CNBC. PlutoniumKun: Boeing had negative aircraft orders in January.

Technology is poised to upend Americas property market Economist

CalPERS refutes Chinese influence claims Fox (JPR). Rep. Jim Banks not deterred.

Gender Wars

Holy Crap! The Sexual Harassment Allegations Against The Late Judge Stephen Reinhardt Are Shocking Above the Law (J-LS)

Welcome to the Era of Fake Products Wirecutter (sporble)

How Did the Fed Funds Market Change When Excess Reserves Were Abundant? Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Help me. We said from early on that the repo mess was due to the Fed changing its practices from intervening in the repo market daily to post crisis managing policy rates via interest on reserves + reforms that required banks to keep large liquidity buffers + big banks having more profitable things to do with short term liquidity excesses than lend to the repo market. Or as Warren Mosler said: Required reserve levels are set by institutional structure, and reserve balances come only via the Fed crediting accounts on its books.

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Nate Ps cat Calypso. He seems camera-averse. Or maybe someone just told him Bloomberg is running:

And a bonus (guurst):

The change in expression is just too cute pic.twitter.com/rFhDTEvmis  Life on Earth (@planetpng) February 12, 2020

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
A federal judge slammed prosecutors and flagged White House involvement in former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's case as being like a 'banana republic,' describing the interference as 'disturbing'.

US District Court Judge Reggie Walton accused people 'at the top' of 'exerting undue, inappropriate pressure', new documents obtained by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in a lawsuit reveal.

The judge said that the situation was undermining the integrity of the judicial system.

The Justice Department has closed an investigation into whether McCabe lied to federal officials about his involvement in a news media disclosure, his legal team said on Friday, bringing an end to the lengthy probe that left him in legal limbo.

McCabes lawyers were told that prosecutors had decided not to pursue criminal charges against Andrew McCabe after careful consideration

US District Court Judge Reggie Barnett Walton accused people 'at the top' of 'exerting undue, inappropriate pressure'

Walton, who was appointed by George W. Bush, told prosecutors in September. 'You've got somebody at the top basically trying to dictate whether somebody should be prosecuted'.

McCabe is a frequent target of President Trump and has been the subject of a series of furious tweets directed against him.

The decision not to charge McCabe revolves a criminal investigation that spanned more than a year and began with a referral from the Justice Department's inspector general, which said McCabe repeatedly lied about having authorized a subordinate share information with a newspaper reporter for a 2016 article about an FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation.

The IG found McCabe 'lacked candor' on multiple occasions during a leak investigation.

'I just think it's a banana republic when we go down that road and we have those type of statements being made that are conceivably  even if not  influencing the ultimate decision,' Walton said.

The attack has emerged amid controversy over whether Attorney General William Barr has interfered in cases where Trump has vested interests.

McCabe is a frequent target of President Trump and has been the subject of a series of furious tweets directed against him

Walton, who serves in the District of Columbia, criticized DOJ prosecutors in September for stalling the McCabe case, which he suspected could serve the interests of the White House.

'I fully appreciate the complexity of the assessment, especially  unfortunately, to be candid  in light of the way by the White House, which I don't think top executive officers should be doing,' he said when a delay was requested by prosecutors.

'I don't think people like the fact that you got somebody at the top basically trying to dictate whether somebody should be prosecuted,' Walton said.

'I think there are a lot of people on the outside who perceive that there is undue, inappropriate pressure being brought to bear.'

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which sued for court transcripts, said it was 'not surprising' that the government announced it was dropping the case as the transcripts were ordered released, the Daily Beast reported.

McCabe's lawyers said in a statement they were told in a phone call and letter that the case is closed and 'no charges will be brought against him based on the facts.'

President Trump responded to Attorney General William Barr's statements by asserting his 'legal right' to intervene in criminal case

McCabe, a frequent target of attacks from President Donald Trump, has denied that he intentionally misled anyone. He has said his 2018 firing - for what the Justice Department called 'lack of candor' - was politically motivated. He sued the Justice Department in August, saying officials had used the inspector generals conclusions as a pretext to rid the FBI of leaders Trump perceived as biased against him.

In a letter on Friday, prosecutors told McCabe's lawyers that they decided 'not to pursue criminal charges against your client' after careful consideration.

'Based on the totality of the circumstances and all of the information known to the government at this time, we consider the matter closed,' said the letter, signed by the chief of the U.S. attorney's office's public corruption unit.

The Justice Department wrote McCabe's lawyer to tell him they consider the matter 'closed'

The decision was announced hours after Trump slapped back at Bill Barr, asserting the 'legal right' to intervene in criminal cases, just over 12 hours after his attorney general warned him his tweets and comments made it difficult to do his job.

Trump's pushback, which he issued publicly on Twitter, capped off a week of extraordinary statements about the criminal case of longtime advisor Roger Stone, who was convicted of witness tampering and lying to Congress about contacts with WikiLeaks.

Trump began by quoting from Barr's extraordinary interview with ABC News, where he said: 'The President has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.

Then he added: 'This doesn't mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!'

'I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases,' Barr had told ABC News on Thursday afternoon.

'I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.'

McCabe is among a clutch of top former FBI officials who have been the focus of the president's rage.

This week while venting about the Roger Stone case for what he called mistreatment, Trump fumed at the failure to charge former FBI director James Comey.

Trump wanted McCabe to get charged after the release of the damning inspector general's report. He was also set off by two other prosecutorial decisions, the Washington Post reported  the decision by prosecutors to seek jail time for former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn after he changed his legal posture and started going after the government, and the decision by U.S. Attorney John Huber not to bring charges against Hillary Clinton after reviewing the long history of her email controversy.

Trump famously let cheering crowds calling to 'lock her up' during the 2016 campaign.

McCain has been a regular subject of Trump's Twitter attacks. In late January, he retweeted a post about the Justice Department's response to McCabe's lawsuit. McCabe argues the FBI engaged in retaliation after the IG report.

Trump retweeted Kellyanne Conway who had tagged an article accusing McCabe of 'lying nad leaks'

In November, Trump railed against McCabe and other officials after he complained about a jury's conviction of Roger Stone and prosecutors' push for jail time

Days earlier, he retweeted counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, who tagged a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that said the FBI was a 'leakfest' and that 'Andy McCabe lost his job & part of his pension for lying about leaks.'

Trump's constant commentary on the case could have furnished McCabe's lawyers that he was being singled out for political prosecution had charges been brought.

Trump tweeted in November: 'So they now convict Roger Stone of lying and want to jail him for many years to come. Well, what about Crooked Hillary, Comey, Strzok, Page, McCabe, Brennan, Clapper, Shifty Schiff, Ohr & Nellie, Steele & all of the others, including even Mueller himself? Didn't they lie?'

The IG found that McCabe 'lacked candor, including under oath, on multiple occasions in connection with describing his role in connection with a disclosure' to a Wall Street Journal reporter and that his 'disclosure of the existence of an ongoing investigation in the manner described in this report violated the FBI's and the Department's media policy and constituted misconduct.

Trump last year linked McCabe to his favorite target, former FBI Director James Comey

In just the latest sign of the rough waters Barr is seeking to navigate, he assigned an outside prosecutor to review the case against Flynn, the New York Times reported. Flynn cooperated for many hours with investigators and pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI  then sought to withdraw his plea and accused the government of misconduct, a charge a federal judge rejected.

McCabe took a victory lap on CNN, where he is a contributor.

'It is an absolute disgrace that they took two years and put my family through this experience for two years before they finally drew the obvious conclusion and one they could have drawn a long, long time ago,' he said.

He linked his case to that of Roger Stone, and raised concerns about political pressure to punish Trump's enemies and go easier on his friends, what he termed the 'politicization of investigations.'

'We were getting more and more concerned about where this would end up,' McCabe said. 'We are seeing things happen every day in this country that many of us never thought we'd see here.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 21:05:35|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's container transport for export purposes saw an overall increase in January, according to the Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE).

The average China Containerized Freight Index (CCFI) rose 10.3 percent month on month to stand at 927.91 last month, up from an average of 823.53 in 2019, said the SSE.

The freight rates of all routes were raised, buoying the container transport market last month.

The sub-indices for the Persian Gulf/Red Sea and Mediterranean routes led the increase, soaring by 31.4 percent and 30.6 percent, respectively.

The CCFI tracks spot and contractual freight rates from Chinese container ports for 12 shipping routes across the globe, based on data from 20 international carriers.

The index was set at 1,000 on Jan. 1, 1998.
High Fidelity Weird But Warm Season 1 Episode 6 Editors Rating 5 stars * * * * *  Previous Next  Photo: Phillip Caruso/Hulu

As we slide into the back half of High Fidelitys ten episodes, the characters plotlines begin to shift toward their endpoints. Everyone is offering something to someone else in Weird  But Warm, with varying degrees of success: Clyde most likely wants to be way more than friends with Rob. Liam wants Rob to accompany him on tour and Rob maybe wants to go (though she might turn out to be better at being his mentor than his sexy muse). Cherise wants the world to hear her music, but cant fully describe it. The Cute Barista wants Simon to recommend some music to him, and Simon very definitely wants to do some recommending, and perhaps more. Some local thieving teens want to make music, and Rob wants to sell what they create.

This episode also dramatizes the problem of vulnerability for people who work really hard at maintaining masks of cool detachment. All of the things each character is offering to another could be transactional, and would be successful on that level, but that doesnt feel like enough anymore. It makes sense that in the sixth episode, each member of our core trio gets private moments where the audience sees their respective masks drop, and with them, the toll that mask-maintenance takes on a person nurturing a fervent, if only partially articulated, secret hope. Rob, Cherise, and Simon are all beginning to recognize that although a mask is protective, in the long term, it crushes their hopes just as completely as being rejected does.

This episodes structure is Three Days in the Life of Rob, using repeated references to and appearances by certain musicians to revisit and put its narrative threads in conversation with each other. We open on Saturday, when it seems like all of Brooklyn is at the shop to browse, listen, and buy. Rob is mostly on cash register detail, while Cherise and Simon advise shoppers in their own distinctive styles (enthusiastic hectoring about Talking Heads and gentle hmm, try this William Onyeabor record, respectively). Fun fact: Talking Heads founder David Byrne released the first U.S. compilation of Nigerian artist William Onyeabors work on his Luaka Bop label!

Into this whirlwind of sales and recommendation activity steps Clyde, offering some cute and flirty banter about The Sopranos, which Rob has never seen. Clyde is a very different person than Rob usually hangs out with; rather than mocking her for having never seen the show that launched contemporary prestige TV, hes really envious that shes going to see it for the first time ever. I like this guy more and more with each scene, but I can also see how his unabashed earnestness would come off as deeply uncool to Cherise, who dismisses him as the guy in khakis that youve been eye-fucking for the last ten minutes.

On Sundays, everything is looser and less busy. Rob expositions that people are all out at brunch or laundry or whatever makes them feel better about their shitty life choices. Speaking of which, Rob is texting with Liam, who is back in town after completing a leg of his tour. Cherise makes a few digs about Liams age, but also very much wants to attend his show and hang out backstage with the cool kids, even though they know the sound quality onstage is garbage.

As the Replacements loud, bratty Rattlesnake rings out, a couple of thieving teens bolt, clutching a bunch of LPs, and manage to outrun Rob and Cherise. As theyre gasping for breath, Rob spots the thieves on a flyer advertising a gig for their act, Peachy and Shane, in their nearby rehearsal space. Peachy and Shane swear they were just borrowing the records so they can create their own samples. Rob, fundamentally not a hardass and impressed with their good taste, agrees to let them keep the records on the condition that they return them unharmed the next day. Cherise is incensed, but Rob blows her off because shes got to meet Liam at the recording studio.

Unsurprisingly, Rob has always wanted to date a musician. Itd be so cute and fun to recognize their private jokes in lyrics, and maybe a little glamorous to go on tour. This prompts a segue into her Top Five studios of all time, and just as Im about to have a heart attack because she hasnt yet mentioned Electric Lady Studios, phew, its number five on the list. (If I had been paying more attention to the song playing under this scene, Id have known it would all turn out okay: Its And the Gods Made Love, by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.)

Robs excited delight in this scene is so cute and endearing. Shes in a place full of history she knows and cares about, a boy she likes is singing soulfully into the mic, and for good measure, the guy at the sound engineers desk is Jack Antonoff. Best of all, when Liam asks for Robs input on his vocal, he takes her advice to try something a little weirder with the next take, to make it less earnest and more Prince-ly. Jack loves the result, and the next thing we see is Liam and Rob making out and collapsing on his apartment floor in a heap of triumphant lust. I guess the age difference isnt a problem after all!

Monday morning, you sure look fine. Did you know that Zoe Kravitz can make herself look like the literal cat who swallowed the canary? Because she can, when called on to play a woman who went to bed with a rock star ten years her junior and is very, very pleased with herself.

Before Rob can slip out and head into work, Liam, clad in black briefs and a smile, invites her to stay for a cup of coffee, which leads to chatting about his upcoming tour to South America. He invites Rob to meet him at his gig in Mexico City. She thinks hes just bullshitting, but hes serious. Huh.

The writer Alanna Bennett has a theory of the male romantic lead: his most important skill is to look at his on-screen intended in a way that shows he sees them. This type of look combines longing, charm, sexiness, amusement, and more, and Liam has The Look down cold. Or smoldering. You know what, its both. Young man, be careful with that, its a dangerous weapon, please use it responsibly!

Simon and Rob are listening to Peachy and Shanes music (its actually a band that Shazam informs me is Wastewomxn, playing their eponymous song) and its so good that even Cherise grudgingly likes it, but the last straw for her is when the teens return the records on time and Rob offers to sell their record if they press one. Cherise is really hurt that Rob would offer to help these little strangers, rather than herself, a known musical visionary and Robs actual friend. Rob blows her off and snaps that Cherise is always talking and never doing. Cherise storms off, Rob yells, and then asks Simon, What the fuck was that? Rob is so used to bravado-filled Cherise that a Cherise expressing hurt feelings is illegible to her, and she reacts badly.

Simon begs off attending the show to stay behind and work on his mixtape for the Cute Barista, who had swung by the shop on Saturday looking to flirt and get some music suggestions, adding the Replacements Skyway to it and shredding my heart to pieces in the process. What a flawless, delicately hopeful song choice for a mix for your crush, and what a thoughtful development from the earlier, thrashier Replacements song used in the chase scene. Sadly, like Skyways narrator, suspended above his love interest on the sidewalk below, Simon sees the Cute Barista through the coffee shop window, chatting up another guy, and bails on his attempt to deliver the tape.

Outside the venue, Rob walks up to Cherise, both looking smoking hot in their respective Ladies at the Show ensembles (lace-up Doc Martens and a barely there T-shirt dress featuring Bob Marley for Rob, a plunging low-cut blue denim jumpsuit and a perfect gold necklace for Cherise). Theyre over their blowup from earlier, and ready to embrace being backstage. Unfortunately, its not all its cracked up to be, for either of them: Robs thoughts of joining Liam in Mexico City are scrapped because hes booked a performance slot at the Glastonbury Festival. Its a huge deal, and Rob is thrilled for him, though she knows it likely means the end of anything substantive between them.

Meanwhile, Cherise has an intensely mortifying encounter with Liams manager Brad; she just cant find the words to properly capture and pitch her visionary sound and he blows her off. This is the second time an unworthy dude has broken Cherises artistic heart this episode, and I will not stand for it. Back on Saturday, some guy in a fluffy hair metal coiffure, T. Rex T-shirt, and pale stonewashed flares read her wonderfully detailed Seeking a Band notice in the shop, saw her, and left without engaging further. My solemn vow: If that guy doesnt reappear in the next episode with at least one buddy to beg to be in a band with Cherise, I will drive to Brooklyn to fight him.

Cherise and Rob are by the side of the stage during the gig and  it sucks, so they bail and go for slices. Rob reassures Cherise that Brad was awful and they segue into a bonding session of Top Five Musical Underdogs, scored to Ike & Tina Turners Workin Together. Now thats a perfect evening with your pal.

B-Sides

1) On Saturday, as Cherise is schooling an eager young listener, basically throwing Important Records of the Past at him, she insists that he purchase Pauls Boutique, and I have to agree. Go ahead and listen to it now, its a gift to yourself from a bygone era of lawless sampling that Cherise and I firmly agree, still sounds dope as shit. Also, this is the third major nod to the Beastie Boys in the series, and I agree: MCA forever.

2) The song of the episode: Skyway, by the Replacements. It would just thrill me to the marrow if the Replacements found their way to a new audience in part because of this song placement.

3) Theres a cute, blink-and-youll-miss-it moment where Simon is standing in front of the Biggie poster so that the crown looks like its resting gently on his own head.
Viking Murder Mystery Credit:

VIKING MURDER MYSTERY



7.30pm, SBS

Apart from unnecessary repetition about how brutally the victims of a 1500-year-old Norse massacre were killed, this is an interesting examination of their remains, unearthed in 2011. References to Games of Thrones red wedding seem apt. The re-enactments are suggestive and minimal, the gruesome details of the slaughter fuel enough for the imagination. As macabre is the Texas body farm the archaeologists visit to better understand how corpses rot.
Stuart Ayres, the minister co-ordinating the end of the lockout laws and efforts to restart Sydney's nightlife, says it will be "brutal" if another one-punch death occurs but the government will be prepared to withstand the criticism.

Mr Ayres also acknowledged Sydney was "heading in the wrong direction when it comes to city rankings" and needed to press reset on its brand and narrative.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian lifted the 1.30am lockout laws in the CBD last month, six years after they were introduced to curb alcohol-related violence following the deaths of two young men in one-punch assaults.

The government is about to release an exposure draft of a bill that will further liberalise licensing laws and ease live music restrictions in a bid to reinvigorate Sydney's ailing night-time economy.
A Louisiana State Police trooper has been demoted in the months since internal investigators concluded last fall that training exercises during the agency's most recent academy went beyond "normal parameters" and caused significant injuries to some of the cadets involved.

Lenias Marie was demoted from the rank of lieutenant to sergeant, according to records released by the Louisiana State Police Commission, which oversees the civil service system for State Police.

Marie was overseeing training when allegations surfaced about the injuries to cadets. It's unclear what position he holds now.

State Police said in October that three troopers were transferred out of the agency's training division in response to those allegations, but officials have refused to disclose their names. However, sources close to the investigation told the Advocate that Marie was one of the three.

Marie was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant in May 2018, according to records contained in his personnel file. He was working in the training academy when the promotion occurred.

State Police spokesman Capt. JB Slaton said Marie's discipline was recently finalized, but declined to disclose what the discipline was, saying "his case is a portion of a broader review of training at the LSP training academy that is still ongoing."

"State Police intends to release relative information learned during its review upon completion," he said in a statement without providing a timeline

Agency leadership announced in October that the academy's defensive tactics training program had been suspended and an internal investigation launched because the injuries went beyond what's considered normal during those exercises, which include handcuffing, use of the expandable baton, pressure points, physical strikes, blocking and grappling techniques.

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

+10 3 Louisiana State Police troopers transferred after training causes serious injuries Three State Police troopers were transferred out of the agency's training division this week after their superiors concluded that recent exerc

State Police Col. Kevin Reeves said then that three troopers had been transferred out of the training division and two cadets were removed from the class after they were found cheating on a written test. The cheating was discovered after one was found with a cellphone, which is not allowed during State Police academy.

Reeves said the investigation into the cellphone was separate from the investigation into the injuries, though they happened "close together." He declined to describe how the two could be related.

The only specifics that have been provided about the cadets' injuries are that they included bruising. Reeves said even broken bones are "not uncommon" during the physical parts of training, especially defensive tactics aimed at preparing recruits to effectively restrain a combative suspect without using excessive force.

"Last night when I met with the cadets, I apologized to them for the events that took place," Reeves said at an October press conference. "I took responsibility.  I take this very personally."

State Police training academy lasts 22 weeks, during which cadets are required to live at State Police headquarters Monday through Friday and often can't use their cellphones. They can go home on weekends, returning Sunday evenings.

Cadet Class 99 began training in August with 61 cadets and 51 of them graduated from the academy on Jan. 31. They're currently participating in field training and will soon be deployed across the state.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US Senators for bipartisan support and told about his desire to change Ukraines image in the world.

I want to thank you for the bipartisan support. We know that representatives of both US parties support Ukraine - our sovereignty, territorial integrity and help us not just in words, Zelensky said at the meeting with US Senators Ron Johnson, John Barrasso and Chris Murphy, the press service of the Head of State reports.

The President also thanked the United States for financial, military and technical assistance.

As noted, the parties discussed the course of reforms in Ukraine and emphasized the priority of anticorruption reform and cooperation with the International Monetary Fund.

We have excellent relations with the IMF. We are doing a lot to fight corruption, we restart the law enforcement system and adopt many bills for that, Volodymyr Zelensky assured.

The President stressed that one of his biggest tasks was to change the image of Ukraine in the world.

"We want people speaking of Ukraine to think not about corruption, but about our wonderful country with good people and an attractive investment climate," the President noted.

In particular, Zelensky told about laws that facilitate deoligarchisation, and stressed that Ukraine was preparing more than 500 state-owned enterprises for privatization.

We are fighting against monopolies, privatization is held under open competition now. And it will also contribute to the fight against corruption in our country, the President said.

The senators confirmed that they saw positive changes in Ukraine and the US was ready to support Ukraine on the path of these changes.

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For Sa'ad Talia, being shuffled between cities at the whim of his wealthy parents was the normal pace of his life growing up in Pakistan.

It was also a routine filled with terror.

After once being sent away to stay in a town without his parents, Talia was sexually abused by a servant. His mother's reaction was violent punishment  for her son, not his abuser.

WATCH: Childhood sexual abuse survivor Sa'ad Talia talks about the importance of supportive housing:

"My father never touched me," Talia recalls. "My mother used to beat me up, to the point of drawing blood."

That childhood trauma enveloped Talia's life for decades to come, derailing his later efforts to study in the United States and earn a degree.

For years, he suppressed the painful memories with alcohol and drugs, all while battling a trio of life-altering mental illnesses: depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

After moving to Toronto in 2000, Talia wound up checking into a rehab centre. Then, in 2008, his already-fragile life was upended when he lost both his Bay Street banking job and his downtown apartment.

"I went through my usual thing, which was to retreat completely," he says. "Go to sleep. Not wake up. Until the bailiff was at the front door."

Talia wound up living precariously in an unheated basement, facing constant threats of eviction from his landlord, and veering close to homelessness. Then he learned of another option.

It was a supportive housing program in a boarding house, operated by a local non-profit, which offered mental health and addiction services to residents to ensure they could live independently in their homes.

In early 2009, he moved in. He's been living within the city's patchwork supportive housing offerings ever since, and has been in his current unit in a Weston apartment building for nearly five years.

On this afternoon in February, the 63-year-old is staying warm inside the high-rise home, spending time with his dog, Lulu, a puppy- mill rescue, and watering his collection of plants, their branches all reaching toward the sunlight streaming through his floor-to-ceiling windows  a room full of life, and "contentment," Talia says.

Story continues

It's a set-up that offers not only a roof over his head, which he pays for through the Ontario Disability Support Program, but regular check-ins, social gatherings, and a network of services, helping him navigate the health-care system.

"People like me need this because we have things to contribute," Talia says. "But if we don't have stability, what can you contribute?"

It's a question the city is asking as well, and hoping to answer through a new plan to offer its own supportive housing for the first time.

City hoping to create 600 units each year

The plan outlines how the city itself can create 600 units each year starting in 2020, while pushing for federal and provincial partnerships to hit a 1,800-per-year target.

It recommends renovating and converting existing units, including shelter sites and Toronto Community Housing rooming houses and vacant units, while connecting wraparound support services with private rental housing.

Now approved by the planning and housing committee, and awaiting a final stamp of approval from council, the plan would mark a dramatic change in Toronto's level of involvement in creating supportive units, which remain under provincial jurisdiction.

"We've never, never built supportive housing in this city," says committee chair Coun. Ana Bailao.

But, she adds, a large number of people who are experiencing chronic homelessness  which the federal government defines as being homeless for six months or more  are already using Toronto's overflowing shelter system as "de-facto housing." It's around 23 per cent of clients, according to city officials, which equals more than 5,000 people each year.

Many of them, advocates say, are struggling with the same kind of trauma, addiction, and mental health issues that long prevented Talia from living a stable life.

So why not give those people actual housing instead, coupled with services to manage their mental health or addiction issues, so they don't wind up stuck on the streets?

Grant Linton/CBC News

"It's not new. It's not rocket science," says Coun. Joe Cressy, a proponent of the approach.

Cressy notes his own uncle has lived in a west-end supportive housing complex for many years, allowing him to live independently with access to mental health supports. "He has lived courageously with schizophrenia since he was a young man," he says.

"He's now nearly 70."

Right now, it's not clear just how many Toronto residents are living in supportive units, given the number of different agencies involved, though the city does administer around 10,000 of the units, according to city staff.

What is clear is the need far outweighs the supply.

17,500 households on wait list

More than 17,500 households are on the wait-list for supportive housing for people suffering from addiction and mental health problems, funded by the Ministry of Health, and city numbers show 1,800 new units are needed every year over the next decade.

The estimated operating cost for the city's proposed 600 units is close to $14 million each year, the plan notes, while capital costs are expected to range between $160 million and $213 million, which would require federal or provincial funding streams.

City staff suggest it could be worthwhile investment from a purely financial perspective, given the high cost of operating shelters: An average shelter bed costs $110 per day to operate, while an average supportive housing unit costs only around $63 per day.

Cressy warns the plan needs ongoing support to succeed; first, from council, and through ongoing investment to hit the annual targets from both the city and higher levels of government.

There's cash in place for 2020, and through a successful motion during the committee meeting on Wednesday, Bailao called for capital funding to create another 600 units in 2021 in the city's budget, while having council push the provincial and federal governments to provide the operating costs.

Another motion that also gained support, from Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, aims to explore how to allocate one third of the units built in Mayor John Tory's affordable housing initiative for creating supportive housing.

That program, Housing Now, aims to build thousands of affordable units on city-owned plots of land, but features minimal supportive housing.

Grant Linton/CBC News

Kira Heineck, executive lead of the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness, says that's a key overlap that needs to be expanded to complement the city's supportive housing plan, which "doesn't produce a lot more new units," she notes. "It's creating units out of existing resources."

Even so, Heineck and other advocates hope it gains council approval.

Talia is among them, though he stresses that solving the housing problems facing Toronto is a complicated task beyond just offering supportive housing.

From tenants being evicted by landlords eager to raise the rent, to a provincial policy scrapping rent control for new units, to overflowing city shelters  there are many hurdles to overcome.

But he says the role supportive housing can increasingly play is to remove the barriers vulnerable residents face while living precariously, which can keep them in shelters indefinitely.

Without supports for issues from personal hygiene to getting treatment for addiction issues, he ponders: "How do you vote? How do you go to a doctor's appointment? How do you have a date?"

Those are questions he doesn't need to ask anymore.

"Everybody deserves a safe place," Talia says. "I was never safe before; I'm safe now."
The United States is increasing the additional duty rate imposed on aircraft imported from the European Union (EU) to 15 percent from 10 percent, effective from March 18, the Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced Friday.

After World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on aircraft subsidies last year, the United States levied additional tariffs on a wide range of EU goods, which took effect on Oct. 18, a move that has fueled trade tensions between the two sides.

In the newly released statement, USTR Robert Lighthizer said he has determined to revise the action based on a review of the Section 301 action and following public comments.

Aside from hiking the tariffs for certain large civil aircraft, he is also modifying the list of other products of "certain current and former EU member states" subject to additional 25 percent duties, effective March 5.

Prune juice, concentrated or not, was removed from the list, while butchers' or kitchen chopping or mincing knives have been added to the action.

According to an earlier statement from the Office of the USTR, new airplanes and other aircraft from Britain, France, Germany and Spain are subject to additional tariffs of 10 percent, while Scotch whiskies, cheese, olives, yogurt, and sweaters from certain countries are among the products to be hit by an additional tariff of 25 percent.

Earlier last year, the WTO had given the United States permission to levy tariffs on 7.5 billion U.S. dollars of European exports, the amount commensurate with the adverse effects suffered by Airbus' U.S. rival Boeing in terms of lost sales and impeded deliveries of its aircraft.

Following U.S. announcement of tariff action, former EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom had said "we regret the choice of the U.S. to move ahead with tariffs."

Noting that the EU and the United States have both been found in breach of WTO rules, Malmstrom said "this step leaves us no alternative but to follow through in due course with our own tariffs in the Boeing case, where the U.S. has been found in breach of WTO rules."

In 2004, the United States filed a case with the WTO, accusing the EU of providing illegal subsidies to Airbus in various forms. The EU has since filed a similar case over allegedly illegal U.S. subsidies to Boeing. The WTO has ruled that both the United States and the EU have provided illegal subsidies for their respective airlines.
By April Joyner and Noel Randewich

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pretty much everyone on Wall Street has an opinion about Tesla <TSLA.O>.

The electric vehicle maker's stupendous rally in recent months has given shareholders something to cheer about, cost short sellers billions of dollars and vindicated legions of retail investors who have long adored Elon Musk's company.

Tesla shares have soared by nearly 320% since early June, helped by the company's better-than-expected financial results and ramped-up production at its new car factory in Shanghai.

After surging 36% over Monday and Tuesday, the stock by Friday had settled back to a gain of about 15% for the week. On Friday afternoon, it was down marginally at $747.11.

Another factor driving this week's surge may be fund managers hurrying to raise their allocation of the stock, analysts said.

"A lot of advisors and institutions, they jump in the bandwagon because they don't want to trail," said vocal Tesla bull Ross Gerber, president and chief executive of Gerber Kawasaki in Santa Monica, California. "If Tesla goes to $1,000 and they don't own it, what are they going to tell their clients?"

Gerber trimmed his fund's position in the stock as the company's valuation soared. He hopes to buy more if the stock falls and said a fair valuation would be around $550.

THE BULLS

Retail investors have driven part of the surge.

Among Fidelity Investments customers, Tesla has been by far the most actively traded stock in recent sessions, with nearly 16,000 buy orders for the electric carmaker's shares. Twitter, ranked second overall in trading activity on Fidelity, had just over 2,000 buy orders.

On Monday, when Tesla shot up 20% in its biggest one day rally since 2013, clients at TD Ameritrade - millennials in particular - overwhelmingly took profits after having bought the stock for months, said JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at the online brokerage.

Story continues

Tesla's biggest institutional shareholders are Baillie Gifford, Capital World and Vanguard, according to Refinitiv data.

It also has an international following. Retail investors in South Korea have been trading Tesla shares at a furious pace in recent weeks, buying and selling $200 million worth of stock in January, according to the Korea Securities Depository. Volume in November stood at $43 million.

Tesla options positioning is also bullish. According to data from options analytics provider Trade Alert, skew turned deeply negative this week, meaning that demand for calls, used to position for further share gains, has surpassed demand for puts, used to guard against a fall in shares.

That's a departure from the usual dynamic in most stocks, in which options used for downside protection generally command prices higher than those for upside participation.

(Graphic: Investors rev up Tesla volatility bets - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/TESLA-INVESTORS/0H001R89MBSR/eikon.png)

Tesla's biggest winner is Musk, who stands to earn more than $1 billion thanks to Tesla's recent rally. The company's market capitalization briefly exceeded $150 billion this week, the second target in his record-breaking compensation package that opens the way to options awarded to him vesting.

(Graphic: Elon's big payout - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/13/1841/1810/Elons%20payout.jpg)

THE BEARS

Many investors remain skeptical that Tesla can consistently deliver profit, cash flow and growth. More Wall Street analysts rate Tesla "sell" than "buy," and the company's stock is the most shorted on Wall Street, with nearly $18 billion sold short.

Those bearish investors plan to profit by selling borrowed shares and buying them back later at a lower price. Yet while short investors in Tesla have suffered paper losses of over $11 billion so far in 2020, they have mostly held their ground, according to S3 Partners, a financial analytics firm.

One seller in the December quarter was Saudi Arabia's public investment fund, according to a filing on Tuesday.

Some funds that reportedly hold short positions are London-based Crispin Odey, according to the Financial Times. Odey was not immediately available for comment.

The Financial Times also reported that Greenlight Capital, run by David Einhorn, had told investors last month it held a put option against Tesla, which would be a bet against the stock. A spokesman for Greenlight declined to comment.

(Additional reporting by HyunJoo Jin in Seoul and Megan Davies in New York; writing by Ira Iosebashvili; editing by Megan Davies/Gerry Doyle/Susan Fenton)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged scientists to focus on real-time social issues being faced by the country such as malnutrition by providing value addition in agricultural products.

Chairing a meeting of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Society here on Friday, Modi emphasised on the importance of developing virtual labs so that science can further be taken to all students in each and every corner of the country.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, he spoke on the need to attract young students toward science and further strengthen scientific acumen in the next generation.

The prime minister also suggested measures to enhance collaboration in research and development projects among Indians working in different parts of the world.

Asking scientists to work on the aspirational needs of India, he said there is a need for CSIR to focus on "real-time social issues that India is facing such as malnutrition" through value addition in agriculture products, and water conservation.

PM Modi listed 5G wireless technology, artificial intelligence and affordable and long-lasting batteries for renewable energy storage as some of the emerging challenges which the scientists need to focus on.

He highlighted the need to combine traditional knowledge with modern science to develop world-class products. The prime minister also spoke about the importance of commercialisation of innovations, the release said.

Modi exhorted the scientific community at CSIR to work towards improving the quality of life of the common man.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The annual examination for Class 10 and 12 of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will start in the state from Saturday.

The examination will start with vocational subjects. Examination for core subjects, however, will begin from February 22 for Class 12 and February 25 for Class 10. Psychology will be the first core subject for Class 12 students, while Class 10 students will have to appear for English.

A total of 3.2 lakh students of Class 10 and 12 from Patna zone (comprising Bihar and Jharkhand) are likely to appear in the CBSE exam this year.

In Bihar alone, a total of 55,000 students will appear for Class 12, while 1.4 lakh students will appear for Class 10 exams to be held across 272 centres in the state.

Students and parents can find correct location of examination centre by using Exam Centre Locator App available on android phones.

CBSE has also issued some important instructions for the candidates appearing in the exams.

As per the notification issued, It is mandatory for candidates to wear school uniform. Students should carry their school identity card and CBSE admit card. Students must reach the examination centre by 9:45 am. No student will be allowed to enter the examination centre after 10 am. Students are allowed to carry a pen and necessary stationary items in a transparent bag. No written material, mobile phones, wallet, smart watches or electronic gadgets are allowed inside the examination hall.

Highlights:

The big day has arrived

A total of 3.2 lakh students of Class 10 and 12 from Patna zone are likely to appear in the exam this year

Examination of vocational subjects to begin from Saturday

Examination of core subjects for Class 12 to begin from February 22

Examination of core subjects for Class 10 to begin from February 25

Number of students appearing for class 10: 1.4 lakh

Number of students appearing for class 12: 55 thousand

Total exam centres across Bihar: 272

First core subject for Class 12: Psychology

First core subject for Class 10: English

Important instructions for students

School uniform mandatory

School identity card and CBSE admit card mandatory

Students must reach the examination centre by 9:45 am.

No student will be allowed to enter after 10 am.

Students are allowed to carry a pen and necessary stationary items in a transparent bag.

No written material, mobile phones, wallet, smart watches or electronic gadgets are allowed inside the examination hall.

Students and parents can find correct location of examination centre by using Exam Centre Locator
Individual car dealers in Luxembourg sold fewer electric cars at this year's car festival compared to the previous year. The apparent decrease in sales may, however, also be linked to the increased offer.

Definite statistics are yet to be published. The federation of Luxembourg's car dealers is currently conducting a survey among its members. The results are expected to be published at the end of February. Fedamo president Philippe Mersch nevertheless explained that certain trends were already emerging. Car brands that had already sold electric cars last year seem to have sold fewer electric cars this year.

Mersch added that a higher number of car dealers now offer electric cars, which might partly explain the apparent drop in sales. He also stressed that, in his eyes, it was overly optimistic to believe that 49% of Luxembourg's vehicle fleet will be electric by 2030. To achieve that goal, car dealers would have to sell more than double the amount of electric cars each year.

There was no point in rushing the transition and the increase of excise duties on fuel was premature, the president of the car dealer federation said. He concluded that consumers should be given the chance to adapt.
Students read during a class at No. 4 Primary School in Hezuo City of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Northwest China's Gansu Province, Aug 27, 2019. [Xinhua]

Children without actual guardianship will also be qualified to receive welfare

For years, children whose parents were either incarcerated or undergoing drug rehabilitation have struggled in the care of other relatives, who are often poor and negligent.

But because their parents are alive, they can't live in orphanages or receive government money for orphans, which is four times the basic living allowance they get as impoverished people.

In extreme cases, some of them feel helpless and commit suicide.

But things have started to change since a guideline aimed at boosting welfare for an estimated 500,000 de facto orphans took effect on Jan 1.

"De facto orphans" is a vague term that has long been used by media and advocacy groups when referring to children without actual guardianship.

But the guideline made the term more specific, referring to children whose parents have severe disabilities or illness, are in jail or under detention, are in compulsory isolation for drug rehabilitation or restriction of personal freedom or cannot be contacted.

The designation also refers to children who have one parent who is dead or missing while the other falls under the aforementioned criteria.

To curb fraud, the document warned of punishments if parents pretend they are not capable of raising the child. Law enforcement officers can revoke guardianship of parents who defraud child welfare, and civil affairs authorities can charge those parents child-rearing fees, the guideline said.

The guideline is expected to entitle hundreds of thousands of minors to enjoy benefits equivalent to those of orphans  including a monthly allowance of about 1,200 yuan ($171), student grants and government-paid healthcare, experts said.

But many expressed cautious optimism as the new rules have listed only the most common types of de facto orphans.

In impoverished rural areas, many children have been reduced to de facto orphans after their poor, widowed mother remarries, in most cases into a family that is not so better off, according to Kang Yongzhong, who leads a nonprofit organization in Changsha, Hunan Province.

The organization has helped more than 1,500 de facto orphans since 2011.

"I've known many cases in which mothers are really helpless, but their children cannot be counted as de facto orphans by the official criteria," he said.

Kang said de facto orphans are a volatile population that is small in number, and their eligibility for benefits varies over time, as some parents could be incarcerated repeatedly, making it difficult for local officials to identify them.

The challenges facing de facto orphans garnered nationwide attention in 2015 after a 14-year-old boy led three of his sisters  aged 10, 8 and 5  to commit suicide by drinking pesticide in rural Guizhou Province.

Parents of the children were found to be violent and negligent and had spent years working away from home, leaving the children to fend for themselves.

The case also led five local officials to be censured for inaction.

(Source: China Daily)
Kolkata, Feb 15 : Two children died while two others are still in hospital after their parents took them to exorcists instead of a doctor or a health facility when they fell ill in the Gajole area of West Bengal's Malda district, officials said on Saturday.

One of the exorcists has been arrested on Saturday, the police said.

The children -- between three and seven years of age -- complained of indisposition on Friday evening when they returned home in Kadamtali village after playing.

"The kids complained of headache, stomach ache and eyesight problem. The superstitious villagers thought they are possessed by evil spirits and took them to a couple of exorcists. They apparently treated them for half-an-hour and said the spirits have identified," said a local resident.

But as the children's condition continued to deteriorate, they were rushed to Malda Medical College and Hospital. But Mohammad Firoz, 5, died on the way, while Safiqul, 7, passed away in the hospital on Saturday morning, a hospital official said.

Kohinoor, 6, and Shabnoor, 8, are now under treatment in the isolation ward. They are said to be stable.

Gajole MLA Dipali Biswas, who visited the hospital on Saturday, said the two surviving kids are "more or less ok".

"I spoke to their mothers. They said they fell ill while playing. According to the two ladies, they believe the place is haunted by evil spirits, and so they called the exorcist.

"They say it is a place haunted by ghosts, so they called the ojhas (exorcists). They did their exorcism for two-three hours. As the kids' condition did not improve, they decided to take them to the hospital," Biswas said.

Regretting the superstitions among the rural population, she said, "People generally don't believe in exorcists nowadays. This is a superstition. A section of people in the villages still lack consciousness. They are still superstitious." Biswas said he would conduct a door-to-door campaign in the area to raise the level of awareness among the locals.
Gary Oldman in front of the Bat signal

This week has seen a steady stream of Batman news released, as production on Matt Reeves upcoming superhero film has really kicked into gear.

Not only did we get our very first look at Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, but Zoe Kravitzs promotional work for High Fidelity has seen her answer a variety of questions on her performance as Catwoman, too.

Read more: Colin Farrell confirmed as the Penguin

Jeffrey Wright has now joined in the fun as well, taking to Twitter to release the very first look at the Bat Signal for the film.

OK, the image is far from the clearest, but its still great to know that Wright is already hard at work as Commissioner Gordon, a role that he is inheriting from J.K. Simmons, who ultimately only played him in Justice League. Gary Oldmans take on Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy is what Wright will be trying to eclipse, though.

Read more: Peter Sarsgaard provides update on raw new Batman movie

While new information regarding The Batman is now seemingly being released on a daily basis, were still a bit in the dark about what the film will actually entail. At the moment, its being reported that it wont be another origin story for the superhero, and will instead take place in Bruce Waynes second year as Batman.

Cast member Jeffrey Wright attends the premiere of the HBO series "Westworld" in Hollywood, California, U.S. September 28, 2016. REUTERS/Phil McCarten

Theres a good chance then that Gordon and his fellow Gotham City officers are still a little peeved by Batmans vigilante efforts.

However, its likely that theyll warm to him over the course of The Batman, especially as the films packed ensemble is going to also include Paul Dano as The Riddler, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, and Colin Farrell as the Penguin.

Well get to see the trouble they cause for Pattinson when The Batman is released on June 25, 2021.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 16:22:04|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- China is sparing no effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, a challenge to both China and the international community, by adhering to openness and transparency, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said.

"So we always have, as one of our basic principles, openness and transparency," Cui said in an interview with National Public Radio on Thursday. "We believe openness and transparency will give people more confidence, will give them more awareness about the virus, what the real risks are and how to prevent them."

"We are providing, you see all the figures, the numbers on a daily basis, just to make people reassured that we're doing our most to confront it," Cui said. "This will certainly help us to dispel any fake news, rumors or what people call pseudoscience."

Noting the novel coronavirus outbreak was "a very big challenge to the entire international community," the ambassador said that China has taken an unprecedented response to curb the spread of the virus for people's well-being as well as the interests of the entire world.

"So we are shutting down some of the cities, especially Wuhan, to stop the transmission of the virus, to protect more people," Cui said.

Despite the "high cost" of the current efforts, Cui said that "we are doing this in the larger interests of the entire world. If we fail to stop the virus, it could spread to other countries. Then this would cause an international crisis."

The ambassador said China is making utmost efforts to contain the virus by providing people with treatment and reducing its impact on economic and social activities.

"So this is, I believe, a real example of a one-for-all, all-for-one situation," Cui said. "We are doing this for the world. And we appreciate that the world is helping us."

On the so-called "decoupling" between China and the United States, which some U.S. experts suggested the current outbreak would promote, Cui said that "decoupling" should not happen, nor can it happen.

"Because we are the two largest economies in the world. We are so interconnected, so interdependent. This interdependence has worked in the interests of both countries," said Cui. "Both economies, both peoples have benefited a great deal from such growing economic ties. Why should anybody try to cut it off, to have this so-called 'decoupling'?"

Cui cited the phase-one economic and trade agreement between China and the United States as evidence to dismiss the "decoupling" theory, and expressed hope that the deal will be "implemented effectively," which he said is "a big plus" for overall China-U.S. relations.

"The good news is that we have concluded the phase-one trade agreement. This is evidence that there's intention on both sides to solve our economic problem and maintain and develop our economic relations," Cui added.

The China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement takes effect on Friday. As part of the agreement, the U.S. government agreed to cut additional tariffs on roughly 120 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Chinese products from 15 percent to 7.5 percent, while China would also halve rates of additional tariffs on 75 billion dollars' worth of U.S. products.
By ANI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Kerala court on Saturday issued a summon to Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to appear before it on May 2, in connection with a defamation case filed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

Speaking to reporters, Tharoor's lawyer said that the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate has taken cognisance of the complaint and asked the minister to appear before it on May 2.

Tharoor had filed a defamation case against Prasad for allegedly making derogatory remarks in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death. According to the complaint, Ravi Shankar Prasad had allegedly called Tharoor a "murder accused".

The Congress leader alleged in the complaint that Prasad put out a video clip of his press conference on Twitter in which he allegedly made the remark that is "false and has a scandalous imputation".

The Delhi Police are probing the death of Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar who was found dead at a hotel room in New Delhi on January 17, 2014. The police have also questioned Tharoor in connection with the death.
The Ukrainian serviceman handed Pompeo a patch with the logo of his military unit and asked him to keep it.

During a recent trip to Kyiv, U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo visited a military hospital where he met a number of Ukrainian troops undergoing treatment after being wounded in Donbas hostilities.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, February 15, Pompeo said: "Just fifteen days ago, I was in Kyiv, Ukraine. I visited a hospital where Ukrainian service members who had been injured in the conflict, who had been wounded in the fight against Russian-backed aggression, were being convalesced."

He recalled a conversation there with a "young brave warrior" who had "sustained a serious injury" and was "in significant pain".

Read alsoPompeo: Russia has contempt for territorial integrity of other nations

He was a captain, which Pompeo says reminded him that he, too, was a captain several decades ago.

"As we were getting ready to leave, he grabbed his crutches, he moved across the room and he went to his wall locker, he grabbed his uniform, pulled off hit patch. And he handed me his unit logo. He told me to keep it. He wanted me to have it," Pompeo recalled.

"That moment hit home for me," said the state secretary. "He reminded me, the sovereignty we're fighting for is real."

"We're all in this fight together," Pompeo said.
Abdulrasheed Akanbi, oluwo of Iwo, has explained why he engaged in a brawl with another monarch during a peace meeting. There were...





Abdulrasheed Akanbi, oluwo of Iwo, has explained why he engaged in a brawl with another monarch during a peace meeting.





There were reports that Akanbi attacked Dhikrulahi Akinropo, agbowu of Ogbagba, over a disagreement during a meeting convened by the assistant inspector-general of Police (AIG), Zone 11, to resolve a prolonged land dispute among the monarchs in the Osun west senatorial district.





Akinropo was taken to the hospital due to injuries sustained in the attack.





In a statement after the incident, Akanbi defended his action, accusing Akinropo of attempting to stick his staff of office into his eyes.





At the peace meeting held at AIG office, Agbowu of Ogbaagbaa interrupted me while I was making my speech; he started calling me unprintable names, pointing his staff of office at me while attempting to stick the staff in my eyes; I heavily rejected it with a force which the Agbowu could not withstand, he said.





How could a constable openly insult commissioner of police and make an attempt to beat the CP? Can any monarch try such with Ooni, Alaafin?





He went far as attempting to turn Oluwo to a blind man by pointing his staff of office to my eyes. All affected monarchs in my kingdom should note no one will feed on his subjects land and go away with it.





But some traditional rulers in the state have blamed Akanbi for the action, demanding his suspension.





Speaking with reporters at the hospital, Habeeb Adetoyese, olu of Ileogbo, flanked by six other monarchs, said the oluwo descended on their colleague while making a presentation at the meeting.





In October last year he wrote a petition against us to AIG Oyebade, that, we are threatening his life and we are selling his land. The AIG said he doesnt want any issue in our regions, that we should solve it amicably. The governor also gave us the same advice when we saw him on the matter, Adetoyese said.





The first peacemaking meeting that was organised for us at Iwo local government secretariat, but Oluwo disrupted the meeting. He came with thugs saying everybody should go to his domain.





A letter was sent to us for the invite and we all went for the programwhen he (Oluwo) was talking, he alleged that, I, the monarch of Ile-Ogbo, was selling his lands and that, also, the Agbowo of Ogbaa Gbaa, the Onigege of Gege is also selling his land. I am selling only selling Ile Ogbos land and not Iwo land.





In the meeting held, the commissioner said he cant intervene on any issue pertaining to land. He advised that the court can decide on that or that we meet the governor to sort things out.





As the AIG was addressing us, the Oluwo started shouting that chaos and war will happen in the community. He stood up and started beating Agbowu. He beat him to the extent that it was the AIG that rescued the king from oluwo. We are still in shock for a king to behave in that manner. When the man started feeling dizzy, we had to rush him down to Asubiaro hospital. He sustained an injury on his cheeks.





We implore the government to suspend him (Oluwo) so that we can have peace in our domain. We have called our subjects that there is no cause for violence but he should be checked. Only the governor can caution him and if that is not done, he will destroy the entire region.




NEW YORK (AP)  Bank of America is slashing the amount it charges customers when they spend more than they have in their accounts and plans to eliminate entirely its fees for bounced checks.
John Alpert is an American photojournalist whose work is featured in the Netflix documentary Cuba and the Cameraman. He first went to the island nation in 1972, a little more than a decade after the Cuban Revolution. Over the next 45 years, Alpert returned to Cuba, each time taking pictures of its towns and cities and people. The images he took are a timeline that chronicle how Castro's socialist revolution played out for the Cuban people in the years that lay ahead.

A disarmingly polite young photojournalist at the time, Alpert was one of the few Americans granted face-to-face meetings with Castro. With the U.S. media curious about the grand socialist experiment unfolding in Cuba, Alpert was invited to appear on TV programming to discuss his conversations with Cuba's communist dictator. Alpert was quite impressed when Castro said he was taking concrete measures to make life better for the Cuban people, citing as evidence a free health care system, free schools, free higher education, and shiny new and rent-free housing projects. When Alpert first visited Cuba, the shelves of grocery stores and other retail establishments were filled with consumer goods of every description.

To a young photojournalist who was idealistic and somewhat naive at the time, socialism seemed to portend a bright future for Cuba. With its people happy and well taken care of by a paternalistic government, things were going well. But as time moved one, Cuba's house-of-cards communist system fell apart. The free goods and services given to the Cuban people were funded not by the country's top-down collectivist economy, but by a massive infusion of hard cash, gasoline, food, and other provisions from the Soviet Union. When the Soviets eventually pulled the plug as their own socialist economy was crumbling, the day-to-day lives of the Cuban people fell on hard times, a rude reminder of Margaret Thatcher's observation the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

The once vibrant island nation of Cuba is but another place where socialism added to its unbroken trail of failure. The country's capital, Havana, was once an international tourist destination. Known as the "Jewel of the Caribbean," Havana was a glamorous city with beautiful homes and modern vehicles. After six decades of socialism, only the communist rulers and their cronies live in upscale homes, and the country's poorly maintained roads are traveled by junker cars built in the middle of the last century.

The harsh and unforgiving hand of single-party socialist rule

Promising to bring fairness and equality to his troubled nation, a young and charismatic Fidel Castro led a revolution that ousted Cuba's corrupt U.S.-backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. When victory was won, Castro rode triumphantly through the streets of Havana. Based on their new leader's assurance that he was not a communist, the Cuban people embraced Castro with wild enthusiasm.

Among the greatest heroes of the Cuban Revolution were two foreigners whose battlefield exploits were so legendary that they became the only non-Cubans to be awarded the rank of Comandante in Castro's army. One was an idealistic 29-year-old American named William Alexander Morgan, the other a ruthless Marxist revolutionary from Argentina named Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

Hailed by Castro for acts of valor that earned him the affectionate nickname "the Americano," Morgan said he joined the Cuban Revolution because "the most important thing for free men to do is protect the freedom of others." A fervent anti-communist, Morgan was personally assured by Castro that communism would play no part in the future of the new Cuba. But once Castro had consolidated an iron-fisted grip on power, he revealed his true stripes.

When Morgan spoke out against Cuba's sudden turn to communism, Castro accused him of being a counter-revolutionary. Morgan was arrested and sentenced to death. Standing in front of a bullet-pocked wall of an 18th-century fortress near Havana that had been converted to a political prison, the Americano was executed by firing squad on March 11, 1961, just two years after playing an instrumental role in bringing about the change he was led to believe would result in a free and non-communist Cuba.

By the time Morgan and the Cuban people realized what was happening, it was too late. With Castro having successfully shielded his true ideology  and with the mass-murdering Marxist Che Guevara at his side  he would go on to usher in a decades-long nightmare of communist oppression that continues to this day. In all of human history, single-party socialist rule has never produced a single free and prosperous society, but has destroyed every society where it was allowed to take root.

A video worth watching and sharing

As reported in this American Thinker article, four Millennial photojournalists affiliated with Turning Point USA recorded what they observed on a recent trip to Cuba: a police state in an advanced stage of decay. The appalling conditions they found coincide perfectly with what's reported in the Netflix documentary Cuba and the Cameraman. Their short video is worthy of being shared with high school and college-aged students, millions of whom have received a steady diet of propaganda about the alleged virtues of socialism.

American Thinker published another John Eidson article about socialism: ""Socialism's Unbroken Trail of Failure."
Solomon, Michael

Age: 29

Height & weight: 6 foot, 2; 150 pounds

Wanted for: Assault by choking  bond forfeiture

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Rear Admiral Krishna D Swaminathan on Friday took over as the new Western Fleet Commander from Rear Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh on Friday.

"The Western Fleet, known as the 'Sword Arm' of the Indian Navy, witnessed a change of helm on 14 Feb 2020. The change of command was held at sea onboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The baton of the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet was handed over by Rear Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh to the new Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Krishna D Swaminathan," a defence ministry release said.

The new Fleet Commander is an alumnus of the Defence Academy (NDA), a specialist in Communications and Electronic Warfare and has commanded frontline warships such as INS Vidyut, INS Vinash, INS Kulish, INS Mysore and aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

The Western Fleet has been at the forefront of all naval operations across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean Region since its inception, consistently executing the military, diplomatic, constabulary and benign roles of the Indian Navy. The Fleet has grown in capacity and capability over the years and presently include the aircraft carrier, multi-role destroyers and frigates, fleet tankers, three air squadrons and integral flights.

In its statement, the defence ministry said under the command of Rear Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, the Fleet has maintained a very high operational tempo, strengthening maritime and energy security, deterrence at sea and the Indian Navy's position as a Net Security Provider in the Indian Ocean Region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Nationalities, Valery Rashkin, proposed to return the nationality box to passports during the census, noting that this would be a response to the public request. "But the question arises: is it really necessary for society?" the analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza, Evgeny Nikolaychuk, said in the National Question program on Vesti FM.

It is assumed that the inhabitants of Russia will be able to choose any nationality during the 2020 census, while it is important to prevent the falsification of data. The main thing is to see the real picture, the expert noted.

It is curious that in the Russian Empire, religion was more important than nationality. In the USSR, the nationality box in passports was mandatory, and it was impossible to register as a Russian, Chukchi or Jew, without relatives of these nationalities. However, not everyone liked to be considered a representative of small nations, and many tried to become Russianized, Evgeniy Nikolaychuk said.

Historically, the nationality as a concept appeared in the 19th century in Europe. That time that the process of the formation of European nations took place. The nationality box was also borrowed by tsarist Russia, but after the revolution, it was abolished. The fifth paragraph was reintroduced by Stalin in 1932. It was then that the Decree "On the establishment of a unified passport system for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the compulsory registration of passports" was issued, according to which all citizens of the USSR over 16 years old should obtain passports, where their nationalities were indicated. Since that time, the nationality box has become an obligatory fifth paragraph in the passport of a USSR citizen. Some post-Soviet states abolished this practice after gaining independence, thus, having put forward citizenship in the first place, the expert explained.

Today's possible introduction of the nationality box is quite controversial: Im sure that for most of the country's inhabitants it will seem like a return to the Soviet past. And its not entirely clear why to discuss some extra boxes in the passports if the government has set the task to replace passports with electronic identity cards, - Yevgeny Nikolaychuk summed up.
This article is published through a partnership with New York Medias Strategist . The partnership is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected by New York Media. If you buy something through our links, Slate and New York Media may earn an affiliate commission.

Aftershave was originally created as an alcohol-based antiseptic for disinfecting the little nicks and cuts you can get from shaving. But while alcohol does a good job of preventing infection, it tends to be very drying on skin, and splashing it on freshly shaved skin can really burn. Luckily, aftershaves have evolved a lot over the years. Depending on your skin and facial-hair type, you now have your pick of cooling gels, soothing balms, and refreshing liquids that disinfect as well as hydrate, exfoliate, and tone skin  many of which are alcohol-free and actually feel good going on. According to Dr. Anna Guanche, dermatologist and founder of Bella Skin Institute, the best aftershave for you depends on your particular skin type. Everyones skin is different and will react and respond to different types of aftershaves, she says.

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With that in mind, we asked 13 dermatologists and grooming experts to weigh in on the best aftershaves for a range of skin types  whether youre prone to dryness, razor burn, acne and ingrown hairs, or just want to maintain a healthy glow.

Best aftershave for sensitive skin

Dr. Nikhil Dhingra of Spring Street Dermatology in New York says that moisturizing after shaving is quite possibly the most critical step in post-shave care. When you shave, he says, youre stripping the skin of its natural oils. So if you dont add any moisture back in, your skin is far more likely to feel uncomfortable after shaving, potentially leading to ingrown hairs, dryness, and razor burn. Its no surprise then, that this alcohol-free soothing balm was recommended by six out of the 13 experts we talked to and more often than any other product.

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Dermatologist Tsippora Shainhouse says that people with sensitive skin should avoid alcohol-based formulas that can dry out the skin, plus fragrances and irritants like menthol and lemon oil, which can cause breakouts and redness. Dr. Erum Ilyas, of Montgomery Dermatology, gives Nivea Post Shave balm top marks for its hydrating and soothing vitamin E.

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Dermatologist Bruce Robinson, Dr. Michele Green, Dr. Shari Sperling, and barber Mansour Smaini of Epic Barber Shop in NYC also like Niveas post-shave balm for its moisturizing formula thats free of chemicals and alcohol. Robinson says the bigger brand name means youre getting a product that has had plenty of research baked into it. I think they nailed it on this one, he says.

Best aftershave for oily or acne-prone skin

Though alcohol-based formulas can be overly drying for many skin types, they are helpful for oilier skin types that want to reduce shine and grease. The goal here is to avoid any potentially pore-clogging ingredients like coconut oil or cocoa butter, dermatologist David Lortscher says.

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Elle Medico, mens grooming expert at Paul Labrecque Salon & Spa, and dermatologist Samer Jaber also mentioned this tried-and-true liquid aftershave from Italian brand Proraso. Jaber says its gentle enough to use every day, and Medico says its easy to find in any drugstore and great for closing the pores and making the skin look tight and fresh. If the astringent effect of this is a little too intense for you, Medico recommends putting some of it on a washcloth and diluting it with a touch of water before applying to the skin. Each product is made for a specific skin type, she says, but may not be made specifically for your individual skin. So you might have to adjust the amount you use, especially with those that contain alcohol and witch hazel.

Best aftershave for razor burn

If a post-shave burn is your gripe, you might want to seek out an aftershave with skin soothers like aloe and chamomile. Sperling, Lortscher, and grooming expert Laurent DeLouya of La Boite a Coupe suggest Jack Blacks Post Shave Cooling Gel for its blend of botanicals like bacteria-fighting lavender, plus aloe and chamomile for calming irritation. Sperling also points out that its alcohol-free so it wont dry out or irritate your skin.

Best aftershaves for dry skin

This Art of Shaving Balm is a favorite of both Sperling and cosmetic dermatologic surgeon Howard Sobel, since it contains skin-plumping shea butter and essential oils, and no alcohol. Shea butter is a superhero when it comes to moisturizing dry skin (and we think it feels a little more luxurious, too).

The added shea butter in this LOccitane shave balm is why Jaber recommends it as a moisturizing option for people with drier skin. It also has a blend of anti-inflammatory and antiseptic essential oils that will soothe and cleanse your skin.

Best post-shave regimen for aging skin

When it comes to aging skin, Dhingra says you may need to amp things up with more than one product  think layering. Your skin dries out as you get older and that dryness may set you up for inflammation after shaving, so search for ingredients like niacinamide and ceramides, says Dhingra, who recommends starting your post-shave routine with this soothing anti-inflammatory tonic from Fellow Barber with cooling eucalyptus, arnica, which decreases inflammation, and skin-brightening vitamin C.

For added moisture, and to keep thirsty skin from feeling uncomfortably tight, Dhingra recommends upgrading your regular moisturizer to a more nourishing cream. La Roche Posays Double Repair cream is a great non-clogging product with anti-inflammatory niacinamide and hydrating glycerin and ceramides, he says

Though aftershave and moisturizer are important, Ilyas points out that the most important grooming step for older skin is applying sunblock on a regular basis  especially after shaving when skin is at its most vulnerable. I routinely see patients who have a spot in their beard area that they assume is an ingrown hair that wont heal but it turns out to be a basal cell skin cancer or squamous cell carcinoma, says Ilyas. When we asked dermatologists about the best sunscreens for the face recently, Patricia Wexler of Wexler Dermatology and four others pointed us to the above EltaMD UV Clear. Her patients love it because it doesnt feel greasy, plus its fragrance-free and noncomedogenic. Wexler also says its especially effective because its rich in antioxidants that help protect against skin-damaging free radicals.

Best organic aftershave

Field Works Face of Danger its great for people who might have reactions to harsh or artificial ingredients, because its made with all-natural and organic ingredients. Medico recommends it because of its witch hazel to close pores and disinfect, aloe vera to soothe raw skin, plant-based oils, and bentonite clay, which is known to pull toxins out of your skin while locking moisture in.

To prevent and treat ingrown hairs

According to Ilyas, washing with an antibacterial soap and changing your razors routinely to avoid bacteria from building up around hair follicles, nicks, or cuts can help prevent ingrown hairs. But if you already have one (or a few) Tend Skin Solution comes recommended by two of our experts. Jaber describes it as soothing and calming for skin, and it has acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) to help exfoliate and decrease skin irritation. Green says its a tried-and-true treatment for ingrown hairs thats been around for a long time. Its the original, she says, noting that both men and women have had success using it for years.

Ingrown hairs are caused by dead skin clogging up a hair follicle and trapping hair beneath the skin, so its important to exfoliate regularly. Lortscher says this Aqua Velva balm is both moisturizing (with added jojoba and mineral oil) and exfoliating. It contains salicylic acid, which provides gentle exfoliation to help prevent ingrown hairs, he says. Incidentally, the salicylic acid would also help someone whos acne-prone.
The president added that the efforts should continue for a specific purpose  the release by the "all for all" formula.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during his speech at the Munich Security Conference paid special attention to the issue of mutual release of held persons.

More than 200 Ukrainians are being illegally held in inhumane conditions by militants in Donbas, and more than 100 Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars are being held in the temporarily occupied Crimea and in Russia, Zelensky said.

The president added that the trend toward mutual release of held persons should continue for a specific purpose  the release by the "all for all" formula.

Read alsoWomen held in occupied Donbas prisons describe "inhumane conditions"  media

"We cannot stop while more than 200 Ukrainians are still being held in inhumane conditions in the temporarily uncontrolled territories of Donbas. And more than 100 Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars are being held in Crimea and on the territory of the Russian Federation," the president added.
Police catch fugitive fake nun hiding in convents to evade prison

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A 47-year-old Italian woman who disguised herself as a Catholic nun and had been hiding out in convents to evade arrest for two years was finally arrested by police in northern Italy, according to reports.

The woman, who has not been named, fled Sicily in 2017 after being convicted of fraud by a court and sentenced to two years in prison, The Local reported, saying she was arrested from a Benedictine convent in Gallarate, north of Milan.

The convict, who changed her identity frequently, stayed in convents in the Lombardy and Piedmont regions.

Investigators said the woman called convents pretending to be a sister looking for help and claiming she was severely ill, according to Il Globo, which said the nun who reported her to the police got suspicious because the womans stories were full of contradictions.

The nuns at one of the convents where the fugitive stayed said she presented herself as the niece of one of their sisters. In another convent, she claimed to be a mother superior.

The woman was cooperative after she was taken to a police station but seemed confused about basic biographical details, according to The Guardian. Police found that she was carrying a stolen identity card, and later identified her as the person sentenced in Sicily and arrested her.

A native of Acqui Terme near Alessandria, she now faces fresh charges of claiming false identity as well.

In a similar incident in 2013, a 61-year-old drug dealer from Calabria, who had disguised himself as a priest, was caught importing cocaine from France in his car.
The Trump administration, intensifying its showdown with sanctuary cities, plans to send Border Patrol agents into interior parts of the country to assist federal agents in routine immigration arrests and deportations.

About 100 reassigned U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, some of whom have tactical training and often work to arrest high-level smugglers and drug traffickers along the border, are expected to start helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents beginning this month. The move was confirmed Friday by Immigration and Customs Enforcements acting director Matthew Albence.

The agency did not disclose the locations where the employees would be sent, but several news organizations, including the New York Times, which first reported the story, named the Bay Area as a possibility, along with Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Boston. The bumped-up staffing will not be limited to sanctuary cities, though much of it will be located there.

As we have noted for years, in jurisdictions where we are not allowed to assume custody of aliens from jails, our officers are forced to make at-large arrests of criminal aliens who have been released into communities. This effort requires a significant amount of additional time and resources, Albence said.

The Trump administration, which has tried to toe a tough line on illegal immigration, has increasingly taken issue with cities that have refused to cooperate with immigration enforcement, places known as sanctuary cities.

The president has sought to portray communities that dont hand over undocumented residents to ICE as having higher levels of crime. He recently used his State of the Union speech to highlight the rape of a 92-year-old New York City woman by an undocumented 21-year-old who had been previously arrested but then was released.

Cities like San Francisco and Oakland, which have had sanctuary policies in place for years, argue that targeting undocumented residents who have not committed crimes only makes their communities less safe. With the threat of deportation, these residents are not as likely to report crimes and cooperate with local police.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was quick to criticize the deployment of Border Patrol agents to the Bay Area as both unproductive and cruel.

Im hopeful that these special forces will not set foot in Oakland, Schaaf said. If they do, we have a very compassionate and prepared community that is ready to wrap their arms around our neighbors.

ICE agents generally target undocumented residents with criminal backgrounds, though stings often include arrests of people who have done nothing wrong other than be in the country illegally.

The agency made a request for reinforcements from Customs and Border Protection because its agents have not been able to keep up with their workload, especially in the places where police and sheriffs deputies are prohibited from assisting ICE with many of their exercises.

ICE did not specify what agents it wanted from Customs and Border Protection, but at least some of the employees being sent are from the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, also known as BORTAC. This force often deals with the drug trade, terrorism and matters of national security.

BORTAC agents are not expected to engage in special missions in their new assignment, only provide assistance and backup to ICE with everyday arrests and deportations.

While some of them are trained in tactical operations, that is one of the many areas of training. These officers have also been trained in routine immigration enforcement actions which is what they have been asked to do, read a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

The additional staffing for ICE is the latest effort by the Trump administration to play tough with sanctuary communities.

The Justice Department joined the offensive shortly after the president took office, attempting to withhold federal funds from certain cities, including San Francisco. Just this month, the agency sued local and state governments in California, Washington and New Jersey over immigration matters. The California suit takes aim at a state ban on private detention facilities, including those run by ICE.

ICE has announced stepped-up policing of undocumented residents in sanctuary cities before, though the crackdowns have not always materialized.

Terri Givens, who tracks immigration policy as a Menlo Park political scientist and CEO of the Center for Higher Education Leadership, says whether or not the federal efforts are successfully carried out, they have a chilling effect on the communities they target.

Its hard to say whats going to happen from a procedural prospective until the operation has been here for a bit, Givens said about Fridays announced action. But it definitely creates an air of fear.

These scare tactics, she said, can sometimes be enough to convince would-be immigrants not to cross the border and even make some undocumented residents consider leaving.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
Eat your heart out, Roger Stone. A very prominent Democrat, Catherine E. Pugh  former mayor of Baltimore and majority leader of the Maryland State Senate  is getting a sentence recommendation a bit more than half of what you got at the hands of DOJ prosecutors for a range of crimes that dwarf anything of which you were accused.



Catherine Pugh.

Photo credit: Bruce Emmerling.

Justin Fenton and Kevin Rector of the Baltimore Sun report:

Federal prosecutors laid out an array of new details from their investigation into former Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh in documents filed Thursday, as they argued she should receive nearly five years in prison for conspiracy and tax evasion. (snip) "The chronology of events since 2011, comprising Pugh's seven-year scheme to defraud, multiple years of tax evasion, election fraud, and attempted cover-ups, including brazen lies to the public, clearly establishes the deliberateness with which she pursued financial and political gain without a second thought about how it was harming the public's trust," wrote Assistant U.S. Attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Leo J. Wise. "It was not rash behavior," they wrote. "Rather, it was a recurring pattern of well-executed steps that built on each other, becoming more audacious and complex leading up to the mayoral election."

Pugh's crime spree covered her time as mayor and as majority leader of the state Senate. She "sold" copies of her children's book to both businesses and nonprofit organizations, though it is obvious that many did not take delivery of anything in return for the checks.

Prosecutors said Thursday that Pugh's "personal inventory" of Healthy Holly books never exceeded 8,216 copies. But through a "three-dimensional" scheme, they say, she was able to resell 132,116 copies for a total of $859,960. She gave another 34,846 copies away. "Corporate book purchasers with an interest in obtaining or maintaining a government contract represented 93.6% of all Healthy Holly books or $805,000," prosecutors said. Prosecutors also noted Pugh did not disclose her financial interests while in the Senate before becoming mayor, as required by Maryland law. After The Baltimore Sun reported in March that Pugh did not disclose her $500,000 business relationship with the University of Maryland Medical System while on its volunteer board, she amended seven years of reports to the state ethics commission. Pugh also sold books to big city contract holders, including Kaiser Permanente and Associated Black Charities, the Sun revealed.

Even though federal sentence recommendations are a hot topic, the news of Pugh's sentence recommendation did not make the New York Times or many other newspapers or televisions outlets beyond the Washington-Baltimore area. The New York Times did not find it news fit to print.
A total of 406 people, who are housed at a quarantine facility of the ITBP after being brought back from due to outbreak there, may be released next week if their final samples turn out to be negative, officials said on Saturday.

The final samples of all the people quarantined at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility here were collected by a team of doctors on Friday and the reports are expected to be received by Monday.

"Based on the reports, a decision will be taken to discharge the travellers, if agreed to by the authorities, which is expected to be done in next week observing laid down protocols and due medical procedures as per the directives of Health Ministry," PRO of the ITBP Vivek Kumar Pandey said in a statement.

A senior home ministry official said all of them will be released by next week if the final samples test negative.

A total of 650 people were brought back from Wuhan in on February 1 and 2 in two 747 Boeing Air India aircraft after the novel outbreak there.

While 406 people, including seven from Maldives, are being looked after at the quarantine ITBP facility here, rest are at an Army centre at Manesar in Haryana.

The ITBP centre is being looked after by an expert team of doctors and medical professionals. There are seven children, including an infant in the group.

"No fresh symptoms have been seen today. Food, bed and other basic requirements are catered. Sufficient amount of medicines are also kept at the centre," Pandey said.

The death toll in China's novel epidemic has climbed to 1,523 with 143 new fatalities reported mostly from the worst-affected Hubei province while the confirmed cases jumped to over 66,000, health officials said on Saturday.

India has so far reported three confirmed cases of the virus, all in Kerala.

One of the three medical students, who had tested positive for novel coronavirus infection and were treated at a hospital in Kerala, has been discharged after recovery.

Passengers arriving in flights from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and South Korea were being screened for possible exposure to the respiratory virus at 21 identified airports in India.
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Sat, February 15, 2020 22:09 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064c2a63 2 World coronavirus,cruise-ship,American,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19,health-concerns,health-issues Free

An 83-year-old American woman who had been a passenger on a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia has tested positive for the new coronavirus on landing in Malaysia, health authorities said on Saturday.

The American woman flew to Malaysia on Friday from Cambodia along with 144 others from the ship, the Malaysian health ministry said in a statement. The woman's husband had tested negative, it said.

The MS Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp unit Holland America Inc, docked in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Thursday after being shunned by five countries on fears that passengers could be carrying the virus.

The Westerdam, carrying 1,455 passengers and 802 crew, spent two weeks at sea.

The passengers were tested regularly on board and Cambodia also tested 20 once it docked. None was found to have the new coronavirus that has killed more than 1,500 people, the vast majority in China.

US President Donald Trump has thanked Cambodia for taking in the ship in a rare message to a country that is one of China's closest allies and has often been at odds with Washington.
Austrias foreign ministry announced that the cyber attack against its systems, allegedly carried by a state actor has ended.

Earlier January, Austrias foreign ministry announced it was facing a serious cyberattack  and that it could be the work of a nation-state actor.

Due to the gravity and nature of the attack, it cannot be ruled out that this is a targeted attack by a state actor, the foreign ministry said at the time in a joint statement with the interior ministry.

Despite all the intensive security measures, there is no 100-percent protection against cyberattacks.

The attack took place on the evening of Saturday 4 January evening and it was quickly detected. Local reports revealed that the attack aimed at the ministrys IT infrastructure.

Authorities immediately adopted the defensive measures to protect their infrastructure, it also set up a special committee to respond to the incident. It is not clear if the hackers gained access to sensitive data.

This week, the Austrian foreign ministry announced that the cyber attack against its systems has ended.

After really intensive work and excellent cooperation between all the departments involved, last weekend we managed to clean up our IT systems and end the cyber attack on the Foreign Ministry, said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. The highest possible data security at the Foreign Ministry is guaranteed and no damage to the IT equipment could be detected.

According to current knowledge, this was a targeted attack against the Foreign Ministry with the intention of gathering information. However, due to the dimension and the high complexity, it cannot yet be said beyond doubt who is behind the attack.

The authorities are still investigating the attack, the government experts have no doubt about the fact that it was a targeted cyber-espionage attack against the Foreign Ministry.

Espionage is a serious offence , so such accusations should not be made lightly, explained Schallenberg.

Intelligence experts speculated the involvement of Russian or Chinese cyber spies , but the local Russian ambassador Dmitri Ljubinski denied any involvement and demanded an apology.

A local radio station, the Osterreichischer Rundfunk (ORF, state broadcaster Austrian Radio), reported in January that the attack was carried out by the Russia-linked Turla APT Group.

The entire course of this cyberattack and above all the high-level target are characteristic of the Turla group, which operates aggressive foreign intelligence. After the discovery, Turla always delivers violent cyber battles to the technicians of the attacked networks. That still happens in the Republics Ministry of Foreign Affairs. reported ORF. The entire attack on a target network starts with a tiny command line module that sends a TCP request to an external command / control server, the command consisting of only four bytes of text [!]. This command brings in a so-called dropper, which then places the subsequent trojan in disguise.

The Turla APT group (aka Snake, Uroburos, Waterbug, Venomous Bear and KRYPTON) has been active since at least 2007 targeting diplomatic and government organizations and private businesses in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, North and South America and former Soviet bloc nations.

The list of previously known victims is long and includes also the Swiss defense firm RUAG, US Department of State, and the US Central Command.

Major cyber attacks are a rarity in Austria, only a few large-scale attacks were observed in the past years. In September 2019, before the National Council election, the OVP was hit by a very targeted hacker attack on the party headquarters.

In 2018, the websites of the parliament and various ministries in Austria were targeted by DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service).

Other European countries suffered similar attacks in the past, in 2015 more than 20,000 computers belonging to the German Bundestag were infected with malware. Experts and media reported a possible involvement of Russian state-sponsored hackers.

Pierluigi Paganini
Skoda has revealed the name of its first electric SUV, which is based on the Volkswagen Groups MEB platform. The Enyaq will be launched in Ireland in early 2021.

Skoda say Enyaq is derived from the Irish name Enya, meaning source of life. Enya itself comes from the Irish Gaelic word Eithne, meaning essence, spirit, or principle. These different meanings allow different perspectives on Skodas new SUV.

The source of life symbolises the brands entry into the new era of electro-mobility and the company says it represents a new beginning, which, Skoda says, goes hand in hand with the temperament of the Enyaq and the passion and innovation Skoda engineers have applied in building the SUV.

Enya is authentic, full of character, and lively, easy to pronounce and remember and fits perfectly with the dawn of a new era in the companys 125-year history, Skoda say.

The names of Skodas SUV models  Kodiaq, Karoq, and Kamiq  are derived from the language of the Inuit people, who live in northern Canada and Greenland. The E at the beginning of Enyaq stands for electromobility; the Q at the end is connection to the virtues of a Skoda SUV.

The Enyaq is the Czech brands first series-production vehicle based on the Volkswagen Groups Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB).

In all, ten electric models will be launched by the end of 2022. By 2025, Skoda expects all-electric vehicles and models with plug-in hybrid drives to account for 25% of sales.

By 2021, the car manufacturer will have invested 2bn in the development of electric models and a holistic, interconnected ecosystem for modern and environmentally friendly mobility solutions.

Speaking at Castle Durrow, Co. Laois, Raymond Leddy, head of marketing and product, Skoda Ireland said: We are delighted that our new electric SUV will carry an Irish name. The Skoda brand has really resonated with Irish people, offering exceptional value, quality, and functionality.

Our Made for Ireland television campaign has been hugely successful and has helped propel the Skoda brand to fourth position in the Irish sales charts in January.

We are very excited about the new Enyaq and look forward to sharing details of this incredible car with our customers over the next few months.
Inside the Democratic Party, Bloombergs ascent would put a sharp brake on the two major post-Obama trends in liberalism: The Great Awokening on race and sex and culture, and the turn against technocracy in economic policymaking.

Yes, Bloomberg has adapted his policy views to better fit the current liberal consensus, and his views on social issues were liberal to begin with. But he has the record of a deficit and foreign policy hawk, the soul of a Wall Street centrist, and a history of racial and religious profiling and sexist misbehavior. More than any other contender, his nomination would pull the party back toward where it stood before the rise of Bernie Sanders and Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, and root liberalism once more in professional-class interests and a Washington-Wall Street mindmeld.

These are good reasons to assume that he cannot be the nominee, and excellent reasons for social progressives and socialists alike to want to beat him. The only way they will fail is if Bloomberg succeeds in casting himself as the unusual answer to an unusual incumbent  combining the Democratic fear of a Trump second term, his own reputation for effective management and the promise of spending his fortune to crush Trump into a more compelling electability pitch than the races other moderates.

But Democrats considering this sales pitch should be very clear on what a Bloomberg presidency would mean. Bloomberg does not have Trumps flagrant vices (though some of his alleged behavior with women is pretty bad) or his bald disdain for norms and rules and legal niceties, and so a Bloomberg presidency will feel less institutionally threatening, less constitutionally perilous, than the ongoing wildness of the Trump era  in addition to delivering at least some of the policy changes that liberals and Democrats desire.

However, feelings can be deceiving. Trumps authoritarian tendencies are naked on his Twitter feed, but Bloombergs imperial instincts, his indifference to limits on his power, are a conspicuous feature of his career. Trump jokes about running for a third term; Bloomberg actually managed it, bulldozing through the necessary legal changes. Trump tries to bully the F.B.I. and undermine civil liberties; Bloomberg ran New York as a miniature surveillance state. Trump has cowed the Republican Party with celebrity and bombast; Bloomberg has spent his political career buying organizations and politicians that might otherwise impede him. Trump blusters and bullies the press; Bloomberg literally owns a major media organization. Trump has Putin envy; Bloomberg hearts Xi Jinping.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : HDFC Bank has turned down a request by investors to return their shares which were fraudulently pledged by suspended brokering house BMA Wealth Creators.

The hapless clients of BMA had asked HDFC Bank to return the shares to their depository participant (DP) accounts.

In a letter addressed to BMA's clients, HDFC Bank said that it was well within its legal rights to sell shares pledged by the brokerage under the loan agreements. It further claimed that BMA had "expressly represented" that it owned the shares pledged.

Markets regulator Sebi had on January 2 given confirmation to its interim order barring stock broker BRH Wealth Kreators Ltd and seven entities, including three individuals, from the securities market. BRH Wealth Kreators was formerly known as BMA Wealth Creators Ltd.

Besides BRH Wealth, Shiv Kumar Damani, Anubhav Bhatter, Murgesh Devashrayi, BRH Commodities Pvt Ltd -- formerly BMA Commodities Pvt Ltd -- Prosperous Vyapaar Pvt Ltd, PoloSetco Tie Up Pvt Ltd and Parton Commercial Pvt Ltd had also been restrained from accessing the securities market.

"Stock exchanges (BSE and NSE) are directed to take further necessary action against the member i.e. BMA, in accordance with their bye-laws," Sebi said.

BRH Wealth Kreators (formerly BMA Wealth Creators) and its promoters have been barred from the stock market following the National Stock Exchange investigation found that misappropriation of Rs 100 crore from client accounts by the broking firm.

According to Sebi, it had received an e-mail on September 26 last year from the NSE, saying that it had observed significant mismatches and inconsistencies in the balances reported by BMA.

"A shortfall of around Rs 100 crore worth of client securities was observed as compared to the actual DP record as on August 30, 2019," Sebi said.
Chicago is the largest city in the Midwestern United States and one of the regions dominant metropolises. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, the City of Chicago is an international hub for culture, finance, education, industry, and transportation. It played a major role in shaping Americas economic, political, and cultural history. However, the citys history has also been shaped by several events, some of which were tragic and led to the death of hundreds of people. Here are some of the notable events that greatly impacted Chicagos history.

1871 - The Great Chicago Fire

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is one of the worst disasters in the history of Chicago. The three-day fire that broke out on October 8, destroyed about 3.3 square miles of the city, killing 300 people and leaving about 100,000 residents homeless. As a result of the fire, Chicago now has one of the best fire-fighting forces in the country.

1893 - The World's Columbian Exposition (World's Fair)

1893 was an eventful year in Chicago, with several events taking place in the city including the assassination of Mayor Carter Harrison Sr. However, the most popular notable event that year was the Worlds Columbian Exposition held to mark Christopher Columbus 400th anniversary of his arrival in New World in 1492. The exposition influenced the citys architecture, arts, sanitation, and self-image.

1893 - Sears, Roebuck and Company in business.

Another notable event in 1893 was the founding of Sea, Roebuck and Company by Alvah Roebuck and Richard Sear. The chain of department stores which began as a mail ordering Catalog Company opened its first retail store in Chicago. In 2018, Sear was the US 31st largest retailer.

1903 - Iroquois Theater Fire

On December 30, 1903, Chicago witnessed the deadliest theatre fire in the history of the US. The Iroquois Theatre Fire broke out at around 3:15 pm, killing at least 602 people and injuring about 250 people. The Iroquois fire led to widespread implementation of firefighting and prevention strategies, including the implementation of a panic bar which is now mandatory in most buildings.

1915 - SS Eastland Disaster

SS Eastland was a Chicago-based tour ship commissioned in 1902 and begun its voyage in 1903. Immediately after its construction, it was discovered that the ship had several design flaws which were rectified. On July 24, 1924, the ship rolled completely on its side and sunk 20 feet below the surface, killing a total of 844 people, including crew members.

1919 - Chicago Race Riot

The 1919 Chicago race riot was a racial conflict involving the blacks against the whites. The riot began on July 27 on the South Side of Chicago and ended on August 3. A total of 38 people died (15 whites and 23 blacks) and 537 were injured, the majority being blacks. Also, about 2,000 blacks lost their homes.

1929 - St. Valentine's Day Massacre

The 1929 Saint Valentines Day Massacre was the cold blood murder of seven members of the Chicago North Side Gang by unknown assailants. The incident was a result of a power struggle between the Irish North Siders and Italian South Siders.

1955 - First McDonald's Franchise Restaurant Opened

McDonalds was founded in 1940 in San Bernardino, California. In 1955, Ray Kroc joined the fast-food company and purchased it from the McDonalds brothers. The first McDonalds franchise was opened in Chicago in 1955 in Des Plaines. The company's global headquarter was moved to Chicago from Oak Brook in 2018.

1973 - Sears Tower Was Completed

The Sears, Roebuck and Company, founded in Chicago, was the largest retailer in the world, had its employees scattered throughout the city. To bring its employees together, the company commissioned the construction of Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) in 1970. The tower was completed in 1973 and was the tallest building in the world for 25 years until 1998.

1979 - Chicago's first female mayor, Jane M. Byrne, takes office.

In April 1979, Chicago became the first major city in the US to elect a female mayor. Jane Byrne was elected the 50th mayor and the first female mayor of the city serving from 1979 to 1983. She is one of the only two Chicago female mayors.

1986 - Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions, Inc. in business.

Harpo Production was founded by Oprah Winfrey in Chicago in 1986. Harpo (Oprah spelled backward) Studio was based in Chicago until it was closed in 2015. OWN and Harpo Production is now based in West Hollywood, California.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian participated as a keynote speaker in the discussions on quantum politics within the frames of the Munich Security Conference, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

In the series of discussions, lectures were delivered by world-famous figures and among them the renowned American political scientist, Professor of the Public Policy Center of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Joseph Nye (who coined the term soft power and related theory), distinguished American political scientist, philosopher, and author Francis Fukuyama, well-known political scientist, Professor of the Harvard Kennedy School of Governance Graham Allison, and others.

Lecturing as a keynote speaker at the discussions related to quantum politics, President Sarkissian spoke about his quantum theory, rapid changes happening in the world, global risks, new quantum technologies and systems, and quantum behavior of politics. Present at the discussions were Joseph Nye, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Polan Radoslav Sikorsky, ambassadors accredited to Germany, heads of multiple famous thinktanks, political and public figures, diplomats, reputable experts and analysts.

The world has been and will be changing very fast. To understand whats going on in the world, to understand security problems and challenges, it is necessary to go deeper, to find causes because things we see today are just consequences, the President of Armenia said. We all are already living in a totally different world. Perhaps we are not seeing it, perhaps we are not talking about it because we are still thinking in a classical way. We think about our hisoty, big things, which still remain classical. However, if you look closely at small particles, for instance, at the societies, in that case things change dramatically. I call it quantum politics, in its figurative meaning. Classical institutions are becoming less and less important or useful.

Quantum, new technologies are having a great impact on our lives. Moreover, they are not only changing our lifestyle but also the fabric of our societies. We have to be strong to find unconventional solutions to the problems we face.

Thanks to the innovations in quantum mechanics, we are living a totally different life. We travel to the Moon, build nuclear power plants, create smartphones.

We are going to use all this more widely because quantum technologies, quantum computation has changed us dramatically. They change not only devises or technologies but also our societies. I have a material life but a great part of my life is virtual. I am interrelated with the world which is moving at the speed of light. My interconnections are very wide and unpredictable and are not governed in the classical way. That world has no regulations but it is a great part of our life. We, human beings, are living two lives. One is virtual, the other is material. Whether we like it or not, but the virtual is growing by day and is influencing our material life.

It has a great impact on our lives, including democracy. In the classical world democracy is exhibited during the elections when you are seeing your constituency at a specified time. They give you green light for four or five years. In this new world, democracy is happening every day, every hour and it is going to be that way even more.

We are already half-quantum because we live in a virtual world.

Geopolticial risks are becoming less and less classical. Virusis, which have originated in a Chinese city: we are lucky that the incubation period lasts for 14 days. Imagine it would be a month or two. The result would be totally quantum. It started in China but could be registered in Argentine, Canada, all over the world. We are living in an interrelated world. The world has become a place where individuals communicate very fast.

Terrorism is quantum too. To commit a terrorist act, it is not necessary any more to have a policial party, religious groups, a territory because everything is virtual, fast, and quantum. In the fight against terrorism we need to rediscover the new world in which we live and try to understand it.

Many of the phenomena around us will be possible to explain, to predict if we are able to change social life, political methods, philosophy, and logic. One hundred years ago, Heisenberger, Richard Feynman and others changed totally human logic, the way we look at nature. In the same way, we need to change our mentality and analyze the world around us and make predictions absolutely differently.

The revolution, which took place in Armenia, was a classical mixture of elementary particles. Discontent in the society and no need for any ideology: all you need is particles charged with great energy which will create a chain reaction.

The world is changing. It is not surprising but rather interesting. We are part of nature. Quantum mechanics can explain not only individual particles but their interconnection too, clusters, groups, such as atoms and moleculs. Then why cannot it explain human society? I believe, it can. We, our behavior is part of nature. It is possible that individually we are different but the moment we interconnect, we communicate with the speed of light, individuality becomes important. This is the world of individual power. Much of what will happen in the future is possible to explain through the change in logic. The chances of occurance for this or that event will be bigger. Every political figure in the contemporary world will be influenced by everything that surronds them. Comments on their actions will be formed based on their approaches regarding probability.

Today, we are living in a half-classical and half-quantum world. We dont recognize it. There is an epidemic in China. What to do? We are trying to find classical solutions, close the doors, ban Chinese from coming to Europe. It is a classical solution. A terrorist act in Afghanistan. What do we do? We blow up Afghanistan. Do we solve the problems related to terrorism? No

Responding to the questions raised during the discussions, including on the influence of the quantum world on politics, President Sarkissian said in particular,

Armenia is a small state but global nation. As many Armenians live in the US and Russia as in Armenia. This is a global world which is pretty interconnected. What Armenians, who live in California, Passadena do when they get home? There is a couple of options: enjoy Armenian brandy or watch Game of Thrones, sit in front of a compture and search for Game of Thrones series because its fun. But they go to Facebook and advise the president, prime minister; advices can be from one to ten, ten thousand, or fifty thousand. They advise the government on taxes. Government, prime minister and minister of finances received thousands of comments. And if you are sensitive and value the virtual life, for you it becomes a massage on what people expect from you. Then you start analyzing that flow of uncontrollable information. The main bulk of those comments are from fake users. Part of senders are Armenians from Armenia, others are Armenians from CaliforniaSometimes fantastic ideas appear but when you adopt a law, which is classical, it cannot influence them. They will not pay that taxes because they pay them in the US.

What to do in that case? First thing to do is to think of new avenues to regulate the virtual world which is the world of quantum politics. Borders in the virtual world do not exist. There are quantum particles, individuals, and interconnection. Living in California, you can get information on whats happening in Armenia. It is very difficult to distinguish what is true what is false. Policywise, it is necessary to identify your constituency and appeal to it. There are ways to do it but I believe first we need to think of how to regulate that quantum or virtual world in which we live. I have got some ideas but will not present them now because they might seem ridiculous even to politicians.

As long as we have not defined rules of the game for quantum world, it is impossible to thing about applying them. We will do something which will be classical but that classical solution will not be efficient

Not only Armenians have influence on Armenia. Europeans can have influence on America, Americans on Russia, Russians on China and so on. We are living in a new world which is like that.

The President of Armenia said that life in the future would be difficult but would also have some advantages. Today we can make decisions which will be out of the box, Armen Sarkissian said. It is time to think out of the pattern rather than repeat continuously classical truth which is well-known to everybody.

In the framework of this conference we have discussed also issues related to climate change. If I plant a tree here, in Munich, it probably will be an input on the global scale. And in a sense, I will also change climate in Armenia. Different countries have different ways to fight this problem. What to do in this situation? Lets think out of the box. Lets take Armenia, Germany and France. Armenia has foreign debt to other countries, or, lets say, China. Instead of repaying the debt, Armenia could plant a tree contributing to making the world a greener place. This is a mutually beneficial process. We make our country greener and more prosperous and at the same time contribute to having a greener world.

This is a working solution considering the fact the the world is our common place. Climate too, has not boundaries. Lets think away from patterns. If I am to present this idea to international financial organizaitons they will not accept it outright because any new idea creates discomfort. Quantum world means also trying to find solutions out of patterns. This world will be changing and if we continue to stay in the pattern, we in many senses will hit the wall. We will find ourselves in much worse conditions if we fail to find solutions. In response to the question on whether being a phisysist influences or changes his approaches regarding politics or political problems, President Sarkissian said in particular, Nature has mathematical laws. If in nature we are guided by mathematical laws only, we will not come to understand nature. Physics, chemistry, etc are also needed. Mathematics is the constitution of nature, physics and biology are real life. Thus for every country the constitutions is the red line which must not be crossed. When problems appear, people are reinventing mathematics. Nature-related discoveries help develop mathematics. Discoveries in real life help even change constitution and laws. A businessman ought to know laws. If you aspire to become an entrepreneur, you ought to know mathematics, laws and financial area. Structured thinking is necessary in politics and also faith that your logic is your greatest tool. It is also necessary to have disciplined thinking and resolve to act.
Customs police in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, have seized 139 suspected red coral items on Thursday.

Changchun customs said the items weighing 181.4 grams were found to be packed in tinfoil in a milk powder can sent from Japan.

The customs has beefed up inspection of overseas packages as a surging number of anti-virus materials and goods need to be cleared amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Authorities will also take strict measures to crack down on smuggling cases, said Li Gang, a senior officer with the customs.
Childcare workers from New Ross creches protesting on New Ross quayfront for better pay and recognition for the vital work they do

Standing on New Ross quay-front on Wednesday (5th) were fully trained childcare workers who would rather have been indoors caring for children.

The staff from Little Acorns in Rosbercon were braving the cold having been frozen out by the Government who have ignored their union SIPTU's pleas for better pay and rights.

Due to the non permanent nature of their roles when it comes to being paid they, like all childcare workers, find it extremely difficult to get a mortgage.

The staff said in a statement: 'We are not recognised as educators even though we facilitate a DES inspection.

'Tusla and DES inspections completely contradict each other leaving educators confused and frustrated. We have to sign on for mid-term and summer holidays. This makes it extremely difficult to be approved for a mortgage etc. Not all educators are entitled to social welfare payments leaving them with no income for approximately 10 weeks of the year. Social welfare payments are slow to be processed e.g. cheques can sometimes take up to three weeks after the date we have returned to work, again leaving us with no income, no sick pay or maternity pay schemes. Most of us earn below the minimum wage despite having a level 8 honours degree.

'We must constantly upskill to keep up with the ever-changing regulations with most courses taking place during the evenings or weekends at our own expense. If it must be done during work hours there is no funding to pay us.'

Little Acorns manager Carol Leavy said she has been faced with ever increasing outgoings. 'In December 2019 we were left with only one insurance company who would cover preschool services. As a result there was a massive increase in cost. We are constantly being given more administrative work to implement e.g. the new national childcare scheme. The re-registration process took services a lot of hours (all unpaid of course) to complete and the goalposts were constantly moving.'

She said parents are paying too much for childcare and workers are paid too little and are struggling to make ends meet.

The Big Start Siptu campaign for childminders has highlighted how providers are struggling to break even. 'Everyone is getting a raw deal. Simply put, the Early Years sector is in crisis. The cause of this crisis is clear; a lack of State investment. Ireland spends only 25 per cent of the European average investment in Early Years services. While the government have made some progress, we need to radically change how we fund childcare into the future.

'Children deserve quality, parents deserve affordability and workers deserve a professional wage.'
A terrible accident has taken place in Balochistan province of Southwest Pakistan. In which 12 people died due to an uncontrolled vehicle overturning. Many women and children are also included in the injured. More than 23 people were injured in this accident. The Express Tribune said in a report that the accident occurred on the Khuzdar-Jhal Magsi highway near the Baja area of Jhal Magsi district in the province on Friday when the driver lost control of the vehicle and fell into the ditch. Deputy Commissioner Sharjeel Noor said that the victims were traveling from Lasbela to Jhal Magsi.

Regarding this incident, Deputy Commissioner Sharjeel Noor said that the incident happened when the victims were traveling from Lasbela to Jhal Magsi. According to initial reports, 10 people died on the spot, while two others later died in the hospital. Some of the seriously injured were referred to hospitals in Larkana, Sindh. He said that the dead bodies were handed over to family members after completing medico-legal formalities.

For your information, let us tell you that in another incident, two persons were killed in a face-to-face collision of two vehicles near Sarasand area of Panjgur district in Balochistan. The third accident occurred near Sanjhavi area of Khujdar district. Two people, including a woman, were killed in the accident, while six others were injured. The report said that the accident occurred when a car overturned near Sanjhavi area of Khujdar district.

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Four years ago the federal auditor general concluded that the Canadian military had no strategy to meet its goal of having women make up 25 per cent of its ranks.

Since then, the Canadian Armed Forces have launched targeted recruiting campaigns and relaxed its rules to allow ponytails and not require heels and nylons for women in uniform. Not exactly big moves, but not bad ones either.

But now we discover that the forces have also suggested that updating the uniform to include shorter skirts and calling military medals bling will attract more women to the military.

The bling and short skirts  along with ads that highlight the social aspects of life in the ranks and social media posts such as my war paint is camouflage  are among the proposals in strategy documents from 2017, 2018 and 2019, obtained by the Ottawa Citizen through freedom of information laws.

Its beyond ridiculous.

The notion that women would be more attracted to a career in the military if only the uniform was somehow more attractive shows, perhaps better than anything else, how little progress weve made in eliminating sexism from the forces.

How has the military not learned more from all the court cases, class action lawsuits, human rights claims and reports detailing the sexism, bullying, discrimination, harassment and abuse that women in the Canadian forces have faced for so long?

Truly addressing those concerns would do far more to boost the militarys recruitment efforts than lifting skirt hems.

For three decades the Canadian military has claimed that its an equal opportunity employer. Every job, it says, is as open to women as men.

Yet its recruiting difficulties suggest many women dont believe that. And, really, why should they?

Just last year the federal government agreed to pay $900 million to settle multiple class-action lawsuits over gender discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military.

And lest anyone dismiss that as an exercise in mopping up historical problems that were solved long ago, theres the militarys own statement in 2019.

Sexual misconduct continues to be a destructive problem within the Canadian Armed Forces, and we have made rather limited progress in eliminating it over the past two-and-a-half-years, the then vice-chief of defence staff said.

That admission came with the release of a Statistics Canada survey of 36,000 members, which found 70 per cent of them had witnessed or experienced sexualized or discriminatory behaviour in 2018. The only glimmer of hope is that the figure was down from the 80 per cent who reported such problems in 2016.

The militarys efforts to combat sexual misconduct is also not helped by how few women are in top leadership roles, particularly at the sharp end of the forces. Indeed, about half the women are concentrated in a few occupations including administrative support, medical technicians, nursing and cooks.

According to the documents examined by the Citizen, even the Canadian forces Tiger Team, which was set up to look at the issue of female recruitment, states that systemic barriers remain in place, making the military a less than desirable choice for the majority of young Canadian women.

In 2016 Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, announced that the forces would boost the participation of women, then 15 per cent, to 25 per cent by 2026.

Four years later hes way off that mark. Currently just 15.9 per cent of service members are women. And with the level of thinking demonstrated in these recruitment documents theres no reason to think the target will ever be reached.

Thats a problem  and not just for women.

The Canadian Armed Forces have struggled for years to attract and retain the thousands of people needed for a fully staffed service. The military is short of people. So it cant afford to allow itself to be all but written off by half the population.

If the military is serious about wanting to dramatically raise the number of women in uniform, it must do more to prove it really is turning the corner on sexism.

It has made some improvements to family support. But it also routinely comes under fire for failing to properly deliver those services, along with sufficient mental health services and timely access to veterans benefits for women and men alike. Fixing those problems certainly couldnt hurt recruitment efforts.

Vance has admitted that the number of women in uniform is not going up as fast as I thought it might. But he says he remains committed.

I believe you can get to 25 per cent of women in the Armed Forces, he said last year.

That may well be, but it sure wont be through advertising short skirts and bling. The sooner the military realizes that the better.
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Panaji, Feb 15 : Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will sign three agreements including one related to upgrading Goa's water management and sewage treatment facilities during his two-day visit to Goa beginning Saturday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.

Sousa, who arrived in Goa on Saturday evening, is also expected to attend two other formal engagements which includes a state dinner at Raj Bhavan hosted by Governor Satya Pal Malik.

"One of the agreements his team will be signing off on will be with Goa government's Public Works Department. His team will also be endorsing another agreement with the Goa Shipyard Limited, followed by an interactive session related to the Smart City concept in the state capital," Sawant told reporters in Panaji, shortly after the arrival of de Sousa.

In 2018, on the sidelines of the visit of Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who is incidentally of Goan origin, an MoU was signed between the state government's PWD and the Portuguese Environment Ministry for sharing of expertise in the area of water and sewage management.

"He will also be hosted for dinner at Raj Bhavan by our Governor," Sawant said.

The Chief Minister also said, that the Portuguese President will be in Goa for most of Sunday too, but added that the de Sousa had private engagement scheduled on that day.
New Delhi: A day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan compared situation in Jammu-Kashmir to Gallipoli battle, and talked about oppression in the Union Territory, the Indian government issued a strong statement asking him to not interfere in its internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts.

Reacting sharply to Erdogans comments and rejecting his remarks on Jammu-Kashmir India said the biggest threat to the region is due to terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Kashmir had also figured in Turkey-Pakistan Joint Declaration.

India rejects all references to Jammu & Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India. We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in Indias internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Saturday.

Erdogan during his address at Pakistans Parliament on Friday had compared the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I. In his speech, Erdogan mentioned Kashmir several times and went on to say that the Kashmir issue can be resolved not through conflict or oppression but on the basis of justice and fairness.

Events that happened a hundred years ago in Canakkale in Turkey are being repeated in Indian occupied Kashmir and Turkey will continue to raise its voice against the oppression, he said adding, Turkey will continue to stand by justice, peace and dialogue in the resolution of the Kashmir issue.Today, the issue of Kashmir is as close to us as it is to you (Pakistanis), while reiterating Turkeys support for Kashmiris.

Erdogan had also said, No distance can build a wall between the hearts of believers. If there is torture against any believers in the world, its our duty to help them Our Kashmiri brothers and sisters have suffered from inconveniences for decades and these sufferings have become graver due to unilateral steps taken in recent times.

A strong ally of Pakistan, India-Turkey relations have taken a dip due to its repeated statements on Kashmir. Last October, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis proposed trip to Ankara was called off after Erdogan irked India by criticising it on Kashmir at the United Nation General Assembly. Pakistan is trying to ramp up support among Islamic nations on Kashmir issue on which Turkey and Malaysia have vocally backed it.
The giant investment fund that pledged $7 billion towards a Melbourne Airport rail line is unlikely to see its plan proceed, with the Andrews government moving to instead run trains to Tullamarine via its new Metro Tunnel project.

It comes as the Victorian opposition demands that the state government guarantee it will not divert federal funds promised for airport rail to bail out the troubled Metro Tunnel project, running up to $3 billion over budget.

Hole in the ground: Part of the Melbourne Metro rail tunnel under West Melbourne. Credit:Justin McManus

The Sunday Age revealed last week that the plan to run airport trains via the Metro Tunnel had been rejected four years ago by Victorian bureaucrats  because it would starve booming suburbs in Melbourne's west of desperately-needed train services.

IFM Investors, a global fund manager chaired by former Labor MP and ACTU secretary Greg Combet, has spent two years and more than $30 million developing its AirRail plan.
Clara Jenkinson and Mariese Moy taking part in the Boogie Bounce competition as the recent Operation Transformation walk in Bray, cheered on by trainer Gwen Clack

Annacurra: Tai Chi/Qi Gong classes - Tai Chi/Qi Gong Classes are ongoing on Wednesday mornings from 11am to midday in Annacurra Community Centre.

Learn gentle flowing healing movements that help to relieve stress, improve flexibility and mobility. Beginners welcome. Cost 80 for a block of eight classes.

For enquiries or to book a place call Ann Martin 087 6081219. Email solarsoundhealingwicklow@gmail.com. Ann is a registered instructor with the Jade Sun School of Tai Chi and Qi Gong jadesuntaichi.com and also a registered practitioner of Solar Sound Healing jadesunschool.com.

GAA lotto

On February 3 numbers drawn were 3, 10, 20 and 22. No jackpot Winner Two match-three winners 100 Seadna Mac

Seoin, Kilpipe; Declan Byrne, Curraghlawn. Next jackpot 2,700.

Benemerenti celebrations

Fr John-Paul would like to thank sincerely all those who came to the Mass and celebrations last Saturday evening and the awarding of the Benemerenti Medal. Thanks to all who were involved in the liturgy - Readers, the choir, the Eucharistic Ministers, and the Collectors. Thanks to everyone who also organised the refreshments in the hall afterwards and those who made and brought along baked goods. Finally, to the parish council and their families, for all their hard work.

School enrolment

Annacurra National School is now taking enrolments for September 2020. If you wish to enrol your child, please contact the school office at... 0402 36669 annacurrans@gmail.com. Alternatively, you can call into the office during school hours for an enrolment form. Please pass this information on to friends and family who may not have anyone in the school yet.

45 Card Drive

45 card drive will be on Friday, February 14, in the Saltee, starting at 9 p.m.

Fitness workshop

Ais is excited to be offering a half price taster workshop on Thursday morning, February 27, at 10 a.m. This workshop will be a combination of pound and stretching. Class will begin with a 30 minute Pound Rockout drumming inspired Workout. This is a full body workout that combines cardio, conditioning, and strength training with yoga and pilates movements, while using lightly weighted drumsticks.

One of the best things about Pound is that it can be modified to work for a wide range of ages and abilities. You can adapt the movements and intensity to suit you. We will end the class with a slow gentle 15 minute stretch. This will give you the opportunity to nourish your body and mind.

Cost: 4. All you need to bring along is yoga mat/towel. This class will continue if there is enough interested, which will then be a four-week block period payment of 30 per block. Feel free to contact Ais with any questions you may have at 086 0692799.

Tae Kwon Do for children

Doreen Kenny, recently made history, by becoming the first woman in Europe to achieve the rank of Tae Kwon Do master. Doreen continues her classes in Annacurra Community hall on Wednesdays from 4.30. Book now to secure place. Time: 4.30 to 5.30. Cost: 25 per month (monthly fees only) Age group: -12. Taekwon Do is renowned for developing focus, co-ordination, physical strength, self confidence, agility, balance, discipline and respect.

For further information or to book a place in class, please contact Doreen at 086 1631271.

Used stamp appeal

Thank you to all who have helped with this appeal. Thousands of stamps collected over the past couple of months. Please help spread the word, by asking your family, friends and colleagues, to help with this worthy cause. A collection box, for you to place your used stamps, is still available in Annacurra Church.

Yoga class for children

Due to expression of interest a proposed children's yoga class may commence with Aoife from Enlighten Yoga on Thursday, March 5, in Annacurra Community hall.

We are offering two times you can choose from as need numbers to proceed. Times 2.45 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. and 4.15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Age group five to 11. Cost: 24 per four-week block

Introducing yoga to your children helps establish healthy habits at an early age. Yoga can enhance your child's strength, coordination and flexibility, while encouraging body awareness and self-esteem. It can reduce your child's anxiety and stress and promote a sense of calmness.

Please note minimum numbers need to be reached before class can commence.

For more information or to secure a place for your child, please call Aoife from Enlighten Yoga at 085 1302360.

Notes

Items to be included in Annacurra notes can be emailed to annacurra@gmail.com by 9 p.m. on Sunday evening or phone 083 3136925.

Carnew

Sympathy

Sincere sympathy is extended to the family and relatives of Colin Smith, Gorey Road, Carnew, who died last week, his remains were removed from Murphy's Funeral Home on Monday morning for cremation in Mount Jermone crematorium.

To Fr Chris Hayden, Coolfancy, his family and relatives on the death of his mother Breda Hayden, Enniscorthy last week.

Social Dance

Crablane Vintage Club social dance in Ballyconnell hall (R93F449) Saturday, February 15, 9-11. Music by Stacey Breen, admission 10, 50 door prize, raffle. Proceeds to local charities.

Tinahely Walking Club

The following are the walks for the next two weeks for Tinahely Walking club. February 16: Askamore. Level B, 12km, three hours. Meet Askamore car park 10.30 a.m. February 23: is Art's Lough. Level B+, 14km, four hours. Meet Tinahely 9.45 a.m. or Glenmalure Lodge 10.30 a.m.

As usual, please remember to wear proper walking boots, pack full rain gear and bring adequate food and drink. Please check Tinahely Walking Club Facebook page for any changes to the scheduled walks.

Chair Yoga

At Carnew Community Care. Tuesday mornings from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. 8 per class.

This is a very gentle exercise class for seniors aiming to improve flexibility, strength and mobility. Chair yoga can also help promote balance, co-ordination and improved overall health and well-being.

For more information or to book a place, please contact Siobhan Rice at 086 8199498.

Gentle yoga class

At Carnew Community Care. Tuesday mornings from 11.15 a.m. to 12.15 p.m. 8 per class.

This class comprises gentle yoga stretching movements synchronised with the breath which promotes mindful awareness and reduces stress. The pace is gentle and postures are modified. Gentle yoga increases flexibility and strengthens muscles and bones while improving posture.

For more information or to book a place, please contact Siobhan Rice at 086 8199498.

Bingo

The next bingo is on Sunday, February 23, at 2.30 p.m. in St Bridget's Hall, Carnew.

Split the pot

The lucky winner of 257 our split-the-pot draw for Scoil Aodan Naofa Carnew was Claire Gregan. Congratulations. The seller's prize winner was who by Gracie Gregan, who won a 10 voucher for Victors and the lucky-dip winner was Eoin Wafer. Congratulations. Next draw is Friday, February 14.

Ballyellis National School

Enrolment forms are now available for those wishing to enrol in September 2020. If you know of anyone wishing to have a child enrolled in Ballyellis please inform them that these forms are now available. Please contact the office at 053 9426159 or email the school at ballyellisns@eircom.net if you wish to have an enrolment form sent out or call into the school to collect form.

Winner of split-the-pot on Friday, February 7, is Dawn Moules, Quarryvale, Newline, Carnew - winning 173. We thank everyone for supporting split-the-pot. Envelopes can be obtained from the School or any parent and from Ashling Walsh after Sunday Mass in Askamore Church. Draws will take place every Friday morning In Ballyellis School. All support is appreciated

GAA Lotto

Carnew GAA lotto was not won, numbers were 12, 22, 27 and 31, lucky dips were Ann Levingstone, c/o Marion. Daniel Redmond, Soldier's Bench. Kevin Keane. John Kelly c/o Jimmy Barnes. The next draw is February 17 in Kenny's and the jackpot is 4,000, tickets only 2 from members or local shops. Thanks to everyone. for their support.

Coolgreany-Johnstown

Old Kilnenor Historical Society talk

We are delighted to announce that our next talk will be from Dr Cliodhna Ni Lionain on 'The find of a lifetime'.

The recently discovered burial chambers on the historic Bru na Boinne Heritage Site - Thursday, February 20, in Shamrock Hall, Kilanerin Y25 RC58 at 8 p.m. Admission 5.

St Patrick's Day parade

Calling ALL volunteers, the next St Patrick's Day meeting will be held Saturday, February 15, at 7.30 p.m. in the May Byrne Trust House. All are welcome to our meetings. The parade is planned for March 17 meeting in the lower street at midday to begin at 12.30. This is followed as always with our fabulous Duck Race - tickets on sale now - you have to be in to win.

We need volunteers to help on the day either as marshals, first aiders, helping in the May Byrne serving tea and sambos or making/baking something to give visitors on the day. Please let us know if you are willing to help. This is a community effort.

We'd like to offer our condolences to the family of Tom Whelan, who will be sadly missed from our committee and on the day.

Community support is always much appreciated and we hope we can rely on it again this year.

Contact Imelda at 087 1310555 or Jack 086 8517618 or any other member of the committee.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sympathy

The local community extends their deepest sympathy to the family of the late Tom Whelan, Knockgreany, whose funeral took place in Ballyfad on last Tuesday after 11 a.m. Mass in St David's Church, Johnstown.

Breast Feeding Support

This month's La Leche League get together is on Tuesday, February 18, in the May Byrne House, Coolgreany from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Anyone, who is breastfeeding or pregnant, babies and toddlers welcome. Phone 086 1249962 if you need further information.

Local notes

All contributors to our local notes, please be aware that all notes must be with me by 8 p.m. on Thursday evening at the very latest for publication in the newspapers for the following week. There is a new email address for contact, it is danken9@gmail.com. Phone 087 4605166.
Agriculture runs deep in Lauren Mauneys family. Her hard work in raising a steer paid off at the 77th Annual Katy ISD FFA Livestock Show & Katy Rodeo.

Since May, the Tompkins High School junior and third-generation FFA (Future Farmers of America) student, has gotten up before dawn each day to get on an ag bus bound for the barns at the Gerald D. Young Agricultural Sciences Center to feed and take care of her steer, Levi, who was named after the jeans. And then there were several more hours each evening. On Thursday, Feb. 13, Levi was judged Best in Class 3.

Related: Two $1,500 scholarships available for Katy ISD seniors

Lauren comes from a long line of FFA members. Her familys cattle ranch in central Texas has been theirs since 1884. Laurens grandpa William Franklin Mauney was a member of the FFA, and her grandmother Pat was involved in 4-H. Their son Bill Mauney, Laurens father, was also active in FFA, followed by Laurens sister, Ana, who is now a sophomore in college. With all that history, Lauren says it is great to represent her familys heritage.

Its like Im competing in something bigger than me, said.

She said she was thankful for her familys support and encouragement along the way. For instance, her grandpa would call or text her to check on Levi and ask for photos of him.

Related: Katy ISD Special Rodeo serves more than 600 special needs students

This was Laurens first year to raise a steer but her third year in the club. As a freshman and sophomore, she raised goats. She said Levi had become like family, so she had already shed a few tears at the idea that he would soon be auctioned off and go to a slaughter house. Jenny Mauney, her mom, said it would be emotional to see him go. Bill, the rancher, had a different perspective and said the steer had done his part, and it was time for the next step.

While Lauren also participates in health science theory at Tompkins, she said FFA is my passion. This is my life. It makes me happy. Ive had a lot of friendships.

Bill is in the oil business, and the family relocated to the Houston area from Decatur when Lauren was in the fifth grade.

We chose Katy because the quality of the school district. And so both daughters, the oldest thats graduated and Lauren, we chose this, to be in Katy, on purpose to give them this experience, said Bill. And of course, we never imagined how fantastic these facilities would be when they got them put together, Bill added, referring to the new ag center that opened last fall.

Lauren and Levi were awarded for her countless hours of diligence and effort and his quality. Buying him cost about $2,000, Lauren said, and then there is all the food and care. After auction though, Lauren will get to keep the profits, less taxes. She said it will most likely go into her college fund.

Bill said the livestock show is a way to show off all the students long hours at the barns and that all of them deserved kudos.

Yeah, its always nice when, you know, when you when you end up a little bit higher up in the class than the bottom, he said. But, you know, all the kids work hard and have done well, and you know, were proud of all of them.

Tompkins Ag Instructor David Fleming called Lauren a super kid but also said he was very proud of each of the students.

Levis story is coming to close, but Lauren will still be busy. She also has a cow, that happens to be pregnant. She plans to go to college after she graduates next year but is not sure yet what she will study. At any rate, Lauren says her time in FFA will always stay with her.

Im definitely looking at nursing, but Im never gonna, like lose this aspect of my life.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
The deal was struck in protracted negotiations in Doha and was announced after meeting between Mike Pompeo, Mark Esper, Ashraf Ghani

Munich/Washington: The United States has reached agreement with the Taliban on a weeklong reduction of violence that could lead to a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a senior administration official said on Friday, while cautioning that the insurgents must honor commitments for the accord to stick.

The deal was struck in protracted negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha and was announced after a meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The accord, if it holds, could pave the way for an agreement by the end of the month on a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, a long-sought objective for US president Donald Trump, who has vowed to stop the endless wars as he seeks re-election in November.

It was violence that derailed the signing of the agreement in September. Now we have an agreement on the reduction of violence. And, should the Talibs implement what theyve committed to doing, we will move forward with the agreement, the senior administration official told reporters in Munich.

The seven-day period has not yet started, but will go into effect soon, the official said. There were no immediate comments from Ghanis government or the Taliban.

There remains a long way to go to a peace settlement and end to the nearly two-decade-old US military presence that began shortly after the 9/11 attacks by al-Qaeda.

US officials have been clear that the 13,000 US troops will be cut to about 8,600 this year, with or without a withdrawal deal.

The reduction in violence agreement is a good step on a very long road, said Ronald Neumann, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan.

Long path to peace deal

A US withdrawal agreement would be followed by negotiations on a political settlement between the Taliban and an Afghan delegation that would include government officials. One of the first issues would be a nationwide ceasefire.

The so-called intra-Afghan dialogue, however, is likely to be difficult and protracted.

The Taliban have refused to speak directly to the government, which they denounce as a US puppet. Kabuls negotiating team has yet to be named, and there has been long wrangling over its composition.

It also remained to be seen if the Taliban leadership has full control over all its fighters.

The senior US official made clear that a full US withdrawal will depend on the Taliban fulfilling commitments to end their close ties with al Qaeda and other extremist groups.

Our commitment, in terms of reduction of forces which is both conditions-based and in phases, is very much tied to delivery on the commitments that they have made, and will be, said the official. There will be no hosting, no training, no recruitment, no fund-raising.

The official, however, noted that provision covered only Taliban-controlled territory, meaning it does not apply to Taliban sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan, which US officials accuse of supporting the insurgents. Islamabad denies the allegation.

The official said the reduction in violence agreement was very specific and covered all Afghan forces. The US military would monitor violence levels to verify whether the Taliban were honoring it.

US and Taliban negotiators have been meeting in Doha since 2018 even as fighting has raged and hundreds of civilians and combatants have been killed as the insurgents have expanded their territorial control.

Last month the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a US government agency, assessed that there were a record-high number of attacks by the Taliban and other anti-government forces in the last three months of 2019.
Wishing luck for their coming board examinations, Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma on Saturday asked students to dial 100 or contact the force in case of any disturbance due to music played on loudspeakers or any other issues they face.

In a tweet on Saturday evening, Sharma provided four mobile numbers 9432610443, 9432610446, 9874903465, 9432624365 for the students to contact in case of such disturbances.

The move, police sources said, was taken after requests poured in to the Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar and its social networking page from students seeking help as their board examinations are approaching.

"Respected authority, as board exams and other exams are approaching, we students are facing the problem of loud music in our locality almost everyday. Be it a private function or a political agenda, people are setting up huge speakers and decks even after 10PM," tweet of one student Raghav Agarwal, read.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
These are volunteers who desire to make a difference for people near and far," said Matt Hebel, Feed the Need MobilePack event chairman. Hebel met with Chimi, 8, on a mission to the Dominican Republic last year where a group witnessed the work of Feed My Starving Children. Now he is a healthy young boy, said Hebel. (Linda Girardi / Naperville Sun)
The president emphasized the efforts of Ukrainian authorities to end the war in Donbas.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that it is not entirely correct to say "war in Ukraine", since this is in fact, "war in Europe".

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said: "I'd like to draw attention to the fact that it is not entirely correct to say 'war in Ukraine'. This is 'war in Europe'. And it, along with the annexation of Crimea, has already lasted as long as World War 2. Six years," Zelensky said.

The president noted that the Ukrainian government, like no other party, seeks to end this war.

Read alsoZelensky's aide announces president's "historic" visit to U.S.

"And we will be happy when references to Ukraine as a danger zone disappear altogether from international reports. But this should happen only when sustainable peace reigns in Donbas and Ukraine regains its territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders," he stressed.

As UNIAN reported earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Russia in 2014 seized Crimea, violating territorial integrity of Ukraine.

He noted that "the West is winning", the Berlin Wall fell 30 years ago, while some nations remain that have contempt for national sovereignty of other states.
The latest:

8th presumptive case of coronavirus identified in Canada

Number of new cases in mainland China rises by 2,641 on Friday

143 more deaths reported Friday, bringing death toll in mainland China to 1,523

Total coronavirus cases across mainland China now 66,492

More than 1,700 health-care workers in China have been infected and 6 have died

WHO says full team of international experts will be on the ground in China this weekend.

Egypt confirms 1st case, says patient is in isolation at hospital.

Japanese officials allowing some Diamond Princess passengers to disembark and complete their quarantine on land.

Public health officials say risk is low in Canada.

Canada has an eighth presumptive case of coronavirus, British Columbia health officials say.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, said Friday afternoon the province has identified its fifth presumptive case. The new patient is a woman in her 30s from the B.C. Interior who recently travelled to China, she said.

"Presumptive" means the case needs to be confirmed by Canada's National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.

There have been four confirmed cases in B.C. and three others in Ontario, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. The risk to Canadians remains low, the agency says.

The vast majority of coranavirus cases remain in China's Hubei province, where the illness has taken a growing toll on Chinese health workers on the front line of the fight to stop the outbreak, a top official said Friday.

Zeng Yixin, the Chinese health commission vice minister, said 1,716 health workers had been infected and six had died as of Tuesday, with the number of infected staff rising.

"The duties of medical workers at the front are indeed extremely heavy; their working and resting circumstances are limited, the psychological pressures are great and the risk of infection is high," Zeng told a news conference.

China Daily/Reuters

It is not known if any health workers were among the 2,641 new coronavirus cases reported by China's National Health Commission on Friday night.

Story continues

The new cases bring the total number of people in mainland China infected with the virus, which causes an illness called COVID-19, to 66,492.

The commission also reported 143 more deaths on Friday, mostly in Hubei province, bringing the coronavirus death toll across mainland China to 1,523.

China recently changed the way it is reporting data from the hard-hit Hubei province to include positive cases diagnosed by CT scan. The World Health Organization (WHO), which provides its own daily tally of cases, is only including cases that have been confirmed with a lab test.

WHO investigates spread and severity

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's director general, said at a briefing Friday that the Geneva-based health agency is seeking further clarity from China on how health workers in Hubei are arriving at the clinical diagnosis to ensure other respiratory diseases like the flu aren't being mixed into COVID-19 data.

A WHO-led joint mission with China will start its outbreak investigation work this weekend, focusing on how the new coronavirus is spreading and its severity, Ghebreyesus said.

The mission will also seek more details on how, where and when the more than 1,700 health workers contracted the virus.

"Particular attention will be paid to understanding transmission of the virus, the severity of disease and the impact of ongoing response measures," Ghebreyesus said.

WATCH: WHO officials talk about diagnosis of health-care workers.

An advance team, led by Canadian Dr. Bruce Aylward, is already on the ground.

Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's emergencies program, said news that more than 1,700 health-care workers have been infected was "very sad news" but not unheard of in previous coronavirus outbreaks.

Ryan said WHO officials will work with China to better understand how health-care workers are getting infected, so that those on the front lines can be better protected.

Chinese officials and hospitals have repeatedly spoken of a shortage of protective equipment, including face masks. WHO officials reiterated Friday that they have been in touch with producers to urge increased production.

Chinese scientists are testing two antiviral drugs and preliminary results are due in weeks, while the head of a hospital in Wuhan  the city in Hubei province where the outbreak emerged  said plasma infusions from recovered patients had shown some encouraging preliminary results.

All public transport, taxis and ride-hailing services have been shut down in Wuhan, which has a population of 11 million people. Volunteer drivers are responding to requests on ad hoc messaging groups to ferry medical staff and others in vital jobs to and from work, risking their own health.

Others work round the clock to find accommodations for medical workers in hotels that have volunteered rooms.

"Everyone in our group has such a strong sense of mission," said 53-year-old Chen Hui, who runs one of the ad hoc ride services.

Beijing imposes self-quarantine

On Friday, Beijing imposed a 14-day self-quarantine on people returning to the capital city from holidays to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and threatened to punish those who fail to comply.

"Those who refuse to accept home or centralized observation and other prevention and control measures will be held accountable under law," the notice from Beijing's virus prevention working group published in the Beijing Daily newspaper said.

Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press

It was not immediately clear how the restriction would be enforced, or whether it would apply to non-residents of Beijing or foreigners arriving from abroad.

A top Chinese official, in an interview with Reuters, acknowledged that coronavirus was a deep challenge, but defended the country's management of the epidemic.

State Councillor Wang Yi, who also serves as China's foreign minister, said China has taken the most rigorous and decisive measures to fight the epidemic, with many efforts going beyond international health regulations and WHO recommendations.

"Through our efforts, the epidemic is overall under control," he said.

China is struggling to get its economy going after the annual Lunar New Year holiday, which was extended for 10 days to help contain the outbreak.

cnsphoto via Reuters

In cities such as Beijing and the business hub Shanghai, streets and subways remain largely deserted with many shops and restaurants empty or shut.

Government employee Jin Yang, 28, made it to his Beijing office but found it "anything but normal."

Canteen lunches are banned in favour of boxed meals eaten at desks. Meetings are held online, not in person. Employees must wear masks all day and report their temperature twice a day.

Egypt confirms 1st case

While the vast majority of infections and deaths have been in China, in particular Hubei, there have been nearly 450 cases in two dozen countries and territories outside mainland China, and three deaths.

Egypt confirmed on Friday its first coronavirus case and said the affected person was a foreigner who had been put into isolation at hospital. The health ministry said it had informed WHO immediately and had taken all necessary preventative measures.

Japan confirmed its first coronavirus death on Thursday  a woman in her 80s living in Kanagawa, near Tokyo. One person has died in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines.

Some Diamond Princess passengers disembark

The biggest cluster of infections outside China has been on a cruise liner quarantined in a Japanese port, with 218 people on board confirmed as infected and taken off to hospital.

On Friday, some of the ship's passengers were allowed to disembark  with priority for older passengers confined to windowless cabins  and complete their quarantine on shore.

Kyodo via Reuters

Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canada's foreign affairs minister, said 12 Canadians who were on the Diamond Princess have been infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Those passengers are all being monitored at Japanese health facilities, he said.

Hans and Lolita Wiesner are among the Canadians on the Diamond Princess.

The pair, from Joffre, Alta., met on Valentine's Day 48 years ago.

"This is definitely the strangest one we've ever had," Hans said of their anniversary, which is being spent under quarantine.

The Wiesners have been monitoring their temperature and are in good health, Hans said, adding that a positive attitude has helped them as they pass time in tight quarters.

WATCH | Canadian couple spend anniversary on ship under quarantine

Speaking from Europe on Friday, Champagne said consular officials have been deployed to Yokohama, as have three staff members from Canada's health agency and two medical personnel from the Canadian Forces.

There was good news for passengers on another cruise ship that was finally allowed to dock in Cambodia after being rejected by five countries over fears of the virus, even though no cases were reported on board.

The MS Westerdam, carrying 1,455 passengers and 802 crew, docked in Sihanoukville port late on Thursday. It had anchored offshore earlier to allow Cambodian officials to board and collect samples from passengers with any signs of illness.

Prime Minister Hun Sen greeted the passengers with handshakes and bouquets as they stepped off the ship and boarded a bus.

"My wife and I gave him some chocolates as a show of our appreciation," Lou Poandel, a tourist from New Jersey, told Reuters after meeting the Cambodian leader.

Separately, Royal Caribbean Cruises said it had cancelled 18 cruises in southeast Asia and joined larger rival Carnival Corp. in warning that its full-year earnings would be hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

In Singapore, which reported its biggest jump in cases to date on Thursday  up eight to 58  authorities were scrambling to find "patient zero," the person who carried the disease into a company meeting last month, setting off a chain of infections linked to five other countries.

Canadians continue quarantine at CFB Trenton

In Canada, hundreds of people are still living under quarantine at CFB Trenton after returning from the Wuhan area on chartered flights.

Wayne Duplessis had planned to wait out the outbreak in Wuhan, but changed his mind when he saw how difficult it had become to get even basic supplies. He and his family are now among the people spending 14 days in quarantine at the Ontario military base.

WATCH | Wayne Duplessis describes being in quarantine at CFB Trenton

Duplessis, who works as a teacher in China, told CBC News Network he has a little more than a week left in quarantine.

"It's not a pleasant experience, but they're making it really pleasant with their professionalism and their attitude," he said of the team at the base.

Economists are scaling back growth expectations for the world's second-largest economy as they assess the impact of the outbreak.

China will grow at its slowest rate since the global financial crisis this quarter, according to a Reuters poll of economists who said the downturn would be short-lived if the outbreak was contained.

WATCH | Infectious disease specialist takes your questions about coronavirus:
By Trend

The medical services not included in the compulsory medical insurance system in Azerbaijan this year have been announced, Head of the Department for Regional Centers of the Azerbaijani State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance Shukur Eyvazov said.

Eyvazov made the remark in Baku at the event "Raising awareness on compulsory medical insurance" organized for member-companies of the Azerbaijan-France Chamber of Commerce, Trend reports on Feb. 14.

This year the system does not include such services as examination and treatment of mental disorders, AIDS, organ transplantation, outpatient medicine supply, cosmetic procedures and plastic surgeries, treatment of diabetes, thalassemia, dialysis and dental services, head of the department said.

"The agency is working on this, Eyvazov said. Perhaps, these services will be included in the compulsory medical insurance package in the coming years. These are mainly diseases, the treatment of which is funded within the state programs."

Eyvazov added that about 27 percent of the country's population will be able to use the system at the preliminary stage.

In the end, Baku and Sumgait will join the system, the head of the department said.

The state took over the main financial burden on the application of compulsory medical insurance, head of the department added. The insurance contributions of minors, people under 23, students studying in absentia in vocational, secondary specialized and higher educational institutions, pensioners, people entitled to receive social benefits, family members receiving the targeted state social assistance will be paid from the state budget.

In conclusion, Eyvazov emphasized that only working people will pay contributions for compulsory medical insurance from April 1.

"That is, taking into account the minimum salary of 250 manat ($147), a sum worth 10 manat ($5.8) will be charged every month, Eyvazov added. The citizens whose contributions under the compulsory medical insurance will be paid by the state and those who will personally pay these contributions will get the same medical services."

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
An officer has been injured after a police car smashed into a Mini and crashed into a ditch during a pursuit on a major road in Salford.

The A576 Eccles Road, off the A6 Pendleton roundabout, is now closed after the police vehicle plunged into the ditch at around 11pm.

The road, which has been closed eastbound between Langworthy Road and Pendleton roundabout, is set to stay shut for next couple of hours.

Pictures from the scene of the accident show a battered police car laying on the bank of the ditch, with tyre marks printed into the grass where the car came to a halt.

The battered police vehicle is pictured after the crash on a major road in Salford, Manchester tonight

The battered police vehicle is pictured after the crash on a major road in Salford, Manchester this morning. Reports say that an officer was injured in the incident

A Mini Countryman was also involved in the collision, and it's believed they were hauled off into custody after the crash in Salford tonight

A Mini Countryman could also be seen in the middle of the carriage on Eccles Old Road with exstensive front damage.

Investigators from the serious collision division attended the scene to take photographs and gather evidence.

It is believed the Mini Countryman was involved in a pursuit before the crash.

Investigators from the serious collision division attended the scene this morning to take photographs and gather evidence (pictured)

The extent of the officers injures are unknown at this stage and it's also unclear whether anyone in the Mini was injured.

It's believed they were arrested however this has not yet been confirmed

Greater Manchester Police are to comment further.
Representative image

A magistrate court acquitted a Mankhurd couple, who was arrested in 2017 on the suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals illegally living in India, based on their original election cards, The Times of India has reported.

The court held that original election cards are proof of citizenship.

The court also said that a birth certificate, a domicile certificate, a bona fide certificate, and a passport can also be used to establish the nationality of the person.

According to the newspaper, the court said, Even the election card can be said to be sufficient proof of citizenship as while applying for the election card or a voting card, a person has to file a declaration with the authority in view of Form 6 of Peoples Representation Act to the authority that he is a citizen of India and if the declaration is found false, he is liable for punishment.

However, Aadhar card, PAN card, driving license or ration card cannot be termed as the documents proving citizenship as they are not meant for the purpose, the court clarified.

The ruling assumes significance in view of the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act, which grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants, who came to India before 2015 after facing religious persecution from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
RICHMOND, B.C.Hundreds of forest industry workers will be affected as a pulp and paper mill on Vancouver Island shuts down for one month because it says it cant get enough wood.

Paper Excellence Canada of Richmond says it will curtail pulp and paper production for 30 days at its Crofton operation, south of Nanaimo.

Stew Gibson, vice-president of operations, says the decision will affect about 450 members of two unions, Unifor and the Pulp Paper and Woodworkers of Canada.

He says developments in both the coastal and Interior forest regions of the province have cut off the mills long-term contractual supplies of wood that are the basis of its operations.

Gibson says pulp and paper remains vitally important to the strength of the forest sector and hes encouraged by a tentative settlement in a nearly eight-month strike that idled Western Forest Products operations across Vancouver Island.

United Steelworkers Union members voted Thursday and Friday on a tentative contract to end that dispute, with leaders of the United Steelworkers Union Local 1-1937 recommending acceptance. They expected voting results as early as Saturday.

Gibson said resolution of the Western Forest Products strike will re-establish an important chain of supply on the west coast.

Our industry transforms nearly half of the forest harvest into sustainably produced, value-added goods and biomass energy, he said in a statement released Friday.

The company continues to work with senior government officials to resolve fibre shortages and other challenges.

Several critical areas of the Crofton mill, including its fibre-receiving facility, will remain open during the one-month shutdown, Gibson said.

Read more about:
More than 1,700 medical workers on the front lines of China's battle with a new coronavirus have been infected, and six have died, medical authorities said on Friday.



The vast majority of the medics ? 1,502 out of 1,716 ? have fallen ill in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, said Zeng Yixin, deputy director of the National Health Commission.



It is the first time China is releasing an official count of infections among medical personnel during the Covid-19 outbreak.



"The fact that there are over 1,700 health workers among all the cases of Covid is very sad news," World Health Organization (WHO) emergency chief Mike Ryan told a press briefing in Geneva.



However, the situation can be brought under control with the right kind of safety training, according to the UN health agency.













Infections of medical workers during outbreaks are usually not due to a lack of protective gear but to inadequate safety procedures, especially among exhausted staff who work around the clock, according to WHO infection specialist Sylvie Briand.



The UN health agency is seeking data from China on when and how these health workers were infected, Ryan said, adding that initial information suggests that virus transmission in medical settings has decreased in the past two weeks.



Public sympathy for medical workers exposing themselves to the disease has surged in China, especially after the death last week of Li Wenliang, a doctor from Wuhan who sounded an early alarm about the virus and was initially rebuked by authorities for doing so.



Videos were also circulating online about a Wuhan nurse who reportedly walks to work every morning, with her husband driving behind her to light her away, as she has decided to self-quarantine from her family to avoid exposing them to the virus. (dpa)
She also announced plans to introduce several reform proposals around housing. They include a law to ensure renters get more than 30 days to find a new place to live during no-fault evictions, a measure mirroring Cook Countys Just Housing ordinance aimed at ending housing discrimination against people with arrest records, and a pilot program in Woodlawn giving qualified community buyers the right of first refusal to purchase certain multifamily buildings when an owner puts a building up for sale.
A day after the Supreme Court heard a plea on the payment of dues under the adjusted gross revenue (AGR), Vodafone Idea on Saturday said it is currently assessing the amount that it will be able to pay to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

"Further to our communication dated January 21, 2020, with respect to the filing of an application for modification of the supplementary order of the Supreme Court dated October 24, 2019, we wish to inform that post the hearing yesterday, company has received letters from Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directing immediate payment," read a statement from the company.

"The company is currently assessing the amount that it will be able to pay to DoT towards the dues calculated based on AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue), as interpreted by the Supreme Court in its order dated October 24, 2019. The company proposes to pay the amount so assessed in the next few days," the statement added.

The statement further reads: "As disclosed in the company's financial statements for the quarter ending December 31, 2019, the company's ability to continue as a going concern is essentially dependent on a positive outcome of the application for modification of the supplementary order."

Meanwhile, talking about telecom companies' AGR dues, State Bank of India (SBI) chief Rajnish Kumar said: "I haven't heard any telecom company, saying that they are shutting down the The Supreme Court has ordered companies to pay the dues. It is now up to them how they comply. We are in a wait and watch mode."

The Supreme Court, while hearing a plea on payment of dues under the AGR case on Friday, observed how the telecom companies had violated its order "in pith and substance" and not paid the money to the Centre.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said: "This case projects a very disturbing scenario. The companies have violated the order passed by this court in pith and substance. In spite of the dismissal of the review application, they have not deposited any amount so far."

Justice Mishra, in his order, also made it clear that it appears that the way in which things are happening shows "scant respect to the directions issued by the top court."

"A desk officer of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has the temerity to pass the order to the effect of issuing a direction to the accountant general, another constitutional authority, not to insist for any payment pursuant to the order passed by this court and not to take any coercive steps till further orders," the court observed.

Warning the telecom companies of initiation of contempt proceedings against them and a desk officer of the DoT, the top court ruled, "This is nothing but a device to scuttle order of this court. This kind of order should not have been passed by the desk officer at all."

"In the circumstances, we draw contempt proceedings against the desk officer for passing the order and violating the order passed by this court," it added.

The telecom companies had appealed before the top court challenging its AGR verdict on Rs 92,000 crore past dues on them. The apex court had upheld the central government's plea on the definition of AGR involving around Rs 90,000 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Presidents of Serbia and Kosovo announce US-brokered deal to connect their capitals by rail and road.

The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo have announced deals to work on building rail and road links between their capitals, Belgrade and Pristina.

The deals, brokered by the United States, were signed on Friday during an international security conference in Munich, Germany.

Both countries leaders were present at the signing ceremony together with Richard Grenell, US President Donald Trumps envoy in the talks.

I am happy to see progress today and many thanks to President Trump and Richard Grenell on behalf of Serbia, because we feel we will have a better future because of this and that we will ensure peace for future decades, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said.

Another milestone! Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said on Twitter. A great step towards reaching a final peace agreement.

Grenell told The Associated Press news agency the historic agreements to develop railway and motorway connections between Belgrade and Pristina will help facilitate the flow of people and goods between Serbia and Kosovo.

Last month the US envoy also mediated an agreement towards restoring a flight between the two capitals, a link that was dropped during the 1998-99 war in which Kosovo, a former Serbian province, broke away from Belgrade.









While the deals are mostly symbolic at this stage, the signing ceremony on Friday marked a rare moment of cooperation between two leaders who have refused return to the negotiation table for more than a year.

Serbia does not accept Kosovos 2008 declaration of independence, although its former province has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the US and most European Union nations.

In Pristine, Albin Kurti, Kosovos new prime minister, complained that the signatory officials were from the old Cabinet and not authorised by the new one.

A statement from his office complained of the lack of transparency of the deal, saying that it is very important that the process be transparent, the result of pure negotiations and in full respect of the countrys laws and sovereignty.

Kurti of the left-wing Self-Determination Movement, or Vetevendosje!, came to power earlier this month following lengthy talks on a governing coalition, pledging to fight crime and corruption.

Resuming dialogue with Serbia over normalising ties, stalled since the previous government set a 100 percent tariff on Serb goods, remains a top challenge.

EU-led talks between Belgrade and Pristine broke down after Kosovos tariff move in late 2018.

When it comes to transport, there is currently a train linking a small city in central Serbia to a northern Kosovo town, but no complete Belgrade-Pristina passenger line.

Most people travel by car and bus over small and poorly maintained roads that cross the border.
Panaji, Feb 15 : A visiting Portuguese delegation led by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Saturday signed a series of MoUs with state and central government agencies at a formal ceremony in the fields of defence, industry, water and sewage management, education, knowledge sharing, science and technology, heritage, shipping and technology.

The signing of agreements on Saturday followed a series of negotiations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa which began during a visit by the latter to India in 2017.

Among the agreements signed on Saturday are an MoU between Goa-based Defence Ministry shipyard Goa Shipyard Limited and Portugal's Estaleiros Navais De Peniche in the field of design, construction and supply of ships in Africa and Latin American countries.

Five MoUs and letters of intent between the Portuguese Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC-TEC) and India's IIT-Goa, National Institute of Oceanography, National Centre for Polar and Oceanic Research, The Energy and Resources Institute and the Goa Shipyard Ltd were also signed under the cooperation for excellence in marine exploration and navigation technologies initiative.

The initiative is aimed at generating innovative projects in the field of technological co-operation for marine engineering, shipbuilding technology, blue economy, ocean resources and technology.

An MoU for co-operation between IIT-Madras and INESC-TEC in the area of ports and waterways management was also signed.

Other MoUs which were signed include a co-operation agreement between the Goa-based VM Salgaoncar Institute of International Hospitality Education and Turismo de Portugal and between the Govind Ramnath Kare College and Portugal's University of Coimbra to establish academic, scientific and cultural cooperation in the field of law.

A strategic tripartite agreement for research and exchange between three institutions, Portugal's INESC-TEC, Faculty of Engineering of the University Porto and IIT-Madras focussing on marine exploration and energy technologies was also inked at the ceremony, which was held at a resort near the state capital.

Portuguese President de Sousa is on a two-day visit to Goa beginning Saturday and is expected to visit the UNESCO-endorsed 16th century Old Goa Church complex on Sunday.

Goa was a Portuguese colony for 451 years before the state was liberated by the Indian armed forces in 1961.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed three concession agreements with Adani Enterprises for operations, management and development of Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangaluru airports.

In a statement, the AAI said that the agreements were signed on Friday with the group's subsidiary companies, namely, Adani Ahmedabad International Airport Ltd, Adani Lucknow International Airport Ltd, and Adani Mangaluru International Airport Ltd.

The concessionaires are required to take-over the three airports after fulfilling certain conditions precedents within 180 days from February 14 and will operate, manage and develop the airports for the next 50 years, in accordance with the terms and conditions specified in the Concession Agreements.

The agreements were signed by BK Mehrotra, Executive Director, Strategic Initiative Unit on behalf of AAI and Behnad Zandi, Chief Executive Officer - Airports Adani Enterprise Ltd at Corporate Headquarters of AAI in the presence of Chairman, AAI, Board Members and other senior officials of AAI and Adani Enterprises Limited.

An International competitive bidding process for PPP transaction for six airports -- Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru Guwahati, Jaipur, and Thiruvananthapuram -- was initiated by the AAI during December 2018 and Adani Enterprises Limited had emerged as the highest bidder for these airports.

During July 2019, the Central Government conveyed the approval for the award of concession to the Highest Bidder for Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangaluru airports. In respect of the remaining three airports, the approval of the Central Government is awaited.

The concessionaires shall pay AAI a per passenger domestic fee of Rs 177, Rs 171 and Rs 115 for Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangaluru Airports respectively (both embarking and disembarking passengers) and in case of international passengers, the Concessionaire will pay two times of per passenger domestic fee. Further, the per passenger fee will be revised annually taking into account of the variation in the CPI (IW).

"The concession fee that AAI would receive will be utilized for the maintenance and development of other brownfield airports and also the development of RCS -UDAN and other Greenfield airports across the country," the statement read.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An anti-CAA protest by Muslims turned violent when a group of protesters clashed with police here, leaving four personnel injured.

The incident on Friday led to sporadic protests across Tamil Nadu, including at Washermanpet in the city, where the violence erupted, but protesters subsequently called off the agitation, following talks with City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan.

Four police personnel -- a woman joint commissioner, two women constables and a sub-inspector -- were injured in stonepelting, the police said, even as reports emerged that some protesters were also hurt.

Joint Commissioner P Vijayakumari sustained injuries on her head, the police said, adding that those wounded were admitted to a hospital.

Earlier, some agitators were reportedly removed from the protest site forcibly, leading to a commotion between them and the police.

The protesters accused the police of resorting to a lathicharge.

Some of the protesters were detained. Subsequently, more people gathered there demanding their release. As a result, security was beefed up in the area.

Viswanathan held discussions with community elders and representatives of Muslim organisations, following which all those detained were released, the police said.

"An amicable decision was arrived at in the meeting with Muslim organisations and they have announced that the agitation will be withdrawn," a police officer said, adding that normalcy had returned to the area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Love is in the air today. It's time to rekindle the affair with your own imaginationyou know, that place in your mind designed to develop your capacities to understand the world, solve problems and create possibilities. Never was there a more urgent time to remember that imagination positively influences everything we do, think about and create.

Markson Ideacraft

Author, consultant and "idea whisperer," Mitch Markson, wrote THE IMAGINATION PLAYBOOK to remind us that there is an idea laboratory in everyone's mindunlimited and waiting, ready to be activated. In this visually explosive and interactive book, he shares the lessons and secrets from a lifetime of experience; one that recognizes that a healthy mix of strategic process, gut instinct, trial and error, experimentation, and mixing it up with strange bedfellows, can lead us to a new outer space of imaginative possibilities. The Imagination Playbook is equally for entrepreneurs, artisans, social activists, brand managers, corporate execs, and communicators!

With a plethora of original Playtime! Stimulator exercises to grow your big ideas, gorgeous photographs and illustrations to dazzle your eyes and rich examples from the author and his students from the American University of Paris alike, fall in love with your imagination again.

What you can expect from living a more imaginative life:

An adrenaline rush

Being your best self

More color, fun and play

Engaged in a truer purpose or passion

Peace of mind

A more meaningful contribution to society, your community, your family

And sometimeseven greater financial reward

For interviews and appearances, contact

[email protected].

Purchase now!

https://tinyurl.com/ww8ylzu

About Mitch Markson, Idea Whisperer

Mitch Markson is a door opener, optimist, mentor, collaborator, imagination instigator, purpose purveyor; creator and ground control of Markson IdeaCraft. Before starting his own consultancy, Mitch worked at top agencies Ketchum, Burson-Marsteller and Ogilvy, and spent 22 years at Edelman, where he became the agency's first Global Creative Director/Chief Creative Officer. He has been instrumental in stimulating imagination and developing strategies and ideas for more than 101 brands including Microsoft, Unilever, Barilla, Ford, American Express, Arm and Hammer, Zagat, GE, KFC, Gore-Tex and Amenity Analytics. Mitch is also part of two independent communications networks, The Sway Effect and Fluid. Mitch teaches a graduate course in purpose branding at the American University of Paris every year and serves on the executive board of the Alliance For Positive Change in NYC and on the international advisory board of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Mitch is an advocate for equality, empathy, the environment, bookstores, world peace and real ice cream that doesn't make you fat (that's the dream, people!).

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The Imagination Playbook

SOURCE Markson Ideacraft
Book by former PGC officer highlights unusual wildlife encounters

Dick Bodenhorn has published a book highlighting some of the unusual encounters he had while working with the Pennsylvania Game Commision.
Police are searching for a young Perth mother and her son.

Kristy Ranui, 32, was last seen in Carramar on Friday about 3.05pm, and is believed to be in the company of her seven-year-old son Cruz.

She is driving a black 3005 Jeep Sport with registration 1CAW 952.

Police said they have concerns for the young mother, and asked anyone with information regarding Ms Ranuis whereabouts to contact police immediately on 131 444.
By Trend

The units of the Armenian armed forces, grossly violating the ceasefire regime on the front line, have once again committed a provocation, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on Feb. 15.

The serviceman of the Azerbaijani army, Seymur Alasgarov, was killed by an enemy shot.

The leadership of the Defense Ministry expresses its deep condolences to the family and relatives of the martyr.

The Armenian side bears the entire responsibility for the escalation of the situation in the front line.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Siblings Jordan and Nicole Haddad, the owners of Lobo Mau pose for a portrait inside their store at the corner of 6th and Bainbridge Street in Queen Village in South Philadelphia on Wednesday, February 12, 2020. Read more

As I walked through Nicole and Jordan Haddads two-week-old clothing and lifestyle boutique, Lobo Mau, it became clear to me what slow and sustainable fashion really is.

In the far left corner of the 800-square-foot, gender-inclusive store was a selection of funky coats and jackets from upcycled brand Paulo Redeem, designed by charter school vice principal Naa Amerley Badger. Badger uses parts of used clothing  say the waistband on a pair of jeans  and fashions them into outer garments. Odabu candles, poured by queer barber Billy Green, are made of a wax that doubles as a body balm, which you can use as the candle melts. And, in the display windows are snazzy totes and backpacks from the Los Angeles-based brand Rewilder, made from recycled air bags.

But the bulk of the boutiques merchandise hails from Nicole Haddads 12-year-old unisex clothing line, Lobo Mau. It isnt just cute and comfy  Im still thinking about a pair of paint-splattered ponte pants  its made with as much respect for the environment as Haddad can muster. And then some.

The idea of making a product and not knowing how it affects the world just doesnt make sense to me," Haddad told me Wednesday afternoon. This is why Haddad uses dead stock fabric  bolts of fabric that are either damaged or left over  to make her collections signature tunics, jumpsuits, sweatshirts, and joggers. She tries to use only recycled nylon for the striped ribbing on the sleeves of her sweatshirts.

Hadadd screenprints her designs on fabrics only a few blocks away in her Bok Building studio. And her entire collection, which ranges from XS to 2X, is cut and sewn in Port Richmond, minimizing the carbon footprint. (Because the collection is made from start to finish in Philadelphia, it doesnt have to travel far, so it uses less greenhouse gases than something made overseas.)

I dont know why people arent more passionate about how they leave this world, Haddad, 39, said.

Sustainable fashion and its close cousin, slow fashion, are among the industrys biggest buzzwords as brands  and celebrities  try to prove to us how good they are. There isnt much difference between the two, but sustainable fashion, no matter how big the brand, emphasizes eco-friendly practices (such as using organic cotton or natural dyes). Slow fashion means moving away from mass production, preferring smaller batches and handmade pieces, (which is also better for the environment, and the people who make the clothes).

During last Sundays Oscars red carpet, a number of actresses called attention to the sustainable attributes of their frocks. Actress Saoirse Ronan went for a black and lavender Gucci gown made from material repurposed from her BAFTA gown from the week before. And Kaitlyn Dever wore a custom-made sustainable gown by Louis Vuitton made from eco-responsible silk satin.

Exactly what made the satin in Devers Louis gown eco-responsible, she didnt say. And its these kinds of claims that makes some of us wary of the sustainable fashion movement. How do we really know that brands from Louis and Gucci to H&M and Forever 21 are really practicing sustainability and not just claiming to be eco-friendly  also known as greenwashing?

Look at the brands carbon footprint, Haddad said. Do they make clothing overseas and have it shipped here? The bigger the brand, the more thats likely to go to waste. That is why we make small batches. We test products and see if they will sell. That way we dont have as much overstock." Less overstock means less chance of the extras ending up in landfills.

Nicole Haddad has been designing clothing since she was a little girl. When she visited Brazil, where her dad is from, shed ask the seamstresses who lived across from her grandmothers house to bring her designs to life. She studied art history at Skidmore College in upstate New York and went on to get a masters in fashion design in 2008. After graduation, she launched Lobo Mau  which means bad wolf" in Portuguese. I didnt want my ideas to be swamped by a bigger company. I wanted to be bold so I started the brand with the fun energy of the 80s and 90s.

In 2011, she began sharing a space with Lele Tran in Old Citys now-defunct US*U.S. Co-op. (Tran is turning the space into a cafe.) Haddad was one of the early designers featured in Ethan Nguyens store, now called M Concept. Last year, Haddad launched a Kickstarter with her brother, 31-year-old businessman Jordan Haddad, to open their own store. The goal was $20,000, but they raised $27,000 when it was all said and done.

People we hadnt seen in years contributed," said Jordan Haddad, channeling 80s Wham vibes in his feathered hair and Lobo Mau printed joggers. Its a testament that people really want to become a national brand that will help in making ethical fashion the norm.

Lobo Mau is located at 700 S. Sixth St., 215-238-2129.
SEATTLE  If you give Americans a cookie, will they finally start buying milk again?

Dairy producers are betting on it. Facing an unprecedented and protracted slump in demand, the industry is coming up with all sorts of innovations. That includes new flavors like wild blueberry, dips like fiesta sour cream, new packaging and, sometime next year, cartons with cookies attached.

People love cookies in milk, said Tony Sarsam, chief executive officer of Borden Dairy Co., which is planning the cookie-marketing strategy for 2021. It will be a size that you can actually eat in the car. Put it in the cup holder  and you can dip the cookie.

Sure, it might be a bit of a long shot  trying to lure people with cookies when theyre ditching milk to be healthier. But for an industry that pumps out about $35 billion of the stuff annually, the bid to win back demand is starting to get a bit desperate. Producers are pushing more flavored options, creating new dairy-based products, re-branding to boast about dairys benefits, basically pulling out all the stops to try to rescue the troubled industry. Two of its giants filed for bankruptcy reorganization in recent months: Dean Foods Co. and Borden.

Its hard to say if that will be enough.

U.S. consumption of cow milk has fallen about 2% each year since the 1970s, government data show. The industrys been saddled with consumer concerns over health and environmental impact. Plus, in the last decade plant alternatives swooped in to capture the zeitgeist.

Some expect things will only get worse. A 2019 Statista report forecasts consumption in the U.S. will drop further to 155.3 pounds per person in 2028 from an estimated 161.7 pounds last year. The tally was 194.9 pounds in 2010.

Milk used to have superstar status in the U.S. Hark back to the Leave It to Beaver days, when a frothy glass was as ubiquitous on dinner tables as it was poured over cereal and served alongside dessert.

But even by the time the Got Milk? ads rolled out in the 1990s, with celebrities from Bill Clinton to Britney Spears and Dennis Rodman donning a white beverage mustache, consumption was flagging. There were warnings of the links between high dairy intake and heart disease, cancer and weight gain.

In the last decade, environmental concerns mounted  cattle emit the greenhouse gas methane as part of their digestive process (think cow burps, farts and manure). Starbucks Corp. just announced a shift to emphasize non-dairy options to reduce its carbon footprint.

Producers say innovation is the cure to all this negative sentiment. Borden has a series of new products in the pipeline, with seven dairy dips hitting the market this month, and new light chocolate-flavored and vanilla-flavored beverages that target adult women will be launched by the end of the year. The company plans to double its spending on product innovation over three years, CEO Sarsam said without providing a dollar figure

Dairy Farmers of America, the cooperative that plans to buy some of Deans assets, is investing in manufacturing plants to make more shelf-stable products, which can be stored at room temperature until theyre opened. The group also sees flavors as a key area for growth and has experienced recent success with wild blueberry and coffee under its Oakhurst brand, according to Doug Dresslaer, director of cultural innovation. Last year, they launched a beverage branded Dairy Plus Milk Blends, which blends cow and plant products.

Consumers demand for energy, comfort, health  you will see a lot more products introduced to meet those needs, said Paul Ziemnisky, executive vice president of global innovation partnerships for marketing group Dairy Management Inc. Valued-added beverages are in that arena, like high protein and low sugar.

Dairy is also trying to win back consumer trust. While that means working to showcase the benefits of the beverage, a high source of protein, calcium and a host of vitamins and minerals, it also includes going on the attack against plant-based beverages, or impostors, as the industry sometimes calls them.

Groups like the National Milk Producers Federation are fired up about the Dairy Pride Act, legislation introduced in Congress to force the Food and Drug Administration to police labels. Under the proposal, labeling something milk, for example, must mean the product comes from a hooved mammal.

Consumers are being misled into believing that these imitation products are as healthy as their dairy counterparts, Eric Beringause, president and CEO of Dean Foods, said in a statement in response to questions from Bloomberg. It is time we stood up for the dairy industry, for our nations dairy farmers, for the integrity of our milk products, and for the families who rely on them for adequate nutrition.

Meanwhile, marketer Dairy Management is emphasizing the innovative farm practices and new technologies that have helped make the industry greener. Fluid milk accounts for only about 2% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., according to the group.

Milk has better nutrition components than alternative competitors, it does better in a taste study and is significantly cheaper  so its just about reinventing itself, said Tom Bailey, a senior analyst at Rabobank.



Laura Yin of Bloomberg News wrote this story.

2020 Bloomberg News

Visit Bloomberg News at www.bloomberg.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
NATOs secretary-general offered a robust defense of the alliances importance, downplaying disagreements over trade and defense policy, and calling on European allies and the United States to do more to work together.

Jens Stoltenberg's comments on February 15, on the second day of the Munich Security Conference, came amid ongoing concerns about divisions within the alliance, and vocal criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.

"We are 29 different allies, from different sides of the Atlantic," he said. "But the differences we have today, we have been able to deal with them."

The annual conference in the Bavarian city has long been a gathering of world leaders and has occasionally been conducted during times of strained U.S.-European relations, such as during the debate over the Iraq war in early 2003.

Trump has repeatedly asserted that NATO's European allies were not spending enough in the defense budgets to support the alliance, and he has suggested doubts about the alliance's core component: the treaty clause that stipulates an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members.

Earlier, Stoltenberg argued that the alliance was still committed to promoting democratic values and prosperity.

We have not lost our way, and our values have not lost their value. Freedom, democracy and rule of law have brought prosperity...remain a beacon of hope for people around the world," he said.

"I dont believe in Europe alone, as I dont believe in America alone. I believe in Europe and America together," Stoltenberg said.

On the conference's first day, Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested that Russia and China, along with the United States, were stoking global instability, as he warned of the danger that the three were slipping into a new "great power" competition and nuclear arms race.
A 35-year-old woman was set on



fire on Saturday evening allegedly by three unidentified men at the Lasalgaon bus stand in Nashik district of Maharashtra, around 225 kms from here, police said.

The victim, a widow, has suffered 50 per cent burn injuries in the attack that occurred around 5 pm when three men threw petrol at her and set her on fire, before fleeing, he said.

The woman was rushed to hospital by some onlookers and the police.

The exact motive behind the attack is not known yet, he said.

Police are recording the victim's statement to get information about the identity of the accused.

Recently, a 25-year-old woman college lecturer was set on afire in Wardha district of the state by her stalker. She died during treatment in Nagpur on February 10 after battling for life for seven days.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A new sculpture honouring the 16th U.S. president is coming to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.

Museum officials announced plans last week for the Beacon of Endurance piece, designed by B.J. Krivanek. He described the sculpture in a statement as standing 24 feet, 10 inches tall.

Renderings of the piece show an obelisk, with a base inscribed with quotes from Lincoln and a stainless-steel upper portion inscribed with words describing Lincoln. Members of an advisory panel will weigh in on which words to include, and the museum also plans to take ideas from the public through social media.

Officials plan to place the sculpture outside the museum. Renderings show that the piece includes projections of key words onto the southeast corner of the buildings exterior at night.

We are excited to bring this important work to our site, said Lance Tawzer, exhibits director at the museum. The sculpture will identify the museum to people approaching from the east and, more importantly, inspire reflection and discussion about Lincoln for generations to come.

The work is expected to cost $223,000 and will be paid for by the Illinois Capital Development Boards Art-in-Architecture program, the Springfield Journal-Register reported.
Europe has confirmed its first fatality of deadly coronavirus on February 15. According to the French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn, 80-year-old China's Hubei province died in France after contracting Covid-19 becoming the first casualty outside Asia. According to international reports, she had arrived in France on January 16 and was placed in quarantine in a hospital in Paris on January 25. Outside China, where the death toll of the coronavirus has reached 1,523, only three deaths were recorded in Japan, Phillippines, and Hong Kong.

With more at least 66,492 confirmed patients of the novel virus in China, France had previously confirmed 11 cases including six who remain in hospital. The deceased Chinese tourist's daughter had also been infected but she is believed to be recovering. Meanwhile, in India, 17 people have shown symptoms of the virus after they arrived in the National Capital from China and other virus-affected countries before screening at the airports began around mid-January.

Read - China Quarantines Cash In Coronavirus-hit Areas To Prevent Spread Of Deadly Disease

More than half patients treated with TCM

As the coronavirus cases soar, a senior official said that China has applied Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the treatment of more than half of the confirmed patients. Most fatalities of Covid-19 have been reported in the Hubei province while Wang Hesheng, the deputy head of China's National Health Commission said that TCM is being used by mobilising strong scientific research.

Read - 17 People From Delhi Who Returned From Abroad Before Coronavirus Screening Showed Symptoms, Hospitalised

"Since the beginning of the outbreak, the government has attached importance to both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western medicine by mobilising the strongest scientific research and medical forces in both fields to treat the patients," Hesheng said.

Meanwhile, as the outbreak spreads to other countries, Egypt has also confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on February 14 and said that the affected person was a foreigner who has been quarantined at a hospital within the country. According to the international media reports, the health ministry of Egypt has informed the World Health Organisation (WHO) about the newly detected case. Moreover, the government has taken all essential measures to curb the further spread of the COVID-19 disease through the transmission. It also said that the person carrying the virus had not shown any serious symptoms and was in a stable condition.

Read - More Than Half Of Coronavirus Cases In Hubei Treated With Traditional Chinese Medicine: Official

Read - US: Hawaii Officials Begin Search For Potential Coronavirus Infections

(With PTI inputs)
Donald Trump Jr told the mother of a 15-year-old Trump supporter who was allegedly assaulted by a 'sick leftist' outside a polling place in New Hampshire on primary day earlier this week that the first family has your back.

Patrick Bradley, 34, of Windham, New Hampshire, was arrested after allegedly slapping a teenager across the face at a polling site on Tuesday because the boy was wearing a MAGA hat.

Bradley faces three counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct charges following the incident.

Police said Bradley had gone to Windham High School - a polling location - to vote in the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary when he walked by a Trump campaign tent.

Patrick Bradley, 34, was arrested after he allegedly slapped a MAGA hat-wearing teenage boy across the face at a New Hampshire polling station Tuesday

The teen had been volunteering at the Trump campaign tent outside the polling station. Donald Trump Jr. (center with beard) tweeted a photo showing him meeting the teen (far right) the day of the incident

Don Jr. said that the Trump family supports the teen who was allegedly assaulted

Bradley then 'slapped a 15-year-old juvenile across the face,' at which point two adults tried to protect the teen, police said, according to Patch. The adults later accused Bradley of assaulting them.

During the same incident, 'Bradley was also accused of throwing TRUMP campaign signs and attempting to knock over the aforementioned tent,' police said.

The 15-year-old boy - who Donald Trump Jr. has since identified as being called Nate in a photo he posted on Twitter - was wearing a red 'Make America Great Again' hat and had been volunteering in the Trump tent at the time of the incident.

The boy's mother, Cathy Campbell, told Fox News that although he is a student at Windham High School, he was not in school because he had a doctor's appointment that day. But, she did drive him to the school so she could vote in the primary.

'When we got there, we saw Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, and my son was over the moon,' Campbell told the news station, calling the boy 'the most patriotic kid youd ever meet in your life.'

Bradley (pictured) was said to have exited the polling site and seen the teen wearing the MAGA hat, before saying 'f**k you' to him and then slapping the boy across the face

Bradley (pictured) then allegedly threw Trump campaign signs around and attempted to knock over the campaign's tent, while two adults tried to stop him

Bradley (pictured in previous mugshots) has been arrested in the past on charges including felony drug trafficking of marijuana and reckless conduct

The incident occurred outside the Windham High School, a polling location for the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, Tuesday

Campbell said that Trump campaign later invited the teen to volunteer and hold Trump signs outside the school.

She said that the teen chose to wear the divisive hat while volunteering, noting that she was 'apprehensive about him wearing the MAGA hat, because we know it can provoke and we know people dont like Trump.'

However, she said that her son wanted to wear the hat because 'hes a proud 15-year-old and he doesnt know what people are going to be like.'

Campbell said that the teen stood out on the sidewalk, telling people to 'have a nice night,' but the words 'triggered' Bradley.

She claimed that Bradley said 'f**k you' to her son, then 'wound up his hand as fast as he could and slapped him across the face.'

Campbell said that a MAGA hat-wearing man who tried to help her son was left with a fractured jaw during the incident.

New Hampshire man Stephan Leclerc tried to stop Bradley from knocking over the Trump campaign tent and that Bradley hit him

New Hampshire man Stephan Leclerc claimed to have been one of the people involved in intervening between the teen and Bradley.

Leclerc posted on Facebook that Bradley 'threatened us walking in front our Volunteer booth (VOTER INTIMIDATION) , he struck a minor , struck me trying to stop his stampeding in our Volunteer tent.'

He said that police initially let Bradley go, despite his having a warrant.

'All the witnesses were upset that the vigilante Antifa like man was let go,' Leclerc said.

The day after the incident, Don Jr. took to Twitter to reveal that he had met the teen and that the Trump's are on his side.

'So it turns out that I actually met the 15 year old victim shortly before he was attacked by a sick leftist,' Don Jr. tweeted.

'I asked an aide to find his number & just got off the phone with him & his mother. I thanked them for being such strong supporters. My family has your back Nate!'

Don Jr. also tweeted out a picture of the teen posing for a picture with him and Guilfoyle. The teen is not wearing a MAGA hat in the image.

Campbell told Fox News her son is 'the sweetest kid' and that he is now 'pretty traumatized' by what happened Tuesday.

She said that the teen 'certainly did nothing wrong' and that 'It sickens me that people would be angry at a kid for wearing a stupid hat.'

Campbell said that she and her family are Trump-supporting Republicans. She added that her son is back in school and that his peers are giving him support.

After the incident Bradley was held on $5,000 cash bail, in addition to an administrative hold for a probation violation.

Bradley has been arrested several times in the past, according to reports.

In January 2017, Maine State Police arrested him on a felony drug trafficking charge after allegedly finding 7.7 lbs. of vacuumed sealed marijuana in his car, according to News Center Maine.

In March 2017, Bradley was arrested on charges including felony reckless conduct, simple assault of an officer, disobeying an officer and driving after suspension, following an incident in which he allegedly rammed his car into another driver's car, Foster's Daily Democrat reported.

Bradley is expected to be arraigned on Friday.
Dinesh Thakkar, father of Sonali Thakkar, the Indian security officer onboard quarantined Diamond Princess ship, on Saturday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deport his daughter back home as she has tested negative for coronavirus, an epidemic that originated from Chinese city of Wuhan last year and has claimed more than 1,500 lives so far.

I request the Government of India to deport my daughter from the ship. She has tested negative for coronavirus. The Government of Japan is doing its best. All non-infected Indians should be deported, the father of Sonali told ANI.

Thakkar, a resident of Mumbais adjoining Mira Road area, has pleaded with the Prime Minister that if the people who have tested negative for the deadly virus and asked to stay on the ship for a long time, then they too can get infected with the coronavirus.

Therefore, other Indians stranded on the ship should be deported soon, he added.

Sonali, 24, has been stranded at the Yokohama Port in Japan for the past 12 days.

The quarantined ship has more than 3,000 passengers including six Indians and 1,100 crew members out of which 132 are Indians. So far, 218 people have been tested positive on the ship including three Indian crew members.

The havoc of the coronavirus that started in China has now spread all over the world.

On February 12, two Indian crew members were found positive of the coronavirus for the first time on the ship.

On Friday, Sonali posted a video of her on social media through which she requested the government for help.

Sonalis father said that his daughter used to talk to me daily on video calls and messages. She called me today and said that she was also investigated and the report came last night, which came negative, Dinesh added.

One more Indian quarantined on Diamond Princess Cruise Ship tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Friday, taking the total numbers of Indian nationals infected with the disease to three.

The Indian Embassy in Tokyo further informed me that the health conditions of all the three people infected with the deadly virus aboard the vessel are improving, he said.

The Mission is also coordinating with relevant Japanese authorities and the cruise company to ensure the well-being of all Indian nationals on-board the ship and for their early disembarkation after the end of the quarantine period.
But wait, we are seeing history unfold before our very eyes.

We are witnessing our unique form of American government as it falls to a despot who is supported by a good part of our mostly white population. These people will do anything to stop the control of government by a combined black and brown population.

In New York state, the Senate and Assembly are now led by people of color. Democrats Carl Heastie and Andrea Stewart Cousins lead the Assembly and Senate, respectively. Both are credited for doing good work. Cousins has the unenviable job of protecting the newfound Democratic majority in the State Senate. This is so threatening to Trump that he has left New York and moved his home to Florida, illustrating that his racist views are the very thing that will kill this country.

Its all so clear. When you put physical and legal walls up against admitting more Spanish-speaking people into the country; when you do everything in your power to deprive people of color of every resource, from hot breakfasts to health care, you are showing your hand. The worst part of this is that he is succeeding. A huge proportion of the American people are buying it. The last thing they want is an even break for people of color.

The Republican Party is united behind Trump. Rather than giving up their power to others, they seem perfectly willing to let him tear up the Constitution. No matter how bad it gets  no matter how many outrages this president commits  Republicans will continue to support hm. His outrages against women and the poor just continue.

Among his other sins is his assembling of the so-called pro-life hordes, despite his earlier opposite pronouncements on the issue.

One guy who gets it is Tom Steyer. He desperately wants to be president, but is failing miserably, polling at about 3 percent. He hopes that he can get the Democratic nomination by suggesting that the way out for America is to give reparations to black people in this country. To put it mildly, his ideas have not caught on. Barack Obama chose Joe Biden to be his vice president. Now Biden seems to be failing. The fact that Obama has not endorsed him seems proof to me that he doesnt think Biden can win.

Now along comes Mike Bloomberg.

Everywhere I go, people are talking about him. The wind is at his back because people believe that Bloomberg can win by using his vast fortune to beat Trump. Unlike billionaire Steyer, Bloomberg has proven that he has administrative and governmental chops. There are those who believe that Bloomberg has made some bad decisions when it comes to people of color, including the stop and frisk issue, but in the end, everyone seems to know that the main job is to get Trump out of office.

The Bernie people continue to write to me and proclaim him as the real deal when it comes to economic justice and to fairer government. I voted for him against Hillary Clinton and then, unlike some of my friends, I voted for Hillary. To me there is only one imperative: beat Trump. This is a man who is taking us toward a totalitarian model. We all know that.

Bloomberg has assembled the best of the best to push his candidacy. He will do what he has to in order to win. He will make a better healthcare system; he will stop the scourge of guns in this country. He is old enough to know that its now or never. Seems to me that his candidacy will take off and that he will do what he has to do to bring this country together. My guess is that he will get the black support he will need to do it.

Sunday Freeman columnist Alan Chartock is a professor emeritus at the State University of New York, publisher of the Legislative Gazette and CEO of the WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network. Readers can email him at alan@wamc.org.
Gone are the days when we had to depend entirely on clamp-shell-like laptops at workplaces or at homes. But, with advancements in technology and with digitization part of the work is now also handled by a palm-sized, handy cell phones which does the job just as efficiently. Working has now been made flexible, accessible, faster and more convenient. However, just like everything else this too, comes with a downside. In this digital data driven world, online threats, malware, viruses, phishing continue to pose as pitfalls. Personal information, sensitive data etc. can now be at the fingertips of the hackers. For this purpose, cybersecurity is a must.

Unlike computers, mobile security did not receive much attention before. Now, as we make much of our e-payments or e-bookings on our mobile handsets it becomes all the more necessary to use softwares that guard our phones from online threats. Mobile security thus has become an important matter of concern. This ring the bell for a dedicated software for mobile phones that would safeguard our it from the surrounding menaces.

Here is a list of the top 5 companies that would protect your mobile phone for you:

SafeHouse Technologies

SafeHouse Technologies is a new age, mobile-first cyber security company that provides sophisticated, military grade cyber security to any Internet user with the simplicity of one button. Founded by Aditya Narang and Liad Herman, the Israel based company has been in operation since 2016, and has recently decided to make its operations public. In the following year, the company was accepted into the worlds leading cyber security incubator - CyLon Labs in London (backed by BAE Systems and Winton Capital).

A one-button app that encrypts and secures mobile phones, BodyGuard is designed to deliver proactive mobile security to end-users. Its proprietary, ground-breaking technology is non-intrusive and allows seamless, interruption-free device usage while providing military-grade security against a wide range of cyber threats such as phishing, malware, ransomware, and malicious links.

Crowdstrike Falcon

Falcon for Mobile provides comprehensive visibility that extends across your enterprise  from mobile devices to the data center. Their lightweight sensor technology is ideal for mobile devices, and CrowdStrikes cloud-native platform provides the perfect conduit to manage, administer and hunt for data. Their enterprise app behavior monitoring capability provides the visibility and telemetry required to identify malicious behavior, while enabling customers to perform threat hunting  either by themselves or with the Falcon Overwatch team of experts. This telemetry can be used to provide visibility into insider threats, unauthorized or accidental data exposure, and network spoofing. These capabilities populate a series of dashboards within Falcon Insight, their EDR solution, enabling security teams to view mobile devices, search for events, and easily manage and enroll devices.

K7

K7 Computing is one of the earliest and most accomplished IT security companies protecting more than 25 million clients worldwide against threats to their IT environment. The company is recognized as a leader in providing safe and secure computing experience for home users as well as enterprise users across various industries. It is recently that the company has ventured into mobile security as well. K7 mobile security safeguards from malicious apps, track your smartphone in case of loss or theft, blacklist and block unwanted calls/texts and protects you as you surf online.

F-Secure

Nobody knows cyber security like FSecure. For three decades, FSecure has driven innovations in cyber security, defending tens of thousands of companies and millions of people.

With unsurpassed experience in endpoint protection as well as detection and response, FSecure shields enterprises and consumers against everything from advanced cyber attacks and data breaches to widespread ransomware infections.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Will Abrams walked to the podium in a 16th-floor San Francisco courtroom this month with an urgent request for a powerful judge.

Abrams, 49, is not an attorney, though he is often surrounded by lawyers these days. Rather, he is among the tens of thousands of people whose homes burned down in recent Northern California wildfires. Like many of his fellow fire victims, Abrams is in line to receive part of a $13.5 billion court-approved settlement with PG&E Corp.

The money could help Abrams, whose Santa Rosa home was incinerated in the 2017 Tubbs Fire. But on Tuesday, he took the remarkable step of personally imploring U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali to unwind the settlement. Fire victims  and the 16 million people served by PG&E  deserve a better deal, Abrams thought.

Abrams has spent about one year combing through complex regulatory filings and studying court papers. Hes attended many hearings alongside the small army of lawyers involved in the PG&E case and recently made formal motions of his own.

At Tuesdays hearing, he told Montali that the settlement was an ill-considered move that did not have enough support from fire victims and failed to put PG&E on a path to true transformation.

I do not represent all the victims, but I am representative of what this is, Abrams said, his voice bursting with passion.

It didnt work. Montali rejected the request, allowing the victims settlement to remain while lawyers for PG&E and its creditors try to advance a broader plan to resolve the whole bankruptcy case.

Still, Abrams is far from alone. Since the settlement was announced in December, Montali has received numerous messages from wildfire victims. The Bankruptcy Court released a batch of more than 20 such letters and emails on Wednesday.

Like Abrams, many of the writers shared deep reservations about the settlement, which would create a trust to pay the claims of fire victims over time.

While their specific grievances vary, a few common themes are clear. Some victims think the deal does not provide nearly enough money to help those who filed claims  some 80,000 people  rebuild their lives. Others object to the fact that the trust would be financed partially with stock or to the idea that billions of dollars from the trust might go to government agencies, not individuals.

Our hopes will be shattered if the current plan is approved, wrote Camp Fire survivor Lisa Williams. I want you to know that many of us understand what is happening and we will move heaven and earth to stop it.

The $13.5 billion settlement is an agreement between PG&E and the attorneys for a committee of 11 fire victims appointed by the federal government to represent their creditor class in the bankruptcy case. Also party to the settlement are attorneys who say they represent about 70% of the individual fire victims with claims against PG&E.

Those lawyers struck their deal with PG&E late last year after the company had reached a separate $11 billion settlement with insurance companies that paid homeowners for fire losses. Insurers said they took their all-cash deal at a steep discount, because they had originally sought about $20 billion from PG&E.

Victims lawyers were under pressure to come to some sort of agreement with the company. Montali had appointed a mediator to move the case along. And attorneys wanted to avoid two contentious trials this year.

One trial would have addressed whether PG&E was responsible for the Tubbs Fire. State investigators blamed that blaze on a residents privately maintained electrical system, but victims attorneys thought they could prove otherwise and they persuaded Montali to let a jury decide. The second trial would have estimated how much PG&E owes all fire victims.

The scheduled trials cast enormous uncertainty over how much PG&Es exit from bankruptcy will truly cost  and how much money would be available for victims. Had the trials occurred, it would have also been much harder for PG&E to conclude its bankruptcy by a state-mandated June 30 deadline. PG&E needs to resolve the case by then to access a fund that will shield it from the costs of any future major fires.

Against that backdrop, the lawyers concluded that $13.5 billion, in a mix of cash and stock, was the most they could squeeze out of PG&E without imperiling the companys financial stability. Individuals would not receive stock directly if the PG&E-backed bankruptcy exit plan goes through  the trust would be granted stock that an administrator will sell over time to pay victims claims.

Attorneys for the victims committee urged the bankruptcy judge to keep the settlement in place, even as they praised the efforts of Abrams.

I think its very important for the court to have an outsider, if you will, a voice of victims coming into the court ... and expressing concerns, said Cecily Dumas, one of the committees lawyers, at the hearing on Tuesday.

Yet Dumas said that upholding Abrams request and undoing the settlement would have an extremely deleterious effect on the progress of the case. Montali agreed.

But Abrams is not giving up. He said hes turning to the Legislature for help, hoping that lawmakers might extend the deadline beyond June 30. And he will continue to speak up before PG&Es regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission as well as in Bankruptcy Court.

For Abrams, a self-described social entrepreneur whose varied career has included stints in the nonprofit sector, local government and the restaurant industry, long hours spent studying corporate bankruptcy papers and intricate regulatory processes are all worthwhile. He said feels that victims must, if they can, use whatever little resources we have ... to make our voices heard.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Its a personal battle, too.

My son is waking up with nightmares, Abrams said. He calls me in school saying, Im having a panic attack. These are real issues associated with how we are living with these PG&E wildfires.

Ultimately, Abrams and other victims will be able to vote for or against PG&Es exit plan. If enough fire victims reject the plan, it would likely spell big trouble for the company  and its ability to meet the June 30 deadline.

Despite the letters Montali has received, its not clear how the vast group of victims will ultimately feel about the plan.

This is such a delicate situation that Im not sure that we can make any good guesses, said UC Hastings law Professor Jared Ellias. When people have their ballots in their hand, and if they vote yes, theyre getting money soon  thats powerful. We wont know exactly how they feel about this until the votes are counted and we get to find out what people actually think.

The victims committee says it welcomes critical questions. Through a statement issued by a spokesman, committee member Kirk Trostle said the group recommends that all fire victims should continue filing letters expressing their thoughts and concerns.

We encourage fire victims to be vigilant, ask questions and demand answers, Trostle said in the statement. This is their case and the settlement is their decision, and every victim will have the chance to vote on the final plan.

PG&E spokesman James Noonan said in an email that the company has seen getting victims paid fairly as its primary goal throughout the bankruptcy case. He said PG&E wants to help customers and others in those impacted areas recover and rebuild after these tragic wildfires. He noted that the company had reached more than $25 billion in settlements and said the plan would help transform PG&E in a positive way.

Abrams has not yet decided if he will encourage other victims to vote against PG&Es plan. But he is considering doing so if he is unable to get the company to clearly articulate the risks inherent in its proposal. He is also concerned about claims from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the California Governors Office of Emergency Services that could take billions of dollars away from the trust intended to pay victims claims.

In the meantime, Abrams will continue devoting his energy to the case, and making the trek from Santa Rosa to San Francisco for court hearings when necessary, even when his time might prove more lucrative elsewhere.

I lose money every time I walk in that courtroom. I lose money every time I put pen to paper to put a motion together. I am losing money, but I dont begrudge it at all, Abrams said. Its the only way I know how to be able to look at my kids, look at the community we are in, and be able to feel good about the path ahead.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
A tearful reunion between a mother and her dead daughter via advanced virtual reality for a South Korean television has become an online hit, triggering fierce debate about voyeurism and exploitation. The footage began with the girl -- who died of leukaemia in 2016 -- emerging from behind a pile of wood in a park, as if playing hide-and-seek. "Mum, where have you been?" she asks. "I've missed you a lot. Have you missed me?" Tears streaming down her face, Jang Ji-sung reached out towards her, wracked with emotion. "I have missed you Na-yeon," she told the computer-generated six-year-old, her hands moving to stroke her hair. But in the real world, Jang was standing in front of a studio green screen, wearing a virtual reality headset and touch-sensitive gloves, her daughter's ashes in a locket around her neck. At times the camera cut to Jang's watching husband and their three surviving children, wiping away tears of their own. A nine-minute clip of the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) documentary "I met you" has been watched more than 13 million times in a week on Youtube. Many viewers offered Jang their sympathy and support for the concept. "My mother unexpectedly passed away two years ago and I wish I could meet her through virtual reality," said one. But media columnist Park Sang-hyun said the documentary amounted to exploitation of personal pain. "It's understandable a grief-stricken mother would wish to meet her late daughter. I would do the same," he told AFP. "The problem lies in that the broadcaster has taken advantage of a vulnerable mother who lost a child for sake of the viewer ratings." "If the mother had been counselled before the filming," he added, "I wonder what kind of a psychiatrist would approve this." - 'Happy birthday' - It took eight months of filming and programming to create the virtual Na-yeon, but the makers of the documentary insisted the broadcast was intended to "console the family" rather than promote virtual reality in ultra-wired South Korea. The technology presented a "new way to keep loved ones in memory", one of the producers told reporters. Jang herself -- who has her daughter's name and date of birth tattooed on her arm in memory -- hoped the programme could "console" others who had lost loved ones. "Even though it was a very brief... I was really happy in the moment," she wrote on her blog -- which she has since turned private. During the broadcast the two sat at a table to celebrate Na-yeon's missing birthdays, singing "happy birthday" together. Before blowing out the candles, Na-yeon made a birthday wish: "I want my mother to stop crying."
We are left with what passes for a firewall: Attorney General William P. Barr. Im happy to say that in fact, the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case, Barr assured ABC Newss Pierre Thomas on Thursday. If he were to say, you know, go investigate somebody . . . and you sense its because theyre a political opponent, then an attorney general shouldnt carry that out, wouldnt carry that out. Perhaps to drive that point home, Barrs Justice Department announced Friday that it would not pursue charges against McCabe for allegedly lying to investigators.
Angry demonstrations broke out in Mexico City on Friday as hundreds of women protested the gruesome slaying and mutilation of a young woman, a case that has come to personify outrage over the rising incidence of gender-related killings, or femicides.

In the morning, dozens of protesters spray-painted slogans such as We won't be silenced on the facade and doorway of the capital's National Palace as President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador was holding his daily conference inside.

Hours later hundreds marched to the offices of a media outlet that published grisly images of the crime scene, and a newspaper truck outside was partially set ablaze.

Some spray-painted the plastic shields of riot officers as the crowd chanted Not one more murdered! and Justice! Police unleashed pepper spray.

As a cool rain fell in the evening, those remaining left and walked down the central Reforma boulevard, where some bus stop windows were shattered and signs vandalized.

About 10 women are slain each day across Mexico just because they are women, the government and activists say. Last year there were 3,825 in all, which was up 7% from 2018, according to federal figures.

Not only have attacks on women become more frequent, they have become more grisly. In September, a young female musician in the southern state of Oaxaca was burned with acid by two men who testified they had been hired by a former politician and businessman who allegedly had an affair with her.

But the killing last weekend of Ingrid Escamilla, a young Mexico City resident who was allegedly murdered by a boyfriend, has horrified Mexicans for its brutality.

The man, who has been arrested and purportedly confessed to killing Escamilla with a knife, mutilated her body and flushed part of her corpse into the sewer.

Indignation grew after some local media published horrific photos of the skinned corpse, apparently leaked by city police officers.

The protesters read a statement Friday saying it enrages us how Ingrid was killed, and how the media put her body on display.

It enrages us that the public judges us, saying 'this isn't the right way to express your rage,'" the statement continued. We are not mad, we are furious.

In the past, women's protests in Mexico City had been criticized for spray-painting historical monuments and trashing city infrastructure, but the damage Friday was minor, and criticism almost non-existent.

Instead, officials condemned media outlets for publishing the photos and said they were investigating police who may have taken the photos with their cellphones at the crime scene.

The Interior Department said in a statement it condemns the publication and distribution of such material, given that it re-victimizes people and promotes sensationalism and morbid curiosity. It is an attack on the dignity, privacy and identity of the victims and their families.

The president said Friday morning in the colonial-era palace as the protesters were outside that such killings were hate crimes and an act of brutal machismo.

But early this week, Lpez Obrador showed little patience for those who questioned him about the government's commitment to fighting violence against women.

This issue has been manipulated a lot in the media, the president said Monday, adding that I don't want the issue just to be women's killings.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Numbers Game

Thousands Of Job Openings Unfilled

Improving Representation

(TNS)  Tony Byrd was growing increasingly discontented with his job running the coffee shop in the lobby of IBMs main building in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. He had been working there since he graduated from South Granville High School nearly a decade ago, and with two young kids to provide for at home, Byrd, 27, was itching for a new start.Now you can find him buying coffee from the same bar he used to run, except this time as a full-time IBM employee.Byrds transition from barista to IT worker is part of what has become increasingly necessary in todays technology industry: companies looking to nontraditional places to fill a growing talent gap.Byrd is a recent graduate of IBMs apprenticeship program  a 12-month-long training program for workers without advanced degrees, where he learned coding languages like JavaScript, Python and C#. Its a win-win for Byrd and IBM. He has the chance to start a career in the tech industry and receive a big raise from his barista days. And IBM has gained an employee who says hes in no hurry to leave Big Blue.It meant a lot and took a weight off my shoulders, Byrd said of being hired full-time. When asked whether it made him feel a sense of loyalty to the company, he said it did.IBMs apprenticeship program was pioneered at its RTP office in 2017. Since then, the program has spread to several IBM offices. In two years, it has led to nearly 200 employees being taught how to code, run cybersecurity and a host of other skills. Around 90% of people in the program have become full-time IBM employees, the company said.Kelli Jordan, director of career and skills at IBM, said the program was born of necessity, with hundreds of thousands of IT job openings around the country going unfilled.Every company is becoming a tech company in some sort of way. ... It is a bit of a numbers game, she said. Theres over 700,000 [unfilled] tech jobs, and when you look at candidates that are coming out of the traditional pipeline, there are only about 70,000 with a computer science degree. Those numbers dont match up.So IBM came to the realization it had to recruit differently.That meant looking at community colleges and coding boot camps, she said, rather than just depending on the universities producing enough computer science graduates.The apprenticeship model  where potential workers get paid while they learn new skills  has been around for a long time, mainly in the trades. IBM says its one of the first tech companies to try the model. In the IBM program, apprentices receive 200 hours of learning on average, both in the classroom and in real-life projects, applying new skills and getting real-time feedback.Jordan said she has received loads of calls from other companies about how to set up a similar program.IBM isnt the only local tech company looking for ways to recruit employees from non-traditional places. And with more than 28,000 IT job postings North Carolina in December  a 10.8% increase from the year prior, according to the N.C. Tech Association  there are plenty of options for the most qualified workers, forcing companies to focus on retention and mining new talent.A survey of Raleigh-area chief information officers by the recruitment firm Robert Half found that 46% of them were willing to be more flexible on skills requirements and provide training to new hires.Companies like Lenovo have created internship pipelines at local community colleges giving opportunities to dozens of students every year. Fidelity is now funding a scholarship at Wake Technical Community College for students studying cloud storage and cybersecurity to chip away at the local talent gap in those fields. In the past year, SAS Institute has made it easier for autistic workers to find opportunities at its company. And Credit Suisse has launched an initiative at its RTP office to help train workers  many of them women  who have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time.It was created to target an overlooked talent pool of qualified candidates, Sophia Wajnert, head of Credit Suisse Raleigh, said of the program in an interview withlast year. We realized there were talented individuals who struggle to return to work after a career break.As an added benefit, tech companies could also increase their workforce diversity by hiring from nontraditional sources of talent. North Carolina, as a state, lags behind much of the country when it comes to diversity in the tech industry, despite it being one of the more diverse states.For us, it definitely has helped with diversity, IBMs Jordan said. We do see candidates who may have not been able to go to a traditional college but have been able to build skills.Dan Rearick, executive director of Code the Dream, a nonprofit that focuses on teaching immigrant youths how to code, said his coding boot camp was founded on the premise that tech companies would be willing to hire workers without bachelors degrees. A lot of the organizations students did well in school, he said, but because they were Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA, or dreamers) many skipped college because they didnt qualify for in-state tuition.Employers are, for the most part, very willing to consider people who dont have a traditional background, or a computer science degree, Rearick said. But he has found that most need to land a long-term internship at a company before they will be hired.Fernando Osorto, 25, who immigrated to North Carolina from Honduras, worked in carpentry before he enrolled at Code the Dream, learning coding languages like Ruby on Rails. He now works at Duke University as a web application developer.In his view, more companies should take a chance on coding boot camp graduates because they spend as much time learning code as many students in traditional schools. Yet, when he was applying for jobs after graduating, he thinks his resume was often passed over because he didnt have a four-year degree.It wasnt until he proved his capabilities in an internship at Duke that he got a full-time gig.A lot of the jobs I applied to in their qualifications they would say you need a bachelors in computer science, he said. So even though I had the experience .... I think that was the reason I didnt get a call back.If more companies looked beyond people with four-year computer science degrees, Osorto said, I think it would greatly impact the outcome of the diversity in the tech world.
Despite the General Election results there is no appetite within the Fine Gael parliamentary party to challenge Leo Varadkar's leadership.

Mr Varadkar must take advantage of his second chance (an all-too-rare occurrence in modern politics) and make hay while the sun shines.

In the short term, as many astute TDs are arguing, Fine Gael must accept the voters' message and occupy the opposition benches, rejecting confidence and supply with a Fianna Fail-led government, which would consign Fine Gael to irrelevancy and bolster Sinn Fein's 'anti-establishment alternative' appeal in the next election campaign.

In the long term, Fine Gael needs to offer a substantive right-of-centre alternative.

This means:

a) abandoning the fruitless pursuit of trendy urban Green, Labour and Social Democrat voters who did not and will not vote for Fine Gael;

b) returning to its traditional base of farmers, small business owners, social moderates, the middle-class, and rural voters, whose concerns have taken a back seat to the aforementioned strategy;

c) making a serious pitch to working-class voters that shows how a centre-right vision and their concerns need not and should not be mutually exclusive. If lessons are required, I suggest a ferry across the Irish Sea, where the UK's Conservatives enjoy an overwhelming parliamentary majority and continue to earn the support of almost 50pc of the electorate in opinion polls.

Stephen Shine

Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny

Poll result was backwards step disguised as reform

Let's tally a recent election:

:: A citizenry fed up with two ineffectual ruling parties;

:: A public wanting to 'send a message', protesting the pressure on wages and a sense of being ignored;

:: A rural, working-class resentful of the urban, coastal, educated elites;

:: A nationalistic fervour, promising to unite a republic in glory;

:: A deep suspicion for the motives of the largest trading partner;

:: The overt support of militarised, armed factions;

:: Emboldened supporters chanting previously taboo slogans in public.

Would we be talking about Trump 2016? Or Sinn Fein 2020?

Another backwards step disguised as political reform.

Dave Miller

Salthill, Co Galway

Centre still more popular with voters than Shinners

Despite the surge in support for Sinn Fein, significantly more of the electorate voted for the centrist policies of Fianna Fail and Fianna Gael.

Yeats was right: if the centre cannot hold, things will fall apart.

Chris Fitzpatrick

Terenure, Dublin

Another election needed to decide spending route

The result of the election is being discussed all over the media and within and between the political parties, but the point of the result is being missed.

Given the result of this election, this country is ungovernable.

What we need now is another election in which the people of this country are going to have to make up their minds if they want a higher spending government or a lower spending government.

Do we want the risks and uncertainties of high spending, the results of which we saw in 2010 when the country went broke and had to be bailed out?

Alternatively, do we want a continuation of the less-than-perfect public services we had since the collapse in 2010 for a bit longer, but with the country living within its means and not in danger of going broke again if things outside our control like Brexit go wrong?

A clear decision on that is needed.

That needs another election.

A Leavy

Sutton, Dublin 13

Tipp for next government - be careful who helps you

While it looks like a debate over the make-up of the next government will rage for the near future, I would hope there would be some consensus amongst all our political parties that politicians like Noel Grealish or Verona Murphy will not be invited to support any new administration.

This principle should also be extended to Michael Lowry, who undoubtedly leveraged his support for the outgoing government to extend his influence.

Fine Gael's failure, at a national level, to target Mr Lowry's candidacy has been responsible, more than any other factor, for the party's failure to return a TD for the Tipperary constituency in the last two elections.

PJ O Meara

Cahir, Co Tipperary

Self-serving governance has seen rich get richer

I am a socialist at heart - equal rights and equal opportunities for all. The Proclamation states: "We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland."

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail appear to have kept the cake for themselves. The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer - imagine them continually occupying front-row seats at the Aviva with Champagne etc, while others have standing room only!

I do hope Sinn Fein gets into a position where it is in control, Brexit is done and Ireland gets a good result.

It's time now to fix the scandals of rampant social inequality, the famine of housing for families and the homeless, rent 'Rachmannism', the sick health service that cannot heal its citizens, crime and more that are coming down the road.

True democracy states the majority prioritises its minority. I believe this has been the devil in the detail of our woes.

Media coverage of interviews clearly confirms this state of denial at the top tables of the 'F' parties (Fine Gael and Fianna Fail).

The indolence of dynasties.

This gathering Storm 'Patrick' in the State is, I believe, the result of decades of self-serving governance on their watch.

Frank O'Neill

Shankill, Dublin

Ireland must come first in government formation

Now we are being told by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael that Sinn Fein would be dangerous as a government.

One really has to wonder if Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin actually know how the Constitution serves the people, via the President and the Council of State.

As with any political party since 1923, a Sinn Fein government would be constrained by constitutional bounds.

The best way to be done with the past is to bring all political parties into the democratic/constitutional process.

They can then fail or rise on that process. Long past time Ireland came first.

Declan Foley

Berwick, Australia

Double standards exist in row over gender equality

With reference to your report "Women don't seem to be given the same second chance as men in the Dail" (Irish Independent, February 11), another way of looking at this is that most voters, men and women alike, have enough good sense not to let themselves be greatly influenced by the opinions of feminist-minded politicians and media commentators when deciding for whom to vote.

As for those who talk of a supposed 'need' for gender balance in the Dail and other work settings where men are currently in the majority, it's interesting to note that they don't seem to perceive anything like the same degree of 'need' for this in professions where women are in the majority.

Teaching is an obvious - though not the only - example here, where the percentage of teachers who are female has been rising steadily since the early 1970s at both primary and secondary levels, with the result that, as of now, nearly 90pc of primary teachers are female.

During roughly the same time span, boys have been increasingly falling behind girls academically.

Where is the concern in gender equality and public policy circles - not to mention the mainstream media - about this? Isn't there a double standard at work here?

Hugh Gibney

Athboy, Co Meath
Carol Highsmith is a distinguished photographer who has traveled all over America, aiming to chronicle for posterity the life of the nation in the early 21st century. Shes donating her work to the public via the Library of Congress, which has called her act one of the greatest acts of generosity in the history of the Library. The Carol M. Highsmith Archive, which is expected ultimately to encompass more than 100,000 images, is accessible royalty-free via the librarys website.

So one can imagine Highsmiths reaction last December when she got a threatening letter from a firm associated with the photo licensing agency Getty Images, accusing her of license infringement by posting one of her own images online. The firm demanded a settlement payment of $120 from her nonprofit This Is America! Foundation, backed up by the implicit threat to take her to court.

Getty misrepresents the terms and conditions of using the Highsmith Photos by falsely claiming a user must buy a copyright license from Getty. Highsmith vs. Getty, New York federal court

Actually, one doesnt have to imagine Highsmiths reaction. One can read all about it in the lawsuit she filed this week against Getty in New York federal court, accusing the agency of illicitly claiming rights to 18,755 of her photographs and seeking more than $1 billion in damages. The lawsuit also names Alamy, a British-based licensing agency that was purportedly the license holder whose rights were infringed. Neither Getty nor Alamy had the right to claim a license or copyright on her photos, she says.

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The letter came from License Compliance Services, an arm of Getty Images. Getty claimed to Cyrus Farivar of Ars Technica that LCS and Getty have no operational relationship, but Highsmiths lawyers say thats dubious. The two companies share corporate quarters in Seattle, as well as three top executives, they observe in the lawsuit.

Highsmith, 70, found several aspects of Gettys behavior especially irksome, beyond the fact that the agency misrepresents the terms and conditions of using the Highsmith Photos by falsely claiming a user must buy a copyright license from Getty in order to use them. (Indeed, numerous publications, including The Times, have used Highsmith images with credits to Getty.)

After Carol Highsmiths nonprofit foundation got a demand letter for $120 for using this photo she had donated to the public, she sued. The Getty Images watermark asserts rights it doesnt have, she says. (Carol Highsmith )

Getty nowhere identified Highsmith as the sole creator or copyright owner of the photographs it was hawking to the public. Nor did it volunteer to its clients that the photographs were available for free, in high-quality digital format, from the Library of Congress.

That could damage her own reputation, Highsmith says, since it could look as if shes been trying to profit from images she had ostensibly donated to the public: Anyone who sees the Highsmith Photos and knows or learns of her gift to the Library could easily believe her to be a hypocrite.

Neither Getty nor Alamy has filed a formal answer to the lawsuit. In a public statement, however, Getty responded with bluster. The agency says the lawsuit is based on a number of misconceptions and plans to defend [itself] vigorously. It acknowledges that the images are in the public domain, but still maintains that it has the right to charge a fee for distributing the material. Distributing and providing access to public domain content is different to asserting copyright ownership of it, Getty says. Thats true as far as it goes, but skates over the question of who gave it permission to distribute the content on any terms.

See the most-read stories this hour 

Alamy has said even less. An employee at its Brooklyn office said, Were looking into it and havent got any further comment. Both agencies appear to have taken Highsmiths photos off their websites.

What Getty and Alamy were thinking is unclear for the moment. But the case certainly underscores the confusion rampant in the world of digital rights. When images and content can be snarfed off the Web with a keystroke or the click of a mouse and reproduced in any format one wishes, who really can know who owns what? The path is wide open not only for stealing material with abandon, but for asserting rights illegitimately, as Highsmith says happened here.

Getty Images should be especially sensitive to the pitfalls of charging for rights it doesnt own. Not only is it a professional agency that makes its living in the digital field, but it has been caught infringing digital rights before  in fact, its position as an alleged recidivist infringer is what allowed Highsmith to claim damages of more than $1 billion.

Florence Owens Thompson, Dorothea Langes Migrant Mother (Dorothea Lange, Library of Congress )

In 2013, a federal court jury found that Getty and Agence France-Press had willfully infringed a photographers copyright on eight photos from the 2010 Haiti earthquake that the photographer posted on Twitter, but had been reposted without permission by another photographer. Getty conceded liability and, along with AFP, was slapped with $1.5 million in damages.

The shame of the Highsmith case is that she has shown herself to be a most public-spirited artist. Her photographs, often awe-inspiring in their drama and color palette, amount to a rich snapshot of the people, structures and landscapes of America. She began donating her work in 1992, focused on an ambition to visit every state in the union. Her donations serve a tradition established by Dorothea Lange, the Depression-era photographer whose travels for the New Deal Farm Security Administration yielded an indelible portrait of America in its time.

Langes 1936 photograph of migrant mother Florence Owens Thompson of Nipomo, Cal., for instance, is a historical icon that belongs to the nation. If you wish to reproduce it, you can download it from Getty Images, for a fee that might exceed $5,000. Or, like Highsmiths photos, you can download it for free from the Library of Congress, with no restrictions. The choice is yours.

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UPDATES:

3:28 p.m., July 30: This post has been updated to explain that all Library of Congress websites are down for weekend maintenance, and links to the Highsmith archive will be working again on August 1.

11:23 a.m., July 31: This post has been updated to reflect the restoration of access to Library of Congress websites.
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Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

BRIDGEPORT  A Stratford man was seriously injured after being hit by a vehicle while on a scooter Friday night, police said Saturday.

At 9:53 p.m. Friday, the citys 911 center got a call from Bridgeport Hospital personnel who said there was a male victim in the emergency department who had been hit by a car.
MONTREALConnect the dots between the widespread Liberal dissent over the approval of Albertas Teck Frontier oilsands mine, the Indigenous unrest that has paralyzed the countrys rail system this week and Canadas uphill campaign to secure a temporary seat on the UNs Security Council and what you find is a prime minister whose moral authority is increasingly depleted.

Justin Trudeaus reduced circumstances extend beyond his failure to secure a second governing majority last fall. At this juncture, the flames the government are scrambling to extinguish or to control are not ones fanned by an opposition.

If anything, the current state of the opposition  with two of the four parties leaderless and a third staring at dismally empty coffers  may be one of the rare good things the prime minister has going for him these days.

Trudeau may have walked on water after his upset 2015 victory but going forward  at home and abroad  he is as likely to be rowing in gravel as to have the wind of public opinion and international appreciation at his back.

Take this weeks whirlwind African tour. Time will tell whether it made a positive difference to Canadas quest for a Security Council seat. Or, for that matter, whether it offset the damage done to Trudeaus brand by the surfacing, last fall, of his brown-faced pictures.

The tours impact would certainly have been greater had the UN campaign taken place earlier, at a time when the prime minister enjoyed rock star status internationally.

By now, that status has largely been brought back to the more normal size attendant to the government leader of a second-tier power.

That same applies to Trudeaus capacity to act forcefully on the domestic stage.

The prime minister and his inner circle were reportedly taken aback last week by a vocal caucus pushback against the approval of Albertas Teck Frontier oilsands mine.

With the cabinet scheduled to deliver a decision before the end of the month, Liberal MPs from every region of the country  including some senior ministers  lined up to urge Trudeau to veto the project. News of the behind-closed-door backlash promptly leaked out.

The days when the prime minister could present his caucus with a controversial fait accompli of the magnitude of the purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline are clearly behind him.

The post-2019 Trudeau is no longer the leader whose coattails his MPs rode to the government benches.

Absent a second pro-Trudeau wave to lift their boats last fall and with the Trans Mountain decision weighing them down, many Liberal MPs struggled to keep their heads above water.

More than a few believe a green light to the Frontier mine would sink both the environmental credibility of the government and their re-election prospects.

Charlottetown MP Sean Casey is one of a handful of Liberal MPs who went public with his conviction that approving Teck Frontier would be inconsistent with the governments climate-change strategy.

In his province of Prince Edward Island, the Green party has risen to official opposition in the legislature. Federally, the party most identified with environmental issues is becoming a force to reckon with across Atlantic Canada.

This weekend, Trudeau is coming home to a volatile nationwide Indigenous protest movement fuelled by opposition to British Columbias Coastal Link pipeline project.

Among provincial governments, none has been as engaged on Indigenous issues as that of B.C. Premier John Horgan.

Trudeau has put more political capital on the line on Indigenous reconciliation than any of his predecessors

They may yet find a face-saving way for the parties to the dispute to stand down.

But a hardening of public opinion on both sides of the reconciliation issue stands to be a lasting result of the events of the past week  with Trudeau and his pro-Indigenous agenda caught in the crossfire.

On his way to power in 2015 the prime minister presented voters with the elements of a grand bargain.

He argued that the implementation of a more robust climate-change policy would lead to greater social acceptability for projects close to the heart of the fossil-fuel producing provinces.

Indigenous reconciliation was an essential part of the Liberal policy that was supposed to keep Canada on a viable energy/environment track.

So far, the opposite is happening.

Chantal Hebert is a columnist based in Ottawa covering politics. She can be reached at: chantalh28@gmail.com . Or follow her on Twitter: @ChantalHbert

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President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa



of Portugal arrived in Goa on Saturday on a two-day visit, during which his country and the state government will sign an MoU on augmenting water supply and sewerage management.

He was welcomed at the international airport here by troupes performing traditional dances, and feted at Chicalim and Sirodao villages by local residents, officials said.

In the evening, Sousa will chair an event where water and sanitation firm Aguas de Portugal will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Goa's Public Works Department on augmenting water supply and managing sewerage.

Later during the evening, Sousa would inaugurate a seminar on urban designs organised by state-run Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited.

He will attend a dinner hosted by Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik on Saturday evening at Raj Bhavan, and on Sunday Sousa will visit Santa Monica Church and Museum of Christian Art at Old Goa.

He will be leaving Goa on Sunday, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MONTREAL - An elderly Quebecois couple from Gatineau, Que., aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, their daughter said on Saturday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A bus leaves a port where the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship is docked Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Yokohama, near Tokyo. A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 67,000 people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

MONTREAL - An elderly Quebecois couple from Gatineau, Que., aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, their daughter said on Saturday.

Diane, 73, and Bernard Menard, 75, are confined to their cabin and awaiting transportation by ambulance to a military hospital where they will be kept in isolation until they no longer test positive for the virus, Chantal Menard told The Canadian Press in an interview.

"They are very fragile and weak," Menard said. "It's been two days, they are resting ... they have fever. My mother is coughing a bit."

She said her parents' symptoms are similar to those of the common cold.

The couple are among the 67 new positive cases of COVID-19 virus detected aboard the ship, which has been under quarantine at a port city southwest of Tokyo since Feb. 5, according to a statement issued Saturday from Jan Swartz, president of the cruise line.

Swartz said a total of three Canadians were part of the 67 new cases discovered on the Diamond Princess. In total, 285 people have tested positive on the ship, following the new cases discovered Saturday.

Theresa Tam, chief public health officer at the Public Health Agency of Canada, said on Saturday that 15 Canadians on the Diamond Princess have tested positive for the virus.

Tam told reporters during a media conference call the Canadian government has deployed three officials from the country's public health agency to help the Canadians who are under quarantine on the boat and in Japanese health facilities.

Menard said her parents were on the last day of their month-long tour of Asia when they learned the boat was under quarantine. "They had packed their suitcases, went for dinner, and when they got back the ship's authorities had put their suitcases back in their rooms," she said.

"It's very difficult for us, very difficult," Menard said of the toll the news of her parents' health has taken on the family. "They are elderly. We are very worried. They are on the other side of the world and we feel helpless."

Meanwhile, there are about 400 Canadians under quarantine at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in southern Ontario. They were repatriated by Canada from the Chinese province of Hubei, which includes the city of Wuhan, considered as the epicentre of the outbreak.

"I am pleased to report that everyone quarantined at CFB Trenton is healthy with no symptoms of novel coronavirus infections," Tam said. Should that continue, she said, those who arrived at the base on Feb. 7 will be able to leave on Feb. 21, while those who arrived on Feb. 11 can leave Feb. 25.

Tam said there are eight people in Canada who have tested positive for the virus, following news on Friday that a new case was discovered in British Columbia. There have been three cases in Ontario and five in B.C., pending confirmation of the latest case by a laboratory.

Tam said the risk to people in Canada remains low: "The fact we've been able to quickly detect these cases and prevent the spread of the virus in our community shows that our health system is working as it should."

The viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 67,000 people globally, mostly in the central Chinese province of Hubei.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Feb. 15, 2020.

 With files from The Associated Press.
The madrasa system of education is caught in a time wrap where the core syllabus has not been changed for hundreds of years but only artificial and lopsided additions of secular learning made, says a new book.

In "Madrasas in the Age of Islamophobia", authors Ziya Us Salam and M Aslam Parvaiz narrate the decline of the madrasas from being centres of excellence to institutions of restricted learnings with dark clouds of stigma surrounding them.

They say that once a pivot of the Muslim world, madrasas today are marginalised within the Muslim community. "The well-off, the well-read, the well-placed Muslims do not send their children to madrasas anymore."



The madrasas are also short of resources, rejected by the well-heeled, and condemned by politicians.

The book, published by SAGE Select, is an attempt to peek into the world of Indian madrasas and see how far the community has to travel to revive its days of glory.

It is an attempt to go back in time, from the earliest knowledge centres of West Asia to madrasas in medieval India, and finally to post-independence India, when to be an 'aalim' (one who perceives reality) of Islam from a local madrasa is often synonymous with being ignorant of the world.

The authors say the madrasas are going through rough and challenging times.

"The funds are low, almost entirely dependent on acts of charity of the believers, or what is euphemistically called community funding. Worse though is the inability of the madrasa management to move with the times," they rue.

They say the Quran repeatedly asks believers to explore the world, introspect and ask questions; but madrasas, on the contrary, revel in their rote learning methods.

"The Quran is reduced to a book that is memorised by students in the initial years in a madrasa, kissed, touched with the forehead and put back in a velvet cover after every reading. Never is a student encouraged to ask questions about it, or seek answers through it," the book says.

The authors also argue that due to a constant fascination for looking at the supposed past, the madrasas have neither changed their syllabus to meet emerging challenges, nor prepared their scholars to work in a multi-religious society or multi-sect Muslim world.

According to them, the madrasas in India are caught in a dystopia, religious institutions whose products once acted as civil servants of the society, are today merely imagined moral guardians.

"Far from providing lawyers and judges, doctors and engineers well versed with Islamic tenets, they provide only students who memorised the Quran, or who can, at best, argue on matters of 'fiqh' (jurisprudence), books that ceased to have direct relevance in the life of the faithful with the decline of the Mughals," the book says.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special court here will take cognisance of the supplementary charge sheet filed against Hyderabad businessman Satish Sana Babu in the bribery case involving Moin Qureshi on February 28.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday had filed a charge sheet. This is the second supplementary charge sheet in the matter filed by the ED counsel advocate Naveen Kumar Matta. Notably, Babu is the ninth accused in the matter.

The probe organisation in the charge sheet has stated that the new lead of money trail in the investigation has been found.

Special Judge Anuradha Shukla Bhardwaj, after hearing the submission of advocate Matta, has listed the matter for February 28 for cognisance on the charge sheet.

Advocate Matta stated that Qureshi through criminal activities related to scheduled offence acquires a huge amount of illegal money, which is nothing but proceeds of crime.

The lawyer further stated that Qureshi and his wife have spent it on various counts and also invested in movable and immovable properties.

The advocate also claimed that an amount of Rs 1,50,00,000 was paid in two installments in November 2012 by Babu to Qureshi which was also sought to be projected as reimbursement of expenses in some LNG deal without any evidence thereof.

Earlier, a charge sheet mentioned the name of total eight accused including some firms.

Babu is currently on regular bail given by a trial court which was later challenged in Delhi High Court. He was arrested by the ED in July last year in a case relating to the purported purchase of shares worth Rs 50 lakh of a company linked to Qureshi.

The ED had earlier stated that there was ample material collected by the investigating agency which points out that Babu is guilty of the offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). "The present case has the involvement of a large number of public servants as well as various private persons who were collecting money on behalf of government servants in order to get them favours in the CBI investigations," the agency said.

During the investigation of the case, it came to the fore that Babu was a close aid of Qureshi, who is accused of hawala transactions through Delhi-based operators.

In October last year, on the basis of a complaint filed by Babu, a case was registered against the then CBI director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana on charges of accepting a bribe from a businessman, who was related to the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lashkar boss Hafiz Saeed may walk out of jail post FATF meet

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: The sentencing of Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief Hafiz Saeed may just be a ploy to avoid getting black-listed by the Financial Action Task Force. There is a chance that he may be released after the FATF plenary.

The FATF is meeting on February 16 to decide on whether Pakistan remains in the Grey List or will be downgraded to the Black List. Saeed was sentenced to 11 years in jail in connection with two terror funding cases. Saeed's counsel claimed that there were several loopholes and his client was being jailed only because of pressure from the FATF.

Indian officials tell OneIndia that they are assessing the decision by the Pakistan court.

The official cited also informed OneIndia there is every chance that Saeed may walk out of jail once the FATF session is over. The officer also said that Pakistan has to show more seriousness in the 26/11 trial and bring Saeed to justice.

Explained: The terror funding case against Lashkar boss Hafiz Saeed

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Wednesday sentenced Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed to 11 years in jail in terror financing cases.

A court official said that Saeed was sentenced in two terror financing cases in Punjab province.

The anti-terrorism court or ATC had indicted Saeed and his close aides on December 11 in terror financing case in day-to-day hearing.

The court sentenced Saeed to five and a half years and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 in each case. The sentences of both cases will run concurrently.

The cases were registered against Saeed in Lahore and Gujranwala cities on the application of the Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab police.

Pakistan court convicts Hafiz Saeed in terror financing cases

Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 15:26 [IST]
Although the Iraq War sucked all of the oxygen out of America's national discourse, it's the war in Afghanistan that has been America's longest war, lasting for over 18 years. One of President Trump's campaign promises was to end that endless war, and, on Friday, he took the first step in making good on the promise: the U.S. is on the verge of entering into a "reduction in violence agreement" with the Taliban that is a predicate to a U.S. troop withdrawal.

Shortly after 9/11, U.S. intelligence learned that Osama bin Laden was hiding in Afghanistan as a guest of the Taliban. When the Taliban refused to extradite bin Laden, in October 2001, the U.S., along with Great Britain, launched "Operation Enduring Freedom." That war is now over 18 years old.

During those 18 years, over 2,000 Americans have died, as well as over 1,000 troops from allied nations. Almost 23,000 Americans were wounded, as were over 2,000 British troops. In addition, almost 4,000 private contractors died, and at least 15,000 have been wounded.

In return for all this blood, America did receive a significant benefit: Afghanistan is no longer a secure base for training and housing anti-American terrorists. That's not to say that the Taliban won't again play host to Islamist jihadists. For now, though, that goal is achieved, and, unless America wants to have a permanent military presence in Afghanistan, it's time to go home.

For some time now, secretary of state Mike Pompeo and defense secretary Mark Esper have been meeting with the Taliban and with Afghan president Ashraf Ghani to negotiate an American troop withdrawal. This is a delicate business, because the last thing America wants is a repeat of Obama's abrupt withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

Obama's approach created a vacuum that ISIS  which Obama originally dismissed as a "J.V. team"  quickly filled. Between Obama's embrace of the Arab Spring (including helping to depose Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, an American ally) and his cavalier attitude toward ISIS, the entire Middle East was destabilized, which has helped destabilize Europe as well. With luck, though, the proposed plan will have a better outcome.

For now, the parties are just taking preliminary steps toward ending the war:

The tentative agreement would lay the groundwork for a larger troop withdrawal: The United States and Taliban reached an agreement on Friday to reduce violence for seven days, which could open the door to the two sides signing a larger peace deal reached last year, according to a senior State Department official. That larger deal would require U.S. forces to begin to withdraw, in exchange for a Taliban commitment to not allow Afghanistan to be a safe haven for terrorism and to sit down with other Afghans for peace talks  two commitments critics are skeptical the militant group will follow through on. [snip] A Taliban source told ABC News the reduction would begin on Feb. 22, with plans for the two sides to sign the larger agreement on Feb. 29 and Afghan national peace talks to begin March 10. While it's not a full ceasefire, the reduction is nationwide and includes Afghan government forces, not just the U.S. and Taliban. The language is also "very specific," the official said, including prohibiting roadside bombs, suicide bombs and rocket attacks. The U.S. military will monitor the reduction and use a hotline directly to the militant group, as well as the Afghan government, to raise any violations or other issues.

A withdrawal from Afghanistan will be another step in advancing the Trump Doctrine. This doctrine represents a retreat from the Wilsonian foreign policies that have dominated the world since 1917. Back in 1917, to justify having America enter WWI on the British side, Wilson formulated a doctrine saying it was America's responsibility to make the world safe for democracy. We have been doing that for 100 years.

Trump's doctrine, however, is that we have to make the world safe for America. This does not mean territorial expansion a la Hitler or Tojo. Nor does it mean retreating into fortress America and letting the world go to Hell in a handbasket.

The Trump doctrine means, instead, determining whether foreign military involvement will confer a benefit on America. In this, it is the opposite of Obama's foreign policy, which seemed to insist that America, to show her virtue in any overseas initiative, could engage only in actions that worked to her detriment or, at the very least, did not confer a benefit on her.

A strategic withdrawal from Afghanistan, a country in which we've stayed long after we achieved a narrow, targeted victory, is an excellent idea. There is no longer a benefit to us in staying in Afghanistan, although one would hope that the military and American intelligence will keep an eye on things to ensure that another bin Laden doesn't take root there.


MBABANE  The three men who are accused of stealing Archbishop Bheki Lukheles motor vehicles had a reason to celebrate yesterday.



Banele Ridic Kunene (24) of Motshane, Machawe Sibandze (30) of Nkoyoyo and Thembela Gama (28) of Luhlangotsini, were released on bail fixed at E5 000 each.



Their release came after their defence counsels challenged Section 102 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, which provides that bail amount should be fixed at half the value of the stolen property. Gama was represented by Sabelo Mngometulu while the duo was represented by Akaphelimandla Mkhwanazi.

The defence counsels challenged the Section after Chris Sibandze, who is representing the State in the matter, applied that the court invoke the Section.

In his submissions, Mngometulu referred the court to the previous and the amended charge sheets, where he pointed out an inconsistency in the value of the stolen motor vehicle. In the first charge, Gama and Kunene are accused of stealing a white Audi A4 registered YSD 699 CM valued at E140 000. However, the amended charge sheet states that the stolen motor vehicle is valued at E220 000.



Mngometulu submitted that there was no evaluation report to prove the value of the motor vehicle.

He submitted that the discrepancy in the value of the same motor vehicle showed that there was guesswork on the part of the Crown. The defence counsel mentioned that there were many evaluators who were in a position to evaluate and determine the value of the motor vehicle.



It is surprising that the value of the motor vehicle has shot up to E220 000 from E140 000 within six days. Clearly, the Crown is speculating. It is clear that the Crown came up with this ridiculous amount to frustrate my client. This is a strategy by the Crown to oppose the bail application, submitted Mngometulu.

He further asked where could a young man get E110 000 for bail. The defence counsel mentioned that Section 102 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act provided that the court should be furnished with proof of the value of the stolen property before it could invoke the Section.



He implored the court to invoke Section 103 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, as the Section provided that an accused person should not be granted excessive bail. He referred the court to the case of Philile Dlamini versus Nhlangano Magistrate case no 1447 of 2007, where the same principle applied.

Mngometulu drew the court to the personal circumstances of Gama. He submitted that Gama was unemployed yet he had to take care of his four children. The defence counsel stated that Gama was expecting another child as his lover was seven months pregnant.

Evidently, Gamas lover was present in court. He had a moment with his lover after the adjournment of the matter.



Shock



Mkhwanazi shared the same sentiment with Mngometulu. He submitted that bail was a constitutional right which speaks to liberty. Mkhwanazi stated that the law was clear that bail should not induce shock to the accused person. He stated that Kunene was looking forward to enrolling at a vocational school in Nhlangano next week.



He stated that his clients were unemployed and that they had undertaken to abide by all conditions attached to their bail.

They are both emaSwati and they are rooted in Eswatini. They do not intend to evade trial. My clients will plead not guilty to all the charges, he said.

In response, the Crown conceded that the value of the motor vehicle as alleged in the charge sheet was guesswork. Sibandze submitted that the State did not have any documentary proof in relation to the value of the property.
Rioja is closer in style to Champagne than Burgundy. This statement might surprise you. But what we're looking at here, according to Victor Charcan of Bodegas Roda, who held a tasting upstairs in Dublin wine shop Corkscrew a few months ago, is about how it is made. In Burgundy, both the red and white wines are made from single grape varieties - so Pinot Noir for the red, and for the white it's predominantly Chardonnay. And the emphasis is on site, the vineyard where the grapes are grown.

"Historically, wine from Rioja has always been about blending," Viktor explains. "Blending varieties and also about blending wines from the different sub-regions."

Rioja sits about 80km from the Atlantic coastline, and runs in a north-west to south-east direction along the River Ebro for about 100km. Victor describes it as the Ebro River depression, a triangle formed by the river; the Sierra de Cantabria mountains to the north, which protect it from the Atlantic; and the higher Sierra de la Demanda mountains, which are part of the Iberian System, sheltering the vineyards from the warmer weather in the centre of the country. This, and the fact that the River Ebro has several tributaries, means that there are lots of slopes and micro valleys in Rioja, with varying aspects and soils.

Winemaking in Rioja goes back to Roman times, and the region is divided into three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa, and Rioja Oriental (which was previously called Rioja Baja). While Tempranillo is the predominant grape here - and also the most planted black variety in Spain - the other varieties that are permitted for red wine are Graciano, Garnacha, Mazuelo, Maturana Tinta (known as Trousseau in the Jura region of France) and Cabernet Sauvignon, although very little of the latter is planted.

Bodegas Roda, which was founded in 1987, is a relative newcomer to Rioja, but has quickly become one of the most renowned producers. Located in the prestigious Barrio de la Estacion in the Haro's Station district in la Rioja Alta, it is built on top of an older cellar. From the outset, owners Carmen Daurella and Mario Rotllant focused on producing quality wine. All of the vineyards have bush vines, which necessitates hand harvesting, and because most of them are more than 30 years old, they are low-yielding, producing more concentrated flavour in their fruit. Dry farming, without irrigation, allows the wine to clearly reflect the vintage each year, with the influence of the Atlantic being predominant in cooler years, and the Mediterranean in hotter years.

The wines from this estate are low-volume, and the price reflects it. Their entry level Sela wine sells for 27.50, with the price rising for their Roda Reserva and Roda 1 wines. I have one featured here, along with some other Spanish reds. Two are from SuperValu's Spanish sale which runs from February 13 to March 4. It is always worth checking out O'Brien's monthly promotions.

Wine of the week

Roda Reserva Rioja 2015

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39.50 approx, 14.5pc, from Ely 64 Wines, Blackrock Cellar, The Corkscrew, The Vintry, Drink Store Stoneybatter, Deveney's, Jus de Vine, and Nectar Wines; Dublin.

Grown on 30-year-old bush vines in the Haro region, with an average yield per vine of just 1.5kg, this is made from a blend of 86pc Tempranillo, 8pc Garnacha, and 6pc Graciano. 2015 was a year of perfect maturation. This wine was fermented in French oak, and then aged for 14 months in the barrel. Just a third of the barrels are new, so the oak aromas don't overpower the fruit flavours of red cherry, strawberry and a touch of sweet cinnamon and cloves. Great to drink on its own or serve with roast lamb or rich vegetarian dishes.

Marques de Caceres Rioja Gran Reserva 2015

20, rrp 29.99, 13.5pc, from SuperValu

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With a ripe sappy nose of red fruit and a touch of spice, this blend of 85pc Tempranillo, 8pc Garnacha, and 7pc Graciano is nice and savoury on the palate with flavours of red cherry, raspberry, blueberry, coffee and spice with a brush of tannins on the finish.

Salmos 2016 Priorat, Familia Torres

20, RRP 29.99, 14pc, from SuperValu

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Priorat in north-east Spain is associated with top-quality red wine, and this blend of Carinena, Garnacha and a touch of Syrah is perfumed and lush on the palate with loganberry, blueberry and a dash of spicy smoke.

Sierra Cantabria Rioja Crianza 2015

15.95 reduced from 17.95, 14pc, from O'Briens and obrienswine.ie

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With an intense nose of red and dark fruit, this classy Rioja is made from 100pc Tempranillo. Cranberry and dark plums meld with low-key oak, supported with a backbone of good quality tannins. Great with roast beef.

Cepa Lebrel Rioja Joven

7.99, 13 pc, from Lidl

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Made from 100pc Tempranillo, this young, unoaked Rioja is vibrant with fresh red fruits and good acidity; great value for the price. If you'd like a touch more oak, opt for the Reserva under the same brand for 8.99.
A member of Irans Business Womens Association has said that trade between Iran and Syria faces challenges, as Syria has no money to buy Iranian merchandise.

Layla Fathi told Irans ILNA news website has also complained about strict Syrian laws that restrict the ability of Iranian business people to conduct trade. She did not elaborate on what regulations prevent freer trade.

However, Fathi said that Syria has shortages of foreign currency and Iranian merchants have to wait a long time to get paid.

Irans trade before the Syrian civil war broke out was about $350 million a year; not a significant amount compared with Irans trade with other neighboring countries such as Iraq or Turkey. However, even that volume of trade has now declined to $250 million, according to Irans Chamber of Commerce. This of course excludes any direct Iranian government assistance in goods and oil, presumed to be exported to Syria for free or at very low prices.

Regarding trade with Iraq, Ms. Fathi told ILNA recent anti-Iran protests disrupted exports and imports with Irans second biggest trading partner. Some businesses were forced to stop trading with Iraq.

U.S. sanctions reimposed in 2018 have seriously disrupted Irans economic relations with the rest of the world. Oil exports which are a lifeline for Irans government and economy have been cut by almost 90 percent, depriving the country of vital foreign currency earnings.
Hong Kong Disneyland has agreed to lend vacant sites to the government to build coronavirus quarantine facilities, although there was no immediate plan to bring residents stranded in Wuhan back before more units were built, officials said on Friday, confirming an earlier report by the Post.

We have secured the companys consent to use part of the site if it is needed, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau chief Edward Yau Tang-wah said, referring to a 60-hectare plot reserved for the theme parks expansion on Lantau Island.

We need all quarantine facilities for surveillance, basically we will leave no stone unturned [when identifying sites for building quarantine facilities], Yau said at a government press conference.

The government also said, for the first time, that having sufficient quarantine facilities was a condition to bringing back 2,200 Hong Kong residents stranded in Hubei province, the epicentre of the deadly outbreak. Some 10 of them have been confirmed infected with the virus.

We have already started planning for their return, said mainland affairs minister Patrick Nip Tak-kuen.

We first need to have these facilities as well as the understanding of residents [near the quarantine sites] before we implement the plan.

The four hectare land near the car park at Disney could provide about 600 units, according to a government estimate. A camp near the Junior Police Call in Pat Heung, plus public housing estates in Foo Tan and three other camps, could create another 1,600 units in total, it added.

Proposals to use public housing estates as quarantine facilities was met with opposition from local district councillors and residents, with some escalating into violent action.

Joe Chan, who was trapped in a neighbouring city to Wuhan, accused the government of abandoning those in Hubei.

What Patrick Nip said is basically trying to return the ball into our court and to stir up opposition to us, Chan said.

The quarantine facilities may not even be enough when the Hubei authorities let us to go. Are you saying we are not even welcome in our own home?

Story continues

Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun, who is assisting several families in Hubei, said the government had been slow in its response to those trapped in Wuhan.

Hong Kong people cannot understand why other governments such as those of the USA, India and Taiwan have managed to get their citizens out of Hubei while Carrie Lams administration could not, To said.

It is imminent and for the benefit of relieving the pressure of the coronavirus epidemic in Hubei to get Hongkongers back to this city as soon as possible.

Other than the Hongkongers still trapped in Hubei, there are also 330 stuck on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked outside Yokohama in Japan. As of Friday, 11 on the luxury liner had already been confirmed as infected with the new coronavirus, which causes the disease now known as Covid-19.

Security minister John Lee Ka-chiu said the Hong Kong authorities were in touch with their Japanese counterparts to see when passengers would be allowed to leave the ship. A woman, 80, could be among the first batch of passengers who tested negative and would be allowed to leave the vessel.

Pressed on the slow progress to bring the Hongkongers home, especially those in Wuhan who were particularly vulnerable, Nip said officials had been considering how to do so in batches but gave no exact dates.

Mainland Chinese authorities had yet to agreed to Hong Kongs proposal to carry those in Hubei back, a political source with direct knowledge said.

The priority, according to Nip, was to send vital medication to about 90 citizens in Hubei first. Two batches of medication had already been mailed to Wuhan, while another two were on the way, he said.

Disneyland is currently closed as a precaution against the outbreak.

As of Friday afternoon, Hong Kong had 56 confirmed cases of the infection, including one fatality. More than 64,400 people worldwide have contracted the virus, mostly in mainland China, with the death toll now above 1,380.

A Disney spokesman said the company had agreed to explore the use of Pennys Bay site reserved for future tourism development at the request of the Hong Kong government.

The land identified is separate and away from existing operations, he said.

This article Coronavirus: Hong Kong Disneyland to lend vacant sites to government for quarantine facilities first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
Chicago

United Airlines said Friday it is removing the grounded Boeing 737 Max from its schedule until early September, forcing it to cancel thousands more flights.

United, Southwest and American are bracing for a second straight summer without their Max planes, which have been grounded since last March after two crashes killed 346 people.

The result will be fewer flights than the airlines had planned to offer during the peak summer-travel season. That could result in slightly higher fares.

United had 14 Max jets when they were grounded, but expected to be flying more of them by now. The Chicago-based airline said it will scrap 80 flights a day  about 2,500 a month  over the summer.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

By taking the planes out of the schedule now until Sept. 4, United hopes to avoid last-minute cancellations that could leave passengers stranded. United's decision  its latest delay in returning the Max  came a day after Southwest took the plane out of its schedule through Aug. 10.

Boeing is testing updates to flight-control software that played a role in the crashes by pushing the planes' noses down based on faulty readings from sensors. Boeing does not expect the Federal Aviation Administration to sign off on the changes until this summer, however, and airlines will need extra time to update planes and retrain pilots on the Max.
TORRINGTON  The Burrville Fire Training School was built in 1961, on a rural road in the Burrville section of Torrington.

The facility was constructed for volunteer firefighters to receive professional training at one central location.

Used for decades, it was eventually demolished, however, and a new school that was rebuilt in its place was dubbed the Litchfield County Regional Fire School.

The $13.1 million project was approved in 2016 by the state Bond Commission, but planning for the upgrade began nearly 20 years ago. The new school was completed in October 2019.

It took 15 years to design this new facility on the footprint of the previous Burrville Fire Training School and cost the state $13 million, said Richard Winn, a former career firefighter and director of the new Litchfield County Regional Fire School.

But it was desperately needed for volunteer firefighters in the northwest corner, Winn said. This is a new Class A fire training structure.

When the old training school was razed in 2018, it had not been used for more than three years.

The schools antiquated buildings were replaced with a fire tower and burn building, known as The Inforcer, plus a state-of-the-art training school with classrooms, a kitchenette, and a separate room for fire gear.

Additional spaces could eventually be rented, or used for emergency shelter or a command center during bad weather or other catastrophic events, Winn said.

Winn said that the burn buildings walls are sacrificial and will be regularly replaced.

Winn said the state budgeted $300,000 a year to operate the the school in 2018, but that the annual cost of propane and electricity alone is expected to be $100,000 a year. Some of the funding will come from students taking the state-mandated classes that are required to become a certified firefighter. Tuition for a Firefighter I class is $1,050, which includes books and exams. A student must attend 203 hours of training over a five-month period. The subsequent Firefighter II course costs $850 and includes 95 hours of training.

According to Winn, the first Firefighter II training class to attend the new school recently passed the course. Students included firefighters from Litchfield, East Litchfield, Northfield, Winsted, Morris, Canaan, and Bethlehem.

The states nine fire training schools were previously managed independently, but are now managed by the Connecticut Fire Academy, a statewide organization that allows the schools to combine their requests for funding.

When the new training schools construction began, Robert Norton Jr., the school committee chairman for the Connecticut Fire Academy, said the upgrade was a long time in coming.

It looks phenomenal, he said at the time. Its such a big difference from what we used to have. Its something the whole county can be proud of.

The Litchfield County Regional Fire School is located at 606 Burr Mountain Road, Torrington.
A storyline with emotionally evocative details may reduce feelings of nausea, disorientation, and eye strain associated with virtual reality (VR) in some people, according to a study.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada found that storylines that provide context and details can help users feel immersed in VR experiences, and reduce cybersickness.

We found that people who had little to no experience playing video games had reduced cybersickness if they received this enhanced narrative, but regular video gamers did not need it because they were not predisposed to feeling symptoms, said Seamas Weech, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo.

What that tells us is that the actual design of the VR simulations storyline itself can reduce the negative impact some people experience with VR technology, Weech said.

The study, published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, recruited 42 participants from the university, then 156 at a new media technology exhibition in Ontario, Canada, and had them experience virtual reality. Before entering the simulation, the participants listened to a story about what they were about to experience.

Half of participants were given bare-bones details, and the other half were given an enhanced narrative, which included emotionally evocative details.

All participants who heard the enhanced story reported significantly more presence in VR -- the feeling of being there -- but only the non-gamers experienced reduced cybersickness. People with little gaming experience are highly sensitive to conflicts between VR technology and the information they are taking in, said Michael Barnett-Cowan, a professor at the University of Waterloo.

Enriched narratives seem to enhance presence and reduce cybersickness due to the decreased focus on problems with the multiple inputs to their senses, Barnett-Cowan said.

The researchers saw the benefits of enriched narratives across a sample of people from 8 to 60 years of age.

This brings us closer to an inclusive way to enhance experiences in virtual reality through game design, said Sophie Kenny, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Waterloo.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Britain's decision to grant China-based Huawei Technologies a limited role in its 5G network despite U.S. concerns will not hinder efforts to reach a U.S.-UK trade deal, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday.

"We will be working with our British cousins on 5G. We think we can work with them and show them options. We'd love to do a free trade agreement," Kudlow told Fox Business Network.

Asked if a reportedly contentious call between U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could interrupt the planned deal, Kudlow said: "No, it wont" and cast doubt on the report.

The Financial Times on Thursday reported that Trump was "apoplectic" in the call with Johnson last week following the UK decision on 5G despite the Trump administration's warning over security concerns.

Britain's decision could impact intelligence information sharing between the United States and its top ally, though Kudlow has previously said no decision has been made yet.

The FT, citing unnamed officials in London and Washington, said Trump was livid during his exchange with Trump. Johnson's office declined to comment on the report.

"I know there's a lot of adjectives coming out of that phone call, I don't think that that's exactly true," Kudlow told the Fox Business Network on Friday.

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Alistair Bell)
The Naval Service is so under-resourced that there are fears it wont be able to combat maritime drug shipments while at the same time adequately patrolling EU fishery waters post-Brexit.

Concerns have also been raised that it may have to tie up yet another ship, due to debilitating manpower shortages.

RACO, the organisation that represents the countrys military officers, said that despite tying up LE Eithne and LE Orla last June, the manpower crisis is deepening by the day and there are concerns that the tying-up of a further ship could be imminent.

RACO general secretary, Commandant Conor King, said it is worrying that even the remaining ships are routinely operating on the edge of the minimum workable crewing numbers.

He pointed out that LE Ciara was on sailing order on December 30, but failed to leave port until January 1 due to illness/injury of crew members.

She was a small number of personnel short of the minimum safety crew of 34. This is the minimum safe number to crew a ship for damage control, fire suppression, and other critical safety considerations, Comdt King said.

The officer said this one man deep phenomenon (if one person is unavailable, the mission cannot proceed) has left the Naval Service in what is described by experts as a fragile state.

When a vessel routinely operates at these lower manning levels, then a crew member becoming sick or getting injured can potentially affect the ships operations. Ships need to be robustly manned, given the nature of a routine MDSO (Maritime Defence and Security Operations) patrol, he said.

When a ships crew is diminished like this, it must get relief personnel, either from other ships or from personnel who are not supposed to be on sea rotation, thereby exacerbating an already stressed working environment.

He said this routine disruption to a persons shore time is causing them to seek alternative employment as a result of the disturbance to their families, and leads to an increase in the frequency of duties for remaining personnel ashore.

This is untenable, and all the more alarming when one considers that the Naval Service has already had to tie up two of its fleet and LE Roisin is in dry dock for her midlife refit. This means that three ships, or one third of the entire fleet, are non- operational, said Comdt King.

Cathal Berry, former second-in-command of the elite Army Ranger Wing, and who has just been elected to the Dail as an Independent, says urgent action is needed to get all the ships operational.

We need to get these ships back in the water as the country is awash with drugs and we simply dont have the sailors to adequately patrol our seas, especially with Britain leaving the EU.

To protect UK maritime territory, its government has ordered two more patrol ships and two surveillance aircraft.

It has also earmarked a further 22 boats that can be deployed at short notice in the event of skirmishes between British trawlermen and their EU counterparts.

In 2018, French and British boats clashed over access to shellfish off the coast of Normandy, and last year it was alleged that French fishermen had attacked Devon-based fishing boats with petrol bombs, as another shellfish war broke out in the English Channel.

Fears have been raised that EU-registered fishing boats could clash with British ones inside or on the edge of the Irish maritime patrol area.

Mr Berry said that when it comes to negotiating a new common fisheries policy with the the UK, if we dont immediately bolster our Naval Service we will be laughed out of the room.

The British will realise we cant back up what were saying, he said. Around 99% of the drugs coming into this country do so by sea. The deterrent isnt there any more because not enough of our ships can go out to sea.
John Starks | Daily Herald (AP)

An Illinois high school student was released from an immigrant detention center with supporters planning to continue a fight against her deportation to Honduras.

Meydi Guzman, 18, was granted bond Wednesday from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. Sara Huser, Guzmans Crystal Lake High School counselor, posted the $2,000 bail and has offered to take in Guzman while she is free.
Let me begin by explaining the Wyle-Schwartz Theory of Political Primaries, so named for the political scientists Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle, who are possibly better known for writing the theme song to Gilligans Island.

Schwartz is the key guy because he also wrote The Brady Bunch theme, and both songs lay out the premises of their shows.

If Sherwood Schwartz had written the theme song to Hamlet, it would go:

Heres a tale of a melancholic lad

Whose uncle killed his father.

That was very bad.

Then came slings and arrows by the dozen.

His uncle married his mother,

So he was his own cousin.

Sorry. Tangent. Schwartzs insight was that the human mind can comfortably hold a maximum of five people. Hence: Gilligan, the Skipper too, the Millionaire and his Wife, the Movie Star ...

There only two more characters but Schwartz knew there was no brain space for them, so the song continues and the rest.

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So the Connecticut 2018 Republican gubernatorial field was perfectly sized and could be sung to the tune of Gilligan. Try it at home: The white mayor Mark, the white guy Bob, the white guys Steve and David, the last white guy, Crazy Tim, all here on Primary Day!

The 2016 Republican president field? Way too many! You cant make a song about all those people. No wonder were in such a terrible fix.

The Democratic field was more like Gilligans Island if it dragged on too long without an adequate food supply Theres Hillary! And Bernie too. The other ones tasted good ...

Which brings us to 2020. From one perspective, we have a Gilli-minyan. The socialist. The schoolteacher. The gay mayor and Old Joe. The moderate, Klobuchar, is hard to categorize!

No. Theres someone else. Someone who has accomplished (Trump people, skip this part, contains abstractions) the quantum feat of being in Gilligans Island without being on Gilligans Island.

That person is Michael Bloomberg.

Last weekend, I announced on social media that I was Bloomberg curious and was surprised by how many people said they were too. I knew a lot of these people, and they exhibited a fair amount of (Democrat-leaning) ideological diversity.

Quite a few of them, if they were to make the trip to Bloombergland, would be making it from Warren Academy, despite the obvious gulf between her idealism and his whatever-works centrism.

(I was also called out for being Bloomberg curious by any number of Bernie bros, who were like, Curious? What else are you curious about? Girls? I bet you like girls. Youre disgusting, dude.)

Here are some reasons to be Bloomberg curious: (a) Having been mayor of New York is closer, as an experience, to being president of the United States than most things are. Being a senator or mayor of South Bend, Ind., is not much like being president of the United States. Actually, I would argue that Donald Trump, after three years in office, also has relatively little experience being president of the United States.

(b) Theres something devilishly alluring about having a person so much wealthier than Trump run against Trump, who is a sopping diaper full of insecurities, many of them connected to money. Bloomberg is worth about $58 billion. Trump is worth, maybe, $3 billion with $200 million liquidity. If you were to tell Bloomberg that you know a guy worth $3 billion with $200 million liquidity, his mental picture would be of a man in a pistachio-stained apron selling Dippin Dots outside Grizzly Jacks Waterpark in Utica, Ill.

(c) Bloomberg is kind of ruthless. Trump has already made it clear that, if he could get Emperor Palpatine to hack into Amy Klobuchars Discover card, hed do it in a heartbeat even it meant he had to start making Trump Steaks out of Ewok bellies. This is what people (including Bloomberg) mean when they talk about Bloomberg going toe-to-toe with Trump. When Bloomberg recently offered Instagram influencers $150 a pop to post nice things about him, one senses he didnt wrestle his way through some inner dialogue about whether this violated any sacred norms of American political expression.

Biggest downside: Bloomberg is, infamously, burdened with the legacy of New York Citys stop and frisk program, which was racial profiling carved onto stone tablets. If stop and frisk seems kind of Trumpy, thats only because it is. Citizen Trump loved the program, raved about it in 2013 and recommended that other cities, notably Chicago, try it. So, even though it strongly suggests Bloombergs shaky grasp on American ideals, its not something his opponent could run against.

Here in Connecticut, Bloomberg is doing his Bloomberg thing: quickly building an operation, hiring skilled people, paying more than the competition pays, shaking the tree for endorsements. Hes collected a bunch, including former New Haven mayor Toni Harp.

The devil appears in many disguises. In his current manifestation he purrs: How badly do you want to save democracy and the climate? Neither one of them will survive another four years of Trump. You know I can beat him. I might even be able to get a few things passed, which is more than I can say for the rest of these clowns. Do you want that? Do you want it enough to pledge yourself to ... me?

Its tempting. I believe the devil is known for being tempting.

Gosh, Skipper, the island used to be so peaceful.

Colin McEnroes column appears every Sunday, his newsletter comes out every Thursday and you can hear his radio show every weekday on WNPR 90.5. Email him at colin@ctpublic.org. Sign up for his newsletter at http://bit.ly/colinmcenroe.
The meeting of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia Gordan Grlic Radman was held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference today.

Minister Mnatsakanyan congratulated Grlic Radman for assuming the chairmanship in the Council of the European union and reaffirmed the Armenian sides support to the priorities of the Croatian chairmanship.

The counterparts exchanged views on several issues on the Armenian-Croatian agenda and particularly attached importance to bilateral meetings at different levels, etc.

Touching upon the EU-Armenia partnership, the parties emphasized the role of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement in the promotion and legal regulation Armenias relations with the EU and EU member states. They also exchanged views on the preparations for the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit.

In the context of enhancement of contacts between people, Armenias foreign minister pinpointed the fact that the launch of the EU-Armenia visa liberalization dialogue is important for Armenia.
The homeless are one of our countrys most neglected and misunderstood populations.

For a few days in 2003, a woman took a leap of faith to give up her comfortable bed and live on the streets with the homeless in Austin, Texas, and to connect with them. In return, she gained a new perspective.

Judith Knotts, 79, has lived in Austin since 2000. She earned a masters degree in educational policy and leadership from Virginia Tech University and has been working in school administration since the 1970s.

While Knotts was growing up and attending public school in Pennsylvania, she recalls her fifth-grade teacher lining up the students desks by grade-point average. Knotts knew, even from a young age, that there had to be a better way to educate students.

That was the seed for trying to improve schools, Knotts said.

Engaging the Homeless

When Knotts arrived in Austin in 2000, she started working as a school principal in elementary, middle, and high schools. Ever since she can remember, she has always had a profound interest in how people become who they are. It was this passion that would lead to her work with the homeless. In 2003, a friend of Knotts told her he was organizing a street retreat group in Austin.

Within two seconds, I thought: Im going. [It] was a total leap of faith, Knotts recalled.

Inspired by his humility and honesty, she went out with the team to live among the homeless for 72 hours.

Judith Knotts worked in education administration before her homeless outreach work. (Dennis Fagan)

Knotts and the group went out without money, credit cards, or phones. All she had was a backpack and didnt know what to expect. The experience affected her profoundly.

It changed my life. I saw a whole different view of the world that I never knew existed, Knotts explained.

Knotts was shocked by the environment that homeless people had to live in. The image of people stepping over a homeless woman sleeping on cardboard on the pavement in an alley stuck with her. The homeless were also kind to her and taught her skills such as where to find water.

She discovered how resilient they are, because after three days and three nights, Knotts was physically and emotionally exhausted. But that was nothing compared to the indefinite period of time that the homeless would have to endure on the street.

Relationships

Knotts looked and continues to look at each homeless person as a person as opposed to a statistic, and considers how she could help. Unafraid, she spends time with homeless people and listens to them. Without asking prying questions, she engages them in conversation and tries to offer a friendly ear.

Although she doesnt spend nights with the homeless on the street anymore, she spends two days a week feeding them and regularly checks on them under the highways and on the street.

Throughout her experience engaging with the homeless community, shes developed deep relationships. One experience that stuck with her was when a homeless man approached her car. She rolled down her window and put her left hand outside.

The man didnt ask for money. He didnt ask for food. He took her hand, and told her how he had spent the day working, and how lonely he was. She got his name, and he went into the woods toward the tent where he lived. Tragically, she learned in the next days obituaries that he had died from an overdose.

I realized I was the last person that had seen him, Knotts recalled.

A homeless man sleeps on the street in Austin, Texas. (Courtesy of Judith Knotts)

The man hadnt asked for any money or any food, he was just in terrible circumstances, Knotts said.

Another homeless man who Knotts befriended had no legs and was in a wheelchair. While at first, he was a little apprehensive to speak with her, a friendship developed. One day, his blanket slipped off and Knotts noticed a knife. He told her it was the only way for him to protect himself. Knotts visited with him regularly for the last year of his life before he too died from an overdose.

[We were] two people [from] opposite ends of the world. We became very good friends, she said. I mourn him. I really do. He asked me for very little, and he gave me so much.

Lessons Learned

Knotts learned a lot from her experiences with the two men, and from the homeless in general. She discovered that underneath everything, people are the same. Were all human beings.

Humanity is what binds us, Knotts said.

She also learned how kind, generous, and resilient the homeless can be. She would give a sandwich to a homeless man or woman, who, in turn, would give the meal to another homeless person who was in greater need. Above everything, she learned how everyone really just wants to be loved.

Judith Knotts has lost several of the homeless men and women she has encountered in Austin, Texas. (Dennis Fagan)

Society often blames the homeless for their situation, but there are many causes for homelessness, Knotts explained.

While some have been abandoned by their families or abused, others struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, or suffer from mental illness. Many are employed but arent able to earn enough to afford housing. Others have no access to education or have been released from prison, which makes it even more difficult to find a job. Occasionally, a traumatic injury leaves a person unable to work. Natural disasters also can force people into the street.

There are so many reasons and we have to look at each one of those homeless people and say What is their issue? Why are they here, and how can I help them as an individual?' Knotts said.

Society largely ignores the homeless population because the situation is ugly, and people put the issue out of their minds. Furthermore, its difficult for the everyday person to imagine becoming homeless.

However, all it takes is one catastrophic event to force an individual onto the street. For example, Knotts was in a homeless camp and encountered a young boy. He asked if she recognized him, and she didnt. In fact, he had been one of her students.

Its not just the lower class, or the uneducated, that becomes homeless. We could allwith one little slipbecome homeless, she said.

Having written for the Austin American-Statesman since 2008, many of Knottss articles have focused on homelessness. In an effort to bring attention to the issue, Knotts compiled a series of 34 articles and short stories into a book, titled You Are My Brother: Lessons Learned Embracing a Homeless Community. She hopes that readers begin to better understand the homeless in their cities, and how to help.

Im hoping that [readers] eyes will be opened, and their hearts will be opened, Knotts said.
HOLYOKE  For the past five years, Receiver Stephen Zrike has worked to improve test scores and graduation rates, establish a dual-language program and build trust with a community skeptical about state control of its schools.

Zrike is expected to become the superintendent of the Salem Public Schools on July 1. Another state-appointed receiver will take over the Holyoke district.

I always knew that this was going to be a temporary position, but I have had a tremendous experience here, Zrike said in an interview Friday, a day after the Salem School Committee named him their unanimous pick.

Zrike announced in December that he would leave Holyoke at the end of the school year and that he was seeking a job closer to his wife and children, who live in Andover.

Before coming to Holyoke, Zrike was superintendent of schools in Wakefield. Previously, he served as chief of elementary schools for the Pilsen-Little Village Network in Chicago. He has also served as a principal in Boston.

School Committee Vice Chairwoman Mildred Lefebvre said Zrike made an effort to connect with the community.

I hope we will get someone as dedicated and so willing to give of himself or herself like Dr. Zrike has, LeFebvre said. He has always been in the community interacting with students and teachers. He has been very open to hearing family voices and their choices and their concerns, and he has taken the time to sit with them and meet with them wherever they feel comfortable. We will need a new leader who is going to do the same, but because that is whats in their heart and its a part of their character.

Longtime Holyoke resident and former City Councilor Anthony Soto said that, while he is happy for Zrike, the transition will be a challenge for Holyoke. He hopes the state will consider hiring someone who lives in the community.

I congratulate him and I think this is a great opportunity for him and his family, Soto said. I hope we can find someone with a truly vested interest in our community, and I believe we have these folks among us. We cannot dismiss the fact that there has been a lot of trauma for many folks in our schools in the past few years. However, we have some of the brightest teachers and they need our support.

Zrike said it can be difficult for a community when the state steps in, as it did in Holyoke due to poor standardized test scores.

I cant help the fact that I wasnt selected by the community. Its no secret that there was a lot of animosity when the district went into receivership in 2015 because folks were angry about not having local control, he said. I will say, however, that people have treated me with the utmost respect and rolled up their sleeves and worked closely with me. I have no complaints about the way I was treated here, given the circumstances.

Zrike said he understands that residents are tired of change, and whoever is appointed by the state as the next receiver will need to strike a balance between pushing new initiatives and supporting the work already being done in the district.

Its always a challenge in districts that are looking to improve to find the right balance between how urgently you implement changes, he said. I think the new receiver needs to be someone who can strike the right balance between support and push. And I think it has to be somebody who really understands and has a strong vision for what excellence looks like in schools and will work on the things that have already been started. I dont think people are interested in seeing a slew of new changes.

Lefebvre said there have been a lot of improvements in the past five years, particularly the expansion of the dual-language program, where students take their classes in both English and Spanish.

Our dual-language program is something that gained a lot of interest from families, she said. We have seen a lot more students coming back to the district because families do want their children to be a part of the program.

Lefebvre also said the district is still moving forward with plans to divide its grades differently, grouping prekindergarten through fifth grade, grades six through eight, and grades nine through 12.

Space is a big concern because we do want to move back into a middle school model, and that will be another challenge since we all know the vote did not pass for two new middle schools, she said. Now we need to figure out how to provide the middle school experience with the space we currently have.

The School Committee developed a good relationship with Zrike, said member Devin Sheehan.

I think he really tried to embrace the Holyoke community and really get involved as the receiver, Sheehan said. Salem is very lucky to have him joining them. My hope is that the next person named by the state will be early enough for a transitional period with Dr. Zrike and the community.

Zrike said what is most important is that the next receiver sees the value in the city and the school district.

Holyoke is a community with tremendous pride and there are a lot of really committed folks, civic leaders and families and students, and their voice needs to continue to be surfaced, and they should be part of the continued turnaround of the district, he said.
Sajid Javid has shared a note left by his 10-year-old daughter for his successor after he resigned as Chancellor.

Mr Javid shared the heartwarming note on Twitter that was hidden by his youngest daughter Maya in a bookshelf at the grace-and-favour Buckinghamshire country mansion, Dorneywood.

The note, written on Dorneywood stationery, said: 'Hello my name is Maya Javid, 10 years old.

'I am Sajid Javid's daughter (the chancellor in 2019). If you are reading this letter then please find a way to tell the world - not only this letter will be famous - you will too!

The note, written on Dorneywood stationery, said: 'Hello my name is Maya Javid, 10 years old

With an arrow indicating to turn the page Maya wrote: 'Advice for next Prime Minister.'

Mr Javid tweeted: 'So happy to spend some more time with my family this weekend. I have to admit well miss Dorneywood though - it was a wonderful place for us to relax and work from some weekends, and the staff were lovely.

'There is a one small legacy there for my successors to find.

'The National Trust did a regular audit of all the historic items a few weeks ago and told us theyd found a note in one of the books. My youngest daughter shifted guiltily

'Turns out Maya had hidden a letter in one of the old bookshelves for lucky future occupants of Dorneywood.

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid leaves his home in London after he resigned on Thursday

Mr Javid is pictured with his family in a promotional video ahead of his leadership contest. His youngest child, Maya, is pictured with her back to the camera

'She eventually showed it to me but didnt want to tell me where it was hidden. Wherever it is, the National Trust have added it to their records, so it is now officially part of the property forever.'

And it is not the first time the Mr Javid's daughter has put pen to paper after Maya congratulated her father for making it to the final four of the Tory leadership content last year.

Maya wrote: 'I am writing this letter because I am proud of you for doing so well for coming this far to being prime-minister.

Sajid Javid has revealed the touching letter written by his daughter in which she congratulated him for making it to the final four of the Tory leadership race

'I love you so much and believe in you and you have to believe in yourself too all you need to become pm is passion, love, confidence and sportsmanship. That's all you need.

'If you don't come pm me and your lovely family will be proud and be grateful that we have such an amazing dad/husband. Love you so much!'

Mr Javid is the father of four children, named Sophia, Suli, Rania and Maya, all with his wife Laura, his childhood sweetheart who he married in 1997.

It comes after Mr Javid insisted no 'self-respecting' minister would have obeyed Dominic Cummings' order to sack his aides - after he quit as Chancellor on Thursday throwing the reshuffle into chaos.

Sajid Javid with his wife Laura and children Sophia, Suli, Rania in a older photo. The Home Secretary is in the final four of the Tory leadership race

Speaking to reporters outside his London home, Mr Javid said Boris Johnson had told him that to stay in government he must accept the replacement of all his five-strong team.

At that point he said he had no choice but to resign: 'I don't believe any self-respecting minister would accept those conditions.'

In a letter to the PM setting out his reasons, Mr Javid said it was 'crucial' for leaders to have people around who would give them 'candid advice, as I have always sought to do'.

'I also believe that it is important as leaders to have trusted teams that reflect the character and integriity that you would wish to be associated with,' he added in a stinging rebuke.

Despite smiling broadly for the cameras as he walked into Downing Street, Mr Javid was then blindsided by Mr Johnson with the ultimatum during a private meeting.

An incensed Mr Javid responded that would make him 'Chancellor in name only'. Although Mr Cummings was not in the room during fraught discussions with Mr Johnson, sources said it was 'obvious' who was behind the move.
Supermarkets and retailers in Vietnam are making bank from the public rushing to stock up on indispensable food supplies, which could ultimately push forward an increase in awareness of food handling and safety.



Sparked by the outbreak and high prices after the holiday, supermarket food quickly depleted

After finishing work at the office, Ngo Thai Bao in Cau Giay district, Hanoi dropped by the nearby VinMart to buy some food, but there were only a few shrivelled old cabbages and carrots left on the shelves.

With the coronavirus spreading across the world, I do not feel like letting my family eat out, and will keep our children at home. For this, I need to stock up our fridge but there are no vegetables left and most of the fresh meat is also gone, she said, leaving the shop empty-handed.

A cashier at the same store explained, We receive a lot of vegetables and meat every morning, but most products are sold in only half a day. Just an hour ago, a woman filled her car with food.

She added that since the end of January when the coronavirus was first detected in Vietnam, people have been buying food in far larger quantities to hoard at home in case the epidemic strikes the area.

Tran Phuong, a resident from Hanois Thanh Xuan district, told VIR of very similar difficulties, failing to find satisfactory vegetables or meat on the shelves. It is the same with cookies and bread  the popular brands are always sold out, said Phuong, who then had to go to the wet market to buy food for dinner.

Last week, Trinh Hoa, a teacher at a primary school in Hanois Hai Ba Trung district, left the building earlier than usual to visit the Intimex supermarket on Le Duan street to buy groceries, with her usual buying habit of asking her husband to come along and carry home as much food as possible.

On the TV, in the media, on Facebook, and at every office, everyone recommended avoiding crowded places to eat, so I will only eat food I made by myself, Hoa said. That day, they bought 30kg of rice, three cartons of noodles, and dozens of cartons of milk, along with almost 10kg of meat, dozens of eggs, and canned food.

These should last her family for two weeks. I will make breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, instead of having breakfast and lunch out like we did before. Anything we buy outside could lead to us being infected, so I would rather not touch anything to keep my family away from the virus, she explained.

Due to worries about the coronavirus, city dwellers have been flocking to supermarkets, some of which have been running empty.

VinMart+ convenience stores stock their shelves full of vegetables every morning. We managed to draw in a lot customers because wet markets are too expensive after the holiday, while our prices remained unchanged during and afterwards. Especially, with the coronavirus outbreak, retail units like us are working much harder than last year to ensure adequate supply, a cashier at VinMart+ told VIR.

At an MM Mega Market supermarket, a staff member from the imported meat division, also told VIR that sliced beef, of which they imported 150 plates after the Lunar New Year, was sold out within two days. Customers kept asking for it, and we are waiting for new shipments, she explained.

The rising demand has contributed to increasing the sales of meat and vegetable suppliers. Vu Anh Tuan, vice senior general director of C.P. Vietnam, the largest farming company in the country, told VIR that the group sold an average of 16,000-17,000 pigs a day, up 5 per cent on-year. According to the groups forecast, its sales will retain that growth momentum in the coming time.

Raised awareness

According to international medical professionals such as Food Standards Australia and New Zealand and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the chance of the coronavirus being transmitted via food is unlikely, as was the case during the SARS and MERS outbreaks previously.

However, in the words of Bui Bich Lien, CEO of Orfarm, an organic farm operated by Japanese standards, the current epidemic highlights the need for people to pay more attention to food hygiene and safety, which plays a key role in strengthening the immune system.

Vietnamese people stock up on medicines while improving their immune system, Lien said. In recent times, the increasing sales at our stores come from regular customers who are aware of the importance of clean food. They also prefer cooking at home instead of going out to make sure their food is safe and that they can avoid crowds. Besides that, sales have also increased thanks to foreign customers  however, they still spend less than our Vietnamese customers, Lien said.

A growing preference for safe food products is apparent among customers, who turn in larger numbers to brands they have faith in  and are even willing to fork out more for it.

This is apparent in the newly-earned popularity of Masan Groups MEAT Deli products. Before the holiday and the coronavirus outbreak, these chilled fresh meat items were often bypassed on the shelves of VinMart+ for cheaper alternatives that were also perceived as safe just for being on the shelves of VinMart+.

However, MEAT Deli products have been selling in increased numbers since the epidemic due to the brands stronger reputation as safe and clean  factors some customers seem to be willing to splash out on.

Customers also have a strong preference for supermarkets over wet markets because they believe the former are cleaner and deemed safer for shopping.

Supermarkets also offer stable prices, even during the outbreak. Chicken and pork currently cost approximately VND130,000-160,000 ($5.60-7) per kg, while vegetables remained at the same price as before the Lunar New Year, at around VND5,000-10,000 (20-40 US cents) per pack.

Numerous supermarkets in Vietnam such as Big C and Lotte Mart came under fire last year for selling goods of poor quality or unknown origins, including withered vegetables, unlabelled food, non-certificated chicken and meat, and in the case of Big C, even veal overrun by maggots.

The coronavirus epidemic becomes the right time for customers to pay closer attention to the quality of the food they purchase and eat, and plans by authorities to stage irregular inspections at retail outlets to check the quality of goods and maintain market stability may be just what is required to change shopping, eating, and safety habits.

According to Article 17 of Decree No.109/2013/ND-CP issued in 2013 on penalties for administrative violations against the law on pricing, fee management, and invoicing, a fine of VND20-30 million ($870-1,300) shall be inflicted on taking advantage of economic crises, natural disasters, wars, fires, epidemics, unusual circumstances, and state policies to impose irrational prices. Remedial measures include compulsory remittance of the money earned from irrational pricing to the government budget.

Khuc Tien Ha - Managing director Big C North

Since the epidemic broke out, our customer volume has tripled compared to the figures before. The most sold-out products are vegetables, fruit, instant meals, and canned food, as well as essential goods such as face masks and handwashing soap.

People have rushed to supermarkets to buy these products because the supply at traditional and wet markets was impacted by the icy rain and the long Lunar New Year holiday. Meanwhile in supermarkets, including Big C, both the supply and the selling price of these products remain stable.

Regarding face mask products in particular, Big C has co-operated with Vinatex to provide customers with high-quality products at reasonable prices. Especially, we reserved face masks which are strong enough for Big Cs staff to use for up to three months.

Vu Thanh Son - General director, Hapro Mart Currently, the novel coronavirus epidemic has been causing difficulties for output of provinces specialising on planting dragon fruit and watermelons, in provinces such as Binh Thuan, Gia Lai, Long An, and Tien Giang. To realise the call of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade in supporting farmers in the wake of possible wider expansion of the epidemic, BRG Group has committed to buying over 200 tonnes of fruit. The programme has been carried out in 24 stores such as Hapromart, Haprofood, Intimex Home & Food, Seikamart, and Fujimart under BRG Group since February 5, at a price without profit of VND6,900 (30 US cents). This is a practical way for us to express our responsibility to the community, suitable with BRGs motto of bringing the best service and products to consumers. The groups retail units such as Hapro have over the years been proactively stablising prices, promoted market demand, and took Vietnamese goods to rural areas. Nguyen Anh Duc - Standing deputy general director Saigon Co.op Peoples demand during the crisis for products such as masks and handwashing soap has risen. They rush to buy these two products at sky-high prices at pharmaceutical stores, medical markets, and on social networks. However, many people are unaware of the stable prices at supermarkets which can afford because of their wide distribution and warehouse networks. Notably, in our supermarket systems, which includes Co.opmart, Co.opXtra, Co.op Food, and Co.op Smiles, despite specialising in supplying food and essential goods, within five days all of them sold three million masks without increasing their prices. In order to meet the soaring demand on masks and handwashing soap, the company worked with suppliers across the country to supply 200,000 masks and 10,000 handwashing bottles every day. On regular days, Co.opmart and Co.opXtra sold from five to 10 packs every day, but at the peak time of the coronavirus so far, the figure reached 300-500 packs each with 50 units per pack, and these were sold out in one or two hours. In a number of supermarkets, we further divided larger packs into small ones of either five or 10 units in order for every customer to be able to buy the product. VIR



Kim Hara

Sustainability, food safety management vital for Vietnam: AmCham As Vietnams population continues to grow, coupled with increasing incomes and the rising demand for new food and beverage markets, issues related to sustainability and food safety management standards have become crucially important.
A Canadian couple were astounded while prepping their dinner last weekend when they discovered a live green frog inside a bell pepper.

Nicole Gagnon and Gerard Blackburn from Saguenay, Quebec, were making dinner on February 9 when Gagnon chopped into the pepper and made the discovery.

The frog escaped harm from his close call with the kitchen knife - but the couple had zero clue how the small amphibian ended up inside the vegetable, which they'd picked up from a local supermarket.

The couple reported the animal, which was later identified as a green tree frog, to the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ).

The green tree frog was allegedly found inside a whole pepper by Canadian couple Nicole Gagnon and Gerard Blackburn but experts have yet to find out how it got there

The tiny green tree frog can be seen sitting at the base of the pepper that was chopped into

Video: ICI Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

Ganon and Blackburn claim that there was no visible hole in the pepper and they could not see how the frog could have crawled in.

They immediately placed both the frog and the pepper in a separate container and reported it to the local grocery store and MAPAQ, who were both just as confused.

'It's like the secret of Caramilk, how the frog ended up in the pepper, I don't know!' Gannon told Radio Canada.

Blackburn added: 'They cannot see it. A pepper is closed. You can't see if there is a frog in there or not.'

Since the pepper was imported into Canada, it seems from Honduras, the incident was passed on to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to investigate the cause.

Unfortunately, MAPAQ officials killed the creature by euthanasia in order to carry out tests to discover how it came to be in the couple's food.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Quebec receive about 20 reports a year of live creatures being found inside food but it normally occurs with insects and spiders whose appearance is easier to figure out.

MAPAQ explained that it is highly unusual to find an amphibian in food, whereas plastic or even metal are much more likely.

They also explained that they were forced to kill the frog so the investigation could continue.

There are types on green tree frogs in both Honduras and Canada.

Nicole Gagnon was chopping the pepper from a local supermarket when she spotted the frog

The couple immediately put the frog and pepper into a container as they contacted experts

The Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Canadian Food Inspection Agency carried out tests on the frog in which it was killed in order to solve the mystery

'The analysis was carried out by euthanizing the frog to carry out the laboratory expertise,' said MAPAQ spokesperson Yohan Dallaire-Boily.

'If we analyze it, it's for food security, to make sure everything is healthy for the people who have consumed it or not.'

Gagnon's son spoke to Vice and confirmed that the family had no clue how the frog found its way into the $1.99 pepper from Honduras.

'Maybe an insect carried an egg inside. That's my only idea. The pepper was whole,' was his theory.

So how exactly did the frog get inside the pepper? Here's the theories:

There was a hole in the pepper or the frog ate into it

How closely do you check all your vegetables before you start to cut them?

While the couple claim that the pepper was whole before they started to chop, there may have been a hidden crack in the flesh through which the frog could have squeezed through and not been able to jump out of again.

One theory also goes that the frog had eaten into the pepper and climbed inside to eat more but this appears unlikely as frogs are carnivores who feed on insects.

If it did climb through a hole in the pepper's skin, it may have been on the hunt for something else that had first carved it out.

The green bell pepper is believed to have come from Honduras where there are also tree frogs

The frog climbed through a crack when the pepper was growing and it resealed itself

According to Professor Barry Micallef, a plant physiologist at the University of Guelph, peppers can sometimes crack if hit with heavy rain early in their development.

'It may have cracked with the rain,' he told Vice.

'Peppers are prone to cracking and splitting because they're thin-walled and hollow inside unlike most fruit. So what I think happened is either a frog or tadpole got into the pepper and then it developed inside.'

'If it was a young enough pepper a crack could have healed over after,' Micallef added.

In order for this theory to work, the pepper must have been grown in a field were it would have been exposed to rainfall and not in a greenhouse. This theory would fit if the pepper did come from Honduras as they are grown on the ground there.

University of Guelph Prof. Barry Micallef explained a crack can form in a pepper if it is grown outside and is hit by rain in early development although the theory is unlikely in this case

The frog itself would already have had to be fully formed in this instance, however, as while a pepper only takes between 20 and 25 days to fully mature, depending on the species of frog, it can take weeks to years for a tadpole to metamorphose.

The tadpole would also have to have been at the very end of its developmental cycle if it climbed in through a rain crack and was a fully-formed frog by the time the pepper was cut.

The tadpole theory does have one benefit, in that although frogs are carnivores, tadpoles are vegetarian, so would have been more happy to feed off the pepper if trapped inside.

'It might have just been like a little cocoon in there, a good enough environment that this little tadpole might have developed,' said Micallef.

'If it wanted food after it could have always eaten the pepper.'

The answer from a frog specialist

According to Patrick Moldowan, the Director at Large at the Canadian Herpetological Society, this frog appeared too large at the time it was exposed to have been a tadpole when it entered the pepper.

He said that the white lip strip, horizontal pupil, and body proportions identified it as a green tree frog but that it had a strange coloring that was more than likely brought on by stress.

'It almost certainly did not come to be a sizable adult frog by developing as a tadpole,' Moldowan told Vice.

'For example, the egg development time, process of metamorphosis, and post-maturity growth (to reach adult size) are well beyond the time it takes a green pepper to grow.'

Moldowan agreed with the theory that there was simply a hole in the pepper that had gone unnoticed and that the frog crawled through.

Patrick Moldowan from the Canadian Herpetological Society believes it is most likely there was a hole in the pepper that the couple did not notice and that the frog had crawled through

The frog is said to be a green tree frog but there are several kinds in Canada and Honduras

The white lip strip, horizontal pupil, and body proportions identified the frog but it was a different shade of green, thought to be because of the stress caused inside the pepper

Immaculate Conception

Is this small green tree frog the second coming of Christ, but in amphibian form?

He may have croaked it but we'll have a definite answer to this one if it bounces back to life in three days. Although what kind of message a higher power is hoping to send with a sign like this is anyone's guess.

The frog has appeared in various kinds of folklore and symbolism in different cultures. It was commonly used as a symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt and by the ancient Greeks and Romans.

In medieval Christian tradition, land frogs and water frogs were used to represent righteous and sinful congregationalists respectively, so if a sign from the heavens, this frog would lead us to believe we're on the right path.

It could be a hoax

Nicole Gagnon and Gerard Blackburn appear to be trustworthy and honorable people from their media interviews since the viral discovery.

But it's possible the frog-finding is a hoax. Or they could they just have missed the frog jumping in while they were cutting the pepper.
Pope Francis speaks at the opening of the judicial year of the Tribunal of the Vatican City State, expressing his confidence in the work of the judicial authorities, and noting that recent financial investigations were prompted by reports originating within the Vatican itself.

By Vatican News

Pope Francis on Saturday addressed members of the Tribunal of the Vatican City State and other officials concerned with the administration of justice and the protection of law and order.

Justice begins with personal conversion

The Holy Father offered two main points of reflection in his address. First, he spoke about the Gospel, which teaches us that the justice proposed by Jesus is not a simple set of rules applied technically, but a disposition of the heart that guides those who have responsibility. He emphasized that justice must begin within each one, with our own personal conversion. This, he said, is the only justice that generates justice!

Pope Francis noted, too, that justice must be accompanied by other virtues, especially the other cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, and fortitude. He said that judges especially must find answers that combine justice with the higher virtue of mercy  which is not the suspension of justice but its fulfilment. He also encouraged them to continue in their commitment to understand the causes of error, and the fragility of those who have broken the law.

Reforms an integral part of Church's ministry

The Popes second main point of reflection dealt with the laws that regulate interpersonal relationships and the ethical values that provide the context for those laws.

He noted the reforms that have brought significant changes to Vatican legislation, motivated by a need for modernization, but also and above all the need to respect international commitments the Holy See has undertaken on behalf of the Vatican state. These commitments, the Pope said, deal primarily with the protection of human persons and social groups. The main purpose of these reforms, he continued, must therefore be inserted within the Churchs mission; indeed, it is an integral and essential part of her ministerial activity.

Effectiveness and efficiency of enforcement

The recent reforms have brought to light suspicious financial situations, he said, which are still under investigation. But he highlighted the fact that the first reports of irregularities came from within the Vatican itself, demonstrating the effectiveness and efficiency of law enforcement actions, as required by international standards.

In particular, Pope Francis noted that the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City has also distinguished itself for its investigative activity in support of the Office of the Promoter of Justice.

While praising the work of reform, Pope Francis recognized that all efforts at reform remain dependent on people. We need, therefore, a particular attitude on the part of the operators, not only intellectually, but also morally and deontologically, he said. In this sense, the promotion of justice requires the contribution of the right people.

Awaiting Divine Justice

Pope Francis concluded his address by reminding those present of the words of Jesus in the Gospel: By the measure with which you judge, you will be judged. The Gospel, he said, reminds us that our attempts at earthly justice always have as their ultimate horizon the encounter with divine justice, that of the Lord which we await. These words should not frighten us, but only encourage us to carry out our duty with seriousness and humility.
Even just a few years ago, Nick Rosal said daytime hours in downtown Rahway were pretty bleak. There werent many people around, and its streets were dotted with empty storefronts.

Im not going to say it was a ghost town, but there werent really many people walking around, he said.

At the time, Rosal and his wife, Heidi, owned a gallery and frame shop in the Flatiron District in New York City. Facing rising rents, they were looking for a place to move the shop.

Artists and business owners like the Rosals are just the type of people Rahway was looking to attract to change its downtown and its image, according to Amy Garcia Phillips, the managing director of the Rahway Arts and Business Partnership, also known as the RABP.

Rahway, she said, has spent the last 20 years working to fill its streets with art, music, comedy, and theater in the hopes that they would spur additional development throughout the Union County city of 30,000.

In the past few years, Garcia Phillips says, its ramped-up efforts are paying off.

Dance companies practice in town, and galleries have art installations. There are music nights and poetry slams. Local residents helped spruce up the paseoa previously empty, neglected public spaceand now use it for community events. Art galleries host filming screenings and open mic nights.

An artist at a Culture Crawl setup.Provided by Amy Garcia Phillips

Garcia Phillips said the RABP doesnt keep a record of business openings and closings in the downtown, but she estimates there are about 30 businesses opening a year since 2017.

Its a process, it takes time, Garcia Phillips said. But I really feel in the last few years, were getting more dedicated artists recognizing it as an arts district. Theyre enthusiastic about making their mark on the arts community.

Rahway, a formerly industrial city that borders Linden and Clark, is a primarily working-class town where the median home value from 2014 to 2018 was $266,300, according to Census data.

Rahway used to be an industrial hub, mayoral advisor Joe Brown said, with nearby railroad lines running through it and the Rahway River flowing throughout the city. Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co.s headquarters were based in Rahway, and a factory churned out Wheatena cereal, he added.

Like many industrial cities, that went away, he said. The companies became less labor dependent and more technology dependent. The city lost a lot of their industrial base, similar to many other towns during the time.

The historic Union County Performing Arts Centerwhich was built in 1928 and underwent a $6.2 million restoration in 2008is located in Rahway, but many people associated the city instead with the nearby prison, which is actually in the Avenel section of neighboring Woodbridge.

It was called Rahway Prison because it was the only city around that had a post office, Brown said. But in 1988, residents petitioned the name to be changed to its current namethe East Jersey State Prison.

Several years ago, the perception of Rahway (was) Oh, isnt that where the prison was? Garcia Phillips said. (It was) very disheartening for people. The prison isnt even there!

But thats changing, she said, with the new development additions and flourishing artist community. The citys leaned into three pillars for its rebranding efforts over recent years, Mayor Raymond Giacobbe said: redevelopment, arts and culture, and transit.

The Rahway Train Station, which serves NJ Transits North Jersey Coast Line and Northeast Corridor Line, underwent a $16 million renovation in 1999. Two years later, a public plaza in front of the station was created.

Development surrounding the station has followed, both in retail and housing.

Specifically, over the past few years, Rahway has been diligently redeveloping the downtown area, with a focus on arts and culture, attracting destination retail that gives an experience that you cant buy online, Giacobbe wrote in an email.

Rahway has a special improvements district designation to promote economic growth, which was established in 1993. Last year, the district designation expanded, to include almost the entire city, Brown said.

The Litehouse Shop with their artwork created during the Culture Crawl last year.Provided by Amy Garcia Phillips

Businesses and multi-family property owners located in the designated area pay an additional property tax assessment, which goes into a fund managed by the RABP. With the expansion, more revenue is directed to the RABP, which goes back into improving the city, she said. The money has funded projects like adding to the streetscape and upgrading the lighting in the more industrial parts of the city.

Currently, property owners within the designated area pay a 7% tax on their property values to help fund the RABP, which has an annual operating budget of $140,000. However, the number will increase as the special improvements district expands, Garcia Phillips said.

Town officials say in the last five years, five luxury apartment developments have gone up downtown, or nearby. Combined, the buildings offer a total of more than 600 units. The latest a five-story building with 116 units in walking distance of the train station called The Mint opened in mid-January.

We recognized Rahways growing appeal as a desirable residential destination with a unique urban-suburban character, said Nils Berten, the vice president of the Slokker Groups USA operations, one of the two developers of The Mint.

Rahway, and this location in particular, has everything we look for when scouting new locations for development projects, he said. The Mint is only a short walk from New Jersey Transit service on both the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast routes, and is just steps from Rahways bustling Main Street.

All the while, the arts scene keeps growing.

Together the RABP and Rosal, who moved his Atelier Rosal frame shop to Rahway in 2017, put together an outdoor music night series that started as a dozen or so people stopping to listen and turned into a group of 100 people hanging out for a few hours.

He is also forming a new group called the Rahway Creative Alliance, which is a collective made up of local artists, and started poetry and open mic nights at his gallery.

The city hosts a yearly event called Culture Crawl, where pockets of art setups are scattered throughout the area. And on Jan. 3, Rosal collaborated with Brian Remo, the director of the Union County Performing Arts Center, to host a new three-day arts festival, called The Downtown Bohemian Festival. The festival spanned five events and included music performances, poetry, art, and a youth program.

Getting their underground poets, spoken word, open mic-ers, and giving them a big stage once a year, Remo said, explaining the idea behind the festival. Then they can go back and hit the speakeasy and the open mics and the poetry pits and the plazas and the art parks and inundate those for the next year.

Part of Rahway's Big Thurday's in June included the Baile! Rahway Dance party.Amy Garcia Phillips

All of the changes seem to be drawing people to the city.

The population grew 9.4% from 2010 to 2018, according to U.S. Census data.

I think were ignited. I really think that were taking off, Garcia Phillips said. The match is lit, and were just going to expand even more.

Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @briannakudisch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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PALM BEACH, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested Thursday after officers spotted him hiding near President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort, authorities said.

Palm Beach Police charged Allen Cox, 38, with violating a previous trespass warning that prohibited him from being near the property, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Trump was not in Florida at the time of the arrest.

Cox told police that he had been sleeping in between the bushes and privacy wall of the private club so he would be safe, according to an arrest report. He also told officers that he had no home address.

Cox acknowledged that he had been given a previous trespass warning but that he preferred jail to seeing his parents, the report said.

Cox was released from jail on $500 bond. Jail records didnt list whether he had an attorney who could comment.
File image

The CPI on February 15 sought adequate protection for party leader and former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar after his cavalcade was attacked in Bihar. The left-wing party's general secretary D Raja took up the matter of providing security to Kanhaiya Kumar in a letter to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Kanhaiya Kumar's cavalcade was attacked in Arrah on February 14 by a mob opposing his state-wide tour against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), seriously damaging the vehicle in which he was travelling and leaving several people injured.

"The purpose of my writing to you is to draw your attention and seek your intervention to stop the attacks on our comrade Kanhaiya Kumar, who is member of the National Executive of our party and former president of JNUSU," Raja said in a letter to the Bihar chief minister.

"You are aware of the situation in the country today. The BJP led government at the centre has plunged the whole country into a turmoil by passing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)," he wrote.

Raja said "it has become very clear by this time that CAA-NRC-NPR are to be understood as one entity". He said the CAA is discriminatory against one particular minority community and it is violative of the basic tenet on citizenship of the country's Constitution.

Kanhaiya Kumar has been leading a Jan-Gan-Man yatra in Bihar against the CAA-NRC-NPR which started on January 30 from Bapudham, Champaran and is likely to conclude on February 27 at Patna.

In the letter, Raja claimed there is "huge response" to this campaign. "However, some forces and miscreants who are opposed to this campaign are targeting Com. Kanhaiya Kumar and attacking his convoy. Yesterday's attack near Arrah was fatal; somehow our comrade has escaped.

"In this regard, I draw your attention to what Bombay High Court has said, that is, people who want to agitate in a peaceful way cannot be called traitors, anti-nationals only because they want to oppose one law," he said.

Raja requested Nitish Kumar to intervene and provide adequate protection to Kanhaiya Kumar and the Jan-Gan-Man yatra and also to take action against the culprits who attacked him and the yatra.
KCKPD: Officers exchanged gunfire with shooting suspect The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department is investigating an officer-involved shooting involving a shooting suspect.The incident happened Friday morning. Police said officers were dispatched to the scene of a shooting at a home in the 900 block of Haskell Avenue.When they arrived, the found a woman who had been shot inside the home.

Aftermath of this shooting across the state line as police confront shooter suspect of injuring a woman and then turned his gun on officers . . . Read more:
Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour and employment, has asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) to look inwards over the los...





Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour and employment, has asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) to look inwards over the loss of some states to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).





In 2019, the ruling party lost Zamfara and Rivers to the PDP due to internal crisis.





In the case of Zamfara, the APC contested and won elections but the supreme court annulled the partys victory in the house of reps, senate, state assembly and governorship on the grounds that it did not hold valid primaries.





On Thursday, the victory of the APC was also cancelled in Bayelsa after the supreme court held that Biobarakuma Degi-Eriemienyo, running mate to David Lyon, the APC guber candidate, presented forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).





Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the party, had kicked against the ruling, saying there were attempt to foist a less popular candidate on the people of Bayelsa.





He subsequently said his party had agreed to seek legal redress over the issue.





But Keyamo, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), toed a different line, asking the party to examine its internal mechanism.





The S/Court has been firm & resolute so far regarding pre-election cases & Election Petitions. I commend their lordship. As a party, we have to look at our own internal mechanisms that make us give our victories needlessly away to the opposition & take appropriate actions, Keyamo wrote on Twitter.





The S/Court has been firm & resolute so far regarding pre-election cases & Election Petitions. I commend their lordships. As a party, we have to look at our own internal party mechanisms that make us give our victories needlessly away to the opposition & take appropriate actions  Festus Keyamo, SAN (@fkeyamo) February 14, 2020 Douye Diri of the PDP has been sworn in as the fifth civilian governor of Bayelsa. Douye Diri of the PDP has been sworn in as the fifth civilian governor of Bayelsa.




Take one look at Army veteran Elana Duffy and you'll notice her leg, which was amputated after she sustained major nerve damage in a Humvee crash while serving in Iraq.

But when strangers approach Duffy to thank her for her sacrifice, she often tells them that the lasting impact of losing her leg does not compare to the daily pain she endures due to an injury invisible to the naked eye: a traumatic brain injury.

"I've said it before: What if they could just cut my head off?" she told CNN.

Duffy has experienced slurred speech, migraines, facial paralysis, vertigo, memory loss and vision problems. It took more than two years before she was diagnosed with a brain injury and rushed into emergency neurosurgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

TBIs, the signature injury of the protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are often persistent, debilitating and life-altering. They can also be deadly.

"A brain injury is no joke, and it can be a living hell," says Kit Parker, a research scientist and professor at Harvard University, who specializes in TBIs and currently serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves.

"Brain injuries are a catalytic event for [diseases like] Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease. A lot of time these people are not diagnosed until their 60s. Some of these same soldiers are seeing these symptoms in their 30s."

Last month, as President Donald Trump tried to deescalate tensions with Iran after its retaliatory airstrike on an Iraqi military base housing US soldiers, he stressed that no Americans were harmed.

But in the weeks that followed, the Pentagon revised upward multiple times the number of service members suffering traumatic brain injuries of varying degrees as a result of the attack. There are more than 100 confirmed TBIs, the Pentagon now reports, some cases severe enough to prompt the military to evacuate service members to Germany for treatment.

"I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things, but I would say and I can report it is not very serious," the President said when asked about initial reports that some service members had been evacuated out of the combat zone.

"I don't consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I've seen. I've seen people with no legs and no arms. I consider them to be very bad injuries. I do not consider those to be very bad injuries, no."

Veterans groups aghast at Trump's comments

Even nonpartisan veteran service organizations, who make a point of staying out of politics, were aghast. They count TBIs as one of the top health issues facing vets and worry the President's comments could jeopardize hard-won awareness about TBIs and discourage service members and veterans from taking their symptoms seriously and seeking potentially lifesaving treatment.

Still, the President did not retreat from his comments. In an interview earlier this week he said, "I viewed it a little bit differently than most, and I won't be changing my mind on that."

But since 2000, TBIs have changed the minds, literally, of 350,000 service members like Duffy, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. Most of them also suffer from post-traumatic stress.

In 2005, Duffy was riding in a Humvee when a roadside bomb exploded as her convoy rolled by, the force throwing her head back into a metal plate inside her armored vehicle. Her helmet was no match for the concussive force.

She describes it as "being hit by a freight train from the front and a brick wall from the back. My head had nowhere to go."

Duffy was immediately dizzy and kept losing her balance.

"I didn't know anyone's name or where we were or what we were doing. But I was terrified that I was for some reason just losing my mind."

Duffy was worried if she reported her symptoms it could endanger her security clearance and even end her career.

"So," she says, "I kind of covered for it."

Two and a half years later, an MRI revealed a life-threatening mass of coagulated blood in the center of Duffy's brain. Unbeknownst to her, she had been living with a ticking time bomb inside her head. She was lucky to still be alive.

The military ultimately awarded Duffy a Purple Heart -- for her TBI, not for her leg.

Ryan Britch

Ryan Britch was serving in the Vermont Army National Guard when he deployed to Eastern Afghanistan in late 2009.

He was regularly conducting patrols with his unit and they encountered enemy forces about once a week, he says, often exchanging mortar fire.

Britch recalls multiple close calls with incoming mortars, but one particular explosion at close range shortly before he was due home changed his life forever.

The shell exploded about 10 meters away.

"That's really when I started noticing differences in my personality," he says. "Dizziness, headaches, memory and concentration issues. I was very irritable. Some of my best friends had turned into my enemy."

Still, he didn't connect the mortar blast to his symptoms. After all, he hadn't been hit by an improvised explosive device. He didn't understand his brain could still be injured by his exposure to explosives.

After returning home from combat, Britch was at the grocery store when dizziness overwhelmed him and he fell to his knees.

"There's a lot of symptoms that overlap with post-traumatic stress. Mostly memory issues and irritability, but the dizziness and the headache and me falling down and losing my balance, I knew there was something wrong."

Doctors discovered that Britch had a TBI. He began managing his symptoms and, over time, saw improvement. Still, it made his daily life hard.

After leaving the army, Britch went to college. He had difficulty concentrating and interacting with his peers and couldn't read and write the way he had before his injury. He was plagued by irritability and frustration.

"My relationship with my girlfriend at the time was a complete disaster, probably because of my PTS and TBI, looking back on it now," Britch says.

He currently works for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, a nonpartisan veterans service organization, raising awareness about TBIs and other veterans' issues.

It's true that headaches are a hallmark of TBIs, but they can't be casually dismissed as minor symptoms.

Nick Jason

Nick Jason, a Marine Corps veteran with a traumatic brain injury, suffers from excruciating headaches at least five times a week.

"It's not a headaches like you or I would have," says his fiancee, Sara. "I've seen people with migraines and that's terrible. But when you see what Nick goes through with a headache it's different."

Sometimes he wakes up with them. Sometimes they strike with little warning in the middle of the day while he's at work as an IT field technician for a health care company. The headaches usually last through the night and sometimes they're so bad he throws up.

In 2006, when Jason was on his second of two back-to-back tours in Iraq, he perched atop of his amphibious assault vehicle, which doubled as a troop carrier, helping provide security at an Iraqi police station an hour outside of Fallujah. With his legs inside the turret, he reached down to grab his cigarettes from his ankle pocket. That's when a rocket propelled grenade tore through the engine block and shrapnel went flying.

"I fell down the turret and bent over like a taco. Somebody dragged me out. They thought I was dead," he says.

Jason was unconscious. He came to and a medic gave him a once-over.

Shrapnel had shredded his flak jacket and helmet cover and his plates of body armor were broken. He was nauseous, his head ached and his back was killing him.

"I didn't know at the time about TBI. Nobody did," he says.

There in Iraq he was diagnosed with soft tissue damage to his back and a stage 2 concussion, given a prescription strength anti-inflammatory painkiller and put on light duty for ten days, performing vehicle maintenance.

About a year after Jason returned home, he and other Marines at the rifle range where he was now working were tested for brain injuries as part of a blanket assessment as the military started to realize the prevalence of the condition.

It became clear that his severe headaches, anxiety, depression, memory loss and strange mood swings were not just from PTSD.

One of his Jason's biggest challenges is memory loss, which he compensates for by writing everything down in his phone immediately.

"It's just gone. Short-term memory: I can't remember details this morning, I can't remember conversations I had yesterday. Memories from when I'm a kid, they're just gone. I have like nine memories from when I was kid. I listen to people talk about their childhood. I don't remember any of it."

He spends a lot of time at home with his fiancee and his two children from a previous marriage. He plays bagpipes in a band but mostly avoids public places and the people in them, an aversion that began about the time of his injury.

When people see the Purple Heart tattoo on his arm, the most frequent question it evokes from strangers is "whose is it?"

"It's the equivalent of people getting out of a car with a handicap sticker and they're not limping," he says, of people not realizing that many war wounds are not visibly apparent.

Jason explains that he's uncomfortable being recognized for his injury, but he also wants people to know what he and others are facing.

"If anything, it will help people understand I'm not just being an asshole. I'm having a rough day. And maybe there's a reason for it."

Please send story ideas and feedback to homefront@cnn.com
Some of them are, to be frank, rather unfashionable wines that would force any discerning dinner party host to conceal the label. Others are from that iconic wine-making region of, er, Romania. But all have one thing in common  theyre all deeply drinkable vinos costing 6 or less.

And today that price tag is certainly something to take note of. For the average price of a bottle of wine in the UK is set to break through the 6 barrier this year despite the fact that almost ten million drinkers currently spend less than 6 for their bottle of plonk. Thats close to half of the nations wine drinkers.

Its all down to years of wine tax hikes taking their toll, with prices rising at an increasingly fast rate in recent years. In fact, wine has seen more duty increases than spirits, beer and cider since 2010, with 50p in every pound spent on wine bought to consume at home now going on tax.

Here, our drinks expert Helen McGinn navigates her way through a selection of 6 bottles so you know what low-priced gems to snap up  and what you should definitely avoid.

If youre one of the 6 drinkers who wont countenance breaking the bank for your wine, this is the guide for you

Whites

Unfashionable has never been so scrumptious

Loire Muscadet 2018, 6, M&S

You might think that the more you pay for wine, the better the quality. But its more complicated than that. Big brands mark up their prices to cover sizeable marketing budgets.

And wines from unfashionable regions that arent dinner party trendsetters  like this one, from the understated Loire Valley  is great value for money.

Loire Muscadet 2018, 6, M&S: The wine is rested on its lees (yeasts after fermentation) for about a year, adding depth of flavour

Yes, Muscadet might not be the wine to set the world on fire but if you want a cool, crisp glass of fresh citrus-flavoured white at the end of your day, this is properly refreshing.

The wine is rested on its lees (yeasts after fermentation) for about a year, adding depth of flavour.

Vino Verdict: 3/5

The ultimate fridge door banker

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, 6, Tesco

This is a no-fuss take on New Zealands most famous wine. From the Marlborough region, its light and lemony with a twist of gooseberry. And its what I like to call a fridge door banker. A very gluggable buy.

Vino Verdict: 3/5

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, 6, Tesco: This is a no-fuss take on New Zealands most famous wine

A peachy dream from sunny france

Voyage au Sud Vermentino, 5.99, Waitrose

Vermentino might sound Italian, but the grape is grown in France, too, where its often known as Rolle and is found in Provence rose. But its a gorgeous grape on its own and can be light or richer depending on where and how its made.

This ones from a co-operative in the Languedoc-Roussillon region and its a peachy dream. Taste-wise, it lies somewhere in between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Perfect when you cant decide between the two.

Vino Verdict: 4/5

Voyage au Sud Vermentino, 5.99, Waitrose: Vermentino might sound Italian, but the grape is grown in France, too, where its often known as Rolle and is found in Provence rose

Reds

A Romanian juicy gem

Waitrose Romanian Pinot Noir, 5.99, Waitrose

Cheap Pinot Noir can, in many cases, prove to be a false economy. Most are too thin and weedy to do this delicate fruit any favours. But this one  made by an innovative producer in Romania (a country which, believe it or not, is the sixth biggest wine producer in Europe)  manages to bring out the grapes juicy side with lovely raspberry and cherry flavours. Buy a decent French Pinot Noir and you might pay double.

Vino Verdict: 3/5

Waitrose Romanian Pinot Noir, 5.99, Waitrose: Cheap Pinot Noir can, in many cases, prove to be a false economy

Its simply a-douro-ble!

Douro Red, 6, Tesco

Normally associated with wine served from decanters, the Douro Valley is where fortified wine Port comes from. But it also makes fantastic red wines and, again, because it might not instantly spring to mind when thinking about buying red, the prices are relatively sensible.

This is a typical blend of grapes including Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tempranillo with buckets of flavour. Think bramble fruit and a touch of earthiness. Definitely worth the price tag.

Vino Verdict: 4/5

Douro Red, 6, Tesco: Normally associated with wine served from decanters, the Douro Valley is where fortified wine Port comes from

Big, bold and boozy

Cotes du Rhone 2018, 6, M&S

Not for the faint-hearted, this one. Packing a hefty 14.5 per cent alcohol, its big and bold and loaded with black fruits, a big kick of spice and plenty of teeth-gripping tannins. And given how well known the Cotes du Rhone name is, prices for their cheaper wines, like this one, remain relatively good value.

Made from a blend of Grenache and Syrah grapes, you get a lot of flavour for your money. And that always goes down well.

Vino Verdict: 5/5

Cotes du Rhone 2018, 6, M&S: Packing a hefty 14.5 per cent alcohol, its big and bold and loaded with black fruits, a big kick of spice and plenty of teeth-gripping tannins

A stonkingly good plonk

Exquisite Argentinian Malbec, 5.99, Aldi

You cant move for Malbec on the shelves nowadays, but not all of them come from this particular higher altitude spot, the Uco Valley in Argentinas Mendoza region. Altitude helps bring out the fruit in the grapes and this one is packed with plum and blackberry fruits, sprinkled with spice.

This has come down in price (it used to be 6.29), so make the most of this stonking value wine before it goes back up again.

Vino Verdict: 5/5

Exquisite Argentinian Malbec, 5.99, Aldi: You cant move for Malbec on the shelves nowadays, but not all of them come from this particular higher altitude spot, the Uco Valley in Argentinas Mendoza region

A tasty italian job

The Wine Atlas Negroamaro, 6, Asda

Another hidden gem  this is from southern Italy and made from a local grape known for its deeply coloured wines. One of the best selections on Asdas shelves, The Wine Atlas range showcases little-known grapes from around the world and theyre all under 6, so definitely worth hunting out. This is a favourite, big and earthy with masses of blackberry fruit flavours and a hint of mint.

Vino Verdict: 3/5

The Wine Atlas Negroamaro, 6, Asda: Another hidden gem  this is from southern Italy and made from a local grape known for its deeply coloured wines

Rose

Fresh and fabulous

Exquisite Sud de France Rose, 5.99, Aldi

Remember, rose is for life, not just for summer. And this is one of the best southern French rose wines around at this price. Its not from Provence  if it were, it would be almost double the price  but its from nearby vineyards and made from a similar blend of grapes.

If you like your wines with plenty of fresh cherry flavours balanced with citrus, you wont be disappointed. Great value.

Vino Verdict: 5/5

Exquisite Sud de France Rose, 5.99, Aldi: If you like your wines with plenty of fresh cherry flavours balanced with citrus, you wont be disappointed

Sparklers

Light spritz hits the spot

Vale dos Pombos Vinho Verde 2018, 6, Co-op

A brighter, lighter option for anyone wanting a glass of fizz but without quite so much alcohol, this is just 9.5 per cent. Made from a blend of Portuguese grapes including Loureiro, Trajadura and Arinto, this Vinho Verde (meaning green wine) is zippy and comes with a slight spritz. Its all about the crunchy green apple fruit flavours, topped off with a big squeeze of lemon. Seriously refreshing stuff.

Vino Verdict: 4/5

Vale dos Pombos Vinho Verde 2018, 6, Co-op: A brighter, lighter option for anyone wanting a glass of fizz but without quite so much alcohol, this is just 9.5 per cent

...and the 6 wines to avoid

Boring, Boring don't bother!

Dolphin Bay Chardonnay 2019, 6, M&S

Life is too short to drink bad wine. And that includes boring wine. This one, Im afraid, is just too meh.

Vino Verdict: 0/5

Disappointing fizz falls flat

Allini Prosecco Spumante, 5.99, Lidl

Now, Im usually not fussy when it comes to Prosecco, but sometimes you really do get what you pay for. This is flat on flavour. Disappointing, even at this price.

Vino Verdict: 1/5
New Delhi, Feb 15 : The Orange city of Nagpur will be developed as Orange cluster on the lines of industrial clusters developed in different parts of the country to boost domestic manufacturing and promote exports.

As part of this initiative, Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has been made the nodal agency to develop necessary infrastructure to increase exports of oranges from Nagpur.

The cluster development plan for the city has been conceived as part of agriculture export policy (AEP) that aims to identify focused markets for increased exports. The main focus of this is to increase the exports of Nagpur orange in the Middle East countries and to brand the fruit crop in that region.

First consignment of Nagpur oranges was flagged off to Dubai on February 13, 2020 from Vashi, Navi Mumbai. Total 1500 crates were loaded in the refrigerated container from Vanguard Health Care (VHT) facility.

Nagpur mandarin oranges is one of the best mandarins in the world. Production of this fruit crop in central and western parts of India is increasing every year. Mrig crop (monsoon blossom), which matures in February - March, has great potential for export since arrivals of mandarin fruit in international market are less during this period.

According to Maharashtra State Agriculture Department, 40 lakh hectare land is under orange cultivation in Nagpur District and major orange growing pockets are Warud, Katol, Saoner, Kalameshwar and Narkhed in Nagpur and Amravati districts. In the whole region only one variety Nagpur Mandarin is grown.

Under the initiative to build Nagpur as orange cluster, a Buyer-Seller Meet cum Training programme was also held on December 5, 2019 at Vasantrao Naik Agriculture Extension and management Training Institute (VANAMATI), Nagpur. Around 150 farmers from Nagpur District, Farmer Producers companies and seven exporters participated.

The International Trade in 2018 for orange was $10183 million. India produced 8781 thousand tons of orange in 2018-19 (orange includes Mandarin, clementine).
Woman posed as baby photographer before drugging new mom to steal her child: Authorities originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

A woman was arrested Friday in Washington state after she allegedly conspired with her teenage daughter to pose as a newborn photographer and drugged a new mother in an attempt to steal her child, officials said.

The 38-year-old woman, who goes by multiple names but uses "Juliette" as a first name, advertised on Facebook that she would take free photos of newborns so she could build her portfolio, according to a statement from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

PHOTO: Deputies executed a warrant at the residence of the suspect named 'Juliette Parker' near Spanaway, Wash., who posed as a newborn photographer. The 38-year-old woman was arrested on multiple felony charges, as well as her 16-year-old daughter. (Courtesy Pierce Country Sheriff's Department )

The new mother contacted "Juliette" and let her take photos of her child inside her home on three occasions, according to police.

On the last visit, the suspect and her 16-year-old daughter gave the woman a cupcake and the woman began to vomit and feel numb and drowsy after eating it, police said.

The woman ordered the two to leave, and then noticed that they had stolen her house keys, she told police. Police later purchased and installed new locks and window guards at her home.

She reported to authorities that she thought she had been drugged. Police did not say what substance may have been used in the cupcake.

The daughter was also arrested.

PHOTO: A Pierce County Sheriff's deputy installs a new lock at the victim's home after a woman posing at a newborn photographer entered her her home and stole her keys. (Courtesy Pierce Country Sheriff's Department)

The woman also told police that she saw the 38-year-old woman taking selfies with her newborn and wiped her fingerprints off items she touched inside the home.

The suspect, of Pierce County, was arrested on multiple felony charges, police said. Authorities did not immediately respond to ABC News for comment Saturday as to the exact charges she and her daughter face.

Police urged anyone who had been contacted by a woman who used the name "Juliette Parker," "Juliette Noel" or "Juliette Gains" to call authorities at 253-798-7724.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for the Demo-2 mission made it to Floridas Space Coast on Feb. 13, 2020.

The spacecraft that will fly SpaceX's first-ever crewed mission has made it to Florida.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule arrived on Florida's Space Coast on Thursday (Feb. 13), NASA officials said, completing a cross-country trek from the company's California headquarters.

"The spacecraft now will undergo final testing and prelaunch processing in a SpaceX facility on nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station," NASA officials said in an update.

Technicians at a SpaceX processing facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station can now start prepping the vehicle for the launch that will kick off Demo-2, a historic test mission that will send NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station (ISS).

Video: Watch SpaceX's Demo-2 Crew Dragon spin in a critical prelaunch test

Crew Dragon in Florida ahead of its flight to and from the @space_station with @NASA astronauts @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug onboard! pic.twitter.com/nerz0QujsoFebruary 14, 2020 See more

That liftoff is targeted for early May from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, which is next door to Cape Canaveral.

Demo-2 will mark the first crewed flight for Crew Dragon, and the first orbital human spaceflight to lift off from American soil since the final space shuttle mission in July 2011. But it won't be the first trip to the ISS for a Crew Dragon; one of the capsules aced the uncrewed Demo-1 mission to the orbiting lab in March of last year. (That vehicle was destroyed in April during a ground-test accident.)

SpaceX employees with Crew Dragon before it departed our Hawthorne factory for the launch site in Florida  one step closer to returning human spaceflight capabilities to the United States! pic.twitter.com/ekaVJf9HDtFebruary 12, 2020 See more

If Demo-2 goes well, SpaceX will likely be cleared to begin operational crewed missions to the ISS for NASA. In September 2014, the space agency awarded Elon Musk's company a $2.6 billion contract to finish development of Crew Dragon and fly six crewed flights to and from the orbiting lab.

NASA signed a similar $4.2 billion deal with Boeing, which is developing a capsule called the CST-100 Starliner. But it's unclear when Starliner will be ready to start flying astronauts. Boeing's vehicle suffered several software problems during its version of Demo-1 in December 2019 and failed to reach the ISS as planned.

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook .
The United States said Friday it would refuse entry to Sri Lankas army chief over what it called credible evidence of human rights violations in the 2009 finale to the civil war.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, whose appointment last year drew widespread international criticism, will be ineligible to visit the United States, as will his immediate family, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

The allegations of gross human rights violations against Shavendra Silva, documented by the United Nations and other organizations, are serious and credible, Pompeo said in a statement.

We urge the Sri Lankan government to promote human rights, hold accountable individuals responsible for war crimes and human rights violations, advance security sector reform, and uphold its other commitments to pursue justice and reconciliation, he said.

Silva was the commanding officer of a key army division in the final months of the military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.

Rights groups say some 40,000 ethnic Tamils were killed in mass atrocities as government forces seized Sri Lankas predominantly Tamil north. A UN report said Silva played a major role in orchestrating the war crimes.

The Sri Lankan government said it took strong objection to the travel ban on Silva and asked the United States to reconsider.

It reiterated its stance that there were no substantiated or proven allegations of human rights violations against him.

It is disappointing that a foreign government should question the prerogative of the democratically elected president to call upon persons with proven expertise to hold key positions on national security related matters, the government said in a statement.

The 2009 offensive delivered a death blow to the Tamil Tigers, whose nearly four-decade campaign for a separate homeland had killed 100,000 people and was characterized by rebel suicide attacks.

- Message to other post-war states -

Kate Cronin-Furman, an expert on mass atrocities and human rights at University College London (UCL), said a visa ban would be a pretty small disincentive if seeking to stop ongoing atrocities.

But if instead we think about this as an effort to get states like Sri Lanka to stop appointing war criminals to leadership positions, then the prospects look much rosier, she said.

Other nations post-war governments, seeing the visa ban on Silva, could conclude it is easiest to just not promote a war criminal in the first place.

The Sri Lankan government will likely get some domestic political mileage out of Shavendra Silvas visa ban. But theres no doubt that its embarrassing to have your army commander barred from entering the US, she said.

The Tamil diaspora in the United States has been active in pressing for action by President Donald Trumps administration, which has often been low-key in addressing human rights with friendly countries.

The action comes despite US efforts to woo Sri Lanka away from China, which has lavished money on the strategically placed island traditionally allied with nearby India and in 2017 assumed control of a port after the Colombo government could not repay loans.

A State Department spokesperson said that the visa sanction against Silva does not place additional restrictions on security assistance or military engagement in Sri Lanka.

In 2017, the United States provided $39 million to Sri Lanka to boost maritime security. The United States has also looked to step up counter-terrorism cooperation with Sri Lanka after last years Easter Sunday bombings carried out by Islamist extremists.

We deeply value our partnership with the Sri Lankan government and the long-standing democratic tradition we share with the Sri Lankan people, Pompeo said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 22:37:45|Editor: yan

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BEIRUT, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's state security on Saturday arrested a Palestinian national for belonging to the Islamic State (IS), the LBCI local TV channel reported.

The suspect was arrested in Sidon in southern Lebanon and was referred to judicial bodies for further investigations and other legal procedures.

Lebanon has, in the past few months, arrested a number of suspects who were allegedly behind attacks in the country.

The latest terrorist attack in Lebanon was carried out by Abdel Rahman Mabsout, an IS member, who blew himself up in Tripoli in June 2019, killing four members of the Lebanese army and internal security forces.
Five schoolboys are accused of savagely beating a 20-year-old man into a critical condition at a train station.

The group of uniformed boys from Churchlands Senior High School, in Perth's north, allegedly bashed Matthew Henson at Stirling train station on Thursday.

Mr Henson was taken to Royal Perth Hospital and remains in an induced coma with bleeding on his brain.

Five teenagers wearing Churchlands Senior High School uniforms allegedly kicked and stomped on 20-year-old Matthew Henson in a train station attack on Thursday

The attack at Stirling station, in the north of Perth, left Mr Henson in a critical condition

His accused attackers have been charged with aggravated robbery and committing acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm.

The teenagers allegedly targeted Mr Henson because they wanted his shoes and kicked and stomped on him in the attack.

It is also believed that one of the teenagers stole Mr Henson's shoes while another took his bag.

The alleged attack was witnessed by ten people and only lasted half a minute.

A Transperth customer service officer was the first person to help Mr Henson after the beating.

Public Transport Authority's David Hynes told 7NEWS: 'We were able to go and render assistance to this victim within a minute or so of it happening.'

'This was extraordinary in that it was broad daylight, a public place, an absolutely brazen incident,' Mr Hynes said.

Police are also investigating an incident on a bus travelling to the station that may have been linked to the assault.

The bus was number 998 which travels a route from Nedlands to Stirling Station.

The gang of schoolboys are expected to face Perth Children's Court on March 3.
Though both are opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and citizenship screening, the president of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students union Aishe Ghosh and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee have landed in each others crosshairs.

Two state-run universities in Kolkata have not allowed Ghosh to address meetings on campus and the state police have not permitted her to hold a rally.

Such actions will only strengthen the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The police in West Burdwan district did not allow me to hold a rally in Durgapur on Wednesday. In the next two days I was not allowed to enter Calcutta University (CU) and Jadavpur University (JU), Aishe Ghosh said in Kolkata on Friday evening after meeting students at Presidency University.

The issue was raised by Left and Congress leaders in the state assembly on Friday. The opposition accused the chief minister of restricting Ghoshs movement and said Mamata Banerjee wanted to be the sole face of the movement against CAA.

Banerjee reacted sharply to the comments while giving her reply to the debate on the recent state budget.

Our government never stops any opposition party from holding a movement. But have you forgotten what happened at Hazra? Banerjee asked.

She was referring to the incident of August 17, 1990, when a CPI(M) worker, Lalu Alam, hit her on the head with a baton. Banerjee, then a youth Congress leader, suffered a serious injury.

Ghosh, who rushed from one meeting to the next in Kolkata, said, If the opposition did not have any freedom and political space for 35 years during the erstwhile left regime, how could TMC (Trinamool Congress) come to power?

On Thursday, Ghosh led veteran communist leaders, intellectuals and thousands of youths in a rally against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in the heart of Kolkata.

The TMC government, however, drew flak when the doors of CU, where Ghosh was supposed to address a meeting of students and teachers, were closed in a hurry to stop her entry.

CU authorities told the students that they could not allow an outsider to hold a political meeting on campus. This triggered protest by CU teachers.

Ghosh had to address the gathering on College Street outside CU and led the rally till Shyambazar in north Kolkata.

Both TMC and BJP want to silence the voice of democracy, said Mayukh Biswas, the national general secretary of the Students Federation of India - the students wing of the CPI(M) - of which Ghosh is a member.

Teachers and staff of the university had gathered to listen to Aishe. We cannot make such discriminations at this hour, said Parthib Basu, general secretary of Calcutta University Teachers Association.

The chief minister does not want anyone else to be the face of the anti-CAA movement. She fails to understand that this is a movement of the people, said senior Congress legislator Manoj Chakraborty.

Incidentally, the chief minister had decried the violence at JNU, Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia University last month and offered her support to the students.

The chief minister has said repeatedly that leading the anti-CAA movement is her responsibility. People should let her do her job, said veteran TMC minister Sadhan Pandey.

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At the same time, the top diplomat admits that Iran is unable to decipher data without help.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran does not intend to hand over the black box flight recorders from the downed Boeing operated by Ukraine International Airlines, at the same time acknowledging the fact that the country cannot extract information from the black boxes without external help.

At the same time, the top diplomat told NBC News that Iran would not start deciphering the recorders "without the presence of all interested parties."

Zarif defended Iran's decision not to hand over the black box from the Boeing-manufactured aircraft, downed by Iranian forces on January 8 shortly after takeoff from Tehran Airport.

Zarif called the incident a tragedy and noted that most of the 176 passengers killed had Iranian passports and relatives in Iran.

Read alsoPS752 downing: Ukraine releases intercepted tower communications proving Iran was aware of missile launch all along

Under international aviation rules, Iran had the right to lead the investigation into the downing of the airliner, Zarif said. But he said Iran needed software, cables and additional expertise from the U.S. or other Western countries to be able to decipher the information in the black box.

"We have asked for help, why haven't the United States helped us? This is a humanitarian issue. Why haven't they given us the software? Why haven't they given us the expertise?" Zarif said.

"There are still a lot of unknowns. That's why we want more than anybody else to know what is in the black box, to know what actually happened."

For the moment, "it's just sitting there," Zarif said of the black box.

Asked if anyone is already working to decipher data from the black boxes, Zarif said, "No, no. we will not touch the black box without the presence of all interested parties."
Former Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith says his future plans after losing his Cabinet post are "things like going to the pub". (Picture: REUTERS/Henry Nicholls)

A sacked Cabinet minister has revealed what he plans to do after losing his job in Thursdays reshuffle - go to the pub.

Julian Smith was one of the scalps claimed by Boris Johnsons reshuffle as he was replaced as Northern Ireland Secretary by Brandon Lewis.

Speaking to Sky News on Friday, Smith wished his successor the best of luck in the role and revealed what his plans are now hes lost his Cabinet role.

I think my future plans are things like going to the pub, said the Skipton and Ripon MP.

Im now going to my constituency but I wish the new Cabinet, new Secretary of State, all the best of luck.

Read more: Did the nickname given to Sajid Javid by Cummings allies prompt his resignation?

Read more: Labour MP Angela Rayner tells sacked Tory ministers to stop 'moaning'

Smith also shared an anecdote about a constituency school visit in which a child quizzed him about Boris Johnson.

He wrote: Constituency school visits almost always hit the nail on the head. Today no exception, describing how the child had asked him if he knew the Prime Minister.

Constituency school visits almost always hit the nail on the head. Today no exception:

Child - 'do you know Boris Johnson?' Me- 'yes' Child - 'wow. when did you last meet him' Me - 'er, yesterday' Child 'really! How was it?' Me 'er, er, er...great, it was just great'.  Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) February 14, 2020

When he replied that he did, it prompted the pupil to ask when he had last met Johnson and when he said Thursday, the pupil asked: Really! How was it?

Smith, referring to the fact he had been sacked from his role during that meeting, said he replied: Er, er, er great, it was just great.
Motorola Solutions has won a trade secret theft and copyright infringement case against Chinese rival Hytera Communications Corp, for which it has been awarded $764.6 million in damages. Hytera, however, has pledged to appeal.

"A jury in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has decided in favour of Motorola Solutions in its trade secret theft and copyright infringement case against Hytera Communications Corporation of Shenzhen, China; Hytera America, Inc.; and Hytera Communications America (West), Inc. (collectively, "Hytera")," Motorola Solutions said in a press release on Friday.

In connection with this verdict, the jury awarded Motorola Solutions $345.8 million in compensatory damages and $418.8 million in punitive damages, for a total of $764.6 million. "Motorola Solutions was awarded the maximum amount it requested," the tech giant said.

Following this verdict, the company will seek a worldwide injunction preventing Hytera from further misappropriating Motorola Solutions' stolen trade secrets and infringing its copyrights, it said.

"Today's verdict is a tremendous victory for our company," said Greg Brown, chairman and CEO, Motorola Solutions. "Motorola Solutions has always invested significantly in research and development to bring pioneering and beneficial technology to our customers around the world. In contrast, Hytera was simply profiting off of the hard work and innovation of our world-class engineers. The jury's verdict validates our global litigation against Hytera by definitively affirming that stealing trade secrets and source code will not be tolerated."

Motorola Solutions had filed the trade secret theft complaint on March 14, 2017, alleging that Hytera's two-way radios and repeaters utilising stolen Motorola Solutions trade secrets. The company amended its complaint on July 30, 2018, to include copyright infringement allegations, asserting that Hytera also unlawfully copied Motorola Solutions' source code into the source code used in Hytera products in violation of US copyright laws.

The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Hytera stole over 10,000 Motorola Solutions confidential documents, millions of lines of Motorola Solutions' highly confidential source code and took steps to conceal its theft to avoid detection, it added.

"Remarkably, after steadfastly denying any wrongdoing in the years prior to trial, Hytera admitted during trial that in fact it has those thousands of Motorola Solutions confidential documents in its possession and that even today some of its products still contain stolen Motorola Solutions source code," Motorola said.

By Chitranjan Kumar

Also Read: IQOO 3 with 5G enabled Snapdragon 865 chipset to launch on February 25, confirms company

Also Read: Panic, confusion and payment promises from telcos after Supreme Court's AGR blow?
Tammy Loertscher was 14 weeks pregnant when she went to the emergency room in Taylor County, Wisconsin, to seek medical care. Loertscher suffers from a thyroid condition and takes a daily supplement to ease the symptoms.

Shortly before she became pregnant, she lost her job and the medical insurance that came along with it. Without her prescription medication, she began to self-medicate with methamphetamine to ease the debilitating depression symptoms of her condition.

After taking two positive pregnancy tests, Loertscher immediately ceased the meth she was using a few times a week and drove straight to the hospital in the hopes of getting help. Worried about the health of her child, she assumed they would make sure she and the baby were healthy and put her on a safe and legal drug for her thyroid. Instead, she ended up in jail, missing her first appointments with an obstetrician and living in conditions unsafe for a pregnant woman for nearly 20 days.

Loertschers story is the subject of Personhood, the debut feature documentary from director Jo Ardinger, which is screening at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival on Sunday and Tuesday (see box for details).

The film dives far beyond the right to choose, and looks at the growing system of personhood laws across the country that aim to criminalize and police pregnant women, she said.

Ardinger first heard of personhood laws in 2011, when a fight was waged between pro-choice and pro-life advocates in Mississippi. The laws were being written, with often confusing and unclear language, to create no-exception bans against abortion, she said.

But what Ardinger learned was that these laws that prioritize the rights of fetuses were being used against women who had no intention of ending their pregnancies.

I learned about how many advocates were on the ground working on this particular issue, but I didnt feel that it was really being lifted up in terms of the mainstream media. So I thought that it was an important hole that needed to be filled in telling this full story of reproductive oppression.

In 1997, Wisconsin passed the Unborn Child Protection Act, a personhood law that allows the state to take an expectant mother into custody and put her in long-term, inpatient drug treatment or even jail. It forces doctors to break the patient-doctor confidentiality agreement and call the authorities if they find even trace amounts of drugs or alcohol in a pregnant womans system, Ardinger said, adding Loertschers results were both trace and marked inconclusive.

In Loertschers case, shortly after blood tests and an ultrasound, she was brought into a room in the hospital with a judge and her fetus lawyer on a speaker phone. Loertscher did not have a lawyer present and was unsure of what was going on.

The choice they gave her: Go to an inpatient drug treatment program for the remainder of her pregnancy or go to jail.

Loertschers story illustrates how focusing solely on protecting the fetus is leading to dangerous situations for both mother and child, Ardinger said, adding that under some of the language in these personhood laws, women could go to jail for having a miscarriage.

I try to make the point in the film that this is actually happening and has been happening for many, many years and that these arent fantasies or scare tactics of people who believe in womens rights of bodily autonomy.

In another case highlighted in the film, a pregnant woman in Alabama was jailed for having a miscarriage after being shot in the stomach.

Their reasoning was that she shouldve known better than to put herself in a dangerous situation, Ardinger said. For so long anti-choice groups have solely focused on the world of the fetus and the rights of the fetus. Its kind of blinded people to the absurdity of the situations theyve created when these laws get put in place.

The danger comes in creating a scenario where women can be held accountable for the outcomes of their pregnancies, she said, adding that at the end of the day, personhood laws are ultimately about punishing and controlling women.

What if you went hiking and slipped on some loose dirt and fell and had a miscarriage? she asked. If you give the state the ability to do that, then youre opening up the possibility for women being punished or sent to jail for anything that could be seen as endangering the life of a fertilized egg embryo or fetus.

Ardinger said Loertschers story so clearly humanizes the personhood debate.

"I think what Loertschers story does so well is explain that this is not a black and white issue, Ardinger said. What would Tammys world have looked like if the help she sought actually came to her?

At one point, Loertscher asks the prosecutors whether her legal issues would have gone away if she had just sought and received an abortion, Ardinger said. Their answer was yes.

And thats the problem, is that if youre trying to encourage women to have healthy pregnancies and get the care they need, that you wouldnt threaten them with something so onerous like jail time or punishments that could encourage them to end their pregnancies.

In the film, Loertscher eventually sues the state, challenging the Unborn Child Protection Act as unconstitutional.

She just never wanted this to happen to another woman, Ardinger said. It was so traumatic for her and she was treated in such a dehumanizing way.

While a judge initially ruled on Loertschers side, a year later the decision was vacated on a technicality.

Ardinger said she hopes the film encourages people to pay attention and stay engaged in local politics, because these laws are made in state legislatures.

We really want the film to tell people, what are the consequences of this so that they understand the full ramifications of the things that they think they might support.

Personhood is nominated for best feature at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, which Ardinger said is really exciting after nearly eight years of work with a small, dedicated team.

It feels so good that this film is being recognized because it makes me feel like people understand that this is a very critical issue and they see the value in making it.

The festival is a special event for Ardinger, because its where she first pitched the idea for Personhood years ago.

That was a real boost for this very small team of filmmakers and were so excited to come back with the finished film, she said.

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Don't know parents' birthplace, will go to detention camp: Ashok Gehlot

India

oi-PTI

Jaipur, Feb 15: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said demanded that the Centre withdraw the amended Citizenship Act, which has triggered a spate of protests across the country, to maintain peace and harmony.

Terming the amended law against the spirit of the Constitution, Gehlot said the NDA government should withdraw it so that peace and harmony can be maintained. He said this at Shahid Smarak in Jaipur where people are holding a sit-in protests against the CAA.

Assuring the protesters that the law would not be implemented in the state, Gehlot said he would be the first one to go to a detention centre if need arises.

The senior Congress leader said that information on birthplace of parents was being sought for NPR.

"If I am not able to furnish the details, I too would be asked to live in a detention centre. You stay assured, if such situation comes then I would be the first to go there," Gehlot said.

The chief minister said that the BJP government in Assam has refused to implement NRC.

Ashok Gehlot slams Anantkumar Hegde, says BJP has no regard for Mahatma Gandhi

"It is the right of a government to make a law but a government should rule as per the sentiments of the people. Like Delhi's Shaheen bagh, protests are being held at many places across the country, including Rajasthan. The government should understand public sentiments," he said.

Gehlot said several chief ministers were against the CAA. "We want the Centre to reconsider its decision," he added.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 11:25 [IST]
BALTIMORE - The novel coronavirus at the center of a widening global public health emergency arrived here last Friday in two thumb-size vials, nested in dry ice and multiple layers of protective packaging.

The samples, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, remained in deep freeze until Monday afternoon, when virologist Matthew Frieman at the University of Maryland School of Medicine got clearance from an internal biosafety committee to open the tubes in his secure laboratory and begin experiments.

While the number of cases of the coronavirus continues to grow - to more than 60,000 cases, nearly all in China - the virus is also beginning to multiply in laboratories around the world. A select group of U.S. researchers have now received samples of the virus derived from the first U.S. case, a 35-year-old man in Snohomish County, Washington, who recovered. Others have ordered the virus and are waiting.

As the virus rages in China and infectious-disease experts nervously monitor infections that could seed other outbreaks in at least two dozen other countries, it's the scientific work in these laboratories that may lead the way to a therapy or vaccine that could help save lives and fight this outbreak - or the next one. Studying the virus is the first step toward discovering new ways to stop it: by testing potential drugs, developing animal versions of the disease and probing fundamental questions about how it makes people sick.

Wearing head-to-toe protective suits and breathing air pumped and purified by respirators mounted on their belts, Frieman and colleagues have already begun infecting monkey kidney cells with the new coronavirus in clear laboratory flasks and letting it do what viruses do best - replicate.

"A handful of us that have been talking a lot over the last month, just slack-jawed at the pace of what's going on, both in our labs, and where we're trying to plan - as well as what this outbreak is really doing out in the world," Frieman said. "I think we're going to do everything we can do to help this outbreak, without knowing what this outbreak looks like after today."

Frieman plans to test two dozen drugs that showed promise against two previous lethal coronaviruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), to see if they work against the new coronavirus. Because those drugs have already been tested in humans and approved for other conditions, such as cancer, they could be rapidly put into use. He's also partnering with companies that need the expertise of a laboratory that works directly with the virus to test new therapeutics or vaccines.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which created an Ebola medicine, is already working with the federal government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to develop a drug that could be used against the novel coronavirus.

Leonard Schleifer, chief executive of Regeneron, said that an experimental drug that blocks the virus from entering cells could be ready for human testing within three to six months. The company is using harmless "pseudoviruses" that mimic aspects of the virus to develop their experimental drug, but they will eventually work with Frieman to test their compound against the real thing.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, researchers are focused on testing drugs that they hope could work for this outbreak - or the next coronavirus to leap from animals into humans. A major bottleneck in creating a drug for a new pathogen is the time it takes; often, by the time the drug is ready to be tested in humans, the threat has subsided. One solution is to create broad-acting drugs that could be ready to use against multiple pathogens, and remdesivir - a Gilead Sciences drug that is already being used in a clinical trial in China - is a candidate that they plan to test, because it has performed well in animal and laboratory tests against SARS and MERS.

Another drug that works similarly to remdesivir is being developed by researchers at a nonprofit company, Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (Drive), owned by Emory University. That drug was initially developed as a possible treatment for influenza, but it could also work on the coronavirus and other viruses that are made up of genetic material called RNA.

"Across any given time on Earth, about 86 percent of the disease burden is estimated to be from RNA virus infections," said George Painter, chief executive of Drive. "The idea was to find a broad-spectrum drug that would answer the public health need for treatments for a lot of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, as well as biodefense threats."

Testing lots of different drugs on cells and animals infected with the virus is conceptually simple, but science can be finicky and laborious. For example, the coronavirus that causes SARS successfully infects mice but doesn't make them ill, so researchers had to modify the virus to create a lethal mouse strain of SARS. MERS didn't even infect mice, so researchers had to genetically tweak the mice so that they were susceptible to it. An early study found that an existing strain of laboratory mouse can be infected by the new coronavirus, but researchers still need to see whether it works in their hands.

Timothy Sheahan, a virologist at the University of North Carolina, said that the science is moving so fast and early results are emerging so quickly that it has been hard at times to know which experiments to prioritize, and even which results to trust. The benefit of scientists openly sharing results is that people aren't slowing down research efforts by withholding information, but it adds a new challenge - the research is coming out so fast it may not be vetted or have been repeated multiple times to make sure it is right.

"The pace of research is so fast, your top priority today could vanish into thin air the next day," Sheahan said. "People are posting pilot experiments; they're writing papers on single studies that probably haven't been repeated or reproduced or done with the same rigor you normally would do your science. It's hard to know what to believe."

The circle of experts with knowledge and the laboratory setups to research coronaviruses is relatively small, in part because funding for the field has fluctuated. Interest spikes when a lethal outbreak occurs, such as SARS in 2002, but then attenuates as the danger subsides. Not every laboratory can study lethal coronavirus, which requires a high level of biosafety protection. Frieman's lab door carries a yellow biohazard warning. Behind one securely locked door is an anteroom, where scientists suit up with personal protective equipment. Air pressure in the laboratory is kept lower than the outside air, to make sure no harmful airborne pathogens escape. Any equipment or garbage that leaves Frieman's laboratory must go through a special door that looks like a submarine hatch, where a pressurized, high-temperature sterilization cycle melts down Petri dishes and other waste.

Keeping such a lab afloat is like running a small business, and before the coronavirus outbreak, Frieman was considering shifting more of his lab to studying influenza. That uncertainty has affected others in the field, too.

Anthony Fehr, a University of Kansas virologist, started out studying herpes and was initially hesitant to move into the coronavirus field. When he was choosing which lab to complete his postdoctoral work in, there was a dip in interest; SARS had burned itself out and MERS had not yet emerged.

"At that point, funding for SARS and coronavirus had started to dwindle," Fehr said. "I was a little tepid about my future career opportunities in this field. . . . I took the chance."

Fehr now thinks that recent history has taught us that coronavirus research should be a priority, and he is gearing up to screen about 400,000 potential drugs to see if any show promise.

Painter moved to the nonprofit Drive after a successful career developing drugs at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. After working on HIV and hepatitis B, he wanted to create a solution for diseases that are unlikely to interest companies because novel infections may flare up and create worldwide alarm, but then burn out before a drug is approved.

Many researchers are caught between the desire to help people during this outbreak and the hope that the virus dies down faster than the science moves forward. But one thing is sure: even if it abates, it's only a matter of time before another threat emerges. This virus could return in the fall, or a different lethal coronavirus could jump from animals to humans.

"I think it's very clear this is not the last time we'll see a new coronavirus emerging in the world," Frieman said. "So we are going to do our best to make sure we have a therapeutic on the shelf for someone to use in the future, whether it's for this outbreak or future outbreaks."
This article, Potentially hazardous asteroid spotted passing Earth with its own tiny moon, originally appeared on CNET.com.

Astronomers say an asteroid the size of the Empire State Building that flew by our planet earlier this month had a sidekick.

Radar images from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico showed that asteroid 2020 BX12 is actually a binary system. In other words, the big space rock is carrying around a smaller asteroid 70 meters (230 feet) in diameter that orbits it like a tiny moon.

With a diameter of up to 450 meters (1,476 feet) according to NASA data, the larger of the two asteroids qualifies the system to fit the definition of a potentially hazardous asteroid, which is based solely on its size and vicinity to Earth. It does not, however, mean that 2020 BX12 actually presents a potential hazard to humans anytime soon. In fact, it already passed by us on Feb. 3 at a distance more than 11 times as far as the moon is from the Earth.

Arecibo Observatory

Astronomers' calculations do show that 2020 BX12's orbit around the sun could one day bring it closer to Earth than the moon, but NASA data so far shows no chance of this occurring before the year 2200, and it doesn't appear that there would be any chance of impact.

So no need to worry about this big space rock and its partner -- or perhaps it's a smaller space rock accompanied by a big bodyguard?

One thing to ponder, though, is that this binary system was imaged when the Arecibo Observatory first came online following a month-long shutdown from earthquakes in Puerto Rico. It makes me wonder what other oddities might have been missed during those weeks offline.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 15:39:59|Editor: xuxin

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SANAA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels said they shot down a "Torando warplane" belonging to the Saudi-led military coalition in the northern province of al-Jawf, the group's al-Masirah TV reported on Friday.

"The plane was downed with advanced ground-to-air missile in al-Masloub district," the television cited a statement by the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea as saying, without providing further details.

However, there was no immediate confirmation from the coalition.

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Iran-allied Houthi rebels since March 2015 to support the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Ulster Bank must meet regulations in its own right, says CEO Jane Howard. Photo: Paul Sherwood Photography

Ulster Bank expects to bring its stock of NPLs (non-performing loans) below 5pc of all lending by the end of the year, in line with broad targets set out by Europe's single supervisory mechanism.

The Irish bank's status as a standalone subsidiary of UK parent Royal Bank of Scotland, rather than a branch, means it must meet European regulators' target in its own right, Ulster Bank CEO Jane Howard said.

That is in contrast to rival KBC Ireland, which said on Thursday its Irish arrears can be consolidated in the wider KBC Group, easing pressure to sell bad loans.

That pressure is on Ulster Bank, which has an NPL ratio of under 10pc, which will fall when 800m of bad loans announced in October are derecognised from the balance sheet this year following a sale to a combination of investor CarVal and loan manager Pepper.

The bad loan ratio will fall to 5pc by the end of this year without further loan sales, Ms Howard said, but she refused to rule out the possibility of future sales.

The country's third biggest lender reported a 13pc rise in new lending to 3bn.

Operating profit was 55m for 2019, the bank said. That was up from 15m in 2018 despite a drop in overall revenue, in part reflecting a sharp drop in costs and write-backs of 38m.

Meanwhile, Ulster parent RBS's new chief executive, Alison Rose, unveiled a new strategy on Friday, including renaming itself as NatWest.
The United States will tomorrow evacuate the 428 Americans trapped aboard a cruise ship in Japan as the number of coronavirus-infected passengers continues to climb.

Two State Department planes will be dispatched to airlift the stranded citizens and their families to Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento, California.

Once on US soil, they will undergo a further 14 days of quarantine, sparking 'apprehension' among passengers who have been under lock-down aboard the Diamond Princess since February 5.

The cruise ship initially had 3,700 passengers and crew, but during its quarantine in Yokahama some have been carted off the liner to be treated for the deadly infection.

The rescue mission comes as the number of confirmed cases on the ship jumped 67 on Saturday, bringing the total number of diagnoses to 285.

The US is to evacuate 428 Americans who have been trapped on board a cruise ship in Japan (Diamond Princess pictured, with Hazmat-suited drivers leaving port)

The cruise ship initially had 3,700 passengers and crew on board and was put under a two quarantine on February 5

Paul and Cheryl Molesky, from Syracuse, New York, are among those being rescued tomorrow

Paul and Cheryl Molesky, from Syracuse, New York, are among those being rescued tomorrow.

Asked how they felt about being evacuated, Ms Molesky said they were a 'bit apprehensive' about again being quarantined on arrival to the US.

She told Sky News: 'We are relieved but we're still a little bit shocked...

'We found out that we're going to have to be quarantined for an additional 14 days in the United States, so there's some mixed emotions there.

Mr Molesky added: 'Because of the speed of what has happened here this last half hour we're a little dizzy.

The couple also paid tribute to the Japanese government and the Diamond Princess staff for making their stay 'very comfortable'.

The number of cases on board the Diamond Princess liner has rise to 218 since it first docked

The US embassy in Tokyo said in a letter to passengers that the aircraft would arrive in Japan on the evening of February 16 and that it recommended 'out of an abundance of caution' that US citizens disembark and return home for further monitoring.

The passengers would be required to undergo further quarantine of 14 days upon arriving in the United States.

'We understand this is frustrating and an adjustment, but these measures are consistent with the careful policies we have instituted to limit the potential spread of the disease,' the letter said.

'Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time.'

'The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make a final determination on this matter.'
Controversial facial recognition cameras used by Britain's biggest police force correctly identify only a third of women, an official report admits.

A review of the technology by Scotland Yard also reveals that two in three men are accurately identified, while black people are far more likely to be wrongly flagged up than white people.

Critics say the findings underline their concern that the system will lead to innocent people being wrongly stopped and searched by police, while genuine suspects are not identified.

The Metropolitan Police announced last month that it is rolling out the operational use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology to tackle serious crime. It was used for the first time last Tuesday at the Stratford retail area in East London, but no arrests were made

The Metropolitan Police announced last month that it is rolling out the operational use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology to tackle serious crime.

It was used for the first time last Tuesday at the Stratford retail area in East London, but no arrests were made.

The Met's analysis of months of trials also reveals that the cameras can scan five faces at a time.

During just 69 hours of experimental trials, its cameras captured the faces of 180,000 people. Yet despite the huge numbers of people scanned, only nine suspects were arrested.

Critics fear there is a creeping use of the 'Big Brother' technology without scrutiny or sufficient regulation.

They are also angry that one trial was at the Cenotaph in Central London on Remembrance Sunday in 2017 when cameras recorded 12,800 faces among the thousands of veterans, VIPs and relatives paying their respects to the war dead.

The LFR cameras work by scanning people's faces as they walk in public and turning the images into 'biometric patterns' or 'facial fingerprints'.

They are then compared against a check-list of suspects by a computer system which creates an alert if there is a match. The alerts are sent to officers, who stop and search or arrest the suspect.

Critics fear there is a creeping use of the 'Big Brother' technology without scrutiny or sufficient regulation. Pictured: The system in action around the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day

Between 2017 and 2019, LFR was deployed at ten locations  nine in London and one at the port of Hull.

The Met carried out a trial on one of its own parade grounds with cameras on a van scanning the faces of 75 police personnel whose photos had previously been put on a fake 'suspect checklist'.

Female 'suspects' were correctly spotted just 34.9 per cent of the time, while the figure for males was 57.9 per cent. The report admits the gender difference was 'statistically significant'.

It also found that white Caucasian males and those of South Asian appearance were correctly identified by the cameras at 50.9 per cent and 52.5 per cent of times respectively.

But those of Afro-Caribbean appearance were correctly spotted only 40 per cent of the time, increasing the risk of black men being incorrectly stopped and searched.

Last night, Silkie Carlo, the director of the Big Brother Watch campaign group, said: 'The Met's own report shows this expensive technology is not fit for purpose and poses a serious danger to the presumption of innocence.'

A Met spokesman said: 'In a single test we did observe differences in the way the LFR algorithm responded to gender, that the system is less likely to trigger alerts in relation to women who pass the camera.'
Iraq has slipped into an unofficial civil war between pro and anti-Iran factions. Iran has used force against anti-Iran protesters, and is responsible for most of the 550 protesters killed since the protests began in October 2019. These deaths have exceeded the casualties caused by Islamic terrorists. Half the deaths have been in Baghdad and Iraqis know Iran is a big fan of shooting protesters. In the same time period over a thousand protesters in Iran were killed.

The Iraqi government is in chaos because the parliament contains a mix of pro and anti-Iran members plus a lot of members who are pro-Iran only because they are being bribed or intimidated by Iran. The parliament has called for the departure of all American troops but only the prime minister can approve that, and make it law and at the moment there is only an interim prime minister because parliament is deadlocked in selecting a new prime minister. The stalemate is influenced by Iranian pressure but the major disputes are about corruption and who gets to control the most lucrative (for thieves) ministries.

The January 3rd American UAV missile attack that killed Quds Force supreme commander Qassem Soleimani had a considerable and continuing effect on Iraqi politics. Soleimani was the Iranian most responsible for years of attacks on the Americans and the deaths of hundreds of American troops. He was also responsible for the deaths of even more Iraqis, including many Shia who opposed Iranian influence in Iraq. The missile attack that killed Soleimani also eliminated several key Iraqi militia leaders that supported Iran. Removing Soleimani encouraged anti-Iran protestors who were continuing their efforts to reduce corruption and get some more honest and effective politicians into leadership jobs.

Since Soleimani was killed Iran has been trying to use Iraqi nationalism against the American presence as a way to expand Iranian power in Iraq. So far its been more smoke than fire. Iraqi politicians are not eager to back anything Iran wants because months of anti-Iran protests made it clear that Iran did not have as much popular support as they thought. Much of the Iranian support was induced by fear of retribution by the notoriously ruthless Iran backed PMF militias. Iran sees those militias as a key ally in Iraq but is having a growing problem with militiamen losing faith in the pro-Iran cause.

Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr became another casualty of the Iranian campaign to control the Iraqi government. Sadr misinterpreted the popular reactions, which suddenly acquired a more anti-American element. This, Sadr discovered, had been created by Iran ordering its Iraqi supporter to push the anti-American line big time. There were still anti-Iran and anti-corruption protests but local and foreign media concentrated on the new anti-American angle. Sadr ordered his armed supporters to use force to suppress anti-government protestors. The reaction to that was much more anti-Sadr than he expected. Suddenly Sadr was tagged as just another opportunistic, pro-Iran Iraqi leader. Sadr had guessed and wrong and, even though he remained hostile to Iranian influence in Iraq, he was an opportunistic Iraqi politician who was willing to kill Iraqi Shia if he thought it would increase his power.

The U.S. is ignoring any Iraqi government orders to leave and making plans to move more operations to the autonomous Kurdish north just in case. The Kurds are OK with this because the Arab dominated Iraqi government wants the Kurds to be less autonomous and the Kurds oppose that because the autonomy has turned the Kurdish north into the safest and most prosperous part of the country. This angers many Iraqi Arabs. The American move was being planned before the latest crises (anti-Iran protests and more Iran-backed violence) simply because the Kurds are more reliable and effective than the Iraqi Arabs.

The Hezbollah Connection

With some Israeli assistance, by way of carefully monitoring what goes in Lebanon and with Hezbollah for decades, the Americans are now concentrating on what Hezbollah is up to in Iraq. There has long been some Hezbollah activity and influence in Iraq. Despite that, few Iraqi Shia saw the need to follow the Hezbollah example and establish a private army to intimidate the government to favor the Shia. In Lebanon, the Shia were a minority while in Iraq they are the majority and have controlled the government since the last Sunni dictatorship was eliminated, along with Saddam Hussein, in 2003. General Soleimani was the Iranian responsible for looking after pro-Iran paramilitaries throughout the region and Hezbollah was considered the crown jewel of that collection. For the last decade, Soleimani spent most of his time in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq cultivating and expanding these Iran-backed militias.

One of Soleimanis greatest achievements was the creation of a multi-national Shia mercenary force in Syria after 2012 to protect the Assad forces from the rebels. This largely Afghan force was much reduced in size during the last few years because the rebels were defeated and Iran was having cash flow problems because of renewed American sanctions. Iranian leaders saw their favorite general (Soleimani) as the best hope for figuring out how to strike back against Americans and Israelis who, for decades, have been used by Iranian leaders as the scapegoats for any and all problems that Iran might encounter. These accusations were never true and now the majority of Iranians realize that and are angry at their corrupt and inefficient government for the deception, as well as squandering Iranian wealth for so long. Soleimani was supposed to win some spectacular victories against Israel and America and thus justify all the band behavior by Iranian religious leaders/rulers. With the loss of Soleimani, the Iranian leaderships are even more desperate and likely to do something spectacularly stupid and destructive.

The Other Problem

The main problem in Iraq is corruption, the extent of this corruption can be seen in the international surveys of nations to determine who is clean and who is corrupt.

In 2019 Afghanistan ranked 162nd out of 180 nations in international rankings compared with 168 in 2018. Corruption is measured annually in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. Corruption is measured on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The most corrupt nations (usually Yemen/15, Syria/13, South Sudan/12 and Somalia/9) have a rating of under 15 while of the least corrupt (Finland, New Zealand and Denmark) are over 85.

The current Iraq score is 20 (versus 16 in 2018) compared to 71 (71) for the UAE (United Arab Emirates), 60 (64) for Israel, 69 (75) for the United States, 26 (27) for Nigeria, 44 (43) for South Africa, 16 (16) for Afghanistan, 39 (40) for Turkey, 53 (49) for Saudi Arabia, 14 (16) for Yemen, 30 (30) for Ukraine, 45 (44) for Belarus, 58 (60) for Poland, 80 (81) Germany, 65 (61) for Taiwan, 39 (40) for Turkey, 41 (40) for India, 28 (28) for Russia, 57 (54) for South Korea, 41 (39) for China, 14 (17) for North Korea, 37 (35) for Vietnam, 85 (84) for Singapore, 73 (73) for Japan, 40 (37) for Indonesia, 38 (38) for Sri Lanka, 29 (33) for the Maldives, 34 (34) for the Philippines, 32 (32) for Pakistan, 26 (28) for Bangladesh, 26 (30) for Iran, 29 (30) for Burma, and 28 (28) for Lebanon.

Iraqs corruption score has changed for the better since 2012 when it was 18.

February 11, 2020: Its been eleven months since ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) declared its caliphate (c0nquered lands) was temporarily gone but ISIL was still around and members were ordered to switch to guerilla warfare. The caliphate was gone in Iraq by late 2017 but required another 16 months to destroy the Syria portion.

February 10, 2020: In the north (Mosul), police arrested a wanted ISIL commander. There are dozens of ISIL officials like this who are well known to the police in Iraq and Syria, have rewards offered for their arrest or death, and are running out of places to hide.

Further south, outside Baghdad, an Iran-backed militia took credit for a roadside bomb attack on an American supply convoy for one of the American bases. The bomb damaged one vehicle and caused no casualties.

February 8, 2020: The U.S. confirmed rumors that the U.S. and Israel had formally agreed to coordinate anti-Iran efforts. Israel is concentrating on Lebanon and Syria while the Americans concentrate on Iraq while still maintaining a presence in Kurdish controlled northeast Syria. It had always been pretty obvious that the U.S. and Israel were cooperating is blocking Iranian efforts to build a land-bridge from Iran to Lebanon. That required Iran to get past American efforts in Iraq and eastern Syria to block Iranian road access to Syria and Lebanon.

In Iraq, Shia religious leader Muqtada al Sadr ordered his militias to withdraw from battles with anti-Iran and protestors. For two days the Sadr militiamen had been using lethal force against the protestors. That backfired because the protestors did not back off, they just got angrier and now they were accusing Sadr of being no better than other corrupt politicians.

February 6, 2020: Iraq has so far refused American requests to bring in Patriot air defense batteries to protect American bases from additional Iranian ballistic missile attacks. Iraqi officials believe the delays are not at the request of Iran but an effort to obtain a bribe to expedite the paperwork. This is a lucrative source of corrupt money for government officials, even if delaying approval causes serious harm to Iraqis or the economy. This has actually happened regularly in the past. The Americans want the Patriot battery to protect key installations from Iranian ballistic missile attack.

January 31, 2020: In the north (south of Mosul), someone fired five rockets at the Qayyarah airbase, which is used by American and Iraqi forces. There were no casualties. The Americans have systems that can track where rockets came from and went looking for whoever fired them. The lost likely suspects are ISIL or an Iran-backed militia.

January 30, 2020: The plight of ISIL in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere is one reason why global Islamic terrorism-related deaths have fallen by over 50 percent since 2014 when there were 35,000 fatalities. The decline was largely attributable to one Islamic terror group in particular, ISIL that suffered major setbacks in the last few years. As a result global terrorism deaths fell to 19,000 by 2017, less than 16,000 for 2018 and the decline continued into 2019. This activity is most visible in the GTI (Global Terrorism Index), which counts all forms of terrorism. But Islamic terrorism is the main cause and for years ISIL was the deadliest practitioner. That led to a curious situation in Egypt which in 2018 dropped out of the top ten as they suppressed most of the ISIL activity in Sinai. In 2017 Egypt was number three but now it is at eleven.

The top ten consists of Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, India, Yemen, Philippines, and Congo. India, Philippines, Yemen and Congo all have Islamic terrorism accounting for a minority of the deaths. Somalia is one of the areas where there have been fewer deaths in the last few years. Al Shabaab has learned that the most profitable approach is to carry out fewer dramatic, high visibility attacks and otherwise conserve your manpower and resources. Thus the emphasis on spectacular attacks in major cities like Mogadishu or against an American military base.

January 26, 2020: In Baghdad, Iran-backed Shia militiamen again fired rockets into the Green Zone in an effort to hit the American embassy.

January 21, 2020: Russia revealed that it had moved one of its own S-400 batteries to eastern Syrias Hasaka province. The battery is stationed outside the border city of Qamishli, which is controlled by Kurds but also has Syrian troops present to prevent an attack by the Turks. This S-400 battery is now 100 kilometers from the Iraq border and the S-400 search radar has a range of 600 kilometers, meaning it now covers most of the Iraqi border with Syria. Russia also claims that it tracked six American F-35s flying along the Iran-Iraq border on the 7th. This was when Iran fired 16 ballistic missiles at American bases in Iraq. The U.S. had no comment on the F-35s.

January 16, 2020: In the west (Anbar province), a car bomb went off on the Saudi border, killing one policeman and wounding five others. This is the first such attack on the Saudi border in two years. The bomb was believed to be the work of Iran-backed PMF militias operating in the area. Saudi Arabia wants American forces to remain in Iraq, something Iran does not agree with.

January 15, 2020: In the north (Nineveh province), Turkish F-16s bombed the base of a pro-PKK (Turkish separatist Kurds) Yazidi (Kurdish) militia, killing four people, including civilians, and wounding more,

January 14, 2020: In Iraq, two rockets hit the Camp Taji, a joint Iraqi-American military base outside Baghdad. The rockets caused no injuries and it was believed Iran backed PMF militiamen were responsible.

January 13, 2020: In the west (the Syria border), ISIL launched two attacks on border crossings in the past two days. One attack failed the other succeeded and killed one soldier and wounded four. In both operations, all the attackers died.

January 11, 2020: In the south (Karbala), a senior Iran-backed PMF commander was shot dead, along with several associates by several unidentified gunmen. Such killings are more and more common in Iraq.

January 9, 2020: In the west (Anbar province), there was another Israeli airstrike against Iranian weapons being stored near the Al Bukamal crossing into Iraq from Deir Ezzor province. There were eight deaths, all of them pro-Iran militiamen.
A third Indian crew onboard a cruise ship off the Japanese coast has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Indian Embassy in Japan said on Friday

Tokyo: A third Indian crew onboard a cruise ship off the Japanese coast has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Indian Embassy in Japan said on Friday as authorities confirmed that 218 people have been infected with the deadly virus on the quarantined ship.

The cruise ship Diamond Princess with 3,711 people on board arrived at the Japanese coast early last week and was quarantined after a passenger who de-boarded last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the COVID-19 on the ship.

A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were on board the ship.

The Indian Embassy in Tokyo in a statement said three Indian crew members are among 218 people tested positive for the virus.

"All 218 people, including Indian nationals have been taken to hospitals for further treatment and quarantine. As per information available with the Embassy, no other Indian national onboard Diamond Princess Cruise ship has developed any symptoms of infection," the statement said.

The embassy has contacted all three Indian nationals who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently receiving treatment at medical facilities.

"Their health conditions have been confirmed to be stable and improving. The embassy is also in constant contact with the relevant Japanese authorities to ensure the well-being of all Indian nationals on-board the ship," it said.

The Japanese government on Thursday announced that passengers aged 80 or older will be given the option to disembark the ship if they test negative for COVID-19. Those who meet the age requirement and have pre-existing conditions or are staying in rooms without a balcony will be prioritised for disembarkation.

No Indian national falls under this category, eligible for early disembarkation, the statement said.

The Indian Embassy has reached out to the Indian nationals (crew members and passengers) through e-mails and telephone calls and has explained to them about the quarantine regulations of Japanese authorities.

"Many of them have responded and expressed their understanding. The embassy has been in constant touch with the ship management company and the employer of the six passengers for appropriate facilitation," it said.

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus outbreak has spiked to nearly 1,500 with 121 new fatalities reported mostly from the worst-affected Hubei province while the confirmed cases of infection jumped to nearly 65,000, health officials said on Friday.

The coronavirus outbreak originated in central China's Hubei province in December last year and has spread to 26 countries, including India.

Several countries have banned arrivals from China while major airlines have suspended flights to the country.
15.02.2020 LISTEN

Interfering, corrupting and altering the views of electors is apparently frowned upon. But it all depends on who that manipulating source is. The Russians might be condemned for being meddlers of minds in the US electorate, but an American billionaire who hires battalions of influencing agents to get his word across on social media platforms is not much better. At least the Russian representatives were decent enough to light fires on both sides of the political divide, providing an odd equilibrium of chaos.

Bloombergs booklet of electoral wooing is merely a softened, couched version of what has come before. To win over the electorate, you need an army of hidden persuaders, the men and women who claim to know, telling the voter how to vote for a supposedly delightful candidate who is, truth be told, a sham. This is ad-man territory and puts the former New York Mayor on terrain that abuts that of President Donald Trump.

The cash-for-allegiance system is being facilitated through the very social media organs so disliked by Democrats. They, after all, were excoriated for muddying Hillary Clintons image in 2016, doing that most terrible thing of disseminating leaked material, good and bad, about her. Now, the Bloomberg campaign, keeping it digitally real, has linked arms with Meme 2020. The mission is simple if implausible: vesting Bloomberg with various attributes he does not have. According to Sabrina Singh, spokesperson for Bloomberg, While a meme strategy may be new to presidential politics, were betting it will be an effective component to reach people where they are and compete with President Trumps powerful digital operation.

This polish-the-turd effort has the stifling smell of acute desperation. Its armchair electioneering of the most profligate kind (a million dollars a day spent on Facebook ads alone), putting faith in online presences and seducers to do what candidates who fail turning up to primaries and caucuses supposedly cannot. As it turns out, Bloombergs approach has furnished Senator Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg with the gift of credibility. They, at the very least, bothered. However ceremonially hollow such initial rounds are, placing the candidate before the halls, the tea rooms, the homes, counts as turning up. Bloomberg is already assuming that physical absenteeism can be overcome by digital loudness.

The lead strategist of the campaign group, Mick Purzycki, chief executive of Jerry Media, is tasked with the improbable. Given that Trumps electability was deemed impossible, the issue is by no means an irreconcilable handicap, but the fence is still a high one. The thing guaranteed in this fairly low brow affair is bad taste and profound disingenuousness. The Instragram posts, for instance, promote Bloomberg as the awkward but cool candidate. He dresses accordingly, if unconvincingly. He is, as the @KateSalad meme account run by Samir Mezrahi spouts, like kale salad: tough and tasteless but ultimately good for you.

The marketers involved with posting memes for Bloomberg are thrilled with the exposure. In the broader world of advertising, all publicity is good. The same cannot be said for the political world. Shirin Ghaffary makes the point in Vox, questioning the effectiveness of the campaign. The risk here for both Bloomberg and the influencers lies in promoting a candidate whos viewed by many of their followers as an out-of-touch billionaire trying to buy his way into an election.

Not all the cabal of influencers are singing from the same hymn book. They do the same dirty deeds, blot the same copybooks but even on that shallow terrain, Bloomberg will spark disagreement. Josh Ostrovsky, known in his line of work as The Fat Jew, is one. They asked me to do it, I said no, he vented on Instagram. I grew up in New York City so I can tell you firsthand, Bloomberg is a colossal shitbag. It takes one to know one, and Ostrovsky, a serial joke thief, is a paragon of vice in the field. Paid Instagram influencers such as Tank.Sinatra are also finding their posts choked with withering remarks about their unglamorous subject.

The campaign has raised a bigger question as to what role such branded content has. Instragrams owner is Facebook, an organisation constantly accused of sporting accounts that might be used to disseminate unsavoury political content. Facebooks vice president of global affairs and communications Nick Clegg has not helped matters with his statements on the subject. We do not submit speech by politicians to our independent fact-checkers, and we generally allow it on the platform even when it would otherwise breach our normal content rules. He suggests two exceptions: where speech endangers people and where we take money, which is why we have more stringent rules on advertising than we do for ordinary speech and rhetoric.

Bloomberg has, on this point, scored a victory of sorts. As a Facebook representative explained to the New York Post, Were allowing US-based political candidates to work with creators to run this content, provided the political candidates are authorized and the creators disclose any paid partnerships through our branded content tools. This leads to a specious difference. Branded content is different from advertising, but in either case we believe its important people know when theyre seeing paid content on our platforms.

In all this, a solid argument might well be made that Bloomberg is demonstrating precisely why Trump, toxic leader of the realm, is entitled to remain in the White House. The US electors already have their cashed-up megalomaniacal fraud; why go for another?

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected]
An order by the Election Commission (EC) disqualifying an elected candidate should be supported by strong and clear reasons since it interferes with the will of the people, the Supreme Court held on Friday.

Further, the period of disqualification ordered by the EC should be proportionate to the default committed by the candidate, the top court ruled.

A bench of justices AM Khanwilkar, Hemant Gupta and Dinesh Maheshwari set aside an order passed by Maharashtra state election commission which had disqualified a village panchayat member for five years on account of 15 days delay in furnishing election expenses.

to pass an order of disqualification for five years, which may disqualify him to contest the next elections as well requires to be supported by cogent reasons and not merely on the fact of not furnishing of election expenses. We find that the order of disqualification for a period of five years is without taking into consideration the extent of default committed by the appellant and that the will of people is being interfered with in the wholly perfunctory way, the order stated.

The petitioner, Laxmibai was elected as a member of Mugat gram panchayat in November 2015. The state election commission, in exercise of its powers under Section 14B of the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act had mandated that the election expenses incurred should be furnished within 30 days from the date of filing of nomination.

The petitioner furnished details of the expenses 15 days after the prescribed time period and was served with a show cause notice by the state election commission seeking explanation for the delay. She submitted her explanation that the delay was on account of her ill-health.

The collector as a delegate of the state election commission passed an order on August 9, 2018 disqualifying the petitioner for a period of five years to be a member of gram panchayat. The sole reason given by the collector was that petitioner had not submitted election expenses within the time prescribed.

Laxmibais challenge to the collectors order was dismissed by Additional Divisional Commissioner, Aurangabad and by the Bombay high court which led to the appeal in Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court sent the matter back to the collector for fresh consideration.

The court stated that the purity and transparency in election process does not give unbridled and arbitrary power to the election commission to pass any whimsical order without examining the nature of default.

Importantly, the court underscored that the period of disqualification has to be proportionate to the default.

The extent of period of disqualification has to be in proportion to the default. The Election Commission has to keep in mind that by such process, an election of duly elected candidate representing collective will of the voters of the constituency is being set at naught, the judgment said.
This is the second negotiations of the head of the Ukrainian state with head of the IMF this year

On the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva. The press service of the Presidents Office reported that.

It is noted that this is the second meeting of the head of the Ukrainian state with the head of the IMF this year.

Our meeting with Kristalina Georgieva was constructive, as always. We discussed the latest developments and positive achievements in our economy that will benefit every Ukrainian. Our dialogue with the IMF is meaningful, and our relations are friendly, Zelensky said.

It is also reported that the parties discussed bills that will help Ukraine achieve stable growth and provide protection mechanisms for its citizens. In particular, they talked about the course of the judicial reform, the construction of the rule of law system, and the so-called bill on banks.

As we reported before, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky began a two-day working visit to the Federal Republic of Germany.
Washington

U-Haul has an unusual wellness goal for 2020: hiring fewer smokers.

The truck rental company said in January it will stop hiring people who use tobacco or nicotine products in the 21 U.S. states where it is legal to do so.

Executives said the new policy, which takes effect this month, is expected to the cut company costs by improving the health of U-Haul's 30,000-person workforce.

Screening new hires for tobacco use is rare. But employers have long used financial penalties and perks to try to reduce the financial toll of tobacco-related diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Those carrots and sticks are part of most corporate wellness programs, which also typically aim to encourage workers to exercise, lose weight and control diseases like diabetes.

In recent years, researchers have begun rigorously studying the programs. The results show little evidence that wellness plans improve employee health or lower health care costs.

Cigarette expenses

Smoking-related medical expenses add nearly $170 billion a year to employer and government medical expenses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Employers also lose $156 billion in lost productivity due to smoking and related health issues.

Roughly 70 percent of large employers offer programs to help employees quit smoking as part of their health coverage. The gold-standard approach involves counseling sessions and nicotine gums, patches and medications to control cravings.

One fourth of large firms add another penalty to push smokers to quit: an extra charge on their health premiums. The fee usually amounts to about $600 a year for workers, according to survey data from consultant Mercer, which designs corporate health and wellness plans. About 10 percent of employers provide other incentives, such as points that can be redeemed for prizes.

Wellness returns?

Despite an estimated $8 billion spent on wellness programs annually, experts say they haven't been shown to deliver the long-term benefits promised.

"There isn't any evidence that these programs actually result in people smoking less or eating less or exercising more," said Karen Pollitz, who studies insurance and health plans at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "Some studies have picked up short-term improvements, but nothing sustained."

Although many employers report cost-savings from wellness programs, researchers say those results are likely skewed because healthier workers are more likely to participate in the programs, boosting positive results.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

A randomized 4,000-patient study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that employees enrolled in wellness programs showed no major improvements in health status or health care spending after 18 months, compared with employees who didn't participate.

An earlier study by researchers at the think tank Rand Corp. estimated wellness programs targeting lifestyle improvements generate an average savings of about $157 per employee. Those savings were almost completely wiped out by the programs' cost: $144 per person.

Supporters of wellness programs counter that it may take three to five years or more to see a return on investment. For example, tobacco-related diseases can take decades to develop.

"It takes time to find the benefits of those things and to translate them into avoided health care costs," said Steven Noeldner, a Mercer executive.

Employee impact

Some researchers have theorized that the savings reported from wellness plans may simply come from shifting insurance costs onto less healthy workers. In this scenario, workers who pay higher premiums due to smoking or obesity subsidize their healthier coworkers.

Those financial penalties can hit smokers even harder since they tend to make less money and often have less generous health benefits than non-smokers.

The American Cancer Society recommends employers focus on smoke-free workplaces and comprehensive quit-smoking programs, rather than penalizing smokers with fees or exclusionary hiring practices.

"It's helpful for a person who smokes to be in a workplace where they will receive support," said Cliff Douglas, a vice president with the society. "If they're not hired that could be a real missed opportunity."
The share of Iranian workers who work in the mines is a small gain that is often associated with death. Coal miners in Iran, although producing a great deal of wealth, have a low share of it. At the same time, they are always faced with the nightmare of death and injury.

Miners in Iran

About two million people work directly and indirectly in Irans mines. In Iran, there are about 5400 active mines with more than 91,000 workers, of which 90 are active coal mines with about 10,000 workers.

Causes of Mortality in Mines

Crumbling walls are one of the most common causes of death in mines. Of course, the electric sparks that cause a fire in the mine should also be considered to have caused many casualties; the Yurt Azadshahr mine is one of these mines.

Mines, while not having the same structure and durability, are constantly undergoing changes, and these changes increase the possibility of collapsing. And colliding with underground gas layers increases the factor of suffocating workers.

In some mines the pollutants must be measured, the employer does not pay attention to the safety of the mine, and this takes the lives of many workers. All of these can be prevented by increasing safety at work.

Most accidents result in deaths in small mines

Most of the fatalities in the mines in Iran are related to small mines, especially sand and coal mines, which are being extracted without the presence of observers.

Small mines often do not form technical protection committees, and there is no mechanism for controlling and monitoring small mines by the government, and without the least control, the strictest conditions are imposed on the miners.

The main cause of deaths in Irans mines

Ashraf Mansouri, an occupational safety and health expert on the deaths of mining workers, said: When the Industry, Mining, and Trade Organization or Organization of Mining Engineering authorizes them during exploration, they only permit exploration and exploitation, and it is particularly silent on mining regulations and safety.

One of the reasons for the lack of accurate statistics on the extent of work accidents in the mine is the resistance of intruders. Employers also prefer to keep statistics secret. With the privatization of the mines, influential people, they prefer to hide the statistics and news about the accidents.

Death of eight miners since the beginning of winter

Since the beginning of winter, the number of workers who have died in the countrys mines has risen to eight.

On 6 January 2020, a mining worker in the city of Delijan died from the collision of the scaffold with high-voltage cables.

On the same day also an accident at the Kak Pasi coal mine in the depot and collection unit of the Kalate Roodbar city killed a 36-year-old miner, naming Mr. Ibrahim Khibarian.

On 9 January 2020, the coal mine tunnel number 20 of the Hamkar mine collapsed and a worker, Mojtaba Tagizadeh, was killed and four other workers were injured.

An accident at the Bernaki coal mine, which occurred on 10 January, resulted in the lockout of two miners.

On 12 January, a worker at the Dastgaran coal mine in Tabas stuck under the rubble and died of severe injuries.

In the final days of January, a mining worker was killed in a tunnel accident in one of the Asafij coal mine tunnels in the city of Bahabad in Yazd province.

On 31 January 2020, a coal mine worker in Kuhbanan County, Kerman, died because of crushing by a concrete mixer.

On 4 February 2020, a stone worker was killed at a Qale-Zari copper mine in Khusuf city because of rockfall.

On 8 February 2020, two workers at the Tashkouieh coal mine in Bafq city died because of gas suffocation.

Death of a mining worker in the autumn and the hiding of the government

The death toll for miners in the winter comes as 13 people died in the countrys mines in the fall.

But Irans rulers hiding the death toll of workers in the mines and reduces the number of killed in the mine.

While 21 people have been killed in mines of the country this past fall and mid-winter, Ali Mozafari, director of the inspectorate of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, has attended a seminar on safety in mining activities and the role of training for promotion of safety levels at the end of January and announced: During this year, 10 workers died in mining units of the country, which is a 60% decline from the previous years mine accidents.

Forensic statistics

According to forensic statistics, During the three months of spring in 2019, 421 people were killed in work-related accidents, including 417 men and four women.

According to the Construction Workers Trade Unions, more than 50% of work-related accidents happen to construction workers, which accounts for more than 250 deaths in the spring of 2019.

At the same time, given that work-related deaths in mines make up the second-highest rate of work-related accidents, the actual figures that never get published are much higher. The Iranian regime has been ranked 102 among the countries in the world in respect of occupational safety issues.

Read more:

Layoffs and Misery for Irans Workers
A 11-year-old student of a private school in Sector 7 extension suffered severe injuries, including a nose fracture, after falling to the ground during the morning assembly, the police said.

The boy alleged that he was pushed, when they were standing in queue, following which he became unconscious and was rushed to a private hospital. The boy, a class 6 student, sustained injuries to his hand, face and neck, including a nose fracture, the police said.

The boys father lodged a complaint on Friday evening, following which the police booked the principal and teachers of the school for criminal negligence. The FIR doesnt mention the names or the total number of teachers booked. They were booked under sections 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code by the Sector 9 police. The father has also asked the education department to take action against the school management.

According to the police, they received a call from the father, informing them about the incident late February 10. A team was rushed to the spot and found the injured student lying on the hospital bed. The student, in his statement, which he changed twice, said that someone allegedly pushed him hard to the ground. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the hospital, said Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime).

The school authorities rushed him to a private hospital where he was administered first aid, bandage and then sent home, the police said. The victim is currently out of danger and his statement was recorded on Friday, the police said.

Sangwan said the teachers did not disclose the truth about the incident to the doctor and family members, and tried to mislead them. Even the child did not reveal the truth to his parents and the matter was revealed only after he was discharged and sent home, he said.

Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Devilal Nagar in Sector 9, said that he and his wife had rushed to the hospital when they received the call from the school. My son left for school at 8.15am on January 10. Around 8.45am, I received a call from the school in-charge, informing that my son has suffered minor injuries and was admitted to the hospital, he said.

The father alleged that when he reached the hospital, he was shocked to see the severe injuries and cut marks to the face, and the nose fracture. I asked the school management to show me the CCTV footage, but they refused and said there was no camera covering the incident spot. Even doctors are not ready to believe that just a fall can injure a child to this extent, Kumar said.

A police team visited the school on Saturday to record statements, said police, adding that the team will visit the school on Monday to speak with the students who were present at the assembly.

Kumar said the victims cousin, who is studying in class 8, told him that he had heard a loud noise during the assembly and later found his cousin had fallen. No arrest has been made so far, the police said.

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Trump defends right to interfere in criminal cases

The attorney general, William Barr, had been accused of bowing to presidential pressure

US President Donald Trump on Friday said he has the legal right to interfere in criminal cases, capping a tumultuous week that raised questions about whether he is eroding the independence of the US legal system.

"I HAVE LEGAL RIGHT TO DO SO"

Trumps criticism of the judge, jury and prosecutors in the criminal case of his longtime adviser Roger Stone prompted an unusual rebuke from Attorney General William Barr, his top law enforcement official, and spurred new demands for investigation from the Democrats who unsuccessfully tried to remove the Republican president from office.

Barr has privately told Trump for some time that his public statements were making it hard for him to run the Justice Department effectively, according to a source familiar with the matter.

He went public on Thursday, telling ABC News that Trumps attacks made it impossible for him to do his job. Its time to stop the tweeting, he said. Trump has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case, Barr added.

The president responded on Friday morning. This doesnt mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to! he wrote on Twitter.

Administration officials said Barr did not clear his remarks with Trump. They said Trump shrugged them off when told about them by aides.
MUNICH  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed President Donald Trumps warning to European allies that letting Chinese telecom giant Huawei build their next-generation communication network, or 5G, poses a grave threat  a rare note of bipartisan harmony after a divisive impeachment.

In front of the cameras and behind the scenes at the international Munich Security Conference, Pelosi, Trump administration officials and lawmakers of both parties warned allies that Chinas communist leaders could force the company to use its equipment for cyber espionage and and other subversive aims.

Nations cannot cede telecommunications infrastructure to China for financial expediency, said Pelosi, D-Calif. Such an ill-conceived concession will only embolden [Chinese President Xi Jinping] as he undermines democratic values, human rights, economic independence and national security.

With her remarks, Pelosi lends a strong voice to the Trump administrations hard push for a blanket ban. Shes taken a less abrasive tack toward Americas European allies than the Trump administration, and sources say her position is fueled by years on the House Intelligence Committee and by constituents in the Bay Area, near Silicon Valley.

Pelosi said there was no bipartisan divide on the topic.

We have an agreement in that regard, we put it in our [2020] national defense authorization bill because we believe it is a real danger, she said. We have to be very careful about how we go forward.

Pelosi cast the adoption of Huawei equipment as enabling an autocracy over democracy, saying that the most insidious form of aggression would be to allow a communications network to be dominated by a government who does not share our values.

We must invest in other viable options that will take us into the future while preserving our values and institutions, she said, adding that Western leaders ought to build something together that will be about freedom of information."

Story continues

There are seven congressional delegations in Munich, made up more than 40 lawmakers. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is leading one of them, said they are unified on Huawei.

Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump see Huawei the same," he said.

Graham did level an additional economic warning as the U.S. looks ahead at trade talks with the European Union and later the U.K.

The delegation has been speaking with one voice: Huawei technology deals you out of integrating yourself with the American economy, Graham said. We all have to do better by giving you alternatives, but Huawei integration into your economy and your systems would be devastating to the relationship.

Huawei: 42 US lawmakers urge UK Parliament to reject dangerous 5G decision

Two weeks ago, the British government decided to allow Huawei to build parts of the countrys network, but with restrictions that prevented the firm from working on pieces that would be critical to security. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now facing pushback from lawmakers in his own Conservative Party, and several have reportedly worked to strike a compromise.

Germany has been weighing its own rules. German Chancellor Angela Merkels conservative party this week backed a strategy paper that stopped short of banning Huawei technology outright and instead barred untrustworthy companies deemed to be subject to state influence from the process  which may yet exclude Huawei.

Though Huawei denies that it works with Chinas intelligence services and says it would refuse Chinese government requests for information, U.S. officials argue Huawei can covertly access mobile phone networks around the world through back doors and that Chinese companies are compelled to cooperate with their government.

The Trump administrations pressure tactics have included warnings that nations adopting Huawei equipment on their 5G networks would risk their U.S. intelligence sharing relationships, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month seemed to back off and endorse Americas arrangement with Britain during a visit there.

And on Friday, both Pelosi and Trump administration officials were making appeals to trans-Atlantic values.

The president feels strongly that we have to work together to ensure that our 5G technology evolves in a way that supports the underlying values and principles which we have brought all of our countries together over the years, the White Houses point person for international telecommunications policy, Robert Blair, said at a roundtable with reporters.

We want to make sure that whatever 5G becomes, it ensures freedom of speech, not the ability to censor messages which any government does not feel is is supportive of their overall ideology, freedom of assembly, rather than the ability to track dissidents within a country or outside of a country, Blair added.

Another part of the administrations push is to take on the criticism that it has not presented a cheaper, better alternative to Chinese technology. The White House is working to develop western 5G technologies through partnerships with telecom firms like South Korea-based Samsung, Finland-based Nokia and Sweden-based Ericsson.

Last week, U.S. Attorney General William Barr said America should consider taking a controlling stake in Nokia and Ericsson to blunt Huaweis drive to domination. But on Friday, Blair said instead that America is working toward a partnership with industry.

Its an ongoing discussion about how the U.S. government can best partner with industry, Blair said. It would be a U.S. effort with likeminded partners from around the world ... and its a matter of months, not years.
With the economic growth slowing, the government's target to reach the $5 trillion-mark by 2024 looks ambitious. While the target is achievable, Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO, BSE, says the capital market will hit the $5trillion-mark before India becomes a $5 trillion economy. "Both the targets are achievable by 2024," he says.

At Association of National Exchanges Members of India (ANMI)'s 11th international convention in New Delhi, Chauhan also talked about zero brokerage model and how the industry is moving into that direction. "Brokerages need to accept that flat fee broking model is here to stay. They should start looking for different sources of revenues such as mutual fund and insurance distribution. The margins have collapsed close to zero," Chauhan says.

Notably, BSE's mutual fund platform Star Mutual Fund has been performing quite well. On February 7, the stock exchange also launched the beta version of its insurance distribution platform in association with global fintech player Ebix. The BSE-Ebix Insurance Broking has already partnered with a couple of life insurance and general insurance companies, Chauhan told Business Today.

Talking about the growth of the primary market and start-ups' participation in IPOs, the BSE Chief says that the stock exchange has been raising more funds for the corporate sector than the entire banking system put together. "We only focus on big companies raising billions, but what about increasing number of smaller companies raising millions?" he says.

Earlier in the day, Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for Finance, recognised the need for the development of the capital market. "We need to ensure that the public faith is not eroded in the stock market due to scams and frauds," he says.

Thakur added that the government has been taking steps to deregulate the market and ease the compliance burden for investors.

Also read: Graphite India share turned Rs 1 lakh into Rs 25,000 in 1.5 years; here's why

Also Read: AGR crisis: Vodafone Idea to pay govt dues in next few days
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Around 200 people continued their overnight protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Population Register (NPR) after Chennai police lath-charged the protestors on Friday night at Manadi Street in Washermanpet area.

The protestors, who were earlier protesting on the main road in Washermanpet, agreed to move to Mandi street after being persuaded by senior police officers.

It all began on Friday when a group of protestors were nabbed by the police for staging a demonstration near the Kannan Roundtana, despite warning them to disperse. As the message spread hundreds of people gathered near the Pencil Factory in Old Washermenpet to protest for the same cause.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE ANTI-CAA PROTEST

The protestors, including women and children, raised slogans against the implementation of CAA, NRC and NPR. The protestors blocked the interior streets of Old Washermenpet and the entrance of the Mint Bridge.

The protesters demanded justice for the people who faced police brutality on Friday evening. The protest was very smooth yesterday but the police blamed us for instigating violence and brutally charged on us. More than 50 of our brothers are severely injured and we need justice for them, Send Asifa Begum, a protester in the spot.

The protestors have pressed a demand that action must be taken against the police personnel involved in the brutality on Friday evening. The CAA by nature excludes Muslims from gaining citizenship and it is a divisive law. Our protests will continue until we hear from the state government, Jawarullah, a protester.

More than 100 people were detained during the protest and later the city police commissioner A K Viswanathan visited the spot and held talks with the protestors to withdraw their protest after which the people were released, police said.

As the news began flooding on social networking sites, a large number of people began protesting in various places across the state.
FIVE Warwickshire Police officers joined sixty colleagues from seven other forces in England to be trained as heritage crime officers.

The training covered all aspects of heritage crime including illegal metal detecting, theft of lead and other metals, crimes against monuments, buildings, artefacts and sites of special historic interest, plus much more.

Sgt Bob Shaw, PC Rachael Smith, PC Craig Purcell, PCSO Ed King and rural crime officer Carol Cotterill are now trained rural, wildlife and heritage crime officers. Further training for more officers in the force is being arranged for later in the year with Heritage England.

The ongoing training of officers is part of the commitment Warwickshire Police has in addressing rural, wildlife and heritage crime within the county.
LAKE GEORGE  This year marks six decades since a homemade submarine called Baby Whale, tied to a dock in Dark Bay, disappeared one summer night.

Who took it was a mystery, and it remained a mystery even after the sub was found 35 years later on the bottom of the lake. Authorities were unable to discover who was responsible, and no one came forward to admit it, until now.

Now, a 73-year-old local man  a young teenager in 1960  has decided to use this story to confess to stealing the sub and sinking it and to explain why.

Submarines were a big deal in 1960. On Jan. 23, a Swiss-designed, Italian-built bathyscape called Trieste carried two men  Jacques Piccard, a Swiss oceanographer, and Don Walsh, a U.S. Navy lieutenant  to a depth of 35,797 feet in the Challenger Deep of the Pacific Oceans Mariana Trench, a record that has not been broken.

Three men in Lake George  James Parrott, Gerald Root and Art Jones  caught sub fever themselves that year and fashioned an underwater craft out of iron, aluminum and concrete, using metal drums they cut up and welded together.

The small sub, which they painted yellow, was intended only for shallow exploration in Lake George, perhaps to search for the fleet of bateaux intentionally sunk in the lake in 1758 by British troops for cold water storage. Even for use in shallow water, however, Baby Whales seaworthiness was untested.

It never would be tested. After it disappeared overnight on Aug. 4, divers searched the lake near where it had been docked for days; pilots flew overhead, scanning the famously clear water for glimpses of yellow; and local newspapers splashed the story across their pages.

But nothing was found, and the story sank out of sight until 1995, when Bob Benway and Joseph Zarzynski, founders of the underwater exploration group Bateaux Below, spotted the sub during a deep dive in the lake. The discovery generated fresh publicity and a confidential confession to the two men from someone who said he had been involved in scuttling the sub.

Zarzynski and Benway kept the subs location a secret to avoid scavenging by other, less scrupulous divers. Benway took underwater photos of it, however, one of which appears in Zarzynskis latest book, Ghost Fleet Awakened: Lake Georges Sunken Bateaux of 1758, which includes a chapter on Baby Whale.

The chapter mentions the confidential informant, who had said the subs disappearance was perpetrated by two young people. Neither is named in the book, and the identity of the sub stealers has remained a secret to the present day.

Now, Bill Thomas of Warrensburg is coming forward to say he was the one who called Zarzynski in 1995, and he was the one, along with his older brother, John, who took the sub and sank it.

John died seven years ago, but from what Bill says, his brothers life almost came to an end much earlier, on that night in 1960, when he just managed to leap clear of the sinking sub.

The weight of guilt

Bill Thomas says he has borne a weight of guilt since that August night when, at age 14, he went out on the lake with his 17-year-old brother in a boat from their fathers marina in Dunhams Bay Swamp.

My brother came to me one night and said, You need to help me, Thomas said.

His brother was angry with Jerry Root, one of the builders of the sub, because Root owed John money for scuba gear but refused to pay, Thomas said.

I liked Jerry. Jerry was a nice guy, Thomas said. He taught me to weld.

But at that age, Thomas said, he had a hard time saying no to his big brother.

His brother didnt intend to hide the sub forever, Thomas said. His plan was to tell Root he could have his sub back when the debt was paid, so he wanted to be able to retrieve it: John wanted to take it out into 55 feet of water and sink it, Bill said.

In the dark, after the brothers had untied the sub and towed it into the lake, Bill remembers that John struggled to sink it by loosening pipes inside with a large wrench. Finally, he clambered up on the subs ladder and swung the wrench against its single small porthole, smashing it. As water rushed in, the sub leaned over and went down fast. John just managed to jump clear, back into the boat with his brother.

The sub sank in much deeper water than the brothers intended, and despite the search, it wasnt found until Benway and Zarzynski happened along 35 years later.

Benway still dives in Lake George, and he keeps a file of stories and photographs about Baby Whale, which for years he considered the Holy Grail of underwater finds in Lake George.

They had state police stopping tractor-trailers, checking the sub wasnt inside, he said. They had aircraft flying overhead. The lake is so clear, they could have spotted it in 50 feet of water, but 90 maybe not.

Benway has a personal connection to the Thomas family  it was John Thomas who, when Benway was young, first inspired him to take up scuba diving. In more recent years, Benway has become friendly with Bill Thomas, and the two men have gone on a couple of hikes together.

Bill has long felt guilty about what he did, and he hopes to clear his conscience through confessing.

Its time for me to get this weight off my shoulders, he said.

Another witness

Benway first heard about Bill Thomas connection to Baby Whale about 20 years ago through Thomas daughter, Kari, who worked with him at AngioDynamics in Queensbury.

She and Benway would chat sometimes at work, and he would tell her about scuba diving in Lake George.

One day, she brought in a nautical chart of the lake, showed it to Benway, pointed to an X and mentioned the missing sub.

She said, Thats where it is, isnt it? Benway said. I said, No. But youre awfully damn close.

Soon, Benway met Bill and heard the story directly from him.

When Bill was telling the story, he said it in such a manner I had no reason to disbelieve him. He seemed to know details about the boat being used. Theres only a few people alive who know where that wreck is, Benway said.

Another teenager was out on the lake that night in 1960  Peter Slovak, whose family was from Schenectady and had a summer house on Dark Bay. While Bill and his brother were towing the sub, Slovak motored over next to them in his boat and asked what was going on, Bill said.

Slovak was a young teenager at the time, the same age as Bill Thomas. He is still alive, lives in Schenectady and confirms Thomas story in every respect but one. According to him, Bill Thomas wasnt there that night. According to him, John Thomas was alone in the little motorboat, towing the sub.

I saw who it was and I saw the submarine. I went over there, Slovak said.

What he did, he was going to open up the valves. John opened up all the valves, but nothing happened. I was holding onto his boat and the sub. He said, Give me that crescent wrench. It was a huge 15-inch crescent wrench.

He hits the porthole in the bottom and water goes shooting sky-high. He jumps out.

He meant to sink it somewhere closer to Long Island, Slovak said. He wanted them to eventually be able to find it and winch it on land, but it went over a ledge and into 90 feet of water.

Two or three days later, a patrol boat came over to me while I was out on the lake. I said, Geez, sorry, I dont know, Slovak said.

Told that Slovak remembers the episode differently from him, Bill Thomas is adamant. He wants to get rid of the guilt he has carried for 60 years, but not by denying he was there.

He came out, said You guys are crazy, and he left, Bill said of Peter Slovaks presence that night. Hed been gone a good half hour before the sub went down.

Joseph Zarzynski believes the sinking of the sub may have been for the best.

In my opinion, possibly the best thing that ever happened was the vessel did end up in the lake, Zarzynski said. The construction was not up to industry standards.

If it had been used for underwater exploration, a tragic drowning could have been the result, Zarzynski said.

What Zarzynski and Benway both stress about hearing from Thomas is the value of learning more of the story.

Its nice from our perspective to get other pieces of the story. Thats what its all about. Sometimes you dont get the full story, sometimes you get parts of it, Zarzynski said.

And sometimes, you find something youve been seeking for decades when youre swimming along, busy with another project. There it is  a submarine, no longer yellow, spotted red and wispy with algae, but still identifiable as the missing Baby Whale.

Timeline Jan. 23, 1960: Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh descend in the Trieste bathyscape to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean  35,797 feet down. Summer 1960: Three local men  James Parrott, Gerald Root and Art Jones  fashion a homemade submarine, Baby Whale, out of large metal drums and concrete to use in scouting Lake George for underwater shipwrecks. Aug. 4, 1960: Baby Whale, tied up at a dock on Dark Bay in Lake George, vanishes overnight. August 1960: A major search, which includes police stops of tractor-trailers on the road and aerial surveillance of the lake, comes up empty. 1995: Bob Benway and Joseph Zarzynski, the founders of Bateaux Below, which preserves and promotes 18th century shipwrecks in Lake George, discover Baby Whale in deep water. Summer of 1995: Zarzynski is contacted by someone who says that he participated in taking the sub, but the person does not reveal his identity publicly. 2019: Zarzynskis book, Ghost Fleet Awakened, is published. It includes a chapter on Baby Whale. February: Bill Thomas, 73, the man who contacted Zarzynski in 1995, comes forward to confess to taking the sub in 1960 with his brother, John, and sinking it in the lake.

Will Doolittle is projects editor at The Post-Star. He may be reached at will@poststar.com and followed on his blog, I think not, and on Twitter at @trafficstatic. Will Doolittle is projects editor at The Post-Star. He may be reached at will@poststar.com and followed on his blog, I think not, and on Twitter at @trafficstatic.

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Campaigners from the environmental group, Extinction Rebellion, descended on The Strand Photo: Bairbre Power

London Fashion Week became a battleground today as climate change activists took to the streets and staged a protest calling for the bi-annual showcase to be axed.

Campaigners from the environmental group, Extinction Rebellion, descended on The Strand to protest about the fashion industry's contribution to carbon emissions and raise awareness of sustainable design.

Demonstrators with pink flags blocked off three junctions outside the London Fashion Week (LFW) HQ near Westminster in central London, causing traffic to back up throughout the capital.

Last September, the protesters held a faux funeral during London Fashion Week, calling for the cancellation of one of the industry's biggest events.

Extinction Rebellion maintain that the clothing industry accounts for 7pc of global greenhouse gas emissions.

They want to halt the over production in the industry, which feeds into landfill, and have urged changes to tackle the ecological crisis.

Demonstrators today held a "swarm" in which they stood across junctions in front of 180 Strand, the building where the British Fashion Council is organising 60 shows over the five days.

The traffic snarl-up hit people trying to navigate their way to shows on the schedule. Protesters also staged a protest at Gatwick Airport.

The demonstrators demanded an emergency action plan to combat the fashion industry's role in the ongoing ecological crisis and to tackle over- production.

The protesters first gathered outside Temple tube station and then marched on the LFW hub on the Strand . They carried placards reading 'No fashion on a dead planet' and 'No more false fashion'. Among the diverse group of protesters I met were students, retired people and parents with children.

Video of the Day

Artist and writer, Deborah Nash attended, proudly wearing a 70-year-coat she told me had belonged to her mother, Jean. She expressed alarm at the amount of water used to manufacture a tee shirt and a pair of jeans. According to World Wildlife Fund, it takes 20,000 litres of water to make a tee shirt and a pair of jeans.

Numbers are already down at this London Fashion Week, showing collections from Autumn Winter 2020, with some press and buyers staying away against the backdrop of the coronavirus outbreak.

Many buyers have come to London directly from New York Fashion Week and it's next stop Paris.

The London event, held every six months, is a major showcase for Irish designers. Richard Malone from Co Wexford unveiled his latest collection inside the Strand venue yesterday with a collection very strong on sustainability. He uses biodegradable dyes and offcuts of fabric.

Rixo and Richard Quinn are hosting shows in central London today and Katie Ann McGuigan unveils her newest pieces at the Strand venue tomorrow.
Storyful

Supporters of world No.1 Novak Djokovic gathered outside a courthouse in Melbourne on January 10 as the player appealed against his deportation from Australia.A bid by the Australian government to delay a court hearing to January 12 was rejected by a federal circuit judge.According to court filings, Djokovics lawyers say he was granted a visa on November 18. An exemption certificate was issued by Tennis Australias chief medical officer on December 30, they said.The hearing was due to start at 10am local time but was delayed due to technical issues. Footage by Marion Theissen shows fans outside the Federal Circuit and Family Court in Melbourne. Credit: Marion Theissen via Storyful
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" star Margaret Qualley will topline director Scott Cooper's next "A Head Full Of Ghosts".

Cooper, best known for films such as Christian Bale-starrers "Hostiles" and "Out of the Furnace", will direct the psychological horror movie, which is an adaptation of Paul Tremblay's novel of the same name.

The project hails from Cross Creek, Team Downey and The Allegiance Theater, reported Deadline.

"When 8-year-old Merry's older sister exhibits signs of an indeterminate and terrifying affliction, the Barrett family slowly tears itself apart.

"Now, 20 years later, Merry is confronted with her family's traumatic past when Rachel, a journalist with a similarly haunted past, delves into the case, causing Merry to relive and reconsider the devastating memories of her childhood," the film's official synopsis read.

The film will be produced by Daniel Dubiecki and Lara Alameddine of the Allegiance Theater, Susan Downey of Team Downey, Tyler Thompson of Cross Creek, Cooper and David Gambino.

Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr will serve as executive producer.

Cooper's next release is "Antlers", starring Keri Russell and Jessie Plemons. The film will hit the theatres in the US on April 17.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday rejected European pessimism about Washingtons retreat from the global stage, saying the death of the transatlantic bond had been grossly overexaggerated.

The West is winning and were winning together, Pompeo told the Munich Security Conference.

But he was immediately contradicted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned of a weakening of the West.

The annual gathering of world leaders, generals and diplomats to discuss security challenges has been dominated by fears of diminishing Western influence in the face of a more assertive China and Russia.

In his opening speech a day earlier, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested that the United States rejected even the idea of an international community and was acting at the expense of neighbours and partners.

Those statements dont reflect reality, Pompeo retorted.

Im happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly over-exaggerated, he said, paraphrasing a famous Mark Twain quote.

He said Washington was playing a key role in keeping Europe safe by reinforcing NATOs eastern flank on the border with Russia, as well as leading a multinational effort to defeat the Islamic State jihadist group.

Is this an America that rejects the international community? he asked.

The free West has a brighter future than illiberal alternatives, Pompeo added, urging allies to have confidence in the transatlantic bond.

He stressed the need to work together against threats posed by Russias territorial ambitions, Chinas military buildup in the South China Sea and Irans campaigns of terror through proxy conflicts in the Middle East.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who also took to the stage in Munich, joined Pompeo in voicing dismay at the gatherings pessimistic tone.

There is a competition out there in so many areas, with so many different actors, but simply lamenting that we have lost our way will not provide us with a way forward, Stoltenberg told the audience.

Europe and North America are indispensable partners -- two sides to the same coin. together, we are half of the worlds military might and half of the worlds economic might.

- Russian energy reliance -

In a nod to concerns about European reliance on Russian natural gas, Pompeo also announced that the US would finance energy projects in eastern EU countries.

The United States -- through our International Development Finance Corporation, and with the support of the US Congress -- intends to provide up to $1 billion in financing to the Central and Eastern European countries of the Three Seas Initiative, Pompeo told the conference.

Our aim is to galvanise private sector investment in their energy sectors.

The Three Seas Initiative is a club of 12 eastern and central EU countries who have grown increasingly concerned about over the Russian giant in their backyard since Moscows annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

At a Three Seas meeting in 2017, President Trump offered to supply the grouping with US liquefied natural gas so they would never be hostage to a single Russian supplier.

Washingtons offer comes amid fierce US opposition to Russias controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, set to double the countrys gas shipments to Germany.

Washington believes the pipeline will give Russia too much influence over security and economic issues in western Europe.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 03:28:08|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Jan. 30, 2020 shows the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland.(Xinhua/Chen Junxia)

"We must be guided by solidarity, not stigma," the WHO chief reiterated, adding that the greatest enemy is not the virus itself but the stigma "that turns us against each other."



MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday called for solidarity in fighting the epidemics here at the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC).

"We must be guided by solidarity, not stigma," he reiterated, adding that the greatest enemy is not the virus itself but the stigma "that turns us against each other."

"We must stop stigma and hate," he stressed.

"The outbreaks of Ebola and COVID-19 underscore once again the vital importance for all countries to invest in preparedness and not panic," he told the MSC audience.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks at a press conference after the WHO emergency committee's meeting on the novel coronavirus in China at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Qu)

The WHO chief said that world spends billions of dollars preparing for a terrorist attack, but spends little preparing for the attack of a virus, which could be more far deadly and far more damaging economically, politically and socially.

"This is frankly difficult to understand and dangerously short-sighted," he said.

In addition, the WHO head said that he is encouraged about the steps China has taken to contain the outbreak at its source, which are slowing the spread of the epidemic to the rest of the world.

He is also encouraged that international experts are now on the ground in China, working closely with their Chinese counterparts to understand the outbreak and to inform the next steps in the global response.

Talking about his praise for China, he said he has given credit where it's due.

"I will continue to do that, as I would and I did for any country that fights an outbreak aggressively at its source to protect its own people and the people of the world, even at great costs to itself."
Hyderabad: Police in Telangana registered a case against four Bajrang Dal activists for attacking film critic Kathi Mahesh, who had earlier made allegedly derogatory statements against Hindu gods.

"Today (Friday) film critic Kathi Mahesh came to Imax mall to watch a movie. While he was returning four Bajrang Dal activists noticed and attacked him. The police personnel who were on duty immediately intervened and rescued Kathi Mahesh and shifted him to the local police station," ACP Saifabad Venu Gopal told ANI on Friday.

The four Bajrang Dal activists were also caught and shifted to the Saifabad police station.

A case has been registered against the four activists and notices have been issued against them, according to the police official.

Further probe is underway.

Telugu film critic Kathi Mahesh had allegedly made derogatory comments against the Hindu gods and religion, for which cases had been registered against him earlier this month.

The case against Kathi was lodged by the Hyderabad cyber crime police on February 9.

A short video of the speech by Kathi had gone viral.

Earlier, Mahesh Kathi was banned from Hyderabad for six months by the Telangana police under the Telangana Prevention of Anti-Social and Hazardous Activities Act, 1980, during a similar controversy.
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Linkedin Will Dunham (Reuters) Washington, United States  Sat, February 15, 2020 08:06 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064a7a32 2 Science & Tech Africa,DNA,humans,ancestor,genetics Free

Scientists examining the genomes of West Africans have detected signs that a mysterious extinct human species interbred with our own species tens of thousands of years ago in Africa, the latest evidence of humankind's complicated genetic ancestry.

The study indicated that present-day West Africans trace a substantial proportion, some 2 percent to 19 percent, of their genetic ancestry to an extinct human species - what the researchers called a "ghost population".

"We estimate interbreeding occurred approximately 43,000 years ago, with large intervals of uncertainty," said University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) human genetics and computer science professor Sriram Sankararaman, who led the study published this week in the journal Science Advances.

Homo sapiens first appeared a bit more than 300,000 years ago in Africa and later spread worldwide, encountering other human species in Eurasia that have since gone extinct including the Neanderthals and the lesser-known Denisovans.

Previous genetic research showed that our species interbred with both the Neanderthals and Denisovans, with modern human populations outside of Africa still carrying DNA from both. But while there is an ample fossil record of the Neanderthals and a few fossils of Denisovans, the newly identified "ghost population" is more enigmatic.

Asked what details are known about this population, Sankararaman said, "Not much at this stage."

Read also: Fossils of enigmatic extinct human species found on Philippine island

"We don't know where this population might have lived, whether it corresponds to known fossils, and what its ultimate fate was," Sankararaman added.

Sankararaman said this extinct species seems to have diverged roughly 650,000 years ago from the evolutionary line that led to Homo sapiens, before the evolutionary split between the lineages that led to our species and to the Neanderthals.

The researchers examined genomic data from hundreds of West Africans including the Yoruba people of Nigeria and Benin and the Mende people of Sierra Leone, and then compared that with Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes. They found DNA segments in the West Africans that could best be explained by ancestral interbreeding with an unknown member of the human family tree that led to what is called genetic "introgression".

It is unclear if West Africans derived any genetic benefits from this long-ago gene flow.

"We are beginning to learn more about the impact of DNA from archaic hominins on human biology," Sankararaman said, using a term referring to extinct human species. "We now know that both Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA was deleterious in general but there were some genes where this DNA had an adaptive impact. For example, altitude adaptation in Tibetans was likely facilitated by a Denisovan introgressed gene."

Topics : Africa DNA humans ancestor genetics
In November 1995, the government executed Fazel Khodadad on charges of embezzlement estimated at 123 billion tomans. Khodadad was the first economic criminal who was executed after the 1979 revolution.

However, his partner Morteza Rafiqdoust, thanks his brothers influence, escaped from the death penalty and received a life sentence. The commander of the Revolutionary Committee in Saad Abad branch and the brother of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)s founder was finally released from prison after eight years alone. The court later concluded that the sentence was excessive and life in prison was unfair for Rafiqdoust.

In April 1998, Iranian media outlets reported that the Mayor of Tehran Gholamhossein Karbaschi had been arrested on corruption charges. In July 1998, Karbaschi was convicted of corruption and misuse of funds and began serving a two-year sentence in May 1999.

However, in January 2000, Khamenei agreed to decree his amnesty. The former economic criminal is now the General Secretary of Executives of Construction Party.

In 2001, Irans society had shocked by the revelation of another corruption case. Shahram Jazayeri, 24, was taken into custody for a long list of criminal activities involving bribery, illegal exports, forgery and massive embezzlement of state money and assets.

He had paid about $15,600,000 to the Iran Supreme leaders brother Hadi Khamenei, and about $5,800,000 to former Majlis speaker Mehdi Karroubi without requesting anything in return.

In February 2007, Jazayeri escaped thanks to the intervention of several influential clerics who had a vested interest in covering up his scandals.

In September 2011, citing nervous disease as the cause, the former CEO of Meli bank Mahmoud Reza Khavari delivered his resignation. A little later, he along with his family fled to Canada and he became renowned as a fugitive embezzler.

The photos of Khavari in shop stores, casinos, restaurants, and his expensive palace in Canada are still circulated in cyberspace and quickly emerge in Google search.

In late 2013, during the era of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Babak Zanjani was arrested on a charge of withholding $7 billion of Irans oil revenue.

He was supposedly involved in helping the government bypass international sanctions. In the interim, he had made a fortune for himself. My crime is circumventing the sanctions, Zanjani said in his legal defense at the court.

Apart from individuals, theres not one sector that has remained untouched by the impact of systemic corruption in Iran. In this context, the government apparatuses have formed many corruptions under the pretext of financial and credit institutions.

Over recent years, many corruption cases have been revealed regarding these institutions that have firm ties with powerful organs in the government such as the IRGC. The Cultural Cooperative Fund, Sarmayeh [capital] bank, and Caspian credit institutions are the most famous corporations, which have recorded mind-blowing figures in plundering.

Nevertheless, Irans denial of joining the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) shows officials eagerness for a non-transparent economy and continuation of underground transactions.

Smuggling Commodity Equivalent to 62 Percent of Irans General Budget

Regardless of corrupt individuals and corporations, the annual turnover of smuggling commodities in Iran reaches about $25 billion. This figure was previously announced by the staff of the counter-smuggling of goods and currencies. This amount is almost equal to 300 trillion tomans.

Last November, President Hassan Rouhani declared that the total budget of Iran is around 450 trillion tomans, which means the value of smuggling commodity is equivalent to two-thirds of the countrys general budget.

Irans Tax Affairs Organization estimated the tax evasion between 30-40 trillion tomans. It is worth reminding that this amount is about half of the budget for treatment and health.

The function of bank stocks in 2018 shows that the Saderat bank has registered capital of 17.535 trillion tomans. The Tejarat bank has also registered capital of 22.392 trillion tomans. In other words, tax evasion in Iran is equivalent to the capital of two major Iranian banks.

Furthermore, Director General of Anti-Money Laundering Office of Tax Affairs Ali Khani previously told the IRNA news agency that there are around 500 million bank accounts in Iran.

However, the population of Iranian people is only 80 million. He expressed his concerns about this alarming number of bank accounts, which have created a huge capacity for corruption. More than four-fifth of these accounts called rental, which are used for turnover by fraudsters.

These days, the dimension of financial corruption by rental accounts has extended to online fraud. Official sources announced that more than 70 percent of cybercrimes consist of online fraud of band accounts, which has caused distrust among the people and disrupted online purchases.

Irans cybersecurity forces declared that the interception of online fraud is too difficult due to fraudsters usage of rental accounts. Notably, most complainants cannot get back their assets.

FATF opponents are concerned about their own interests

In such circumstances, Iranian politicians are arguing about the most essential means of countering corruption. In the 1980s, the hazardous spread of money laundering in the world prompted the international community to join efforts to counter dirty money transfers.

Eventually, in 1989, the world established an intergovernmental organization in this respect, which is known as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Today, most countries have either joined the FATF or are implicitly abiding by its rules. This organization consists of 37 fixed members that are mostly developed countries.

In addition, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union are considered FATF fixed members. Only Iran and North Korea havent joined this global organization so far.

FATF opponents in the Iranian regime argue that joining the body will prevent the country from bypassing sanctions. On the other hand, proponents reason that those are not passionate about the transparent economy and have interests in non-transparent transactions object to joining the FATF.

Irans accession to this financial institution will shed light on all deposits and withdrawals in its banking network. This organization will quickly identify and block all suspicious banking transactions, which will create a huge disadvantage for several parties.

FATF Deters Huge Corruptions

The Head of Foreign Investment Center of Tehran Chamber of Commerce Ferial Mostofi said that joining the FATF would accompany many impacts on removing smuggling and money laundering in the country.

She underlined that transparency in the banking system will cause a reduction in financial corruption. This financial institution became important among the worlds banks after the 9/11 event and all financial systems around the world reached a certain standard. Joining these bills is now a requirement for all nations banking systems.

Adoption of these standards is essential for the financial system of any country to be able to interact with [foreign] financial systems and banks. Therefore, joining these bills is also a must for our country, especially in the current situation. Otherwise, we would not be able to have interactions with other countries in the world and Iranians Bank accounts will be closed across the globe, Mostofi cited.

The lack of transparency in Iran is one of the reasons for growing corruption and dirty money inside the country. The accession to FATF could play a key role in leading the country to transparency.

Corruption in the Archives Rooms

Another essential tool in controlling corruption in the world is the electronic government. This apparatus makes all documents and transactions of the administrative structures electronic and shares them with other institutions of the country.

In addition, it makes it possible to publish documents publicly, and transparency greatly reduces the possibility of abuse. However, in Iran, paper documents and confidential letters remain in priority and the information of each organization is kept in the archives of the organization itself, which lays the groundwork for corrupt practices.

However, creating a transparent system is impossible in Iran while the highest officials involved in major corruption cases.

Read more:

Another Retreat by Iran from Implementing the FATF
Cutting-edge research and development in financial technology and artificial intelligence gets underway at a new state-of-the-art centre in the heart of the Kingdom, set to become a global driver of tech innovation within the space of five years.

Financial technology giant Fexco unveiled its brand-new Research Development and Innovation Centre, built in an investment of 21million by the Kerry firm on the site of the old Simpson Manufacturing plant, which closed in 2012 with the loss of 30 jobs.

But more than 400 workers are expected to be employed within the new innovation hub by 2024 - working both for Fexco and a number of tech start-ups facilitated by the not-for-profit entity RDI Hub, which is co-locating with Fexco in the new building.

Over 125 Fexco staff are to work from 37,000 sq ft of the building in what will be the company's global R&D, Innovation and IT hub. It's high stakes for Fexco, requiring the emergence of real innovation in tech from the new centre in order to continue its global expansion which sees it already operating in 29 countries, employing 2,500 in all across the world.

RDI Hub's co-location with Fexco is set to generate something of a miniature Silicon Valley at the site. Established last year as a not for profit public-private partnership it is to facilitate and encourage start-ups in the fintech and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors.

RDI Hub is to create over 305 direct jobs at the centre by 2024 with initial plans to help set up more than 35 'high-tech' funded start ups. Together, Fexco and RDI Hub will oversee a workforce of more than 400 in the near future there.

And the dedication of the building - officially opened by Minister Brendan Griffin - could not have been more appropriate. The John McCarthy Centre honours the memory of the Stanford University professor today remembered as the 'father of artificial intelligence' through his ground-breaking work in the 1950s and '60s in computer science. He pioneered development in the field having devised LISP - the coding language on which AI was born.

He was also the son of a Cromane man and the late Professor's children Susan, Sarah and Timothy were delighted to return to their ancestral home to witness the birth of this new chapter in Kerry industry in memory of their dad.

CEO of Fexco Denis McCarthy said on the official opening on Wednesday: "This new building signals our commitment to providing world-class innovative fintech solutions to a global audience as well as supporting our local community, through job creation and local investment.

"Since our foundation in Killorglin in 1981 we have been able to grow our business to employ over 2,500 people in 29 countries, whilst keeping our headquarters and the driving force of the business at home here in Kerry."

It represents a symbol of the 'diversification' of the regional economy for Chief Executive of Enterprise Ireland Julie Sinnamon. Enterprise Ireland, IT Tralee and Kerry County Council are all heavily involved in the RDI Hub.

"The new building Fexco has constructed here in Killorglin is a symbol of the diversification of the economy of the region from its past to a new high-tech future," Ms Sinnamon said.

"Fexco and RDI Hub will help strengthen the Southwest's position as a globally connected financial services and ICT skills hotspot, providing high quality jobs and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship."

AI 'father' John McCarthy would meanwhile have been 'delighted' to see the centre take shape, daughter Susan said: "It is an honour to be here today and we are very proud to have my father's work recognized here in Ireland, a country that is very much part of our family's heritage.

"My father would have been delighted to see the commitment to innovation and technology that is at the core of both RDI Hub and Fexco's new centre.

"It is remarkable to think that ideas he had about artificial intelligence in the late 50s are now part of a rapidly expanding part of the digital economy."
There is no immediate solution in sight to the problem of increasing traffic congestion in Clane.

Kildare County Council says an assessment of the traffic implications for the town is likely to be carried out  but no firm arrangement has been put in place.

Local politicians are concerned about the impact of the Sallins bypass and higher density housing with car dependent residents which is proposed for areas around Clane. According to KCC the assessment will be added to a list of projects to be considered by the road design section  and these will be prioritised.

KCC official Tadhg McDonnell told a KCC meeting that concerns about traffic in Clane are valid and in the absence of a rail station a high proportion of vehicles leave the town.

But he said the Sallins bypass and the work on the M7 wont necessarily bring more traffic to Clane. But Cllr Padraig McEvoy pointed out that there are directional signs on the M7 to Clane and Kilcock.

Cllr Tim Durkan said there is ongoing congestion in the Alexandra Bridge area and there have been instances of trucks traveling in opposite directions not being able to pass there.

He said all thats needed to bring Clane to a standstill is for two trucks to collide.

Cllr Darren Fitzpatrick also highlighted the danger posed by the bridge. He said if a lorry collides with the bridge the structure would be out of action for six months.

Where does the traffic between Kilcock and Naas go then ? he asked.

Cllr Aidan Farrelly said there is no plan B in the event of an accident at the bridge and he added a traffic plan for Clane must be a priority.
MUNICH, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met today with President of the Republic of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Armenpress correspondent reports.

Pashinyan said that Armenia, being a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), is interested in the prospect of developing the relations with the European countries.

We believe that Armenia can be a very interesting place for investors who want to have an access to the market of the Eurasian Economic Union. Of course, it will be very useful to connect them to our business communities so that they will see what opportunities they can find both in Macedonia and Armenia, the Armenian PM said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Law enforcement patrolling the northwest Houston area are reporting several burglary rings known to go after motor vehicles in the Willowbrook Mall parking lot and Gleannloch Farms.

Officers with the Houston Police Department and Harris County Precinct 4 Constables Office spoke about their efforts to thwart groups committing burglary during the Feb. 14 meeting of the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce Safety and Security Task Force. The officers discussed the difficulty of keeping arrested parties from returning to commit the same crimes after paying cheaper bond due to the bond reform passed last year and championed by members of Harris County Commissioners Court.

Related: Willowbrook is hub for vehicle burglaries, says local law enforcement

Gleannloch Farms

Pct. 4 constables are working to halt a burglary ring that is targeting vehicles and homes in Gleannloch Farms.

About three days (Feb. 12) ago they stole a pickup truck and ran through the CVS in an attempt to take the ATM machine, Lt. Jose Garza with the Pct. 4 Constables Office said. It appears to be the same five or six males that weve been posting on our social media. Were actually reaching out with all of the ISDs right now because they look to be somewhere in the high school age, 15 to 20 years old.

Garza said Pct. 4 constables have still shots of the incident from security camera footage caught by special operations officers. He said the group has not been identified, but are expected to be coming from the same neighborhood.

Theyve managed to steal the same truck twice and use the same truck twice to commit their crimes, Garza said. Its an older ladys truck that ... twice now in about two and a half weeks theyve stolen her truck and this time they used it to go through the CVS. I bet you they caused $200,000 worth of damage to that CVS.

Garza said the group is estimated to be five to six males. Undercover operators are currently working to find the perpetrators.

Willowbrook Mall

Willowbrook Mall is still having issues with burglary of motor vehicles, or BMVs, in the parking lot as well as shoplifting within the stores. Steve Spears, commander with HPD, said his team worked on sting operations to catch shoplifters during the previous holiday season. HPD officers worked with Willowbrook Mall loss prevention staff to coordinate catching both first-time and chronic shoplifters in the act.

The first time we did it we got about six or seven people, he said. The second time we did it  within six hours we arrested 12 active shoplifters. It was really successful. Loss prevention guys will tell you they get ate up all the time with this and theres not enough resources and it causes all of us some problems because this leads to higher costs for everything.

BMVs are still a consistent issue for the parking lot. Spears and other law enforcement stressed that citizens do their best to hide their belongings in parking lots, especially mall and gym parking lots. Spears and Garza both agreed that low bond rates allowing offenders to get out of jail causes some offenders to resume crime immediately.

Spears said his team has caught several rings of burglars, but they made bail within two days and continued committing burglaries. Spears said he understands low-cost bonds helping poor people who are arrested to get out of jail, but said it can be counterproductive when it comes to repeat offenders.

Theyre released on bond very soon afterwards, he said. The public needs to realize these are frequent fliers and they continually come back.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
Violence and harassment towards aid workers on Lesbos have NGOs concerned for the safety of their staff.

Lesbos, Greece  Following protests staged this month both by Lesbos residents and refugees and migrants against conditions at the infamous Moria refugee camp, NGOs on the Greek island are suffering increased hostility from local groups.

Accounts reported to Al Jazeera by aid workers include harassment, intimidation and, in some cases, violence. The incidents are indicative of escalating tensions on the island where locals, asylum seekers and NGO workers despair for the future.

Aid workers fear for their safety but express more concern for camp overcrowding that grows more severe by the day.

More than 18,300 asylum seekers currently live in and around Moria camp, a facility built to accommodate 2,200, according to the UNHCR. Tents and ad hoc structures are stacked close by on the hillsides, forming a makeshift city whose population is now the second largest on the island, after the capital Mytilini.





To the east of the camp on the next hill hillside, Moria village is visible through a tangle of tent ropes. Since the protests, locals have established roadblocks on the village peripheries, stopping cars and demanding to see the identification of those they suspect to be humanitarian workers.

Ida Eri Sorbye is the coordinator for Drop in the Ocean, an NGO that until recently operated two community centres in Moria village. Last Monday evening, during the weeks spate of migrant protests, Sorbye heard shouting outside the centre and witnessed an altercation between protesting asylum seekers, riot police and locals. She switched off the lights and waited for the situation to de-escalate.

We got a lot of phone calls from our friends in the village saying we should get out and not come back, said Sorbye. Drop in the Ocean has since closed both community centres.

Sorbye had returned to the centre on Wednesday to pick up some equipment when she saw villagers building a bonfire. Locals spotted her taking a photo and began shouting and following her. Despite these incidents, Sorbye has empathy for the villagers, who she says are tense and afraid.

But she worries about the coming months: It just takes a little spark for things to blow up. On both sides. The migrants are losing, the locals are losing. Were all losing.

Tasos Balis, adviser to the mayor of Mytilini, denied any hostility towards NGOs  but confirmed there were tensions.

After all weve been through, there is still a lot of patience given the circumstances, he said. He stressed that municipal officials were powerless to change government policies and that Athens had ignored the needs of Lesbos locals. We are trying our best, he said. But we are standing alone.

Allegations

NGOs on Greeces Aegean islands have been invaluable to the reception and management of the thousands of asylum seekers that arrive monthly from the Middle East and North Africa via Turkey. No fewer than 425 NGOs are currently active in Greece, filling institutional gaps left by authorities who are unable to meet the needs of the countrys growing refugee and migrant population.

Despite their vital role, elements of Greek society have long shown mistrust of NGOs, particularly foreign ones. Humanitarian bodies such as Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym, MSF) are concerned about a resurgent narrative that NGOs are a pull factor for refugees.

Pockets [of the local community] are tired and frustrated and getting manipulated by the general rhetoric, says project coordinator Marco Sandrone. Its a dangerous moment, and we are feeling it in Lesbos.

Sandrone tells Al Jazeera that, last Saturday, MSF employees were stopped at a roadblock outside Moria village. A crowd of people started to harass them and strike the car. He is unequivocal in his assertion that the aggressors are only a small group, who by no means represent the Lesbos community as a whole.

Increased scrutiny

The latest incidents come at a time of increased government scrutiny of NGO operations in the country.

Last week, the Greek parliament voted to establish an online registry of aid organisations, aiming to better track their activities.

Speaking in Parliament, government spokesperson Stelios Petsas said that state checks would be more thorough and no aid worker would work without certification. Deputy migration minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos accused some NGOs of abusing the migration crisis to tap EU funding, calling them bloodsuckers that set up overnight.





Local reports echo these sentiments, with some Lesbos residents alleging that NGO workers guide boats from Turkey to shore, aid and abet smugglers, misuse funds and incite migrants to protest.

Astrid Catelein, head of the UNHCR Lesbos office, told Al Jazeera she expects more frequent checks on registration, staffing and regulation.

Since 2015, the NGOs and volunteers have played a vital role in the response, she says. But, of course, its important that all of them are known to the government.

Fear of further escalation

At the islands smaller, UNHCR-run, Kara Tepe camp for vulnerable individuals, children play happily in the sun. After four years on the island, aid worker Thanos says the latest hostilities are unprecedented. And he believes the governments stance is contributing to them.

Thanos is one of a few aid workers Al Jazeera spoke to who declined to identify themselves and their organisations for fear of further targeting.

Thanos has suffered regular verbal harassment. Locals see his van and accuse him of earning a huge salary and participating in smuggling. He reports frequent accusations that NGOs are a pull factor for asylum seekers. They think that if NGOs leave, the refugees will follow, he says.

While locals have shown extraordinary solidarity and patience with the situation to date, he fears their patience is running out.

Rage is winning. The locals are forgetting the good things we have done in the community. They are focusing on the bad  as people do.

Bleak prospects

NGOs fear that, despite a significant amount of remaining goodwill from locals, the untenable situation on the islands means further rifts are inevitable. New migration and asylum policies introduced by the conservative New Democracy government have placed further strain on an already precarious situation.

The government hopes to resolve the overcrowding by speeding up asylum procedures and increasing deportations back to Turkey. However, there is a backlog of nearly 70,000 unprocessed asylum applications in Greece and, since 2015, fewer than 2,000 people have been deported back to Turkey.

Andrew Foley is director of Better Days, a Swiss-Greek group that provides services for unaccompanied and separated children. He says that, despite the rifts, NGOs, migrants and locals ultimately want the same thing  to clear the hellish Moria camp.

Like many aid workers, he has enjoyed largely positive cooperation with the local community. But that one negative interaction lives long in the memory and trumps the hundred kindnesses Im afforded, he says, sadly.

In the four years he has worked on Lesbos, hostility from locals has come in peaks and troughs, he says: The worry is that the next peak is going to be higher than the one weve just seen.
A priest, a rabbi and an imam walk into a bar. The bartender gives them a drink on the house, and then another. Next thing, they're demanding a free keg, hijacking the karaoke machine and abusing the bartender.

Substitute the bar for Federal Parliament, and there's Australia's brawl over religious freedom legislation distilled.

I know, the imam's religion forbids alcohol. It's a joke. Notwithstanding the terrorist attack at the French satirical journal Charlie Hebdo five years ago, I'm confident that, overwhelmingly, followers of Islam can take a joke. But I've been troubled by recent events in France where a teenage lesbian has been targeted for lashing religion. The case is instructive; more on this later.

Illustration: Dionne Gain Credit:

As a salve for losing the fight against same-sex marriage, and in the wake of the Israel Folau controversy, the federal government offered the bruised religious lobby an anti-religious discrimination bill that entrenches their right to discriminate in the name of religion. That's the first drink on the house. Conservatives of faith revolted, insisting the religious protections didn't go far enough. The faithless complained the bill expanded the devout's right to discriminate and behave obnoxiously, but their voices were largely drowned out. Even I skimmed over their grievances. After all: it could have been worse. The bill could have been explicitly framed around a "positive" right of religious freedom.
I cannot stress to you how important the next 24 to 48 hours is for the people who are going to be affected, Reeves said. He signed an emergency declaration to speed up spending for flood response and recovery. More than 96,000 sandbags had already been distributed by Saturday. The National Guard, the Highway Patrol and other high-water rescue teams were on standby, Reeves said.
(TNS)  Less than five weeks before Floridas March presidential primary, the Department of Homeland Security is investigating a previously unreported cyber attack on Palm Beach Countys elections office, according to Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link.Link, who was appointed last year by the governor to oversee the countys beleaguered elections department, said she contacted the FBI in November after a veteran IT employee told her that the office had been infected by a ransomware virus only a few weeks prior to the 2016 election. The virus was not publicly disclosed in 2016.Link said the FBI referred her to DHS, which sent a team of a half-dozen employees to her office late last month to do a deep dive into her departments network. She said a report of their findings and recommendations is expected shortly.Weve had the top experts in the country here and they spent a lot of time with our system. When we get the report, well be able to take care of everything we can take care of, Link said in an interview Thursday. I wanted this done before March if at all possible.Floridas presidential primary is March 17. Hundreds of thousands of mail ballots have already been sent to voters.Link says shes confident that Palm Beach Countys elections are secure given months of work with state and federal cybersecurity experts in efforts unrelated to the 2016 infection. But the revelation that the office had been infected by a virus  and that no one was told about it for three years  is raising alarms in a state that was heavily targeted in 2016 by Russian hackers attempting to tamper with U.S. elections.U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, tweeted Thursday that hes reached out to the FBI about the reported intrusion. U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, an Orlando Democrat who has filed a bill that would create greater transparency around election-related cyber attacks, said Links troubling story reinforces the need for government to quickly alert the public to hacking attempts.It should not have taken the public this long to find out about this intrusion, she said.Link said she first became aware last fall that the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office had been hit with a ransomware attack. She says she learned of the incident from a top technology employee while interviewing him to see if he was capable of filling in for her former IT director, whod been fired following a scuffle with investigators looking into whether hed possessed child pornography.Link said the employee, Ed Sacerio, mentioned that he was unsure what ever came of a ransomware attack around Sept. 14, 2016, that had alarmed elections office workers and sent them scrambling to unplug computers. According to Link, multiple employees, including fired former IT director Jeff Darter, confirmed that a virus either began encrypting files or changing file names, and that text boxes began popping up demanding cash payments in exchange for the release of files.She said she was told the compromised files were mostly Microsoft Word and Excel files. Nobody has reported it had anything to do with voter files, she said.Sacerio told her that employees had printed out reams of code to try to document the attack. She said he later found the box full of paper in her former IT directors office. She said she doesnt believe anyone reported the incident or documented it internally.When I learned about it and I called the state Division of Elections and I called the FBI and my contact at Homeland Security, none of them were aware of it, Link said. And, in my conversation with our IT director, he did indicate, to his knowledge, that it hadnt been reported.Susan Bucher, the former supervisor of elections in Palm Beach County who was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis following a problem-plagued 2018 election recount, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that she would swear on a stack of Bibles that her office was not the subject of a cyber attack.But Link said she sent the box of printed-out code to the FBI, which informed her office that it appeared theyd been infected by a ZEPTO virus. The virus, deployed by hackers seeking a ransom, scrambles files and renames them .zepto until a decryption key is deployed.The town of Palm Beach was infected with ransomware in 2016. Other municipalities, including Key Biscayne, were hit in 2019.Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee said Thursday that her office had not been told of the ransomware attack in Palm Beach County in 2016.The FBI declined to comment. The Department of Homeland Security referred theto Palm Beach County.Tammy Jones, the head of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, said its not that surprising that a cyber attack would have gone unreported in 2016. The states local elections officials became aware that summer that hackers were attempting to gain access into elections networks, but protocols for what to do and who to alert in case of a breach were less clear than they are today, she said.Its just a known fact [now] that you report it Jones said. There was nobody to report it to in 2016.But Ion Sancho, a former Leon County elections supervisor who has been brought in as an expert witness in recent elections-related court cases, said the apparent decision not to report the ransomware attack threatens the credibility of elections. He noted that the FBI kept confidential that two of Floridas elections offices had been breached until Special Counsel Robert Mueller detailed that information in his report last year into elections interference.The FBI has since confirmed the breaches, but did not publicly disclose which two Florida elections offices were hit in 2016  a lingering issue that Sancho said is causing unease and uncertainty.In order to not start a panic, you need accurate and truthful information, Sancho said. We need to make the information public and explain what safeguards were taken and what the ramifications might or might not be. Honesty is always the best policy. If the supervisor of elections loses credibility ... it could contribute to loss of faith in the process.Lee, the secretary of state, said through a spokesman that the state is committed to secure elections and noted the hiring of five cybersecurity navigators to help the states 67 elections departments. She said an elections-specific risk assessment has been conducted in every office, and the state has previously touted the widespread use of a new system that detects attempted cyber attacks.The department is working with each supervisor of elections to address any weaknesses or vulnerabilities that are identified in their county prior to the 2020 elections, she said.Link, who revealed the cyber attack Wednesday during an interview with the Palm Beach Post editorial board, said shes positive that her office is not compromised as a result of the ransomware. She said the elections department has been working for months with the states cyber navigators, and there have been no indications that her office is compromised.She said her office had also worked with the FBI and DHS before the ransomware attack was disclosed to her.We wanted to really be very secure. Understanding that sometimes viruses are attached to different types of things and can live in your system and hide there and be reactivated, we wanted to have somebody who really understood what they were doing come do this for us, she said. Thats what this last step is.
(Newser)  The coronavirus death toll has made its way to a new region. Per the BBC and New York Times, France's health minister has announced that an 80-year-old man from China's Hubei province who was visiting France died Friday of a lung infection caused by the coronavirus. The tourist, who arrived in France on Jan. 16, had been hospitalized and quarantined in Paris since Jan. 25. "His condition had quickly worsened and he had been in critical condition for several days," Agnes Buzyn said in a statement. She added that the man's daughter had also contracted the illness and was hospitalized, but that she should be able to go home soon.

story continues below

France so far has reported 11 coronavirus cases, including these two. The man's death is the fourth noted outside of China, though the other three deaths have all taken place in Asia: Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines have each reported one death. Meanwhile, Egypt's health ministry has confirmed the first case in Africa, noting only that the patient was a foreigner. Health officials on Saturday said there were more than 2,600 new coronavirus cases in China, with 143 new deaths, Reuters reports. More than 66,000 have been infected worldwide with the disease, with upward of 1,500 deaths, mostly in China. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
(Reuters) - China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi sat with Reuters for a 90-minute interview in Berlin. Here are some of the highlights: CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK 'After the epidemic started, we have set up a nationwide mechanism and mobilized national resources, and we have taken the most correct, the most rigorous and decisive measures to fight against the epidemic.

(Reuters) - China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi sat with Reuters for a 90-minute interview in Berlin.

Here are some of the highlights:

CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

"After the epidemic started, we have set up a nationwide mechanism and mobilized national resources, and we have taken the most correct, the most rigorous and decisive measures to fight against the epidemic. Many measures went beyond international health regulations and the WHO recommendations. What I want to tell our friends, this epidemic, through our efforts, the epidemic is overall under control."

"As a responsible major country, from the beginning, we took a very open and transparent manner in releasing open information to the international community cooperation on this effort. And through our efforts to stop the spread of this disease, until now, outside of China, the number of confirmed cases has not even reached 1% of the cases in China."

"This disease knows no boundaries, it requires a collective response from the international community. For us, we are grateful for the understanding and support shown to China by the international community."

"While some countries have stepped up measures, including quarantine measures, which are reasonable and understandable, for some countries they have overreacted, which has triggered unnecessary panic. Those measures are not consistent with the policy recommendations of the WHO. I'm sure that those countries are reflecting on this situation as the situation evolves and the epidemic is gradually brought under further control, they will gradually release such restrictions. Because at the end of the day, these countries need to interact with China."

"Under the personal direction of President Xi, we have created a nationwide mechanism, on this piece of land of 9.6 million square meters and 1.4 billion people, we have taken such complete prevention and control efforts, efforts that are so comprehensive, that I can't see any other country that can do this."

SINO-U.S. TRADE

"China is already prepared, our market is big enough. The epidemic has brought a certain amount of impact, but I think the suppressed consumption demand will quickly be released after the epidemic, and the Chinese economy's dynamism will rebound strongly. There's no problem with market demand."

"Now one potential problem is, given the United States' comprehensive ban on people coming and going between China and the United States. Now, objectively, this will bring some difficulties to implementing this agreement. I hope that the United States will consider this problem, and how to continue to prevent the spread of this epidemic, while not making unnecessary limitations on trade and people and respecting the WHO's advice. Now if we work hard in this direction, I think we can quickly overcome some of the temporary difficulties and implement this agreement. China will carry out China's promise, we hope the United States will also carry out its promises."

"We want to concentrate on the implementation of the Phase 1 trade deal and see real tangible results. That will help not only China-U.S. trade, and put it back on a healthy track and sound economic development, it will help with global economic growth. As we implement the Phase 1 trade agreement, we will accumulate experience and then we can consider when we should start Phase 2. I think this is a reasonable approach."

HUAWEI

"We don't know why this superpower country is using its state power and moving its allies to attack Huawei, which is a private company. It is a 100% private company. It has been growing by relying on its own diligence, wisdom and following market rules. America has done this, perhaps the only reason is Huawei has developed too well."

"American companies that have developed very well, we congratulate them. Why can't a Chinese company succeed based on its own efforts? Why can't America accept that other countries' companies can also display their talent in economy, in technology? Perhaps deep down it doesn't hope to see other countries develop. It doesn't want to see other countries become big and strong. It even resorts to rumours to defame other countries' companies."

"It always says Huawei has a backdoor that harms U.S. national security, but until now there's been no credible evidence. It has only been speculation, pure speculation."

"But Huawei, according to our understanding, has never done this. And Huawei has formally and publicly said this, to the world, that we are willing to sign a no-backdoor agreement with any government and organization. Huawei wants to clear its name and show its transparency with this legal accord. I think isn't this enough? Is there still a need to suppress Huawei? There's no reason to it. And it is immoral."

CLASH OF CIVILISATIONS?

"China has always maintained, no one civilisation is superior to another, each culture is built upon its own deep history and culture, each civilisation has its won unique values."

"Every country is equal and has the right to develop. Western nations developed first, and no matter how they developed, we want to wish them well. Now that non-Western countries want to develop, this is our due right."

"America has America's system and model, and we believe this is the American people's choice, and whether to change it is the American people's right. China will not interfere in America's domestic affairs. At the same time, China's current system and path, which is socialism with Chinese characteristics, this is the Chinese people's choice, and has achieved great success in China."

MIDDLE EAST

"If one is to say America is providing a guarantee of security for China and other Middle Eastern countries, I think many Middle Eastern countries will disagree with this statement. The reality is that, in the last few decades, the United States has started many wars in the Middle East, has created huge amounts of damage and brought about such suffering to the people of different countries of the Middle East, is this called providing a guarantee of security for the Middle East? We see that America's methods have not only not allowed the Middle East to keep its stability and development, but rather have caused it to fall into endless turmoil and poverty. In reality, America's actions are to protect its own interests. It has not benefited the countries in the Middle East. What I'm saying is all true."

HONG KONG

"Hong Kong's situation is that it is gradually returning to peace and stability, Hong Kong's legal system is returning to the proper path. One Country, Two Systems will continue to be firmly implemented and enforced. Many Hong Kong people will realize, One Country Two Systems is the most important guarantee for their stability and prosperity."

"Now there are some young Hong Kong people who have been confused by some outside forces. They're holding foreign flags, and say they want to become a part of another country and to ask another country to save them. This is completely forgetting who their ancestors are, forgetting their identity as a Chinese person, and it is shameful. They do not represent the wishes of the vast majority of people in Hong Kong. Hong Kong people are also Chinese people."

NORTH KOREA

"China's position has been consistent and clear. We advocate denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula through dialogue and negotiation, while maintaining peace and stability in the region, and in the process addressing the legitimate concerns of the DPRK."

"We hope the United States and North Korea can come to an agreement as early as possible. And China is ready to continue to play a positive role for that. We cannot afford to have the de-escalation that has been to hard to achieve go down the drain. We cannot afford to have the window of peace be shut down again."

(Reporting by Alessandra Galloni and Ryan Woo; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
A Kerala court on Saturday issued a summon to Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to appear before it on May 2, in connection with a defamation case filed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

Speaking to reporters, Tharoor's lawyer said that the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate has taken cognisance of the complaint and asked the minister to appear before it on May 2.

Tharoor had filed a defamation case against Prasad for allegedly making derogatory remarks in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death. According to the complaint, Ravi Shankar Prasad had allegedly called Tharoor a "murder accused".

The Congress leader alleged in the complaint that Prasad put out a video clip of his press conference on Twitter in which he allegedly made the remark that is "false and has a scandalous imputation".

The Delhi Police are probing the death of Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar who was found dead at a hotel room in New Delhi on January 17, 2014. The police have also questioned Tharoor in connection with the death.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HONOLULU - A man who visited Hawaii was confirmed to have coronavirus when he returned home to Japan, Hawaii officials said Friday.

Health officials were tracking down details about his travel in the Aloha State, including his flight information and people with whom he had close contact.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified Hawaii about the man having the illness known as COVID-19 on Friday morning, Hawaii Health Director Bruce Anderson said.

The man was in Hawaii Jan. 28 to Feb. 7. He first visited the island of Maui, where he had no symptoms, Anderson said. He was on Oahu, the states most populated island, Feb. 3-7. While on Oahu, he had cold-like symptoms, but no fever, Anderson said.

He developed more serious symptoms when he returned to Japan, where he was tested and found to be positive for the illness, Anderson. He did not seek medical care in Hawaii, Anderson said.

Because of when his symptoms began, officials believe he became infected in Japan or while in transit to Hawaii, said state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park.

He is from Japans Aichi Prefecture. The man was travelling with his wife, and while on Oahu, they stayed in Grand Waikikian By Hilton, officials said.

Our focus at this point is to try and understand who potentially this person may have had close, prolonged contact, Park said, adding that theyre concentrating on his whereabouts while on Oahu because thats where he developed symptoms.

If any close contacts are identified, those people would be isolated for 14 days, Anderson said.

Japan has about 250 confirmed cases of the new disease that apparently started in Wuhan, a city in central China, in December.

Japan announced Thursday its first death from the virus, hours after confirming 44 more cases on a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo as fears of the spreading disease mount in the country.

So far, only 15 U.S. cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed, and no deaths. All but two of the cases were in people who had travelled to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the international outbreak. The remaining two were spread from travellers to their spouses.
Thumbs Up ... to the Scott County Board of Supervisors, which voted a week ago to welcome refugees into the county. The vote was unanimous, and it follows a similar action taken by the Rock Island County Board of Supervisors on a 24-1 vote.

We're happy that both boards have formally voted to allow refugees to be resettled in the Quad-Cities.

This wasn't necessary until President Trump last year tried to make it more difficult for refugees to come to the United States.

The president drastically reduced the number of refugees who can enter the U.S. He also signed an executive order last year that requires state and local governments to expressly authorize resettlement within their jurisdictions before it can happen.

Both governors in Iowa and Illinois have given their approval, and now both of the county boards in this area have done so.

We're sorry this was ever necessary. It should not be. But we're happy that county board members across our community have sent a welcoming message that this community values the contribution refugees make, and that we believe it is a core value to hold out a hand to those who are fleeing war and oppression.
An Australian parliamentary trip to the UK has been cancelled after Boris Johnson decided to allow Huawei to be part of the country's 5G network

A trip to the United Kingdom by Australian MPs has been cancelled after Boris Johnson decided to allow Chinese telco Huawei to be part of the country's 5G network.

Australian Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee were scheduled to arrive at the end of March and meet with the House of Commons intelligence committee, Britain's security agencies and other national security figures during the first week of April.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the visit has been abruptly cancelled in the wake of an angry letter.

The UK's High Commissioner Victoria Treadell wrote to two Australian MPs to demand an explanation about the leaked conversations involving British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, the ABC reported last week.

Mr Raab met with parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee during a visit that was aimed at securing closer ties in the UK's post-Brexit era.

It's reported the British High Commissioner is angered that these conversations were leaked to the media, showing that Australian MPs had criticised the UK for allowing Huawei into its 5G network.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (L) and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne pose for photographs ahead of a bilateral meeting at Parliament House on February 6 in Canberra

Labor MP Anthony Byrne reportedly critcised Mr Raab in private conversations.

Australia and other countries have blocked Huawei amid to security fears.

Mr Raab's visit came after Britain - one of Australia's five-eyes allies - ignored the warning from the United States about banning Huawei from 5G network.

Last week it was claimed President Donald Trump was 'apoplectic' with Mr Johnson following the decision to approve a deal with Huawei.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg played down reports of a spat between the UK and Australia on Saturday.

'Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison work very effectively together,' he told reporters in Melbourne.

He said Australia and the UK have a strong economic and strategic partnership.

'And it's a partnership that will be solidified further with a free trade agreement that we are both working on.'
Today, units of the Armenian armed forces, having grossly violated the ceasefire on the front line, once again committed a provocation, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported.

As a result of a shot fired by the enemy, a soldier of the Azerbaijani army, Seymour Aleskerov, died.

The leadership of the Ministry of Defense expresses deep condolences to the relatives and friends of the martyr.
LAHORE: UN-designated ''global terrorist'' and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Mohammad Saeed will most certainly be released after the verdict of the Financial Action Task Force ( FATF ), according to informed sources who said that there are intentional loopholes in the verdict which allows that.

The FATF meeting in Paris from February 16 will decide whether or not Pakistan finally needs to be blacklisted for failing to act against terror. The lawyer of the Mumbai terror attacks mastermind, who along with an aide was convicted by an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday, has said that they will appeal the judgement in the Lahore High Court.

According to Dawn, Saeed`s counsel argues that his client was convicted for no other reason than due to FATF "pressure" ahead of its upcoming meeting. Pakistan's leading daily said besides involvement in foreign theatres, and the ensuing opprobrium this has brought to Pakistan, the fact is that LeT- JuD terrorists have also contributed to instability within the country.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD)-led LeT has maintained links with the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda, as well as with elements that evolved into the Punjabi Taliban.

Considering these precedents, it can only be welcomed that Saeed has been sent to prison. Another major point that the conviction of the JuD chief raises is that, in Pakistan, terror groups are proscribed while their leaders and cadres continue to operate as per routine.

Informed sources said that Pakistan Army continues to provide logistics, training and funds to these terrorist outfits and use them as proxies against its neighbours, India and Afghanistan.

Many of these outfits are engaged in the illegal drugs trade and earn handsome revenue to maintain their cadres.

The Government of Pakistan in June 2018 made a commitment to work with the FATF to plug the loopholes. But a review by the intergovernmental organisation in October 2019 revealed a "lack of progress" by Pakistan Government to address its terror financing risks.

The FATF noted that Pakistan had only largely addressed five of the 27 items on the action plan, with varying levels of progress made on the rest.

The FATF had then set February 2020 as the deadline for Pakistan to tighten the legal framework to curb money-laundering and squeeze the flow of funds to the terrorist outfits.

The organization warned if Imran Khan Government had failed to plug the loopholes by then, it would take actions, which might include calling on financial institutions of other nations to be cautious while dealing with counterparts in Pakistan.
By Trend

Implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) large-scale project is of great importance for Europe and also contributes to the growth of Azerbaijans image in the international arena as a guarantor of energy security of the European continent, Giulietto Chiesa, famous Italian politician, prominent public figure, writer and journalist told Trend.

Chiesa said that the phased implementation of this complex project has demonstrated coordinated and purposeful activity of all its participants.

Implementation of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which reached the Turkish-Greek border last year, was a landmark event that attracted attention of whole Europe, the Italian politician noted. The world is closely watching this process, which is almost close to completion. The implementation of such a large-scale project is a historic event, it is of tremendous importance for all its participants and partners. This is a project of the highest level, which increases Azerbaijans prestige throughout the world. In fact, Azerbaijan, through the SGC, is changing the energy map of Europe.

Chiesa noted the importance of holding the upcoming SGC Advisory Council meeting in Baku, during which the activities carried out as part of the project will be discussed.

Transporting Azerbaijani gas to European markets is in the interests of all importing countries and this is a serious help in the support for this project from the EU, its launch will be a historic victory for Azerbaijan, the Italian politician said. Namely through the implementation of such significant projects as the SGC Azerbaijan is becoming more influential player in the international arena and is actually changing the energy map of Europe. The world agenda contains challenges related to energy security, on which the national security of countries depends. In this respect, the role of the SGC is indispensable.

Further, Chiesa noted the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and Italy.

The cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy is developing dynamically, but, in my opinion, these relations need to be further deepened to open new opportunities for long-term and effective interaction, the journalist added.

Azerbaijans gas supplies to Europe via the SGC will begin this year.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor was held in Baku on May 29, 2018, while opening ceremony of TANAPs Phase 0 was held on June 12, 2018 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. TANAP-Europe connection was opened on Nov.30, 2019 in Ipsala, Edirne, Turkey.

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) were connected on the Turkish-Greek border.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Come excited, leave disappointed View(s):

They come and, they are excited when they come. But soon they leave and are disappointed when they leave, Gihan Liyanage, Assistant Manager of Tangerine Beach Hotel said during a recent conversation with him. He had done an interesting research on a tough labour issue in the hotel industry for his Masters degree in Tourism Economics.

The issue is labour turnover problem in the hotel industry. It is a common but untold problem in the Sri Lankan tourism industry. To my knowledge, it has hardly been a topic of interest, compared to so much talk and efforts about tourism promotion and expansion.

Many would think that the tourism industry is an attractive place for work for the rural youth. Even the rural youth find it an opportunity to escape from their harsh rural agricultural background. And they also think that it is an attractive opportunity to work in the lucrative tourism industry and in a star-grade hotel. But all such dreams begin to fade away little by little, when they are in. The result is a high labour turnover.

I thought of discussing the issue for a couple of reasons. The issue needs to be addressed so that it would directly benefit the tourism industry and improve the status of the employees of the industry. Ultimately it contributes to the development effort of the country as well.

High labour turnover

The term labour turnover refers to the rate at which employees leave a company or an industry. Usually, it is measured by the number of employees leaving during a year as a percentage of the total number of employees in the company of the industry.

If the labour turnover is unusually high, there is a problem that needs to be explored and rectified. It also creates secondary problems for the company or the industry incurring additional costs and the loss of competitiveness.

Most of the tourist hotels in Sri Lanka would agree that more than half of their non-executive employees, perhaps, as high as 60 per cent of the total number of employees, leave the job every year. There is no argument that this is a very high labour turnover!

As a result, recruitment and training of new employees is a constant struggle for tourist hotels. This is not only an additional cost to the industry, but also an additional effort to maintain the quality standards. Ultimately, the issue hinders on the product development within the industry, affecting the productivity as well as the countrys economy.

Highly sensitive industry

Over the past 10 years, the number of tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka has increased over four times. For many years, the industry was in depressed conditions due to internal security conditions. Then the annual number of tourist arrivals often remained around half a million a year. And the tourists from the Western countries were also replaced by the tourists from the neighbouring countries.

Now the country is hosting more than two million tourists a year. Compared to the popular tourist destinations in the world, it is still not a big number. One important characteristic is that, unlike the improvements in the business environment, tourism industry does not require complex policy reforms. When there is peace, the worlds outbound tourism is growing and tourists are coming in increasing numbers.

The problem is that the tourism industry is highly sensitive to both global and internal security conditions. Sri Lanka has already experienced the impact of both. Last year the Easter Sunday attack resulted in an immediate slump in the industry. When the country is prepared to just get away from that issue, this year Chinas coronavirus issue is beginning to take its toll.

Even though we need to promote the tourism industry, it is not the scapegoat for the countrys development effort. It cannot replace the need for far-reaching and comprehensive policy reforms. Sustainable achievement of economic development depends on a more diversified industry and service sector development.

As we envisaged the potential tourism expansion in Sri Lanka, however, we began planning to accommodate it. Tourist arrivals increased from 448,000 in 2009 to 2.3 million in 2018. Earnings increased from US$ 349 million to $4.4 billion during the same period. The number of hotel rooms increased from less than 15,000 to nearly 25,000, while room occupancy rate also increased from less than 48 per cent to over 70 per cent. Together with all the expansion, direct employment too increased from 52,000 to 169,000.

Aspirations and the reality

This industry became a lucrative expansionary industry creating demand for labour, but the irony is that there is high labour turnover in the industry. Why? According to Gihans research findings, lets look at some reasons for the high labour turnover in the tourism industry:

The main one is the lower reward to work, which is directly connected to the deep-rooted problems of the cost structure of the tourism industry. What you spend to stay a day in a higher star-grade hotel is, most probably higher than the monthly salary of a non-executive employee of that hotel.

I asked Gihan as to why Sri Lankan hotels are known to be expensive compared to the hotels in other tourist destinations in the region. Then where does that money go? It is because our costs are high and, difficult to cut down. Food and drinks, energy and utilities, and maintenance costs account for about half of the total costs, while all these costs are expensive in Sri Lanka. Most probably, salaries and wages which account for about 20 per cent of the total cost is, perhaps, the only variable that is flexible.

In fact, even much more important than the monthly wage, is the fact that there is hardly a progressive career path available for the non-executive employees in the hotel industry. The young boys and girls who are recruited for front office or room service or restaurant begin to realise that for many of them their career path does not lead anywhere beyond that place. And it is also linked to their stagnant monthly salary as well. This is frustrating to many of the non-executive employees who begin to realise the problem when they are working in the industry. A related issue is the lack of opportunities for education and training as well as the improvement in skills.

Another factor is the social stigma that has been attributed to the job in the hotel industry, which is again related to the lower incomes from the job as well. Another issue is the difficulty to balance personal or family life with work, due to long working hours.

Disappointment over the job

Gihan revealed his findings from the surveys he has carried out. According to his survey, only five per cent of the current non-executive employees in 15 star-grade hotels in the South have chosen to stay in the job. While the balance 95 per cent has decided to leave the job, it is 10 per cent immediately, 30 per cent within the next six months and, 40 per cent within the next year.

Among the most important reasons to quit indicate disappointment over the current job rather than the availability of better opportunities elsewhere. The lack of career development opportunities account for 40 per cent of the employees who choose to quit, difficulty to balance between personal life and work for 35 per cent and, the inadequate reward for 25 per cent.

Among the series of solutions, one of the most important would be the designing of career paths and establishing professional norms and standards of the employees in the tourism industry. This needs to be done at national level, while in all of the remedies, the government and the industry both will have to stand as the main stakeholders. An indirect, but significant issue is related to the high costs of the tourism industry that needs to be reviewed and solved by the government. !

(The writer is a Professor of Economics at the University of Colombo and can be reached at sirimal@econ.cmb.ac.lk).
A man was arrested for allegedly firing in the air in west Delhi's Tilak Nagar area, police said on Saturday.

The accused has been identified as Manpreet Singh, a resident of Paschim Vihar, they said.

On the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, police received information that a man was shooting a pistol in the air. A police team rushed to the spot and nabbed him, a senior police officer said.

One country-made pistol and three live cartridges were seized from his possession, he said



Later his car where a magazine and 44 live cartridges were kept was also seized, the officer added.

During investigation, it was found that the accused had a friendship with a woman in Ganesh Nagar, Tilak Nagar, and had been visiting her for the past four-five years, police said.

Further investigation is underway, they added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Nebraska woman says her sister legally kidnapped their mother.

Colleen Eames said it ended her once-happy family and started an ongoing legal battle she never saw coming.

"As a family we really did get along. We have lots of great memories," she said.

Eames said a doctor diagnosed her mom, Patricia, with early dementia in 2011. She said her mom's condition got worse over the next two years.

"We noticed she was just starting to fail a bit on some things," she said.

At the time, Eames' mom and disabled brother Rick lived in Beatrice, Nebraska. Eames said she planned to move them to her sister's home near Chicago. But she said her sister came in February 2013, months before the scheduled move.

"They told them they'd take them out for their birthday to Lincoln," she said.

Eames said she got a call hours later and learned they were not coming back.

"I remember that day, because they never got to say goodbye to me and I never got to say goodbye to them and they literally were kidnapped," she said.

Eames said the family dynamic was strained after that. She said her mom and brother shared concerns about their life in Illinois.

"Paying rent, they never got a key to the house, they were never able to get a cellphone to talk to people separate from being monitored," she said.

Eames said the last time she saw her mother was on the Fourth of July in 2015. During the visit, Eames asked her mom and brother if they were okay living in Illinois.

"They said they're fine, and I think they were scared to say too much more," Eames said.

She said her sister sent her an email at the end of the month, saying Patricia and Rick no longer wanted to see her.

Then she got letters from her sister's lawyer, threatening to arrest her if she or other members of her family stepped foot on their property. So Eames stepped into court instead, and tried to gain guardianship.

"If my sister had my mom's best interest in mind, she never would have isolated her from myself," she said.

In 2018, with the legal battle still ongoing, Eames said that the court's guardian ad litem told her that Patricia had been moved again, this time to Las Vegas.

"There's been wellness checks at this place and no one comes to the door," she said. "It's disturbing, it's concerning because I don't know where my mom is."

Eames began to wonder if her mother was even still alive. So she went to Las Vegas herself.

"The missing persons detective told me there had been contact made with my mom, but he's not able to share with me where my mom is or who found her," she said.

Unsure of what her next steps might be, Eames reached out to the Kasem Cares Foundation in Orange County, California.

Kasem Cares was founded by Kerri Kasem, daughter of radio personality Casey Kasem. When his health started to fail, his then-wife created legal roadblocks that prevented his children from visiting him.

Now, the foundation focuses on raising awareness for elder abuse and helping people like Eames navigate the court system.

Guardianship reform advocate Julie Belshe served as a support system for Eames. Belshe said that unfortunately, many people are confronting a similar battle all across the country.

"You have to move forward and be productive and put the emotions aside," she said. "Do whatever you can in your power to see your grandmother, grandfather, your aunt or whoever it is."

After five years of shuffling motions, filings and briefs back and forth, Eames said her fight is far from over. Unless her mom goes to court in person, Eames knows she can't win guardianship. And she knows her daughters are losing time with their grandmother.

"Even the other night they made some pretty little pictures and said we'd really like to send this to Grandma Pat," she said. "They just don't understand what's happened or what's going on."

But she still has hope they'll be together again someday.

"She's always with me, every day."
Written by ACM

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Replying Today to an "Eurofora" Question, CoE New Secretary General, Marija Buric (2019-2024), reacted to ECHR President's anouncement, in EU Parliament Yesterday, about EuroJudges starting to be Consulted for Interpreting CoE's BioEthical Rules, "for the 1st Time in History", by Expressing her "Trust" to Strasbourg's PanEuropean Court, in general, even when it notoriously adapts its methods of interpretation to the needs of nowadays Society (Comp. Infra), But, also Warning that there are "Sensitive" Issues in this particular area, inviting to be Careful.

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- "Eurofora" pointed to the Fact that Buric had Concluded her Speech by a Call to "Defend CoE's Rules" and Values, and we observed that BioEthics come Nowadays at the Forefront of Topical and "Hot" Contradictions. while ECHR's President had just announced, Yesterday in EU Parliament in Strasbourg, that, "for the 1st Time in History", EuroJudges Start to be Consulted on the interpretation of CoE's 1997/8 "Oviedo" Convention on Human Dignity and Bioethics, (See: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/coesgburiconechrbioethicsinterpretation.html), Knowing that ECHR uses, generaly, since 1970, to Adapt somehow the Interpreted Texts to the Living Society of our Times. Even if this might be, in general, Interesting, (particularly for Long-living Texts, as that of ECHR, which Date More than 70 Years), nevertheless, given also the Fact that BioEthics raise certain particularly "Sensitive" Issues for Humankind, (while CoE's Rules there Date "Only" around 20 Years-Time: Since 1998), wouldn't we all, Better be "Carefull" on the way they might be Interpretered ?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------



- " I CanNot Commend on what ECHR's President said", the New CoE's SG observed from the outset, Carefuly.

- "But it's true that the Court tries to Adapt itself on the Needs of the Society" in general, "in order to go forward, and ameliorate certain things".

- "As far as I'm personally concerned, I am inclined to Trust the Court, because it did always well, and made advance certain issues".

- However, "as You said, this (BioEthics) is a very Sensitive matter", she Warned.

- "But also a too Complex one, for me to say more" now, she modestly concluded Carefully, (Comp. Supra).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

ECHR has been Already Consulted on BioEthics also, f.ex;, by French Supreme Courts on "End of Life" Cases ("Lambert", etc), "Surrogate Mothers"' cases, etc., But Only in order to interpret the PanEuropean Convention on Human Rights' classic general text, (particularly Article 2 = end or beginning of "Life", and Article 8 = "Private life/Family").

+ "Very Recently", CoE's Committee on BioEthics asked ECHR to give a Consultative Interpretation about Article 7 of CoE's "Oviedo" Treaty, on "Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Person in Medicine and Biology" (1997-1998), concerning Measures on Persons suffering from "Mental Disorders", revealed Yesterday at EU Parliament ECHR's President Alexandros Sicilianos.

Any Member-State can also do so, in Addition to that Committtee itself, but it's "the 1st Time in History", until now, that ECHR would Interpret anOther, Different Text from that of the 70 Years Old PanEuropean Convention on Human Rights, and, meanwhile, it's Competent Committee just Started to Adopt the required New Rules of Procedure, for this new era, he revealed; (See : ..., etc). "Hot" Topical BioEthical Issues, such as a Global Ban on "Human Cloning" (since 1998), Heritable Human Genome Editing, etc., are included among the Many and Various "Oviedo" Convention BioEthic matters.

+ By the way, President Alexander Sicilianos' Birthplace : Greece, which is due to take over CoE's rotating Chairmanship during the Period of May - November 2020, has notoriously proposed the ECHR for this same year's (which coincides with CoE's 70th Anniversary) prestigious "Nobel" Peace Prize.

------------------

CoE SG Catherine Lalumiere's (with whom, "Eurofora"s co-Founder had Started to work at the CoE) Bureau and of the Congres of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), as well as Denis Huber, President of CoE's Staff Association, and former Director of CoE's "North-South" Center (Lisbon).



Other Questions concerned well-known Issues, (such as "BREXIT", Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, OSCE, Budget, etc), and the Replies were mostly Familiar to those who had followed Buric's recent interventions at CoE's Assembly, etc.



(../..)

("Draft-News")

(NDLR: Original = in French. => Fast Translation in English)
States whose citizens died in a UIA airliner shot down by an Iranian missile reserve the right to apply to international institutions, said Ukrainian FM Vadim Prystayko to the correspondent of the Eurointegration in Munich.

As the source reported, the ministers of the five Iranian states in Munich made a joint statement that Iran was unable to decrypt black boxes and should send them to decrypt the other side. It says the need to conduct a criminal investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice, as well as the need to pay compensation to the families of the victims.

Prystayko noted that Ukraine expects relatively quick action by Iran.

He noted that if there is no action that Ukraine and other states are counting on, they can file a claim with international courts.

Canadian Foreign Minister Francois Champagne confirmed that the international community considers Iran to be obligated to carry out the actions that are required of it.
Multibillion-dollar investments in fossil fuel stocks by Australia's largest super funds has reignited debate over whether divestment or engagement with producers is the most effective strategy in the push to curb emissions.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald this week revealed five of the largest industry funds in Australia's $2.9 trillion super sector - Unisuper, HESTA, AustralianSuper, CBUS and Hostplus - have billions of dollars invested in fossil fuel stocks, despite championing their green credentials.

Despite taking a vocal stance on the need to address climate change, some of Australia's biggest super funds have billions invested in coal and other fossil fuel firms. Credit:Nine

The investments range from bankrolling local open cut coal mines to major global state-owned facilities, some of which were prosecuted for chronic pollution and deadly gas explosions.

The revelations sparked a fierce reaction from members, many of whom had no idea where their retirement savings ended up, with some declaring they would divert their money into new funds.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 13:00:40|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd L) and meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (2nd R) in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

Wang voiced hope that NATO will continue to foster a correct view of China and regard China as a friend and partner.



MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Friday that China is willing to continuously strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

Wang made the remarks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference.

Noting that the Chinese nation advocates peace in its cultural genes, Wang said that China is following a different path from that of previous major countries, that is, pursuing its own peaceful development and also win-win cooperation with the rest of the world.

China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and its per-capita defense expenditure is far lower than that of other major countries, Wang said, adding that in response to the new international security situation, China has also proposed a new concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.

These are positive contributions made by China to world peace, he said, adding that the country will continue to resolutely follow the right path of peace and cooperation.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press briefing after a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at Ambassadorial level, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

China and NATO members do not have geopolitical conflicts and competition, and different views on some issues should not be the obstacle for exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, Wang said.

Wang voiced hope that NATO will continue to foster a correct view of China and regard China as a friend and partner.

In the past decades, China has achieved rapid development and brought great benefits to the world, said Stoltenberg, adding that NATO does not see China as an adversary, but stands ready to strengthen relations with China.

NATO has always advocated a rule-based international order and is willing to strengthen dialogue with China in this regard, he added.

NATO is willing to cooperate with China on such issues as Afghanistan, the Middle East, Iraq, and arms control, he said, expressing his belief that NATO will benefit a lot from its cooperation with China and that the two sides can make joint contributions to maintaining world peace and security.

Stoltenberg also expressed sympathy and support for those affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak, saying that the Chinese government and people have made great efforts to combat the epidemic, and he is confident that China will defeat the epidemic at an early date.

For his part, Wang updated Stoltenberg on the latest development in China's anti-virus fight. 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 9, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Pelosi Names First Head of House Whistleblower Office

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Saturday announced the first director of a new office, the House of Representatives Office of the Whistleblower Ombudsman.

The office was established at the beginning of the current Congress and is charged with developing best practices for whistleblower intake for House offices and providing trainings to House offices on how to safely and confidentially receive information from whistleblowers.

The office is meant to be independent and nonpartisan, according to Pelosis office.

Pelosi said the first director of the office is Shanna Devine, who most recently advocated for whistleblower and other occupational rights for Public Citizen, a public interest organization located in Washington. She began her career with the Government Accountability Project.

The director is selected by the speaker of the House with advice from the chairs and ranking members of the House Committees on Administration and Oversight and Reform.

Devines deep policy experience will be vital, as the first-ever Director of the Office of the Whistleblower Ombudsman, as she works to ensure that the House has the support and tools to carry out our legislative oversight responsibilities for the American people, Pelosi said in a statement.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the House Administration Committee, added in a statement: The establishment of the House Office of the Whistleblower Ombudsman and the appointment of Shanna Devine to lead this new office is an important step to uphold our end of the bargain by providing offices of the House of Representatives with the resources and trainings necessary to protect and empower those who strive to bring about accountability and transparency for the American people.

No Republicans were quoted in a press release from Pelosis office and none have issued statements on the new position, including House Administration Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and House Oversight and Reform Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Devine told Congress last year (pdf) that whistleblowers are courageous individuals who should be rewarded for helping the Department of Veterans Affairs perform its mission.

Yet, they are often treated as if they have committed a crime for simply exposing the truth, she said.

The nomination came after a tense impeachment inquiry in the House, which ended with Republican President Donald Trump being impeached, and the Senate impeachment trial, which culminated with Trump being acquitted. The impeachment efforts stemmed, Democrats said, from a complaint filed by a person against the president for a July 2019 phone call with Ukraines president.

Some members of Congress, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), pushed for more information about the whistleblower who filed the complaint. During the trial Paul submitted a question naming a person who has been accused of being the person who filed the complaint, but the question was blocked by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who was presiding over the trial.

Paul later read the question during a press conference, released it on Twitter, and read it on the Senate floor. YouTube this week removed a video of Paul speaking on the Senate floor and mentioning the alleged whistleblowers name.

A chilling and disturbing day in America when giant web companies such as YouTube decide to censor speech, Paul wrote in a statement. He said that he doesnt know the identity of the whistleblower and noted that his question didnt accuse anyone of being a whistleblower.

A spokesperson for YouTube said in a statement that videos, comments, and other forms of content that mention the leaked whistleblowers name violate YouTubes Community Guidelines and will be removed from YouTube.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
A mother who took her two young daughters with her to dump their fathers body in Michigan after he had been beaten with a hammer and burned beyond recognition has been arrested in Italy after 18 years on the run.

Beverly McCallum was arrested in Rome on Thursday over the 2002 death of her husband Robert Caraballo in western Michigan.

McCallum, who had an international arrest warrant against her, was caught after checking into a small Rome hotel overnight.

Italian hotels are required to register guests in an online system that is linked to a police database.



Prior to her arrest, U.S. authorities had been trying to extradite McCallum from Pakistan where she is believed to have fled to in the years after her husbands violent slaying.

Murder charges were filed against McCallum last year over her husbands slaying.

Her daughter from a prior marriage Dineane Ducharme and her friend Christopher McMillan were also charged.

All three were additionally charged with conspiracy, and disinterment and mutilation of a body.

The victims body was found in a footlocker dumped and burned in a blueberry patch in western Michigan in May 2002 just days after his death.

His remains were so badly burnt that he went unidentified until 2015 when authorities received an anonymous tip that led them to McCallums daughter who was 21 at the time of the murder.

Ducharme told police that her mother killed Carabello and that she and her friend helped clean and dispose of the body.

She said her mother made her do a practice run the day before and that the murder took place in the basement of a home in Charlotte.

Police say McCallum pushed her husband down the basement stairs and then all three attacked him when he tried to get back up.

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UPDATE - According to State Police, a second person has died following a two-vehicle crash in Westmoreland on Friday afternoon.

Friday evening 19-year-old Noah Lekki from Waterville died after being airlifted from the scene to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. Lekki was a passenger in the Ford Taurus.

The preliminary investigation revealed, at approximately 3:17 p.m., a 2005 Ford Taurus, operated by Lincoln J. Armstrong, age 17 from Rome, NY was traveling south on Bartlett Road at a high rate of speed when he observed a 2003 Toyota Tundra pickup truck, that was traveling east on Dix Road, begin to cross the intersection with Bartlett Road, after stopping for the stop sign.

According to State Police, evidence at the scene shows Armstrong attempted to stop the vehicle. However, due to the vehicles high rate of speed and other contributing factors, he was unable to stop, striking the pickup truck on the drivers side door. The impact of the crash caused the pickup truck to overturn and come to rest on its roof. The driver and sole occupant of the pickup truck, Hector J. Rodriguez, age 42 from Rome, NY, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Lincoln J. Armstrong was transported to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Utica and was listed in serious condition.

The investigation is continuing.
Longtime community volunteer Alan Bradish has been named The First National Bank of Arenzvilles Blue Diamond Community Service Award winner for 2019.

Bank President Kai Schnitker said Bradish was selected from the largest field of nominees in the six-year history of the award, which was created to recognize community service.

Bradish is a Jacksonville native and worked as a missionary in Russia, a volunteer hospital chaplain, a houseparent for Alaskan Childrens Services and a caseworker for The Salvation Army in Jacksonville.

In August 2017, Bradish  an ordained minister  became chaplain for Jacksonville Police Department. In that role, he serves as a spiritual presence to first responders and as a liaison between law enforcement officers and the community.

This award was created to recognize outstanding Jacksonville area volunteers like Mr. Bradish. His work visiting area hospitals, his community outreach and his extensive volunteer support of our police and fire departments makes him a notable standout in our community, First National Bank Vice President Kevin Heitz said. We hope that honoring him is an inspiration to others who give of their time and expertise.

Bradish was presented with a commemorative award and also had his name placed on a perpetual plaque displayed at the bank.

We know that no one who is doing volunteer work is actively seeking an award. Thats what makes this so enjoyable  we get to shine a spotlight on great service and the people getting this recognition are sometimes almost surprised to be noticed, Schnitker said. We look forward to celebrating volunteers and the work they are doing throughout our area for many years to come.
Chandigarh, Feb 15 : A four-year-old child was sexually assaulted by a school bus driver inside the vehicle in Pinjore in Haryana's Panchkula district, the police said on Saturday.

The victim was raped when she was alone in the school bus while returning home from school on Friday.

A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered against the bus driver, the police said.
"Jalla, jalla! No time to stand around, we're very behind!" yells Mehdi Elkhaoudy, adding the same instruction in a couple more languages for good measure. We're in Morocco near Ouarzazate, centre of the country's film industry, where Melbourne's flapper sleuth Phryne Fisher is making a high-heeled leap on to the big screen in Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears; Elkhaoudy is first assistant director. Standing around, however, is an intrinsic part of any film shoot. An assemblage of extras, swathed in glamour versions of Bedouin robes, already have the glazed expressions worn by extras the world over after a couple of long days of being told to hurry up and wait. It is still early morning, but the sunlight reflected from the rocks where a small girl is scrambling up and down for the camera is dazzling.

Essie Davis stars as Phyrne Fisher in Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, the big-screen version of the wildly popular ABC TV series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, adapted from Kerry Greenwood's historical mystery novels and starring Essie Davis as an It-girl detective who likes to drive fast cars, can fly a plane and has a golden pistol in her handbag, is one of the big success stories of Australian television. Running on the ABC for three series from 2012 to 2015, it was shown in 100 territories. Her fans are legion. They come from North America in particular to Melbourne to do Miss Fisher walks and have themselves photographed in 20s fashions at the travelling Miss Fisher costume exhibition. There have even been Miss Fisher-cons  like Comicon, but with cloche hats  in Seattle, Portland and New York.

Nobody can pin down exactly why Phryne Fisher has captured so many imaginations. Davis says it's fun to be inside her. "She's full of joy," she says. "Even though she has dealt with great sadness, she seeks the positive, she's a fighter for the underdog, she's a changer of rules and she's super-naughty." The fans they meet are usually women over 55 who say they find her inspiring. On the other hand, Miss Fisher is reported to be a popular theme for pre-pubescent girls' parties. "When I'm talking to fans in Australia," says Nathan Page, who plays Miss Fisher's ongoing, will they- won't they love interest Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, "the demographic I often see is grandmother, mother and daughter. They'll watch it together, while the husband is locked out and has to cook dinner."

So when producers Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox, who also writes the scripts, revealed hopes of one day making a feature film version, those fans chipped in with a million dollars  about a ninth of the total budget - in crowdfunding. That show of support, says Eagger, convinced Screen Australia, Roadshow and other investors there were people out there who wanted to see it. "It was quite tricky trying to finance it, because it hasn't got what you'd call feature film A-list actors who help you get big money, necessarily," says Eagger. Investors wanted an established director; she insisted on the unflappable Tony Tilse, one of the original directors on the television series, who had honed his craft with HBO. They dangled millions if she would just get Margot Robbie to play the lead. "But what are we doing this for? Part of the enjoyment is watching Essie. Nobody else could be Phryne for us: she's magnificent."
It was money well spent, said Robert Mandell, another former ambassador and Buttigieg fund-raiser.

But the impact of Mr. Buttigiegs apparent win in Iowa was dampened by the delayed and muddled results that are still subject to a recanvass. His campaign announced he had raised $4 million in the four days afterward. That is a significant sum but still less than what rival strategists said might have otherwise been expected for winning the opening contest.

Mr. Sanders was raising money at a clip of well above $1 million per day online in early February, according to an estimate based on figures released by his campaign. And that was before he won the New Hampshire primary. Ms. Warrens campaign told supporters this week she had raised $5 million in the nine days following the Iowa caucuses. Neither senator is holding traditional fund-raisers for large donors.

One of Mr. Buttigiegs events will be on Feb. 23 at the home of Representative Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat and the first member of Congress to endorse him, with five other congressional co-hosts. Three days later, he will hold three fund-raisers across Florida  which does not hold its primary until March 17  including one in Palm Beach whose hosts include Cynthia Friedman, a longtime Democratic contributor.

The campaign had sent invitations to even more events, including in Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 27  the $500 level ticket is listed as sold out online for the Atlanta gathering  but Buttigieg aides said those events were being rescheduled.

Mr. Buttigieg is not alone on the fund-raising circuit. Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. organized a conference call with his national finance committee after his fifth place New Hampshire finish to reassure skittish donors. He has upcoming fund-raisers in Colorado, Nevada and South Carolina, the latter two in states that vote later this month.

On Thursday, Mr. Biden held two events in New York that drew a notable group of Wall Street contributors. Organizers said the events raised almost $800,000, a large haul for a candidate who had sagged to fourth and fifth place in the first two contests. Mr. Biden also said on The View this week that he was raising about $400,000 per day in online donations.
Tackling plastic as well as light pollution and making renewable energy wildlife-friendly are among the major focus areas which will be discussed during the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS-COP13) to be held in Gandhinagar between February 17 and 22.

The CMS-COP is an environmental treaty under the aegis of United Nations Programme (UNEP).

Environmentalists and wildlife conservation experts from 126 signatory parties across the globe will converge at Mahatma Mandir to discuss strategies on saving the endangered migratory species.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the main conference through video conferencing on February 17, some events have already started from Saturday.

One of the key areas to be discussed during this global event is the possible adverse effects of renewable energy installations, such as windmills, on migratory birds and bats.

As per the CMS-COP brochure on major topics to be covered, making renewable energy wildlife-friendly will be a major focus area of the convention.

"A new draft decision will be presented at CMS COP13 to integrate biodiversity and migratory species considerations into national energy and climate policy. It will enhance collaboration between the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and CMS to achieve better results with a renewable energy mix that is scientifically demonstrated to be wildlife-friendly," said the CMS-COP brochure.

For the first time, the topic of light pollution will be on the agenda of a COP as artificial light, which is increasing worldwide, is affecting migratory species such as bats, birds and marine turtles.

"Decline of insects due to light pollution is reducing available prey for insectivores. However, there are no international guidelines to mitigate light pollution, which can be a lethal danger to migratory species. The CMS COP13 is expected to propose the development of such guidelines," said the document.

Decline in insects is another new topic on the agenda of the convention as it is an emerging threat because of its effects on migratory insectivorous animals, especially bats and birds.

"Insect biodiversity plays a vital role in the correct functioning of the world's ecosystems and the services they provide. About 40 per cent of the world's insect species may become extinct over the next few decades. The draft resolution being presented for adoption calls for analysis and action to address the decline in insect numbers," the document said.

It also said the convention will "encourage parties to conduct further research on the impact of plastic pollution on freshwater and terrestrial CMS-listed species in support of internationally agreed policies".

The meet will discuss ways for 'concerted actions' to save some Indian species like the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Bengal Florican.

"The concerted action proposed by India (for GIB) focuses on restoring suitable grasslands and promoting traditional crops and organic farming. Installing reflectors on existing power lines and burying new transmission lines will reduce mortality rates. Establishing protected areas in private or community-owned land will contribute to conserving the species," said the document.

For Bengal Florican, India has proposed "to mitigate collision with power lines and promote sustainable agricultural practices".

Assessing the distribution and population status in India, restoring suitable grasslands, controlling invasive species and involving communities will help restore the Bengal Florican, it added.

Ahead of the opening ceremony on February 17, a meeting will be held on Sunday in the presence of Union Minister Prakash Javadekar.

During this meet, ministers and executives of international organizations will discuss CMS priorities for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

"The Indian government plans to introduce a 'Gandhinagar Declaration' on CMS priorities for migratory species in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. It will be presented as a resolution to CMS COP13 for adoption," said the document.

'The Champions Night' is an award ceremony, which will be held on Sunday evening, at Gift City Club in the presence of Javadekar.

Several governments will be recognized as 'Migratory Species Champions' for their long-term support to conservation of migratory species, said the document.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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The Sensex ended 202 points or 0.49 percent lower at 41,257.74, while the Nifty finished with a loss of 61 points or 0.50 percent at 12,113.45. With this, both extended their losses into the second consecutive session.

In sync with the benchmarks, BSE Mid-cap and Small-cap indices also ended lower by 0.79 percent and 0.40 percent, respectively.

For the week, Sensex and Nifty gained 0.3 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.

"Earnings season has been mixed as economic slowdown impacted revenue growth of companies. However, an improvement was seen in operating performance (largely due to cost-cutting measures) and bottom-line (corporate tax benefits)," said Ajit Mishra, VP  Research at Religare Broking.

Here is a look at the top 10 companies that declared their December quarter (Q3) numbers this week:

IRCTC Q3 profits jump nearly 3-fold to Rs 206 crore

State-owned Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on February 12 registered a healthy 179.66 percent (or 2.8-fold) year-on-year (YoY) growth in Q3FY20 profit, driven by all segments. Profit during the quarter stood at Rs 205.8 crore, up from Rs 73.59 crore in the same period last year. The sequential growth was 106.17 percent.

Revenue from operations grew by 64.59 percent YoY to Rs 715.98 crore in the quarter ended December 2019 and the same increased 39.5 percent sequentially, the company said in its BSE filing.

Operating numbers also remained strong with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) growing 168.74 percent YoY (up 86.53 quarter-on-quarter (QoQ)) to Rs 265.7 crore in Q3FY20.

ONGC reports 50% fall in profit in Q3

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on February 14 posted a 49.75 percent YoY fall in standalone profit at Rs 4,151.63 crore for the quarter ended December 31. The state-run oil explorer had posted a profit of Rs 8,262.70 crore in the same period last year. A CNBC-TV18 poll had projected Q3 profit at Rs 5,551 crore.

EBITDA came at Rs 12,298.3 crore against CNBC-TV18's poll of Rs 12,734 crore, while EBITDA margin stood at 51.9 percent against CNBC-TV18's poll of 52 percent. The total income of the company fell 16 percent YoY to Rs 25,112.55 crore during the quarter under review.

Shree Cement posts Rs 311.83 cr profit for Q3

Shree Cement on February 14 reported a consolidated net profit at Rs 311.83 crore for the third quarter ended December 2019. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 329.83 crore in the October-December quarter a year ago, Shree Cement said in a BSE filing.

Its total income was at Rs 3,211.65 crore during the quarter under review. It was Rs 3,195.59 crore in the corresponding quarter. Its revenue from the cement segment was at Rs 3,115.22 crore as against Rs 2,918.51 crore in the year-ago period.

SAIL reports Rs 343 crore loss in December quarter

The country's largest steelmaker Steel Authority of India on February 14 reported Rs 343.57 crore consolidated net loss for the third quarter ended December 31, mainly on account of increased expenses. The company had a net profit of Rs 638.79 crore during the same quarter a year ago, the state-run firm said in a BSE filing.

During October-December 2019, the company's total income was Rs 16,714.87 crore as against Rs 15,906.68 crore in the year-ago quarter. Its total expenses were at Rs 17,312.64 crore, higher from Rs 14,937.13 crore in October-December 2018.

Vodafone Idea Q3 loss at Rs 6,453.2 crore

Vodafone Idea on February 13 reported a loss of Rs 6,453.2 crore for the December quarter of FY20 against a loss of Rs 5,004.6 crore posted in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year. Revenue for the same quarter came at Rs 11,089.4 crore in Q3FY20, down 5.7 percent YoY, against Rs 11,764 crore in Q3FY19.

Revenue grew 2.3 percent QoQ, supported by strong growth in 4G additions, while average daily revenue (ADR) returned to growth after 14 quarters of decline, the company claimed. EBITDA for the quarter increased to Rs 3,420 crore, up 0.7 percent QoQ driven by higher revenue and incremental synergy realisations.

The average revenue per user (ARPU) came at Rs 109 against Rs 107 (QoQ) supported by an improved consumer mix. The subscriber base declined to 30.4 crore in Q3 from 31.1 crore in Q2FY20.

BPCL Q3 net trebles to Rs 2,051crore

State-owned Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) on February 13 reported near trebling of net profit in the December quarter to Rs 2,051.43 crore. BPCL had posted a net profit of Rs 698.62 crore in October-December 2018, the company said in a regulatory filing.

Revenue from operation dropped to Rs 85,926.70 crore from Rs 89,324.86 crore a year ago on lower oil prices. BPCL said pre-tax profits from its mainstay oil refining and fuel market business jumped to Rs 2,246.88 crore in October-December 2019 from Rs 637.89 crore a year ago.

Ashok Leyland Q3 profit falls 93%

Ashok Leyland on February 12 has registered a massive 92.7 percent YoY fall in Q3FY20 standalone profit due to weak commercial vehicle demand. The earnings of the commercial vehicle maker disappointed the street on all parameters.

Profit fell sharply to Rs 27.7 crore in the quarter ended December 2019, from Rs 380.8 crore in the same period last year. Revenue from operations during the quarter declined 36.5 percent YoY to Rs 4,015.6 crore as volumes dropped 28.7 percent YoY.

Coal India Q3 net profit slips 14% to Rs 3,922 crore

Mining major Coal India on February 11 reported a 14-per cent YoY decline in consolidated net profit for the December quarter at Rs 3,921.8 crore. Net sales stood at Rs 21,566.41 crore during the quarter under review as against Rs 23,385.43 crore in the corresponding period a year ago, Coal India said in a release.

Total comprehensive income for October-December came in at Rs 3,669.68 crore compared with Rs 4,139.59 crore in the year-ago period. The company produced 147.50 million tonnes of raw coal in the three months ended December. Its output in the corresponding period a year ago was 155.97 million tonnes.

BHEL Q3 profit down 17% to Rs 162 crore

State-owned engineering firm BHEL on February 11 reported 17 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 161.81 crore for December quarter 2019, mainly due to lower revenue. The company's profit in the year-ago period stood at Rs 196.43 crore, a BSE filing said.

Total income in the third quarter of this fiscal declined to Rs 5,827.74 crore from Rs 7,563.51 crore in the year-ago period.

Apollo Hospitals posts consolidated Q3 net profit at Rs 89.95 crore

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise recorded a consolidated profit of Rs 89.95 crore during the quarter ending December 2019 as against Rs 49.87 crore during the corresponding period the previous year. Healthcare major said in a BSE filing that profits for the year ending December 2019 surged to Rs 222.20 crore from Rs 127.34 crore registered the same period last fiscal.

The consolidated total income for the quarter under review grew to Rs 2,921.40 crore from Rs 2,507.53 crore registered the same period a year ago. The consolidated total income ending December 31, 2019 rose to Rs 8,347.39 crore from Rs 7,137.62 crore registered the same period last financial year.

SpiceJet Q3 profit jumps 21%

SpiceJet has reported a 21 percent jump in its Q3FY20 consolidated net profit at Rs 77.9 crore against Rs 64.4 crore in the same quarter last fiscal. Revenue of the company was up 46.9 percent at Rs 3,656.3 crore against Rs 2,488.5 crore.

EBITDA and rent (EBITAR) stood at Rs 761.6 crore. Other income of the company was up at Rs 270.2 crore versus Rs 44 crore, YoY.

GVK Power Q3 loss narrows marginally to Rs 120 crore

GVK Power and Infrastructure reported marginal narrowing of consolidated loss at Rs 120.06 crore for the quarter ended December 2019. The company had posted a consolidated loss of Rs 122.61 crore in the year-ago period, GVK Power and Infrastructure said in a filing to BSE.

The loss "for the year (is) attributable to owners of the company," the filing said. The consolidated revenue of the company during the October-December quarter increased to Rs 1,156.15 crore over Rs 1,109.28 crore in the year-ago period, the filing said.
An influential evangelical Christian magazine has published an article claiming Democratic frontrunner Pete Buttigieg is deserving of death because he is openly gay.

In an article published by Charisma News, a website associated with the magazine Charisma, which was founded in1975, writer Bert Farias denounced the way people were celebrating the fact Mr Buttigieg was the first openly gay person seeking the presidential nomination for a major party.

He said, such celebrations marked the death rattle of a nation.

God created male and female with sexual union between the two being first for procreation; anything outside that is merely behaviour, wrote Mr Farias, who claims to head the Holy Fire Ministries in Boston.

He added: The constant compromising of preachers to avoid controversy is creating much damagenot only to the world, which is looking for a clear sound from preachers, but also to believers who have little discernment or are growing tired of ambiguity.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

After claiming the former mayor of South Bend worshipped Satan because of his sexuality, he added: In fact, when those who practice such things that are deserving of death also approve of others who practice them (Rom. 1:32), it is one of Gods final signs of His wrath on a society.

This is a description of gay activism and constantly pushing for its normalcy and marginalising those who disapprove. This is present-day America. How far weve fallen.

The comments, which were reported on by Newsweek widely denounced on social media by people identifying themselves as Christians and saying Mr Farias was misquoting the Bible, point to a challenge even supporters of the 38-year former South Bend will face as his campaign moves forward  bigotry and homophobia.

 Iowa voter asks to change vote after learning Pete Buttigieg is gay

In his 2019 memoir, Shortest Way Home: One Mayors Challenge and a Model for Americas Future, he recounted making the decision to come out as gay before running for reelection in South Bend in 2015, something he secured with 80 per cent of the vote.

I was well into adulthood before I was prepared to acknowledge the simple fact that I am gay, he wrote in the South Bend Tribune.

The issue received fresh attention after the Iowa caucuses when video emerged of a woman asking to to retract her support for the candidate, after learning he was gay.

Mr Buttigieg responded to that incident by saying: Its unfortunate you cant win everybody, but as somebody who got reelected with 80 per cent of the vote in my Indiana city, while Mike Pence was the governor of my state, Ive also seen how many people are able to move beyond prejudices when it comes to elections.

Polls commissioned by Politico and published in October, suggested half of American voters said they were personally ready for a gay or lesbian president, but were divided as to whether the country was.

The campaign for Mr Buttigieg, a church-attending Christian and military veteran did not respond to comments. Charisma News did not respond.

Polls showed that in the 2016 election, around 80 per cent of evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump, a thrice-married, failed casino owner, who appear to have little experience of attending church, or much expertise with the Bible. His has rewarded those voters by appointing two conservative justices to the Supreme Court, and supporting restrictions on abortion.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 09:05:15|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. electric car maker Tesla will recall a total of 3,183 Model X vehicles in China over safety risks, according to China's market regulator.

Filed by Tesla Auto Sales (Beijing) Co., the recall will begin on June 7, and involves part of the imported Model X cars made between April 15, 2016, and Oct. 16, 2016, according to a statement posted on the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation.

When exposed to corrosive environment like road salts, the bolts used to fix the steering gear motors on the gear housing may be corroded and fracture, which may cause the vehicles to lose power steering assist accordingly, posing saftey risks, said the statement.

The company said it will replace the defective parts free of charge.
Passengers of a cruise ship that has docked in Cambodia after being turned away by other Asian and Pacific governments continued disembarking at Sihanoukville Port on Saturday.

After being stranded at sea for two weeks because five ports refused to allow their cruise ship to dock, the passengers of the MS Westerdam had started disembarking on Friday.

The authoritarian leader of Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen, agreed to let the Westerdam dock.

Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Guam had earlier turned the ship way because they feared its passengers and crew could spread the deadly new virus from China, but Hun Sen declared he would welcome them.

The Westerdam's operator, Holland America Line, had said no cases of the virus had been confirmed among its 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members.

Some 20 passengers reported stomachaches or fever, but tests for the virus done at the Pasteur Institute in Phnom Penh showed none had the illness.

Hun Sen said he acted for humanitarian reasons and that he wanted passengers to be able to return to their home countries.

The COVID-19 illness has sickened tens of thousands of people in China and a few hundred elsewhere, including 218 on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which made stops in Hong Kong and other ports before arriving in Japan last week, where it has been quarantined.

The Westerdam began its cruise in Singapore last month and its last stop before it was refused further landings was in Hong Kong, where 56 cases of the disease and one death have been confirmed.

Several hundred new passengers boarded the ship there for the second leg of the planned monthlong cruise.

The passengers of the ship were expected to be transported to Phnom Penh.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 20:59:35|Editor: xuxin

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DAMASCUS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- A booby-trapped motorcycle went off in the northern Syrian city of al-Bab, which is under the Turkish control, a war monitor reported on Saturday,.

The explosion was heard in the al-Bab city, northeast of Aleppo, causing no casualties, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It's the latest in a string of bombings targeting Turkey-held areas in northern Syria.

On Thursday, a car bomb went off in a Turkey-controlled town of Soluk in northern Syria in Tal Abyad area in the northern province of Raqqain, leaving massive damage and property losses with no report on casualties.

On Jan. 30, two Turkish drivers were killed when a roadside bomb went off in the countryside of Tal Abyad.

On Jan. 16, seven Turkey-backed Syrian rebels were killed in a bombing in the town of Soluk.

No party has claimed responsibility for the bombings yet.

Turkey has captured several areas in the countryside of Raqqa and the northeastern province of Hasakah following a massive assault against the Kurdish militia in northern Syria in October last year.
By PTI

MUMBAI: With over 30 artistes coming together to celebrate love and unity in the country as part of "India My Valentine", actor Swara Bhasker says the aim of the initiative is to take the conversation beyond an "echo chamber" and reach out to the masses.

"India My Valentine", organised by Swara, producer Aditi Anand, activist Fahad Ahmad and Mitali Bhasin, began on February 14 in Delhi and will culminate in Mumbai on February 16.

In an interview with PTI, Swara says it is time to include those who don't subscribe to the "ideology of hate" but aren't into aggressive protests either.

ALSO READ: Swara Bhaskar flays CAA, says Modi government 'betrayed' Constitution

"Everything has become an echo chamber, everyone's talking to people who are already convinced. It's time to come out of that. The atmosphere is so polarised, there are people who are going for the protests, they are already there, but there is a population that may not subscribe to the ideology of hate but aren't interested in hard-core aggressive politics, protests.

"Those are the people we should also reach out to. We live in the same country.

"How long can we keep having this terrible polarised high pitched fighting?" The initiative, which also travels to Kolkata, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, will see a host of artists performing, including actors Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rekha Bhardwaj, Swanand Kirkire, Aamir Aziz, Sumukhi Suresh among others.

"People may not come for protest but they'll come for celebration. They'll not come for a political speech but they'll come for stand-up, music. The idea is to go for softer packaging. To remember what divides and unites us.

"As children, apart from loving our family, the first thing that we learnt to love is our country. We thought of it like how India is our first Valentine," Swara says.

The actor says "India My Valentine" is not a protest, but a celebration and one, where there is no room for hate.

"Ultimately we do have to reach a place of some kind of consensus about the country we want to see. This isn't a protest, it's a celebration. We believe in the constitution, we don't subscribe to an ideology of hate, we believe in the unity, integrity and territorial sanctity of India.

"Everyone is welcome, but just don't bring any hate," she adds.

Proceeds from the event will be split between organisations working towards the welfare of the widows of war veterans and the empowerment of women in public spaces.
By IANS

NEW DELHI: Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill on Saturday urged the Delhi Police to register a case against a person for sending him hate mail and also threatening his family members of rape.

After receiving the threat mail, Shergill took to Twitter and wrote, "Dear Delhi Police, pursuant to my Press Conf held at Congress headquarters, I have received a threat mail threatening to rape my family members, Kill all Congress members. I shall be filing an official complaint as well, request for identifying the culprit."

He also attached the screenshot of the threat mail received by him, a day after he questioned the BJP government over the role of disgraced Jammu and Kashmir Police DSP Davinder Singh in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed. He was raising the questions on the first anniversary of the Pulwama terror attack.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Shergill wondered how an explosive-laden vehicle could reach near the convoy of security personnel in Lethpora in Pulwama district after dodging security arrangements in place and accused the Modi government of evading all such questions.

"What's the role of suspended DSP Davinder Singh? At whose behest was he working? Who gave him instructions to help in (executing) the Pulwama attack?" Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said.

He alleged that while the world knows that Pakistan is responsible for the Pulwama attack, the BJP-led government is silent on the huge intelligence failure and security lapse in the run-up to the attack.
Fishermen carry fish on the beach of Gio Linh District, Quang Tri Province. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Tao.

Seafood exports in January fell 25 percent year-on-year and are set to continue falling due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

They fell to $556 million, with exports of pangasius fish falling by 64 percent, octopus by 50 percent and tuna by 30 percent, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers said in a report.

It attributed the drop to the seven-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday in January, adding exports would continue to fall in February and March since the epidemic has limited exports to China.

In the worst case, seafood exports to China will fall 30 percent in the first half to $400 million. But if there is limited border trade, the impact could be mitigated somewhat.

China was Vietnams fourth largest market last year, with exports being worth $1.23 billion after rising 22 percent.
Shivendra Silva was the commanding officer in the island's northern war-zone in the military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels

Washington: The United States said on Friday it would refuse entry to Sri Lanka's army chief over "credible" evidence of human rights violations in the bloody 2009 finale to the civil war.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, whose appointment last year drew wide international criticism, will be ineligible to visit the United States, as will his immediate family, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

"The allegations of gross human rights violations against Shavendra Silva, documented by the United Nations and other organizations, are serious and credible," Pompeo said in a statement.

"We urge the Sri Lankan government to promote human rights, hold accountable individuals responsible for war crimes and human rights violations, advance security sector reform, and uphold its other commitments to pursue justice and reconciliation," he said.

Silva was the commanding officer of an army division in the island's northern war-zone in the final months of the military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.

Rights groups say some 40,000 ethnic Tamils were killed in mass atrocities as government forces seized Sri Lanka's predominantly Tamil north.

The United Nations, in a report into the allegations, said Silva played a major role in orchestrating war crimes.

The 2009 offensive delivered a death blow to the Tamil Tigers, whose nearly four-decade campaign for a separate homeland had killed 100,000 people and was characterized by the rebels' bloody suicide attacks.

Pompeo nonetheless said that the United States hoped to maintain security cooperation with Sri Lanka, which last year was rocked by Easter Sunday bombings by Islamist extremists.

"We deeply value our partnership with the Sri Lankan government and the long-standing democratic tradition we share with the Sri Lankan people," Pompeo said.

Sri Lanka's successive governments have resisted calls for an independent investigation into the conduct of troops during the final months of the conflict

Washington: The United States said on Friday it would refuse entry to Sri Lanka's army chief over "credible" evidence of human rights violations in the bloody 2009 finale to the civil war.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, whose appointment last year drew wide international criticism, will be ineligible to visit the United States, as will his immediate family, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

"The allegations of gross human rights violations against Shavendra Silva, documented by the United Nations and other organizations, are serious and credible," Pompeo said in a statement.

"We urge the Sri Lankan government to promote human rights, hold accountable individuals responsible for war crimes and human rights violations, advance security sector reform, and uphold its other commitments to pursue justice and reconciliation," he said.

Silva was the commanding officer of an army division in the island's northern war-zone in the final months of the military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.

Rights groups say some 40,000 ethnic Tamils were killed in mass atrocities as government forces seized Sri Lanka's predominantly Tamil north.

The United Nations, in a report into the allegations, said Silva played a major role in orchestrating war crimes.

The 2009 offensive delivered a death blow to the Tamil Tigers, whose nearly four-decade campaign for a separate homeland had killed 100,000 people and was characterized by the rebels' bloody suicide attacks.

Pompeo nonetheless said that the United States hoped to maintain security cooperation with Sri Lanka, which last year was rocked by Easter Sunday bombings by Islamist extremists.

"We deeply value our partnership with the Sri Lankan government and the long-standing democratic tradition we share with the Sri Lankan people," Pompeo said.

Sri Lanka's successive governments have resisted calls for an independent investigation into the conduct of troops during the final months of the conflict
BEIRUT  Throughout Syrias civil war, Maad al-Khalaf helped other Syrians find shelter in the opposition enclave in the northwest as they fled government military advances around the country. Now hes the one in need of refuge as a swift offensive overwhelmed his home village.

He joined hundreds of thousands in Idlib province scrambling to escape the widening, multi-front assault by President Bashar Assads forces, squeezing into whatever structures they can find in a shrinking territory.

There is no house of concrete or of mud or even a chicken coop that is not inhabited, al-Khalaf said. People are in dire need of any shelter. Even a tent sometimes is not available.

The son of a prominent landowning family in Qmenas, an ancient Aramaic village, al-Khalaf fled with his family of five to a nearby town as the bombs began to fall. Within three days, that was swept up in the offensive as well, so they ran farther  to a village near the Turkish border, 18 miles from the front line.

There, they now live in a tent on a piece of farmland donated by a relative. More relatives moved in as well. Winter wind sweeps through the settlement, where 30 families huddle in 15 tents set up in the mud, sharing one toilet, one sink and a huge sense of relief that they are out of harms way, at least for now.

Nearly a quarter of the 3 million people in Idlib and surrounding areas have surged north as Russian-backed government forces advanced in recent weeks, determined to capture the last remaining opposition-held territory.

Almost half of the 700,000 uprooted since Dec. 1 are children, the U.N. estimated. Schools have halted instruction, 26 immunization centers closed, threatening new outbreaks of diseases, and some 53 health facilities no longer operate, including three directly hit in air strikes or shelling. More than 370 civilians were killed since December, according to the U.N.

While it may not be the biggest single wave of displacement  nearly a million were on the move after a government offensive a year ago  this may be the most dire.

This is truly the worst humanitarian crisis because of lack of resources, the surge in displacement over short periods, weaker emergency responses and because shrinking areas outside of government control means a major problem in providing shelter, said Mohammed Hallaj, a coordinator for the areas Response Coordination Group, which works with U.N. agencies to assess needs.

Sarah El Deeb is an Associated Press writer.
Ordinary Chinese see through government propaganda and realize that the mishandling of the coronavirus is only one example of the regimes ineptitude. Xis government also mishandled a swine fever outbreak that began in 2018 and has now killed almost one-quarter of the worlds pigs.

Earlier, China fumbled SARS. And at the beginning of the 2000s, it covered up an AIDS outbreak spread by government-backed blood collection efforts. Vast numbers of impoverished farmers and workers died, for the government response was not to help those infected but to punish doctor whistle-blowers. I will never forget a woman then who tried to give me her 4-year-old son because she was dying of AIDS and her husband had already died.

Granted, we Americans must have some humility in critiquing the regime, for its a tribute to Chinas progress that a baby born in Beijing today has a longer official life expectancy (82 years) than a baby born in Washington, D.C. (78), or New York City (81).

Still, the progress came from Chinas technocrats, doctors and scientists, the result in part of opening one new university a week for years. The peak of that technocratic, pragmatic approach came under Prime Minister Zhu Rongji in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

More recently, Xi has tugged China backward, stifling social media and journalism while cultivating something approaching a North Korea-style personality cult around himself. Xis propaganda apparatus extols him for personally directing the efforts against the virus and claims that the World Health Organization sent experts to learn from Chinas wise handling of the coronavirus.

Chinas economic and educational success has created a savvy middle class that feels betrayed when the government spouts nonsense and targets doctors rather than a coronavirus. Doctors on the front line are working almost around the clock with limited supplies, taping up masks, using goggles made of plastic folders and eating only one meal a day or wearing diapers so as to go to the bathroom less often (for that means removing protective clothing that cant be replaced).

So far, more than 1,700 medical workers have been infected and at least six have died.

The contrast between heroic doctors and bumbling political leaders could not be more stark.
This sort of incident happened at least two to three times a week, Lionel said in his witness statement to police. The same sort of thing. I would piss the bed scared at night that [Elmer] would come to me. I was petrified of him. I couldnt tell anyone because I was scared of getting a flogging and being taken away by Jesus. Another boy who had complained about being abused by Elmer was flogged with a cane by another brother then removed from the St Vincent de Paul Boys' Home, Lionel said. He dobbed Elmer in for doing something sexual to him. It was two days later that this guy who got hit and dobbed got taken from the home. He said he told another boy at the home about the abuse. That boy replied that Elmer had also sexually assaulted him. We were both scared that Jesus would come to take us, Lionel said. This is what we thought happened to [the boy who left].

Loading Lionel said he also confided in a nun from a nearby convent. I told her what Elmer had been doing to me. She said Darling, please do not say a word to anyone, I will fix this for you. Soon after he confessed to her, Lionel alleges, Elmer and two other brothers brutally beat him, including with a cane, in an assault that left him bleeding from his behind and bedridden for more than a week. While he was still recovering, Lionel said, Elmer abused him again. He punched the boy repeatedly, giving him a black eye and bloody nose after the boy vomited on the brother during the assault. When I spewed, he punched me in the face with a clenched fist  three or four times. I couldnt see out of my left eye for a few days until the swelling went down. He said to me 'Jesus is coming to get you'. This is the last time that I ever saw Elmer.

Boys at St Vincent de Paul Boys' Home in South Melbourne in the 1970s. The orphanage closed in 1997. Credit:Gabor Kardos In mid-1976, Elmer suddenly left St Vincents. I dont know what happened to Elmer, but he was gone from the home, Lionel told police. Lionel, now aged 59, said of the ongoing effect of his abuse: I get teary talking about this but I have learnt to deal with it. It is always in my mind and it always hurts me. On Monday, Elmer pleaded guilty in the County Court to the indecent assault of two other complainants, also from St Vincents, in the 1970s, after which prosecutors did not proceed with charges related to Lionels accusations. That meant that Lionels witness statement was never tendered and Elmer never faced his allegations. Court documents show the 75-year-old was charged in 2018 with 19 counts of indecent assault and one of false imprisonment in relation to three victims during the 1970s.

The first complainant, who had been in state care since infancy, told police Elmer repeatedly abused him between the ages of 11 and 13, usually while he was sleeping in a dormitory. He said the first assault occurred when Elmer threw off his bed covers, demanded he do as he was told, and put his hand down the boys pyjama pants. The assault, however, was interrupted. Someone has approached the bed as he was being assaulted by the accused, who then fled, according to the police brief of evidence. Loading The complainant was summoned to the office of the now deceased Brother in charge, Brother Carey  Shortly thereafter the complainant recalls being sexually abused by the accused on many occasions. The second complainant, who came to the orphanage aged seven after his parents died, was sexually abused by Elmer repeatedly between the ages of nine and 11.

On one occasion Elmer led the boy, who had been playing in the grounds of the home after school, upstairs into his private bedroom at the end of a dormitory. Elmer produced a large book with pictures of human anatomy and made the boy sit on his knee while the brother asked him to name various body parts, including male genitalia, and masturbated against the boys back during the 20-minute assault. As dormitory master at St Vincents, Elmer was responsible for up to 40 children at a time, aged between seven and 14. The most senior Christian Brothers officials in Victoria knew in mid-1976, when they removed Elmer from the orphanage, that he had abused boys there. Rex Francis Elmer after a court appearance in 2018. Credit:AAP/Daniel Pockett

Later that year they made Elmer principal of St Joseph's, a Catholic boys primary school in Warrnambool. Elmer was in charge of the school from 1976-81. He worked in the town alongside several other notorious paedophile clerics including priests Paul David Ryan and Robert Claffey, and fellow Christian Brother Edward Dowlan (all since jailed for child sexual assault). Elmer left Warrnambool after more complaints about his behaviour at St Vincent's reached his superiors. In 1988 he reappeared, in an article from a small Tasmanian newspaper called Western Tiers, published in his home town of Deloraine. Brother Rex Elmer will be spending Christmas at home with his mother ... and family before leaving to go to Africa to set up a Mission School at Arushia [sic] in Tanzania with two other Christian Brothers, the newspaper reported proudly on page 3. Rex was a pupil at Our Lady of Mercy College and St Patrick's [College] and has been teaching at various schools, including Warrnambool in Victoria. He is hoping to see old school friends while at home and we all wish him well in the future.

The school Elmer helped found in northern Tanzania is now run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers East Africa District and has more than 1300 students. Elmer left the school in 1993 after more complaints surfaced, and was sent by his order to the United States for counselling at the St Luke Institute for paedophile Catholic clergy in Maryland. He was charged In 1997 with 69 counts. He was convicted the next year of 12 counts: one charge of indecent assault against each of the 12 boys. The judge sentenced him to five years in prison with a minimum of three years and four months. Tasmania's Western Tiers newspaper ran an item in 1988 about Elmer's posting to Tanzania. At his sentencing, Judge Thomas Neesham described Elmer, then 53, as a man of God who had indulged in "depraved self-gratification", The Age reported at the time.

Each of your victims was a small boy in your care. Each was an inmate, he said. The boys, many of them orphans or wards of the state, were aged between eight and 12. "They were helpless," Judge Neesham said. "Who could they tell, who would believe them? "All your victims wear deep emotional scars to this day as is brought out by their victim impact statements," he said. "As a teacher and a man of God, how could you not have had an inkling of the devastation to your victims' faith ... by your act of misbehaviour. Your victims will have to live in the misery that you inflicted upon them ... You will have to live with the disgrace that you brought on yourself and your family." In sentencing Elmer in 1998, County Court Judge Thomas Neesham said Elmer had indulged in "depraved self-gratification".

Elmer had been living in a Christian Brothers home in Brunswick at the time of his first conviction and was still working for the order in an administrative role. In 2002, after his release from prison, he was placed him on "restricted ministry". He now resides in a property owned by the order in the same suburb. His bail was extended following his guilty plea this week until his sentencing in July. The accused is currently retired and resides within the Christian Brothers Community, a police brief from his current case states. The order has received 22 claims for redress from people who allege Elmer sexually abused them as children, according to documents it provided to Austalias Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse, which reported its findings in 2017. Those claims all related to accusations of multiple assaults alleged to have occurred between 1969 and 1985 - from when Elmer was a novitiate (a Christian Brother in training) to the years when he worked in South Melbourne and Warrnambool, mainly during his time at St Vincents.

The documents also show the order knew that a number of victims had alleged that other clergy had participated in the abuse by Elmer. Catholic Church Insurance (CCI) refused to cover the Christian Brothers in relation to any claims of abuse by Elmer after 1976, ruling the order - including its most senior cleric, then provincial Brother Patrick Naughtin - had prior knowledge of his crimes. "Whilst the Visitation was in progress [13/06/1976], a Child Welfare Office reported to Brother [redacted] Acting Superior that Rex had been interfering with little boys; this was true and it had been attended to by the Provincial," said a CCI document submitted to the royal commission. In a letter dated June 20, 1976, Naughtin wrote to the acting superior of the orphanage: Thank you very much for the report on the situation which developed ... in connection with Br Elmer. It is indeed a serious and most unfortunate state of affairs and I am grateful for your bringing it to my attention so promptly." In his letter, Naughtin (who died in 2010) expressed concern for Elmers reputation, not for the welfare of the children he had abused. He also referenced the illegality of Elmers actions but did not report him to authorities.

I have interviewed Br Elmer and discussed this position with him. He is clearly aware of the serious nature of his actions and I took pains to point out his legal and moral obligations in the matter. It seems to me extremely unlikely that there will be any recurrence of what had happened ... It would seem to me best at this stage not to transfer Brother ... immediately, though I would propose to announce his change next August - the usual time for releasing details of staffing for the following year. Elmer was first convicted in 1998 on 12 counts of indecent assault involving boys under his care in the 1970s. Credit:The Age In coming to this decision I have been guided by the Brother's assurance for the future, by his excellent record to date and by consideration for his reputation which would undoubtedly be harmed by a sudden transfer at this time. When Elmer left St Vincents he was replaced by Edward Ted Dowlan, now one of the most notorious paedophile clerics in Victoria. They later worked together at St Joseph's in Warrnambool.

A 1996 letter from an unnamed Christian Brother was submitted to the Victorian parliamentary inquiry in 2013 into the handling of child abuse by institutions, including religious orders. It sheds light on how widespread the abuse was at St Vincents, and how determined the church was to dismiss it. I accepted with good faith the sudden departure of Brother Elmer from the school and the appointment of Brother Dowlan to fill his position, the letter reads. Indeed, I spent many extra hours, which I could ill afford, assisting Brother Dowlan to understand the nature and behaviours of the boys and the teachers. As you are probably aware, many of St Vincents residents had been sexually abused, and often displayed overt and outrageous sexualised behaviour. Furthermore, they expected or requested that this behaviour be reciprocated by the adults in their lives. A major part of our endeavours at St Vincents was getting these boys to a point where they would expect not to be abused. Now I find that all of this work could have been compromised by the presence of a man like Brother Dowlan  I take note of your congregations position that the brothers were unaware of Brother Dowlans tendencies and activities. I cannot accept this as a reasonable position. I cannot believe that the number of allegations against this man could have been kept from his various communities and the congregations superiors. I find that expecting the public to believe this is preposterous. I do not believe this plea of ignorance. St Vincents orphanage closed in 1997. It was home to more than 6000 boys over 140 years.
Police raid the Rain bar in Da Lat on the night of February 14, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Khanh Huong.

A Friday night police raid on a Da Lat bar found 92 people aged between 18 and 35 using banned drugs.

Around 150 police officers raided the bar called "Rain" on Le Hong Phong Street. When the police entered, around 300 patrons who were dancing to loud music threw drugs on the floor and tried to escape, but the exit doors had been blocked.

Of more than 300 people taken to the police station for drug tests, 92, including five employees of the bar, tested positive for banned substances, but the police did not specify what they were.

Rain, considered the largest and busiest bar in Da Lat, a popular resort town in the Central Highlands, attracts many patrons at night, especially during holidays and weekends.

Vietnam has very strict laws against the production, trafficking and distribution of drugs, including the death penalty, but this has not stopped any of these activities as also the consumption of banned substances.

Vietnamese police have recently intensified their crackdown on drug abuse at nightclubs and karaoke parlors across the country.

A pre-dawn police raid on a bar inside a five-star hotel in southern Dong Nai Province last December found 88 customers aged between 18 and 30 using banned drugs.
A mother and father and their daughter have all contracted coronavirus on a cruise ship in Japan - as the government plans a rescue mission for the 200 Australians who remain trapped aboard the Diamond Princess.

Bianca D'Silva, from Melbourne, was the first in her family to contract the deadly disease on February 5 before celebrating her 21st birthday stuck in a Japanese hospital room on Saturday.

The law student's parents Suzanne and Delonne D'Silva have now also caught coronavirus and have both developed pneumonia, making them short of breath.

Her 14-year-old brother Brenton is the only one in the D'Silva family who hasn't been infected and is being isolated in his own separate hospital room.

Ms D'Silva and her parents are three of 12 Australians who caught coronavirus aboard the Diamond Princess, which is in quarantine in Yokohama Port, south of Tokyo.

The Morrison government is now planning to evacuate 200 Australians who have been trapped on the ship for the past two weeks.

Melbourne law student Bianca D'Silva (pictured) was the first in her family to contract the deadly disease on February 5 before celebrating her 21st birthday stuck in a Japanese hospital room on Saturday

The law student's parents Suzanne (centre) and Delonne D'Silva (right) have now also caught coronavirus and have both developed pneumonia, making them short of breath

On Saturday night, the Australian government sent an infectious disease expert to Yokohama to judge whether to evacuate some or all of the 200 passengers.

Australia's deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly said there were 'particular risks' for the elderly people aboard the Diamond Princess.

'We wait for our expert to be on the ground to assess what is the best option for those Australians ... this has been a difficult situation to be stuck on that ship for so long and we certainly want to make the best options available to our citizens,' Mr Kelly told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'We will be looking at the health and welfare of that group and what might be best done with a view to getting them off the ship.'

If evacuated, the passengers would be quarantined for two weeks once back on Australian shores.

Australia would be following the path of the US, which is already preparing to evacuate its citizens aboard the Diamond Princess this weekend.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, Ms D'Silva said her condition is not as severe as her parents since she is younger.

'I am just worried for mum and dad. They are getting it a bit worse because they are older than me. We are just taking it a day at a time,' she told the publication.

Ms D'Silva had planned to have a birthday party in Melbourne for her 21st birthday but instead celebrated by eating pizza alone in her hospital room.

The law student said she has been keeping busy by responding to worried messages from friends and family and will have an even bigger party when she returns home.

Japanese hospital staff ordered two pizzas to celebrate Bianca's 21st on Saturday but after the parents wished their daughter happy birthday, everyone had to go back to their own separate hospital rooms to eat alone.

Ms D'Silva and her parents are forced to be confined to a wheelchair with a portable inside a plastic box when they are transported around the hospital.

Ms D'Silva said said she is 'worried' about her parents. 'They are getting it a bit worse because they are older than me. We are just taking it a day at a time,' she told the Herald Sun

Suzanne and Delonne D'Silva at a family function in Melbourne. After wishing their daughter a happy 21st birthday, they immediately had to go back to their own separate hospital rooms to eat pizza alone

Each member of the D'Silva family has varying degrees of illness with father Delonne the worst hit, having been prescribed a course of medication to combat the illness.

Mr D'Silva's wife Suzanne said coronavirus is an unpredictable disease and can often get worse after showing signs of improvement.

'He (Mr D'Silva) is a pretty strong man so when he gets sick it's pretty bad. It has just been one nightmare after another,' Mrs D'Silva told the Herald Sun.

'Even a nightmare is not as bad as this. Just when you think you are OK something happens. It's all up and down.'

Mrs D'Silva said her 14-year-old son Brenton is okay, although he has been isolated from his parents and sister for a number of days.

The teenager has been keeping himself busy by playing video games on his portable Nintendo Switch console.

The D'Silva family are three of 12 Australian passengers to contract coronavirus onboard the 'floating prison', which is docked at Yokohama, south of Tokyo. The Australian government has sent a disease expert to Yokohama to judge whether to evacuate the 200 passengers
[February 15, 2020] Peiffer Wolf: $265 Million Dicamba Jury Verdict Is "Just the Beginning of Justice" for Farmers

In the wake of Friday's $15 million verdict for compensatory damages, the same Missouri jury in the closely watched Monsanto/Bayer and BASF dicamba trial returned a $250 million punitive damages verdict on Saturday. U.S. farmers with crop, fruit, and other broad leaf plant damage caused by the herbicide manufactured by Monsanto/Bayer and BASF will finally be able to get the justice they deserve, according to Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane (Peiffer Wolf) attorneys Paul Lesko and Joseph Peiffer. For more information, see https://dicambadrift.com/. Peiffer Wolf attorney Paul Lesko said: "Farmers and landowners who have had crops damaged or destroyed by dicamba need to do one thing today: contact a lawyer to understand your rights to recover your losses. Here at Peiffer Wolf, we have people standing by right now to answer the questions and concerns farmers may have about this $265 million award to a Missouri peach farmer. Our advice is simple: If you suffered damages from dicamba, the time to act is now." Peiffer Wolf managing partner Joseph Peiffer said: "The jury sent a clear message to Monsanto/Bayer and BASF that if you destroy a farmer's livelihood, you will be held accountable. On behalf of the farmers we currently represent and those who will seek out our help, we are encouraged by the fact that the jury recognized the lack of remorse of these companies. This kind of outrageous conduct will only end when it is too expensive for Monsanto/Bayer and BASF to keep engaging in this bad behavior. Today's verdict is just the beginning of our fight for justice against Monsanto/Bayer and BASF." Peiffr Wolf is fighting on behalf of farmers and landowners to seek maximum compensation for the damages suffered due to dicamba. If you suspect that your crops or plants have been damaged by dicamba, contact Peiffer Wolf by filling out an online contact form or by calling 314-833-4826.



In 2017, 3.6 million acres of soybeans on 2,708 farms nationwide were damaged by dicamba, according to the estimate of University of Missouri crop science professor Kevin Bradley. The Illinois Department of Agriculture found a five-fold increase in complaints - from less than 130 total complaints for all pesticides in 2016 to more than 700 for dicamba alone in 2019. While local authorities have leveled some fines against farmers who misuse dicamba, most damage goes unreported. When violations are found, the typical response appears to be a warning letter. For those rare times when fines are assessed, it's typically a $200 to $1,000 payment that goes directly to the state  not to the farmers who suffered damages. According to Modern Farmer, farmers impacted by dicamba will lose an estimated 10 to 30 percent of their annual crop yield. If farmers want justice, it looks like the court system is the only place to go.

Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane, APLC is a national law firm with offices in Missouri, Cleveland, Austin, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. https://dicambadrift.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200215005023/en/

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14.02.2020 LISTEN

MTN Ghana has announced exciting packages in the month of February.

The packages will be given to customers to appreciate them for their loyalty and love for the brand.

The offers makes available multiple rewards to selected MTN customers between the 10th of February 2020 and the 28th of February 2020.

Some of the packages for customers will include 4G devices, executive gifts set and customised chocolates.

Some customers will receive launch vouchers from the Labadi Beach Hotel whilst others will be invited to exclusive movie mania on 14th February at the Silverbird Cinemas in Accra Mall and Watch and Dine Cinema in Kumasi.

MTN Pulse customers, will receive GHc50 worth of KFC vouchers or airtime when they correctly answer questions in the MTN  KFC Pulse Challenge on YFM.

In addition, MTN Pulse subscribers who make payments via MTN MoMo at the Potbelly Shack stand a chance of winning a large pizza or a meal of their choice.

Pulse App users can also capture a screenshot of their preferred valentine gift (e.g Shopping vouchers, Potbelly Shack Vouchers, Movie Tickets, Modems, Selfie Sticks etc.) in GIF format, share it on the Pulse App and that dream gift could be theirs.

Customers should please note that winners of these promotions will be contacted through MTN's official line 0244300000, the company said in a release.

Redemption of prizes are free and winners will not be asked to make any payments in cash or in kind, it stated.

Daily Guide
ROME  An American woman wanted in her husbands 2002 murder was able to stay at the Rome hotel where she was arrested for nearly two weeks before an international arrest warrant turned up in the system identifying her as a murder suspect, Italian police said Friday.

Beverly McCallum, 59, was cooperative when she was arrested around 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning in a hotel on the northwest outskirts of the Italian capital, officials said.

While she had been staying in the small business hotel since early February, her arrival from Pakistan via Saudi Arabia did not raise red flags because no international arrest warrant had been issued, the head of the Rome police rapid reaction unit told The Associated Press.

The date of her arrival was not clear. McCallum, who has Italian heritage, was arrested on an Interpol warrant. In Italy, hotels are required to submit identities of guests taken from their official travel documents to local police offices.

Mali

Gunmen kill 21, burn homes, loot livestock

BAMAKO  Gunmen killed at least 21 people early Friday in central Mali in a village that suffered a massive attack last year, the government said.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  On the surface, theres been little debate and no formal action on abortion-related issues during this years 30-day legislative session.

But the uneasy stalemate could be broken after this years election cycle, and both abortion opponents and abortion rights advocates have traveled to the Roundhouse to rally support for their respective positions  and keep the pressure on lawmakers.

Then theres Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who recently told attendees at a Planned Parenthood event that a long-dormant state abortion ban will be gone as soon as there are enough votes in the Senate to pass a repeal measure.

The second we have the votes in the Senate, that antiquated, absolutely outrageous law is gone, Lujan Grisham said, according to a video clip of the event.

A bill during last years session that would have repealed the states 1969 anti-abortion law passed the House but failed in the Senate 18-24, with eight Democrats joining the chambers Republican members to block the bill from advancing.

Rumors have been circulating at the Roundhouse that a similar bill could be brought forward before this years 30-day session ends next week, but a Lujan Grisham spokeswoman said theres no truth to them.

But abortion opponents have mobilized just in case, and say theyre bracing for the proposal to be brought back either during a special legislative session that Lujan Grisham would have to call or during next years 60-day session.

We expect the governor to bring back that bill, and were surprised she didnt do it this year, said Vince Torres, the president and executive director of the Family Policy Alliance of New Mexico.

He said he suspects thats because there are still not enough votes in the Democratic-controlled Senate to pass such a measure.

Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett did not directly respond to a question about whether the governor has been talking to individual senators about the issue but said Lujan Grisham has made it clear she views protecting access to reproductive health care as an absolute priority.

Roe v. Wade

New Mexicos abortion law is largely unenforceable now because of the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

But the Supreme Court plans to take up a high-stakes abortion case next month, which could change the legal landscape and prompt a new skirmish at the Roundhouse.

Those on both sides of the abortion debate are well aware of the potential implications.

At least 200 abortion rights advocates held a noisy rally in the Roundhouse on Wednesday and lobbied Democratic lawmakers to support the proposed repeal effort.

Sandy Martinez of Espanola said she made the trip with her two daughters in mind to show support for womens reproductive rights, including abortion.

I feel its important to keep it safe and keep it legal, she told the Journal.

On Friday, just two days later, roughly 60 abortion opponents gathered in the Capitol rotunda to hear speeches from Republican lawmakers and others.

Several GOP legislators shared personal stories, including Rep. Rebecca Dow, R-Truth or Consequences, who talked about her decision not to have an abortion after getting pregnant as a newly-married 19-year-old.

House Minority Whip Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, urged abortion opponents not to show signs displaying babies, saying that could alienate moderate Democrats.

Were making great strides, Montoya said. Lets not take a step back when weve got momentum with us.

Montoya proposed three abortion-related bills this year, including one requiring parental notification before a minor could have an abortion, but they were not added to the sessions agenda by Lujan Grisham and, therefore, have not been brought up for debate.

Few restrictions

New Mexico is among the states with the fewest abortion restrictions in the nation.

Its also one of seven that permit abortions at any stage in a pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research group that works to advance reproductive health, and published reports.

Anti-abortion crusaders say thats made New Mexico into an abortion magnet, as nearly 20% of the roughly 4,500 abortions performed in New Mexico in 2014 involved women from out of state, according to state Department of Health data.

However, the states abortion statute  were it to be enforceable  makes it a crime to end a womans pregnancy except in certain circumstances, such as rape and incest.

It also requires that a committee of licensed physicians certify those circumstances before an abortion takes place.

In an election year in which all 112 legislative seats will be up for election, those on both sides say abortion is likely to play a role in hotly contested races.

We fully expect that to be one of the top issues in this years election cycle, Torres said.

For her part, Lujan Grisham suggested shell also remain vocal on the issue.

Were going to make sure New Mexico voters know whats at stake and what we really need in a policy-making body to protect our families, the governor said at the recent Planned Parenthood event.

Online

Bill to set up early childhood fund heads to governors desk
Lahore: Lahore accountability court granted relief to former PM Nawaz Sharif's petition. The next hearing of the case will be on 28 February. In this petition, Sharif sought exemption from appearance in the court. Chaudhary sugar mill case is going on in the court against Nawaz Sharif. Addressing the media on Friday, Nawaz's lawyer Amjad Parvez said that a new medical certificate has been submitted in the court.

Rohingya Muslims beats Christians in Bangladesh refugee camp, vandalized church and school

The lawyer further said, "Nawaz Sharif's health is being monitored. He will undergo a medical examination in the last week of February." The lawyer said that in the context of the procedures laid down, Nawaz Sharif is not well fit to travel to Pakistan and only after his health is correct will he be able to go to court for hearing in the case. After reviewing the medical certificate, the court exempted the former PM from appearing before it and adjourned the hearing till 28 February.

Human heart can be saved for more than 24 hours through technology

Earlier in January, the Punjab province government rejected Nawaz's medical report, saying that it had been prepared from a private doctor in Britain, instead of the General Physician. Nawaz, who was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment, was granted bail and later granted bail, allowing him to go abroad for proper treatment.

Trump is very excited about visiting India, says 'It is an honor for me'
South African banks have advised against using public Wi-Fi connections for online banking.

This follows a recent statement from ESET Southern Africa CEO Carey van Vlaanderen, who warned that South Africans should be wary when connecting to public hotspots.

We have a situation where the networks are not authenticated at all, or where you have to authenticate and give your personal information to unknown parties, she said.

She said cybercriminals often create malicious hotspots in public areas where they steal personal information which you send over the Internet through a man-in-the-middle attack.

These hotspots are not easily identifiable as malicious and often have a very similar network name (SSID) to the official public Wi-Fi hotspot in the area.

A number of South Africans may even use online banking when connected to a public Wi-Fi hotspot, making them a prime target for this type of attack.

We asked South African banks how they secure their networks and whether their customers should use public Wi-Fi for online banking.

FNB

FNB said it recommended that customers use its banking app rather than online banking, as it is zero-rated.

FNB strongly recommends the use of our award-winning banking app for our customers day-to-day banking needs as well as for when travelling abroad, the bank said.

It is preferable that customers connect to their cellular network.

Within South Africa using the FNB banking app does not incur data costs for the customer  the customer just needs an active mobile connection.

The bank told MyBroadband that its online portals are securely encrypted in line with industry standards, which means that all data sent between customers and the bank cannot be intercepted.

At FNB we use industry-standard security protocols to ensure that all information between customers and FNB is encrypted, FNB said.

Absa

Absa head of fraud strategy Ulrich Janse van Rensburg told MyBroadband that security measures are implemented to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks on unsecured networks.

At Absa, we build our systems in line with the highest local and global security standards and apply very strict protocols on both our app and online services to ensure the safety of our customers, Janse van Rensburg said.

We apply security measures to protect our customers on any data platform  public Wi-Fi included. Our app and online services are safe to use.

However, Absa recommends that customers avoid public Wi-Fi due to the potential exposure to malware or spyware.

We do however discourage our customers from using public Wi-Fi or public devices for the purposes of banking, Janse van Rensburg said.

These public platforms (Wi-Fi or devices) may be used to install other malicious software (including malware) to the unsuspecting customer which could be used to source the customer keys to the safe (card PIN, card CVV, card One Time PIN (OTP), online banking PIN or online banking password) and be used for malicious vectors such as phishing.

In summary, we discourage the practice and recommend that customers download our latest mobile banking app, he said.

It is the safest way to bank and customers qualify for a free Digital Warranty if they adopt the latest controls.

Nedbank

Nedbank said that all communication between its servers and clients is encrypted, but recommended that users avoid public hotspots.

All electronic communication that happens between our clients device (whether phone or computer) and Nedbanks systems happens via a custom encrypted channel so that nobody listening in on the WiFi communication can read that information, the bank said.

That being said, it should be remembered that no public Wi-Fi can ever be deemed totally safe, because the clients device may be compromised in other ways.

We therefore recommend that our clients do not make use of public WiFi without a trusted VPN (Virtual Private Network) that encrypts all communication that passes over the WiFi channel, the bank added.

Nedbank also recommended that clients use the latest antivirus software on relevant devices and also ensure their devices have been patched with the latest system updates.

Standard Bank

Standard Bank said that it uses HTTPS to secure its banking sessions, but added that customers should avoid untrusted networks.

Any network owned by someone you dont trust can pose a threat, the bank said. We use HTTPS/TLS for all internet banking activity to protect users banking sessions from tampering.

Customers should be cognizant that there may be other threats to their devices on the open network (and in public spaces generally).

Customers should ensure that the public WiFi provider is trusted and reputable  what they should never do is bank from public or shared computers, the bank added.

Now read: Absa online channels suffer major downtime
New Delhi, Feb 15 : With heightened vigil, restructuring of drug law enforcement agencies, contraband seizures in India has doubled, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said.

The bureau, headed by IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, also said there is considerable increase in maritime drug trafficking across South Asia region and it needs to be dealt with proper coordination between neighbouring countries.

The bureau made the revelation before BIMSTEC countries members during two-day conference on Combating Drug Trafficking.

In 2019, a total 2,448 kilogramme of Heroin was seized compared to 1,258 kg in 2018. Similarly, in 2019, the total seizure of opium was 7,317 kg and in 2018, it was recorded 4,307 kg. In 2019, the sleuths seized 58 kg of Cocaine and in 2018 it was 35 kg, the Deputy Director General Rajesh Nandan Shrivastva from NCB told the delegates from BIMSTEC countries.

BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is an international organisation of seven nations of South Asia and South East Asia.

The officer said that there is considerable increase in maritime trafficking of heroin. On January 6, 2020, the bureau has done seizure of 35 kg of heroin from a boat off the Gujarat (western) coast. On May 20, 2019, the bureau had done a seizure of 218 kg of heroin from a boat off the Gujarat (western) coast. Again in March 2019, the bureau seized 100 kg of heroin from a boat in Gujarat and in 2017, the seizure of 1445 kg of heroin from MV Henry was again done in Gujarat, he said.

Shrivastva also pointed out that maritime heroin trafficking has a common link to entire South Asian Region. He said that in November 2019, seizure of 224 kg of heroin by Sri Lanka was done on the basis of Indian intelligence inputs. Similarly, in October 2019, seizure of 150 kg of heroin from a boat in Maldives was carried out after India intelligence shared the inputs.

In July and August in 2019, seizure of 155 kg heroin from a boat in Sri Lanka, was carried out on the basis of information passed on by India, he pointed.

Another concern from the drug law enforcement agencies is the trafficking of heroin from Myanmar to India. In March 2019, seizure of 44.5 kg heroin (Rs 180 crore) in Delhi was sourced from Myanmar. In April 2019, again seizure of 50 kg heroin (Rs 200 crore) in Delhi was sourced from Myanmar.

The officer stressed that the drug traffickers are exploiting the trade route for smuggling of heroin across the region.

Shrivastva highlighted that there is increase in seizures after formation of Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) under Director General Rakesh Asthana.

The committee monitors all aspects of major drug cases including linkage to other forms of organized crimes such as insurgent activity and money laundering. The panel assigns leads to appropriate agency and ensures timely investigation and prosecution.

The panel also works to identify networks, especially those with cross border linkages.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in )
The foreign ministers of China and the Vatican have met in the first high-level encounter between the sides -- a new sign of improving relations between two states with no diplomatic ties.

The talks between China's Wang Yi and Archbishop Paul Gallagher in the German city of Munich on Friday come as relations steadily improve following a landmark agreement on the appointment of bishops in 2018.

"Today is the first meeting between the Chinese and Vatican foreign ministers," Wang said, according to the People's Daily newspaper, a Communist Party mouthpiece.

"This is a continuation of the exchanges between China and the Vatican for a period of time. It will open up more space for the future exchanges between the two sides," he said.

Wang, who met Gallagher on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, called the 2018 agreement "groundbreaking", adding that it "has achieved positive results".

- First bishop -

In a statement, the Vatican said the talks were "cordial" and that contact between the two sides had seen "positive developments".

Wang and Gallagher "highlighted the importance" of the 2018 deal and reiterated a willingness to continue "the institutional dialogue at the bilateral level to promote the life of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people".

The People's Republic of China broke relations with the Vatican in 1951.

The Vatican is the only European diplomatic ally of self-ruled Taiwan, which is viewed by China as a breakaway province awaiting reunification.

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The Tupolev aircraft arrived in Kolkata on Friday (February 14) where Indias second Naval Museum is being built. The dismantled TU  142 aircraft has arrived in Kolkata and the work to reassemble it will begin as soon as the Naval Museum starts taking shape.

The initial work of the museum has begun at the site, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. The land at New town, adjacent to the police station has been cleared, flattened and the base on which the aircraft will be erected has been completed," the release said.

The aircraft has been handed over by the Indian Navy to the KMDA authorities even though the museum is still being built. The KMDA authorities, who are in possession of the aircraft will now begin reassembling it.

According to sources, the reassembling of the aircraft is expected to be completed by the end of March 2020.

The expenses for dismantling, transporting the TU-142 aircraft and assembling it in Kolkata is also being borne by the Bengal state government.

Government sources say the museum will be thrown open to the public by mid-2020.

The museum in Kolkata is only the second such museum in the country after the one at Vizag.
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is suing an alleged Ponzi scammer on claims he and his company raised half a million dollars for cryptocurrency investments, which instead went to personal uses.

According to a press release, Breonna Clark, otherwise known as Eliot Clark or Alexander Pak, and his firm Venture Capital Investments Ltd. and The Life Group allegedly raised $534,829 from 72 victims, promising to invest funds in bitcoin (BTC), altcoins and foreign currency contracts. Instead, some $400,000 in funds went to personal uses, including the purchase of a BMW.

The CFTC is charging Clark with fraud by a commodity pool operator and commodity trading adviser, fraud by deceptive device, failure to register as a commodity pool operator and failure to register as a commodity trading advisor.

Related: LabCFTC Wants to Meet FinTech Startups in New York

Clark created false account statements to mislead investors and used some of the funds he raised to pay off other investors, an attached complaint claims. A small portion of the funds were ultimately used to trade on the pools behalf.

At various times during the Relevant Period, several pool participants requested to withdraw funds from their accounts. In some instances, Clark failed to respond at all to a pool participants request. In other instances, Clark responded with false excuses. Among the false excuses Clark made to pool participants why Defendants could not comply was that the CFTC was conducting an audit,' the complaint said (the CFTC did not conduct an audit).

Clark did not return any of the funds raised through the alleged scheme, the complaint said.

The press release thanked the Financial Supervision Commission of Bulgaria, Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand, Seychelles Financial Services Authority, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Financial Services Authority and the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority.

Related: US Authorities Charge Crypto Trading Club Operators With Defrauding 150 Investors

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Read the full complaint below:

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WABC(NEW YORK) -- Fifth grader Alexus London was in gym class doing push-ups when an unexpected Valentine's Day gift arrived.



Her father, Army Staff Sgt. Daniel London, had just returned from an eight-month deployment in Afghanistan before he surprised his 10-year-old daughter at William Rall Elementary School in Long Island, New York, with a bouquet of flowers.



Awestruck, Alexus ran across the room to hug and kiss her father.



"There's not words to explain how much I miss him," Alexus told ABC New York station WABC.



London, returning from his third deployment, told WABC he'd missed his daughter's fifth and 10th birthdays.



When Alexus was 2, he and her mother, Rosemary London, had even been deployed for 15 months, according to WABC.



London, returning from his third deployment, told WABC he'd missed his daughter's fifth and 10th birthdays.



When Alexus was 2, he and her mother, Rosemary London, had even been deployed for 15 months, according to WABC.



"She's very strong, and it's made her very resilient," Rosemary London told WABC.



She said that Alexus misses her father every day.



"We make sure to send him packages and take care of him when he's over there, so I know that she's very happy," Rosemary London said. "And the fact that it happened for her on Valentine's Day, this is something that her future husband. ... It's very hard to top."

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
An observation about Senate impeachment sessions: Im kind of glad to see the Beacon isnt going all crazy over this impeachment stuff. But Id like your readers to actually watch the question and answer session with the Senate. The trial has been so unfair to this point. The Senate is giving it some fairness. One thing you have to look at is the democrats say the president would not give them any information and would not give them a subpoena, but the House had rules it was supposed follow. It did not follow those rules. What was their motivation? It was to control the Senate.
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio

Theft from auto: North Moreland Boulevard, Larchmere Boulevard, Kemper Road and Fairhill Road

Police investigated 17 cases of parked cars being entered after their windows were smashed on Feb. 9 and 10. On Feb. 12, Cleveland police arrested three boys, ages 16, 16 and 17, in connection with more than 80 car break-ins, which took place in Cleveland Heights, Cleveland and Shaker Heights.

OVI: Chagrin Boulevard

At 11 p.m. Feb. 9, an officer investigated a matter in which a car followed too close behind another and caused an accident. It was learned that the driver of the car that caused the accident, a Cleveland Heights woman, 19, was intoxicated. The woman was found to have a blood-alcohol count of .227, above the state minimum for drunk driving of .08.

Police charged the woman with OVI, having a BAC greater than .17, following too closely and not wearing a seatbelt.

Grand theft: Van Aken Boulevard

At 12:40 p.m. Feb. 9, a man reported that his 2006 Buick was stolen from the apartment parking lot at 16345 Van Aken Blvd. Cleveland police recovered the car on Feb. 12 near the Garfield Heights border. No one was arrested.

Grand theft: North Moreland Boulevard

At 3:15 p.m. Feb. 9, a man reported his car stolen from his apartment complexs parking lot. The car was recovered in Cleveland after it had been involved in an aggravated robbery and hit-skip incident. The car was unoccupied when it was recovered.

Grand theft: Lee Road

At 10 p.m. Feb. 10, a resident reported that his car had been stolen after he left its engine running while he was stopped at the Sunoco gas station at 3569 Lee Road. Three juveniles were arrested for grand theft in Cleveland.

Carrying a concealed weapon: Scottsdale Boulevard

At 8:35 p.m. Feb. 11, an officer conducted a traffic stop of a car that did not obey a stop sign. The driver, a Broadview Heights man, 24, was cited for the traffic offense.

A passenger in the car, a Cleveland man, 25, was found to be in possession of a firearm. He did not have a permit to carry a gun. Police charged the passenger with carrying a concealed weapon -- a felony -- and obstructing official business. Marijuana was also confiscated from the auto.

Grand theft: Chagrin Boulevard

At 2:05 a.m. Feb. 11, a car belonging to a woman from Texas was stolen from in front of a residence. The woman told police that she still had the Volkswagens key, and that her husband, in Texas, had the other key. Police found no broken glass at the scene or any other evidence of a break-in. The car has not been recovered.

Assault: Van Aken Boulevard

At 8:55 p.m. Feb. 11, a Solon man, 27, was arrested after he was involved in an altercation with a Cleveland man, 54, at the Van Aken RTA rapid station. The Solon man, after allegedly arguing with the older man, threw rocks at him, then pushed him while the man was climbing steps. Police charged the Solon man with assault.

OVI: Van Aken Boulevard

At 1:45 a.m. Feb. 12, an officer stopped a car that was being driven too slowly and that was crossing lanes. The driver, a Maple Heights man, 43, was found to be intoxicated. The driver refused to take a breath test. Police charged the man with OVI.

Domestic violence: Rolliston Road

At 4:05 p.m. Feb. 12, police were called to a home where a man, 41, is alleged to have assaulted his former wife, 39. The man went to his former wifes house after he learned that the familys dog was missing. He then found out that the dog wasnt missing and that his daughter had played a prank.

The man was upset, and allegedly assaulted his former wife and fought with her current boyfriend. Police charged the man with assault and domestic violence.

Grand theft: Larchmere Boulevard

At 11:50 p.m. Feb. 7, it was reported that someone had stolen a mans car while it was parked in a restaurant lot. The man, 64, of Chardon, had left his key in the car, although the engine was not running. The car was later recovered in Cleveland.

Read more from the Sun Press.
Imagine you are on holiday, sunbathing on a white sand beach, sipping fresh coconut water while looking at the magnificent clear water. The temperature is prefect, people are smiling, you are in paradise.



Now imagine the most intense tropical cyclone hitting your paradise island at full force, leaving a trail of destruction behind it. The island that you, as a tourist, are leaving behind, has just suffered US$3.4 billion in damages. Seventy people are dead, hundreds are reported missing, and thousands have lost their homes and livelihoods.

When the Category Five Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in September last year and Grand Bahama the next day, it was hard to fathom the images of desolation that soon would follow.

A popular tourist destination, the Bahamas is the richest country in the West Indies and is excluded from Official Development Assistance. Except for the Pan American Health Organization, there is no long-term United Nations presence.

The devastation category 5 Hurricane Dorian left in its aftermath. View from above the Mudd in Marsh Harbor. Great Abaco Island, Bahamas on September 14, 2019. UN Photo/OCHA/Mark Garten

Just a few days after Hurricane Dorian 40 humanitarian organizations, including UNDP were there, supporting the National Emergency Management Agency.



Engaging the private sector

The private sector experienced almost 90 percent of Dorians losses, so it was important to engage them in the recovery.

Climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of natural hazards, which makes disaster recovery financing a critical topic. Despite the elevated role for the private sector, discussion on how and where it should contribute is still limited. Yet, there are many ways it can play an important role in financing recovery. For instance, they can invest in early response and long-term recovery; collaborate through publicprivate partnerships to reduce the burdens placed on governments to provide goods and services immediately after a disaster, as well as over time; encourage innovation and facilitate the use of new technologies in resilient reconstruction; and help communities manage influx of funds.

Successful pledging conferences

UNDP has supported many pledging conferences in the past, where conventional donors such as multilateral organisations, governments, and international financial institutions were the main audience. The Mozambique Pledging Conference following Hurricanes Idai and Kenneth, in 2019, raised US$1.3 billion; the same amount was raised in the CARICOMUN High-Level Pledging Conference, in 2017, following hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean.

The Hurricane Dorian Pledging Conference held in Nassau in January, however, focused on galvanizing support from regional and national commercial firms, philanthropic individuals, and foundations. The result was extremely positive: US$1.5 billion was pledged, with most of it coming from the private sector.

Mass destruction in Marsh Harbor, Abaco Island in the Bahamas after being hit by Category 5 Hurricane Dorian Sept 2019. Climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of natural hazards, which makes disaster recovery financing a critical topic.

Important lessons

The experience of shifting the conversation to reach a different audience, in this case the private sector, has taught us some important lessons:

 Stay away from development jargon. Short project proposals that highlight the needs and recovery projects of most affected sectors can be more effective.

 Have the right expertise. For instance, having an experienced banker or a private sector specialist in the organizing team is vital to champion your case when reaching out to potential investors.

 Gather different audiences in specific categories and organize individual meetings in the weeks leading up to the conference. This can increase the interest of the private sector.

 Philanthropic or high-net-worth individuals can be especially hard to reach. Do not underestimate the connections that embassies and government officials have, especially in small islands, where everyone knows everyone. Also, it is worth preparing for and investing in face-to-face meetings with these people, as this might lead to cash grants instead of equity.

 Explain to the government the different kinds of pledges that can be expected, especially when targeting the private sector. Most pledges will come through equity, investments or concessional loans. Only a few will be cash.

 Make good use of the local media. In the Bahamas, while there were only a handful of registrations two weeks before the conference, the participants tripled after government officials, UNDP representatives and members of the Chamber of Commerce went on television and radio.

Engaging the private sector should be routine from now on. They are showing willingness to contribute in the wake of disasters, and also to participate in climate action. We have only ten years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and everybody has a role to play.
Ten South Jersey and Philadelphia residents were charged for their roles in a scheme that netted over $1.5 million after they duped people into giving into them their bank account information, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced Friday.

The investigation began after postal inspectors were able to connect stolen postal money orders to a series of fraudulent bank account activities at banks in the area, federal prosecutors said.

They were able to uncover a network of people in the Sicklerville, Clementon and Gloucester City areas who posted advertisements on Instagram and Snapchat, authorities said. The ads claimed people could make quick cash if they banked at specific places.

Some of alleged fraudsters then were able to obtain peoples banking information using a ruse while others printed counterfeit checks that they deposited into the accounts, according to a release from Carpenito.

They also used victims debit cards to withdraw cash and make large purchases, including money orders, officials said.

The group then used the stolen funds to buy jewelry, watches, clothing and cars, federal prosecutors said.

Charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud are Kayla Massa, 22, of Gloucester City; Leire Massa, 19, of Laurel Springs; William Logan, 22, of Gloucester City; Jordan Herrin, 22, of Berlin; Erasmo Feliciano, 19, Laurel Springs; Kevin McDaniels, 18, of Sicklerville; Jabreel Martin, 20, of Philadelphia; Dezhon McCrae, 20, of Penns Grove; Andrew Johnson, 21, of Gloucester City; and, Alex Haines 27, of Woodbury.

They appeared in Camden federal court on Thursday and Friday.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A logo is displayed next to a gas turbine at the General Electric Co. (GE) energy plant in Greenville, South Carolina, U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. General Electric Co. is scheduled to release earnings figures on January 20.

The Trump administration may stop exporting jet engines manufactured partly by General Electric to China for the country's airliner, over fears that the Chinese could mimic the production techniques, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The White House is considering a proposal to decline a license allowing CFM International, a joint venture of GE and France's Safran SA, to ramp up deliveries of its LEAP 1C jet engines to China, the Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the discussions.

The move could have steep impact on GE, which is fighting against the proposal, the Journal said. GE believes reverse-engineering the engines is much more difficult than some officials think, and the Chinese could have already started the process as the engines have been used in the countries for years, according to the person.

Administration officials will meet on Thursday to discuss the potential denial of the license, and cabinet officials will have a meeting on Feb.28 on this matter and other China trade policies, the Journal said.

The proposal came about a month after President Trump signed a "phase one" trade agreement with China as the world's two biggest economies try to rein in a more than 18-month trade war.

Aviation is one of GE's key businesses and a bright spot for the struggling conglomerate as it attempts to come back from its failure to forecast a downturn in demand for its turbines, the titanic machinery that powers natural gas and coal-fired power plants.

 Click here to read the original Wall Street Journal story.
Taiwan Internet of Things Market Forecast 2019-2026

PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-15 22:09:30

Press Information

GMI Research

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Mohd Tahir Khan

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# 1028 Words

Level 1, The Chase Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin D18 Y3X2, IrelandMarketing Communication Manager+353 1 442 8820

Internet of Things refers to a network that comprises of physical objects that are capable of sharing and gathering of electronic information. The internet of things consists of a diversified variety of smart devices, from the sensors which track the information to the industrial machines, which transmits the data about the production process. It represents the electronic or electrical devices of different capabilities and sizes which are connected to the internet. The internet of things devices employs a wide array of networking protocols, network domains and applications. The rising prevalence of internet of things technology is facilitated by the physical objects being linked to the internet by several types of short-range wireless technologies that include RFID, ZigBee, sensor networks, and also through the location-based technologies.For Additional Insights, Click to Access Complete Report - https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/taiwan-internet-of-things-market/ The development of smart cities coupled with the rising implementation of policies by the government pertaining to the information security for the smart cities in Taiwan are key factors bolstering the growth of internet of things across the country during the forecast period. In addition, the factors driving the growth of Taiwan internet of things market include the rising efforts for the development of a digital and innovation-driven economy along with increasing investments in the research and development activities in the field of internet of things. The manufacturing industry in Taiwan is considered to be the core component of the countrys economy and is inclining towards smart manufacturing as a keystone of its modern economy which is leading to increase in demand for internet of things across the country. For instance, Taiwan launched a Digital Nation and Innovative Economic Development Plan (2017-25) which has the aim to increase the digital economy of Taiwan up to USD 205.9 billion by 2025. In this plan, Taiwan is planning to transition its way from the OEM and high-tech manufacturing towards the of internet of things and smart technologies. The increasing adoption of the internet of things around numerous areas, including automotive, smart cities, healthcare, is also fuelling the growth of Taiwan internet of things market. The factors which are responsible for restraining the growth of Taiwan internet of things market include concern for data privacy concerns along with the complexity in the infrastructure of internet of things.Request for Sample Report  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/taiwan-internet-of-things-market/sample-request Based on network infrastructure, gateway is anticipated to increase at a higher rate during the forecast period due to its increased adoption in iot devices as it provides additional security for the IoT network and the data it transports. As the gateway manages the flow of information that is moving in both directions, it can protect the data moving to the cloud from leaking hence providing security and the prevention of unauthorized which also lead to the growth of market of this segment. The data transfer to the cloud or vice versa goes from the gateway.Request for Customization  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/taiwan-internet-of-things-market/request-for-customization Key Market Developments:In 2019, Amazon Web Services announced the setup of its Greater China Area AWS internet of things lab in Taipei. Through this setup, the company aimed at the deployment and design of internet of things applications in the country.In 2018, Siemens AG announced the plan to double the investment in research and development center in Taiwan for addressing the growing demand for the industrial internet of things solutions and artificial intelligence technology. The company also planned to launch a digital experience and application center in Taichung.Taiwan Internet of Things market is categorized on the basis of component, node component, application, network infrastructure and connectivity technology. The component segment is categorized into software solution, services and platform. The software solutions segment is further categorized into data Management, real time streaming analytics, remote monitoring, security solution and network bandwidth management. Services segment is further categorized into professional service and managed service. The professional service is further segmented into deployment & integration, consulting and support & maintenance. The platform segment market is further categorized into device management, cloud platform, network management and application management. Based on node component, the market is segmented into sensor, processor and connectivity IC. Based on application, the market is segmented into smart manufacturing, building & automation, connected logistics, smart energy & utilities, agriculture, smart mobility & transportation, government & defense, smart retail, connected healthcare and others. Based on network infrastructure, the market is segmented into storage, server, ethernet switch & routing and gateway. Based on connectivity technology, the market is segmented into Bluetooth low energy, wi-fi, near field communication, cellular, satellite and others.Key questions answered in this research report:At what pace is the Taiwan Internet of Things market growing? What will be the growth trend in the future?What are the key drivers and restraints in the Taiwan Internet of Things market? What will be the impact of drivers and restraints in the future?What are the various application areas of the Taiwan Internet of Things market, and how they are poised to grow?About GMI ResearchGMI Research is a market research and consulting firm which provides research-based solutions to business executives and investment professionals so that they can make right business & investment decisions faster based on real facts. 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Our analysts and consultants who are passionate about research and consulting are recruited from renowned local and global universities and have worked with the leading local and international organizations.Contact UsCompany Name: GMI RESEARCHContact Person: Sarah NashEmail: enquiry@ gmiresearch.com Phone: +353 1 442 8820Address:Level 1, The Chase Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial EstateCity: DublinState: DublinCountry: IrelandWebsite: www.gmiresearch.com
The Census and National Population Registry (NPR) exercise will be conducted in two phases across Maharashtra, with the first phase set to begin on May 1 and the second phase in February next year. The first phase will involve listing house details, including assets and amenities, and basic information about the head of the family; the second phase will be about collecting personal details of every member in all households.

While the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government  a coalition of Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress  has not issued any official directive about conducting the exercise, the state administration has started preparations.

The Directorate of Census Operations, which plans to engage 3.34 lakh state employees for the exercise, has already imparted training to master enumerators, while training of field-level functionaries and enumerators will be completed in next two months, said an official, on condition of anonymity, adding that in a meeting held with the state government officials, including district collectors last week, the directorate has made it clear that the machinery was all set to take up the exercise.

While the Congress and NCP have opposed the NPR, the state government has maintained a silence on the issue. Since there is no clear directive from the ruling parties, the state administration is going ahead with the exercise as instructed by the Centre, said the official.

The first phase is called house listing and housing operation in which assets and amenities will be listed. The 31-column form will include details such as whether the house is a pukka or kutcha structure, whether the water supply and toilets are inside the house, income of the family, amenities such as four wheeler, and laptop, among other things. The first phase will ensure that there is no omission or duplication during the second phase, which will be for the actual headcount of the population, said a Mantralaya official, on condition of anonymity.

The second phase, which will be conducted over 20 days between February 9 and February 28, 2021, will be enumeration of personal details. Although forms for the second phase have not been finalised, some information that could be sought is expected to be contentious. The personal details about citizens to be sought in the second phase will soon be finalised. There is confidentiality being maintained by the government, said another officer, on the condition of anonymity.

In absence of clear instructions by the state government, we are going ahead with the scheduled dates. We have conducted NPR in 2010 and 2015 although the format could be different this time. The information in NPR is not protected like the one in Census and hence the NPR is opposed by a section of society. Questions of opposing NPR will arise only if its format NPR is changed during the second phase, which will begin next year, said an official from the chief ministers office (CMO).

While questions are being raised over the state governments stand, Congress on Saturday accused BJP of spreading the rumours. The meeting held last week at Sahyadri Guest House between Centre and state government was for holding Census and not NPR. The meeting was neither attended by the chief minister or the chief secretary, said Mumbai Congress vice-president Charanjeet Singh Sapra, adding that even if NPR is implemented in Maharashtra, it wont be with the contentious form.

Census is inevitable but there is no need of NPR as the data required is already obtained under Aadhaar. NPR will be waste of money and efforts. The state government has not taken any decision about it as yet, said Nawab Malik, state minorities affair minister and NCPs Mumbai unit chief.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had earlier said that he was not against the CAA, but will oppose the NRC. The NCP is opposed to CAA and NRC, while Congress has passed a resolution demanding withdrawal of the CAA.

As per my information, only Census is being conducted from May. It has nothing to do with the NPR, said Sena leader Neelam Gorhe.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Madhu Chavan said, Its an exercise undertaken by the Central government under the Central Act. State has no right to oppose it. There is nothing objectionable in the NPR and the opposition is out of lack of knowledge.

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: Kerala Chief Secretary Tom Jose's



statement alleging leakage of contents of the CAG report before it was tabled in the state Assembly has created a storm with the CPI(M)-led ruling dispensation and the Congress-led Opposition sparring over the issue on Saturday.

The state government alleged conspiracy in the political attack against it over the CAG report which had cited the role of state police chief Loknath Behara in the alleged diversion of funds violating guidelines in implementing various projects in the police department.

Reacting to this, the Congress accused the government of adopting diversionary tactics and challenged it to order a detailed investigation into the matter.

A day after the Chief Secretary issued the statement alleging the leakage, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said it was senior Congress MLA P T Thomas who had made a "planned" presentation on the contents of the report in the state Assembly.

Before tabling the CAG report in the House, P T Thomas raised matters related to its contents in the Assembly. He made a planned, smart presentation on the issues without mentioning the CAG report. That means he got the CAG report leaked. That is a clear violation of rules of House proceedings. That should be investigated," Surendran told reporters here.

The Minister said when the entire issue was analysed, it was suspected that there was a "possibility of conspiracy".

"There is no doubt that a conspiracy was hatched by some centres," Surendran alleged.

Hitting out at Surendran, Congress MLA P T Thomas urged him not to "play a hide-and-seek game" on the matter and "show courage" to demand a thorough investigation into the matter in the next Cabinet meeting.

He said "irregularities and corruption" in the police department were evident for those who see the things with an investigative mind and there was no need for him to get the contents of the report leaked to raise them in the Assembly.

The BJP also targeted the LDF government over the issue.

Union Minister V Muraleedharan said the Union Finance Ministry and Home Ministry would consider the matters mentioned in the CAG report seriously.

He, however, said at present the matter was not officially placed before the Central government.

Muraleedharan, a senior BJP leader, also questioned the timing of DGP Behera's trip to London, saying it has to be examined whether it was a private trip or an official tour.

The report, which came up before the house on February 12, had found 25 INSAS rifles and over 12,000 cartridges missing from the Special Armed Police battalion here and came down on the police chief for diversion of funds, violating guidelines.

In a statement on Friday night, the Chief Secretary had said that in the normal course, after the report is tabled in the house, the media and others get it.

"But this time even before it was tabled, there were doubts that some contents of the report had been leaked. In the name of the CAG report, indulging in character assassination was not a good precedent", the Chief Secretary had said.

He had said the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the assembly would be examining the report, which is regarding the activities of two governments from April 2013 to March 2018.

Pointing out that there were specific guidelines to take action based on CAG findings, the Chief Secretary had said it was the violation of democratic propriety to put the officer under media trial.

Tom Jose, who was criticised by a section of the media for allegedly using a luxury car of the police department, has said that as the head of various government departments, it was not wrong for the chief secretary to use the vehicle of any department and it was not illegal.

Police had on Thursday maintained that no rifles were missing as the crime branch probe had not revealed any missing INSAS rifles.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
His first hit as a solo hero was "Aashiqui 2", and since then Aditya Roy Kapur has appeared in a series of romantic dramas but the actor says he is trying not to be genre specific with his choices.

The 34-year-old actor, whose last release was romantic thriller "Malang", said he was still exploring himself as an artiste and would love to play varied characters.

"I still don't know what comes naturally to me as an actor. But I like trying everything. It's too early for me to decide my zone. I don't think like that. I'm still discovering myself as an actor," Aditya told PTI on the sidelines of Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020.

The actor, who will next be seen in Anurag Basu's anthology "Ludo", opposite Sanya Malhotra, said the project gave him an opportunity to showcase his comic side.

"My next is 'Ludo' and I'm really excited for the film. It was a lovely process to work with Basu sir. It is going to be a different space for me. There are some elements of comedy and it's a genre I wanted to get into and try," he added.

The film, also starring Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Pankaj Tripathi, will hit the theatres on April 24.

At the fashion gala, Aditya walked for designer Sohaya Misra's label Chola. The show also marked the launch of Reebok's new style of shoes, Zig Kinetica.

Aditya, who is regular at the LFW runway, said being fashionable doesn't come naturally to him and it was during the promotions of "Aashiqui 2" he realised that as an actor he is obligated to dress in a certain way.

"I realised that I need to be a bit fashion conscious when my friends started telling me that I look hideous in what I was wearing during 'Aashiqui 2' promotions. I was promoting the film and few of my friends said 'your solo movie is coming and you are walking around like a vagabond'.

"I feel when I make a public appearance I'm obligated to look good otherwise I don't mind looking just alright. But it's too tiring to be fashionable all the time," he said.

To showcase her latest range, Sohaya curated a high-energy presentation with India's popular dance troop Omaggio.

The designer said her collection was "dedicated to the people who fight life battles every day and the survivors who come out stronger."



The garments had a signature Chola cut and were adorned by playful tribal prints.

LFW Summer/Resort 2020 concludes on Sunday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A gangster with links to interstate criminal gangs was arrested from the IGI airport in Delhi following an alert by immigration officials, police said on Saturday.

Gangster Raju Basaudi, a resident of Basaudi village in Sonipat district, was wanted by police in Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi, they said.

The Haryana Police had announced a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

He is involved in 13 cases of murder, three cases of attempt to murder and around a dozen cases of robbery and dacoity, police said.

A Look Out Circular for the accused was issued on the request of the Haryana police recently to nab the hardcore criminal, they said, adding he was arrested from the IGI Airport after an alert by the immigration officials there.

He is closely associated with dreaded gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra, Anil Chippi, Akshay Palra and Naresh Sethi lodged in different jails, police said.

Raju's close associate, Sandeep alias Kala of Jatheri, had escaped from the police custody a few days ago in Faridabad, they said.

The accused runs an extortion gang that has created terror in Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Delhi, police said.

His gang uses social media platforms, especially Facebook, to intimidate their targets or claim their role in different crimes or to give false moral and ideological colours to their gruesome murders, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Its hard to think there wasnt maroon blood going through Clayton Williams.

He was A&M, through and through.

On Friday night, Clayton Williams, Aggie Class of 1954 passed away at the age of 88. Some of those mourning the most were current and former students in College Station, across the state and around the nation.

Claytie was a great Aggie and a loyal friend. I will always remember his genuine emotion for Texas A&M and his fellow Aggies, said Porter S. Garner III, in a report posted Saturday morning on the Texas A&M Association of Former Students website. He was one of a kind and always wanted the best for Texas A&M. I was continually inspired by his support and dedication to The Association of Former Students and to me personally.

The report called Williams a generous supporter providing million to the university through the Association of Former Students, the 12th Man Foundation and the Texas A&M Foundation. Williams gifts back to Aggieland included one in 1985 toward the construction of a building that bears his name: the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center.

RELATED: Williams was a true Texas legend

Midlands Tim Leach, a member of the university systems board of regents, called Williams a legend, a true wildcatter and mentor. Like Williams, Leach has given back to the university that means so much to him.

(Williams) enthusiasm was limitless, and he was a tireless supporter of our community and Texas A&M, Leach said in a statement sent to the Reporter-Telegram. He had a big vision, and he challenged me to be involved and give back to our community.

Texas A&M and The Association of Former Students presented Williams in 1981 with the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a Texas A&M former student, according to an article on aggienetwork.com.



Aggienetwork.coms report added that in sharing the news of Williams passing with The Association, his nephew Clay Pollard, class of 1981, said, Claytie loved A&M and Aggies with a deep passion, and they loved him back.

Williams was never shy about offering a Gig em or thumbs up for a fellow Aggie  young or old. The Bryan-College Station newspaper on Saturday reported  from a 2010 Texas Aggie magazine interview with Williams  that Williams took pride in Texas A&M University and being an Aggie.

A&Ms values are not nationwide, Williams told the magazine. Texas A&M is a conservative school, and its the most patriotic university in this country. All that comes from the Corps of Cadets and from the alumni, and Im proud of that.

Im proud to be an Aggie. I enjoy being an Aggie. The Spirit of A&M is part of who I am. Ive been lucky, been blessed, to live in a fine country and attend this fine school.
According to the president, Ukraine, like no other, seeks to stop this conflict

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the war in eastern Ukraine is a war in Europe. He said so during his speech at the Munich security conference, which was broadcasted by 112 Ukraine.

"It is not correct to say the war in Ukraine, this - the war in Europe and it, along with the annexation of the Crimea has been going on as long as the Second World War," Zelensky said.

The president also added that Ukraine, like no other, seeks to stop this war.

"We will be happy when references to Ukraine as a zone of insecurity disappear altogether from any international reports. But this should only happen when lasting peace reigns in the Donbas and Ukraine resumes its territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders," he noted.

As we reported before, on February 15, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko met with German counterpart Heiko Maas.

Maas noted that Germany supports Ukraine on its path to reform and an end to the conflict in the Donbas.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.16

Trend:

Azerbaijans former president Ayaz Mutallibov has dismissed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans statement, calling it absurd.

"Pashinyans statement, in which he claims that as if I said Azerbaijanis were involved in committing the Khojaly genocide is absurd. His remarks lack any real grounds, he told Trend. In an interview with a Russian newspaper [to which Armenian PM refers], I stated that definitely, there was Armenian trace in Khojaly events. I noted that Armenia was trying to further destabilize the situation in Azerbaijan then. Furthermore, the local opposition was also interested in complicating the situation within the country. I have repeatedly stated that I did not say Azerbaijanis committed the Khojaly genocide. This is ridiculous.

Mutallibov emphasized that the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper itself, to which Pashinyan referred in Munich, is unfriendly to Azerbaijan.

From the very beginning the issue was formulated in a way to associate me with this topic. Then I didnt have time to polemize on this interview. The situation in the country was so difficult that there was no time for this. I have repeatedly stated and I am saying it directly: I have never said that Azerbaijanis did it. By referring to this interview, Armenians try somehow to rehabilitate themselves, Mutallibov concluded.
A group of hunters have set a world record for the largest bow-harvested black bear in North America, with a bear killed in New Jersey, according to a hunting organization.

The Pope and Young Club, a bow hunting and conservation organization, announced that Jeff Melillo set the record with a bear they hunted on Oct. 14 in Morris County.

The bears skull measured over 23 inches and weighed 700 pounds, according to Pope and Young Club records director Eli Randall. This record beats the previous record which was set in 1993.

It has been an inspiring journey, to say the least, said Melillo in a statement. New Jersey, my home state, has its First-Ever World Record Animal. Many years ago, I read an article in Outdoor Life Magazine stating that the New World Record Black Bear will most likely come from New Jersey. They were spot on, and I never doubted it for one second. I'm very grateful that I get to be a part of all this. Pursuing bears with bow and arrow is a passion of mine.

Melillo thanked New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, and United Bow Hunters of New Jersey for their support and the effort they put into managing the black bear population in New Jersey.

I was not prepared for the amount of mass the skull possessed, not only was the skull huge, but the bone structure was the heaviest I had ever seen, Randal said in a statement. Congratulations to Jeff Melillo on harvesting this outstanding black bear. This is a true testament to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and a shining beacon of what can be accomplished with efforts and funds being dedicated to wildlife."

A mount of the display will be on display at the Pope and Young Annual Convention in Virginia, March 26-28.

New Jerseys black bear hunt has become controversial in the past few years since Gov. Phil Murphy promised to end it. Murphy, ended up not totally banning the hunt, but prohibited it on state lands in 2018. When hunting on private land hunters must get the permission of the landowners.

Environmental groups have been of the biggest forces pushing for a hunting ban. The New Jersey Sierra Club is still pushing for a ban.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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New Delhi, Feb 15 : We tend to get caught up with brands that promise us fair and glowing skin. The truth is no product can guarantee you this, and by subscribing to advertorial gimmicks and false promises you may end up doing long-term damage to your skin.

Organic Harvest founder and CEO Rahul Agarwal says is important to understand your skin and choose the right products for your skin type. Every skin type has its own concerns and needs different precautions. To achieve and maintain healthy skin is a good starting point in skincare and just like with other life choices; people are gravitating towards products that contain ingredients that are raw (unprocessed), and formulas that are age- old.

The fact is that there is good reason why plants and flowers have been used for both mystical and medicinal purposes for centuries; those that our grandmothers will give us the green signal to use.

Organic versus Synthetic Skincare If you haven't ditched your toxic, synthetic and artificially coloured shampoo and face cleansing bar, maybe it's time to do away with them. As far as your skin goes- less is more and pure is wonderful (think: super nourishing). You may not be aware that there are thousands of chemicals in your skincare products that are being absorbed by your body. They will do irreparable and irreversible damage to your skin from the dermal layer.

Start with buying brands that you have researched well, and those that are vetted to be true to their philosophy. The same way you look at food labels is how you should look at your beauty products. If organic, cruelty- free, vegan is important to you, check the for the EcoCert and credible global certification seals. If natural-only is your priority, read labels carefully and get to know your ingredients.

Some basic skincare rules for a radiant complexion Drink plenty of water and get enough sleep. Prolonged stress and negative thoughts can lead to dull devitalized skin. If you are stressed, use techniques that bring you calm.

Cleanse, tone, moisturize - every night. Use an SPF (30 is good), every single day; it shields you from the harmful UV rays inside as well as outside.

The sun is not the only demon! An effective organic mask which suits your skin type will give you added nourishment and bring balance to your complexion.

In the end, how you choose to look after you skin has a direct relation with the food and other lifestyle choices that you make. If you are more drawn to the power of nature; you will eat simple organic foods and subsequently you will prefer to use skincare products that are pure in their formulation and delivery.

That's what experts say is health: it works from the inside out; and ultimately what you put into and onto your skin will reflect its well-being.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
business Explained | Why LNG prices are falling and what's the outlook The impact of China's coronavirus outbreak on LNG market could worsen in the coming weeks as economic activity in manufacturing hubs struggles to rebound, keeping a lid on natural gas demand and triggering more LNG trade flow disruptions.
It was four years ago  almost to the day  that Sajid Javid's fate as Chancellor was sealed.

On February 21, 2016, his article appeared in The Mail on Sunday stating 'with a heavy heart and no enthusiasm, I shall be voting for the UK to remain a member of the European Union'.

'Dom never trusted him from that moment,' a former Vote Leave ally explained to me.

Remainer: Sajid Javid's decision to make clear his support for Britain to stay within the EU led Dominic Cummings not to trust him

'Saj had always gone around posing as a Brexiteer. But then, when he came out for Remain, that was it. Dom's view was he was just all mouth.'

Last week Cummings exacted his revenge.

According to friends of Javid, he wasn't so much sacked as stitched up  ejected from office with a plan of such ruthlessness and cunning it would have made House Of Cards' Sir Francis Urquhart glow with admiration.

Contrary to reports, Javid was not locked in a mortal battle with the Prime Minister over his cherished infrastructure schemes.

Both were in agreement on the need to turn on the spending taps after years of austerity.

Javid's advisers were consistently pointing journalists back to his support for Stephen Crabb in the 2016 Tory leadership campaign, and his commitment to a 100billion Growing Britain Fund.

'Boris and Saj were on the same page on this,' one told me.

On the same page: Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on 'the same page' as Sajid Javid in their commitment to a 100 billion Growing Britain Fund

The Chancellor was also looking forward to delivering his first Budget, which he was planning to use to frame a 'levelling-up' narrative of social advancement.

'He was going to stand at the Dispatch Box and talk about what you can achieve if you're given the right opportunities,' a supportive MP told me.

'And he was going to be the first Chancellor to be able to do that from a position of personal experience.'

But Dominic Cummings had other ideas.

His antipathy towards Javid's Brexit flip-flopping had fused with his attempts to exert more direct control over the Treasury.

One idea he was toying with was establishing a formal Office of the Prime Minister to take over responsibility for the allocation of individual departmental budgets, leaving the Treasury to set the macro-economic direction and raise and manage tax revenue.

When Javid resisted this power-grab, Cummings advocated his removal.

But Boris refused. He had publicly backed him during the Election campaign, the two men had a good working relationship and Javid had also enjoyed the support of Carrie Symonds, Boris's influential partner.

At which point Cummings hatched his masterplan.

If he couldn't convince the Prime Minister to sack his Chancellor, he would enlist his support in clipping his wings.

Under cover of a general reorganisation of the Government's special advisers network, all of Javid's aides would be axed.

And without an independent staff, he would effectively be Cummings's hostage.

But, according to Javid's allies, there also needed to be some justification for the cull. Which is when they believe the political fit-up of the second most powerful politician in the country began.

A series of strange articles started appearing in the press. Javid was considering raiding pensions.

Spartan Mark's claim to stardom ERG 'Spartan' Mark Francois is best known for his bayonet charges against the EU and the British political elite. But I understand the Tory MP has another claim to fame  he helped Meryl Streep win her 2012 Oscar for The Iron Lady. 'I got sent down to be a technical adviser,' he explains. 'There's a scene where Mrs Thatcher is responding to Labour, and she bellows, 'My right honourable friend...' So I said, 'Ms Streep, just to let you know, she wouldn't actually call a Labour Member of Parliament 'my friend'. He's one of her opponents, so she'd call him 'the honourable member'.' And she looked at me, and in her best Mrs Thatcher voice said, 'If I want to call him my honourable friend, I shall call him my honourable friend.' But then they did a new take, and she did it the way I recommended.' In her Oscar acceptance speech, Streep thanked friends, colleagues, her husband and even her hair stylist. But strangely, there was no mention of the Hon Member for Rayleigh and Wickford. You might have to wait till she plays Theresa May, Mark.

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He was contemplating introducing Ed Miliband's mansion tax.

Tory MPs  understandably  were up in arms at this impending assault on their voter base.

Except that Javid's allies insist he never had any intention of doing any of those things.

They never formed part of his Budget planning.

None of the stories was briefed by him or members of his team. No one in the wider Government had even had discussions about such a major and politically inflammable proposal.

'Sajid has basically been framed,' says a supportive MP.

'People were deliberately making it look like his team were out there briefing this stuff, but they weren't. Whoever was doing it was trying to damage him in the eyes of the parliamentary party.'

And they succeeded, though not in the way they intended.

The assumption in No10 was Javid would throw his advisers under one of Boris's new buses, and reluctantly acquiesce to their sacking.

But the man who used to face down abuse from National Front skinheads was made of sterner stuff.

He would not be 'neutered', he informed the Prime Minister, triggering a desperate but futile attempt by Boris and his senior aides to get him to remain in post.

Dom Cummings had finally got his revenge, but at a price.

Revenge at a price: Dominic Cummings wanted greater control over the Treasury but Javid refused to be 'neutered'

One positive is the authority of Downing Street has been asserted.

There will be no Blair/Brown-style psychodramas between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. And Philip Hammond's campaign of guerrilla warfare against his own Cabinet colleagues will not be repeated.

This is also the first reshuffle of the post-Brexit era.

However the various Cabinet Ministers perform, they have at least been appointed on merit, rather than where they can be squeezed on to the Remain/Leave seesaw.

But this was also Boris's first reshuffle and he was unable to complete it without losing his Chancellor.

That smacks of a carelessness bordering on recklessness.

It's also a bit early in the Johnson premiership for this sort of mishap.

As one Tory MP said to me: 'These things happen in Government, but usually after seven or eight years, not seven or eight weeks.'

And while Downing Street's authority has been reinforced, the authority of the Prime Minister has actually been weakened.

New Chancellor: Rishi Sunak may be the new man in No 10 but Boris Johnson's authority has been undermined, according to Dan Hodges

This morning people are no longer talking about Johnson's Government but Dom Cummings's Government.

Neutering Sajid Javid may have been the objective.

But Cummings is now in danger of neutering his own Prime Minister.

No10 obviously refute all this.

Their official line is that Cummings is blameless.

There is no great conspiracy.

Javid's resignation was the fault of his own team, who had not served him well and given him bad advice.

But Javid's backbench allies are adamant  their man was deposed in a classical House Of Cards-style coup.

Was the Chancellor of the Exchequer fitted up? You may think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
The court of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday summoned Union law minister Ravishankar Prasad in a defamation case filed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, the Lok Sabha MP from the city, Keralas capital.

The court took cognisance of the complaint filed by Tharoor in 2018 and asked the minister to appear before it on May 2. Tharoor filed the defamation case against Prasad for allegedly making derogatory remarks against him in connection with his wife Sundanda Pushkars death in 2014.

Tharoor had earlier sent a legal notice to Prasad seeking an unconditional apology. In his reply to the notice, Prasad had defended his tweet, saying it was not defamatory. Prasad had rejected the demand for an apology and asked Tharoor to apologize first for calling Prime Minister Modi a scorpion sitting on a Shiv Linga..

Tharoor later sued Prasad in the CJMs court. He said a video of the press conference where the remarks were made had been posted on social media which was intended to harm his reputation and malign him before the public.

Prasad made the comment at a press conference in October 2018 in Delhi in which he allegedly said: Shashi Tharoor, who is accused in a murder case, has no right to make this comment against the PM.

Although the minister did not specify the murder case he was citing, the reference was clear. Tharoors wife Sunanda Pushkar died mysteriously in a luxury hotel in New Delhi in 2014. Delhi Police, which is investigating the case, charged Tharoor with cruelty and abetment to suicide.

In his complaint, Tharoor stated that the probe into the Pushkar case had been completed and Delhi Police had filed a final report before the additional metropolitan magistrates court, in which he was charge sheeted under sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 498 A (cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code.

The final report did not state that the death of the deceased was a murder, Tharoor argued.
State & pvt sectors to gear up with tests for new virus By Kumudini Hettiarachchi, Ruqyyaha Deane & Meleeza Rathnayake Assurances of ability to cope from expert, while others urge extra-vigilance to keep COVID-19 at bay View(s): View(s):

As the number of people hit by the new coron3entre Wuhan in the Hubei Province of China grew rapidly, Sri Lanka maintained its one-imported case status.

The new coronavirus disease has now been named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the virus as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

Moves are underway for the clinical laboratories of the Anuradhapura, Kandy and Karapitiya Teaching Hospitals to expand their facilities to conduct the tests for COVID-19, the Sunday Times learns.

While these tests are to be performed as a back-up support to the Medical Research Institute (MRI) which is currently the only laboratory handling these tests to determine whether a person is positive or negative, the Sunday Times understands that some universities and private hospitals are also in the process of equipping their laboratories to carry out these tests.

With regard to the infection spread by the new coronavirus worldwide, Consultant Physician Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama attached to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Angoda, said: We have the facilities and capability to deal with the virus, pointing out that if, however, it comes in the scale of what is happening in China, no country would be able to cope.

The NIID is currently having three suspected cases (1 Chinese and 2 locals) in addition to the Chinese woman tourist who tested positive on January 27 and is now cured and awaiting departure to China.

The Sunday Times learns that altogether there are 8 suspected cases under observation in the 12 designated hospitals.

Reiterating that it is a new virus and there is still limited knowledge, Dr. Wijewickrama said that Sri Lanka is following the precautions recommended by the WHO that two PCR tests need to be negative for a patient to be cleared from illness.

We are being very cautious until research by many countries gives us some definitive answers, he said.

This was as the WHO risk assessment was Very High for China; High for the region; and High globally and WHO Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Programme, Dr. Michael Ryan on February 13 told a media briefing in Geneva at the WHO Headquarters that outside China, there are 447 cases from 24 other countries and now two deaths. In addition to the death in the Philippines, there is now one more in Japan.

We need to be very careful when interpreting any extremes. Be it in incubation period, be it in daily numbers, we must take all numbers into account, we must look at all numbers seriously but we also must try and interpret what those numbers mean and not react directly to the number itself, he cautioned.

Pointing out that we dont know the dynamics of the new virus, Clinical Virologist Dr. Saranga Sumathipala who is attached to the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital told the Sunday Times that usually in any viral disease, once it starts spreading, there is a rise to a peak and then a decline. Thereafter, it can either get established or disappear from the environment.

The closest genetic relative of this new virus seems to be SARS, thats why this virus becomes the SARS-CoV-2, with the 2002 virus being SARS-CoV. The origins of this virus are still being determined with the focus being on the bat (Chinese horse-shoe bat) or the pangolin, he said, adding that the virus seems to be less active in warmer climates.

The Sunday Times, meanwhile, learns that arrivals at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, have dropped and this was confirmed by the Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd, Major General (Rtd.) G.A. Chandrasiri who said that there is a drop according to my perspective. There is definitely a drop in the Chinese passengers. Other than that all routine flights are taking place.

When asked by the Sunday Times for specific numbers, he said that he did not have that much detail, adding that with the BIA stopping visitors coming in to meet arrivals, the airport is calm and quiet.

The Media Spokesperson of the Department of Immigration and Emigration, B.G.G. Milinda, meanwhile, said that 23,397 Chinese arrived in the country between January 1 and February 8, this year.

In 2019, there had been 187,148 arrivals from China in Sri Lanka, but there was no monthly breakdown.

The website of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) indicated that in January 2019 there had been 26,414 tourists from China, while in January this year, the figure was 22,363, indicating a drop of over 4,000.

Several attempts to contact the SLTDA to find out the figures for the first two weeks of February failed, with personnel transferring the calls hither and thither.

With regard to the ports, Chief Manager of Communications at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), Nalin Aponso, said precautions were being taken to make sure that passengers and crew members arriving on ships would not bring the virus into Sri Lanka through any port including Colombo.

The medical records of the passengers and crew of the vessels are obtained through the ships captains. If there is a patient or a suspected case they would be sent to a specified hospital, he said.

Crew members and passengers are examined thoroughly before being sent out of the port, added SLPAs Additional Managing Director Upali De Zoysa.

Mr. Aponso said that the Phoenix cruise-liner Artania with 1,200 passengers and 420 crew members arrived on Thursday from Germany through Maldives at 6 a.m. and departed at 8 p.m. The next one, the Celebrity cruise liners Celebrity is due at the Colombo harbour from Dubai-Singapore-Thailand next Friday with 2,449 passengers and 1,000 crew members.

Many health and other sources were of the view that Sri Lanka should be extra alert when workers and tourists from China return to the country, as they could bring back the virus.

Keeping the virus at bay is the best measure, they said.

Echoing these views, Consultant Paediatrician Dr. LakKumar Fernando attached to the Negombo Hospital said that the world is still studying this new virus and there may be much to learn about it.

Even though there are initial reports that the incubation period of the virus is 1-14 days, scientists are experimenting yet and may find that it goes beyond 14 days.

He, like many doctors that the Sunday Times spoke to, looked at Influenza A and B which make a large number of people ill.

Looking closely at transmissibility of the new coronavirus, which seems to be spreading at a much faster rate than Influenza A and B and SARS, he urged that the best measure would be to prevent the new coronavirus from coming into the country.

Otherwise, there would be catastrophic consequences, he said, comparing Sri Lanka with China which even with all its resources has not been able to stop the inexorable march of the virus.

He said the need of the hour, without barring people from coming into the country or placing travel bans, should be strong moves not only to discourage visitors from the Far East including China but also give out specific travel advisories in Sri Lanka not to go to affected countries including the Far East unless there is an unavoidable need.

There should be an efficient tracking system of all those who do go out of the country and return and also requests from the health authorities to them to engage in self-quarantine, he said.

Much logic and sense were obvious in these suggestions with the world experiencing a spread of the virus and also references to super-spreaders.

Many health sources who declined to be quoted also spoke of a few of the 12 designated hospitals not being as efficient as a majority of them. The designated hospitals are the NIID, the Kandy National Hospital, the Kalubowila, Karapitiya, Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Kurunegala and Batticaloa Teaching Hospitals, and the Gampaha, Negombo, Ratnapura and Badulla Hospitals.

Some of these hospitals dont have adequate facilities, they alleged, pointing out that in isolation wards there was a necessity for the air-conditioning to be like those in operating theatres where the air inside the ward is not released to the external environment. Such wards, if in popular hospitals, also need to be away from crowded areas.

Stressing that it is not a criticism of the system as the health authorities seem to be making a major effort to do everything possible, they said that a detailed checklist needs to be ticked off constantly to ensure that Sri Lanka is able to deal with not only this coronavirus but any other, as these instances could be regular occurrences in a world which has turned into a global village.

Tea at Army Hqrs before heading for home The 33 Sri Lankans from Wuhan, China, who were kept in quarantine at Diyatalawa have returned home to their loved ones.They met Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva and several high level officials from all fields involved in bringing them home and looking after them, at the Army Headquarters in Battaramulla on Friday afternoon, had tea and left for home, said the Director of Media at Army Headquarters, Brigadier Chandana Wickramasinghe.
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Islamabad, Feb 15 : Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday carried out raids at various properties belonging to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's family in Lahore in connection with cases involving money laundering, said officials.

As per the search warrant, NAB was granted permission by Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Amir Raza Baitu to search 55-K, Model Town, Lahore, and 91-F, Model Town, Lahore, and other offices of the companies owned by the accused in the case, Dawn reported.

The warrant read that search orders were issued to recover documents from the said addresses which are "vital for logical conclusion of the case".

During the raids, several important documents were recovered from the office of the Chief Financial Officer of the Sharif Group of Industries.

PML-N spokesperson Mariam Aurangzeb in a statement confirmed the reports, saying the raids took place at around 12.30 p.m. on Saturday.

Aurangzeb said the raids were being conducted by the Imran Khan-led government in an attempt to distract the masses from its political and economic failures.
Yale-affiliated scientist finds that even a few hours' exposure to ambient ultrafine particles common in air pollution may potentially trigger a nonfatal heart attack.

Myocardial infarction is a major form of cardiovascular disease worldwide. Ultrafine particles (UFP) are 100 nanometers or smaller in size. In urban areas, automobile emissions are the primary source of UFP.

The study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives is believed to be the first epidemiological investigation of the effects of UFP exposure and heart attacks using the number of particles and the particle length and surface area concentrations at hourly intervals of exposure.

This study confirms something that has long been suspected--air pollution's tiny particles can play a role in serious heart disease. This is particularly true within the first few hours of exposure. Elevated levels of UFP are a serious public health concern." Kai Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor at Yale School of Public Health and the study's first author

UFP constitute a health risk due to their small size, large surface areas per unit of mass, and their ability to penetrate the cells and get into the blood system. "We were the first to demonstrate the effects of UFP on the health of asthmatics in an epidemiological study in the 1990s," said Annette Peters, director of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Center Munich and a co-author of this paper. "Since then approximately 200 additional studies have been published. However, epidemiological evidence remains inconsistent and insufficient to infer a causal relationship."

The lack of consistent findings across epidemiological studies may be in part because of the different size ranges and exposure metrics examined to characterize ambient UFP exposure. Chen and his co-authors were interested in whether transient UFP exposure could trigger heart attacks and whether alternative metrics such as particle length and surface area concentrations could improve the investigation of UFP-related health effects.

With colleagues from Helmholtz Center Munich, Augsburg University Hospital and Nordlingen Hospital, Chen examined data from a registry of all nonfatal MI cases in Augsburg, Germany. The study looked at more than 5, 898 nonfatal heart attack patients between 2005 and 2015. The individual heart attacks were compared against air pollution UFP data on the hour of the heart attack and adjusted for a range of additional factors, such as the day of the week, long-term time trend and socioeconomic status.

"This represents an important step toward understanding the appropriate indicator of ultrafine particles exposure in determining the short-term health effects, as the effects of particle length and surface concentrations were stronger than the ones of particle number concentration and remained similar after adjustment for other air pollutants," said Chen. "Our future analyses will examine the combined hourly exposures to both air pollution and extreme temperature. We will also identify vulnerable subpopulations regarding pre-existing diseases and medication intake."
A film starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck is looking for extras as producers plan to film in Ireland in the next couple of months.

The Last Duel' is advertising an Open Casting for huge crowds of Irish based Film Extras to attend and apply next Friday, February 21 in Dublin City Centre.

The Last Duel is an epic period feature film soon to be shooting in various parts of Ireland over the coming months. It will be directed by Ridley Scott and will star Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer.

Filming will mostly take place around Dublin, Wicklow, Meath and Tipperary. Affleck, Damon and Nicole Holofcener have written the screenplay which is based on the book The Last Duel by Eric Jager. Set in Medieval France, the story is an epic tale of betrayal and justice.

"We will be looking to directly employ lots of film extras for huge crowd scenes in the coming months. We are holding an Extras Open Casting day next week in Dublin City Centre and, we are trying to put out as much information as possible to attract interested people to apply to take part as an extra. It is paid work and the open casting will be open to adults," producers said.

To apply, people should come along anytime between 10am and 6pm on Friday, February 21 at Dublin's Liberty Hall.

They are looking for men and women of all shapes and sizes.

-You should LIVE LOCALLY (IRELAND) to be considered & have a work visa/PPS number

-You DO NOT need an appointment and can turn up anytime between the hours stated

-To apply, you do need to attend

-You will be asked to fill out an application form, which we will give you upon arrival

-We will take a photo of each person when there after you fill out the application form

-Please only attend if you wish to apply, time is limited and we want to give everyone genuinely wishing to apply a chance.

-You will be asked to leave if you are just hanging out with friends

- The process will only take about 20 mins when you get into the venue

-You need to be a full-time resident and living in Ireland with a working visa and PPS number.

-We will not call anyone from outside of Ireland so please DO NOT travel to our open casting if you DO NOT FIT THE CRITERIA!

-We will be filming mostly in Wicklow, Meath & Tipperary.

- When we call for work/fittings, notice can sometimes be very short so availability should be good

-Please be prepared and arrive with knowledge of your measurements e.g. your Height, Chest, Dress, Shoe sizes etc. as you will be asked to put all these details on the application form

-You do not need to bring an additional CV or Headshots along, but we will accept them if you wish

For further info, please email: thelastduelextras@gmail.com or facebook fb.me/TheLastDuelExtras
Richard Quinn, the rising star of British design, on Saturday dazzled London fashion week, playing the glamour card with a sumptuous, flower-filled show. A graduate four years ago from London's prestigious Central Saint Martins, Quinn was quickly recognised for his daring and originality and big names such as Amal Clooney have worn his work. There were rich colours, dresses with trains, flowers, crystals and feathers galore at the show held at an art deco venue near Westminster in central London. Earlier in the day, different aspects of femininity lit up London Fashion Week, from the chic of Petar Petrov to the playful colours of Molly Goddard and the unabashed glamour of Halpern. Meanwhile outside the shows Extinction Rebellion protesters paraded in barbed-wire dresses. Dozens of demonstrators blocked the road near the main building hosting the catwalk shows, which began on Friday and continue until Tuesday. "We started by blocking the road, four people were wearing barbed wire dresses and attached themselves to the ground," XR spokeswoman Sara Arnold, 33, told AFP. "The system is based on obsolescence, exploitation and overproduction. This affects the planet, the people, the animals. It needs systemic change." It is not the first time "XR" activists have targeted fashion week, having covered themselves in fake blood and tied themselves to the entrance at last September's event. The movement sent a letter on Monday to the industry lobby group British Fashion Council asking them to cancel London's fashion week in September. Conscious of the accusations, the industry is this week showcasing its efforts in an exhibition dedicated to "positive fashion". - Flares and thin belts - Many designers concerned about the impact of fashion on the environment are choosing to use renewable or recycled materials and support local craftsmanship. But environmental activists believe this is not enough and that urgent action is needed. The protest took place on the second day of Fashion Week, which saw the first London show of Petar Petrov, who presented his women's autumn/winter 2020/21 collection. The designer, whose brand has just celebrated its tenth anniversary, unveiled the elegant and sober collection in the surroundings of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) listed headquarters located near Regent's Park. The collection was marked by extra long flared sleeves and wide trouser suits held in place by thin belts. Versatility was key, with coats worn as dresses and scarf necks and draped jackets that can be tied in different ways. - 'Grew up without elegance' - "I grew up without elegance, I grew up in a socialistic town and everyone had the same," said the designer, who grew up in Bulgaria and the Ukraine with his tailor mother. He inherited her love of fabrics, a legacy that has become central to the company's ethos. By contrast, Molly Goddard brought bright colours and fun to the catwalk, with candy-pink tulle dresses and frills on display. The 31-year-old Briton said she was inspired by her childhood and visiting London's vintage markets. "It was sort of the starting point for my collection, my childhood near Portobello market, it was such a fun area," she said after the show, explaining that as a child she dressed up especially to go to the bric-a-brac stalls. Their spirit is reflected in her mix of styles, with dresses and petticoats worn with mohair sweaters in an explosive palette of canary yellow, royal blue, pink, red and fuchsia, the designer's favourite colour. - The glamour king - Fuchsia and electric blue fabrics showered in sequins were the shimmering themes for Michael Halpern, a London-based New Yorker who has been called the "king of new glamour". The London offering of Halpern, who worked at Oscar de la Renta and Versace before launching his eponymous collection, featured short, busty dresses adorned with giant bows, or flared trousers with multicoloured sequins, resulting in an overall theme of unfettered female glamour. Less spectacular, but perhaps more wearable, was the collection of South Korean designer Rejina Pyo. Working with wide shoulder designs and asymmetrical lines, Pyo went for autumnal colours black, beige and brown, and used just enough blue and green to lift the collection's overall mood. Richard Quinn put on a sumptuous show There were dresses with trains, flowers, crystals and feathers galore at Quinn's show in central London Molly Goddard draws inspiration from London's vintage markets Many designers are listening to environmental concerns Autumnal and very wearable: South Korean designer Rejina Pyo Richard Quinn's creations were full of glamour
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister is defending a letter he sent Thursday to Progressive Conservative supporters that attempted to capitalize on divisions between the Tories and NDP over recent rail blockades to raise funds for his party.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister is defending a letter he sent Thursday to Progressive Conservative supporters that attempted to capitalize on divisions between the Tories and NDP over recent rail blockades to raise funds for his party.

The letter touted the PC government's decision Wednesday to seek an injunction to remove a blockade of the CN Rail main line west of Winnipeg, while claiming the provincial NDP "have been vocal in their support of those behind the blockades."

It said the Tories "won't stand back while two-tier justice happens in our province."

On Friday, Pallister said "two-tier" referred to whether laws were being enforced or not. When asked whether he considered use of the term racist, he said: "Not in the least."

The premier also said his view of the blockades  set up in support for a group of hereditary chiefs opposed to the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern British Columbia  was the same as expressed in a recent Globe and Mail editorial, which called for the enforcement of the rule of law in the dispute.

The editorial read, in part: "The fact is, though, it has become the practice in this country to tread lightly when dealing with protests involving Indigenous people, even when the rule of law offers a quick remedy for illegal blockades."

NDP Leader Wab Kinew accused Pallister of promoting divisions within Canada.

"He's trying to pit Indigenous people versus non-Indigenous people, when actually what this moment calls for is a voice for reconciliation, for moderation, for dialogue and for negotiation," Kinew said Friday.

The PC fundraising letter dominated a news conference called by the premier to trumpet news that 6,500 more Manitobans were working in January than in December, the largest month-over-month jobs increase in more than a decade.

Kinew denied his party had taken sides in the protest.

On Thursday, Pallister had condemned a tweet by NDP MLA Mark Wasyliw that was critical of the premier's bid to seek an injunction to end the rail blockade in Manitoba. (The province withdrew its bid after learning CN Rail had already applied successfully to the courts.)

"This is NOT what reconciliation looks like," Wasyliw's tweet said, in part.

Targeting Pallister, Kinew said: "Real leadership... is one that can speak to both sides" of a dispute... I want to see trains moving again, but I also want to see Indigenous rights respected."

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Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont initially issued a statement condemning the PC fundraising letter as being "rife with racist remarks." He later amended the statement to say the letter contained "racist dog-whistles."

"We stand by the fact that the letter was racist, because the letter accuses other people of breaking the law and suggests we have a two-tier justice system, and that Indigenous people are allowed to break the law without consequence," Lamont said in his amended statement.

In dismissing accusations the fundraising letter was in any way racist, Pallister said it is a "false assertion" only Indigenous people are participating in the rail blockades.

"I think, frankly, what some of the people who've gone overboard in these blockades have done is they've weakened the case of reconciliation, not helped it," he told reporters Friday.

"When people start disrespecting others' rights and breaking the laws of our land, they're setting reconciliation back. They're not advancing it."

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
EgyptAir becomes the first company to operate both the Airbus A320Neo and Airbus A220 modern aircraft in its fleet in the Middle East and Africa

Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Manar received on Saturday EgyptAir's first Airbus A320Neo, arriving at Cairo International Airport from France.

According to a ministry statement, the A320Neo is among 15 aircraft scheduled for delivery to EgyptAir. The 15 planes include eight Airbus A320Neo aircraft and seven Airbus A321Neo.

With the operation of the newly-received aircraft, EgyptAir becomes the first company to operate both the Airbus A320Neo and Airbus A220 modern aircraft in its fleet in the Middle East and Africa, the statement noted.

Last month, EgyptAir received its eighth Airbus A220-300 to join the company's fleet.

The reception ceremony of the plane was attended by Manar, Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation Montasser Mannaa, Chairman of EgyptAir Holding Company Ahmed Adel, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EgyptAir Airlines Ashraf El-Khouly.

Manar emphasised that EgyptAir's fleet upgrade is part of a scheme to develop the civil aviation sector, especially in light of the interest of the political leadership and government in intensifying efforts to advance the sector.

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Stranger Things Season 3 ended on a pretty emotional note. It closed with the apparent death of the beloved police chief Jim Hopper (David Arbour), who sacrificed himself to save the residents of Hawkins, Indiana. But at the same time, there were some hints and pieces of evidence that left fans believing he survived and would resurface in later episodes.

Viewers have been waiting for answers with bated breath following the dramatic ending and details have finally started to emerge. A new preseason trailer that just came out reveals what really happened to Hopper.

David Harbour in Stranger Things 2 | Netflix

A recap of the end of Stranger Things Season 3

The episode, The Battle of Starcourt, ends with the crew fighting the Mind Flayer. As the kids battle the beast in an atrium at a local mall, Joyce, Murray, and Hopper go underground and try to shut down a machine that was tearing open a wall to the Upside Down.

Hopper is knocked right next to the machine when he gets attacked by a Russian assassin. He eventually defeats the man by knocking him into the machine, but the impact creates a fan of electricity that traps Hopper between the device and the wall.

With time running out, he tells Joyce to trigger the fail-safe anyways. She obliges, closing the gate, and seemingly killing Hopper in the resulting explosion. The Mind Flayer also dies.

Although his body was never shown, Hopper is declared dead and heralded as a hero. At the end of the episode, Eleven discovers a letter hed written her, which seems to be the perfect goodbye.

The theory that Hopper survived the attack

The theory stems from a post-credits scene that occurs on a Russian base, where prison guards are shown feeding an inmate to a Demogorgon. When selecting a prison, one officer says, Not the American. It prompted a theory that Hopper survived and slipped through the gate or that the Russians managed to get him in some way after the blast.

However, theres also a theory that the American will turn out to be Dr. Brenner, Elevens evil papa. Dr. Brenner appeared to die in season one when he was brutally attacked by a Demogorgon, but it was confirmed in the next season that hed survived the fight. Fans speculated on social media that he might now be working with the Russians, which would explain why they know so much about the Upside Down.

But a new update suggests the American is not Dr. Brenner

On Feb. 14, the series released a preseason trailer for the upcoming installment, showing many men working on a heavily-guarded Russian base. One of the workers? Hopper  in the flesh. Hes bald now and really pissed off, but, yeah, its totally him.

Were excited to officially confirm that production on Stranger Things 4 is now underway  and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper, creators Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement from Netflix. Although its not all good news for our American; he is imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, where he will face dangers both human  and other.

Meanwhile, back in the states, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long-buried, something that connects everything, they continued. Season 4 is shaping up to be the biggest and most frightening season yet, and we cannot wait for everyone to see more. In the meantime  pray for the American.

It was previously announced that the show would extend beyond Indiana, so itll definitely be interesting to see where things go next. Stay tuned for more details on a potential release date and storyline.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham suggested on Friday replacing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), often referred to as the Iran nuclear deal, with a fuel bank for the Arab nations and Iran, Sputnik reports.

Graham told the Daily Beast outlet in January that he had partnered up with Democratic Senator Robert Menendez to work out a solution to the nuclear crisis.

"I've got an idea with Senator Menendez to replace the current JCPOA with an international fuel bank in France or wherever you want to put it where all the Arab nations and the Iranians can have all the nuclear power they want but the fuel rods will be made outside the region and there will be a guaranteed fuel supply so nobody has to enrich," the senator said at the Munich Security Conference.

The United States withdrew from the JCPOA unilaterally in 2018 and reimposed sanctions against Iran. In response, Tehran began scaling back its commitments under the deal.

The agreement originally envisaged Tehran keeping its nuclear program peaceful in exchange for the withdrawal of international sanctions.
By Associated Press

MUNICH: Iran's foreign minister said Saturday that US President Donald Trump is receiving bad advice if he believes an American "maximum pressure" campaign against his country will cause the government in Tehran to collapse.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a group of top defense officials and diplomats at the Munich Security Conference that the information provided to the president has dissuaded Trump from accepting offers from other leaders to mediate between Washington and Tehran.

"President Trump has been convinced that we are about to collapse so he doesn't want to talk to a collapsing regime," Zarif said.

To support his argument, the Iranian minister cited Trump's decision to pull out unilaterally in 2018 from Iran's nuclear deal with the US and other world powers. Trump said the landmark 2015 accord didn't address Iran's ballistic missile program or regional activities and needed to be renegotiated.

ALSO READ| US accuses Iran of building missiles through satellite bid

Since then, the Trump administration's re-imposition of US sanctions in a campaign of so-called "maximum pressure" have taken a severe toll on the Iranian economy and sent Iran's currency plunging. "I believe President Trump, unfortunately, does not have good advisers. He's been wanting for Iran to collapse since he withdrew from the nuclear deal," Zarif said.

Zarif also said the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Iraq on January 3 was a miscalculation by Washington that has galvanized support for Iran instead of increasing pressure on the regime.

The Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, promised Iran economic incentives in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. It was intended to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb, which Iran insists it does not want to do.

Since the US withdrawal, the deal's other signatories - Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China - have unsuccessfully struggled to come up with ways to offset the effects of the new American sanctions.

Washington has pressured the other countries - so far without success - to abandon the deal entirely US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the Munich Security Conference earlier Saturday that while there may be disagreements on what to do with the JCPOA, "when I talk to my counterparts here in Europe, everybody gets it." "Everyone understands that these are folks who continue to build out their nuclear program. So there's a common understanding about the threat; we have tactical differences on how to proceed," Pompeo said.

In recent months, Iran has steadily violated the limitations the deal placed on the amount of enriched uranium and heavy water it can stockpile, the number and type of centrifuges it can operate, and the purity of the uranium it enriches.

Iranian officials insist the moves are intended only to put pressure on the countries that remain part of the deal to provide economic help to Iran and that all the measures taken are fully reversible. However, the so-called "breakout" time it would take for Iran to build a bomb decreases with every step.

Zarif rejected Trump's suggestion of negotiating a new deal, saying the one negotiated during the Obama administration was the only vehicle for talks on Iran's nuclear program. "There is no point in talking over something you already talked about. You don't buy a horse twice," he said.

"It's not about opening talks with the United States. It's about bringing the United States to the negotiating table that's already there," Zarif said.
More than 70 women, including two teenagers, have now come forward accusing notorious Manhattan doctor Robert Hadden of sexual assault.

More than 70 women, including two teenagers, have now come forward accusing notorious Manhattan doctor Robert Hadden of sexual assault

Dozens of women have joined the lawsuit against Hadden, after Andrew Yang's wife revealed in January she was sexually assaulted by the former OB-GYN of Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Evelyn Yang, wife of the former Democratic presidential candidate, spoke out last month about the alleged sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Hadden while she was pregnant with her first child.

Hadden stood accused in a sex-abuse case involving six patients back in 2016 but reached a deal, pleading guilty to two counts of criminal sexual act in the third degree and forcible touching.

He was struck off the medical register but did not serve any time behind bars.

He also received no probation or community service.

Following Yang's interview with CNN revealing the abuse, more than 40 new victims have come forward accusing the disgraced doctor and slamming the Manhattan District Attorney's office for failing to come down heavier on the sex offender.

Evelyn Yang, wife of the former Democratic presidential candidate, spoke out last month about the alleged sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Hadden while she was pregnant with her first child

Andrew Yang said he was 'extraordinary proud' of his wife Evelyn (pictured together) and no one deserves to be treated as she was.

Attorney Anthony DiPietro, who filed a civil suit against Hadden and Columbia University in 2019, said he will add the latest victims to the civil suit, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to about 70.

Two of the victims were children, aged 15 and 16, at the time of the alleged abuse, he said.

One of his accusers, Emilia Heckman, a fashion model in her late 20s at the time, told CNN that Hadden had shown her pictures of his family and made her feel 'comfortable' with him when she was his patient.

He soon began making inappropriate questions or comments, such as asking her about her sex life and saying her boyfriend 'is so lucky to have you', said Heckman, now 36.

Hadden then sexually assaulted her during an appointment in 2012, she said.

Heckman said Hadden told the nurse to go home, leaving her alone with her alleged abuser.

One of Hadden's accusers, Emilia Heckman said he asked inappropriate questions and comments, such as asking her about her sex life and saying her boyfriend 'is so lucky to have you'

Heckman said she quickly fled Hadden's practice after he allegedly assaulted her, and she never returned

Hadden allegedly licked Heckman's genitals, while she had her feet in stirrups and her legs draped for a medical exam.

'At first it was gloves on, and all of that,' Heckman said. 'And then it transitioned to no gloves, a tongue and a beard. ... And I recoiled.'

Heckman said she quickly fled and never returned.

Another accuser, Jessica Chambers, now a substitute elementary-school teacher in Wyoming, said she was a 23-year-old student at the City College of New York and had never had a gynecological exam before when she was assaulted by Hadden in 2004.

She said he had started off 'friendly' but made her feel uncomfortable as the exam went on for a long time, during which a chaperone was present.

'He had his fingers inside of me -- I couldn't see if he was wearing gloves,' she said.

'And he had an extended conversation with me while he had his fingers inside of me. ... I remember wanting to get out of that position.'

Chambers said they talked about how she'd just broken up with her boyfriend and Hadden had asked her asking her if she was able to climax and how.

'I'm thinking it's very weird. But 'he's a doctor, we're in Columbia -- clearly what's going on here must be normal and natural,' she told CNN.

When the chaperone left the room, Hadden grabbed her leg and then began touching her vagina with ungloved hands while telling her how arousal happens.

'He had me somewhat stuck,' she said. 'I didn't know whether it was just me being naive and I didn't want to do anything that would be weird.'

Chambers said she came forward after she read about the sexual assault Yang suffered and recognized her abuser as her own.

Yang opened up about her sexual assault in an interview with CNN in January.

She said she was encouraged to speak out after seeing the positive reception she and her husband had been getting on the campaign trail by being open about their son's autism.

Hadden, pictured outside his home, stood accused in a sex-abuse case involving six patients back in 2016 but reached a deal, pleading guilty to two counts of criminal sexual act in the third degree and forcible touching. He lost his medical licence but served no prison time

'Something about being on the trail and meeting people and seeing the difference that we've been making already has moved me to share my own story about it, about sexual assault,' she told CNN.

Yang said she first began seeing Hadden in New York in early 2012. As the months went on, Yang said, Hadden began asking her inappropriate questions about her sexual activity, and would spend longer conducting examinations.

When she was seven months pregnant, Yang said, she believed her appointment was done and she was getting ready to leave when the doctor told her abruptly that he thought she might need a cesarean section. She said Hadden pulled her to him and undressed her, then used his fingers to examine her internally.

'I knew it was wrong. I knew I was being assaulted,' she said.

But Yang said she 'just kind of froze' and didn't react. 'I remember trying to fix my eyes on a spot on the wall and just trying to avoid seeing his face as he was assaulting me, just waiting for it to be over,' she said.

After the doctor left the room, she left the practice and didn't return.

Yang said she was initially too afraid to tell anyone what had happened.

She said she blamed herself, thinking she must have done something to 'invite this kind of behavior.'

Months later, after the couple's son was born, Yang got a letter in the mail saying Hadden had left the practice.

Curious, she looked him up online and saw that another woman had made a police report accusing him of assaulting her.

She said she realized then that she wasn't to blame for his actions.

'This was a serial predator, and he just picked me as his prey,' she said.

She said only then was she able to reveal the alleged abuse to her husband.

Andrew Yang said he was 'extraordinary proud' of his wife and no one deserves to be treated as she was.

'When victims of abuse come forward, they deserve our belief, support, and protection,' Yang said.

'I hope that Evelyn's story gives strength to those who have suffered and sends a clear message that our institutions must do more to protect and respond to women.'

Another of his accusers, Marissa Hoechstetter was instrumental in having a New York law put in place that allows parents to have the name of a doctor removed from a child's birth certificate if they lose their medical licence

Hoechstetter (pictured with NYC council speaker Corey Johnson) called for Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance to resign for 'failing to protect victims of sexual assault' after Hadden reached a plea deal for sexual assault charges in 2016

Evelyn Yang's revelations led to more women coming forward accusing the doctor of sexual assault.

Forty women have brought their allegations to DiPietro in the last month alone, with many want Hadden to be taken to trial again feeling let down by the justice system's previous handling of allegations against the disgraced doctor.

'He got something that sounds [more] like an orchestrated retirement than an actual sentence for a serial sexual predator,' DiPietro said.

The lawsuit also claims that medical assistants who worked with the doctor knew of the abuse but didn't intervene because of a power imbalance and lack of training, CNN said.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has come under fire for failing to protect victims of sexual assault.

Protesters took to the streets of New York in January calling for his resignation, saying Hadden's plea deal was one in a long list of wealthy, white men getting away with sexual assualt.

Hadden, 61, has denied the assault allegations in court documents, aside from the two counts in his plea deal.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with his Kuwaiti colleague Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Hamad al-Sabah, in Munich, Germany.

The interlocutors discussed the development and expansion of relations between the two countries, and attached importance to the development of cooperation.

The Prime Ministers of Armenia and Kuwait also referred to the promotion of cooperation in the field of tourism, and, in this context, the possibility of organizing bilateral direct flights.

Pashinyan presented the steps aimed at improving the business environment and combating corruption in Armenia, adding that the Armenian government is interested in incorporating Kuwaiti business into the Armenian market, and underlined that it will enable investors to enter the Eurasian Economic Union market as well.

The Prime Ministers of Armenia and Kuwait considered it necessary to work on expanding business ties, and attached importance to the organization of high-level mutual visits.
Three persons died on Saturday while eight others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a road accident in Amansea Awka, Anambra State capital.

The accident invloved a Toyota bus and a truck.

The sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra State, Andrew Kumapayi, said the accident was caused by a lorry conveying stationaries.

According to him, the 14-seater bus that was heading to Lagos from Taraba State rammed into the packed lorry and three persons died instantly while eight others sustained injuries.

It was gathered that after the crash which occured near cow market, the Hausa community at the market barricaded the road.

Accordimg to them, the accident was caused by government officials stationed at the place to inspect farm produce.

The protesters said there would be no movement in that axis of the Enugu-Onitsha Highway unless Governor Willie Obiano visited the scene of the crash to see how officials inspecting farm produce cause accidents in the area.

In his situation report on the auto-crash, spokesman of the commission in the state,Paschal Anigbo, said A fatal road traffic crash was recorded today Saturday 15 February 2020 at Amanse, just after the Cow Market, along Awka-Enugu Old Road.

Two vehicles and 14 Victims were involved in the crash which claimed the life of three adult males, and eight others sustaining different degrees of injuries.

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The vehicles involved were: A stationary DAF Lorry with registration number, GGE167XP suspected to be faulty and a Toyota Hummer Bus with registration number, BAL 266XA.

According to an eyewitness, the crash occurred around 6.00 am. The eyewitness said the bus was on top speed and rammed into the stationary lorry.

The area has been cordoned off, and traffic control is ongoing. The FRSC team has also rushed the injured victims to Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital, Amaku Awka. The dead are also being evacuated to the same hospital.

The Sector Commander Anambra State Sector Command, CC Andrew A. Kumapayi consoled with the family of the dead and wishes the injured victims a speedy recovery, he said.
Feb 14 (Reuters) - Canada's First Quantum Minerals Ltd does not require any expansion at its Kansanshi copper mine in Zambia to start operating until the end of 2024, Chief Executive Officer Philip Pascall said on Friday.

The miner will publish a technical report on expanding the copper mine, Africa's largest, by the end of the first quarter this year but will not take a decision for at least three years, Pascall said. (Reporting by Jeff Lewis, Editing by Franklin Paul)
Lagos State Police Command has arrested a man identified as John Onyeme for beating his wife, Esther Onyeme, to death after accusing her of being promiscuous and also denying him sex.

It was gathered that the deceased, Esther Onyeme, was a deaconess and proprietress of a nursery and primary school in the community.

Speaking with newsmen, Neighbours said John always accused her wife of fornication and starving him of sex which often triggered disagreements between the couple who live together in with their three children in Ladi-Lak, Bariga area of the state.

Five months ago, Esther packed out of the house in the heat of a fight with her husband and relocated to a church.

John reportedly went to the church on Friday, January 31, 2020 and beat her to a pulp. She was admitted to a private hospital in the community where she died three days after.

A resident of Ayorinde Street, Tope Adeyemo, told newsmen that the woman had on several occasions reported John at the Pedro Police Station covering the neighbourhood. He said:

He had been beating the woman for a long time and she reported him many times at the Pedro Police Station. The woman ran a private school in the community. She was responsible and industrious but the man thought she was fornicating around. She left him five months ago when his trouble became too much. They have three children together. The eldest among them is 16 years old. They are now in their village in the East. It is disheartening.

A neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that he had repeatedly warned John to desist from beating his wife to no avail.

He normally beat her at night. He would chase her around the passage with a knife. I begged him to stop beating her but he said I should not interfere in their matters gain. I told him he would kill her one day. That was sometime last year. No one here would say good thing about John. He even accused a chemist of sleeping with his wife. He does not take care of the children yet he didnt allow the woman to have rest of mind. It was a painful exit because the woman was hard working. She was the one taking care of the family, he said.

Another neigbour, who wanted to be identified as Bola, said Esther established the school located on Oyeyemi Street, Ladi-Lak, about five years ago, adding that it was unfortunate her life was cut short. She said:

It is tragic. She should be in her mid 40s. Most times, the husband beat her for denying him sex. Which woman would allow an irresponsible man to be having sex with her? She left home about five months ago when she could no longer bear his trouble. Some family members begged her to come back because of the children and she did. The same day she returned home, the man beat her. That was when she packed out of the house. She was diligent. She founded the school about five years ago. She was even planning to establish another school.

Academic activities were on when newsmen visited the school on Wednesday.

The head teacher of the school, who declined to give her name, described Esther as a loving woman, adding that they struggled to run the school.

With God on our side, we are trying our best to keep the school going. She was a kind woman. She took care of the pupils and teachers and carried everybody along. She was in school on Friday, she added.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Bala Elkana, said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, for further investigation.

One Apostle Friday Ugorji reported at the police station that around 9am on July 31, one Esther Onyeme, a deaconess in his church, informed him that her estranged husband, one John Onyeme, beat her to the point of death. The pastor rushed her to hospital for treatment. Around 10.30am on February 3, she gave up the ghost. The corpse has been deposited at the Mainland General Hospital Mortuary for autopsy. The suspect is in police custody, he said.

ALSO READ: Man Beats His Wife Mercilessly For Wearing Mini Skirt Without Pant While Doing House Chores
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 01:01:00|Editor: yan

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BELGRADE, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Serbia marked Statehood Day Saturday at ceremonies paying respects to ancestors that established its modern statehood.

The central ceremony took place in the village of Orasac, some 80 kilometers south of the capital city Belgrade, where Serbian people decided to launch a rebellion -- dubbed the First Serbian Uprising -- against Ottoman rule in 1804.

The state delegation, led by President of the National Assembly Maja Gojkovic, laid wreaths at a monument dedicated to the leader of the First Serbian Uprising, in front of the military guard of honor and hundreds of citizens.

Serbian Statehood Day, established in 2001, also marks the anniversary of the first constitution that the Principality of Serbia adopted in 1835.

Congratulating citizens in an open letter, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that the constitution was the "foundation of the modern Serbian statehood, together with memories on famous ancestors, whose vision of modern and free state we enjoy today."

At another state ceremony in Belgrade, state officials laid wreaths at the Monument to the Unknown Hero.
WASHINGTONAttorney General William Barr, in an unusual break with President Donald Trump, said Thursday that the president's habit of injecting himself into criminal cases has made it "impossible for me to do my job."

In his first public comments since the Justice Department earlier this week backed away from a stiff prison sentence for longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone, the attorney general asserted in an interview with ABC News that the president "has never asked me to to anything in a criminal case," including Roger Stone's.

Stone, 67, was found guilty in November of lying to Congress and obstructing the Russia investigation to protect Trump and his presidential campaign.

Stone is due to be sentenced next week. Monday afternoon, prosecutors asked a judge to put him in prison for seven to nine years, arguing that his "lies to Congress and his obstructive conduct are a direct and brazen attack on the rule of law."

Hours later, in the middle of the night, Trump slammed their recommendation as a "miscarriage of justice."

Tuesday morning, the Justice Department indicated it would amend the recommendation, prompting the entire prosecution team to quit the case. One resigned from the government entirely.

The fast-moving developments have cast a harsh spotlight on the Justice Department's leadership, primarily Barr, and have raised fresh questions about the department's independence from the White House.

"I am not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody ... whether it's Congress, a newspaper editorial board or the president," Barr said in the interview. "I'm gonna do what I think is right. I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me."

"I think it's time to stop the tweeting about the Department of Justice criminal cases," Barr said.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a statement saying Trump "wasn't bothered" by what Barr said.

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The President wasnt bothered by the comments at all and he has the right, just like any American citizen, to publicly offer his opinions," the statement said. "President Trump uses social media very effectively to fight for the American people against injustices in our country, including the fake news. The President has full faith and confidence in Attorney General Barr to do his job and uphold the law.

Roger Stone sentence: How prosecutors came up with a stiff sentence for Roger Stone

Defender-in-chief: With DOJ's intervention in Roger Stone case, William Barr cements his role as Trump's ally

Barr: Prosecutors' recommended prison sentence was excessive

The attorney general defended the decision to dial back the sentencing recommendation, adding that it had nothing to do with the criticism streaming from Trump's Twitter account.

Though Barr maintained he did not disagree with Stone's convictions, he said the initial sentencing recommendation was excessive. He said he directed his staff to amend the recommendation before Trump called it "horrible and very unfair."

Barr went on to say he had not talked with the prosecutors who withdrew from the case, and he was "a little surprised" by their actions.

As much as Barr appeared to push back against his boss in the interview, the attorney general also seemed to be speaking to the departments attorneys. They have found themselves in Trumps crosshairs in politically sensitive cases, from the prosecutions of former national security adviser Michael Flynn to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

One indication of how much the reversal in Stone's case had roiled rank and file prosecutors came Thursday afternoon in a statement from the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys.

The group, regarded as the "bar association" for the country's federal prosecutor cadre, said the government lawyers in the Stone case "properly exercised their discretion to recommend a guidelines sentence."

"Recommendations on sentencing should be developed by the career prosecutors assigned to a particular case and their supervisors in the U.S. Attorneys Office," the group said. "These recommendations are, and should be, made impartially and without the political influence of elected officials."

Barr said his involvement in the Stone case was limited to settling an internal disagreement over sentencing. Any suggestion that he intervened on behalf of the president, he said, is "preposterous."

President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr on May 15, 2019.

Prosecutors considered Stone's crimes, behavior in arguing for prison time

Stone's convictions stem from his actions in 2016, when he tried to set up back-channel communications with WikiLeaks to push for the release of emails stolen from the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Stone repeatedly lied to the House Intelligence Committee about his efforts, denying that he had talked to the Trump campaign about them.

Federal prosecutors come up with sentence recommendations using a combination of mathematical calculations and aggravating factors, called "enhancements," that are detailed in a 600-page manual. The more enhancements, the longer the sentence.

In Stone's case, prosecutors considered several aggravating factors: threatening to harm someone, interfering with the administration of justice, engaging in a crime that spans years, and obstructing the prosecution.

Defense attorneys argued that adding the aggravating factors wasn't justified. They cited a letter from the witness, Randy Credico, saying he never felt threatened by Stone.

Stone's attorneys argued that the guideline for first-time offenders convicted of these crimes is 15 to 21 months. They asked that Stone be sentenced to probation.

Democrats urge investigations into handling of Stone case

The decision to amend that recommendation, however, prompted Democrats to call for investigations. Barr has been summoned to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31.

Earlier Thursday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat, urged the committee to take up a separate investigation of the Stone matter.

"I believe its serious," Feinstein wrote in a letter to Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a fierce ally of Trump and Barr. "If its without precedent and thats proven, we really need to take a good look at it.

Graham issued an unmitigated vote of confidence in the attorney general.

President Trump, in selecting Bill Barr to be Attorney General, has done a great service to the people serving in the Department of Justice and our nation as a whole," Graham said. He is the right man at the right time to reform the Department and stand up for the rule of law. Attorney General Barr has my complete confidence.

Contributing: Kristine Phillips

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AG Barr: President Trump 'never asked me to do anything' in Stone case
At least four people were killed and 12 others injured when a private luxury bus they were travelling in rammed into a stationary truck in Maharashtras Nagpur district on Saturday, police said.

The bus was carrying people to Nagpur from Tiroda in Gondia district after they attended a wedding function early in the morning. It met with the accident on Nagpur-Bhandara road near Shingori village, some 50km from Nagpur.

Police inspector of Mouda in Nagpur district, Madhukar Gite, said two people died on the spot and two others succumbed to their injuries in a hospital.

The dead have been identified as Vithabai Zhilpe, 72, Karuna Khonde, 58, Anand Athawale, 28 and Satish Jambhulkar, 35.

All the injured were admitted to a government-run medical college and hospital in Nagpur and the condition of five of them was reported to be critical, Gite said.

There were around 30 people on the bus, officials said.
Efforts to secure a new deal between the Alberta government and physicians hit another roadblock Friday after the government called the voluntary mediation process "unsuccessful."

According to a statement attributed to Health Minister Tyler Shandro Friday evening, the government will maintain current spending moving forward.

"The government of Alberta is spending more than ever before on our public health care system  in order to ensure that our public health care system remains sustainable, we must act to maintain physician spending at current levels," the statement reads. "Unfortunately, efforts to achieve this goal were unsuccessful during voluntary mediation with the Alberta Medical Association."

At the end of last month, the two sides brought in a mediator to try to break a logjam on the talks surrounding the new master agreement, which is set to expire at the end of March. Both sides agreed on the mediator.

The master agreement revolves around the broad relationship between doctors and the government. Changes pending will impact working conditions for provincial doctors, as well as compensation.

In their statement, the government said it would now take time to consider "all options" at its disposal.

Steve Buick, press secretary for Shandro, said there are no more details available at this time as to what those options might look like.

The province said savings gained through curtailing physician compensation costs would be reinvested into reducing surgical wait times, addressing mental health and addictions and investing in continuing care.

"Our government believes we can address these priorities, while also keeping our hardworking and dedicated physicians amongst the highest paid in Canada," the statement reads.

The province is paying $5.3 billion this year for physicians.

Doctors' response

In a statement provided to CBC News, Dr. Christine Molnar, head of the Alberta Medical Association, said she was disappointed that mediation had failed.

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"Physicians offered substantial short-term savings, among other considerations," she wrote. "Our offer was rejected."

The AMA confirmed to CBC News that work with the mediator had ended, but that the organization is still open to talks and negotiations.

Among the most contentious changes sought by the government are changes to complex modifiers, which would affect how long a doctor must see patients before they tack on extra fees.

Lorian Hardcastle, a health professor at the University of Calgary, said she was surprised how quickly talks had broken down.

"Different provinces and different physician groups have had controversial or contentious contract negotiations before. But I think that the government has been extremely aggressive in the strategy it has pursued," Hardcastle said. "They have moved really quickly in making cuts in the healthcare system since being elected, so I'm not surprised this issue has come to a head."

The potential next steps in the contract negotiations are currently unclear. Hardcastle said she thinks both sides likely assumed they would come to an agreement through voluntary negotiations.

"The mediation did not go on that long, so I expect perhaps they'll agree to another round of mediation," she said. "Because the last thing the province or the doctors want is to have no agreement in place at all."
Hundreds of students of Chaudhary Charan Singh University gathered outside the office of the Inspector General of Police Praveen Kumar Saturday morning to protest against the alleged abduction and gang rape of a university student in Siyana area of district Bulandshshar on Thursday.

Some students also set on a dharna outside the university gate.

The victim who belongs to Garhmukteswar of Hapur district was returning home after attending her classes on Thursday when she was allegedly abducted and assaulted. She was admitted to Meerut Medical College Hospital on Friday where she is now under treatment.

Furious students shouted slogans demanding justice and condemning the police.

They also demanded that the alleged rapists be arrested and shot like the four accused in the rape and murder of a 26-year-old veterinary doctor in Telangana. The four men were killed in an encounter in December after they allegedly attacked the cops and tried to run away from the crime spot where they had been take to recreate the offence.

Slogans of Hyderabad once more and Hyderabad Part 2 rent the air as the students demanded justice.

Students seemed incensed after Meeruts top cop ruled out rape.

During investigation it was found that the girl went with her classmate on her own, both are adults. She got injured after falling from a bike. Rape has not been confirmed in medical report. This is not a case of kidnapping or gang-rape, Praveen Kumar had said earlier Saturday.

The Meerut Police had earlier said they had rescued the victim from Siyana in Bulandshahr. They said a case was registered and investigation was underway.

According to the National Crime Records Bureaus (NCRB) latest report, Uttar Pradesh ranks as the worst for womens security where rape is most rampant and where crime against women has increased by 20% from 2016 to 2019.

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Education is the key to success, not only for an individual but more so for nations, but if education is provided anyway and anyhow, then the results shall be obvious destruction for the individual and the nation.

The coming into power of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has seen a number of educational interventions, especially in the second and tertiary institutions. While the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy continues to be enjoyed by the citizenry, so are some tertiary institutions being completed whiles some existing ones are being renamed and others being split into several campuses. Whatever the case is, there is something happening to our education system.

In 2017, the government of Ghana introduced the Free SHS policy with the hope of increasing the literacy rate and diversifying access to education to the vast majority of underprivileged societies and families. This policy was welcomed with mixtures of feelings, joy, confusion, doubts, and denials. The first batch of students under this educational initiative was admitted in September 2017 which saw a total of over 400 000 students entering the various senior high schools in Ghana.

While the period of education for the second cycle institutions remains three years, it stands to reason that the first batch of the Free SHS students will be completing in 2020. As the case has always been, various Universities and other tertiary institutions have or will be opening their doors of admissions, but the question we should be asking ourselves is are these Universities really ready for these huge number of students especially at the current state of our tertiary education?

From the perspective of this write up, universities and various tertiary institutions are not ready for admissions for the 2020/2021 academic year and thus the Minister of Education should call for a suspension of the sales of admissions forms especially for public Universities and other tertiary institutions. This write up will give just five reasons why entrance to public tertiary institutes should be blocked for at least this academic year for the appropriate measures to be put in place. Although this may be a weird suggestion, it may be the best approach to remedying the inefficiencies in our education in Ghana.

To begin with, accommodation challenges witnessed in most of the public universities in Ghana is indicative enough of the unpreparedness of admissions for the 2020/2021 academic year. In the 2019/2020 admissions in the various public universities in Ghana, it was monitored and reported of the accommodation challenge being faced by most universities. Daily Graphic reported on the August 30, 2019 that 9,000 students were stranded as a result of accommodation challenge in the University of Ghana, Legon. Similar in that same academic year in the University of Cape Coast, there were serious accommodation challenge which led the reading rooms of some Traditional Halls to be converted into dormitories. According to a news report cited on ucc.edu.gh , the accommodation challenge faced by the school currently is because the University of Cape Coast has traditional halls that can accommodate only 8,000 students out of the total 25,000 students it has. At the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the situation is no different.

In spite of this challenge, application forms have been opened for the huge number of students from the Free SHS to apply into the public Universities without any Hall or hostel being built or inaugurated in any of our public universities nor various Colleges. Dear Minister, I humbly appeal that you move to suspend the sales of application forms for at least the public universities for the 2020/2021 academic year, so these universities and university colleges get ample time to prepare for the next decade of our educational life as a nation.

Again, admitting students for the 2020/2021 academic year will breed havoc to science and technology education in the country. The framers of Ghanas 1992 Constitution thought it wisely to input article 38 (3) a. which says The State shall, subject to the availability of resources provide equal and balanced access to secondary and other appropriate pre-university, equal access to university or equivalent education, with emphasis on science and technology. The stress is on science and technology.

This article was inserted into the constitution to demonstrate the essence of science and technology education to the development of the nation. However, the best is yet to be made from this aspect of our education. Take a tour to the science laboratories of most of the tertiary institutions in Ghana and it would be realized that there is a great lack of most of the equipments needed for science practice. How then will a Minister of State go to a hospital in Ghana when he or she is sick, looking at the quality and standards of science education in the country, and the caliber of people they produce for our various health centers?

The general issue is that there is no roadmap for science and technology education in the country. It turns out that our various polytechnics that were converted to technical universities didnt bring any material benefit to the country as no technical university till date has been able to produce a common radio battery for sale in our market. So, instead of spending some good time to resolve the deficiencies and inefficiencies in our science, technology and technical education in the country, we keep admitting students and keep feeding them with the same theoretical chaffs for three or four years, whiles no better results are obtained from the graduates. As we are about to begin a new decade of our national life from 2020 to 2030, lets perform a clean-up exercise in our science, technology and technical education. Hold on with admissions for the 2020/2021 academic year, or produce graduates of nothingness for the next decade.

More so, what make education what it is, is not the availability of giant buildings with beautiful paintings and art work, NO! What makes education what it is, is the availability of the academic materials such as books, better internet access for research, writing labs, and others which are needed to make teaching and learning possible. With the culture of introducing new courses almost every now then, it is therefore necessary for there to be the acquisition of more academic materials that could facilitate the learning process in our tertiary institutions. The unfortunate situation is that that is not the case.

Take a tour to the libraries of most of the tertiary institutions in Ghana and you will be amazed at how virtually empty some book shelves of some academic programs or courses are. With the unavailability of academic materials and the Poor to almost a no-show internet access in most university campuses being the problem, are Universities and other tertiary institutions still planning of admitting students for the 2020/2021 academic year? Why not use this year to prepare the grounds for a better tertiary educational experience in the next decade? I leave this decision entirely in the hands of scholars who are the touchstone of knowledge and also the managers of these tertiary institutions.

In January of this year, the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah, took a tour to some public institutions including the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the likes, to inspect their preparedness for the 2020/2021 admissions of the first batch of graduates of the free SHS. On the face of things, this could be assessed as a great idea.

However, one thing that must be noted is that it is not every high school graduate who would want to enter the University based on their own ambitions and purposes.

The question to the minister then is what plans have been or are being put in place for students who wish to enter the various training colleges-teaching, nursing, pharmaceutical, technical, and others? If the Minister would be able to provide us, the stakeholders of education, with plans for these aspects of education, then some of us will have a glimmer of hope that our education is being developed on the whole and not in parts. When such assurances are given, we wont be bothered about the quality of graduates who are produced from these colleges of education, and other training colleges. Drawing a distinction between trained teachers and graduate teachers by the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh speaks to the facts that there is a gab in the nature of our education, and this needs redress as we set off into a new decade. Until these issues are addressed, admissions for the 2020/2021 academic year should be suspended until all the necessary things are put in place for the next decade of our educational life as a nation.

Lastly, what measures are being put in place to bridge students to lecturer ratio in our various Universities and other tertiary institutions in the country? In one of my meetings with a Principal administrator in my Department at the University, a lecturer once walked in to make some complaint about the number of students the lecturer has been assigned for a particular course for the semester. The complaint was not only about the difficulty of teaching the very large class, but the worry was also about how well can one lecturer ensure that students really do understand what the students are taught. This is not the only case I have witnessed. Most lecturers in the public Universities keep complaining about the size of the class they are assigned. Despite the unbalanced students to lecturer ratio in our various universities, application forms are still being opened for more students to troop in whiles more lectures are not being hired to cater for these numbers.

According to a citifmonline.com news report in 2017, the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) found that the 2,676-academic staff in all the eight-public universities where inadequate to teach and supervise the academic work of more than 128,326 students. Three years down the line, after this observation, what has government done by far to bridge the gap?

Today, the number of public universities have been increased which means more students enrollment in the public universities, but can we say same for the academic staffs? To appreciate the seriousness of the matter, and as stated earlier, over 400 000 students were admitted during the first batch entry into the various Senior High School under the Free Senior High School policy in Ghana during the 2017 school year. In 2020, these students are due to complete. If access to Public universities are not denied in the 2020/2021 academic year, then this means enrollment will shoot up in the various tertiary institutions. The question is are there enough lecturers to take care of these students?

This and many other challenges can be anticipated of the 2020/2021 academic year and it is my humble appeal that we as a nation should not be in a haste to increase the burden on ourselves in the name of promoting literacy rate. I am not against mass literacy, but what I am against is the repetitive try and errors we constantly engage in with our education system in this country.

It is, therefore, my hope that from this year, various stakeholders of education sit and begin to analyze the issues in our tertiary education system in other to find a long-lasting solution to it. Malcolm X believes that Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. I will rephrase and say, Education is the passport to the future of every nation, for the prosperous future of Ghana, is dependent on the strategic and healthy educational policies we make today. Lets not deny our nation of such an opportunity now.

Author: Michael Ofori

[email protected]

This write up is in honor of the 17th UCC Students Parliamentary Council, under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Caleb Otabil, Hon. Felicity Sena Dogbatse, Hon. Michael Tene and Hon. Bright Buernor Kpalam.
Hubballi: The police in Karnataka's Hubballi arrested three Kashmiri students today (February 15) for raising pro-Pakistan slogans. According to police, the three are students of KLE Technological University and were in their hostel room when they recorded a video of themselves singing a song written in praise of Pakistan and raising 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan.

In the video, one of the student says, "My name is Basit and I am a resident of Sopore, these are my friends Aamir and Talib, we are fine here and InshaAllah you will also be fine there. There is no need to worry." After recording this message, they are seen humming along to a song which praises Pakistan.

The video became public today and some Hindu organisations launched a protest against the students. One of the protesters lodged an official complaint against the three youths, following which the police took them into custody.

Hubli-Dharwad Police Commissioner R Dileep told PTI that upon receiving the information about the video, a police team went to the spot to arrest the students.

"We received information that three students hailing from Kashmir studying at the KLE Institute of Technology had raised slogans supporting Pakistan. They had made a video about it which has gone viral. Immediately our team headed by Inspector Gokul Road station went to the spot and arrested them," he said.

While they were being taken by the police, a few agitators tried to attack them.

The police have registered a case of sedition against the three students. The matter is being further investigated.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 14)  Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin Jr. said Friday he is against a possible travel ban to Singapore over the outbreak of the coronavirus disease or COVID-19.

Locsin argued that imposing a travel ban to and from other countries should not be based on their number of confirmed cases.

"I will not support a travel ban to & from ASEAN Singapore. A ban should hinge NOT on the incidence & # of infections/fatalities but on the demonstrated capability of the state concerned to contain the disease & strictly regulate ingress and egress from its air/sea ports," he said on Twitter.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in a radio interview also on Friday that the Inter-Agency Task force on infectious diseases may discuss the possible travel ban on the city-state. Singapore has tallied at least 67 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering, which tracks cases worldwide.

However, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who also attended the meeting, told CNN Philippines that the matter was not taken up.

The task force also agreed to lift the travel ban on Taiwan. Officials in Taipei earlier questioned Taiwan's inclusion in the travel restrictions imposed on China and its special administrative regions such as Hong Kong and Macau when it has less confirmed cases compared to other countries and territories. Taiwan has recorded at least 18 cases of COVID-19.

The task force said in its resolution Friday that the ban was initially imposed on Taiwan since it is used as a transit port by passengers from mainland China, where the virus outbreak originated from.

It said it "is convinced that the protocols provide reliable assurance that sufficient measures are in place to effectively prevent potential carriers of the disease from entering or departing Taiwan."

However, Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo earlier said Taiwan was included in the ban as the World Health Organization counts Taiwan as part of China.

Taiwan has been governed separately from China since 1949 but is recognized as an independent state by only a few countries. China, an economic giant in the region, imposes a One-China policy in its foreign relations and considers Taiwan as its province.

Meanwhile, the Philippines tallied three confirmed cases  all Chinese nationals with travel history to Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. One of the patients, a 44-year-old man, died from the infection, the Health Department announced earlier this month.
A day ahead of taking oath as the Delhi chief minister for the third time, national convenor has called a dinner meeting of his Cabinet ministers to discuss a roadmap for Delhi's development.

According to party functionaries, Kejriwal will discuss with his ministers initiatives that need to be prioritised and action items for Delhi government in the coming three months.

The meeting will also focus on developing a roadmap to make Delhi a global city, they said.

Kejriwal will take oath as Delhi chief minister along with his cabinet at 10 am on Sunday.

The won 62 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged the remaining eight seats. The Congress drew a blank for the second consecutive time.
Soon a family will move into its own new home in Lincolns South of Downtown neighborhood, thanks to Rotary 14 and a fundraising event that raised nearly $60,000. A crowd of 400 people gathered at Nebraska Innovation Campus on Saturday, Feb. 8, for Rise.Shine.Give.2020, a fundraising brunch sponsored by Lincolns oldest service club.

For 110 years, our club has worked to provide great things for our wonderful community, said AshLea Allberry, co-chair of the Rotary event. This years event included a silent auction, a lottery drawing, a number of sponsors buying tables and donating funds, as well as people pledging financial support.

The brunch is the clubs biggest fundraising event for its foundation, which now has more than $2 million in assets. In recent years, the Club and its foundation have focused their efforts on Everett Elementary School and the neighborhoods that surround that school.

Half of the money raised during each years event is used for a project, and the other half is placed in the Foundation for future grants. This years project is to help the South of Downtown Association, NeighborWorks Lincoln and the Lincoln Community Foundation build a home that will be sold to a family to help transform the neighborhood.
The IMF's concluding statement said the Luxembourg economy was doing well, with national growth higher than the EU average and an improving job market.

Emil Stavrev, who led the mission, said risks were above all external, such as changes in global corporate taxation laws.

The IMF recommended the Grand Duchy's authorities maintained prudent fiscal policy and comfortable buffers in case of external influences.

Stavrev said that while they encouraged the ambitious planned tax reforms, there were other options on the table. The government could increase the low transport taxes, for example by introducing one-off car registration fees, remove the preferential VAT treatment of heating energy, while protecting the most vulnerable, and modernise the outdated property valuation method, which dates back to the 1940s.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday alleged a threat to his life from BJP after a man went near the dais and started chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans while he was addressing an event.

The incident took place in Kannauj on Saturday when former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was addressing a women's conference.

The man who jumped the barricade to reach out to Akhilesh Yadav has been identified as Ashok Shukla.

During the address, when Akhilesh attacked the BJP government over the unemployment issue, the man present in the crowd stood up and interrupted him from speaking. Soon, he reached near the dias as he was inaudible to the SP chief. Suddenly, he started shouting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans.

After being caught by the security present at the event, Akhilesh asked Shukla as to which party he belongs to. In retaliation, the intruder started shouting slogans of 'Jai Sri Ram'.

Later, Akhilesh Yadav scolded an on-duty police officer and asked him to take away the intruder.

During the speech, Akhilesh targeted the BJP government in the state. He said, "We have been threatened by a BJP leader right now and this happened. He could kill us.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Facing overwhelming migration pressure on the Aegean with island camps on the brink of asphyxiation, the conservative Greek government has hardened its asylum policy with increased repatriations, new detention centres and plans for a sea barrier. "The decongestion of our islands is our number one priority," migration minister Notis Mitarachi told AFP as the government seeks to mollify islanders on the EU's southeastern flank outraged by the perceived inaction in Brussels. Five years after the great migration crisis of 2015, Greece is again the first gateway for migrants to Europe and struggling to manage a huge load of asylum applications. Almost 90,000 are still pending among 112,000 exiles, according to the latest official figures. On the Aegean islands of Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos, migrants continue to flock daily from neighbouring Turkey. More than 38,000 people live in overcrowded and unsanitary camps that were originally built to handle just 6,200. Slum-like tents and shelters grow like mushrooms around these sites, causing exasperation tinged with xenophobia among locals. "It is essential to transfer as many asylum seekers as possible to the mainland where they can continue to pursue their asylum procedures," the representative of the UN High Commissioner for refugees, Philippe Leclerc, told AFP this week. The government had promised to transfer 20,000 asylum seekers until the end of 2019, but fewer than half have been relocated so far amid opposition from local residents and officials on the mainland as well. - Back to Turkey - Now the government, which in January was forced to reverse a July decision to abolish the migration ministry, is stepping up efforts to send asylum-seekers whose applications are rejected back to Turkey. "The return process will be sped up," Mitarachi said. To achieve this, the Greek asylum service must deliver faster verdicts under controversial new legislation which came into force in January. "I think it would be reasonable to deal with (asylum application) cases in three months," the migration minister said. Priority will be given to recently-arrived applicants, affording a maximum 25 days to evaluate the request and up to 60 days in the event of an appeal, before rejected applicants are led back to the border with Turkey. In addition, Greece will only grant asylum for a maximum three years and the measure is subject to reevaluation depending on conditions in the country of origin, Mitarachi has said. And to further discourage exiles from crossing the Aegean Sea, the government plans to install a floating barrier 2.7 kilometres (1.7 miles) long and 1.10 metres (3.6 feet) high in the Aegean. The controversial project has elicited the wrath of non-governmental organisations. Human Rights Watch says the barrier "makes no sense and is potentially life-threatening" to the flimsy dinghies into which people smugglers usually pack migrants. Amnesty International similarly said the idea "raises serious issues about rescuers' ability to continue providing life-saving assistance to people attempting the dangerous sea crossing". The government is also compiling a register for humanitarian organisations authorised to assist with migrant rescue, after state officials claimed that some groups had operated like "leeches" drawing on EU emergency funds on migration. - 'Prison camps' - The government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had hoped to appease the anger of the islanders by vowing to close the sordid camps of Moria on Lesbos, Vathy on Samos and Vial on Chios, replacing them with new closed centres by the summer. In Leros and Kos, the existing camps will be enlarged. But elected officials and residents demand the immediate removal of asylum-seekers, fearing that the new centres will be prison camps in all but name. "If we accept a (new) camp for 7,000 people, unofficially it could be 20-25,000 people," Georgios Stantzos, the mayor of eastern Samos, said this week during a protest by islanders in Athens. The capacity of the five new camps will be for 20,000 people. And the migration ministry has warned that improper behaviour inside the camps will count against a person's asylum application. The project has also attracted criticism from NGOs who see it as a violation of international asylum law. "Applying for asylum is not a crime even if you cross a border irregularly. We ask... that detention be the absolute exception," said Leclerc of the UNHCR.
The CPI and RJD workers on Saturday washed a statue of BR Ambedkar with 'Gangajal' in Begusarai's Ballia, a day after Union Minister Giriraj Singh garlanded it during Bharatvanshi Jagriti Yatra.

"We did the purification of the statue because the MP that came yesterday was talking communalism, he was speaking of Hindus and Muslims. We did the purification for brotherhood. We follow Baba Saheb's principles and his Constitution which have no place for communalism," Saroj Kumar, a Communist Party of India (CPI) activist, told ANI.

"We speak of people and humanity and not of caste and religion," he added.

Vikas, a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) worker, said, "We have purified the statue because Baba Saheb was garlanded by a rioter who instigates Hindus and Muslims. I want to tell him that he doesn't have the power to break the bond that people here have."

"Through this message, I want to give the message that Hindus and Muslims were united before, are united and will still be united," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 03:18:08|Editor: yan

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MUSCAT, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Oman's daily crude exports decreased by 17.88 percent month on month in January to 756,586 barrels, said an official report issued Saturday.

The country's daily production of crude oil in January also decreased by 1.26 percent to 958,270 barrels, said the monthly report of the Omani Ministry of Oil and Gas.

However, China's crude imports from Oman increased in January, the report noted.

As the largest importer of Omani oil, China imports 80 to 85 percent of the Omani oil exports.

According to official statistics, the total oil production of Oman in 2018 amounted to 357,111,245 barrels.
EXCLUSIVE Bigg Boss 13: Shehnaaz's Father Not Pleased With Her Participation In 'Mujhse Shaadi Karoge', Calls It A Way To Make Sidharth The Winner
Innovation is booming and The USPTO is Hiring Patent Examiners "The USPTOs Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Program is among the best in the federal government. We see diversity as instrumental to the high quality and efficient examination of patent and trademark applications."

Are you ready to protect what's next in American ingenuity? The USPTO is hiring 100s of engineers to examine Americas patents in 2020!

The Patent Examiner Recruitment Open House event in Atlanta, GA is designed to attract soon-to-be graduates and professionals with backgrounds in biomedical, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering by offering actionable information about job opportunities, salary, benefits, and how to apply to hundreds of open positions currently available in Alexandria, Virginia; San Jose, California; and Detroit. Even more positions will be opening up in the agencys Rocky Mountain regional office in Denver later in the year.

Patent examination is a mission-critical component of the intellectual property ecosystem and the agencys efforts to safeguard American ingenuity. Over 200 years of protecting American ingenuity and still going strong! Our examiners work closely with entrepreneurs to process their patent applications and determine whether or not a patent can be granted.

This translates into endless job possibilities for engineers who have a passion for public service and understand that this work is important to humanity. By granting exclusivity rights for cutting-edge inventions that improve livesor save theminnovations can equitably enter the global market and make the world a better place.

In addition to learning about the work of patent examination and hearing directly from those who love what they do, attendees will get a chance to speak one-on-one with recruiters who will review resumes and discuss qualifications.

The Atlanta job fair will take place at the Patent and Trademark Resource Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech) Library on Friday, February 21, and Saturday, February 22, in Crosland Tower, Room 2130.

One week later on Friday, February 28, and Saturday, February 29, a second event will be held in the Madison Building at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria. Day one will take place in the Global IP Academy (GIPA) and day two in the Clara Barton Auditorium.

Walk-ins are welcome at both events. Register now!

Atlanta

Alexandria, VA
The body of a missing 6-year-old South Carolina girl has been found, and officials are now linking her death, which is being investigated as a homicide, with another death.

Byron Snellgrove, director of the Cayce Department of Public Safety, announced Thursday the body of Faye Swetlik was found and police are treating the case as a homicide.

Snellgrove said authorities did so with "extremely heavy hearts."

Snellgrove said at a brief news conference Thursday that no arrests have been made in the girl's death but there was no danger to the public.



The "critical" piece of evidence that helped authorities find Faye's body was found in a trash can that belonged to the man also found dead in the neighborhood, Sgt. Evan Antley, with the Cayce Public Safety Department, said Friday.

Antley said investigators do not believe that Faye's body was in the location where she was found for very long.

Coty Scott Taylor, 30, was also found dead in his home on Piccadilly Square, which is near Faye's home, Antley said. His cause of death has not been released.

Antley said the two cases are linked but would not go into detail. He did say the evidence that led them to Faye's body was found in a trash can that belonged to Taylor. He would not say what that evidence was, but said it was something that would have been listed on the missing person's flyer.

Antley said Taylor has no criminal history and was not known to law enforcement officers.

"He was not a relative, he was not a friend, he was merely a neighbor that lived in Churchill Heights," Antley said.

Faye went home on a school bus Monday. The family noticed she was missing about 3:34 p.m. and called police by 5 p.m., police said.



Earlier, authorities revealed they were looking into two vehicles in relation to the search.

Authorities released a picture Wednesday of two vehicles that were in the Churchill Heights area when Faye was last seen playing in her yard on Monday.

One of the two vehicles authorities were looking for in connection with Faye has been identified, the Cayce Department of Public Safety said.

Antley said investigators have spoken with the owner of the vehicle but would not provide any details.

Officials said investigators are still seeking information about the silver vehicle.



More than 200 officers questioned people to attempt to find Faye.

Previously, police had stressed Wednesday that people should not believe social media rumors about a body being found.



Officials said Faye was reported as wearing a black shirt with the word "PEACE" written in neon colors, a floral skirt and polka dot boots.



Police have set up a tip line for anyone with information: 803-205-4444.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
on Saturday said will "have to pay the price" in case any telecom firm files for bankruptcy, a day after the Supreme Court made it clear that will have to pay the Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past dues.

The chief of the country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) said it is in the "wait-and-watch mode" and the onus of ensuring telecom companies' compliance with the Supreme Court order lies with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the government.

"If there is a negative impact on any enterprise, it impacts a larger ecosystem, whether it is banks, whether it is employees, whether they are vendors, consumers, so everybody gets impacted. So, that impact, when it comes, we will have to pay the price," Kumar said, when asked about the impact on if telcos move towards

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the unveiling of artworks namely 'Manasvi' and 'Tapasvi' at the Local Head Office (LHO) here. Around 400 computers, more than 2,000 microchips, over 400 keyboards and above 200 discarded credit cards were used to create the two artworks.

He added that the closure of any corporate impacts the country's economy and, therefore, the endeavour is to prevent the shutting down of any enterprise.

Asked if any telco account is currently classified as non-performing asset (NPA), he said there are two accounts, Aircel and RCom, that went into

Besides, he said that SBI will not pass on the burden of the hike in premium of deposit insurance to its customers.

"We never recovered the premium from customers, we will not do it now either. As far as the impact of the rise from 10 paise to 12 paise is concerned, earlier if we were paying Rs 3,000 crore now we will pay Rs 3,600 crore premium," he said.

Following the failure of a number of cooperative banks, with Mumbai-based PMC Bank being the latest and the largest last year, the government hiked the deposit insurance coverage to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh in the Union Budget 2020-21.

"The premium is something which, we consider, will increase from 10 paise to 12 paisa per Rs 100 for the time being. So, the impact on banks' balance sheets is not likely to be much," RBI Deputy Governor B P Kanungo said recently.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Saturday said the central bank will have internal discussions in case there are any issues arising out of the Supreme Court order regarding (AGR) dues to be paid by

On Friday, the Supreme Court threatened contempt proceedings against top executives of Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and other telecom firms for failing to comply with its directive to pay an estimated Rs 1.47 lakh crore in past dues.

However, Das did not offer any specific comments about the order, which might have ramifications on in terms of their exposure to the financially-stressed

The payments to be made by the companies include Rs 53,000 crore by Vodafone Idea, Rs 35,500 crore by Bharti Airtel and Rs 14,000 crore by the now-defunct Tata Teleservices.
Readiness of NATO forces in Lithuania to protect his country in event of a threat is also important for Gitanas Nauseda

Open source

President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda believes that the Baltic countries could not cope with the threat from the Russian Federation in the region without the US assistance. Nauseda stated this during the expert discussion "US forces in the Baltic countries: deterrence or provocation" at the Munich Security Conference, his press service said.

Without the support of the United States and other NATO allies, we would not be able to effectively contain the Russian threat. Our geographic and geopolitical position requires us to use our resources as efficiently as possible. It is important that NATO forces in Lithuania are as prepared as possible, constantly trained, and participate in exercises with the armed forces of Lithuania received quick reinforcements if necessary," - the president said.

He is convinced that for effective deterrence, the potential aggressor should receive a clear signal about the readiness of the Baltic countries to respond and provide countermeasures in case of violation of their security and sovereignty.

As we reported before, on February 15, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko met with German counterpart Heiko Maas.
Journal Register Co.

In her letter of July 22, Barbara Kuslan writes that she has been driving for almost 60 years and has been stopped by police only three times, whereas Philandro Castile, shot by police in Minneapolis, had been stopped 52 times in roughly 20 years of driving. Kuslan concludes that the difference between her experience with the police and Castiles was because I am white and he was black.

I would suggest another explanation than skin color: Kuslan is a much better driver than Castile was. In fact, three stops in 60 years would make Kuslan one of the best drivers in the entire country. Hat tip to her! By the way, just about the only reliable study of the relationship between police traffic stops and race of drivers concluded that police stopped white drivers for speeding proportionately more than they stopped black drivers operating at the same speed level as the whites.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : The CBI on Saturday carried out searches at multiple locations in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad in a cheating case of a Meerut medical college.

A senior CBI official told IANS: "Multiple team of the Central Bureau of Investigationa gency is carrying out searches at four places in Delhi and one location in Ghaziabad.

"These are residential and office premises of the accused." The official said that the raids were carried out at the residence of private persons -- Rakesh Tiwari, Raj Kumar Gupta, Vipon Agarwal and others.

The agency has recovered several incriminating documents, the official said.

He claimed that the three accused hatched a conspiracy to take advantage of Sudhir Giri, Chairman of the Venkteshwara Medical College in Meerut, who is being probed by the CBI in a case registered in 2017.

The official said that the accused had planned to cheat Giri of Rs 50-60 lakh pretending to have good contacts with the investigating officer of the agency. And told Giri that they knew that the CBI had over 160 telephonic conversation of Giri recorded.

The CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry against the accused in January last year and converted it to a regular case on February 13.

The CBI has booked the three named and other unknown accused persons for criminal conspiracy and cheating.
A banks tribute to Black History Month has stirred an unusual question on social media: Is Harriet Tubman doing the Wakanda Forever! salute from Black Panther?'

OneUnited Bank, the largest African-American owned bank in the U.S., introduced a limited edition Harriet Tubman Visa Card on Thursday to honor the Central New York civil rights hero. The debit card features a painting of Tubman with her arms crossed in an "X" in front of her, similar to the salute from the fictional country of Wakanda depicted in Marvels 2018 movie Black Panther.

In a press release, OneUnited Bank said Tubman deserves to be on the $20 bill, and hopes the card will help make it happen sooner.

We have the power to place Harriet Tubman on a global payment device in celebration of Black History Month, OneUnited Bank President & COO Teri Williams said. This symbol of Black empowerment in 2020 will pave the way for the Harriet Tubman design on the $20 bill.

Harriet Tubman and Wakanda Forever quickly became trending topics as Twitter users questioned the use of Tubmans image.

Gonna get this just so I can drop it on the table while splitting the bill, and then look everyone in the eye while humming spirituals, one user tweeted.

DO YOU THINK HARRIET TUBMAN WAS WALKING AROUND SALUTING WAKANDA WHILE SHE WAS TAKING SLAVES???? TO FREEDOM? another said.

Others called it tone deaf and disrespectful.

According to a press release, the picture is from the painting The Conqueror by the internationally acclaimed artist Addonis Parker. The bank also said Tubmans arms were crossed to represent love" in sign language.

Harriet Tubman is the ultimate symbol of love - love that causes you to sacrifice everything, including your own life. The gesture is the sign language symbol for love. Its so important that we love ourselves, @oneunited wrote.

Some took issue with the banks response, questioning whether Tubman ever did the sign for love in her life. Others argued that Tubman risked her life, but didnt sacrifice it; she died in her early 90s in 1913.

The famed abolitionist, who lived in Auburn, N.Y., escaped slavery during the 19th century and helped lead dozens of others to freedom through a network of safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the U.S. Army.

Tubman was announced as the new face of the $20 bill back in 2016, and scheduled to debut in 2020 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. However, President Donald Trumps U.S. Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said last year that Tubman wont appear on any U.S. currency until 2028 at the earliest.

Ive always said that if there's anything on this Earth that I've always wanted on my debit card it woul be Harriet Tubman throwing up "Wakanda Forever" https://t.co/hVwNi49qPq  y'all some bammas (@Deion_Slanders) February 13, 2020

When I pull my Harriet Tubman VISA out my wallet at a racist location pic.twitter.com/14m8NhnPi3  Al-Shabazz (@shabazz_jab) February 13, 2020

even if the image was more...well wasn't this image...but a better rendition of Mrs Tubman, my question: any money going back to organizations or missions that she would have supported? You should not exploit this extraordinary hero's legacy & likeness without giving back. Peace  hanamabay1967 (@hanamabay1967) February 13, 2020

it's amazing how differently the idea of harriet tubman on u.s. legal tender feels than putting her face on a debit card. https://t.co/y7Y5wtmsPX  bomani (@bomani_jones) February 14, 2020

Im getting this card and all of my future transactions will go down like this:



And how will you be paying for this, maam?



It depends. Wakanda payment methods do you accept?



Slams down Harriet Tubman Wakanda Card.  pic.twitter.com/2eLraOvBK4  Dr. Victoria Dooley (@DrDooleyMD) February 14, 2020
A conservative activist group - which bills itself as the right-wing version of GetUp - will target primary school children with a series of new resources designed to counter the "climate alarmist narrative" it says is being pushed in classrooms and the media.

Advance Australia's national director Liz Storer said the resource packs being developed will be sent to schools, parents and grandparents, and could be used in the classroom or at home. The resources will say human-induced climate change "isn't true" and "there's a lot more to the story".

But the NSW and Victorian governments have already indicated the materials in question would very likely be banned in public schools as they "would not be deemed objective".

Students have taken to the streets to protest what they believe is a lack of government action on climate change. Credit:Steven Siewert

Advance Australia, which was founded in 2018 by a group of prominent conservatives, emailed supporters last week hoping to raise $180,000 by March 31 to "help get powerful resources out, especially in schools, to counter the nonsensical climate alarmism".
WASHINGTONIn a blizzard of actions since his impeachment acquittal last week, U.S. President Donald Trump has been using the levers of government to punish his opponents and protect himself in whats being called a threat to the rule of law and a slide toward autocracy.

Trump has always had strongman tendencies  the grandiose rallies and military parades, proclaimed admiration for dictators, declarations that his actions are beyond scrutiny  but his actions this week amplified that affinity in ways that could do lasting damage. Jason Stanley, a Yale University professor and the author of How Fascism Works told Business Insider that the tactics employed by the president and his Republican Party are straight from the literature on authoritarianism.

First there was the punishment of his perceived enemies: shortly after his acquittal, Trump fired some of those whose testimony to the House impeachment investigation had been deemed unflattering. In what has been dubbed the Friday Night Massacre, Trump dismissed his ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, and marched decorated war veteran Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman out of the White House  along with Vindmans twin brother, Yevgeny, who also worked in the White House but played no role in the impeachment trial. Trump suggested the Pentagon should consider disciplining Vindman.

The apparent message: the perception of disloyalty will not be tolerated.

More explicit was Trumps proclamation that he would use policy to punish New York unless it dropped investigations and lawsuits into his taxes. New Yorks attorney general has been investigating several matters related to Trump and his businesses; recently, the Department of Homeland Security suspended the states access to trusted traveller programs that speed entry at border crossings. Trump appeared to connect the two when he tweeted that Gov. Andrew Cuomo needs to understand, in the context of the national security issues, that New York must stop all of its unnecessary lawsuits & harassment.

Walter Shaub, the former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, responded by tweeting that this was quid pro quo extortion.

Time to call fascism by its name. Pay attention, Shaub wrote Friday morning.

Shaub was also referring to what many have considered the most alarming episode of the past week. On Monday, the U.S. attorneys who successfully prosecuted former Trump adviser Roger Stone for crimes related to Trumps 2016 campaign suggested a prison sentence of seven to nine years, which was in line with the standards set out in federal guidelines. On Tuesday morning, Trump tweeted that the recommendation was horrible and unfair, and insisted that the real crimes were on the other side.

Hours later, the Justice Department intervened to overrule its own staff and suggest leniency for Stone. In response, all four prosecutors withdrew from the case, with one even resigning from the department.

What political leadership did here  mandating a favour for a friend of the president in line with the presidents publicly expressed desire in the case  significantly damages the rule of law and the perception of Justice Department fairness, former U.S. attorney Chuck Rosenberg wrote in the Washington Post. This is not normal and it is not right, and it is dangerous territory for the rule of law.

While Attorney General Bill Barr said the decision was unrelated to Trumps interference, he also said the president should stop commenting publicly on such matters. I think its time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases, Barr told ABC. I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.

In response, Trump insisted in a tweet that he has a legal right to weigh in on Justice Department cases. Separately, he suggested to reporters that former FBI director James Comey and the FBI officers who investigated Trumps 2016 campaign ought to be charged.

White House insiders claimed the flurry of actions was the result of Trump feeling both vindicated and strengthened by his acquittal, the Associated Press reported.

After she voted to acquit him, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she hoped Trump had learned a lesson from the impeachment process. This week, she acknowledged that there havent been very strong indicators that he has.

Not so, said Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown  Trumps retribution tour shows he has indeed learned something from acquittal: The lesson is he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.

Whats at stake if Trumps behaviour remains unchecked? Former U.S. attorney Joyce White Vance told the Washington Post, That means that a president is fully above the law in the most dangerous kind of way. This is how democracies die.

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Our latest story on Ohio Congressman and the Ohio State University sex abuse scandal was read nearly a quarter of a million times, and we wonder why that is on our latest bonus episode of This Week in the CLE, the news podcast from cleveland.com.

You can listen to the episode here.

In our weekly bonus episodes, we ask the questions lingering from the weeks news stories.

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David Gauke is a former Justice Secretary, and was an independent candidate in South-West Hertfordshire at the recent general election.

It is sometimes said of a reshuffle that it lacks coherence; that there is no pattern to the various Ministerial appointments; that, to quote Churchill, there is no theme to this pudding. Such a charge cannot be laid against this weeks announcements.

There is a theme  and it is a familiar one. Take back control. Or, perhaps it would be better put as take back even more control.

Three departures illustrate the nature of the reshuffle  Sajid Javid, Julian Smith and Geoffrey Cox. I worked closely with all three at various stages of our careers and had my differences with each of them on occasions, but I like and respect all three.

Much of the news coverage has rightly focused on the resignation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In truth, he was constructively dismissed. As Sajid rightly said, no self-respecting minister would accept the conditions that the Prime Minister attempted to impose upon him to dismiss his Special Advisers.

Given the briefing from sources within Number 10 about him being a Chancellor In Name Only (CHINO), this was surely a humiliation too far. Sajid was bound to walk, even if some in Number 10 thought otherwise. A good man pushed too far.

His resignation did, at least, distract attention from the criticism of the dismissal of Julian Smith. Julian had, in a few short months, impressed all sides in his understanding of the complexities of Northern Ireland, established trusting relationships with all the key players and demonstrated an inexhaustible capacity for hard work. Following the British general election, he recognised that both the DUP and Sinn Fein were under pressure to compromise. He seized that opportunity with courage and imagination and forced through a deal that restored the Northern Ireland Assembly.

It was briefed in advance of the reshuffle that he faced dismissal because he had blindsided Number 10 as to the provisions of the agreement in respect of investigations into British soldiers. However, the evidence suggests that Number 10 was kept fully in the loop.

It is possible that the Government has been taken aback by backbench objections to this aspect of the deal, but that does not justify hanging the Secretary of State out to dry. And if that is the reason, what now for the deal that restored Stormont? Jeopardizing the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland would be reckless in the extreme.

The more likely explanation is that Julian had been too outspoken last year about the consequences of a No Deal Brexit. He described it as being very, very bad for Northern Ireland. Although this was a statement of the bleeding obvious, this went further than any other Cabinet minister had done. Perhaps taking his responsibilities seriously and wanting to avoid something very bad happening to Northern Ireland contributed to his subsequent triumph in restoring Stormont.

Anyway, he had to go. At least his replacement  Brandon Lewis  deserves promotion.

The third significant departure is Geoffrey Cox. Geoffrey emerged as a political star in 2018 when he became a high profile Attorney-General and the Prime Ministers warm-up act. We worked closely on justice matters, although I always felt somewhat like a junior solicitor instructing senior counsel. However, he was a generous and considerate colleague whose contributions at the Cabinet table were eloquent and influential.

A criticism that was made of Geoffrey was that he was a lawyer first and politician second. I suspect he would plead guilty to the charge. He would always refuse to put at risk his legal reputation in the interests of political expediency.

There are plenty who believe that, had he shown more flexibility in his legal advice, the second meaningful vote on Theresa Mays Brexit deal may have succeeded. Geoffrey was aware of what was at stake, but the greatest imperative was to state accurately the law as he saw it. Maybe that doesnt make him a team player  but the Attorney-General should not be just another member of the team.

The credibility that comes with Geoffreys experience has helped calm concerns about the Governments intentions as to the independence of the judiciary. There is a legitimate debate about how the law has extended into areas that best belong to Parliament and the Executive.

However, there is a concern that the Government is seeking vengeance on a troublesome judiciary. I have tended to think those concerns were overblown, that nothing too foolish would happen because neither the Attorney-General nor the Lord Chancellor would put up with any nonsense. A lot rests on Robert Bucklands shoulders now.

This brings me back to the theme of this reshuffle  indeed the theme of this Government. Imagine, for a moment, that you are Prime Minister (or, perhaps, more to the point, the Prime Ministers chief adviser). You worry that you are not as powerful as you would like. There are lots you want to do, but there are all these impediments. You managed to deal with a few already (Parliament? Not a problem with an 80 seat majority; EU rules? Done; The media? Just ignore them). What is left?

First, you dont have much of a machine in Number 10. The answer? Commandeer the Treasury. This deals with the second problem  the most powerful government department, which has a tendency to stand in the way of Prime Ministers doing what they want on the tiresome grounds of affordability and value-for-money.

Third, Cabinet might kick-off  so get rid of the potential troublemakers even if (or should that be, especially if) they have a reputation for being good Ministers.

Fourth, the courts. Not quite sure how to do that yet, but make sure that the judiciary doesnt have any cheerleaders round the Cabinet table.

At one level, I cannot help admiring the ambition and execution. Politics is about acquiring and using power and, when it comes to acquiring power, the Johnson/Cummings axis is formidable. Most successful politicians seek to increase their power; it is not a shameful objective. Control is well and truly being taken back (although I am sceptical that the Treasury really will be neutered).

But is a system of government whereby all power is concentrated in Number 10 likely to result in that power being well used? Bothersome though the reasons why some apparently bright idea cannot be pursued might be (we cant afford it, the law doesnt allow it, we wont get it past Parliament, the Cabinet wont put up with it), the process of government should test robustly any proposal. After this reshuffle, these processes are likely to be less robust.

In a world where policy decisions may have complex and far-reaching consequences, dismantling the checks and balances that exist within our governmental system runs the risk of bad policy being pursued. And with power being concentrated, so will responsibility. Number 10 will have no one else to blame.
Renowned French street artist JR will use a lightning visit to Australia last week as the basis of a work to be unveiled at the NGV Triennial in December.

Though the visit of the 35-year-old artivist (artist-cum-activist) to Melbourne, regional Victoria and western NSW was meant to be under the radar, he rather blew his own cover by posting a series of stories to his 1.4 million followers on Instagram.

French artist JR, photographed in the 18th and 19th century salon gallery at NGV International on Friday night. Credit:Tim Carrafa

There he was dining at Ben Shewrys acclaimed restaurant Attica in Ripponlea on Wednesday. There he was in Pooncarie, midway between Mildura and Menindee, on Thursday getting a first-hand view of the devastating effect drought has had on the Darling River.

And, most tellingly, there he was at the NGV in the company of director Tony Ellwood, taking in the Kaws exhibition and marvelling at the presence of an oversized sculpture by the American artist  another who has graduated from street art to mainstream cultural institutions  amid the Rodin bronzes.
She looked as if she didn't want anything to do with Lisa Rinna and her daughters Delilah Belle and Amelia Gray Hamlin in a photo of her gazing off into the distance during New York Fashion Week.

But Issa Rae said the hilarious viral photo was misunderstood during her appearance Thursday on Watch What Happens Live.

The 35-year-old Insecure star said Lisa was 'rubbing my shoulders a lot, so I wanted more shoulder room.'

Space issues: Issa Rae said Thursday on Watch What Happens Live that the viral photo of her seated next to Lisa Rinna and her daughters at NYFW was the result of wanting more shoulder room

The image in question was snapped at the Vera Wang show in New York on Tuesday.

Issa looked effortlessly elegant in a low-cut black suit as she sat in the front row next to Lisa and her daughters.

While the family also put on their best pouts for the photographer, Issa looked as if she didn't want anything to do with them as she stared off to the side.

'What was going through your head during this moment? Were you miserable? Were you trying to stay away?' Andy asked during the episode's Issa Frank segment.

According to her, she was just trying to give the reality star some space while getting her picture taken.

Keeping her distance: Issa looked as if she didn't want anything to do with Lisa and her daughters Amelia Gray and Delilah Belle Hamlin at the Vera Wang show in New York on Tuesday

Back in black: She looked effortlessly elegant in a low-cut black suit as she sat in the front row next to Lisa and her daughters; pictured Tuesday

Inside scoop: 'What was going through your head during this moment? Were you miserable? Were you trying to stay away?' Andy Cohen asked during the episode's Issa Frank segment

Out of the way: 'The photographer wasnt trying to take a picture of me, so I just moved,' she explained

'The photographer wasnt trying to take a picture of me, so I just moved,' she explained.

Still, she hinted that there might have been some tension between the two actresses by suggesting Lisa was a bit of space hogger.

'She was also rubbing my shoulders a lot so I wanted more shoulder room and that was it! Period,' she said.

The comic star also gave her unvarnished opinions on a number of topics, including the South Korean black comedy Parasite's impressive Best Picture win on Sunday at the Academy Awards ceremony.

'I'm so glad they swept. It's just overdue,' she said.

No-touching zone: Still, she hinted that there might have been some tension between the two actresses by suggesting Lisa was a bit of space hogger

No contact: 'She was also rubbing my shoulders a lot so I wanted more shoulder room and that was it! Period,' she said

After Andy asked her if she thought the award would 'usher in a new era of diversity,' she was more circumspect.

'I hope so, but we say that every year,' she replied.

The Lovebirds star previously made her displeasure with the lack of diversity in Oscar categories clear when she announced the Best Director nominations with John Cho.

After reading out the all-male nominees, including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Sam Mendes, Todd Phillips and the eventual winner Bong Joon Ho, she added the shade-filled line, 'Congratulations to those men.'

Keeping it real: Andy also asked if Parasite's Best Picture win at the Oscars would 'usher in a new era of diversity.' 'I hope so, but we say that every year,' she replied

Burn: She dropped some shade when announcing the all-male Best Director Oscar nominees with the shade-filled line: 'Congratulations to those men'

Issa was joined by Uncut Gems' Lakeith Stanfield on the talk show.

The two star together in the romance The Photograph, which was released nationwide on Friday.

He plays a journalist who falls in love with Issa's character after he's assigned to write a story about her estranged late mother, a well-regarded photographer.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, an attorney for President Donald Trump, speaks to reporters as he arrives for a New Year's Eve party hosted by President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago property, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, in Palm Beach, Fla. Read more

WASHINGTON  As the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump drew to a close in Washington earlier this month, federal prosecutors in New York contacted witnesses and sought to collect additional documents in an investigation related to Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, according to people familiar with their activities.

The recent steps  including an interview with a witness last week  indicate that the probe involving Giuliani and two of his former associates is moving forward, even as the Justice Department has set up a process to evaluate claims Giuliani is making about alleged wrongdoing in Ukraine related to former vice president Joe Biden.

Attorney General William Barr said this week that the department had established an "intake process" to accept information about Biden gathered by the president's personal attorney. Officials confirmed Giuliani's tips are being routed to the U.S. attorney's office in Pittsburgh.

At the same time, the U.S. attorneys office in the Southern District of New York  which Giuliani led in the 1980s  appears to be continuing its wide-ranging investigation of his activities and those of his former associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, including their efforts in Ukraine.

Prosecutors from that office recently sought information related to the former U.S. ambassador in Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who the three men pushed Trump to oust, according to a person familiar with the request who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. They have also inquired about two companies with ties to Parnas, who along with Fruman was charged in October with campaign finance violations, according to people with knowledge of the queries.

The parallel developments mean that one part of the Justice Department is scrutinizing Giuliani while another is accepting information from him allegedly concerning a political rival of the president.

The remarkable dynamic comes at a moment of intense scrutiny for Barr, who intervened this week to lower the sentencing recommendation for Trump confidant Roger Stone in the wake of a tweet by the president  and over the objections of career prosecutors.

The unfolding Giuliani case could further test Barr, who told ABC News this week he is "not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody" and urged the president to stop tweeting about Justice Department criminal cases.

On Friday, Trump rejected the idea that he should stay out of such cases, tweeting that he has a "legal right" to weigh in on criminal investigations.

The president has already publicly decried the federal scrutiny of Giuliani. "So now they are after the legendary 'crime buster' and greatest Mayor in the history of NYC, Rudy Giuliani," he tweeted in October. "He may seem a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he is also a great guy and wonderful lawyer. Such a one sided Witch Hunt going on in USA. Deep State. Shameful!"

People familiar with the matter have said that Barr was briefed on the investigation in Manhattan related to Giuliani's associates shortly after taking office a year ago. His involvement since then, if any, is unclear.

The Washington Post reported late last year that Barr had counseled Trump in general terms that Giuliani had become a liability to him and a problem for the administration.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment.

Giuliani did not respond to requests for comment.

He has said his former office is pursuing the "most unfair, vindictive investigation they have ever conducted."

"I believe that the leaks and the investigation is intended to intimidate me as the president's lawyer," Giuliani told The Post in December. "I am fully confident that I did not commit any crimes of any kind."

An attorney for Parnas, Joseph Bondy, said: "It comes as no surprise to us at all that the Southern District is continuing its investigation, whether into the activities of Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Parnas or others."

"As prosecutors have consistently said, they may well bring additional charges against additional people, as well as Mr. Parnas, and as always we're prepared to defend ourselves on any new allegations," Bondy said.

A federal judge in New York has set an October trial date for Parnas and Fruman, along with two of their business partners, on charges that the men routed illegal foreign contributions to U.S. political campaigns. Prosecutors have said in court that their investigation is ongoing.

All four men have pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors in Manhattan have been exploring a wide range of potential crimes  including wire fraud and failure to register as a foreign agent  as part of the investigation, as The Post previously reported. After the arrests of Parnas and Fruman in October, investigators sought information from witnesses about Giulianis international consulting business.

Late last year, prosecutors subpoenaed a consulting firm founded by former FBI director Louis Freeh, which hired Giuliani to write an August 2018 letter to Romanian officials calling for an amnesty for people prosecuted for corruption, The Post previously reported.

As the House pursued its impeachment inquiry in the fall, little additional information emerged about the New York probe.

But people familiar with the investigation say the FBI took new investigative steps as the Senate impeachment trial drew to a close in early February.

Prosecutors in recent weeks have sought information about Giuliani and his consulting firm Giuliani Partners, as well as about Yovanovitch, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The ambassador was recalled from her post in May after a campaign by Parnas, Fruman and Giuliani painted her as disloyal to Trump.

Yovanovitch testified to Congress that she believed they perceived her as an impediment to their business interests in Ukraine. Prosecutors have alleged in court papers that Parnas and Fruman acted against her at the direction of one or more Ukrainian government officials.

In an interview last month on MSNBC, Parnas apologized to Yovanovitch, saying he now believes he was wrong about her.

In recent weeks, federal investigators have also continued to ask about Victor Shokin and Yuri Lutsenko, two former Ukrainian prosecutors who Giuliani has said provided him with information about Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. Investigators have also made new inquiries about Naftogaz, Ukraines state-owned gas company, with which Parnas and Fruman sought business last year. A top executive for the company was interviewed in November as part of the investigation.

Investigators also appear intently focused on Parnas' financial practices, according to the people familiar with their interest.

Prosecutors told a judge last year that Parnas appeared to have access to "seemingly limitless sources of foreign funding" and had received a $1 million loan in September from the lawyer for a Ukrainian gas tycoon under indictment in Chicago.

Recently, investigators contacted individuals who Parnas had urged to invest in his business ventures.

Giuliani has said that he was paid $500,000 in 2018 to advise one such enterprise, a company co-founded by Parnas called Fraud Guarantee that offered insurance to guard investors from losing money as a result of fraud.

A New York lawyer, Charles Gucciardo, funded Giulianis half-million-dollar fee through an investment in the company, according to a statement from his attorney Randy Zelin.

Gucciardo made the investment because he believed that Mr. Giuliani  the former Mayor of New York City; former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; and, the first name in cybersecurity  was in front of, behind, and alongside the Company, Zelin said in November.

Parnas used Giuliani's involvement in the company to urge others to invest, according to people familiar with the pitches.

Federal prosecutors also have recently sought information about an Atlanta-based data firm called Clickagy, the people said. Their interest in the company has not been previously reported.

Clickagy and Parnas Fraud Guarantee shared a major investor, according to people familiar with the businesses. Clickagy used Parnass connections in GOP circles to attempt to land a contract with America First, the primary pro-Trump super PAC, according to people familiar with the firm.

Clickagy's chief executive, Harry Maugans, declined to comment.

America First has said it is voluntarily cooperating with the investigation. A spokeswoman declined to comment on Clickagy.

In recent days, investigators have interviewed the investor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

He told The Post that he bought $250,000 of shares in Fraud Guarantee in 2016. The investor said that he has received no returns on his payment and that it is not clear to him whether Fraud Guarantee was a real business.

He said he was persuaded to invest in part because he said Parnas told him he could use his high-powered connections to pitch Trump on an idea the investor had to build a temple in Jerusalem on a platform high above the existing city.

The investor, whose interactions with Parnas were first reported by the Wall Street Journal, said he believed the proposal could bring together Judaism, Christianity and Islam  and usher in peace to the Middle East.

At a meeting in Florida, the investor showed Parnas a painting that he had commissioned of the temple, according to Artem Mirolevich, the painter, who was also present.

Parnas said that Trump was the type of person who might be interesting in building something like this, Mirolevich said, noting that the investor had envisioned an 800-story structure built over the ancient city.

Mirolevich said that after the meeting, he unsuccessfully tried to persuade his friend not to invest with Parnas. "I told him: 'It's in the company's name. He's telling you there will be fraud. It's guaranteed,' " he said.

But the investor decided to proceed because he wanted to show Trump his idea for the temple in Jerusalem, he and Mirolevich said.

Bondy, the attorney for Parnas, declined to comment.

The investor said that after he paid Parnas, the Florida businessman became difficult to reach. But after months of little contact, Parnas invited him to attend his newborn son's Jewish circumcision ceremony in Boca Raton in October 2018, the investor said.

He said he was surprised when Giuliani was also among the guests. Around the same time, the investor said he received a letter informing him that Giuliani had joined Fraud Guarantee as an adviser.

After traveling extensively with Giuliani last year and assisting his efforts in Ukraine, Parnas is now a vocal critic of Trump and his attorney.

He turned over hundreds of pages of documents to House impeachment investigators. In media interviews, he has said his work in Ukraine was directed by Trump and Giuliani. His attorney also made public twovideos he said were recorded by Parnas's business partner, Fruman, showing the two men meeting with Trump twice in 10 days in 2018 at small gatherings for elite donors.

Parnas has said he is speaking out in part because he believes that the criminal investigation is an effort to undercut his account of wrongdoing by the president.

His attorney has asked that Barr recuse himself from the investigation and appoint a special prosecutor to handle the matter instead. A Justice Department spokeswoman has declined to comment on the request.

The Washington Posts Josh Dawsey, Alice Crites, Shayna Jacobs and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.
A Long Branch, N.J., man was sentenced Friday to one year in state prison for leaving a pit bull puppy in a cage on the banks of Sandy Hook Bay as a rising tide nearly swallowed the trapped animal.

Aaron D. Davis, 36, was also ordered to pay restitution and to perform community service, the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office announced. A jury convicted Davis in December of animal cruelty following a three-day trial in Superior Court.

Davis, on July 30, 2018, put the 8-month-old gray and white dog, later named River, on the water side of a rock bulkhead in a small wire cage, near Veterans Memorial Park at the bay-front in Highlands, authorities previously said. He took the puppy after a domestic dispute, and investigators recovered video footage that helped identify the dog.

The pooch would have likely drowned in the rising water if not for passerby Jennifer Vaz, who spotted the puppy. Vaz was walking her dog, Molly, who started barking and alerted her to something in the water before she and the Monmouth County SPCA rescued River.

Abusing defenseless animals is an intolerable act and even more despicable when the animal was abused in retaliation to get back at its owner, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said in a statement. Had this passerby not been at the exact right place at the exact right time, River would have drowned due to the rising tides.

River was later adopted, according to the SPCA.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

As many as 185 people have been injured as a result of last week's clashes over a road conflict in Kazakhstan's southern province of Jambyl, the press service of the region's administration said

ALMATY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th February, 2020) As many as 185 people have been injured as a result of last week's clashes over a road conflict in Kazakhstan's southern province of Jambyl, the press service of the region's administration said.

On the night of February 8, riots sparked in the province's Korday district, which the Internal Affairs Ministry attributed to a road incident that soon turned into a violent conflict between ethnic Kazakhs and Dungans, a Muslim group of Chinese origin. Eleven people were killed, almost 50 participants were detained.

Dozens of private residential buildings, commercial facilities and cars were damaged as a result of arson.

"According to the regional headquarters, 185 citizens were injured .... 39 houses, 20 commercial facilities and 47 vehicles burned down," the regional administration said.

It added that 778 affected families received humanitarian aid consisting of food and essential goods in the amount of 57.2 tonnes.

The situation in the region has returned to stable, the authorities said.
Zara Tindall is thought to have played a major role in convincing her sister-in-law Autumn Phillips to stay in the UK.

It was revealed earlier this week that Canadian-born Autumn, 41, and Princess Anne's son Peter, 42, have separated after 12 years of marriage.

A source has now claimed that the Queen's granddaughter, 38, helped her brother and his wife 'mediate' and reassured Autumn she was 'very much part of the family.'

Zara Tindall, 38, is said to have 'reassured' her sister-in-law Autumn Phillips, 41, and played a major role in convincing her to stay in the UK after her divorce (they are pictured during Ladies Day at Royal Ascot last June)

They told the Sun: 'Zara first stepped in to help mediate the couple when she heard of their struggles last October.

'Autumn insisted that she wanted to go home to Canada to be near her family, but Zara reassured her that everyone loved her here and she was very much a part of the family.'

When news of Autumn and Peter's split broke, it was suggested that she could take their two daughters Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven, to live in Canada.

But a spokesperson for the couple later confirmed that Autumn will remain in the UK, where she and Peter have set up home in Gloucestershire.

Friends initially told The Sun that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from the UK could have spurred on the move.

Autumn and Peter's daughters are believed to have Canadian citizenship and they could easily live there.

Earlier this week the Queen's eldest grandson Peter, 42, and Autumn (pictured at St George's Chapel in Windsor on their 2008 wedding day) have separated and are going to divorce

A source has claimed that Zara helped to 'mediate' the couple and told Autumn 'that everyone loved her' in England (pictured L-R is Peter, Autumn, Mike Tindall and Zara at Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding in October)

The couple are currently living under the same roof at their marital home at Aston Farm, on Princess Anne's estate Gatcombe Park.

Princess Anne's daughter Zara also lives on the estate with her husband Mike and daughters Mia and Lena, with whom Savannah and Isla have a close relationship.

The cousins are regularly seen enjoying days out together and having fun playing at the Gatcombe horse trials each year.

People close to the couple have claimed that Mr Phillips is 'devastated' with the decision to split.

Peter and Autumn were last seen in public together when they joined the Queen and Prince Charles at the Braemar Highland Games in September last year.

The family did not join other senior royals at church at Sandringham on Christmas Day and Mr Phillips was pictured on the Norfolk estate without his wife last month.

Zara and Autumn both live on Princess Anne's estate Gatcombe Park and their daughters are often seen enjoying days out together (Autumn is pictured with her two daughters Savannah and Isla with Zara's eldest Mia in the middle at the Shetland Pony Grand National at Gatcombe)

When news of the split broke, it was suggested Autumn could take her daughters Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven, to live in Canada (the two girls are pictured with their father Peter at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire, in August)

Happier times: The family have often spent time together at the Gatcombe Horse Trials over the years (Autumn is seen hugging Peter's arm as Princess Anne plays with her granddaughter Savannah and daughter Zara in 2012)

The statement issued by Gerard Franklin, the couple's official spokesperson, reads: 'After informing HM The Queen and members of both families last year, Peter and Autumn jointly agreed to separate.

'They had reached the conclusion that this was the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship. The decision to divorce and share custody came about after many months of discussions and although sad, is an amicable one.

'The couple's first priority will remain the continued well being and upbringing of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla.

'Both families were naturally sad at the announcement, but fully supportive of Peter and Autumn in the joint decision to co-parent their children.

Peter and Autumn (left holding hands in October 2018 with Zara and Mike ahead of Princess Eugenie's wedding) said their decision to separate came 'after many months of discussions and although sad, is an amicable one'

'Both Peter and Autumn have remained in Gloucestershire to bring up their two children where they have been settled for a number of years. Peter and Autumn have requested privacy and compassion for their children while the family continues to adapt to these changes.'

Autumn was born and brought up a Roman Catholic but renounced her faith shortly before their wedding at St George's Chapel in Windsor in 2008 so her husband-to-be did not have to give up his claim to the throne.

In September, she was spotted with the Queen, Prince Charles and her husband at the annual Highland Games Gathering.

She made a rare appearance alongside Her Majesty at the event, which was held in the small Aberdeenshire village of Braemar.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 16:15:03|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Ping An Bank saw a 13.6-percent rise in net profits in 2019 thanks to the strong performance of retail businesses.

The company's net profits rose to 28.2 billion yuan (about 4 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to its financial report.

The bank's revenue reached 137.96 billion yuan in 2019, up 18.2 percent year on year, said the report.

Since the beginning of last year, the bank has diverted more loans to retail businesses and improved the quality of its assets.

The business structure shake-up has seen revenue from retail businesses surge 29.2 percent year on year to 79.97 billion yuan in 2019 or 58 percent of the bank's total.

By the end of 2019, the bank's total assets reached 3.94 trillion yuan, up 15.2 percent from the end of 2018, according to the bank.
Jammu and Kashmir authorities did not allow a conference on the Union Territory's future in which senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar was to participate as no prior permission was sought for it, officials said on Saturday.

Aiyar claimed he was put under "hotel arrest" and police stopped people who were to attend the conference titled 'Jammu and Kashmir-- The Road Ahead and organised by an NGO, from entering the hotel which was the venue of the meeting.

Officials denied Aiyar being under any "hotel arrest".

They said no prior permission was sought for hosting the conference.

The authorities also said there was no detention of Aiyar and he was free to go to the airport in the morning to catch his return flight as scheduled.

The Congress leader said he arrived in Srinagar on Friday for the conference organised by the Centre for Peace and Progress at the invitation of the organisation's chairman O P Shah.

"In the morning (on Saturday), police arrived and told Mr. Shah, when I was on a morning walk, that he is not allowed to hold the meeting which was scheduled at 1 PM today at the hotel in which we are staying. After that he called me and asked me to return to the hotel as quickly as possible. A policemen came and said he was under orders to inform Mr Shah that the meeting would not take place," Aiyar told PTI over phone from the hotel.

"Police stopped people at the gate from coming inside. Both Mr Shah and I were at the gate. I am hoping both of us will be able to return to Delhi tomorrow as we are booked on flights," the former Union minister said.

There seems to be a strange sort of a "hotel arrest", he alleged.

"I read in the newspapers how the envoys were shown that there was normalcy here and I wish they had seen the condition in which Mr Shah and I are in. We came here as Indians, this is an unbreakable and 'atoot ang' of India, to meet our co-Indians and we find that our co-Indians are being denied their rights," Aiyar said.

The Shah-led organisation has been regularly holding meetings in Jammu, Srinagar and New Delhi. Its headquarters is in Kolkata, Aiyar said.

On August 5, last year, the government reorganised Jammu and Kashmir, bifurcating the state into two union territories and withdrew its special powers. It also imposed severe curbs including on movement of people as well as on mobile telephone and internet connectivity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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After Leah Culver, a tech entrepreneur, decided to buy her first home, she hunted for a turnkey house in San Francisco for about a year and a half. She wasn't thinking of putting in a ton of work on the home, but she also wanted something unique. A place with flair.

Her home-buying plans were scrambled when she noticed that one of the famous "Painted Ladies", on what's known as the city's "Postcard Row," had appeared on the market earlier this year.
A newly married couple from Texas is stuck aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, but they are not letting it get in the way of their Valentine's Day celebration.

Tyler and Rachel Torres, who tied the knot in September, say they are trying to stay optimistic after their honeymoon turned into an extended stay on the ship.

"We have a bottle of wine. We saved it the whole trip," Tyler Torres, sitting alongside his wife Rachel of five months, said in a video aired on the network's special "Outbreak" report that day. "Now we're like: 'It's Valentine's Day. We're drinking it.'"

The luxury days on the ship are no more as passengers were instructed to stay in their cabins after a voyage through East Asia. While being holed up in their room for nine days after the cruise has ended, Rachel Torres joked that it feels as if they'd been married for 15 years.

"We're also going to dress up for dinner tonight," she said, while Tyler Torres showed off a Kit Kat bar they would share. "This is our honeymoon."

Rachel Torres said the trip was fun, until the quarantine came. She is counting the days to be able to disembark the cruise ship on Wednesday, but her experience has since declined into a "roller coaster" as the optimism waned.

"Yesterday, hearing the news from the chief medical officer that [February] 19th may or may not be the date we get out and [it] kind of scared me a little bit," she said.
Ingrid Escamilla, 25, was brutally murdered in Mexico City

Feminist protesters hurled blood-red paint at Mexico's presidential palace yesterday as thousands of women protested against the gruesome murder and mutilation of a young woman who was 'stabbed, skinned and dismembered.'

Protesters spray-painted slogans such as 'femicide state' and 'We won't be silenced' on the doorway of the National Palace as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was holding his daily news conference inside.

The heated Valentine's Day demonstration was sparked by outrage over the murder of 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla in Mexico City and the publication of graphic photos of her mutilated corpse in newspapers.

Her killing is the latest in a wave of brutal murders of women that have been dubbed 'femicides' by the protesters.

Protesters spray-painted slogans such as 'femicide state' and 'We won't be silenced' on the doorway of the National Palace

They are protesting over the killing of 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla in Mexico City and the publication of graphic photos of her mutilated corpse in newspapers.

Protesters are furious at a rise in violence and murder against women in Mexico

Police unleashed pepper spray during the demonstration after bus stops were smashed

Some spray-painted the plastic shields of riot officers as the crowd chanted 'Not one more murdered!' and 'Justice!' One protester spray painted 'INGRID' in tall pink letters on another palace door in tribute to Miss Escamilla.

As police unleashed pepper spray protesters smashed bus stop windows and vandalized signs.

Hundreds also marched to the offices of a media outlet that published grisly images of the crime scene and a newspaper truck outside was set ablaze.

About 10 women are slain each day across Mexico just because they are women, the government and activists say.

Last year there were 3,825 in all, which was up 7 per cent from 2018, according to federal figures.

'It's not just Ingrid. There are thousands of femicides,' said Lilia Florencio Guerrero, whose daughter was violently killed in 2017. 'It fills us with anger and rage.'

She called on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who was inside the palace as the protests continued, to do more to stop the violence.

Others graffitied slogans including 'they are killing us' on the building's walls and ejected bright flames from cans of flammable spray paint.

Erik Francisco Robledo, 46, is pictured covered in blood at the time of his arrest on suspicion of murder and mutilation of his wife, Ingrid Escamilla Vargas, 25, in Mexico City

A stands guard outside the National Palace, the presidential office and residence, during a demonstration against gender violence in Mexico City

A masked, female protester stands with a sign before the media at the entrance to the National Palace

Not only have attacks on women become more frequent, they have become more grisly.

In September, a young female musician in the southern state of Oaxaca was burned with acid by two men who testified they had been hired by a former politician and businessman who allegedly had an affair with her.

But the killing last weekend of Miss Escamilla, a young Mexico City resident who was allegedly murdered by a boyfriend, has horrified Mexicans for its brutality.

The man, who has been arrested and purportedly confessed to killing Escamilla with a knife, mutilated her body and flushed part of her corpse into the sewer.

Indignation grew after some local media published horrific photos of the skinned corpse, apparently leaked by city police officers.

The protesters read a statement Friday saying 'it enrages us how Ingrid was killed, and how the media put her body on display.'

Police unleashed pepper spray on the demonstrators during the protests in Mexico

Journalists record as police spray fire extinguishers during a protest against gender violence in Mexico City

'It enrages us that the public judges us, saying 'this isn't the right way to express your rage,'' the statement continued. 'We are not mad, we are furious.'

In the past, women's protests in Mexico City had been criticized for spray-painting historical monuments and trashing city infrastructure, but the damage Friday was minor, and criticism almost non-existent.

The Interior Department said in a statement it 'condemns the publication and distribution of such material, given that it re-victimizes people and promotes sensationalism and morbid curiosity. It is an attack on the dignity, privacy and identity of the victims and their families.'

The president said Friday morning in the colonial-era palace as the protesters were outside that such killings were hate crimes and 'an act of brutal machismo.'

He said: 'I'm not burying my head in the sand ... The government I represent will always take care of ensuring the safety of women.'

La Prensa, a newspaper that ran the gruesome image on its cover, defended its record of reporting on crime and murder, subjects it said the government prefers to keep quiet. The paper also said it was open to discussion on adjusting its standards beyond legal requirements.

'We understand today that it hasn't been sufficient, and we've entered a process of deeper review,' the paper said in a front-page statement on Friday.

Newspaper Pasala had filled nearly its entire tabloid cover with the photo, under the Valentine's Day-themed headline: 'It was cupid's fault'.

The cover sparked anger not only at the gory display, but also the jocular tone over a crime for which Escamilla's domestic partner has been arrested.

Pasala editors did not respond to requests for comment.
CAIRO (AP)  An Egyptian court Saturday rejected the appeal of an activist and vocal critic of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi for release from detention, his lawyer said.

Police detained Patrick George Zaki, 28, an Egyptian student at the University of Bologna in Italy, after he arrived in Cairo last week on what was supposed to be a brief visit home. Zaki's detention has generated tremendous interest in Italy because of a 2016 case involving an Italian graduate student who was found dead in Cairo.

Prosecutors ordered Zaki to remain in detention pending an investigation into allegations of disseminating false news and calling for unauthorized protests.

Egypt outlawed all unauthorized protests in 2013 months after el-Sissi, then defense minister, led the militarys removal of the countrys first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi. The removal came after Morsi's one-year rule proved divisive and sparked nationwide protests.

Zakis arrest and detention has worried rights activists who warn of Egyptian prosecutors tendency to renew the 15-day investigation period repeatedly.

Zaki appealed the detention ruling Saturday, but the appeals court in his home city of Mansoura in the Nile Delta upheld the prosecutors decision, defense attorney Huda Nasrallah said.

She said Zaki attended the court session and no one was allowed to meet with him after the court decision.

Nasrallah said Zaki told the court that he was detained at Cairo International Airport and questioned for at least six hours before being moved to a security facility in the city.

He told the court that he was beaten and tortured with electric shocks," she said.

There was no immediate response from Egypts Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, about the allegations.

The lawyer said Zaki must wait for 30 days to be able to again appeal his detention under Egyptian law.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, or EIPR, said representatives from the European Union and the Italian Embassy also attended the court session.

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EIPR once employed Zaki as a gender rights researcher and now represents him. Zaki hasbeen on leave from the EIPR since last August while pursuing a masters degree in gender studies at the University of Bologna.

Zaki's detention has deeply rattled Italy, where he is pursuing a masters degree in Gender and Womens Studies. The case has dredged up painful memories of the 2016 disappearance in Egypt of 28-year-old Italian researcher Giulio Regeni.

Regenis battered body was found on a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo. Italys public prosecutor has opened an investigation into several Egyptian police and secret service members in connection with Regenis torture and killing.

Regenis death remains a source of simmering tension between the countries.
A former Co Down nurse who could have killed her son in a drunken arson incident has been given a two-year probation order (stock photo)

A former Co Down nurse who could have killed her son in a drunken arson incident has been given a two-year probation order.

Donna Fitzpatrick was the cause of over 170 emergency police calls in two years to her own home, a judge at Newry crown court was told.

The arson case was due to go to trial in January, but a late plea was entered and the defendant rearraigned.

Fitzpatrick (50), of Longstone Road, Annalong, pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life or property on July 3, 2019.

She had served five months in custody on remand following the arson at her home, when she also set fire to her hair.

The court heard the background to the case, which outlined the night in question involving an intoxicated Ms Fitzpatrick, who has suffered from mental health issues compounded by the death of her mother and mother-in-law and the break-up of her marriage.

The court heard the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service was contacted by the PSNI at 4pm on the day in question.

Fitzpatrick was taken from the scene to Daisy Hill Hospital where she remained an inpatient until July 5.

A previous record showed that she had received a three-month suspended sentence in 2018 for assaulting an ambulance worker.

The injured party, the "juvenile son" of the defendant, spoke to the authorities, with the police wearing body cameras at the time of the arson. A written statement was later provided.

The son stated that he had returned home from work at 3pm to find his mother in her bedroom lying drunk with a bottle of wine.

He removed the wine bottle, but was met with verbal abuse from his mother.

The son then went into the living room to lie down and fell asleep.

At 3.52pm the injured party's phone rang and he woke up to also hear the smoke alarm in the house going off.

He discovered his mother in the hallway on the floor with the curtains on fire.

When he approached her, she began to set fire to dry reeds in a plant pot.

The son covered the reeds and threw them outside before getting himself and his mother out of the house, as well as the family dog.

Neighbours and a couple passing by came to their assistance and threw buckets of water over the flames.

Fitzpatrick then took a blue lighter out and set fire to her own hair.

The shocked onlookers managed to put the fire out in her hair with a cup of water. Whilst in custody on remand, the drastic effects of the flames to Fitzpatrick's scalp could be seen.

During police interview, she claimed the matter had been an accident.

She stated that she had lifted a candle and burnt her fingers causing her to drop a tea-light candle on to the curtains.

However, she later pleaded guilty to the charge.

His Honour Judge Gordon Kerr alluded to the continued indecisiveness of the defendant on whether or not to accept psychiatric help.

He warned Fitzpatrick: "If you do not cooperate with probation and are brought back before me for alternative sentencing, it will be a prison sentence of two years."
Chennai, Feb 15 : Protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the police action against the protestors on Friday night here were held by muslim organisations in Chennai, Nagercoil, Madurai, Virudhunagar and other places on Saturday.

According to the police, during the anti-CAA protest in Chennai on Friday some protesters hurled stones and chappals injuring some policemen. This prompted the police to resort to mild baton charge and some prostesters were detained, as they had assembled for protest without permission.

The protesters also demanded the Tamil Nadu government to pass a resolution in the Assembly against the implementation of the CAA.

Meanwhile speaking to media, Chennai Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan said they had visited police officials who were injured at the protest site on Friday and no public was injured.

Viswanathan said permission has not been granted for holding the protests.

The Police Commissioner also met the Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Saturday.

DMK President M.K. Stalin urged the Tamil Nadu government to withdraw the cases against the protesters, while condemning the police action on them late on Friday.

Image Source: IANS News

He also said the state government should permit holding of peaceful protests.

Stalin said the protests were held peacefully and he demanded the state government to pass a resolution against the CAA on Friday evening.

In a statement MMK leader M.H. Jawahirullah also condemned the police action.

He said Tamil Nadu police has been denying permission to hold protests in Chennai, Madurai and other places similar to that of being held in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh.

Jawahirullah said the police had not kept their word of giving permission to hold anti-CAA protest when approached. The protesters decided to hold protest on Friday and the police took action against them.

He also demanded action against the police officials and release of those arrested.

-- Syndicated from IANS
1. No meeting scheduled between Amit Shah, Shaheen Bagh protesters: MHA

The development comes hours after protesters at Shaheen Bagh claimed to be going to meet Shah at his residence or office on Sunday afternoon to discuss issues related to CAA and NRC.

Read more here

2. Year after Pulwama attack, security forces claim south Kashmir's Tral is 'terror-free'

Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have claimed Tral area of Pulwama in south Kashmir is "terror-free" and the number of terrorists in the area has now been reduced to three. Read more here

3. Bihar: CPI, RJD activists 'purify' Ambedkar statue with holy water after Giriraj Singh garlands it

In yet another shocker from Bihar's Begusarai, a few CPI and RJD workers purified a statue of BR Ambedkar alleging that it was defiled by Union Minister and local BJP MP Giriraj Singh, a popular Hindutva hardline. Read more here

4. Provide protection for Kanhaiya Kumar after cavalcade attacked: D Raja to Bihar CM

The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Saturday sought adequate protection for party leader and former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar after his cavalcade was attacked in Bihar. Read more here

5. In major organisational rejig, JP Nadda replaces BJP state chiefs in MP, Kerala and Sikkim

In a major overhaul, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday announced three state party presidents, paving the way for more organisational changes in state units. The party high command appointed K Surendran as president of the Kerala unit, Vishnu Dutt Sharma as president of Madhya Pradesh BJP and Dal Bahadur Chauhan as Sikkim BJP president. Read more here

6. Three Kashmiri students arrested in Karnataka for raising pro-Pakistan slogans

The police in Karnataka's Hubballi arrested three Kashmiri students today (February 15) for raising pro-Pakistan slogans. According to police, the three are students of KLE Technological University and were in their hostel room when they recorded a video of themselves singing a song written in praise of Pakistan and raising 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan. Read more here

7. Virat Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal, AB de Villiers pose in new RCB jersey ahead of IPL 2020

After Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) unveiled their new jersey, captain Virat Kohli, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and prolific batsman AB de Villiers posed in the new kit ahead of the upcoming 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Read more here

8. Shahid Afridi, wife Nadia blessed with fifth daughter

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi and wife Nadia, who were expecting their fifth child, are now proud parents of a baby girl.

The 45-year-old took to his official Twitter handle to share the news with his well-wishers that he has been blessed with a fifth baby girl by posting a picture. See the picture here



9. Bigg Boss 13: Monalisa, husband Vikrant cheer for 'real hero' Sidharth Shukla

'Bigg Boss 13' contestant Sidharth Shukla has found the support of actress Monalisa and her husband Kunwar Vikrant Singh ahead of the grand finale on Saturday evening. Posting a picture of Sidharth from the show, Vikrant admired him for his strong personality and said he is a 'one-man army' while Monalisa commented on the post by saying, "True... Real hero, Sidharth Shukla." Read more here

10. Priyanka Chopra dances to Aankh Maarey with Nick Jonas in Italy

Star couple Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, despite their busy schedules, made sure they celebrated Valentine's Day together. Priyanka flew to Italy to be with Nick, who is currently occupied with the Jonas Brothers' Happiness Tour. Ahead of the concert in Milan, Priyanka and Nick danced together to 'Aankh Marey' from Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan's 'Simmba'. In the now-viral video, shared by Nick on Instagram, Priyanka cheers for her husband as he shakes his leg to the song. She joins him later and the couple dance happily like no one's watching. Watch here
The Kerala government



on Saturday granted permission to the vigilance department to initiate a probe against former health minister and Congress leader V S Shivakumar in a disproportionate assets case.

In an order dated February 14, released on Saturday, the state government granted permission for the probe. Earlier, the Governor Arif Mohammed Khan too had given the green signal.

"The vigilance director had requested permission to register a case against the former minister in a matter related to disproportionate assets," the order read.

Vigilance had earlier received many corruption complaints against the former minister, including purchasing of a hospital, unaccounted foreign travels and many transactions in benami names.

Vigilance reportedly found that the assets of Shivakumar, his family and that of his personal staff had increased disproportionally.

However, Shivakumar, who met the media, said the case was filed by some anonymous person, and was rejected earlier.

"This is a politically motivated case. When we have raised the issue of corruption as pointed out in the CAG report, they have brought this up. This case is to divert the attention from the corruption of the government. I will co- operate during the probe and take necessary action after discussing with the party leadership," Shivakumar said.

Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala also lashed out at the Left government and said the move was politically motivated.

"The United Democratic Front (UDF) will face this case both legally and politically. We are sure that Shivakumar is innocent," Chennithala said.

Meanwhile, another Opposition UDF MLA V K Ebrahimkunju, who was former PWD minister, appeared before the vigilance team for questioning in the Palarivattom over-bridge case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A team of scientists from the University of Minnesota used a working dictionary of more than 1,500 unique dance moves used by bees to communicate with each other to gain new insight into their pollen preferences.

The list of dance moves was used as part of a larger study into how land managers might prepare natural habitats to be more accommodating to bees, whose populations have been in rapid decline in recent years.

The team, led by University of Minnesota's Morgan Carr-Markell, brought two large bee colonies to two different sites in Minnesota where previously developed land had been reconverted into prairieland with a mix of native and non-native plants.

Researchers in Minnesota observed two different colonies of bees using more than 1,500 different 'waggle' dance moves to communicate with each other

The team originally wanted to study how bees reacted to different types of pollen sources to help guide land managers to an optimal mix of plants to support new bee populations.

After the bees returned to the hive from flight from various investigatory group flights, they communicated about a wide variety of subjects using what the team described as waggle dances, according to a report in Newsweek.

These waggle dances were first identified in the 1940s by Dr. Karl von Frisch, an Austrian ethologist who later won a Nobel Prize for the work in 1973.

The waggles were used to communicate with other members of the hive, indicating a range of information, the direction of the nearest pollen source, how far away it is, and how generally valuable to view the plant's pollen.

In all, the team observed 1,528 unique waggle dance motions used to communicate about the bees reaction to the native and non-native plants.

The bees were able to communicate a range of information just by shaking their rears, including indicating how far away a source of pollen was, and what general quality the pollen source would be

The thing I think is the most interesting about bees is their communication, Carr-Markell said.

So I wanted to be able to use that to help land managers who are interested in planting for bees, and give them on-the-ground information.

By analyzing the bees communications, the team was able to show that among the native plants the most highly prized were goldenrods and prairie clovers.

By tracking the bees movements and communications, the team was able to demonstrate they preferred pollen sources that were non-native to the prairie

Surprisingly, the most highly prized overall were non-native flowers.

The team concluded by suggesting, that perhaps the most reasonable approach would be a mix of native and non-native species to maintain the bees' enthusiasm.

Our results suggest that including certain native prairie [flowers] in reconstructed prairies may increase the chances that colonies will use those prairies as major food sources during the period of greatest colony growth and honey production, the study says.
Senior civil and police officers on Saturday visited Shahpur sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district and took stock of the situation in the aftermath of Pakistani shelling that left a villager dead, officials said.

Sixty-year-old Badar Din was killed and four others were injured when Pakistan army targeted civilians while they were heading towards a mosque to offer Friday prayers in Shahpur hamlet.

District Development Commissioner, Poonch, Rahul Yadav and Senior Superintendent of Police Poonch Ramesh Angral visited the shelling-hit village and handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh as ex-gratia relief and Rs 10,000 out of the Red Cross fund to the next of kin of the deceased, the officials said.

The officers also inspected the mosque, which was hit by splinters during the unprovoked shelling by Pakistan, they said.

They took stock of the situation and assured all possible help to the villagers, the officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Love Aaj Kal Star Kartik Aaryan Shares A Glimpse Of His First Performance At Filmfare Awards; Watch
By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Polina Ivanova

ANKARA/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Turkey dismissed on Saturday Russian accusations that it has flouted de-escalation agreements with Russia and Iran in Syria's Idlib province, and threatened to take military action in the area if diplomatic efforts with Moscow fail.

Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides in Syria's war, agreed in 2018 to set up a de-escalation zone in the northwestern province. But their fragile cooperation has been disrupted by a Syrian government offensive in Idlib, in which 13 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the past two weeks.

Ankara has said it will use military power to drive back the Syrian forces unless they withdraw by the end of February, and President Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey will strike government forces anywhere in Syria if another Turkish soldier was hurt.

Erdogan discussed the situation in separate phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, but there was no immediate word of a diplomatic breakthrough.

Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, says Turkey, which has poured military forces into Idlib, has aggravated the situation and failed to neutralize militants there.

But Turkey blames the situation on the advances by Syrian government forces in Idlib.

"We cannot overlook the cruelty happening in our neighbor," Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay told broadcaster NTV. "Turkey has fulfilled its responsibilities in Idlib."

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey wanted to resolve matters with Russia over Idlib through diplomacy. But, speaking during an international security conference in Munich, he added: "If it won't work through diplomatic channels, we will take the necessary steps."

Ankara has been angered by the seizure by Syrian government forces of Turkish military observation posts established in Idlib under the 2018 deal.

Story continues

"It is impossible for us to remain silent against their siege. We are doing what is necessary against them," NTV quoted Erdogan as saying on a flight back from Pakistan.

Erdogan also chided the United States, a NATO ally, saying U.S. statements of support did not instill trust.

Speaking in Istanbul later on Saturday, Erdogan again said Turkey would drive back Syrian forces unless they withdrew to the borders outlined by Ankara and Moscow in 2018. But he also appeared to bring forward his end-of-February deadline.

"The solution in Idlib is the (Syrian) regime stopping its hostility and withdrawing to the borders in the agreements. Otherwise, we will handle this before the end of February," Erdogan said.

"We would like to do this with the support of our friends. If we have to do it the hard way, we are also up for that," he said, apparently referring to Ankara's Western allies.

"Until we clear Syria of terrorist organizations and the cruelty of the (Syrian) regime, we will not rest easy."

TALKS

Despite the tough rhetoric, Russian and Turkish officials are talking behind the scenes. Turkish and Russian officials held talks in Ankara on Saturday and Cavusoglu said a Turkish delegation would go to Moscow on Monday for talks.

Cavusoglu also had talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich on Saturday - the first ministerial level meeting between Ankara and Moscow since the situation deteriorated in Idlib.

Cavusoglu tweeted that he had a "positive meeting" with Lavrov but that Turkey would not be "making an evaluation" until after Monday's talks in Moscow. Lavrov said Russia had very good ties with Turkey, but the sides did not always agree on issues.

Cavusoglu was also quoted by Russian news agencies as saying differences over Syria should not affect Ankara's relations with Moscow or disrupt a contract for the purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems which has strained Turkey's ties with Washington.

Erdogan said his phone call with Putin - his second since the Turkish troops were killed - had been positive and that statements by other Russian officials that criticized Turkey did not reflect the tone of the call.

However, Erdogan later criticized Russia for its support of Assad in the conflict: "Russia's efforts to capture land for a regime that is the enemy of its own people is nothing more than extending its life through a respirator. Soon even a respirator won't work and, God willing, the regime will suddenly turn into a corpse."

In the conflict in Syria, which began in 2011, Turkey has supported rebels looking to oust Assad. Erdogan said this week the Turkey-backed rebels launched an offensive to retake some areas they had lost to Syrian forces.

State-run Anadolu news agency said buses carrying commandoes and trucks with more military equipment had been sent to reinforce the Turkish observation posts.

The increased violence in Idlib has caused hundreds of thousands of people to abandon their homes and head north to the Turkish-Syrian border. Turkey, which hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, has said it cannot handle a new influx.

Syrian state media said Syrian troops had began clearing barricades from a highway between Damascus and Aleppo after recovering full control of the road for the first time in more than seven years.

Syrian state media also reported advances by Syrian government forces towards rebel-held Atarib, some 24 km (15 miles) west of Aleppo, and three towns to its northwest.

On Friday, Turkish and Syrian state media reported Turkish-backed Syrian rebels shot down a government helicopter west of Aleppo in the Idlib region.

(Additonal reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut and Umit Bektas in Istanbul; Editing by Edmund Blair, Helen Popper and Timothy Heritage)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 11:13:29|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Despite the ongoing epidemic, Chinese people still celebrated Valentine's Day with support from foreigners in Shanghai who wrote "love letters" to cheer up Chinese people in their anti-epidemic efforts.

The "Love letter to China" project, initiated by Senait Petros Tekeste, head of a Shanghai-based non-profit organization, calls on foreigners living in the city to write online letters to show support to Chinese people at this unpleasant hour.

After the coronavirus outbreak, Tekeste and her family chose to stay in China. They settled down in Shanghai in 2017. Tekeste said they trust the local government's anti-epidemic prevention and control efforts.

Workers from Tekeste's community office have taken on the responsibility of caring for households amid the epidemic. Bilingual brochures containing information about medical supplies and the virus have been sent to nearly 2,000 foreign families from more than 60 countries and regions.

Tekeste said she missed the bustling streets and the crowded city, though she believes "things will definitely get better."

One day, an idea hit her that she should call upon foreigners in the city to show their support to front-line medical workers and ordinary Chinese people.

The love letter project began with the first one written by Tekeste herself, followed by dozens of foreigners including both employees and students in Shanghai.

"We witnessed how China and her people overcame SARS and we have no doubt it will be just the same with the coronavirus," said Carrie Jones. She and her husband Dewayne Jones came to the city in 2002 after graduation.

Nelda Carpenter, mother of Carrie Jones, who has visited Shanghai before, also wrote a love letter, recalling her wonderful experience in Shanghai.

"The idea of such loving and welcoming Chinese people facing this terrible virus makes me so sad. Know that you are being sent love and well wishes that the virus is soon eradicated," said Nelda Carpenter, Carrie's mother who also wrote a letter.

Yvonne Chen, a high school student at Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School, wrote that "Shanghai to me is not only my hometown but also my everything."

The popularity of the project was beyond Tekeste's expectations. More and more foreigners uploaded their love letters online.

Tekeste expects to continue the project and encourages foreigners across China to write more letters.

"China's efforts to contain the virus have been absolutely outstanding, especially when it started before the travel rush of Spring Festival," said Vladimiro Viola, Tekeste's husband.

"Now our roots are in Shanghai, this is our home away from home," Tekeste added.
Michael Bloomberg has wanted to be President of the United States for a long time. He toyed with the idea both in 2008 and 2016. But as a shrewd data-driven political leader, Bloomberg must have had a difficult time seeing a path to winning the Democratic nomination. That is, until now.

With the lackluster performance of the original frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden, and the Democratic establishment's unease with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Bloomberg jumped into the lane opening up in the 2020 race, focusing on the Super Tuesday primaries in March.

But I suspect the most compelling reason Bloomberg made his decision to jump in was not the rest of the Democratic field, but one person who defines American politics today -- President Donald J. Trump. And, more to the point, Democrats' obsession with defeating him in the fall.

Bloomberg is an unlikely Democratic nominee. A onetime Republican, the billionaire former mayor of New York hardly appeals to the classic Democratic coalition. His support of the New York Police Department's "stop and frisk" policy disproportionally impacted minority communities and earned him the antipathy of black leaders both in New York and around the country. His public and private comments on race and policing have made him unelectable among many Democratic voters.

His wealth and Wall Street background also alienates many of the core supporters of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. His comments on income inequality, which were attacked this week by Warren, run counter to several key Democratic messages. And his massive wealth and willingness to spend unlimited amounts run against the party's instinct to limit the amount of money in politics.

While a contemporary of Joe Biden, he's not spent the last 40 years building relationships and support among rank and file Democrats, including union leaders, DC insiders and the foreign policy establishment. Finally, he's not a great speaker and qualifies as a charter member of the charisma-challenged caucus.

So, why are Democrats considering overlooking Bloomberg's baggage now to the point that he's currently running as high as third, according to a Quinnipiac poll? Because in my view, rank and file Democrats are so invested in the imperative to defeat Donald Trump they may well be willing to ignore the issues that likely kept Bloomberg out of the race at the outset. Earlier this week, a resurfaced recording from 2015 revealed Bloomberg defending stop-and-frisk, as well as racist policing in New York City.

Now, it's not all baggage with Bloomberg. He's spent massive amounts of his personal wealth funding gun safety campaigns around the country. With that, he's built a network of political supporters who've benefited from his financial support. His leadership and financing of climate change initiatives has also provided him with a base of liberal and young leaders around the country.

But as in many puzzles, the answer is following the money. And that's what Bloomberg has, and lots of it. And unlike some other billionaires, he's willing to spend it, as much as it takes, to win both the nomination and the presidency. He's already spent more than $300 million on advertising alone and has built a nationwide campaign staff of almost 2,500 people.

He's also proved he can get under President Trump's skin with comments like his response when asked what a race between two billionaires would be like. Bloomberg deadpanned: "Who's the other billionaire?" That, and ads that scorch the President's character and record, have served as a salve for Democrats near hysteria that Trump may be reelected for a second term.

Many donors are privately excited by Bloomberg for selfish reasons -- they won't have to pony up big sums in both the primaries and general election to help him get elected. He will self-fund the campaign completely.

Other Democrats were pleased he made the commitment to spend into the billions through the fall even if he's not nominated. And party professionals are tickled that Bloomberg is spending massive sums attacking Trump in battleground states right now when Democratic candidates can't afford it.

Finally, the massive alarm sounded by political professionals about the online dominance of the Trump campaign has literally been wiped out overnight by Bloomberg's spending on social media platforms.

There are still obstacles ahead. Bloomberg has not participated in a single debate and has until this week largely avoided the scrutiny of the media and the other candidates. He's needed to prove he's more than an advertisement candidate, and can both deliver a punch on the stump and take one himself.

Advertising professionals can make anyone seem exciting and compelling; the normally staid Bloomberg will have to prove he's got some persuasive powers beyond the largesse of his checkbook.

The single-minded mission among Democrats partially explains why Joe Biden stayed on top of the Democratic field for so long. Now that he's faltered in two straight contests, Democrats increasingly are looking to Bloomberg as the solution to the problem they care about above all elsedefeating Donald Trump. And they might be willing to give the previously thought "unelectable" Mike Bloomberg a long look for the Democratic nomination for President.

What was very unlikely in 2008 and 2016, is now looking like a real possibility. And Bloomberg is willing to see just how far a political candidate can get on a couple of billion dollars. And Democratic voters look willing to consider an unlikely candidate because he can do the thing that matters most to them. Win.
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday dared the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to pull down the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government if they can. The MVA government is a coalition between Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress.

The Sena chiefs attack on his estranged ally came in response to statements by BJP leaders that the state government will collapse owing to infighting and there will be mid-term elections.

The spat between Thackeray and BJP leaders took place in the backdrop of resentment within the ruling coalition over the CMs decision to not oppose the Centres move to hand over the Elgar Parishad probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who is considered the architect of the MVA government, had on Friday criticised Thackeray over the decision to let go of the case. On Saturday, Congresss Maharashtra in-charge Mallikarjun Kharge, too, expressed dissatisfaction over the transfer of the case. This isnt fair. We are partners and such things should be discussed. You [Uddhav Thackeray] may have power, but one should use it judiciously. Our ministers are there, they will fight, said Kharge.

Maharashtra BJP leaders grabbed the opportunity to hit out at the ruling alliance, saying there will be mid-term polls in the state. Speaking at the BJPs two-day state executive meeting in Navi Mumbai, BJPs Maharashtra unit chief Chandrakant Patil said the three-party government will collapse due to internal differences.

We will not make any efforts to topple it, the government will come down on its own owing to infighting. We have begun preparations for mid-term polls, said Patil, adding that an Operation Lotus will be conducted after April.

Senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse, too, said the ruling alliance will break. MVA has differences on several issues and they are coming out in the open. I believe these differences will keep increasing and a time will come that this government will collapse, said Khadse.

Thackeray, however, launched a counter-attack on BJP in the presence of Pawar, as they attended two functions at Jalgaon. Thackeray ridiculed BJP over their Operation Lotus plan in Maharashtra. Why are you talking about toppling the MVA government tomorrow? I challenge you to pull it down today. Being the son of Balasaheb Thackeray, I like to take up challenges and this challenge I have accepted, he said at a farmers rally in Muktai Nagar, Jalgaon.

Thackeray and Pawar chose not to talk about the differences in the ruling alliance over the Elgar Parishad case handover to NIA. Thackeray said he will speak on it at an appropriate time.

Have sought legal opinion if state can still form SIT: Anil Deshmukh

Even as the government has handed over the Elgar Parishad case to NIA, the state home department, headed by NCP leader Anil Deshmukh, has sent a note to the advocate general (AG) seeking his legal opinion on whether an SIT (Special Investigation Team) can be constituted for probing the case, said the minister in Pune on Saturday. Even if the NIA has taken over the case, the government can go ahead and constitute an SIT if the AG gives his legal opinion on the issue. I have sent my note to the AG and the his

legal opinion is awaited, said Deshmukh.
On Sunday, we asked readers to share their Save Our City thoughts. The owner of the Douglaston Deli in Queens answered our call with an e-mail describing the real problems that hit business owners like him hard.

The state and city governments have totally failed us, whether its the outrageously high minimum wage or the nonstop oversight from government agencies (that) like to impose new rules and regulations on what seems like a daily basis, Matthew Walters writes.

Jessica Walker, president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, has one idea for a solution: require City Council legislation to include economic-impact statements, revealing a proposed new laws cost to the businesses it hits. Asking small-business owners how theyll be affected would be a good practice, too.

Deli owner Walters cites the bureaucratic hell owners face to get licenses from the city, its high taxes and a recent spike in shoplifting  thanks, perhaps, to bail reform.

Every year, we have to pay $280 for our food license. Every three years, we pay $360 for our liquor license, he writes. And its getting worse: A new fee, for the city to manage paid family leave, costs us almost $500 a year as it is based on employees. The more employees you have, the more you pay. Another job-killing mandate.

Oh, and after the $15 minimum wage took effect, all his vendors wrote to say they were raising their prices to cover the extra labor costs.

A de Blasio administration report notes the importance of small businesses: Of the approximately 220,000 businesses located in the city, 98 percent are small (fewer than 100 employees), and 89 percent are very small (fewer than 20 employees). These businesses employ nearly half of Gothams workforce, and they tend to grow far faster than larger ones.

Given the importance of small businesses to our economy, the report notes, its critical to create an environment where it is easy for small businesses to open, operate and grow. Walters would surely agree  and beg Team de Blasio to heed its own words.

 New York Post

Patience, urged Republican Party officials in Iowa earlier this week. Give the Democrats time to ensure results of political party caucuses on nominees for president are reported accurately.

Give GOP officials credit for adopting a there but for the grace of God go I policy. But mistakes made by the Iowa Democratic Party leadership are a virtual how-not-to-do regarding important processes in politics.

For many years, Iowans have held the distinction of being a bellwether state in presidential election years. Their town-meeting style caucus system of naming favorites for both the Democrat and Republican presidential nominations is watched closely by many, as an indicator of how well candidates will do later in the year.

But after Iowans caucused on Monday, the rest of the nation waited, and waited, and waited some more for results involving Democratic candidates. State party officials were able to release only partial results by Tuesday night.

What went wrong? A new, high-tech system used to tally and report results of the caucuses simply did not work.

How was that possible? Was the system not provided by a reliable company, then tested and retested to ensure it functioned well?

Obviously not. In fact, Iowa Democrat leaders picked what The Associated Press termed a little-known startup company to supply the app. Then, the firms name was kept secret, as amazing as that may seem. It turns out the company is named Shadow Inc., and it includes some people who worked in previous Democratic presidential campaigns. Did political factors outweigh prudence in selecting the firm?

It was learned this week that the new technology was rushed to the point that many of the people who needed to use it at 1,678 precinct caucuses throughout Iowa were not trained adequately. Some reportedly decided not to use the app.

At a time when suspicion regarding the mechanics of selecting presidents is high, failure of the Iowa Democratic Party experiment does not bode well for increasing confidence. Hopefully, those involved in the process in other states will learn from Iowa. At least, they can reflect, the fiasco occurred early in the process.

 The Post-Journal

So  getting more worried by the day about the coronavirus epidemic center in China? As of Tuesday, officials were reporting more than 1,000 deaths among the approximately 43,000 patients with the disease on the Chinese mainland, plus more than 460 confirmed cases and two deaths in other countries.

What if we were to tell you of an even worse outbreak  one the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says may have claimed as many as 10,000 American lives during the past several months?

What if we were to add that there is a very real chance you may come down with the disease, because about 26 million other people in this country have?

Pretty scary, eh?

Were talking about common influenza.

CDC analysts say the flu kills as many as 36,000 Americans every year, on average  though it is important to note that some scientists question the agencys statistics. They point out that the CDC number is for flu-related fatalities, some of which may be by pneumonia not resulting from flu.

Still, any way you look at it, common flu is a greater danger than the strain of coronavirus now in the news.

The difference, of course, is that there is no vaccine to guard against the new coronavirus strain. On the other hand, commonly available vaccines can provide at least some protection against the flu.

Still havent gotten that flu shot? You may want to get one.

 Adirondack Daily Enterprise

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Photo: The Canadian Press

A number of incidents allegedly tied to the homeless population around a cold weather shelter on Stevens Road has caused some concerns among residents in Rose Valley.

The Rose Valley community Facebook page chronicled a number of these incidents, including Monday's "lock and hold" at Hudson Road elementary due to an unstable person and a disturbing incident at the nearby A&W on the same day.

Another incident Wednesday involved the removal of a person from a walk-in clinic after that person apparently locked themselves in a bathroom to do drugs.

Kevin Hill, administration and operations manager with the West Kelowna Shelter Society which runs the Stevens Road shelter said he was aware of the incident at the A&W, but said the person involved was not a client.

He says that individual suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and is not welcome at the shelter.

"In most cases, that is actually worse than the addiction. If we can ever get them detoxed off the addiction, they still have to deal with the FAS which is quite debilitating," said Hill.

"The reason we can't have him in our facility is because he is severely disabled with FAS, and has no concept of right or wrong."

Hill says the society does monitor its perimeter extensively to keep people such as drug dealers away.

"We have a pretty good idea who the dealers are in the area, and they know they're not allowed anywhere near one of our sites.

"If we even see them drive by, we make a call to the police."

Hill says he does sympathize with residents who may be fearful of some of the people at the shelter, saying he wouldn't want some of them in his neighbourhood.

The shelter is only temporary, and is scheduled to close at the end of March.
But his support was dramatically lower than it was in those states four years ago. In Iowa he went from winning half the vote in 2016 to 26 percent. He won 60 percent in New Hampshire four years ago, but only 26 percent last Tuesday. Does that suggest he has a ceiling this time around? Perhaps, but the same was often said about Donald Trump four years ago, and people who said it turned out to be wrong.
A resident wearing a protective mask and a plastic bag is seen outside a supermarket in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in China's central Hubei Province. AFP



By Amanda Price



A Twitter post left for the World Health Organization regarding coronavirus victims read: "Remember, these are not numbers, but real people. Unfortunately, there are still some people who are not included, and their life and death stories are outside the statistics."



If you run an internet search on any aspect of the coronavirus, you will find countless web pages replete with statistics. The South China Morning Post publishes a running tally alongside almost every article on the subject. If you want more a more reliable source, the "Worldometer" website provides figures that are updated in real time.



Numbers seem to have a power over us. We feel safe if they are single digit, concern when they are double, and panic when they become triple. It is part of our survival instinct, part of our highly globalized sensitivity to impending danger. We not only have statistics almost as soon as they are counted, we now know what they mean as well.



In these dense forests of facts and figures, it is hard to see the people for the data. Human beings hidden behind numbers are less likely to cause international outrage. Figures can be fudged, but faces are harder to forget.



Countless experts and analysts have claimed that the Chinese government is providing us with "an inadequate picture" of what's really happening at ground zero.



John Edmunds, an analysis professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Reuters: "We have a very incomplete picture of what's going on. Whether it's incompetence, secrecy or deliberate". Edmunds explained that the unverified data that China provided made it impossible to progress at the pace that the crisis demanded.



Medical staff collapsing from trauma, family members searching for loved ones who suspiciously disappeared and terrified children left behind with strangers are missing from the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) narrative. But even with a manipulated narrative, what we hear is distressing.



Independent Chinese journalists, foreign press and social media activists squeeze out as much information as they can, at least until they are traced and their work disappears. From the scraps that we have, a picture emerges that contradicts official reports.



Within cities quarantined, the spread of the coronavirus was somewhat curtailed. However, in the wake of the virus a new illness has spread  fear.



Residents interviewed by journalists from Reuters and Caijing claim their primary fear is no longer catching the coronavirus, but whether they are able to receive treatment.



Between the sick and treatment is an almost impenetrable wall built by years of autocracy and officialdom. Residents report that because of complex and sequential reporting systems, involving district managers, city officials and disease control authorities, it is now commonplace to be denied treatment for trying to take a short cut through the maze of protocol. And being at death's door does not make you an exception.



To qualify for any tests, certain rigid criteria must be met by all potential patients. This process is exhausting, the paperwork seems endless, but residents have begun to suspect that there are two factors that create this "death by bureaucracy". The first is the unprecedented spread of the virus and the inadequacy of resources; the second is that a dead person is one less person that needs attention.



As if this were not enough, residents have reported that even when they have fought their way inside a hospital, they have been turned away because their symptoms were not "severe enough".



As one resident reported, "severe symptoms means you are dying, otherwise you do not qualify. But if you are too close to death or too old to survive, they may give you oxygen and tell you to self-quarantine. It's not the doctor's fault, but only the ones in between get a bed. Then they (officials) count beds, not the people sent away."



Tong Yixuan's father was drifting in and out of consciousness due to his febrile state. He was able to get into a hospital where doctors said it was almost certainly the coronavirus. He was sent to another ward but was told there was no bed for him and, as he could still breath without aid, his symptoms were not severe enough. Tong was told to take his father home and keep him isolated.











Staff in protective clothing distribute food to patients that were quarantined in a hotel in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, Feb. 5. EPA



The information that the CCP does not release is that a proportion of citizens are, literally, dying while their relatives beg authorities to test them and, if they are lucky, treat them as well. Many residents say that getting healthcare for themselves or their families, at even the most basic level, is becoming an impossible quest. Others have said "it is like winning the lottery."



Lim began to feel unwell on January 24 and subsequently collapsed on the street. He was 80. He found his way to a district clinic where, despite being feverish, he was told he would have to go to a larger hospital that had more equipment. He waited, with his daughter, over five hours to see a doctor who said he would need to wait for six hours before scans could be done.



Lim was shivering with fever, so his daughter took him home. Waiting for hours the following morning, Lim was finally taken in for a scan. Tests could not be done that day as they had run out of kits, but his daughter was told his scans showed both lungs were severely infected.



They were told to go to the emergency room where he waited another six hours. The next day, the same hospital told Lim they had no bed for him and he would have to try another hospital.



After being turned away from two more hospitals, Lim could not breathe, so his daughter called an ambulance, only to be told that, without official documentation from the hospital, they could not come. Lim died from the virus for lack of a piece of paper.



Residents have reported that every day they nervously wait for the sound of vans arriving to collect those who've died in their homes. There are no autopsies. Bodies are immediately taken to the crematorium where ashes remain until relatives pick them up.



Lim was fortunate, he had a daughter to care for him. But there are many less fortunate, and if they get sick, there may be no one to wait with them, no one to plead their case, no one to notice that they are no longer there.



None of these people's deaths will be recorded by authorities among the tally of victims. These were the coronavirus victims who died because they were unable to sit for hour upon hour, or day after day, or make the arduous journey from hospital to hospital.



But the elderly are far from the only ones with stories like Lim.



Seeping through cracks in the great firewall of China are countless stories of far younger individuals waiting for days as their symptoms worsened and their infection spread. Student Xiping, 28, was turned away from six hospitals and refused treatment for want of a piece of paper that no one had time to give him.



Tragedy does not belong only to the sick. Children, though less often infected, become a new level of victims of the virus when their parents or guardians are found to be infected. Stories of children and toddlers left with neighbors, or placed into wards all alone because they have no one to care for them, have sprung up on the internet.



One of these stories made headlines when a boy with advanced cerebral palsy was left to die despite his father, who was infected, pleading for someone to care for him. Another case of a mentally disabled young girl left to fend for herself disappeared from the internet overnight. The government promised there would be investigations, but did nothing to make sure it could not happen again.



While compassionate community members often step up to watch over these children, some have already become orphans. Because of Chinese President Xi Jinping's crackdown on foreign NGOs, and because no safety net has been established for these children, they are often literally dependent on the kindness of strangers to survive.



Despite these dire circumstances, doctors and nurses are thankfully not seen as culprits. They too are victims. A doctor from the Wuhan Central Hospital said at least 1000 doctors and nurses had been infected. He declined to say how many had died.



The signs of traumatic shock have begun to appear among medical staff, including depression, anxiety, chronic exhaustion, fear, paranoia and acute loneliness. Reports of doctors unable to make simple decisions or nurses collapsing in wards have appeared on social media, later to disappear.



On January 30, nurse Lee (not her real name) wrote on Weibo that she had seen doctors give the wrong treatment to the wrong patients as a result of stress, anxiety and exhaustion. She wrote: "people are dying because we are not able to cope. It is cruel for everyone."





A medical staff member collects a sample taken from a person to be tested for the new coronavirus at a quarantine zone in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China's central Hubei Province, on Feb. 4. AFP
New Delhi

A fire broke in the basement of The Park hotel in Connaught Place in central Delhi on Saturday morning, triggering panic among guests, many of them foreigners, and the staffers as smoke engulfed the rooms they were staying in.

At least 12 people, including 11 foreigners, had to be rushed to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital after they complained of breathlessness, uneasiness and nausea due to smoke inhalation, the police said.

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officials said that the hotel didnt inform them about the fire and a senior fire official said that a notice has been issued to the hotel seeking an explanation why.

Of the 12 guests, nine were discharged after medical attention, while three others, including two Norwegian nationals, are still undergoing treatment at the hospital. The smoke had spread to several rooms across several floors of the hotel. One of the guests brought in for treatment was staying in a room on the ninth floor of the hotel, said additional deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi), Deepak Yadav.

The only Indian guest, 30-year-old Kundan Rai from Gurugram, is still admitted at the hospital after suffering cuts on his hand, while breaking a glass window, said Yadav.

A hotel staffer, too, suffered cuts on his hand while breaking a glass in the basement while trying to let the smoke escape, fire department officials said.

The police said that lapses were found on the part of the hotel authorities as they neither informed the police nor the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) about the fire incident. The police learnt about the fire incident only after the hospital authorities alerted the Rajender Nagar police station about the hotel guests who had been admitted there. The Rajender Nagar police informed the New Delhi district police about the fire and they in turn alerted the fire department.

The fire broke out in the hotels basement at around 9am, but we got information about it around 12.30pm. By then the hotel staffers had contained the blaze, the additional DCP said.

A case has been registered against the hotel management and investigations are underway, said the additional DCP.

The officer said that the hotel officials will be asked to join the probe and explain why they did not inform the police about the fire.

DFS chief Atul Garg said that five fire tenders along with firefighters were rushed to the hotel..

We will carry out an inspection to ascertain if fire fighting arrangements were in place at the hotel to tackle such emergencies. The hotels fire no-objection certificate (NOC) will be cancelled if any lapses are found, he added.

When contacted, The Park issued a statement stating, We are deeply concerned about the incident that took place at the basement of the hotel this morning. There was a short circuit that lead to a minor fire, however, the situation was quickly normalized by our in-house crisis management team. Some of our guests were exposed to the smoke of the fire and as a precautionary measure were sent for a thorough check up to the hospital.

Safety has always been our top priority and we assure that all our guests and employees are safe. An investigation has been launched, the statement read.

During the preliminary investigation, additional DCP Yadav said, it was learnt that some maintenance work was being carried out in the generator at the hostels basement, when a fire broke out due to a short-circuit. Some electric cables in the basement caught fire before the hotel staffers could douse the blaze using fire fighting tools available at the hotel.

By the time the flames were contained, the smoke had engulfed the entire basement. The smoke entered the air-conditioned duct and travelled to several rooms on various floors. The guests staying in those rooms were exposed. They panicked and started complaining of breathlessness and uneasiness, said a police officer associated with the investigation.

Dr S Katoch, additional director medical of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said, Today morning around 11am, nine patients were brought to casualty after a fire incident at The Park Hotel. Seven patients were discharged after first aid. Two male patients from Norway have been admitted for breathing difficulty due to suspected inhalation injury.

Ends
He's one of the most iconic faces in rock history.

And Alice Cooper proved he's just as rock n' roll as ever on Friday night, as he performed at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

The Poison hitmaker, 72, put on a lively show as he continued the Australian leg of his Ol' Black Eyes Is Back tour following a gig in Adelaide on Tuesday.

Rock on! Alice Cooper proved he's just as rock n' roll as ever on Friday night, as he performed at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia

The music icon was seen rocking a vast array of outfits for the guitar-fuelled performance, including a top hat, a straitjacket and black leather gloves.

Staying true to character, Alice's eyeliner was drawn on thick around his blue eyes, as he belted out tracks such as School's Out and No More Mr. Nice Guy.

The musician, known for his distinctive raspy voice, commanded attention on stage as he took the microphone with him as he sang.

As good as ever! And as ever, Alice's eyeliner was thicker than ever as he belted out tracks such as School's Out and No More Mr. Nice Guy to the waiting crowd

Elaborate: The music icon was seen rocking a vast array of outfits for the powerful performance, including a top hat, a straitjacket and black leather gloves

Why not? The set was just as impressive, with a huge Frankenstein and giant babies among those who joined him on-stage for the wild night out

Putting on a show: The musician, known for his distinctive raspy voice, commanded attention on stage as he took the microphone with him as he sang

He was warmed up by Victoria's own metal band, Airbourne.

Alice's return to Australia marks the first time in three years since his 2017 tour with Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley.

The tour is actually his 14th tour in Australia since his first time on stage Down Under 43 years ago.

Alice will continue on to Sydney on February 15 and Brisbane on February 18.

Welcome! His return to Australia marks the first time in three years since his 2017 tour with Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley

Back for more: The tour is actually Alice's 14th tour in Australia since his first time on stage Down Under 43 years ago

In between, Alice will lend his profile to the sold-out Fire Fight Australia bushfire relief concert at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on February 16.

Comedian Celeste Barber, whose Facebook fundraiser has now raised more than $50million for bushfire victims, will host the event.

Olivia Newton-John, Queen + Adam Lambert and k.d. lang will headline the event, alongside more than 20 local and international acts.

While Fire Fight Australia 2020 has completely sold out, it will be broadcast on Channel Seven and Foxtel from 1pm on 16 February.
Poor forest management will see BC property values fall and insurance costs rise. Why?

Flooding from clear cuts  Anthony Britneff, retired senior official at BC Forest Service, predicts more Grand Forks style flooding. Citizens that lost their retirement, livelihood and community infrastructure must wonder how the Premier considers this sustainable. Heavy snow packs, direct sunlight on clear cuts speeds melting, rushing runoff into town. It may be your town next.

Watersheds  only account for 1.5 per cent of BC landmass but are logged at a frenzied pace. Vancouver, Victoria, NYC, Seattle and Portland forbid logging in watersheds. Currently over 26 BC communities are fighting to protect theirs. Logging these water purifying ecosystems results in dirty water flowing to your community water system, wildlife driven into town to eat your plants and pets and costly system maintenance expenses.

Expense 1  When forestry logs the watershed, water of poor and inconsistent quality flows to the water treatment plant, the plant cannot adequately treat water so boil water advisories result. Dirty water causes higher deterioration on water infrastructure. Soon new treatment plants and infrastructure are required. Forestry doesnt pay for this, taxpayers do. Example: $24 million for a new water treatment plant equals $4,500 per Peachland citizen.

Expense 2  Government subsidized spraying to kill deciduous trees. Done to improve coniferous tree harvests while negatively affecting habitats, biodiversity and community fire resistance. Deciduous trees slow and stop wildfires. Deciduous spraying is a government handout costing taxpayers; money and perhaps lives.

Tourism  "Beauty strips" support the Beautiful BC illusion. Beauty strips are unlogged forest left around communities and roadways to make the public and tourists think that they are living in an intact, well managed forest. Climb up your local ridge or go to Big White to observe vistas of clear cut. Tourists are starting to catch wind complaining that the country side looks like a patchwork quilt.

Why does all this continue?

Government is captured by industry and politicians are too soft to mount a fight. Im not picking on the NDP. This has been going on for a long time. They are as guilty as the Liberals.

Forestry is governed by Professional Reliance. In other words, the companies govern themselves.

Peachland council has requested a logging moratorium from the provincial government. Minister of Forests Donaldson had a political lackey respond that logging would continue despite the moratorium request.

Donaldsons kneeling to industry will drive BC property values down while insurance costs rise.

Get your wallet ready.

Michael Huber, Peachland, BC
(CNN)  At least 15 children were killed Friday when a fire broke out at a Haiti children's home run by an American religious non-profit, police said.

The blaze took place at the Orphanage of the Church of Bible Understanding in Port Au Prince, said Jennifer Melton, Haiti's chief of child protection for UNICEF, the United Nations' children's agency.

Haiti's president Jovenel Moise tweeted Friday that he was "deeply moved" by the deaths and directed officials to "adopt urgent measures" to determine the cause of the fire.

Fire officials are investigating whether a burning candle started the blaze, a police official told CNN.

Melton said about 60 children survived the fire. She noted the facility is often referred as an orphanage but in Haiti they are known was children's centers.

About 80% of the children in such facilities have a living parent, who likely can't financially support them, Melton said.

The Church of Bible Understanding, a Pennsylvania-based non-profit group, runs two facilities in Haiti housing about 150 children, according to the group's website.

The group has been operating in Haiti since 1977 and supports several other smaller homes in the country, the group said.
In the proverbial dog days of June 2019, a golden retriever in Hillsboro, Oregon, took matters into her own paws when she saw a chance to cool off at the dog park, full on wallowing and wriggling in the mud until every furry inch of her was covered.

Ashley Rangel captured footage of the hilariously dirty pooch at the Hondo Dog Park in Hillsboro on June 19 of last year.

Rangel told Storyful the sight was especially striking because theres normally not any mud at the park.

The person that opened it up didnt get the memo that they were supposed to keep it closed that day, she said. The parks staff came into the park right after I filmed this and kicked us all out.

Rangel said her own dog does not necessarily enjoy mud the same way this golden retriever does.

My dog, Piper, wouldnt stop barking at the muddy dog, like, What are you doing! Youre going to get in so much trouble! she told Storyful.

Rangel can be heard asking the dogs owner what color the pooch was before, to which he replies, Shes a golden  she was.

Rangel said she and those around her were wondering the same thing: How the heck is he going to get that dog home? she said. But at least it is having fun! Credit: Ashley Rangel via Storyful
UTICA - Oneida County Court Judge Michael Dwyer has ruled some statements in the Jason DAvolio murder case cannot be used at trial.

DAvolio is accused of shooting his wife Kerrilee to death in July of 2019 and putting her body in a Rome dumpster. Her body was later found in an Ava landfill.

Judge Dwyer ruled statements DAvolio gave police from the time his phone was confiscated to when he was read his Miranda rights can't be heard.

DAvolio is charged with second degree murder and concealment of a human corpse. His trial is scheduled to begin on March 16th.
A worker wearing a protective suit gestures to a driver outside a tumor hospital newly designated to treat COVID-19 patients in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province on Feb. 15, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP)

Impossible to Predict What Direction Coronavirus Epidemic Will Take: WHO Chief

No one can predict what direction the new coronavirus epidemic will take, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.

Let me be clear: It is impossible to predict which direction this epidemic will take, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

International experts are concerned about the continuing increase in the number of cases in China, Tedros said.

We are concerned by reports from China yesterday about the number of health workers who have been infected or died. We are concerned by the lack of urgency in funding the response from the international community. We are concerned about the severe disruption in the market for personal protective equipment which is putting front line health workers and carriers at risk. We are concerned about the levels of rumors and misinformation that are hampering the response, he added.

And most of all, we are concerned about the potential havoc this virus could wreak in countries with weaker health systems.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addresses the audience on the new coronavirus during the 56th Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 15, 2020. (Christof Stache/AFP via Getty Images)

Tedros said efforts in China have stemmed the spread of the virus, adding: China has bought the world time. We dont know how much time.

The outbreak has spread to over two dozen countries, infecting tens of thousands of people and killing at least 1,500. French health officials said earlier Saturday that a Chinese tourist in the country died from the virus, the first confirmed death in Europe.

Deaths have also been confirmed in the Philippines, Japan, and Hong Kong.

Health officials have repeatedly stressed that much remains unknown about the virus, which emerged in Wuhan in December 2019, including its origin, the range of severity, and its transmissibility.

In China, citizens are suffering, living in fear, and worried about themselves, friends, and family members, Stephen Morrison, senior vice president and director of the Global Health Policy Center, said at the conference in Munich.

A nurse cares for a patient in the isolation ward for 2019-nCoV patients at a hospital in Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei province on Feb. 6, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP)

And the end is not yet in sight. The outbreak is still in an ascending phase. Its not yet under control, he added.

The WHOs advance team landed in China on Monday. The rest of the team, which is aiming to help China react to the outbreak, is set to land over the weekend. Theyll study different aspects of the outbreak in an attempt to figure out answers to unanswered questions.

Current statistics from Chinese authorities indicate that 90 to 100 percent of patients requiring hospitalization need supplemental oxygen, Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHOs emergencies program director, told reporters in Geneva earlier this week. Of those, up to a quarter need intensive care and 5 to 10 percent may require some form of mechanical ventilation.

Thats a huge demand on the system. So its a tremendous achievement that so many patients can be kept alive. But theres a lag and some of those patients will die and thats a very unfortunate thing, he said.

Imagine this disease establishing itself in a weaker health system, he added. This disease may appear relatively mild in the context of a sophisticated health system. That may not be the case if this disease reaches a health system that is not as capable as that of China.
Colombo (AFP) - Sri Lanka arrested a former ambassador to Russia after he was extradited from Dubai Friday to face money laundering charges over a controversial MiG aircraft purchase, police said.

Udayanga Weeratunga was taken before a magistrate in Colombo who remanded him in custody till Monday pending a further hearing.

Police in a statement said Weeratunga, who is also closely related to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's family, was arrested in connection with an investigation into the Sri Lankan military's 2006 purchase of four second-hand MiG-27 aircraft from Ukraine.

There had been an international warrant for his arrest. At the time of the purchase, President Rajapaksa was the secretary to the ministry of defence. Weeratunga was Sri Lanka's ambassador to Russia from 2006 till former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's election defeat in January 2015.

The MiG-27 ground attack aircraft formed part of the military's armoury in crushing separatist Tamil Tiger rebels and ending the island's 37-year-long ethnic war by May 2009.

Weeratunga has been accused of kickbacks in the aircraft deal, but he has denied any wrongdoing.
With no organization and order in providing critical medical gears, the local governments of China's efficiency is slowly revealing its cracks. Since the start of the 2019 novel corona virus outbreak, there has been a massive demand for face masks which can be your first line of defense from contacting the disease. The panic brought about by the spread of the dreaded virus has led people to rush in stores and buy face masks, however, there has been a shortage of face masks ever since CODIV-19 broke out.

China, the country where the corona virus outbreak is most dense, is also the biggest producer of face masks around the world. However, even if all factories run at full capacity, they can only make 20 million pieces of face masks per day, which is not even close to meeting five percent of the needs of the 776 Chinese who are already returning to their jobs in China. In the case of surgical and N95 masks, which provide more coverage, factories in China can only produce about 2.8 million daily, which is relatively low for the 12 million medical professionals in the country.

Also read: MWC 2020: Amazon, Sony and Other Major Companies pull-out due to Corona Virus Threat

In order for people to be able to get back to work, for factories to reopen, and to control the spread of corona virus, China needs hundreds of millions of face masks to be produced every day. However, the countries bureaucracy is sending out mixed messages about its ability to provide. Consequences of this has been felt in Hong Kong where panicked shoppers have cleared out shelves of masks and even toilet paper.

Ironically, China being the largest mask manufacturer has already imported more than 56 million masks from other countries. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., a supplier of Apple already took the matter into its own hands and started their own mask production for their employees.

This has critics saying that once again China's bureaucrats have proven their incompetence in controlling the outbreak, which started in Hubei Province and was accelerated by the slow response of the government.

Hubei Province, the epicenter of the dreaded outbreak is also a major industrial hub for products used in surgical masks. Thus, even when they were under lockdown critics say that they should not be experiencing shortage. However, Chinese officials have told the producers of these products that factories cannot reopen until the February 14 unless their goods are already cleared for sale within China.

Furthermore, it's not only China that is experiencing mask shortage. According to Express UK, 50% of masks used by medical professionals in Britain are imported from China. However, manufacturers have ceased exportation due to the spread of CODIV-19, this has led to suppliers restricting the number of masks that can be bought and some even tripling the prices. Suppliers in the United Kingdom have already applied blanket restrictions, which only let dental professionals to order two boxes of face masks at most per day.

Shortage of face masks due to coronavirus has also affected China's neighbors in East and Southeast Asia.

Related articles: Hong Kong Officials Investigate Possible Coronavirus Transmission Through Pipelines

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 01:19:00|Editor: huaxia

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The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 15, 2020. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday called for solidarity in fighting the epidemics here at the 56th Munich Security Conference. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday called for solidarity in fighting the epidemics here at the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC).

"We must be guided by solidarity, not stigma," he reiterated, adding that the greatest enemy is not the virus itself but the stigma "that turns us against each other."

"We must stop stigma and hate," he stressed.

"The outbreaks of Ebola and COVID-19 underscore once again the vital importance for all countries to invest in preparedness and not panic," he told the MSC audience.

The WHO chief said that world spends billions of dollars preparing for a terrorist attack, but spends little preparing for the attack of a virus, which could be more far deadly and far more damaging economically, politically and socially.

"This is frankly difficult to understand and dangerously short-sighted," he said.

In addition, the WHO head said that he is encouraged about the steps China has taken to contain the outbreak at its source, which are slowing the spread of the epidemic to the rest of the world.

He is also encouraged that international experts are now on the ground in China, working closely with their Chinese counterparts to understand the outbreak and to inform the next steps in the global response.

Talking about his praise for China, he said he has given credit where it's due.

"I will continue to do that, as I would and I did for any country that fights an outbreak aggressively at its source to protect its own people and the people of the world, even at great costs to itself."
TOKYO  The U.S. says Americans aboard a quarantined cruise ship will be flown back home to bases in California and Texas on a chartered flight Sunday, but that they will face another two-week quarantine.

About 380 Americans are aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has docked at Yokohama, a port city southwest of Tokyo. So far, 285 people from the ship have tested positive for the new virus that began in China, after 67 new cases were found Saturday.

The passengers have been quarantined on the ship since Feb. 5. That 14-day quarantine is due to end Wednesday.

A chartered aircraft will arrive in Japan late Sunday and American passengers will be flown to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, with some continuing to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said in a letter to passengers and crew that was posted online Saturday.

Everyone will get a checkup before being allowed on the chartered flight, and those who show symptoms of sickness will not be permitted to board the plane, the embassy said.

After arriving in the U.S., all of the passengers will need to go through another 14 days of quarantine, the letter said  meaning they will have been under quarantine for a total of nearly four weeks.

We recognize this has been a stressful experience and we remain dedicated to providing all the support we can and seeing you safely and expeditiously reunited with family and friends in the United States, it said.

The U.S. State Department urged American passengers to return home.

To fulfill our governments responsibilities to U.S. citizens under our rules and practices, as well as to reduce the burden on the Japanese healthcare system, the U.S. government recommends, out of an abundance of caution, that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring, the department said in a statement.

One of the American passengers, Matthew Smith, who has been tweeting aboard the ship, expressed disappointment at what he called a monkey wrench the American government was throwing into the quarantine aboard the ship.

Smith complained about having to begin a new 14-day quarantine even though he was due to get off the ship next week.

OK, so heres the thing: As long as the official plan by Japanese health officials is to release those of us who are still healthy from quarantine in just under four days, why would I want to interfere with that by taking up an offer from U.S. officials to fly us back to Travis? he said on Twitter.

American passengers wont be the only ones facing a second quarantine, however. Hong Kongs government announced Saturday that it was arranging to bring back residents aboard the ship as soon as possible on a chartered flight, and that they, too, will need to stay at a quarantine center for two weeks upon arrival.

The letter to Americans on the Diamond Princess warns, Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time.

Yuri Kageyama is an Associated Press writer.
MUNICH - Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he and his counterparts from countries that lost citizens in last month's Ukrainian jetliner crash pressed Iran for compensation today at a meeting in Germany.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Iran's foreign minister is to make a brief appearance at a meeting hosted in Germany by Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne with counterparts from countries that lost citizens the Ukrainian jetliner crash near Tehran last month. Zarif speaks at a global conference in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Manish Swarup

MUNICH - Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he and his counterparts from countries that lost citizens in last month's Ukrainian jetliner crash pressed Iran for compensation today at a meeting in Germany.

The ministers met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Munich Security Conference, and Champagne told a news conference afterward that they made it clear to Zarif what Iran must do.

"We pressed Iran on the need for swift compensation to be provided to families of the victims in accordance with international standards," he said.

"We will judge Iran by its actions, not by its words, and we will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the victims of this tragedy until justice is rendered for all."

Champagne added that "the compensation should be equal for everyone," and that the process "should start as soon as possible."

Canada and its allies are also pushing Iran to release the black boxes from the crash so the data can be properly analysed by facilities in France.

Champagne had said earlier that the decision to invite Zarif to the gathering was made after consulting the foreign ministers from Britain, Sweden, Afghanistan and Ukraine, all of whom are attending the Munich conference.

Those countries all lost citizens five weeks ago when Iran's military fired two missiles at a Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 people on board, including 57 Canadians.

Champagne said the ministers wanted to hear an update from Iran on requests to allow access to the black boxes, as well as the latest developments on the investigation.

He said he believed progress was made at a meeting with Zarif on Friday in persuading Iran to relinquish the black boxes. The talks highlighted that Iran has yet to analyse the contents of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, saying it was proof they can't do it alone.

"I think we had a productive discussion," Champagne said Friday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the meeting between Champagne and Zarif because he said it would help put more pressure on Iran to admit it doesn't have the equipment to analyse the boxes.

"I made a promise to families in Canada to do everything I could to make sure that they get answers, that we have a full and complete investigation, that we understand exactly what happened," Trudeau told reporters on Friday.

Canada convened the first meeting of the International Co-ordination and Response Group for the victims of flight PS752 last month in London, pushing for a transparent investigation of the crash and for eventual compensation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2020.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Saturday said his country fully supported India's bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

He is on a two-day visit to Goa. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of an urban design conference, Sousa said, "India has full support of Portugal to become a permanent member of UN Security Council." Sousa said India will participate in the 2020 UN Ocean Conference to be held between June 2-6 in Lisbon in Portugal.

He said the two countries can cooperate on a variety of projects, adding that his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind were "fruitful, bilaterally and multi-laterally".

"We discussed concrete projects for Portuguese investment in India and Indian investment in Portugal," he said, adding that the two countries have planned cooperation in the field of economy, technology, culture and science over the next five years.
Two days after being convicted, Wanted Global terrorist Hafiz Muhammad Saeed will most likely be released soon after the verdict of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), as per sources who also stated that the intentional loopholes in the verdict allow his release.

The FATF will hold a meeting in Paris on February 16 to decide whether or not Pakistan should be blacklisted for failing to act against terror.

Hafiz Saeed's lawyer and his associate who were convicted by an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday, have said that they will appeal the judgement in the Lahore High Court. Hafiz Saeed's counsel has alleged that his client was convicted only due to the "pressure" of FATF, ahead of its upcoming meeting, the Dawn newspaper reported.

On the other hand, Pakistan's leading daily said, besides his involvement in foreign theatres, and the disgrace he brought to Pakistan, the LeT/JuD terrorists such as Hafiz Saeed have also caused instability within the country.

READ | Hafiz Saeed Convicted By Pakistan Anti-terror Court For 5 Years, On FATF Plenary Eve

Hafiz Saeed Convicted

In a big development on Wednesday, the 26/11 mastermind was convicted for five and a half years in two terror financing cases against him. Additionally, he was slapped with a fine of Rs15,000 in each case. He was convicted under ATA Section 11-F (2) and 11-N. This came even after the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore accepted his plea to club all the pending cases against him and then announce the verdict.

The Counter-Terrorism Department of Pakistan had registered 23 FIRs against Hafiz Saeed and his accomplices on the charges of terror financing in different cities of Punjab province and arrested him on July 17. He is held at the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore. However, he was first convicted against the 26/11 terror attack case.

His conviction comes amid the mounting international pressure on Islamabad and FATF mulling over black-listing Pakistan.

READ | US To Pakistan: Hold Hafiz Saeed Accountable For 26/11 Attacks

FAFT warns Pakistan

In June 2018, the Government of Pakistan had committed to working with the FATF to plug the loopholes. But a review by the intergovernmental organisation in October 2019 revealed that the Pakistan Government showed a "lack of progress" in addressing its terror financing risks.

The FATF also noted that Pakistan had mainly addressed only five of the 27 items on the action plan, in spite of varying levels of progress made on the rest. The FATF had then set a deadline for Pakistan to fix its the legal framework in order to control money-laundering and the supply of funds to the terrorist outfits by February 2020.

The organization warned if the Imran Khan Government failed to plug the loopholes by then, it would take actions, which might include alerting financial institutions of other countries to be cautious while dealing with Pakistan.

READ | US Responds As Pakistan Court Convicts Hafiz Saeed For First Time, On FATF Plenary Eve

Terrorist outfits operational in Pakistan

The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) led LeT has maintained links with the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda, along with elements which evolved into the Punjabi Taliban, which are considered as reasons Hafiz Saeed was sent to prison.

The conviction of Hafiz Saeed raises another major point that while militant groups are banished in Pakistan, their leaders and forces continue to operate freely.

There have been reports that the Pakistan Army continues to supply funds logistics and training to these terrorist outfits and use them as agents against its rival countries, India and Afghanistan.

Many of these outfits trade illegal drugs trade and earn handsome revenue to sustain their organisations.

READ | 'Efficacy Of Decision Remains To Be Seen': Govt Sources On Hafiz Saeed's Conviction By Pak

(With inputs from ANI)
NEW YORKA driver in Brooklyn with eight violations for speeding or running a red light killed a 5-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy. An 85-year-old woman was killed by another Brooklyn driver with 10 speeding violations and two red-light violations. In Manhattan, a driver with two speeding tickets crushed a bicycle courier.

New York City is struggling to tame its streets.

After years of decline, traffic deaths unexpectedly spiked last year.

Now, the city is planning to take an aggressive step aimed at thousands of the most dangerous drivers  requiring people who rack up multiple speeding or red-light camera violations to take a driving-safety course or risk the seizure of their vehicles.

The program, which the City Council is expected to approve this week, would make New York the first city in the country to use traffic camera violations to try to change the behaviour of reckless drivers through education and the threat of impoundment, instead of relying on fines.

Many drivers will abide by the rules after a single violation, but officials say a small percentage of repeat offenders put pedestrians, bicyclists and other drivers at risk.

The folks that this program will target are the worst offenders, they are the people that continue to speed, speed, speed, violate, violate, violate, said Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker and a proponent of the bill.

The reckless driving initiative, which will begin as a three-year pilot, will require owners of vehicles that get five red-light camera tickets or 15 speed-camera violations in a year to complete a safety course to be developed by the citys Department of Transportation. Drivers who fail to complete the course could lose their vehicles.

About 5,000 vehicles, less than 1 per cent of the nearly 2 million vehicles registered in New York City, are expected to accumulate the number of tickets that will trigger the safety course based on violation patterns in past years and future projections as more speed cameras are added.

But after the programs initial phase, officials said, they would consider expanding the initiative by lowering the threshold necessary to trigger a mandatory class.

The legislation was spurred by a particularly horrific crash  two years ago a driver plowed through a red light in the Park Slope neighbourhood of Brooklyn, killing a 5-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy. The mother of the 5-year-old, Broadway actress Ruthie Ann Miles, was also hit and lost the baby she was carrying two months later.

We know that the most reckless drivers in the city are responsible for a disproportionate number of crashes that injure or kill New Yorkers, said Councilman Brad Lander of Brooklyn, who introduced and championed the legislation. But right now there is not really any accountability mechanism.

The vehicle, driven by Dorothy Bruns, had accumulated four speeding violations and four tickets for running a red light. Bruns was charged with manslaughter, and later she was found dead in her home, believed to have killed herself.

We have a silent killer, an epidemic that is preventable, that people dont recognize, said Amy Cohen, a founder of Families for Safe Streets, an advocacy group for victims of traffic violence. Cohens 12-year-old son was killed by a van in Brooklyn in 2014.

Still, some drivers say that threatening to take away cars is excessively punitive.

Its too much, said Nick Masters, 60, who lives in Far Rockaway, Queens. This will just build another layer of resentment in our drivers that pushes people to leave the city.

Drivers with a high number of moving violations, like speeding and drunken driving, already can have their license suspended or revoked. But speeding and red-light camera tickets are tied to the vehicle, not the driver, so violations caught on camera do not count toward an individuals license record.

Under the citys plan, owners of vehicles would have to take a safety course unless somebody else was driving when the tickets were issued and agrees to take the class.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who also supports the legislation, has made street safety a top priority. Besides speed cameras, the city has reduced the speed limit in much of the city to 40 kph, has given pedestrians head starts at crosswalks and is spending $1.7 billion (U.S.) to add 400 kilometres of protected bike lanes.

The city also recently announced the formation of a special force of 100 police officers charged with enforcing traffic rules.

The safety campaign, known as Vision Zero, had steadily driven down traffic fatalities to their lowest rate in a century before last years reversal and has sparked a national conversation on making roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

This is an area where more work needs to be done, drivers need to drive safely and responsibly, and there needs to be more accountability, said Polly Trottenberg, the citys transportation commissioner.

Evidence suggests that drivers who routinely flout traffic laws are more dangerous.

A preliminary study by the citys Transportation Department and the University of Chicago of all camera-related violations between 2012 and 2019 found that vehicles with five or more camera violations during that period were nearly twice as likely as a vehicle with no violations to be involved in a crash that caused injuries.

Vehicles with 10 or more violations in those seven years were nearly three times as likely to be involved in an injury-related crash.

In Europe and Australia, where red-light and speed cameras are widely used, many transportation experts say they have improved street safety, though their effectiveness depends on whether the cameras are on highways or residential roads and whether they are visible to drivers.

A review of 35 studies of speed cameras in use across the world by the Cochrane Collaboration, a British medical research group, found that cameras helped lower the number of fatal crashes or crashes that resulted in injuries, and reduced the number of vehicles travelling faster than the posted speed limit.

Many U.S. cities have been reluctant to adopt the cameras, which critics say are prone to mechanical errors that can result in tickets being issued mistakenly and serve more as a source of government revenue than as a safety measure. One local elected official in Maryland has called speed camera programs the crack cocaine of local government.

Others say the cameras infringe on the rights of drivers.

Its unconstitutional. We should be allowed to face our accusers in court even for a traffic ticket, which is complicated when the accuser is a camera, said Shelia Dunn, a spokeswoman for the National Motorists Association, an advocacy group that opposes traffic cameras.

Seven states, including New Jersey, have imposed bans on speed or red-light cameras.

In New York, cameras issue tickets to vehicles travelling more than 16 kph over the speed limit. Both speeding and red-light violations carry a $50 fine.

The city has red-light cameras at 150 intersections and more than 600 speed cameras. By the end of 2021, the number of speed cameras is expected to reach 2,000.

Both types of cameras, city officials say, have made streets safer.

At the 150 intersections with red-light cameras, the number of severe injuries from crashes declined from about 633 a year in the three years before the cameras were installed to 103 after they were in place.

In areas with speeding cameras, the number of people killed or injured in traffic crashes declined by about 20 per cent. On average in the three years before the cameras were installed, 5,052 people were killed or injured in school zones compared with 4,315 people in the three years after they were installed.

Still, speed cameras in New York are all near schools, so pockets of the city remain where residents say drivers zoom through streets with impunity.

There are drivers just drag racing up and down the streets, doing doughnuts on the corner, but there arent cameras here capturing that, said Gloria Boyce-Charles, who lives in the Rosedale neighbourhood of Queens.

And for a small number of drivers, traffic cameras are not a deterrent.

Weve seen people killed by reckless drivers who have previously had a lot of tickets in school zones, said Gregory Shill, an associate professor at the University of Iowa College of Law who researches transportation policy.

New York Citys driving course is likely to be modelled on a program developed in 2015 for defendants charged with criminal driving offences. The 90-minute class focuses on how drivers should behave responsibly and includes video testimonials from people with relatives killed by reckless drivers.

The prevalent culture right now is that its acceptable to drive in dangerous ways, to speed, to sometimes blow through red lights or make U-turns on narrow streets to get a parking spot, said Adam Mansky, director of criminal justice for the Center for Court Innovation, which developed the course. We need people to think about the seriousness of that, the potential harm. Thats how we can establish new norms.
Although Gandys Cottage in Clashmore sounds as if it might have some connection with the words most famous advocate of non-violent protest, it was in fact built by a local West Waterford Gandy.

And despite the name, its not really a cottage but more of a large, modern, and highly individual two-storey property with an air-to-water heating system and a B1 energy rating  things which are practically never found small in older cottages.

Careful inspection reveals that one small section actually is an old cottage which has now been turned into a large high-ceilinged modern kitchen with a mezzanine area above it.

Auctioneer David Reynolds of Sherry FitzGerald Reynolds says the property and its site of over half an acre was previously owned by a local named Gandy who built on a very sizable two-storey section in 2004.

Mr Reynolds adds that Gandy also put in two stoves and finished his home to a high standard, putting down semi-sold timber flooring. Interestingly, the BER certificate records the property as having been built in 1899, although the original cottage only accounts for quite a small percentage of the floor area.

Apparently Gandy lived (presumably warmly and comfortably given the BER rating) in his very large cottage until two years ago when he sold it to its current UK owners.

They have since redecorated and changed some of the colour schemes and put in contemporary grey kitchen units, says Mr Reynolds, who is now seeking offers of 229,000 for Gandys Cottage.

Entrance is through a high-ceilinged sunroom-style room which connects the old and new sections of the property and is used as a dining area.

Off this space on one side, is a large modern timber-floored living room, which has several tall windows, recessed lighting, and a fireplace with a stove.

Across on the other side of the entrance hallway/sunroom, theres a door opening in to a modern kitchen with its vaulted timber- panelled ceiling and, as a central feature, a double-sided stove.

At one end of the kitchen, a spiral staircase leads to a first-floor mezzanine which overlooks the kitchen, and seems to be in use as a study. An interesting and modern space, it will immediately require railing if the property is purchased by a buyer with children.

Off the kitchen, theres a small utility area while, across in the new house, there are two ground-floor bedrooms, one of which is used as a gym, as well as a shower room.

Upstairs in the new house are two large timber-floored bedrooms including one with a patio door which lets in a lot of light but would be unsafe to open. Off this room at one side is en-suite with mosaic tiling and an antique-style slipper bath.

Located 4km from Clashmore village and 7km from Villierstown, the property is within a 20-minute drive from Youghal. Noting that this unique modern property has views of the Comeragh Mountains, Mr Reynolds says it has been attracting diverse interest.

We are showing it to two sets of retired couples, one from Dublin and one from the UK, as well as two first-time buyer couples in the area, he said.

VERDICT: Gandy did good.

LOCATION: Clashmore, West Waterford

PRICE: 229,000

SIZE: 188 sq m (2,030 sq ft)

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 2

BER: B1
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The recent Supreme Court judgment on reservations has set off a political storm in the cow belt states, especially Bihar, where Assembly elections are due this year, with leaders of pro-NDA parties and the Mahagathbandhan voicing alarm. While the Bhim Army has called for a bandh on February 23, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced a dharna on February 16.

The SC order has also arraigned employees against various governments in states where castes have to underline the political and electoral power play. It was the Uttarakhand government, which had first challenged the provision for promotions in reservations for depressed classes claiming it could not be deemed to be a fundamental right, a stand, which was shot down by the Uttarakhand High Court. The state had then moved the apex court, which vacated the HC ruling, allowing the state to shed reservations in promotions.

Post the ruling, Uttarakhand finds itself in a peculiar situation with the SC/ST employee unions threatening a stir. The ruling has set off a political war too. Jaswant Singh Rawat, a political commentator said, Uttarakhand will find it difficult to accommodate the demands of SC/ST and OBCs after the verdict. There will be long-term political damage if the situation is not addressed. Karam Ram, state president of SC/ST government employees, said there are 30,000 such employees. He said the communities had less than 10% representation in all India services and its pruning by state discretion was not ideal.

Union Minister for Social Justice Thawar Chand Gehlot has said that the Centre has taken cognizance of the order and appropriate steps will be taken, but that has not stopped political wars from unfolding in the states. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra blamed the Uttarakhand government for taking the review to court to deny promotions to SC/ST employees.

In 2016, the Madhya Pradesh HC had quashed provisions in Public Service Promotion Rules 2002, relating to promotions to SC/ST categories on all posts, which the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government had challenged in the SC, which in turn ordered status quo. The case is now to come up in SC on February 24 and states like Bihar and Tripura are awaiting the judgment to provide pending promotions. Vijay Shankar Sharwan, the spokesperson of Janjati Adhikari Karamachari Sangh, said: The Kamal Nath government has roped in top lawyers to represent the case in SC and the CM has said that he was in favour of such reservations to continue. He added while the SC/ST employees share in the state government administration should be 34%, it was actually around 10%.

The SC order has, meanwhile, sent shivers across UPs political spectrum. The state has been the testing ground of Mandal politics since the 1990s and as expected the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party have warned of struggle against the order, should the state government implement it. The SP and BSP have charged the ruling BJP at the Centre for conniving against the backwards and Dalits. The Union should address the situation and not keep the matter hanging, BSP chief Mayawati said. While Akhilesh Singh called for immediate caste census to arrive at the actual figures for the depressed classes so that their share of posts and power can be allocated.

The impact has been more pronounced in Rajasthan where the CM Ashok Gehlot and deputy CM Sachin Pilot called for a protest, putting the BJP on the defensive. Harish Meena, Congress MLA, advised the party to bring in a Bill in the Assembly to oppose the verdict, even as the BJP has opted for a diplomatic silence. In Bihar, where some 2.5 lakh employees, including 50,000 of SC/ST groups are awaiting promotions since 2015, the situation has turned volatile. Devendra Rajak, general secretary of SC/ST employees association said, If the state puts promotions on hold, there will be a political storm. LJP leader Chirag Paswan, a BJP ally, said the SC order goes against the concept of reservations and his party will not agree to it, a stand shared by the RJD and HAM(S). (Inputs from Namita Bajpai; Rajesh Asnani; Anuraag Singh; Rajesh Kumar Thakur; Vineet Upadhyay)

Representation of SCs, STs in jobs above prescribed numbers

Responding to a written question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said reservation of OBCs has shown an increasing trend since it started in September 1993

Data collection

78 out of 79 ministries and government departments had submitted data about representation of SC, ST, and OBC in jobs ill January 1, 2016

61 administrative ministries and departments, respectively, have submitted such data as on January 1, 2018

5 out of these 10 ministries and departments have informed that out of 21,499 backlog reserved vacancies, 12,334 were filled up as on December 31, 2017, and 9,165 remained unfilled as on January 1, 2018

Department of Personnel and Training monitors 10 ministries and departments which account for 90% of employees in the central government. The 10 ministries and departments are Posts, Defence Production, Financial Services, Atomic Energy, Defence, Revenue, Railways, Housing and Urban Affairs, Human Resources Development and Home Affairs.
Irans oil minister his countrys petrochemicals industry needs $30 billion investments to complete projects and must raise this money from small domestic investors.

He did not offer details of how the government plans to raise billions of dollars from small investors in a country in the grips of deep economic recesion.

Foreign investment in Iran has dried up after the United States reimposed sanction on the country in 2018. Oil exports have decreased by almost 90 percent, leaving no capital to invest in oil and petrochemical industries.

Speaking at an oil industry conference in Tehran, Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zanganeh said that $10-12 billion dollars worth of projects have been finalized but others need planning and resources, Fars news agency reported.

He also painted a disparaging picture of investments in the oil industry, saying the sector needs annual infusions of $25 billion to ensure its productivity.

Years of international and U.S. sanctions have prevented Iran to access foreign investments and technology needed to reinvigorate in its oil industry. Zanganeh said that without investments the whole chain of production will face difficulties.

The oil minister announced that issuing bonds, borrowing from domestic banks and using Irans foreign currency reserves are options to finance the revitalization of the oil and petrochemical sectors.

Irans oil industry is controlled by the government and most of the petrochemicals companies are either directly or indirectly controlled by government state entities and the people considered regime insiders.
Globally acclaimed climate-change activist Greta Thunberg has informed Cork County Council that she will be unable to address the local authority either in person or by video link.

The Swedish teenager, who has addressed the United Nations and the recent global economic summit in Davos, Switzerland, has let it be known through a spokesperson that she would be unable to accept the invitation.

This invitation was initially proposed and accepted at a meeting of Cork County Council's northern area.

This was then ratified at full council level.

The Time Person of the Year for 2019 has an incredibly busy schedule. She has famously eschewed taking flights to engagements, and crossed the Atlantic on a yacht to attend the UN.

Meanwhile, reports in British newspapers have suggested that Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge will take in Cork during their impending visit to Ireland next month.

Prince William, who is likely to be a future King of England, and his wife, Kate Middleton, announced they would be coming over on a three-day visit to Ireland earlier this week.

In previous visits by British royal figures, Queen Elizabeth has visited Cork's English Market, while Prince Charles, the next in line to the throne, was in County Kerry.

In the wake of Brexit, which put an extraordinary strain on the relationship between Ireland and Britain, this latest visit is being seen as another move to ensure cordial relations continue between the two countries at a time when tensions are running high.
India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for raking up the Kashmir issue during his address at the Pakistan Parliament, and asked him to desist from interfering in India's internal affairs.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kaumar said India rejects all references made by the Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the union territory is an integral and inalienable part of India.

In his address at a joint session of Pakistan's Parliament on Friday, Erdogan compared the "struggle" of Kashmiri people with that of the fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I.

Kashmiri people have suffered for decades and their sufferings have increased following "unilateral steps taken in recent times", Erdogan said referring to India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir last year.

"India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India," Kumar said.

He was responding to a question on Erdogan's comments on Kashmir as well as its reference in a joint declaration by Turkey and Pakistan.

"We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in India's internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region," Kumar said.

Last September, Erdogan raised the Kashmir issue during his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

In August last year, India announced its decision to withdraw special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories.

Pakistan reacted angrily to the move and even downgraded its diplomatic ties with India by expelling the Indian High Commissioner.

Islamabad also unsuccessfully tried to rally international support against India on the issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerala Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday demanded a CBI probe into CAG finding of the missing rifles and cartridges from the possession of Kerala police.

"The CAG report has revealed serious irregularities and corrupt practices in the Kerala police department, especially that of Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) Lokanath Behera," Chennithala told reporters here.

This comes after the CAG report on the audit of modernisation of Kerala Police found that 25 rifles and 12,061 live cartridges were missing from Special Armed Police Battalion (SAPB).

"I had written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to remove him (Behera) from the post and start an inquiry into the whole issue. But I have got no response from the CM," the senior Congress leader said.

He further said that the nexus between the politicians and police must be revealed.

Earlier in the day, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan had said that the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) was for the government and that he had no role to play in it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
EXCLUSIVE

A group of Oxford dons exchanged poisonous emails bitterly attacking the head of the university's grandest college in a 'disgraceful' campaign to oust him, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

In the damning correspondence, which the academics tried desperately to ban this newspaper from publishing, the dean of Christ Church, the Very Rev Martyn Percy, is described as 'thick', 'nasty' and a 'manipulative little turd' with a 'personality disorder'.

In one astonishing exchange, a don says of Dr Percy: 'I'm always ready to think the worst of him. Does anyone know any good poisoners?'

Ousted; A 'disgraceful' campaign was launched to oust the Very Rev Martyn Percy

This prompts a colleague to daydream about 'the Inspector Morse episode we could make when his wrinkly withered little body' is found in the Thames.

Elsewhere one of the plotters calls him a 'little Hitler'.

The emails, which have been kept under wraps until now, lay bare the toxic nature of the three-year feud between Dr Percy and his enemies and they are expected to feature in a forthcoming employment tribunal case.

In it, the 57-year-old dean will claim damages as a whistleblower from the college he still leads.

Supporters say the campaign against Dr Percy was a response to his efforts to modernise the running of the 500-year-old college.

It is understood he raised concerns about safeguarding issues and vowed to open up admissions to more state school pupils.

His opponents deny his reform agenda was to blame for the feud and say it started when Christ Church appointed a new director who was believed to be paid a higher salary than the dean.

Feud: The row broke out in the wake of a new director being appointed on a higher salary than the dean

Some of the emails are quoted in a letter from former Tory Cabinet Minister and Christ Church alumnus Jonathan Aitken to Oxford University chancellor Lord Patten, the former Hong Kong governor.

In the letter, Mr Aitken calls the emails 'staggeringly offensive', says he understands they will be publicly aired at the tribunal and warns they will cause the university 'severe reputational damage'. It is understood Dr Percy will claim he was victimised and ostracised.

The college reportedly used about 2 million of charitable funds on an ill-fated internal tribunal action against Dr Percy last year and spent thousands more in legal fees last week when it threatened The Mail on Sunday with an injunction.

Mr Aitken describes the tribunal case, which opens tomorrow with a preliminary hearing, as an 'explosive train wreck' and a 'public relations disaster', and he urges Lord Patten to try to end the dispute between the two sides.

Before quoting a selection of messages, Mr Aitken warns Lord Patten: 'You will immediately recognise the potential for volcanic eruptions in the national media as I now provide you with one or two trailers from this horror movie These are not merely embarrassing, they are awful. It is little wonder that [Dr Percy's opponents] are seeking to prevent their colleagues from seeing the nature of the battle in which they were engaged.'

With assets of 550 million, Christ Church, founded by Henry VIII in 1546, is one of Oxford's richest and most prestigious colleges.

Alumni include 13 Prime Ministers, ten Chancellors of the Exchequer and Albert Einstein.

Dr Percy's opponents make their intentions clear in the correspondence. 'Please, please get rid of him,' implores one don. Another agrees, saying: 'Nasty and stupid He's got to go.'

The authors, says Mr Aitken, are 'hitherto respected college and university academics'. He accuses them of 'disgraceful' conduct.

In 2018, Dr Percy's enemies tried to have him sacked, and persuaded the college to suspend him, claiming he was guilty of 'behaviour of an immoral, scandalous or disgraceful nature' in a dispute over his 90,000 salary.

Exonerated: The college has refused to reimburse Dr Percy of his 400,000 legal fees in the wake of the findings of an internal tribunal

He refused to resign and fought the claims at an 11-day internal tribunal held last June, after which retired High Court judge Sir Andrew Smith rejected 27 separate charges.

Despite Dr Percy's exoneration, the college has refused to reimburse his 400,000 legal fees and, says Mr Aitken, his enemies are conducting 'guerrilla warfare' against him.

It was at last year's tribunal that the emails first emerged.

However, both the emails, and sections of Sir Andrew's tribunal judgment that quote them, have been suppressed, even from most of Christ Church's Governing Body.

In a statement, the Governing Body said: 'We can confirm that we are in receipt of two employment tribunal claims from the dean of Christ Church.

'We are all too conscious that what began as a request for a sizeable salary increase by the dean has led, over the last two years, to significantly heightened tensions between him and an overwhelming majority of the Governing Body.

'We take our responsibilities towards all members of our community very seriously, and believe we have acted in the best interests of Christ Church, including its students and staff.

'Christ Church expects members to show respect towards one another at all times, but equally we acknowledge that individuals are entitled to their personal opinions.

'Frustrations conveyed about  but not to  the dean, exacerbated by the dispute over his pay, were in the past expressed in some private emails.

'However, mediation with the dean, funded by Christ Church, resumed in November 2019 and is now ongoing. We very much hope that we can find a way forward through this process, and avoid considerable further cost.'
That brought an astonishing deterioration in the quality of housing assets. By 2007, high-risk mortgages made up 22 percent of the G.S.E.s portfolio, up tenfold from a decade before. The economists Atif Mian and Amir Sufi discovered that, between 2002 and 2005, income and mortgage credit growth were negatively correlated. The less likely you were to pay off a mortgage, the more likely you were to get one.

The G.S.E.s underwriting standards became those of the whole industry. By 2006, 46 percent of new homeowners were making no down payment at all on their houses, and banks had trillions of dollars in loans on their books that would never have been made, absent government pressure. No well-informed accountant thought these loans could survive an economic downturn, and they did not. The politicization of poor peoples mortgages in a single country  the promise to make loans to everyone, as Mr. Bloomberg put it  brought the world to the brink of economic disaster.

The macroeconomist Raghuram Rajan, who would go on to become governor of the Reserve Bank of India, had perhaps the most comprehensive explanation of how it all came about. He had warned central bankers before the crisis that many American financial innovations meant to minimize risk were in fact amplifying it. Mr. Rajan linked the financial crisis to the gradual rise of American inequality. Since 1992, the U.S. economy had recovered slowly from recessions. All its recoveries were jobless recoveries; after the 2001 recession, it took 38 months for the economy to return to full employment. And the United States is singularly unprepared for jobless recoveries, Mr. Rajan warned. It had no big transfer programs. Under such circumstances, any recession with the slightest perceptible effect on the public would end political careers by the score.

The result was reckless government extension of credit under both Democratic and Republican leadership. As a remedy for downturns, expanding credit has two practical advantages over government spending. First, it does not bother fiscal conservatives as much. Second, as Mr. Rajan put it: Easy credit has large, positive, immediate, and widely distributed benefits, whereas the costs all lie in the future. It has a payoff structure that is precisely the one desired by politicians, which is why so many countries have succumbed to its lure.

Mr. Bloomberg is saying something similar. He did not defend redlining. But that does not mean the idealistic fight against redlining is blameless in the financial shocks of 2008 and thereafter. It is what created the moral pressure  or provided politicians with the moral cover  to follow the destructive loose-credit policies that Mr. Rajan describes.

It is easy to call Bill Clinton a mountebank for raising Fannie Maes low-income quota to 50 percent or George W. Bush a fool for raising it to 56 percent. But is there any doubt that they would have faced the same accusations of racial insensitivity that Mr. Bloomberg is now facing had either of them sought to lower it?

Christopher Caldwell, a contributing editor at The Claremont Review of Books, is the author of The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties, from which this article is adapted.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

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To protest or not to protest? Thats the agitating question THE PLACE: Near Galle Face Green THE TIME: Just past 4pm THE DATE: Any day now Excuse me, are you the security guard here? Yes, sir. What can I do for you? Well good. I just want to know whether there is a spot here where I can protest? I was told that there was a site specifically reserved for protests? Not to my knowledge, sir. You dont mean the freedom of speech site, now do you? Not exactly. I am not seeking for a spot to express an opinion. I just want to protest. I am sorry, sir. We havent still come up with that one. We have the right of assembly enclosure but only to assemble peacefully and pass the time. No protests are allowed there, I am afraid. Hey, wait a minute. We opened this new spot only last week called the Agitation Site. You can give vent to all your pent-up grievances there without disturbing a soul. It seems right down your street. Will that do, sir? Oh, no, not at all. You dont get my point, now do you? I have come to protest at a government approved site reserved by royal edict to protest, not to agitate in the Agitation area. Sorry. You are out of luck, sir, and far ahead of your time. We havent come to that stage yet, being sort of busy finding sites for people to exercise their rights in demarcated zones thereby guaranteeing in practice what the constitution lists on paper alone. Cant you wait till the election is over and we have got our two third? Youre sure you cant postpone whatever youre protesting about till then? Are you nuts or something? No, I cannot. Protests cannot be postponed like polls have been postponed in the past. Any delay is fatal to a protest. Either you protest now and be done with it or the protest is good as dead. A protest must be taken at the tide or you will be stranded in the ebb. Look, I am in an awful hurry to protest before the reason for it fizzles out and I go home unsatisfied with nothing to show for my days efforts. You have no idea what its like to have a protest pent up in you and then to suffer it dying in you without you giving it release. Yes, yes, I understand what you mean. Tell you what, Ill go through my Agitation area Guidelines manual and see whether I can fit you in under some allowed category. Now let me see. Youre not troubled or nervous, are you, by any chance? No, I am not. I see. So you are not troubled or nervous. Are you, by any chance, worried or angry? Is your heart like a ship on an agitated sea that has been visited by monsoon gales? No I am not worried nor am I angry and I do not feel like an agitated sea. I only want to give vent to my healthy desire to protest, if not in the open air then at least in a barb wired closed site. All right, all right, keep your shirt on, I am only trying to help you. I am only trying to see whether this agitation area can accommodate your individual want. Now lets see the extended list. And whether by any broad definition your peculiar need can somehow be made to fit in with what is allowed here and what is not. Its all contained in this little kurahan book. What is that? Dont you know? Its the book of books that gives you all you need to know to be a good citizen. And what can be done and what cannot be done. Ah, heres the section that deals with demarcated zones and the litany of the activities permitted only within those zones. Now what do we find under agitation area, lets see. Do you want to do some stirring? What do you mean stirring? Well, you know, whisking, beating, churning, shaking, you know what I mean, anything to cause a turbulence? I dont know what you mean, except that all those activities describe agitation. I do not want to stir, beat, churn or shake anyone or anything or cause any turbulence in air, under sea or on ground. All I want to do is protest. Come, come, now, no need to get so agitated. Theres plenty more on the list. Do you want to arouse, excite, provoke stimulate public feelings through discussion and debate? Oh, no. Nothing of the sort. You think I am like that guy who taped his phone sex and leaked it to the public to excite their carnal feelings. No. I only want to protest. Well, you are a difficult customer, now arent you? Now will this protest act of yours cause an uproar which will place the public in turmoil and lead to a tumult? No, nothing so hot. Its just a protest. But is that hot stuff allowed in this agitation site? Yes, most certainly, its allowed. Its billed as one of our star attractions, though none has arrived yet on account of that. Im not surprised that there have been no takers. Why is that, sir? Well, you expect a small group of people  which is all that can be crammed into this small enclosure  to say or do anything here that will cause an uproar, place the public in turmoil leading to a tumult when they will be penned in like lambs in this demarcated site and left alone far away from the madding rush of lifes colourful crowds, to bleat their hearts out till the cows come home and the cockerel comes to roost? You might as well ask them to wait till kingdom come. Shh mind your language, sir, fences have ears, remember youre not in the Free Speech area. You will get me also into trouble shooting your big mouth off in an unauthorised area. Anyway, I think I have run out all the approved activities listed under agitation and protest doesnt come under it. Will you please give it another try? I will read out what I think what a protest is all about and you see in your check list whether its there or not. Okay? Fair enough. But I doubt pretty much it will be there. Go ahead. Can I make a strong complaint at this place? You mean you want to protest against something? No, its not allowed here. You can get into a state of agitation or into a tizzy and talk about absolute tosh, but making a complaint, however strong or mild is simply not on. This is more of a place to stir things up, whip up something to a frenzy. Not the spot to hear some boring complaints being made. Can I at least vehemently express my disagreement with something or someone? No, sir, you cant. That would be protesting. And thats not permitted here. This is for agitation only. Can I declare my opposition to anything? Absolutely not. It is not that sort of place. Declaring your opposition would be an act of protesting. And thats taboo. It does not fall within the ambit of agitation. And has no business in loitering these precincts. Now if that makes you feel agitated, you are quite welcome to enter and work your agitation to boiling point. But if your poison is to peddle protest then you are as welcome here as the coronavirus is. Sorry, but rules are rules. Okay, I understand that this agitation joint is exclusively for agitated folks who are worried, troubled, angry or nervous over something and want to churn, stir, whisk and whip up something to a state of turbulence that may cause a disturbance, commotion, tumult or turmoil. And, let me tell you, I have no such issues. Neither do I have any desire to persist in perpetually canvassing a particular or a variety of political causes or theories and profusely labour to expound its intrinsic merits for the delectation of an unsuspecting public who will all die out of boredom at the end of it. Lets say, I have no intentions in that regard even as I am not suffering from psychomotor agitation, which can be due to both psychological and physical restlessness, and which can occur as a symptom of severe depression, schizophrenia, or other mental disorder. It is to those to whom membership of this exclusive club is reserved and not to the likes of such as I, whose one and only predilection is to protest. I told you so, sir. Protest is simply not on the menu, not an aperitif, not as the main course, nor as the dessert. We dont cater to such pedestrian taste. Well, maybe not here. But are you sure there isnt someplace else? I distinctively remember the previous government announcing from the turrets that they intended to have a preserve for protests? Yes, yes, yes but that never took off ground. Now people dont even have a place to protest. But why? After all that big hullabaloo? There was a big protest against it. So the Government caved in and dropped the whole idea. Of course, in the good old days, that old building that you can see over there, was used as a special place to protest. Those statues you see in front of it are statues of famous protestors there. Yes, those were the days when they built statues for protestors. Then in the year I graduated from Peradeniya Campus, they shifted it to a lake and there it stagnates in its own mire, so grimy even for a lotus to be born. So its just not my day then,

is it? I guess so sir. And it may not be your day for a long time to come till a special open air camp is set up to hold protestors. But Ill give you a tip. You can still protest on the road, sir. No law against that. Its only for agitation that you need this special place to agitate for this and that. But if its purely a protest, then every public road is yours to protest. Enjoy your right before the shepherd has shut it up in a sheeps pen where you can bleat your protest for none to hear but your own protesting ilk.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 09:59:22|Editor: huaxia

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XI'AN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Forty-seven near-infrared devices that can help medical staff locate veins in patients quickly and easily were sent to hospitals in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in central China's Hubei Province.

The handheld devices worth 5.65 million yuan (about 809,000 U.S. dollars) were developed and donated by Vivolight Medical Device & Technology Co., Ltd. based in Xi'an, capital of Shannxi Province. They can find the veins under the patient's skin and project a map onto the surface, showing the locations and depths of blood vessels.

According to the company, the medical devices were used by Chinese medical experts in the fight against Ebola in Africa in 2014.

The company decided to donate the devices after learning that many of the medical staff have difficulty finding veins in patients when wearing heavy protective suits.

The first batch of 20 vein scanners had been sent to designated hospitals in Wuhan and medical staff of two medical teams began using them in treatment. Twenty-seven scanners will arrive soon, said the company.

More high tech products, including gene tests and thermal monitors, will be used in the fight against the epidemic.
The chief commander of Irans Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened that if the United States and Israel commit an error, his forces will attack them.

Hossein Salami speaking in a ceremony in memory of Qassem Soleimani killed by a U.S. drone on January 3 in Baghdad was responding to earlier remarks by the Israeli defense minister.

Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennet had said on February 10 Israel will counter Iran in Syria and the United States in Iraq according to a division of work between Washington and Tel Aviv.

Salami added that the presence of Iranian forces and its proxies in the region is proof that Israel and the United States have been defeated in the region and a new Middle East has been created.

He warned Israeli officials that If you want to bet on America, you should definitely look at the sea because that would be your final residence.

Since 1948, some anti-Israeli leaders in the region, including the one-time Egyptian leader Gamal Abdul Nasser have threatened to throw Israel into the sea. Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have called for the annihilation of Israel on many occasions.

Iran foreign ministery spokesman Abbas Mousavi on February 12 also responded to Bennet's remarks, saying, "The Islamic Republic of Iran will give a crushing response that will cause regret to any kind of aggression or stupid action from this regime against our country's interests in Syria and the region".

Israel has vowed not to allow Iran to entrench itself in Syria, where the IRGC has deployed forces in recent years to support the countrys strongman Bashar al-Assad.
New Delhi: Police personnel investigate the crime scene where robbers took away an ATM machine from Tughlakabad Extension, in New Delhi on Feb 15, 2020. (Photo: Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Police personnel investigate the crime scene where robbers took away an ATM machine from Tughlakabad Extension, in New Delhi on Feb 15, 2020. (Photo: Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Police personnel investigate the crime scene where robbers took away an ATM machine from Tughlakabad Extension, in New Delhi on Feb 15, 2020. (Photo: Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Feb 15 : The robbers who took away an ATM machine from Tughlakabad Extension area, could have felt cheated after seeing only Rs 50,000-Rs 55,000 in the machine, a police official told IANS on Saturday.

The police is currently trying to identify the robbers with the help of CCTV footage.

According to information, the robbers took away an ATM machine from Tughlakabad Extension area thinking that it will have lakhs of rupees in it. A case was filed in this regard in the Govindpuri police station.

Confirming the incident, South-East district DCP R.P. Meena told IANS: "We have collected some vital evidence from the spot and will soon nab the criminals." "Initially, it was difficult to figure out how much cash was in the machine. Hence, we approached Axis Bank as the machine was of this bank. Thereafter, we came to know that only Rs 50,000-Rs 55,000 was in the machine," another senior police official said.

A senior official, who visited the spot, told IANS: "The machine was fixed strongly and it was very difficult to break it and steal the cash in a minimum span of time. Therefore, the robbers found it convenient to take away the machine and then break it open at some other place. But it would be a shock for them also that the machine contained only Rs 50,000." (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@ians.in)
A 45-year-old man has been booked for allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter here. The incident came to light when the minor delivered a child at Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, on Saturday.

Ghanaur station house officer (SHO) Gurmeet Singh said that a case has been registered against the victims father, who allegedly sexually abused her.

The victim and her family came to know about the pregnancy a few months back. The victim told police that since she has a healthy built, her family failed to notice any physical changes in her, the SHO said. Police said that as per the family, the victims mother is mentally unstable.

The SHO added that the victim recently complained of stomach ache following which, she was taken to the local civil hospital at Ghanaur, where the doctors informed the family that she is seven-month pregnant.

The doctors immediately informed the police and referred the victim to Government Rajindra Hospital for further treatment, where she delivered a girl child on Saturday, police said.

The SHO said that earlier, the family was reluctant to register a complaint but now, they have recorded the victims statement.

The complainant said that she was repeatedly raped by her father in the past. The accused even threatened her of dire consequences if she discloses the matter to anyone, police said.

The SHO said that the family hails from Nepal but were currently residing in Ghanaur subdivision of Patiala.

The case has been registered under Sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

No arrest has been made so far as the accused is on the run, police said.
A Florida doctor who had ambitions to one day become the president of Ghana faces charges of bilking $26 million from health insurers for surgeries he did not perform or for carrying out unnecessary procedures, federal court records show.

The doctor, Moses deGraft-Johnson, was charged this month with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and more than 50 counts of health care fraud, according to court records filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Dr. deGraft-Johnson, who owned and operated the Heart and Vascular Institute of North Florida in Tallahassee, a doctors office and outpatient catheterization lab, used his privileges at a hospital to poach patients for purposes of subsequently billing health care benefit programs for interventional vascular procedures that were never done, court records said.

From September 2015 to this month, Dr. deGraft-Johnson submitted scores of fraudulent claims to health insurers, including Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, court papers said.
The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has radio-tagged two Indian pangolins and released them into the wild under a first-of-its-kind project undertaken to develop a conservation plan for the highly endangered species.

The pangolins have been released back to the Satpura Tiger and Biosphere Reserve under a project jointly undertaken by the state forest department and the Wildlife Conservation Trust.

"This is the first such effort to protect the highly endangered species. The team has successfully rehabilitated two Indian pangolins in the wild. They are being monitored using telemetry to ensure better success rate," said S K Singh, the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) and Field Director of Satpura Tiger Reserve.

Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh Rajesh Shrivastav said, "The Special Task Force (STF) of MP Forest Department has been actively working to curb wildlife poaching in the state. In recent years, we have successfully busted pangolin smuggling syndicates which involved poachers and smugglers from more than nine states."



Pangolins are the most trafficked wildlife species in the world. These scaly toothless ant-eaters are unique and are a result of millions of years of evolution.

They evolved scales as a means of protection, and this unique protective mechanism has now become the main reason behind its shrinking population. Pangolin scales are in high demand for their use in traditional chinese medicine. Pangolin meat is also in high demand in China and Southeast Asian countries.

World Pangolin Day, celebrated on the third Saturday of February, is an international attempt to raise awareness about pangolins and bring together various stakeholders to help protect these unique species.

Globally, pangolins have seen a rapid reduction in population. The projected population declines range from 50 per cent to 80 per cent across the genus, said Aditya Joshi, wildlife biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Trust, who is overseeing the project.

Both Indian and Chinese pangolin species are protected and listed under the Schedule I, Part I, of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Despite protective measures, pangolins in India are widely exploited and traded both domestically and internationally.

Being an elusive nocturnal species found in low population densities, very little information is available on the behaviour and ecology of the Indian pangolin. It is critical to know the ecology of the species to develop an effective conservation plan for them, Joshi said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Celebration time at the count centre on Monday as Verona Murphy is elected to the Dail

Having been deselected by Fine Gael in December, Verona Murphy proved her doubters wrong, winning the third seat in the General Election at the expense of Fine Gael junior minister Michael D'Arcy Jnr and Fianna Fail's James Browne.

Only the second female TD in the county's history, Murphy said she always felt she was in with a strong chance of being elected, particularly as an Independent.

Having secured 5,825 first preference votes, her position was far from safe on the first count, but strong transfers, particularly from Independent candidate Ger Carthy, Fianna Fail's Michael Sheehan, and Michael D'Arcy Jnr saw her leapfrog Fianna Fail TD James Browne into third place, having already managed to stay ahead of deputies Paul Kehoe and Malcolm Byrne.

'This means a lot. I was quite happy with the percentage we attained in first preference votes. As an Independent candidate you are definitely more transfer friendly.' she said.

'It means that the people of Wexford have put their faith in me. I will be a woman which will bring somewhat of a balance within the five seat constituency and I am the second woman after Avril Doyle (to be elected). If I can do as good a job as Avril I'll be doing well for the people of Wexford.'

Murphy was elected on the 11th count shortly before 3 p.m. on Monday and was overcome with emotion as she hugged her parents Paddy and Breda and daughter Robyn.

She said: 'I do hope people absolutely voted for me for my ability but the fact that I am a woman makes it extra special. I still considered the people of Wexford were under represented and that has driving me forward.'

Ms Murphy announced through the New Ross Standard in January that she was running as an Independent, saying she was more suited to being out of the party political system as it limits free speech.

She said her experience in politics has been a learning curve, adding that she is ready to work for the people of Wexford on several issues.

Ms Murphy shot to national prominence becoming the most high profile candidate in the by-election when she made comments about the need for better security in the country.

The Ramsgrange woman said: 'I will be a 24/7 TD. Anybody can call me at any time. I will be there to make sure that cardiac and mental health services are prepared 24/7 for the people of Wexford.'

Her first official function as a TD will be to attend a meeting of retailers in New Ross on Tuesday night organised by the County Wexford Chamber.

She plans to open an office in New Ross and may keep her Wexford office open. 'I will have to look at finances and see how I'm fixed but I do hope to open two offices.'

She said her campaign cost a lot of money, thanking everyone who made a financial contribution to it.

'There was a lot of expense but people were very good. I had a GoFundMe page and that was contributed well over what is expected also people have contributed.'

She said she does not know exactly how much she received in donations. Among the issues she plans to tackle are the 'Dublin/rural disconnect', mental health services, a second cath lab, and housing. 'Housing particularly because we need a good look at the ministerial guidelines if we are ever to work for the rental limbo that we have of particularly young people now in Wexford.'

She also plans to fight for a technical university for the south east.

She said her life experience will enable her to find a solution to these problems.

'I think it did in my younger days. I have vast experience both personally and in my business career so I hope to be of great use.'

She said she can work with anybody, including all of Wexford's TDs.

'I can work with anybody. It's about being constructive and consultative and I think that's where we will work together. There is a vast array of representation now in the Wexford constituency but I think it's important at all levels that we are working for the greater good.

'This is not about Verona Murphy this is about Wexford and the Wexford people and their representation. I will continue to represent the people of Wexford but for the greater good. Housing and mental health are issues that are countrywide particularly for rural towns.'

She said she would listen to approaches from all party leaders, including Leo Varadkar. 'I would need to see a programme for Government, what is being proposed and what's in it for the people of Wexford.'

She is looking forward to being 24/7 available to people to help them with their problems.

Murphy thanked her campaign team lead by Cyril Barden.

'They have been absolutely outstanding the people who voted for me and those who haven't. I will be representing everybody. Cyril is a well known campaign manager and is a previous campaign manager of Avril Doyle and other successful candidates in Co Wexford. He has been outstanding.'

She said she ran a clean campaign, adding that some of her posters were stolen.

'Politics is politics. At the end of the day it's not personal. I empathise with anyone here today who is not elected. For them it is absolutely devastating. I've been through it. I wish them the very best in the future.'

As for her critics she said: 'Nobody likes to hear things that they know aren't true and things have been said but look it's democracy and people are entitled to their opinion and I think I don't have a political history but I will prove myself and I hope that work ethic will prove me the right way for the people of Wexford. They won't be disappointed.'
The Ukrainian authorities are ready for a direct dialogue with civilians residing in the certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but not with the people governing these territories, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"They try to convince us that a direct dialogue with the so-called 'local authorities' in the certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions is efficient. We are ready for a dialogue with civilians from those territories, but not with those who are not recognized in terms of international law, which means they cannot represent Ukraine's civilians," Zelensky said during his speech at the 56th Munich Security Conference.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 02:35:05|Editor: yan

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AMMAN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Jordan will launch a new package this week to stimulate the economy and improve public services to attract investors, the government said Saturday.

The new package aims to improve the public e-services for citizens and investors, according to a statement carried by state-run Petra news agency, citing Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh.

New mechanisms will be included in the package for the Jordan Investment Commission, the Income and Sales Tax Department and the Jordan Customs Department to address the outstanding issues of citizens and investors.

Since October 2019, Jordan has started a series of economic packages to boost economic growth, create jobs and attract investors.

The measures including cutting sales tax on some commodities, extending exemptions on real estate sector, reducing taxes on electric cars, improving services and launching projects in fields of education, health and transport.
A Chinese tourist has died in France from the new coronavirus - the first fatality outside Asia.

A Chinese tourist has died in France after contracting the new coronavirus - the first fatality from the disease outside Asia.

The victim was an 80-year-old man from China's Hubei province, according to French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn.

He arrived in France on 16 January and was placed in quarantine in hospital in Paris on 25 January, she said.

Only three deaths had previously been reported outside mainland China - in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan.

However, 1,523 people have died from the virus within China, mostly in Hubei where it first emerged. These include 143 deaths newly reported on Saturday by the country's national health commission.

A further 2,641 people have been newly confirmed as infected, bringing China's total cases to 66,492.

But China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday that the outbreak in Hubei was now being managed more effectively - "indicating that overall the epidemic is controllable".

Speaking at a security conference in Germany, Mr Wang said the number of people who had recovered reached more than 8,000 on Friday.

At the same meeting, the head of the World Health Organization said all countries should be prepared for the arrival of the virus,

What has happened in France?

In late January, France became the first European country to confirm cases of the virus. It has had 11 confirmed cases of the disease, officially called Covid-19. Six people remain in hospital.

The deceased man had been in a critical condition in the Bichat hospital in northern Paris, the health minister said. He died of a lung infection due to the coronavirus.

The man's 50-year-old daughter is among the six in hospital with the virus, but she is recovering, Ms Buzyn said.

The other five are British nationals who caught the virus at a chalet in the ski resort of Contamines-Montjoie.

How are other countries affected?

Outside mainland China, there have been more than 500 cases in 26 countries.

Earlier, the US said it was sending a plane to Japan to evacuate Americans stuck on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is being held in quarantine in a Japanese port.

Some 400 US citizens are reported to be on the vessel, according to Japan's NHK broadcaster. Those with symptoms are expected to be treated in Japan.

Out of 3,700 people on board, 218 have tested positive for the virus. Australia also said it was considering removing its citizens from the ship.

In another development, an 83-year-old American woman on a cruise ship which docked in Cambodia, has tested positive for the virus after arriving by air in Malaysia.

The MS Westerdam had been turned away by five destinations, including the US island of Guam, before Cambodia agreed it could land.

The woman and her husband were among 145 passengers from the ship who flew to Malaysia after it docked. Both showed symptoms, but he tested negative, the Malaysian health authorities say.

No cases were found on board the ship during regular health checks on the 1,455 passengers and 802 crew.

Egypt's health ministry on Friday confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in Africa. The ministry described the person as a foreigner, but did not disclose their nationality.

In the UK, all but one of nine people being treated have been discharged from hospital.

Five new cases have been confirmed in Singapore, bringing the total there to 72. Eighteen have fully recovered and have left hospital.

How is China coping?

Despite the spread of the virus, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday that the outbreak in China was now "generally under control".

The foreign minister said outside Hubei province the number of new infections had fallen for 11 consecutive days. He said there had also been a rapid increase in the number of people who had recovered.

However, new figures released on Friday revealed the toll on medical staff in the country. Six health workers have died and 1,716 have been infected since the outbreak, officials said.

Local authorities have struggled to provide protective equipment such as respiratory masks, goggles and protective suits to hospitals in Hubei.

Meanwhile, Beijing has ordered everyone returning to the city to go into quarantine for 14 days or risk punishment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is beginning an investigation in China this weekend into the outbreak.

What has the WHO chief been saying?

Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made a plea for international solidarity at a conference in Germany and warned that all countries should be prepared for the arrival of the virus.

"Relatively little" was spent on preparedness for a virus outbreak, he said, compared with preparations for a possible terrorist attack.

"This is frankly difficult to understand and dangerously short-sighted," he told an audience at the Munich Security Conference.

Mr Gebreyesus said the outbreak was still an emergency for China and he was concerned about the continued rise in cases.

But he rejected criticism of China's efforts to combat the outbreak, saying this was not the time for recriminations or politicisation.

And he called on governments and social media companies such as Facebook and Google to help counter fake news about the epidemic. "We're fighting an 'infodemic'," he said. BBC

Are coronavirus tests flawed? Concerns are being raised about the accuracy of the tests for the coronavirus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 01:59:03|Editor: yan

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BAGHDAD, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi said on Saturday that he is close to completing his cabinet lineup and will announce the cabinet candidates in the coming days.

"We are close to achieving a historic achievement by completing an independent cabinet of competent and impartial individuals without the intervention of any political party," Allawi said on his official Twitter account.

"We will submit the names of this cabinet this week, and we hope members of the Council of Representatives will respond and vote on them in order to start implementing the people's demands," he added.

On Feb. 2, Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed Allawi as Prime Minister-designate to form an interim government after months of political row and anti-government protests.

Allawi has since pledged to form a competent government beyond sectarian quotas and political parties that represents all Iraqi factions.

The prime minister-designate has 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to the parliament for approval after his appointment.
The MSC will focus on the future of the European Union (EU) and key challenges and crises in the regional and international arenas.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry left Washington to heading to Munich, Germany to take part in the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) which kicked off yesterday and is set to run until Sunday.

The MSC will focus on the future of the European Union (EU) and key challenges and crises in the regional and international arenas.

The foreign minister is set to participate in several sessions to be held as part of the conference to shed light on the Egyptian vision on means of dealing with various regional and international issues, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said.

The Egyptian foreign minister will also hold talks with a large number of officials participating in the conference to discuss means of boosting joint cooperation, Hafez added.

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Mosier said the Camry is being transported to Virginia for examination, and could contain the weapon used in the shooting. Guns were stored in the home, but it had not been determined whether any of those guns were used or missing, Mosier said. Wyatt Norwood was a first-grader at Mary Walter Elementary School, where police set up a command post and briefed the media beginning Friday night. Levi Norwood attends Liberty High School in Bealeton. A district wrestling tournament being held at the school was canceled Saturday afternoon, and all activities in the schools were canceled until school reopens Tuesday, said Fauquier Superintendent David Jeck.
A Punjab-origin couple has been arrested for allegedly running an overseas telephone scam in which crooks posing as tax officials duped people of around 90.68 crore, a media report said on Saturday.

Brampton-based Gurinderpreet Dhaliwal, 37, and his wife Inderpreet Dhaliwal, 36, were arrested on Saturday and charged with fraud and money-laundering, while an arrest warrant has been issued against their alleged partner Shantanu Manik, 26, who is believed to be in India, City News website, a Canada-based news portal, reported.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the fraudsters were targeting Canadians since 2014 by calling and identifying themselves as representatives from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or RCMP, the report said.

The scammers then tell the person on the phone that they owe back taxes, and threaten them if they dont pay the money back, the paper reported.

The RCMP said between 2014 and 2019, Canadians lost over 16.8 million (90.8 crore) Canadian dollars to the scam and it has resulted in people being very suspicious when the CRA contacts them through legitimate ways.

The RCMP said their investigation into the scam uncovered money mules operating in Canada.

These mules would be ordered to courier proceeds from the scam to a specific name and address, or drop point, which led investigators to the Dhaliwal couple, RCMPS inspector Jim Ogden said.

We have disrupted the necessary flow of money from Canada to India, which will have a big impact on the operation and the bottom line of the scammers, Ogden said.

As part of the arrests, RCMP seized 26,000 Canadian dollars, packages allegedly used to receive victims money, and jewellery worth 1,14,000 Canadian dollars.

Through the investigation and working with authorities in India, a number of raids have also been carried out on call centres in India, the RCMP said.
Mexican American Studies students at San Antonio College arent waiting for the schools administration to respond to demands to drop its mascot, the Ranger.

So far, the administrations reaction to the issue has ranged from reluctant to non-responsive, though it has announced plans to hold discussions on the topic at its annual multi-cultural conference later this year.

In that void, a campus group called SOMOS La Gente  Spanish for we are the people  has been working on several projects, none as important as educating fellow students on the mascots history.

Little has been taught about the violent history of the infamous law-enforcement unit, the Texas Rangers. But students  when engaged  have been shocked to find out their school mascot represents such a racist, violent chapter in Texas history.

At the turn of the last century, Texas Rangers were responsible for attacks on Mexicans and Mexican Americans, their ranches and their towns. The state-sanctioned violence included lynchings.

This history has been documented in photographs, books, exhibitions and documentary film. The best evidence rests in the 1919 testimony of what has come to be known as the Canales hearings in the Texas Legislature. Pay attention to that date.

The evidence it gathered was damning. Afterward, the record was sealed and wasnt available to the public until the 1970s.

In 1926, seven years after those hearings, SAC linked itself to that history.

What does that say about the leaderships perspective at that time, and what message were they sending to students, faculty and the world?

To me, their decision was about defiance and denial.

I was on the SAC campus recently and visited with Mexican American Studies students and faculty. I attended a meeting of Somos la Gente. It was held in the small, colorful MAS Center. Students brought pan dulce, salty snacks and Mexican candy.

The center is filled with Mexican American history books and art. Its walls are decorated with posters showcasing local civil rights leaders, including Rosie Castro, Mario Compean, former City Councilwoman Maria Antonietta Berriozabal, Native American leader and artist Ramon Vasquez y Sanchez and filmmaker Efrain Gutierrez.

The groups leaders  Nati Roman, Diana R. Flores and Gregory Garrett-Estrada  take classes and have calendars full of extracurricular activities. Each wants to become a MAS scholar, writer or teacher.

They talked about an academic conference next month. Its a state conference of the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies-Tejas Foco on March 5-7 at South Texas College in McAllen.

It will bring together the states MAS academics to hear from experts. Theyll hear about each others work. Theyll listen to presentations on ethnic studies, border rhetoric, what it means to be a sanctuary campus, MAS in K-12 and even a book on the Alton bus crash of 1989 that killed 21 students in the Rio Grande Valley.

Somos la Gente leaders will speak about the mascot controversy. Their talk is titled, Not My Mascot! Rejecting the Ranger and Reclaiming Our History.

There was a little weariness in the students voices.

Weve been so focused on the Ranger thing, Flores said. Its been draining, honestly. We have more fun things planned. We have a lot of projects.

Last year, they held an event and played Millennial Loteria. The vegan macaroni was a hit, and new students showed up.

Theyre ambitious. They talked about discussing Black history in Latin America and putting up some posters around campus for Womens History Month in March.

Theyve taken on the task of educating the student body about the mascot issue, sometimes one at a time. From time to time, theyve set up a table on campus and passed out literature theyve produced on the subject.

Theyre ultimately hopeful, because most students have been shocked about the mascot controversy. To be honest, some didnt know SAC has a mascot.

The student leaders dont think most alumni are aware of the mascots history either. But those whove been made aware have been equally horrified by it.

Elaine Ayala is a columnist covering San Antonio and Bexar County. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyala
Congress leader P Chidambaram in a series of tweets has targeted the central government over several issues ranging from the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to the detention of Kashmiri leaders after the Abrogation of article 370. Chidambaram said that "every Article of part 3 of the constitution is under threat" and added that CAA is a challenge to Article 14 and 15 of the Constitution.

Every Article of Part III of the Constitution is under threat. CAA is a challenge

to Articles 14 and 15. The detentions under PSA in

Kashmir are challenges to Articles 19 and 21.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 15, 2020

READ | Chidambaram Holds Sabha At JNU, Drums Up Support For Mass-movement Against CAA-NRC

Shaheen Bagh jibe

In another tweet, he cited Home Minister Amit Shah's invitation to Shaheen Bagh protestors and took a dig at Shah stating that he should not find an excuse to avoid the meeting when the protestors reach his doorstep.

"Home Minister invited the protesters at Shaheen Bagh to meet him. They have decided to march to the HMs residence and seek a meeting. HM should not find an excuse to avoid the meeting," Chidambaram tweeted.

READ | Sharmistha Mukherjee Scorches 'gloating' Chidambaram After Congress' Wipeout In Delhi

He also called the detention of Kashmiri leaders a misuse of the Public Safety Act and added Kashmiri politician Shah Faesal's detention as "shocking and shameful".

"The misuse of the Public Safety Act in Jammu & Kashmir continues, former IAS officer Faesal detained under that Act. Shocking and shameful. Lets see what bizarre reasons are contained in the order of detention," he tweeted.

READ | Sitharaman Reads Predecessor Chidambaram Own 'patient File' For 'incompetent Doctors' Jibe

Hypocrisy of Congress over CAA

Congress among other opposition parties has opposed the CAA vehemently after it was passed by Parliament. However, Congress in its election manifesto ahead of Rajasthan assembly elections in 2018 had mentioned that the party would work for the holistic development of Pakistan displaced Hindu and Sikh refugees including their rehabilitation and citizenship. Congress leaders such as Ashok Gehlot and Manmohan Singh had repeatedly spoken in favour of granting citizenship to Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan in the past but Congress has changed its rhetoric after the act was proposed by Central government in parliament.

READ | Whoever Drafted Grounds Of Detention For Abdullah, Mufti Needs To Be Sacked: Chidambaram
In Maryland, Bowens family members say that much about the day he choked remains unclear  how closely he was monitored, how quickly his distress was noticed, how soon 911 was contacted  and are calling for answers. They say they want to make sure what happened to Bowen never happens to another child with special needs. School system officials say the death is under investigation, describing the loss of a child as anguishing but declining to discuss specifics.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  The Spanish government and leaders of the Catalonia region will start formal talks this month in a bid to end one of the biggest political crises since Spain's return to democracy in the late 1970s, the country's prime minister said Thursday.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the timing of the talks after he met with the separatist president of Catalonia, Quim Torra, in Barcelona. As expected, the meeting produced no major breakthroughs on the divisive issue of Catalonia's independence.

What I propose is that we need to start over, Sanchez told journalists. To restart the dialogue at the point where our paths diverged.I appreciate the tone and the willingness of President Torra. It was a respectful conversation between two presidents.

Torra said later that he insisted during the meeting that Sanchez needed to allow a legal referendum on whether the wealthy northeast region should secede from the rest of Spain.

Sanchezs government has repeatedly said a referendum is out of the question since it would violate the Spanish Constitution. Sanchez tried to steer the discussion toward social issues, financing for Spains regions and the impact of recent storms in the east of the country.

The Spanish government has not budged on its position regarding (Catalonias) self-determination, Torra said afterward.

If this marks the start of a new era, we will see," he said. "We still dont know what the Spanish government would propose.

Last month, Sanchez agreed to open talks between his government and the Catalan government as part of a deal to win the support of some separatist lawmakers in the Spanish Parliament that he needed to form a government. Thursdays meeting with Torra was not considered part of that negotiation.

The two leaders appeared to chat amiably as they walked up an ornate stone staircase in the inner patio of the medieval Palace of the Generalitat, which is home to the Catalan government. Once inside the meeting room, Torra gave Sanchez two books on human rights.

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The building was under extra police protection, but there were only a handful of protesters outside the building, in stark comparison to the last time Sanchez met with Torra in December 2018. The day before that meeting, protesters clashed violently with police while Sanchez held a meeting of his Cabinet in Barcelona.

Any significant outcome of this new meeting is also in question as Torras future as the leader of Catalonia is in serious doubt.

Torra was stripped of his seat in the regional parliament last month after a Catalan court barred him from public office for 18 months for disobedience. Torra has appealed the decision to Spains Supreme Court and is clinging to his presidency in the meantime.

Torra recently said he would call a snap regional election as soon as the Catalan parliament can pass a budget because of the strained relations with the other separatist party that forms part of his coalition government.

Catalonias separatist movement is in disarray. Nine of its leaders are serving prison sentences for holding an unauthorized secession referendum and attempting secession in 2017. Other leaders fled the country.

Polls and election results show that Catalonia's 7.5 million residents are roughly equally divided over the secession question.

The last decade has been dominated by friction, Sanchez said. Nobody has won, all of us have lost. Nobody can feel proud. People are frustrated and tired. I have come to speak of hope. Now is the moment to move forward.
BRIDGEPORT  More than 24 hours after a deadly shooting claimed the life of 57-year-old Philip Ingram, officials confirmed Saturday that he called 911 just minutes prior to being fatally wounded.

The citys 911 service took a call at 9:03 a.m. Friday from a man who told the call-taker that a person got into a verbal altercation with him and brandished a weapon in the area of Arctic and Jane streets.

The caller, police said, then followed the individual with the weapon.

It seems that the victim had called 911 reporting a verbal altercation with another party when that party brandished a weapon, said Scott Appleby, director of emergency management/communications and homeland security, on Saturday.

On Friday, investigators were considering that the 911 caller might have been Ingram but had not yet confirmed it.

He said it was unclear what prompted the original altercation.

While officers were en route to the call of the person with a weapon, Appleby said, the citys ShotSpotter system picked up gunfire at 9:09 a.m. in the 800 block of Kossuth Street.

Appleby said the location of the shooting was a few blocks away from where the altercation was reported from.

Officers got to the scene of the reported shots fired at 9:10 a.m. and found Ingram  a Bridgeport resident  in the street suffering from critical injuries.

Medics transported Ingram to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:53 a.m.

Appleby said Saturday that investigators continue to review all video in the area and ask any witnesses to come forward. He said the case remains a very active investigation.

Ingrams death marks the citys third homicide of 2020 and the first in the month of February.

By this time last year, five people had been killed in Bridgeport  four of which died from gunfire.

Anyone with information about Fridays homicide is asked to call the Bridgeport police tip line at 203-576-8477. Callers can remain anonymous.
Saint Patricks Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a religious and cultural celebration in honor of Saint Patrick of Ireland who was one of the people who brought Christianity to the Irish people. The celebration is often held on or around March 17, the date widely believed to be Saint Patricks death date. The feast day was made an official day for Christian in the 17th century and marked around the world, especially by the Irish community. Although Saint Patricks Day is a religious celebration, it is also a day for the celebration of the cultural heritage of the Irish people. The day is marked by several activities including parades, music, special food, and drinking.

Celebration Date (s)

The St. Patricks Day was added to the Catholic Church calendar in the 1600s, effectively becoming a day when all the Roman Catholics in Ireland are expected to attend mass. Although Saint Patricks Day is widely celebrated on March 17 in most countries, the day can be moved forward or backward to accommodate certain Christian activities. The celebration of the day is often affected by certain solemnities, leading to the day being moved to a time that does not coincide with this period. One of the periods that will affect the feast day is the Holy Week. If March 17 falls within Holy Week, the celebration will be postponed to a later date. For instance, in 1940 Saint Patricks Day was celebrated on April 3 because March 17 coincided with Palm Sunday. It was held on March 15 in 2008.

Apart from March 17, the feast can be also be held on a weekend near the date. Saint Patricks Day was made an official holiday in Ireland in 1903. In 2020, the feast day will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 17 in most countries except Canada which will observe the day on Monday, March 16 in some parts and Tuesday, March 17 in other parts. In 2021, Saint Patricks Day will again be celebrated on March 17 in most parts of the world. Canada will celebrate the feast day on March 15 and March 17.

Saint Patricks Day Tradition

Saint Patricks Day is known for all things Irish including music, food, shamrock, and parades throughout Ireland and other parts of the world. From color green to leprechauns and the snake, a lot of things happen on this day. Many people wear green clothing on this day. Music is an important component of the Irish culture and features prominently on the feast day. On this day, families share the traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage.

Apart from feasting and merrymaking, some people take a pilgrimage to Saint Patricks Purgatory, which, according to many people who have been there, is a source of spiritual healing. It is located on Station Island where it is believed that Saint Patrick had a vision in which sinners were guaranteed pardon if they went there with penitence and faith. Saint Patricks Day is also a day to remember when the good saint banished snakes from Ireland (not actual snakes but pagans).
HANOI -- Vietnam has turned away a German-owned cruise ship with more than 1,000 passengers on board over fears of coronavirus infections on board, state media reported on Friday.

Authorities in Quang Ninh province, home to the UNESCO world heritage site Ha Long Bay, decided on Tuesday not to allow passengers of the ship AIDAvita to disembark on Thursday, the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

The vessel has docked in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, which have all reported coronavirus cases, VNA said.

Not allowing AIDIvitas passengers to disembark is just a temporary solution to prevent the intrusion of diseases, VNA cited a local official as saying.

Germanys AIDA Cruises, the owner of the AIDAvita, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. AIDA Cruises is a subsidiary of Miami-based Carnival Corp (CCL.N).

The cruise liner left the Philippines port of Coron on February 10 bound for Vietnam via the East Vietnam Sea, according to data published by the Marine Traffic ship tracking website.

It had been scheduled to visit Ha Long Bay, in northern Vietnam, on Saturday, then proceed to the Vietnamese ports of Da Nang, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City from February 16-20, according to CruiseMapper, a website which tracks cruise ships.

As of Friday evening, the AIDAvita was 176 kilometers south of the Thai capital Bangkok, according to Marine Traffic.

Passengers on another Carnival Corp cruise ship, the MS Westerdam, spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries, including Thailand, over coronavirus fears before they began to disembark in Cambodia on Friday.

The coronavirus has killed more than 1,380 people, almost all in mainland China where the outbreak originated, with one each in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan.
Real Housewives of Melbourne star Jackie Gillies has announced she is quitting the show to focus on starting a family with her musician husband Ben.

The reality TV star, 39, told Stellar that she was confident in her decision to put a pause on the show and to grow their family in their hometown of Newcastle in NSW.

She revealed to the publication that she is on her fourth round of IVF and that she kept her treatments under wraps because she felt she'd be judged.

'Keeping it hidden meant I also wasn't being honest': In this week's Stellar magazine, Jackie Gillies (pictured) revealed the reason she is quitting Real Housewives of Melbourne is to focus on starting a family with her musician husband Ben

'Keeping it hidden meant I also wasn't being honest to who I am. And since I've started telling people, everyone has been so supportive,' the ever-positive personality said.

She also said that her time in the South African jungle on Channel 10's I'm A Celebrity back in 2018 helped her realise she wanted to be a mother.

The medium added that while her physic abilities do not show her everything that will happen in life, she knew motherhood was for her.

Motherhood: She said that her time on Channel 10's I'm A Celebrity back in 2018 helped her realise she wanted to be a mother. The medium added that while her physic abilities do not show her everything that will happen in life, she knew motherhood was for her

Parenthood: Supporting her along the way is her husband Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies (left) who told the publication he was surprised at how IVF works, calling it an assistance to the natural process

'Do I know I'm definitely going to have children? From the depths of my heart, yes. But what I haven't been prepared for is the way it was going to come.'

Supporting her along the way is her husband Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies who told the publication he was surprised at how IVF works, calling it an assistance to the natural process.

Jackie said that while she and Ben don't have a time or financial limit, they know that they have other options - surrogacy or adoption - if she is unable to carry her child.

Other options: Jackie said that while she and Ben don't have a time or financial limit, they know that they have other options - surrogacy or adoption - if she is unable to carry her child

The brunette beauty, who inspired by comedian Amy Schumer and her IVF story, explained that she is speaking up about her journey to help other women not feel burdened by it.

'The biggest thing I've learnt... is to never hide things. When you talk, it's like you become lighter. And please don't feel like you're not good enough. Because you are enough. It's OK. It's not your fault,' she said.

The Croation-born beauty has starred on every season of Arena's Real Housewives of Melbourne since 2014.
Almost 557,000 patients are waiting for a first hospital consultation and thousands more have joined the queue over the last two months, it has emerged.

Latest public hospital waiting-list data shows that 556,770 people were waiting for a first hospital outpatient consultation at the end of January  an increase of 3,336 since the end of December.

The data, published by the National Treatment Purchase Fund, shows that 67,303 patients are waiting for inpatient or day-case treatment, with 740 joining the list since December.

Patient advocate Stephen McMahon said the outpatient waiting list needed to be addressed immediately.

Mr McMahon, who is chairman and co-founder of the Irish Patients Association, said Ireland continuesd to have one of the worst waiting times in Europe.

Our waiting times pose a big challenge for the next minister who enters the doors of the Department of Health, he said.

Health minister Simon Harris said that he believes Slaintecare reforms could be completed before 2030.

However, Mr McMahon said the patients languishing on waiting lists needed care today, and could not wait for the promised land of Slaintecare.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association said 776,499 people were on waiting lists for care across the countrys acute public hospitals, a 46,562 increase on the January 2019 figure.

Orthopaedics, ear, nose and throat (ENT), dermatology, ophthalmology, general surgery, urology, and gynaecology specialities have the largest numbers of patients waiting for hospital care.

IHCA president Dr Donal OHanlon described the figures as extremely disappointing.

Another year had passed without any discernible improvement for patients in accessing the countrys public hospitals, he said.

The figures continue to go in the wrong direction, which is unacceptable.

Last weekend voters gave their views on the current poor state of public hospital services  voting decisively for the immediate improvements in access and delivery of hospital care.

The next Government must now listen to what voters want and quickly move to address the overwhelming capacity deficits in our public hospitals.

Dr OHanlon said the lack of capacity, as well as the consultant recruitment and retention crisis, were key factors in the long wait times faced by patients in the health system.

Increasing beds and filling the over 500 vacant consultant posts must be urgently addressed to reduce the unacceptable waiting lists and provide timely quality care to patients.

There are 52,734 children are now waiting for care at the three childrens hospitals which form part of the Childrens Health Ireland (CHI) hospital group.

However, the IHCA has pointed out that the NTPF figures do not represent the full extent of adults and children who are waiting for care across Ireland.

Excluded are additional key patient groupings, including children seeking care in other hospitals that are not part of the CHI hospital group, and adults and children awaiting diagnostics such as MRI or CAT scans, ultrasounds or X-rays.
Most people are familiar with the historical Silk Road, but fewer people realize that the exchange of items, ideas, technology, and human genes through the mountain valleys of Central Asia started almost three millennia before organized trade networks formed. These pre-Silk Road exchange routes played an important role in shaping human cultural developments across Europe and Asia, and facilitated the dispersal of technologies such as horse breeding and metal smelting into East Asia. One of the most impactful effects of this process of ancient cultural dispersal was the westward spread of northeast Asian crops and the eastward spread of southwest Asian crops. However, until the past few years, a lack of archaeobotanical studies in Central Asia left a dearth of data relating to when and how this process occurred.

This new study, led by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, provides details of recently recovered ancient grains from the far northern regions of Inner Asia. Radiocarbon dating shows that the grains include the oldest examples of wheat and barley ever recovered this far north in Asia, pushing back the dates for early farming in the region by at least a millenium. These are also the earliest domesticated plants reported from the northern half of Central Asia, the core of the ancient exchange corridor. This study pulls together sedimentary pollen and ancient wood charcoal data with archaeobotanical remains from the Tiangtian archaeological site in the Chinese Altai Mountains to reveal how humans cultivated crops at such northern latitudes. This study illustrates how adaptable ancient crop plants were to new ecological constraints and how human cultural practices allowed people to survive in unpredictable environments.

The Northern Dispersal of Cereal Grains

The ancient relatives of wheat and barley plants evolved to grow in the warm and dry climate of the eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia. However, this study illustrates that ancient peoples were cultivating these grasses over five and a half thousand kilometers to the northeast of where they originally evolved to grow. In this study, Dr. Xinying Zhou and his colleagues integrate paleoenvironmental proxies to determine how extreme the ecology was around the archaeological cave site of Tangtian more than five millennia ago, at the time of its occupation. The site is located high in the Altai Mountains on a cold,dry landscape today; however, the study shows that the ecological setting around the site was slightly warmer and more humid at the time when people lived in and around this cave.

The slightly warmer regional conditions were likely the result of shifting air masses bringing warmer, wetter air from the south. In addition to early farmers using a specific regional climate pocket to grow crops in North Asia, analysis showed that the crops they grew evolved to survive in such northern regions. The results of this study provide scholars with evidence for when certain evolutionary changes in these grasses occurred, including changes in the programed reliance of day length, which signals to the plant when to flower, and a greater resistance to cold climates.

The Trans-Eurasian Exchange and Crop Dispersal

The ancient dispersal of crops across Inner Asia has received a lot of attention from biologists and archaeologists in recent years; as Dr. Spengler, one of the study's lead authors, discusses in his recent book Fruit from the Sands, these ancient exchange routes shaped the course of human history. The mingling of crops originating from opposite ends of Asia resulted in the crop-rotation cycles that fueled demographic growth and led to imperial formation. East Asian millets would become one of the most important crops in ancient Europe and wheat would become one of the most important crops in East Asia by the Han Dynasty. While the long tradition of rice cultivation in East Asia made rice a staple of the Asian kitchen, Chinese cuisine would be unrecognizable without wheat-based food items like steamed buns, dumplings, and noodles. The discovery that these plants dispersed across Eurasia earlier than previously understood will have lasting impacts on the study of cultivation and labor practices in ancient Eurasia, as well as the history cultural contact and shifts in culinary systems throughout time.

These new discoveries provide reason to question these views, and seem to suggest that mixed small-scale human populations made major contributions to world history through migration and cultural and technological exchange. "This study not only presents the earliest dates for domesticated grains in far North Asia," says Professor Xiaoqiang Li, director of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, "it represents the earliest beginning of a trans-Eurasian exchange that would eventually develop into the great Silk Road."

Dr. Xinying Zhou, who headed the study and directs a research team at the IVPP in Beijing, emphasizes that "this discovery is a testament to human ingenuity and the amazing coevolutionary bond between people and the plants that they maintain in their cultivated fields."
MINSK, Belarus (AP)  The president of Belarus said Friday that Russia insisted on merging the two states during last week's talks on further integrating the countries' economies.

They understand integration as swallowing up Belarus. This isn't integration. It's incorporation. I will never go for this, President Alexander Lukashenko said during a visit to a paper plant in southeastern Belarus.

I will always fight for our land to remain sovereign and independent. Your first president that you once elected will never be the last, he added.

Tension has been running high between the neighboring ex-Soviet states for several months now. As negotiations on closer ties stalled, Russia halted oil supplies to Belarus and Lukashenko repeatedly accused the Kremlin of pushing for a merger of the two countries.

Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down last Friday for yet another round of talks in Sochi, but failed to reach an agreement.

Merging with Belarus is seen by many as a strategy for Putin to stay in power well past the legally mandated end of his presidential term in 2024 by becoming the head of a new state.

As Lukashenko has resisted the integration effort, the Kremlin has increased pressure by halting oil supplies to Belarus, which relies on Russia for more than 80% of its energy needs.

Lukashenko has since vowed to find alternative oil suppliers and boasted about warming ties with the West in an apparent bid to win concessions from Russia. So far Belarus has been able to secure a shipment of oil from Norway and is negotiating supplies from Kazakhstan.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for more than two decades and is up for re-election this year, doesn't want to become a governor in a single state with Russia, Minsk-based political analyst Alexander Klaskovsky told The Associated Press.

The Kremlin has so far failed to scare Minsk by cutting subsidies ahead of the presidential race in Belarus, Klaskovsky said.

Lukashenko said Friday that talks on closer ties between Russia and Belarus would continue, but only the questions of integrating economies would be on the table.
About one-third of the New Orleans firefighters scheduled to work Saturday called in sick or refused to work overtime shifts, as a simmering labor fight between their union and Mayor LaToya Cantrell entered a second week.

Union leaders  who are demanding solutions to the departments staffing shortage as well as changes in overtime policies  denied that their members had staged an organized sickout to pressure Cantrells administration on the first of two major weekends of Carnival parades.

Union spokesman Doug Shanahan blamed flu season for the number of absences, which he acknowledged was higher than usual.

Fire Superintendent Tim McConnell described the actions of the firefighters union as "extortion."

McConnell, who called Saturday's events a "sickout" and a "strike," said 47 of the 137 employees scheduled to work called in to say they would not be on the job. With some firefighters agreeing to fill in for the many vacant shifts, only 120 employees worked a shift that should have had at least 150 on duty, he said in an afternoon press conference.

"Its extortion and bullying at its best," McConnell said about the union.

The Fire Department has about 480 total employees, 60 below its authorized strength.

"We are not where we want to be staffing wise, and it causes me concern," McConnell said.

Union President Aaron Mischler continued to deny that this was a sickout. He said the number of firefighters who stayed home Saturday was normal for this time of year because of flu season and Mardi Gras.

He also said roughly 35 to 45 firefighters are off-duty on normal Saturdays.

"They're using this as an excuse to say we're doing the bullying, but we're not," Mischler said. "Sick is sick."

"The (union) has not ordered or sanctioned any sickouts or other job actions and encourages all fire fighters to report to work on their scheduled day."

But with multiple Mardi Gras parades rolling through New Orleans, McConnell said this was the absolute worst time for this many firefighters to be off-duty.

He said the NOFD has already reached out to Emergency Medical Services, the Governor's Office and the State Fire Marshal's Office to say it may have to call upon them for assistance.

"Were struggling to keep people safe, and there is a potential people will be less safe," McConnell said.

As a result of the manpower shortage, at least four Fire Department companies for now can send out only two-man crews, which is below the three-firefighter minimum called for by the National Fire Prevention Association.

The NFPAs recommendations are not law, but city policy prohibits those on a two-firefighter truck from entering the scene of a structure fire without first waiting for backup, meaning response times to fires could increase.

Shanahan said the companies running two-man trucks were based at Decatur and Frenchmen streets, in Faubourg Marigny; St. Claude and Poland avenues, in Bywater; on Basin Street across from the Municipal Auditorium, in Treme; and Fire Department headquarters in the 300 block of Decatur Street, in the French Quarter.

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New Orleans fire trucks won't roll after Mardi Gras parades amid labor fight with City Hall A longtime Mardi Gras tradition has ended, at least for now, because of the labor fight between New Orleans firefighters and Mayor LaToya Cant

The shortage came eight days after union leaders met with Cantrells administration to discuss changes to an overtime policy which they argue defers or denies them pay they have earned.

Union members have other grievances, including with policies addressing pensions, promotions and rates for off-duty details. But overtime tops the list, with union officials saying firefighters had essentially been expected to volunteer to work 90 or more hours a week at times to make up for the chronic understaffing.

After the union and the administration failed to solve their differences during the Feb. 7 meeting, the firefighters announced they would refuse to work all voluntary overtime but would still show up for their regular shifts.

NOFD boss cancels firefighters' vacations, might force OT after crews refuse it A pledge by New Orleans firefighters to refuse to work voluntary overtime to protest the Fire Department's staffing levels and other grievance

The next day, McConnell canceled many firefighters vacations and other leave indefinitely. He said the step was necessary for the department to adequately staff stations across the city.

That order also made clear that anyone calling in for sick leave would need a doctors note upon returning to work.

Another notable change to the Fire Departments operation was announced Friday, hours before Carnival parades began rolling Uptown. McConnell said fire crews would conduct safety inspections on floats and flambeaux before each parade as usual but would then return to their stations to answer calls for service rather than trail the processions, as had long been tradition.

Cantrell and McConnell said that change had nothing to do with the firefighters labor grievances, though they acknowledged the decision to make the switch was reached this week.

Cantrell has bristled at the firefighters posture, arguing the changes they demand would cost nearly $5 million a year and cant be granted right now due to budget constraints. She said she also feels attacked because she approved a 10% pay raise in 2018 for firefighters and other city employees, who had not received such an increase in a decade.

We will not be bullied, Cantrell said Friday.

Union leaders counter that their requests would not immediately cost the city money. Shanahan said the union merely wants the city to sign agreements to work the overtime changes into the 2021 budget, to present pension reform proposals to the state Legislature and to sign a contract with the union, which last had one in 2011.

This is a public safety crisis created by the city and the Fire Departments bureaucrats and politicians, Shanahan said. The firefighters have a solution, but those bureaucrats are not listening.

The union has also sought a temporary injunction to block the city from enforcing the leave cancellations. That request is set to be heard by a Civil District Court judge next week.

Mischler said the leave cancellations resulted in 19 firefighters whose vacations had previously been approved instead being scheduled to work Saturday.

The directive the union wants to nullify empowers McConnell to force firefighters to work overtime, something typically reserved for emergencies. McConnell has said that wont be necessary if firefighters show up to work as scheduled.

This post was updated to include additional statements from Mischler.
Now that Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan have created their own buddy podcast, we can be fairly sure the medium has peaked. Teenagers across Australia had better hope the pair dont take next to Tik-Tok, or it too will be ruined by association. As for Snapchat, we pray Joyce has never heard of it.

Long has the member for New England exhausted the mainstream media with his need for attention, and yet its strangely difficult to recall any formal policy positions he has fought for.

Podcasters Matt Canavan and Barnaby Joyce. Credit:Andrew Meares

Not content with drenching the traditional airwaves with himself, this week Joyce was conscripted by his former chief of staff, the recently departed resources minister, Matt Canavan, to break the internet with their own podcast, Weatherboard and Iron.

The trend of politicians podcasting is a worrying one  Christopher Pyne, the former defence minister-turned lobbyist, recently launched one. Julia Gillard has one too.
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Linkedin Kassim Traore (Agence France-Presse) Bamako, Mali  Sat, February 15, 2020 10:58 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064ae132 2 World violence,ethnic-killing,Mali,Village-People Free

Forty people, including nine soldiers, have been killed in a spate of attacks in central Mali, authorities said Friday, with most of the deaths caused by inter-ethnic violence in the deeply troubled region.

Thirty-one people were killed in an attack overnight in Ogossagou, a village mainly inhabited by Fulani people where 160 died last March in a massacre blamed on Dogon militiamen, the government said, raising the death toll.

About 30 gunmen carried out the new attack, village chief Aly Ousmane Barry told AFP.

"Huts and crops were set alight, livestock was burned or taken away," he added, vowing that the government would find the perpetrators.

A local government official, who requested anonymity, had earlier said that 28 people were missing.

He blamed the attack on a Dogon hunters' group -- an assertion that could be not be verified independently.

The official and village chief Aly Ousmane Barry both said the attackers moved in several hours after government troops had pulled out of the area.

Eight soldiers killed in ambush

Later Friday eight Mali soldiers were killed and four others injured in an ambush in the central Gao region, the army said

The Malian force also suffered "material damage," the military said on social media sites, without indicating who had carried out the attack in the village of Bentia.

Also on Friday a soldier was killed in an attack on a military camp in Mondoro, also in central Mali, security officials said.

The camp had already been hit before -- as part of a joint raid by militants that also targeted the military camp of Boulkessy near the border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 25 soldiers.

Central Mali became gripped by ethnic violence after a jihadist revolt broke out in the north of the country in 2012.

The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives and spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso.

Tit-for-tat attacks in central Mali flared after Fulani people, also called Peul, became associated with jihadists.

Led by a firebrand Islamic preacher Amadou Koufa, a militia called the Katiba Macina recruited members from among the Fulani and has been accused of ethnically-motivated attacks.

Other ethnic groups such as the Bambara or the Dogon began to form self-defense groups that have been accused of reprisal massacres.

In addition to the latest attack at Ogossagou, 14 Fulani were killed in central Mali in January.

Around 75 Dogons were killed in the villages of Sobane Da, Gangafani and Yoro in June last year, in an attack blamed on Fulani militants.

'Epicenter' of violence

Human Rights Watch this month pointed to the ethnic patchwork of central Mali as the country's "epicenter" of violence.

It said over 450 civilians had been killed in the region in 2019, "the deadliest year for civilians" since the jihadist insurgency began.

Reflecting the chronic instability, Malian soldiers are themselves frequently targeted.

On Jan. 26, Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a military camp in Sokolo, central Mali, killing 20 gendarmes and wounding five more.

The violence in central Mali coincides with renewed hopes that the fragile government can reassert control over the largely lawless north.

Troops returned on Thursday to Kidal, a northern town that had been a bastion of Tuareg rebels, after a six-year absence.

Regular forces returned to the town accompanied by former rebels who have been integrated into the army under a regional peace agreement.

The deal, reached in Algiers in 2015, is considered one of the few avenues Mali has for escaping the cycle of violence.
The Congress may be content with playing second fiddle to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar, but is likely to seek its fair share of seats in the assembly elections due to take place in the state later this year.

A Congress functionary familiar with the development said the party had started preparations for the Bihar elections, due in October-November.

The party has identified 55 of the total 243 seats where it is in position to pose a tough challenge or even win against candidates of the ruling Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance.

We will negotiate with RJD and other potential alliance partners on these 55 seats, the functionary cited above said on condition of anonymity.

In the 2015 assembly elections, the Congress was a part of the grand alliance also comprising the JD(U) and the RJD. It won 27 of the 41 seats it contested. The JD(U) and the RJD contested 101 seats each. The RJD won 80 seats and the JD(U), whose leader Nitish Kumar parted ways with the Grand Alliance and joined forces with the BJP in 2017, won 71.

The Congress has identified these 55 seats based on the performance of its candidates in the 2015 and 2010 assembly elections.

Lets see how much we finally get, the functionary quoted above said, adding that the alliance partners will start preliminary seat-sharing negotiations next month.

The alliance will also have to take a call on its chief ministerial face against the backdrop of a significant change in electoral politics; voters these days want to know who will be their prime minister or chief minister, as evident from the results of last years general elections and this months Delhi assembly polls.

In the 2015 elections, the Congress had insisted on naming Nitish Kumar as the face of the grand alliance.

The Congress is willing to accept RJDs Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate, but the three other alliance partners -- Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) of Upendra Kushwaha, former chief minister Jitin Ram Manjhis Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) of Mukesh Sahni  have pitched for former JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav.

Senior Congress leader from Bihar Kishore Kumar Jha said the grand alliance should name its chief ministerial candidate after the elections on the basis of the highest number of seats won by any constituent.

If we declare Tejashwi as our CM face, the upper castes will once again vote for the JD(U)-BJP despite being unhappy with the ruling alliance. On the other hand, Sharad Yadav has no mass appeal or support base in Bihar. So the strategy should be formulated accordingly, Jha added.

He also insisted that the Congress demand an equal number of seats from the RJD. We should not agree on anything less than 100 seats and have to sternly put forth our demands. We have nothing to lose if we pull out of the alliance and contest on our own strength, the Congress leader said.

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US imposed sanctions against Lt General Shavendra Silva for extrajudicial killings at the end of Sri Lankas civil war.

The United States has blacklisted Sri Lankas army chief, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, over accusations of human rights violations including extrajudicial killings during the countrys civil war. He is no longer allowed to enter the US.

I am designating Shavendra Silva making him ineligible for entry into the US due to his involvement in extrajudicial killings during Sri Lankas Civil War, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet on Friday.

The US will not waver in its pursuit of accountability for those who commit war crimes and violate human rights Pompeo added.

In an earlier statement, he said that allegations of gross human rights violations against Shavendra Silva had been documented by the United Nations and other organisations.

US sanctions imposed on Friday by Washington bar both Silva and his immediate family members from entering the US. Sri Lankas Ministry of Foreign Relations urged Washington to review its decision, adding that there were no substantiated or proven allegations of human rights violations against him.

The Government of Sri Lanka takes strong objection to the imposition of travel restrictions on Lieutenant General Silva and his immediate family members by the Government of the United States, based on independently unverified information, the ministry said in a statement.

Silvas appointment as army commander of the island nation in August drew sharp criticism from the US and the UN, which later suspended the Sri Lankan army from its peacekeeping operations.

Silva led an army division against Tamil Tiger rebels in the final phases of Sri Lankas 26-year-long civil war. The war ended in 2009. His victory, however, was highly controversial. Thousands of civilians were killed in the last phases of the conflict. The deaths also occurred in government-declared no-fire zones. Some of the zones  including hospitals  came under sustained army shelling.

A UN panel accused Silvas division of suspected extrajudicial executions of unarmed rebels in the final week of the war. Silva is also accused of systematically torturing people in government custody.

In August, Michelle Bachelet, the UNs High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the promotion of Lieutenant-General Silva severely compromised Sri Lankas commitment to promote justice and undermined reconciliation efforts in the eyes of victims and survivors who suffered greatly in the war.
Pembina Trails and Louis Riel school divisions both released draft budgets this week, keeping to provincial government guidelines with tax hikes under two per cent.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pembina Trails and Louis Riel school divisions both released draft budgets this week, keeping to provincial government guidelines with tax hikes under two per cent.

But both divisions say funding from the province isn't keeping up with cost of living increases.

Pembina Trails is cutting one assistant superintendent position to balance its budget and is proposing to reassign a number of non-classroom based teachers, such as consultants, teacher-librarians, resource and English as Additional Language (EAL) teachers, to classrooms.

The division said on social media those are the steps it has to take to save programs at its 35 schools and comply with the provinces mandate of reducing overall management by at least 15 per cent and meeting the special requirement increase cap of two per cent.

"We are growing by 500 students a year, and many are EAL students," said Supt. Ted Fransen. On Tuesday, the province announced 18,905 immigrants landed in Manitoba in 2019, the highest number in recent years.

The number of EAL teachers has grown, too, and they may need to work with more students than they currently are, Fransen said in an interview.

"Does that mean the level of service is diminished? I think it's fair to say, whenever positions are cut, some things will not be done and some things will be done differently. We need to balance the needs of a wide variety of program issues," he said.

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Their main commitment is to make sure the more than 15,000 students in the division are personally and intellectually engaged and will graduate, he said.

Pembina Trails is planning a 1.2 per cent school tax increase, which it says will cost the average homeowner $27. Its proposed budget for 2020-21 is $181 million.

The Louis Riel School Division says its draft budget features a 1.12 per cent property tax hike, which works out to a $22.56 increase for an average home valued at $343,700. It's expecting a 0.9 per cent decrease in provincial funding compared to the previous years budget.

The decrease in funding from the province is not keeping up with the cost of living or enrolment, which is projected to increase by 216 students to 16,004 in 2020-2021, the school division said in a press release.

Louis Riel trustees are proposing a budget of $196 million for the next school year.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Trumpet player Tony Prisk proposes to violinist Julia Li on stage at a Philadelphia Orchestra concert on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 2020. Read more

Magic was already in the air Friday as the Philadelphia Orchestra prepared to play its Sorcerers, Spells, and Magic Valentines Day set at the Kimmel Center.

But it was an unexpected pre-concert duet that stole the show, hitting all the right notes as second trumpet Tony Prisk got down on one knee to propose to first violin Julia Li.

Before the orchestra began to play, Prisk, in a routine announcement video, asked those in the audience to remain seated at the conclusion of the performance, and silence their cell phones.

But right now, you might want to take them out and start recording, he added, because this isnt something you see every day.

Li set her strings aside and began to tear up as her beaming soon-to-be fiance walked across the stage, asking her to marry him. As she said yes, the audience erupted into the kind of applause usually saved for the end of a symphony.

I had a sneaking suspicion it was going to happen, Li, 30, later said. But I still cried.

The two met around six years ago, when they joined the orchestra. Prisk, new in town from Houston, and Li, who had lived in the city for years while attending the Curtis Institute of Music, said they bonded quickly while touring with a tight group of friends in the orchestra.

They quickly developed chemistry, Li said, and moved to a home in South Philadelphia about a year ago.

It just felt right, Prisk, 45, said. Shes beautiful, talented, and smart, and we laugh a lot together, our sense of humor lines up really well.

In marriage, Li said shes looking forward to more of the same.

As for wedding plans, Prisk said he will take his cue from Li.

Its all up to her now, he said. I did my part.

Sans proposal, the orchestra will play its Sorcerers, Spells, and Magic program again Saturday at 8 p.m., featuring John Williams score from the Harry Potter movies, Paul Dukas The Sorcerers Apprentice," and a performance of Maurice Ravels "Lenfant et les Sortileges. Tickets start at $42.
Commercial Bank keen on local, overseas opportunities By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):

The Commercial Bank which completed its centenary year is evaluating potential local and overseas opportunities in terms of strategic investments, officials say.

We evaluated about 20 such opportunities last year. We continue to do so this year as well, S. Renganathan, Managing Director / CEO Commercial Bank told the Business Times in an interview on Friday. He said last year the bank increased its stake from 20 per cent to 60 per cent in Commercial Insurance Brokers PLC. This was one of the discussions of a strategic stake that came into fruition last year, he explained noting that this year too, something will see through.

He explained further that strategic opportunities in finance and banking are their focus point.

The bank has seen its contribution from the Bangladesh operation increase to 20 per cent from the 13 per cent to 15 per cent levels during last year. Mr. Renganathan also said that Commercials subsidiaries, Serendib Finance and Commercial Development (which owns the banks head office building) have done well during last year. Also the banks Myanmar micro finance operation is expected to do well this year and make profits. Mr. Renganathan added that

CBC Tech Solutions which does IT solutions for the bank is also active. As such we expect the group to do better in the year to come, he added.

The Commercial Bank share has dropped to Rs. 85 as at Friday, from around Rs.113 in January 2019. Mr. Renganathan noted that the share has seen a lot of foreign selling which is owing to the US capital markets gaining traction. The US dollar returns are better now. When global markets dry up the foreign funds look at emerging markets, he noted. When asked whether the bank is looking for a capital call, Mr. Renganathan replied that theyre working on an initiative which will definitely not dilute the current share price of the bank.

He added that there are two limiting factors for growth in the banking sector. The primary factor being lower level of economic activity which in turn leads to the second factor which is higher impairment costs due to the increase in non-performing loans. But he is positive. Growth in the economy is expected after the upcoming elections, he said.

He said that the coronavirus has also impacted business. Not only tourism but trading that is done in China is curtailed do an extent. Also exports are affected. That is why we see slow trading which takes place through the bank, he said.

Mr. Renganathan added that the small and medium enterprise relief package which was introduced by the government will assist those entrepreneurs who are really affected. It will be a bit of a breather for them.

The bank also has corporate social responsibility and sustainability programmes. This year the bank hopes to set up 100 STEM Schools under their CSR programme.
The Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrosheed Akanbi, on Friday, allegedly assaulted another monarch, Dhikrulahi Akinropo, the Agbowu of Ogbaagba, over land dispute.

The alleged assault occurred at the office of the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Zone 11, in Osogbo.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the alleged assault occurred during a peace meeting summoned by the AIG, Bashir Makama, to settle a land dispute happening in Iwo.

Sources familiar with the matter disclosed that before now, Mr Akanbi had asked other monarchs in Iwo to stop selling land without his consent.

PREMIUM TIMES also gathered that several meetings held in Iwo to restore law and order ended in deadlock and this was what necessitated the intervention of the police.

Other monarchs at Fridays peace meeting were Quadri Adeoye, Oluwo of Iwo-Oke; Oyebamiji Oyeleso of Oluponna, Adio Oyediran of Igegeland, Solomon Ojo of Ikonifin, Moshood Oparonke of Eesu, among others.

While the meeting was ongoing, Mr Akanbi allegedly stood up from where he was sitting and descended on Mr Akinropo.

Eyewitnesses who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to talk to journalists disclosed that it took the effort of the AIG to rescue Mr Akinropo.

Mr Akinropo was reportedly rushed to the state hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo for treatment.

Although, the Osun state police command is yet to speak on the incident, a monarch who spoke with journalists at the hospital confirmed the attack.

The Olu of Ileogbo, Habeeb Adetoyese, who spoke on behalf of others reportedly said: Oluwo wrote a petition that some monarchs in the area are selling his land. The state government ordered for settlement and a peace meeting was scheduled at Iwo but Oluwo himself disrupted the meeting.

They invited us for another meeting today Friday February 14 at the office of AIG. When Agbowu denied selling beyond his land, Oluwo rose in anger and punched him. He sustained injury in his mouth before the AIG could rescue him.

Self Defense  Oluwo

While Mr Akanbi did not deny attacking his colleague, he simply said it was self defense against the attempt of Mr Akinropo to stick his staff of office in Mr Akanbis eyes.

According to a brief statement made available to journalists by the media office of the Iwo palace, the assaulted monarch while making his speech called Oba Akanbi unprintable names, pointing his staff of office at Oluwo while an attempt to stick the staff in his eyes was defended.
Hubballi, Feb 15 : Rs 72,000 crore investment proposals were received at the Invest Karnataka meet, here on Friday, for the states northern region, said an official on Saturday.

"About 50 foreign and domestic firms have proposed to invest Rs 72,000 crore in the northwest and northern regions of the state and a dozen companies signed agreements with us," state Industries Department Secretary Gaurav Gupta said.

Rajesh Exports, Bengaluru-based group, signed an agreement to set up a manufacturing unit at Dharwad to rollout electric vehicles and make lithium ion batteries.

"Rajesh Exports proposes to invest about Rs 50,000 crore for manufacturing electric cars and lithium ion batteries for the domestic and overseas markets. It will generate about 10,000 jobs," said Gupta.

Similarly, Sonali Power has signed a pact with the state nodal agency (Udyog Mitra) to set up a solar power plant at Davangere at a cost of Rs 4,800 crore, which will generate 2,100 direct jobs.

Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa claimed several firms had come forward to collectively invest Rs 1 lakh crore since the BJP government came into being in July 2019.

"Many Indian and foreign firms will sign agreements with the state government at the 3-day Global Investors meet in Bengaluru on November 3-5," Yediyurappa said at the 'Invest Karnataka' meet.

Noting that Karnataka was rich in natural and human resources, especially in high-tech and skilled workforce, Yediyurappa said investment opportunities were plenty in aerospace, automobiles, machine tools, electric vehicles and bio-technology besides information technology.

"About 40 global firms expressed interest to invest in the state at a roadshow held at Davos, Switzerland, on the margins of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meet on January 23," he said.

Under the new industrial policy, the state government will set up clusters to make toys at Koppal, textiles in Bellari, solar equipment at Kalaburagi and farm machinery at Bidar.

"We are committed to make North Karnataka a power house of industries for the region's development, with Hubballi-Dharwad as the growth hub," Yediyurappa said.
Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades, center, and Mustafa Akinci, centre right, the leader of the ethnically divided island's breakaway Turkish Cypriots, attend an exhibition of culturally significant paintings and audio visual recordings that were recently exchanged as part of an effort to boost confidence between the ethnically divided island nation's two communities, at the Ledra Palace Hotel inside the UN controlled buffer zone in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  The president of Cyprus said Thursday that he regretted accepting a free flight on a Saudi businessman's jet for his family's vacation in the Seychelles but that the private travel arrangements didn't break any laws or ethical guidelines.

President Nicos Anastasiades said in a written statement that his family's use of the jet could've been avoided" to prevent what he called a needless commotion" over the August 2018 trip and groundless claims.

Opposition political parties had questioned and criticized Anastasiades' ethics over his decision to fly with his family on the Saudi businessman's jet. A presidential aide read the president's statement out loud to a members of a parliamentary oversight committee.

An auditor-general's report on presidential travel expenditures found no wrongdoing with the Seychelles trip.

The Auditor General's report said use of the plane didn't breach tax laws because it hadn't been provided to the head of state, but rather as a result of the president's friendly relations with its owner."

Anastasiades said the flight wasn't a gift from the Saudi businessman who owns Jetstream Aviation, a Cyprus-based company. The Saudi gained Cypriot citizenship in 2015 under the country's investment plan.

The Cypriot president said that because of their friendship, he took up the businessman on his offer to fly the Anastasiades family to the Seychelles, where the jet already was scheduled to go to pick up the Saudi's own vacationing family.

Anastasiades' said his friendship with the owner of JetStream Aviation had saved the Cypriot government 592,000 euros ($642,800 ) in aircraft charter fees and led to a 500,000-euro ($542900) donation to a student fund.

In all my years in public service, I have never hesitated to make difficult decisions or to accept responsibility for decisions or actions that may have contained an element of error," Anastasiades said.
The owner of a popular bakery has reportedly been told to stop poking tomato sauce bottles in pastries due to health safety fears.

Lisa Martin, owner of the Minlaton Bakery in South Australia, claims she was told by a Yorke Peninsula Council health officer to stop injecting baked goods with tomato sauce bottles.

She claimed that the officer told her the bakery would lose its five-star food safety rating if they didn't stop.

Lisa Martin, owner of Minlaton Bakery (pictured) in South Australia, claims she was told by a council health officer to stop injecting baked goods with tomato sauce bottles

'It is ridiculous,' she told Adelaide Now.

Her customers have since adjusted to the change but Ms Martin says they were not happy with the decision.

'It caused a lot of controversy - they weren't happy.'

Orange Spot Bakery in Glenelg had opted to get rid of plastic sauce sachets because 'they are such a huge waste' and affect the environment.

However, owner Jayme Davey said they have been using tomato bottles with their baked goods 'for decades' and that the bottles are regularly washed and sanitised.

'Bakeries have been poking pies and pasties with sauce for decades on end and I've certainly never heard anyone getting sick from it,' Mr Davey told the publication.

A Yorke Peninsula Council spokesman said they were unaware of the health officer's advice to the bakery.

The Department for Health and Wellbeing has also not been informed of any bakeries or restaurants to stop putting tomato sauce bottles into pastries.
T he Duchess of Cambridge has confessed to struggling with "mummy guilt" and said she tried "hypnobirthing" when pregnant.

In the candid discussion about parenthood, Kate described herself as a "hands-on mum", but said she often feels she falls short of expectations about being a mother.

The duchess, mother to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, suffered from a severe form of morning sickness during her pregnancies, which led her to mindfulness and meditation to remove the fears mothers can feel about childbirth - know as hypnobirthing.

Kate was interviewed for the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast hosted by Giovanna Fletcher, who has also written about being a mother to three children with her husband Tom Fletcher a member of the band McFly.

Kate Middleton said she suffered from 'mum guilt' / Getty Images

Asked if she struggled from "mum guilt", the duchess replied: "Yes absolutely - and anyone who doesn't as a mother is actually lying. Yes - all the time."

The duchess, who has a nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, said during the podcast: "There's such a pull, but I am such a hands-on mum, and whatever you're doing you want to make sure you're doing the uttermost best job you can for your children."

Kate said she wanted to begin a "generational change" in early years development, and highlighted her Five Big Questions On The Under-Fives survey, launched in January to spark a UK-wide conversation about creating the best foundations for children to thrive.

The month-long online poll, conducted by Ipsos Mori on behalf of Kate's Royal Foundation, is thought to be the biggest survey of its kind and the data will guide the duchess' future work.

The Five Big questions On The Under-Fives has now attracted 200,000 responses.

Sh joked that her two oldest children chastised her about her priorities / Jeremy Selwyn

"What we're doing with the survey is asking people - what is it that matters for them in raising their children today,"' Kate said.

"It's going to take a long time, I'm talking about a generational change, but hopefully this is the first small step: to start a conversation around the importance of early-childhood development."

Kate's interview was recorded at the end of January after the duchess made an early-morning visit to a nursery and pre-school in Stockwell, south London, and she joked about how her two eldest children chastised her over her priorities as a mother.

She said: "And you know, even this morning, coming to the nursery visit here, George and Charlotte were like, 'Mummy how could you possibly not be dropping us off at school this morning?'

"But no, it's a constant challenge, you hear it time and time again from mums. Even mums who aren't necessarily working, aren't pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life - there's always something."

Kate added: "And always sort of questioning your own decisions, and your own judgments, and things like that, and I think that starts from the moment you have a baby."

Kate tried a host of remedies (Getty Images ) / Getty Images

At the start of all of her pregnancies the duchess suffered from a form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes severe vomiting and can lead to dehydration, weight loss and a build-up of toxins in the blood or urine.

Because of the illness she described herself as "not the happiest of pregnant people", adding: "Lots of people have it far, far worse, but it was definitely a challenge. Not just for me but also for your loved ones around you."

The duchess went on to say: "You know, William didn't feel he could do much to help and it's hard for everyone to see you suffering without actually being able to do anything about it."

The duke revealed in 2017 when his wife was pregnant with Prince Louis that they had been trying a host of remedies after a well-wisher said Kate should nibble on ginger biscuits.

He replied at the time: "Ginger biscuits - but there's not much ginger can do to stop that, we've done all that."

Kate Middleton was being treated in hospital for extreme morning sickness while pregnant with Prince George / PA

The duchess explained how her experience with the severe morning sickness led her to hypnobirthing, as she came to realise the importance of "mind over the body" after trying everything to overcome the illness.

She joked: "I'm not going to say that William was standing there sort of, chanting sweet nothings at me. He definitely wasn't. I didn't even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself.

"I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that, that they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick, and actually I realised that this was something I could take control of, I suppose, during labour. It was hugely powerful."

Kate was asked what parts of her childhood she wanted to give to her children, and spoke poignantly about a picture of her four-year-old daughter.

She said: "I've got this one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, and really for me, it's moments like that mean so much to me as a parent.
By Richard Nelson, Commonwealth Policy Center Feb. 15, 2020 | 07:14 AM | CADIZ

The diverse group of health care providers made it clear they were not speaking on behalf of the University of Kentucky but they failed to precisely explain what the two bills they opposed would do. SB 114 prevents biological males from competing in girls' high school sports. HB 321 prevents parents and caregivers of children to medically transition their children away from their born biological sex.



Fifty years ago, federal Title IX law gave female athletes in public schools the opportunity to compete against one another. SB 114 preserves that hard-fought right by keeping biologically born boys from dominating girls' sports competitions as is currently happening in other states.



Until last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the incongruent psychological state with one's born sex as "gender identity disorder." Allowing children to determine their own gender and the adult affirmation of such choices as best for children is a recent phenomena. But can a child really understand the import of such a choice?



HB 321 presumes that children, whose brains aren't fully developed and have limited life experiences, cannot make rational, life-changing decisions that may render them infertile. Kentucky is one of nine states in 2020 moving to protect the biological integrity of children. This stems from a case in Texas last year where a mother began transitioning one of her 7-year old twin sons to become a girl. She changed his name, put him in a dress, and sent him to school as a girlall over the father's objections.



Interestingly, a few medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, endorse parental affirmation of their child's gender dysphoria. It's difficult to understand how trained scientists who dwell on the objective can place a person's psychological state over indisputable biology. Differences between male and female are not only external and reproductive, but drill down to the genetic level of their very being.



HB 321 essentially protects children from untested experimentation. There is no research indicating the long-term effects of high doses of hormones on pre-pubescent children. Nor are there long-term studies that show that gender-dysphoric children are happier and better-adjusted people because they've been affirmed in their gender dysphoria. In fact, the opposite is indicated.



Dr. Paul McHugh, former chair of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, told the College Fix in an interview last fall that medical treatment of transgender minors is reckless and irresponsible. McHugh said [Doctors] dont have evidence that [the treatment] will be the right one. Many people are doing what amounts to an experiment on these young people without telling them its an experiment.



Just as children grow into adulthood and their bodies develop, so do their minds, often bringing any gender dysphoric feelings into alignment with their born biological sex. A study from Londons Portman Clinic of Children and Vanderbilt University found that minors who identified with transgender feelings spontaneously lost those feelings over time. In fact, 70-80 percent eventually identified with their biological sex in adulthood.



The group of Lexington medical professionals are asking their fellow Kentuckians to support SB 85, which bans conversion therapy. Some types of conversion therapy are controversial. However, SB 85 bans any kind of sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) including pastoral fee-based counseling. This essentially institutionalizes LGBT identities as an indisputable healthy choice for young people. It also discounts religious counsel and insulates children's LGBT choices from the realm of moral and spiritual instruction.



It's tough to argue with a diverse group of medical professionals who make health recommendations for children. But it's risky to suggest that affirmation of gender dysphoria for minors is best for their long term health without research. Good medicine is based on objective biology and is cautious with a patient's psychological state.





Should children be able to determine their own gender? A group of health professionals who provide care for transgender patients in Kentucky think so. In a recent op-ed in the Lexington Herald-Leader, 13 medical professionals consisting of medical doctors, nurses, psychologists, and counselors said they had "outright distress" over legislation they believe would "create numerous obstacles to childrens autonomy and self-care at school." They also believe it "would actually threaten the lives of transgender children."
State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, this week broke the silence among Southeast Texas politicians in the aftermath of the TPC Group explosions and an alarming report about benzene releases, calling on the Legislature to do more to protect plant workers and residents from industrial disasters and dangerous chemical pollutants.

From Houston to Baton Rouge, major chemical and refining incidents are occurring more frequently, the two-term lawmaker said in a strongly worded statement. In addition, elevated benzene levels have been reported in Southeast Texas and Houston over the last year. This is unacceptable.

In a follow-up interview with The Enterprise, Phelan cited not just the Nov. 27 TPC blast in Port Neches but also multiple other incidents in recent years at petrochemical plants along the Gulf Coast.

In addition, a watchdog group citing Environmental Protection Agency data reported that six of the top 10 plants emitting actionable levels of benzene are in Texas. No. 3 on that list  and the highest-ranking Texas plant  was the Total Port Arthur Refinery.

Im very concerned about that, Phelan said. I dont think 130 (percent above the threshold) at the fence line is acceptable. At that point, you are poisoning your neighbor. I dont see why that is something that can be explained off.

But at the heart of the concerns laid out in Phelans formal statement were the TPC explosions that injured at least three workers, damaged thousands of homes and led to mass evacuations over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

While accidents do occur, it is critical that the industry be accountable and held to the highest standard of compliance, he wrote. We must identify how these events could have been prevented and take legislative action to ensure all plants and refineries are following the necessary procedures to ensure the safety of their workers and the citizens that live in the surrounding communities.

Phelan told The Enterprise that addressing safety issues in communities like Port Neches must be a significant agenda item in the 2021 legislative session.

He said it would probably be about a month before he had specific legislative goals.

Some of it may be a budgetary issue, like TCEQ needing more employees to do a more robust job, Phelan said. From a permitting standpoint, the federal government is the hammer here, but there is probably more they can do as well.

Phelan is unopposed in the upcoming GOP primary and he does not have a Democratic challenger. His district covers large industrial centers in Beaumont, Port Arthur and east Chambers County, as well as Port Neches and parts of Orange County.

TPC Group spokeswoman Sara Cronin responded in an email that the company tries to be as transparent as possible about its environmental responsibilities. She said TPC has an effective relationship with the multiple levels of authority that monitor its operations.

The company engages in ongoing dialogue with local, state and federal authorities and stakeholders to understand and respond to any questions or concerns, Cronin wrote.

In response to the benzene report, Total told the Houston Chronicle it has a robust monitoring system in place to assist us in identifying the source of an emission, investigating its cause and implementing corrective actions. We are committed to comply with EPA rules. We take seriously our responsibility to reduce our environmental footprint.

Most recently, Port Arthurs Motiva Refinery was the scene of a fire on Jan. 24 during a scheduled shutdown that injured one worker. The company said the fire was quickly extinguished.

The area was also the scene of a 2018 fire that blazed for more than a month at the docks of the Port of Port Arthur when silos owned by a company that was called German Pellets at the time caught fire and blanketed the community with constant black smoke.

The immediate Houston area has seen five chemical accidents in the last year and a half, including the Jan. 24 Watson Grinding explosion that claimed three lives.

Of the six incidents in 2019 currently being investigated by U.S. Chemical Safety Board, five occurred in Texas and four happened along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said the results of those investigations will be critical for making any legislation to address industry. He cautioned that such answers are likely more than a year away.

He also said it would be difficult for Jefferson County or any local government to conduct meaningful industrial oversight. He noted that Harris County has an office dedicated to reviewing chemical plants and refineries, but that has not prevented disasters.

It would be very hard at a local government level to find someone with the expertise and to afford at the local level the man power to do constant compliance reviews of our four major refineries and 32 chemical plants in the county, Branick said.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jdickjournalism
The Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group has expanded its terror training facility in Pakistan and added at least two new buildings to its complex, officials at intelligence agencies said on condition of anonymity.

The Balakot facility was bombed by the Indian Air Force in February last year, soon after an explosive-laden car rammed into a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, killing 40 troopers.

General Bipin Rawat had in September last year said that the Jaish had reactivated the terror facility at Balakot.

Technical and human intelligence point to enhanced activity in Balakot. Two new buildings have also come up in the complex, an intelligence official revealed.

According to a dossier handed over to Pakistan by India after the Pulwama attack, the training camp is spread over six acres and can accommodate 600 terrorists. The Air Force struck the facility in an early morning operation .

Another intelligence official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said: Ever since Article 370 was annulled in August last year, Pakistan has been trying to push fresh terror recruits into Jammu and Kashmir. The attempts did not stop even after heavy snowfall in the Valley. They shifted from the line of control to the international border.

On January 30, three terrorists suspected to have crossed in from the international border in Jammu, were killed after a gun battle with the forces on the national highway near Nagrota.

Pakistan, under the glare of the Financial Action Task Force, has taken some steps against terror groups operating on its soil but the first official added that while action has been taken against Hafiz Saeed and his Lashkar-e-Toiba group, the Jaish is training fresh cadre. We are expecting infiltration to go up once the snows start melting and the passes along the line of control open up.

HT reported earlier this month, quoting unnamed intelligence operatives, that the Balakot facility, currently headed by Yusuf Azhar, was training 27 terrorists whom it hoped to dispatch to India to launch terror strikes.

The upcoming summer will be the first since Jammu and Kashmirs special status was scrapped last August. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the countrys army chief have been extending open support to Kashmir after Article 370 was tweaked. We will have to guard against a surge in militant violence. The activity in Balakot is not a good sign, the first official said.

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President Trump is scheduled to make his first visit as president to India on February 24-25 during which he will travel to Gujarat

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk to board Air Force One prior to departure from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. AFP photo

US President Donald Trump will meet executives of large Indian companies with interests in the United States as he looks to drum up investments during his visit to New Delhi this month.

Executives of some of the companies expected to attend the meeting include Reliance Industries, diversified group Tata Sons and auto sector companies such as Bharat Forge, Mahindra and Mahindra and Motherson Sumi, industry and business sources told Reuters.

President Trump is scheduled to make his first visit as president to India on February 24-25 during which he will travel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat followed by talks in New Delhi. The two countries are trying to sign a trade deal during his visit.

On February 25, a meeting is being planned between President Trump and Indian executives, especially those focussing on job creation and manufacturing in the United States, the sources said.

The meeting, which will be held in New Delhi, was unlikely to include executives of US companies, they said.

Creating new jobs and boosting manufacturing is critical for Trump in his re-election bid later this year. US factory activity rebounded in January but only after it contracted for five straight months.

"President (Trump) is keen on acknowledging Indian companies which are focussing on manufacturing in the United States," said a Washington-based source aware of the plans.

United States is a key market for several Indian firms.

Mahindra last year said it will invest another $1 billion in the United States and was committed to creating American jobs, while Bharat Forge has announced plans to invest $56 million to set up a new plant in North Carolina.

The $100-billion Tata Group says it is one of the largest Indian-headquartered multinationals in North America, with 13 companies and more than 35,000 employees.

The Confederation of Indian Industries and US-India trade groups have suggested several Indian executives for the Trump meeting and the US Embassy in New Delhi was reviewing that, one source said, adding the final list was yet to be finalised.

The US Embassy in New Delhi declined to comment.

Other than his meeting with Indian business leaders and PM Modi, President Trump is expected to attend an event at a stadium in Gujarat along the lines of the "Howdy Modi" extravaganza held in Houston last September during which the two leaders made a joint appearance.
Government as attributed the increased debt in the energy sector to some policies approved by the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

According to the government, although their innovative idea has helped to improve the debt situation, the level of debt left by the NDC government leaves the government with a lot more work to do.

Mohammed Amin Adam, the Deputy Energy Minister while addressing a press conference on Friday, 14th February 2019 said the debt in the sector was mainly because the erstwhile government allowed the Volta River Authority (VRA) to take gas from Ghana Gas consistently on credit.

The [Energy Sector] debt has increased as a result of inter-utility debt which again was caused by the NDC. VRA according to them [NDC] owes Ghana Gas about $700million. This means that they take gas and produce power but they dont pay. The gas price has been so high, above the current levels that we have and how do you expect VRA to pay for something they dont take taxes from consumers to do? That is how the debts have accumulated, he said.

Mohammed Amin Adam added that the government has come up with a plan to ensure that the debt is cleared.

The government has come out from a very ambitious program after we had already made some interventions with the energy bonds. You may recall that we took GH 6.4 billion to liquidate some of the [energy bond] debts, he added.

The opposition NDC at their National Policy dialogue earlier this week accused the government of mismanaging the energy sector and leading it into a GHS15 billion debt.

The Deputy Minister who did not confirm or deny the amount quoted by the Minority said it was working to clear the debts.

The NDC introduced the energy sector levies, but as soon as they collected it, they were using it to pay the debts But we created the ESLA PLC and securitized the energy sector levies through which we are able to take more money from the market to defray the debt while we are serving the interest That is the difference between us and them [NDC], he added.

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Each of these top six finalists possess a unique persona that led them to the finale. While Sidharth was the aggressive one, he bonded with Asim initially but as the competition went intense, the two turned against each other. After Asim, Shehnaz became his go-to person. The two stayed by each other's side through thick and thin in the house and the audience lovingly called them #SidNaz. Meanwhile, Rashami, another popular name on the television, had to go through a turmoil inside the house as her personal life became a talking point of the show. Apart from them, Arti became a loved name as she took every task on the face and gave her best shot at it. While the others were trying to play a fair and systematic game, Paras became the 'mastermind' of the reality show, who made it to the final days with his strategies and mind games.
Police say Orlando Abeyta pointed what looked like a gun at passengers on an Albuquerque Rapid Transit bus just a couple of hours before two members of the police departments gang unit saw him threatening people sitting at another bus stop on Central near San Pedro last month.

The officers fired 10 times and struck 28-year-old Abeyta four times. He died at the scene. Next to him they found what turned out to be a BB gun.

In a news conference Friday morning, Lt. Scott Norris of the Albuquerque Police Departments Violent Crimes Section, laid out the events that led up to the Jan. 6 shooting.

He said that around 12:20 p.m., officers were called to East Central for reports of a man pointing a gun at bus passengers. A video retrieved by police shows the man touching the barrel of the gun to the bus window a handful of times.

This incident occurred at the ART bus stop on Louisiana and Central, and provides some insight and context into the behavior the individual was displaying earlier in the day and when officers confronted him, Norris said.

He said field officers responded, but the suspect ducked into an apartment complex and they lost him.

Norris said shortly before 3 p.m., detectives with the gang unit who were conducting an undercover operation in the area saw Abeyta waving what appeared to be a handgun in the intersection and approaching people on the south side of Central.

Detective Adrian Montoya and officer Bryce Willsey pulled up as Abeyta crossed Central toward a bus stop on the north side of the street and appeared to wave a handgun at a woman in an aggressive manner.

These detectives were working in a plain clothes capacity earlier in the day, Norris said. When they confronted Abeyta, they put on their marked police vests to ensure this individual knew he was in fact dealing with police officers.

Video of the incident shows both Montoya and Willsey stopping their vehicles in the bus lane and getting out, ordering Abeyta to drop the gun and get on the ground. Norris said Abeyta instead pointed the gun at the officers and thats when they opened fire about 80 feet from him.

Both detectives fired several times, Norris said. Detective Montoya reassessed the situation and noticed Abeyta was still presenting a threat. He fired his rifle again, stopping Abeytas action.

Next to Abeyta was a BB gun, which resembled a real gun.

Norris said the people at the bus stop were not interviewed at the time because they were intoxicated. He said investigators are trying to find them to talk to them.

Abeytas mother told the Journal last month his brother was with him. She said Abeyta grew up in ToHajiilee and Albuquerque, and frequently hung out in that area on East Central.

Both Montoya and Willsey are with the gang unit within the investigations bureau.

Usually,  we identify the officers involved by showing a picture, Norris said. In this particular instance, were not going to do that because these officers work in an undercover capacity at this time and were doing this to protect them, as well as their identity.

Montoya has been with the department since 2003 and has been involved in two other shootings. Willsey has been with APD since 2015 and has also been involved in two other shootings.

When asked about Willseys three shootings since 2018, Police Chief Michael Geier said all officers go through a decompression period and see a psychiatrist before they return to work.

Obviously, in this case, hes worked in an area where he might be more prone to be involved, Geier said.  But if they have multiple shootings, we have to look into that and see if it has a cumulative effect.

This was the first shooting of 2020 involving APD. Then, on Jan. 23, officers shot and injured Daniel Montoya, 31, who they said had gone on a cross-town shooting spree.
US to Evacuate Americans From Cruise Ship in Japan Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

The United States is preparing to evacuate Americans held in medical isolation on a cruise ship off the coast of Japan over an outbreak of Wuhan coronavirus, or COVID-19 virus.

About 380 U.S. citizens and their family members on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama, Japan, are being offered the opportunity to be sent back to the United States via a direct flight organized by the State Department.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo told American passengers and crew on board in an email (pdf) sent 3:24 a.m. Saturday Tokyo time that a chartered aircraft is set to arrive in Japan late Sunday, Feb. 16.

To fulfill our governments responsibilities to U.S. citizens under our rules and practices, as well as to reduce the burden on the Japanese healthcare system, the U.S. government recommends, out of an abundance of caution, that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring, the email reads.

A passenger wearing a mask stands on the deck of the cruise ship Diamond Princess, as the vessels passengers continue to be tested for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan Feb. 13, 2020. (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon)

It adds: Buses will move you and your belongings from the ship to the aircraft. Passengers will be screened for symptoms and we are working with our Japanese partners to ensure that any symptomatic passengers receive the required care in Japan if they cannot board the flight.

The aircraft will land at Travis Air Force Base in California, and some passengers will then continue onward to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, the embassy said. Evacuees will go through further health screenings in the United States and also undergo quarantine for at least 14 days.

Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time, the embassy told American passengers and crew in the email. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make a final determination on this matter.

U.S. citizens aboard the Diamond Princess, hospitalized at local hospitals, as well as their friends and family can continue to reach the U.S. Embassy at USGShipContact@state.gov or at (+81) 03-3224-5000.

Japans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday it was coordinating with the U.S. government on the evacuation. The Japanese government believes the steps taken by the United States will ease Japans burden regarding the medical response to the situation on the Diamond Princess and it appreciates these measures, the ministry said.

The cruise ship Diamond Princess is docked at Yokohama Port near Tokyo on Feb. 7, 2020. (Sadayuki Goto/Kyodo News via AP)

On Thursday, Japanese health workers confirmed 44 new cases of COVID-19 virus on the cruise ship, bringing the total to at least 218. The vessel entered the Yokohama port on Feb. 3 and was quarantined for two weeks, after a man who disembarked the ship in Hong Kong before it traveled to Japan was diagnosed with the virus. The quarantine is set to end on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

The Department of Defense (DOD) said it has named 11 military bases that could serve as potential quarantine areas for U.S. coronavirus cases after being asked by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In particular, the installations near 11 major airports that could house additional passengers could be used if HHS facilities become filled, the DOD said in a recent news release.

The United States currently has 15 confirmed cases of the virus. The latest case was confirmed in Texas on Feb. 12the first known case in the state. The other confirmed cases in the United States are in California, Arizona, Washington state, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Massachusetts. At least one, a patient in Washington, has been released from the hospital.

This scanning electron microscope image shows the virus that causes COVID-19 (orange) isolated from a patient in the United States, emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in a lab in February 2020. (NIAID-RML/CC BY 2.0)

The new virus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in early December. It is in the same family of pathogens that cause the flu and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). The most common symptoms reported from the new virus are fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, although Chinese researchers have noted other symptoms, such as fatigue, diarrhea, chest pains, and headaches.

The incubation periodor amount of time from exposure to the onset of symptomsis said to be up to 14 days. However, a recent study from Chinese researchers, which examined over 1,000 cases of the disease, found a patient who didnt exhibit symptoms for as long as 24 days. One Chinese health official in Jinzhong, a city in Shanxi Province, also noted a case of one female patient who was hospitalized 40 days after traveling to Wuhan; she was diagnosed two days after hospitalization.

Health experts have confirmed that the virus is contagious even when the infected person has not yet exhibited symptoms. But theres still no consensus as to how potent the virus is.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday warned that the virus could take a foothold inside the United States, saying that at some point, we are likely to see community spread in the U.S. or in other countries, according to a press conference.

The CDC advises that people should not travel to China and that they should avoid contact with those infected with the virus, and wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Eva Fu and Reuters contributed to this report.
Continuing a tradition going back some quarter of a century, the Maghreb des Livres book fair took place in Paris last weekend, with organisers Coup de Soleil and IReMMO, the Institut de Recherche et dEtudes Mediterranee Moyen-Orient, once again joining forces to bring together some 150 French and North African authors for three days of debates, conferences, book signings and book buying on broadly North African themes in the 19th-century grandeur of the Paris City Hall.



Designed as an opportunity for the francophone public to keep up to date on recent publications in French on especially the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, all of them former French colonies or protectorates and all using French as well as Arabic as national languages, the Maghreb des Livres fair has in recent years set its sights wider still with the incorporation of the IReMMOs Orient des Livres fair in 2018. The latter, now on its third edition, has thus joined forces with the former, now on its 26th, to produce what has become a fixture of the Paris cultural calendar and perhaps the only event of its kind in Europe.



In addition to the City Halls rather overblown 19th-century reception spaces, reached by flights of marble stairs that would not look out of place in a certain type of Hollywood film, the book fair this year also pressed basement conference and committee rooms into service, their usual battles over municipal spending being put on hold and replaced by debates on the legacies of French colonialism in the Arab world, North African writers, and the fractures of the [French] republic, among other subjects. Some of those speaking had been brought in to introduce their books, often on sale on the City Halls upper floors, while others were appearing because of their recognised expertise.



Algerian academic Afifa Bererhi spoke interestingly about the Algerian legacy of the late Algerian francophone author Assia Djebbar, for example, the first North African woman to be elected to the prestigious Academie francaise, from the point of view of someone who had worked with Djebbar and shared her struggle for the rights of Algerian women. This was on a panel presentation marking the fifth anniversary of Djebbars death in 2015 that also took in talks commemorating the pioneering Algerian francophone author Mohammad Dib, perhaps best known for his novels La Grande Maison and Le Metier a tisser, both published in the early 1950s at the start of a more than half century career.



Algerian academic Naget Khaddar spoke on Dibs reception in Algeria today, while his daughter Catherine Dib explained events planned to commemorate the centenary of his birth later this year. Dib was born in July 1920 in Tlemcen in then French Algeria.



According to Georges Morin and Jean-Paul Chagnollaud, presidents of Coup de Soleil and IReMMO, respectively, writing in the programme for this years Maghreb des Livres, the event aims to encourage exchanges of views on the questions haunting the difficult and chaotic world in which we live today. These include the current uprisings seen in certain countries across the Arab world, notably Algeria, the risks of fracture experienced in France today, and the return to the common history that links together the north and south of the Mediterranean and that can help us to understand present circumstances.

Many of the discussions attended by Al-Ahram Weekly at this years fair, unfortunately not as many as might have been wished because of parallel programming, were threaded through with this kind of contemporary urgency and not only because the books on sale reflected the most recent harvest of titles on the Maghreb and French relations with North Africa and the rest of the Arab world.Perhaps the tone was set by an introductory talk by Algerian francophone author Kamel Daoud, best known for his rewriting, from an Algerian and post-colonial perspective, of French Algerian author Albert Camuss novel LEtranger (The Outsider), like many of Camuss novels set in the authors native colonial-period Algeria. Daoud produced a retelling of this famous story in his Meursault, contre-enquete, translated as The Mersault Investigation, in 2013.At the Maghreb des Livres fair he spoke on what to do with the former coloniser, an urgent question, he said, if we wanted to see a real liberation of the Arab world from the memory of foreign control. Whatever the answer to this question might be  a demand for reparation, a desire to forget, or a wish to prioritise present friendships over past enmities  there was a need to avoid the reactivation of the past in the present, Daoud said, if there was to be an escape from an eternal playing out of roles.PAST TO PRESENT: Daouds reflections, abstract in character, provided the background for subsequent discussions on the presence of the past in the present that were more concrete in tone.A panel discussion featured French writers and academics Jacques Fremeaux, Michele Perret, Francoise Gallo, and Sylvie Thenault discussing their recent books on colonial-period Algeria. Discussing his book Algerie 1830-1914, naissance et destin dune colonie, Fremeaux said that his intention had been to place Algeria within the 19th-century French colonial system as a colony, a barracks, and a projection of French power across the Mediterranean.In her novel Le premier convoi 1848, author Michele Perret said that she had tried to reconstruct the mental world of some of the first settlers to be sent to Algeria in 1848 after the crushing of the 1848 Revolution in France. These people, victims of army violence in France itself and fleeing counter-revolution in the country, had nevertheless found themselves on the side of French militarism in Algeria. Reconstructing a different story, this time individual rather than collective, author Francoise Gallo explained the thinking behind her novel La Fortuna, which described the life of an abandoned child taken in by nuns in Sicily who subsequently joined the first waves of European colonialism in Tunisia.History of a different sort was examined by panelists brought in to speak on the anniversaries of the death of Djebbar and the birth of Dib, pre-eminent novelists of colonial and post-colonial Algeria. For Berkerki, the dark side of Djebbar for French audiences lay in her initial vocation as a historian rather than a novelist and the research she had carried out in order to explain Algerian womens silence. Too often, Djebbar was still seen in relation to the French feminism of the 1950s when she had begun her career with the early novel La Soif, described as a kind of Algerian version of French novelist Francoise Sagans celebrated 1950s novel Bonjour tristesse, in the wake of pioneering feminist work by French authors Simone de Beauvoir and Marguerite Duras.Yet, Djebbar had always been at least as interested in Arab feminism and Arab history, despite her writing in French, Berkerki insisted. She had translated a novel by Egyptian novelist and activist Nawal Al-Saadawi into French, for example, and she had sought in her lost works (to French audiences) to connect her historical investigations to her descriptions of contemporary circumstances.Bringing the debates up to the present, a further panel, this time on the fractures of the [French] republic, saw authors Akli Tadjer, Antoine Menusier, Ismail Ferhat, Jean-Pierre Luizard, and Saber Mansouri discuss their recent books on debates taking place in France today relating to the legacies of French colonial rule in the Maghreb and the development of Frances multicultural society.Some of those present at the fairs final sessions may well have felt a need to soldier on as the clock marched past seven in the evening. However, they also must have felt glad they had, as Akli Tadjer spoke interestingly of his book Qui nest pas raciste ici? (Who isnt racist here?), recounting his experiences in lesser-known parts of France, and Antoine Menusier meditated on the various meanings of exclusion discussed in his Livre des indesires, an overview of integration.Ismail Ferhat described his edited book Les foulards de la discord, an examination by different hands of the controversy that broke out in the Paris suburb of Creil when some young women of North African origin arrived at school wearing headscarves in 1989 in a premonition of further controversies to come, while Saber Mansouri described his book La France est a refaire, histoire dune renaissance qui vient (Remaking France  a Coming Renaissance) as looking particularly at discourses of belonging.

One of the strengths of the Maghreb des Livres is its mixing of registers and personalities, with academics presenting their research on panels that also include novelists discussing their works and essayists presenting their reflections. School delegations arrived at intervals from secondary schools in the Paris area to engage in dialogue with various authors. As has also been the case at previous editions of the fair, the emphasis was on French publications and French authors, though there was also representation from the Maghreb countries.Books published by Elyzad, Nirvana and Arabesques in Tunisia were in evidence, along with books from Barzakh, Chihab, and other small-scale publishers in Algeria. The automatic circulation of books across the Mediterranean, easier than it used to be, may still be a work in progress, as may lasting collaboration between European and North African publishers. However, it can only benefit from events such as last weekends Maghreb des Livres book fair in Paris.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 13 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Sharad Yadav, after parting ways with JD(U) in 2018, had contested 2019 Lok Sabha polls on RJD symbol.

Patna: With Assembly elections slated to be held later this year, the grand alliance in Bihar faces a daunting task of resolving the leadership issue.

Three political parties Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Vikasheel Insan Party (VIP) have created a flutter in the political circle by proposing the name of veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav as the face of the grand alliance for the Assembly elections.

Leaders aware of the development said that both RJD and Congress were not invited for the meeting, which was attended by Upendra Kushwaha, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Mukesh Sahani on Friday.

In the absence of Lalu Yadav, the grand alliance has been facing a leadership crisis. It would be beneficial for all of us if we project veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav as the face of the coalition, RLSP leaders in Patna said.

The proposal made by these political parties is being seen as a major setback for the RJD, which leads the grand allianc. Sources said that Upendra Kushwaha, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Mukesh Sahani have been miffed over RJDs decision to declare Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate without consulting grand alliance partners.

Decision taken during the meeting will be announced on Saturday by Sharad Yadav. We have also decided to hold another round of meeting later this month to discuss strategies for the state elections, HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi said on Friday.

Sharad Yadav, after parting ways with JD(U) in 2018, had contested 2019 Lok Sabha polls on RJD symbol.

Reports suggest that he may visit Ranchi on Saturday to meet RJD chief Lalu Yadav, who is serving a jail term in fodder scam case and currently being treated at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences.

Jitan Ram Manjhi was the first grand alliance partner to raise questions on Tejashwi Yadavs leadership qualities after the alliance suffered a humiliating defeat in the 2019 general elections.

Talking about the issue RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary said The face of Chief Minister in the grand alliance is Tejashwi Yadav and no political party should have confusion about it. Sharad Yadav is a senior political leader and our party believes that he will also bless our leader, Tejashwi Yadav.
Notorious gangster Raj Kumar alias Raju Basaudi wanted in over two dozen murder cases was arrested from the IGI airport in Delhi after he was extradited from Thailand, police said on Saturday.

Kumar, a resident of Basaudi village in Sonipat district, was wanted by police in Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi, they said.

The Haryana Police had announced a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Haryana Police was instrumental in locating him in Bangkok with the help of police there. Kumar was brought to India Saturday morning and he was handed over to the STF by Interpol officials at 4 am at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, an official said.

"We have confirmed the identity of the accused as Raju Basaudi, involved in 29 murders, several robberies, kidnapping and extortion cases in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan," said B Satish Balan, DIG of STF Haryana.

"The accused was operating the Lawrence Bishnoi gang from Thailand for the past two years," he said.

Balan said during interrogation Kumar confessed his involvement in "several cases in four states".

Kumar was hiding in Thailand since 2017 after a sensational double murder of inmates in the police custody in Jhajjar district, he said.

A Look Out Circular for the accused was issued on the request of the Haryana police recently to nab the hardcore criminal, police said, adding he was arrested from the IGI Airport after an alert by the immigration officials there.

Kumar is closely associated with dreaded gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra, Anil Chippi, Akshay Palra and Naresh Sethi lodged in different jails, they said.

His close associate, Sandeep alias Kala of Jatheri, had escaped from the police custody a few days ago in Faridabad, they said.

Kumar accused runs an extortion gang that has created terror in Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Delhi, police said.

His gang uses social media platforms, especially Facebook, to intimidate their targets or claim their role in different crimes or to give false moral and ideological colours to their gruesome murders, they said. PTI VSD/Corr AQS
Cracking whip to tame interfering officials View(s):

The fiat was in the name of Presidential Secretary P.B. Jayasundera. But there was little doubt where it came from. The tone and tenor of the order said it all. Who it covered seemed to matter little. It applied to all, across the bureaucratic board.

How many actually read this story that appeared in the news columns last week is hard to say. Had a swathe of a concerned public absorbed it, they would have raised a loud cheer.

Personally, I could barely suppress a smile when I came across it. While some others issuing a similar order might have tried to water it down with ifs and buts and whatever else seemed sanitising at the time. But this was what they used to call a straight left. It came straight from the shoulder.

The Presidents Office has prohibited Co-ordinating Secretaries, Private Secretaries or any other members of the personal staff of the Prime Minister, Ministers and State Ministers from intervening in official matters either in writing or via telephone, the report said.

The word intervening might well have been substituted with interfering for the sake of accuracy after years of experiencing the activities of some of these self-opinionated individuals drawn into an unaccustomed service often for reasons better left unsaid. But let that pass for the moment.

The report went on to say that a directive was sent by Presidential Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera (now where had we heard of him before?) to the secretary to the Prime Minister and the secretaries of all ministers and state ministers.

So, henceforth all official communications on behalf of the prime minister, ministers and state ministers regarding government business, including details of on-going projects etc should only be done by the secretaries to the relevant institutions and not by any other officials.

It is not quite clear whether the etc is an addition by the newspaper or was contained in the original directive. My own experience over the decades tells me that this etc could hide many a sin.

Having spent a few years in Bangkok on official business and attending sessions of ESCAP-the UNs biggest arm outside New York covering 52 states from the Pacific to the Persian/Arabian Gulf and Central Asia, one tends to be rather wary of etcs here and there.

Nor could one forget the exceteras that Yul Brynner rattled off in King and I when he played the Thai King in that entertaining film years ago.

Still, such a directive has been a long time coming. One is constantly reminded of how relatives of ministers and other lesser politicians were bundled along with a spate of other mediocrities into previously non-existent posts created simply to accommodate such individuals of little use to public life but allowed to live off the public purse for dubious reasons.

They were quite happy to play the arrogant, overbearing and self-important officer such as a Gauleiter in Hitlers Germany.

There surely are members of the public aware of cases where these so-called coordinating secretaries or those with hastily created titles have dashed off communications on ministry letterheads to give the impression of authority to departments and institutions under the ministry or even outside it to get favours done for relatives and friends.

Normally public officers in earlier eras not scared by the unauthorised communications of official minions would have ignored them or addressed them with curt replies.

But then that was before our public administration was browbeaten into submission or politicised by craven public officials running after politicians to feather their own nests and attaching themselves to political bandwagons.

This politicisation has had diverse ill-effects on the countrys administration from top to bottom. It is not only provincial and pradeshiya sabha areas that are affected by this political overlordship but also at the centre where subservience is evident.

In the midst of this came the encouraging news of District Forest Officer Devani Jayathilaka who resolutely defended her patch against an over-zealous State Minister of Inland Fisheries Industry Sanath Nishantha Perera who seemed unacquainted with the relevant law with regard to the issue and equally ignorant of the importance of mangroves in the preservation of the ecosystem at a time when global warming and climate change are threatening both big and small countries.

Since the State Minister is involved in whatever he is doing with regard to inland fisheries he might do some reading on the need to preserve plant and animal life that contribute to sustaining the ecosystem and not pursue projects that would partly or wholly damage it in the Negombo lagoon area where he wants to have a playing field for schoolchildren.

The District Forest Officers unrelenting stand probably saved the future of mangroves in this particular area of the lagoon. But having been downsized, if one might call it that, before the public and perhaps some of his supporters State Minister Perera is not likely to easily forget the incident.

If there were more upright public officials like the one referred to above who would have the support of those in power rather than be berated by politicians and saffron-robed individuals who insult the religion they claim to represent, these so-called coordinating secretaries and other busy-bodies would have been put in their place years ago.

Unfortunately the public service has become an employment agency for unemployable relatives of politicians and other mediocre hangers-on or village thugs.

Perhaps the presidency should take another step forward and place a ceiling on the number of such persons who could be employed by each ministry, the number determined by the importance and the role of the particular ministry.

One other point needs to be emphasised. The ministries have often been turned into family gatherings by ministers employing their spouses, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, in-laws and outlaws.

If the presidency is determined to clean up the ministries and administration and make certain that they run efficiently, is lean and fit for purpose, it would surely need to get rid of the excess fat.

It would not be a bad idea if the presidential secretariat undertakes a survey of the inner staff of ministers, the personal staff that serves them and detail who they are and their connections to the ministers concerned.

That should reveal a lot that is perhaps not known even to the Secretariat. If nepotism is to be eliminated or at least cut to the bone, then it might be best to start here.

(Neville de Silva is a veteran Sri Lankan journalist who was Assistant Editor, Diplomatic Editor and Political Columnist of the Hong Kong Standard before moving to London and working for the Gemini News Service. Later he was

Sri Lankas Deputy High Commissioner in London before returning to journalism.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "I was born into this," Mary Jane Oatman says of a life steeped in tribal activism and respect for her matriarchal and family traditions.

As a student on the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho, Oatman battled racism and stood up for her people's sovereignty. She remembers her father being beaten and jailed for exercising his tribal treaty rights.

But fighting for what's right spans generations in Oatman's family. Her grandmother, Alice "Jeanie" (Johnson) Warden, was sent to prison for growing marijuana on her family's allotment, on land that was passed down following treaty negotiations with the United States in the late 1800s.

As a third generation farmer, Oatman is now turning her experiences into another advocacy effort. Surrounded by friends and fellow Native women leaders, three generations of the family traveled to the nation's capital this week to celebrate the launch of Tribal Hemp & Cannabis , a new magazine that aims to educate the public about the "medicine" -- as Oatman puts -- that Grandma Jeanie was punished for cultivating.

"This issue is so critical, and it's moving at such a fast pace, that we need single-focused vision and collaborative efforts," Oatman said of the guiding factors behind her decision to promote hemp and cannabis in Indian Country.

Three generations of Nez Perce women -- from left, Judy Oatman, Alice "Jeanie" (Johnson) Warden and Mary Jane Oatman -- celebrate the launch of Tribal Hemp & Cannabis magazine in Washington, D.C., on February 13, 2020. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Oatman, a past president of the National Indian Education Association and former member of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education , counts some prominent supporters of her initiative. Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico) tied hemp and cannabis to the inherent right of tribes and their citizens to determine their own futures.

"Part of tribal sovereignty is deciding which industries to engage in and how best create economic opportunities for your tribe," Haaland said in a video message that she delivered at the magazine's launch party in Washington, D.C., on Thursday evening.

"But the federal laws regarding cannabis and hemp stand in the way right now," Haaland continued, sending regrets that she was unable to be at the event in person as originally planned. "That's why I support legalizing recreational marijuana and opening up agriculture to hemp farming opportunities."

Among those paving the way is the Walker River Paiute Tribe , whose leaders entered into a government-to-government agreement with the state of Nevada to address marijuana on their lands. Chairwoman Amber Torres attended the magazine launch and said she stands with Oatman's platform.

"We need to be able to grow this plant," Torres said at the King Weedy Mansion, the home of a collective that promotes cannabis in D.C., where marijuana is considered legal for medical and recreational purposes.

"We are Indigenous people. We started that whole revolution," Torres added. "We just need the ability to make it happen."

Making it happen hasn't been straightforward for everyone in Indian Country, though. For all the successes in places like Nevada and Washington, which was the first state to implement the marijuana compact model , there have been raids, arrests and threats of enforcement by authorities at every level of government.

"Living in a state like Idaho, we have a lot of work to do to protect Idaho tribes from the long reach of the state's arm," Oatman said of a state where hemp and cannabis are considered illegal.

But the landscape is shifting, at least when it comes to one significant area of the budding industry.. Following the enactment of the Farm Bill in 2018 , the U.S. Department of Agriculture is finally reviewing and approving tribal plans to grow hemp.

During the National Congress of American Indians winter session this week, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky said his agency has approved seven tribal hemp plans so far. One one of the first was for the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe , whose leaders destroyed their own marijuana operation after being told they would have been raided by the federal government. The state of South Dakota ended up prosecuting non-Indians who worked with the tribe.

We have more that are in the queue," Censky said on Wednesday. According to the USDA website , more than two dozen tribes have submitted plans or are in the process of doing so in order to enter the hemp industry.

We have more that are in the queue: Stephan Censky of Department of Agriculture tells National Congress of American Indians of 7 tribal hemp plans that have been approved under the 2018 Farm Bill. #ECWS2020 @depsecsteve @USDA @NCAI1944 pic.twitter.com/60qdRycMwn  indianz.com (@indianz) February 12, 2020

Is it these kinds of efforts that Oatman intends to spotlight with Tribal Hemp & Cannabis --- or THC, for short. She is planning to publish a couple of issues this year in conjunction with various events before moving to a quarterly schedule in 2021.

"As Indigenous tribes move forward in this industry, they are taking their community into account and setting the building blocks so that they don't harm future generations," said Oatman, who recently served on the board of the Minority Cannabis Business Association as part of her efforts to secure changes in law and policy that will help tribes and entrepreneurs in Indian Country.

As for Grandma Jeanie, the matriarch who started it all, she proudly graces the cover of THC's first issue. A story written by her daughter Judy, who is Oatman's mother and also was in D.C. for the launch, documents the family's farming roots on their Indian allotment in southwestern Idaho.

"We should be able to grow on our own lands and not have to fear what I lived through in the 70's and 80's," Jeanie says in the cover story. "It is medicine. It helps a lot of people."

And at age 81, Grandma Jeanie shows little signs of slowing down, telling Indianz.Com that she still works on road construction projects in her reservation community of Kamiah , whose name coincidentally comes from the Nez Perce words for fishing ropes that were historically made from hemp. A year ago, she gave her family a big scare when she suffered a broken leg and ribs in a vehicle accident. But all she could think about was getting back to work -- she was back on the job barely three months after the incident, she said.

Grandma Jeanie also was excited to take part in the launch of THC, especially since it was her first visit to the nation's capital. She was as proud as ever to support her granddaughter.

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Armed men burn homes and kill several in raid on Ogossagou, the village that suffered a massive attack last year.

At least 21 people have been reported dead or missing after an attack on a village in central Mali that was the scene last year of the countrys worst civilian massacre in recent years.

The Malian government said the armed men burned homes and looted livestock in the village of Ogossagou, a village of Fulani herders in the central Mopti region, during the attack on Friday morning.

The government statement did not say who carried out the attack.

Hamadou Dicko from Fulani association Tabital Pulaaku put the death toll at 22 minimum.

They came and shot everything that moved, he said.

In the attack on Ogossagou last March, suspected fighters from a rival group killed more than 150 civilians, part of spiralling ethnic violence in West Africas vast Sahel region. Malian officials have said they suspect Dan Na Ambassagou, an ethnic Dogon group of carrying out last years massacre in Ogossagou. The group has denied responsibility.

Moulaye Guindo, mayor of the nearby town of Bankass, and another local official, who declined to be named, told Reuters News Agency that Ogossagou been attacked on Friday less than 24 hours after Malian troops who had been stationed near Ogossagou left their base.

An army spokesman said soldiers had been deployed to respond to the attack but declined to comment on whether they had previously left the local base.

The United Nations mission in Mali said it sent a quick reaction force to the village, where several were also wounded. It also provided air support to prevent further attacks and evacuate the wounded, it said.

Mahamat Saleh Annadif, head of the UN mission in Mali, said he was shocked and outraged by the attack.

There is an urgent need to break the spiral of violence in this region, he said.

Central Malian residents have criticised the army for failing to protect them against violence that has displaced 200,000 people and left many communities with no local government or means of defence.

More than 450 civilians were killed in central Mali last year by armed groups, making it the deadliest year in the region since the countrys crisis began in 2012, according to Human Rights Watch.

Ethnic clashes have been continuing and exploited by armed groups allied to al-Qaeda and ISIL (or ISIS) who have been recruiting men from the Peuhl or Fulani ethnic group to their cause.

Dogon armed groups have also arisen and are accused of supporting Malis military crackdown on the armed groups.

The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.
Former chief minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday accused Congress of "insulting" Chhatrapati Shivaji by removing his idol in Sausar town in Madhya Pradesh.

The bust, which was placed on a platform at Mohgaon Square intersection, was removed on Monday night.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji is the nation's pride. The Congress government has disrespected him by removing his idol. A JCB was used to remove the bust. They tried to demolish the idol. It has become a tradition of Congress to disrespect great personalities," he told reporters here.

"Madhya Pradesh and India will not tolerate all it. The investigation should be carried on those who disrespected Chhatrapati Shivaji," he said.

On Tuesday, protests erupted after the removal of the bust in Sausar, situated around 56 kilometres from Chhindwara.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Chief Minister Manik



Sarkar on Saturday alleged that tribal people in Tripura are not getting any jobs as BJP workers and supporters are getting all work under MGNREGA and other government schemes.

As the tribal people have no jobs or work they are not able to purchase food, he alleged.

"There is no food, no work in the villages. Hunger and starvation has gripped rural tribal hamlets. People are forced to sell their infants due to poverty ... ", the Leader of the opposition in the Tripura Assembly said while addressing a gathering here to protest against CAA, NRC and NPR.

"The BJP workers and supporters have registered themselves in MGNREGA works and without doing any work they are simply looting all money of the poor people in the name of work", he said.

The former chief minister alleged that the BJP was trying to curb the rights of the SC, ST and OBC community people.

"They (BJP) are trying to curb the rights of SC, ST and OBC community people. Not only this, they are also attacking the minority people by implementing CAA," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerques only specialized eating disorder treatment center is moving into a larger space this spring in order to offer more overnight services to the patients who need treatment most.

The Eating Disorders Treatment Center is moving from its current 6,500-square-foot space on Juan Tabo to a new two-story office building near the corner of Tramway and Indian School NE. The new space nearly doubles the treatment centers footprint, and according to Bob Keys, executive director and co-founder of the facility, gives the center room to add a commercial kitchen and a wing of residential rooms.

Keys said this will allow the facility to accommodate adult and adolescent patients who require residential care to deal with ailments like anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. In the past, the facility has needed to transfer those patients to centers in nearby states.

Keys said the treatment center has had to transfer between 20 and 30 patients out of state each year due to not having residential facilities at its Juan Tabo location, which be disruptive for families of patients.

What we want to do is provide an opportunity for the people of New Mexico to have that level of care here, Keys said.

Keys worked with Bo Galles, associate broker with Colliers International, and Brent Franken, vice president of Franken Construction. Franken and his partners purchased the building through a separate company, and sunk around $500,000 into renovating the building and adding a commercial kitchen and residential space. The new center is expected to open to patients this spring.

It was more than just a business opportunity, it was an opportunity to really help the community, Franken said.

The new building will have eight rooms for residential patients, along with a commercial kitchen and dining area for patients that allow the center to expand its nutritional health program. Keys said the additional space will allow the center to add additional staff and cut into its patient waiting list

The additional capacity will allow us to move roughly 70 people into care right away, Keys said.
Abdullahi Lawal, Sokoto zonal head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says a petition by a corps member led to th...





Abdullahi Lawal, Sokoto zonal head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says a petition by a corps member led to the recovery of N320 million from the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).





Lawal made this known on Friday at the Nigerian Youth Walk against Corruption rally organised by EFCC in collaboration with NYSC and others.





He said the petition was over the non-payment of a N3000 logistic allowance to corps members after the 2019 elections.





He said the petition was received after the elections in Zamfara, adding that N65 million cash was recovered during investigation at the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.

According to him, the cash was deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), while corps members, who participated in the electoral duty in Sokoto and Kebbi were paid their allowances of about N300 million.





The EFCC zonal boss described youths as vanguards in the fight against all forms of corruption, a menace he said had stunted the nations progress.





He said corruption manifests in diverse forms and needed active and collective collaboration of all Nigerians.





EFCC is on top of a racketeering case bordering Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) results for tertiary institutions admission seekers, he said.





Some experts maneuvered to alter JAMB results to award high marks for candidates that paid certain amounts; that is dangerous for the nation.





He added that N200 million suspected to be misappropriated was recently blocked, while a former minister had been detained over a fraud involving N400 million meant for a textile industry.





He said a woman operating a fraudulent microfinance outfit was recently convicted for collecting N995,000 from 119 women.





The zonal head said EFCC is doing its best to sanitise the country against corruption, rebrand its image and change the attitude of people on corruption.





Philip Enaberue, NYSC coordinator in Sokoto, said the rally was aimed at facilitating more public awareness and involvement in the fight against corruption, especially among youths who are future leaders.





Enaberue said corruption cut across barriers of religion, culture, levels and other community status, and emphasised the need for collective efforts to fight the menace.




By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: A war of words broke out between the YSRC and the TDP on Friday, a day after the Income Tax (I-T) department said its recent raids on 40 premises in different places including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana revealed that more than Rs 2,000 crore was siphoned off.

With the YSRC pointing fingers at the opposition party, the TDP shot back. Fearing being sent back to prison, Jagan is trying to link the I-T raids... to the TDP. It is but natural for a person who spent 16 months in jail to wish others too are jailed, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh said.

YSRC leaders, meanwhile, said the raids exposed the true face of the TDP. The illegal assets unearthed during the I-T raids... are only the tip of the iceberg, said Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu.

In a statement released on Friday, the TDP said, The (CM) Jagan Mohan Reddy government awarded the reverse tendering contract of the Polavaram project to a company that was raided by IT officials. Even the Centre objected to changing the contractor... The government should explain why it handed over the project to such a company.

The TDP further termed reports linking the unaccounted wealth to former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidus former personal secretary P Srinivas as blatant lies, and highlighted that the latter was relieved nine months ago. The party also alleged that Jagan tarnished the image of the State at the international level by using shell companies for money laundering.

After being accused in the Rs 43,000 crore scam involving 11 cases, Jagan resorted to a smear campaign against Naidus family, which has disclosed the assets of all members for the last eight years. Why did Jagan fail to disclose his and his family members assets? the party asked.

Jagan, who is neck-deep in corruption, now wants to drag others down. This is the only intention behind the YSRC linking the IT raids to the TDP, former minister Devineni Umammaheswara Rao claimed.

The TDP further asked why YSRC leaders were silent on the CBI affidavit which sought for Jagan not to be granted exemption from personal appearance in the CBI court as it could lead to influencing witnesses.

Meanwhile, YSRC leaders, including a host of ministers, stated that the IT raids have exposed the true face of the TDP. Naidu should demand an in-depth probe into the illegal assets of his former personal secretary unearthed by the IT department to prove his and his partys innocence, said Minister for Municipal Administration Botcha Satyanarayana.
RSS sah sarkaryawah (joint



general secretary) Manmohan Vaidya on Saturday said that India has always been an accommodative and a multipolar country.

He was speaking at the 'Second Nagpur Literary Festival' here.

"India always had a spiritual democracy. It has always been accommodative. Doing dharma has been Bharat's swabhav (character/nature)," he said.

"Dharma means to give to the society considering as its own. It means to share and give to the society. Dharma means enriching social capital," he said.

"Dharma does not necessarily mean religion, it means giving and sharing with the society. Similarly, rashtra means people. Rashtriyata does not mean nationalism. It is a western concept," Vaidya said.

"Dharma does not discriminate. It connects the society and brings it together. Dharma unites and connects everyone," he said.

"Why Bharat could not be converted to Islam or Christianity despite 800 years of Islamic and British rules? One of the reasons is that Bharat was always a multipolar country, where the society commanded and executed its own decisions, while the rulers played a supportive role," Vaidya said.

"That's why the society must hold the country together even today," he added.

"Dharma opens your eyes to get connected. You feel related, you are prompted to do something...that is dharma. Our society has always been 'dharmanishth' (following principles of dharma). It was not state-based, but community- based. I feel the makers of the Constitution were very clear that secularism was not needed in India at that time," he said.

"Bharatiya values were completely different," he said.

Vaidya called for the need to use Bharatiya words for English terms, which he said "tend to change the whole way of looking at concepts like religion, nationalism, secularism, tolerance and ideology".

"Nationalism isn't Bharatiya concept. It was born in the Western concept of nation-state and comes with ideologies like Fascism and personalities like Hitler and Mussolini. In Bharat, the concept of rashtriyata is different from nation and nationalism. Hence, rashtravad is not an acceptable parallel word for nationalism," he said.

"Bharatiya concept of rashtra is different from that of nation. For us, rashtra does not mean geography, but people and society," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MLA Nargis Begum on Saturday apologised to CPI(M) legislator Jahanara Khan for making an objectionable comment on her in the West Bengal Assembly.

Begum, the Memari MLA, apologised after being reprimanded by Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay.

Participating in the motion of thanks to the governor's address to the Assembly, Begum had reacted to Jamuria MLA Jahanara Khan's comments on the rise in crimes against women and uttered words which were expunged from the House records.

Deputy Speaker Sukumar Hansda was in the chair when Begum made the comment in the first half of the session.

Urging all the MLAs to be careful about their choice of words in the House, the speaker said the issue has also been discussed in the Parliamentary Affairs committee and the members felt the comment was "unfortunate".

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee also asked Begum to apologise.

Chatterjee said he was informed about it by ministers Firhad Hakim, Tapas Roy and CPI(M) Legislature Party leader Sujan Chakraborty.

The minister said he will ask all the members to be careful and exercise self-control about their choice of words.

Chakraborty took up the issue as the post-lunch session began. He drew the speaker's attention to his directive to all the members to maintain the sanctity and decorum of the House.

Several members of the opposition shouted in protest against Begum's comment even as she was seen sitting silently.

However, the situation calmed down after Begum apologised saying, "I unconditionally apologise for the particular choice of a word which was a slip of tongue."

CPI(M) MLA Shyamali Prodhan said the conversation between members should not stoop to such lows.


Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea on Saturday said it is assessing the amount that can be paid towards AGR dues, even as it flagged concerns over the continuation of its business.

The company said it is in the process to pay adjusted gross revenue dues as per the Supreme Court order. However, the continuation of business in India will depend on favourable order on its modification plea filed before the apex court, it added. "The Company is currently assessing the amount that it will be able to pay to DoT towards the dues calculated based on AGR ...
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal will take oath as Delhi chief minister for the third successive time today along with six of his party leaders who will be part of his cabinet.

Kejriwal is likely to retain all the six ministers who served his government in the previous term  Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Imran Hussain, Gopal Rai, Rajendra Gautam and Kailash Gehlot.

Manish Sisodia, who also held the position of Delhis deputy Chief Minister, is considered Kejriwals right-hand man and the force behind reforms in the public education sector. Apart from Education, Sisodia also held the crucial portfolios for Finance, Planning, Tourism, Land & Building, Vigilance, Services, Women & Child Development along with Art, Culture and Languages. It is speculated that the Patparganj MLA will retain his portfolios.

Also Watch | Arvind Kejriwal swearing-in: From teachers to farmers, Sisodia lists invitees

Satyendar Jain, an architect by profession, credited for piloting AAPs internationally recognized Mohalla Clinics programme in its first term, is likely to retain the portfolios of Health, Industries, Power, Public Works Department, Home and Urban Development.

Gopal Rai, another Kejriwal confidante, had held the Rural Development department apart from holding the charge for General Administration Department, Irrigation & Flood Control and Labour. Rai is also the convener of the Delhi state unit of the Aam Aadmi Party.

Imran Hussain, who is credited for enforcing the environmental norms in the capital during his first term in Kejriwals cabinet, held the triple charge for the departments of Environment & Forest, Food & Supply and Election.

Rajendra Gautam, an accomplished lawyer, who joined the Aam Aadmi Party in 2014, is also a member of AAPs national executive. He was in charge of the Social Welfare department along with SC & ST, Gurudwara Elections, Water and Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

The sixth name in Kejriwals cabinet, Kailash Gahlot, is described as a philanthropist, educationist and an entrepreneur for social change by AAP.

As a Cabinet minister in Delhi government, Gahlot looked after the departments of Transport, Revenue, Law, Justice & Legislative Affairs, Information & Technology and Administrative Reforms.

On the eve of his swearing-in, Arvind Kejriwal hosted a dinner meeting for his cabinet colleagues where the roadmap for the future development of the national capital was discussed along with the initiatives identified by the party for implementation in the first three months of the government.

Manish Sisodia said all cabinet ministers, who will take oath on Sunday, were asked to fulfil the promises listed in AAPs guarantee card.

AAP had released a card that carried the 10 guarantees of Kejriwal ahead of the Delhi assembly polls. It included the promise to plant two crore saplings, clean the Yamuna river and reduce pollution in Delhi.

The AAP won 62 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged the remaining eight seats.
Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg concedes the travel restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus are hurting the economy.

But he says the decision to temporarily prevent visitors and students from mainland China entering Australia is based on the "best possible medical advice".

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the government based its travel ban on the "best possible medical advice". Credit:AAP

"Our first obligation is to act in the national interest," Mr Frydenberg told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese backed the government's decision to extend the travel ban for another week, despite it raising the wrath of the Chinese embassy in Australia.
A massive asteroid that is bigger than the world's tallest building sail past the Earth on February 15, according to NASA. The giant rock dubbed 163373 (2002 PZ39) measuring between 1,400 and 3,200 feet in diameter is based on the object's magnitude, as per the data from the space agency's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). The scientists suggested that the asteroid would stand higher than Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, which is the tallest structure on Earth. 2002 PZ39 is about to make its close approach at 11:05am Universal Time (6:05 am EST) on February 15.

READ: Asteroid That Struck Australia May Have Caused Climate Change: Scientists

@NASA - CNEOS

Potentially Hazardous Asteroid: 163373 (2002 PZ39).

near-Earth intersection: Feb. 15 at 6:05 a.m. EST.

pass over: 5.8 mil km / 0.03860 astronomical units.

diameter size: 900m

speed: 55000 km/hhttps://t.co/PBMPeXfGQx pic.twitter.com/yuHLe7045V   (@kraft_mk) February 13, 2020

Asteroid to cross at speed of 34,000 miles/hour

It will zoom past the Earth at a distance of around 3.6 million miles i.e. 15 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. The asteroid is about to cross at a speed of nearly 34,000 miles per hour which is about 20 times as fast as an F-16 jet fighter flying at maximum velocity. The scientists said that there is no chance that it will strike the planet. In addition, the asteroid is defined as a "potentially hazardous" near-Earth object (NEO) by the CNEOS.

READ: 'Potentially Hazardous' Asteroid Will Narrowly Fly Past Earth Just After Christmas

Earlier, a 2,000 feet wide asteroid fly past the earth's surface with a speed of 27,000 mph in the early hours of December 26. The group of scientists monitored the movement of the massive asteroid known as '310442 (2000 CH59)'. They expected that the heavenly mass will be the closest to the earth on December 26 at 7:54 am. The space agency's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has studied the object and measured the diameter of the object to be approximately 2,034 feet. Paul Chodas, director of CNEOS said that these asteroids may evolve for a long period of time into Earth-crossing orbits. It is officially termed as 'near-Earth object' when any comet or asteroid with a path around the sun takes it within 121 million miles of the star and 30 million miles of our orbit.

READ: Large Asteroid To Fly By Earth On Dec 20, Everything You Need To Know

READ: Japan Spacecraft Releases Rover To Asteroid In Its Last Mission
Property sales plummeted by nearly 11% in the Balearics last year and by 14% in the Canary Islands, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics, or INE.

A shortage of properties, extortionately high prices and economic insecurity are being blamed for the slump in sales which appears to have affected second-hand properties much more than new builds.

Property sales were down by 7.5% in Madrid, 2.4% in Catalonia and 3.3% in the Basque Country and by 3.3% nationwide.

Last year 13,951 homes were bought in the archipelago, 10.9% less than in 2018 when 15,665 were sold.

11,389 of them were second-hand properties which is a drop of 12.1% compared to 2018 when 12,964 were sold.

The number of new builds was also down by 5.1% from 2,701 in 2018 to 2,562 in 2019, and insiders say lack of land in municipalities with high demand is to blame.

Foreigners are still buying up large in the Balearic Islands and according to Registrars in Spain 35% of all homes sold in 2019 were snapped up by International buyers.

Experts say o ne of the biggest problems in the Real Estate market is that buyers have to stump up a hefty deposit to buy a property.

To secure a 200,000 euro mortgage buyers need to put down 60,000 euros which rockets to 90,000 for a 300,000 euro loan.

The President of the Association of Promoters, Luis Martin and Natalia Bueno from the Association of Real Estate Agents say lack of funds is the main reason for the slowdown in sales and both predict that the downward trend will continue throughout 2020.

INE figures show that 9,443 mortgages were granted during the first 11 months of 2019, which is a drop of 4.7% from 2018 and the data states that the total loan amount also fell by 5.3% from 1,707 million euros in 2018 to 1,616 million euros last year.

Banks will usually grant mortgages of up to 80% of the value of a property, but buyers still have to pay the other 20%, plus a 10% processing fee, which is a big chunk of change when properties in popular areas cost 200,000 to 300,000 euros.

Real Estate Plan

The Housing Department Minister, Marc Pons has already consulted Promoters, Builders and other Associations about the super high property prices in Majorca and will present his plans for making housing more affordable at the Francesc Quetglas Centre on Monday.
WASHINGTON  Tribal officials this week raised issues ranging from polluted water to underfunded police but there was one message they all had for House lawmakers  the government needs to be a more reliable partner on critical projects.

Those comments came during the second day of testimony by Native American representatives from across the country  including a number from Arizona  who outlined their funding priorities for fiscal 2021 to a House Appropriations subcommittee.

Most of the speakers were thankful for federal help, but also forceful about federal shortcomings.

Under current funding levels, it would take 60 years, or another three generations of students, before the current backlog could be eradicated, in school construction, said Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis.

But Lewis, like many of the witnesses, also touted efforts to find a way around the many problems tribal areas face. In the case of his tribe, it is a pilot program that let the community build a new school and then lease it back to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The community has had visits from a number of tribal leaders and has offered advice to a number of other tribes, Lewis said. Because we believe as the pilot tribe for this program we have a responsibility to ensure other Tribes and students are afforded the faculties and educational opportunities they deserve.

Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., the chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, said funding the many needs in Indian Country can be a balancing act for lawmakers.

I get an allocation  in that allocation I have to fund Indian health, education and funding in public safety and environmental, McCollum said during a break in Wednesdays hearing. But also in there is Environmental Protection Agency, and tribes are applying for safe drinking water out of that EPA funding.

So it is a balancing act with the limited dollars I have to make sure that every tribe has full access to the grants and the money that are available under that limited allocation, she said.

Those dollars have to stretch to cover issues ranging from facilities  Lewis said some Gila River schools are more than 100 years old  to salaries to services.

San Carlos Apache Chairman Terry Rambler said the priority needs for his tribe include public safety. He told the committee how the tribes courts and police were forced to operate out of modular quarters after BIA-funded buildings fell into disrepair. Now the modulars are decrepit, with no air conditioning, no running water, disgusting port-a-johns and little workspace.

He recounted a 2018 visit by Rep. Tom OHalleran, D-Sedona, when congressional staff were forced to use outdoor toilets on a 120-degree day because the water in the building was out. Later during the visit, the power went out and they had to continue using the lights on their phones.

This unfortunately is not unique, but instead is a near-daily occurrence, Rambler said.

For Jamie Henio, a Navajo Nation Council delegate, the lack of federal funding for police has led to high turnover and that forces some officers to work 12-hour shifts. He said the tribe regularly loses newly trained officers to neighboring agencies, like the Albuquerque Police or the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Department, that can offer generous compensation packages and benefits that the Navajo cannot match.

Hopi Chairman Timothy Nuvangyaoma talked about the high unemployment his people face because of the lack of economic development opportunities on their remote reservation. But he prioritized the tribes schools, its arsenic mitigation efforts and its push for a new detention center  after the previous one was condemned in 2016, forcing tribal police to drive prisoners 80 miles to the nearest jail.

The Hopi have grappled with arsenic contamination of its water supply for decades, he said, with eight tribal villages still facing arsenic levels more than three times the legal limit. He said the Hopi Arsenic Mitigation Program is now a priority for both the Indian Health Service and EPA, and while planning has been funded for fiscal 2020 and 2021, future funding will be needed for design and construction.

Roads were a recurring problem for the witnesses. Henio cited data showing 388 miles of the Navajo Nations 505 miles of roads were unpaved.

McCollum closed both the morning and afternoon sessions by telling witnesses she had a lot of homework.

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For decades, people flocking to Mount Hood could rest easy knowing a crew from one of the countrys most elite mountain rescue units would scramble to respond if adventure turned to disaster as it sometimes does on Oregons iconic peak.

But in a stunning shift, Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts plans to end his agencys use of outside search-and-rescue groups like Portland Mountain Rescue and replace them with one of his own.

Longtime volunteers said the sheriff first told them of the change late last year. Roberts spelled out the plan in a memo to volunteers last week.

He has told volunteers that his office will stop asking for their help within the next six to 18 months, effectively putting them out of business.

Those volunteers hold sheriff-issued search-and-rescue cards that enable them to work missions in the county and around the state. A Sheriffs Office spokesman said volunteers who do not plan to apply for the new unit must turn in their cards.

The sheriffs group is expected to have about 100 volunteers. The independent organizations now have about 220 volunteers combined.

The controversial plan represents a significant change in how one of Oregons busiest counties for search-and-rescue callouts manages not just missions on the mountain but also hikers and mushroom pickers who lose their way in the woods, Alzheimers patients who wander off and children who go missing.

It is a blow for four volunteer-led search-and-rescue outfits in Clackamas County -- Portland Mountain Rescue, Mountain Wave Search and Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue and North Oregon Regional Search and Rescue  whose members specialize in ground searches, emergency communications, searches with trained dogs and mountain rescues.

The groups train regularly, are on-call around the clock and are dispatched by the Sheriffs Office when needed.

Portland Mountain Rescue volunteers hold trainings on Mount Hood in May and June, the peak climbing season, so they can respond quickly to any crisis. Their crews last year reached injured climbers within an hour in four out of five rescues during those two months, a board member said.

Everybody is demoralized, said Russell Gubele of Gresham, president of Mountain Wave.

His group has about 100 volunteers who work on communications, offer search dogs and work with drones, among other specialties. It formed in the aftermath of Mount Hoods deadliest tragedy, the 1986 climbing deaths of two teachers and seven students from Oregon Episcopal School.

Morale is terrible, he said. People dont know what to do.

Already, Gubele said, Mountain Wave has seen a drop-off in requests for help from the Sheriffs Office. He said he expected to go out on a search earlier this month for a woman who went missing in Welches, but the call never came.

They are just not using us, he said.

Roberts declined to be interviewed for this story, but the Sheriffs Office released the memo sent to volunteers.

Roberts said his decision came after months of consideration and research. He said he was motivated to reorganize in light of litigation over a climbers death in 2017.

John Thornton Jenkins, 32, of Mukilteo, Washington, died after falling hundreds of feet down Mount Hood. His parents blamed the Sheriffs Office and Clackamas County 911 for missteps that they said contributed to a more than four-hour wait before their son was rescued. Moments before the helicopter lowered a cable to lift a basket and hoist him aboard, Jenkins stopped breathing and died.

The county disputed that it failed to launch a prompt rescue and said rescuers at the scene told authorities that they thought they could get Jenkins out.

The county ultimately settled the lawsuit for $25,000. The settlement required the Sheriffs Office to make a $5,000 donation to Portland Mountain Rescue. A volunteer with the unit was with Jenkins as he was loaded into the helicopter.

The agreement with Jenkins family also required the Sheriffs Office to do more training and develop better communication procedures for the countys emergency responders.

I recognize that change can be difficult, Roberts wrote to volunteers. But it is also important that my office makes appropriate changes to address inefficiencies, mitigate risk, and ensure I am doing my very best for those we serve.

Charley Shimanski, who lives outside Denver and is considered a leading authority on alpine rescues, said hes baffled that a group as well regarded as Portland Mountain Rescue faces an existential threat.

The organization takes part in 15 to 20 missions a year and is known for nail-biting rescues under whiteout conditions on one of the most-climbed peaks in the world.

Why would you dismantle one of the countrys strongest teams of rescue mountaineers, one of the countrys elite teams of rescue mountaineers, and replace it with an all new team -- and I guess I should add to that, particularly on a high-altitude mountain as dangerous as Mount Hood? Shimanski said.

Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts told search and rescue organizations that he will stop calling them for help in the next six to 18 months. The shift away from using Portland Mountain Rescue has stunned the mountaineering community. Why would you dismantle one of the countrys strongest teams of rescue mountaineers, one of the countrys elite teams of rescue mountaineers, and replace it with an all new team -- and I guess I should add to that, particularly on a high-altitude mountain as dangerous as Mount Hood? said Charley Shimanski, who lives outside of Denver, Colorado, and is considered a leading authority on alpine rescues.Jim Ryan/Staff

***

The number of Oregonians headed outdoors is on the rise. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department estimates state parks see about 50 million visits annually, a jump of 10 million since 2010. The number of people camping continues to break records year after year.

Its no surprise then that Mount Hood National Forest, a 1.1 million-acre gem an hours drive from Portland, has surged in popularity. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that 2.3 million people visited the forest in 2016  1 million more than visited in 2006. Those figures mirror an uptick nationally on Forest Service land.

But with adventure comes risk. Statewide, search-and-rescue had its busiest year ever last year with 1,310 missions, according to the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.

And Clackamas County consistently ranks among Oregon counties with the most missions, according to the state. Last year, Clackamas, Jackson, Lane, Deschutes and Douglas counties accounted for more than half of all search-and-rescue missions.

By law, the person responsible for search-and-rescue is the local sheriff. Some sheriffs, like Deschutes, operate their own volunteer units as Roberts proposes. Others tap independent organizations to provide volunteers as Clackamas County has done for decades.

Roberts said he based his decision on what he called in his memo a comprehensive study of search-and-rescue by retired Undersheriff Matt Ellington.

The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained the study in a public records request. The Sheriffs Office said it paid Ellington $2,982.71 to produce a 12-page report that looked at two counties, Multnomah and Deschutes.

Ellington highlighted Deschutes County, calling it the premier search-and-rescue program in the state. Since the 1980s, the agency has used an all-volunteer team of about 140 people managed by the Sheriffs Office, Ellington said.

Ellington proposed options to consider based on Deschutes Countys model, including tightening controls over search-and-rescue volunteers, creating a search-and-rescue academy, using sheriffs cadets for search missions and forming a robust volunteer group attached to the Sheriffs Office.

Ellington noted that starting such a unit would require numerous personnel assigned to nothing but the SAR program, as well as investing in training and expanding the number of vehicles assigned to the unit.

Going forward, Roberts said he will establish a nonprofit called Clackamas County Search & Rescue to raise money to support missions and provide training and equipment; currently, search-and-rescue organizations do their own training and provide their own equipment.

The Sheriffs Office did not provide details when asked about the budget for the new unit, saying its way too early to offer a definitive answer on the complete search-and-rescue funding model. A Sheriffs Office spokesman said Friday that discussions about funding have begun.

7 2017 helicopter rescue of fallen Mt. Hood climber

The plan, already underway, has left search-and-rescue groups lobbying Clackamas County commissioners and appealing to the sheriff to allow them to continue working in the county.

They argue that Roberts plan ignores their critical role in the region, their expertise and the dedication of the volunteers.

Jim Bernard, chair of the county Board of Commissioners, called Roberts plan absurd.

These people are expert volunteers, he said. Who is going to do the search-and-rescue? Who is going to pay for that? The county isnt. These people want to do this work. They are excited about doing the work. I dont know where this is coming from.

Bernard said his efforts to reach Roberts have been unsuccessful. The two have clashed publicly in recent weeks over the countys budget shortfall.

I have sent emails and he is not responding, Bernard said.

Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue is the largest of the organizations with about 125 volunteers and a half-dozen specialty teams trained in skills such as rope rescue and high-angle rescues below treeline.

Last year, the organization responded to about 85 callouts, about half of them in Clackamas County, including helping track down lost mushroom and game hunters and packing out injured hikers.

They headed out to Bagby Hot Springs, Ramona Falls and other trails in Mount Hood National Forest. They also respond to places out of the county, such as in the Columbia River Gorge and the Coast Range.

What the sheriff is doing is taking apart a system that works really well, said Diana Worthen, president of the group. What he is trying to do is dismantle that and start something from scratch. That will take years to develop the same level of service that exists today.

She said volunteers feel dismissed and overlooked as the Sheriffs Office has phased in Roberts plan. Some volunteers likely wont apply for the new team, she said.

Their approach has been very authoritarian, she said. Honestly, their treatment of us has been really poor.

Worthen stressed that her organization remains deeply invested in search-and-rescue missions and wants to find a way to continue working with the Sheriffs Office.

A Sheriffs Office spokesman said the sheriff and his staff have met multiple times with search-and-rescue volunteers for the past six months to discuss the new approach.

Our hope is that every dedicated and qualified search volunteer currently working in Clackamas County applies to join the unified team, said Sgt. Marcus Mendoza, a Sheriffs Office spokesman.

An Oregon Army National Guard helicopter arrives at Mount Hood on Sunday, May 7, 2017, for an attempted rescue of John Thorton Jenkins. Clackamas County is the base for four search-and-rescue groups. Here's a rundown of each group: Portland Mountain Rescue has 75 field certified volunteers and specializes in technical rescues on Mount Hood; Mountain Wave Search and Rescue has 100 volunteers and provides expertise in communications, as well as search dogs, drones and 4x4s; Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue has 125 volunteers and specializes in ground searches and has teams that do rope support, low- to high-angle work, operate drones and respond on mountain bikes, trail running and ATVs; North Oregon Regional Search and Rescue has about 20 volunteers and specializes in search dogs. (Tim Ozerkov / Portland Mountain Rescue)

***

Mark Morford, a Portland Mountain Rescue board member, said his group welcomes some of the changes the Sheriffs Office has made, such as assigning a full-time search-and-rescue coordinator and playing a greater role in training and oversight.

Portland Mountain Rescue has offered to make changes to address Roberts concerns about the screening process for volunteers and evaluating their competency, he said. It is open to involving the Sheriffs Office in recruiting and try-outs, he said.

But so far, he said, talks have gone nowhere.

We have said this over and over again: Help us understand what your objectives are, said Morford, a retired attorney from Portland who has been with the organization for 12 years. We can make all sorts of changes. Just tell us what you are trying to achieve and we will help you achieve it.

He predicted it will take years for the Sheriffs Office to replicate his groups experience and skill.

The esprit de corps, the mutual trust necessary for us to trust three of our other rescuers to lower us into a crevasse and get us back out with a patient in the middle of a blizzard at 10,000 feet -- you dont just sign people up, Morford said.

That requires years of culture and working together under difficult conditions.

Last year, he said his unit held 72 field and classroom trainings on topics including avalanche safety, crevasse rescues, high-altitude snow travel, patient care and technical rope and rigging. Two-thirds of the groups volunteers are medical professionals or are certified wilderness first responders.

For years, Morford said, the Sheriffs Office has relied on Portland Mountain Rescues volunteers to perform the most dangerous, the most urgent, the most difficult and the highest profile missions in Oregon.

Those often take them to the 11,239-foot Mount Hood, a technical and perilous ascent that beckons the expert and novice alike.

Mount Hood climbers encounter less red tape than those ascending other Cascades volcanoes such as Mount Adams or St. Helens, where climbers must pay permit fees beginning in the spring and carrying into the fall.

Hood climbers are supposed to self-register at Timberlines WyEast Day Lodge but pay nothing and dont need a permit.

Nineteen people have died on the mountain since January 2011, according to a database maintained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. That includes hikers, climbers and skiers.

Mike Adams survived his fall on the mountain, with the help of Portland Mountain Rescue.

In May 2014, Adams tumbled 1,000 feet and slid into one of the mountains notorious vents, or fumaroles, that emit toxic gases.

By the time he landed, Adams said hed broken bones in 17 places. He recalled absorbing the shocking realization that his life would likely end on the mountain.

But Portland Mountain Rescue happened to be training on the mountain that morning. A crew responded quickly, lowering a pair of volunteers into the fumarole, their mouths and noses covered to protect them from the gases.

Youre going to be OK, one of them told Adams as they prepared to hoist him up and load him into an Oregon Army National Guard helicopter.

Adams, now 65, went on to make a full recovery.

I have never really talked about it much, said Adams, a structural engineer who lives in Wilsonville.

If they hadnt been there, I wouldnt be here, he said.

Oregonian staff writer Jim Ryan contributed to this report.

-- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Veteran investigative journalist John Pilgers documentaryThe Dirty War on the National Health Servicepremiered in Sydney on Tuesday and will be screened on Australias Special Broadcasting Service television network on Sunday, 16 February at 8.30 p.m. It can viewed after broadcast at SBS-On Demand, the networks free streaming service.

John Pilger

The Dirty War on the National Health Service is an unflinching and timely exposure of the impact of the creeping privatisation of Britains National Health Service. Filmed in the US and Britain, it has clear parallels with the systematic undermining of state-funded public health services in Australia by consecutive Liberal-National Coalition and Labor governments.

Pilger has made more than 60 documentaries since 1970. His latest work, which was reviewed by the WSWS late last year, and reposted below, deserves the widest audience. Ofcom, Britains television regulatory authority, directed ITV not to broadcast Pilgers film until after the UK elections on December 17, due to the immense opposition, within the British population, to the ongoing destruction of the NHS.

The WSWS urges all our readers and supporters to watch this powerful documentary on SBS television, at 8.30 p.m. Sunday night, February 16.

* * *

The Dirty War on the National Health Service: John Pilger documentary goes to the heart of the struggle for democracy today

By Jean Shaoul

10 December 2019

Written and directed by John Pilger

The Dirty War on the National Health Service, written and directed by the BAFTA and Emmy award-winning journalist and film director John Pilger, has opened in several UK cities. The screenings, some accompanied by question-and-answer sessions with the director, have been sold out.

The film will reach a far wider audience on ITV, but it will only be aired after the election on December 17, because of the political sensitivity of the issue, following a ruling by the television regulatory authority Ofcom.

Pilgers work is a passionate appeal to working people to oppose the decades-long, covert assault on the National Health Service (NHS) by all three major parties. Even for this writer, whose professional work was bound up with exposing the secret privatisation and balkanisation of the NHS, the film proved deeply shocking.

Pilger introduced The Dirty War saying that he had wanted to make it for some time, even though he had already made a couple of films about the NHS. He noted that the war on the NHS had been going on a long time but was at a crucial stage now. The NHS, said Pilger, has become a major issue in the election precisely because it represents democracy.

But what was at stake was more than just the dismantling by the corporate vultures of a system that was, in principle at least, a comprehensive (from the cradle to the grave) and universal service, free at the point of use. Pilger explains in the film that Britains deadly disease was class. The NHS was not given from on high but won in struggle. It exemplifies what is good in British society. NHS is a deeply democratic institution. The leaflet announcing the NHS to the British people and given to everyone said, Open to all, rich and poor.

But he said, the corporations hate the NHS. They and the politicians are carrying out a war against it. We have to fight for it. We should have done so earlier because it touches all our lives. It is the great connector between all of us.

If the NHS goes, everything else will go.

Pilger had had to turn to crowdfunding to finance the film. He acknowledges in the credits all the people who had donated.

This is the leaflet that announced the new National Health Service to the British people. It was delivered to every household in May, 1948 and announced that a free health service open to all, rich and poor, would begin on 5th July.

The Dirty War opens with scenes shot in the US of patient dumping, by which patients, discharged from hospital in the middle of the nightone was severely disabled, another had had open heart surgery just nine days earlierare thrown onto the streets or into some refuge without so much as informing the care workers, much less asking for their consent. It is nothing short of barbaric. This was in order to make way for new patients and additional income.

Switching to Britain, a homeless charity says this is happening here as hospitals need a rapid turnover of patients in order to make a profit.

Pilger shows that the creeping privatisation of the NHS in Britain meant an early death for a worker when a private ambulance came with a non-functioning defibrillator and was unable to contact anyone at the companys call centre to obtain another. In another case, in which the NHS had subcontracted a surgical procedure to a private hospital, the patient had to be blue lighted [rushed by ambulance] to an NHS hospital because, when things go wrong, the private hospital has no back-up facilities. The writer-director points out that the system designed to give us all Freedom from Fear has been attacked by every political party on behalf of big business.

Privatisation by stealth began in the 1980s under Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who commissioned a report from McKinseys, the consultants, that led to the creation of the internal market in 1991. In 1988, Conservative MPs Oliver Letwin and John Redwood had proposed a switch to an insurance-based system, in a pamphlet titled, Britains Biggest Enterprise: ideas for radical reform of the NHS.

But it was Tony Blairs Labour government that set it all in motion with the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), whereby the private sector built, owned and operated hospitals, using private finance. So expensive were these new hospitals, despite being considerably smaller than the ones they replaced, that many other hospitals were closed, and land was sold to pay for them. Despite this, the commissioning trusts were soon in financial distress. Since they could not be allowed to fail, the non-PFI trusts were sacrificed to bail out the PFI hospitals.

After 2010, the reforms speeded up. David Camerons Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition escalated the privatisation process, introducing the disastrous 2012 Health and Social Care Act, removing the duty of the Health Secretary to provide health care for the population and freeing up providers to innovatethat is, opening the door to private healthcare companies and management consultants.

The Dirty War shows privatisation continuing under the Conservative government of Boris Johnson, with Matthew Hancock, the current health secretary, waxing lyrical about a smartphone self-diagnosis app called Babylon: no doubt a mechanism for eliminating whole swathes of GPs and nurses. A Babylon spokesperson has the gall to tell Pilger its diagnoses are 100 percent safe, but not all of the time.

There is a revolving door between government, public officials and the private health care sector. Alan Milburn, Labours Secretary of State for Health, on leaving government in 2013, became chair of PricewaterhouseCooperss UK Health Industry Oversight Board, whose purpose is to engineer the privatisation of the NHS, and help PwC increase its share of the health market. He also joined the private equity firm Bridgepoint Capital, whose activities include financing private health care companies providing services to the NHS, including Care UK.

In a sign of the NHSs intended trajectory, its current head is Simon Stevens, who spent 10 years as a senior executive at UnitedHealth Group in the US, becoming CEO of UnitedHealthcares $30 billion Medicare business.

Pilger makes clear that the dirty war on the NHS is aimed at giving free rein to the corporate sector, who cannot wait to get their hands on the services 120 billion a year funding, with author and Spinwatch campaigner Tamasin Cave describing the NHS as a 120 billion opportunity for the powerful healthcare corporations. It will mean a healthcare system that will deliver profits, not treatment and care for those who need it.

Tamasin Cave, Director of Spinwatch, and John Pilger, filmed on a tour of the offices of pro-NHS privatisation think-tanks and lobbyists that surround the Houses of Parliament

The writer-director illustrates this graphically, pointing to what happened at the privatised Hinchingbrooke Hospital, which in 2012 was put in special measures and eventually returned to the NHS after just three years of a supposed 10-year contract.

In a very moving scene, one of the senior nurses, who had worked for 24 years in the hospital before being sacked by the private company running it, explains that putting profit before patients changes the relationship between the clinical staff and their patients. It means cutting costs, working long, unsafe hours, closing down hospital and GP services, increased waiting times and not addressing patients clinical, social and personal needs.

She is not alone. Doctors, nurses, academics and campaigners all warn Pilger about the risks involved in the NHS becoming a two-tier system, with the free NHS providing only a minimal service.

Now, with Johnson seeking Brexit-related trade discussions with the US that include plans to sell out the NHS as part of any deal, there is the added danger that the NHS will replicate the disastrous US system, where some 87 million people either have no healthcare insurance or healthcare insurance that demands unaffordable co-payments.

According to a leaked transcript of the US-UK discussions, a Department of International Trade official reassured a US trade representative, writing, Wouldnt want to discuss particular health care entities at this time, and, youll be aware of certain statements saying we need to protect our needs; this would be something to discuss further down the line.

So, although the Johnson government has publicly pledged that the NHS is not on the table in any post-Brexit trade deal with the Trump administration, selling it off would be something to discuss later.

Pilger says that no one in the Conservative government responded to his request for an interview. There is a short clip of Labours Shadow Secretary of State for Health, Jon Ashworth, making the baldand unconvincingclaim that a Labour government will end the privatisation of the NHS.

Its sunrise at the county fairground in Wise Virginia, where Remote Area Medical has set up its clinicsoffering free treatment. People wait for days, sleeping in their cars, then are given a number at sunrise. Here, they wait for their number to be called out.

The Dirty War on the NHS ends with a scene that drew gasps from the audience: a visit to a US free healthcare initiative known as a Remote Area Medical (RAM), run by volunteer clinical staff in Wise, Virginia, a small town in the Appalachian Mountains where there are no healthcare facilities.

RAM provides pop-up medical clinics delivering free dental, vision and medical care to those without healthcare insurance. Stan Brock, a Londoner, originally established it in the 1980s to treat people in the developing world, but latterly treated those in need of health care in the US.

Dental chairs are laid out in the county fairground in Wise, Virginia, as Remote Area Medical sets up its free clinics, treating people with no hope of affording medical care outside

The message was unmistakable. This is the future in Britain if the dirty warriors have their way and the NHS becomes an insurance-based system.

This deeply moving film should be seen by everyone. It not only provides the most convincing case for socialised healthcare. It points to the better world that would be made under a system where the goods and services so essential to humanity are produced based on social need, not profit, and made available to all.
Just as New Mexicans begin to recover from a busy holiday season, the Legislature embarked in early January on the process of crafting the next years state budget.

And just as we can expect to endure many winter days ahead, we sadly can also expect within the Roundhouse a secretive process in which a select group of legislators puts the final touches on the budget.

New Mexicos budgeting process is cumbersome at best. Legislators sit in hearings for weeks on end, listening to ever-growing demands by state agencies for more money and new programs.

The budget process involves a mountain of paper covered with numbers that quickly become nearly incomprehensible. As confusing as this process seems, we should be proud the creation of the state budget is usually conducted in the open and broadcasted live over the web.

By seeing how the process works, people can gain an understanding of the challenges legislators face in addressing the needs of both urban and rural New Mexico. This is the way the budget process should work.

We must commit ourselves to ensuring this openness continues, while also demanding it should be expanded whenever possible.

Unfortunately, as we see year after year, the legislative committee tasked with putting the budget together will deviate from this public debate when the time comes to put the finishing touches to its budget document. Instead of continuing to meet in public, the chair and a group of hand-picked committee members will retreat to a closed-door conference room in the Roundhouse Annex to decide how to spend millions of dollars on various projects that have never been publicly vetted.

These meetings are so secretive that many of the remaining committee members are often not aware these meetings are being held.

This year, the money earmarked for member requests was $5 million for House members and another $10 million for the Senate. However, over the past 10 years, the amount of money spent in these secret meetings has exceeded $100 million.

Imagine having the power to spend millions of dollars on lawmakers pet projects that the public has never heard about and are being funded simply because the legislator asking for it holds an important legislative position. Granted, a list of these secretly decided projects is ultimately approved by the budget-writing committee, but there is no disclosure as to which legislator requested the money or why some projects were selected while others were not.

The people of New Mexico send us to Santa Fe to work for them, not to find ways to keep the levers of government hidden behind closed doors. The House Republican Caucus has made transparency a key issue this session.

Therefore, we will continue to shine light on the dirty little secrets of the legislative process that seem only to benefit the powerful. We will also demand changes to the legislative process.

One legislative leader recently said transparency is the biggest buzzword out there. I disagree. Transparency is what separates Western democracies from third-world dictatorships.

(State House of Representatives Republican Leader Rep. Jim Townsend is from Artesia. He has served as a representative since 2015.)
In the backdrop of clashes between lawyers and police at Delhi's Tis Hazari court complex last year, the Delhi government is soon going to install 200 CCTV cameras in the courtrooms.

The contentions were made by a committee constituted in pursuance to directions issued by the Supreme Court in 2018 to install CCTV cameras within the court complexes in the national capital. The excerpts from the meeting were accessed by IANS.

Citing a letter by Public Works Department (PWD), the city government asserted that, as of now, Tis Hazari court complex has no high-end cameras in the courtrooms but "an estimate of 200 CCTV cameras are to be installed" soon.

In November last year, a disagreement between lawyers and police officers turned violent at the Tis Hazari court complex. As a consequence, scores of police personnel and lawyers got involved in violent clashes, leaving many injured.

Months after the incident, security threat still looms large over the courts in India. A bomb, which exploded at a Lucknow court earlier this week, left three persons injured.

In 2016, a clash had erupted at Rohini court after a security staff allegedly abused and assualted a lawyer.

Beside Tis Hazari, Dwarka court has invited tender for installation of 120 CCTV in the courtrooms.

A total of 2,451 cameras have been installed at district courts in the national capital.

Among all, Rohini court has the least number of cameras while Karkardooma has the highest.

During the meeting, the Delhi government resolved that "district court may be requested through Delhi High Court to initiate necessary action" for implementation of apex court's order.
WILLIAMSPORT  A Lycoming County couple who spent nearly all the $120,000 a bank mistakenly put in their joint account have been placed on seven years probation.

The sentence imposed Friday by county Judge Ryan Tira on Robert L. and Tiffany M. Williams of Montoursville followed their guilty pleas to a theft charge.

Their sentences require them to repay $107,416 to BB&T Bank and perform 100 hours of community service. Other charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

The couple was charged after they refused to work with the bank on a repayment plan, state police said.

The two declined to comment after the court proceeding but state police in an arrest affidavit said this is what occurred:

The $120,000 had been deposited May 31, 2019, at the banks Sandy Springs branch in the Atlanta, Georgia, area but was mistakenly routed to the Williams account instead of the correct destination of Dimension Covington Investments.

The error was discovered when a Dimension official questioned the missing deposit. The bank corrected the error by crediting the Dimension account and debited the Williams.

After a BB&T investigation determined $107,416 had been withdrawn, Tiffany Williams, 35, was notified in June the money had to be repaid. Her initial response was the money was used to pay bills and then that her husband, 37, had spent most of the funds.

She told a bank official she would speak to her husband about a repayment plan but she did not return calls so the matter was referred to state police.

Among the items bought with the money were a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse, two four-wheelers, a camper, a race car motor and a head gasket. They also paid bills, made random cash purchases and gave $15,000 to friends in need of money.

During interviews with investigators, both admitted the $120,000 was not theirs and they had spent most of it. Withdrawals were made at various bank branches and ATM locations.

The account the Williams opened in August 2017 contained $1,121 prior to the $120,000 being deposited, BB&T told police.

--

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YEREVAN.  Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: The extra-parliamentary opposition has planned its actions in connection with the referendum [on constitutional amendments]. "We are negotiating with prominent political forces, we already have arrangements to jointly explain to the common people what is happening in Armenia today," ARF Supreme Body representative Ishkhan Saghatelyan said.

The political forces did not want to be in the headquarters of the 'no,' but that does not mean that we will not actively fight against the 'yes' to prevent this illegal situation and relax the public nerves. There was no need for the political forces to become anti-heroes and for the power to turn them into a target; we preferred this tactic, said Artur Ghazinyan, leader of the One Armenia party.

The 'no' platform will occupy the legal coexistence as a fighter of professional struggle. If they did not, then the opportunities provided by the referendumfree airtime, appointing commission members, overseeing the referendumwould be diminished.

"The authorities should not be left without such oversight. The scope of our initiative includes people who filed a petition with the president of the republic a week ago not to sign the referendum document," said representative of the "no" campaign office, former Ombudsman of Artsakh Ruben Melikyan. And arent you legitimizing the illegal referendum? "No. By this step, we are keeping the whole absurd process of referendum under the spotlight of ourselves and the public, so as not to make it even more illegal; we are creating a platform for opinions that exclude yes."
It just doesnt understand what people want, Wong says. When government is not elected by the people, without that legitimacy  it will never recognise the importance of transparency and the free flow of information. I speak to Wong over a Facetime call to his office in Hong Kong, where he is preparing for an upcoming trial (he has been jailed twice for his activism) and handling mask distribution. Joshua Wong with fellow Demosisto member Agnes Chow, left, after they were granted bail in August. Credit:Bloomberg He is also fielding calls from around the world to publicise a new book: Unfree Speech, the threat to global democracy and why we must act, now. You can hear fatigue in his voice - and determination. His answers are concise and filed to a political point.

I pinch myself to recall he is only 23 years old. He is to Hong Kong democracy what Greta Thunberg is to climate activism: a young voice seeking to inspire the young. His impatience with me is his impatience with failed generations. The future belongs to the next generation, it should not be dominated by the upper class elite serving the interests of authoritarian rule, he says. Thats the reason for me to write this book, for the young generation around the world to be more actively engaged in politics, to be the change we want to see. I want to inspire Millennials, even generations younger than me, [so] they can be inspired to take action and engage in civil society development. As he puts it in the book, grassroots movements are increasingly led by Millennials and Generation Z-ers, as they are often the ones most impacted by older generations inaction and acquiescence. The books forewords see artist and filmmaker Ai Weiwei hail Wong as a new generation of rebel and the last British governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, warn you cannot defeat an idea by locking up its proponents.

It is a three-parter that morphs from anecdote to thesis: first Wong tells his own story, the remarkable journey of a dyslexic boy with a drive to question authority who was dubbed dokuo - a man with no girlfriends - at school and who delights in a solitary life playing video games. Loading Wong still relaxes by playing PS4 with his mates. But the dominant theme of his teenage years was rebellion: at 13 he started going to anti-government demonstrations, then he and a friend launched Scholarism, a pro-democracy movement that rapidly attracted thousands of followers. He was 14. Then came the "umbrella revolution" in 2017. By now Wong was one of the Hong Kong democracy movements leading voices. At a protest he called on demonstrators to occupy Civic Square and was arrested for the first time. That time was a paradigm shift, Wong writes, forever altering the relationship between state and citizens, the oppressor and the oppressed.

We did the best we could under the circumstances. The middle of the book holds his letters from prison, where every day he was required to shout at the top of his lungs: Good morning, Sir! I, Joshua Wong, prison number 4030XX, have been convicted of unlawful assembly. Thank you, SIR! By now he was Time magazines Face of protest, one of Fortunes 50 greatest leaders, a New York Times op-ed writer. But he was also a young prisoner in a juvenile jail, missing his mums hand-brewed milk tea and the chicken hotpot from the corner shop, sleeping on a wooden plank with no mattress, folding laundry and taking part in the endless marches staged for VIP visitors, scrubbing toilets and watching TV - and reading voraciously (on the day of his release he reached the last page of Malala Yousafzais memoir). The last part of the book is Wongs political call to arms  around the world.

If multinationals, international governments and indeed ordinary citizens do not start paying attention to Hong Kong and treating our story as an early warning signal, it wont be long before everyone else feels the same invasion of civil liberties that Hong Kongers have endured and resisted every day on our streets for the past two decades, he writes. Protesters confront police in Hong Kong in January. Credit:AP As new protests and harsher crackdowns flared on Hong Kongs streets, Wong places the blame firmly at the door of the government for the escalation of violence on both sides. Wongs book gets grim towards the end. In Hong Kong, he writes, local bookstores sell Hong Kongers Guide to Opening a Cafe in Taiwan and Emigration to Europe for Dummies. Around the dinner table and at the office drinks machine people ask: "How does the Australian [immigration] points system work? Will my score go up if I purchase a property?"

Meanwhile he charts Chinas seemingly unstoppable rise to economic and political dominance, its arm reaching beyond its soil to cow corporations and governments. Unfree Speech by Joshua Wong with Jason Y. Ng. Hong Kong is the first line of defence to stop or at least slow down the dangerous rise of a totalitarian superpower, he writes. Like the canary in the coal mine or the early warning system on a tsunami-prone coastline, we are sending out a distress signal to the rest of the world so that countermeasures can be taken before it is too late. He tells me he has not given up hope. He has no plan to seek political asylum, despite the prospect of more jail, the growing number of his friends facing a decade in jail and stories of live bullets being fired at protesters. He calls on the Australian government to recognise the erosion of universal values and stand with Hong Kong.
At least four members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and three Syrian soldiers were killed in a missile attack launched from Israel, Times of Israel reported citing a Britain based Syrian civil war monitor.

Syria said Israel was behind the strike near Damascus. However, the Israeli military did not comment on the incident.

According to the outlet, the Jewish state has long maintained that it will not tolerate any Iranian efforts to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.

Meanwhile, Syrian state media reported that its air defences intercepted hostile targets over Damascus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 21:36:39|Editor: xuxin

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RIYADH, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen announced on Saturday the crashing of one of its fighter jets, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Turki al-Malki, the coalition spokesperson, said that the Royal Saudi Air Force Tornado fighter jet was crashed on Friday while conducting close air support to units of Yemen's government forces.

Yemen's Houthi rebels' al-Masirah TV reported on Friday that the Houthis shot down a warplane of the Saudi-led coalition in al-Jawf.

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Iran-allied Houthi rebels since March 2015 to support the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
McConnell does not want to risk a divided GOP field in the initial Nov. 3 ballot, which under special election rules would force the top two finishers into an unpredictable Jan. 5 runoff if no candidate clears a 50 percent majority. He wants Loeffler to win on the first ballot in the jungle primary rather than Democrats pushing one candidate toward an outright victory while the Republican vote splits. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams are united behind the candidacy of the Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of the Atlanta church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.
Hillary Clinton speaks onstage at 'Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton discuss their new book 'The Book of Gutsy Women' at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre on November 05, 2019 in Los Angeles,

Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is considering Hillary Clinton as a vice presidential running mate after positive internal polling about the potential pairing, according to the Drudge Report, which cited sources close to the Bloomberg campaign.

According to Drudge, in such a partnership Bloomberg would change his official residence from New York to Colorado or Florida. The constitution suggests there may be limitations in both members of a presidential ballot residing in the same state.

Jason Schechter, director of communications for the Bloomberg campaign, said in a statement to CNBC: "We are focused on the primary and the debate, not VP speculation." A spokesperson for Clinton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016, losing to Donald Trump in an election that served him 304 electoral votes and Clinton 227. Helping Trump's victory were his wins in key industrial and Rust Belt states -- Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. Those states are likely to be key in the 2020 election as well.

Clinton was asked earlier this year by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres if she would consider running as vice president in the 2020 presidential election.

"Well, that's not going to happen," Clinton said at the time. "But no, probably no."

Clinton has been less coy when addressing the current field of Democratic candidates. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hillary Clinton slammed Sen. Bernie Sanders, her main competitor in the 2016 Democratic primary, saying "nobody likes him" and accusing him of supporting sexist attacks against his rivals.

Bloomberg has recently has been asked to answer for accusations the company he founded, Bloomberg LP, was discriminatory toward women.

Bloomberg, a late contender in the presidential race, has been pouring money into ads and online memes to support his run. Those efforts appear to have born fruit, with him rising in the polls.
The waiting room of Cosmeticium at the Reyap Hospital in Istanbul resembles that of any other private medical clinic. Magazines are on the table, a vase of fake flowers stands by the velvet sofas and 24-hour news plays on the television.

But the conversation I am having with Dr Batuhan Kurtoglu is not so familiar. He is trying to persuade me to have a hair transplant, an eight or nine-hour operation, within minutes of meeting me.

Dont worry about it, he says. Totally, 99 per cent of every operation is a success.

Really? I reply.

It will make you look younger, he promises.

Harry Wallop travelled to Istanbul where he met hair surgeon Dr Batuhan Kurtoglu who said the transplant operation offered a 99 per cent chance of success - following eight or nine hours under the knife

Harry visited the Cosmeticium clinic at the Reyap Hospital in Istanbul, pictured

Cosmeticium claims: You get completely natural, growing hair that is permanent and has an aesthetic, youthful look

When I finally decide not to go ahead, the hospital insists I speak on the phone to Sinan Yildirim, my patient co-ordinator.

He gives me the hard sell: You come to Turkey for your hair transplantation, we have arranged everything. We are ready. You can be nervous for the operation, but dont worry. Everything will be perfect and you will be happy.

Welcome to Istanbuls cut-throat hair-transplant industry: one that has grown substantially in recent years, promising thousands of men  including many Britons  that they can regain their lost hair.

Cosmeticium claims: You get completely natural, growing hair that is permanent and has an aesthetic, youthful look.

Like most clinics in Istanbul, it offers hair transplants as part of a package, with taxis to and from the airport and hotel accommodation included in its best price guaranteed deal.

British doctors, however, are increasingly concerned about the promises made to lure patients: that the operation will be painless, that cutting-edge sapphire or gold techniques will be used, that men will be left with no scarring and that the procedure will be a guaranteed success.

Like most clinics in Istanbul, it offers hair transplants as part of a package, with taxis to and from the airport and hotel accommodation included in its best price guaranteed deal

Leading UK surgeons say this is all empty marketing at best, recklessly and dangerously misleading at worst.

Many Turkish clinics also make ambitious promises about how much hair they can transplant.

On inspecting me, the heavily tattooed Dr Kurtoglu, who also wears chunky earrings, said he could move between 4,000 and 4,500 grafts of hair from the back of my head to the top.

Yet this would be clinically dangerous for you and any other patient, according to Dr Roshan Vara, managing director of The Treatment Rooms in London and medical member of the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery.

It was at this point that I decided to make my excuses and back out of the operation.

I am balding and, like many men with the same problem, would prefer to have the thick thatch I enjoyed in my 20s. I had not come to Istanbul to have a hair transplant, though, but to investigate the industry.

If Id had any thoughts of going under the knife on the cheap, they have now been removed.

Hundreds of Turkish clinics advertise to potential British customers online and via Instagram and Facebook. Google hair transplant and chances are your first result will be a treatment package offered from Istanbul.

Most clinics ask you to contact them via the text-messaging service WhatsApp to receive a quote. Typically they ask to see a photograph of your head; they then estimate how much hair they can transfer and tell you the price of the package, nearly always including airport transfers and two nights in a hotel.

I flew to Istanbul after hearing from two men about their bad experiences of Turkish hair transplants, which left them feeling anxious and depressed. I travelled with a Daily Mail photographer, who took pictures on his phone  something the doctors seemed surprisingly relaxed about

I flew to Istanbul after hearing from two men about their bad experiences of Turkish hair transplants, which left them feeling anxious and depressed. I travelled with a Daily Mail photographer, who took pictures on his phone  something the doctors seemed surprisingly relaxed about.

Oliver, 33, an accountant from Oxfordshire, claims he was treated like a hunk of meat, while Jay, 26, an engineer from London, says his treatment caused him to go into therapy and wear a hat in public for two years.

I was anxious about socialising. Theres not one day I dont regret going to Istanbul to have a hair transplant, he tells me.

Terrorism and political instability have deterred many holidaymakers from visiting Turkey. But the country is enjoying a boom in one area: medical tourism.

About 765,000 patients from 144 countries reportedly visited in 2017, contributing 5.6 billion to the economy.

And one of the main procedures on offer is clearly visible in the streets. In some areas of Istanbul, it is hard to miss seeing young men wearing the headbands given to patients after their operation to reduce swelling, often branded with the name of the clinic. The lobbies of both hotels I stayed in were full of men wearing bandages and discussing their transplants.

I received quotes from as low as 1,499 from MedAway, a medical tourism broker that uses Cosmeticium. This would include a hair transplant, two nights in a five-star hotel with breakfast, VIP transfers, follow-up wash and aftercare in Turkey

I received quotes from as low as 1,499 from MedAway, a medical tourism broker that uses Cosmeticium. This would include a hair transplant, two nights in a five-star hotel with breakfast, VIP transfers, follow-up wash and aftercare in Turkey.

The price was quoted before I was asked any questions and even before the company had ascertained that I was a suitable candidate for a transplant.

Other clinics were offering similar packages for 1,250; one said it would give me a promo price of 1,100 if I booked before the end of the week. In nearly all cases, the money was to be paid in cash on arrival at the hospital.

These prices compare with the 8,000 to 9,000 I was quoted by British clinics.

Spencer Stevenson, 44, had a very bad hair-transplant experience in America and now runs a website and consultancy called Spex Hair, which advises people of the risks. He describes the wave of clinics in Istanbul offering cheap but poor-quality procedures as an epidemic.

Ive dealt with really clever, successful people who have seen nothing more than an Instagram advert for a clinic in Turkey, he says. And because they do a hotel package all-inclusive, and because its 1,000, they are jumping on the next flight to get it done.

Transplants cannot make hair regrow. Instead, they move hair from the back of the head to the top or front. This is possible because hair at the back of mens heads is resistant to a form of testosterone that causes follicles to shrink and eventually fall out.

There are two methods of moving this healthy hair. The first involves cutting a substantial strip of hair from the back, sealing up the cut (leaving a scar) and moving these follicles to the front.

These prices compare with the 8,000 to 9,000 I was quoted by British clinics

What nearly all the Istanbul clinics specialise in is the second method, because it is less complex. Here, individual grafts containing one to four hairs are taken from the back of the head using a tool that looks like a pen, then placed one by one into the top or front of the head.

It is a medical version of robbing Peter to pay Paul, but done skilfully it can give a man the appearance of having a full head of hair. Done badly, however, it can leave the donor area looking very thin and patchy.

This is exactly what happened to Jay when he visited an Istanbul clinic in 2016, he claims.

He had started to lose his hair a few years before, in his early 20s, and had read an article about how James Nesbitt, the Cold Feet actor, had won more roles after his transplant. After friends recommended Turkey, Jay emailed a clinic in Istanbul.

They said: We can achieve maximum density and maximum coverage. I remember them using those words; they sounded good.

His procedure cost 1,400.

Cosmeticium initially told me it could move 5,500 grafts on my head. After seeing my photos, it revised this to 4,300; it was one of several clinics that offered to harvest more than 4,000 grafts

He was surprised at how quick the initial consultation at the hospital was: I saw the doctor, he took a few pictures. Then they shaved my hair down to a number one cut  he literally got a pen, drew a line. This took five minutes. No more.

Nonetheless, Jay was confident he was in good hands.

But a few weeks after the operation, he says it became apparent that the clinic had taken too many grafts from the back of his head.

Straight away, when my hair started to grow back, you could see they had over-harvested. Theyve left an obvious patch where I used to have nice, thick hair. It looks like Im thinning and its all uneven and patchy. They have left me with a bigger problem than I had before.

That was not the only issue. I was promised maximum density and maximum growth, says Jay. It wasnt there. I sent pictures to the doctor but he barely replied. And when he did, he didnt seem bothered.

Jay says the operation damaged him psychologically. I wish I could go back in time to that moment when he was drawing the hairline on me, and just walk away.

Greg Williams is president of the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery (BAHRS) and one of the UKs most senior hair-transplant surgeons. He says many patients come to him after poor transplants carried out overseas.

There have been some horrendous results, particularly over-harvesting from donor areas, he says. These men are ruined. Absolutely ruined. And they cant be rescued.

Cosmeticium initially told me it could move 5,500 grafts on my head. After seeing my photos, it revised this to 4,300; it was one of several clinics that offered to harvest more than 4,000 grafts.

Britains Dr Vara is alarmed. While some patients may require 4,000 grafts to give them a desirable result, this should not be performed in one sitting.

There is a high risk of failure, as the grafts that are taken out are unlikely to survive such a lengthy procedure.

He points out that last year a man in India died after a hair transplant where he had asked for 9,000 grafts.

While there hasnt yet been an identifiable cause, Dr Vara says, poor surgical planning and the size of the procedure potentially caused his death.

During my consultation at Cosmeticium, Dr Kurtoglu insisted that moving more than 4,000 grafts would be no problem. If you want, you can get 6,000 grafts, maybe 7,000 . . . but we can extract 4,500 without any damage.

Cosmeticium, like many Turkish clinics, promises 100% Painless Needle-Free Anaesthesia.

This is a common marketing promise in Istanbul clinics. Highly pressurised air or liquid is used to penetrate the scalp. In most cases, after this has been administered, a needle then injects local anaesthetic. (Elithairtransplant also boasted of its patented needle-free anaesthesia.)

Only later, when I met Dr Kurtoglu, did he concede: The numbness blocks you feeling the needles. After that we will use needles to inject anaesthetic.

I shared a taxi to the consultation with an Australian whod had the procedure the day before with Dr Kurtoglu. He was going for a check-up and to have his bandages removed before flying home.

By chance, he worked as an anaesthetist. He said of the needle-free anaesthetic: It didnt work. It should sting but it shouldnt be painful. But it was quite painful, I had to ask for it to be topped up.

He added: Its such a competitive market [in Istanbul], they tell tall tales. Like its not painful, there will be two doctors there and stuff like that. Its just not true. There were two doctors there but I didnt see them do anything.

Did that worry him? Yeah, it did a bit. The technicians were obviously skilled and trained but in my opinion, coming from a place where that would be unacceptable, you feel like you are being misled. Then he added: I suppose if the results are good I dont mind.

Cosmeticium  again, like most Turkish hair clinics  also claims that, thanks to the surgeons success and skill... no trace or scar is left in the area of removal. Greg Williams, of BAHRS, says this is impossible. All surgery leaves a scar. If you make 1,000 holes, you get 1,000 little scars.

The final claim made by Cosmeticium is that the transplant is guaranteed. This was confirmed by Dr Kurtoglu in my consultation. He pointed to the back of his head: This part, the hairs roots, are not affected by testosterone, which causes hair loss. We take hair from here and put here [he pointed to the front]. It is guaranteed it will not fall out.

Greg Williams says: This is surgery. How can you possibly give any form of guarantee? Its just not ethical.

Cosmeticium is by no means the only Istanbul clinic to offer a guarantee. Elithairtransplant, for instance, offers a 30-year guarantee. For me, this would mean that my transplant was guaranteed until I was 75.

Was this possible? Yes, according to Dr Abdulaziz Balwi, who runs Elithairtransplant and who had been Jays doctor four years ago.

The guarantee we give to you after the operation. We guarantee that 700 of the 1,000 grafts will grow up [sic]. In fact, we give you more than 900. But we give guarantee for 700.

He explained that if more than 30 per cent of my transplanted hair fell out, I could come back to Turkey  at my own expense  and he would perform another operation free of charge.

His clinic was certainly slick, with a steady stream of patients. I had a blood test, was asked quite detailed questions about my medical history and was handed a goody bag containing a branded neck cushion (so I didnt rub my head on my pillow after the operation).

Jay claimed he had received a poor hair transplant, despite Dr Balwi receiving almost universally glowing reviews on various websites.

Elithairtransplant was also one of many clinics to offer Sapphire FUE Hair transplant with the GOLD Method. Cosmeticium said they too used sapphire blades to extract the grafts, which was more kind and gentle.

Greg Williams says: These are all marketing terms and complete nonsense.

Perhaps Elithairtransplants oddest claim was that Dr Balwi has conducted more than 20,000 hair transplants. This seemed improbable for a man aged under 40.

George Jimoh, my patient co-ordinator at Elithairtransplant, who had booked me in for my 1,850 operation  for a less ambitious 3,500 grafts  had told me Dr Balwi would do the transplant and I would be one of just two or three people having the procedure at his clinic that day.

At breakfast in my hotel, however, I spoke to 11 men  mostly from Germany but some from Switzerland, France and Portugal  who all told me they were being operated on by Dr Balwi later that day.

In my consultation, Dr Balwi said there were 17 hair transplants in his clinic that day.

I asked if he would be doing the operation himself. No. I will co-ordinate the operation. When I asked which doctor would be extracting my hair and making incisions into my scalp, he said: I dont know. I can check. He did not supply me with a name.

This is a common complaint, not unique to Elithairtransplant: qualified doctors do not operate, leaving it to mostly low- paid technicians.

This would be illegal in the United Kingdom. Under UK law, only a doctor can use a knife or a scalpel to make incisions into anybody, says Dr Vara, adding that technicians have a vital role to play, but the surgeon should do about 75 per cent of the hair transplant.

When I backed out of the operation, Mr Jimoh, who was based in Germany, called me to say: This is the best clinic for you ... I am doing all my best to help you. I am just hurt. I just want you to do it.

He later denied this was putting any pressure on me, saying: I said it to empathise with you for the inconvenience this might have caused you.

For me, it was easy to say no. But as Oliver, who says he had a terrible experience in Istanbul, points out: It is really hard to walk away when you have flown four hours across Europe to have it done, youve booked into a hotel and have taken two weeks off work. Youre already invested in the procedure.

Oliver says he had serious concerns from the moment he walked into the hospital and was given a consultation lasting just five minutes, at which his questions were only partially answered.

He adds: But you end up listening to the information you want to hear: that its affordable, that its a simple thing  have it done, come home and everything will be good. But its a serious procedure. I wish Id taken more time to listen to those nagging doubts.

He believes the end result was awful. I became very obsessed about it, and quite anxious and depressed about what Id done to myself.

Challenged on the claim that extracting 4,500 hairs was safe, Cosmeticiums Dr Kurtoglu said: These numbers are absolutely not the exact goals.

He pointed to a Chinese study that suggested men with transplants of between 3,000 and 6,000 grafts in one operation were 81 per cent satisfied with their outcomes.

In a statement, Dr Kurtoglu said it was unfortunate that I felt under pressure at Cosmeticium after expressing a desire to back out of the operation.

He also said Cosmeticiums website and the quote I was given must have caused misunderstandings over promises of needle-free painless anaesthesia and any scarless method.

Dr Kurtoglu added: There is no question of complete elimination of pain ... There will be a mark after extraction ... Once the healing process ... is completed, the scars will decrease slightly and they will also be hidden after your hair grows.

Elithairtransplants Mr Jimoh denied putting any pressure on me. He insisted it was standard for a doctor only to draw the hairline and not to operate: The procedure takes five to 12 hours. There is no hospital where the doctor will do all of that ... all the technicians who have worked in our hospital need to have over 12 years of experience.

He also pointed to Elithairtransplants 2,446 reviews on the Proven Expert website, where it scores 4.71 out of 5 for customer satisfaction. Dr Balwi did not respond to Jays allegations.

Every year, thousands of men come to Turkey for hair transplants. Perhaps many, like the Australian I met, dont mind a few corners being cut if the end result is convincing and the price is a fraction of what they face in their home country.

But hundreds are nonetheless lured in by cheap prices and over-ambitious marketing claims, and end up regretting it for years.

As Dr Vara says: For them, it is devastating. Their life has been torn apart.
When the heavy wooden front door of 714 Steiner shuts behind me, Im enveloped in the kind of quiet that people often seek when living in a busy city. The only sounds are of our echoing voices and creaky footsteps as we walk through this historic building  the noise of tourists buzzing about outside barely penetrate the structure.

Im in the Painted Lady that just sold, and its in terrible shape. But Leah Culver, the entrepreneur and tech CTO who purchased the home last month for $3.55 million, is up for the challenge of rehabilitating the city landmark  even if it takes three years.

Culver is warm and welcoming as she shows me around the home in her lavender Lululemon zip-up, jeans and white sneakers. Her Instagram-famous pug Mr. Wiggles acts as a sidekick, inspecting dusty corners and balls of errant fluff as we trek across cracked tile floors and inspect peeling paint. But its the intact original details amid the crumbling interior, like ornate doorknobs and carved archways, that attracted her to the home.

(Click through the slideshow above for photos of the home, as well as of a neighboring Painted Lady in excellent condition for contrast.)

She had been searching for a home for more than a year and said she hadnt found anything she loved. She even toured the real Full House house on Broderick (yes, she watched the popular show as a kid), and while she said she liked the interior, it wasnt the flow she wanted or her preferred area of the city.

When her real-estate agent asked her where she would most want to live, she mentioned the Painted Ladies. When 714 came on the market in January, it seemed like fate, since the historic homes rarely come up for sale. She said she immediately fell in love with the views as well as the remaining original details she saw when she toured the home.

To be able to live in one of these is a dream. Im still kind of in shock, Culver said.

She hopes to stay true to as much of the original home as she possibly can, and is searching for an architect who specializes in restoring these types of houses. Im hoping to preserve the historic details and even play them up a bit, but Ill still have a modern kitchen, she said.

Culver also said she doesnt plan to add on to the house. I think a lot of people buy fixers-uppers and think, how can I expand this? But theres already so much space here. The house is plenty big, and I dont think Ill change much.

This will be the first house Culver has owned and she said shes never undertaken a renovation like this before. Originally from Minnesota, she moved to San Francisco after she graduated from college. Now the 37-year-old software engineer cant imagine leaving the city she calls home.

While shes already begun interviewing architects, she said that getting plans approved by the city can take months, and construction on the home likely wont start for six months or longer.

Even with the interior condition, her first priority is giving the exterior a paint touch-up. She said she wanted to choose a color that would compliment the houses around her and thinks that pink will work best. While its a misconception that the city dictates the color and upkeep  she joked you could paint it black if you really wanted  keeping the exterior in excellent condition is important to her. I do feel like in some way, its like giving back to the city, she said.

She stops mid-tour and snaps a few photos of detail around one of the fireplaces. Culver documents the renovation on both Instagram and Twitter under the handle @pinkpaintedlady, where she hopes to post every day to help others learn about rehabbing houses

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Although some might be turned off by living in a tourist destination, she said the frequent tourism out her front door wasnt a concern. Im kind of an oddball, so I like having something different. I lived on Dolores Park forever and Im used to having people right outside my door.

Since shes moved in, she said shes appreciated neighbors opening their homes to her to give her a point of comparison, The neighbors have all been super nice, Culver said. Its nice to know that this block cares so much about keeping everything nice looking

One thing she may not be able to do is to convert the house into a single-family home, like most others of the Painted Ladies. Since her home is zoned as two units (one on the main floor and another on the top two floors), she said the city is likely to want to keep it that way. Since she intends to live in the home once its finished, she said she may move the second unit to the garage and model it like an in-law unit. Culver said she doesnt even have a car, so having multiple garage spaces isnt important to her.

Most of all, shes excited to get started and see what contractors envision for the home.

I think it will be a really fun project, she said. And then I'll live here and I'm hoping that will be the end of the story. Then it's just happily ever after.

Tessa McLean is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at tessa.mclean@sfgate.com or follow her on Twitter @mcleantessa.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: On the eve of his swearing-in as chief minister of Delhi, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal called a dinner meeting of his ministers-designate to discuss the roadmap for development of the national capital, especially the initiatives that need to be prioritised in the coming three months.

According to party functionaries, Kejriwal also discussed the roadmap for making Delhi a global city. They deliberated upon the roadmap for Delhi's development, especially the initiatives that need to be prioritised in the coming three months.

Kejriwal will take oath as Delhi chief minister for the third successive time on Sunday, along with six others as ministers. All the six ministers in the previous government - Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam - have been retained.

The AAP won 62 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged the remaining eight seats. The Congress drew a blank for the second consecutive time.
Public health authorities plan to start widespread surveillance for the new coronavirus in five U.S. cities, including San Francisco, by tapping into an existing network of labs that already test for influenza and other common viruses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not say when the labs would begin testing for the new virus, which causes a respiratory illness called COVID-19 that has sickened more than 67,000 people worldwide. So far, 15 cases have been reported in the United States, including eight in California.

The CDC said Friday that the risk of infection from the new virus remains low for the general public. But infectious disease experts said it makes sense to begin more large-scale surveillance for the virus soon, both to track down individual cases that may be missed by other screening efforts, and to identify potential clusters of cases right away.

Its a perfectly rational, inexpensive, quick way to see if, first, we have a problem now  and most people assume we do not, said Dr. Art Reingold, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley. And second, if we do start having a problem, well pick it up faster this way.

In a news conference Friday, CDC officials said testing for coronavirus would start in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and New York City, using state- or city-run laboratories that are part of the national influenza surveillance network. Results from that network are published weekly in the CDCs FluView report.

The CDC did not say which parts of the influenza network would be involved. The surveillance network collects and analyzes samples from a variety of sources, including hospitals and outpatient clinics.

At facilities in the network, staff collect oral or nasal samples from patients who report flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and fatigue. Those samples are sent to labs that test for influenza and other viruses; some labs further test for specific strains of influenza.

The results are forwarded to the CDC, which uses the information to help mount a public health response to seasonal flu. A few thousand samples are tested each week at the state and local public health labs; it wasnt clear Friday how many samples come from San Francisco.

Once coronavirus is added to the surveillance, samples will only be tested for the new virus if they are negative for other more common viruses, said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC.

This is leveraging our existing influenza surveillance. It will help us detect if and when this (coronavirus) is spreading in the community, Messonnier said. Results from this surveillance would be an early warning signal to change our strategy.

She added that other locations would be added to the surveillance network. This is just a starting point, she said.

Reingold said the CDC likely picked San Francisco and the other four cities to start testing because they have the most direct contact with China, the epicenter of the outbreak. Of the 15 cases reported in the United States, at least six are patients who live in or near one of the five cities.

The United States so far has been hunting for COVID-19 cases by screening incoming travelers from China, including placing several hundred evacuees from the center of the outbreak in quarantine. Every case so far identified in the United States can be traced directly to an exposure to the virus in China.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Suspected cases currently are confirmed by testing at the CDCs main labs in Atlanta. States were supposed to begin conducting their own tests this week, but a flaw in the testing kits made many of them unusable. The CDC is replacing the kits but has not yet said when new tests will be sent.

Community surveillance testing will be separate from diagnostic testing, which is only done on people who have symptoms such as fever and cough who have recently traveled to China or been in close contact with someone who has already been diagnosed with COVID-19. The CDC has tested 443 individuals so far.

Lab testing of the broader community will help reassure public health officials that they are keeping the virus at bay, infectious disease experts said.

But perhaps more important is to have a robust surveillance system in place to identify small outbreaks in the United States if the virus does manage to spread here, said Dr. Charles Chiu, an infectious disease expert who heads the viral diagnostics laboratory at UCSF.

With only 15 (coronavirus) cases so far, we havent had a need for this type of active surveillance yet, Chiu said. But it perhaps is warranted given the number of cases weve seen in China and the possibility we may see many more cases in the United States.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com
PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Academy P.S.V.E. hosted its annual Motivation Day in collaboration with the Student Care Department and the Business Department for the exam students on February 7th, 2020. The organizers were pleased and consider this event a great success. The students were engaged throughout the entire event and received vital information for future endeavors. The purpose of this annual event is to educate and motivate the students weeks before they sit for their National Exams.

This year, the aim was to foster positive awareness and growth of these students through educating them on relevant matters of importance to them. The event had an array of guest speakers such as the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports, Honorable Ardwell Irion, who encouraged the students to be disciplined and achieve their best results in everything that they do. Minister Irion obtained a double Masters Degree in his field of study and is also the Minister of Finance of St. Maarten. In addition, the students heard from other motivational speakers such as Mr. Dwight Williams, Mr. Maurice Lake, Ms. Amy Arrindell and Mrs. Maureen fortune.

Each speaker had an exciting presentation with multiple breakout sessions where students were able to express themselves and listen to the humble beginnings of each speaker. In particular, Mr. Williams, who explained to the students how he had to juggle going to college while working odd jobs to make ends meet. He was illustrating to the students that without perseverance, dedication and hard work, it is impossible to achieve your goals. In addition, he also pointed out that, believing in yourself and your abilities, as well as developing strong work habits is the key to accomplishing feats you would have earlier thought impossible.

The other speakers provided vital information on test-taking, entrepreneurship, customer service, and other relevant skills required for the labor market. In addition to that, the speakers also explained the importance of having a positive attitude.

The organizers also invited the University of St. Martin, NIPA (National Institute for Professional Advancement) and Division of Study Finance to provide pertinent information for the students on that day and many of the students took advantage of the opportunity that was presented to them.

In the final segment of the program, teachers and students were presented with awards for their exceptional performance throughout the term. The theme of the event was SOAR, The World Awaits You and it was held at the Belair Community Center.
ROSEBURG, Ore. -- Douglas County human trafficking experts are speaking out about the California man who was arrested for alleged human trafficking in Roseburg Thursday.

Maurice Hurth, 41, was in court Friday. He is facing 12 felonies including kidnapping, trafficking, involuntary servitude and using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct.

RELATED: ROSEBURG POLICE: THREE TEEN GIRLS RESCUED FROM HUMAN TRAFFICKER

An officer from the Roseburg Police Department came in contact with Hurth around 4 a.m. in the Roseburg airport after they allegedly found him in a car with three teenage girls. He was arrested on warrants from San Francisco, Fairfield and Solano, Calif.

Officials say the officer suspected the teenagers were being trafficked.

Marion Pearson, the violence prevention specialist for the Douglas County Human Trafficking Task Force, said this arrest is a win for Douglas County.

Her organization educates the community about recognizing the signs of human trafficking and advocates for survivors.

For us, it really energizes to do even more work in the community, said Pearson.

Officials have also confirmed that Patrick Moore was the officer on patrol the night of the incident. They said he was the first person to come in contact with Hurth after he thought the car looked suspicious. They say he was in the right place at the right time.

If that officer hadnt been out patrolling, and he hadnt noticed this vehicle, there wouldve been nothing else that wouldve led us to that, said Sgt. Jeff Eichenbusch.

According to the Solano District Attorneys Office, located in North California, Hurth was found guilty for assaulting his infant childs mother in 2016.
Hypnobirthing was used by Kate Middleton during her pregnancies with George, Charlotte and Louis to help her fight severe morning sickness and overcome her fear of childbirth.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, revealed she used deep breathing and meditation put forward by the technique to help relax herself in an interview with podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby hosted by Giovanna Fletcher.

The avant-garde method, which also involves imaging holding a new baby for the first time, is meant to help reduce pain during labour and birth.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, revealed she used deep breathing and meditation in an interview with podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby

Kate said she used the method during all three of her pregnancies. She is pictured left with son Prince George in July 2013 and right with Princess Charlotte in May 2015. Both births took place at the Lido Wing at St Mary's hospital

The Duchess revealed in the interview that she decided to use hypnobirthing after realising the importance of 'mind over the body' and when other methods failed.

'I'm not going to say that William was standing there sort of, chanting sweet nothings at me,' she said.

'He definitely wasn't. I didn't even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself.

'I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that, that they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick and actually I realised that this was something I could take control of, I suppose, during labour. It was hugely powerful.'

Hypnobirthing aims to distract the mother-to-be by getting her to focus on her body and the birth of her baby, according to the UK's leading baby charity Tommy's.

Kate smiles while holding baby Louis outside the Lido Wing of St Mary's Hospital, London, in April 2018

Kate Middleton pictured talking to locals in Aberdeen, Scotland, earlier this week

The technique also uses deep relaxation techniques to get expectant parents to block out noise from around them and focus on the birth. It aims to get them into a relaxed but focused state which could lead to less pain and an easier birth.

The method is also thought to help reduce levels of stress hormones, such as adrenalin, which could lead to a 'calmer birth'.

However, a 2013 NHS study on the method involving 680 women did not conclusively show that it was effective.

Hypnotherapy can be taught through classes either privately, in a group, or online.

Georgina, who tried hypnobirthing, told Tommy's: 'My husband made me a relaxation album to use through labour and pregnancy. It really helped me to find calm serenity in the clinical hospital environment.

Kate pictured with her husband and all three of her children during the Trooping of the Colour last year. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also attended

Kate pictured holding a corn snake during a visit to The Ark Open Farm at Newtownards near Belfast, Northern Ireland, this week

'I used hypnobirthing when having both my children. In my first pregnancy I had a lot of pre-labour, with my body slowly getting ready for the big event. Using hypnobirthing techniques helped me to feel empowered when my labour properly started.

'My second was completely drug free with no interventions. I had the most positive experiences at both births but my second was so amazing because of being able to relax throughout and be present and enjoy the experience drug free. I'm also convinced it helped me to recover faster too.'

And mother Caroline Hemmingham told the Hull Daily Mail that she would recommend hypnobirthing as giving birth 'doesn't have to be traumatic'.

'I went into labour at 2am on Friday, May 11,' she said. 'And didn't end up giving birth until 2.30pm on Sunday, May 13 - and I pretty much had continuous contractions the whole time. But despite having very little sleep, I remained calm throughout - there was no swearing or screaming.

'In fact, by the time we were finally admitted to the birth centre I was already six to seven centimetres dilated - so unbeknown to me I'd been sat at home in full blown labour, just breathing my way through it.'

Kate pictured cradling baby Louis outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital following birth

Founder of a hypnobirthing company, Siobhan Miller, said that a course in the technique teaches women how the body is 'designed to work perfectly in birth from a physiological and psychological perspective.

'The relaxation techniques enable women to work with their bodies to best facilitate a quicker, easier and stress-free birth, reducing the risk of medical intervention which can lead to birth trauma.

'Every birth matters and every women should be able to approach birth feeling informed, positive, empowered and excited.'
After receiving a call for a person in the water, SWAT officers who were patrolling the area saw someone bobbing in the water around 7 a.m. in the 600 block of North Lake Shore Drive, police said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 15

By Tamilla Mammadova  Trend:

As of February 1, 2020, Georgias debt to Azerbaijan made up $6.69 million, Trend reports referring to Ministry of Finance of Georgia.

As reported, Georgias total external public debt decreased by $63,000 month-on-month to $5.67 billion. Meanwhile, government debt accounts for $5.42 billion of this amount.

Georgias debt to Germany amounted to $369.39 million, to France - $324.05 million, and to Japan - $211.52 million.

Georgias debt to Turkey and Russia in a monthly comparison remained unchanged at $12.9 million and $51.35 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, in January 2020, $26.1 million was sent from Russia to Georgia, $6.6 million - from Turkey.

Some 91.4 percent of the total money transfers from abroad to Georgia came from 14 largest partner countries, with the volume of transfers from these countries each exceeding $1 million in January 2020.

In January 2020, Georgia received money transfers worth $52.4 million from the EU countries, including $21 million from Italy, $14.8 million from Greece, $3.8 million from Germany, $3.4 million from Spain, $1.8 million from Poland, $1.8 million from France, and $1.1 million from the UK.

As reported, $13.5 million to Georgia came from the US, $13 million from Israel, $3.5 million from Ukraine, $1.9 million from Kazakhstan, $1.7 million from Azerbaijan.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356
Bengaluru: A stormy budget session awaits Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa with the opposition set to haul his government over the coals on several issues.

The joint session of legislature will commence on Monday and last till Friday, February 21. Subsequently, the budget session will commence on March 2 with Yediyurappa scheduled to table the budget on March 5.

Anticipating an opposition assault, the ruling party has instructed its MLAs to be alert to blunt the opposition attack.

The opposition is likely to concentrate its fire on four issues on which the government is seen to be vulnerable.

1. Anti-CAA protests and Mangaluru police firing

Two persons died when police opened fire on people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Mangaluru in December. Further the governments ban on anti-CAA protests is likely to draw much of the fire from the opposition.

Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy is likely to join hands with the Congress on the Mangaluru firing issue as he had released video clippings of police high handedness before the killing of two youth in the firing.

2. The Shaheen School sedition case

The opposition is likely to make a meal of the governments embarrassment over the sedition case filed against the headmistress, a parent and two children of the Shaheen Primary School in Bidar for staging a play that allegedly made improper remarks against narendra Modi.

3. And why no similar action against school that enacted Babri drama?

The Sri Rama Vidyakendra High School in Kalladka, run by RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakara Bhat, made its students enact the demolition of Babri Masjid and construction of a Ram temple in its place. Why was no action taken against the school similar to what was done in the Bidar case?

4. Why appoint mining baron as forest minister?

The chief minister has given the forest portfolio to an MLA, Anand Singh, who has been implicated in cases of illegal mining in reserve forest areas. The government defence? Anand Singh claims to have been discharged from one illegal mining case, registered against him on the basis of a Lokayukta report.

5. Plus, other core issues

Lack of basic infrastructures in flood-affected districts of north Karnataka, marginal decrease in devolution to state by the 15th Finance Commission are the other issues in the oppositions arsenal.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are continuing to make the transition from royals to non-royals. When the two first started the process, they hoped to split their time evenly between North America and the United Kingdom while still working for the queen. As time has gone on, though, theyve learned it isnt feasible to work for Queen Elizabeth without taking a royal salary. And the two just made a big move: Theyve fired all of their Buckingham Palace staff.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Daniel Leal-Olivas/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in the midst of a major life change

Late last year, Harry and Meghan took a six-week hiatus from royal life to experience some downtime in Vancouver, Canada. While there, the two (who had likely been planning this for quite a while) seemed to finalize their plans to leave the royal family.

When Meghan and Harry returned from their vacation, they announced that they would step back as senior royals. Of course, leaving such a prominent position means there are plenty of loose ends to tie up, and the two have been doing that ever since.

The two originally wanted to continue to work for the queen, but they cant

When Harry and Meghan first announced their departure, they used the term step back, which suggested they werent officially leaving the royal family. They hoped to become financially independent while still working to represent the royals, but they learned this wasnt possible.

Without taking a salary from the queen, Meghan and Harry could not work for her, which meant they had to choose one or the other: Stay full-time royals or say goodbye entirely. Clearly, they chose the latter. The couple departed for Canada from the United Kingdom in mid-January, and it appears they havent been back since.

The couple just fired their entire Buckingham Palace staff

The news recently broke that Harry and Meghan have officially closed their Buckingham Palace office. And this means that theyve also had to fire all 15 of their staff members. According to reports, the two have just taken another massive step toward their royal exit  all but guaranteeing that they have no plans to return to the royal family any time soon.

Given their decision to step back, an office at Buckingham Palace is no longer needed, a source close to the royal family revealed. High-profile staffers, such as Sara Latham and Clara Loughran, were also given the boot, but it appears everyone is handling the couples decision well. The Duke and Duchess have a small team, less than 15 people. The team are very loyal to the Sussexes and understand and respect the decision they have taken, the source the told Daily Mail.

The firing solidifies the two are not coming back

Though some royal fans have suspected the couples departure might not last, this important move only proves that these two are serious about leaving the family. By firing those who have worked closely to them for so long, Harry and Meghan are sending a message to the world that those HRH titles are nowhere in their future.

Harry and Meghan are reportedly making another big change; rumor has it the two will move away from their rental on Vancouver Island and into a new place closer to Los Angeles. Meghans mother lives in Los Angeles, and it makes sense that the two would want to be closer to her as Archie grows up. Plus, now that theyre so far from Harrys family, they likely dont want to isolate themselves and be far from Meghans mother as well.
Ettore 'Eddie' Annunziata, a resident of Mahopac, NY, since 1970, passed away on Tuesday (Feb. 11) at the age of 85.

Annunziata was born in Sarno, Italy, on Nov. 26, 1934, the son of Claudio and Maria (Francesca) Annunziata. Eddie was a long-time USTA member, racing heavily on the East Coast, and was considered a strong supporter of harness racing throughout his successful career.

Visiting will be held on Friday (Feb. 14) from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Joseph J. Smith Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday (Feb. 15) at 12:00 noon at the funeral home with interment to follow at First Presbyterian Cemetery, Mahopac Falls, N.Y.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Eddie may be made to the Standardbred Retirement Foundation, 42 Arneytown-Hornerstown Rd., Cream Ridge, NJ 08535.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Ettore Annunziata.

(USTA)
Vicki Landers, 51, of North Philadelphia, executive director of Disability Pride Philadelphia, and Renato "Ray" Horton, 51, pose on their couch with Landers' cat Damien, one of their emotional support animals, in their apartment on Wednesday, Feb. 12. To me, Damien is family, calming, and he knows when I need him, Landers said. Read more

Damien knows when Vicki Landers is having a bad day.

His snuggles convey a message, she said: Its OK, Mom. Youre OK. Everythings gonna be fine. Im here.

The cat is a comfort when she cant get out of bed because of her anxiety disorder, or her bipolar depression, or periodic dizziness stemming from a craniotomy, or some combination of those. Hes a calming presence during hypomanic episodes.

Sometimes you just need someone to talk to that wont talk back, said Landers, 51, executive director of the nonprofit Disability Pride Philadelphia. Someone who just loves you no matter what.

But when Landers and her boyfriend, Renato Horton, 51, who has dissociative identity disorder, moved into their North Philadelphia apartment almost four years ago, they were told they could have only one emotional support animal, even though Horton came with his cat, Angel, and each had recommendations from their doctors. A Philadelphia advocate for people with disabilities explained to the landlord that each renter was allowed a support animal.

Its the kind of confusion that led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to issue guidelines and best practices last month that lay out the responsibilities of landlords and tenants when it comes to navigating the sometimes confusing world of support animals.

The new guidance includes what documentation property owners can seek, questions they should and shouldnt ask, and differences between service animals and support animals. It requires a clear connection between a disability and the need for an animal. It specifically tells property owners that the rules apply to tenants asking to have more than one assistance animal.

The department developed the guide with help from the National Association of Realtors, which said property owners have seen a huge uptick in the last several years of tenants abusing the law with the help of fake online certificates to get pets into pet-free buildings or to avoid fees for pets.

At the same time, the number of federal Fair Housing Act complaints about allowing assistance animals is significantly increasing, according to HUD, and is one of the most common types of fair housing complaint HUD receives.

The assistance animal rules are not necessarily intuitive," said Koert Wehberg, executive director of the Mayors Commission on People with Disabilities in Philadelphia. Because theres such a fine line between a support animal and a pet. Its hard to thread that needle.

The new guidance says that landlords must accept animals commonly kept in households beyond dogs and cats, such as fish, turtles, small birds, and rabbits. For unique animals, a tenant has the substantial burden of proving they are necessary.

For people with disabilities, finding housing is hard enough, without also having to fight with landlords to allow their support animals, Wehberg said, adding that the new guidance should help.

Landers, for example, had to wait for years to find an accessible apartment. She has problems using stairs because of balance issues, the result of a surgery to remove a tumor from her head that also left her deaf in one ear. She had to walk up two flights at her old place before a rare spot opened up at Diamond Park apartments, HUD-insured housing for seniors and people with disabilities.

Wehberg said he hopes medical professionals also note the guidelines and learn to include more explanation in their letters to landlords about why their patients need support animals.

Required notes from health-care professionals have been part of the problem, said Megan Booth, director of federal housing policy at the National Association of Realtors. Its easier than ever for tenants to go online and buy any kind of certificate they want  a point HUD acknowledges in its guidelines.

Its been hard for property owners to know which requests for animal accommodations are legitimate, especially when they cant see a persons disability. Theyre also trying to balance the needs of all their tenants, including those who may have moved into a pet-free apartment because of severe allergies, Booth said.

There are certainly many reasons people would legitimately need an assistant animal. And landlords want to make sure they have access to those," she said. "But its hard when people are pretending.

Booth called HUDs new guidance "a step in the right direction but said theres still confusion about who can vouch for a persons needs for an emotional support animal.

Bianca Waliddin, the advocate who helped Landers and the executive director of Liberty Housing Development Corp., a Philadelphia nonprofit that develops housing for people with disabilities, said some landlords want to see that an animal can complete helpful tasks, a trait associated with service animals, not emotional support animals.

They dont get it that companionship is whats important to the person that needs the animal, she said.

Some private landlords you talk to, once you send them the information about fair housing rights, theyre fine. Theyre on board," Waliddin said. For others, its a mixture of them not knowing or them not wanting to deal with" potential damage an animal could cause.

Booth said members of the National Association of Realtors are glad the federal government is starting to address issues theyve been facing.

Now, she said, "we need to see how this is actually going to play out in the real world.
While the United States President Donald Trump's administration has taken certain steps to erode the rights of people from LGBTG+ community, recently in an interview he said that he would have no problem in voting for a gay presidential candidate. Pete Buttigieg, who recently emerged as one of the frontrunners for Democrats in the race of White House, his sexuality has also reportedly become a campaign issue as a radio host questioned if Americans would choose a man kissing his husband on stage.

The US President, on the other hand, while speaking on Geraldo Riveras podcast said that he would have no problem in choosing a gay President for the United States but some people would. Rush Limbaugh who was recently awarded the medal of honour said on his radio which reportedly has millions of listeners questioned Buttigieg's sexuality who kisses his husband next to Mr Man Donald Trump. But Trump has said that he would vote for his rival but there would be a group that probably would not.

Trump said, I think so. I think there would be some that wouldn't, and I wouldn't be among that group to be honest with you. I think that, yes, I think that it doesn't seem to be hurting 'Pete Boot-edge-edge' as you say, as you would call him. It doesn't seem to be hurting him very much but ... there would be a group that probably wouldn't. But you or I wouldn't be in that group.

Read - US President Donald Trump To Meet India Inc Top Brass On February 25

Would Americans vote for gay president?

According to a poll conducted in 2019, it was found out that 76 per cent American voters would vote in support for a gay or lesbian candidate which was reportedly two per cent up from 2015 when 74 per cent said they would choose a candidate from the same community. However, these polls have reportedly suggested that a candidate's sexuality is seen as an issue by nearly one-fourth of the American population.

Read - Donald Trump Says Peace Accord With Taliban In Afghanistan 'very Close'

Meanwhile, US Senator Bernie Sanders and Afghanistan veteran Pete Buttigieg have emerged as the new Democratic frontrunners in the White House race against the Republican US President Donald Trump. While Sanders claimed victory on February 12 in New Hampshire primary with 26 per cent votes and former mayor of South Bend finished second with 24 per cent votes. Last week, Buttigieg narrowly beat Sanders in the Iowa caucuses and again finishing as the top two candidates among Democrats.

Read - Donald Trump 'doesn't Mind' Philippines Ending 20-year-old Military Pact

Read - CPI(M) To Protest Against US President Donald Trump's Visit To India: Sitaram Yechury
Mumbai, Feb 15 : Actor Kartik Aaryan found Sara Ali Khans confession about having a crush on him on a chat show cute, but he has never spoken about Sara and himself to the media.

The actor opened up about his equation with his "Love Aajkal" co-star Sara on the show "By Invite Only", which airs on zoOm.

In a #NothingToHide segment, Kartik cleared the air on the buzz around Sara and him.

"I have never said that I want to go on a date with someone. I was constantly being asked about other people wanting to go on dates with me. I've never spoken about Sara and me to the media. When Sara expressed her feeling, it was the first time an actor openly confessed her liking for an actor," he said.

"I think it was very cute and natural," he added.

The actor also made a subtle statement on his relationship status as he said: "I wouldn't know what is the best thing about being single." When Sara was asked which actor makes her blush, she said: "Ryan Gosling makes me blush", to which Kartik added: "She calls me Ryan." In the quickie section, Sara found a match for Kartik, saying: "I'd set up Kartik with Deepika Padukone." When Kartik was asked if he had to choose a same-sex partner from the industry, he said: "Shah Rukh Khan".

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: In a major industrial push, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Friday announced that Ponneri Industrial Node of Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC) will be developed on a 21,966-acre area in Tiruvallur district. He said the State Support Agreement and Shareholders Agreement has already been approved.

Panneerselvam also announced implementation of Chennai-Kanniyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in partnership with Asian Development Bank. This will come up as phase II of the East Coast Economic Corridor. The government is proposing to launch an industrial policy soon, that will provide GST regime compatible incentives.

Last month, investments worth Rs 52,075 crore creating jobs for 32,405 persons was approved. The largest single investment (Rs 49,000 crore) till date will be made by Kuwait-based Al Qebla Al Watya group in a petroleum refinery and petro-chemical complex near Thoothukudi. This is expected to generate sizable downstream benefits, including job creation in southern districts.

To further boost industrial growth, SIPCOT has developed 23 industrial complexes including seven Special Economic Zones spread over 33,775 acres. Land has been allotted to 2,631 units with an investment of Rs1.14 lakh crore, providing jobs to 6.48 lakh persons. 4,457 acres land is available for allotment and 13 industrial parks are being established over 16,725 acres in Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts. Land acquisition in Ramanathapuram is completed, and Rs 2,500 crore has been provided to pay incentives in 2020-21, said Panneerselvam.

Development on fast track

Centre is developing CBIC between Chennai, Bengaluru and Chitradurga across 560 km to achieve development and regional industry agglomeration in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Three industrial nodes are proposed - Krishnapatnam, Ponneri and Tumakuru. Ponneri node in north Chennai would be the largest with an estimated investment of Rs 32,713 crore

Stamp duty for rental agreements reduced to 0.25% from 1%

585 reasonable price shops established across State

A new state child policy to be launched shortly
DENVER - A Colorado woman and an Israeli man are charged with laundering millions of dollars that U.S. prosecutors say came from a high-end prostitution operation they ran for years.

Tracy Reynolds of Alamosa, Colorado, was arrested Tuesday at the Tampa, Florida, airport, where the 45-year-old was trying to board a flight to Mexico, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York.

Izhak Cohen, 53, was arrested in Hadera, Israel, and prosecutors will seek his extradition to the U.S., according to the statement.

Reynolds and Cohen started VIP Escorts in 2012, according to prosecutors. Their prostitutes charged between $700 and $1,000 in New York and other locations, with the money going into different bank accounts controlled by Reynolds, according to the complaint filed in court.

More than $10 million passed through those accounts, and Reynolds sent more than $1 million to Cohen in Israel in small transactions meant to hide where the money came from and who controlled it, according to the charges.

They are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if they are convicted.

A phone number listed under Reynolds name in Alamosa was disconnected on Saturday. It is not clear whether she or Cohen have attorneys representing them who can speak on their behalf.
Restaurateur and friend of George Calombaris, Matteo Pignatelli, said the celebrity chef's wife and kids have been heckled and bullied after his business collapsed.

Calombaris has been plagued by scandal in and out of the kitchen in the years since his television debut as one-third of the MasterChef judging panel.

From a $7.8million underpayment saga, an overturned conviction for assaulting a teenager at an A-League match and his departure from the show that made him a household name - his somewhat sudden fall from grace culminated on Monday with the collapse of his restaurant empire.

A 'devastated' Calombaris revealed 22 companies in his MAdE Establishment Group had gone into voluntary administration.

Twelve Melbourne venues closed their doors this week, leaving more than 400 workers in limbo.

Restaurateur and close friend of George Calombaris, Matteo Pignatelli (pictured together) said the celebrity chef's wife and kids have been heckled and bullied after his business collapsed

Pignatelli said Calombaris' wife Natalie Tricarico (pictured together) has been heckled in public

The only part of the business excluded from administration is a chain of four Yo-Chi yoghurt outlets.

Pignatelli has been close to Calombaris' wife Natalie Tricario for many years and told The Weekend Australian the celebrity chef is 'very, very family'.

Since Calombaris' troubles have been broadcast in the media Pignatelli said the celebrity chef's family has been called out in public.

'She's been at the supermarket and been heckled. The kids have been teased and bullied at school,' Pignatelli said.

'George told me: "I can handle it, but not Natalie and the kids". '

Pignatelli is also speculating that Calombaris could move to Singapore to get his family away from the bad press.

The restaurateur said Singapore would make sense because of the type of schools there.

'The kids matter most,' Pignatelli said.

A 'gutted' Calombaris revealed his 'personal devastation' at the crumbling of his restaurant empire on Monday.

George Calombaris' has come under fire after it emerged workers employed by his doomed restaurant empire only found out they had lost their jobs when he posted about the collapse on Instagram

Since Calombaris' troubles have been broadcast in the media Pignatelli (pictured) said the celebrity chef's family has been called out in public

'Although we have all continued to work tirelessly and overcome the many challenges we have recently experienced, it is with deep sadness and regret that today MAdE Establishment has been placed into voluntary administration,' he wrote on social media.

'To all my team, I truly regret it has come to this. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your loyalty and friendship.

'I am so sorry all our collective efforts have not provided to be enough. I'm gutted it's come to this.'

The announcement came on the same day Calombaris flagged the sale of his mansion in the exclusive Melbourne suburb of Toorak.

An 'expressions of interest' sign was seen outside his house on Monday.

Just weeks earlier on Australia Day, Calombaris and his wife sold their holiday home on the Mornington Peninsula for $1.01million at auction.

The bombshell decision to shut down the chef's businesses comes after it emerged last year MAdE Establishment staff were short-changed $7.8 million in wages and superannuation.

The underpayment scandal first came to light in April 2017 when it was revealed he owed $2.6 million in back payments to 162 MAdE Establishment workers due of payroll 'discrepancies' dating back to 2011.

Calombaris was at the time quick to admit the mistake and assured the public that all would be rectified.

The celebrity chef and his then business partner George Sykiotis had spoken out at the time, claiming the issues were resolved.

It wasn't until Radek Sali became involved in the business in 2016 that more discrepancies were discovered.

The company then reported itself to the Fair Work Ombudsman in 2017. At the time, Calombaris blamed the issue on 'historically poor processes'.

Calombaris was a judge and host on the hit Network Ten show MasterChef from 2009 until 2019. Pictured with co-hosts Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston

Calombaris took to Instagram on Monday evening to say he was 'devastated' by the company decision

But the saga deepened in July last year when it was revealed the figure had tripled.

Following an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman, a number of breaches were identified, including failure to pay split shift allowances, minimum award rates and penalty rates.

The celebrity chef was ordered to give the Government $200,000 after underpaying 515 staff between 2011 and 2017 by more than $7.8million; a decision many branded as 'too lenient'.

Calombaris apologised to his former and current employees, saying he was 'deeply sorry for what has happened' - but insisted he didn't deliberately underpay his staff.

He gave an emotional interview with the ABC after the scandal broke, pleading with customers to stand by his businesses.

A closed sign posted at the Jimmy Grants restaurant in the emporium in Melbourne's CBD on Tuesday

The closed-down Hellenic Republic restaurant is pictured in Brunswick on Tuesday

'I love the people that have worked for me and I don't want them to suffer right now,' he said.

Calombaris insisted the underpayment was a mistake and blamed it on inexperience.

'I won't forget that afternoon in 2017 when we sat there with my new business partners after we'd done a full audit for the business and discovered the underpayments,' he said in the interview.

The celebrity chef's hospitality group MAdE was forced to backpay all current and former employees who had been dudded on wages.

After the announcement, MasterChef viewers called for Calombaris to be axed from the hit Channel 10 show, while Unions NSW started a petition to get him fired.

Calombaris' decade-long run as a judge and chef on MasterChef came to an abrupt end that same month.
A CRIMINAL figure who broke into a pub in the city centre on three separate occasions on the same night has been sentenced to five years imprisonment.

Ross Cantillon, 38, who has an address at Denmark Street had pleaded guilty to burglary charges relating to a number of incidents on July 29, 2017.

During a sentencing hearing late last year, Detective Garda Dermot Cummins told Limerick Circuit Court gardai responded to a number of alarm activations at the Red Hen, Patrick Street in the early hours of the morning.

He said a window was smashed with a rock at around 3.30am and that Mr Cantillon can be identified in the area on CCTV.

He said he returned to the premises at 4.12am and can be seen helping a woman to gain access to the pub. At 5.20am he was captured on CCTV crawling around behind the bar using a mobile phone for light.

A garda investigation was launched and it was subsequently established that nothing had been stolen from the pub. However, considerable damage was caused at the premises.

Detective Garda Cummins said when gardai called to Mr Cantillons home sometime later, he refused to allow them in and that members of the armed regional support unit were deployed to assist in his arrest.

Mr Cantillon, who has a large number of previous convictions, also admitted a number of shoplifting offences leading Judge Tom ODonnell to describe him as a scourge to retailers. He is well known to security personnel at businesses in the city centre, he commented.

The judge noted that Mr Cantillon has chronic addiction problems and has been assessed as being at high risk of reoffending.

He has an appalling record, he said noting he is making efforts to rehabilitate himself in prison.

He imposed prison sentences totalling five years.

The sentences were back-dated to reflect the time he has spent in custody.
Alleging that Pakistan had been harbouring terrorists, Trump slammed the previous US governments for supporting the country.

Pakistan on Friday accused the American government of "destabilising" the South Asian region because it approved a military sale to India of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS), worth an estimated $1.867 billion. Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aisha Farooqui called the decision "disturbing", notwithstanding, the regular stream of advanced weaponry flowing into Islamabad, courtesy US and China.

Farooqui said the sale "of such sophisticated weapons to India will disturb the strategic balance in south Asia".

"The US decision would disturb strategic balance in south Asia with serious security implications for Pakistan and the region. These growing defence ties, including purchase of arms, between India and the United States would contribute towards further destabilisation of peace and security in the region," said the Foreign Office spokesperson during a press briefing in Islamabad.

Before nosediving into Pakistans concern in the growing defence ties between India and the United States, it is salient to recall how Pakistan built its military strength depending on the US.

Looking back at 1950s

Pakistans relationship with the US took a new course in the 1950s, culminating in the military alliance and treaties that imposed far-reaching and unilateral commitments on Pakistan to subserve US purposes.

Both the countries signed the Mutual Defence Assistance Treaty in 1954, which was followed by two US sponsored regional security alliances  SEATO and CENTO. The Mutual Security Pact in 1959 became the fourth security deal between the two nations.

These arrangements facilitated American arms transfer to Pakistan and a military personnel training program. An American military advisory mission was based in Pakistan Army headquarters for some years.

US, Pakistan form military alliance

Since 1948, Pakistan has historically been among the top recipients of US aid  the country received more than Euro 30 billion in direct aid, The Guardian reported.

A propagandist view of the newly formed US-Pakistan military alliance was that it was intended to strengthen Pakistan vis-a-vis India. But the rhetoric provided by the US leaders about the pact was contradictory. Their argument was that the alliance was formed to bolster Pakistan as a first line of defence of south Asia against Soviet expansionist designs in Afghanistan. The reasoning was calculated to allay Indias fears.

The US was building Pakistan militarys strength as part of its strategy for developing regional security networks to contain the Soviet Union and the spread of communism.

But for Pakistan, the sole aim of strengthening its armoury was to gather weapons for use against bigger military power, India. What Pakistan wanted is to toughen its security against this perceived Indian threat; it never had a problem with the Soviet Union.

Pakistan bolsters military equipment

In 1981, the US announced a six-year $3.2 billion package for Pakistan which was equally distributed between economic assistance and credit for military sales. In the following five years, the US provided 40 F-16 fighters, 100 M-48 tanks, 64 M-109 155 mm howitzers, 40 M-110 203 mm SP howitzers, 75 towed howitzers and 1,005 TOW anti-tank missile system, all of which made Pakistan supersede its defence capability.

The aid rose from around $60 million in economic and development assistance in 1979 to more than $600 million a year in the mid-1980s. In total, the United States gave $2.19 billion in military assistance from 1980 till 1990. The military aid was in addition to the $3.1 billion economic assistance for Pakistan.

Despite its economic challenges, including spiraling debt and rising cost of imports along with low government revenue, Pakistan has maintained progress on critical modernization programs to strengthen its conventional military forces.

George Bush administration

After the United States spent more than $ 5 billion in proposed combat aircraft sales to Pakistan in 2007, the George Bush administration faced flak for its failed effort to bolster the Pakistani military effort against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

In interviews in Islamabad and Washington, Bush administration and military officials said they believed much of the American money was not making its way to frontline Pakistani units, The New York Times reported.

Money has been diverted to help finance weapons systems designed to counter India, not Al Qaeda or the Taliban, the officials said, adding that the United States has paid tens of millions of dollars in inflated Pakistani reimbursement claims for fuel, ammunition and other costs.

Obama administration

America's relations with Pakistan suffered a setback after the US raid killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in May, 2011. The Barack Obama administration had issued warnings to Pakistans security establishment to mend its disruptive behaviour. However, coming under increasing pressure to justify US aid spending in Pakistan, the administration in July, 2011, had suspended more than one-third of all military assistance to Pakistan.

Robert Gates, the defence secretary from 2006 to 2011, in his memoir conceded when the operation to kill Laden was being planned, he was worried that Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) was aware of bin Ladens whereabouts.

Ahead of the raid, no one in the Obama administration considered seeking Pakistans help in killing bin Laden, as past experience showed that "the target was forewarned and fled, or the Pakistanis went after the target unilaterally, prematurely and unsuccessfully," whenever intelligence about them was shared.

Trump vows to end military aid to Pakistan

In the early days of the Donald Trump administration, the White House talked tough on Pakistan, vowing to apply more pressure on Islamabad in its efforts to crack down on terror groups on its soil.

Trump thundered in an August, 2017, speech laying out his south Asia strategy. "We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harboring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials," he had said.

Coming down heavily on Pakistan, again on the first day of 2018, the US president accused the country of deceiving the United States and declined the funding in military assistance due to its continued support to the Haqqani network and the Taliban.

Alleging that Pakistan had been harbouring terrorists, Trump slammed the previous US governments for supporting the country. He claimed that the US 'foolishly' gave more than 33 billion dollars to Pakistan in aid and said that in return, Pakistan considered American leaders fools.

In August, 2019, the Trump administration notified Congress that it was putting $ 255 million in military assistance to Pakistan into the equivalent of an escrow account that Islamabad can only access if it does more to crack down on internal terror networks launching attacks on neighboring Afghanistan.

As opposed to Pakistan Foreign Ministry's claim that approval of the Indian request to purchase IADWS comprising dozens of AMRAAM missiles is disturbing, it can be argued that it is in fact Pakistan that has always tried to develop a strategy to destabilise south Asia, specifically India, empowered by military equipment from the United States.

One such example was seen in February 2018, when India provided proof to the US that weapons like the US TOW-2A anti-tank guided missiles given to Pakistan to combat Taliban forces were being used against the Indian Army.

According to media reports, nine Indian soldiers lost their lives in 2018 during Pakistani ceasefire violations and fire assaults directed against Indian Army positions along the Line of Control (LoC).

Pakistan had purchased TOW 2A anti-tank missiles for "self-defence" and showcase support to US operations against terrorists in Afghanistan. The sale of 2000 anti-tank guided missiles to Pakistan was cleared by the US Congress in October 2007.

Flagging the misuse of the missiles with the US is part of India's policy to isolate Pakistan in the global arena. In past, India has objected to sale of lethal weapons to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, as Pakistan continues to bolster its infantry anti-tank capabilities, Author, analyst and former defense attache to Islamabad Brian Cloughley told Defense News that emphasis on heavy armor indicates Pakistans "preparedness for conventional war." He also added, "it seems that the riposte is alive and being refined in direct answer to Indias overwhelming numerical superiority."

Cloughley said the government may have realized the use of tactical nuclear weapons would spark an uncontrollable escalation, and so it is focusing on other capabilities. However, "this by no means indicates that tactical nuclear [surface-to-surface missiles] are not a most important asset  simply that Pakistan has been considering all options and appears to have concluded it had better maintain and develop conventional forces, concentrating on armor," he added.

Pakistan's history of misusing foreign aid and loaned defence equipment against India is no secret. Thus, by making such statements against a legit defence deal between India-US, it's making a mockery of itself.
In a bid to cut down on rental expenses, the states general administration department (GAD) is looking to relocate its offices, currently housed in private buildings. Officials said that according to a rough estimate, the cash-strapped state can save at least 50 crore annually if its offices are shifted from private buildings to government-owned structures.

The state has constituted a nine-member committee under the additional chief secretary (services), which will undertake a study of buildings owned by the government to relocate the offices, as well as look into the availability of quarters for government employees and bungalows for ministers in Mumbai. A government resolution (GR) dated January 30 stated, A committee under additional chief secretary (services) has been constituted to look at increasing availability of official residences and office space in Mumbai. The committee, comprising secretaries of revenue department, urban development department, GAD, public works department (PWD) and protocol department will have its first meeting on Monday. Deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar had raised the issue of curtailing expenses and asked GAD to look at ways to do so.

A senior PWD official said many government offices, including the office of transport commissioner, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), operate from private buildings. The rents of these offices in south Mumbai are extremely high. The rent for transport commissionerate, which was shifted from Bandra to Fort, is 60 lakh per annum, while the MTDC office rent is 18 lakh a month. We are looking at the government buildings available where these offices may be housed. There are a few such buildings available, but a detailed review will be taken, the official said.

The state also said there is an acute shortage of government accommodation and quarters for officials, including senior ones who fall under the high administration group (HAG). According to GAD, there are currently 1,108 houses of different sizes in Mumbai allocated to senior officials and employees who have a basic salary of 6,600, and 2,331 houses under accommodation type Group B and Group C for employees with basic salary between 1,900 and 5,400. There is a long waiting list to secure government quarters. Recently, two buildings in Ghatkopar, developed by Mhada, were allotted. A review will reveal more such buildings, a GAD official said.

The committee will also look into the shortage of ministerial bungalows. According to GAD officials, only 40 bungalows are available for ministers, against the requirement of 49. Two bungalows, including [the one named] Puratan, has been deemed inhabitable, after a study carried out by IIT-Bombay. The committee or PWD may decide to bring it down to construct a new one at the location. Around eight ministers (mainly junior ministers) in the current government have been allotted flats, the PWD official added

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Queen Elizabeth and other royals are known for staying quiet amidst scandals concerning their family. Royals are generally not expected to speak to the press, so fans are always dying to know what Queen Elizabeth is thinking whenever something big happens.

The royal family was hit with the Megxit drama last month in which Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry announced they no longer want to be senior royals. While Queen Elizabeth did speak up here and there about her feelings, she has largely remained quiet.

However, for those who have a keen eye, there are reasons to believe that Her Majesty might have quietly shown support for Meghan and Prince Harry in a subtle way.

It was initially believed Queen Elizabeth was upset at Megxit

After Meghan and Prince Harry released the announcement that declared their intentions to step back from the royal family, many onlookers were extremely curious about how other royals reacted to such news.

It was said that Prince William was blind-sided and hurt by the sudden announcement from his younger brother.

Some news outlets also reported that Queen Elizabeth was upset as well. For example, The Sun alleged that Prince Andrew has been comforting Her Majesty through this trying time, with an insider saying: Andrew has been talking to her constantly on the phone and has now gone up to stay with her for a few days He sees a lot of the Queen at Windsor, probably more than any other royal, and he is her rock at the moment.

Queen Elizabeth released a statement supporting Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Instead of feeding these reports further, Queen Elizabeth decided to a statement to show her support for Meghan and Prince Harry.

My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghans desire to create a new life as a young family, she said. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.

A few days later, she also released another statement. This time, Her Majesty showed that she understood why they wanted to step back from their current royal role.

I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life, Queen Elizabeth said. I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family. It is my whole familys hope that todays agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life.

Queen Elizabeth recently showed more support with something subtle

Queen Elizabeth II | Samir Hussein/WireImage

It seems that the statements are just some of the many ways Queen Elizabeth will be showing support for Meghan and Prince Harry from here on out. She recently opted for what looked to be a more subtle way of giving the couple her blessing.

At a church service in early February, Her Majesty was seen wearing her Canadian sapphire brooch, which was given to her in 2017 by David Johnson, the former Governor General of Canada. The occasion marked Queen Elizabeths 65th year as a monarch as well as Canadas 150th anniversary of the confederation.

This brooch is interpreted by fans as a supporting statement for Meghan and Prince Harry because the couple has been spending a lot of time in Canada. They stayed there during their Christmas vacation, and they have also been setting up a home in Canada following their departure from the royal family.
The bustling city of Mumbai is always teeming with activity, even as the winding narrow roads make for a thousand dumbstruck dreams set foot in the city on a daily basis.



Amid the hustle and congestion that the city dwellers rise to every morning, there is one more thing that is synonymous to the coastal city - Gandhi topi-clad men pushing loaded carts and bicycles ready to feed lakhs who wait eagerly for them to bring their home-cooked tiffins, every single day.



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Yes, I am talking about the iconic, century-old dabbawalas who have become the face of Mumbai over the years. But these deliverers of happiness do not lead the best life and hailing from rural parts of Maharashtra only adds to their woes.



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While the pay isnt anything to brag about, getting through the month without having to cut corners is perhaps their greatest goal. In such a scenario owning a home must be a distant dream.



However, all that might be changing real soon because the Maharashtra government has decided to build houses for them under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). The decision was taken during a meeting that was where the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar was also in attendance. Whats more, he has also ordered to build a Mumbai Dabbawala Bhavan in the city.



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Close to 5,000 dabbawalas are set to get low-cost housing in the near future, and its a matter of immense joy that steps are being taken to add more value to their lives.


Marrying two of Italys finest exports - fashion and food - Gucci has announced the opening of its first US restaurant.

Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura sees the Italian luxury fashion house teaming up with the three-Michelin-star chef to create what we can only imagine to be the most glamorous dining experience to hit your Instagram feed.

The restaurant, which opens to the public on February 17th, is set on the roof of Guccis Los Angeles flagship store on Rodeo Drive, with an outdoor terrace that boasts views of Beverly Hills for al fresco diners.

(Courtesy of Gucci Osteria)

Inside, Osteria takes on a more fashionable flourish with Gucci Decor wallpaper, red marble tables and plush red velvet seating.

And if the duos original restaurant in Florence is anything to go by, diners can expect to be served on porcelain plates with colorful floral motifs.

Chefs Bottura and Karime Lopez (the main chef at the restaurant in Florence) worked alongside Mattia Agazzi, who will serve as Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills' main chef, to create a menu that fuses signature Italian recipes with California-inspired dishes.

Though the entire menu isnt yet available, Osteria will include Botturas famous tortellini and Emilia burger, as well as new dishes using organic produce sourced from local farmers' markets.

In true Hollywood fashion, Gucci Osteria has already welcomed celebrity A-listers - even before its doors have technically opened.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 00:33:36|Editor: huaxia

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Debris are seen in the Maarat al-Numan city, Idlib Province, Syria, on Jan. 30, 2020. (Photo by Maher/Xinhua)

"The statement about the shelling of the Syrian government troops by units of the Turkish Armed Forces and the losses among the Syrian military was not true," Russian military said.



MOSCOW, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Russian military on Friday refuted Ankara's claim that Turkish forces killed dozens of Syrian government troops in the northwestern province of Idlib.

"The statement about the shelling of the Syrian government troops by units of the Turkish Armed Forces and the losses among the Syrian military was not true," said the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria.

"Such a statement only aggravates the situation and may lead to hasty decisions that do not meet mutual interests of Russia and Turkey," it warned in a statement.

Earlier on Friday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said 63 Syrian government troops had been killed in Idlib in a Turkish offensive, according to information from various sources.

Tensions in Idlib have flared up recently as the Syrian government forces, which are launching wide-scale offensives against the rebels in the area, exchanged fire with Turkish troops, causing multiple deaths on both sides. 
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In 2018, Jeanne Ives of Wheaton nearly upended Gov. Bruce Rauner in the Republican gubernatorial primary by energizing the conservative base. Ives, a former Illinois House member, is a policy wonk who fought unbalanced budgets and unaccountable spending in Springfield. We saw things to like in Ives in her campaign for governor, as well as reason for pause: In challenging Rauner, Ives effectively critiqued his economic policy chops and made a persuasive case that she was a Republican legislator who could work with Democrats. In that primary race, some voters thought Ives messaging on social issues was too harsh. But that hard edge has softened in this congressional campaign, so theres reason to believe she learned a lesson that makes her a better candidate today. Thats important because Ives would need to appeal to social moderates in the November general election against incumbent Democratic Rep. Sean Casten. Also running in the Republican primary is physician Gordon (Jay) Kinzler of Glen Ellyn, whom we liked during a previous run for the Illinois House. But Ives is especially well-prepared to attempt the recapture of what was a Republican seat. She is endorsed.
San Francisco, California (UroToday.com) Advanced imaging is increasingly being used across all stages of prostate cancer. Dr. Richard Lee from the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center discussed the data supporting the use of various advanced imaging modalities across the prostate cancer disease spectrum.

Conventional imaging (defined as CT/MRI and bone scan) is widely available and their test characteristics are well-defined. CT and MRI show high resolution anatomic detail, but do not show disease activity. As a reference to compare with advanced imaging modalities, when evaluating for nodal metastatic disease, CT and MRI both have a sensitivity of approximately 40% and specificity of approximately 80%. Rates of positive bone scan for PSA post-radical prostatectomy are 4% for patients with PSA less than 10 ng/ml. A limitation of bone scan is that often times multi-modality imaging with CT or MRI is needed to inform treatment decisions.

Next generation imaging modalities utilize novel molecules for identifying prostate cancer and tracers (positron-emitting radioisotopes) for imaging. Molecules in use include fluciclovine, sodium fluoride, choline, acetate, and prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA). Tracers include 18F, 11C, and 68Ga.

18F-Fluciclovine PET/CT was FDA approved in 2016 and is widely available at >1000 centers in the United States. Reported PSA detection is 68% overall with the following sensitivity at various PSA thresholds: 41% at PSA < 0.80, 58% at PSA 0.8-2.0, 75% at PSA 2.0 to 6.0, and 87% at PSA > 6.0. When compared head-to-head to 18F-Fluciclovine had significantly better test characteristics than CT and bone scan as outlined below:





Further, prospective data from the LOCATE study demonstrated that the use of 18F-Fluciclovine PET/CT in men with biochemical recurrence (median PSA 1.0) found that 57% had a lesion detected and the 18F-Fluciclovine PET/CT changed management in 59% of cases.

An important consideration in determining when to use next generation imaging is the likelihood of a positive result at different PSA thresholds. The slide below summarizes 18F-Fluciclovine PET/CT detection rates at various PSA thresholds:





PSMA is a cell surface protein that is specific to prostate cancer and is over-expressed in 90-95% of prostate cancer cells making it an ideal imaging target. Of note, at this time it is not commercially available in the United States. A comparative study found that PSMA PET/CT had higher rates of similar or higher rates of detection in all stages of disease than conventional imaging. Notably, conventional imaging had higher false-positive rates in patients who did not have disease.







The slide below summarizes PSMA PET/CT detection rates at various PSA thresholds.





With both 18F-Fluciclovine PET/CT and PSMA PET/CT demonstrating better test characteristics than conventional imaging, Calais et al prospectively compared PSMA and Fluciclovine PET in 50 men with PSA between 0.2 and 2.0 Detection rates in this single institution study favored PSMA detection overall and especially in pelvic lymph node and extra-pelvic (M1) disease.





Given the data supporting improved detection compared to conventional imaging, advanced imaging modalities have been recommended by both the NCCN and ASCO guidelines.

Presented by: Richard J. Lee, MD Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Written by: Jacob Berchuck, MD, Medical Oncology Fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Twitter: @jberchuck) at the 2020 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, ASCO GU #GU20, February 13-15, 2020, San Francisco, California
Brussels, Belgium:--- The St. Maarten Tourism Bureau alongside Office de Tourisme St. Martin promoted the destination at the annual Salon des Vacances that took place from February 6th to February 9th in Brussels, Belgium. This holiday fair attracts over 100.000 visitors annually and had over 400 exhibitors present promoting their product or destination. Both tourism office representatives were able to meet with several travel industry professionals to discuss partnership possibilities, as well as provide updates on the improved tourism product. General information about the destination was also provided to Belgian vacation seekers.

Belgium is a significant market to target since Belgians are avid vacationers with about 80%-90% taking holidays annually. Furthermore, Belgians are not opposed to traveling to long-haul destinations and oftentimes seek quality and authentic experiences. Also, the economy and purchasing power of Belgians is favorable, allowing them to spend more on holidays. In the summer of 2019, a total of 14,3 million holidays has been recorded which is an increase of 9% compared to 2018.

Promoting the destination to Belgian vacation seekers will diversify the type of tourists visiting the island and aid in overcoming seasonality since Europeans tend to take long-haul vacations in the Spring and Summer months. Also noteworthy to mention is that cruise trips to distant destinations are becoming more popular amongst Belgians of which many have visited the destination or plan to visit by cruise. This offers us the opportunity to carry out promotional campaigns on this market to convert past cruise visitors to stay-over visitors. Being present at Salon des Vacances allowed us to hand out useful information to consumers who didnt know about the destination, as well as offer advice to those that will be visiting St. Maarten on a cruise said Gianira Arrindell, Acting Section Head Marketing and overseeing the European Market at the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau.

According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which is the world's largest cruise industry trade association, 71.000 Belgians went on a cruise in the past year which is forecasted to increase steadily.
Frances president has said that Russia would continue trying to destabilize Western democracies, but he called for Europe to adopt a new approach toward Moscow.

Speaking on February 15 at the Munich Security Conference, Emmanuel Macron said European allies need to do more to engage with Russia, and he criticized the continuing Western sanctions imposed on Russia six years ago.

The 2017 French presidential election that was won by Macron was roiled by a massive leak of e-mails, some forged, that appeared to target the Macron campaign. U.S. and French officials later concluded that the hack was overseen by Russian hackers. That was also the finding of a Japanese cybersecurity firm.

In his comments, Macron also said Russia's strategy for destabilizing Western democracies was to support political parties that are socially conservative, anti-European, and anti-immigration.

"There will always be some meddling, Macron said.

"Russia is very aggressive and will continue to be so...We have very few antibodies against this type of attack and this is a weakness," he said.

Macron also called for resuming some sort of dialogue with Russia about Ukraine, and he criticized the sanctions imposed in response to Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea Peninsula in March 2014, and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine where more than 13,000 people have died since the conflict began in April 2014.

"It is not a policy, it's a completely inefficient system," Macron said.

"There is a second choice which is to be demanding and restart a strategic dialogue because today we talk less and less, conflicts multiply and we aren't able to resolve them."

With reporting by Reuters
Scientists have a pretty good handle on how the birds and the bees work, but it comes to mating, almost all millipedes have been a mystery -- until now. For the first time, researchers have puzzled out how these tiny creatures' complex genitalia work, thanks to new imaging techniques and blacklights that make the different tissues glow. The findings are published in a new paper in the journal Arthropod Structure and Development.

"This is the first time we've been able to understand these millipedes' mechanism of insertion, how the male and female organs interact with each other. Before this, we had no idea how he would actually get the sperm into her," says Petra Sierwald, an associate curator at the Field Museum in Chicago and one of the paper's authors.

Millipedes are centipedes' chill vegetarian cousins. They're in a different animal group from insects and spiders, but they're part of the same big umbrella of arthropods. They have dozens of legs, but they're slow movers -- they eat decaying plants, so they don't need to be speedy to catch a meal.

"Millipedes are mulch munchers," says Sierwald. "They are in waste management, and they're very good at it."

There are over 13,000 different species of millipedes known to science (with many more discovered every year), and they each have their own unique way of mating. The genus that Sierwald and her colleagues focused on in this study, Pseudopolydesmus, is made up of half-inch-long brown millipedes from North America. They're not too exciting to look at, but their behavior makes them stand out to scientists: they're unusually eager to mate, even in laboratory conditions.

"One of the problems with millipedes is that they do a lot of things while they are dug into the ground, and if you take them out, you will disturb them and they'll stop what they're doing," says Sierwald. Not Pseudopolydesmus, though. "They will even mate in the lab in the Petri dish under the light."

But while Pseudopolydesmus are the exhibitionists of the millipede world, it's still hard to see exactly what's going on down there -- there are a lot of legs in the way.

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"This paper has been a long time in the making. It started out when I found a pair of this genus, a male and female, in copula, sort of attached. Their legs were obscuring everything," says Sierwald.

To solve this problem, Sierwald and her colleague, Field Museum co-author Stephanie Ware, experimented with different lighting and imaging techniques. Ware took dozens of photographs of the tiny subjects at slightly varying distances, and then used a computer program to stack the images together and combine them so that all the miniscule details were in focus. so She took photos in both natural and ultraviolet light conditions since the millipedes' genitals glow under UV light, making it easier to tell the different tissues apart. The resulting blacklight photos look like a rave, albeit one made up of microscopic millipede genitalia.

To get further information about the structure of the millipedes' genitals, Xavier Zahnle at the University of California Davis, the paper's first author, conducted micro-CT scanning. "You can put these tiny millipedes into test tubes and do CT scanning on them, and you don't have to dissect the specimen, so it remains intact," explains Sierwald. "That is the really cool thing. The CT scan takes images of slices, and Xavier worked out the entire complex software program to analyze the slices and put them back together."

All of these images of the millipedes' genitalia, both on their own and locked together in the act of mating, helped the researchers figure out how the process actually works for Pseudopolydesmus.

In most millipedes, including Pseudopolydesmus, the male's testes are located in the body starting behind his second pair of legs. But his gonopods, the specialized pair of legs used to insert sperm into the female, are way back on his legs of the seventh body ring. "He has to ejaculate and then dig his seventh-ring gonopods into that ejaculate," she explains. "It's a blue-ish liquid."

Once the male has gotten his gonopods covered in blue ejaculate, he's ready to insert them into a female's vulvae. "She has two openings, one on each side between her second pair of legs," says Sierwald. The microscopic images showed the tiny fleshy part of the male's gonopods that actually enter the vulvae. "We had no idea for this entire group, which part is inserted and where it is inserted in the female," says Sierwald. Tiny claws on the end part of the male gonopod hook behind ridges on the female vulva.

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After mating, the female's vulvae get sealed up with a gooey secretion, trapping the sperm inside. Later, when she lays her eggs, they get coated with the stored sperm on their way out of her body. The new imaging in this study also helps show how that process works.

"Before this study, we had no idea really where the secretions came from. I always thought it came from the male, because I thought the male wanted to seal off the female so that she couldn't mate again," says Sierwald. "But now, having seen the glands inside the female's vulvae through the CT-scanning, I think most of that secretion comes from the female. I don't know whether that is her way of protecting her vulvae or preserving the sperm. Those are interesting fields for further study."

In addition to giving us a better understanding of the mechanics of millipede sex, Sierwald hopes the project will enable scientists to better understand the relationships between different millipede species, which could shed light on how they evolved.

"This study will be important for understanding how millipedes in this genus are related and how they're distributed," says Sierwald. "They can tell us about the geologic history of North America. As mountain ranges and rivers formed, groups of millipedes would get cut off from each other and develop into new species." And, she notes, Pseuopolydesmus is just the tip of the iceberg.

"There are 16 orders of millipedes in the world, and for most of them, we have only faint ideas what the vulvae look like."
Louisiana authorities claim a 12-year-old girl was taken from a hospital in Jefferson Parish at gunpoint by her grandmother.

The Louisiana State Police and the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office have issued a Level II Child Endangerment Alert for Andreana Miller, who was last seen leaving Ochsner Hospital wearing a white hospital gown on Friday afternoon, according to an announcement on the state police Facebook page.

Authorities said Andreana was abducted at gunpoint by her grandmother, who they have identified as 66-year-old Evelyn Miller.

Evelyn was last seen wearing a purple shirt and black pants, and is believed to be in the possession of a revolver style pistol.

RELATED: Fla. Dad Who Told Police His Daughter Was Kidnapped Lied About Details of Her Abduction, Police Say

Detectives have not identified a motive for the abduction and are asking for help in their search for the young girl, who they described as a white female standing about 4 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighing 135 lbs.

According to authorities, the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office has recovered the vehicle that was used in the initial abduction.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of either subject is encouraged to contact the Jefferson Parish Office at 504-227-1400, police say. No additional information is available at this time.

The Louisiana State Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-14 23:34:28|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd L) and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas co-chair the fifth round of China-Germany Strategic Dialogue on Diplomatic and Security Affairs in Berlin, capital of Germany, Feb. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

In a world full of risks and challenges, China and Germany, as two countries of great influence, should strengthen strategic communication, mutual trust and cooperation, and push their all-round strategic partnership to a new level while working together to cope with global challenges, Wang Yi said.



BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi co-chaired the fifth round of China-Germany strategic dialogue on diplomacy and security with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas here on Thursday.

In a world full of risks and challenges, China and Germany, as two countries of great influence, should strengthen strategic communication, mutual trust and cooperation, and push their all-round strategic partnership to a new level while working together to cope with global challenges, Wang said.

The two sides should maintain a mindset that is inclusive and open, adhere to the principles of mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs and handle their differences through constructive dialogue, said the Chinese minister.

They should make it clear that they are partners rather than opponents, and strive to make themselves true cooperative partners transcending ideologies, he said.

The two sides should stay committed to opening-up and win-win approach, expand mutually beneficial cooperation at higher levels and make China-Germany cooperation greater than the sum of its parts, Wang said.

Photo taken on May 21, 2019 shows a ship anchored at the port area of Hamburg, Germany, on May 21, 2019. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

He also welcomed Germany's participation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road and called for further cooperation between both countries in third-party markets in Africa, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe.

The two sides should provide a fair environment for scientific and technological cooperation between Chinese and German enterprises and refrain from discriminatory practices, Wang said.

The two sides should work closely together to speed up negotiations on the China-EU investment agreement and play a leading role in promoting the growth of China-EU relations, Wang said.

The two countries should further strengthen coordination in international and regional affairs, jointly uphold multilateralism and make greater contributions to world peace and development, he added.

For his part, Maas said Wang's visit to Germany amid the fight against the novel coronavirus in China reflects the trust and support between the two countries.

Noting that Germany highly values China's international status and role, Maas said the common interests between the two sides far outweigh their differences. The two countries should maintain close exchanges and strengthen dialogue in order to achieve high-level development of bilateral ties.

Germany upholds the one-China policy and respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the latter's concerns on core interests and sensitive issues, Maas said.

Photo taken on April 15, 2019 shows the DIT station, an important center for the China-Europe railway express in Europe, in Duisburg, Germany. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

Sharing a consistent stance with China on safeguarding free trade, Germany opposes the use of tariffs for trade wars, advocates open markets and rejects restrictive measures against specific enterprises, he said. Additionally, Germany stands ready to deepen cooperation with China on digitalization.

The two sides should work closely to make the EU-China diplomatic agenda for this year a success, he said.

Germany is ready to work with China to align Eurasian connectivity plans with the Belt and Road Initiative and maintain close communication on climate change, biodiversity, and reform of the World Trade Organization, among other issues, he added.

Wang thanked the German side for its moral and material support for China in the fight against the epidemic, briefed on China's anti-virus efforts and latest progress, and said China is confident and capable of defeating the epidemic at an early date.

Given that its economy has strong internal driving forces, China will overcome any temporary difficulty and strive to reach its economic and social goals set for 2020, he said.

He hopes that Germany will continue to adopt a rational attitude in the efforts to enhance the mutual trust and cooperation between the two countries through the joint fight against the epidemic.

Maas said that Germany firmly stands with China in combating the epidemic and appreciates China's decisive and responsible measures, believing that China will overcome the coronavirus soon.

Opposed to any emotional reaction and discrimination, Germany will continue to respond to the situation in a calm and objective way, he said, adding that Germany is willing to provide more support and assistance in addition to its previous donation of medical supplies.

The two sides also exchanged views on other issues of common concern, including Libya, Afghanistan, the Korean Peninsula, and arms control. 
Germanys ambassador to India, Walter Lindner, spoke to Hindustan Times on his impressions during the two-day trip to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) organized by the Government of India for 25 global ambassadors earlier this week. In August, the Centre revoked the special status of J&K and decided to bifurcate the state into two Union territories --J&K and Ladakh.

You just returned from a trip to Indias newest Union Territory (UT), J&K, organized by the Government of India to counter global criticism of some administrative and security measures it took there. Your fellow travellers tweeted pictures of the snow-capped Pir Panjal and of shikara rides on the lakes of Srinagar. Did you enjoy yourself ?

Nice joke. But let me make this clear. This was not some tourist trip. I was invited by Indias ministry of external affairs (MEA). I went to interact with local authorities, members of civil society and the business community and gather an impression of the situation there. And thats what I did.

What did your itinerary consist of ?

On the way from the airport to the hotel, we got our first little glimpse of whats out there. The shops were open, things seemed normal. We didnt see a lockdown. But its difficult to say for sure, because we were in a high security convoy, so its not the same as strolling through a market. Baramulla fell through because of fog so we were taken for the shikara rides on the lakes instead. Then, we had our first meeting with some local politicians, apple farmers, hoteliers, local media members and a swathe of members of civil society from border dwellers to rights activists. Of course, all these people may have been pre-selected. But each of us had an opportunity to ask everyone even our most critical questions.

What were your critical questions?

How they feel about the current situation, about Article 370 being abrogated, what they think of the previous governments in J&K, what their main worries are, and so on. And we questioned the authorities too, for instance the army corps commander, Lt. Gen KJS Dhillon, who is an impressive person and told us about incursions and terrorist attacks along the Line of Control (LoC). We flew to Jammu, where we met informed people like the chief secretary, and the UTs first woman judge and chief justice, Gita Mittal, who explained Indias laws in an international context very impressively. Everyone we met explained how the situation was before and after the abrogation of Article 370, which laws were valid then and now. They gave us concrete figures. We also met Kashmiri Pandits and Valmikis.

Does all this mean that you had a positive, informative trip and got a fair idea of the situation on the ground?

As I told you, I didnt pre-select the people we met. Because I couldnt talk to everyone, it could, at best, be a limited impression. But in political parlance, I can say that the trip to J&K was not a Potemkin village, an external facade to make people believe that all is hunky-dory.

You have been ambassador for Germany all over the world. Have you ever been on a trip sponsored by a government to a given area to counter global criticism of its moves there?

It is difficult to compare countries and situations. I went because I was invited. What I saw was informative. We could ask what we wanted. Within the limitations of security and the pre-selection of the people we met, we were allowed to interact totally freely with them, even one-on-one. For private questions, we could take them to another room. Officials of the foreign ministry were with us and none tried to influence us.

The international media is criticizing the house arrest that two former chief ministers of J&K {Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who were detained under the Public Safety Act last week} have been under for six months, the snapping of communication, and other moves. India points to its democratic credentials and retorts that the international community has no say in domestic decisions in its own UT. What do you think of these decisions ?

Look, you will have to ask the government of India all these questions. Am I satisfied with this trip? I will say that I wanted to go there, see the state with my own eyes, get an impression of the situation, see who is in charge. I could do all that and ask questions about all those under arrest and why they are in jail. And I could listen to the Indian authorities arguments. Please note: as an ambassador, it is important to be objective. I am not an activist and I am not a member of a party. Of course, I would have loved to go to J&K on my own, but due to security reasons, thats not yet possible. J&K is not an easy part of the world. You have a border situation there. You sometimes have terror attacks. And then you also have fake news propagated to instigate people to take to the streets. I didnt go on this trip to stand in judgment.

And were you convinced by the arguments presented?

It was good that I could go and talk to everyone.

What is going to be the outcome of this trip ? A report for your headquarters in Berlin ?

We are experienced diplomats. The trip was certainly also a PR exercise but I learned what people want. They want a complete lifting of restrictions on the Internet. There is some connectivity  2 G for instance, and one can access broadband Internet over landline phones, but not on prepaid mobiles. When we asked why not, they explained that it is the tool used by terrorists to do their job. I am not passing a judgment here. But some curbs have been lifted, some people have been released from house arrest. Then, the people told us that they need jobs, an economic roadmap of where J&K is headed and how the government will help along their livelihoods. And of course, they dont want terror attacks any more but peace. All this was said irrespective of the individual opinions they held on the abrogation of Article 370 itself. For us, its important to see whether we can help in any way. But for that, there has to be a roadmap, security and conducive conditions for investors.

Heavy troop presence across J&K has also come under fire in your media. Did you question it too?

We asked about those supposedly astronomical figures. But J&Ks police chief himself told us that there is no military deployed anywhere in the state other than along the international borders, and that all uniformed persons we saw in the cities were police. They declined to give us numbers because it was classified information but did say that the figures cited in the media are totally exaggerated.

What are the positive signs of development that you saw there?

Officials told us that most of the money spent on J&K is from the UTs own coffers; that the Centre had sent a lot of money but that 90% went into the pockets of some people and not towards the development of J&K and that this was the reason for J&Ks underperformance. They are now trying to put in place an efficient administration. Its been six months now. But once the snow melts, I think people will ask the government where the promised goodies are.

Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti are under house arrest. Did you ask why ?

Yes. But the discussions took place behind closed doors so lets leave it at that.

You are very active on the social media but were totally silent while in J&K. Why?

Yes, I didnt tweet or agree to any interviews there because my intention was to not arrive there with a pre-fabricated opinion, but only listen. Kashmir is really heaven on earth. I was there in June last year. George Harrison, the hippies in the 70s and many others of my generation were there. I really feel for Kashmir. Its such a beautiful place. But this trip, my friends, was no tourist junket.

One of your predecessors organized a Beethoven concert in heavily barricaded J&K. It came under considerable criticism. You are a classical and rock musician. Do you also intend to engage culturally with the UT?

I love Kashmiri Sufi music for sure. But the reason for this trip was to learn what is happening in J&K. Can we do anything to make life better for the people there? What do they want? Can we invest and are the conditions conducive to do so? I cant say I would recommend it straightaway because there are still security issues and normalcy is not there yet. But in the long run, I would urge everyone to come to Kashmir. The sunset over Dal Lake is like nowhere in the world.
MUNICH  As America prepares for the 2020 presidential election, Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith said tech companies have a 'fundamental responsibility' to safeguard America's democratic process.

"We have a fundamental responsibility as companies and as a technology sector to help protect our candidates from attacks and hacking. To help protect the integrity of voting, from voting polls to voting results and certainly the voting process itself," Smith explained at the annual Munich Security Conference.

"We have a fundamental responsibility not just to address but to fight disinformation and I think we have a fundamental responsibility to ensure that our business models do not sap the strength of democracy itself by creating polarized communities that eat away at the core of what makes every democracy successful," he added.

Smith's comments Saturday at the security forum followed those of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who said that social media companies need more guidance and regulation from governments in order to tackle the growing problem of harmful online content.

"Even if I'm not going to agree with every regulation in the near term, I do think it's going to be the thing that helps create trust and better governance of the internet and will benefit everyone, including us over the long term," Zuckerberg told an audience Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.

"In the absence of that kind of regulation, we will continue doing our best, we are going to build up the muscle to do it, to basically find stuff as proactively as possible," he said, adding that he did not want Facebook to contribute to polarization or misinformation.
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Linkedin (Reuters) Brussels, Belgium  Sat, February 15, 2020 07:08 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064a679c 2 Lifestyle chocolate,fashion-show,Belgium,fashion Free

Models clad in chocolate gowns hit the runway in Brussels on Thursday night for a show bringing together fashion designers and chocolatiers.

The 14 mouth-watering creations at the annual "Salon du Chocolat" fair included a jumpsuit of dabs of color and chocolate petals emerging from the fabric.

"It's a mix of haute couture and Belgian chocolate," said the costume's creator Sixtine Anne de Molina, adding she spent five months working on the design, which includes a thousand pieces of chocolate.

Read also: These Asian chocolatiers are spicing up the global sweets scene

"Sometimes it's hard to tell which what part of the dress is actually chocolate and what part is painted."

Another chocolate-festooned dress on display was inspired by carnival masks while a third one was a brown, beige and red striped long gown resembling knitwear.

The fashion show opens three days of a chocolate fair with workshops, tastings and discussions, which organizer Gerard Palacios estimates will get some 25,000 viewers and participants.
Here's all you need to to know to go to:

Krewe de Paws

Saturday, Feb. 15, 10 a.m., Olde Town Slidell

The theme of this year's canine-oriented foot parade is Bad to the Bone.

For more doggy details visit the Krewe of Paws Facebook page.

Mystic Knights of Adonis

Saturday, Feb. 15, 11:45 a.m., Algiers and Terrytown on the West Bank

For more information about the family parade that first rolled in 1998 visit the Mystic Knights of Adonis website.

Krewe of Tchefuncte

Saturday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m., Madisonville

The North Shore boat parade has navigated the lazy Tchefuncte River since 1973.

For more nautical details visit the Krewe of Tchefuncte website.

Knights of Nemesis

Saturday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m., Chalmette

Named for the goddess of retribution, Chalmette's only Carnival parade was established in 2004. It begins at Sidney D. Torres Memorial Park and travels east on Judge Perez Drive to Campagna Drive, where it U-turns and returns to the park.

For more information visit the Knights of Nemesis website.

Krewe of Pontchartrain

Saturday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m., Uptown Route

Established in 1975, the krewe welcomes local riders and out-of-town visitors alike.

For more information visit the Krewe of Pontchartrain website.

Krewe of Choctaw

Saturday, Feb. 15, follows the Krewe of Pontchartrain on the Uptown route

The parade, which has a Native American theme, first rolled in 1939 using 10 former U.S. mail wagons as floats.

For details of the parade visit the Krewe of Choctaw website.

Krewe of Freret

Saturday, Feb. 15, follows the Krewe of Choctaw on the Uptown route

In 2020, the 9-year-old organization plans to add seven large new floats, many more members, a public post-parade party and a celebrity grand marshal, musician Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews. Named for an Uptown street, the former Krewe of Freret died out in the 1990s, but was resuscitated in 2011 by Loyola University alumni.

For more details visit the Krewe of Freret website.

Knights of Sparta

Saturday, Feb. 15, 5:30 p.m., Uptown route

The parade, which first rolled in 1981, is named for the mighty Greek warrior state.

For more information visit the Knights of Sparta website.

Krewe of Pygmalion

Saturday, Feb. 15, 6:15 Follows Knights of Sparta, Uptown route

Formed in 2000, the krewe reveres King Pygmalion from Greek mythology, a sculptor who fell in love with his own statue of a nymph.

For more information and route map, visit the Krewe of Pygmalion Facebook page.

Magical Krewe of MadHatters

NEW IN 2020

Saturday, Feb. 15, 5 p.m., Metairie route, westbound

According to the krewe website, the inaugural MadHatters parade will feature an Alice in Wonderland theme and rock bands playing atop the rolling floats.

For a curiouser and curiouser parade preview, visit the MadHatters' website.

Krewe of Centurions

Saturday, Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m., Metairie route, westbound

The co-ed krewe was established in the Harahan-River Ridge area in 1979, but has since moved to Metairie.

For more information visit the Krewe of Centurians website.

Krewe of Olympia

Saturday, Feb. 15, 6 p.m., Covington

Established in 1965, the Olympians set out to bring New Orleans-style parading to the North Shore.

For more lofty information visit the Krewe of Olympia website.

Krewe of Titans

Saturday, Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m. Slidell route

Named for immortal giants from Greek mythology, the parade strives for a family-friendly atmosphere.

For more information visit the Krewe of Titans website.

Krewe of Push Mow

Sunday, Feb. 16, Abita Springs, 2 p.m.

The nutty north shore foot parade features custom-decorated lawn mowers instead of floats. This year's theme is "Science Fair Projects Gone Wild."

For more information visit the parade Facebook page.

Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale

Sunday, Feb. 16, 11 a.m., Uptown route

Founded in 2013, the parade is open to all female riders. Parade participants toss coveted hand-decorated compacts.

For more information visit the Femme Fatale Facebook page.

Krewe of Carrollton

Sunday, Feb. 16, follows Femme Fatale, Uptown route

Formed in 1924, the Krewe of Carrollton, originally called the Seventh District Carnival Club, is the fourth oldest parading organization. According to the krewe website its floats were originally built on the chassis of garbage wagons, and it was the first to employ tractors to pull floats instead of mules.

To see more of the krewes history visit the Krewe of Carrollton website.

Krewe of King Arthur

Sunday, Feb. 16, 1 p.m., Uptown route

In its 44th year, the 1,600 co-ed Knights of King Arthur consider their parade to be the biggest of the weekend. Catch glittery Holy Grails.

For more legendary information visit the King Arthur website.

Krewe of Barkus

Sunday, Feb. 16, 2 p.m., French Quarter

The big dog of canine-centric parades first wandered through the French Quarter in 1993. According to the krewe website, the parade was envisioned at a meeting of the Margaret Orr (WDSU-TV Weather Anchor) Fan Club held at the Good Friends Bar. Co-founder Thomas Wood brought his dog Jo Jo McWood to the meeting, where people complained about her neurotic ways. To get back at them all, Wood decided to make Jo Jo McWood queen of her parade and captain-for-life. Thus, the Krewe of Barkus was born.

To sniff out more information about the popular pooch parade visit the Barkus website.

Krewe of Dionysus

Sunday, Feb. 16, 1 p.m. in Slidell

Founded in 1985, the parade venerates the Greek god of wine. This years parade theme is Aint Dere No More.

For more information visit the Krewe of Dionysus website.

Krewe of Kings

Sunday, Feb. 16, 5:30 p.m., Metairie route

The co-ed krewe marched for the first time in 2019. Last year, founder and float builder Mac Cantrell Jr. said that the parade may take on a satirical theme this year, which would be a first for a Metairie parade.

Read: "For Mardi Gras season in Metairie, an old parade leaves and a new one arrives."
Preparations for the Normandy format meeting on Donbas between Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia are underway, but it could be held not in April, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko said.

"Preparations are underway, we are saying that we must take appropriate steps so as not to forget that our main goal is a summit of the leaders conditionally in April, as they agreed in December this year ... I think that the leaders of the Normandy four should meet. Perhaps it will not be in April. Perhaps it will be sooner...we'll see when the result comes. It is important for us that there are agreements that they can reach," he told the journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

He stressed that the meeting of the Normany Four countries' foreign chiefs not on the agenda of the MSC. "Since the Foreign Ministry informed you, we do not plan to meet now, although we meet simultaneously, yesterday we met with Maas (German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas).
Karni Sena Demands Ban

Initially when the show started, the concept of 'Bed Friend Forever' and a few tasks didn't go down well with a section of the viewers, who slammed the makers and the channel for the same. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) had sent a letter to the Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, urging him to impose a ban on Bigg Boss 13, on grounds of vulgarity. Karni Sena had also demanded a ban on the show alleging the show is against Indian culture and suggested that it promotes love jihad.

Makers Biased Towards Sidharth

Many viewers and even celebrities felt that the makers are biased towards Sidharth Shukla as he was not punished as he was abusive or getting physical during the tasks. It was also said that the actor was protected by the makers as he was dating the Chief Content Officer (CCO) Manisha Sharma of the show.

Arti's Shocking Revelation

Arti Singh had revealed that she was locked in a room and one of the servants in her house almost raped when she was just 13-years-old. She had said that she shouted for help but no one could hear her cries as the servant had locked all the doors and windows. The actress added she had jumped from the second floor of her house and ran on the street crying for help.

Asim and Himanshi

Asim proposing Himanshi and she accepting his proposal after she entered the house (after breaking up with her finace, Chow) created headlines. It was said that Asim was in relationship and he hadn't broken up with his girl. Many viewers also felt that the 'love' proposal was a drama.

Sidharth & Rashami Fight

Sidharth and Rashami's never-ending and bad fights had created headlines. Sidharth had called her 'aisi ladki', which Rashami didn't like. When Salman Khan questioned them during Weekend Ka Vaar, Rashami was seen crying her heart out as she felt Sid was disrespecting her. Salman lashed out at both of them for bringing their past in the house.

Rashami & Arhaan Break up

Salman Khan exposed Arhaan Khan on the show. He revealed that Arhaan was not only married but also has a kid, which Rashami didn't know. Post his eviction, Rashami got to know many things about Arhaan and decided to break up with him.

Vishal & Madhurima Fight

Vishal and Madhurima's love-hate relationship confused fans. The duo had gotten into an ugly fight and Madhurima had hit Vishal with a frying pan which got her eliminated.
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Linkedin Khanh Vu and James Pearson (Reuters) Hanoi, Vietnam  Sat, February 15, 2020 13:09 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064b6117 2 News Vietnam,cruise-ship,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19,Ha-Long-Bay,Hanoi,tourism,travel Free

Vietnam has denied two cruise ships permission to dock due to fears of coronavirus infections on board, Vietnamese state media and a cruise operator reported on Friday.

One of the ships was now heading towards Thailand, where it would be allowed to dock, a Thai official said.

Authorities in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province - home to the UNESCO world heritage site Ha Long Bay - barred passengers on the German-owned AIDAvita cruise ship to disembark on Thursday, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said.

"The vessel has docked in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, which have all reported coronavirus cases," VNA said.

"Not allowing AIDAvita's passengers to disembark is just a temporary solution to prevent the intrusion of diseases," VNA cited a local official as saying.

Germany's AIDA Cruises, the owner of the AIDAvita, did not respond to requests for comment. AIDA Cruises is a subsidiary of Miami-based Carnival Corp.

The cruise liner left the Philippines port of Coron on Feb. 10 bound for Vietnam across the South China Sea, according to data on the Marine Traffic ship tracking website.

It had been scheduled to visit Ha Long Bay on Saturday then proceed to the Vietnamese ports of Da Nang, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City from Feb. 16-20, according to CruiseMapper website.

As of Friday evening, the AIDAvita was 176 km (109 miles) south of the Thai capital Bangkok, according to Marine Traffic.

It will dock at Laem Chabang on Friday night and health officials will board it on Saturday morning to examine passengers before allowing them to disembark, a Thai Marine Department spokeswoman said.

Read also: Royal Caribbean cancels 18 cruises due to virus, crimping profit

Vietnam 'unreasonable'

Stoking fears in countries that usually allow cruise ships to dock is the quarantine in Japan of the Diamond Princess, also managed by a unit of Carnival Corp. Of the 3,700 passengers and crew on that vessel, 218 have tested positive for the virus and it remains at anchor in Yokohama port.

Passengers on another Carnival Corp cruise ship, the MS Westerdam, spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries, including Thailand, over coronavirus fears, before they began to disembark in Cambodia on Friday.

The Norwegian Jade, operated by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, was also denied permission to dock in Vietnam.

"Due to growing concerns regarding coronavirus in Asia, the ports we planned to visit in Vietnam are no longer open to accepting cruise ships," the Norwegian Cruise Line said.

The ship had no cases of the virus, its captain Frank Juliussen said in a letter to passengers.

"There is no illness onboard the ship and no guests or crew members on the ship who hold Chinese, Macau or Hong Kong passports or have visited or transited through any of these areas," the letter read.

"Still, the port has proven to be unreasonable during this process and late last night informed us that despite previously approving our calls and despite the actions we've taken to accommodate their new protocols, that they are denying our upcoming calls," Juliussen said, according to a copy of the letter posted on Twitter by a passenger.

It was not known which port he was referring to.

Vietnamese port authorities declined to comment and referred calls from Reuters to local officials. Those telephone calls went unanswered.

By Friday evening, the Norwegian Jade was heading for the port of Laem Chabang in Thailand, according to data on the Marine Traffic ship tracking website. Thailand's Marine Department did not name the Norwegian Jade as a ship that was docking.

The coronavirus has killed more than 1,380 people, almost all in China where the outbreak originated, with one each in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan.
Whats the hurry?



What if any pretense of rule of law in America were rapidly eroding and everyone was cool with it?

Thats seems to whats going on.

Nicholas Grossman does an excellent job of laying out President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barrs multifarious assaults on the Constitution, which have only become more rapid and obvious since Trumps acquittal.

Theres the indecent cronyism of Attorney General William Barr interfering on behalf of Donald Trumps oldest political advisor Roger Stone. Theres the demise of Separation of Powers with Barr literally refusing to follow a court order. And theres just the general direction of Barr evolving his office from Attorney General to Prosecutor General, as Marcy Wheeler (who is keeping excellent tabs of what Barr seems to be covering up) keeps calling him, using his powers to reward Trumps friends and punish his enemies, all with the goal of consolidating and perpetuating Republican power.

Besides Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and a half dozen other Senators who have called for Barrs removal, no one seems that worried.

Wall Street sees this and sees Trump already using his power to punish businesses owned by his perceived political enemies and thinks, Time to hit a new record!

The House of Representatives hasnt even come back from its vacation, leading Brian Beutler to keep asking #WhereIsTheHouse?

I mean, ending surprise medical billing would be great, but so is an Executive Branch that will actually enforce the laws you pass.

The news  with some notable exceptions  barely knows how to cover a president who literally is comparing himself to a king while continually assert his absolute right to commit abuses that the Republicans in the Senate have freed him to commit.

Whats the hurry! Soon Roger Stone will be on the streets again, veering toward inciting violence against Trumps opponents again, as he did against witnesses in the Russia and investigation and even the judge in his case herself. Then well have Barr summoning all legal powers and the Trump campaign sucking in billions from donors and an angry mob of Republicans vowing to take voter intimidation to new heights, all to help reelect a president who will probably never leave office peacefully.

Minorities and women know what its like to live in an America where the law only exists to restrain them. But the powerful and even the somewhat secure in this country seem to have an assumption that the laws that prevented the bigger fish from swallowing them gleefully arent fragile and gummed together by some basic assumptions that can quickly evaporate.

So chill. Theres nothing to worry about, except the possible end of the rule of law in America.

UPDATE:

Heres sign that the people who understand Barrs power best understand the peril were in:

Overwhelming majority of these 1,100+ former Justice Department lawyerscalling on Barr to resign and for DOJ lawyers to report abusesserved in Republican administrations. About 85% in Republican admin.

Over 100 in Trump admin.#CountryOverPartyhttps://t.co/thrPUnR8ED  Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) February 16, 2020

And Paul Waldman explains that House Democrats definitely dont.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 07:06:07|Editor: ZD

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OTTAWA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that the best way to resolve ongoing Indigenous blockades is dialogue with the protesters, as the country's cargo and passenger rail operators were forced to suspend all service Thursday amid the protests.

Trudeau rejected opposition Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer's call to order police intervention.

"We are a country that recognizes the right to protest, but we are also a country of the rule of law and we will ensure everything is done to resolve this through dialogue and constructive outcomes," he said.

"We are working on it with a whole of government of approach," Trudeau added.

Scheer expressed frustration with the ongoing demonstrations against construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in British Columbia province, which is a key part of a multibillion liquefied natural gas export project.

Scheer told a press conference in Ottawa that protesters, blocking railway traffic across Canada in support of a small group of Indigenous leaders fighting construction of a natural gas pipeline through their traditional territory, need to "check their privilege."

Trudeau said his Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has been in contact with all of the provincial and territorial premiers to help resolve the crisis.

Canada's Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller is also slated to meet with Indigenous leaders in Ontario.
The Trump administration pulled funding in its 2021 budget for Stars and Stripes, the U.S. military news organization that has published a daily newspaper continuously since World War II for troops stationed around the world.

At a Thursday press conference in Belgium, Defense Secretary Mark Esper explained the rationale behind the decision to withhold approximately $15.5 million in funding for Stars and Stripes.

So, we trimmed the support for Stars and Stripes because we need to invest that money, as we did with many, many other programs, into higher-priority issues, Esper said.

President Trump with members of the military in a dining facility during a surprise Thanksgiving Day visit to Afghanistan in 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Pentagons 2021 spending proposal is $705.4 billion.

Stars and Stripes relies on government funding to cover half its budget, the news organization said, with the other half coming from a combination of sales, subscriptions and advertising in its print and online editions.

Though Stars and Stripes is funded as part of the Pentagons Defense Media Activity, the paper maintains its editorial independence and says it reaches a daily audience of 1 million readers.

In the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, the paper published an article about a press conference held by retired military officers who questioned Trumps ties to Russia, headlined: Former admirals and generals warn Trump is 'dangerous' to military and country.

But it has been evenhanded in its coverage of the administration, reporting that the Air Force found nothing improper about service members who attended Trumps 2018 visit to Ramstein Air Base in Germany wearing red Make America Great Again hats.

It is unclear whether the paper will survive the funding cuts.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
An artificial neural network can reveal patterns in huge amounts of gene expression data, and discover groups of disease-related genes. This has been shown by a new study led by researchers at Linkoping University, published in Nature Communications. The scientists hope that the method can eventually be applied within precision medicine and individualised treatment.

It's common when using social media that the platform suggests people whom you may want to add as friends. The suggestion is based on you and the other person having common contacts, which indicates that you may know each other. In a similar manner, scientists are creating maps of biological networks based on how different proteins or genes interact with each other. The researchers behind a new study have used artificial intelligence, AI, to investigate whether it is possible to discover biological networks using deep learning, in which entities known as "artificial neural networks" are trained by experimental data. Since artificial neural networks are excellent at learning how to find patterns in enormous amounts of complex data, they are used in applications such as image recognition. However, this machine learning method has until now seldom been used in biological research.

"We have for the first time used deep learning to find disease-related genes. This is a very powerful method in the analysis of huge amounts of biological information, or 'big data'," says Sanjiv Dwivedi, postdoc in the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM) at Linkoping University.

The scientists used a large database with information about the expression patterns of 20,000 genes in a large number of people. The information was "unsorted," in the sense that the researchers did not give the artificial neural network information about which gene expression patterns were from people with diseases, and which were from healthy people. The AI model was then trained to find patterns of gene expression.

One of the challenges of machine learning is that it is not possible to see exactly how an artificial neural network solves a task. AI is sometimes described as a "black box" -- we see only the information that we put into the box and the result that it produces. We cannot see the steps between. Artificial neural networks consist of several layers in which information is mathematically processed. The network comprises an input layer and an output layer that delivers the result of the information processing carried out by the system. Between these two layers are several hidden layers in which calculations are carried out. When the scientists had trained the artificial neural network, they wondered whether it was possible to, in a manner of speaking, lift the lid of the black box and understand how it works. Are the designs of the neural network and the familiar biological networks similar?

"When we analysed our neural network, it turned out that the first hidden layer represented to a large extent interactions between various proteins. Deeper in the model, in contrast, on the third level, we found groups of different cell types. It's extremely interesting that this type of biologically relevant grouping is automatically produced, given that our network has started from unclassified gene expression data," says Mika Gustafsson, senior lecturer at IFM and leader of the study.

The scientists then investigated whether their model of gene expression could be used to determine which gene expression patterns are associated with disease and which is normal. They confirmed that the model finds relevant patterns that agree well with biological mechanisms in the body. Since the model has been trained using unclassified data, it is possible that the artificial neural network has found totally new patterns. The researchers plan now to investigate whether such, previously unknown patterns, are relevant from a biological perspective.

"We believe that the key to progress in the field is to understand the neural network. This can teach us new things about biological contexts, such as diseases in which many factors interact. And we believe that our method gives models that are easier to generalise and that can be used for many different types of biological information," says Mika Gustafsson.

Mika Gustafsson hopes that close collaboration with medical researchers will enable him to apply the method developed in the study in precision medicine. It may be possible, for example, to determine which groups of patients should receive a certain type of medicine, or identify the patients who are most severely affected.

The study has received financial support from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) and the Swedish Research Council.
The TV presenter has died, her family said in a statement. PA Photo

Former Love Island presenter Caroline Flack has died aged 40.

In a statement, her family said: "We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February.

"We would ask that the press both respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time."

A lawyer for the Flack family confirmed that Caroline took her own life and was found in her east London flat today.

The television presenter has had a troubled few months, after she was arrested and charged with assault by beating following an alleged fight at her home last month. However, she denied she had hit Lewis Burton, 27, and was released on bail until her trial on March 4.

Caroline chose to step down as host of the current series of 'Love Island' in order not to "detract attention" from the show as she faced the assault charge.

The 40-year-old star - who was replaced by Laura Whitmore - shared at the time: "'Love Island' has been my world for the last five years, its the best show on telly. In order to not detract attention from the upcoming series I feel the best thing I can do is to stand down for series six. I want to wish the incredible team working on the show a fantastic series in Cape Town."

An ITV spokeswoman said: Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news. Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.

Louis Walsh has paid tribute to his friend Caroline Flack.

The music manager became close to the TV star through the series the Xtra Factor where the pair tied the knot in a fake wedding for the show.

Mr Walsh expressed his devastation at the tragedy.

I loved her, he said, We were only texting last week. It is awful.

Irish TV presenter Laura Whitmore, who replaced Flack as the presenter for Love Island's winter series, said: "Im trying to find the words but I cant."

Im trying to find the words but I cant  pic.twitter.com/FY3ppLzqsA  Laura Whitmore  (@thewhitmore) February 15, 2020

Friends and colleagues are flocking to social media to pay tribute to Ms Flack.

This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield paid tribute to Flack with a post on his Instagram stories.

Read More

He added text above a message that Flack had posted on social media, which read: "In a world where you can be anything, be kind".

Schofield wrote: "You poor darling girl my heart is breaking #BeKind".

Irish Actor Chris O'Dowd also paid tribute to Ms Flack.

He tweeted: "Caroline was so f**kin fun. She had the best cackle of a laugh. She deserved so much better. Shes gone far too soon. My heart goes out to her sister Jo and the family. Youll be so missed darlin, by so many."

Former Love Island contestant Amber Davies, who won the ITV2 series in 2017, tweeted: "My heart is actually broken."

Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan said: "I met Caroline Flack last summer, she was so sweet and genuine and couldnt have been kinder to me.She did not deserve this.Its absolutely devastating, all my love to her family and friends."

Former Love Island contestant Wes Nelson wrote a long message on Instagram next to a picture of himself with Flack.

He wrote: "I can't believe what I'm reading! Caroline Flack was an absolute diamond, my hearts genuinely broken! One of the warmest funniest people I've ever met, I have nothing but great memories! It was just weeks since we were chatting away!".

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article please contact Samaritans helpline 116 123 or Aware helpline 1800 80 48 48 or Pieta House on 1800 247 247.




It Could Be Years Before

Holmes Goes to Prison
New Perspective has 22 senior living buildings in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Illinois, with two currently under construction. Elgin will be their first move into the Chicago area, and there is a plan to build more as well as opening locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, Cozine said.
Kandy Society of Medicine continues promoting medical education View(s):

The academic sessions of the Kandy Society of Medicine were held this month. They are held in February every year, and have been a platform for the delivery of continuing medical education in the country.

The Chief Guest at the 42nd Kandy Society of Medicine Annual Academic Sessions was Professor Shanthi Mendis of the Geneva Leaning Foundation and former WHO (Geneva) non-communicable diseases Senior Advisor.

The Conference theme was Education for Health.

Professor Shanti Mendis said the Kandy Society of Medicine was established in 1964 and it had played a vital role in continuing medical education.

The programme this year was no exception. It included plenary sessions, symposiums, workshops and orations which targeted a wide array of medical topics.

She said the three day conference enhanced the knowledge and expertise of the medical professionals who participated.

Professor Mendis also said she was happy to see the growth of the Kandy Society of Medicine, as she was a past President.

The Kandy Teaching and General Hospital Director Dr. R.M..K. Rathnayake was the Guest of Honour at this Conference.

The Bibile Memorial Oration for 2020 was delivered by University of Peradeniyas Faculty of Medicine Surgery Professor Prof. K.B.Galketiya on the topic Learning and Teaching Minimal Access Surgery: Living through a Learning Curve.

The Kandy Society of Medicine Oration 2020 was delivered by Dr. Sanath Thusa Kudagammana on Pediatric Allergic Diseases in Sri Lanka: Unraveling the Uncertain and the Unknown.

The Kandy Society of Medicine President Prof. Ratnayake M. Mudiyanse addressed the Conference as well. The two Joint Secretaries are Dr. Chathurange Keppetyagama and Dr. Duminda Yasaratne

- L.B. Senaratne
To the curators relief, the team banished the intimate irradiator to a desert grave. Its now buried with other atomic waste at a disposal site near Nevadas infamous Area 51, the secretive military facility near Las Vegas associated with UFO conspiracy theories. But countless similar artifacts remain in museums, private collections and junk drawers, all reminders of our bizarre and sometimes-fatal love affair with what many believed to be the healing powers of radioactivity.
AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Builders Association of Greater Austin (HBA), in partnership with Lennar, the nation's leading homebuilder, today announced plans to break ground on the 2020 HBA Benefit Home. This annual project is the construction of a home built mostly - if not entirely  by a sponsoring Developer/Builder, as well as through donations of construction management, materials, supplies, labor and monies of HBA Members. Lennar, a long-time member and supporter of the HBA, is this year's builder sponsor. Once the home is completed and sold on the open market, proceeds from the sale will be donated to the HBA who will donate a significant portion to HomeAid Austin to support the mission of building new lives for Austin's homeless through housing and community outreach.

"A cornerstone of the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin is to give back to our community," said HBA CEO Carrie L. Ciliberto, Esq. "The Benefit Home project offers the HBA, and its 750 member companies, a unique and impactful opportunity to do so. We are so grateful to Lennar for their donation of time and resources toward this very worthy cause."

Charlie Coleman, Austin Division President for Lennar said, "Giving back to the community is part of our DNA at Lennar and we are thrilled to join forces with HBA and HomeAid Austin to support this year's 2020 HBA Benefit Home."

The home is being built under Lennar's luxury brand, Village Builders, within The Retreat at Steiner Ranch community in Northwest Austin. The two-story home offers 2,500 square feet and includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The public is invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.

Groundbreaking Details:

Tuesday, February 18

11:00 am

The Retreat at Steiner Ranch

12512 Simmental, Austin, TX 78732

Media Contact: Jenny Jackson

512-474-5588  [email protected]

Lennar Media Contact: Danielle Tocco

949-789-1633  [email protected]

SOURCE Lennar
New Delhi, Feb 16 : A fire broke out at a slum area near Sector-16 in Rohini here on Saturday evening, officials said. There were, however, no casualties.

Twelve fire-fighting vehicles of Delhi Fire Services (DFS) were rushed to douse the fire that broke out around 7 p.m. on Saturday evening.

"Fire department personnel are struggling to control the fire. An alert has been sent to all fire stations in the vicinity to keep fire engines ready for any kind of emergency," DFS director Atul Garg told IANS, The slum area where the fire broke out is locally known as 'Bengali Basti'.
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday appealed to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to arrange to bring back 104 Indian women stranded in Muscat. Fourteen of them are from Punjab.

In a tweet, the Chief Minister said that he had ordered the ADGP, NRI affairs, to nab the agents who cheated them.

Urge @DrSJaishankar to immediately arrange for return of 104 women stuck in Muscat. 14 women are from Punjab & have ordered ADGP NRI affairs to nab the agents who cheated & misguided them. I laud the efforts of @SPSOberoi who has consistently helped Indians in distress abroad. https://t.co/xzvU2jzSuo  Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 15, 2020

He also lauded the efforts of Dubai-based hotelier S.P.S. Oberoi, who has consistently helped Indians in distress abroad.
A Naxal was gunned down in an



encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday evening, police said.

The gunfight took place between Naxals and a team of the District Reserve Guard at 4:30pm in the jungles under Polampalli police station limits, some 450 kilometres from here, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

"When the patrolling team was cordoning off forests near Jaggawaram and Arampalli villages, an exchange of fire took place. We later recovered the body of a Naxal, one muzzle loading gun and huge cache of explosives from the spot," he said.

He said preliminary reports have identified the dead Maoist as Madvi Sukka, 'militia commander' of Pentapad village.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 21:46:40|Editor: yhy

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French President Emmanuel Macron (L) talks with Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger at the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, Feb. 15, 2020. Macron on Saturday called for a European strategy and more actions at the European level in the face of challenges at the ongoing 56th MSC. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for a European strategy and more actions at the European level in the face of challenges at the ongoing 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC).

It was Macron's first time attending the MSC since he canceled his trip to the conference last year.

Macron admitted that there is a certain weakness in the West in the last 10 to 15 years, with values changing and new powers emerging.

The French president called on his European counterparts to forge a "European strategy," hoping to see "a Europe that can protect the basis of its sovereignty, a Europe that has more vitality, and a Europe that is enthusiastic about its future."

Macron said Europe needs to develop their own European policy, instead of a transatlantic policy, when it comes to relations with neighbors such as the Middle East, Russia and Africa.

The EU needs to have a budget in proportion with its ambitions and needs, he said.

Commenting on the Franco-German bilateral ties, Macron said it is often a story of "proposals waiting for answers," emphasizing the magnitude and speediness needed for the two countries to address core problems together.

Defending his position on relations with Russia, Macron said that he is neither anti- nor pro-Russia, but rather "pro-European." He said Russia will need European allies in the long run and it remains an option for Europe to restart strategic dialogue with Russia as "today we talk less and less, conflicts multiply and we aren't able to resolve them."

Macron also talked about issues concerning the EU enlargement. In October last year, the bid by Albania and North Macedonia to open EU accession negotiations was blocked mainly because of France's opposition. Paris justified its decision with the need for the EU to develop a new accession methodology.

Macron said Saturday that there will be an EU report coming up in March about the progress made by the two countries, and that France is in a position to back the negotiations if the results are positive and confidence is established.
Juliette Parker - who ran for Colorado Springs mayor in 2019 - was charged with multiple felonies after she and the unidentified minor were detained Friday

A former Colorado Springs mayoral candidate and her 16-year-old daughter have been arrested after allegedly posed as baby photographers and drugged a woman in an attempt to steal her newborn.

Juliette Parker - who ran for mayor in 2019 - was charged with multiple felonies after she and the unidentified minor were detained Friday at her home on the 4100 block of 220 Street East at around 2.30pm.

Parker was charged with a count of assault in the second degree and attempted kidnapping, according to booking records.

A release from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department state that the pair were arrested following an extensive investigation and after reports that they may have been posing as newborn baby photographers.

On February 5, a woman called 911 and requested medical assistance because she was feeling numbness, drowsiness, instability on her feet and she was vomiting.

Parker and her daughter were arrested after the Pierce County Sheriff's Department conducted an investigation, determining that they had been drugging victims to steal babies

She told fire fighters that she believed that she was drugged, the release states.

The victim waited until after getting medical attention to file a police report with the sheriff's department.

She explained that she had met Parker through a post on a newborn baby group on Facebook.

Parker reportedly offered to take photos of newborns for free so that she could build her portfolio.

Parker is said to have gone to the woman's home on three occasions to take photos of her newborn.

A victim told deputies that the woman had been at her home on three occasions, drugging her on the third visit and taking the victim's house keys

The victim told deputies that she witnessed Parker taking cell phone selfies with the baby, as well as wiping her fingerprints off items she touched inside the woman's home.

It was on the third visit that the woman alleges that the drugging took place. Parker's teenage daughter allegedly gave the victim a cupcake and as soon as she ate the treat, the woman immediately felt drowsy.

The victim ordered Parker and her daughter to leave her home, only realizing that they had taken her house keys after they had gone.

Deputies interviewed several more victims and learned that Parker had been planning to steal a newborn baby to raise as her own. She was then arrested at her Spanaway home.

Deputies paid for the woman to have her locks replaced and window guards installed

Deputies with the department also donated funds to help purchase new locks and window guards for the victim, volunteering to install them in her home.

Authorities are asking that anyone who may have used Parker's services, possibly under the name 'Juliette Noel' or 'Juliette Gains', to contact them.

Parker notably ran for Colorado Springs Mayor in 2019, coming in second behind incumbent John Suthers. She received 11.9 per cent of the vote (roughly 11,453 votes).

In 2014, Parker was charged in U.S. District Court with larceny and trespassing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

Parker notably ran for Colorado Springs Mayor in 2019, coming in second behind incumbent John Suthers

Parker told authorities at the time that she was hiking and unaware that she had been on military property. While on the property, the woman found old ammunition and took it home with her.

One of the bullets fired spontaneously at her home, prompting police response.

Parker pleaded guilty to misdemeanor illegal burning and paid a $200 fine, according to the Gazette.

Local reporting from when she was running reveals that she has two children.
Beijing/Wuhan: Top WHO experts are set to arrive in Beijing this weekend to assist China to contain the coronavirus outbreak as the death toll climbed to 1,523 in China and France reported the first fatality outside Asia, fuelling concerns about the epidemic.

More than 66,000 people are now infected from the virus in China, health officials said.

On Saturday China's Health Commission said the death toll in China rose to 1,523 after 143 more people died in the country, most in Hubei, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

There were reports of 2,641 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 143 deaths on Friday from 31 provincial-level regions, it said.

A top Chinese health official said efforts to prevent and control the virus outbreak reached its most crucial stage as the virus epicentre Hubei province continues to grapple with growing fatalities over a month after the virus outbreak even though the cases began dropping in rest of China.

The virus emerged in central Hubei province in December before spreading across the country and some two dozen countries.

In France, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist died from the new coronavirus, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said on Saturday.

Only three other deaths have been recorded outside mainland China -- in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.

The most concentrated number of cases outside China is on a cruise ship quarantined off the Japanese coast, which is holding at least 285 people with the virus among its 3,711 crew and passengers.

A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, are among the 3,711 people on board the quarantined ship. Three Indians are among those infected on the ship.

Several countries have banned arrivals from China and major airlines have cut services with the country.

The coronavirus has posed a big threat to the medical staff in China as more than 1,700 Chinese health workers have been infected by the virus while treating the patients and six of them have died so far.

While China dispatched more medical teams and poured more resources to virus-hit Hubei and its provincial capital Wuhan, experts of the World Health Organisation (WHO) are converging here this weekend to join Chinese health specialists to contain the virus.

The prevention and control of the coronavirus outbreak is currently at its most crucial stage in China and Hubei Province remained the main battlefield, a senior health official said.

A total of 217 medical teams with 25,633 medical workers had been sent to Hubei to help combat the COVID-19 as of Friday. Of the medical workers, 20,374 are now working in Wuhan, figures from the NHC show.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the international joint mission with China on the novel coronavirus is moving forward, with the full team expected to reach China over the weekend.

The team will consist of 12 international and WHO experts and a similar number of their Chinese counterparts. An advanced WHO team arrived here on Monday.

"The China mission will include in-depth workshops' data review, a series of meetings with key national level institutions and field visits in three provinces to understand the application and impact of response activities at province and country levels, including urban and rural areas," Tedros was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.

Tedros said that one of the goals of the joint mission is to rapidly inform the public of the next steps in the COVID-19 response and preparedness activities in China and globally.

"Particular attention will be paid to understanding the transmission of the virus, the severity of disease and the impact of ongoing response measures," he said.

Furthermore, he said, it will be important to review which type of information is needed so that the world can use this window of opportunity to prepare health systems and workers for possible outbreaks.

"I want to say again from my heart that this is the time for solidarity not stigma," he stressed.

China's National Health Commission said the joint mission with WHO experts will also pay field visits to China's three provincial-level regions to learn the implementation and effectiveness of the epidemic prevention and control measures taken in China's urban and rural areas.

One of the goals of the joint mission is to provide suggestions on the prevention and control of the coronavirus outbreak in China and globally, it said.

In addition, the expert team will visit epidemic-related institutions focusing on epidemiology, medical treatment, laboratory detection and scientific research, said the NHC.

One task of the WHO team along with their Chinese counterparts is to come up with standard medicine to cure the disease.

China has applied Traditional Chinese Medicine in treating more than half of the confirmed patients of novel coronavirus infection in Hubei province, Wang said.

The TCM has been applied in treating more than half of the confirmed patients of novel coronavirus infection in Hubei province, he said.

The Chinese government has also approved field trials for experimental US antiviral drug, Remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients. Remdesivir has been used recently to treat Ebola virus in Africa.

Jiao Yahui, also a senior official at the National Health Commission, said that the combination of traditional and western medicines have shown supportive results.
EU to take on emissions with 'Fit for 55'

Positive steps taken in J&K, but withdraw restrictions swiftly: EU tells govt

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: The European Union sought swift lifting of existing restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir but at the same time noted the "positive steps" initiated by the union government to restore normalcy in the region.

The comments by the European Union came a day after a group of 25 foreign envoys concluded a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to have a first-hand account of the situation over six months after the Centre announced withdrawing its special status.

"The visit confirmed that the government of India has taken positive steps to restore normalcy. Some restrictions remain, notably on internet access and mobile services, and some political leaders are still in detention," said Virginie Battu-Henriksson, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat polls to be held in 8 phases from March 5-19

"While we recognise the serious security concerns, it is important that the remaining restrictions be lifted swiftly," the official said.

Battu-Henriksson said the visit presented a "welcome opportunity" to see the situation on the ground and to interact with local interlocutors in Jammu and Kashmir.

"We look forward to continuing the dialogue with India on the situation in the region," the official added.

The visit was organised by the government to help the foreign envoys know about the situation in the Union Territory.

The EU official said the programme included meetings with civil and military authorities, some political representatives as well as selected representatives of civil society and the business community.

Last month, the government had taken 15 envoys to Jammu and Kashmir but the European countries had declined to be part of it.

After announcing reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir and withdrawal of its special powers, India imposed severe curbs including on movement of people as well as on mobile telephone and internet connectivity. The crackdown drew international criticism with several countries expressing concerns over the situation in Kashmir.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 7:57 [IST]
The barbs came as early voting for Nevadas Democratic caucuses began on Saturday, with most of the leading candidates rallying supporters amid lingering concerns about whether Nevada would be able to avoid a repeat of the caucus fiasco in Iowa.

As Mr. Sanders addressed a crowd in a high school cafeteria on Saturday morning, with a mariachi band taking the stage before he did, his supporters were sharply focused on the process as well as on Mr. Sanders and his opponents.

Numerous people expressed concern about the logistics of a caucus in which they want to deliver a speedy and unequivocal victory to their candidate.

I went to a training last week, and there are lots of concerns among the campaign  Hows it actually going to work? said Paul Kleemann, a precinct captain volunteer for the Sanders campaign who teaches high school guitar in Las Vegas. We were supposed to use the same app as Iowa, but they scrapped that, and as of Wednesday, they hadnt released how they were going to get the early caucus results to the precincts. He added, Its a little frightening at this point.

In Nevada, early voting is being held from Saturday through Tuesday in advance of next Saturdays caucuses. At an early caucus site at the East Las Vegas Library, voters waited in a 40-minute line on Saturday morning. After presenting their IDs, they filled in paper ballots by order of their choices, up to a total of five, then deposited them in a slotted box. The state Democratic Party said that almost 12,000 people had participated in the early voting as of 5 p.m. Saturday.

The ballots will be shared with the caucus precincts corresponding to their residences. If their first choice is not viable in their home precinct, the next in line will be counted if that person reaches the 15 percent threshold.

This is the first time weve done early voting, and weve got to get this right because all eyes are on Nevada, Representative Dina Titus, Democrat of Nevada, said on Friday. And if we do a good job, then maybe we get to be first instead of Iowa next time around.
MUNICH  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged Saturday to end the separatist conflict in the east of his country, where fighting between Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian troops has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said he hopes to end the conflict by the end of his presidential term in 2024.

If in five years, we will end the war, bring our people back, then I did (become president) for a reason, he said.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted in April 2014, weeks after Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, and has devastated the countrys industrial heartland.

Thanking the United States for supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, Zelensky expressed hope to start afresh Kyivs relations with the U.S. now that proceedings for President Trumps impeachment are over.

Ukraine and Zelensky were at the center of the impeachment hearings. In a phone call in July that triggered a congressional inquiry, Trump pressured Zelensky to investigate the involvement of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens son with Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company.

In Munich, Zelensky said he wants to visit the White House, and he invited Trump to Kyiv.

We have a good relationship with the U.S., and Im grateful to Americans for their support, he said.

Zelensky, a 42-year-old comic actor with no political experience, won Ukraines presidential election in 2019 on promises to end the fighting. He has expressed willingness to negotiate a peace agreement with Russia.

However, several contentious issues complicate the peace process, including Ukraine regaining control of its border and allowing elections that would give rebel-controlled regions more autonomy.

Zelensky said Saturday in Munich he wants local elections held across Ukraine, including certain areas of the east, in October. But the votes cant take place while fighting continues, he said.

People in Donbass need elections that would be recognized as legitimate. But they cant be that if held not in accordance with Ukrainian laws, to the sound of gunfire and without (Kyivs) control of Ukraines border, the president said.

Zelensky announced discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in April about another exchange of prisoners. There are currently 200 Ukrainians held in the rebel-controlled areas, Zelensky said.
MADISON  Control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court may not be up for grabs in this springs election, but the three candidates vying for a 10-year term on the court still argue their election would drive it in a significantly different direction.

Incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly, of North Prairie who is backed by conservatives, and Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky and Marquette Law School professor Ed Fallone of Milwaukee, both backed by liberals, are set to compete in Tuesdays primary that will determine which two candidates advance to the April general election.

This years race is less consequential than it would have been had liberal-backed 2019 candidate Lisa Neubauer of Racine won her race, thus causing the courts majority to be at stake. The court is currently composed of a 5-2 conservative majority, meaning a win by a liberal-supported candidate this year would drive that down to 4-3.

But political observers say the race nevertheless carries political weight. A win by a liberal-backed candidate this year would give liberals the chance to retake the majority on the court in 2023, when conservative-supported Chief Justice Patience Roggensacks term expires. If Kelly wins election in April, conservatives will hold onto the majority until at least 2025.

If the Democrats are not successful in defeating Justice Kelly, they push it off another year or two, said Brandon Scholz, a Republican strategist who has worked on Supreme Court races. By not winning the last election, that pushed off their ability to set the stage for taking back control of the courts.

But for Kelly, Karofsky and Fallone, the stakes are more than that.

Kelly, who was appointed to the court in 2016 by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker to replace retiring Justice David Prosser Jr., said serving a full term would help ensure the court remains faithful to the state and U.S. Constitutions. Karofsky said a term would mean steering the court away from what she views as perceived corruption by Kelly. And Fallone argues he would bring intellectual diversity to the court and would help mend the scars caused by its increased partisanship.

Textual originalism

Kelly, who is facing voters for the first time this year, said his judicial philosophy makes him best qualified for the court.

For me, its a very straightforward issue, Kelly told the Wisconsin State Journal. This is about being faithful to the Constitution, the Constitution as it is actually written, not as we might wish it to be written, but as it was actually adopted and maintained by the people of Wisconsin.

Kelly, who is supported by conservatives, describes his judicial philosophy as textual originalism, meaning he looks for the original public meaning of the text of the law or the state or U.S. Constitution or their amendments when they were adopted.

Its important that we not insert ourselves into what we think the text should be, we just take it as it is actually written, Kelly said. Its kind of a humble role in the governmental structure.

If todays society opposes provisions of the Constitution, they can be changed through the amendment process, not through Supreme Court justices, he said.

To understand the meaning of a law, he said, he references only the text to understand its intent, consulting historical sources to understand the meaning of words and phrases, rather than explore the intent of the law. Kelly said his judicial philosophy most closely aligns with conservative-backed Justices Rebecca Bradley and Brian Hagedorn on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and with Justice Neil Gorsuch and on the current U.S. Supreme Court.

A component of his judicial philosophy that has prompted criticism from Fallone and Karofsky is his view toward precedent. While Kelly said stability of law is important so Wisconsinites know whats expected of them, overturning precedent is important if a justice believes a prior high court ruling is incorrect.

The only time that a precedent should be overturned is when its just flat wrong, Kelly said. But its important that we do overturn it if its wrong. Our role is not to perpetuate errors. Our role is to state accurately what the law is.

Kelly said a prominent example of such a doctrine was Brown vs. Board of Education, the racial segregation case that overturned a 60-year precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson.

His opponents in the race, particularly Fallone, have criticized Kellys view of precedent as giving too much power to individual justices.

This is why our judicial elections get so nasty, Fallone said. Because when prior precedent is put on the table, and can be reopened and rethought, then the person you elect or appoint becomes all important.

The liberal-backed candidates in the race have also slammed Kelly for his conservative writing on a blog between 2012 and 2015, before he was a member of the court.

In those writings, he opined that former Democratic President Barack Obamas re-election was a win for the socialism/same-sex marriage/recreational marijuana/tax increase crowd, that Social Security and other safety net programs were akin to slavery and that the U.S. Supreme Courts gay marriage ruling was illegitimate.

Kelly has also faced criticism from liberal groups and opponents, particularly Karofsky, for siding with the conservative interests that have cases before him.

Every time that he has the opportunity to rule in favor of right-wing special interest groups, he does, Karofsky said. Every time he has the opportunity to rule in favor of Republican causes, he does.

Kelly countered that he has never sat on a case in which he was aware any party made a contribution to him. But if one of his donors did have a case before him, Kelly said, that wouldnt be reason to recuse. He said Wisconsinites have already determined that a judge may hear a case in which a contributor donates up to $20,000, the current maximum allowed by state law.

At $20,000, I dont think that a reasonable perception of partiality would exist, he said.

If Wisconsinites are concerned about that level, they could change the current statutory cap, he said.

On the front line

Karofsky, supported by liberals, won a seat on the Dane County Circuit Court in 2017 and has also served as assistant and deputy district attorney in the Dane County District Attorneys Office from 1992 to 2001. She has also held two posts in the state Department of Justice, as violence against women prosecutor and as head of the Office of Crime Victim Services.

Karofsky cites a number of factors she said make her an ideal Supreme Court candidate, including her energy and experience as a trial court judge, which she said puts her in a position to see the impact of the law on real people.

You see how the law isnt some esoteric exercise when youve been the victim of a crime, or its your property thats being distributed through a divorce, or if youre the person who is being evicted, Karofsky said.

For Karofsky, a 10-year term would serve as a bit of a course correction for the states high court, which she said has developed an aura of corruption.

I think that we need to get our Supreme Court back on track, Karofsky said. Justice Kelly, the way that he has conducted himself on the court, it feels like corruption to people. Especially if it is a case thats political in nature, you know how Dan Kelly is going to decide before anyone even walks in the Supreme Court chamber.

Karofsky said shed call for hearings to determine a clear rule for when a justice should step away from a case, especially if a party in the case is a political donor. She said her own philosophy toward recusal is to take herself off cases when there is the appearance of impropriety.

She said her judicial philosophy centers around treating each person in her courtroom fairly, equally and respectfully.

When it comes to constitutional law, she said we need to be interpreting the Constitution with today in mind. Its 2020.

She said her judicial philosophy most closely aligns with that of Elena Kagan on the U.S. Supreme Court and Rebecca Dallet on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Karofsky has faced several lines of criticism from conservatives and her opponents, who say she would be a social justice warrior on the bench, that she doesnt have sufficient experience with civil cases and that she is soft on crime.

Karofsky acknowledges her progressive politics but said fairness and the rule of law dictate her decisions, not her personal policy preferences. She said her time on the front line of the criminal justice system made it clear to her that some criminal justice reform is necessary.

She dismissed accusations shes soft on crime, saying she strives to be prepared, fair, respectful and to apply the law to the facts in each case.

As for accusations shes doesnt have enough civil law experience, Karofsky counters she does see civil cases as a judge and also served as general counsel for a nonprofit for which she dealt with contract and copyright law.

Judicial originalist

Fallone, a liberal-backed candidate who has served as a Marquette Law School professor since 1992, said his election would bring a greater diversity of legal experience to a court he says is in need of change.

With the retirement of Justice Shirley Abrahamson, theres a real need for a constitutional law professor, the academic expertise of the law, Fallone said, adding that he also brings much-needed experience in criminal defense and business law.

Given that the state Supreme Court decides major constitutional issues, Fallone said, not having his depth of constitutional knowledge and a set of guiding constitutional principles puts the court at a disadvantage. He advised former Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl on four U.S. Supreme Court nominations and was consulted by the Obama White House to explain the legal issues surrounding Merrick Garlands nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Fallone defended himself against accusations he doesnt have sufficient experience in Wisconsin courts. As a law professor, he said, he follows a notable line of other influential justices, such as Abrahamson  a former chief justice  and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He said the idea that Wisconsin Supreme Court justices should have trial experience is a false qualification.

Youre talking about an appellate court that doesnt do trials, Fallone said, referring to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Fallone, who would be the Wisconisin Supreme Courts first Latino justice, said he would also help mend the increasing politicization of the court because he would avoid falling into a partisan camp.

As for his judicial philosophy, Fallone said Supreme Court justices should limit themselves to what is absolutely necessary in any given case in order to avoid overstepping. He argues Kelly is an activist from the right, who goes out of his way to interpret the Constitution to his liking. Fallone calls himself a judicial originalist who believes the original intent of the Constitution included the rights to self government and equal treatment for all.

Fallone declined to say which justices his judicial philosophy most closely aligns with. He said he identifies as a progressive. He agrees with Karofsky that there ought to be a rule instructing justices when to recuse themselves from cases. In Fallones view, justices should step away from a case if it involves parties that donated more than $10,000 within a couple years of hearing the case.

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It seems like leaving the royal family is working so well for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Apparently, the physical distance they have created from The Firm has brought the couple closer than they have ever been.

Quality Time

From how it looks, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are enjoying all the family time they are getting while in Canada amid their transition to living a private and "financially independent life."

According to PEOPLE, Prince Harry and Meghan -- who call each other "H" and "M" -- are reaping the benefits of their decision to take a step back from their royal duties. A source told the publication that the two have been very sweet to each other lately.

"Archie has always been the priority. Everything is still very much about him and putting their family first," a close friend of the couple explained. Further, the said source shared that Prince Archie is growing up to be a happy kid who loves to laugh a lot.

"Harry and Archie spend a lot of time together and Meghan is a great mom," the source said.

Perhaps the best thing about the move they made was that the couple was able to fulfill one of their dreams: to become regular parents and provide their son with all the time and love they could give.

"Their decision to leave has been weighing them down for a long time, and they are relieved to finally have done it," a friend told PEOPLE earlier in February. According to the said pal, Meghan and Harry looked like a heavy weight has been lifted off their shoulders.

Rubbing Off

Their friends who support their decision to move to Canada are not the only ones who noticed the huge change in the couple. In fact, their royal hiatus may have inspired the other royal couple.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have recently announced that they were going to take a break from their royal duties.

Although this could be bad for the royal family as everyone is still in the midst of the royal drama brought about by "Megxit," William and Kate will only be leaving the palace for a much shorter time.

According to the report released by Us Weekly, Prince William and Kate Middleton will be out on a short vacation towards the end of February. They will be taking the time off to spend time with their children, especially because Prince George and Princess Charlotte are on school vacation around that time.

When Prince Harry and Meghan decided to take a step back, the other members of the royal family had to take care of the duties that were once theirs. Is the decision of Harry and Meghan rubbing off on William and Kate?

Royal Reunion

While they may be enjoying their sweet time in Canada, Prince Harry and Meghan will be back in London in March. The brothers will once again be reunited, as the Queen extended an invitation to all the members of the royal family for a special event.

As per the report of Us Weekly, Queen Elizabeth is hopeful that everyone would be there to show that the royal family remains to be united as one.

Who else will be there? Prince Andrew -- despite the damaging accusations thrown against him -- still received an invitation to attend from his dear mother.
British style icon Vivienne Westwood unveiled her latest offerings and American actress Lena Dunham made a catwalk debut as London Fashion Week got underway Friday under the shadow of the novel coronavirus epidemic.

The five-day showcase in the British capital will feature more than 60 shows, including Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger, but with participation dented by the deadly outbreak spreading around the world.

The COVID-19 epidemic -- as the World Health Organization has formally named it -- has so far claimed around 1,400 lives and infected nearly 64,000 people.

The vast majority have been in China, the source of the outbreak, but as it has spread there have also been nine cases identified in Britain.

The British Fashion Council (BFC), which organises the event, said it expected attendance from Chinese media and buyers to be significantly reduced due to the travel restrictions imposed as a result of the outbreak.

Chief Executive Caroline Rush announced a partnership with the Business of Fashion China media platform to ensure that our two audiences remain incredibly connected.

But BFC chairwoman Stephanie Phair tried to downplay the obvious concerns encroaching on one of the global fashion industrys key gatherings.

It is absolutely a topic but the fashion industry has always faced challenges and is a resilient industry, she told AFP.

- Sustainability focus -

US acting star and Girls creator Dunham made her surprise runway debut for London-based brand 16Arlington, sporting wet hair, a gold leaf dress and a leather jacket.

Lena is amazing, Marco Capaldo, its co-founder along with Kikka Cavenati, told AFP. Apart from being a dear friend, she stands for such positivity and she is a real force for change and we love that.

Meanwhile Westwood presented her autumn/winter 2020/21 collection, inspired by British and Italian traditions, at the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park with an overtly political message of support for jailed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Im taking the opportunity of London Fashion Week to defend human rights and free speech, she said in a statement calling for protests when the whistleblowers trial over extradition to the United States begins later this month in Britain.

Some of the models at her show wore black and white masks to represent a decapitated mans face while a pillory was on display.

Londons turn in the fashion spotlight opened Friday with the debut show by Yuhan Wang, a London-based designer originally from Weihai in northeast China.

She showed long and light floral dresses, dominated by lace with a bohemian, melancholic feel.

Also showing in London this week are queen of punk rock culture Pam Hogg, along with big British names such as Chalayan, JW Anderson and Victoria Beckham.

Meanwhile Vienna-based designer Petar Petrov will be among the newcomers showcasing at Fashion East, Londons pioneering non-profit initiative championing emerging talent.

After largely deserting New York Fashion Week in recent years, Tommy Hilfiger returns to London to unveil his fourth TommyxLewis collection, which has a strong focus on sustainability.

- Creative disruptions -

With climate change concerns paramount, an increasing number of designers are choosing to use renewable materials and support local crafts.

That trend is set to feature in the collections of Mulberry, Phoebe English, and Johnstons of Elgin -- all with a strong production presence in England.

Under pressure from environmental activists, London organisers are trying to improve the image of the event and promote good practices.

They include a switch to blue campaign to bring the industry together to lead in ambitious environmental action, as well as a collaboration with designer Richard Malone for a reusable canvas bag.

On Tuesday, young designer Rosh Mahtani, founder of the jewellery brand Alighieri, will receive the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, for her ethical approach and commitment to local manufacturing.

However, activist group Extinction Rebellion has called for next seasons event in September to be scrapped, denouncing the fashion industrys exploitation of (the) planet, people and animals.

It has previously protested at London Fashion Week and plans further creative disruptions on Saturday.

Meanwhile the perceived threat of COVID-19 looms large in the background.

Organisers said they would carry out deep cleans every evening at the events central London hub, while anti-bacterial hand sanitisers will be made available throughout the venue.

But concerns about the outbreak go well beyond the immediate threat to those attending.

British fashion house Burberry warned last week of a material negative effect on luxury demand, as Chinese consumers stayed at home.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Tokusen-omosiro-game.info scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 13 Jul 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the tokusen-omosiro-game homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the tokusen-omosiro-game homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the tokusen-omosiro-game homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if tokusen-omosiro-game has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the tokusen-omosiro-game homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the tokusen-omosiro-game homepage on Twitter + the total number of tokusen-omosiro-game followers (if tokusen-omosiro-game has a Twitter account).

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE  DESCRIPTION  KEYWORDS , ,  OTHER KEYWORDS



CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE HTML 4.01 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE Japanese Japanese SERVER Apache/1.3.42 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.8.31 OpenSSL/0.9.8e OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

The language of tokusen-omosiro-game.info as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. Operative System running on the server.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for tokusen-omosiro-game.info by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

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Jill Karnicki, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Justice Peter Kelly of the 1st District Court of Appeals in Houston is our choice between two very qualified candidates in the Democratic primary for Place 8 on the Texas Supreme Court.

Both Kelly and his opponent, Justice Gisela Triana of the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin, have served a little over a year as appellate court judges  so it is their experience prior to their election in 2018 that is the best gauge for voters in assessing what kind of Supreme Court justice they will make. And on that basis, we find Kellys decades-long career as an appellate lawyer, one who has argued roughly 30 cases before the court he now wishes to join, a stronger indicator of success than Trianas impressively diverse career as a trial court judge.
At same time, the president emphasized that the path to peace is a two-way road, so Ukraine is waiting for steps towards it

Ukraine will continue to do everything so that the next summit in the Normandy format takes place in April 2020. The President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, which was broadcast by 112 Ukraine.

"Ukraine will continue to do everything so that the next summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Germany and Russia in the Normandy format takes place on an agreed date, namely in April 2020," the president said.

Zelensky added that the key task remains; it is to ensure the steady implementation of the agreements reached in Paris.

Ukraine is ready and works on it every day. Every day, step by step, we move towards peace, but it is a two-way road and we really look forward to steps towards it, the Ukrainian leader emphasized.

As we reported before, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the war in eastern Ukraine is a war in Europe. He said so during his speech at the Munich security conference.
By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed and Uday Sampath Kumar

NEW YORK/BENGALURU, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease is taking a toll on the $46 billion global ocean cruise industry.

Dominated by three U.S.-listed companies, Carnival Corp , Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the industry is under sharp scrutiny following the virus outbreak that has left one ship quarantined in Asia.

Many see Asia as a potential growth area for cruise tourism: 39 cruise brands were active in Asian waters last year, deploying a total of 79 ships, according to trade group Cruise Lines International Association.

The long-term impact of the virus on the industry is unclear and some analysts have cautioned investors against dumping cruise stocks.

"We remind investors not to hit the panic button, as in the year following SARS, H1N1, and Zika, Carnival and Royal both posted positive as-reported yield growth, conveying the resilience of demand across the industry," Morningstar analysts said in a recent note.

Authorities on Friday reported 5,090 new coronavirus cases in mainland China and 120 additional deaths. Cases now total 63,851, with 1,380 fatalities.

Royal Caribbean Cruises on Thursday canceled 18 cruises in Southeast Asia after calling off eight trips to China last week. It joined industry leader Carnival in warning that full-year earnings would be hit by the epidemic.

The big three of the cruise industry - Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line - have nearly 200 ships in their global fleet. Norwegian declined to comment on the long-term impact of the virus on its business. Carnival and Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Each of these companies garner a major portion of its annual revenue from the region. China, in particular, has grown as a cruise market in recent years because of its large middle-class population and expanding international tourism.

Story continues

Carnival, which considers China its most significant long-term growth opportunity in Asia, has been in the eye of the coronavirus storm.

Carnival's Diamond Princess has remained docked in Yokohama, Japan, since Feb. 3 after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus. With 218 passengers and crew infected, the British-flagged ship has the biggest cluster of infected people outside China.

Another Carnival ship, the MS Westerdam, found itself stuck at sea for about two weeks after several Asian countries barred it from docking at their ports. The ship finally docked in Cambodia.

Carnival has already suspended cruise operations at ports in China. The company estimated its 2020 earnings would drop 55 cents to 65 cents per share if it was forced suspend operations in the rest of Asia.

The virus scare has hit shares of all cruise liner companies in recent months.

Cruise ships, which bring large numbers of people together in crowded, semi-enclosed environments, can sometimes facilitate the spread of contagious diseases such as norovirus and other gastrointestinal illnesses.

The average age of a cruise ship customer as of 2018 was 46.7 years, according to Cruise Lines International Association. The average age of the people who have contracted the coronavirus is 55.5 years, according to a study of 99 patients at a single hospital in Wuhan, China, from Jan. 1-20, as reported in the Lancet medical journal.

(Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, additional reporting by Uday Sampath Kumar in Bengaluru; editing by Megan Davies, Ira Iosebashvili and Richard Chang)
Two married men from the Houston area pleaded guilty in federal court this month to supplying the ketamine that led to the death of a Slidell teenager as part of a botched scheme to recover his bail money.

Federal prosecutors said Carlos Mario and Christopher Cantu-Cox, 48 and 37, pleaded guilty on Feb. 4 to supplying the ketamine that led to the death of 18-year-old Vincent Stolese in February 2016.

The bizarre circumstances that led to Stolese's death started when he was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm in Texas in November 2015, according to U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser's office.

Stolese frequently stayed with the Cantu-Coxes at their Pasadena home and purchased methamphetamine from them, prosecutors said. They posted his $6,000 bail.

Woman pleads to drugging kidnapped Slidell man whose body turned up in a bayou, feds say A 25-year-old Jefferson Parish woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to giving drugs to a Slidell man whose body was found floating in a Texas bayou 

When Stolese failed to appear in court in Texas, the Cantu-Coxes hatched a plot to recover their imperiled bail money. They put out word that they were willing to pay drugs in return for his return to Texas.

Prosecutors said Williams Harrison Farris, a New Orleans-based methamphetamine dealer who was supplied by the Texas couple, enlisted the aid of his ex-girlfriend, Kacie Doucet.

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Doucet, 37, lured the teen to a meeting on Feb. 23, 2016, with the promise of sex, according to prosecutors. She and Leila Aspuria then gave Stolese a powerful cocktail of drugs supplied by the Cantu-Coxes to incapacitate him.

Doucet and Aspuria tried to deliver Stolese to the Cantu-Coxes at the Marriott Hotel in downtown New Orleans at one point, but the teen resisted. So they gave him more of the cocktail including ketamine, a powerful anesthetic that's sometimes used in veterinary medicine.

When Stolese was finally subdued, the Cantu-Coxes drove him back to Pasadena in the back seat of their car. But near the Texas border they realized he was no longer breathing, however.

That night, the couple dumped Stolese's body into Sims Bayou, one of dozens of bodies found in Houston bayous in recent years. His body was recovered on March 2, 2016.

U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter is set to sentence the Cantu-Coxes on May 5. They face up to 20 years in prison.

Farris, Aspuria and Doucet have all pleaded guilty to the same crime.
Vietnam Airlines is preparing to operate a dozen flights to repatriate more than 1,000 Chinese citizens who have got stuck in Danang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc due to the suspension of air services between Vietnam and China.

A health quarantine staff monitors the body temperatures of arriving passengers at a local airport. Vietnam Airlines is preparing flights to repatriate over 1,000 Chinese citizens  PHOTO: VNA

Duong Tri Thanh, general director of the national flag carrier, told the working team of the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises, which on February 13 inspected the airlines and the Airports Corporation of Vietnams (ACVs) coronavirus prevention efforts at Noi Bai International Airport, that the airline will operate 10 flights to transport these Chinese nationals to the Chinese cities of Chengdu and Guangzhou.

The number of flights can be adjusted depending on the number of Chinese nationals who need to be repatriated, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported.

Discussing the impact of the Covid-19 virus, Thanh said that the coronavirus outbreak has taken a heavy toll, even heavier than the 2002-2003 pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), on the carrier.

Preliminary calculations cited by ACV Chairman Lai Xuan Thanh indicate that the fallout from the virus, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, had lowered ACVs business efficiency by 20% compared with normal periods.

Taking Cam Ranh International Airport as an example, Thanh said that the airport, which handles 60% of international arrivals, is now deserted.

If the virus continues to spread, the local aviation sector would suffer even greater losses, Thanh stressed.

At the working session, Nguyen Hoang Anh, chairman of the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises, told Vietnam Airlines and ACV to strictly follow the Government leaders and the Ministry of Healths directives and guidelines on the prevention of the spread of the virus.

Apart from adopting multiple measures to minimize the impact of the virus on business activities, Vietnam Airlines and ACV have been told to ensure air transport runs smoothly. SGT

Over 5,000 Chinese workers in Vietnam quarantined More than 5,000 Chinese people have been quarantined when returning to Vietnam to work according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.
If you are an Indian woman, you (like me) may be feeling completely overwhelmed by the daily flood of assaults against women in this country. Again, like me, you may not be in the mood to read another book about patriarchyisnt it enough to battle it in every part of our lives without having to read about it as well?

View Full Image Fearless Freedom: By Kavita Krishnan, Penguin Random House, 264 pages,  299.

Kavita Krishnans debut book Fearless Freedom is a reminder that we cannot afford to turn away, weary though we may be. Brutal, shadowy stranger rapes and murders often get all our attention, but as Krishnan points out, some of the biggest threats to womens freedom are in plain sight, from seemingly benign forces.

Who: Krishnan is a communist feminist activist, secretary of the All India Progressive Womens Association (Aipwa), a leftist womens organization, and a politburo member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.

This is her first book, and it grew out of the 2012 rape and murder of Jyoti Singh Pandey, when Krishnan gave a speech outside the late former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshits residence that went viral. Enraged at the suggestion that Jyoti should not have been outside, Krishnan said: Why should women provide justifications if they want to walk on streets alone, even if it is late at night? We believe that regardless of whether she is indoors or outdoors, whether it is day or night, for whatever reason, whatever she is wearing, a woman has a right to freedom. And it is that fearless freedom that we need to save and protect, that we need to safeguard."

View Full Image Kavita Krishnan

Fighting talk. But how do we wrest back this freedom? Last November, the brutal rape and murder of a veterinary doctor in Hyderabad raised this question again. What has changed since 2012? Krishnan says there are now more movements supporting womens autonomy, such as Pinjra Tod, the group arguing for the removal of curfew in womens hostels. Yet there are also ever more powerful playersthe media, politicians, even the courtswhich take away the autonomy of women in the guise of keeping them safe. If you want to be safe, why do you want freedom? is a familiar question faced by Indian women," she writes. Why, indeed, should women have to choose between safety and freedom?

The death penalty and encounter killings are just bakshish (a small tip) solutions intended to disguise the fact that the state is doing nothing for the safety of women," she says, referring to the knee-jerk strategies being applauded. As Krishnan points out, a 15-year-old Adivasi girl in Chhattisgarh was killed in a 2011 encounter with the police, who claimed she was a Maoist. When the opposition alleged she had been raped and killed, the states home minister claimed she had been habitual at sex". There are many such incidents. A police force that can kill with impunity, can also gang rape and kill women with impunity," writes Krishnan.

What: For the first third of the book, the informed reader may feel like he or she has read this before. Krishnan tears apart the ritual of raksha bandhan, khaps, and the patriarchal, casteist Indian family.

This may seem to be based on the usual arguments you read on social media. But the book gathers steam a third of the way in, when Krishnan takes on government initiatives that are seemingly good for women. This is a connect-the-dots kind of book. As Krishnan explains: I wrote the book for people who think, Yes, khaps are bad but have nothing to do with me. They havent made the connection between, say, khaps and the restrictions they are placing on their own daughters, or the restrictions placed in workplaces, hostels, and government programmes."

Occasionally, perhaps because the book grew out of a speech, it can seem a bit polemical. Krishnans voice is strong and fearless, but I would have liked to hear some other voices as well. The word patriarchy" is repeated on almost every other page. It can get a bit monotonous, and the reader may feel a bit harangued. Sometimes, Krishnan breaks the cardinal writing rule of show, dont tell", and I was left longing for subtle inferences rather than being told what to think.

Why: Read this book if you would like to discover how seemingly progressive campaigns can be terribly regressive for women. The much lauded Swachh Bharat movement, for instance. Krishnan explores how Swachh Bharat slogans constantly shame women into not going out of the house, while linking toilets with honour and the ghoonghat (veil). One in Uttar Pradesh reads: Daughters-in-law, daughters should not go far, construct a toilet in your house." Another in Bihar has an image of a man presenting a woman he has abducted to a dacoit chief saying, Here boss, I have brought this beautiful lote wali (bearer of a mug of water) from the field for you, while the chief replies that today will be a day for rape." The shame attached to defecating outside, as Krishnan points out, has also been used to lynch and kill both men and women.

At one meeting of her organization, a woman from Patna spoke about her experiences in rural Bihar. As women got ready to relieve themselves en masse in the early mornings and late evenings, she asked them if they wouldnt prefer to have toilets in their homes. They scoffed. Didi, why give our men and in-laws another reason to keep us captive indoors? This is our only excuse to get some fresh air, take a walk together, and speak to friends without someone overhearing us."

Similarly, Krishnan dissects factories and the microfinance movement. Clothing and lingerie factories, she points out, are supposed to be empowering places that give women a chance to escape povertyfairy tales" of rescue and liberation. But often they impose huge restrictions on women, and are not looked at with a critical eye. Krishnan argues that it is much easier to draw attention to a ban on mobile phones by evil" khaps than a similar ban on phones in factories, usually done to prevent women from unionizing and demanding better work conditions.

Krishnan is surprised that activists are often seen as negative" and anti-national. We are all so desperate for good news, arent we?" she laughs. The fact is all governments, whether the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Congress, are in favour of the status quo. We are not saying Dont build indoor toilets or factories. We are saying build them in the right way."

Nevertheless, Krishnan concludes that things are changing, and cites the way women of all shades are stepping up to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens as an example. I do see a lot of good news. I dont believe we need to accept things the way they are, because thats the way they always have been. One instance is how activists helped decriminalize homosexuality." She concludes with a plea for more nuanced discussion. I hope this book allows people to strive for real understanding rather than a dopamine hit."

Kavitha Rao is a Bengaluru-based journalist and author.

Twitter - @kavitharao

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Emilia Heckman trusted Dr. Robert Hadden.

A fashion model in her late 20s, she found herself chatting casually about her family and career with the OB-GYN at Columbia University's prestigious hospital system, who showed her photos of his wife and daughters. She could catch him for appointments around her erratic schedule. She received free birth control from him.

"I felt comfortable asking him any questions I had about my health," Heckman, now 36, said in an interview with CNN. "He was so open."

But every once in a while, according to her interview and court documents, he would startle her with an inappropriate question or comment, asking about the quality of her sex life, or saying, "Your boyfriend is so lucky to have you."

She says the comments also came during exams: "He would be crazy to lose you." "You're perfection."

Heckman said it took a turn from inappropriate to unacceptable in 2012.

As often, Heckman was the last patient of the day. Hadden told the nurse she could go home; she left reluctantly, looking troubled, Heckman said.

Now it was just Hadden and Heckman, whose feet were in the stirrups and legs were draped. Hadden dipped his head out of view and licked her, she said.

"At first it was gloves on, and all of that," Heckman said. "And then it transitioned to no gloves, a tongue and a beard. ... And I recoiled."

She said she abruptly stepped off the exam table, got dressed, left the office and never returned.

Heckman said she would later learn that she wasn't the only one.

Three years later, in 2015, she came across a news story about how Hadden stood accused in a sex-abuse case involving six of his patients. Their allegations had mirrored hers: that Hadden had fondled and sexually assaulted them during examinations, after nurses had left the room. The next year, he pleaded guilty to two counts: criminal sexual act in the third degree and forcible touching.

It seemed to be case closed.

But this past January, Evelyn Yang, wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, came forward in an exclusive CNN interview, saying that she, too, was sexually abused by Hadden. Suddenly the terms of the plea deal sparked fresh outrage: Hadden had surrendered his medical license, but received no prison time, probation or community service.

A torrent of critics blasted the Manhattan District Attorney's office for what they believe to be a light sentence.

Since Yang's interview, nearly 40 new Hadden accusers have brought their allegations to attorney Anthony DiPietro, who filed a civil suit against Hadden and Columbia University in 2019. DiPietro says he plans to add them to the civil suit, which would bring the total number of plaintiffs to about 70. Two of the plaintiffs were minors -- ages 15 and 16 -- at the time of the alleged abuse, he said.

Sexual assault survivors and their supporters held a protest in January saying the Hadden case proves Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has failed in protecting victims. The New York City Council's women's caucus called for Vance's resignation, saying the Hadden plea deal fits a pattern of lenience by the DA towards wealthy, white men.

Vance has refused CNN's multiple request for interviews. After CNN notified the office of Evelyn Yang's public allegations last month, Vance said in a statement, "Because a conviction is never a guaranteed outcome in a criminal trial, our primary concern was holding him accountable and making sure he could never do this again -- which is why we insisted on a felony conviction and permanent surrender of his medical license.

"While we stand by our legal analysis and resulting disposition of this difficult case, we regret that this resolution has caused survivors pain," Vance said.

His office has encouraged any survivors to call the DA's sex crimes unit.

Heckman is among dozens of new accusers who want Hadden to be prosecuted again; she says she plans to present her case to the DA directly.

"I want justice served," said Heckman. "He's raped, molested all these women and nothing's been done and that makes me furious."

The 61-year-old Hadden has denied the assault allegations in court documents, aside from the two counts to which he pleaded guilty. CNN reached out to Hadden and the attorney who represented him in the civil case; those efforts were unsuccessful.

"I'm thinking to myself ... I want his hands off of me."

One of the new accusers is Jessica Chambers, now a substitute elementary-school teacher in Wyoming.

Chambers was scrolling through her phone last month when she came across the news story about Yang. At the sight of a photo of Hadden in court, she said, her stomach knotted.

"I was like, 'Holy sh*t,'" she said.

Though she had seen nurse practitioners at Planned Parenthood, Chambers had never had a gynecological exam when she first stepped into Hadden's office in 2004. She was a 23-year-old student at the City College of New York.

Her first impression: "He was very present. With some doctors, they just get you in and out. (But) he was just very there with you. ... He was very friendly."

Chambers said two things initially struck her as odd during the exam, for which a chaperone was present: Hadden was chatty, and the procedure seemed to go on and on.

"He had his fingers inside of me -- I couldn't see if he was wearing gloves," she said. "And he had an extended conversation with me while he had his fingers inside of me. ... I remember wanting to get out of that position."

Chambers said they talked about how she'd just broken up with her boyfriend. She remembers Hadden asking her if she was able to climax, "and how was I able to climax," she said.

"I'm thinking it's very weird," she said. But "he's a doctor, we're in Columbia -- clearly what's going on here must be normal and natural."

At some point, she said -- while she was sitting on the exam table, and after the chaperone had left -- he grabbed her leg.

"There was an opening," she said. "Maybe I asked a question, and the question was license to physically show me."

"He had me somewhat stuck," she said, adding that she felt uncomfortable, but "I didn't know whether it was just me being naive and I didn't want to do anything that would be weird."

Hadden, she said, began explaining how arousal happens while extensively touching her vagina -- this time with ungloved hands.

"I mean now, in hindsight, I'm like, he was trying to arouse me while talking to me -- under the guise of education," Chambers said. "I'm thinking to myself, this is enough -- I want his hands off of me. ... And it went on for -- it seemed like an extended period of time."

Dr. David Shalowitz, who chairs the ethics committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said allegations like the ones brought forth in the Hadden case are deeply concerning.

"There are bright lines," he told CNN. "Ungloved rectal or genital exams are not acceptable ever. ... Any exam that's done should be with consent and a clear explanation for why it's being done. Patients have the right to refuse any procedure or exam, and patients should feel empowered to say no."

Chambers said she would like to see Hadden face trial.

"When you have this many people coming forward, I feel like you should be held to account again," she said. "And actually be held to account -- like, go to jail."

DiPietro said all of his clients want the DA to reopen a criminal case against Hadden. He added that he plans to submit documentation to demand that Vance's office do so.

"He got something that sounds [more] like an orchestrated retirement than an actual sentence for a serial sexual predator," DiPietro said.

"It's like he knew ... that he was protected."

Columbia has denied in legal filings the civil suit's allegations that the university did nothing to stop the "serial sexual abuse" on "countless occasions."

In 2012, Hadden was arrested in his office after a patient told police that he had licked her vagina during an exam. The arrest was voided, and Hadden returned to his job at the medical clinic for more than a month. During that time, he allegedly assaulted Yang and at least one other patient.

"Can you imagine the audacity of a man who continues to do this after being arrested?" Yang said. "It's like he knew that he wouldn't face any repercussions. That he was protected. That he wouldn't be fired."

Columbia University responded to CNN's request for comment with a statement on Thursday, saying, "Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our patients. We are committed to treating every patient with respect and delivering care to the highest professional standards.

"We condemn sexual misconduct in any form and extend our deepest apologies to the women whose trust Robert Hadden violated and to their families."

Another accuser, who asked not to be named out of privacy concerns, said she was pregnant with her eldest when she went to see Hadden around 2002. She'd recently had a failed pregnancy while seeing a doctor at another hospital and didn't want to take chances. Thinking the prestigious New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center to be a safe bet, she went there and found Hadden based on a recommendation.

Hadden, she said, asked her to come in to see him about once a month and gave her a vaginal and breast exam on almost every visit.

"The breast exam was an excessive massage," she said.

She remembers him asking strange questions, most notably if she enjoyed sex. In the midst of her pregnancy, the accuser said, she called a female friend who works as an OB-GYN to ask if the frequent breast and vaginal exams were normal.

"Absolutely not," she recalled the friend saying. "That's weird."

But she continued to go in, she said, because she didn't want to start over with another doctor, knowing through firsthand experience how fragile a pregnancy can be and wanting the best for her baby.

"You feel the health of the child is in his hands," she said.

She said she stopped seeing Hadden shortly after he delivered the baby.

She, too, learned of other allegations only after seeing Yang's interview this past January, more than 16 years later.

"I felt so validated," she told CNN, adding that Hadden's sentence "did not match the crime."

"It wasn't even a slap on the wrist," she said.

Hadden's 2016 plea deal is 'inexplicable'

As a result of Hadden's 2016 plea deal, the doctor also registered as the lowest-level sex offender. This defied the recommendation of the State of New York Board of Examiners of Sex Offenders to label Hadden a Level 2 -- or moderate -- offender, which would require his inclusion in an online sex-offender registry for life.

Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst, called the 2016 agreement "inexplicable."

"I cannot think of any legitimate reason why you would give this guy a plea deal that would not put him behind bars for one day," he said. "It is unjust."

Whether Hadden can be tried on new criminal charges depends on the circumstance of each accuser. A provision in the Hadden plea agreement stipulates that the DA cannot prosecute any "similar crimes" against the doctor that the office knew about on or before February 22, 2016 -- the day the deal was struck.

Honig called this clause "unusual," adding that it precludes women who served as witnesses or called the DA prior to that date from pursuing charges even if new evidence emerges.

"The DA's office essentially said we're only going to prosecute for a few of you," Honig said. "The rest of you, sorry, we're giving it away."

There is also uncertainty around the issue of statute of limitations for the new accusers who have come forward: While New York has recently expanded the timeframe allowing victims to come forward with some sex crimes allegations, it's unclear how that would impact the new accusations leveled against Hadden.

Heckman said she first told her husband, media executive James Heckman, about the incident while on their honeymoon in Italy during the summer of 2015.

That night, at her husband's urging, they searched for Hadden's name on Google; that is how they learned of the criminal case against the doctor.

Heckman joined DiPietro's civil suit as a Jane Doe but decided to come forward with her full name after seeing Yang's interview.

"I think the more victims come out and show their face -- 'Hey I'm a real person, I'm not just Jane Doe,' you know, maybe the DA will listen to that," Heckman said. "It's just like, we're real people, we're not just a piece of paper."
Umroi (Meghalaya)/UNI: India and Bangladesh concluded their 14-day-long joint military exercise on Saturday here in Meghalaya.

A delegation comprising of 31 officers and 138 other ranks of Bangladesh Army led by Brigadier General Md Shafiul Azam of the 42nd Bangladesh infantry regiment, while the Indian Army is led by Brigadier Rajesh Sharma of the Bihar regiment, participated in the Sampriti-IXmilitary exercise which started on February 3.

During the fortnight long exercise between the armies of the two neighboring countries, specific input of terrorists presence & hostage situation by villagers to company commanders carrying out area domination, insertion of specially trained house intervention teams using two helicopters, house clearance and room intervention drills, hostage rescue, IED detection by army dogs, neutralisation of IEDs by bomb disposal team amongst other exercises were carried out.

We have done all out drills to coordinate various inter-operatibility drills between our two countries in our chapter VII mission and it has been a great experience, Indian Army, Major General Sandeep Bajaj said.

He said that Sampriti-IX is an exercise carried out jointly between India and Bangladesh for operating in a UN environment under chapter VII.

Major General Saif of the Bangladesh army said that the exercise is designed to develop the inter operability between the Indian and Bangladesh army to operate in a counter terrorism environment to neutralise any kind of terrorist threat.

Bangladesh and India army are friendly armies and have had so many exchange of programmes even as he stated that this bonding is evident through history when India helped Bangladesh during its war of liberation in 1971, the Bangladesh Army official said.

Stating that Indian and Bangladeshi armies are cooperating through this exchange of training administration and even for various ceremonial activities, Major General Saif said.

This is one kind of engagement that we have in the series of Sampriti exercises this being the ninth, he said.

India and Bangladesh had eight exercises with both countries hosting four each.

Through this exercise both Bangladesh and India army has developed the inter operability through the exchange of the tactical drills and learning. We are confident to operate in any kind of counter terrorism environment understand UN mandate to operate together and to he come successful and confidently operate to neutralise any threat, Major General Saif said.
Bahraini Ambassador to the Peoples Republic of China, Dr Anwar Alabdulla, delivered a batch of protective face masks provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Peoples Republic of China due to the outbreak of the new Coronavirus in a number of Chinese cities, which led to a high number of infections and deaths and an increase in the needs of individuals for protective masks and other requirements for protection and personal hygiene.

Officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Peoples Republic of China and the Chinese Red Cross expressed their great gratitude and sincere thanks to the Kingdom of Bahrain for its support to China is confronting this virus and the whole nation is combatting in all available ways and means with the assistance of all friendly countries in the world, Dr Anwar said. They also appreciated the Kingdom of Bahrains support for the Peoples Republic of China in its current severe predicament, stressing that this reflects the depth of friendship and co-operation between the two friendly countries.

They expressed their thanks to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Beijing for its great and continuous efforts to enhance relations between the two countries and raise them to wider levels in various fields. Face masks were out of stock at many pharma stores across the Kingdom as people began buying them in large numbers over coronavirus fear. The shortage is attributed to declining supply and increasing demand in the Kingdom. Speaking to Tribune, a pharma store manager, who doesnt want to be named, said: We have a huge shortage of face masks as we sold out our stocks in the last two days. Though no cases are reported in the Kingdom, people here are taking special caution and a good number of them are wearing face masks, which is one of the ways to prevent being infected. He said masks were being imported from China and the supplies have declined owing to huge demand in that country.

If you see, the Chinese authorities have asked everyone at risk to wear face masks. The demand is vast as China is the largest populated country in the world, he added. However, on the contrary, there were also many reports on media, which states there are not enough evidences to suggest that wearing a face mask has any benefit for the general public. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have stressed differentiated measures for different regions to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak at a high-level meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang. The leading group of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak also demanded efforts to improve patient treatment and expedite research on drugs.

Epidemic prevention and control in Hubei Province, particularly in the capital city of Wuhan, remain the top priority, said the leading group headed by Li, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. While ordering Wuhan to speed up hospital admission and suspected case quarantine, the leading group instructed hardhit cities in Hubei such as Xiaogan and Huanggang to carry out equally strict measures as in Wuhan in surveillance, quarantine and treatment. The demand for more medics in Hubei and Wuhan should be fulfilled, and the departure channels of the city and the province need further control, according to the meeting. Multiple steps such as spacing out return trips have prevented large-scale flows of people after the Spring Festival, said the meeting. Each province is responsible for formulating differentiated epidemic prevention and control strategies based on their own conditions, according to the meeting. No one-size-fits-all approach should be taken and unfair and extreme practices must be corrected without delay, said the meeting. Effective drugs and treatment are the key to contain the epidemic, the meeting noted, stressing more studies on the nearly 6,000 cured cases to improve treating plans. The meeting also highlighted the importance of speeding up the clinical trial of drugs. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the leading group, attended the meeting.
Justice Minister Naomi Long is planning to bring in legislation to help protect Northern Ireland's religious buildings from attacks.

The Alliance Party leader confirmed that between 2016 and 2019 there were 445 recorded attacks on places of worship including churches, churchyards and cemeteries.

Her commitment to bring in the legislation came in response to a ministerial question tabled by North Down DUP MLA Gordon Dunne.

The introduction of a Places of Worship Security Scheme would bring Northern Ireland into line with England and Wales, who both have the protection in operation.

In her response to Mr Dunne, Mrs Long said: "My officials are currently exploring evidence-based information in relation to attacks on places of worship, in liaison with the police, as well as criteria for the Places of Worship Security Fund that operates in England and Wales to assess if any similar scheme for Northern Ireland is required.

"I will consider this further once I have had the opportunity to reflect on the findings."

Welcoming the news, Mr Dunne said such a scheme would allow voluntary faith communities to apply for funding to introduce security measures on their properties.

"Many faith communities are small and may struggle financially to install such security measures to protect themselves from attack so such a scheme may prove valuable," explained the North Down MLA.

"Freedom of religion and belief is a bedrock value of our society. Each and every person who lives here has a right to live out their faith and to worship with others.

"No one in Northern Ireland should be attacked because of their religious beliefs and as a society we should not tolerate attacks on any place of worship here.

"An attack on a place of worship is an attack on the community who worships there."

He added that Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom without such a scheme in place and hopes it will be introduced sooner rather than later.

According to PSNI data on incidents and crimes with a hate motivation that was released last November, there were five attacks recorded at churches or chapels between October 2017 and September 2018, and eight attacks between October 2018 and September 2019.

The Department of Justice was asked if any new legislation protecting religious buildings would include those belonging to the Orange Order.
BLOOMSBURG, Pa., Feb. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- QSL Enterprise Limited, the independent owner and operator of Quaker Steak & Lube, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania ("restaurant"), provides notice of an event that may affect the security of payment card information used by certain customers at this restaurant between February 14, 2019 and September 6, 2019.

What Happened? QSL Enterprise Limited utilizes a point of sale system at its restaurant that is managed by Midwest POS Solutions, Inc. ("Midwest POS"). QSL Enterprise Limited was alerted to unusual activity relating to payment cards that may have been used at this restaurant and immediately began working with third-party forensic investigators to investigate the report.

Through these investigations, it was discovered that payment card information may have been accessed as a result of the installation of malicious software on the point of sale system utilized at this restaurant. It was further determined that Midwest POS credentials were used to remotely access the point of sale system at this location, which allowed an unauthorized actor to deploy the malicious software into the point of sale system.

What Information May Have Been Involved? The investigations determined that payment card information such as name, card number, expiration date, and/or CVV (magnetic stripe Track data) that were used at the restaurant between February 14, 2019 and September 6, 2019 may have been involved in this incident.

What QSL Enterprise Limited is Doing. QSL Enterprise Limited worked with multiple forensic investigative firms to conduct investigations into this incident and to assist in remediation efforts. QSL Enterprise Limited deployed tools to contain, disable, and remove any malware that may have been installed on its restaurant systems and enhanced existing security measures to reduce the likelihood of future incidents.

This incident was also reported to Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express and to law enforcement.

For More Information. QSL Enterprise Limited has established a dedicated assistance line for individuals seeking additional information regarding this incident. Customers can call 1-866-977-1007, 9am - 9pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (excluding U.S. holidays).

What You Can Do. QSL Enterprise Limited encourages customers to remain vigilant against identity theft by reviewing their financial account statements regularly and monitoring their credit reports for suspicious activity. Customers should immediately report any unauthorized charges to their card issuer. The phone number to call is usually on the back of the credit or debit card.

Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.

You have the right to place a "security freeze" on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below:

Experian P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/freeze/center.html TransUnion P.O. Box 160 Woodlyn, PA 19094 1-888-909-8872 www.transunion.com/credit-freeze Equifax PO Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 1-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.); Social Security number; Date of birth; If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior five years; Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill; A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, military identification, etc.); If you are a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.

As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below:

Experian P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/fraud/center.html TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016 1-800-680-7289 https://www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts Equifax P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348 1-888-766-0008 www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

Additional Information

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov , 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

SOURCE QSL Enterprise Limited
#fyiSI -- You asked, so were answering!

For this week's #fyiSI question-and-answer article I'm tackling a handful of questions that don't require an in-depth investigation.

Whatever the question is -- whether it requires a quick or an in-depth look -- Im here to answer it for you -- see, thats me in the picture with my #fyiSI sign.

Scroll through the slideshow for some questions and answers, and keep an eye out for more #fyiSI articles.

Borough President Guy Molinari displays a front page issue of The Advance which views the Mayor's attitude towards Staten Island during the secession press conference outside City Hall. Staten Island Advance

Would we be better off on our own? Alfred asked: Should we consider seceding again?

Will also asked: Will Staten Island ever make the attempt again to break away from the rest of New York City?

Staten Island Advance

Secession was studied once before The idea of Staten Island seceding from the other four boroughs of New York City isnt a new idea. The borough tried to secede 30 years ago. The New York Charter Commission for Staten Island put together a study, led by the late state Sen. John Marchi, in 1989 to study whether or not it was possible for the borough to do so. The idea of secession was sparked when the citys primary governing body, the Board of Estimate, was eliminated, giving Staten Island less say in land use and budgetary decisions than the rest of the city.

The board had served as the citys governing body since the five boroughs were consolidated into one municipal government in 1898. It was comprised of the mayor, comptroller, city council president and five borough presidents. Each of those members had a say in voting on land-use decisions, setting the city budget and contracts.

After its abolishment, the borough was left with only three of the 51 citywide City Council members.

A copy of the Staten Island Advance shows that a non-binding referendum to secede from New York City was approved by the voters of Staten Island by a margin of 2-1 (65%).

We voted in favor of secession

Borough residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of a secession study in 1991, 83%, and in 1993, 65% of residents approved a non-binding referendum to secede from the city.

The state Senate also approved the secession bill, but then-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver refused an Assembly vote without a home rule message from New York City.

(Staten Island Advance/ Paul Liotta)

Borelli, Matteo introduced bill to re-study secession In December, Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore) introduced a bill, co-sponsored by Minority Leader Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island), to put together a task force to study whether or not secession is feasible.

Under Borellis legislation, the secession task force would be comprised of the borough presidents of every borough, the chair of the citys Planning Commission, the comptroller, the schools chancellor, the commissioner of the Office of Emergency Management, the Staten Island borough commissioner for the Department of Transportation and representatives from all of the Islands community boards.

Borelli said the commission would then have 18 months to put together data showing the impact and viability of secession and then pitch their findings to the City Council.

(Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)Staff-Shot

Wheres the enforcement?

Kenneth emailed #fyiSI and asked: I frequently see license plates that are defaced, obviously to avoid paying tolls -- just yesterday I saw three while only driving on local Staten Island roads for about two hours.

What is being done by law enforcement to stop these people from avoiding the payment of tolls, since all of our bridges now use only EZPass or read plates to charge by mail? They steal from the MTA and Port Authority seemingly with impunity while the rest of us dutifully pay the inflated tolls. They are the automobile versions of fare beaters on the buses and subways.

(Staten Island Advance)

Fare evasion could become a misdemeanor

In Gov. Andrew Cuomos Fiscal Year 2021 Executive Budget, he included language that would raise the crime for toll evasion in a cashless tolling environment to a class A misdemeanor. It would also increase the fine for driving with an unreadable or obstructed license plate  currently a $65 fine.

What are those yellow covers on the electrical wires?

Dominick asked: On Amboy Road between Eltingville and Great Kills, these yellow plastic things were placed over the wires that are above the street level, maybe on electrical wires. What are they?

Theyre for protection!

Con Edison told the Advance the yellow line guards are there for protection.

The yellow line guards protect against brush contact with live conductors. We also protect lines when outside construction companies use cranes or other large, heavy equipment in the street, the spokesman told the Advance.

The lines guards are inspected on a regular basis, he said.

#fyiSI -- here's the point

When #fyiSI launched in October, the Advance received dozens of questions from readers about all things Staten Island.

Now, were ready to start providing answers and are asking you again to ask us anything, Staten Island -- and we mean anything.

Through #fyiSI, Im going to answer all of your burning questions  with the occasional help of my coworkers  about the borough with 479,458 residents that we all call home.

Some of the questions weve received so far include:

How can we ask for a stop sign to be added?

What happened to my favorite restaurant?

Is that a mobile speed camera?

Why is the Department of Transportation doing construction on my block?

Now, Im ready to tackle them all, and Im looking for more questions. Whatever it is, Ill answer it.

You might be wondering how #fyiSI differs from the average story you already read in the Staten Island Advance or on SILive.com.

Were not stepping away from the traditional news article, but instead adding social media elements like Facebook live, Instagram stories, Twitter polls, and other multimedia to help us reach you.

Well also do a lot of reporting on site.

Questions should include your name, neighborhood of residence and contact information, and can be emailed to fyi@siadvance.com or kdalton@siadvance.com.

#fyiSI is new effort by the Staten Island Advance/SIlLive to get tips from and engage members of our Staten Island community.

#fyiSI questions weve answered so far
Indian banks' loans rose 7.1 per cent in the two weeks to January 31 from a year earlier, while deposits increased 9.9 per cent, the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) weekly statistical supplement showed on Friday.

Outstanding loans rose Rs 98,926 crore ($13.86 billion) to Rs 101.03 lakh crore in the fortnight to January 31.

Non-food credit rose Rs 1.02 lakh crore to Rs 100.24 trillion, while food credit fell Rs 3,202 crore to Rs 78,899 crore.

Bank deposits rose Rs 1.98 lakh crore to Rs 133.24 lakh crore.

Also read: Bad loans of PSBs stood at Rs 7.27 lakh crore in first half of FY20

Also read: RBI publishes draft framework for new payment system
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 14)  President Rodrigo Duterte does not believe that PLtCol Jovie Espenido is involved with illegal drugs, the Palace said, despite the Interior Department confirming that he was on the President's watchlist.

"President Rodrigo Roa Duterte believes that Police Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido is clean," said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo in a statement on Friday.

Malacanang said the police officer who previously led the deadly operations against drug-linked politicians, is a victim of "black propaganda" aimed at tarnishing his name.

"Lt. Col. Espenido continues to enjoy the trust and confidence of the President. PRRD believes that the reports of his alleged involvement in prohibited drugs are untrue," added Panelo.

Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, who was Espenido's superior during the lawmaker's stint at the police force, said he hopes Espenido can "acquit himself" and disprove allegations against him.

"Otherwise, he is just one of the many others I personally knew to have succumbed to the pressure," said Lacson.

The senator also recalled Espenido as a person who "consistently performed his duty with integrity and dedication."

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano confirmed that Espenido was one of the 357 policemen on Duterte's narco list but maintains that he will still undergo due process. Ano said the officer's previous accomplishments could be "a big positive factor" during the validation and adjudication process.

Espenido's career in the force was embroiled in controversy when the mayors of both towns that he was assigned to were killed under his watch. In 2016, Espenido was police chief of Albuera, Leyte when its mayor, Rolando Espinosa, Sr., was killed. The following year, Espenido was reassigned to Ozamiz in Misamis Occidental when city mayor Reynado Parojinog was also slain. Both mayors were on the President's narco list.

Duterte then awarded Espenido for his efforts in the anti-drug campaign, even promoting him from mayor to lieutenant colonel last year.

Philippine National Police Chief PGen Archie Gamboa kept mum on the issue but previously said he wanted to protect the identity of the policemen indicated in the watchlist. He added that the PNP targets to finish the adjudication and validation process in a month.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 11:03:28|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Friday that China is willing to continuously strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

Wang made the remarks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference.

Noting that the Chinese nation advocates peace in its cultural genes, Wang said that China is following a different path from that of previous major countries, that is, pursuing its own peaceful development and also win-win cooperation with the rest of the world.

China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and its per-capita defense expenditure is far lower than that of other major countries, Wang said, adding that in response to the new international security situation, China has also proposed a new concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.

These are positive contributions made by China to world peace, he said, adding that the country will continue to resolutely follow the right path of peace and cooperation.

China and NATO members do not have geopolitical conflicts and competition, and different views on some issues should not be the obstacle for exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, Wang said.

Wang voiced hope that NATO will continue to foster a correct view of China and regard China as a friend and partner.

In the past decades, China has achieved rapid development and brought great benefits to the world, said Stoltenberg, adding that NATO does not see China as an adversary, but stands ready to strengthen relations with China.

NATO has always advocated a rule-based international order and is willing to strengthen dialogue with China in this regard, he added.

NATO is willing to cooperate with China on such issues as Afghanistan, the Middle East, Iraq, and arms control, he said, expressing his belief that NATO will benefit a lot from its cooperation with China and that the two sides can make joint contributions to maintaining world peace and security.

Stoltenberg also expressed sympathy and support for those affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak, saying that the Chinese government and people have made great efforts to combat the epidemic, and he is confident that China will defeat the epidemic at an early date.

For his part, Wang updated Stoltenberg on the latest development in China's anti-virus fight.
A Court Has Just Said Our Voter ID Is Proof For Citizenship; Aadhaar, PAN, Driving Licence Not

While acquitting a couple, Abbas Shaikh and Rabiya Shaikh who was arrested in 2017 on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals illegally living in India, a magistrate court in Mumbai held that original election cards are proof of citizenship. According to the court, a birth certificate, a domicile certificate, a bonafide certificate, and a passport can be relied upon to establish the origin of any person, The Times of India reported. Read more.

Here are the other top news of the day:



Peaceful Anti-CAA Protestors Cant Be Called Traitors Or Anti-Nationals, Says Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has said that citizens protesting peacefully against a law cannot be called traitors or 'anti-nationals'. The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay HC made the comment while setting aside an order challenging the denial of police permission to an agitation against the CAA in Beed, the court said people wanting to agitate in a peaceful way "cannot be called traitors, anti-nationals only because they want to oppose one law". Read more.

Anti-CAA Play: Charged With Sedition, Karnataka School Teacher & Parent Get Bail After 2 Weeks

Ending their over-two-week-long ordeal, two women, Fareeda Begum and Nazbunnisa who were booked under sedition charges by the Karnataka Police for staging an anti-CAA play in s school have been granted bail by a court in Bidra. Though the duo was granted bail on Friday, they are yet to walk out of the district prison.

Read more.

Tired Of Being Sexually Abused By Principal, Dalit School Girl From Gujarat Attempts Suicide

A 16-year-old Dalit student in Surendranagar, Gujarat who had accused the headmaster of her school of sexually abusing her several times has attempted suicide. The girl tried to kill herself on Wednesday, the same day Batuk Bhatti, the headmaster, who is also a trustee of Kamal Vidyamandir School, in Chotila was arrested on charges of sexually abusing the minor girl. Read more.

Is It End Of The Road For Vodafone Idea? SC Denies Relief, Asks Them To Pay Rs 54,000 Cr Dues

The Supreme Court had asked Vpdafone Idea to clear dues, totalling an estimated Rs 54,000 crore, before the next date of hearing on March 17. There was no word from Vodafone Idea, whose chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla had last month stated that the company will fold if it is forced to make payment of over Rs 53,000 crore dues. Read more.
Two persons were arrested with



arms, ammunition, gunpowder and two deer horns in Assam's Udalguri district, police said on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the state police and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) raided the house of one Batmol Daimari in the Tila Garobasti area around 11 pm on Friday and made the seizures, they said.

Two country-made guns, two daggers, 15 rounds of ammunition, a bottle of gunpowder, few iron tools and instruments used for making ammunition, besides two deer horns were seized, police said.

Another person, identified as Daburam Boro, was arrested based on Daimari's statement, officials said.

Daimari told police that he bought the guns from a person of Nepalibasti area along the Bhutan border to kill wild animals, police said.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Wildlife Protection Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Trump is, oddly enough, correct: He has a legal right, as he belligerently tweeted last week, to influence criminal cases  and all sorts of other matters presidents have left alone.

Trump being Trump, he was wrong again before the sentence ended. Responding to Attorney General William Barrs objection to his tweeting about criminal cases, the president went on to note that despite his authority to do so, he had so far chosen not to interfere in such matters. In fact, from Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation to last weeks intervention on behalf of his felon friend Roger Stone, his administration has been a veritable festival of political meddling in the machinery of criminal justice.

Other presidents have refrained from doing so by custom, not law. Richard Nixon, the last president to flout that standard, faced impeachment and resigned under pressure.

But Trump has no use for custom, and his impeachment found the Senates Republican majority refusing to consider the case for his removal, much less bring it about. If a sitting president can be neither indicted, according to the Justice Department policy Mueller scrupulously observed, nor removed from office, he faces precious little legal constraint.

Recent events have demonstrated that dire state of affairs. The president last week publicly objected to federal prosecutors recommendation that Stone serve seven to nine years in prison for obstructing investigations into his service as an intermediary between the Trump campaign and Russian agents. Barr promptly overruled the advice, a rare intervention for which the president publicly thanked him.

Barrs uncharacteristic objection to the presidents commentary, which came after four Stone prosecutors resigned in protest, is either a prelude to his departure or a put-on. The Justice Departments handling of other cases with political implications points to the latter.

The attorney general has reportedly tasked outside prosecutors with reviewing another Mueller prosecution, that of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, as well as other sensitive cases being handled by the U.S. attorneys office in Washington, D.C. He has appointed another prosecutor to investigate the origins of the FBI probe that became Muellers, an errand in line with Trumps strenuous efforts to disprove Russian interference.

The department also spent nearly two years investigating Andrew McCabe, a former FBI deputy director and Trump nemesis, for allegedly deceiving internal inspectors before it finally abandoned the case last week. According to newly released transcripts of closed proceedings in a related case, U.S. District Judge Reggie Barnett Walton criticized the presidents role in the prosecution and the departments investigation as unnecessarily protracted, saying, I dont think people like the fact that youve got somebody at the top basically trying to dictate whether somebody should be prosecuted. I just think its a banana republic when we go down that road.

Its no wonder Trump has attacked the judiciary, including the judge in the Stone case, another potential check on his power in Congress absence. The same goes for unruly states such as California, a subject of another recently dropped Justice Department investigation, and New York, which he punished by revoking its eligibility for a trusted-traveler program.

New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, one of the House impeachment managers, predicted such consequences for the states should the Senate ignore Trumps leveraging of federal funds to force Ukraines government to smear his enemies. Having suffered no practical consequence for his abuse of power, the president has even more power to abuse.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
So, what was your New Years resolution? If it was to get a good divorce lawyer, youre not alone. January and February are the peak months for couples to split and the first Monday of the year is now known by lawyers as D-day: divorce day.

The summer holidays are a notoriously tricky time for any couple whose relationship is strained. As well as the intensity of extra time spent together (How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways), theres also the invasion of extended family (for some, distant relatives are the best  and the further away the better). Little wonder that by February many Aussies are undergoing painful spouse-ectomies.

The worst aspect of matrimony is that the secret to wedded bliss is such a well-kept secret. Credit:iStock

But be aware also that lawyers charge a humongous amount to tell you what you already know, the main difference being that they say it to you in Latin  divorcicus we are ripping you off maximus. The task of you and your exs respective lawyers is to ensure that everything gets shared equally, and it will  between them. (Divorce is actually an old Latin term for send your barrister to a luxury resort in Byron.)

In reality, though, there will be nothing left for couples to share  as youll have thrown it all at each other weeks ago. Itll be an amicable split, all right  you both get 50 per cent of the acrimony.
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How should Christian conservatives respond to President Trumps statement that he would have no problem voting for a gay president? Should this be a dealbreaker in terms of our 2020 vote?

Earlier this week, Rush Limbaugh created a media firestorm when he said that America is still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage as president. And my article titled, I Will Say What the Political Leaders Cannot Say About Pete Buttigieg, seems to have struck a chord with many readers.

As for President Trump, during a Fox radio interview with Geraldo Rivera, he said that, It  meaning, homosexuality  doesnt seem to be hurting Pete Buttigieg. As for whether Americans would vote for him, Trump said, I think there would be some that wouldnt  and I wouldnt be among that group to be honest with you.

So, to repeat: Should this be a dealbreaker for Christian conservatives?

Trump has the baggage from his past. He has the baggage of his often uncalled-for, cruel, even dishonest speech. Should this be the straw that breaks the camels back?

Obviously, every individual must make an individual decision. But I would submit two points for consideration before a decision is made.

First, this is exactly how I would expect Trump to answer.

Remember that during the primaries he said that Bruce Caitlyn Jenner would be welcome to use the womens bathroom at Trump Tower. That has been his personal view all along.

He also proudly held up a gay pride flag of LGBT supporters of Trump during a campaign rally in October 2016. He was glad to have their backing.

Thats why his answer doesnt surprise me in the least. I dont agree with it (just as I dont agree with many of his other statements). But its nothing new.

Second, Trumps policies have consistently pushed back against LGBT activism and for Christian conservative rights.

Thats why last year, the HRC (the worlds largest gay activist organization) labeled Trump the worst president on LGBTQ issues ever.

The HRC even accused the Trump administration of targeting gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people every day.

In their Timeline of Hate, the HRC begins with this claim: Since the moment Donald Trump and Mike Pence walked into the White House, they have attacked the progress we have made toward full equality for the LGBTQ community and undermined the rights of countless Americans.

To be clear, I stand against LGBT people being attacked or targeted. But when the HRC uses that language, it often means this: The Trump administration is pushing back against the radical extremism of queer activism. For that, I am glad.

The timeline entry for January 20, 2017, reads: Less than two hours after Trump and his virulently anti-LGBTQ activist Vice President Mike Pence were sworn into office, all mentions of LGBTQ issues were removed from the official White House webpage.

More significantly, the timeline entry for February 22, 2017, reads: Under the direction of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education revoked the Obama Administrations guidance detailing school obligations to transgender students under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

And this is just the beginning of 2017, Trumps first year in office.

Scores of other examples could be listed, along with the impact of the nearly 200 conservative judges who have been appointed by Trump.

Thats why LGBT activists are, with rare exception, diametrically opposed to President Trump and see him as an enemy of their cause.

According to the Transgender Equality website, Since the day President Trump took office, his administration has waged a nonstop onslaught against the rights of LGBTQ people.

The site even refers to Trumps administration as The Discrimination Administration.

And there is a lengthy page on the gay-activist GLAAD website devoted to Trump, listing dates and details. It notes that, on January 16, 2020, A directive by the Trump Administration across multiple government agencies was issued to strengthen access to federal dollars for religious-based organizations  even if the organization is anti-LGBTQ or has an anti-LGBTQ record.

This is what Trump and his administration are doing, which is why Christian conservatives are pleased and LGBT activists are grieved. (Again, I have no joy in seeing those who identify as LGBT feel attacked. And I do not want them hurt. I simply believe that many of their goals are detrimental to the overall well-being of our society, which is why I oppose them.)

Back on November 1, 2016, I wrote, On October 30, at a rally in Colorado, Donald Trump proudly held up a rainbow-colored, gay flag on which was written LGBTs for Trump.

I continued (in a similar vein as in this present article), As Christian conservatives, what are we to make of this? Is it yet another proof that we must compromise our morals to vote for him? And will he betray us once elected?

Interestingly, major gay websites like Advocate.com were not impressed with his gesture, declaring, It's an empty gesture from the Republican nominee, who opposes marriage equality and has a proudly homophobic running mate.

Well, history has repeated itself with the same tune and the same lyrics. Trump has not betrayed us, and LGBT activists know that well.

In short, on a personal level, Trump has no issue with LGBTs and would potentially vote for a gay president.

On an administrative level, he is consistently pushing back against their activism and standing up for our religious freedoms and rights.

Thats one reason my vote for him in 2016 was justified. And thats why I believe my 2020 vote for him will be justified as well.
Kate Middleton has revealed that debuting her three children to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing just hours after giving birth was 'terrifying'.

The Duchess of Cambridge welcomed all her children - George in 2013, Charlotte in 2015 and Louis in 2018 - at the exclusive wing at St Mary's Hospital, London.

The mother-of-three was speaking as a guest on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast when she was asked by host Giovanna Fletcher what it was like to stand in front of the crowds with a newborn baby in her arms.

Kate Middleton has revealed that debuting her three children to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing just hours after giving birth was 'terrifying'. Pictured: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after the birth of Prince George in 2013

The mother-of-three was speaking as a guest on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast earlier today when she was asked by host Giovanna Fletcher what it was like to stand in front of the crowds with a newborn baby in her arms. Pictured: Birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015 (left) and birth of Prince Louis in 2018 (right)

Ms Fletcher, who was speaking about Kate's first appearance with Prince George in 2013, asked: 'What was it like knowing that there were so many people outside after you've given birth and you're in your little cocoon with your new family?'

The Duchess of Cambridge said: 'Slightly terrifying, I'm not going to lie.

'Everyone had been so supportive and both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about and we're hugely grateful for the support that the public had shown us, and actually for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt was really important.

'But equally it was coupled with a newborn baby, and inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held, so there were all sorts of mixed emotions.'

The Royal Family has been using the Lindo Wing since 1977 and Diana chose it for the births of William in 1982 (pictured) and Harry in 1984

Meghan Markle was the first to shun the four-decade long tradition for the birth of baby Archie in 2019. She, along with Prince Harry, instead opted for a maternity wing closer to their home before holding a photo call at Windsor Castle a few days after the birth

The Royal Family has been using the Lindo Wing since 1977.

The Princess Royal gave birth to first child Peter Phillips at the hospital wing followed by daughter Zara a few years later in 1981.

Diana also chose it for the births of William in 1982 and Harry in 1984.

Meghan Markle was the first to shun the four-decade long tradition for the birth of baby Archie in 2019.

She, along with Prince Harry, instead opted for a maternity wing closer to their home before holding a photo call at Windsor Castle a few days after the birth.
The Indiana Supreme Courts Disciplinary Commission, which investigates misconduct by lawyers, sought a two-year suspension of Hills law license, arguing he must be held to a high standard because of his elected position and that hes not taken any responsibility for his actions. Commission attorneys maintain the testimony against Hill cannot be brushed off as simply boorish behavior or overlooked as a misunderstanding of intent.
New Zealand resident Brandon Ferguson discovered over 500,000 dead mussels and shells when he went walking along the shores of the Maunganui Bluff Beach in the country's North Island.

Ferguson told Business Insider that he had witnessed this type of event on the same beach in the past, with different types of shellfish washing up dead along the shores.

One expert said the mussels had essentially cooked to death due to hot weather and mid-day low tides.

Ferguson shared a video of the experience in the hopes that the global community would take notice of the effects of climate change happening right outside his doorstep.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

steamed mussels

Shutterstock/135pixels

Hundreds of thousands of mussels cooked to death in New Zealand due to rising temperatures in New Zealand's oceans.

New Zealand resident Brandon Ferguson posted a video on Facebook from Maunganui Bluff Beach, located on the country's North Island, showing hundreds-of-thousands of dead mussels that had washed up on the shore.

Ferguson told Business Insider that he happened upon the sight while out with friends and family last week.

"I'm local to the area so I'm always out on 'the coast' gathering food for the family," he said. "That day I was out with friends and family while they were fishing. We waited for the tide to turn so we could gather mussels."

But instead, Ferguson saw hundreds of thousands of green-lipped mussels that had turned up dead.

"It smelled like dead rotting seafood," Ferguson said. "Some of the mussels were empty, some of them were dead ... Some were just floating around in the tide."

"There were well over 500,000 mussels and shells littering the coastline."

Mussels that washed up on the Maunganui Bluff Beach in Aranga, New Zealand.

Brandon Ferguson

Ferguson said that he had witnessed this type of event on the same beach in the past, with different types of shellfish washing up dead along the shores. He blamed rising temperatures and warming sea waters for the phenomena.

"It has happened in the past due to warm water temperatures, low mid-day tides, and high pressures," he said.

Story continues

A 2019 report from the New Zealand government supports Ferguson's theory  climate change has been warming sea temperatures, devastating the country's native marine plants, animals and habitats.

According to the report, between 1981 and 2018, overall sea-surface temperatures across New Zealand's four oceanic regions, including Chatham Rise, the Tasman Sea, subtropical, and subantarctic increased between 0.1 and 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade.

"New Zealand's oceans act like a giant sponge against the effects of climate change," New Zealand's Secretary for the Environment Vicky Robertson wrote in the report. "It's likely our seas take up more carbon dioxide than our forests, but there is only so much they and the life in them can take  and the limits aren't yet known."

Robertson explained that the warmer the water gets, the less able it is to absorb greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which have been increasingly released into the atmosphere and have a strong impact on climate change.

"The growth of species in the oceans is affected, and coastal communities and habitats are at risk from flooding and sea-level rise," Robertson said.

In December, a 386,000-square-mile chunk of the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand rose about 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average, threatening the survival of fish and coral in the region.

Andrew Jeffs, a marine scientist at the University of Auckland, told the New Zealand Herald that the mussels in Ferguson's video likely died from "heat stress" brought on by hot weather and mid-day low tides.

"The mussels die of heat stress. You imagine lying in the midday sun every day for four hours for the best part of a week. You'd be pretty sunburnt at the end of that," he told The Herald.

Jeffs added the stark prediction that soon the mollusks may disappear entirely from New Zealand as temperatures continue to rise.

"In many other countries, we are seeing poleward movement of the distribution of the species as they adjust to temperature increases associated with climate change," he told the Herald. "I expect we may see the same in New Zealand."

Ferguson said he shared his video in the hopes that the global community would take notice of the effects of climate change happening right outside his doorstep.

"It's getting worse and worse every year," he told Business Insider. "At times like this we should wake up and start respecting these places and pay attention to what is happening before we lose our 'taonga' [a Maori word meaning 'treasure'] for good."

He says he is "heartbroken" to see the native sea life in his hometown disappear, and says he fears for the extinction of the species in the country.

"I fear that our next generation is going to miss out," he said. "Thats what hurts me the most."

Business Insider
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 13:17:43|Editor: zyl

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GENEVA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said that the international joint mission with China on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is moving forward, with the full team expected to reach China over the weekend.

Speaking through an online video system from Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the WHO chief told a press briefing here that the team consists of 12 international and WHO experts and a similar number of their Chinese counterparts.

"The China mission will include in-depth workshops' data review, a series of meetings with key national level institutions and field visits in three provinces to understand the application and impact of response activities at province and country levels, including urban and rural areas," he said.

Tedros said that one of the goals of the joint mission is to rapidly inform (the public of) the next steps in the COVID-19 response and preparedness activities in China and globally.

"Particular attention will be paid to understanding the transmission of the virus, the severity of disease and the impact of ongoing response measures," he said.

Furthermore, he said, it will be important to review which type of information is needed so that the world can use this window of opportunity to prepare health systems and workers for possible outbreaks.

"I want to say again from my heart that this is the time for solidarity not stigma," he stressed at the end of his opening speech.

Earlier this week, the WHO head urged countries to calm down, saying that "no panic, no fear, and try to do the right things with solidarity."

"China is doing many good things that (are) slowing the virus, and the facts speak for themselves," he said. "This has to be recognized, and the whole world is seeing this."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 20:09:30|Editor: xuxin

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ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Houthi rebel fighters launched an attack against sites of the government forces in Yemen's southern province of Dhalea on Saturday, a military official told Xinhua.

"Scores of Houthi fighters launched a large armed attack against a number of military sites of the government forces positioned near Qataba district in Dhalea," a local military official said on condition of anonymity.

The Houthi attack sparked intense armed confrontations in the area, the source said, adding that the ongoing confrontations between the two warring sides caused an unknown number of casualties.

Attacks of the Houthi rebel group against military sites of the government forces in the country's southern part have been intensified during the past days.

The areas in the north and west of Dhalea, 138 km north of Aden, have been witnessing non-stop fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters for about four years.

Yemen has been plagued by a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militias forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.
The first coronavirus death in Europe has been confirmed in France.

An 80-year-old Chinese tourist from Hubei whos been in an isolation ward at Bichat hospital in Paris since January 25 has passed away, according to French Health Minister, Agnes Buzy.

Another 143 deaths from Covid-19 were reported in mainland China on Saturday morning taking the total to 1,523, but the number of people being diagnosed on a daily basis has plummeted to around 2,641 and there are now more than 67,000 people with the virus worldwide.

In the UK, Health Officials scrambled to contact more than 200 people, including several MPs, who attended a UK Bus Summit at the QEII Centre in central London on February 6, after one of the delegates tested positive.

Dr Yimmy Chow, Health Protection Consultant at PHE, says tracking down people at risk is a challenge, but the chances of contracting the disease is minimal.

"One of our main priorities has been to identify anyone we think has been in close contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19 to provide public health advice, as they may be at slightly increased risk of catching the virus.

He added, While the degree of contact conference delegates may have had with the person who is positive is unlikely to have been significant, we have taken a precautionary approach and informed them of the situation.
Works of all genres, forms, and lengths will be considered. Film submissions will open on 1 March and close on 15 July

The organisers of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) announced that the fourth edition will take place between 26 September and 1 October 2020.

One of the youngest and major festivals held in Egypt, the GFF is founded by businessman Naguib Sawiris, co-founded by Amr Mansy and actress Boushra who also serves as the event's COO. The festival's director is Intishal El Timimi.

Held at El Gouna, a luxurious Red Sea resort established by businessman Samih Sawiris, the GFF activities are organised by the industry arm, CineGouna Platform.

The announcement of the fourth edition's dates is made in conjunction with the opening of the festivals call for entries. Works of all genres, forms, and lengths will be considered. Film submissions will open on 1 March and close on 15 July.

According to the numbers revealed by the festival's organisers, the GFF's third edition attracted 740 international filmmakers, buyers, distributors, sales agents, and 750 accredited local, regional and international media representatives.

The screenings and events recorded 33,000 footfalls. Eighty-three films representing 44 countries were screened; and prizes of more than $220,000 were awarded to the winning films of the competitive sections.

Over the past three editions, the GFF honoured luminaries such as superstar Mohamed Henedy and internationally acclaimed director and producer Mai Masri. The festival management bestowed the Variety Award upon Sudanese director Suhaib Gasmelbari, whose film Talking About Trees won El Gouna Golden Star for Documentary Film (2019).

Celebrating 100 years since the birth of legendary Egyptian writer Ihsan Abdel Quddous, GFF 2019 presented a specially curated exhibition honouring his memory. In addition, restored films by Ferid Boughedir, Walter Salles, Francois Truffaut and Federico Fellini were screened.

GFF signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with UNICEF to advocate for the rights of disadvantaged children across Egypt and the region, reflecting the belief in the power of cinema to bring a positive change to the lives of millions of children. A partnership agreement was signed with IEFTA to honour UNHCR and shed light on the refugee voices in the film industry.

In 2019 and for the first time, the festival hosted the jury members of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) as well as the jury members of The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC).

It is worth noting that five of the 2019 feature film selections received a total of 11 nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards.

El Gouna Film Festival has been making some measured choices that are all geared towards managing and hopefully meeting the expectations of industry professionals, audiences and the media. Thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of the team, GFF has been able to attract first-rate slate of acclaimed films from established filmmakers alongside innovative works from emerging filmmakers. This, coupled with the international attention the festival receives from the world's film industry, talents, media and its growing audience, is surely a matter of pride, stated El Timimi in a press release.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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People who purchased travel insurance may be surprised to learn that it might not cover claims arising from the coronavirus.

Some plans exclude coverage for losses arising from epidemics. Even if its not excluded, no standard policy will cover claims from events  be it a hurricane or epidemic  if the policy was purchased after it became known or foreseen.

Travel insurance companies have stated that the coronavirus became a known event on dates ranging from Jan. 22 to 24. Once an event becomes foreseen, there is no coverage for claims or loss due to that event if (the policy) is purchased after that date, said Karen Johnson, travel-group leader for USI Affinity, an insurance brokerage.

And no policy will reimburse you if you voluntarily cancel a trip to Asia because youre afraid of catching the virus, unless you have purchased an expensive upgrade known as cancel for any reason.

Normally, few travelers buy this, but since Jan. 21, we have seen a 60% increase in travelers purchasing it, said Julie Loffredi, a spokeswoman for InsureMyTrip, an online insurance broker.

Allianz, one of the top two underwriters of travel insurance, says on its website (Im translating here) that many travel policies exclude losses caused directly or indirectly by an epidemic. Policies with this exclusion will provide no coverage for any type of loss related to coronavirus that occurred after Feb. 3, the date the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization both recognized it as an epidemic. Additionally, policies purchased on or after Jan. 22, whether or not they exclude epidemics, will not cover losses for planned trips to China.

SquareMouth, which sells travel insurance from about 20 companies, has posted a roundup of other such pronouncements at bit.ly/coronavirusexclusions.

These statements show why its important to carefully read your policy before committing to it, or shortly afterward if it allows a cooling-off period.

These days, its hard to book a trip without being offered, or forced to decline, travel insurance or protection plans, said Kevin Brasler, executive editor of Consumers Checkbook. Theyre sold by airlines, cruise operators, online brokers and travel agents and aggregators.

Before jumping in, determine what youre afraid might happen. Mom getting sick while youre gone? A hurricane in the Caribbean? Falling down a cliff in the Andes? Find out whether the travel plan would cover it and if so, up to how much. Also see if existing insurance would cover it. Some high-end credit cards provide travel protection plans, with many exclusions.

Comprehensive policies offer two main types of coverage: trip cancellation and emergency medical and evacuation.

Trip cancellation will reimburse prepaid, nonrefundable, forfeited fees that you paid for hotels, transportation, tours and other travel costs if your trip gets canceled or interrupted for named reasons.

These usually include severe weather and the serious illness, injury or death of you, your traveling partner or family member. They wont cover you or your traveling companions (and sometimes the non-traveling family member) if the illness arose from a preexisting condition, unless you get whats known as a waiver.

The policy might, or might not, cover a cancellation due to job loss, terrorism, or a travel supplier going under. Hurricane coverage applies only if the plan was purchased before the storm was named. They generally cover losses if your home or your destination is destroyed by a natural disaster.

A standard policy does not cover canceling because of work conflicts, fear of infection or other reasons that are not included. For that, youd need to buy cancel for any reason coverage. This usually adds 50% to 60% to the cost of a standard policy, and covers up to 70% to 80% of the nonrefundable trip cost, subject to a dollar limit.

The other type of coverage will help pay for unreimbursed emergency medical and emergency evacuation or transportation bills  up to a dollar limit  if you get sick or injured while traveling. Dangerous countries and adventure activities are typically excluded, unless you buy specialty coverage.

This coverage also excludes preexisting conditions, unless you get a waiver. Be diligent in finding out how a company defines a preexisting condition and how far it can look back into ones medical history to find it.

You may be able to get a waiver that generally prevents the insurer from using a preexisting condition to deny a claim. However, you usually must apply for the waiver within 14 to 21 days of booking a trip, be medically fit to travel the day you purchase the policy and insure the full cost of the trip, Johnson said.

Medical evacuation coverage will generally pay to get you to an adequate medical facility for treatment. If you are stabilized, it will pay to transport you home or to a hospital near your home.

Some comprehensive policies also provide travel assistance; coverage for lost, stolen or delayed luggage (usually excluding cameras, sporting goods and other things people take on trips); and hotels, meals and transportation if travel is delayed for a certain amount of time.

The cost of travel insurance varies widely. The main variables are your age and the cost of the trip; some companies also factor in your destination, the length of your stay and your state of residence.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

A midrange comprehensive plan might cost 7% to 8.5% of the total trip cost in your 50s or 60s, 12% to 17% in your 70s and 17.5% to 20% if youre older than 81, Johnson said.

You may not need a comprehensive policy. Like Brasler, Im of the opinion that insurance is to protect against financial catastrophes. If you can afford to pay $10,000 for a trip, losing it will be a bummer, but not catastrophic. On the other hand, a medical emergency could put you in the poorhouse.

Some U.S. health plans will cover you overseas; some wont. Medicare doesnt, although some Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplemental (Medigap) plans provide some coverage, according to the Healthline website.

If you are going where it would be very expensive to evacuate you, and youre on Medicare, it might be worth it to get a policy that just covers medical expenses and evacuation, Brasler said. Such a policy could be much less expensive than comprehensive.

World traveler Anne Harding of Scotts Valley (Santa Cruz County) had always bought travel insurance when she went overseas. In 2017, at age 87, she embarked on a 28-day South American cruise with Crystal. She paid about $22,000 for the cruise and airfare, and $3,575 for insurance from Travel Insured International.

When the ship got to Peru, she passed out and was taken to a hospital, where she was kept overnight. She caught up with the cruise, but wasnt allowed to climb Machu Picchu. Aboard ship, she passed out a few more times. When it neared its next stop in Ushuaia at the tip of Argentina, thats when I had the real heart attack, she said.

She was transported to a small hospital in Ushuaia, where people from the cruise line came every day to help out. When she couldnt have an angiogram there, I got on an air ambulance to Buenos Aires, where she was operated on by a Stanford-trained doctor. The travel insurance company paid to fly in her son from the Bay Area and a nurse from Denver. After she was released, they stayed five days in a hotel in Buenos Aires until she was well enough to travel home.

Because she was on oxygen, Harding, the nurse and her son were flown business class to San Francisco. A limo took her home.

The travel insurance paid for my brothers flight, they paid for every service, down to the wheelchair, taxis, prescriptions, said Renee Harding, Annes daughter, who handled the paperwork. Within weeks of filing the claim, her mom was reimbursed $53,000 for medical expenses, $14,290 for the air ambulance, $13,000 in airfare for her mom and brother, $4,500 for hotel and meals and $1,000 for foreign transaction fees. She received almost $10,000 from a different insurance company for the unused portion of her cruise.

Theres no way I could have paid that, Anne Harding said. She hasnt traveled since.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender
As part of measures at promoting and patronizing Made-In-Ghana chocolate and cocoa products, Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Barbara Oteng Gyasi has advised the youth to regard February 14 as Chocolate Day and abstain from immoral sexual activities.

According to her, it is important to celebrate what is unique about Ghana and sell to the world than indulging in something that is not needed to be encouraged by the youth.

Speaking on the theme My Chocolate Experience, my holistic wellbeing at the Chocolate Day 2020 celebration, Mrs Gyasi said The National Chocolate is in its 15th year and we are looking forward to creating awareness on its positive effect on its consumption and also minimize social vices associated with the celebration of Valentines Day

She mentioned that the youth must accept the chocolate day is the new trend every 14th of February and drift away from the indecencies in connection with the celebration of St. Valentine Day.

The Minister also mentioned that the country is proud to have instituted the National Chocolate Day adding that event tends to change the widely spread perception of promoting promiscuity which is linked to Valentine Day to the consumption of Made-In-Ghana chocolate.

She said This event is helping to generate more revenue for National Development. The increase of patronage of our chocolate and cocoa-based products have offered employment opportunities to numerous Artisanal Chocolate lovers and cocoa-based products Entrepreneurs among others

She encouraged the public to patronize Made-In-Ghana products which have nutritional and health benefits.

Cultivate the habit of presenting Ghanaian Chocolate and other locally made cocoa products to families and loved ones on special occasions such as Birthdays, Christmas and Chocolate Day. Make good use of our products she added.

She urged entrepreneurs to explore new ways of presenting Made-In-Ghana chocolates and cocoa-based products adding that it's packaging much be appealing to attract the International markets.

She lauded the COCOBOD and Cocoa Processing Company for being partners over the past 15 years.

Hon. Gyasi also tasked Organizations in the Hospitality industry to introduce cocoa in their menu and not only coffee than tea.

In his welcome address, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Akwasi Agyeman commended the late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey for introducing National Chocolate Day to replace Valentine Day in Ghana.

He said This has increased the patronage and the consumption of chocolate. I want to urge our friends in the Hospitality Industry to stop the tea/coffee rather introduce and promote Ghanaian cocoa

He further mentioned that since COCOBOD and CPC have led the way, it is appropriate for the Tourism and Hospitality Industry to follow the trend.

Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo tasked Organisers of events t ensure that Cocoa Break is added to their programme line-ups.

He said Let us promote our own. Chocolate is good and our children tend to have sharper IQs from frequent eating of chocolates

Managing Director of Cocoa Processing Company (CPC), Nana Agyenim Boateng said We are championing the course. We are doing tiger nut spread with cocoa. We all know what we get from Tiger Nuts, so blend it with cocoa and it is another story likewise cashew nuts with cocoa

He added that CPC has added 6 new varieties adding that it seeks to process the vision of 50% by 2020/202.

In an exclusive interview with Modern Ghana, Chairman for the Occasion, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, Osu Mantse said he is disappointed Ghana is now boasting of the importance of chocolate, cocoa products and other natural resources the country has.

He said Although it is a laudable idea, Ghana should have been far ahead than today in the area of Chocolate and other cocoa processing products. Let us not forget that whenever the country exports, we put monies in the pockets of other people whiles we are gifted to retain our money

He added that it is about time, Ghana adds value to its natural resources adding that it will not only boost the economy but change the country likewise its citizens.

Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI stressed that the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda introduced by the President Akufo-Addo is a creditable initiative since it will put monies in the pockets of local citizens than foreigners and also boost the economy.

We are lazy people. We are talking too much! The Book-Knowledge is enough. Let us roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty instead of sitting in the offices and writing because by getting our hands dirty, we make an impact he added.

Wife of Late Obetsebi Lamptey, Madam Esther Obetsebi Lamptey thanked the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, COCOBOD and the CPC for dedicating the 15TH Anniversary in memory of her late partner.

She said He loved Ghana so well. He always wished the country soar high. Chocolate and Cocoa was on his heart. Today, we are here celebrating something he introduced. Today should be a chocolate day and not valentine day. You can do other things but focus on what we have in Ghana

She used the occasion to advise the youth to desist from deviant behaviours which will not add progress to their education.

A minute silence was held for the souls of Late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey and Tetteh Quarshie for their great ideas which today, in reality, is projecting Ghana to the world.

A citation was also presented to Madam Esther Obetsebi Lamptey.

Some Ghanaians who partook in the Tourism Ministrys chocolate day challenge on their various social media platforms were rewarded.
In one of the worst fires in NYC, nine children among 19 charred to death

Massive fire breaks out in Bengali Basti, several shanties gutted, 12 fire tenders at the spot

India

oi-Mousumi Dash

New Delhi, Feb 15: Several shanties gutted in fire at Bangali Basti in Rohini, Delhi on Saturday evening. Twelve fire tenders have been rushed to the spot.

No casualty reported till now.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The fire fighting operation is underway.

The fire department said to PTI, they received a call around 7.00 pm, following which 12 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Efforts are being made to douse the flames.

Several fire incident took place today, in the afternoon fire broke out on the first floor of Lake City Mall, Kapurbawdi near Balkum Fire Station in Thane (West), Maharashtra, later brought in control. Two persons who were rescued from the mall were taken to a nearby hospital.

Blaze in Thane mall is under control now; no casualties reported

In another incident, a state-run bus in Kolkata caught fire near the Howrah railway station, triggering panic in the busy area. The incident took place in the afternoon and it reportedly took around an hour for two fire tenders to douse the blaze.

No one was injured in the incident.
Members of the Network of Thai People in Eight Mekong Provinces submitted evidence of the impact of Laos' Xayaburi dam to the Supreme Administrative Court in Thailand, Feb. 14, 2019.

A group of concerned Thai citizens Friday submitted additional evidence regarding the impact of Laos Xayaburi dam to the Thai Supreme Administrative court, describing damage to fisheries and dramatic changes to an ecosystem that sustains millions of lives.

In an ongoing lawsuit concerning Laos first of five planned large-scale Mekong river dams, the Network of Thai People in Eight Mekong Provinces is challenging the legitimacy of a power purchase agreement between Laos and Thailand, saying that the project has failed to properly assess the environmental impact of the dam in Thailand.

The submission of additional evidence comes after half a year of project operations. During this period, downstream of the dam, stretches of the Mekong in seven Thai provinces experienced sharp and unusual water fluctuations, and clear blue water - a phenomenon that signals an absence of the nutrients and sediment that are critical to aquatic lives, fisheries, and agriculture in the lower Mekong basin, said the International Rivers NGO in a press statement about the submission.

The timing and location of the dramatic ecosystem changes indicate that they are linked to the operations of the Xayaburi dam, the statement said.

The impact was observed in parts of Thailands Loei province, as well as in Nong Kai, Bung Kan, Nakorn Phnom, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen and Ubon Ratchatani provinces.

The rise and fall of the river is not normal anymore. The rapid fluctuations of the river is impacting on aquatic ecosystems and fisheries. I am worried that fisheries, which are important for our food and income, will continue to decline, Channarong Wongla, one of the plaintiffs from Loei province, was quoted as saying in the statement.

In addition to submitting the evidence, the Network is also asking the court to suspend the Power Purchase agreement until their evidence can be properly assessed.

Om Boun, the chairwoman of the Network, told RFAs Lao Service Friday that the group has been observing the impact of the dam during its past eight years of construction and that a previous petition letter was ignored.

We sent a petition letter to the high court eight years ago and court has made no decision yet, and nothing has been done, said Om.

Our concern is that impact from Xayabury dam in the last 8 years is [observably] enormous in year 2019 and 2020. Thats why we came back to submit [our evidence] again in order to make the court come up with a decision on what they are going to do. We urge them to make decision for us and for our people, she said.

Problems that we are concerned about are happening right now. We also worry that if the dam breaks, the court can help us. So thats why we are here, said the chairwoman.

Laos has built dozens of hydropower dams on the Mekong and its tributaries in its quest to become the battery of Southeast Asia, exporting the electricity they generate to other countries in the region, and is preparing to build scores more dams in the years ahead.



Though the Lao government sees power generation as a way to boost the countrys economy, the projects are controversial because of their environmental impact, displacement of villagers, and questionable financial arrangements.

Reported and translated by RFAs Lao Service. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Chattanooga Federal judges on Friday directed that all federal inmates be removed from the Silverdale jail facility.

Sources said the judges are concerned for the safety of the federal inmates at the facility that is operated by a private firm, CoreCivic.

Some inmates have complained that gang members have taken over at least some sectors of the Silverdale facility, sources said.

There were 52 federal inmates at Silverdale on Friday morning and now none are housed there. Federal inmates are not expected to be held there for the foreseeable future.

Sheriff Jim Hammond, who has responsibility for both the downtown county jail as well as the Silverdale facility, said immediate action was taken to move the inmates.

He said eight female prisoners were shipped to the Bradley County Jail.

The remaining federal prisoners were transferred to the downtown jail on Walnut Street. Sheriff Hammond said, to make room for them, an equal number of male prisoners were moved out of the jail and transferred to Silverdale.

Judge Sandy Mattice, after consultation with Judge Travis McDonough, issued an order removing the federal prisoners from Silverdale.

Sources said he told the U.S. marshals to "get them out of there."

Sheriff Hammond said he had been aware of issues at Silverdale and there have been investigations underway.
The criminal trial of Joshua Schulte, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee accused by the US government of leaking documents exposing illegal global spying operations, began in a New York federal courtroom this month. Hearings are ongoing.

Joshua Schulte

The 31-year-old has pled not guilty to 11 charges. They cover alleged violations of the Espionage Act, including the theft of government property and illegal transmission of unlawfully possessed national defense information.

The proceedings provide a glimpse into the kind of kangaroo court that Julian Assange will face if he is extradited from Britain to the US to face trumped-up Espionage Act charges over separate 2010 and 2011 WikiLeaks publications. If Schulte is convicted, it may also aid the attempts of the US Department of Justice to concoct further charges against Assange, on the grounds that he violated US national security.

The corporate media is seeking to suppress any public discussion of the Schulte trial. The handful of reports in the New York Times, Washington Post and other prominent publications have said virtually nothing about the assault on whistleblowers revealed in Schultes treatment, or the content of the material he is alleged to have leaked. It is as if Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who came to international prominence by exposing US National Security Agency surveillance operations, were on trial in New York and the media did not bother to show up.

The 2017 WikiLeaks publications, based on material Schulte has alleged to have leaked exposing CIA spying, were no less damning than the Snowden revelations. US prosecutors have stated that they constituted the the single biggest leak of classified national defense information in the history of the CIA.

Dubbed Vault 7, the documents detailed the activities of a secret division within the CIA responsible for offensive hacking operations. They reveal the agency to be the biggest purveyor of malicious computer viruses in the world.

Among the most explosive revelations were documents showing that the CIA division would, after hacking into a computer system, leave tell-tale markers in foreign languages including Iranian and Russian. This pointed to the way in which supposedly forensic evidence of such things as Russian interference in the 2016 US election could have beeen manufactured by the CIA.

The trove demonstrated that the CIA had developed capabilities to hack household appliances, including smart TVs, so that they could be used to spy on their owner. It contained evidence of even more sinister operations. One document showed that the division was seeking to develop the capacity to remotely take control of the computer operating systems of modern cars. Such capabilities could be used for assassination operations.

The illegal character of these activities, which violated the US Constitution and potentially infringed on the right to privacy of millions around the world, has been covered up by the media and the official political parties in the US and around the world. Instead, Schulte and Assange have been viciously targeted.

WikiLeaks publication of Vault 7 in early 2017 was followed by a frenzied hunt within the CIA for the whistleblower. It was the trigger for a major intensification of Washingtons pursuit of Assange. This culminated in the increasingly-US aligned Ecuadorian governments expulsion of Assange from its London embassy last year and his detention in Britain.

Schultes Manhattan apartment was raided several times, beginning on March 15, 2017. This was just weeks after WikiLeaks had begun publishing Vault 7. Schulte had left the CIA in November 2016, after a series of rancorous disputes with colleagues. He was not charged with any offense relating to CIA leaks until June, 2018, over a year after he was first raided. Instead, he was indicted in November 2017 on child pornography charges, which provided the initial basis for him to be held in federal custody.

The discovery of the material supposedly took place during the course of police examinations of Schultes computers taken during the raids. He has pled not guilty to those offenses, with his defence noting that the material was allegedly on servers to which at least a dozen people had access.

The fabrication of sexual misconduct allegations has played a central role in the US governments campaign to destroy WikiLeaks and its sources. Most notably, a bogus Swedish sexual assault investigation into Assange was used to arbitrarily detain him for eight years and blacken his name. The preliminary investigation was dropped three times and never came close to the issuing of criminal charges. Other WikiLeaks collaborators, including Jacob Applebaum, have also been smeared with unsubstantiated allegations of sexual misconduct.

Schulte also faces a series of other charges for supposedly disseminating classified information during his initial period of incarceration. This included allegedly providing information to family members about the US governments actions against him and the publication of Facebook posts detailing the ordeal of the police raids and his incarceration.

The government alleges that Schulte conducted what he described as an information war against it using contraband smartphones. It claims that this took place while he was being held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.

Those charges are of a piece with a broader assault on Schultes legal rights in the name of protecting national security. In April 2019, Sabrina Shroff, Schultes defence lawyer, stated that the CIA was reviewing the alleged whistleblowers correspondence with her before it was posted. She said that the CIA essentially has threatened us with the prospect of legal action if Schultes defence lawyers were in possession of classified material.

The trial is thus being held in a climate of intimidation.

In her opening argument on February 4, Shroff labelled Schulte a scapegoat. She noted that there had been tremendous pressure to hold someone responsible for the leaks and to take the heat off the CIA for not knowing how these documents ended up on WikiLeaks.

Schroff stated that Schulte had been selected to take the fall because of his many conflicts with colleagues at the CIA and the fact that he was widely disliked. She said that the CIA and the FBI still did not know how the documents had been taken out of the agencys system or transmitted to WikiLeaks. The CIA and the prosecutors were trying to work backwards from the publication of Vault 7 but could not prove that Schulte had been involved.

Schroff also argued that the CIAs DEVLAN computer system, on which the documents were stored, was not secure. She argued that there were many parties, inside and outside the CIA, who could have been responsible for the leak. She noted that WikiLeaks did not begin publishing Vault 7 until roughly a year after the US government alleges that Schulte leaked the material to the organisation. Schroff stated that it was unlikely that WikiLeaks would sit on a major scoop for almost 12 months.

The opening submissions raised many questions, but the trial, like all national security cases, is being held under a shroud of secrecy. A slew of CIA agents are slated to testify against Schulte under conditions of anonymity.

Extraordinarily, the prosecution successfully demanded that the defence be barred from researching the CIA witnesses in any way that could link them to the agency. As Schroff has argued, this is a major obstacle to the defence exercising its right to conduct an independent investigation into prosecution witnesses.

The defence has limited access to official CIA documents. One, prepared by the CIA WikiLeaks Task Force (impact assessment) stated: We are making educated assumptions about the scope and timing of the loss, in part because we lacked effective monitoring and auditing of this mission system.

This would appear to cast grave doubt on the government case against Schulte. His lawyers have received no response to their inquiries about when the document was prepared, by whom and upon what its conclusions were based. A substantial section is redacted and has not been provided to the defence.

The draconian framework of the hearing is taken as given by corporate publications that function as little more than stenographers for the CIA, and the Democratic and Republican parties, which are committed to an escalating attack on democratic rights targeting mounting social opposition.

Schultes trial is yet more evidence of the need to mobilise workers, students and young people to block Assanges extradition from Britain to the US in the lead-up to court hearings on February 24.
Leaders exist in every generation  Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, Millennials and more.

Each generation brings something distinctive, but significant, to the workplace. And each generation needs leadership development.

Congregations United to Serve Humanity in Kenosha is working to help develop young adults to be part of that next generation of leadership.

Through a conversation last year at a CUSH Immigration Task Force, members were trying to create ways to involve young adults in their faith communities as well as with CUSH issue committees.

It was well-known to the task force that various congregation leaders needed help, according to Sister Erica Jordan, of Sinsinawa Dominican.

We also knew that the CUSH committees needed new blood, she said, adding, Sister Judy Seiberlich and I applied for a grant to our Sinsinawa Dominican Ministry Fund and were given $8,000 to pursue this idea.

Jordon said they were aware there was an active youth group at St. Marks that met each week, so they arranged for a meeting with the churchs pastor, Father Carlos Florez, to determine if the group might serve as the seed of the leadership development initiative.

We knew that it would be important to have the interested young people participate in the planning, so we met with a small group from St. Marks and Bradford Unitarian Universalist, she explained. They determined that they would like to have training in how to become community leaders and accomplish goals around the issues they care about.

First training undertaken in fall

Seiberlich and Jordon approached David Liners, executive director of WISCOM, a Wisconsin-based interfaith social justice group that is part of GAMALIEL, a national interfaith group. Liners was willing and able to offer the training.

We started recruiting at the CUSH member congregations and got few applicantsm Jordan said. It was a revelation to some of us that many congregations have few members between the ages of 18-30, our target group. We began to recruit more broadly.

Eventually 25 applicants enrolled for the fall session, most from the community at large and not necessarily from faith communities. Those who came were students, young working adults, some married, single, and parents.

Some were involved in social justice issues, some aspiring to be lawyers or clergy or still unclear about their future plans, said Jordon.

New workshop set to start Feb. 28

A second five-week training workshop begins Feb. 28 and concludes March 27. The series will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 7104 39th Ave., from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Jordon said they have room for up to 30 for the series, which begins with a meal and social time before the training begins.

The sessions include:

The attitudes and disciplines of organizing for change

One on Ones, the Building Blocks of Leadership (Importance of building relationships)

One on Ones-Part 2: Effective meeting skills

Issues and Actions (Crafting meaningful, workable issues and formulating a plan)

Building Teams and Recruiting New Leaders

Our young people are our hope for a better future. Providing them with organizing skills and strengths to become effective leaders is a gift to them and will impact all of us, especially in making our community and our world more just and equitable said Jordon. We hope the young people will return to their congregations, schools and communities with stronger skills and self-assurance to work with others on justice issues.

The sessions are open to all young adults with or without a faith background and Jordon feels that reaching a common ground within a diverse group will not be difficult.

We believe a passion for truth and justice crosses all faiths and the lives of all people of all good will, she said. The many differences in last falls group were seen as a strength and the group jelled well.

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If candidates and campaigns want to win over the Latino vote, they had best call mama.

Over the past two years, I have interviewed dozens of this nations Latino leaders for a book on leveraging the collective power of the community. The biggest theme that emerged from my interviews was the quiet yet outsize role that mothers had in helping mobilize their communities.

The Latino electorate is young, and half was not eligible to vote in the 2018 midterm elections, according to Pew Research Center. However, close to 900,000 Latinos are expected to turn 18 every year until 2028, a potential gold mine of votes for Democratic and Republican candidates alike, according to the nonpartisan coalition National Hispanic Leadership Agenda. As former President George W. Bush and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have shown, a GOP candidate need only garner 40% of the Latino vote to win in states such as Texas and California.

At 20 million strong, Latina mothers could help tip the scale of power in swing states such as Texas, Arizona and Pennsylvania  all states that Hillary Clinton lost by single digits in 2016. Latinas not only vote in greater numbers than their male counterparts, but they tend to encourage family and friends to vote, too, according to data cited by Latino polling firm Latino Decisions. However, Latina mothers, due to their caregiving status, engage in a more intimate organizing, which could yield greater results at the polling booth.

Latina mothers, more than any other U.S. demographic group, care for other adults in the home, including parents, children, nieces, nephews and other extended family. After African American women, they clock in more unpaid caregiving hours than anyone else in the United States to the tune of 30 hours per week, according to the nonprofit organization Family Caregiver Alliance.

At 30 hours per week, these women are practically taking on another full-time, and unpaid, job in addition to any other workload, which has repercussions on their economic status in the country. However, they are also in a powerful position to persuade the adults in their care to vote and participate in political causes.

Florida state Rep. Amy Mercado made this point at an Aug. 4, 2018 panel discussion on the Puerto Rican vote at the Netroots Nation political convention in New Orleans. Mercado, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is the mother of six children and also helps care for her ailing grandparents. She and her father, Florida state Sen. Victor Torres, are the first Latino father-daughter team to serve together in the Florida Legislature. They are an example of the intra-family and intergenerational dynamics that play out in Latino politics.

In my family, there are seven of us in the house, Mercado told her audience in New Orleans. Seven people! Six of them have already voted, one of them is waiting on a ballot. I voted, my husband voted, my mother-in-law voted, my kids voted, and one more is waiting. As soon as the ballot comes, they vote, too. Its the only way we can make a difference.

Latina mamas also can play the pivotal role of inspiring and encouraging candidates.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has frequently credited her mother, Blanca  my mother most of all, she has written on Instagram  for doing whatever she needed to do, for me. Blanca campaigned her heart out for her daughter in New York, and was the one who held the Bible during her daughters swearing-in to Congress, a key moment highlighted by the press.

It was not long ago that our familys hope was so dim it was barely an ember, Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a moving tribute to her mother at the time of her swearing-in back in January 2019. Darkness taught me transformation cannot solely be an individual pursuit, but also a community trust.

Due to small sample sizes of especially Spanish-dominant Latino voters, most polls fail to accurately capture Latino support for candidates, according to Latino Decisions. An example of this egregious oversight was the undercounting of Latino support for Democratic presidential nominee Julian Castro, who dropped out of the race in January. While Castro barely rated in conventional polling, Latino Decisions conducted a comprehensive poll in Spanish and English of Latino voters in April 2019, and found that the former secretary of Housing and Urban Development enjoyed a 45% approval rating among Latinos, trailing only Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and a hair behind former Texas Rep. Beto ORourke.

Castro, for his part, was very familiar with the nuances of the Latino community. On the campaign trail, he frequently trotted out his mother, Rosie, and even spoke about her in nationally televised debates. Rosie Castro is a trailblazing Mexican American civil rights activist, who both of her sons, Julian and Joaquin, have credited for inspiring their political careers.

Like Ocasio-Cortez and Castro, Erika Andiola, one of this nations most recognizable immigrant rights activists who worked as Sanders press secretary in 2016, made sure to recruit her mother when she embarked on her career as an activist in the late aughts. While it is true that she and young undocumented activists known as the Dreamers  named after the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act that would legalize their immigration status  helped propel Sanders candidacy in 2016 and now again in 2020, a secret weapon in their organizing arsenal was their mothers.

I remember my mom would have our weekly meetings in support of the DREAM Act, Andiola said. It was like growing, and kept growing, at the park. Shed organize one of the moms, and that mom would bring her neighbor, and the neighbor would bring her esposo (husband). They would all bring food to the environment. It felt like family coming together.

These organizing parties at the park and in peoples homes were common in Andiolas home state of Arizona following the enactment of the Show Me Your Papers anti-immigrant law, SB1070, in April 2010. Thanks to a grassroots-led boycott of the state and relentless legal challenges, most of that law has since lost its power. The state was even forced to pay the plaintiffs legal fees.

The success of any of the presidential candidates in the Latino community will hinge on his or her appeal to Latina mothers. In addition to reaching out to these mothers, the single most important ask that organizers can make is the following: Bring the whole familia with you!

Elisa Batista is a journalist, community organizer, and the lead author of the book Presente! Latinx Power Remaking U.S. Democracy (Routledge, 2020). She lives in Berkeley with her family.
In Chicago to play in the 2020 All-Star game, Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler said its a definite possibility he could suit up for the Bulls once again later in his career, tweets Cody Westerlund of 670TheScore.

Butler spent his first six seasons in the Windy City, transforming from a 30th overall pick into a perennial All-Star. Chicago traded Butler to the Timberwolves in June 2017. Butlers time in Minnesota lasted just over a season before he was dealt to the Sixers. He signed a four-year, $141MM deal with the Heat as part of a sign-and-trade this past summer.

The 30-year-old is committed to Miami for three additional seasons after 2019/20. However, he had praise for Chicagos front office and what the team is building.

I got faith in (Bulls) management, he said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). They have a lot of young talent.

In 46 games this season, Butler is averaging 20.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 6.1 APG for Miami.
COLONIE  Traveling this Presidents Week? Chances are you bought your plane tickets months ago.

At least, that's what Jean Gagnon, who heads Plaza Travel in Latham, hopes. As the holiday week nears, planes are filling up, and you'll likely pay top dollar for travel on the weekends at each end.

Gagnon cited one search for tickets between Albany and Denver, where the plentiful snow has attracted skiers this winter. Seats were almost sold out, and those available cost as much as tickets to Europe.

"There's way more hotel rooms than there are flights," she said. Just because you've found a deal on a room in someplace like the Rockies or Carribean doesn't mean you'll find an affordable flight to get there. "If you want to get the most for your dollar, you'll book the flight nine or 10 months ahead of time."

Gagnon recalls suggesting that one family making last-minute arrangements consider London instead. "I said, 'this is off-season. It's a great place for kids.'" They went and had a good time.

Is the coronavirus having any impact on travel plans?

"We don't have anybody going anywhere of concern during school break week," Gagnon said. And she said the flu has been a bigger issue domestically.

But Gagnon does recommend that her clients have travel insurance, especially if they're heading overseas.

"Most health insurance won't cover you," she said. And then there are flight delays and cancellations, as well as incidents ranging from terrorism to the coronavirus, that might impose additional costs on the traveler.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Typically, airlines will waive change fees, as they did during the worst of the Hong Kong protests, as well as during weather events such as hurricanes, severe thunderstorms or blizzards.

Read the policy's coverage carefully. Policies typically don't "cover fear," said Gagnon, such as a terror attack in Paris when you're traveling to London.

Airlines, meanwhile, have moved to suspend service to China and nearby areas affected by the coronavirus. They're offering to waive change fees and refund fares. Many have also suspended taking reservations for the immediate future.

By the way, time is running out for those who don't yet have a Real ID. The Transportation Security Administration will require a "Real ID" starting Oct. 1 to board a plane. This enhanced form of identification requires more documentation. A valid passport is acceptable, but not all driver's licenses will meet the new standard.

More details: https://dmv.ny.gov/which-id-right-me
A lot of times in relationships, you need to make sacrifices, said Genesis Games, a therapist in Miami. You dont have any sacrifices to make when youre on your own. You make all the decisions. If you feel like you want to change your friends, you want to move, you want to start from zero  whatever you think is a radical change thats needed in your life  you have the full liberty to do that and not worry about anyone else.

[Sign up for Love Letter and always get the latest in Modern Love, weddings, and relationships in the news by email.]

In November, the actress Emma Watson, 29, spoke to British Vogue about being single. Im very happy. I call it being self-partnered. In the same interview, Ms. Watson described the stress she felt before adopting this notion. There is suddenly this bloody influx of subliminal messaging around. If you have not built a home, if you do not have a husband, if you do not have a baby, and you are turning 30, and youre not in some incredibly secure, stable place in your career, or youre still figuring things out  Theres just this incredible amount of anxiety.

Even outside monogamy, casually dating, courtship and chasing potential love interests take energy and time. When youre not seeking partnership, you are in a very relaxed calm inner space and generally more comfortable with who you are, said Carla Manly, a clinical psychologist who specializes in relationships and self-awareness, who is based in Santa Rosa, Calif. Youre not trying to impress anyone and youre not trying to please anyone, except that inner being.

Dr. Manly says that for centuries, men and particularly women were raised to believe they are more valuable when married. This concept remains prevalent, despite people having a more relaxed attitude about marriage. (In the 2012 General Social Survey, more than half of adult Americans reported that getting married is not an experience they consider important to becoming an adult.)
A 22-year-old herbalist who allegedly defiled an 11-year-old girl at his shrine at Gbayamili, near Tamale in the Northern Region has been remanded in prison custody.

The mother of the girl had sought the assistance of the herbalist, Adam Arafat, to cure her daughter of an ailment but he ended up allegedly defiling her.

The victim, who is said to have bled from her private parts and unable to walk after the act, is on admission at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH).

Charges

The Northern Regional Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Emmanuel Holortu, who made this known to the Daily Graphic in Tamale yesterday, said the suspect was charged with defilement and sent to court to be remanded until the victim was discharged from hospital for the case to continue.

DSP Holortu said the herbalist had advertised his work in the media and added his phone numbers in order for people to contact him for help, and that was how the mother of the victim was able to reach him.

He said after the mother contacted the suspect on phone, she travelled with the girl from Bawku in the Upper East Region to see the herbalist to cure her.

DSP Holortu stated that the victim and her mother arrived in Tamale from Bawku about 9 p.m. on February 10, 2020 and called the suspect who met them at the lorry station. He then hired a tricycle, popularly known as yellow yellow, for them to follow him while he rode on his motorbike to his shrine at Gbayamili where they lodged that night.

He said the following day, the suspect asked the mother of the victim to go and buy a bottle of Schnapps to enable him to prepare some concoctions for them for the treatment of the ailment.

The DOVVSU commander said immediately the mother left the shrine, the herbalist forcibly had sex with the victim and warned the girl not to tell anybody about the act or else she would die.

DSP Holortu added that when the victim's mother returned with the bottle of Schnapps, Arafat prepared the concoction for them, but when the woman and her daughter left the shrine, the former realised that the girl could not walk well.

When she asked the girl why that was so, the victim told the mother that she was sexually assaulted by Arafat when she (mother) left them.

The girl, the DOVVSU commander said, further told her mother that she bled from her private parts after the act.

Complaint

DSP Holortu said the mother lodged a complaint at the police station and the suspect was arrested.

He stated that the victim, who could not walk then, was sent to the TTH for medical attention.

He said after investigations, the suspect was charged with the offence.

---graphic.com.gh
The cost to Britain's sovereignty could be 'higher than we ever imagined' if Beijing's state-owned railway builder is given a role in constructing HS2, a Tory MP has said.

Britain is in talks with China about the project and the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has said it can build the line in just five years.

They have also claimed the high speed link could be completed at a much lower cost than is currently forecast, according to the Financial Times.

Department for Transport officials confirmed 'preliminary discussions' had taken place between CRCC and HS2 Ltd, but said no 'concrete commitments' had been made.

Britain is in talks with China about using them to construct HS2, but a Tory MP has warned the cost to Britain's sovereignty could be 'higher than we ever imagined' (Boris Johnson is pictured during a tour of the new High Speed 2 rail project construction in Birmingham)

'The DfT is always keen to learn from the experience of others and to consider approaches that offer value for money to the taxpayer,' one official said.

Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, called into question using CRCC for the project.

He said: 'Britain needs to think hard about how we partner with countries that don't share our respect for human rights or the rule of law.

Tory MP Tom Tugendhat (pictured) said: 'Britain needs to think hard about how we partner with countries that don't share our respect for human rights or the rule of law'

'The price of the project may be lower but the cost to our sovereignty could be higher than we ever imagined. There's no point in taking back control from Brussels only to hand it over to Beijing.'

Mr Tugendhat earlier told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that the UK is 'in dire need of a proper China strategy', adding: 'We are being offered, at extraordinarily generous terms it appears, everything to connect our telephone networks, to connect our cities and to connect our power networks.

'What is it that we want out of China? Have we decided to take back control from Brussels just to hand it over to Beijing? The idea that we should allow others to act like we did in places like India and Nigeria for the best part of 200 years here in the UK would be extremely questionable.'

Mr Tugendhat, who was an outspoken critic of the Government's decision to allow the Chinese tech giant Huawei a role in building the UK's 5G network, questioned CRCC's claim it could build the entire line in just five years.

'The reason why Chinese projects in China are very often so quick is because they don't worry about such minor matters as planning consent or workers' rights,' he said.

China has offered to build a cheaper, faster HS2 service in just five years (pictured is an artist's impression of an HS2 train on the Birmingham and Fazeley viaduct)

'It seems extremely unlikely that without really short-cutting any number of labour conditions that it would be possible.'

Boris Johnson this week controversially gave the green light for the scheme to go ahead - despite an official review warning costs could reach over 100 billion, against a budget of 62 billion.

Under current plans the final stretch of the line is not due to be completed until 2040 - although Mr Johnson has said he wants that brought forward to 2035.

However, the FT reported that CRCC had written to HS2 Ltd's chief executive last month saying it could build the line by the middle of the decade, for a much reduced price tag.

The letter, first reported by Building Magazine and seen by the FT, states: 'We are certain that we can offer a cost that is significantly lower than the projections we have seen.

Boris Johnson gave HS2 the green light earlier this week despite total cost estimates reaching more than 100billion, against a budget of 62 billion

'The advantages are too great, in our opinion, too great to dismiss on the basis that there are obstacles to overcome.

'You will find that the Chinese way is to seek solutions, not linger on obstacles and difficulties.'

CRCC has transformed China's transport system, building most of the country's 15,500-mile high-speed network.

However, British officials are said to be sceptical that it could operate in the same way in a democracy with property rights, protected landscapes and powerful lobbying groups.

Any move to give Beijing a further role in the UK's infrastructure would almost certainly prove controversial, after Mr Johnson reportedly incurred the wrath of US President Donald Trump - as well as upsetting many Tory MPs - with his decision to allow tech giant Huawei to supply equipment for the 5G mobile network.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosas plans to overhaul the energy industry have some way to go before they provide answers to the nations crippling power shortages.

Africas most industrialized nation has been roiled by rolling blackouts since late 2005, a legacy of state power company Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.s failure to adequately maintain its plants and invest in sufficient new ones. In his state-of-the-nation address on Thursday, Ramaphosa announced a raft of measures to increase generation, including calling for new bids from private producers to supply the grid and allowing companies to produce unlimited electricity for the own use.

While the reforms are in essence, very positive, were just missing time lines, said Wido Schnabel, chairman of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association. Plant developers will need about two months to get on site after the new bid round begins, and it would be technically possible for them to bring as much as 4,000 megawatts of capacity on line within a year, he said.

South Africa previously had the worlds fastest-growing program to procure green power from independent producers, but it stalled when Eskom refused to sign off-take agreements with the developers. Former Energy Minister Jeff Radebe signed contracts for the most recent round in 2018 with 27 companies after more than two years of delays.

Thus far independent producers have completed 64 projects that together have almost 4,000 megawatts of generating capacity and on average took 1.9 years to build, government data shows.

The need for additional power is extremely urgent and it would have been preferable if Ramaphosa had set deadlines for issuing the official requests for  and the awarding of  new projects, said Anton Eberhard, a professor at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business.

While Ramaphosa pledged to ensure that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa would handle all applications by commercial and industrial users to produce more than 1 megawatt of power for their own use within 120 days, the process currently takes much longer.

Bold Action

The state and the regulator need to step aside when it comes to self-generation, Eberhard said. Power cuts are causing massive economic damage. We need bold, prompt and purposeful action.

Minerals Council South Africa, a lobby group for the mining industry, welcomed the governments recognition that companies could help address Eskoms capacity shortages by producing their own power. Mining companies have a pipeline of energy projects totaling about 1,500 megawatts that could be brought on stream in the next nine to 36 months, it said.

Promises to allow industrial companies, particularly mines, to build their own generation capacity could be transformative in eroding the monopoly of troubled state-owned electricity company Eskom, Fitch Ratings said. It is still unclear whether licenses will be easily obtainable.

Ramaphosa concedes that his planned reforms will take time to bear fruit.

The reality is our energy system will remain constrained until new energy generation comes on stream, he told lawmakers.
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Linkedin Sunghee Hwang (Agence France-Presse) Seoul  Sat, February 15, 2020 18:05 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064c0113 2 Entertainment South-Korea,TV,Crash-Landing-on-You Free

South Korea's biggest current television hit is a surreally unlikely tale of a billionaire heiress who accidentally paraglides into the North and falls in love with a chivalrous army officer serving Kim Jong Un.

"Crash Landing on You" is unashamedly fantastical in its plotlines, but has drawn praise for its portrayal of everyday life in the North, even down to accents and words.

The division of the peninsula is a regular theme in K-drama and K-movies, but it is unusual for so much of a show to be set in the North -- in both Pyongyang and the countryside -- and defectors have complimented its accuracy.

Portraits of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong Il -- father of the current leader -- appear on the walls of every home, with propaganda slogans in the streets of the set.

The crew included a writer and an actress from the North: "I felt like I was actually back in a North Korean village," said Kim A-ra, who played a villager.

The 16-part series reaches its climax on cable network tvN this weekend.

"It changed the stereotypes on North Korea and candidly showed that it too is a place where people live," said Yun Suk-jin, a professor at Chungnam National University.

It is also a manifestation of how tensions have eased on the peninsula, where fears of war in 2017 were replaced by a rapid diplomatic thaw and a series of summits, although the process is now stalled.

"The series wouldn't even have been planned and produced under heightened tensions," Yun added. "Even if it was, it would not have been well received."

On your bike

The story opens with the beautiful heiress to a South Korean business empire being swept up by a tornado while paragliding, and crashing on the wrong side of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone.

She meets a handsome North Korean soldier -- the son of a top military general -- and the two fall in love as he hides and protects her.

It is a vanishingly implausible scenario in a one-party state where intruders are jailed and disloyalty heavily punished.

Even more surreally, after she returns South the hero and several comrades slip across the DMZ and into Seoul undetected to save her from a villain.

But viewers have been fascinated by the villagers' humble lifestyles -- the neighbors remain technically at war, with any contact between their citizens banned.

In one scene, a woman places a plastic bag over her bath to keep the water warm for longer. In another, a resident pedals vigorously on a bicycle-powered generator after a blackout to keep the television on.

South Korean fans found it humorous, but defector Han Song-ee was reminded of frequent power cuts in her homeland.

"Every home has a pedal power generator in North Korea," Han said in a YouTube video. "I cried watching the scene."

Read also: Inequality tour: The real-life sights of South Korea's Oscar-winning 'Parasite'

'Pure fantasy'

The series portrays North Koreans as being well-disposed towards the South. On a visit to a jangmadang -- an informal but increasingly widespread and tolerated black market in the North -- a vendor tells the heiress her company's cosmetics are among her most sought-after items.

One North Korean soldier is a fervent fan of Southern dramas and secretly watches the forbidden clips even when on duty, while a Northern teenager uses the latest Southern slang.

Thae Yong Ho, a former senior North Korean diplomat who defected to the South in 2016, said: "One thing for sure is that if this TV series is smuggled into North Korea, it will be hugely popular."

Some critics have accused "Crash Landing on You" of peddling propaganda for the North, with a small right-wing group seeking a criminal investigation.

The Christian Liberty Party accused the producers of glorifying North Korean soldiers, who in real life were an enemy that "point their guns and knives at us".

But the series has the crucial ingredients for commercial success of big-budget production values and a star-studded cast, led by Hyun Bin playing the officer and Son Ye-jin the heiress.

Most fans appeared not to be thinking "too deeply" about the Koreas' division, said professor Yun.

Kim Eun-ji, a 33-year-old office worker who has freed up her weekend to catch the finale, said: "It's pure fantasy."
Hand-washing! It takes minimal effort and is incredibly effective, and yet we still dont do it properly. In this time of COVID-19, we really ought to change that, James Hamblin wrote in the Atlantic last week, a desperate doctors plea for people to do better. Many people remain dismissive of the most widely accepted, simple advice to slow the spread of most viruses, Hamblin points out. Nobody, man, woman, or health care worker (yikes), hand-washes well enough.

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Whats to blame for our collective failure to scrub for the prescribed 20 seconds, using plenty of soap and friction, after using the bathroom and before eating food? Hamblin suggests it might be Americas general history of focusing less on evidence-based preventive behaviors than on billable treatments. Sounds reasonable. But its also worth noting that there is a consistent gender gap in hand-washing practices. That gap is self-reported: A survey of American men and women, taken in 2018, asked whether particular hygienic behaviors were importantchanging your underwear every day, washing your hands after using public transportation, sanitizing living spacesand found gender gaps between 8 and 10 percentage points. Researchers see this when they make observations in public spaces, too. In 2003, a study of travelers in North American airports found that 83 percent of women hand-washed after using the restroom, versus 74 percent of men. In three surveys taken between 2005 and 2010, observers watched visitors to restrooms at big public attractions like museums and stadiums in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and San Francisco, and discovered hand-washing gender gaps ranging between 16 and 25 percentage points. One study from 2003 even found that a simple sign posted in a campus restroom urging hand-washing greatly increased compliance among women, but did nothing for men.

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The hand-washing gap is a gender difference that has a history. There was a horrible windowbetween the acceptance of germ theory in the late 19th century and the decline of mortality from infectious diseases (thanks to sanitation, vaccines, and antibiotics) in the middle of the 20thwhen American women were told that their families health depended on them enforcing the strictest standards of hygiene. In her book The Gospel of Germs: Men, Women, and the Microbe in American Life, historian Nancy Tomes describes the immense pressure on women that the new knowledge of germ theory produced.

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The late 1800s were a distressing time for women charged with preventing disease through hygiene. Scientists were learning where many deadly diseases really came from, before figuring out how to prevent or treat them with vaccines or medicines, and messages about the many sources of infection had to have been completely panic-inducing. A 1874 editorial in the reformers journal the Sanitarian described all of the parts of the home that could make people sick. Its a forbidding list: From the cellar, store-room, pantry, bedroom, sitting room and parlor; from decaying vegetables, fruits, meats, soiled clothing, old garments, old furniture, refuse of kitchen, mouldy walls, everywhere, a microscopic germ is propagating. After Robert Koch proved that tuberculosis was infectious, and not hereditary, the activist National Tuberculosis Association blitzed people with warnings about contacts in daily life that could spread infection. One example: A National Tuberculosis Association article from 1910, called Little Dangers to Be Avoided in the Daily Fight Against Tuberculosis, contained (Tomes writes) a dizzying array of warnings against drinking cups, paper money, wooden pencils, the prick of an old pin, and the forks supplied at oyster stands.

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Women were always at the center of hygiene improvement efforts. The public health workers who went to tenements and farms to preach this gospel of germs as visiting nurses, social workers, and home economists were often women. And under this new way of thinking, mothers were supposed to be the role models for the entire familyteaching hand-washing, stopping men from spitting in the house, and keeping anyone from kissing their babies. The health department in Newark, New Jersey, sent a bib to every baby born in the city in 1929 that had the legend I dont want to be sick, please do not kiss me. (This is a gift I suspect some contemporary parents would appreciate in this year of bad flu.)

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The job of hygiene gatekeeper came somewhat naturally to Victorian women and their daughters, who were used to the expectation that theyd be the moral instructors of their households, but it could still be an unpleasant one. Tomes read correspondence between home economists and women who wrote that older family members mocked them for their new ideas, and refused to stop sharing spoons and plates with their babies or chewing bites of food before giving them to the infants. Spitting also became a useful tactic for men to annoy hygiene-conscious ladies, Tomes wrote, even after a full decade of anti-tuberculosis crusaders exhorting men to stop expectorating on the street, on public transport, and even (shudder) inside the home.

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Before the introduction of better sanitary regulation of milk and food sold commercially, women were also the ones told to exert consumer pressureto buy safe food for their families, while also forcing individual vendors to improve their sanitation practices. Home economists told women to choose stores that used individual packaging for food and get babys milk from dairies where dairymen were clean and washed their hands frequentlycost savings be damned. Women could use the power of their dollars to force more bakers and grocers to adopt hygienic habits, by avoiding the establishments where bakers allowed mice to run across their bread, or the groceries where cats lazed around on cracker barrels. And when women got the vote, they used it to fund the increases in public health spending that supported the intensive hygiene education campaigns credited with some of the midcenturys great decline in child mortality, as Grant Miller has found. Voting women took the question of germ control seriously, and made it part of their politics.

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The legacy of homemakers germ anxiety persisted in the commercial sphere, where ads for cleaning products have kept the fear alive.

A lot of this history can look kind of mockable, from a distance, because the advice sounds frantic, and some of it didnt wear well. Sewer gas was not, contra Victorian belief, the cause of everyones maladies; library books didnt need to be fumigated with formaldehyde between borrowers; clothing cannot transmit yellow fever; dark rooms dont breed germs any more than sunlit ones do. But the history is also one of heartbreaking tragedy. The good news of germ theory, for women: Through aggressive sanitation and hygienic practices, it was suddenly possible to save many babies from the infectious diseases that had been the leading causes of death for the almost 2 out of every 10 children who died before age of 5 in 1900. The bad news for these women living after the age of knowledge but before the age of antibiotics: If the babies died in the future, it just might be their mothers unhygienic fault.

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Many poor women, living in tenements and on farms, were in a terrible position: They had the knowledge, but not the resources, to address the problem of germs. A painful letter Tomes read, between home economist Martha Van Rensselaer and a farmers wife she encountered in her outreach work, showed that many women took this lesson of culpability to heart. Our farm is neat and clean, all but the house, yard, and cellar, and my husband keeps that for refuse, this wife, converted to Van Rensselaers gospel of germ control but unable to execute some of the changes she needed to make, wrote. Even if I were capable of arranging it like a palace, so to speak, my hands are tied.  Men, men, mud, mud, and my cellar. I wonder we are alive. Poor me, I know if everything had been kept properly my children would be alive and well.

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Over time, what Tomes calls the institutionalization of germ protection fixed many of the problems homemakers in the early 20th century had been taught to control by dint of hypervigilance, obsessive cleaning, and meticulous consumer choice. By World War II, we had better hospitals, better municipal services, and more regulated food production to fall back upon. Increasingly, Tomes writes, the housewifes most important public health duties came to consist of immunizing her children and schooling them in the avoidance of contact infection. As the century proceeded, fewer and fewer women lost babies to summer complaint (acute diarrhea), and the fear of infection faded somewhat. (Polio kept it alive until the announcement of a vaccine in 1953.)

But the legacy of homemakers early-20th-century germ anxiety persisted in the commercial sphere, where ads for cleaning products have kept the fear alive. A Lysol ad from 1929 asked Are your door-knobs safe for little hands to touch? and added, No matter how thoroughly you clean, with soap and water, the places little hands touch, germs remain to do their deadly workto spread the common diseases which every mother dreads. In 1950, Lysol advertised with a photo of a woman holding a baby, and asked, Why risk his health with temporary disinfectants? playing on the long-outdated belief that household dust could carry disease germs, even in the cleanest-looking home. Even today, in its Beds get sick too TV ad, Lysol has scrapped most of the old fearmongering but retained the idea that its the mother who will get rid of illness-causing bacteria when a childs bout of sickness is done.

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This painful history of womanly responsibility for everyones health is still with us, but now its a shadow presence, showing up in things like the baffling differences between male and female standards of household cleanliness, and that persistent hand-washing gap. Here are a few examples from news coverage of the topic of hygiene and hand-washing that show just how entrenched the naggy clean mom archetype is: Your mom probably scolded you for playing in the dirt, but doing so may be healthy (U.S. News and World Report); Somewhere between the Mom who obsessively wipes down every knob and toy her child might touch, and the Dad who thinks rolling in the dirt is good for kids, theres a healthy medium (WebMD); Does it take an outbreak of a frightening, potentially fatal infectious disease like SARS to get people to follow Moms advice to wash your hands after using the bathroom?  (EurekAlert!).

The answer: maybe yes. As for me, lately, Im singing Happy Birthday twice, and making my kid do it, too.
The Supreme Court, while hearing a plea on payment of dues under the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) case on Friday, observed that how the telecom companies had violated its order "in pith and substance'" and not paid the money to the Centre.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra said, "This case projects a very disturbing scenario. The companies have violated the order passed by this court in pith and substance. In spite of the dismissal of the review application, they have not deposited any amount so far."

Mishra, in his order, also made it clear that it appears that the way in which things are happening shows "scant respect to the directions issued by the top court".

"A desk officer of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has the temerity to pass the order to the effect of issuing a direction to the accountant general, another constitutional authority, not to insist for any payment pursuant to the order passed by this court and not to take any coercive steps till further orders," the court observed.

Warning the telecom companies of initiation of contempt proceedings against them and a desk officer of the DoT, the top court ruled, "This is nothing but a device to scuttle order of this court. This kind of order should not have been passed by the desk officer at all."

"In the circumstances, we draw contempt proceedings against the desk officer for passing the order and violating the order passed by this court," it added.

The top court said that the managing directors and directors of the telecom companies have to "show cause why the court should not initiate contempt proceedings against them for violating the order passed by this court by not depositing the amount". The court sought their reply by March 17, the next date of hearing.

"Let the concerned officer, sitting over the order passed by this court, also file a reply," the apex court said.

Stressing that in case the order passed by it "is not complied with", the court said, "The concerned persons shall remain personally present in court on the next date of hearing."

The telecom companies had appealed before the top court challenging its AGR verdict on Rs 92,000 crore past dues on them.

The apex court had upheld the central government's plea on the definition of AGR involving around Rs 90,000 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over 100,000 minors go through our program, and theres bound to be instances and allegations of abuse, Bender said. If someone makes an allegation, we take it through the proper channels.

City Planning Director Clint Peters said investors initial application lacked key information, including details of security measures and an indication of whether or how the facility would work with existing resources in Waco. The applicants have since provided more materials to the Plan Commission, including a petition of support signed by about 70 East Waco residents.

Under a contract the for-profit company is pursuing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement, the facility would house 88 boys between the ages of 11 and 17 and employ a staff of 120. Children would be housed temporarily, for 30 to 90 days. The application details plans for a facility under 24-hour surveillance that provides schooling, meals, medical, dental, legal and mental health services.

Peters said this is the third time in recent memory the neighborhood has pushed back against efforts to turn the building on Seley Avenue, a former nursing home, into a transitional shelter of some kind.
Pastor opens Democrat-controlled Virginia House with prayer opposing abortion, gay marriage

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A Virginia pastor was condemned by Democratic state lawmakers for giving an opening prayer before the House of Delegates that warned of God's condemnation of abortion and same-sex marriage.

The Rev. Robert M. Grant Jr., senior pastor of The Father's Way Church of Warrenton, gave the invocation before the Democrat-controlled House on Tuesday morning.

We pray today that the Virginia House of Delegates will exercise their authority, making right decisions for citizens of this Commonwealth, Grant began his prayer.

I pray that every bill or law be fully considered by both Republican and Democratic delegates, having the best interests of the citizens of Virginia.

After asking for the legislature to not provoke Gods anger by making laws that could destroy the fabric of this great state, Grant listed several examples of such laws.

These included concerns over racial inequality regarding criminal punishments, prison reform, and the need to help keep families together.

Grant garnered backlash, however, when he advocated for pro-life measures and referred to the proximity of abortion clinics to minority neighborhoods as a planned urban genocide.

The unborn has rights and those rights need to be protected. They should never be denied the right to exist, the right to develop or the right to have a family. The word of God has given us a warning: woe to anyone who harms an innocent child, Grant continued.

Grant also prayed for the House of Delegates to uphold the Virginia family with legislation that will always protect the biblical traditional marriage as God instructed the first man and the first woman in the Bible.

We should never re-write what God has declared, he continued. Its not yours to change or alter its wording. The Bible is the copyright of Gods word. Marriage is to join a biological male and a biological female in holy matrimony, not to provoke the almighty God.

While warning about the need for laws to protect marriage, Democratic House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn of Fairfax interrupted the pastor by "banging her gavel" and summarily led the chamber in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Grant was briefly heckled during his prayer and some Democratic lawmakers walked out of the House to protest his words, according to the Virginia Mercury.

In response to the invocation, Democratic Delegate Luke Torian, himself the pastor of First Mount Zion Baptist Church of Dumfries, denounced Grants invocation as totally wrong and disrespectful to every member in this House.

[We clergy] are to respect this House, we are to invoke Gods presence, we are to ask for His blessings, we are to ask for His protection, we are to ask for His guidance, said Torian.

We are NOT to give political speeches and to make people feel bad. That is NOT what a prayer is supposed to do. And over the years that Ive been here, on both sides of the aisles, there have been clergy who have not honored the integrity of the request, he insisted.

Torian, whose comments received a loud ovation from the chamber, said he hoped that future clergy who come to give invocations will respect this House and all of us who serve here and who serve the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In state elections held last November, Democrats took control of the state General Assembly and have since passed several progressive legislative efforts.

Bills advanced by the legislature include the Equal Rights Amendment, an LGBT anti-discrimination measure called the Virginia Values Act, and looser regulations of abortion clinics.

Last month, faced with the prospect of increased gun regulations, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. vowed to call for civil disobedience if they were enacted.

Pretty sure Im going to call for civil disobedience if the Democrats go through with this, Falwell said in an interview with conservative radio host Todd Starnes.

Just like sanctuary cities in liberal states refused to obey the federal law when it comes to [illegal] immigration, I think its time for conservatives.
The Chinese Communist Party is heading even faster and further in the wrong direction  more internal repression, more predatory economic practices, more heavy-handedness, and most concerning for me, a more aggressive military posture, he said. That has become a bipartisan view: His assessment was echoed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later responded, telling the forum that Mr. Esper and Mr. Pompeo say the same thing wherever they go about China and dismissed their remarks as lies.

The root cause of all these problems and issues is that the U.S. does not want to see the rapid development and rejuvenation of China, and still less would they want to accept the success of a socialist country, Mr. Wang said.

The most important task for China and the U.S. is to sit down together to have a serious dialogue and find a way for two major countries with different social systems to live in harmony and interact in peace, he added. Chinas ready, and we hope the U.S. will work with us.

Mr. Esper later told reporters that he was cautiously optimistic about a seven-day reduction in violence in Afghanistan that could lead to a peace accord with the Taliban, saying that we are going to suspend a significant part of our operations in the country when the Taliban fulfill their part. But while American forces could come down to 8,600, from about 13,000, he said there was not yet an agreed-upon timeline for further reductions.

Many eyes were also on Mr. Macron, whose relations with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany have been somewhat rocky. Mr. Macron made a plea for better European integration and more unity in defining European interests, urging the Germans to help develop a European security culture and not to see every security issue through American eyes.

On Russia, he said: We need a European policy, not just a trans-Atlantic policy.

He insisted that he was not frustrated with the apparent paralysis of the current German government, but conceded that he is impatient.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. On February 14, on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with Gordan Grlic Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, the MFA told Armenpress.

Minister Mnatsakanyan congratulated Grlic Radman on the occasion of assuming the presidency of European Council, reiterating Armenias support to the priorities of Croatian presidency.

The sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues of the Armenian-Croatian agenda, particularly emphasizing joint efforts towards enhancement of meetings, mutual visits on different levels and political consultations.

The full use of the potential of cooperation on multilateral platforms was especially emphasized. Touching upon the EU-Armenia partnership, the sides stressed the role of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement in promotion and legal regulation of relations between Armenia and the EU, as well as its member states. The interlocutors exchanged views on the preparation for the upcoming EaP summit.

In the context of promoting people-to-people contacts, Foreign Minister of Armenia highlighted the importance of launching the dialogue on visa liberalization with the EU countries.
A former First National Vice-chairperson of the National Democratic Congress [NDC], Madam Anita DeSoso is ecstatic her partys deputy National Organiser, Chief Hamilton Biney has found a wife.



The traditional marriage ceremony between Deputy MASLOC boss, Maame Afia Akoto, and the Deputy National Organiser of the NDC, Chief Hamilton Biney came off in Accra on Wednesday.



The political affiliations of these love birds - NDC and New Patriotic Party - did not stop them from making their relationship official, but some have disagreed with their union.



NDCs Atubiga has been ranting on radio calling on the party to with immediate effect relieve Chief Biney of his post to ensure a victory for the party in the December 7 polls.



But Anita DeSoso said the brouhaha surrounding their marriage is unfortunate since the two political parties are not enemies.



Love goes where love likes, she said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie expressing her happiness for the two love-birds.



Anita, however, believes the timing of the marital union in an election year is likely to "worry the NDC.





Listen to interview...





Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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WASHINGTON  In a meta master stroke, Tina Fey made an epic teen movie, Mean Girls, in 2004, then turned it into a Broadway musical and is now making a movie out of the musical.

She should do her first casting call here. Politics has never been filled with so many mean girls.

Hows this for a bitchyyy lunch table? Mitch McConnell, Rudy Giuliani, Don Jr., Bill Barr, Mike Pompeo, Lindsey Graham, John Bolton, Jim Jordan, Kellyanne Conway, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.

Of course Donald Trump, who uses Twitter like the Burn Book, takes the form of Regina George, Queen Bee.

Now comes the new kid in school: Mike Bloomberg, who wants to topple the Queen Bee and is aiming to get there with mean girl  and meme girl  tactics.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held talks on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The parties discussed the relations between Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance and situation in Afghanistan.

"The state of military security in Europe was discussed. The issues of Russia-NATO relations, urgent problems of the international and European agenda, including the situation in Afghanistan, were discussed," the Russian Foreign Ministry informs.
The Trump administration has cited previous attacks by Iran and Iran-backed forces in a note to the US congress justifying the killing of Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, in a drone strike in January, and not imminent attacks as it had then claimed.

President Donald Trump directed the attack in response to an escalating series of attacks in preceding months by Iran and Iran-backed militias on United States forces and interests in the West Asia region said the short two-page memo.

Soleimanis killing had triggered fears of a war with Iran vowing revenge, which it claimed to have extracted by firing missiles at two Iraqi military bases that also house American military personnel. No one was killed.

But neither side wanted a war and quickly de-escalated.

The Trump administrations justification for the killing came under close scrutiny since the claim of imminent threat to American forces and assets--including four embassies-- was not backed with evidence. And officials had subsequently begun reeling back that narrative.

This official report directly contradicts the Presidents false assertion that he attacked Iran to prevent an imminent attack against the United States personnel and embassies, Eliot Engel, chairman of the Democratic-led House Foreign Affairs Committee said in a statement.

The administrations explanation in this report makes no mention of any imminent threat and shows that the justification the President offered to the American people was false, plain and simple, the statement said.
iStock(DENVER) -- The mayor of Denver has vetoed a vote to repeal the city's long-standing pit bull ban.



Mayor Michael Hancock said on Friday in a letter to City Council that after hearing from thousands of residents on the issue and carefully considering the matter, he could not "in good conscience support this legislation."



The Denver City Council on Monday voted to amend a code that banned pit bulls entirely from the Colorado capital. The amendment passed 7-4.



The ban has been in place for some 30 years.



Hancock said he spoke to experts in veterinary care and animal control to get a better understanding of what the change could have meant for the city.



"At the end of the day, I must ask whether passage of this ordinance would make our homes and neighborhoods safer or pose an increased risk to public safety? I have concluded that it would pose an increased risk," his letter read.



The founder of the American Pit Bill Foundation, Sara Ondrako, previously told ABC News that the ordinance was a "step in the right direction," but had numerous restrictions that would "still lead to a very discriminatory persuasion of pit bull type dogs."



"The problem has never been the dogs, it is and has always been irresponsible dog ownership," Ondrako said in a statement to ABC News.



"The issue has absolutely nothing to do with the breed of the animal as researched and confirmed by experts in the field such as the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the Center for Disease Control, the American Kennel Club, the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers, the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and even the American Pit Bull Foundation," she added.



Hancock said the restrictions included in the ordinance -- such as residents must register with Denver Animal Protection, have no more than two pit bulls, and get the dog a "breed-restricted license" -- were a valiant attempt to craft legislation.



However, he said, "less than 20% of all pets in Denver are currently licensed, which raises significant questions about the effectiveness of this proposed new system."



The cities of Lone Tree, Louisville and Commerce City have bans on pit bulls, according to ABC Denver affiliate KMGH-TV. The City of Aurora is discussing whether to change its law.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Ontarios always-ready medical crisis team has been deployed to communities staggered by tornadoes and stalked by mental health crises. The health-care providers who choose to do this work are trained to respond to chemical spills and catastrophic explosions.

When Ontarios Emergency Medical Assistance Team got the call to deploy to CFB Trenton, the quarantine zone for planeloads of Canadian citizens and permanent residents evacuated from the epicentre of the novel coronavirus epidemic in China, they were confident, team leaders say.

Everyone who is part of the team knows that the situations they could be part of are high-profile. They represent a crisis or a challenge to the provinces health-care system, says Steve Urszenyi, EMATs commander and program manager.

These are all highly trained medical professionals, in their own full time day jobs, who recognize that they have a hunger to help other people  and the confidence to go out and provide that help, because they know they have the training, the skills and the abilities.

Flying into circumstances from which others are fleeing, in order to help those who cant leave, is the whole point, team members say.

The evacuees in Trenton are quarantined in a country suffering from a larger epidemic of misinformation, fear, and discrimination than of actual coronavirus cases. They are stuck in a particularly unique version of this plight.

In addition to tending to the bodily health concerns of the evacuees, EMAT has provided round-the-clock mental health support.

A lot of people are very, very worried about their family  back in Wuhan, says Nathan Kelly, an EMAT member and registered nurse with specialized mental health training who finished a nine-day deployment to Trenton on Thursday night.

Youre seeing a lot of anxiety related to that.

EMAT was created in 2004 in the wake of the SARS outbreak, which overwhelmed Ontarios health-care system. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 were still fresh, too.

Ontarios Ministry of Health recognized the need for a crisis response team that could absorb some of the surge during a future outbreak, and respond to other disasters and emergencies.

The Emergency Medical Assistance Team, the first of its kind in Canada, is a provincially funded group, operated by Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, one the countrys foremost trauma and emergency hospitals.

The nurses, paramedics, social workers, and doctors who are part of EMAT live and work in different parts of the province, so that if all of about 160 of them were needed at one time, no single community would be depleted. (EMAT members, who typically have full-time jobs as well, apply to join and voluntarily put their names forward for deployments, but are paid for their work.)

The team has responded to a huge variety of emergencies and events.

They deployed to the Ottawa area after tornadoes tore through it in September 2018, causing serious injuries, power blackouts, and widespread damage.

A mental health team travelled to Attawapiskat First Nation in 2016 as a youth suicide crisis devastated the community.

They were positioned in Ottawa during the Canada 150 celebrations as a precaution for any mass casualty event.

They have trained for any number of disasters, natural and man-made.

But the Trenton operation, a rapid response to an infectious disease, is why this program was invented in the first place.

Weve learned a lot from SARS. The province is much, much better prepared today than we were 17 years ago, says Patrick Auger, EMAT incident commander.

Really, what were doing is protecting the health-care system, says Auger.

(Both Auger and Urszenyi worked as paramedics during the SARS crisis.)

Ontarios Ministry of Health had been monitoring the growing epidemic in Wuhan since December. As the case counts and deaths mounted in January, there were rumblings that the federal government might charter an evacuation flight from the beleaguered region. EMAT was drawn into the discussions, and began modelling different operational circumstances.

On Feb. 1, the team got confirmation the evacuees would be housed at CFB Trenton for two weeks. That weekend, members of the team visited the site for a reconnaissance, to plan how to manage the operation.

Every step was planned out in advance: how the passengers would safely disembark; what personal protective equipment EMAT staff needed; how to assemble a heated, powered, phone-equipped, fully functioning field hospital, equipped with a biocontainment unit, in a military parking lot in the middle of Canadian winter.

When the first evacuees disembarked from the plane and walked into the hangar, everyone waiting there spontaneously erupted in an ovation. Everyone was clapping and cheering them on as they came in, Urszenyi says.

Theyre very relieved to be home in Canada, he says, adding that many federal departments and agencies helped welcome and care for the group. Everyone has been very positive, very much willing to help and do whatever they could to make this process as nice as it could be given what it is.

EMATs isolation unit, equipped with negative pressure systems, air filtration, and other engineering controls that brick-and-mortar hospitals rely on, is used for higher-risk procedures, such as swabbing people with respiratory symptoms to test for the presence of virus.

So far, there is no cause for concern: all of those tests have been confirmed as negative by Canadas National Microbiology Lab.

Most of the medical care provided on site has been managing pre-existing conditions and filling prescriptions, team members say.

Mental health resources are being used, Urszenyi confirms.

Kelly, the mental health nurse, says that concern about loved ones back in China and other anxieties are causing disruptions in sleep, low mood, things like this. They come and speak to us, and we reach out to them as well.

Kelly, who works for Niagara Region Public Health and is a board member of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, joined EMAT in 2017. His first deployment was to the Ottawa tornado zone, where he provided on-the-spot counselling and connection to mental health resources.

In early February, Kelly indicated he was available for EMAT deployment and got a call to confirm that night. Within 24 hours he was in Trenton.

Kelly explains his motivation to do the work as trying to make sense of chaos, and helping people when they are in absolute need  in absolute need, he says, adding emphasis.

When most people are flying out and getting out of there, were flying in, to make sure people are looked after.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 20, to discuss select science investigations launching on the next SpaceX commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station.

Audio of the teleconference will stream live online at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

SpaceX is targeting 1:45 a.m. Monday, March 2, for the launch of its Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Kathryn Hambleton at 202-358-1100 or [email protected] by 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, for dial-in information.

Participants in the briefing will be:

Jennifer Buchli , deputy chief scientist for NASA's International Space Station Program Science Office, who will share an overview of the research being conducted aboard the space station and how it benefits exploration and humanity

, deputy chief scientist for NASA's International Space Station Program Science Office, who will share an overview of the research being conducted aboard the space station and how it benefits exploration and humanity Michael Roberts , interim chief scientist for the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, who will discuss the lab's work in advancing science in space, and in developing partnerships that drive industrialization through microgravity research.

, interim chief scientist for the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, who will discuss the lab's work in advancing science in space, and in developing partnerships that drive industrialization through microgravity research. Boris Khusid , professor of chemical and materials engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology , and principal investigator for ACE-T-Ellipsoids, who will discuss the study of colloids  small particles suspended within a fluid  in microgravity for insight into particle density and behavior important for use in 3D printing

, professor of chemical and materials engineering at the , and principal investigator for ACE-T-Ellipsoids, who will discuss the study of colloids  small particles suspended within a fluid  in microgravity for insight into particle density and behavior important for use in 3D printing Chunhui Xu , associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine , and principal investigator, and collaborator Kevin Maher , professor at Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta , will discuss the Generation of Cardiomyocytes from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (MVP Cell-03) experiment, a study on the generation of specialized heart muscle cells for use in research and clinical applications.

, associate professor at , and principal investigator, and collaborator , professor at and Children's Healthcare of , will discuss the Generation of Cardiomyocytes from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (MVP Cell-03) experiment, a study on the generation of specialized heart muscle cells for use in research and clinical applications. Aaron Beeler , professor of medicinal chemistry at Boston University , and principal investigator of Flow Chemistry in Microgravity, which will study the effects of microgravity on chemical reactions, as a first step toward on-demand chemical synthesis on the space station.

, professor of medicinal chemistry at , and principal investigator of Flow Chemistry in Microgravity, which will study the effects of microgravity on chemical reactions, as a first step toward on-demand chemical synthesis on the space station. Paul Patton , senior manager, front end innovation and regulatory for Delta Faucet, and principal investigator of the Droplet Formation Study, which evaluates water droplet formation and water flow of Delta Faucet's H2Okinetic showerhead technology.

, senior manager, front end innovation and regulatory for Delta Faucet, and principal investigator of the Droplet Formation Study, which evaluates water droplet formation and water flow of Delta Faucet's H2Okinetic showerhead technology. Siegfried Monser , of Airbus, who will discuss Bartolomeo, a new commercial research platform from ESA (European Space Agency), set to be installed on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory.

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft also will carry crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory to support the Expedition 62 and 63 crew for the 20th mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

The space station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and enables research not possible on Earth. The orbiting laboratory has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, 239 people, and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft, have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future human missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has dared former Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia to follow his threat of taking to streets over unfulfilled party manifesto by saying "let him do".

Speaking to the media, Scindia had said, "If the Congress makes a promise, it meets it. If Congress has promised something then it`s important to deliver. Otherwise, we will have to take to the streets."

The two leaders are at loggerhead since the Congress came to power in MP as Scindia was also a claimant for the top post.

On the speculation that Scindia is being considered for the Upper House, Nath said the Madhya Pradesh Coordination Committee meeting on Saturday was not to discuss the Rajya Sabha election or the cabinet expansion.

Earlier on Friday, Nath met Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi in the wake of many leaders raising questions over the manifesto implementation.

"I have met the party president and discussed about how much the government in the state has been able to implement the `Vachan Patra`," Nath said after the meeting.

Earlier, Govind Singh, a Minister in the Nath government, had said due to lack of funds many promises had not been fulfilled.
 Close UK braces for more severe weather as Storm Dennis arrives

Storm Dennis was forecast to cause widespread disruption across the UK as the country battened down its hatches for the second stormy weekend in a row.

Multiple severe weather warnings for heavy rain and strong winds were issued by the Met Office as deep floodwater threatened danger to life.

Flights were grounded for safety reasons, with British Airways and easyJet confirming cancellations. Passengers were advised to check their airlines website for latest updates.

Please wait a moment for the live blog to load.
A child born to a woman with the coronavirus in China tested negative today for the respiratory disease after scientists expressed concern that the disease could be passed on in the womb.

Medical workers at the Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University in Xi'an, the capital of China's northwest Shaanxi Province, delivered the baby girl today, according to reports.

After she tested negative, the baby was pictured being taken from its infected mother by medical workers and discharged from hospital.

Scientists remain split on whether the virus can be transferred to an infant in the womb.

Medical workers are pictured carrying the baby girl, born to a Chinese mother with coronavirus, who is not infected, in China's Shaanxi Province, today

The baby was discharged from the Xi'an University Hospital today after doctors found that she had not contracted the coronavirus despite her mother testing positive for the disease

A medical worker waves as he takes the newborn away from the Xi'an Hospital in Shaanxi Province today

Since the outbreak in December last year, very few infants have been affected by the killer disease, formally known as COVID-19.

Earlier this month, a Chinese baby was born to a Wuhan coronavirus patient and was subsequently diagnosed with the illness, which causes respiratory problems and can cause death, 30 hours after being delivered.

The infected child, whose gender was not revealed at the time, was born in the epicentre of the break out, Wuhan on 2 February. Its mother had been confirmed to have the coronavirus before going into labour.

Medical workers wait for the ambulance after the infant tested negative for novel coronavirus COVID-19 today

Medics gave the baby a test 30 hours later and the result turned out to be positive.

The baby was then transferred to the Wuhan Children's Hospital, which was appointed by the government to treat all infected children.

The baby's condition was stable at the time and it was being closely monitored, the hospital announced through a post on its official social media account.

'This reminds us to pay attention to a potential new transmission route of the coronavirus - vertical transmission from mothers to babies,' said Dr Zeng Lingkong, chief physician from the hospital's Department of Neonatal Medicine.

The newborn is one of the two babies that have been found to carry the coronavirus by Wuhan Children's Hospital.

Another 17-day-old baby was found to be sickened after being born healthy on January 13.

A handout picture released by Wuhan Children's Hospital shows a medical worker donning a hazmat suit looking after the baby, who was diagnosed with the new coronavirus in early February

The hospital said its family hired a wet nurse to look after it on January 22, but the wet nurse was diagnosed with the disease shortly after.

The baby's mother was found to have the coronavirus on January 26 and the baby started to cough and develop a fever three days later.

The child was diagnosed with the virus on January 31 after doctors gave it a series of medical checks.

China has today started disinfecting and isolating used banknotes in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) that has killed 1,527 people. Pictured is a woman spraying banknotes during a previous quarantine

Medics are yet to confirm if the baby had caught the virus from its mother or its wet nurse.

The virus, which has infected 66,492 people in China and spread to more than two dozen other countries, has sparked a rush to disinfect public places and minimise contact between people.

Today, Chinese banks were filmed disinfecting bank notes and placing them in quarantine due to fears of contamination.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXO_Lp81OnM

My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name, based on the second book in Elena Ferrantes bestselling quadrilogy, returns to FOX Showcase in March.

The follow-up chapter to the critically lauded first season, continuing the story of Elena (Margherita Mazzucco) and Lila (Gaia Girace).

This screened in Italy this week, and on HBO in March.

The acclaimed My Brilliant Friend book series follows the tale of Elena Greco and the most important friend in her life, Lila Cerullo. A writer, immersed in a house full of books, Greco turns on her computer and starts writing the story of their tempestuous friendship, starting from the point when Elena met Lila in their first year of school in 1950.

Set in a dangerous and fascinating Naples, their story goes on to cover more than 60 years of their lives, as she tries to describe the mystery of Lila, Elenas brilliant friend and, in a way, also her best friend and worst enemy.

Filmed on location in Italy, the 8 x 60 minute Italian language series is directed by returning director from season one, Saverio Costanzo. Costanzo will direct six episodes and Alice Rohrwacher will direct two episodes.

My Brilliant Friend is an HBO and RAI Fiction series, produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and by Domenico Procacci for Fandango, in collaboration with RAI Fiction and HBO Entertainment, in co-production with Umedia. Story and screenplays by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are the executive producers. FremantleMedia International holds the global distribution rights for the series.

My Brilliant Friend  The Story of a New Name is exclusive in Australia to Foxtel.

Wednesday, March 11 at 7.30pm on FOX Showcase.
Well-known Auctioneers Matthews of Kells conduct their first auction of the year this Saturday and Sunday, 15th & 16th February at 2pm each day.

It's an interesting sale with a good number of attractive highlights. "The best one we've had in a while, and definitely worth viewing", says the auctioneer Damien Matthews. On offer will be various house clearances including the contents of recently sold Piercetown House, Dunboyne.

An important lot to be sold is a very rare piece of early 20th Century Irish silver to be offered on the second day of the sale. With an estimate of 1,500 - 2,500 it should attract interest given its importance. Described as a mether, it's a uniquely Irish drinking cup, a communal vessel of friendship.

Dated 1908, it was created by renowned Dublin silversmiths. Hopkins & Hopkins of Dublin, the same craftsmen who made the Sam Maguire Cup. Measuring 11 inches high, an impressive scale for the form, it predates the Art Deco Movement. The auctioneer Damien Matthews describes it as "a spectacular piece of early Irish modernist design". The auction estimate is 1,500 to 2,500

Also in the auction is a fine Edwardian Ladies diamond & emerald ring presented in its original box. Set on a fine platinum band it possesses a classical look much in vogue. The auctioneer guides on this lot 2,000 to 3,000.

The catalogue can be viewed online on the auctioneer's website, www.matthewsauctionrooms.com and the sale itself will be on public view in the Duke Brothers Building, Kells from Thursday 13th February, 11am onwards.
SPRINGFIELD  Barbara Rivera was beloved by the Puerto Rican community in Springfield. She was a civil rights activist, a community organizer and a mother of five, but she was also a wife  and her husband Evaristo Pancho Rivera supported her goals and dreams through more than 40 years of marriage.

She was a very important figure in our community, but I also want us to remember Pancho because wherever Barbara was, so was Pancho," said Rosa Espinosa, director of family services at New North Citizens Council, the organization Rivera founded in the 1970s. Maybe people dont know as much about him or think of him as Barbaras husband, but he was also a staple in this community.

Barbara Rivera died on Feb. 10, 2005 at the age of 69. Fifteen years later, on Feb. 6, 2020, Pancho Rivera died at the age of 82. Last week friends and employees of the New North Citizens Council celebrated both of their lives with a luncheon.

Every few years we get together on the anniversary of her death and just remember her and now Pancho for everything they did for this community, said Jose Claudio, director of community development at the council. I was 19 when she gave me my first job and years later when I left to work in Worcester she called me up and told me I had to give back to my community and convinced me to come back to Springfield.

The couple raised five children including Janet Denny-Rodriguez, Doreen Coakley-Rodriguez, Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, James Coakley and Cynthia Rodriguez, who died before both her parents.

While their mother was at civil rights protests or bartering with farmers for cheese and eggs to hand out to the poor, their father took care of the children, organized fishing and camping trips and even bailed his wife out of jail a few times for fighting for the rights of African-Americans in the city.

We were all poor families living in the neighborhood. I remember my father used to try to convince us that powdered milk was the real thing, but it was disgusting. He would always be leaving the house to go help my mother or bail her out of jail again, said Doreen Coakley-Rivera, who attended the gathering. But back then you werent ashamed of that (being arrested) because it was civil rights, it was fighting for a cause.

She recalled her mother taking her own belongings and even her family's to give to people in need.

I remember looking in her drawer once and she only had two pairs of socks because she would take all the socks and give them to moms to use as gloves for their babies hands, because there was no money for gloves or mittens, she said.

While she primarily served the Latino community in the citys North End neighborhood, Rivera would never turn anyone away.

My mother was a proud Irish woman and she taught us to respect both our cultures  the Irish side and the Boricua (Puerto Rican) side, she said. She would help anyone in need whether they were Mexican, Guatemalan, Irish, French, Irish, Polish, it didnt matter. If they needed food or clothes or housing she made sure they got the help they needed."

Coakley-Rodriguez said that her parents instilled in her and her siblings an understanding of the value of community. She has always been compared to her mother, most recently by her father before he died.

People always say I look like my mom. My dad passed away last Thursday and when I walked into his room the day before he died he looked at me and said Barbara, I love you. I knew that at that point I became my mother and I was reminded of the love she had for us and for her people, she said.

Several people shared memories of the couple, including Carmen Rivera, who became their lifelong friend.

Barbara and I actually met at the F.W. Sickles Company in Chicopee. We worked together and we became friends. Actually I would say we were more than that, we were family, she said.

They were so close that the Riveras became godparents for several of Carmen Riveras children.

We would go on camping trips together. I had never been camping before that. Pancho loved to fish. He actually went fishing with my son recently before he got sick. They went deep-sea fishing. We had parties at each others houses, we spent the holidays together. They were my family, she said. People come together to remember her, but I remember her every day.

School Committee member Maria Perez met Barbara Rivera when they were young mothers advocating for better conditions at their kids schools in the citys North End neighborhood.

We were a group called Madres Latinas and we fought for social justice, said Perez, who later created Women on the Vanguard, a grassroots organization that still exists today.

She taught us about sacrifice and hard work and about treating people with respect and dignity, she said.

Claudio said one of the most valuable lessons he learned from Barbara Rivera was the value of every human life.

She would always say, as soon as you think you are better than the people you serve its time for you to go, he said. That is something we instill in every person that works here. We are all equal no matter what situation we may be in and that is the legacy she left behind, that they both left behind. They loved their family, but they loved their community."
TV host Caroline Flack has died suddenly at the age of 40.

In a statement, her family said: "We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February.

"We would ask that the press both respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time."

Caroline Flack .... Dear God.

Shocked beyond belief. May she have found peace . #Rip

Has to be repercussions for Love Island now surely ?  Eamonn Holmes OBE (@EamonnHolmes) February 15, 2020

Ms Flack was found dead in her London apartment.

A lawyer for the family said the star had taken her own life.

The television presenter has had a troubled few months, after she was arrested and charged with assault by beating following an alleged fight at her home in December. However, she denied she had hit her boyfriend Lewis Burton, 27, and was released on bail until her trial on March 4.

Caroline chose to step down as host of the current series of 'Love Island' in order not to "detract attention" from the show as she faced the assault charge.

Read More

The 40-year-old star - who was replaced by Laura Whitmore - shared at the time: "'Love Island' has been my world for the last five years, its the best show on telly. In order to not detract attention from the upcoming series I feel the best thing I can do is to stand down for series six. I want to wish the incredible team working on the show a fantastic series in Cape Town."

Louis Walsh has paid tribute to his friend Caroline Flack after the presenter was found dead at her London flat.

The music manager became close to the TV star through the series the Xtra Factor where the pair tied the knot in a fake wedding for the show.

Speaking on Saturday, Mr Walsh expressed his devastation at the tragedy.

I loved her, he said, We were only texting last week. It is awful.

An ITV spokeswoman said: Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news. Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.

Read More

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact the Samaritans on 084 5790 9090, or Lifeline 0808 808 8000.
Wyoming Business Tips for Feb. 17-23

A weekly look at issues facing Wyoming business owners and entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Mike Lambert, Market Research Center manager, Wyoming SBDC Network

As the manager of the Wyoming SBDC Networks Market Research Center, one of my jobs is to keep an eye on business trends that look like they will impact the businesses in our state. The list is a long one, but the following are my bets for trends that could impact you, your business and our state economy in the coming year.

-- Remote workers. Remote work, especially for office workers, is fast becoming commonplace. Remote workers dont generally work 100 percent of the time from home or a remote location, but allowing workers to work remotely two or three days a week gives both the worker and the business added flexibility. Younger workers find this type of flexibility important, and studies show that remote workers put in a full days work or more. It also helps small businesses that cant always afford to hire a full-time person for a special project but, by hiring a temporary person, can fill an immediate need.

-- The gig economy. In addition to working remotely, around 36 percent of workers -- and especially younger workers -- are involved in the gig economy. Many workers have a side hustle or secondary job. Many entrepreneurs start their businesses this way, but estimates indicate that it is not just business owners, as 36 percent of workers are in the gig economy. With Wyomings independent mindset, it is likely that more of our workers will like the flexibility of the gig economy.

-- Employee happiness. Businesses are increasingly focusing on employee happiness. If you look at Wyomings job market -- with our nearly full employment -- you can understand why finding ways to keep your current employees happy and engaged is important. Keeping your best workers is no longer simply reliant on competitive wages, so companies are focusing on boosting morale and engagement while retaining top performers.

-- E-commerce is dominating. E-commerce is expected to reach around $5 trillion in the next few years. Many retailers are moving from brick-and-mortar storefronts to online stores. If you arent online, how confident are you that your physical store will be able to continue to succeed?

Other trends that Wyoming businesses need to consider are the growth of the green market; the increasing importance of online user reviews; the shift to stories -- short video content that disappears after 24 hours; the fact that personalized customer service is vital; and the need to address the way you need to reach younger consumers. The only thing that seems to be constant in todays business world is that change is constant.

If you would like to learn more about these topics and how you can apply them to your small business, contact your local Wyoming SBDC Network adviser for no-cost, confidential assistance at www.wyomingsbdc.org.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their businesses. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY 82071-3922.
Panaji, Feb 15 : Following flak from the opposition and tourism industry stakeholders for creating a sense of alarm over the imposition of prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC earlier this week, the North Goa district administration on Saturday clarified that promulgation of the order was "routine" and has advised against panic.

"General public are advised not to panic as these orders have been issued routinely as part of general preparedness in the past too for the entire state by both District Magistrates (Goa has two administrative district)," North Goa DM R. Menaka said in a clarification on Saturday.

"The order does not prevent the assembly of more than four persons or such conditions as is being quoted. There will be no impact on tourists, carnival, shigmo and other celebrations," she also said. Carnival and Shigmo are two major traditional Catholic and Hindu festivals respectively.

After Section 144 was imposed earlier this week for a period of 60 days, the opposition had accused the Goa government of creating a "Kashmir-like" situation in the coastal state by prolonged imposition of Section 144.

The order issued earlier this week by the North Goa district administration had said that the prohibitory provisions had been invoked due to "possible terror threats" along the Western Coast and in order to prevent the possibility of "anti-social elements" committing crimes in the state.

Tourism industry stakeholders had also criticised the imposition of the prohibitory order, saying the development had triggered panic amongst tourists inbound to Goa. Goa's conventional tourism season stretches from October to March.

Menaka in her clarification on Saturday also said that the prohibitory orders were issued only as a precautionary measure, ahead of a tenant verification drive due to be conducted by the North Goa district administration.

"It is clarified that the order is a precautionary measure only to step up the alertness, essentially to impose tenant verification on all owners of the houses, buildings, flats and other residential accommodation, private guest houses, paying guest accommodation etc., so that the antecedents of all the persons are verified before letting out their premises on lease, rent or on hire basis to such persons," the clarification on Saturday said.
After the Supreme Court ordered telecom companies to pay their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues immediately, State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Rajnish Kumar has reportedly said the bank was prepared for the worst. He said that the banks will speak to telcos about their exposure and hope they have some plans for it.

"Telecom companies have to talk to the government. We will talk to them and I am sure they will be having plans," Kumar said speaking on the sidelines of an event organised by the Nasscom in Mumbai.

Kumar's comments came after the Supreme Court made it clear that telecom companies will have to pay the Rs 1.47 lakh crore in AGR dues. State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender, has nearly Rs 29,000 crore loan exposure in telecom sector, the highest among Indian banks. Apart from this, SBI has an additional Rs 14,000 crore in non-fund based exposure which will devolve only if there is a non-payment of dues.

"Our exposure to them is Rs 29,000 crore. After this order we will ask them what their plans are to comply with the order and whatever is the situation, we are capable of handling," Kumar added.

Also Read: Panic, confusion and payment promises from telcos after Supreme Court's AGR blow?

In a massive blow to telecom companies, the Supreme Court on Friday rapped the DoT desk officer for scuttling SC's original AGR order which asked the telecom operators to pay up their dues of Rs 1.47 lakh crore by January 23. DoT desk officer had asked circle head to not take any coercive action against telcos in contravention of the SC judgement. The court also pulled up Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for not paying their AGR dues to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

In October last year, the apex court had ordered operators to pay Rs 1.47 lakh crore in statutory dues by January 23. A review petition against the order was rejected on January 16.

Also Read: AGR case: What the telcos wanted vs what they got

According to industry experts, banks would be severely impacted if their exposure to telecom turns non-performing assets after the Supreme Court latest order.

As of now, only Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio has paid its AGR dues of Rs 60 crore. While Vodafone Idea owes over Rs 53,038 crore to DoT, Bharti Airtel has dues of Rs 35,600 crore. Tata Teleservices has to pay Rs 14,000 crore.

Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel has informed the DoT that it would deposit Rs 10,000 crore by February 20, and the remaining amount will be paid before the next hearing date - that is March 17. Airtel said that its payments pertain to group companies such as Bharti Airtel, Bharti Hexacom and Telenor India.

By Chitranjan Kumar with PTI inputs
Famed Columbia University Ob-Gyn Dr. Robert Hadden was arrested in 2012 for licking a patient's vagina, but prosecutors didn't press charges, so Dr. Hadden went back to work. In the following weeks, he allegedly assaulted two more women, including Evelyn Yang, wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, reports CNN.

Dr. Hadden took a plea deal and was able to register as the lowest-level sex offender. He was given no prison sentence, no probation, and no community service.

From CNN:

This defied the recommendation of the State of New York Board of Examiners of Sex Offenders to label Hadden a Level 2  or moderate  offender, which would require his inclusion in an online sex-offender registry for life. Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst, called the 2016 agreement "inexplicable." "I cannot think of any legitimate reason why you would give this guy a plea deal that would not put him behind bars for one day," he said. "It is unjust."

Since Yang went public with the assault, Dr. Hadden had been accused by 42 more women of sexual assault. Unfortunately, Dr. Hadden's plea deal includes a stipulation that the New York district attorney can't prosecute him for any of the 19 "similar crimes" the DA knew about.

Manhattan's DA refused to speak with CNN.

Image: CNN
Airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen killed more than 30 civilians in a mountainous northern province, the rebels said, and the UN humanitarian chief called the attack shocking.

The attack came hours after Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, said on Saturday they shot down a warplane of the Saudi-led coalition over the province of Jawf.

Saudi Arabia's state-run agency quoted Col. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, as saying it was investigating possible collateral damage from a rescue operation in the area after the downing of the Tornado warplane.

Al-Maliki was quoted as saying the plane was providing air support for Yemeni government forces fighting the Houthis.

He did not say whether there were causalities or provide further details on the fate of the aircraft's crew.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grnade, said the airstrikes in al-Maslub district killed at least 31 civilians and wounded 12 others, according to preliminary field reports.

So many people are being killed in Yemen it's a tragedy and it's unjustified. Five years into this conflict and belligerents are still failing to uphold this responsibility," she said. It's shocking. She said many wounded were taken to hospitals in Jawf and Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

The humanitarian group Save the Children condemned the airstrike, saying it showed that the conflict in Yemen was not slowing down. This latest attack must be urgently and independently investigated, and perpetrators held to account, said Xavier Joubert, the charity's country director in Yemen.

He called for halting arms sales to the warring parties in Yemen's conflict.

Those who continue to sell arms to the warring parties must realize that by supplying weapons for this war, they contribute to making atrocities like today's all too common, Joubert said.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the pillars of the US-backed coalition, have purchased billions of dollars' worth of weapons from Western countries, particularity the US.

The rebels released graphic images showing destroyed buildings and vehicles and bodies, claiming they were of the victims. They also released footage allegedly showing the downing of the Saudi aircraft and its wreckage.

The warplane crash and the airstrikes came amid heavy clashes between the government forces and Houthis in the provinces of Marib, Jawf and Sanaa. Hundreds of people, mostly fighters, were killed in the recent clashes that have also forced at least 4,700 families to flee, according to the UN.

The Yemen conflict began with the 2014 takeover of the capital by the Houthis, who control much of the country's north along the border with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition of mostly Arab states intervened in March 2015 trying to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It is just an advertisement: NCP leader compares US President's India visit to 'Howdy Modi'

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Mumbai, Feb 15: Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to India, NCP leader Nawab Malik on Saturday said that Trump's visit to the country will have a bearing on the Presidential elections in the United States. He further went to say that just as "Howdy Modi! advertised Prime Minister Modi, Donald Trump is going to be advertised here".

"Trump's is a political visit. The visit will affect the elections in America. However, Indians there are quite intelligent and will not fall for this gimmick," the NCP leader said.

"While 'Howdy Modi!' advertised Prime Minister Modi, Donald Trump is going to be advertised here," he added.

Why is Donald Trump looking forward to India visit? It has a Facebook connection

Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the US President is all set to visit India on February 24 and 25. A day after the announcement, PM Modi took to Twitter and said that India would accord a memorable welcome to the "esteemed guests" and the visit would go a long way in further cementing India-US friendship.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 15:22 [IST]
Actress Lynn Cohen, best known for playing the wise and maternal Magda on iconic HBO series Sex And The City, died on Friday from undisclosed causes.

Cohen was 86, as confirmed to BuzzFeed News.

While Magda was very much a fixture in the show as Miranda's (Cynthia Nixon) nanny after she gives birth to her son Brady, it is astounding to realize that Cohen actually appeared in only 13 episodes of the six-season series.

Gone but not forgotten: Actress Lynn Cohen, best known for playing the wise and maternal Magda on iconic HBO series Sex And The City, died on Friday; seen here in 2013

On Saturday, Sex And The City actress Sarah Jessica Parker took to her Instagram to commemorate Cohen, with a closeup of the actress in character as Magda.

'Beautiful Lynn Cohen,' Parker, who played main character Carrie Bradshaw, captioned the image.

'Miranda's dear and necessary Magda. Our dear SATC colleague. Talent, grace, inspiration. RIP X, SJ'.

In 2018, Cohen spoke about her role in an interview with Cosmopolitan, where she also said she had known the show's creator, Michael Patrick King, for 30 years before she landed the role.

'It showed of a different age who was smart as the devil, very bossy, and also understood sexuality, and they needed that,' she said.

'It enlarged the canvas on which they were working, that they would not have a typical old lady molding away in some retirement home somewhere, but a woman who worked, and didnt suffer fools.'

On Sunday, Cynthia also posted to Instagram in Lynn's honor, with a still of her portrayal of Israeli prime minister Golda Meir in the Spielberg film Munich.

Cynthia captioned the post, 'Many people knew and loved Lynn Cohen as Mirandas stalwart Polish nanny Magda. To me she was that and so much morean involved citizen, a true friend, and a great actress in so many different roles.'

The actress also played Magda in both Sex And The City feature films, and was an accomplished film actress outside of that franchise as well  among many others, Lynn appeared in Munich, as well as in Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry and Manhattan Murder Mystery.

Magda: While Magda was very much a fixture in the show as Miranda's (Cynthia Nixon) nanny, Cohen only actually appeared in 13 episodes of the six-season series, as well as both spinoff films (seen here in Sex and the City 2)

Accomplished: The actress also appeared in many films, including Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery (seen here in a publicity still from that film, with Jerry Adler)

She also played competitor Mags in the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire.

Other television pursuits included Damages, Law & Order, Nurse Jackie and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Cohen's career started all the way back in 1983, when she appeared in the Kate Nelligan-starring drama Without A Trace.

Her acting credits also include various roles on Broadway in the '90s, in productions such as Ivanov and Orpheus Descending.

Talent, grace, inspiration: On Saturday, Sex And The City actress Sarah Jessica Parker took to her Instagram to commemorate Cohen, with a closeup of the actress in character as Magda

Paying respects: On Sunday, Cynthia also posted to Instagram in Lynn's honor

Versatile: Cohen also played competitor Mags in the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire

Cohen was working right up until the time of her death, with five new projects in the works.

Along with three short films in post production, she also is set to appear in two new feature films, including a drama based in the Upper West Side of Manhattan titled The Riverside Bench.

Lynn was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1933, and is survived by her husband, Ronald, who she was married to since 1964  for 56 years.

In film: Lynn seen here in character as Israeli prime minister Golda Meir in Steven Spielberg's historical action-drama Munich

Joyous: Cohen's career started all the way back in 1983, when she appeared in the drama Without A Trace; seen here at the The Hunger Games: Catching Fire premiere in LA in 2013
" " Can a heart-shaped box of chocolates come through when Cupid's arrow misses the mark? Thinkstock

Esther Howland, the woman who produced the first commercial American valentines in the 1840s, sold a then mind-boggling $5,000 in cards during her first year of business. The valentine industry in the United States has been booming ever since. Today, over 1 billion valentine cards are sent in this country each year -- second in number only to Christmas cards, according to the Greeting Card Association. (The happy day is also celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.)

Around 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to cards, there are millions of boxes of chocolates and bouquets of roses purchased (mostly by men) for the February 14 holiday.

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The origins of Valentine's Day are shrouded in mystery. According to University of Notre Dame Professor Lawrence Cunningham, scholars have two main theories to explain how February 14 became synonymous with romance:

Roman Feast of Lupercalia - This ancient pagan fertility celebration, which honored Juno, queen of the Roman gods and goddesses and goddess of women and marriage, was held on February 14, the day before the feast began. During festival time, women would write love letters, also known as billets , and leave them in a large urn. The men of Rome would then draw a note from the urn and ardently pursue the woman who wrote the message they had chosen. (Apparently, the custom of lottery drawings to select valentines continued into the 18th century, coming to an end when people decided they'd rather choose -- sight seen! -- their valentines.)

The Birds and the Bees? - In the Middle Ages, people began to send love letters on Valentine's Day. Medieval Europeans believed that birds began to mate on February 14.

There's also some controversy regarding Saint Valentine, for whom the famous day is named. Archaeologists, who unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to St. Valentine, are not sure if there was one Valentine or more. Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred on February 14 -- at least two of those in Italy during the 3rd century. The most popular candidate for St. Valentine was a 3rd century Roman priest who practiced Christianity and performed secret marriages against direct orders from Emperor Claudius II, who believed single soldiers were more likely to join his army. Legend has it that Valentine sent a friend (the jailer's daughter) a note signed "From Your Valentine" before he was executed on February 14 in 270 A.D. (That phrase is still used prominently on today's cards!)

Early Christians were happier with the idea of a holiday honoring the saint of romantic causes than with one recognizing a pagan festival. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius named February 14 in honor of St. Valentine as the patron saint of lovers. In 1969, Pope Paul VI dropped it from the calendar. However, the blend of Roman festival and Christian martyrdom had caught on, and Valentine's Day was here to stay.
The NIA has filed a charge sheet against two persons, including a self-styled major, for their alleged involvement in financing terror activities of Naga insurgent group NSCN(IM).

Luckin Mashangva of Dimapur, Nagaland, and Jaikishan Sharma of Tirap, Arunachal Pradesh, have been named in the charge sheet filed before the special NIA court in Dimapur on Friday, the NIA said.

They have been charged with section 120B and 384 of the Indian Penal Code and section 17 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, it said.

The case, re-registered by the NIA on September 17 last year, relates to the seizure of Rs 10,46,100 by a Special Operation Team, Dimapur Police, on August 20 last year from the possession of Mashangva and Sharma, the premier investigation agency said.

Mashangva is a self-styled major of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) or NSCN(IM) and Sharma is a contractor in Tirap District of Arunachal Pradesh, it said.

The duo, the NIA said, was running an organized racket of extortion from several businessmen and contractors to finance the activities of NSCN(IM).

Sharma managed to secure tenders of government works by threat, coercion and manipulation, and then paid substantial money to the leaders of the NSCN(IM), thus raising funds for terrorist activities of the insurgent group, it said.

Mashangva and Sharma have also been chargesheeted in a case of killing of an Arunachal MLA, the NIA said.

Further investigation was underway, the agency added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Colorado Senators Reject Born Alive Abortion Bill

Colorado senators on Feb. 11 rejected a bill that would penalize abortion providers who dont give appropriate medical treatment for babies that survive an abortion.

The legislation, House Bill 1068known as the Born Alive Child Physician Relationship Actrequired abortion providers to exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious physician would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age.

The legislation, which was rejected along party lines by Colorado Democrats, also made it mandatory for a child who survives abortion to be immediately transported to a hospital. If physicians failed to comply, they would be hit with a $100,000 penalty, constituting a class 3 felony that could come to bear as unprofessional conduct on a medical license, reported Colorado Politics.

Colorados legislative hearings on late-term abortion show just how extreme and entrenched the pro-abortion lobby has become, Katie Glenn, an attorney with Americans United for Life, told Fox News.

The bills co-sponsor, State Rep. Shane Sandridge (R-Colo.), described the legislation as a murder bill.

We must look at ourselves and decide what kind of a society we are, he said in a statement, according to The Washington Times.

Lizzy Hinkley, ACLU of Colorado reproductive rights policy counsel, said bills such as House Bill 1068 are political props to further stigmatize abortion.

Fact check: Bills like #HB1068 (the so-called born alive bill) arent necessary. If such a thing was happening in COand it isntour criminal laws have it covered. This is another attempt to demean and demonize abortion providers, she wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Jeff Hunt, director of the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University, said that babies who survive an abortion are helpless children in need of medical care.

Were refusing to mandate that care, he said, noting that 270 born-alive babies after abortions have been documented on the the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List.

Ive had people comment on this who are pro-choice, that this should be a no-brainer, said Hunt. The child is outside the womb. If you listen to pro-choice advocates, they dont believe life begins until the child has breath in its lungs. Well, here are children with breath in their lungs.

A separate pro-life bill, House Bill 1098, which would outlaw abortions past 22-weeks gestation, was also defeated along party lines by votes of 6-3 in the House State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

The House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee, A.K.A. the Kill Committee, just voted down bills that would have ended Late-term Abortions (HB20-1098) and Born-Alive Abortions (HB20-1068). Thanks @RepDaveWilliams and Rep. Sandridge for bringing these bills. #coleg pic.twitter.com/yLQtBoHjCL  CO House Republicans (@COHouseGOP) February 12, 2020

Both of these bills had support from Coloradans across all political spectrums and neither received a fair hearing in the Kill Committee, said Colorado House Republicans. We will always stand in defense of life. It is our duty to defend those who cant defend themselves, the group wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Coalition for Women and Children is collecting voter signatures for a proposed ballot in November to ban abortions at 22 weeks in the state. The proposal on what proponents call late-term abortions would make it illegal for anyone to perform an abortion when a fetus is at 22 weeks of gestation or after.

It would allow abortions after that time if a pregnant womans physical health is endangered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
While the Mexican economy has not been particularly strong, its stock market is in a nice uptrend and the recent trade deals, together with cost advantages, work in Mexicos favor for several reasons, explains Carl Delfeld, international investing expert and editor of Cabot Global Stocks Explorer.

First, Chinas rise as the worlds largest manufacturer over the last few decades has been a major headwind for Mexico. We know that thousands of American firms moved manufacturing operations to China.

More from Carl Delfeld: Top Picks 2020: Rakuten (RKUNY)

This trend hit Mexico doubly hard since Mexican firms moved operations to China too and American firms chose China over Mexico as a manufacturing destination. But now, with Mexicos wages lower than Chinas, Mexico has become the low-cost manufacturing base of choiceespecially for North American markets.

And while I realize we all want more U.S. manufacturing jobs, please keep in mind that Mexican exports to America already contain 40% U.S. content while Chinese exports to America have only 4% U.S. content. In other words, a washing machine assembled in Mexico and exported to America has about 40% of its components made in America.

In sharp contrast, for products assembled in China and then exported to America, only 4% of the content is made in America. Think an iPhone, for example. Almost all of its components are sourced in Asia. So, U.S. imports of Mexican products are 10 times better for American workers when compared with Chinese imports.

Improved investment and trade in Mexico could reduce some immigration pressures by creating better jobs in Mexico and America while also expanding U.S. exports to Mexico and South America. And with the new NAFTA deal passing Congress, a cloud of uncertainty has been lifted. Analysts are calling it near shoring, in shoring or reverse globalization.

Story continues

The U.S. is already the biggest foreign direct investor in Mexico, accounting for 45% of all foreign investment, according to the State Department.

How will all this shake out and what will American Congressmen (and U.S. labor groups) think of U.S. multinationals shifting some manufacturing from China to Mexico? American firms still export three times as much to Mexico as they do to China. And Mexico, in turn, sends 80% of its exports back across U.S. borders.

In comparison, Mexicos exports to its giant neighbor to the south, Brazil, accounted for only 1% of its total exports. Mexico has also launched more free-trade agreements that involve in excess of 40 countriesmore than any other country and enough to cover more than 90% of the countrys foreign trade.

See also: Piplovic's Picks: Best Global Chip Stocks

Another plus is Mexicos very favorable demographics, where almost half of the countrys population is what we would term working age, and 27% of Mexicans are under the age of 14. Most importantly, Mexican stocks are in a clear uptrend.

To gain direct and broad exposure to Mexicos stock market, one could go with the iShares MSCI Mexico ETF (EWW). But I recommend going with the bolder, more aggressive Direxion MSCI Mexico 3X Bull ETF (MEXX), which follows a basket of leading Mexican stocks but seeks to move three times (300%) the daily price change in the index both up and down.

Because of that volatility, I suggest a 20% trailing stop-loss on this idea. We are currently buying half of our recommended position in Direxion MSCI Mexico 3X Bull ETF.

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Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Indias telecom sector is just a stones throw away from becoming a duopoly after the Supreme Court dismissed last-ditch pleas for relief from telcos on Friday. The move places a question mark over the survival of Vodafone Idea (VIL), which repeatedly warned that it may not be able to continue as a going concern in the absence of relief. VIL did not respond to requests for comment.

If VIL exits, it will leave just Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio in effective competition, since state-run BSNL-MTNL remains in the doldrums. Analysts say VILs cash flow and balances indicate that it will not be able to meet its liabilities of Rs53,000 crore in one-go.

Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on the positive outcome of the modification application filed in the apex court and the subsequent agreement with DoT for payment in instalments after some moratorium and other reliefs, VIL had said just a day earlier, announcing a net loss of Rs6,439 crore for the quarter ended December 2019.

Vodafone Ideas promoter groups  Vodafone Plc and the Aditya Birla Group  have also effectively ruled out any further capital infusion in the Indian company.
If nothing else, the internet has exploded the myth of human rationality. Remember when Al Gore was going around talking about the "information superhighway"? Twenty years down the road, it's more like the Freeway of Delusion.

British philosopher Bertrand Russell would not have been surprised. "Man is a rational animal -- so at least we have been told," he said. "Throughout a long life I have looked diligently for evidence in favor of this statement. So far, I have not had the good fortune to come across it."

Russell was thinking of World War I.

Evidence of mass irrationality abounds. Absurd falsehoods and crackpot conspiracy theories once touted by street-corner eccentrics carrying hand-lettered signs now circle the globe at the speed of light. As recently as a generation ago, intellectual gatekeepers like CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite and NBC's David Brinkley presided over the news divisions at their respective networks, and were widely believed to deliver accurate information.

"If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America," President Lyndon Johnson allegedly said after a critical on-air editorial in 1968 questioning American claims to be winning in Vietnam. Some have disputed the quote. But the story resonates because its essence was true. People believed Uncle Walter. Within two weeks of the broadcast, LBJ decided not to run for reelection.

Such an outcome would be unthinkable today. The most influential pundits during the 2016 presidential election spoke Russian. And most of what they peddled was sheer make-believe: poisonous fictions about Hillary Clinton's dismembering children while simultaneously being at death's door due to her failing health, etc.

No internet, no Russian trolls.

Also, in all likelihood, no President Trump.

Mere journalism of the traditional kind hardly stands a chance. Indeed, if one had no other reason to subscribe to Facebook, it would be to track the remorseless march of folly across the political landscape. Just this morning, for example, I learned from one Facebook friend -- a prominent local citizen -- that Sharia law is sweeping the nation. Christian children are being converted to Islam in public schools, while Americans everywhere are forbidden to criticize the ideology of Osama bin Laden.

It's a given that all Muslims are, by definition, terrorists.

So yes, the terrorists have won, thanks to the spineless traitors of the "Democrat Party."

Lots of "likes," and plenty of "shares." Yes, a person would have to be intellectually disabled to believe this kind of crude propaganda. But it's not really a matter of belief -- or intellect. Fear of the "other" goes straight to the primitive core of the human brain, the "fight or flight" part. Arguing against it is like trying to talk a dog out of fearing thunderstorms. People are mainlining this drug all over the internet. It's a form of mass hysteria. By comparison, the staid Trumpists on Fox News resemble, yes, Walter Cronkite.

But here's the deal. This particular example of psychotic propaganda almost certainly originated not in Russia, but right here in the USA.

According to an eye-opening report in The Atlantic by McKay Coppins, the production and dissemination of far-right internet memes has shifted to the United States. (Not that the Russians are out of business, far from it.) The Trump campaign in particular is operating a heavily funded internet propaganda shop from the 14th floor of a gleaming high-rise just across the Potomac River in northern Virginia.

"Every presidential campaign sees its share of spin and misdirection," Coppins explains, "but this year's contest promises to be different. In conversations with political strategists and other experts, a dystopian picture of the general election comes into view -- one shaped by coordinated bot attacks, Potemkin local-news sites, micro-targeted fearmongering, and anonymous mass texting."

Given Trump's personal fondness for conspiracy theories dating all the way back to the "birther" fable of Barack Obama's mythical birthplace in Kenya, it's to be expected that the GOP campaign will double down.

Coppins created a fake Facebook profile listing himself as a Trump supporter, and spent the impeachment trial absorbing what came over the transom. "I'd assumed that my skepticism and media literacy would inoculate me against such distortions," he writes. "But I soon found myself reflexively questioning every headline ... the notion of observable reality drifted further out of reach."

At a deeper level, he explains, the purpose of flooding the zone with even the most absurd propaganda isn't necessarily to persuade people of a particular line of thinking. It's to instill in the body politic, as the political philosopher Hannah Arendt said about the followers of Hitler and Stalin, "a mixture of gullibility and cynicism."

The goal isn't so much loyalty as submission, she wrote: citizen/subjects who "believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and nothing was true."

Crafted by 18th-century rationalists, the U.S. Constitution assumes a populace capable of recognizing its own enlightened self-interest and acting upon it. Can it survive the age of the internet?

Good question.

Arkansas Times columnist Gene Lyons is a National Magazine Award winner and co-author of "The Hunting of the President" (St. Martin's Press, 2000). You can email Lyons at eugenelyons2@yahoo.com

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US President Donald Trump, along with first lady Melania Trump, will visit the Taj Mahal on February 24.

Yes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed with chief minister Yogi Adityanath the arrangements being made for the visit of US president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to Agra on February 24. Both of them will remain in Agra for nearly three hours, an official spokesman said.

Modi reviewed the arrangements being made for the Trump couples visit to the city of Taj Mahal at a video conference with Adityanath on Saturday evening.

Those aware of the development said senior officers of the state government, police and Agra division were present at the video conference. A senior officer said besides the security arrangements, directions were given to make their visit memorable.

No further details of the directions given at the meeting were available.

As the Trump couple will also visit Ahmedabad, Gujarat government authorities also attended the PMs video conference. The prime minister has already said in a tweet that India would accord a warm welcome to them and their visit would go a long way in cementing India US ties.

Extremely delighted that @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS will visit India on 24th and 25th February. India will accord a memorable welcome to our esteemed guests. This visit is a very special one and it will go a long way in further cementing India-USA friendship.

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Vietnams telecoms provider Viettel gave an official statement on Friday after Facebook had alleged that the former used commercial disinformation tactics to discredit rivals.

The worlds largest social media platform said on Wednesday that it had banned a network of two dozen fake pages and accounts linked to military-run Viettel and its Myanmar venture Mytel for "violating" its "policy against coordinated inauthentic behavior."

This marks the first time Facebook has taken action against a corporation for directly using disinformation against competitors.

According to Facebook, those behind the pages created what appeared to be an independent telecoms news hub, posing as customers to criticize the companys telecoms rivals.

The page admins and account owners typically shared content in English and Burmese about alleged business failures and planned market exit of some service providers in Myanmar, and their alleged fraudulent activity against their customers, Facebooks statement reads.

The controversial pages, followed by 265,600 accounts, were tied to about US$1.2m worth of Facebook advertising, the social network company added.

Viettel said in a statement on Friday that as a company with a presence in 11 countries, it always complies with the laws and business ethics in each market.

The company is verifying the allegation and is willing to cooperate with Facebook.

Any employee or member of the group, if proven to be involved in such practice, will have to take full responsibility, said Viettel in its response.

The company added it supports Facebooks efforts in cleaning up the social network environment and expects the latter to function in a cooperative manner to avoid making unilateral allegations.

Viettel is state-owned and run by the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense.

Its revenue in 2019 rose 7.5 percent year-on-year to VND251 trillion ($10.78 billion), accounting for 50 percent of Vietnam's telecoms revenues.

Viettel launched Mytel in Mymanmar in June 2018 and owns 49 percent of the shares in the venture.

The Vietnamese company has plans to commercially launch 5G services in June using its own equipment.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Race in Classical Music

Muhlenberg faculty lead a panel asserting the importance of including Black art in higher education and the classical music canon.

By: Katherine Dickey '22 Friday, February 14, 2020 02:37 PM

The faculty panel on Race in Classical Music was the first event in the Celebration of African American Poets & Composers series. Photos by Kristi Morris, Littlewing Studios.

To kick off the Department of Musics Celebration of African American Poets & Composers, part of the Colleges Black History Month programming, faculty members from across campus held a panel discussion called Race in Classical Music on Friday, February 7. Organized and led by Patricia Budlong, lecturer of voice, the panel was filled out by Brooke Vick, associate provost for faculty and diversity initiatives, Emanuela Kucik, interim co-director of Africana studies and assistant professor of English, and Kassandra Hartford, assistant professor of music.

Each panelist gave a statement at the start of the event detailing their own connection to the issue of the erasure of Black artists in classical music. Vick, whose expertise is in the psychology of bias, detailed how the exclusion of the art of marginalized groups has led to a prevailing sense that African-American artists were not contributing to the larger culture of classical music, which has robbed many African-American people of the ability to have pride in art made by someone to whom they feel they can relate.

Budlong detailed how the history of classical vocal instruction has led to the exclusion of African-American voicesmost classical vocal pedagogy is centered on 18th- and 19th-century Italian operatic techniquesand how that has led to a largely white and male canon.

Hartford focused on educating the audience on the variety of the African-American composers that have been excluded from the canon. She tackled some of the myths that she has encountered in her study of African-American composers, namely that there arent that many or that their pieces sound identifiably different from white-authored pieces, by giving the audience an extensive list of composers and resources of where to access them, as well as playing a piece by African-American composer Robert Owens to demonstrate its lush beauty.

Kucik (above, second from left), who studies connections between race, genocide and literature, emphasized that the erasure of Black art has allowed people to think that Black people are less than human, which has shaped the course of American history. Kucik shared how slaves gaining literacy allowed them to first fight this narrative, and that art by African-Americans is inherently political in asserting Black humanity, whether or not it explicitly addresses Blackness.

The four then embraced a point brought up by Kucik about the necessity for a duality of study in arts from which contributions by African-American artists have been erased. They conceded the importance of both working to include art by minority groups in the canon considered by mainstream literature and music courses as well as emphasizing specific study of African-American art and the societal factors that bind that art by marginalized groups together.

The panel was the first in the music department's Celebration of African American Poets & Composers series, which is designed to bring more thoughtfulness and inclusivity to Muhlenbergs curriculum. This event was followed by a seminar in music by Black composers for voice instructors as well as student research presentations on the importance of the inclusion of African-American composers in the musical canon.

Valentines Day will see the culmination of this series with a faculty concert centered around the work of Black composers in Empie Theatre in the Baker Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 14. That event is free and open to the public.

About Muhlenberg College

Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, private, four-year residential, liberal arts college offering baccalaureate and graduate programs. With an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences; selected preprofessional programs, including accounting, business, education and public health; and progressive workforce-focused post-baccalaureate certificates and masters degrees. Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, approximately 90 miles west of New York City, Muhlenberg is a member of the Centennial Conference, competing in 22 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Phuket readies for annual Heroines Festival

PHUKET: The annual Heroines Festival, celebrating the defeat of Burmese marauders attempting to take Phuket in 1785, will take place this year from March 7-21.

culture

By The Phuket News

Saturday 15 February 2020, 11:00AM

The festival poster. Image: PR Dept

People are invited to join the celebrations to be held in Thalang, Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana told a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Feb 13).

The Heroines Festival celebrates the two sisters, Chan and Mook, who led the Phuket contingent in repelling the Burmese invasion in 1785.

The festival is held to honour Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Sri Soonthorn and the brave heroes of Thalang, and to increase the cultural tourism potential of Phuket, Governor Phakaphong said.

A mass monk ordination of monks to bless the two Heroines will be held at Wat Thepwanaram (Wat Manik) on Mar 7. From Mar 8-21, the novices will practice meditation.

On Mar 12, a ceremony for giving alms to monks in order to seek blessings from ancestors will be held at Wat Muang Komanraphat.

On Mar 13, a ceremony will be held at the Heroines Monument to honour the two heroines and to lay wreaths at the statue.

From Mar 13 to 15, as is tradition, a light-and-sound show and historical play will be performed at Phuket Historical Park  for many years called Thalang Victory Field  in Baan Riang, Thalang, the reported site of the battle where the Burmese marauders were defeated.

Local food stalls and OTOP products will be on offer throughout the festival, Gov Phakaphong added.
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On Friday, referring to the two Korean giants Samsung and LG that have left the Iranian market under the pressure of the U.S. sanctions, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman said it would be much more difficult to return later for those who were "strong-armed by the United States to leave".

Iran was a key market for the products of the two South Korean companies including TV and audio sets, home appliances, air conditioners and mobile phones.

The two Korean giants have for many years held a huge portion of Iran's audio-visual accessories and home appliances market but Samsung also has a huge share in the market for tablets and smartphones.

In this tweet Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman reacted to the departure of Samsung and LG from the Iranian market.

Both companies assembled some of their products in Iran but cut down on providing products and parts to Iran and have now completely stopped.

In his tweet on Friday which came with a photo of workers pulling down a Samsung banner, Mousavi said that Iranians will "not forget friends who stand by their side at times of hardship". The two companies which stopped selling to Iran two years ago under the pressure of sanctions had not stopped their advertising in Iran.

According to Alireza Mousavi Majd, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Association for Audio and Video Accessories, the infrastructure left by Samsung and LG will be used by their Iranian subsidiary companies, namely SAM Service and Goldiran, to manufacture home appliances and electronics such as TV sets and computer monitors.

Samsung, like most other leading brands, stopped directly selling smartphones to Iran when the sanctions began. Samsung was officially represented in Iran and used to run after-sales service centers in major cities.

However, illegally imported smartphones of various brands such as Samsung and Apple are still quite abundant in the market.

In an email to its subscribers on February 10 Samsung informed them that from February 25 they will not be able to buy its products and applications from its Galaxy Store, but free applications will still be available to download.

The company cited money transfer issues as their reason for the decision. Unlike other brands Samsung allowed Iranian customers to use Iranian currency to purchase products from Samsung Play Store.

Aydin Aram, a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Importers of Mobile Phones, Tablets, recently said that Samsung had a share of more than 60% in the Iranian smartphone market.

"Under Washington's sanctions, no foreign company in Iran is capable of providing services to the Iranians, or transfer money," Aram said about Samsung's recent decision.

Based on the latest data available, nearly eighteen million Iranians had Samsung phones as of February 2018, Iran's largest app market Cafe Bazaar says.
WASHINGTON  Here's how area members of Congress voted on major issues during the legislative week ending Feb. 14:

House

Reviving the Equal Rights Amendment. Voting 232-183, the House on Feb. 13 adopted a measure (HJ Res 79) that would advance the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution by replacing a long-expired deadline for states to vote on ratification with an open-ended deadline.

The ERA states: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." Congress on March 22, 1972, sent the ERA to the states, allowing seven years for them to muster the three-fourths majority (38) needed for ratification. The legislatures of 35 states voted to ratify, although five  Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee and South Dakota  rescinded their approvals on or before the March 22, 1977, deadline. Nevada, Illinois and Virginia have voted to ratify the ERA since 1982.

A yes vote was to send the proposed new deadline to the Senate.

Voting yes: Abigail Spanberger, D-7th.

Voting no: Denver Riggleman, R-5th.

Expanding protected wilderness by 1.4 million acres. Voting 231-183, the House on Feb. 12 passed a bill (HR 2546) that would add nearly 1.4 million unspoiled acres in Colorado, California and Washington state to the 111-million-acre National Wilderness Protection System, which permanently safeguards federally owned land mostly in the West from commercial development including hard-rock mining and oil and natural gas drilling. The newly added acreage is located in areas including Washington's Olympia Peninsula; northwestern California; the Santa Monica Mountains and Central Coast in California; and 36 distinct areas of Colorado mostly on the Western Slope. The bill also would set aside 100,000 acres as national monument areas and expand the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Voting yes: Spanberger.

Voting no: Riggleman.

Preventing and fighting fires in wilderness areas. The House on Feb. 12 defeated, 199-215, a Republican motion that sought to ensure that mechanized firefighting and fire-prevention equipment would have unhindered access to wilderness areas newly protected by HR 2546 (above). This would be in addition to assurances already in the bill that federal agencies would be fully empowered to take actions to prevent and fight fires in the designated areas.

A yes vote was to adopt the motion.

Voting yes: Riggleman, Spanberger.

Senate

Asserting congressional control over war with Iran. The Senate on Feb. 13 voted, 55-45, to require the administration to obtain advance congressional approval for military actions against Iran or its proxy forces except when there is an imminent threat to the United States, its armed forces or its territories. The measure invokes the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which asserts the power of Congress to declare war under Article I of the Constitution. Under that Vietnam-era law, presidents must notify Congress within 48 hours when they send the U.S. military into combat, then withdraw the forces within a specified period unless Congress has authorized the action.

A yes vote was to send SJ Res 68 to the House and likely on to President Trump, who says he will veto it.

Voting yes: Mark R. Warner (D), Tim Kaine (D).

Thomas Voting Reports Inc.

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Michael Pena is clueless about the third "Ant-Man" film as he says the project will not start production for at least a year.

Pena portrayed Luis, the fast-talking sidekick of Paul Rudd's Scott Lang aka Ant-Man in the Peyton Reed-directed "Ant-Man" (2015) and "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2019).

The 44-year-old actor, who currently features in supernatural horror "Fantasy Island", told The Hollywood Reporter that he has no idea whether or not he will star in the threequel and he is waiting to get some clarity about it.

"I have no idea. 'Ant-Man 3' is not going to be shot for another year or so. After my involvement in the first two 'Ant-Man' movies, we really won't even know what's going to happen until one to two months before we film," Pena said.

"I have no idea what's happening to be honest. Right now, Marvel is in a really cool position where they can break hearts by who they bring back and who they don't. But, I'm still interested even though I have no idea what's gonna happen, and I can't wait to find out," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 20:27:31|Editor: xuxin

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DAMASCUS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian government forces have secured the vicinity of the Damascus-Aleppo highway following the capture of the town of Kafr-Naha in northern Syria, a war monitor reported on Saturday.

The Syrian army fully secured the vicinity of the Damascus-Aleppo highway, known as M5 highway, following battles against the rebels in the Kafr-Naha area, west of Aleppo city, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A day earlier, the Syrian army declared the M5, locally known as the international road, fully secure after two months of battles with the rebels in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo provinces in northern Syria.

Capturing the road is a strategic win for the Syrian army as the road links the political capital of Damascus with the industrial capital of Aleppo.

On Saturday, SANA said the Syrian authorities started removing the rubble and barricades left by the rebels on the parts of the road that was under the rebels' control since 2012.
Jubelin is accused of unlawfully recording four conversations with Paul Savage, 75, a former person of interest in the investigation who lived across the road from where William vanished. He has maintained from the outset that he made the recordings to protect his lawful interest. As the allegations unfolded in court, numerous investigators from Strike Force Rosann filed in to give evidence. Some of the officers used identical paragraphs at the beginning of their statements which said any answers they gave were under "total duress and threat" of being dismissed or dealt with under the Police Act. During his turn in the witness box, Jubelin said William's disappearance was one of the most difficult investigations of his career because there were no direct eyewitnesses and no physical evidence. He said the sheer magnitude and length of the inquiry "broke a lot of investigators". By early 2017, when Savage became a person of interest, some junior officers strongly believed that he wasn't responsible. Jubelin was concerned that the officers' opinions were so strong they wouldn't support him if he spoke to Savage and something went wrong.

"Certain members of the strike force didn't have a particular loyalty to me," Jubelin told the court. "If Mr Savage was to self-harm, and I'm sitting before a coronial inquest into his death, I had no confidence that the junior police would have backed me up. I felt, to a certain degree, isolated." Loading Jubelin said he took over the strike force five months after William disappeared and was told by a superior that the investigation was "all over the place". He was surprised to discover there was no investigation plan, a document which outlines an overall strategy and direction. In the weeks before he took over, he said, there were more than 1000 pieces of information the strike force hadn't reviewed. The pursuit of washing machine repairman Bill Spedding  who has since been ruled out as a person of interest  was "overt and very public". Jubelin said he told his superiors it wasn't a good idea to carry out a search warrant at Spedding's home. He requested it be stopped, but was told it's "not your problem, worry about it after you take over".

"It appeared to be disjointed," Jubelin said. "There was public speculation, there was no control." Loading Over the next four years, the strike force sometimes struggled with the investigation due to lack of resources, Jubelin said. He became the only person who had continuity in the strike force, despite starting five months in, because other members were rotated out. After he tendered his resignation, Jubelin said he was not allowed to speak to his former colleagues or give a handover to another detective. With Jubelin gone, a detective sergeant who left the strike force in July 2018 said she was contacted in mid-2019, after the inquest into William's disappearance had started, and asked to prepare a statement and be the main detective giving evidence. She said she'd had a "very limited, if any" role with the strike force since leaving.

The court heard that in mid-2018 Jubelin had a public confrontation in the office with another senior investigator, Detective Sergeant Craig Lambert. Jubelin said he had challenged Lambert to come up with a person of interest in the case and he reacted by storming out. Jubelin said Lambert then came towards him "spitting venom" and challenged him to a physical fight. A female officer told the court that someone stood between the men before they were physically pulled away from each other. Lambert later went on leave. There was "a lot of pressure on everyone" in the strike force at that time, Jubelin said, including having to review 2000 hours of listening device recordings. Listening to the audio was routinely many hours and days behind, partly because every 24-hour period generated 48 hours of audio if there were two devices in a home. Some officers in the strike force were divided about the pursuit of Savage, which included planting a child's Spider-Man suit in bushland at Kendall to see how he would react. Savage said he did not see the suit until the day he reported it to police, but Jubelin believed he actually saw it the day before. Savage's description of seeing "the white top with the spider" also intrigued investigators. The suit police planted in bushland did not have white on it, but the suit William had been wearing when he disappeared did. That fact had never been publicly revealed.

Detective Senior Constable Paul Apthorpe, who listened to recordings of Savage virtually every day for six months, heard repeated protestations of innocence and began to think Savage might be telling the truth. He wanted to look further into the suit to see if mud placed on it could have dried white. He also wanted to examine the scene where the suit was placed to see if Savage actually did stop and look at it on the first day. Paul Savage leaves court in August 2019 after giving evidence at an inquest into William Tyrrell's disappearance. Credit:Janie Barrett Jubelin thought that line of inquiry was a waste of time and was "furious" when he found out the officers had done it, Apthorpe said. He said he had reservations about the Spider-Man idea from the start, because it "might be very hard to determine which reactions might be that of a guilty man and which might be consistent with someone who's innocent". Apthorpe said he later went to a team meeting, and Jubelin told him he hadn't been invited "because you're not on board with the Savage inquiry". He said Jubelin used an aggressive tone. Detective Senior Constable Greg Gallyot, who was in the strike force from 2015 to 2018, said at times there was a "scattergun" approach to the investigation. He said there was a degree of dissatisfaction in the strike force and he had seen Jubelin belittling, bullying and intimidating others. Jubelin denied this.

Another two officers said they had worked with Jubelin for years and never witnessed any behaviour on his part that could be seen as bullying or harassment. As the Spider-Man suit operation unfolded, Jubelin became aware that there was discontent among junior detectives. He said it wasn't "overt" at first, but could be sensed in the open-plan office. He believed the officers gave their opinions without understanding what was being done. "The most vocal people that didn't buy into the strategy were the most junior," he said. A forensic search in the bushland close to William Tyrrell's foster grandmother's Kendall home in June 2018. Credit:AAP But the court also heard allegations that Assistant Commissioner Scott Cook, the then-commander of the homicide squad, had his doubts about the investigation. Jubelin said Cook walked up to his desk in 2017, pointed at a photo of William Tyrrell and said "no one cares about that little kid, get him off the books, get him to unsolved homicide". Cook denied making the comment. Cook was also accused of telling a strike force member that the investigation was "a waste of time; we'll never get anyone for this". Giving evidence, that officer said the comment is "possibly something that was said".

Detective Senior Constable Louise Rodden, who was in the strike force for more than three years, was asked if Cook's view of the investigation was "that nothing was going to happen, no success was going to be achieved and it should be discontinued". She responded, "yes". Where's William campaign co-director Alice Williams reads a statement from William's foster family on Friday. Credit:AAP Jubelin said he doesn't think the full ramifications of William's disappearance were appreciated initially and opportunities were lost in the first few months. He said "very little leeway" was made later in the investigation, and often their inquiries moved them one step forward, two steps back. In a recorded interview with internal investigators, Jubelin said about 30 police passed through the strike force in his time overseeing it. Inquiries included 500 persons of interest and more than 1000 reported sightings of William. Jubelin said there was "some disharmony in the strike force" from officers who felt their careers had been snatched away by years-long secondments, which were initially meant to last for weeks or months.

In an email sent to his homicide team shortly before he was removed, Jubelin said he encouraged team members to voice their opinions if they disagreed with him but "what I find detrimental to team harmony is where a decision I've made is undermined". Loading Speaking to internal investigators several weeks later, Jubelin said he was concerned "the vexatious way in which I've been treated" would have an impact on the Tyrrell investigation. This included police preventing him from contacting William's family. This week, William's foster mother was in tears after she told the court that last year, during her son's inquest, police told her the case would be moved to unsolved homicide. "I'm angry," she said. At the conclusion of the hearing on Friday, William's foster family said in a statement that they hold "grave concerns regarding the cavalier way in which police leadership have viewed William's abduction over the past two years". They expressed "deep fears" for families that come after them.

"Five years and five months on, we want to remind Australians that this is about a little boy called William Tyrrell," the statement said. "William is loved. He is missed every single day. William needs to come home." A decision will be made on Jubelin's case in April. How it unfolded September 12, 2014 William Tyrrell disappears from his grandmothers Kendall front yard. A mammoth search involving local police, detectives, SES, police divers, locals and police dogs turns up nothing. September 16 Police announce formation of Strike Force Rosann.

January 2015 Officers raid the home of washing machine repairman Bill Spedding. He has since been cleared of any wrongdoing. February Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin takes over. September 2016 The first $1 million reward in the states history is announced for any information that can lead police to Williams whereabouts. January 2017 The Supreme Court finds that Williams status as a foster child can be revealed by the media. November Jubelin calls Paul Savage on speakerphone and gets a colleague to record it.

May 2018 Jubelin records two conversations at Savages home in Kendall. July Police conduct a four-week forensic search of Kendall and surrounds. No evidence is found. September On the fourth anniversary of Williams disappearance, the case is referred to the State Coroner. December Jubelin records another conversation at Savages home. January 2019 Jubelin is informed of an internal investigation and removed from all duties.
Lee Haw-koo, an institute chairman at South Koreas Mason University, is among the attendees at Shen Yun Performing Arts at the 3.15 Arts Center in Changwon, South Korea, on Feb. 14, 2020. (Quan Jing-lin/The Epoch Times)

CHANGWON, South KoreaFor Lee Haw-koo, an institute chairman at the Mason University, the experience of seeing Shen Yun was coming to appreciate what life was all about.

In the current society, the spiritual culture is collapsing. What Shen Yun is saying is a concept about searching for the meaning of life, Lee said, after seeing Shen Yun at the 3.15 Arts Center in Changwon, South Korea, on the evening on Feb. 14, 2020.

Lee explained that he had long heard about Shen Yun when he was in the United States, in both Silicon Valley in California and in New York. But he missed out on seeing the performance in the States.

Shen Yun Performing Arts, which is based in New York, has grown from three companies to seven companies after being founded in 2006. Now, Shen Yuns New York Company is in South Korea, after having finished 34 performances in nine cities in Japan.

Lee took special notice about the dancers he saw. First, he said he could appreciate the responsibility that these dancers shoulderabout how they were carrying on a mission to revive the ancient Chinese culture that is now lost in modern-day China.

For instance, he explained how dancers had done an excellent job of telling the story of Li Baia well-known poet who lived in ancient Chinas Tang Dynastythrough their dance movements.

Mentally and spiritually, these dancers were also very different, said Lee.

I think because these artists practice Falun Gong, they have improved themselves spiritually. As a result, they know how they shoulder greater responsibilities with their dances, Lee said.

Lee added that he knew about how there was ongoing persecution in China against people who practice Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice that combines ancient teachings based on three core principlestruthfulness, compassion, and toleranceand meditation exercises, according to Shen Yuns website.

Whats more, Lee was amazed at the dancers he saw, particularly how flexible they were and how they were able to use their arms and legs to perform many difficult techniques.

Lee also applauded how the dancers were able to perform in such unison.

Shen Yun will perform a total of four performances in Changwon ending on Feb. 16, before traveling to two other Korean cities of Hanam and Chuncheon.

Beginning on Feb. 27, Shen Yun will begin its tour of Oceania, with performances in Auckland, New Zealand; and Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne in Australia.

With reporting by Lee Yun-jeong and Frank Fang.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006.
The Lagos State House of Assembly has appointed Ms. Abosede Lambo as the Executive Secretary of the Lagos House of Assembly Service Commission (LAHASCOM).

This was contained in a letter signed by LAHASCOMs Chairman, Chief Wale Mogaji and made available to journalists.

Lambos appointment indicated that she rose to become a Permanent Secretary having served in the State public service for 30 years.

In the letter titled, Appointment as Secretary to the Commission, the Chairman noted the appointment took effect from 13th February, 2020.

The letter read in part, In line with the provision of section 8 subsection 1 of the Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission and reference to the correspondence from the House of Assembly No LSHASC/AD/O/201/71 dated 11th February, 2020.

I am pleased to inform you that the Commission has approved your appointment as Secretary to the Commission with effect from 13th February, 2020.

The appointment is a reflection of your commitment and selfless service to the State and the Legislative Service in particular. The Commission looks forward to your dedication and demonstration of integrity in the discharge of your duties.

Until her appointment, Lambo was the Director of Public Affairs in the House of Assembly.

Born in March, 1962 at Ebute-Metta, Lagos, Lambo attended Baptist Primary School, Ijero, Ebute-Metta between 1968-1973.

She thereafter had her secondary education at Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls Secondary School, Sabo, Yaba from 1974-1979.

She attended the Lagos State College of Education, Ijanikin from 1980-1983 where she obtained N.C.E.

In 1988, Lambo bagged B.A. (Hons.) in English Language from the University of Lagos, Akoka.

She has been in the state public service since February 1990 and she started as an information officer on Grade Level 08. She later rose through the ranks to become a director.

Her career spanned from different local government areas in the state to the mainstream civil service before she was finally deployed to the House of Assembly in 2006.

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Project FINE is celebrating its 30th anniversary of helping the Winona community become more inclusive and welcoming to refugees and immigrants.

On one hand, we provide educational programs and services to help refugees and immigrants find and build their life, Fatima Said, executive director of Project FINE, said. On the other hand, we work with our community partners to help them communicate with those new people and serve them better and also learn about our newest neighbor and build a more welcoming and inclusive community that works for all of us.

Project FINE  Focus on Integrating Newcomers through Education  was created in 1990 by the University of Minnesota Extension to help young refugees. Many Hmong families arrived in Winona during the decade, leaving many young children in need of help and support in the local community.

For the first four years, the organization was supported with a Children, Youth and Families at Risk grant, which allowed the organization to provide services that helped students adjust to their new surroundings and society.

But just because the grant ended didnt mean the need stopped.

Actually, Said said, the need became greater as more families arrived for various reasons, such as jobs and good schools. She said a dedicated group of people helped find ways to keep Project FINE a part of the community.

Im so grateful to them. Because if its not for them, we wouldnt be here today, Said said.

Project FINE officially became a nonprofit organization in 1997. Since then, it has experienced many ups and downs but is now able to serve about 2,600 people every year.

Project FINE reached out to United Way in the early 2000s so funds could be received to help develop a strategic plan and the organization could develop into a more stable entity. Said has witnessed that development for the past 15 years.

Every step of this that we went through in the last 15 years, we did with so many people, so many community partners that really made us what we are today, she said.

Said helps the organization continue to provide information to new residents about resources available, along with educational programs. Information and connections provided might include services such as health care providers.

For those searching for a job, Project FINE will help with resumes, connecting with possible employers and other important support options. The organization will also help new residents through citizenship classes.

For youth, the organization will help them figure out secondary education, along with help them become more comfortable in the culture they will experience at school.

The organization works to make sure they are not duplicating any services available locally.

Information is also provided to different entities in the community so they can learn how to be more inclusive. Signs are provided to these organizations that help show the community they are supportive of a more diverse, welcoming Winona.

Project FINE hopes to spread advocacy and information, create meaningful interactions and eliminate fear.

The organizations staff often visits with newcomers to make sure they are counted in the census each decade and are aware of the resources available to them.

These newcomers often learn about the resources available at Project FINE through word of mouth or social media.

The work of Project FINE is highly important to Said, who is a refugee from Bosnia.

Its my life mission, Said said. She doesnt simply do the work because its her career, but because she is passionate about it.

I know firsthand how helpful it is when you have a community that is open minded and inclusive and welcoming, that provides information and resources for you to build a better life to feed your family and your children, how wonderful and important that is and how much you want to give back because I feel like my work now is paying for everything that I received and was helped with, she said. So today were helping refugees and immigrants. Tomorrow they will be helping themselves in our community.

She shared that refugees go through three stages when they arrive in a new community: survival, which includes finding food and safety; building their capacity, which is when they learn about the community and responsibilities; and then supporting stability and creating a future, which might include activities such as buying a car or even opening a business.

Project FINE helps them through these stages.

By integrating into the Winona community, the workforce can then benefit from them and become more diverse.

Said hopes Project FINE will continue to build relationship with the community in the future, along with help attract more people to Winona.

As for now, the 30th anniversary will be celebrated with many events, including welcoming tables, visitors form Welcoming America, open houses, fundraisers and holiday celebrations.

Weekly posts will also be made on the organizations social media, such as videos that will share the stories of people impacted by Project FINE.

For more information about Project FINE and its upcoming events, visit www.projectfine.org or the Project FINE Facebook page.

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FILE PHOTO: Employees of Traveloka are seen working at the company's headquarters in Jakarta

By Stanley Widianto

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An Indonesian government plan to allow start-ups to hire foreign staff more easily could help plug a shortage of skills in the country's booming sector, said a tech entrepreneur, though the idea is likely to face resistance from unions.

The proposal, contained in a new "Job Creation" bill submitted to parliament this week, stipulates that foreign staff at start-ups can work in certain posts without a permit "for a certain amount of time".

Tommy Yuwono, co-founder and president director of fintech company Pintek, which offers loans for school tuition, said there was a crucial need for more tech engineers.

"The bill is positive for knowledge transfers especially in tech because there are shortages," he told Reuters. "There needs to be incentives for schools, vocational schools on how to produce quality Indonesian engineers."

President Joko Widodo has pledged to focus on improving human capital in his second five-year term in office.

While Indonesia's Internet economy is forecast to grow to more than $100 billion by 2025, it produces only 278 engineers per million people a year, according to consultancy A.T. Kearney.

Indonesia has five "unicorns" - or start-ups worth at least $1 billion - but firms say they often struggle to recruit suitable engineers and executives.

One local success story, the $10 billion ride-hailing and payments company Gojek, now maintains a large engineering and development office in the Indian tech hub of Bangalore, as does online travel app Traveloka, which is valued at over $4 billion.

Other unicorns, including e-commerce marketplace Tokopedia, will hold recruitment events abroad to recruit top Indonesian talent. Firms say that due to demand, experienced Indonesian tech executives or engineers can be paid more working for unicorns at home than in Silicon Valley.

The "Job Creation" bill is one of Widodo's so-called "omnibus laws", which aim to change scores of existing laws to cut red tape and attract investment in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

Story continues

Kahar S. Cahyono, a spokesman at the Confederation of Indonesian Workers' Union (KSPI), said the definition of start-ups in the bill was too broad and risked of misinterpretation.

"It will be hard to prove that foreign workers will work at start-ups or not," he said, accusing the government of favouring foreign workers.

Aris Wahyudi, an official at the manpower ministry, said the use of foreign workers was part of a strategy to bring in global talent to speed up the development of Indonesian workers.

Indonesia ranks 73 out of 190 countries in the World Bank's ease of doing business index, below neighbours such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

(Additional reporting by Tabita Diela and Fanny Potkin; Editing by Ed Davies and Alex Richardson)
Moscow, Feb 16 : Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the state of military security in Europe with Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in Germany on Saturday.

Meeting during the 56th Munich Security Conference, Lavrov and Stoltenberg also discussed Russia-NATO relations, Xinhua reported citing a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

They also touched upon urgent issues on international and European agendas, including the situation in Afghanistan, the statement added.
Summer camp memories dont come cheap. With camp costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars a week, credit cards can seem like a good way to quickly rack up points or spread out the financial impact. But charging camp tuition can come with its own costs.

According to averages from the American Camp Association, day camp tuition in 2018, the most recent year available, ranged from $199 to $800 or more a week. Overnight camp was even pricier, from $630 to upward of $2,000 per week.

Camp is important to enough people that if they dont have the cold, hard cash, they want a way to pay for it, says Laurel Barrie, owner of The Camp Connection Inc., an advisory service that helps match families with summer programs that meet their needs.

Before putting camp on your credit card, heres what you need to consider.

Credit card surcharges

In nearly all credit card transactions, the merchant that accepts your card for payment has to pay processing fees. Stores usually treat these fees as a cost of doing business, and they charge the same prices for all customers regardless of how they pay. But some camps pass the fees directly to credit card users through a surcharge.

Merchants that add a surcharge are required to disclose it, and there are limits to how much it can be. Visa and Mastercard, for example, cap the surcharge at 4%. But that percentage can still add substantially to the cost of camp. Say you use your card to send your child to a $1,000-a-week camp for seven weeks. If the camp has a 3% surcharge, that would add an extra $210 to your final bill.

Some states prohibit surcharges for credit card use, and many camps opt not to charge for card payments even when they could.

Dana Gabbay, who with her husband, Ronen, co-owns Camp Lokanda, an overnight camp in Glen Spey, New York, said they chose to keep their prices the same, regardless of payment method, when they took over from the previous owners.

When we bought the camp 13 years ago, they only took check or cash. We just felt like it was a courtesy to our families to let them pay by credit card, Gabbay said.

The camp payment schedule

If surcharges are a concern, you can avoid them altogether by writing a check for the camp bill. But some people dont have the funds on hand to afford a big lump-sum payment or a hefty deposit. If thats your situation, see if the camp allows you to pay in installments. If not, a credit card might still be the most palatable solution, in spite of the extra cost.

Regardless of whether you face a surcharge, putting camp on your card and paying it off over time can incur a different cost: interest charges.

One workaround is a credit card with a promotional 0% APR offer. Available mostly to people with good to excellent credit, these cards dont charge new cardholders interest on their purchases for a certain period of time after they open the account. The 0% period can last a year or more. If you can get the full balance paid off before the promotional period ends, you wont pay any interest on your camp costs at all.

The realities of rewards

It can be tempting to put any big expense on a card in exchange for a pile of points or other rewards.

Sharon Ferber, a mom of four boys in Delray Beach, Florida, pays for sleepaway camp in Michigan for two of her kids with a credit card.

They dont charge a fee, and I get 2% back on my credit card, Ferber said.

A move like Ferbers makes good financial sense only if your camp doesnt add a surcharge, as that extra cost is likely to offset the value of any rewards from the purchase. Rewards cards typically give you back 1% to 2% on a purchase like camp tuition, so youd have to weigh whether youd earn more back than youd pay in surcharges.

Also take into account your ability to pay off your balance. If you cant pay it off in full at the end of the billing cycle, the interest charges can easily outweigh the value of any rewards earned on your card.

This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.

More From NerdWallet

Robin Saks Frankel is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: rfrankel@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @robinsaks.
CANTON, Ohio -- A night custodian for the Akron school district was arrested Thursday after an FBI investigation into child pornography.

Christopher Hanna, 46, of Canton has been charged in federal court with using a computer or mobile device to connect to the internet to receive and distribute child pornography.

Hanna has worked for the district since 2014, most recently at Miller South School for Visual and Performing Arts, district spokesman Mark Williamson said in a news release. The district has suspended Hanna without pay.

Hanna is not accused of receiving or distributing child pornography on school time, at a school or with school devices, and no Miller South students were involved, Williamson said.

Agents with the FBI Cleveland Divisions Canton Resident Agencys Child Exploitation Task Force began their investigation into Hanna on Jan. 26, court records show.

An undercover agent entered a chatroom that is frequented by people who have a sexual interest in children and incest, according to an affidavit filed Thursday.

A user with the profile name hannausmc94," later identified as Hanna, soon became an administrator of chatroom group, according to the FBI. The group requires users to send the administrator three photos: 1 live pic of ur self; 1 of u and ur daughter; 1 live or three from ur gallery of ur daughter.

The undercover agent sent Hanna a picture of his purported 9-year-old daughter, which started a thread in which Hanna reportedly sent photos of him engaged in sexual activities with underage girls, according to the FBI.

The agent gave Hanna his cell phone number, and within seconds, received a text from a number confirmed to be registered to Hanna, according to court records.

Hanna told the agent that he worked as a custodian in a middle school and that he has rooms that connect to the girls restroom, and said, I have to make a hole, according to the affidavit. Williamson said the school district has thoroughly inspected the building, and no such holes were found.

On Thursday, agents executed a search warrant at Hannas Canton home. In an interview, Hanna told agents that he used the online profiles hannausmc94 and hannausmc98 to join so-called daddy-daughter chat groups and share pornographic pictures and videos, the FBI reported. Hanna said his interests were in girls ages 9 and up, according to the FBI.

Hanna was arrested without incident and held in the Stark County Jail. He appeared in court Friday and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in Youngstown on Feb. 21, court records show.

To comment on this story, visit Fridays crime and courts comment section.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.coms Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
TV Presenter Caroline Flack was found dead in her east London flat on Saturday (Picture: AP)

ITV has paid tribute to former Love Island presenter Caroline Flack who has died aged 40.

A lawyer for the Flack family confirmed the TV host had taken her own life on Saturday.

Following her death, an ITV spokeswoman said: "Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news.

Caroline was a much-loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends."

Love Island: Unseen Bits which airs at 9pm on Saturday nights on ITV2 has been pulled and will be replaced by Youve Been Framed. The next episode of the live show is scheduled to air on Sunday night at 9pm.

ITV said Caroline Flack was a 'much-loved member of the Love Island team' (Picture: AP)

Flacks family also confirmed her death in a statement, adding: We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today, the 15th of February.

We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time and we would ask they make no attempt to contact us and/or photograph us.

TV presenters Davina McCall, Phillip Schofield and Eamonn Holmes were among those reacting to the news of Flacks death.

The troubled Love Island star stepped down from presenting the show after she was alleged to have assaulted her boyfriend Lewis Burton 27, at her then flat in Islington, north London, in December.

She entered a not guilty plea to the assault charge at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court and she was released on bail with conditions that stopped her having any contact with Burton ahead of a trial in March.

Flack hosted the first five series of Love Island (Picture: Getty)

Flack hosted the first five series of Love Island, one of the most-watched reality shows in the UK in recent years, as well as its spin-off programme Aftersun.

The current series of the programme, the first winter edition, is being hosted by Laura Whitmore after Flack stepped back from her presenting duties.

For confidential emotional support at times of distress, contact The Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org
Theatrical fashion show at Ladies VIP Night View(s):

Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo partners with Ladies VIP Night for an evening of empowerment on March 3 on the global theme of #EachforEqual.

The unusual theatrical fashion show that will be part of the event is themed Model Transformation and will feature leading Lankan designers Sonali Dharmawardena, Aslam Hussein, lAtelier Touche, Ramona Oshini, Charini and Limak, along with exclusive jewellers; Colombo Jewellery Stores, Bullion Exchange, Tiesh, Pearl Studio, Summer 67 and Precious Ceylon Gems & Jewellery.

Supporting the designers for their theatrical concept is Hameedias, the official Menswear Partner.

The runway sponsors include Ramani Fernando Salons, official Hair and Make Up Partner, TRESemme, official Hair Care Partners, Spa Ceylon, official Make Up & Skin Care Partners and British Cosmetics, official Nail Care Solution Partners.

The evening includes a Panel Discussion with decision makers from diverse industries  Ajay Amalean, Founding Member, MAS Holdings, Timothy Wright, Vice President and General Manager, Shangri-La Hotel, Mano Sekaram, CEO, 99X Technology, Nikhil Advani, CEO, AIA Insurance and Janek Jayasekera, COO, Akbar Brothers Group.

A 4-course dinner in typical Shangri-La style completes the evening.

Tickets for the evening priced at Rs 9,500 are limited, so book early by calling the ticket hotline on 0778591846. Tickets include Pink Tea cocktails by TeaaBerry, an aperitif hour and luxury door gifts from Spa Ceylon and TRESemme.

For event updates see the Ladies VIP Night Facebook page, ladies.vip.night.colomboand Instagram page -@colombovip
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Amy Klobuchar says pro-lifers are part of the Democrat Party, wants to build 'big tent'

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Democrat 2020 hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said on national television this week that there is room for pro-lifers in the Democrat Party.

On the day of the New Hampshire Primary, Klobuchar appeared on ABCs The View where she was asked by co-host Meghan McCain about whether theres room for pro-life Democrats to vote for you.

The question came days after fellow 2020 hopeful Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders declared that being pro-choice is an absolutely essential part of being a Democrat.

Klobuchar, a 59-year-old attorney who is also a member of the United Church of Christ, responded first by affirming that she is pro-choice and has always been pro-choice. This can be verified by her voting record in support of taxpayer-funded abortion and her support for Planned Parenthood.

But I believe we are a big tent party and there are pro-life Democrats and they are part of our party, Klobuchar said. I think we need to build a big tent. I think we need to bring people in instead of shutting them out. That also includes independents right here in New Hampshire and moderate Republicans.

.@MeghanMcCain on @TheView: Do you think theres room for pro-life Democrats to vote for you?



Sen. Amy Klobuchar: Im strongly pro-choice. I have always been pro-choice, but I believe were a big tent party  I think we need to bring people in  https://t.co/ECpbtTFzQBpic.twitter.com/xMgs6zTE9C  ABC News (@ABC) February 11, 2020

Klobuchar surprised many Tuesday when she placed third in the New Hampshire presidential primary election and won the most support among voters who attend religious services weekly, according to exit polls.

Klobuchar has earned a 100 percent grade from the lobbying arm of the nations largest abortion corporation, Planned Parenthood.

To earn a 100 percent grade from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, members of Congress must always vote with Planned Parenthood.

Klobuchar vowed in December to reverse pro-life policies instituted by the Trump administration within the first 100 days in office.

The Trump administration has taken several steps to end taxpayer-funding of organizations that perform or promote abortion domestically and overseas, including banning Title X family planning funds from going to clinics that refer or provide abortions.

Last year, Planned Parenthood left the Title X program rather than have clinics stop promoting or performing abortions.

In the first 100 days I will remove Trumps gag rules, which I can do with no need of congressional involvement, Klobuchar told The Guardian in an interview. I will reverse funding decisions right away, and make sure that we only nominate judges for confirmation who are consistent with [Roe v. Wade].

The question has been raised for years about whether there is room for pro-life Democrats in the party.

Democrat National Committee Chair Tom Perez made headlines in 2017 when he said the party would withhold support from any candidates who did not consider themselves to be pro-choice. That statement was criticized by a number of prominent Democrats such as then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

The head of the Congressional Campaign Committee said months later that there is no litmus test on abortion. Currently, there are two Democrat senators considered to be pro-life. Former pro-life Democrat Joe Donnelly of Indiana was defeated by Republican Mike Braun in the 2018 election.

Although Sanders said that being pro-choice is absolutely essential to being a Democrat, he received pushback in 2017 after he campaigned on behalf of a mayoral candidate in Nebraska who supported a bill that would have required doctors to notify women of their right to an ultrasound before an abortion.

Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who came in second in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, reiterated his support for a late-term abortion last week while speaking on The View.

[M]y point is that it shouldnt be up to a government official to draw the line, Buttigieg said. It should be up to the woman who is confronted with the choice.

Buttigieg has been criticized for citing the Bible in an attempt to defend his support for late-term abortion by saying there are parts of Scripture that talk about how life begins with the breath.

Elected mayor in 2011, Buttigieg was in office during the time abortionist Ulrich George Klopfer operated the Women's Pavilion abortion clinic in South Bend where he injured several women during abortion procedures.

In a previous comment to CP, Rose, founder of the pro-life group Live Action, accused Buttigieg of having protected Klopfer who performed thousands of abortions at that clinic.
New York, Feb. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Wine Coolers Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05862344/?utm_source=GNW

Therefore, the impressive growth in modern refrigeration technology, which includes thermoelectric and compressor cooling techniques, is influencing several vendors to adopt advanced, robust wine cooling systems across the globe. The availability of convenient temperature controls and separate shelves for red and white wine is influencing the wine storage market. Hence, the rapid growth in refrigeration technology has led to the adoption of wine coolers in the market.



As health-conscious consumers worldwide are oriented toward consuming low alcoholic drinks, which reduces cholesterol and strengthens the heart, the consumption is growing. Studies have revealed that wine helps to live longer, stay healthier, and even protect people against certain types of cancers. Hence, the proven benefits are helping to increase sales, which is favoring the growth of the wine cooler.



The following factors are likely to contribute to the growth of the wine coolers market during the forecast period:

 Increase in the Global Consumption of Wine

 Rise in Awareness of Health Benefits of Wine

 Need to Curtail Bacterial Growth

 Growth in Advanced Refrigeration Technologies

 High Preference for Wine among Millennials



The study considers the present scenario of the wine cooler market and its market dynamics for the period 2019?2025. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The study offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent companies operating in the market.



Wine cooler Market: Segmentation

This research report includes detailed market segmentation by installation, technology, structure, application, distribution, and geography. Factors such as price and affordability are expected to bolster the application of free-standing coolers. They are inexpensive and can store up to 150 bottles. These chillers are designed for quick installation and easy maintenance; hence they are witnessing a large-scale adoption in commercial and residential sectors. The built-in wine cooler segment generated over $400 million in 2019.

Compressor-based technology is likely to bolster the market during the forecast period. Compressor-based coolers have a high storage capacity; hence a large number of bottles can be stored at the specified temperature for a more extended period without relying on external temperatures. Vendors are likely to focus on regions such as India, the UAE, and China to increase the penetration of compressor-based products due to humid temperature conditions. Compressor-based technology is expected to be widely applied for dual zoned coolers in countertop and free-standing types owing to their impressive cooling systems.



Dual-zone cooler extensively caters to commercial spaces where the storage demand is high. They consist of two different sections with varying temperature options, thereby helping to store red and white wine at the same time. Single-zone cooling equipment is designed to hold a small number of bottles at a constant temperature. These coolers utilize thermoelectric cooling techniques and are witnessing adoption in the residential sector due to their energy efficiency. They are inexpensive and can hold up to 25 bottles. Single-zone cooling equipment is likely to witness increased sales in growing markets such as APAC, Latin America, and MEA.



The increased consumption of wine in restaurants, especially in Italy, Mexico, and the US is likely to emerge as a major driver of the growth of the commercial segment. Further, the increasing popularity of social drinking is expected to be a key influencer for the growth of commercial equipment. The growing disposable income, a high preference among millennials, and the need to prevent bacterial growth in drinks have led to the adoption of wine cooler in the residential sector. Wine has become an essential beverage in birthday parties and family reunions. Therefore, the increasing acceptance of the beverage in socializing events is a major contributor to the residential segment growth.



B2B channels are major distributors for wine cooler. The requirement of chillers is high in the business sector and is likely to be one of the major factors responsible for the growth of the market by 2025. Specialty stores cater to consumers in the residential sector. The consumers from APAC is likely to buy from these stores as they enable them to have a broad scope and knowledge regarding the working of a wine chiller. Moreover, new collection members are expected to acquire technological assistance from agents and supervisors in the store.



Market Segmentation by Installation

 Free-standing

 Countertop

 Built-in

Market Segmentation by Technology

 Compressor

 Thermoelectric

Market Segmentation by Structure

 Dual Zone

 Single Zone

Market Segmentation by Application

 Commercial

 Residential

Market Segmentation by Distribution

 B2B

 Specialty Stores

 Online

 Others



Insights by Geography



Europe is expected to increase its revenue contribution on account of a large number of wineries and vineyards in the region. The growing number of export and import facilities from Italy, France, Germany, and Spain is expected to fuel the consumption of wine, thereby influencing wine cooler sales. The millennials in the UK and Italy are likely to be prominent in wine consumption and are expected to surpass baby boomers during the forecast period. North America is estimated to be the fastest-growing region across the world due to the rapid drinking among US and Canadian households. The increasing consumption among females, especially in New York, Texas, Florida, and California, is also likely to influence market growth. The US market accounted for more than 75% of the total wine cooler market in North America. The US has a presence of more than 100 wineries in 13 states. Freestanding cooler emerged as the largest segment by installation with a revenue contribution of over $350 million in 2019. The demand for the freestanding chiller is likely to increase due to a low number of persons per household in the US and Canada. The APAC region is expected to increase its revenue share due to the presence of Australian vineyards, which are one of the largest wine exporters in the world. The high alcohol consumption in the aging population of China and Japan is likely to boost the market.



Market Segmentation by Geography

 Europe

o UK

o Italy

o France

o Spain

o Germany

 North America

o US

o Canada

 Latin America

o Brazil

o Mexico

 MEA

o South Africa

o UAE

 APAC

o China

o Australia

o Japan

o South Korea

o India



Insights by Vendors



The global wine cooler market is highly fragmented, with a large presence of vendors. The product is highly tech-oriented, and the difference lies in the application of advanced innovative technology at an affordable price. The cost factor significantly influences expensive chillers in developing countries such as India, where the middle-class population constitutes a major share of the total population. The penetration of the internet has increased product awareness and consciousness toward the cost-benefit ratio. Vendors enforce to think from the customer point of view, thereby trying to promote the value-oriented approach. Vendors gain an edge over their competitors by improving customer support, quality, and aftersales services. Europe and North America are the crucial markets for alcohol consumption. The competitors in these regions are expected to rely on wine cooler, which are energy-efficient, eco-friendly, and value-oriented. The acquisition of small and effective vendors can help large vendors to increase production and reachability. This strategy helps them to reduce competition and extend business opportunities with wide distribution channels.



Key Vendors

 Haier

 Electrolux

 Viking Range

 Vinotemp



Other Vendors

 Avanti

 LG

 Robert Bosch GmbH

 SIEMENS

 Allavino

 SAIXIN

 EuroCave

 Ferguson Group (Edgestar, Avallon, Koldfront)

 Marvel

 Danby

 Summit

 Ivation

 Homelabs

 Costway

 Della

 Carysil

 NewAir

 Westing House

 Whynter

 AKDY

 Wine Enthusiast

 Kalamera

 Midea

 Aobosi

 Frigidaire

 Insignia

 KitchenAid

 Phiestina

 Magic Chef

 Igloo

 U-Line

 Croma

 Miele



Key Market Insights

The analysis of the wine cooler market provides market sizing and growth opportunities for the forecast period 20202025.

 Provides comprehensive insights on the latest industry trends, market forecast, and growth drivers in the market.

 Includes a detailed analysis of market growth drivers, challenges, and investment opportunities.

 Delivers a complete overview of market segments and the regional outlook of the market.

 Offers an exhaustive summary of the vendor landscape, competitive analysis, and key market strategies to gain a competitive advantage in the market.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05862344/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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China appoints new Hong Kong chief known for persecuting Christians

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China has appointed a hardliner, who is known for removing hundreds of crosses from churches in the eastern province of Zhejiang, to take charge of its office overseeing matters in Hong Kong, which might raise concerns among pro-democracy protesters and residents in the semi-autonomous city.

Xia Baolong, the vice chairman of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference who was a close aide to Chinese Premier Xi Jinping from 2003 to 2007 when he was Communist Party secretary of Zhejiang Province, will serve as the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Chinas Human Resources Ministry has announced, according to Reuters.

The CPPCC effectively acts as an advisory upper house. Baolong replaces Zhang Xiaoming, who will now become a vice director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office.

When Xia later became the Communist Party chief of Zhejiang, he oversaw a campaign to destroy crosses from churches in the province. He was appointed provincial party head after Xi became the countrys supreme leader.

Xia personally led the campaign against religious freedom in Zhejiang in 2015, when more than 1,000 crosses were removed from church roofs and entire church buildings were destroyed across the province, according to South China Morning Post.

The Post quotes Wen Kejian, an independent political analyst from Hangzhou, as saying that many were unhappy with Xia in Zhejiang  including government officials  because of his heavy-handed dealing with dissent and Christian churches. A lot of people celebrated when he left Zhejiang three years ago.

A pastor in Zhejiang, who was not named due to security concerns, told the U.S.-based group International Christian Concern, This shift [from Zhang to Xia] is not a good situation. It is possible that Xia will oppress the churches in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, has been a scene of protests led by university students and others for over seven months, against the increasing Chinese interference and influence.

Xi now has his proteges in place over Hong Kong for the first time, Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a professor of political science at the Hong Kong Baptist University, was quoted as saying. While that may give Hong Kong face, it is certainly going to put Hong Kong under more political pressure.

Cabestan added, Xia is not a moderate and he has shown himself to be a zealous servant of Xi Jinping. We can expect that to continue.

Last month, Beijing appointed Luo Huining, a Communist Party cadre and who was also a close aide to Xi, to head Chinas Liaison Office in Hong Kong.

The reshuffling at this interesting moment may point to a deep distrust from Xi Jinping toward the former faction dealing with Hong Kong affairs, Time magazine quoted Sonny Lo, a Hong Kong-based academic and political commentator, as saying. Its clear that Xi Jinping wants to have a clear grasp of the situation in Hong Kong  thats the major point. Well probably see some adjustment in Chinese policy toward Hong Kong.

When Xia was elected as vice chairman and secretary-general of the CPPCC in 2018, professor Ying Fuk-tsang, director of the divinity school of Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told UCANews, Though Xia's post now will not have a direct influence on religious policy, the CPPCC as a united front institution is governed by someone who is hostile to Christianity. It is unavoidable to regard this as a setback.
Facebook has canceled its global marketing summit in San Francisco over coronavirus-related risks, saying many of the expected participants travel frequently to China.

The event, which was scheduled for March 9 to March 12 at the Moscone Center, was expected to host more than 5,000 participants, and would have potentially pumped more than $11 million into the local economy.

The virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has killed over 1,500 people so far and infected more than 67,000 people on the Chinese mainland.

In the U.S, 15 people have been confirmed to have the coronavirus, and an American citizen living in China is the first to die of the illness.

'Our priority is the health and safety of our teams, so out of an abundance of caution, we canceled our Global Marketing Summit due to the evolving public health risks related to coronavirus,' said Facebook media relations chief Anthony Harrison.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbeg, pictured in New York in January. The tech giant has canceled its annual global marketing summit over coronavirus related fears

San Francisco city official Aaron Peskin slammed Facebook's decision to cancel the summit, saying it was 'pandering to fear'

San Francisco city official Aaron Peskin has slammed the decision, and said the tech giant was 'pandering to fear'.

'It's too bad for them and too bad for all the people who would have gotten some work,' he told Fox, adding that the participants had booked into at least 10 hotels in the city.

Earlier this week, Mobile World Congress (MWC), the annual telecoms industry gathering in Barcelona, was canceled after a mass exodus by exhibitors on coronavirus fears.

Major U.S. tech companies including Facebook, Cisco Systems Inc and AT&T had pulled out of MWC.
3 1 of 3 Albany Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Albany Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3





ALBANY -- Two Brooklyn men pleaded guilty Friday to their roles in the afternoon stick-up of a barbershop on New Scotland Avenue last summer.

Omari Williams, 25, and Tyreek James, 22, both admitted to second-degree robbery during appearances before state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin, according to Albany County prosecutors.
People returning to the Chinese capital Beijing from extended holidays have been ordered to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine to help prevent spread of the new coronavirus, as hard-hit Hubei province reported more than 2,400 new cases.

The official Beijing Daily newspaper said people failing to obey would be punished but it was not immediately clear how that would be enforced, or whether the restrictions would apply to non-residents of Beijing or foreigners arriving from abroad.

"From now on, all those who have returned to Beijing should stay at home or submit to group observation for 14 days after arriving," read the notice from Beijing's virus prevention working group cited by the Beijing Daily.

"Those who refuse to accept home or centralised observation and other prevention and control measures will be held accountable under law," it said.

A worker checks a customer's temperature on entering a store in Beijing. Source: Getty Images

Stricter containment measures were planned elsewhere as well. Honghu city in Hubei province imposed a "wartime" lock-down beginning on Friday, with strict management of entry into housing compounds and villages, according to an official social media account of the local police, China's CCTV reported.

Hubei officials said there were 2,420 new cases on Friday and 139 more deaths.

A top Chinese official, in an interview with Reuters, acknowledged that coronavirus was a huge challenge, but defended Beijing's management of the epidemic and lashed out at the "overreaction" of some countries.

State Councillor Wang Yi, who also serves as China's foreign minister, said China has taken decisive measures to fight the epidemic, many going beyond international health regulations and World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations.

"Through our efforts the epidemic is overall under control," he said.

A Chinese woman wears a protective mask as she rides a scooter in Beijing, China.

Latest figures show coronavirus cases not yet peaked

China is struggling to get the world's second largest economy going after the annual Lunar New Year holiday.

Including the latest numbers from Hubei at the epicentre of the outbreak, the total number of cases in mainland China now exceeds 66,000, with more than 1,500 deaths.

Story continues

The figures show no sign that the outbreak is nearing a peak, said Adam Kamradt-Scott, an infectious diseases expert at the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney.

With 500 million people already affected by movement and travel restrictions, President Xi Jinping warned top officials last week that efforts to contain the virus had gone too far and were threatening the economy, sources told Reuters.

In Beijing and the business hub Shanghai, streets and subways remain largely deserted with many shops and restaurants empty or shut to the public.

People go through immigration at Beijing's airport. Source: Getty Images

Government employee Jin Yang, 28, made it to his Beijing office and found it "anything but normal."

Canteen lunches are banned in favour of boxed meals eaten at desks. Meetings are held online, not in person. Employees must wear masks all day and report their temperature twice a day as fever is one of the virus' main symptoms, he explained.

Outside mainland China, there have been nearly 450 cases in some 24 countries and territories, and three deaths. Japan confirmed its first coronavirus death on Thursday. One person has died in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines.

Economists polled by Reuters said China's economic downturn would be short-lived if the outbreak was contained, but expected this quarter would show China's slowest growth rate since the global financial crisis.

A worker sweeps a Beijing subway station. Source: Getty Images

The Chinese carmakers' association said auto sales in China were likely to slide more than 10 per cent in the first half of the year because of the epidemic.

Understandably, the virus is taking its toll on the $US46 billion ($A68 billion) global ocean cruise industry.

The biggest cluster of infections outside China has been on a cruise liner quarantined in a Japanese port, with 218 people on board infected and taken to hospital.

On Friday, some passengers were allowed to disembark to complete their quarantine on shore.

Perth man on cruise ship has coronavirus

A Perth man held in quarantine on board the Princess Diamond, which has been stuck at a port in Yokohama in Japan since February 4, reportedly has tested positive for the virus.

The mans daughter Marcelly told the ABC her father Val has been diagnosed but is feeling really good.

That's the strangeness of the situation, he's feeling great, my mum's feeling good," she told the ABC on Friday.

She added her mum, Iris, and dad both had symptoms of gastro which they thought may have been from the ships food. She said her father will be removed from the ship and taken to a hospital.

A passenger stands out on one of the Diamond Princess' many balconies. Source: Getty Images

Of the 3,600 on board 218 have been diagnosed with the virus.

Australia is sending a medical expert to Japan to assist authorities deal with growing concerns for passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama because of the coronavirus.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the infectious disease expert will join an international team to gather information about the passengers, including the 200 Australians on board.

"We will have someone on the ground as early as tomorrow morning," Professor Kelly told reporters in Canberra on Saturday.

"We will be looking at the health and welfare of that group and what might be best done with a view to getting them off the ship."

Australia will be sending a medical expert to Japan to help with those stuck on the ship. Source: Getty Images

There are reports that that the US intends to get its citizens off the ship and take them home.

"We wait for our expert to be on the ground to assess what is the best option for those Australians," Prof Kelly said.

The Australian government extended the two-week travel ban from mainland China to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 for another seven days this week.

Of the 15 coronavirus cases in Australia, six have been cleared and the remaining nine are all stable.

In China, the total number infected by the virus rose to more than 66,000 on Saturday, with the number of deaths passing 1500.

A total of 1700 Chinese health workers who have been infected, with six deaths.

with Reuters and AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
The Ministry of Energy has stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot claim credit for the accelerated growth in the oil sector.



The ministry has described as misleading assertions made by the NDC that it adopted policies to ensure the nation consistently increased its share in most petroleum agreements that were negotiated during their tenure.



Background



The NDC in a policy dialogue series last Wednesday, addressed by the Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kasawgu, Mr John Jinapor, accused the government of wasting resources and insisted that the NDC has a far superior record during its tenure compared to that of the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government.



Reaction



In a reaction to the NDCs claim, the Deputy Minister of Energy in charge of the petroleum sector, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, said the NDC did not have the moral right to compare its record to that of the Akufo-Addo government.



The NDC cannot claim credit for the growth in government take in these contracts. These petroleum agreements were all negotiated and signed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government under President John Agyekum Kufuor. All the petroleum agreements that are producing crude oil in the country were signed by the Kufuor's government. he explained.







Source: Graphic.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The last scheduled flight between SFO and mainland China landed Friday, with the same China Southern Airlines plane set to go back that evening. When it and the many other aircraft shuttling between San Francisco and China would resume operations was unclear.

Passengers from Guangzhou had to pass through customs and CDC screening before exiting into the airports international arrivals hall. Dozens of passengers from other arriving international flights  including from Taipei, London, San Salvador, and Manila  passed through the same exit, many wearing white or blue masks pulled over their noses and mouths. Some loved ones gathered at the exit, clutching bouquets of flowers and heart-shaped balloons. It was Valentines Day.

Henry Mai, of San Francisco, was among them, waiting with his arms crossed and a blue mask over his face. He peered through wire-rimmed glasses at the monitor hanging over the exit: Guangzhou, On Time.

He checked his cellphone every other minute, waiting for his spouse to pass the threshold of the security area.

When she departed from the airport in Guangzhou, everything went smoothly, so hopefully U.S. Customs wont give her too much of a hard time, he said scanning the exit.

His spouse had been in China for four weeks to visit her siblings, parents, and to celebrate Lunar New Year, he said.

Though she hadnt exhibited any symptoms of the new coronavirus, Mai said, she still plans on self-isolating at home for two weeks as a precaution, only leaving their San Francisco home to visit the doctor, if needed.

Its common sense. This is like another SARS, Mai said. Seventeen years ago, and I still remember that.

After more than two hours of waiting in the terminal, Mais wife slipped through a throng of masked passengers, and the pair shuffled down the terminal.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Upstairs, at Aisle 12 of the International Terminal, passengers snaked through a ticketing line to check their baggage for the last flight out to Guangzhou.

Crew members with China Southern Airlines declined to comment.

All other airlines had already canceled their flights to mainland China, and most carriers have cut or reduced their flights to Hong Kong. Even Cathay Pacific, Hong Kongs flagship airline, has slashed its February SFO to Hong Kong schedule from 21 flights per week to 14, according to airport spokesman Doug Yakel.

The U.S. has barred most foreign nationals who recently traveled in China from entering the country, and is requiring U.S. citizens returning from there to be quarantined if they visited Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The flight reductions have hurt the airport, which gets revenue from landing fees paid by each plane, and also airport shops, which are feeling the loss of Chinese visitors.

Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LaurenPorFavor
WASHINGTON  While Attorney General William P. Barr asserted his independence from the White House this week, he has also been quietly intervening in a series of politically charged cases, including against Michael T. Flynn, President Trumps former national security adviser, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Mr. Barr installed a phalanx of outside lawyers to re-examine national security cases with the possibility of overruling career prosecutors, a highly unusual move that could prompt more accusations of Justice Department politicization. The case against Mr. Flynn, who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. in the Russia investigation, is a cause celebre for Mr. Trump and his supporters, who say the retired general was ensnared in a deep state plot against the president.

The disclosures came as Mr. Trump made clear on Friday that he believes he has free rein over the Justice Department and its cases, rejecting Mr. Barrs public demand of a day earlier that the president stop commenting on such cases.

Citing Mr. Barrs assertion in an interview on Thursday that Mr. Trump had never asked him to act in a criminal case, the president declared on Twitter: This doesnt mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!
KCPD Hide & Seek Youngster Cold Weather Scare Postscript

Unusual Ending To Search For Missing Boy In Kansas City (AP) - Authorities in Kansas City searched in freezing weather for a missing 6-year-old boy for hours before discovering he had been in his home the entire time. Police initially said that the child was last seen on video captured by a doorbell camera leaving the home on foot just before 9 p.m.

New Improvement Plan

EDC creates urban renewal plan for 350 acres in southeast KCMO - Kansas City Business Journal The Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City has created a 350-acre area plan within the southeast portion of the city that will aid in redevelopment efforts. The area plan is bound by East 77th Street on the north, Prospect Avenue on the east, East 85th Street on the south, and Troost Avenue on the west.

Lesson In Traffic Safety

Driver strikes senior walking to Blue Springs High School BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - A vehicle struck a student walking to school Friday, Blue Springs police told FOX4 in a news release. The incident happened around 7:07 a.m. along Northwest Ashton Drive. Police said the female student, who is a senior, was not in the crosswalk when the vehicle struck her.

Hotties Share Love

Claudia Romani and Cloe Greco for Valentine's Day Bikini Photoshoot 2020 Claudia Romani and Cloe Greco for Valentine's Day Bikini Photoshoot 2020, Claudia Romani, Cloe Greco, Bikini, Photoshoot, Valentine's Day,

V-Day Discriminates

Who Should Pay For Dates? How Chivalry Contributes To The Gender Pay Gap Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and it's estimated that 42% of singles will be dining out to celebrate. For straight couples heading out for a romantic evening, it's still the men that typically foot the bill. Although, that might sound like a good deal for their female companions, it's not.

Lovelorn Probs

Valentine's Day: a classic example of benevolent sexism Valentine's Day. A day of romance; a chance for men to shower their women with love and treat them like princesses. Sounds nice, doesn't it? But 14th February is a classic example of what people who study such things call "benevolent sexism."

Fight For Life Across Globe

More Than 1,700 Health Workers In China Have Been Infected With New Coronavirus More than 1,700 health workers in China have been infected with the new coronavirus, according to Chinese officials. Zeng Yixin, vice minister of the country's National Health Commission, announced Friday that at least 1,716 health workers had confirmed cases - and that six have died from the disease now known as COVID-19.

Free G-Man

DOJ drops case against former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe The Justice Department has decided to abandon its efforts to seek criminal charges against former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, according to his attorneys. McCabe's lawyers were told last September that McCabe should expect to be indicted on charges stemming from inaccurate statements he made to FBI investigators about his actions around the time of the 2016 election.

Prez Trump Tweets Forever

Trump ignores AG Barr's request to stop tweeting about DOJ WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump on Friday ignored his attorney general's public request to stop tweeting about the Justice Department, saying he had the legal right to ask the agency to intervene in a criminal case but so far has "chosen not to."

Make OR Break Bubba 2020

2020 KC Royals season player preview: Bubba Starling Welcome back to the Kings of Kauffman 2020 KC Royals Preseason Player Previews. Our writers are breaking down 30 players; we'll analyze how each fared last season, discuss projections for 2020 and offer commentary about both. Up for today is outfielder Bubba Starling.

Heartland Rising Tide

NWS: Missouri, Kansas at above-average flood risk for spring 2020 CRAIG, Mo. - As snow piles up on the sides of the road from this week's winter storm, concern for spring flooding is growing. The National Weather Service says Kansas and Missouri face above-average flood risk this spring because soil is still saturated from last spring's flooding .

KC Heartbreak Forecast

Dangerous cold sticks around Friday before big weekend warm-up Hide Transcript Show Transcript GET OUT OF THE COLD. CODY: IT WILL BE A LITTLE COLDER DOWN BY THE ICE BUT YOU WILL BE FINE. NICK: TEMPERATURE REALLY CLOSE TO ZERO. WE MAY SEE KCI TAKE MEASUREMENTS. FLUCTUATE, GO QUICKLY TO NEGATIVE ONE AND GO BACK UP.

For our fellow clock watchers we compile a quick list of news from the world pop culture, community news and information across the nation and around the world. Camila Cabello - My Oh My ft. DaBaby is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . .
Guwahati: In what has invited angry reactions from various quarters, Assam government has taken a policy decision not to spend public money on religious education by shutting down nearly 614 government aided madrassas and 101 Sanskrit tols (institutes) and converting them in to high and higher secondary schools.

Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, Teaching Arabic and religious texts is not the government's job. In a secular country, religious teachings cannot be funded by the government.

Informing that government was spending Rs 3-4 cr annually on madrassas and about Rs 1 cr on Sanskrit tols, Sarma argued, If religious texts are allowed to be taught in state-run madrassas, the Gita, or for that matter the Bible, should also be taught with government funding.

Even after closure of government aided madrassas, the government has decided to pay salaries to the teachers of these institutions till their retirement.

Teachers employed in these madrassas can stay home without having to worry about finding employment elsewhere as government will continue to pay their salaries till their retirement from the service, said the minister while clarifying that madrassas are not targeted on any religious ground.

Assam has nearly 900 private madrassas which is funded by the Jamiat Ulama, said the minister hoping that Sanskrit tols may also continue to function a usual.

Jamiat Ulamas legal cell convenor Masud Akhtar Zaman however said that the closure of state-aided madrassas would not affect the private madrassa education system in any way. Our madrassas do not depend on the government for a single rupee. Almost all our students are from BPL families, and we take care of their boarding, food and clothing.

Two years ago, the government had disbanded the madrassa education and Sanskrit boards to bring all madrassas under Secondary Board of Education, Assam, and the Sanskrit tols under the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University in Nalbari.
Caritas Philippines said it will make proactive background checks of all its directors at the national and diocesan levels regarding sex abuse.

By Robin Gomes

Caritas Philippines has joined efforts to curtail the sexual abuse of minors by priests in the country. Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Executive Secretary of Caritas Philippines, said that part of the measure is to conduct background checks of all Caritas directors.

He said they would make proactive background checks of all directors at the national and diocesan levels.

The priest made the statement during the launching of the Alay Kapwa Lenten campaign for Luzon at the Cathedral Shrine and Parish of the Good Shepherd in Quezon City on Feb. 3.

Caritas Philippines, also known as the National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (Nassa), is the social action arm of the Catholic Church in the country. It is a member of Caritas Internationalis, the global confederation of 165 national Catholic relief and development agencies.

Fr. Gariguez clarified that the goal is to determine whether a priest has been involved in any abuse case, particularly of children. Addressing the diocesan social action directors present, he explained that Caritas is showing that it does not tolerate such abuses.

Thus, if the need for each diocese to have a training on this matter and the mechanism on how this will be done, we will create and provide it for the protection ministry, he said.

In July 2019, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) agreed to create a new office that will look into the cases of clerical abuse and augment the efforts in the diocesan level.



In May last year, Pope Francis issued his Moto Proprio, Vos estis lux mundi (You are the light of the world), establishing that all dioceses must have a public, accessible and reliable system for reporting cases of clergy sex abuses. It includes the obligation for clerics and religious to report abuse, while every diocese must provide itself with a system that is easily accessible to the public, to receive such reports.
Tech Mahindra announced a collaboration with Virsec, a US based cybersecurity company delivering a radically new approach to protect against advanced targeted attacks. The organizations are working to provide first-of-its-kind cybersecurity solutions to protect applications from the inside at the memory level in real-time. Virsec and Tech Mahindra will be showcasing these joint solutions at the RSA Security Conference 2020, February 24-27, in San Francisco.

Rajiv Singh, Global Head of Cybersecurity, Tech Mahindra, said, Cybersecurity is a top concern for our customers and the entire industry today. Tech Mahindras collaboration with Virsec is a step towards defending against zero-day attacks launched by adversaries using fileless and memory-based techniques. We are already in the process of deploying this first-of-its-kind joint offering to a global major customer in North America to address cybersecurity concerns. As part of our TechMNxt charter, Tech Mahindra continues to deliver innovative and cutting-edge technologies in cyber security and risk management to customers globally.

The Virsec Security Platform stops fileless and in-memory advanced application threats that escape detection by conventional security tools. It also protects applications from the inside, against known and unknown zero-day threats. Virsec patented technology maps acceptable application execution, and instantly detects code execution deviations triggered by cyberattacks. This deterministic process detects and blocks application attacks within milliseconds, with precise forensics at every step.

Saurabh Sharma, Vice President of Business Development, Virsec, said, In todays hostile security environment, were seeing an exponential rise in attacks that target application memory during runtime, and Virsec directly addresses these risks. We are already working with Tech Mahindras customers in the US representing telecom, semiconductor, and energy verticals and have plans to expand our joint solutions to other verticals and regions.

Tech Mahindra provides enterprise cybersecurity and risk management services to customers across the globe, including Fortune 20 companies. Virsecs patented technology has been validated with a range of Tech Mahindras solutions providing unprecedented protection against advanced targeted attacks.

This collaboration aligns with Tech Mahindras TechMNxt charter, focused on leveraging next-generation technologies like Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, 5G, and Internet of Things, to disrupt and enable digital transformation, and to build cutting-edge technology solutions and services for customers globally.
New Delhi: Union minister Giriraj Singh, who had labelled Shaheen Bagh as the training ground for suicide bombers and Deoband as aatankvaad ki Gangotri, was summoned by BJP president J.P. Nadda on Saturday apparently over his controversial remarks.

Often in news for his controversial remarks, the Union minister of animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries had earlier this week, in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, stoked a controversy when he said that Deoband, a town in the area, which also houses a famous Islamic seminary, is the Gangotri of terrorism from where terrorists like Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed came.

I had once said earlier that Deoband is the Gangotri of terrorists. All most-wanted terrorists of the world came from Deoband, including Hafiz Saeed. These people are not against CAA, they are against India. This is a kind of a Khilafat movement, Singh had said while attacking the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Deoband.

After facing flak for his statement, the Union minister said that he stands by his statement.

My statement is correct and if someone has a problem then ask Uttar Pradesh police to list how many people are involved in terror activities, he told reporters.

Deoband has seen fierce anti-CAA protests by Muslim women over the past months and has faced attack from BJP leaders.

Earlier this month, the Union minister had claimed that Shaheen Bagh, the anti-CAA protest site in the national capital, was a training ground for suicide bombers while referring to a video in which a some children made objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This Shaheen Bagh protest is no longer an agitation. A group of suicide bombers are being raised here and conspiracy against the country is being hatched in its capital, he had claimed.
Thick fog and human factors were to blame for a military helicopter crash in January that killed Taiwan's chief of general staff and seven senior officers, according to investigators who ruled out mechanical failure. "Weather, terrain and human factors were behind the crash," Air Force Major General Huang Chih-wei told reporters at a press conference Saturday. "The pilot had only six or seven seconds to pull up after thick fog rapidly descended," Huang added. In the preliminary investigation report, the co-pilot had warned about the helicopter's altitude twice before it crashed onto a mountain slope. The 62-year-old military chief General Shen Yi-Ming and his entourage were on a routine mission to visit soldiers in northeast Yilan county for the upcoming Lunar New Year when the incident happened. The UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter was carrying 13 people in total, with five surviving the crash. It disappeared from radar less than 15 minutes after taking off, and did not send a distress call. There have been a number of incidents involving Taiwan's 60 Black Hawk helicopters -- purchased from the United States -- in recent years. In 2018 a chopper belonging to a government rescue agency crashed during a medical mission off outlying Orchid Island, killing six people on board in an incident attributed to human error. There were also two crash landings in 2016 and 2018 with no casualties. "We will be looking into future adjustments in our pilot's simulator training after this accident," Huang said.
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.

Every February across the United States, teens and those who support them join together for a national effort to raise awareness to teen dating violence. Dating violence is more common than many people think.

YWCA CEO Dianne Stancato joined us for Newstalk to discuss alarming statistics and the warning signs for both parents and teens.

Click the video to find out more about behavior to watch out for.

Also, call the YWCA if you would like to be part of a program for teen boys to talk about healthy relationship guidelines.
An open discussion was held today at the Munich Security Conference between the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan.

Ilham Aliyev, who was given the right to open this event, first of all, thanked the Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Friedrich Ishinger, for organizing the meeting. He recalled that several years ago, the predecessor of Nikol Pashinyan canceled a similar open discussion in Davos. I am glad that finally, we are here to present our positions and answer questions that I think will be enough, he said.

Speaking about the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the President of Azerbaijan proposed to review the history of this issue. Nagorno-Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan. This is a historical truth based on international law. The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is recognized by the whole world, and Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of our country,  Ilham Aliyev emphasized.

From a historical point of view, in 1805, the Karabakh khan Ibrahim Khan signed an agreement with Russian Empire General Tsitsianov. Under this agreement, the Azerbaijani Karabakh Khanate as an independent country was passed under the rule of the Russian Empire. This agreement was called the Kurekchay Treaty (you may check its text on the Internet), and nothing was said there about the Armenian population of Karabakh. The other two documents were signed in 1813 and 1828 - the Gulistan and Turkmanchay treaties - under them the rest of Azerbaijan became part of the Russian Empire, as did Dagestan, Georgia and Armenia. This is the historical part of the issue,  the Azerbaijani leader said.

At a time when the Russian Empire collapsed, and the Georgian and Azerbaijan Democratic Republics were created, by one the first decrees of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918 it was decided that Iravan should be transferred to Armenia and declared the capital of Armenia. And this is a historical fact. And if you give something to someone, it means that it belonged to you. In 1921, the Caucasian Bureau of the Bolshevik Party decided to leave Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan - namely, to leave, and not convey, as some Armenian historians present it. This is also a historical fact, Ilham Aliyev drew attention, adding that the decree on the creation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region within Azerbaijan, issued in 1923 by the Azerbaijan SSR, is also a historical fact.

Then the President of Azerbaijan recalled the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In the late 1980s, Armenia began aggression against Azerbaijan. 300 thousand Azerbaijanis were deported from the territory of Armenia. Then, in the early 1990s, Armenia unleashed aggression against the Republic of Azerbaijan, and as a result of this aggression, almost 20% of our territory was occupied, one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons. Our people fell victim to ethnic cleansing. In 1992, the former Armenian authorities committed a war crime - genocide in Khojaly. As a result, 613 innocent citizens, including 106 women and 63 children, were brutally murdered, the president listed the facts.

At the end of the opening remarks, the Azerbaijani leader reiterated that the belonging of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan was recognized by the international community. The UN Security Council adopted four resolutions requiring the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories - these resolutions have not been implemented. Thus, any decision that will be made as a result of the peace negotiations should ensure the preservation of the internationally recognized territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev concluded.
But a change of heart led to her art being seen by millions.

Mum-of-three Fox at first declined a fashion collaboration with NZ designer Juliette Hogan, saying she was too busy.

Artist Hannah Fox in her Melbourne studio. Her designs have been worn by prominent women including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Credit:James Ross/AAP

That's the story of Melbourne artist Hannah Fox, whose works have proved a hit with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and even had an outing with royalty.

Ms Ardern was in New York meeting world leaders at a United Nations Summit in September 2018 when she made a surprise appearance on the high-rating Late Show with Stephen Colbert, wearing a dress adorned with an abstract print of deep greens, browns and marigold.

Among the show's 3.5 million viewers were Fox's mates.

"Within minutes all my friends and family were messaging me, tagging me on Instagram and asking me 'have you seen this? Is this your painting?'" Fox said from her Northcote studio in Melbourne's inner north.

"She (Ms Ardern) had just given birth to her daughter and there was a comment about how fantastic she looked and then on Instagram she made a remark like 'I had my Spanx on,' it was so beautifully honest, she was so charming on the show."

The print, Daydream, was one of two the artist created for a spring/summer 2018 collection for Hogan to echo the hues of the forest floor.
A group of people, including students of Jamia Millia Islamia, held a protest near the Tamil Nadu House here on Saturday over the alleged lathicharge by the Chennai police on anti-CAA demonstrators.

The small group of protesters, which also included a couple of young women, tried to march from the Bihar Bhawan towards the Tamil Nadu House, and raised anti-BJP and anti-RSS slogans in Tamil.

The protesters were detained midway as they tried to march towards the Tamil Nadu House in Chanakyapuri, police said.

Later, a few more people, including women, were also detained.

The call for the protest here was given by the Jamia Coordination Committee.

An anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest by Muslims turned violent in Chennai on Friday when the protesters clashed with police.

Four police personnel -- a woman joint commissioner, two women constables and a sub-inspector -- were injured in stone-pelting, the police said, even as reports emerged that some protesters were also hurt.

The protesters accused the police of resorting to lathicharge.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 15

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Precinct election commissions that have committed serious violations during the recent parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan will be dissolved, Chairman of Azerbaijans Central Election Commission (CEC) Mazahir Panahov said at the CEC meeting, Trend reports Feb. 15.

Panahov thanked those who posted information on these violations in social networks.

Those who made public the violations that occurred on the ground are our assistants, the CEC chairman added. I would like to thank them. Everyone who was involved in these violations will be punished. Intervention in the voting process at the polling stations is inadmissible. We arent entitled to stop voting even for a second. At the same time, some people are trying to abuse their powers.

Panahov again appealed to citizens with a request to present the materials that they have.

Parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan on Feb. 9.
A fraudster who pretended to be a prince and stole $16million from taxpayers is set to be released from jail after serving just half of his 14-year prison sentence.

Kiwi-born Joseph Hohepa Morehu-Barlow stole money from his employer Queensland Health over four years after getting a job there as a finance officer.

In 2013 he was sentenced to 14 years behind bars at Wolston Correctional Centre in Brisbane's south-west and became eligible for parole in December 2016.

Morehu-Barlow has since claimed to be a 'changed man', dubs himself the 'perfect prison inmate' and pushed for his freedom.

Kiwi-born Joseph Hohepa Morehu-Barlow (pictured) is set to be released from jail after serving just half of his 14-year prison sentence

After two failed attempts at being released from jail, The Sunday Mail reports he has now been granted parole and is due to be released.

The now-45-year-old is set to be released before the end of February and will be deported back to New Zealand within days.

Family members have reportedly been told to be prepared for his release as officials organise his travel back to New Zealand.

After two failed attempts at being released from jail he has now been granted parole and is due to be released

Morehu-Barlow applied for parole twice and was denied before putting a third application in, in November 2019.

In February last year letters were released between Morehu-Barlow and his mother, where he expressed his anger for his two rejected parole applications.

In letter written from his cell, Morehu-Barlow explained that he turned to crime because he wanted to 'become someone'.

He also claimed to have helped more than 50 inmates with their parole applications and they've all been successful, except for his.

'My one is political, I know that, that's why I expect not to go home,' he wrote.

'I am prepared for them to say no again. I am the perfect inmate, a role model inmate. If my crime wasn't against the government I would be home already.'

In the letters, he acknowledged the shame he brought to his family and asked for forgiveness from his mother.

He said the time in jail had taught him to appreciate family more than ever before as he is preparing a third application to the Parole Board.

'I know now the most precious gift/item/things in life is not money, wealth, flash house or cars  it's people, particularly family,' he said.

The fraudster's crimes began in 2004 when he walked into Queensland Health with a fake law degree and quickly climbed the ranks to become a finance officer.

In the following six years he stole money and covered it up by saying he was royalty, beginning by transferring small amounts meant for charities into his private bank account.

Kiwi-born Joseph Hohepa Morehu-Barlow (pictured) defrauded his employer Queensland Health in a four year span where he roped in almost $17million

In 2013 luxurious items seized from Morehu-Barlow's were auctioned in Brisbane, raising money for Queensland Health

When he found he wasn't getting caught he started transferring public funds into his own accounts.

In 2011, $11 million went missing from Queensland Health, which Morehu-Barlow used to buy a luxury apartment for $5.4 million, gaining attention from authorities.

Before his arrest in December 2011, Morehu-Barlow would tell friends and colleagues he was a Polynesian prince.

Before his arrest in December 2011, Morehu-Barlow would tell friends and colleagues he was a Polynesian prince

This allowed him to live an extravagant life where he would splash on exorbitant branded goods, gifts for friends and a multimillion-dollar luxury New Farm unit.

Morehu-Barlow was handed a 14-year jail sentence in 2013, with parole eligible in December 2016.

Since being eligible for parole, he has cost taxpayers almost $130,000 while remaining locked away in Wolston Jail, near Brisbane.

According to official Queensland Corrective Services prisoner prices, it would cost a minimum of $65,000 to house and feed him for a year.

The first request for parole in February 2017 was denied by the parole board while a second request in November 2017 was deferred before it was again denied.

The outcome of the request was unclear but it is understood the board previously decided he would be an 'unacceptable risk to the New Zealand community'.

Despite authorities claiming they have recovered about $11.88 million, Morehu-Barlow owes the state an increased amount of $11.6 million - due to more than $50,000 of interest accumulating each month.

This allowed him to life an extravagant life where he would splash on exorbitant branded goods, gifts for friends and a multimillion-dollar luxury New Farm unit (pictured: police investigating his riverfront apartment)

Morehu-Barlow's visa was automatically cancelled under the Migration Act.

The act, which was updated in 2014, aims to target foreign nationals convicted of crimes with a minimum one-year jail sentence.

When eventually released in New Zealand, Morehu-Barlow will face 'parole-like' conditions.

The State Government can continue to pursue him for the money by applying to register his debt.

In 2013 luxurious items seized from Morehu-Barlow's were auctioned in Brisbane, raising money for Queensland Health.

The auction included dozens of items from his one of his favourite designers, Louis Vuitton, as well as art, designer alcohol and appliances.
Happy 98.9FM put smiles on the faces of 14 couples at the 14th edition of it's Valentine's Day Mass Wedding in Accra.



The activity brought about much excitement, and was the highlight of valentine's day celebration in Ghana Accra.



The Happy 98.9FM's Valentine's Day Mass Wedding is a community investment program organized by Happy FM annually is an all expense paid wedding ceremony which seeks to help couples to bless their marriage.



In doing this, Happy FM takes responsibility of organizing the event, as well as provide all the necessary resources needed for the event.



Tensions drawn on the faces of the grooms whilst they waited for their brides was to be expected.



However, Minister Nana Agyeman's performance broke the ice after the grooms were seated. With audience adjusting their dancing shoes to rock the auditorium. Grooms could also not remain seated. Feeling quite comfortable they joined in the dancing.



The wedding procession was something to die for. Other females in the auditorium were drooling and wished to get married there and then. The ceremony truly whet their appetites.



CEO of Global Media Alliance, Ernest Boateng was fascinated by the level of excitement potrayed by family and friends of the couples that he expressed: "Love and marriage are like chariots and horses. One cannot be drawn without the other.I could really tell that the wind of love was blown from all sides as friends,family and the couples display their love".



Gifty Adorye was present to perform some of her ground breaking and uplifting songs. She moved not only brides but the entire auditorium unto their feet.



Emmanuel Ayeh a collegue and friend of couple, Michael Ekufful & Mavis Larbi commenting on the sidelines revealed, " I am quite impressed by the event. I was really wowed. The Happy FM Valentine's Day Mass Wedding has truly lived to my expectations. I am definitely hopping on the train next year".



Programs Manager for Happy FM, Emmanuel Akrumah was enthused by the turn out at the event. He said:



"The number of people at the event confirms one thing; Happy FM's commitment to the community is felt and appreciated by many. It is an honour to have all these people support our initiative. We will continue bringing the best to our community".



He further expressed his gratitude to all those who supported the event with their presence.



"This year's Valentine's Day falls on a working day and as such we were not expecting many people, but the numbers were overwhelming.I wish to express my gratitude to everyone who made time to join us today", he added.



Sponsors of this years event include; Erata Hotel, Nkulenu Foods, A E House of Suit, Cleaver House, Lizzy Tomato Mix, Best Western Plus Hotel, National Theatre, Aliqua Fashion, 2nd Image, Anointed Lady, Perception Management International, Artist Pizza.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Linkedin Belseran Christ (The Jakarta Post) Ambon  Sat, February 15, 2020 17:37 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064bfa68 1 National Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,Maluku,coronavirus,COVID-19,outbreak,nCoV-19,Malaysia Free

The family of the 19-year-old student with suspected coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been prevented from visiting the patient at Magretty Saumlaki Regional General Hospital in Tanimbar Islands regency, Maluku, which has placed the student in isolation.

The student from Sifnana village, identified only as BN, was placed in the recommended 14-day isolation from Wednesday, when DN was admitted complaining of a fever and difficulty breathing after returning from Malaysia on Feb. 7.

The symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, dry cough and shortness of breath.

Read also: University student becomes first suspected case of coronavirus in Maluku

Starting today, we have put the patient in full quarantine. Therefore, contact with relatives is prohibited, Tanimbar Islands Health Agency head Edwin Tomasoa told The Jakarta Post on Saturday, adding that he had suggested that the family check the BN's condition by phone or WhatsApp.

Edwin said the hospital was following the Health Ministry's standard operating procedure in managing suspected COVID-19 cases, and that the medical workers assigned to the patient had been equipped with special masks.

Meanwhile, other hospital staff are still using the regular surgical masks provided by the Maluku Health Agency. More special masks for hospital staff might arrive soon, he added.

BN, who is studying international relations, arrived in Ambon on Feb. 7 in poor health following a visit to Malaysia, which had at least 19 confirmed coronavirus cases at the time of publishing.

Read also: Health Ministry maintains it follows WHO procedures to test for coronavirus

Magretty Saumlaki hospital director Fulfully Nuniary said earlier on Thursday that a physical examination showed that the patient was in stable condition and had not exhibited any additional symptoms.

Indonesia has no confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date. (dpk)
Baptist Easley Hospital Infection prevention is a top priority for Baptist Easley, and with PCPLUS, were easily able to meet our stringent infection prevention and environmental services standards, as well as patient satisfaction needs.

UMF Corporation, a manufacturer of high performance, color-coded cleaning products, partnered with Baptist Easley Hospital, a member of Prisma Health, providing a comprehensive PCPLUS program in support of ensuring safe patient environments. With PCPLUS, the world-class hospital was able to cut its monthly laundry management costs in half, support infection prevention, decrease environmental impact, and free up capital.

PCPLUS is a comprehensive, all-inclusive program that includes customized commercial washers and dryers that are technology-enabled for efficient water and chemical use; high-performance, color-coded flat mops and wipers; hardware; and all other products required to process patient environments. Onsite hygiene specialist and operating room (OR) processing training are included in the program. PCPLUS also consists of ongoing equipment maintenance, a comprehensive warranty, parts and service, and annual loss-replacement of PerfectCLEAN products based on customer requirements.

Through PCPLUS, we immediately realized monthly savings, commented Baptist Easley Environmental Services Supervisor Harriet Lugo-Weaver. Infection prevention is a top priority for Baptist Easley, and with PCPLUS, were easily able to meet our stringent infection prevention and environmental services standards, as well as patient satisfaction needs. In addition, with PCPLUS, we are reducing capital costs and ensuring maximum environmental sustainability via reduced water and energy usage.

As part of the program, Baptist Easley uses a 45-pound steam washer  which easily attains a constant wash and rinse temperature at the CDC-recommended 160+ degrees Fahrenheit  and a 65-pound dryer, also steam heated to ensure a temperature range sufficient to provide thermal disinfection. Baptist Easley also benefits from color-coded PerfectCLEAN products and environmental services training to support optimal infection prevention throughout the hospital.

PCPLUS is the only program that combines the financial flexibility of outsourcing with the superior quality and control of on-site processing, said George Clarke, CEO of UMF Corporation.

With PCPLUS, customers conserve capital resources while ensuring product availability and optimal infection prevention. PCPLUS innovations include:



Comprehensive 3-par inventory  all PerfectCLEAN products required for all patient environments.

Color-coding  a one-per-room color-coded methodology supporting infection prevention to eliminate cross-contamination in patient rooms, ORs, guest rooms and classrooms.

Automatic water savings (AWS)  as much as 40% on small loads. AWS calculates the weight of each load and adds precisely the right amount of water, thus reducing water and energy costs.

Smart dosing  smart dosing works with AWS to adjust the ratio of laundry chemicals to water, resulting in lower costs and a superior wash.

Eco-Power dryer  saves up to 15% on each cycle with reverse dryer cylinders to optimize savings. Determines when garments are dry and automatically reduces dryer temp, thus lowering gas consumption.

Hygiene Specialist Training  comprehensive training on best practices for environmental services department.

OR processing  on-site training includes checklists and best practices for processing the OR.

Weve been using the PCPLUS program for more than three years, and weve been very satisfied with the program, added Lugo-Weaver. From the start, UMF Corporation has served as a true partner to Baptist Easley. Initially, their team worked closely with our facilities department to ensure seamless implementation of PCPLUS hardware, determining an optimal hospital location for the hardware, and working with an outside contractor to run water, steam, drain, intake and exhaust ducting, and electricity to the room. Since then, theyve provided us with regular training and support whenever issues arise.

For more information on PCPLUS by UMF Corporation, please visit https://www.perfectclean.com/plus.

About UMF Corporation

UMF Corporation is the leader in the research and development of high-performance textiles for the infection prevention and commercial cleaning markets. Through extensive testing, exhaustive analysis and the commitment of significant human and financial resources, new antimicrobial technologies have been merged with innovative product designs that are redefining the future of clean. http://www.perfectclean.com

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Michelle Meek

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The United States will evacuate Americans from the cruise ship that has been quarantined for more than a week in Japan due to coronavirus infections on board, the United States Embassy in Tokyo told Americans aboard the ship on Saturday. A chartered flight will arrive on Sunday for those who want to return to the United States, according to an email from the embassy to American passengers and crew members. Hundreds of Americans are on the ship. We recognise this has been a stressful experience and we remain dedicated to providing all the support we can and seeing you safely ...
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 20:04:29|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry decried what it called "compliance" of foreign companies with the U.S. sanctions, state TV reported on Saturday.

The foreign companies leaving the country over the U.S. sanctions will not be able to return to the country's market easily, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.

"Certain foreign companies which have left Iran in recent years and months, submitting to the banditry of the United States, should know that returning to the Iranian market will be much more difficult than entering it," Mousavi was quoted as saying.

"Iranians will not forget friends who stand at their side at times of hardship," he said.

The remarks by the Iranian spokesman follows the reports that Samsung and LG Electronics pulled down their last advertisement banners in Iran on Friday.

The two companies cut their trade relations with Tehran in the past months over U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran after Washington withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, according to the report.
Hayleys Group records 41% profit growth in Q 3 View(s):

The Hayleys Group, Sri Lankas most diversified conglomerate, says it has demonstrated strong resilience in the 3rd quarter of 2019/20 to achieve a 41 per cent growth in profit-after-tax.

The robust performance during the quarter enabled the group to offset the subdued performance of the previous quarters, with the groups profit-after-tax increasing by 18 per cent on a cumulative basis during the nine months ending December 2019. Profitability was upheld by broad-based improvements in the operating performance of the groups export-oriented businesses, according to a company announcement.

Turnover declined marginally to Rs.160.6 billion in nine months, mainly reflecting reductions in the Leisure, Transportation and Consumer and Retail segments while other sectors including Purification, Textiles, Hand Protection and Industry Inputs recorded top line growth. Improvements in the core performance of key sectors, particularly across export-oriented business lines is reflected in the 9 per cent increase in Consolidated Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to Rs.16.3 billion during the period. Meanwhile, consolidated operating profit also recorded an increase of 9 per cent to Rs.12.3 billion, driven by Purification (+81 per cent), Textiles (+83 per cent), Hand Protection (+ per cent) and Industry Inputs (4-fold increase) among others. The Leisure, Retail, Construction Materials sectors continue to be adversely impacted by challenges stemming from the operating environment while the growth in group operating expenses was contained at 4 per cent reflecting ongoing investments in lean initiatives and process efficiencies, it said.

The recently announced tax concessions are likely to result in improved consumer and investor sentiments presenting upside potential for the group. Additionally, we are confident that the continued growth of our export businesses, coupled with the reduction in lending rates will support the groups earnings growth in the coming months, said Mohan Pandithage, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hayleys PLC.
She is one of the most glamorous and well-known supermodels in the world.

And on Friday, Elle Macpherson gave fans a glimpse of her earlier years - as a young mother in her 30s.

The 55-year-old model shared a series of throwback snaps of herself with her oldest son Arpad Flynn Alexander Busson - known as Flynn - as a newborn to celebrate his 22nd birthday.

She doesn't look a day older! Elle Macpherson shared sweet throwback photos of herself as a young mum as she celebrated her son Flynn's (pictured as a newborn) 22nd birthday on Friday

In one photo, Elle is pictured holding her son while wearing a white shirt and smiling for the camera.

In another, the model has her hand wrapped around teenage Flynn while posing in a restaurant.

Elle also posted a picture sitting with her son in a car and another of the pair wearing matching sunglasses.

'The best valentines gift... Flynn 22 today', she captioned the post.

A mother's love: In one photo, Elle has her hand wrapped around teenage Flynn while posing in a restaurant

Strike a pose: Elle also posted a picture of herself sitting with her son in a car and both wearing sunglasses

Elle shares her two sons, Flynn and 17-year-old Aurelius Cy Andrea Busson - known as Cy - with her ex-fiance, French financier Arpad Busson.

Elle's post comes after she spoke about building her successful health and wellness empire.

In an interview with The CEO magazine this month, she explained that her success is all down to 'taking risks' in both life and business.

Candid: Elle, who shares her two sons Flynn and Aurelius Cy Andrea Busson with her fiance Arpad Busson, wrote: 'The best valentines gift... Flynn 22 today'

The WelleCo founder said she first took a risk when she moved to the U.S. at the age of 17 to try her hand at modelling.

She then 'built a career and brand from modelling' before starting a business.

'I believe in taking risks, and when you take those first steps, you can never truly know the amazing things that can happen once you trust and are committed', Elle said.

'Seeing business as a journey has been a big lesson for me, with all its twists and turns, delights and disappointments, successes and compromises,' she said.
SANTA CRUZ (BCN)

Graduate student employees from the University of California, Santa Cruz have reached their fifth day of striking to try and force the university to pay higher wages immediately.

Student workers at the picket lines this week have banded together to withhold last semesters' grades from the university until administrators provide a cost of living adjustment for the graduate students, who say they cannot afford rent and other college expenses because of low wages.

Local law enforcement has arrested a number of students, according to the students' Twitter page -- which has been updated with scenes from the strike throughout the week.

The strike has garnered national media attention as hundreds of students, faculty and supporters picket and fundraise to support the graduate workers.

A GoFundMe campaign has raise over $46,000 toward a $50,000 goal for the striking workers.

More information on the strike can be found at the movement's Twitter page, https://twitter.com/payusmoreucsc.

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KINGSTON, Ga. - A 5-year-old boy who saved his family from a house fire received special recognition Friday from officials in northwest Georgia.

Noah Woods woke up Sunday to flames in the room he and his 2-year-old sister, Lilly, shared. Officials said he pulled himself and his sister to safety through a bedroom window. He then ran next door, according to an online funding campaign, and grabbed his uncle, who helped the rest of the family of eight escape.

On Friday, Noah was presented with a proclamation from Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor honouring him with his very own day, WXIA-TV reported.

I proclaim today, Valentines Day, February, 14, 2020, as Noah Woods Day in Bartow County, Taylor said at the ceremony.

The Bartow County Fire Department also presented Noah with his own badge, certificate, helmet and firefighter pyjamas. He also got a chance to ride in the firetruck.

Im thankful that his act of bravery ... models a lot of the home exit drills and safety that we teach in school, said Bartow County Fire Chief Dwayne Jamison. Because of his quick actions ... a total of eight family members were able to get out of the house with only minor injuries and smoke inhalation.

Noahs brave actions saved the life of the family, outgoing fire chief Craig Millsap said.

Fire officials said the familys house in Kingston did not have working smoke detectors. The family said the home is a total loss, and theyre now turning to their community to help get them back on their feet.

Its difficult for us to ask for help from our community, however we know this feat is too great for us to achieve alone, the family said.

Fire officials said they suspect the fire was sparked by an electrical malfunction that started in the childrens bedroom, WXIA-TV reported.
Protests in solidarity with the hereditary chiefs of Wetsuweten that have erupted across Canada in the past week came to Vaughan on Saturday as supporters blocked all trains coming in or out of Macmillan Yard.

Cargo trains going west were blocked starting at 10 a.m., and by 1 p.m., all north and north-west trains were blocked at the facility near Highway 7 and Keele Street. Following hours of chants on a bitterly cold day, the protesters left around 5 p.m. after being served with an injunction ordering them off the CN Rail line.

To Canadians who feel inconvenienced by our actions, they should think about the stolen Indigenous lands they currently stand on, the genocide the same government has committed on my grandparents, on the older generations. Were here to protect everyones right to a healthy environment and that means solidarity with Indigenous land defenders, said Toronto Wetsuweten Solidarity spokesperson Vanessa Gray, a member of Aamjiwnaang First Nation near Sarnia.

Gray said the decision to leave was a matter of safety for the protesters as the sun began to set.

Their injunctions show us were being effective and we will keep going, Gray said.

She said plans for further protests are already underway but would not reveal when or how that will unfold.

I would just say expect more action in the near future, Gray said.

Meanwhile, near Belleville on Tyendinaga Mohawk territory, Federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller met with representatives of the Mohawk Nation at a rail blockade, which was in its 10th day and has shut rail services across Eastern Canada.

After hours of talks, Miller said there was modest progress.

Tonight, we made some modest progress by opening up a dialogue with the people standing out there in the cold and doing so for eight or nine days, he said. We talked openly, frankly, painfully at times, and sometimes with humour. Theres a lot more work to be done.

Train service was also impacted by a protest in east Vancouver on Saturday.

The GTA protest began early Saturday at Bloor Street and Spadina Avenue with many demonstrators travelling by subway to the Pioneer Village station and walking with banners across a parking lot.

They carried signs saying, Uphold Indigenous sovereignty, Hands off Wetsuweten, Capitalism is organized crime, and No RCMP on Wetsuweten lands. More than 200 people gathered in the parking lot south of the rail line chanting, When justice fails? Block the rails!

With about a dozen York Region, Toronto and CN Rail police vehicles parked nearby, the protestors climbed between rail cars to the blockade on the other side of the trains.

Protesters lit fires to keep warm, piled wood on the tracks at the second protest site near Keele Street, singing and drumming by the small fires.

Protesters put their personal safety at risk by climbing on and between railcars, CN Rail president and CEO JJ Ruest said in a statement. The protesters trespassed on active railway tracks and on active trains to hang their banners and take photos of themselves. Trespassing on railway property and tampering with railway equipment is not only illegal, but also exceedingly dangerous.

Although the GO tracks were not directly affected, GO service was also suspended on the Barrie line as a safety measure, said a Metrolinx spokesperson.

Theres a large group of people near our tracks on the Barrie corridor north of York University station. To ensure everyone remains safe near the tracks, we have had to unexpectedly cancel and/or modify service on the Barrie line until further notice, a statement said.

Via Rail and CN have suspended their services indefinitely amid the Wetsuweten blockades as students at universities across the country struggled to get home for reading week.

An injunction in B.C. was enforced earlier this month by the RCMP to give Coastal GasLink access to a work site for the pipeline, which is part of a $40-billion LNG Canada export project in Kitimat, B.C.

Coastal GasLink has signed agreements with all 20 elected band councils along the pipeline route. However, Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs assert title to a vast 22,000-square-kilometre area and say band councils only have authority over reserve lands.

On Saturday, opponents of the pipeline said they have returned to camps along a road leading to a work site outside Houston, B.C.

Jen Wickham, a member of the First Nations Gidimten clan, says they went back to the camps where 28 people were arrested.

She says those at the camps are not blocking workers from Coastal GasLink from using the road or accessing the work site, and workers have been freely moving through.

Coastal GasLink and the RCMP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the blockades and subsequent rail shutdown is becoming a very serious threat to the Canadian economy.

Fascinating to see champions of wokeness suddenly embrace hereditary patriarchy as a preferred governance model, he tweeted.

Canadas largest propane supplier predicted critical shortages of the fuel in central and eastern Canadian markets.

Greg McCamus, president of Superior Propane, says customers who rely on the fuel to heat and power their homes, businesses, farms, hospitals and more will see shortages in the coming days.

On Friday, Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Conservative Leader Andrew Scheers suggestion of ordering police to end rail line blockades across the country was unhelpful.

Scheer wants the prime minister to order the public safety minister to tell RCMP detachments to end blockades by supporters of Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs.

Trudeau says he has no plans to order the RCMP to end the blockades.

We are not the kind of country where politicians get to tell the police what to do in operational matters, said Trudeau from Munich, where he was attending a global security conference.

Trudeau said Canada has failed Indigenous Peoples for generations and there is no quick fix to problems that have sparked the latest disputes.

With files from The Canadian Press

Abhya Adlakha is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @AbhyaAdlakha

Jason Miller is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic

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Barzani said that Islamic State attacks now exceed 60 a month, according to the regional governments figures. Now they are more acting as insurgents and as, you know, covert operations and mainly just trying to blend in, he said. The coalition said earlier this month that the number of attacks claimed by the Islamic State in the final months of 2019 had roughly halved when compared to figures from the previous quarter. But it was unclear how many attacks the coalition had recorded in the opening months of 2020.
World publishers call on President Rajapksa to promote self-regulation View(s):

The World Association of Newspaper Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has welcomed President Gotabaya Rajapaksas assurances of media freedom.

In a letter to President Rajapaksa, WAN-IFRA CEO Vincent Peyregne said the association noted with interest, several meetings Mr. Rajapaksa had with newspaper and other media heads and his assurances to them that there are no threats to media and they have the freedom to write factually.

As the largest newspaper organisation in the world with an international membership of more than 3,000 media institutions, we welcome your statements of assurances of media freedom as enshrined and guaranteed by Article 14(1)(A) in the Constitution of Sri Lanka which as stated, gives every citizens the freedom of speech and expressions including publications, the letter stressed.

WAN-IFRA also pointed out that in the free world, democratic governments had permitted newspapers to be regulated on the principles of self-regulation rather than on statutory laws like the Press Council Act, which included a provision to jail publishers and editors.

We hope you will support the concept of self-regulation in Sri Lanka, Mr Peyregne further states.
Forty people, including nine soldiers, have been killed in a spate of attacks in central Mali, authorities said Friday, with most of the deaths caused by inter-ethnic violence in the deeply troubled region.

Thirty-one people were killed in an attack overnight in Ogossagou, a village mainly inhabited by Fulani people where 160 died last March in a massacre blamed on Dogon militiamen, the government said, raising the death toll.

About 30 gunmen carried out the new attack, village chief Aly Ousmane Barry told AFP.

"Huts and crops were set alight, livestock was burned or taken away," he added, vowing that the government would find the perpetrators.

A local government official, who requested anonymity, had earlier said that 28 people were missing.

He blamed the attack on a Dogon hunters' group -- an assertion that could be not be verified independently.

The official and village chief Aly Ousmane Barry both said the attackers moved in several hours after government troops had pulled out of the area.

Later Friday eight Mali soldiers were killed and four others injured in an ambush in the central Gao region, the army said.

The Malian force also suffered "material damage," the military said on social media sites, without indicating who had carried out the attack in the village of Bentia.

Also on Friday a soldier was killed in an attack on a military camp in Mondoro, also in central Mali, security officials said.

The camp had already been hit before -- as part of a joint raid by militants that also targeted the military camp of Boulkessy near the border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 25 soldiers.

Central Mali became gripped by ethnic violence after a jihadist revolt broke out in the north of the country in 2012.

The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives and spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

Tit-for-tat attacks in central Mali flared after Fulani people, also called Peul, became associated with jihadists.

Led by a firebrand Islamic preacher Amadou Koufa, a militia called the Katiba Macina recruited members from among the Fulani and has been accused of ethnically-motivated attacks.

Other ethnic groups such as the Bambara or the Dogon began to form self-defence groups that have been accused of reprisal massacres.

In addition to the latest attack at Ogossagou, 14 Fulani were killed in central Mali in January.

Around 75 Dogons were killed in the villages of Sobane Da, Gangafani and Yoro in June last year, in an attack blamed on Fulani militants.

Human Rights Watch this month pointed to the ethnic patchwork of central Mali as the country's "epicentre" of violence.

It said over 450 civilians had been killed in the region in 2019, "the deadliest year for civilians" since the jihadist insurgency began.

Reflecting the chronic instability, Malian soldiers are themselves frequently targeted.

On January 26, Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a military camp in Sokolo, central Mali, killing 20 gendarmes and wounding five more.

The violence in central Mali coincides with renewed hopes that the fragile government can reassert control over the largely lawless north.

Troops returned on Thursday to Kidal, a northern town that had been a bastion of Tuareg rebels, after a six-year absence.

Regular forces returned to the town accompanied by former rebels who have been integrated into the army under a regional peace agreement.

The deal, reached in Algiers in 2015, is considered one of the few avenues Mali has for escaping the cycle of violence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Photo: CTV News Protesters at a ministry building behind B.C.'s legislature on Friday

UPDATE 3:35 p.m.

Police say pipeline protests outside government offices in Victoria on Friday were peaceful with much of the noise generated by passing motorists honking their car horns in support.

Groups of protesters, ranging in numbers from about 20 to 100 people, stood outside numerous government office buildings, chanting slogans and waving placards supporting Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs opposed to the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline in their territories.

The scene was much different from Tuesday outside the British Columbia legislature when hundreds blocked entrances to the building, yelling "Shame" and "Shut Down Canada."

Premier John Horgan was critical of the protests at the legislature, which led to a police investigation of four alleged assaults, as he accused demonstrators of disrupting people going to work and drowning out the views of others.

Victoria police said Friday's protests ended in the early afternoon.

Gloria Filax said she came to Victoria from Gabriola Island to support the Wet'suwet'en chiefs.

"I just think there's a critical mass of things happening and issues coming together," she said outside the Ministry of Environment building. "It's about reconciliation and the disappointment in what our provincial and federal governments are not doing."

Filax said the protests are necessary to show governments and business leaders the Wet'suwet'en do not support the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which is part of a $40-billion LNG Canada liquefied natural gas export terminal project slated for Kitimat, B.C.

"I don't really care if the trains are blocked," she said. "I'm sorry it's inconveniencing people, but you know what, that seems to be the only way we can get attention from our government."

Indigenous youth supporter Michael McKenzie said the protests at government offices and across Canada are about backing the Wet'suwet'en chiefs.

"I think there's a lot of awareness getting out there," said McKenzie, who was outside Victoria's courthouse. "I think there's obviously a lot of different opinions but it's important in this time and place to stand in solidarity."

The Canadian Press

ORIGINAL 8:45 a.m.

Pipeline protesters have started another day of action in B.C.s capital.

CTV News reports Wet'suwet'en supporters were blocking several government buildings in Victoria before 8 a.m.

Fridays protests come after several days of planning, with a document shared on social media showing more than 350 people pledged to gather at various ministry offices in Victoria.

"We call on settlers to help take responsibility for the colonial institutions causing violence against Wet'suwet'en land and people by picketing B.C. government buildings," says a Facebook invitation to the demonstration.

An email was sent out to all B.C. government employees earlier this week advising of the protests, noting the province will be "prepared for any eventuality."

with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Tidjane Thiams resignation as chief executive of Credit Suisse (CS) marks a spectacular downfall for the high-profile executive and caps a sensational spying scandal that has rocked the usually sleepy world of Swiss banking.

Thiam, 57, was forced to quit on Friday in the wake of revelations about private investigators hired by Credit Suisse to tail its own executives.

While the French-Ivorian was cleared of involvement in the scandal, the slow drip of revelations made his position at the top difficult.

Tidjane Thiam, Credit Suisse chief executive, delivering a speech during the annual shareholders' meeting of the Swiss banking group on 28 April 2017 in Zurich. (Michael Buholzer/AFP via Getty)

The lurid scandal  which includes cocktail party bust-ups, car chases, and clandestine operations at the bank  began last year and culminated in a public power struggle Thiam ultimately lost.

The banks board decided a new broom was needed to clean house and will be hoping his exit draws a line under the saga, which has dragged on the banks share price and shocked the banking world.

A Zurich car chase

The start of Thiams downfall can be traced to late September 2019. Local Swiss media and Bloomberg reported that Credit Suisses former wealth management chief, Iqbal Khan, had confronted a man in central Zurich who he believed was following him. Swiss police began investigating the incident, which Khan claimed happened after a car chase.

It emerged that Credit Suisse had hired investigators from a firm called Investigo to follow Khan, who had recently been poached by the banks arch rivals UBS. The board of Credit Suisse launched an independent investigation in response. Bloomberg reported that the investigator who followed Khan died by suicide in late September.

Subsequent reporting suggested Thiam could have been involved in the decision to tail Khan. The Financial Times detailed a personal and professional falling out between Khan and his boss, including a row at a New Years Eve cocktail party over property. The pair owned houses next to each other on a lake in Zurich and Khans renovations had reportedly annoyed Thiam.

Story continues

A Credit Suisse branch in Geneva, Switzerland. (Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

As speculation grew about Thiams involvement, investment analysts raised the possibility he could be ousted over the scandal.

The independent investigation ultimately cleared him when the findings were published in early October. Investigators found the chief executive had no knowledge of the operation and only found out when the story broke in the press.

Law firm Homburger said Credit Suisses chief operating officer and head of global security were behind the operation. The banks COO feared Khan could take staff and clients with him to UBS and so wanted to track his final weeks at the bank. Both the COO and head of security resigned.

Read more: Credit Suisse exec quits over spying scandal

Credit Suisses board said spying on Khan was wrong and disproportionate and has resulted in severe reputational damage to the bank.

However, Thiam appeared to have survived the incident, despite his dirty laundry with Khan being aired in the press.

A second spying scandal

Things changed in December when a Swiss newspaper revealed that a second Credit Suisse executive had been tailed in February 2019. Peter Goerke, who was head of HR at the time, was followed by investigators in a similar case to Khans.

Once again, the banks former COO and head of security were found to be behind the rogue operation. Credit Suisse said the pair took care not to leave any identifiable trace in the banks systems and lied about the incident when questioned.

However, the revelations raised questions about whether Thiam was asleep at the wheel and the culture at the bank under his leadership. Switzerlands financial regulator launched an investigation into questions of corporate governance in response to the second spying revelation.

Credit Suisses board said it would introduce new safeguards and more rigorous internal policies. Chairman Urs Rohner said the spying cases had been inexcusable.

Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam and chairman Urs Rohner. (Michael Buholzer/AFP via Getty Images)

By February this year, Swiss media was reporting Rohner was looking at potential replacements for Thiam. Barclays analysts said this week that Credit Suisses share price had been underperforming due to expectations of a change at the top.

It looked like Thiams card was marked but there was a late twist in the drama as several significant Credit Suisse shareholders came out in support of the chief executive.

The banks second biggest shareholder told Bloomberg TV this week he supported Thiam and called for Rohner to go instead. Other top investors also publicly spoke out in support of the chief executive.

Read more: Credit Suisse CEO quits over spying scandal

Ultimately, though, Rohner won out. Thiam handed his resignation at a board meeting on Thursday and will leave the bank next Friday after it reports its full-year results.

Thiam reiterated that he had not known about the spying operations but said: I regret that this happened and it should never have taken place.

It undoubtedly disturbed Credit Suisse and caused anxiety and hurt, he said in his resignation statement.

He is set to be replaced by Thomas Gottstein, a 20-year Credit Suisse veteran who has been running the companys Swiss banking operation.

The change in leadership should allow the bank to move on and better focus on executing the strategy, Andrew Stimpson, a Bank of America analyst who covers the stock, wrote on Friday.

However, questions remain.

Why have events led to this outcome? Barclays analysts wrote in an investment note. Investors will have questions about the banks strategy, board unity, and whether shareholders who spoke up in support of Thiam will now sell their stakes, Barclays wrote.

Credit Suisse stock (CSGN.SW) fell 2.3% on Friday when Thiams departure was announced.
A Lone Rock area family lost their home to a fast-moving fire early Friday morning.

A search continues for their three dogs frightened away by the fire and sirens.

Three Mile Volunteer Fire Chief Russ Geise said a 12:33 a.m. call reported a house burning east of the Lone Rock School on the Three Mile Creek Road.

By the time we got there, it was completely engulfed, Geise said.

It appeared the fire started in an addition off the back of the modular home, something Geise said may have allowed the occupant enough time to escape and get the familys three dogs out. Its not clear at this point if a house cat made it outside.

No one was hurt.

We tried to deploy lines around the house as quickly as we could, he said. In those modular homes, everything goes up so fast. Once a fire gets started, its hard to stop it.

Homeowner Kelly Stalkfleet was in Missoula last night with her two young children. She has a broken leg.

We lost everything in the fire, Stalkfleet said. I am just grateful that my father-in-law was able to get out safely. Im very thankful for that.

Stalkfleet said the three dogs were rescue dogs from Missoula Animal Control. Shes had all of them since they were young.

So far, there have been no sightings of them, Stalkfleet said Saturday afternoon. I know theyll show up somewhere. Somebody will find them.

The dogs include a large white Aussie mix named Izzy. She is deaf and mostly blind. There is also a smaller dog named Zippy and a collie-mix called Bernie.

Stalkfleet said nothing was salvageable inside the house.

There were photo albums in there and my wedding ring, she said. There are a lot of sentimental things that you cant replace. Its hard to wrap your head around, and then to have my three dogs missing makes it that much harder.

Right now, Im not quite sure where to start, Stalkfleet said.

Some neighbors have agreed to help care for a large number of farm animals that Stalkfleet has rescued over the years from shelters in Missoula and Hamilton. They include goats, geese, ducks, chickens, pigeon and pot-bellied pigs.

A GoFundMe site was expected to be set up Friday afternoon.

Ive been amazed at the number of people who have been willing to go out and look for my dogs and offer help to my family, she said. Im overwhelmed at how wonderful and amazing people can be.

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- Noah Woods has given credence to the fact that age does not put a barrier to bravery

- The 5-year-old boy was able to save himself, their dog and seven other family members from a fire accident that happened at their home

- Noah will be recognised as an Honorary Bartow County firefighter and presented with a Lifesaving Award

A five-year-old boy identified as Noah Woods has been commended for saving himself, his dog and seven other family members from a fire accident that happened at their home.

Noah was sleeping in a room he shared with his two-year-old sister when he woke up to find an electrical fire had started next to his bed.

READ ALSO: Nairobi landlord kills tenant over KSh 2,500 rent arrears

Noah was sleeping in a room he shared with his 2-year-old sister when an electrical fire had started next to his bed. Photo: CNN.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kalenjin elders dissatisfied with Gideon Moi's choice as community political leader

A Facebook post by Bartow County Fire Department showed he was able to save himself and his sister through the window which was the only available exit.

But Noah did not stop there  he went back in to get the family dog and pulled it to safety.

Once they were safe, Noah ran to the next door where his uncle lived and alerted him of the fire in their room.

READ ALSO: Governor Mike Sonko pens poetic Valentine's Day message to Nairobi residents

His uncle quickly alerted the other family members who were still asleep and they were helped out of the burning house.

The fire department which shared Noah's story on Tuesday, February 11, will be recognising him as an Honorary Bartow County firefighter and present him with a rare lifesavers' award.

The award is typically reserved for professional rescuers.

READ ALSO: Revolutionary love: Miguna celebrates 20th wedding anniversary with beautiful wife

I dont know where the flames came from," little Noah said

I picked Lily up, got to the window with Lily, get the dog and get out. And get myself out," he added.

Bartow County Fire Department Chief Dwayne Jamison said they had seen children alerting the families before but for a five-year-old to be alert enough to do all that was pretty extraordinary.

READ ALSO: Kirinyaga residents supplied with 100k condoms ahead of Valentine's Day

Jamison said the fire was started by an overloaded electrical outlet in Noah's bedroom.

The little hero and four other members of his family were treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation when the firefighters arrived.

"By the grace of God, all nine of our loved ones were able to get out of our home. If it was not for Noah, we may not be here today," Noah's grandfather, David Woods, said

READ ALSO: Namibia's first lady Monica Geingos pledges to donate wealth worth KSh 300m to charity when she dies

Due to the destruction of the home, the family asked the community for help while they get back on their feet.

Young Noah has shown that a five-year-old can be a hero too.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

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The influential Institute of Public Affairs, a libertarian think tank with strong Liberal Party links, is rapidly expanding its presence at Australian universities with a youth wing that now has more than 1500 members.

Generation Liberty, which started in 2015, now has a full-time national manager and more than a dozen campus co-ordinators working to provide a refuge for students "who aren't mad socialists".

Renee Gorman, national manager of Generation Liberty for the IPA. Credit:Saul Muscatel

But the group's expanding influence has left some other students worried about the IPA extending its controversial influence on public debate and making universities a bigger target in the broader culture wars.

An article published in Sydney University's student newspaper Honi Soit said Generation Liberty "marches in lockstep with their parent organisation" on climate change denial, as well as other issues such as public funding for the ABC.
A Confucius Institute at the University of North Florida in this file photo. The institute has since been closed by the university. (Huang Yuntian/The Epoch Times)

GOP Senators Want US Universities to Be Transparent About Foreign Donations

Republican Senators reintroduced legislation that would require U.S. universities to disclose all large foreign donations made to their institutions, called the Foreign Influence Transparency Act. This bill was created in large part as a response to the Chinese governments Confucius Institutes (CI).

U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Tom Cottons (R-Ariz.) bill amends the Higher Education Act and requires organizations like Chinas CIs to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Since 2004, China has been funding CI language programs under the communist regimes Ministry of Education which forms partnerships with American universities. In the United States, CI is a multi-billion-dollar enterprise and has branches across American campuses.

The American people should know when they are dealing with an agent of a foreign government, and this legislation will bring greater transparency to the activities of foreign nations operating in the United States, Rubio said.

By forcing agents of foreign governments to register with the Department of Justice, this legislation would close loopholes in current law that allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate our colleges and universities through Confucius Institutes.

Senator Portman said that U.S. schools neglected to report $6.5 billion in foreign funding. The Ohio Senator wants the public to know who influences their universities.

I am pleased to join Senators Rubio and Cotton in reintroducing this important legislation to increase transparency on our college and university campuses concerning foreign funding, Portman said.

China has routinely exploited this lack of transparency by controlling, funding, and staffing Confucius Institutes at campuses across our country  We cannot allow this stunning lack of transparency to continue.

Senator Cotton said that students deserve to know what influences are at play on their campuses.

If we want free speech and honest debate on college campuses, then we need to know when other countries are pushing their interests on U.S. soil, Cotton said.

Senator Portman as Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a bipartisan report in February 2019 detailing the lack of transparency in how American colleges and universities manage CIs.

The report exposed the fact that the Chinese government controls nearly every aspect of the CI including funding, staffing, and programming. It found that there are 1,000 CI classrooms around the world with 500 in the United States.

The report said the Staff of the CI pledge to conscientiously safeguard national interests and their contract terminates if they violate Chinese law or engage in activities detrimental to national interests.

The PSIs report also found that the Department of Education does not conduct regular oversight of U.S. universities to determine the level of compliance with required foreign gift reporting.

While China expanded CIs in the United States, the investigation found that China does not reciprocate with the same degree of openness to allow U.S. officials and educators access to Chinese institutions.

In a Feb. 12 statement, the Education Department said that Yale University may have failed to disclose in its records $375 million in foreign funding over the past four years.

This is about transparency, said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. If colleges and universities are accepting foreign money and gifts, their students, donors, and taxpayers deserve to know how much and from whom. Moreover, its what the law requires. Unfortunately, the more we dig, the more we find that too many are underreporting or not reporting at all. We will continue to hold colleges and universities accountable and work with them to ensure their reporting is full, accurate, and transparent, as required by the law.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, to arrest the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, for the violence which erupted in Bayelsa over the recent political development in the state.

The PDP accused Mr Oshiomhole of inciting the violence.

The APC candidate, David Lyon, who won the November 2019 governorship election in the state, was sacked Thursday by the Supreme Court because his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, presented false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in aid of his qualification for the election.

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Douye Diri, who scored the second highest votes in the election, was on Friday sworn in as the governor of Bayelsa.

Mr Oshiomhole had said on Thursday that nobody should be sworn in as governor. On Friday, he berated INEC for issuing a certificate of return to Mr Diri.

Violent protests, apparently led by aggrieved APC supporters, erupted in the state capital, Yenagoa, and other parts of Bayelsa.

The Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa, Uche Anozia, told journalists that a three-day curfew has been declared in the state from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to forestall the breakdown of order.

The curfew which begins today would last till Sunday.

The police commissioner said eight persons have so far been arrested in connection with the protest.

Some buildings, including the PDP secretariat in Yenagoa, was touched by the protesters.

A radio station belonging to the Bayelsa state government was said to have been vandalised and looted by protesters.

The PDP in a statement from its national spokesperson, Kola Ologbodiyan, said the violence and arson being perpetuated by the APC agents in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital, on Friday, was in furtherance of Oshiomholes inciting call that no governor would be sworn-in in Bayelsa state, contrary to the judgment of the Supreme Court.

Mr Ologbodiyan said Mr Oshiomholes statement was a call to sedition and violent subversion of the 1999 Constitution, the statutory authority of the Supreme Court and the mandate of the people of Bayelsa state.

The PDP spokesperson said the inspector general of police, Mr Mohammed, should immediately pull in Mr Oshiomhole for questioning and prosecution for incitement.

The PDP, therefore, charges the people of Bayelsa, the security agencies and Nigerians at large, to hold Oshiomhole responsible and accountable for the violence in Bayelsa state and deal with him accordingly in line with the provisions of our laws.

Oshiomhole must be brought to book and stopped from the use of garrulity and clear misuse of language to cause crisis in our country, he said.
Offering a Welcome to Country at the breakfast, chairwoman of Sydneys Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council Yvonne Weldon noted that Aboriginal suffering could not be allowed to become a memorial in itself. Loading In various speeches and public statements made this week, the lines can be traced of an ongoing debate about the apparently constant failures of Closing the Gap. Morrison told parliament that, despite the best intentions, investments in new programs and bipartisan goodwill, Closing the Gap has never really been a partnership with Indigenous people. We perpetuated an ingrained way of thinking passed down over two centuries and more, and it was the belief that we knew better than our Indigenous peoples. We don't. We also thought we understood their problems better than they did. We don't. They live them. We must see the gap we wish to close, not from our viewpoints, but from the viewpoint of Indigenous Australians."

He advocated for a new approach on Closing the Gap that would be more locally-led and more collaborative [which] will take us much further than the top-down, one-size-fits-all, government-led approach ever could. Pat Turner, the co-chair of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap - which includes representatives of state, federal and local governments as well as from the national Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations - echoed some of those sentiments. "Governments say they are listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," she said. "However, the true test in listening is translating the priority reforms into real, tangible and funded actions that make a difference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people right across our country. Pat Turner said the Closing the Gap framework was "doomed to fail" when it was designed without Indigenous input. Credit:Glenn Campbell She also warned of the destructive impact of constant failure to meet the targets. "The danger of this seemingly endless cycle of failure is that it breeds complacency and cynicism, while excusing those in power, she said. People begin to believe that meaningful progress is impossible and there is nothing governments can do to improve the lives of our people." Rudd rejects elements of this argument. Closing the Gap was not invented by a bunch of white fellas, he said in his speech on Thursday morning. It was provided to us by the Aboriginal social justice commissioner Tom Calmas report in 2005, calling on us as a nation to close the gap between white Australians and black Australians. We listened.

Calma, now the Chancellor of the University of Canberra, says his report spurred an activist movement called Close the Gap which in turn evolved into the Closing the Gap strategy. But he agrees that in the process the targets that the federal government reported on were defined by bureaucrats rather than the Indigenous peak bodies and campaigners that had started the process. Australian National Universitys Professor Nicholas Biddle, who researches demographic and socioeconomic outcomes for Indigenous Australians, says the objective to reduce the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians was the starting point. That was Indigenous led and Indigenous driven and then other targets were added to it and adapted along the way, he says. Tom Calma, Calma, now the Chancellor of the University of Canberra, pictured in 2010. Credit:Jacky Ghossein The targets have not been static. A seventh on Indigenous school attendance rates was added by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2014. And four of the seven targets set in 2008 were due to expire in 2018 so the government developed the Closing the Gap refresh where targets would be updated in partnership with Indigenous people.

Former prime minister Julia Gillard said 2013 was a significant year for Closing the Gap because the first of the targets would be achieved - ensuring all Indigenous four-year-olds living in remote communities has access to early childhood education within five years. But some targets have been on track one year then off track the next. The 2019 report revealed the goal to narrow the difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous child mortality, for instance, was not being met despite being on track in previous years. These fluctuations make it difficult to gauge the effectiveness of long-term policy settings, says Biddle. On top of that, the targets vary greatly in scale and complexity, meaning some will be easier to achieve than others. Biddle describes several as intermediate goals - such as getting children to attend school - while others are hugely ambitious end goals, such as lifting rates of numeracy and literacy and extending life expectancy.

He points out the two targets achieved so far  on pre-schools enrolments and year 12 attainment  are in areas where governments have some direct control. However, Biddle says improvements to the way social and economic data is collected and evaluated is one lasting positive from the Closing the Gap agenda. The focus of the discussion now seems to be more on policy failures - and sometimes policy success - rather than arguing over the data, he says. Illustration: Dionne Gain Credit: The lack of progress over a prolonged period has raised concerns the Closing the Gap measures may have helped entrench a deficits view of Australias Indigenous population. Professor Heidi Norman, a researcher at the University of Technology, Sydney, and descendant of the Gomeroi people of north-western NSW, says the Closing the Gap targets seemed reasonable when first announced but had, over time, constructed Aboriginal people as deficit in need of meeting a norm.

I wonder if there are other measures that Aboriginal people and communities might look very good against, she says. The main economic target  to boost Indigenous employment  has highlighted deep challenges. The latest figures put the Indigenous employment rate at around 49 per cent compared to about 75 per cent for non-Indigenous Australians. That yawning 26 percentage point gap has hardly moved for a decade. One reason for the lack of progress is that many Indigenous people live in remote areas where jobs are scarce. They face the tough choice between their mob or a job because the only option for employment is to move a long distance from home. Biddle says that upheaval can be extremely difficult. If someone moves from a remote area to a non-remote area their employment outcomes get worse, at least in the short-term, he says.

And the targets omit one fundamental indicator of Indigenous welfare which has been deteriorating: incarceration rates. Research published recently by Labor MP Andrew Leigh found the share of Indigenous adults in prison has more than doubled over the past three decades from 1124 per 100,000 adults in 1990 to 2481 per 100,000 adults in 2018. Leigh, who is a former economics professor, estimates almost a quarter of Indigenous men born in the 1970s have spent time in jail. His analysis shows Indigenous Australians are more likely to be in jail than African-Americans in the United States, a community in the Western world known for the staggering inequality faced in the justice system. Indigenous Australians are now the most incarcerated people on earth, he says. Australias progress towards Closing the Gap would be even worse if the targets included incarceration rates, but Leigh says incarceration should be added. I think we should be tracking Indigenous incarceration because we know the exposure of Indigenous Australians is so high, he says.

Rudd disagrees, saying that when the process began, his government focussed on Calmas advice that health and education inequality was a crucial starting point. He also argues that failure to hit the targets does not mean that progress has not happened. I ask you to consider this, if it were not for the Closing the Gap strategy of the last decade or so  would we now be on track to achieving our national target of year 12 retention rates? he said in his speech. I think not. If it were not for the Closing the Gap strategy would we now be on track for having virtually all Indigenous little ones in preschool? I think not. If it were not for the Closing the Gap strategy would we now be seeing improvements in virtually all the numbers across all the measures of Closing the Gap in literacy, numeracy, health housing and the rest. I would suggest not. Because, notwithstanding the fact that progress in five of these seven areas has been patchy and there is still much to be done  until we focus our national energies around a particular objective, around Closing the Gap, then it doesnt happen. Rudd said he was wary of politicians from either party seeking to alter the targets because they had not been met, suggesting that they may be seeking to crab walk from their responsibility to tackle inequality and achieve reconciliation.


Walmart (WMT)s nascent debt-free college benefit for employees is helping graduates get promoted and become more engaged at work, according to the company.

In the summer of 2018, the big-box retailer and the countrys largest private employer began offering its 1.5 million U.S. associates debt-free college as part of its $1-a-day college tuition perk, called Live Better U.

To date, more than 12,000 full-time and part-time associates are actively enrolled in the Live Better U Program, in-line with the companys expectations. More than 20,000 have gone through the application process and are waiting for the program to begin.

So far, the associates completed more than 88,000 college credits, worth about $42.5 million. Whats more, Walmart sees the benefits inside the company with more highly engaged associates while at work.

One of the biggest hurdles weve had to get over is associates didnt believe it was just a dollar a day. We kind of had to reassure that the case because its a great benefit. Once theyve come to that realization, theyre very responsive to the fact that the company is willing to solve that problem for them, said Drew Holler, SVP of Associate Experience. And, I dont know if the loyalty increases necessarily, but we are seeing a higher engagement to these individuals while they are work.

One of those individuals who was skeptical at first was Amanda Nelson, a 35-year-old married mother of two teenagers. Nelson joined Walmart in 2015 as a department manager in a store in Oklahoma City. Shes still paying off student loans from a bachelors degree in criminal justice that she received in 2011.

Nelson first learned about the $1-a-day college benefit while at the Walmart Academy, a training program located in the back of about 200 stores that teaches associates customer service skills, retail math, and how to use new technology, among other things.

Nelson, who enrolled in a business management and leadership program at Bellevue University, graduated on January 25 and this time with no debt.

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The burdens of having to pay off a student loan they are very difficult, especially for a family where I have kids now that are starting to get up toward graduating and moving on themselves. Having to pay student loans, its tough. Thats why I appreciate the LBU program so much. Im already done, and theres no debt, Nelson told Yahoo Finance.

While in the program, she worked full-time and took courses online. While studying human resources management, the People Lead position at her store became available.

I felt quite confident after taking those classes going into the interviews and the selection process for that. It did help with my promotional capability, said Nelson.

Walmart store People Lead Amanda Nelson graduated from the retailer's $1-a-day college program called Live Better U.

As the stores People Lead today, shes responsible for 317 associates helping them navigate human resources, from recruitment to training. Shes also become an ambassador for Live Better U.

I tend to promote it quite a bit because I do feel its an amazing program that everybody in this store should participate in, she said.

Holler said that word of mouth from the associates is one of the more successful ways of marketing the program. He added that they see a higher density in stores of students when one associates signs up and shares the experience with others.

Nelson said there are five associates in the program and another five who are currently talking about joining.

While its still early, Holler expects that the debt-free college benefit will be a significant retention play. At the same time, the associates are completing their degrees, but also after the graduate and progress within the company.

A big part of that is going to be how we map the associates who go through the program to their next job. So, as you graduate, if youre in a store in Florida and you want to be in a distribution center in Alabama that we give you that opportunity as you work through your supply chain degree, said Holler.

Originally, the Live Better U program offered degrees in business, leadership and management. In the last year, it expanded to offer technology-focused and health-related degrees based on the changing nature of jobs and the new areas the company is heading.

Were always tying it back to the skills that we are going to need as a company going forward, said Holler. What that results in is associates that go through the program get the opportunity to further their education without debt, but it also allows them to pick up the skills that we see as future skills that we need within the company.

The Walmart students can earn degrees through Purdue University Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Wilmington University, University of Florida, Brandman University, and Bellevue University.

For the program, Walmart partnered with Guild Education, a company focused on unlocking opportunity for Americas workforce through education. Guild Education, whose clients include Disney (DIS), Lowes (LOW), and Chipotle (CMG), serves as a marketplace helping companies offer education benefits to employees.

Guild Educations co-founder and CEO Rachel Carlson called Walmarts Live Better U one of the most scalable and impactful partnerships. Carlson also highlighted what she calls the promotion impact of the benefit.

We are seeing that our students have a much higher likelihood of being promoted within their companies when they first do an education program with us, said Carlson, adding that they see a 2.6-x increase in promotion opportunities across Guild Educations corporate programs.

Carlson noted that Walmart students are also outperforming their peers. Holler speculates that part of the reason the Walmart students are doing well is because of the community theyre building amongst one another.

You may have, inside of your class that youre going through, mainly Walmart associates, if not all Walmart associates, he said. They create these communities around some of these classes.and youre working with someone in a store in Seattle, and you may be in a distribution center in Florida. It creates this community of people that hold each other accountable as well as spur each other on.



Julia La Roche is a Correspondent at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.
As the final tally came in on Sunday morning and a snapshot of how the Cork East constituency would play out, it emerged that Fine Gael's Pa O'Driscoll would be facing an uphill battle to win a Dail seat.

The first definitive count confirmed this with Mr O'Driscoll, a former Cork county councillor who ran unsuccessfully for Dail seat in 2011, polling 4,554 first preference votes falling well short of the 10,909 quota.

Subsequent counts showed, as had been suspected, transfers were not going to go his way and his inevitable elimination finally happened after the sixth count. The redistribution of his transfers gave his running mate Deputy David Stanton a huge shot in the arm, virtually assuring he would retain his seat.

While Mr O'Driscoll has not said if he would run for the Dail again in the future, he did take to social media on Monday to thank those who voted for him on Saturday and those who contributed to his campaign.

"Unfortunately, yesterday was not to be my day," he wrote.

"I want to sincerely thank all those who canvassed the towns, villages and boreens of Cork East for me over the last few months. To my amazing family and friends who were behind me 100 per cent. We left no stone unturned, it was a pleasure to work with you all," he added.

Congratulating David Stanton, Pat Buckley, Sean Sherlock and James O'Connor on their success, Mr O'Driscoll wished them all the best for the future.

He also had a message for all of the candidates elected during #GE2020.

"It is the duty of our elected officials to listen to the voters and to deliver on the change which has been promised," he wrote.
Thirteen U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), are secured aboard amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6).

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chad Swysgood

The Trump administration is again raiding Pentagon funds in order to defy Congress and pay for the construction of a border wall between the US and Mexico.

The Department of Defense is diverting $3.8 billion from military projects to pay for the barrier, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

The administration is pulling almost $1 billion from Navy shipbuilding projects, including the construction of a large amphibious assault ship and a fast transport ship.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

To pay for the border wall, the Department of Defense is diverting billions of dollars from Pentagon programs, including two Navy shipbuilding projects.

One year ago, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on the southern border, a move that has allowed his administration to defy Congress and divert billions of dollars from congressionally-funded military projects to the construction of a border wall.

In September, the Pentagon approved the reallocation of $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build a barrier spanning 175 miles along the southern border. On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that "the Secretary of Defense authorized support of $3.8B to build approximately 177 miles of fencing that will help to protect our borders."

Among the projects affected this time around are two Navy shipbuilding projects: an America-class amphibious assault ship and a Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport Ship. The Pentagon is pulling $650 million and $261 million, respectively, from the projects.

Another $180 million are being pulled from a Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft project.

Large amphibious assault ships can carry Marines, as well as aircraft like the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. They can serve as light aircraft carriers, assets to augment the strained carrier force.

No guarantees

Construction of the large amphib is not expected to start for a few years. The Pentagon, a spokesman told Insider, Friday expects Congress to backfill the project before construction begins, theoretically making it like the funds never left.

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There is no guarantee though that the programs will be backfilled.

News of the reprogramming follows the release of the Navy's FY 2021 budget, which included a request for only eight ships, just six of which are warships. The service's budget request saw a $4 billion drop in shipbuilding funds.

Lawmakers described the proposal as being inconsistent with plans for a 355-ship naval force.

"It's what we can afford," Rear Adm. Randy Crites, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for the budget, said on Monday.

Commenting on the planned reprogramming of military funds to the construction of a border wall, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith said the administration is "doubling down on a bad policy."

"The Trump Administration claims that every military decision they make is in support of the National Defense Strategy, and that their primary focus is the great power competition with Russia and China," he said.

"But their policy simply does not match their rhetoric," he continued. "Rather than investing in the procurement of critical platforms, this administration would rather dump another $3.8 billion into a wall on our southern border."

Defending the move, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Friday, "Border security is national security, and national security is our mission."

Other affected military projects include F-35s, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and various other types of equipment and assets.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Several Karnataka Congress leaders, including its president Dinesh Gundu Rao and leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah, were detained by the police here on Saturday, as they marched to besiege Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's office to protest against the alleged misuse of the police department by the BJP government in the state.

Rao and Bangalore Rural MP D K Suresh tried to jump the barricade erected by the police to stop them, and march towards the Chief Ministers residence, but were stopped midway and detained.

The march, which began from Gandhi statue on Race Course Road, led to a traffic pile-up. State Congress had organised the protest over sedition case filed against a Bidar school and arrest of a parent and the headmistress (now on bail) for their alleged involvement in staging a drama portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poor light in connection with the (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens).

The principal opposition party in the state alleged misuse of the police department by the state government to book cases against those opposing BJP and its "divisive policies".

As he was being detained, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah termed the police action as undemocratic.

"Police have no right to suppress or take away our rights," he said.

The Congress had planned to lay siege to Chief Minister's office as the law was being violated across the state and false cases were being filed for sedition against political opponents, especially from Congress and those opposing the CAA and NRC, Siddaramaiah said. Despite BJP activists using "filthy language and making anti-national comments", no cases were filed against them.

He alleged that BJP was trying to suppress Congress, using the police, and pointed out that cases have been booked against its leader U T Khader and a student from Mysuru for opposing CAA and NRC, while no cases have been filed against ruling party leaders like Somashekara Reddy and Anant Kumar Hegde for allegedly making inflammatory speeches.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 20:06:29|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

"Why can't the United States accept that other countries' companies can also display their talent in the fields of economy and technology?" said the top Chinese diplomat.

"Perhaps deep down, it doesn't hope to see other countries develop. It doesn't want to see that other countries' enterprises can become big and strong," he said.

BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday rebuffed groundless accusations against Chinese telecom gear giant Huawei, saying that the U.S. suppression of a private company like Huawei is a reflection of gloomy psychology.

"Huawei is a 100-percent privately-owned company, which has developed its business by virtue of its own hardwork and wisdom, and by market competition," Wang said in an interview with Reuters here on Friday.

"The United States has mobilized its national power and even tried to mobilize its allies for a concentrated suppression of Huawei," he said. "I'm afraid this is mostly because of Huawei's great success."

"Why can't the United States accept that other countries' companies can also display their talent in the fields of economy and technology?" said the top Chinese diplomat.

"Perhaps deep down, it doesn't hope to see other countries develop. It doesn't want to see that other countries' enterprises can become big and strong," he said.

A staff member tests the speed with a Huawei 5G mobile phone at Huawei 5G Innovation and Experience Center in London, Britain, on Jan. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

Wang said that the United States has fabricated rumors against Huawei but failed to come up with any credible evidence. Instead, he said, WikiLeaks and Snowden incidents have shown that it is precisely some other communications companies that are spying on the world.

According to Wang, Huawei has officially announced to the world that it is willing to sign "no-backdoor" agreements with any country and organization to prove its innocence and transparency through legally-binding commitment.

"Isn't this enough?" he asked, saying that suppressing Huawei makes no sense and is immoral.

Some countries, including Britain and Germany, have not been blindly misled by rumors, Wang said. Instead, they are willing to provide a fair competition environment for companies from other countries, including Huawei, on the basis of maintaining the security of their communications infrastructure.

"I think this is in line with market rules and a wise and correct choice made by independent sovereign states," Wang said. 
Micheal Martin, Leo Varadkar and Mary Lou McDonald have made some memorable remarks during the election campaign (PA)

Fine Gael would demand a rotating Taoiseach role as part of a grand coalition deal with Fianna Fail.

Senior ministers have said the price for power Micheal Martin would have to pay is sharing the role of Taoiseach with Leo Varadkar. Other key demands include income tax cuts, improved childcare subsidies and the continued roll-out of rural broadband.

As Irelands political leaders struggle to find a way to form a government, Sinn Fein conceded it would be impossible for it to form a government without the support of either Fianna Fail or Fine Gael.

Both have ruled out a deal with Mary Lou McDonalds party. Last night, she said it was disgraceful that the old boys club of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael believe they can set aside the democratic mandate of Sinn Fein.

Expand Close No urgency: Fianna Fail deputy leader Dara Calleary told RTE his party wont be rushing into any deal. Picture: Tom Burke / Facebook

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Whatsapp No urgency: Fianna Fail deputy leader Dara Calleary told RTE his party wont be rushing into any deal. Picture: Tom Burke

Mr Martin opened the door to the possibility of a grand coalition with Fine Gael when he got the approval of his party to talk to everyone bar Sinn Fein. While there is opposition within Fianna Fail to striking a deal with Fine Gael, there is growing momentum towards such a coalition  with the Greens a likely third wheel.

Fine Gael ministers told the Irish Independent the bare minimum for such an arrangement would be a rotating Taoiseach role as had been offered to Mr Martin by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny in 2016.

"I don't see how else it's going to work," one minister said, adding there was a "stark choice" between another election and a coalition involving Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.

Another senior minister said: "Any coalition would have to be a coalition of equal partners."

A third ministerial source said Mr Kenny made his offer when there was a larger gap between the parties and asked: "How could Fianna Fail think they would be left with the Taoiseach for five years?"

Fianna Fail has 38 seats while Fine Gael is on 35.

Mr Martin has indicated he will speak to Mr Varadkar next week, but Fine Gael sources are warning they will have a shopping list waiting for the Fianna Fail leader. Demands will include Fine Gael's promised income tax cuts, with one source saying: "The squeezed middle need a break."

Another said childcare was a "massive issue" on the doors during the election campaign and increased subsidies would have to be included in any programme for government.

The continued roll-out of the controversial National Broadband Plan (NBP), which Fianna Fail has criticised due to its cost, and other rural development initiatives would have to be included under any deal, according to another minister.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald blasted "arrogant" political rivals for denying her party a place in the next government at a party meeting in Belfast on Saturday.

Ms McDonald said: "The political establishment of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are circling the wagons in defence of a status quo that will not deliver the change citizens voted for last weekend."

Ms McDonald said the public had given her party a chance to show it can improve their lives.

"A chance to show that will we honour our commitments.

"A chance to shape a government that will finally do right by ordinary people.

"They want a government for change."

She said that was why Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were - and are - so determined to keep Sinn Fein out of government.

"Because they don't want change.

"That is why they said they wouldn't talk to us.

"And it now seems that Micheal Martin's plan is to deny the people what they voted for.

"That is an arrogant and untenable position, given the strength of Sinn Fein's mandate."
The view from Ian Flemings desk, where he wrote all 14 James Bond novels and short stories, is, pardon the expression, to die for. An expansive window frames the warm, teal waters and emerald grass, the sun bathing the room in light. A mosquito net is draped on the bed and one can imagine what it would be like to have the sun peak through the gauzy fabric, beginning as a pin prick and then overwhelming as a wave of light. You can rent Flemings GoldenEye Villa, the name of which inspired the 1995 film with Pierce Brosnan, and its four other bedroom, ocean-view villas for $5,000 a night. With its numerous pools and access points to the ocean, you can also see the coffee table (of a woman of color on her back as the base, a pane of glass as the plane) where Fleming probably first saw Birds of the West Indies, the book that inspired his dashing secret agents name.

GoldenEye is now a luxury resort, with 52 acres of rooms and amenities, like yoga classes, swimming lessons and screenings of Bond films. Sitting on the coast of Oracabessa Bay in St. Mary, Jamaica, it makes a certain amount of sense that the kind of fantasy the property and estate, which has been running as such since the 1980s, can fulfill is one of opulence. Danger might as well be Jamess middle name, but so much of our conception of James Bond wraps peril and pain within class and wealth. Bond wouldnt be Bond without the luxury cars, the Omega watches, the bottles of Bollinger and, yes, the hotels and resorts, his relationship to them equally about his implicit presence as the zombie of British Imperialism and his licence to kill.

On a logistical level, it makes sense than Universal Exportsaka MI6puts Bond up when he travels to Thailand, Macau, Montego Bay, Hong Kong, etc. Where else would he sleep? With friends? Relatives? In an AirBnB? He could couch surf with the women he sleeps with, but everyone likes a space of their own, even if its bugged by the enemy, whoever that may be. At least theres room service.

But the exoticism of these locales, their foreignness and Bonds foreignness within them, requires balance with something more civil, a reminder of the order Bond is both used to and must maintain. Bonds presence in a hotel forces the audience to recall how James Bond shapes our imagination of what these placesOcho Rios, Cairo, the Island of Corfuare like, with stark contrasts between the natural and the artificial. These juxtapositions also ask us to consider how James Bond has, if only by synecdoche, been responsible for those changes.

In 2002s Die Another Day, after Bond (Brosnan) escapes from the custody of MI6, having been detained for suspicion of leaking information while he was tortured by North Korea, he finds himself in Hong Kong. He strolls into the Rubyeon Royale Hotel (ruby meaning 40 years, eon an acronym for everything or nothingalso the name of the Bond production companyand Royale as in Casino Royale) in nothing but drenched hospital clothes wet from the sea. My usual suite, please, he says to the check-in receptionist cooly. Skeptically, looking at the currently scuzzy man with disdain, the clerk asks if Bond has a credit card or luggage, but the hotels manager, Mr. Chang (Ho Yi), spots him and tells the clerk in Mandarin to open up the Presidential Suite, sending up food, clothes and 61 Bollinger. The camera basks in the splendor of means, with wrapped up dress shirts, delicately arranged fruit, a crystal champagne glass and a spacious room, and spends as much time reveling in the masseuse sent up to Bonds room with compliments from the manager.

A come on to the masseuse reveals itself to be a move regarding intel; in a thigh holster hides a small semi-automatic. Bond tosses one of the crystal coasters into a mirror, its spidery disintegration revealing a small group of people with a camera and video monitors behind them. Mr. Chang steps out from the shards as Bond furiously asserts, You think I didnt always know you were Chinese Intelligence, Chang? Chang spits back, Hong Kongs our turf now, Bond. Bond quips, Well, dont worry about it; Im not here to take it back.

In this scene, and others like it throughout the series, James Bonds proximity to wealth is often inextricable from what he represents as a political figure. In essence, luxury and politics go hand in hand, even implicitly. Bonds, and thus Britains, history with Hong Kong is hinted at in other films, like Tomorrow Never Dies, but the Rubyeon Royale scene is striking because it establishes an aspect of tension and alliance in a political context between those nations, much like GoldenEye explores post-Cold War paranoia between Britain and Russia.

In From Russia with Love, Dr. No, The Living Daylights and A View to a Kill, the dream thats conjured is not merely sumptuousness for its own sake, but grandeur with strings attached. Listening devices, dead bodies, double agents are as much a part of the room as the shag carpets and the jeweled chandeliers. Such comfort suggests a kind of quid pro quo: Serve as an agent for the government, a kind of super policeman, and magnificence can be yours. What James Bond is, and has access to, is based on transaction.

When Bond slips into the Ocean Club in the Bahamas in Casino Royale, he books an ocean view villa on the spur of the moment. Without blinking, he hands the receptionist his credit card. The resort, owned by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, also features villa residences, suites and a 24-hour dining room. Single bedrooms, with king sized beds, start at around $1,700 currently. The fantasy of James Bond is of danger and, beyond financial security, affluence, excess. Killing is worth it if it can come with a four-night stay, beluga caviar on the house. You can have the worldand, as Shirley Manson sings, The world is not enough, but it is such a perfect place to start.
TDT | Manama

The High Criminal Court has sentenced a public employee to five years behind bars for accepting BD2,000 in bribe from a construction company. According to court files, the employee, who was serving in the Ministry of Works, was offered bribe by the construction company to get away with a violation.

Its claimed that the construction company fixed lights in a project for the ministry not in accordance with an agreement signed between the two parties. Changing them would cost the company a whopping BD18,000 and the employee of the ministry jumped to seize this opportunity and demanded to be paid to pass the violation.

The defendant was arrested red-handed while taking the money from the company. He called me and offered me his help to get the violation approved. He requested BD2,000, the manager of the construction company said. I directly informed his superiors and I was requested to give him the money in an effort to have evidence against him, she added. The defendant was also fined BD2,000 for his crime.
If there is one thing Premier Daniel Andrews will be remembered for, it will be the instigation of the state's biggest-ever infrastructure build. If all the projects come to fruition, it will markedly change the way Melbourne's booming population moves around the city. The pay-off for Mr Andrews was a decisive win at the last state election, but the precarious state some of the projects find themselves in are putting his reputation and legacy well and truly to the test.

Problems linked to the state's biggest-ever infrastructure roll-out could play against Premier Daniel Andrews (right). Credit:AAP

Topping the list of troubled projects is the West Gate Tunnel. This week, toll road giant Transurban finally admitted that it's going to struggle to hit the project's 2022 deadline, which just happens to align with the next state election. The builders, John Holland and CPB Contractors, are wanting out before tunnelling has even begun, alleging the amount of soil contaminated with PFAS  a group of potentially carcinogenic chemicals  was underestimated when they signed the project's $5 billion contract.

Next up is the Metro Tunnel. While the project is well under way, with the vast State Library Station site now excavated, the cost over-runs for the two nine-kilometre tunnels between Kensington and South Yarra are up to $3 billion, with little resolution in sight. This follows major cost overruns for the Level Crossing Removal Project, which the auditor-general found had blown out by more than $2 billion compared to Labor's first estimate.

The problems don't stop there. Four councils are threatening to bring the North East Link project to a halt with legal action over the project's environmental hearings. Late last year, Planning Minister Richard Wynne gave the $15.8 billion road  the most expensive transport project in the state's history  his tick of approval, despite concerns about its environmental impact.
Multinational corporate giant Unilever pledged this week that it will stop advertising food and drinks to children under 12 through traditional media, and kids younger than 13 on social media by the end of the year.

What they're saying: Citing the World Health Organization's alarm bell on childhood obesity, Unilever says that ice cream brand Wall's will not exceed 110 calories or contain more than 12g of sugar per portion.

Between the lines: For Unilever to cut kids' sugar intake to 12g per ice cream serving size, artificial sweeteners may be added, the director of marketing initiatives for the nonprofit Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity told the Washington Post.

Their bottom line is profit, not public health. Without policies that put some rules around marketing to children across all companies, its hard to believe one company is going to sacrifice its profits to effectively reduce consumption of unhealthy foods. Policies would be good in that sense because they level the playing field.

 Fran Fleming-Milici told the Post in an interview

Go deeper: Study: 49% of American adults projected to be obese by 2030
As immigration tactical teams target sanctuary cities, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials cast a spotlight on the Greater Boston area Friday as it identified five criminal suspects who the agency says are in the country illegally and remain free while their cases are pending.

ICE Boston said it requested detainers for the five immigrants, who have been released since their arrests. The detainers were denied. Court officers and law enforcement officials routinely deny detainers following a Supreme Judicial Court ruling in 2017 that deemed under state law they cant hold someone who only has a civil immigration violation.

But ICE argues the SJC decision doesnt block local law enforcement from notifying federal immigration agencies when a foreign national is released from custody.

The politicization of law enforcement at any level whether it be federal, state, or local does not make anyone safer," said Todd M. Lyons, acting field office director of ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston. "ERO Boston from this day forward will continue to notify the public when a criminal threat is released back into their neighborhoods.

ICE Boston identified five immigrants without legal status who are facing criminal charges. One was previously convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon, while another was convicted of re-entering the country illegally, a felony.

Jose Francisco Guaman Loja, 36, was arrested in 2019 on a probation violation, ICE Boston said. The agency said Guaman Loja was previously convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon. The Ecuadorian national had been deported from the United States three times before.

He was released in January while his latest charge is pending in Brockton District Court, according to ICE Boston. The agency requested a detainer, which was not honored.

Mohamed Daouda Diallo, a foreign national from Niger who overstayed a visa, was charged in December with indecent assault and battery of a person over the age of 14, ICE Boston said. ICE Boston reqested an immigration detainer, which was ignored by the Boston Municipal Court.

He was released on Jan. 6. His case was listed as pending, according to ICE Boston.

Edson Martins, 38, was arrested last year on charges of threatening to bomb or hijack, assault with a dangerous weapon and several OUI charges, according to ICE Boston. The Cape Verdean national, who is in the country illegally, was released while his case moves through Brockton District Court.

ICE Boston said its detainer request went ignored.

Hector Garcia-Rios, a Colombian national, overstayed his visa and is in the country illegally, according to the federal agency. He was arrested in October on charges of assault with intent to rape and indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14. He was released on Nov. 4 while his case is reviewed in Chelsea District Court.

ICE Boston requested a detainer, which was ignored.

Mario Alexander Ochoa-Lemus, a native of El Salvador who is in the country illegally, was arrested on May 8, 2018, on charges of child rape, child pronography and witness intimidation, according to ICE Boston. The agency requested a detainer, but he was released on June 19 as his case moves through Suffolk Superior Court.

A Suffolk County District Attorneys Office spokeswoman said she was not able to comment on the Boston cases because she did not have access to court records after hours. Efforts to reach the clerks in the local courthouses were unsuccessful.

In each of these cases, ICE officials have submitted administrative warrants with the detainer requests, but those have come under scrutiny because they are not signed by a judge.

Immigration attorneys often argue that immigrants, like citizens, are protected by the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable search or seizure. In criminal cases, for example, persons of interest and suspects may not be searched or arrested without a warrant signed by a judge, regardless of their immigration status.

But ICE Boston said on Friday that no court in the United States has the authority to sign an immigration arrest warrant or detainer. Instead, the agency said it has the sole authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to issue immigration detainers and administrative arrest warrants.

Immigration hardliners argue immigrants who have committed crimes have gotten away because ICE agents werent able to detain them.

One often-cited example is an Uber driver who was charged with raping a passenger in 2018. The driver, Frederick Amfo, was born in Ghana and was in the United States illegally.

After he was released on $10,000 bail, Amfo fled the country.

Critics of immigration enforcement argue that criminal suspects have been deported in the middle of their cases. Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins has said previously those deportations prevent suspects them from having their day in court and prevent victims of crimes from getting justice.

In August, Rollins announced she extradited 48-year-old Jose Brujo Ortega, formerly of Roslindale, from the Dominican Republic to face charges in Suffolk Superior Court. He had been deported five years earlier despite facing three counts of rape of a child under 16, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and one count each of open and gross lewdness and providing obscene material to a minor.

We want to hold serious offenders accountable regardless of their immigration status, Rollins said in August. This means keeping the accused here for their prosecution and incarceration, not allowing a defendant to evade the reach of our laws by being returned to his or her country of origin prior to trial and completion of any sentence. This is especially true in cases of child sexual assault. We owe that much to the survivors as well as the communities we serve.

In April, Rollins and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan filed a lawsuit against ICE over its enforcement within local courthouses, arguing agents making arrests inside the courthouses were disrupting local investigations and deterring people from attending court appearances.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the federal immigrant agency from arresting immigrants in the Massachusetts courthouses. The federal lawsuit is still making its way through Boston federal court.

The debate over immigration enforcement in courthouses has divided elected officials in Massachusetts. Those tensions were front and center after the arrest of Newton District Court Judge Shelley Joseph and retired Trial Court Officer Wesley MacGregor, who are accused of aiding an undocumented man in evading immigration agents.

Related Content:
Hotels in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, recorded significant growth in demand and occupancy in January, said a report from STR, a global marketplace insights provider for the hospitality sector.



Based on daily data from the month, Jeddah hotels posted a 36.4 per cent increase in demand and a 31.3 per cent rise in occupancy to 63.7 per cent. However, average daily rate (ADR) dipped 8.9 per cent to SR601.01 ($159.9) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) climbed up 19.6 per cent to SAR382.57 ($101.8). Supply for the month of January also rose by 3.9 per cent.



STR analysts attribute the year-over-year spike in demand to the mid-year school break (January 2-18), which was celebrated in December during the last academic year. - TradeArabia News Service


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Maanvi* had never had children. Perhaps it was a small blessing since her husband has a mental disability and she has spent her time caring for him and working to provide for them both over the many years of their marriage.

However, in India, childlessness carries a crippling social stigma.

Without children, Maanvis neighbors and even her family treated her as if she were already dead. Neighbors began to take over parts of her property without blushing. She had no children to inherit the land, they argued. Someone might as well take it now, instead of having to wait until she was actually in her grave.

Apparently, her family had the same thought. They showed up at her home and forced her and her husband out onto the street.

Adopted by a Compassionate Community

Maanvi had no means to fight back against her familys usurpation of her home, but she wasnt about to give up all hope either. She went from door to door, knocking and then offering the suspicious people who opened up, someone to wash their dishes and clothes.

Conditions were still miserable, but at least she and her husband had food most days and a little bit of money to buy new clothes when the old ones became ragged.

As her 50th birthday came and went, though, Maanvi increasingly began to notice the strain of washing baskets of clothes by hand and kneeling on hard floors to scrub the tiles clean. She could feel her body beginning to fail, the aches and pains of hard work without rest growing until they clamored in her head as she trudged home and drowned out almost any other thought.

One day, unexpectedly, she and her husband were visited by a group of Christians who had noticed her situation. After talking to her, they offered to arrange some means for her to earn a livelihood without having to clean houses.

They explained that they believed in a God who loved her and her husband. Since he cared deeply about their well-being, the team did as well.

They met with Maanvi regularly, explaining the concepts of small business planning and economics. The idea of owning a small shop of her own intrigued Maanvi, especially as they began discussing all of the things that she could sell. Meanwhile, World Challenge partners were contacting members of the community and seeing what things they would be interested in buying from a new shop.

Finding a Life of Dignity

The team pooled some money to help Maanvi launch her new shop, and soon she was able to quit all of the house-cleaning jobs and even put aside some money for savings. Between customers, she began making lovely beads like tiny pearls which she soon had a growing market for as well.

To allow her to save more of her income, the team went on to help her get a civil ration card so she could receive grain from the government.

Now she attends the local church and helps others who are struggling with poverty, hopelessness and shame.

In my hardest times, Maanvi recollected, the committee encouraged and stood beside me so I could overcome the miserable conditions. Now Im able to make money for living, to care for myself and my sick husband.

Most important has been the sense of value and importance she has in who she is as a child of God. Now I can live a good and dignified life.

*Not real name. For safety reasons, we dont release names or specific locations in highly sensitive areas.
At Wok Wiz Tours in San Francisco, which promises tourists from around the world history lessons and culinary experiences, such as dim-sum lunches and tours of a fortune cookie factory, owner Tina Pavao says day-to-day bookings are down. But shes encouraged that tourists are signing up for later in the spring. The restaurants I work with, everyones trying to keep stiff upper lip for now, she says, noting that established spots will probably find it easier to weather than smaller, newer businesses with tighter margins. Hopefully, everything bounces back in a few weeks, but if it goes on long than that . . .
Irrational coronavirus fears are continuing to put the squeeze on businesses in Chinatown. [Financial Times]

A new vendor is coming to the Essex Market in mid-March  featuring acai bowls and make-your-own-salads. And an existing vendor, Don Ceviche, will be renamed Mercado Lima and make a move to a larger stall, adding Peruvian rotisserie chicken. [AM New York]

New studies seek to answer the question, Do rents really rise when luxury apartment towers, like the universally loathed One Manhattan Square, are built in poor neighborhoods? [New York Times]

Scenes from this past weeks water main break in the Two Bridges area. [Gothamist]

A feature on the hearty New Yorkers who dare to live in pink buildings, including the landmarked former Ridley & Sons Department Store building on Grand Street. [New York Post]

Cops are looking for Eric Delamarter, a hedge fund manager who attacked a man with a metal object. The victim was apparently indiscriminately ringing buzzers outside Delamarters Lower East Side building, an act that sent him into a rage. [Channel 2]

Artist Jordan Casteel, who depicts exclusively people of color at a scale that makes them impossible to ignore, opens an exhibition next week at the New Museum. [New York Times]

Rainbow Shoe Repair: An Unexpected Theater of Flyness, an exhibition on the Lower East Side, showcases a remarkable series of photos taken over three decades. [Cultured]
BEIJING, Feb. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global outbreak of the novel coronavirus has presented unprecedented challenges for many, but the US business community in China has responded magnificently. To date, member companies of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China) have made donations  both in cash and in-kind contributions  to support Wuhan, Hubei, and other areas in need, totaling more than RMB 430 million ($63 million), with more pouring in on a daily basis.

In-kind contributions include personal protective equipment (PPE), medical devices, pharmaceuticals, disinfectant and cleaning supplies, logistics services, insurance, and more. Meanwhile, AmCham China has encouraged and facilitated member company donations through trusted local partners and channels. On the overseas donation front, the Chamber continues to work closely with international humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief, with donation shipments having already arrived in Wuhan.

"Our member companies make us all proud," said Greg Gilligan, AmCham China Chairman. "They and their teams, along with the AmCham China staff, have worked tirelessly to help address this crisis, which is, of course, the right thing to do for society, but also the quickest path to keeping business working and the economy healthy."

As well as coordinated national outreach and providing valuable information to our members through the information portal, AmCham China is working closely with local governments, including Wuhan, Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, and Shenyang, to understand what specific needs for help member companies have as they prepare to reopen for work. This comes in response to efforts by MOFCOM and other ministries and provinces to develop policies that will assist companies  especially factories and SMEs  in overcoming their ongoing challenges.

To view a list of the 100+ AmCham China member companies who have made significant contributions, please go to this link here: https://www.amchamchina.org/news/amcham-china-members-contributing-to-coronavirus-outbreak. Many more member companies have also made contributions but prefer to remain anonymous.

About AmCham China

The American Chamber of Commerce in the People's Republic of China (AmCham China) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization whose membership comprises 4,000 individuals from 900 companies operating across China. The Chamber's nationwide mission is to help American companies succeed in China through advocacy, information, networking, and business support services. In addition to our headquarters in Beijing, AmCham China serves Tianjin, Central China, and Northeast China through our Chapters in Tianjin, Dalian, Shenyang, and Wuhan. Across the five offices, AmCham China has more than 30 working groups, and holds more than 150 events each year.

For more information, please contact: Mark Dreyer, Marketing & Communications Director, AmCham China, [email protected]

SOURCE AmCham China
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-16 03:14:08|Editor: huaxia

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MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Saturday expressed his belief that European countries will make wise choices on Huawei's 5G at their own discretion.

"Huawei's 5G is an old issue," Wang said in the Q&A session after his speech at the ongoing 56th Munich Security Conference which kicked off here on Friday and runs until Sunday.

Many European countries, including Britain and Germany, have adopted a calm, objective and scientific attitude towards the issue, he noted.

There is no doubt that all countries should safeguard the security of their own telecommunications infrastructure, he said, adding that at the same time, companies from all countries should also be offered a level playing field and non-discriminatory business environment.

Wang said this is a fair practice and it conforms to the principles of a market economy, and that he believes that European countries will make wise choices on the issue independently.
Kyiv wishes to hold local elections in the entire territory of Ukraine, including Donbas, in October 2020, but only under the Ukrainian legislation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"Our wish today is holding local elections in the entire territory of Ukraine, including the certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in October 2020. But it is impossible to do that without basic security and political conditions, in violation of the Constitution of Ukraine and the international standards of democratic elections," he said in his speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

Russia is openly informing the world today that a total of 125,000 Russian passports were issued in the territories of Donbas that are temporary outside Ukraine's control, Zelensky said.

"I've said this in Paris and will repeat now. People in Donbas need elections, which will be recognized as legitimate. And they cannot be such if they are not held under the Ukrainian legislation, to the sound of gunshots and without control over the Ukrainian border," he said.
YEREVAN.  Within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met yesterday with Secretary General Thomas Greminger of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Armenian Foreign Ministry press service reported.

The FM noted that Armenia attaches great importance to the strengthening and enhancement of the effective partnership with the OSCE executive bodies through the promotion of new targeted programs and initiatives. From this point of view, they discussed cooperation within the framework of the OSCE program on cooperation with Armenia.

Mnatsakanyan and Greminger also touched upon the process of peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They underlined the importance of successive steps towards strengthening the peace-building environment and preparing the peoples for peace and the role of the OSCE in this regard.
But it didnt have to be. There was an alternative vision that would have created a far more expansive right to suffrage  an alternative that almost became law. Yes, there would still have been a backlash. And yes, none of the debated visions gave suffrage to women. But they still created a broader right to vote, which, because of its scope, would have been a more secure right to vote. The 15th Amendment, in short, could have been much more than it was.

The version we have says that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude and that the Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

This was close to the original language, introduced by Representative George S. Boutwell of Massachusetts, a Radical Republican and staunch proponent of civil rights for black Americans. But other Radicals thought the federal government could go further than enfranchising black men. Just a few weeks after Boutwell introduced his resolution, Representative Samuel Shellabarger offered an alternative, which went beyond race-based discrimination to essentially guarantee the franchise to all men:

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall deny or abridge to any male citizen of the United States of the age of twenty-one years or over, and who is of sound mind, an equal vote at all elections in the State in which he shall have such actual residence as shall be prescribed by law, except to such as have engaged or may hereafter engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, and to such as shall be duly convicted of treason, felony, or other infamous crime.

This is still a negative conception of rights  restrictions on what the state can do versus entitlements for the people themselves. And yet, as the historian Alexander Keyssar notes in The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States, Shellabargers amendment would essentially have ended property, tax, nativity and literacy requirements in addition to racial discrimination. This was the whole point. As Shellabarger noted, the Boutwell proposal still leaves to the States the power to make discriminations as to who shall vote, which could be turned against the formerly enslaved. The body of this race, made ignorant and destitute by our wrong, may substantially all be now excluded from the elective franchise under a qualification of intelligence or property, he continued. Let it remain possible, under our amendment, to still disfranchise the body of the colored race in the late rebel States and I tell you it will be done.

Shellabargers plea fell on deaf ears. Most Republicans favored black male suffrage, but still wanted restrictions on other groups, including European immigrants and Chinese laborers. A sweeping amendment for the elective franchise would have opened the door to a truly universal suffrage. It was too much. The House killed his amendment in favor of Boutwells.

Debate continued in the Senate, where Republicans split along the same lines. Senator William Stewart, a conservative Republican from Nevada, introduced a narrow amendment similar to Boutwells and urged immediate adoption. This question can never rest until it is firmly disposed of, he said. It must be done. It is the only measure that will really abolish slavery. It is the only guarantee against peon laws and against oppression.
A promising molecule has offered hope for a new treatment that could stop or slow Parkinson's, something no treatment can currently do.

Researchers from the University of Helsinki found that molecule BT13 has the potential to both boost levels of dopamine, the chemical that is lost in Parkinson's, as well as protect the dopamine-producing brain cells from dying.

The results from the study, co-funded by Parkinson's UK and published online today in the journal Movement Disorders, showed an increase in dopamine levels in the brains of mice following the injection of the molecule. BT13 also activated a specific receptor in the mouse brains to protect the cells.

Typically, by the time people are diagnosed with Parkinson's, they have already lost 70-80 per cent of their dopamine-producing cells, which are involved in coordinating movement.

While current treatments mask the symptoms, there is nothing that can slow down its progression or prevent more brain cells from being lost, and as dopamine levels continue to fall, symptoms get worse and new symptoms can appear.

Researchers are now working on improving the properties of BT13 to make it more effective as a potential treatment which, if successful, could benefit the 145,000 people living with Parkinson's in the UK.

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The study builds on previous research on another molecule that targets the same receptors in the brain, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), an experimental treatment for Parkinson's which was the subject of a BBC documentary in February 2019. While the results were not clear cut, GDNF has shown promise to restore damaged cells in Parkinson's.

However, the GDNF protein requires complex surgery to deliver the treatment to the brain because it's a large molecule that cannot cross the blood-brain barrier -- a protective barrier that prevents some drugs from getting into the brain.

BT13, a smaller molecule, is able to cross the blood-brain barrier -- and therefore could be more easily administered as a treatment, if shown to be beneficial in further clinical trials.

Professor David Dexter, Deputy Director of Research at Parkinson's UK, said:

"People with Parkinson's desperately need a new treatment that can stop the condition in its tracks, instead of just masking the symptoms.

"One of the biggest challenges for Parkinson's research is how to get drugs past the blood-brain barrier, so the exciting discovery of BT13 has opened up a new avenue for research to explore, and the molecule holds great promise as a way to slow or stop Parkinson's.

"More research is needed to turn BT13 into a treatment to be tested in clinical trials, to see if it really could transform the lives of people living with Parkinson's."

Dr Yulia Sidorova, lead researcher on the study, said: "We are constantly working on improving the effectiveness of BT13. We are now testing a series of similar BT13 compounds, which were predicted by a computer program to have even better characteristics.

"Our ultimate goal is to progress these compounds to clinical trials in a few coming years."
Associated Press

The Mississippi Health Department on Tuesday ordered all hospitals in the state to allow the transfer of critically ill patients, an effort to help people in rural areas receive care as the state continues to see a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. The order applies to the transfer of patients who have had a heart attack or stroke; those who need immediate neurosurgical intervention, such as people severely injured in car crashes; transplant patients who are experiencing complications; and patients who need to be on a ventilator but are in a hospital without an intensive care unit, respiratory therapy or a ventilator. A system called Mississippi MED-COM will direct patients to places with available space and resources, the department said.
Today, President of Ukraine Vladymyr Zelensky said that a fund for the restoration of Donbas has been created in the country, and a relevant ministry will appear in the near future.

We are not waiting and already working on resolving these issues. We have created a world-class fund in Ukraine. It provides opportunities for both international partners, organizations, foundations and Ukrainian private sector and individual donors financing, the president said during the fourth Ukrainian lunch at the Munich Security Conference, RIA Novosti reports.
But the two men took their case to the High Court. And the seven judges, by a majority of four to three, decided that Aboriginal people cannot be "alien" because they have a deeper connection to this land than citizenship can bestow. Loading So the federal government had no authority to deport them, even though they were not citizens. The court's 1992 decision in the Mabo case already recognised that Indigenous Australians had a unique connection, predating British colonisation, to the land and waters of Australia. Now, as one of the majority judges, James Edelman, put it, this connection is an underlying fundamental truth that cannot be altered or deemed not to exist by legislation. Or, as Stan Grant put it to me, "fundamentally they are saying there's a connection to this country that predates British settlement and survives British settlement and continues to constitute a unique status. Indigeneity sits outside the bounds of citizenship." But won't every non-citizen crook now avoid deportation by just claiming to be Aboriginal?

Not so fast. The High Court applied the same three-part test as the Mabo judgment did, further entrenching this as the benchmark  you have to be the biological descendant of Aboriginal people who lived in Australia before British settlement, you have to identify as Aboriginal, and you have to be recognised by an Aboriginal community and its elders.

In the case of the two men before the court this week, the court found that Brendan Thoms, who served jail time for domestic violence, was an Indigenous Australian even though hed been born in New Zealand and is an NZ citizen. It couldnt be satisfied of the Aboriginality of the other, Daniel Love. He was born in Papua New Guinea. He had been jailed for inflicting grievous bodily harm in a separate matter. The High Court sent the question to the Federal Court to decide. But his name has given the whole case its short title  the Love case  under which both men are bundled. Loading The ruling "makes me feel good to be an Australian", says Stan Grant. But the noted Jesuit jurist and long-time advocate for Aboriginal rights, Father Frank Brennan, had a very different reaction. He said that "my heart sank when I heard the news". How so? "I thought, there goes the Voice to Parliament, there goes anything in the form of constitutional recognition through a referendum." "This now gives conservatives a cause," Brennan tells me. "Conservatives will argue that 'the constitution presently doesn't mention Aborigines, but the High Court has found a way to recognise two types of people, Aborigines and non-Aborigines. If we then add a clause that specifically mentions them, where will it stop?'"

And indeed the immediate objection to the Love judgment was that it creates two classes of citizens. One class is subject to all the laws of the Parliament, and the other, by virtue of race, is not. Morgan Begg of the Institute of Public Affairs attacked this as "a total repudiation of racial equality" and "a direct attack on the sovereignty of the Crown". Grant doesn't dispute that the judgment creates two distinct groups: "Yes, there are two classes of Australians. I don't enter Australia through settlement or through immigration. I enter Australia through deep ancestral connection. The courts recognised that earlier through the Mabo judgment on native title, and on the basis of that we have this judgment that starts to flesh out the implications of Mabo." He emphasises that Aboriginal sovereignty was never ceded. Other British offspring, such as the US and NZ, have always recognised two distinct groups by striking early treaties between the colonists and the Indigenous peoples. However flawed those treaties, they established clarity of at least some sovereign rights for their first peoples. Australia is groping its way towards doing the same thing but very incrementally, through political argument and judicial ruling. Frank Brennan's concern is that while this may be all very heartening, it's not very practical. In the world of realpolitik, he fears, the Love judgment could backfire badly. On one level, Brennan, now rector of Newman College at the University of Melbourne, thinks that the decision is really just a matter of common sense  "How can you say someone ethnically Aboriginal is an alien simply because they're not born in Australia?"

But on another he fears it will provoke a political reaction that kills off any near-term hope of parliamentary progress. The constitutional scholar Anne Twomey, of Sydney University, agrees. "This doesn't give anything practical to Indigenous people, at least that we know of." The only practical beneficiaries are non-citizen Aboriginal people who the government is trying to deport, and this is a mere handful. Loading "Unlike the Voice to Parliament, a way to give well-considered, practical and useful advice to the Parliament on laws that will affect Aboriginal people. So if the outcome of this case is to destroy the prospects of the reform that is the Voice to Parliament, it may have an effect on Aboriginal people that's quite detrimental. This judgment may spook people who therefore decide not to do anything more." And some of the detail and composition of the judgment troubles Twomey and Brennan alike. Twomey points out that the four judges in the majority each wrote a separate judgment: "They got to the same place but through quite different ways. We have no idea what is going to pulled out of this in future cases." Brennan calls the fact of these separate judgments "a sign of potential trouble ahead". So, too, he says, is the fact that the dissenting minority comprises the Chief Justice, Susan Kiefel, and "the two strongest intellectuals on the court", Stephen Gageler and Patrick Keane.

Indeed, Gageler objected to the majority's "inference of a race-based constitutional limitation on legislative power, which he called creativity. And this will be at the core of criticism of the Love decision  that it is judicial creativity or "activism" rather than a black-letter interpretation of the constitution. The Morrison government's immediate reaction certainly wasn't a happy one. The Attorney-General, Christian Porter, described it as "a pretty novel sort of a decision" and said he was "absolutely" in agreement with the reasoning of the minority. Porter said that while it "might not be a very large group of people" affected, it was nonetheless "a group who will now have to be treated differently from all other persons in the same circumstances". Peter Dutton, responsible for immigration, said the judgment "creates another class of people, which I think is a very bad thing". He said the government would consider "what our options are to legislate where we can and to try and restrict the damage". Porter said that the government would now consider deportations through another head of power. Three could be possible  the race power, the immigration power and the nationhood power, according to Twomey. But none might be worth the effort. "The Commonwealth will look at it but I suspect they might decide it doesn't want to poke the court like that." Another blowback from this judgment is that it energises conservatives calling for a more politicised process of High Court appointments, taking Australia closer to an Americanised court. The IPA's Begg points out that two of the four judges in the majority will reach retirement age in the next 13 months, and he urges Morrison to replace them with "explicitly capital-C conservatives".
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 13:28:44|Editor: zyl

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United States is increasing the additional duty rate imposed on aircraft imported from the European Union (EU) to 15 percent from 10 percent, effective from March 18, the Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced Friday.

After World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on aircraft subsidies last year, the United States levied additional tariffs on a wide range of EU goods, which took effect on Oct. 18, a move that has fueled trade tensions between the two sides.

In the newly released statement, USTR Robert Lighthizer said he has determined to revise the action based on a review of the Section 301 action and following public comments.

Aside from hiking the tariffs for certain large civil aircraft, he is also modifying the list of other products of "certain current and former EU member states" subject to additional 25 percent duties, effective March 5.

Prune juice, concentrated or not, was removed from the list, while butchers' or kitchen chopping or mincing knives have been added to the action.

According to an earlier statement from the Office of the USTR, new airplanes and other aircraft from Britain, France, Germany and Spain are subject to additional tariffs of 10 percent, while Scotch whiskies, cheese, olives, yogurt, and sweaters from certain countries are among the products to be hit by an additional tariff of 25 percent.

Earlier last year, the WTO had given the United States permission to levy tariffs on 7.5 billion U.S. dollars of European exports, the amount commensurate with the adverse effects suffered by Airbus' U.S. rival Boeing in terms of lost sales and impeded deliveries of its aircraft.

Following U.S. announcement of tariff action, former EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom had said "we regret the choice of the U.S. to move ahead with tariffs."

Noting that the EU and the United States have both been found in breach of WTO rules, Malmstrom said "this step leaves us no alternative but to follow through in due course with our own tariffs in the Boeing case, where the U.S. has been found in breach of WTO rules."

In 2004, the United States filed a case with the WTO, accusing the EU of providing illegal subsidies to Airbus in various forms. The EU has since filed a similar case over allegedly illegal U.S. subsidies to Boeing. The WTO has ruled that both the United States and the EU have provided illegal subsidies for their respective airlines.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate announced several awards for sales performance during 2019 at their February 2020 joint sales meeting. Several agents were honored for their exceptional performance and dedication to the real estate industry.

The Chairmans Circle Gold Level is awarded to the top two percent of networks sales professionals. George Skarpalezos, Winnie Skarpalezos, Erin Vaughn, and Pat Cooper were recipients of this award.

The Presidents Circle award recognizes the top five percent of sales professionals who realized great sales success. Kelly Bennett, Stephanie Foster Webb, Melinda Laager, and Ann Dempsey were presented with this award.

Leading Edge Society recognizes the top eight percent of the networks sales professionals. Luke Pigge, Dawn Miller, Len Hoshall, Crystal Akers, Missy Neu, Felder Garner, Nancy Usher, and Katie Brown were recognized for this achievement.

The Honor Society recognizes the networks top 14% of sales professionals. Keith Dean, Jessica Oswald, Jeanette Pewitt, Vicki Coolidge, Lisa Wilson, Patsy Bryan, Becky Canter, Wanda Greeson, Jill Wright, Ken Haynes, Janice Morgan, Evelyn Murphy, and Sue Nyeste were recipients of this honor.

Our agents are so committed to the real estate industryand more importantly.to their clients. It is such an honor to be able to recognize them for their outstanding work, shares Pat Hodnett Cooper, owner and broker.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate, which is independently owned and operated, became a member of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brokerage network, operated by HSF Affiliates LLC, in 2017. Since that time, the company and several of its Realtors have earned a host of honors and awards.

About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hodnett Cooper Real Estate

Hodnett Cooper Real Estate is a family-owned and operated company with four offices throughout the Golden Isles offering a full range of real estate services including real estate sales, residential rentals, property management and commercial sales. The brokerage is the premier real estate company in southeast coastal Georgia with a professional and diverse team of agents. Visit http://www.BHHSHodnettCooper.com.

About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, based in Irvine, CA, is a brand-new real estate brokerage network built for a new era in residential real estate. The network, among the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name, brings to the real estate market a definitive mark of trust, integrity, stability and longevity.

About HSF Affiliates LLC

Irvine, CA-based HSF Affiliates LLC operates Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Prudential Real Estate and Real Living Real Estate franchise networks. The company is a joint venture of which HomeServices of America, Inc., the nations second-largest, full-service residential brokerage firm, is a majority owner. HomeServices of America is an affiliate of world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Contact:

Catherine Maybank

(912) 638-5450

catherine@hcrega.com
PITTSFIELD  A Menard County woman involved in thefts and burglaries across five counties has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Jacki C. McLaughlin, 44, of Greenview was sentenced Thursday in Pike Circuit Court after pleading guilty to charges that included possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, residential burglary and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

A second person charged in some of the thefts, William J. Williams, 43, of Springfield, is scheduled to go on trial April 13.

McLaughlins arrest came after a series of burglaries that began Oct. 29 in Baylis. A Perry Fishhook Road resident told deputies money, firearms and other items had been stolen from his residence.

Illinois State Police crime scene investigators were able to collect evidence that identified McLaughlin as a suspect.

On Nov. 10, deputies investigated a second residential burglary on Perry Fishhook Road in which televisions, firearms and a truck had been stolen.

That same day, Morgan County sheriffs deputies located the stolen truck. The driver, Williams, was arrested on a charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Evidence taken from Williams during his arrest led Pike County authorities to McLaughlin, according to Sheriff David E. Greenwood.

Sheriffs department Chief Deputy Zack Orr was able to locate McLaughlin on Nov. 12 and,with assistance from the Menard County Sheriffs Department, Greenview Police Department and the Central Illinois Enforcement Group, she was arrested after a brief foot pursuit in Greenview.

Orr was able to collect information from McLaughlin about her involvement in burglaries and thefts throughout Pike, Brown, Morgan, Sangamon and Menard counties, Greenwood said.
Bhopal: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday chose Khajuraho MP Vishnu Dutt Sharma, who has closely been associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to head the party in Madhya Pradesh. The development which has taken the party here by surprise comes amid growing concerns in BJP here over pro-Hindu pitch by Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

Sharma (49), a former Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad leader, has replaced Rakesh Singh, said to be trusted lieutenant of Union home minister Amit Shah, in the party post. Singh, who represented Jabapur seat in Lok Sabha, had last month organised a mammoth rally in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act in Jabalpur which was addressed by Shah.

The outgoing state BJP president had often been at loggerhead with senior leaders of the party in MP, particularly former chief minister and BJP national vice-president Shivraj Singh Chouhan over party affairs.

Besides, the party had fared poorly in Mahakoshal region in MP, considered his bastion, in the last Assembly elections, leading BJP to miss the chance of retaining power in the state for fourth time in a row.

Sharma, a postgraduate in agriculture science, has been preferred over other aspirants for the party post such as Chouhan and former minister Narottam Mishra, at the behest of' the RSS leadership, a Central party leader told this newspaper requesting not to be quoted.

Sources said Chouhan had even lobbied hard to get one of his loyalists and former ministers Bhupendra Singh and Lal Singh Arya, appointed for the post. By appointing Sharma, a Brahmin, as new president of MP unit of the party, the Central BJP leadership has hinted at possibility of replacing the BJP legislature party leader in the state Gopal Bhargav, who is also a Brahmin, with a leader from other backward class (OBC), a senior BJP leader here indicated.

OBC comprised around 55 percent of total population of MP. The Chief Minister has turned to soft Hindutva by announcing to establish 3,000 cow shelters and develop Ram Gaman Path, the mythical route in north MP believed to have been traversed by Lord Ram, his wife Sita and his sibling Laxman during his self-exile period, apparently to hijack BJPs Hindutva plank.
The Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch administration on Saturday ordered an inquiry after some students of a school in Mendhar sector of the district were seen carrying desks in a video which has gone viral on social media, said officials.

The video which went viral shows some boys in their uniform shifting desks from the girls' high school to the boys middle school at village Ari on Saturday morning, the officials said.

Taking serious note of the incident, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mendhar Sahil Jandyal ordered a probe and asked the inquiry officer to submit his action taken report at the earliest.

"...some students were seen carrying desks from the girls high school Ari to the boys middle school Ari. It is totally unacceptable and misconduct on the part of the headmaster/teacher concerned.

"Deputy chief officer Mendhar is hereby directed to enquire into the matter and take disciplinary action against the erring officer/officials and to submit action-taken-report to this office at the earliest," an order issued by Jandyal read.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lankas banks agree to provide credit support for SMEs View(s):

All Sri Lankas licensed banks have agreed to provide a special Credit Support Scheme to eligible Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) borrowers by way of suspending capital repayment for one year in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Central Bank (CB).

The aim is to complement the fiscal incentives already announced by the Government for SMEs as an immediate relief to accelerate economic growth in major sectors, the CB announced on Monday.

Licensed banks will defer auctioning of assets until 31.12.2020 and suspend legal action against non-performing borrowers who are participants of this scheme.

These banks are expected to have a mechanism not to decline loan applications solely based on an adverse record at the Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka (CRIB).

SMEs with an annual turnover between Rs. 16 million to Rs. 750 million for the year ended 31.12.2019 that have obtained credit facilities from licensed banks are eligible to participate in this scheme.

In the case of SMEs, which are in the Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) category as at 31.12.2019, the lower limit of annual turnover of Rs. 16 million will not apply under this scheme. SMEs operating in manufacturing, services, agriculture (including processing) and construction sectors and have obtained business related term loans, leasing facilities, overdrafts and trade finance facilities denominated in Rupees are eligible under this scheme, subject to certain requirements.

In the case of SMEs which are in the NPL category as at 31.12.2019, the business sectors supported under this scheme shall also include value addition businesses and trading. Eligible borrowers are required to make a written request to respective licensed banks to avail of this scheme on or before 10.02.2020.

Participants of this scheme shall continue to service the interest due on credit facilities considered under this scheme in a timely manner. Those who fail to service interest will not be entitled to enjoy the benefits of this scheme, CB circular stipulated.

Eligible borrowers with aggregate outstanding exposure up to Rs. 300 million as at 31.12.2019 with a licensed bank will be eligible to the capital moratorium during 01.01.2020 to 31.12.2020, from such licensed bank.

Permanent overdraft facilities falling due or maturing or under review during the period up to 31.03.2020 will be extended up to 30.06.2020, by the licensed bank.

In the case of Temporary Overdraft facilities as at 31.12.2019, the expiry of Temporary Overdraft limits will be extended by two months. Eligible trade finance facilities falling due or maturing or under review during the period up to 31.03.2020 will be extended by 30 days. An additional loan or a new loan facility not exceeding Rs. 300 million may be provided by a licensed bank, for investment or working capital purposes, with a maximum grace period of one year, subject to certain conditions. However, the borrower needs to submit a credible business plan.

Concessions already granted under different relief schemes and which are due to expire before 31.12.2020, will be extended up to 31.12.2020. However, such borrowers shall be required to comply with the requirements of this scheme. Licensed banks may consider granting concessions to borrowers whose total borrowings exceed Rs. 300 million, on a case-by-case basis.
Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation has called out the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, over the alleged assault on a mo...

Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation has called out the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, over the alleged assault on a monarch





T he tussle between the monarch happened on Friday during a peace meeting with Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of zone 11, Bashir Makamaover dispute in Iwo area he tussle between the monarch happened on Friday during a peace meeting with Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of zone 11, Bashir Makamaover dispute in Iwo area





Oba Akanbi allegedly stood up from where he was sitting and descended on Oba Dhirulahi Akinropo, Agbowu of Ogbaagbaa town, inflicting injury on him.





Speaking on the development, Fani-Kayode took to his Twitter page to blast the Oluwo of Iwo.

The former minister described the incident as unacceptable and sacrilegious even as he called for Oba Akanbi to be deposed.





Fani-Kayode wrote: When a land is ravaged by poverty even drug dealers,armed robbers and Yahoo fraudsters are paraded as elites & the kingship stool is auctioned to the highest bidder!





The Emirof Iwo beat up his fellow traditional ruler! This is unacceptable and sacrilegious. He ought to be deposed.
Sana Khan Accuses Melvin Louis Of Cheating On Her With Multiple Girls, Choreographer Responds
Karachi [Pakistan], Feb 15 (ANI): Members of the civil society and lawyers held a protest outside the Karachi press club here on Saturday to seek justice for Mehak Kumari, a minor Hindu girl who was forcibly converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man.



The protest was held under the aegis of Lalkar Social Forum.

Mehak was abducted by a middle-aged man, identified as Ali Raza, from the Jacobabad district of Sindh province on January 15.

The girl, in her statement, said that she was forced to accept Islam, which further caused a widespread furore among the Islamic fanatics.

Some Pakistani clerics even demanded a death sentence for the minor girl after she retracted her previous statement in the court, where she said that she had accepted Islam of her own free will.

The clerics blamed the 14-year old of 'murtad,' or an act of Apostasy, and accused her of insulting Islam.

Meanwhile, the court which is yet to announce the verdict has sent Kumari to a local Dar-ul-Aman in Larkana district of Sindh for eleven days.

The counsel representing the parents of Mehak, who are also the complainants in the case, informed that the court wanted to have a thorough investigation into the case and didn't want to rush the judgment under any pressure.

The abduction and forceful conversion of Hindu and Christian girls is widespread in Pakistan. Such incidents have sparked widespread criticism as many victim families are forced the migration in foreign countries, including India.

While the cases of forceful conversions have always existed in Pakistan, a significant spike has been registered lately. The fundamentalists who hold great sway in the country have been pushing for such practices and have been encouraging youth into doing so.

While Prime Minister Imran Khan has presented several narratives about the condition of minorities in Pakistan, a perennially unsafe and scared minority in Pakistan is a harsh reality.

This is pertinent to mention here that India brought in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the month of December last year to provide citizenship to persecuted minorities from three of its neighbouring countries including Pakistan. (ANI)


Royal Bank of Scotland is changing its name to Natwest Group as it seeks to put its chequered past behind it.

In a bid to draw a line under its near collapse under disgraced former boss Fred Goodwin, recently appointed chief executive Alison Rose said the rebranding 'marks the start of a new era for our bank'.

Rose, the first female boss of a major UK lender, also announced plans to halve the size of its investment bank, Natwest Markets, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

'New era': RBS chief executive Alison Rose is the first female boss of a major UK lender

The plans, less than four months into Rose's tenure as chief executive, came as RBS reported a 26 per cent rise in annual profits on the previous year to 4.2 billion.

Under Goodwin, RBS racked up the biggest loss in British corporate history of 24.1 billion in 2008. It was then rescued by the taxpayer in a 45.5 billion bailout.

Rose's overhaul will see RBS retain its 300-year-old brand name for its Scottish branches, but the parent company will change to Natwest, its major business south of the border.

Chairman Howard Davies said: 'The essential reason for this is that as the bank has evolved from the financial crisis and the bailout, we have focused on the Natwest brand.

'We have exited a lot of the international business which were not profitable. That was branded RBS and that's gone.

'It really makes no sense for us to continue to be called RBS. It was designed for a global group of brands, which we no longer are.'

Bosses assured employees that it would not be uprooting its Edinburgh headquarters and shifting to London.

But Davies said: 'It would be necessary to look at our location if there was Scottish independence, but not before that.'

Shredded: Under Fred Goodwin, RBS racked up the biggest loss in British corporate history of 24.1 billion in 2008

But the new name for the parent company does mark a break from the past for RBS.

In the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, Goodwin  who earned his Fred the Shred moniker for his ruthless cost-cutting  pursued rapid expansion as he set out on his mission to turn RBS into the world's largest bank. This culminated in the acquisition of Dutch Bank ABN Amro in late 2007, a deal which left RBS with dangerously low capital levels.

Goodwin's dream crashed around his ears in 2008 as the economy stuttered and RBS was brought to the brink of collapse, saved only by the 45.5 billion taxpayer rescue. Now Rose has begun her own crusade to focus RBS's operations and boost returns to shareholders.

She said Natwest Markets would become 'a much smaller and simpler part of the business', focused on the essential services needed by the group's corporate and institutional clients.

RBS has been slow to recover since its bailout, and the Government still owns a 62 per cent stake.

Analysts greeted the name-change with some scepticism. David Buik, of Core Spreads, said: 'It is probably the right initiative, but many questions are left unanswered. When will the taxpayer get its money back? When will shareholders get bang for their buck?'

INVESTORS TO SHARE 2.7BN IN DIVIDENDS RBS has pledged to pay 2.7 billion in dividends to shareholders for 2019  including 1.7 billon to the Treasury. The bank will hand out 22p per share for the full year, in a boost to long-suffering investors who have endured more than a decade of pain since the financial crisis. This will top up the Treasury coffers, as the Government still owns 62 per cent of RBS following a 45.5 billion bailout in 2008. Another year of profits and a shake-up from new boss Alison Rose looks set to pave the way for the Government to resume selling down its stake in RBS, which at one time stood at 83 per cent. The bank is building up cash reserves so it can buy back its own shares from the taxpayer, and speed up the process of privatisation. While it is limited to buying a maximum of 5 per cent of its own shares in any one year, it could strike a deal directly with the Government if the Treasury decides to sell shares in the market. RBS chairman Howard Davies said buying back shares and returning money to the taxpayer was a priority. He added: 'It's prudent to ensure we have the capital to participate in such a buyback.' The 7.5 billion shares still held by the Government are currently worth a total of 16 billion. For the taxpayer to recoup all the money spent on the bailout, the Government would have to sell shares for around 730p  but last night they were languishing at 213.1p.

Despite the 26 per cent rise in profits, RBS's shares still slid yesterday by 6.8 per cent, or 15.6p, to 213.1p as the bank posted a gloomy outlook.

It abandoned its 12 per cent target for return on tangible equity  or the return it makes on money invested by shareholders. Instead, Rose will be aiming for a return between 9 per cent and 11 per cent by 2021.
Omicron variant of COVID-19 identified in Antrim, Charlevoix counties

The omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified in one Antrim County resident and one Charlevoix County resident.
Gurugram, Feb 15 : Haryana's most wanted fugitive gangster Raj Kumar alias Raju Bisaudi was extradited from Thailand on Saturday morning, state police said.

This is the second case for Haryana's Special Task Force (STF) after it managed to secure extradition of another gangster Kaushal from the UAE.

Police sources said Raju Bisaudi had been hiding in Thailand since 2017 after the sensational murder of two inmates in police custody in Jhajjar district. He is said to be the most dangerous gangster belonging to Rajasthan's Laurence Bishnoi gang.

The state STF was instrumental in locating him followed by his arrest with the help of Bangkok police a fortnight ago. Interpol officials handed him over to the Haryana STF at 4 a.m. at Indiara Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Saturday.

"We have confirmed the identity of the accused as Raju Bisaudi, who is invoved in 29 murders, several robberies, kidnappings and extortion cases in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan," said B. Satish Balan, STF DIG.

He said the accused was secretly running Laurence Bishnoi's gang from Thailand for the past two years.

The DIG said soon after Bisaudi was arrested by the Thai police about a fornight back, the kingpin of the gang, Bishnoi, desperately wanted to depute another of his trusted aide in a foreign country to run his business.

"A few days back, Bishnoi's gang members attacked a prison van on Gurugram- Faridabad expressway and took away a gang member identified as Sandeep Jatheri alias Kala," said the DIG.

"During brief interrogation, Raju Bisaudi has confessed to his role in several cases in four states. He randomly called targeted persons and demanded protection money," Balan said.

"To create fear among businessmen, Bisaudi uploaded videos of murders and kidnappings on social media," Balan said.
SANTA FE  The state House passed a bill Friday that would expand a tax credit for low- and moderate-income workers, increasing the amount of the credit and broadening who would be eligible.

To make up the lost revenue, the proposal would reduce a tax break on capital gains.

Legislative analysts estimated the net effect of the dueling changes would be roughly $6 million in new state revenue, but they cautioned that estimate was uncertain.

Democratic Rep. Javier Martinez of Albuquerque said the changes would allow New Mexico to help more working families and lift people out of poverty.

Its a proven poverty-alleviation tool, he said.

Republican legislators assailed the proposal to increase taxes on capital gains, which they said would discourage investment and dampen economic growth.

The state would be more prosperous if we had more folks starting and growing businesses, Rep. Larry Scott, R-Hobbs, said.

The proposal  House Bill 148, sponsored by Martinez  passed 45-23 and now heads to the Senate.

The bill is a priority of groups that advocate for worker and immigrant rights.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy slammed AIMIM and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and accused them of stalling the development projects in the Old City area of Hyderabad.

The Minister of State (MoS) Home Affairs also questioned why the ruling TRS has failed to connect the old city area with metro rail in Hyderabad despite the Centre allotting funds specifically for the region.

"It is very disappointing that there is no metro train service in Old City. I ask Chief Minister and his ally AIMIM why is there no metro train plan for Old City, even after six years of governance by TRS and its ally," Reddy said at a press conference here.

"The people of the Old City have every right to get modern facilities, apart from that a great number of visitors come from all across the country to visit the historic monuments in this area. But the AIMIM has put roadblocks on the development in the area," he added.

Reddy demanded the TRS government to implement the metro project in the Old City parts.

"The Centre has given Rs 1400 crore for metro train project, it includes Falaknuma which is in the Old City. But they have stopped the action plan, we demand TRS government to extend it to the Old City parts as well," Reddy said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Photo : Screenshot From Finance Magnates Facebook Page) handshakes are discouraged

A well-known and prestigious venture capital firm called Andreessen Horowitz has put up an awkward sign on their offices that state "due to the coronavirus, no handshakes please" and it says a lot about the current situation of the Coronavirus from Wuhan and the recent Covid-19.

Handshakes are quite inevitable in the business world because of how this contact creates trust and is sometimes even the measurement of one's strength and reliability during the old days but because of the Coronavirus from Wuhan, Tech Industries like the famous Andreessen Horowitz have put precautionary measures to avoid physical contact.

Who is Andreessen Horowitz and what do they mean to tech industries?

For a questionable but long time so far, the Andreessen Horowitz has had their money in other tech companies like Facebook, Airbnb, Slack, and other tech companies but because of the widespread panic of the Coronavirus from Wuhan, they themselves have been limiting their contact even within their workplace.

What is the Covid-19 and how serious it has become

The Covid-19 has been growing aggressively and has already claimed the lives of about 1,357 people and most of them are from the Hubei province located in China where the origin of the outbreak is pinpointed.

Read Also: Is Coronavirus Man-Made? Baseless Conspiracy Theories about Its Origin Including China Bioengineering Debunked

The coronavirus on the other hand has already hit the United States with four confirmed cases from the Northern California region which includes Silicon Valley. Even public health officials have been telling civilians that they should be careful with how the Coronavirus from Wuhan could be contagious especially to direct family members.

The growing anxiety within the tech industry

Even though the tech industry does not require as much physical contact among one another, the widespread of panic and anxiety is still very obvious. There have been several tech companies like Apple who are limiting the amount of travel between branches and with clients. These are measures being strictly observed especially between the San Francisco Bay Area and China.

Why tech companies are scared of the Coronavirus from Wuhan and Covid-19

The danger with these viruses is that they show up after two weeks and they cannot be sensed before that time period and this is what companies are afraid of. Instead of looking at profits, companies are looking at the safety of their staff as the ultimate priority. Apple and Google are already in the process of pulling out their operations from China and if big tech companies like them can do it, other smaller companies may be able to do it as well.

Read Also: BlueDot: Fighting the Deadly Coronavirus Outbreaks with AI

So far this virus has not yet penetrated strongly in the United States which is a relief for its citizens but the amounts of travel and contact with other countries are to be limited as this virus is still on the loose. The Coronavirus from Wuhan was a shocking event and even more now that the Covid-19 has emerged. The only thing the tech industry can do now is avoid physical contact like how Andreessen Horowitz avoids handshakes.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Reddam was founded by Graeme Crawford, who built his reputation in South Africa in the early 1990s after rankling the educational establishment but delighting some parents with his intensive approach to teaching. "He made [students] work hard, he knew how to motivate them academically," says Pitcairn, who went to university with Crawford. "He'd get them into after-school tutorials. He'd push them." Crawford founded many schools, including Reddams in Britain and South Africa. If they have a common creed, it's that all students must be motivated. Bad attitudes are not tolerated. "We have high expectations. Teachers don't teach to average, and we don't let students just coast through," Pitcairn says. "[That] translates into a good attitude in the classroom, it translates into preparing to the best of your ability, rather than not caring." Principal Dave Pitcairn with students at Reddam House in Bondi. Credit:Janie Barrett Reddam knows exactly how students are faring because of its weekly, 50-minute "cycle tests", sat by students from year 3. The tests, in a different subject each week, are designed to ensure the students achieve 60 per cent if they do the required work, but can score higher with extra effort. For teachers, the test ensures students understand the material, have done their work, and are trying. For students, it creates familiarity with exam conditions, so the HSC does not seem so daunting, says Pitcairn.

But if a student does not achieve 60 per cent, "this is time to act," he says. "Phone the parents, chat to the student, put remediation in place ... identifying if the student is able but didn't prepare thoroughly, isn't able, or didn't try." A failure to try is the greatest concern, says Pitcairn. The school has a "positive culture ... that can be broken down reasonably easily by the sort of students who don't care, don't come prepared, don't try, go into class and are disruptive and spoil the atmosphere. Students Miles Bornman and Marcus McDonald in a science class at Reddam House in Bondi. Credit:Janie Barrett "And those students are the ones I will counsel very, very seriously about, 'is this the right place for you? Change your attitude to what we believe is our culture, we are here to help you do that. If you are not prepared to do that, then it's not going to be the right place for you'." To many educators, cycle testing "would be anathema", says one expert, on the condition of anonymity. "The general view of educators would be that it would be excessive or artificial." However, depending on how it was conducted, it could be a "time and cost efficient way to keep reliable data".

One principal worried that the school's response to sub-par results would leave students feeling dispensable. "Kids are not perfect. You can't just give up on them. There are messages that are important, and being dispensable is not one of them." Pitcairn disagrees. "[Students] know that they are not slipping under the radar," he says. "And I think that works. Sometimes it feels oppressive, but at the end of the day it's actually a caring [attitude] ... they appreciate it eventually." Mia Achhorner and Tahlia Glasser in the drama space at Reddam House in Bondi. Credit:Janie Barrett At the end of the year, those who achieve an 80 per cent average get "half colours" - a form of piping around their blazers - and if they get 85 per cent, it's full colours. Those who achieve 93 per cent, or excel in sports competition, wear an honours blazer of a different colour. Since it was introduced, those numbers have sharply increased. "Students strive for it," he said. "They like the recognition."

Reddam is divided into two campuses; K-9 classes are at Woollahra, and the year 10-12 students study at North Bondi. Neither has the kind of sprawling grounds enjoyed by other private schools in the area, limiting its capacity to expand. The school uses venues at Centennial Park and the University of NSW for sport, and the North Bondi campus rents space from Galilee Catholic Primary School. Over the Christmas holidays, the school also purchased a building adjacent to the senior campus. Year 12 students Harrison Segerstrom, Mimi Silberstein, Emanuel Shariev and Mia Achhorner. Credit:Janie Barrett In kindergarten, admissions are decided based on a first-in, first-served basis, and those students move through to the high school. But for intakes in older years, the school takes into account elements such as the child's past academic performance, and their motivation for learning. Critics say Reddam practices a form of selection through its cycle testing and admissions process, even though it has no entry test. "There's no magic in schools," says one.

But Pitcairn says students are chosen for their aptitude, rather than their results alone. "I look at the all-round child," he says. "More than academic achievement, I'm looking at academic attitude and aptitude. Enthusiasm, their attitude to learning." Reddam's fees range from $21,835 for kindergarten to $34,995 for year 12, similar to fees for St Catherine's at Waverley ($35,873) and Knox Grammar ($34,770). The school decided last year to eschew an annual $5 million in government funding and become the first major Sydney school to be a profitable entity. It did so to be part of the Inspired group, a global association of 63 schools - all of them for-profit, and many founded by Crawford. The school had been constrained by its not-for-profit status from participating in many of the group's activities, so decided the $5 million annual sacrifice was worth it. "We run the school efficiently, there's not a lot of grounds to manicure," says Pitcairn. "We felt we were a poor cousin to all these other schools getting together, and having exchanges."
Sri Lanka's government has expressed strong objection hours after the United States blacklisted Sri Lankan Army Chief Shavendra Silva along with his immediate family members on February 14. While US Secretary of State announced that commander of Sri Lanka's Army is banned to enter the country due to credible information of his involvement in gross violations of human rights, the Sri Lankan government has called it independently unverified information.

#SriLanka takes strong objection to the imposition of travel restrictions on Lt. Gen. Silva and his immediate family by the #US



Full Media Release at : https://t.co/exIuGbOLjL#lka #DiplomacyLk  MFA SL (@MFA_SriLanka) February 14, 2020

According to the official website, the statement said, The Government of Sri Lanka takes strong objection to the imposition of travel restrictions on Lt. Gen. Silva and his immediate family members by the Government of the United States, based on independently unverified information.

Read - US Blacklists Sri Lankan Army Chief Over 'gross Human Rights Violations'

Silva was in charge of the 58th Division in 2009 which reportedly encircled the final stronghold of Tamil Tiger rebels in the last stages of the civil war that killed more than 100,000 people. Human rights groups have also accused his division of violating the international human rights laws including the usage of artillery to destroy a hospital. However, these allegations have been denied by the Sri Lankan army chief.

Sri Lanka questions the timing

However, the Sri Lankan government has also questioned the timing of imposing travel restrictions on its Army Chief which is six months after his appointment as the Army Commander and called it disappointing that US government should question the prerogative of the democratically elected President to call upon persons with proven expertise to hold key positions on national security-related matters. The statement further called the US government to review its decision.

Read - Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa Offers Prayers At Lord Balaji Temple In Tirupati; Leaves For Colombo

While issuing the ban for Silva, Pompeo has also said in his official statement that he has credible information that the officials of Sri Lanka have been a part of the violations of human rights as well as corruption. It also said that the United States law also requires US Secretary of States to privately designate the concerned officials and their family members, therefore, along with Silva, his immediate family members are also prohibited in the US citing that the allegations against him are serious.

I am designating Shavendra Silva making him ineligible for entry into the U.S. due to his involvement in extrajudicial killings during #SriLankas Civil War. The U.S. will not waver in its pursuit of accountability for those who commit war crimes and violate #humanrights.  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 14, 2020

According to the official website, the statement read, Secretary of State has credible information that foreign officials have been involved in a gross violation of human rights or significant corruption, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.

Read - Sri Lankan PM Arrives At Tirumala For Worship

Read - Sri Lankan PM Rajapaksa Visits Mahabodhi Temple In Bodh Gaya

(with inputs from agencies)
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a speech at an event hosted by the European Policy Center in Brussels, Belgium, Dec 16, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

By Zhou Jin

It is the United States that poses threats to China through repeated suppression, accusation and tarnishing, rather than the opposite, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a far-ranging interview with Reuters on Friday in Berlin.

Wang cited cases such as the US viewing and approving acts that violate China's internal affairs, sending military aircraft to show off its strength in China's territory, and oppressing Chinese companies operating there, saying the issue to be solved is how to eliminate threats from the US.

China never interferes in the domestic affairs of the US as the American system and model are the choice made by its people, Wang said.

The US should also respect the choice made by the Chinese people to adopt the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, which has achieved success in the country, he said.

Countries with different social systems will not pose a threat to each other as long as they adhere to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, in particular the principle of noninterference in internal affairs, and respect each other's sovereignty, he added.

In response to the false accusations regarding Chinese telecom giant Huawei, Wang said such an attack is neither reasonable nor moral.

On Thursday, US prosecutors accused Huawei of stealing trade secrets and helping Iran track protesters in its latest indictment against the Chinese firm, Reuters reported. Washington placed the company on a trade blacklist last year, citing national security concerns.

The US using its national power and even moving its allies to attack Huawei is because the company develops too well, Wang said.

The US cannot accept that other countries' companies display their talent in the economy and in technology, because it doesn't hope to see other countries develop, and it doesn't want to see that enterprises from other countries can become big and strong, he said.

When responding to whether the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic will influence the Phase 1 trade deal reached between Beijing and Washington, Wang said that China is ready to implement the deal, urging the US to fulfill its commitment to China.

The epidemic will affect China's economy temporarily, but after the epidemic, the vitality of China's economy will rebound and the capacity of the Chinese market will continue to expand, Wang said.

As China follows its own timetable and roadmap, there will be better conditions for the country to continue to advance reforms and expand opening up, and implement the consensus reached in the agreement, he said.

However, Wang said, the US curb on movement of people between the two countries will objectively bring some difficulties to implementing the agreement.

He said he hopes the US will respect advice from the World Health Organization and avoid adopting unnecessary travel and trade restrictions.
Telekom Slovenije and Iskratel cooperate in the development of 4G/5G hybrid public-private networks, serving the emerging smart industry

Posted by Publisher Telecommunication

Ljubljana, Slovenia, 14 February 2020: Telekom Slovenije, the leading Slovenian provider of the most advanced ICT solutions, and Iskratel, the leading European solution provider for the digital transformation of industries, have launched a cooperation in the development of 5G networking solutions. The aim is to deploy 4G/5G hybrid public-private networks that are of particular interest to the smart industry, also called Industry 4.0. In order to best serve the needs of their customers, the partners will first undertake an analysis of market needs, perform equipment interoperability testing and investigate the spectrum planning aspects.

Telekom Slovenije?s Member of the Management Board, responsible for technology, Matja? Bericic, MSc, said he is pleased that Iskratel has chosen to cooperate with Telekom Slovenije on one of the key areas of 5G development, focusing on the smart factory use case and building an open ecosystem of partners that share a common vision of possibilities coming with the public/virtual/private or ?hybrid\-\- network model.

?5G is an evolution of the 4G network, ushering new capabilities and becoming a key factor in the digitalisation of economies for this decade. 5G will deliver significantly faster, more reliable and more stable mobile data transfer, with significantly higher speeds, delivered at lower latency. These shorter delays will be very important especially for the digitalisation of the whole economy, including healthcare industry, etc. 5G brings new opportunities for the development of innovative high value-added ICT solutions and as such it will support advanced multimedia services, secure development of the Internet of Things (IoT), digitalisation of business verticals and much more. At Telekom Slovenije, we are designing our smart 5G infrastructure in such a way that we can provide, on top of communication services, numerous virtual dedicated networks for individual business verticals, and one such project is the development with Iskratel,? said Bericic.

Primo? Kucic, Director of B2B at Telekom Slovenije added: ?Telekom Slovenije is also developing other verticals and we are open for cooperation with select partners like Iskratel, which bring the ideas, solutions and demands that can be solved by modern technology.?

Robert Kuzmic, Executive Director of Sales at Iskratel, said: ?We are convinced that the best 5G solutions for smart industry require an active collaboration between telcos, vendors and customers. Every party brings specific expertise and strengths to the table.?

Sales Director of BU Core at Iskratel, Kristijan Melinc, added: ?As the manufacturing industry has taken the sector lead with the largest number of IoT deployment projects in 2019, the smart factory has become a key 5G use case. Co-innovation around evolving standards and interconnectivity is a particular historical strength of Iskratel, so we indeed share the vision of evolving hybrid solutions for an IoT and AI powered world: from 4G now to 5G in the very near future and private networks seamlessly interconnected to public networks.?
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference Open source

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. During the talks sides discussed the issue of granting Ukraine an advanced partner status. The press service of the head of state reported this.

In particular, Zelensky thanked Stoltenberg for the continued solidarity of the Alliance with Ukraine, support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the country.

"The reforms that we are working on bring Ukraine closer to NATO. We will modernize the security and defense sector in accordance with Alliance standards," the president emphasized.

Separately, he noted the continuation of the implementation of the annual national programs under the auspices of the Ukraine-NATO Commission, which are an effective tool for systemic transformations in the country.

For his part, Stoltenberg noted that he expected additional assistance from Ukraine in international missions, and stressed that he saw progress in achieving peace through the Normandy Format restoration.

Earlier Volodymyr Zelensky met with the US Congress delegation led by Senator James Inhofe. This was reported by the press service of the Presidents Office.

The President of Ukraine thanked for the strong support of Ukraine from both houses of the US Congress. Zelensky emphasized the great importance of the military assistance that Ukraine receives from the United States, and expressed hope for an increase in its volumes and expansion of directions.

"I feel a very positive attitude of the United States of America towards Ukraine. US support is very important for us," the head of state emphasized.
He campaigned as a family man and reformer who would clean up Jefferson City  but it became apparent during and after his successful gubernatorial campaign that rather than sweeping up the dirt, he was prodigiously adding to it.

As reported by journalists at the time, candidate Greitens got help from mysterious political action committees structured to effectively hide where their money came from. One of those dark-money organizations, LG PAC, attacked a Greitens primary opponent, while another, SEALS for Truth, made a then-record contribution to Greitens campaign of almost $2 million with no clue as to where that money originated.

Greitens, as always, was mum on what if anything he knew about these generous benefactors. More leadership, apparently.
South Sudan's president said on Saturday he would return to a system of 10 states, a key opposition demand, paving the way for a unity government and an end to the country's civil war.

"The compromise we have just made is in the interest of peace...I expect the opposition to reciprocate," Salva Kiir said, after a meeting of top government and military officials in the capital Juba.

Kiir said the country would now be divided among the original 10 states, plus three "administrative areas" of Pibor, Ruweng and Abyei.

The opposition welcomed the move but immediately raised questions over the fate of Ruweng, a key oil producing zone.

The number of states is contentious because the borders will determine the divisions of power in the country.

Oil zone arguments

Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar -- who lives in exile -- are under increasing pressure to resolve their differences by February 22 and form a unity government as part of a peace agreement.

They have already missed two previous deadlines to enshrine peace and end a six-year conflict that has left at least 380,000 people dead and millions in dire poverty.

Kiir and Machar met last week in neighbouring Ethiopia but the talks ended in deadlock.

However, Saturday's announcement meant a key concern of Machar appeared to have been resolved.

"This decision may not have been the best option for our people, but for the sake of peace and unity in the country, the Presidency sees it necessary," a government statement said.

But after the surprise announcement, Machar's party said they welcomed Kiir's compromise but opposed splitting off oil-rich Ruweng.

Oil provides almost all of the government's revenue in South Sudan, one of the most oil dependent nations in the world.

Ruweng has been one of the most heavily fought over areas in the civil war and is claimed by both the Dinka people of Kiir and the Nuer of Machar.

"We welcome this decision but we only have one complaint; the establishment of Ruweng Administrative Area," said opposition party spokesman Pouk Both Baluang. "The issue of the states has not been resolved completely."

But Baluang said he expected Kiir and Machar to meet soon to discuss their differences. Kiir said the final matter of states would be debated once the unity government forms.

When it gained independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan had 10 states, as set out in its constitution. Kiir increased that in 2015 to 28, and then later 32.

Kiir had repeatedly refused to back down on the number of states but had come under intense international pressure to compromise.

Machar return urged

Fighting has abated since September 2018 when Kiir and Machar -- old rivals who have fought and made up multiple times -- signed a deal to end the the bloodshed that erupted in 2013, when the president accused his former deputy of plotting a coup.

They agreed to come together in a coalition in May last year but disputes over territory and security arrangements dogged negotiations and the deadline was missed, followed by another six months later.

In November, the pair were given 100 more days to resolve these sticking points -- an extension that finishes next Saturday.

Any extension beyond February 22 was "neither desirable nor feasible", the eight-nation East African bloc of nations, IGAD, warned last week.

South Sudan vice president Taban Deng Gai said Machar must now return from exile to help form the government.
Andrew Adonis, schools reformer and originator of HS2, started his talk to our students with this blunt statement: The last 11 elections have been: loss, loss, loss, loss, Blair, Blair, Blair, loss, loss, loss, loss.

He came to Kings College London to talk to students on the Blair Years course that I teach with Michelle Clement and Jon Davis. Our subject this week was public service reform, but he started with a broader political defence of Tony Blairs record: The world now divides into two: those people who think that Blair was a saint and a genius and the most inspired political leader in history of mankind, which probably includes me, and those who actually think it is a good idea for Labour to win elections, which includes about 500,000 members of the Labour Party  so they will start increasingly to study and emulate Blair, because its the way back.

He said the record looks more and more impressive in retrospect, since it doesnt matter how disastrous the Conservative leader, how utterly crazy the policies theyre trying to foist on the country, the Conservatives still win elections  unless Tony Blair or Harold Wilson or Clement Attlee is leading the Labour Party.

The fundamental appeal of Blair in the mid-1990s, he said, was that people believed he would improve public services with a sustainable tax policy, which meant, to be blunt, the middle class not thinking that they were going to be unduly fleeced.

Over the next 10 years, with lots of alarms and excursions, Adonis thought Blair delivered what he promised. I know there were quite a few controversies, which as we look back on them appear to be almost narcissistically minor, between different bits of the Labour Party.

When Adonis arrived, the class was discussing the row in 2002-03 between Gordon Brown, the chancellor, and Alan Milburn, the health secretary, about whether or not foundation hospitals should be allowed to borrow for investment. If that was the total of the political disputes wed been having the last four or five years, we would thank our lucky stars, said Adonis.

He said that if students want to know how this country is run they should start with the obituaries in The Times, because all these people are dying. He cited an obituary that day of Clive Smee, the former chief economist in the department of health, which told the story of when Tony Blair appeared on TV on Sunday morning in 2000 to announce that Labour would get NHS spending up to the EU average. Smee took a panic-stricken call from No 10 after the programme, as only he had the figures to calculate what the promise meant.

It was an absolutely colossal increase in spending, Adonis said, and when people say, by the way, that this was a Tory government lite and that we have had 30 years of neoliberalism  the idea that you would ever have had a Conservative government that announced in one Sunday morning interview that it was going to spend two percentage points [more of national income] on health is obviously a laughable and farcical proposition.

He said it was hard to remember how run-down public services had become in the 1990s. In London, the transport system had practically stopped. He said: You used to have to make an appointment with the Northern line  on the days when it was working  and the trains running on the Northern line were built in 1938. London comprehensive schools were so bad the middle classes were moving out, which was partly because of the far left being in control of the Inner London Education Authority, but it was also because there just wasnt enough money.

He said: The schools were falling down because practically nothing had been spent on them in capital terms for 30 years. In the mid-1990s every secondary school in the country had what were called Rosla buildings  Rosla being Raising Of School Leaving Age. The buildings, which were by and large portable huts which leaked and were freezing in winter, boiling in summer, were put up in 1972  1972  for the raising of the school leaving age from 15 to 16.

This prompted a brief diversion into earlier history: The raising of the school leaving age from 15 to 16 was supposed to have taken place in the Education Act of 1944, but was delayed by the 1945 Labour government of the sainted Attlee  whos supposed to be the most progressive and left-wing figure that ever existed on the face of the Earth  because instead that Labour government decided to double spending on defence.

Why Attlee made that choice would require a separate seminar, but Adonis went on: The only reason the left thinks the Attlee government was so good is because its forgotten most of it. By its own token of Dont spend all this money on wars abroad, theyve forgotten what actually happened then.

In answer to questions from students, he rejected the idea that Labour had started to lose its heartland seats in the Blair years. It was southern seats that the party lost in 2010, he said, which is why we didnt stay in government. At the time, Labour was strong in the midlands, in the north of England and in Scotland. Gordon Brown would never have held a referendum in Scotland, he said: the big collapse in the Labour vote in Scotland comes after the Scottish independence referendum in 2014.

He admitted that many of the improvements in schools and transport were concentrated in London, partly because Labour councils there and Ken Livingstone, the Labour mayor, were more engaged. In old Labour areas in the midlands and the north there was too much complacency.

He was asked about the difficulties of serving as a minister in the House of Lords  Adonis was education minister and transport secretary between 2005 and 2010  and accepted it would have been politically useful to me to have been rubbing shoulders all the time with Labour MPs in the Commons. (He said the House of Lords was, though, a suitable place for his current project  a biography of Ernest Bevin, Attlees foreign secretary  because its the only place in the country where there are people around who still remember him.)

He had been keen on a reform proposed towards the end of the Labour government, that Lords ministers should appear in Westminster Hall, the subsidiary chamber of the Commons, and take questions from MPs there. I think that deal would have been done but for Harriet Harman, he said. Harman, who was leader of the House of Commons, was adamantly against it because she didnt want more peers to be capable of being appointed as ministers  it was the closed shop of Labour MPs not wanting to have others being able to come in.

Asked about the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), he defended it on the pragmatic grounds that it allowed more new schools and hospitals to be built: There are two arguments in favour, and theres one against. Argument one in favour is that, because its a lifetime contract, you get better quality infrastructure; its designed better, because the people who are designing it have got to maintain it afterwards.

The second argument in favour is that it leveraged more upfront investment, because you had to cover the cost of the credit and not the long term cost of the asset. This meant you could do more in the short term.

And the argument against it is the obverse of that, of putting it on the credit card, which is that ultimately the credit card catches up with you.

Looking back, he said he thought the New Labour reforms looked good: They did create an offer which was highly successful and progressive in the 2001 and 2005 elections. There arent many people who look back and say that the big problem with the Blair government was those appalling academies and those outrageously right-wing foundation hospitals. What they now say is, Wow, I wish we could have more of that. But a lot of people on the left also say, If only he hadnt gone to war in Iraq. And therein lies another story.

Labours problems since Blair stood down as prime minister had nothing whatsoever to do with public services, he said. The Labour Party has not spent the last 10 years tearing itself limb from limb over academies. Or foundation hospitals, or indeed even tuition fees, although that was a bit more difficult because what you had was real people paying real fees. Its been foreign policy issues, its been austerity and the reaction to austerity.

He identified the causes of the Corbyn surge as the combination of poor leadership  no good leaders after Blair and Brown, a chronic problem of very poor candidates  and the decision of most of those candidates to abstain in the vote on Conservative welfare cuts in 2015. It was not a Blairite thing. It was because the party handled the politics of the situation in a ludicrous way, and had the wrong leadership.

Referring to the current leadership election, he said: Every choice of leader after Tony Blair  until hopefully this one  has been significantly worse than the previous one. That wasnt Tony Blairs fault. He was the one who was good. Its been steadily downhill ever since. Its not his fault that people voted for Ed Miliband rather than David Miliband in 2010. People had a vote and that is how they voted, unfortunately.

He warmed to his theme: The big mistake that the Labour Party has made on every front, since 2007, is to depart from the policies and the strategy set out by Tony Blair. In every respect in which Labour has departed from them, we have lost votes, weve lost credibility, and weve lost the capacity to build the coalition between classes and regions which was so successful in that period.

In an echo of Blair, who once said his project would be complete when the Labour Party learned to love Peter Mandelson  itself an echo of Winston Smith being urged to learn to love Big Brother in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four  Adonis declared: Labour will only become electable again when it comes to love Tony Blair.
The US killing of a top Iranian general was a miscalculation that has had the effect of bolstering support in Iraq for the removal of American troops, a longtime goal of Tehran, Iran's foreign minister said Friday

Munich: The US killing of a top Iranian general was a miscalculation that has had the effect of bolstering support in Iraq for the removal of American troops, a longtime goal of Tehran, Iran's foreign minister said Friday.

The US killed General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike on 3 January as the commander of Iran's expeditionary Quds Force was leaving Baghdad's airport, saying he was planning attacks on Americans.

Speaking to a group of reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said "the US miscalculated," noting that since the killing, thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets to protest against the presence of foreign troops in the country.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, in which Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was also killed, a group of Iraqi lawmakers also passed a non-binding resolution to oust US troops and since then, the issue of American troops has monopolized Iraqi politics.

"The martyr Soleimani is much more effective than General Soleimani," Zarif said. "We are seeing that in terms of demonstrations that are taking place in Iraq against the US presence."

Zarif is expected to meet on the sidelines of the conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to talk about ongoing European efforts to preserve the nuclear deal with Iran.

The deal provides Iran economic incentives in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program in an effort to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear bomb  something Iran insists it is not planning. Since US President Donald Trump pulled Washington unilaterally out of the deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, Iran's economy has been struggling.

In an effort to pressure the other signatories to the deal  Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China  to provide economic incentives to offset the American sanctions, Iran has slowly been violating the deal's restrictions on its nuclear program.

The US has been pressuring other members of the deal to pull out as well, but Maas told the forum that Germany rejected the US tactic of "maximum pressure" on Iran.

"We are sticking firmly to our course in the Middle East, and that is de-escalation instead of maximum pressure," he said.

Zarif reiterated Iran's stance that all of its moves to ramp-up its nuclear program in the past few months are reversible, providing that Europe takes steps that are meaningful.
Washington: The United States said on Friday it would refuse entry to Sri Lanka's army chief over "credible" evidence of human rights violations in the bloody 2009 finale to the civil war.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, whose appointment last year drew wide international criticism, will be ineligible to visit the United States, as will his immediate family, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

"The allegations of gross human rights violations against Shavendra Silva, documented by the United Nations and other organizations, are serious and credible," Pompeo said in a statement.

"We urge the Sri Lankan government to promote human rights, hold accountable individuals responsible for war crimes and human rights violations, advance security sector reform, and uphold its other commitments to pursue justice and reconciliation," he said.

Silva was the commanding officer of an army division in the island's northern war-zone in the final months of the military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.

Rights groups say some 40,000 ethnic Tamils were killed in mass atrocities as government forces seized Sri Lanka's predominantly Tamil north.

The United Nations, in a report into the allegations, said Silva played a major role in orchestrating war crimes.

The 2009 offensive delivered a death blow to the Tamil Tigers, whose nearly four-decade campaign for a separate homeland had killed 100,000 people and was characterized by the rebels' bloody suicide attacks.

Pompeo nonetheless said that the United States hoped to maintain security cooperation with Sri Lanka, which last year was rocked by Easter Sunday bombings by Islamist extremists.

"We deeply value our partnership with the Sri Lankan government and the long-standing democratic tradition we share with the Sri Lankan people," Pompeo said.

Sri Lanka's successive governments have resisted calls for an independent investigation into the conduct of troops during the final months of the conflict.
Former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's convoy attacked in Bihar

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Arrah, Feb 15: Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union president and CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar escaped unhurt after his convoy was on Friday reportedly attacked in Bihar's Arrah district.

According to reports, Kanhaiya's convoy and many other vehicles were damaged in a stone-pelting incident. Supporters of Kanhaiya alleged that this was the eighth such attack on his convoy.

Speaking to reporters, a police officer said that the CPI leader was on his way to Arrah after holding a meeting in Buxar. It ws during this time some anti-social elements attacked his convoy near the Bibiganj market.

During this attack, Kanhaiya's vehicle was damaged and the police officials managed to safely escort Kanhaiya to Arrah in another car.

Yes, I am from the 'tukde tukde gang, says Kanhaiya Kumar

Reports further alleged that Kanhaiya's convoy had hit a motorcycle which angered the villagers.

Presently, Kanhaiya Kumar is on his "Jan-Gan-Man Yatra" against the NRC and CAA. During this campaign, he is expected to reach almost all the major cities of Bihar and conduct meetings.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 14:11 [IST]
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The San Antonio Police Department is asking for the publics assistance in identifying a person of interest in connection with a Northeast Side shooting.

Police say the shooting happened Feb. 8 at around 2:50 p.m. in the area of Loop 410 and Nacogdoches Road.
Delhi riots: Agencies zero in on spread of toxic propaganda by NGOs from Pak, Malaysia, India

Here is why the Pulwama probe has hit a dead end

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: The probe into last year's Pulwama terror strike that left 40 CRPF personnel dead has virtually reached a dead end with five persons, who were either conspirators or executers of the ghastly attack, being eliminated by security forces in various encounters. However, the case threw unique challenges for the NIA, the anti-terror probe agency formed in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror strikes in 2008, as it there is no solid information about the perpetrators or the mastermind behind the attack.

"It was a blind case for us. There were lot of murmurs but everything needs to be established beyond doubt in the court of law," a senior official, who is part of the probe, said here.

The first challenge was to establish the owner of the car used by suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar. There was nothing available from the vehicle which carried a cocktail of explosives like Ammonium Nitrate, Nitro Glycerine and RDX, the official said.

Mohammad Umair, the Pulwama attack planner who trained in Afghanistan

But with the help of forensic methods and painstaking investigations, the serial number of the car that was blown into pieces beyond recognition was extracted and within no time the ownership of the vehicle was established -- from the first to the last owner.

However, the last owner of the car, Sajjad Bhat of Bijbehara in Anantnag district, had disappeared hours before the February 14 attack and joined Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit. He was subsequently killed in an encounter in June last year.

"While it was clear that the suicide attacker was Adil Ahmed Dar but the same had to be established with evidence. After picking up human remains from various spots, it was sent for DNA profiling.

"The suicide attacker was identified and confirmed by matching the DNA extracted from the meagre car fragments with that of the DNA of his father," the official, who requested anonymity, said.

The role of other conspirators which included Mudasir Ahmed Khan, Qari Mufti Yasser and Kamran came to light but all of them were killed in different encounters with security forces.

Khan was killed on March 10, Kamran on March 29, Sajjad Bhat on June 18 of last year while Qari yasser was shot in an encounter on January 25, this year.

Explained: A year since Pulwama and how the Balakot hit was planned

After JeM spokesperson Mohd Hassan in a video claimed that his group was responsible for the attack, it was sent for forensic examination and the Internet Protocol address was traced to a computer based in Pakistan.

The official said that during the investigation, the NIA stumbled upon another case of over ground workers of Jaish-e-Mohammed which was subsequently busted.

"Eight people have been listed in a charge sheet in this case so far," the official said.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 8:00 [IST]
From Where We Stand, at the Womens Project. Photo: Joan Marcus

Why do we gather in groups? More and more, we dont. People are islands  watching TV, telecommuting, getting food delivered in, sending data out. Theater, though, is always made by a group of people for a group of people. Every show grapples with the difference between collective attention and individual focus, and theater-makers are particularly good at working through questions of how and why we do get together.

In three shows opening in New York this week, the production used its audience as a kind of character in the piece itself. All three are about the purpose of convocation: In Where We Stand, the ticket-buyers are ushered into what looks like a community meeting and plied with coffee to get us thinking like caucus-goers; in Darling Grenadine, we gradually realize our function as silent participants at a twelve-step meeting. And in Fragments, Lists & Lacunae, we are cast as students: When the onstage professor calls the roll, she includes some of our names too. It turns out, yes, were present.

The verse monologue Where We Stand has the most point-of-the-spear relevance of the three, since writer-performer Donnetta Lavinia Grays has written her interactive show to tease out how groups make decisions. Grays  known for acting in downtown shows like O, Earth and Men on Boats  is at her most Homeric here: She speaks her rhythmic, internally rhyming text with a rhapsodes intensity, coming up frequently into the steep-banked auditorium to shake our hands. Grays (David Ryan Smith plays the part at some performances) speaks as an old, broken, nameless Man, who begins by pleading with the audience to show him mercy. Then the Man tells us the long, fable-inflected confession of what hes done  his Faustian deal with the Devil has reduced our town to ruins  and we vote either for his exile or loving reintegration.

Where We Stand is experienced as a charismatic feat; in some magical way it feels as though Grays is reciting the entire play directly to you, while never breaking eye-contact. This drugging, bewildering quality comes from the contact-high great performance can give you, rather than the urgency of the folktales argument itself. In fact, I never did figure out what the allegory was for. Is the Man some kind of stand-in for Exxon? Or the disenfranchised? Or the Tea Party? Grays leaves us confused so that only one thing will be clear: A crowd will believe whatever a good speaker tells it. Give us a little humor and that King James cadence, and well buy the store. I will say  transparency first  that I voted for forgiveness. An hour later, though, I started to think that Id raised my hand for the Old Deceiver. One bad choice lasts forever; you cant take back a vote.

The energy underneath Daniel Zaitchiks musical Darling Grenadine is much less dangerous; here the audience, seated in a circle in the miniature Roundabout Underground, is cast in an entirely supportive role. We meet Harry (Adam Kantor), who begins by introducing himself and saying he feels awkward about all sorts of hellos. His name, he says, is Harry (Hello, Harry) and hes  no, hes not quite ready to complete that sentence yet. What he is ready to show us is a flashback to a troubled love affair with Louise (Emily Walton), an understudy in a Broadway show, whos eager for jingle-writing Harry to compose his own musical. Many things block his creativity and passions, though, particularly the flask in his tweed jacket pocket.

The two-and-a-half-hour production (directed by Michael Berresse) has the strange quality of a much-too-long show cut down to one merely too long. This editing process seems to have destabilized the tricky balance between detail and substance. For example, Harry has a dog named Paul and a brother Paul (Jay Armstrong Johnson), which has the flavor of the grandfathered-in detail. At some point, that may have mattered to the story and fit organically into the whole, but now its just a quirky decoration  mentioned and forgotten and needlessly confusing. Yet while Zaitchiks book lacks rhythm and momentum, the conceit does boast its own gravity. Reframing the audience as members of a support group automatically changes the way we listen. We lean forward; we grant the sympathy such a show might otherwise have trouble eliciting.

Sympathy is comparatively cheap, though. How can a show make us really spend the coin of our intellect? Theres a reason they call it paying attention, and most of us are stingy customers. To this end, Fragments, Lists & Lacunae  starring the actual philosopher-theorist Judith Butler  takes its audience back to school. Its a short run, only three days, but the lecture-performance has given me a reading list thatll be with me for a few weeks. I tend to take a lot of notes at the theater, but here I was feeling the old, old panic of listening to my favorite college professor, one whose thoughts I couldnt keep up with, and whose every word I wanted to write down.

The first slide Butler shows to us is familiar  the black-and-white evolution image in which a primate progresses from walking on all fours to striding erect, shoulders flung back, as Modern Man. Is this a list? Butler asks her students, three of whom sit onstage. Is it a story?

Well, first of all, its a fiction. Butlers fame as a public intellectual and academic might make us believe that this lecture represents Butlers own scholarship. But no  Butler, legendary for her writing on gender-as-performance, is acting, performing as a professor as she does rather more regularly at Berkeley. (Her not-an-actor awkwardness is utterly compelling onstage, almost a special effect.) The text belongs to scholar-professor-playwright Alexandra Chasin, who has spliced together her own fearsomely clever lectures with a comparatively clumsy student drama. This latter element we only perceive in glimpses. Director Zishan Ugurlu lets us see, via camera projection, what the onstage students are writing: They start out by taking notes, but their notebook margins soon fill up with their own interpersonal angst.

The lecture weaves together insights about poetry (where lacunae and spaces denote breath), list making (so full of hierarchy and exclusion) and the paradoxical relationships between fragments and meaning. Why do we assign so much importance to missing speech, like the gaps in Nixons tapes, official redactions, and the lost sections of Sapphos poetry? Some of the connections seem specious  a student raises the question of dark matter, and a million scientists sigh  but for the most part, the lecture content feels like gasoline on a burning mind. Sure, the interpersonal interscenes arent particularly evocative, but the fix seems so simple. Delete them! Sometimes we need time as a group to just sit and be quiet and think for a minute. Its terribly rare these days, but its a necessary space.

Where We Stand is at the Womens Project through March 1.

Darling Grenadine is at the Roundabout Theatre Companys Steinberg Center through March 15.

Fragments, Lists & Lacunae is at New York Live Arts through February 15.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 14)  The Philippines on Friday lifted its travel ban on Taiwan -- a step welcomed by tourism officials as it minimizes the impact of the coronavirus scare on the tourist industry.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases decided to lift the travel restrictions effective immediately because of strict measures being undertaken by Taiwan to contain the spread of the new coronavirus or COVID-19.

The government this week included Taiwan in the travel ban ordered on Feb. 2 by President Rodrigo Duterte on China and its administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau to contain the spread of the virus.

DOH Spokesperson Eric Domingo on Monday announced Taiwan was being included in the travel ban as the World Health Organization considers it a part of China. The Philippines follows a One-China policy that recognizes Beijng and limits dealings with Taiwan to economic and cultural ties.

READ: Taiwan included in coronavirus travel ban  DOH

The lifting of Taiwan travel ban helps PH tourism

The ban drew criticisms including from Taipei, which said it was considering countermeasures if the Philippines did not lift the ban. Taiwan is a self-governed island that China considers as its province.

Taiwan is the countrys fifth largest tourist source market, boasting a double-digit increase of 35.01 percent for its 327, 273 arrivals from January to November in 2019, according to the Department of Tourism.

The lifting of the travel ban on Taiwan is highly assuring and we hope that the nCov crisis would soon be resolved, worldwide. Ultimately, the recovery of all affected countries is a universal prayer, especially that tourism is an inclusive and sustainable business for and of the people, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Puyat said in a statement Friday.

The government has put in place all preventive and precautionary measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, the statement added. It said guidelines in handling guests are being implemented in hotels and resorts around the country and facilities are equipped with infrared thermometers and more hand sanitizers.

DOT said the tourism sector has rallied behind it to soften the impact on inbound tourism by creating a program offering value-added tour packages, discounted accommodation rates, and marked-down prices for domestic flights.

Filipino workers also appealed earlier to Duterte to lift the ban, with those in the Philippines expressing fears they would lose the jobs waiting for them in Taiwan.

The remaining travel ban restricts the entry of foreign nationals coming directly from China, Hong Kong and Macau and those with travel history to those areas in the last 14 days. Filipinos and holders of permanent resident visas are allowed entry but have to undergo 14 days of mandatory quarantine. Flights to the areas by local airlines have also been canceled.
Rajendra K. Pachauri, a charismatic voice on the risks of global warming who led the United Nations climate science agency when it won the Nobel Peace Prize, but whose career ended amid accusations of sexual harassment, died on Thursday at his home in New Delhi. He was 79.

His death was announced by the Energy and Resources Institute in India, the influential policy organization he had headed for 34 years until being replaced in 2015 under the cloud of the harassment accusations, which also led to his departure from the U.N. agency. No cause of death was given, but he had recently undergone surgery for a prolonged cardiac ailment, according to India Today, a major news outlet.

The institutes chairman, Nitin Desai, said in a statement that Dr. Pachauris leadership of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change laid the ground for climate change conversations today.

Dr. Pachauri was chairman of the panel from 2002 to 2015. In 2007, the Norwegian Nobel Committee jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to the group and former Vice President Al Gore for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change.
Canada and Ukraine work very closely to investigate the crash of the Ukraine International Airlines plane in Iran.

We work very closely with our Ukrainian colleagues. Since the very first day, they have been partners within an international coordination and response group, and we value cooperating with them, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Francois-Philippe Champagne said in Munich, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He added that Ukraine, like Canada, wanted to get access to information on the black boxes of the downed plane.

"Black boxes belong to Ukrainians as they were part of the plane. I spoke with the head of the airline... We discussed the transfer of boxes to analyze them as soon as possible," the minister said.

The airline, Ukrainians and Canadians have questions, the world community demands transparency, Champagne stressed.

In an exclusive interview with NBC, Zarif also acknowledged that Iran is not able to extract information from the black box from the Ukrainian airliner that was shot down by Iranian forces on Jan. 8, but said that Tehran will not hand over the box to outside governments.

A Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on Wednesday, January 8. There were 176 people on board  nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK).

On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner.

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DANVERS, Mass.Peter Rockwell, whose famous fathers iconic images graced the covers of the Saturday Evening Post and who became a noted artist in his own right, has died. He was 83.

The third and youngest son of Norman Rockwell died Feb. 6 in Danvers, Mass., where he spent the last few weeks of his life enjoying visits by his family, according to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass. The cause of his death wasnt disclosed.

Peter Rockwell was a sculptor whose work is displayed around the world, including at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.; St. Pauls Church in Rome; his alma mater, Haverford College; and at numerous public parks, according to the museum.

A marvellous and imaginative sculptor ... Peter is known for his playful monsters, soaring acrobats, climbing sculptures, humorous terra cottas, bronze work and his deeply spiritual religious iconography, the museum said in a statement on its website.

Rockwell was born in 1936 in New Rochelle, N.Y. Three years later, the family moved to Vermont, where his father would paint scenes from everyday American life. While attending high school in Putney, he met his future wife, Cynthia Ide. The Rockwell family moved to Stockbridge in 1953.

After college, Rockwell and his wife moved to Rome. It was in Italy where he studied the techniques and materials used by Italian Renaissance sculptors. The couple also raised their four children in Rome.

Rockwell went on to write several books on stone carving.

The largest collection of his works is housed at the Norman Rockwell Museum and its grounds, and includes climbing acrobats and a massive stone carving named Grendel.

His family is planning a service in Rome in May.
The death toll from China's virus epidemic neared 1,400 on Friday, as the United States complained of a "lack of transparency" from Beijing

The death toll from China's virus epidemic neared 1,400 on Friday, as the United States complained of a "lack of transparency" from Beijing over its handling of a crisis that has fuelled global panic.

Nearly 64,000 people are now recorded as having been made ill by the virus in China, with the last two days showing a steep rise after a change in diagnostic methods.

The National Health Commission disclosed a statistical error, however, saying it removed 108 deaths in Hubei that had been double-counted, but the nationwide toll still rose to 1,380 on Friday.

The deepening crisis in China has caused fears of more global contagion, with Vietnam locking down villages after finding new cases and Japan becoming the third place outside the mainland on Thursday to report a death.

More than two-dozen countries have now reported hundreds of cases among them.

While the World Health Organization has praised China's handling of the epidemic -- in contrast to its cover-up of the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003 -- a top White House official on Thursday said Beijing should be more open.

"We are a little disappointed that we haven't been invited in and we're a little disappointed in the lack of transparency coming from the Chinese," Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, told reporters.

Kudlow said President Xi Jinping had assured President Donald Trump that Beijing would accept US help, but "they won't let us".

Kudlow's comments contrasted with Trump's apparent confidence in China, with the US leader telling a radio show that Xi is "extremely capable" and that the US was "working with them" and "sending a lot of people".

The extent of the epidemic seemed to deepen on Thursday after authorities in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the crisis, started counting patients who were "clinically diagnosed" via lung imaging, in addition to those who undergo lab tests.

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- 'No room for doubt' -

The revision added nearly 15,000 patients to Hubei's count in a single day, with officials explaining that past cases were included. The first cases emerged in December in Wuhan, Hubei's capital.

The WHO said the numbers included cases going back weeks.

The sharp one-day increase "does not represent a significant change in the trajectory of the outbreak," said Michael Ryan, head of WHO's health emergencies programme.

The move will ensure patients get treated as early as possible, instead of having to wait for laboratory tests, health officials said.

"There have been some backlogs in testing and this is also going to help in ensuring that people get adequate care," Ryan said.

On Friday, Hubei's health commission said another 116 people had died and more than 4,800 new cases were reported. Of those cases, more than 3,000 were "clinically diagnosed".

"It is better to clinically diagnose and admit patients... than leaving room for doubt," Tong Zhaohui, vice president of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, said Thursday in Hubei.

The National Health Commission reported five other deaths and 217 new cases elsewhere in China, as the number of new patients outside Hubei fell for a 10th straight day.

Authorities have placed some 56 million people in Hubei under quarantine since late last month, in an unprecedented effort to stop the new coronavirus from spreading.

Some cities in Hubei tightened restrictions this week, sealing off neighbourhoods in what they liken to "war-time" measures.

Under criticism at home over the handling of the crisis, China's Communist Party sacked two top-ranking officials in Hubei, and replaced them with senior cadres with security backgrounds.

- North Korea vulnerable -

Several countries have banned arrivals from China, while major airlines have halted flights to and from the country.

The US State Department said it was "deeply concerned" about the vulnerability of China's northern neighbour, North Korea, and offered to support aid work in the country.

In Vietnam, authorities announced Thursday they were locking down the commune of Son Loi, a farming region about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Hanoi, for 20 days.

Checkpoints were set up around the commune, according to AFP reporters in a district on the outskirts of Son Loi.

The biggest cluster of cases outside China is on a cruise ship quarantined off Japan's coast, where 218 infections have now been confirmed.

The outbreak has wreaked havoc with global events, with the World Mobile Congress in Spain cancelled and the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament and Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai postponed.
Spain won the support of the European Court of Human Rights over its rapid deportation of two African migrants from the enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta it occupies in Northern Morocco.

In a verdict that may anger rights groups, the court considered that there has been no violations of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The two migrants crossed the fenced wire surrounding Melilla in August 2014, along with a number of other migrants, but they were caught by Spanish police and immediately returned to Morocco.

EU law requires any migrant arriving  regardless of the circumstances to be transferred to mainland Spain where they can access lawyers, translators and medical personnel. Spain previously defended that their deportations were legal under an agreement signed with Morocco.

The European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) said that instead of condemning Spain for failing its human rights obligations, the court is ignoring evidence from all human rights institutions.
Police detained over 100 protesters after a scuffle with them during a demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Register of Citizens (NRC) at Washermanpet in Chennai on the evening of February 14.

The demonstrators, who had gathered in large numbers were raising slogans against CAA and NRC during the protest.

They then proceeded to push against the police barricades which was followed by the scuffle, the police also resorted to baton charge to disperse the demonstrators.

Following the detainment of demonstrators by the police, a protest was then held near Mount Road Dargah at Anna Salai, it was however, temporarily withdrawn.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The ongoing tension between the US and China, which has been affecting the global trade, will have its impact on the emerging markets and will not spare the mutual fund (MF) industry too, a SEBI official said on Saturday.

The amount of liquidity of the US economy is being sucked out as the Federal Reserve has been "withdrawing USD 660 billion per year", SEBI's whole-time member G. Mahalingam said.

"This will definitely have an impact on the emerging markets and will not spare the MF industry. The global scenario is not rosy," he said at a programme organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce here.

The official of the Securities and Exchange Board of India said that liquidity is an important benchmark.

"There could be credit or operational risk. More risk management guidelines will be forthcoming as the capital markets regulator will discuss on these issues," he said.

Mahalingam said prudent management is required for the sustainability of the mutual fund industry on a long-term basis.

"Sustainability is required. The MF industry is growing at 21-22 per cent and this growth rate will not be there forever. It will come down," he said.

Asking whether the MF instruments are competitive as compared to bank deposits, he said, "Safety of the investments is equally important and this feature has to be in-built."

The MF industry should leverage techonologies and reach out to retail investors beyond metro or tier-I cities.

Mahalingam ruled out the possibility of using mutual funds as payment instruments in India in near future as it is done in some other countries.

He said that there is "a credibility issue" in the MF industry which can be addressed through awareness drive.

N S Venkatesh, chief executive of the Association of Mutual Funds in India said that the growth of assets under management (AUM) in the industry is expected to be flat this fiscal.
(Newser)  Two months after a Barnard College freshman was stabbed to death in a New York City park, police say they've caught the killer. The 14-year-old, identified as Rashaun Weaver, will be tried as an adult on charges of second-degree murder and robbery in the death of 18-year-old Tessa Majors, reports the AP. Authorities previously arrested a 13-year-old as an accomplice but say Weaver is the one who wielded the knife on Dec. 11 in Manhattan's Morningside Park. "It paints a gruesome picture of what this young woman endured in her final moments," says Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. "As alleged, some of the last words she was known to have said were, 'Help me! I'm being robbed.'"

story continues below

The robbery unfolded in the early evening when three juveniles confronted Majors in the park, reports NBC News. One of the teens reportedly put Majors in a chokehold as others went through her pockets. Police say Majors bit one of her assailant's fingers and was stabbed multiple times in the torso during the struggle. The new criminal complaint says Weaver told police "'she was hanging onto her phone' and that he hit her with a knife," per CNN. Majors eventually broke free before staggering up a set of park stairs and collapsing. (Read more Tessa Majors stories.)
The CPI on Saturday sought adequate protection for party leader and former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar after his cavalcade was attacked in Bihar.

The left-wing party's general secretary D Raja took up the matter of providing security to Kanhaiya Kumar in a letter to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Kanhaiya Kumar's cavalcade was attacked in Arrah on Friday by a mob opposing his state-wide tour against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), seriously damaging the vehicle in which he was travelling and leaving several people injured.

"The purpose of my writing to you is to draw your attention and seek your intervention to stop the attacks on our comrade Kanhaiya Kumar, who is member of the National Executive of our party and former president of JNUSU," Raja said in a letter to the Bihar chief minister.

"You are aware of the situation in the country today. The BJP led government at the centre has plunged the whole country into a turmoil by passing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)," he wrote.

Raja said "it has become very clear by this time that CAA-NRC-NPR are to be understood as one entity". He said the CAA is discriminatory against one particular minority community and it is violative of the basic tenet on citizenship of the country's Constitution.

Kanhaiya Kumar has been leading a Jan-Gan-Man yatra in Bihar against the CAA-NRC-NPR which started on January 30 from Bapudham, Champaran and is likely to conclude on February 27 at Patna.

In the letter, Raja claimed there is "huge response" to this campaign. "However, some forces and miscreants who are opposed to this campaign are targeting Com. Kanhaiya Kumar and attacking his convoy. Yesterday's attack near Arrah was fatal; somehow our comrade has escaped.

"In this regard, I draw your attention to what Bombay High Court has said, that is, people who want to agitate in a peaceful way cannot be called traitors, anti-nationals only because they want to oppose one law," he said.

Raja requested Nitish Kumar to intervene and provide adequate protection to Kanhaiya Kumar and the Jan-Gan-Man yatra and also to take action against the culprits who attacked him and the yatra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

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Several months after the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke and the #MeToo movement got powerfully underway, Katie Roiphe, writing in the reliably liberal Harpers Magazine, wrote an essay on what she called The Other Whisper Network. It was the sort of piece that took great honesty to write and greater courage to publish.

The original whisper networks comprised women quietly warning other women about predatory and abusive men in their work and social environments. But as a succession of #MeToo stories unfurled in the media  some of which seemed far more ambiguous and less egregious than the early headline cases  Roiphe noticed something else: Women were afraid publicly to second-guess aspects of a movement they felt had lost a sense of fairness and proportion, largely out of fear of social medias Jacobin call-out culture.

Can you see why some of us are whispering? Roiphe asked about this new network. It is the sense of viciousness lying in wait, of violent hate just waiting to be unfurled, that leads people to keep their opinions to themselves, or to share them only with close friends.

In recent years, these whisper networks have only proliferated from one subject, one institution, one domain, to another. Is sex, biologically speaking, binary? A columnist for The Denver Post thought so and last month lost his job, he claims as a direct result. Should writers of one race or culture be able to create characters and inhabit cultures not their own? One such writer recently had her book tour canceled over safety concerns following criticism of her novel about the plight of Mexican immigrants.
Parasite has already won 150 awards and is the first non-English film to win the best picture at the Oscars 2020 on February 10.

The Korean community in Pune took to social media platforms to show their happiness and also talk about the medium of film which put South Korea on to the global map. Parasite directed by Bong Joon-Ho is a dark comedy about the class consciousness, which went on to win four Oscar awards. This film became the first non-English film to win the Oscars in 92 years and pushed the Korean art of filmmaking into limelight, besides Korean dramas and music.

Korean films, dramas and music are now taking over the globe, said Ye-eun Kang, a third year student of the English department of the Fergusson College. I was very proud of the fact that a Korean film won four academy awards in the more-or-less closed and West-oriented Oscars, opening the path for more diverse artistes to make a mark for themselves.

While Eunjoo Lim, who has adapted to Indias culture and diversity, said, When Korean companies like Samsung make excellent mobile phones or KIA receives booking for thousands of newly-launched cars, I, as a Korean feel very proud. The same happens for movies too. If a Korean film wins an international film award, it is very similar to celebrating my own achievement.

However, Parasite did not excite her because it caused her concern; the description of poverty in the film is extreme and even the general description of Korean life is cinematic. My concern is very similar to the concern of my Indian friends towards Slum Dog Millionaire which is a story based on Mumbai slums. I was born and grew up in Seoul, but I have never been to a poor neighbourhood in Korea like shown in the movie. However, I remember clearly that my close friend in the university, was intelligent, but didnt receive any support from her family. She would work to cover her educational expenses and was depressed after tutoring a daughter of rich family.

However, Woohyung Kim, owner of the restaurant K in Aundh, says, The film shows that the rich are not particularly evil and the lower class not particularly poor. I think thats the excellence of the movie.

Kim feels that the previous Academy Awards showcased bias towards academy members. They propagate their authority, with little or no opportunity for the East or Blacks. Now, the doors of opportunity opened little by little with the Blacks winning awards for the Best actor and Asian films winning the foreign language films, said Kim.

The fact that parasites occupied four categories, including major ones, shows the new attitude of the Academy members that they are now in a position to evaluate all the worlds movies with the same value of eyes, added Kim.
Strasbourg, 15 February 2020 (SPS)- The European Parliament decided Wednesday to take up the issue of two expansionist laws adopted by the Moroccan House of Councillors, on 4 February 2020, which claim to include the waters of Western Sahara into the kingdoms maritime space.



In the face of such a violation of the international legality, the European Parliament called on the European Commission to react quickly.



The European deputies, met in a plenary session of the European Parliament from 10 to 13 February 2020 in Strasbourg, decided to examine Moroccos expansionist steps after the adoption by the House of Councillors of Morocco, on 4 February 2020, of two legislative texts, proposed by the Moroccan Government in July 2017 on fixing the boundaries of the territorial waters (law 37-17) and the institution of an exclusive economic zone (law 38-17), including illegally Western Sahara.



Six European deputies from the group Renew Europe decided to call on the European Commission to intervene, via a written question published on Wednesday, to know the measures that the High Representative of the European Union and the European External Action Service (EEAS) plan to take in the face of the Moroccan unilateral decision to extend its exclusive economic zone.



They underlined that the fact that Morocco demands its sovereignty over waters of Western Sahara, that it occupies illegally, is a more flagrant violation of the international law. (SPS)



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Linkedin Benny Mawel (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura  Sat, February 15, 2020 11:10 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064af045 1 National helicopter-crash,helicopter-missing,Indonesian-Military,Papua,Indonesian-Army,found-dead Free

The Indonesian Military has found the bodies of 12 victims who had flown on board an Mi-17 Army helicopter that disappeared in June last year, shortly after taking off from an airport in the district of Oksibil in Pegunungan Bintang regency in Papua.

A recovery team from the Banteng Raider Infantry Battalion (Yonif Raider) of the Cendrawasih Military Command (Kodam) in Papua managed to reach the location at around noon on Friday and found the bodies among the wreckage.

Military Resort Command (Korem) 172/PVY commander Kol. Binsar Sianipar, who was the recovery team coordinator, said the team arrived at the location of the wreckage after hiking for about five hours from a base camp they built on Thursday.

We could identify nine bodies from their clothes and attributes, while the remaining three still require further identification, said Binsar in a media statement released by the Cendrawasih Kodam.

Binsar said that all 12 bodies would undergo an identification check from the medical team. Given the bad weather and difficult terrain, however, the team was not able to recover the bodies immediately.

We plan to start the recovery process tomorrow [Saturday]. The team will bring the bodies down to a point that can be reached by our helicopters, Binsar added.

The MI-17 helicopter owned by the Army went missing on June 28, 2019, at 11:49 a.m. It was carrying 12 people, including the crew, and went missing while flying to Okbibab from Oksibil to deliver supplies to soldiers stationed there.

Read also: Army helicopter goes missing in Papua

Binsar said the Cendrawasih Kodam commanders and soldiers expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the soldiers who died had died while carrying out a noble duty in Papua.

Cendrawasih Kodam commander Maj. Gen. Herman Asaribab said he applauded all parties who had assisted the process of finding the MI-17 helicopter and were set to recover the victims bodies.

Today, we should be grateful for the discovery of the 12 bodies of the MI-17 victims who were declared missing in June last year, Herman told journalists in Jayapura on Friday.

He also thanked Pegunungan Bintang regent Costan Oktemka and all local officials, as well as the regencys community and religious leaders, particularly those in Oksop district, for their help and cooperation prior to the discovery of the victims.

In particular, Herman expressed pride and respect for the soldiers who had worked tirelessly in planning, preparing and carrying out the search and rescue (SAR) mission in the difficult terrain.

Due to the extreme terrain, what the soldiers did was not easy. In fact, this task risked their safety. I am very proud of the dedication of the soldiers involved in this mission, he said.

Herman added that the recovery of the bodies would start on Saturday when two Bell 212 helicopters from the Armys Aviation Center (Penerbad) and PT Intan Angkasa would be deployed. (syk)
Turkish Armed Forces deploy more troops to Syria border

The military convoy including more commando units, military vehicles, vehicle jammers, and ambulances arrived in Reyhanli District of Hatay.

Turkey continue to send more troops and military vehicles near Syria border on February 14, 2020 to reinforce its military presence in Syrias northwestern Idlib province.

TURKEY IS IN THE REGION TO TAKE SECURITY MEASURES

Under tight security measures, the convoy, carrying the commandos, were dispatched to the countrys 12 observation posts inside Idlib.

On Tuesday, three people were killed after a regime helicopter was hit by the opposition while flying over the village of Al-Naiyrab, west of the town of Saraqib, in eastern Idlib, also near the Aleppo province.

Turkish Armed Forces deploy more troops to Syria border WATCH

Flouting a cease-fire, the Assad regime and its allies have continued intensified air and land attacks on civilian settlements in the Idlib de-escalation zone.

The regime managed to take control of wide swathes of Idlib and is poised to seize control of the strategic M5 highway, which connects the capital Damascus to Aleppo, Syria
Local secondary school students at Creagh College, Colaiste Bhride Carnew, Colaiste An Atha, Kilmuckridge and Gorey Community School missed a day of school last week due to a national Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) strike.

Early pickets began from 9 a.m. outside schools which included TUI members as well as their ASTI colleagues, united in solidarity.

In the run up to the strike, there had been concern expressed about interruptions to mock exams, but schools locally managed to reschedule.

Although Gorey Community School is not a traditional TUI school, Principal Michael Finn said that about 50% of staff are TUI members and so the Board of Management took the decision to close the school.

'Although it would have been impossible for the school to open with the disruption to classes as well as concerns for heath and safety, we thought if you did open, you couldn't create a situation where colleagues were passing the pickets. People have to work together going forward'.

Michael said that it is difficult to justify why different teachers are on different pay scales.

'I can certainly see what the TUI they are trying to do, the ASTI have gone down a similar route before. It is difficult to justify in a staff room in a school likes ours when you have two teachers teaching side by side on different pay scales'.

Principal of Creagh College Paul Glynn, who is TUI member himself, said the strike required a minor adjustment to mock exams.

'Our mock exams started but they didn't get into full swing until Thursday, so the main impact was the loss of a school day.

'The pay gap is an injustice. We have a lot of young teachers who are adversely affected, and the decision taken by the WWETB was about addressing that for them. I would be supportive of the campaign.

'It's increasingly difficult for us to recruit teachers, as young teachers are paid less. It is not the only factor but it is definitely one factor'.

The message of the strike nationally 'equal pay for equal work', and the action was about making clear to all political parties and general election candidates that its campaign would continue until pay discrimination was eliminated.

Spokespeople for Colaiste Bhride Carnew, Colaiste An Atha, Kilmuckridge said that although the strike was mandated, all teachers were on strike in solidarity with the campaign.

In a statement, the TUI said it had exhausted every avenue open to it to bring the issue of unequal pay to resolution, and that an overwhelming mandate came from members to engage in industrial action.

TUI President Seamus Lahart said that the union's campaign would continue 'until the two-tier pay system, unilaterally imposed in 2011, is finally abolished'.

A TUI spokesperson said last week that the union would consider further action, depending on what transpires after the election.
India and Portugal on Friday exchanged 14 agreements and understandings in a number of key areas as President Ram Nath Kovind hosted his Portuguese counterpart in New Delhi

New Delhi: India and Portugal on Friday exchanged 14 agreements and understandings in a number of key areas, including maritime, intellectual property rights, aerospace and scientific research, as President Ram Nath Kovind hosted his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in New Delhi.

Kovind received Sousa at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on his first state visit to India.

Kovind said Portugal-India relations are very special and the two countries enjoy 500 years of shared history.

"The two countries are closely tied together through Goa and Mumbai, through our culture, language and kinship," he said.

Kovind thanked Portugal for extending its support for the commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.

The president said the India-Portugal bilateral agenda has expanded several folds. The two countries are collaborating in science and technology, defence, education, innovation and start-up, water and environment among other things, he added.

Calling terrorism a grave threat to the entire world, Kovind said, "We should deepen our cooperation further to defeat and destroy this global menace."

He also said that climate change was a pressing global challenge today and India looked forward to Portugal joining the International Solar Alliance in the near future.

The two presidents welcomed the exchange of agreements and understandings between India and Portugal in the fields of maritime heritage, maritime transport and port development, migration and mobility, start-ups, intellectual property rights, aerospace, nano-biotechnology, audiovisual co-production, yoga, diplomatic training, scientific research and public policy.

Speaking on the occasion, Kovind said, "Our global partnership has added depth to our multilateral engagement and to our common desire to fashion a multi-polar world order."

"India looks forward to becoming an associate observer of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries so that we can amplify our developmental partnerships in Africa and elsewhere," he added.

Sousa meets Modi

Earlier in the day, Sousa held extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which seven pacts providing for cooperation in areas of investment, transport, ports, culture and industrial and intellectual property rights were signed.

Portugal is an important country for India in Southern Europe, and bilateral ties have witnessed a steady progress in the last 15 years.

In October 2005, Portugal extradited Abu Salem and Monica Bedi to face terror charges.

Modi visited Portugal in June 2017 during which 11 agreements were signed covering a large number of areas including space, avoidance of double taxation, nano-technology, biotechnology and higher education.

Sousa arrived here on Thursday night on a four-day visit. The last visit by a Portuguese President to India was in 2007. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation.

In the morning, the Portuguese president was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The pacts signed after Modi-Sousa talks included a joint declaration a bilateral mobility partnership and another on maritime transport.

Sousa to visit Goa on Saturday

Sousa will also travel to Maharashtra and Goa during his visit. Sousa will arrive in Goa on Saturday on a two-day visit during which an MoU on water management and sewerage will be signed, officials said here.

He is expected to arrive at 5 pm, an official had said, adding that as part of the memorandum of understanding, Portugal will provide technical assistance to the state's Public Works Department for operational efficiency of 'Goa water system'.

Goa Public Works Department Minister Deepak Pauskar told PTI that Portugal will provide consultancy for augmenting the water and sewerage system of the state, and the agreement will be signed between Portugal based 'Aguas de Portugal' and Goa Public Works Department.

Later during the evening, Sousa would inaugurate a seminar on urban designs organised by state-run Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited.

He will attend a dinner hosted by Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik on Saturday evening at Raj Bhavan, and on Sunday Sousa will visit Santa Monica Church and Museum of Christian Art at Old Goa.

He will be leaving Goa on Sunday, officials said.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met on February 14 with Indias Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.

The ministers praised the fact that the Armenian-Indian relations, which are based on traditional friendly and common values, received a new quality. From the perspective of maintaining the dynamics of the bilateral political dialogue, they specifically highlighted holding regular consultations between the foreign ministries, boosting the mutual visits and contacts, the activity of the Armenian-Indian inter-governmental commission, as well as the decentralized cooperation.

The Armenian and Indian FMs attached great importance to the promotion of multi-sectoral cooperation in particular via the complete utilization of the commercial potential and the deepening of ties in the fields of agriculture, pharmaceutics, light industry. In this context they highlighted the fields of innovation and high technologies as prospective directions where the two countries have deep traditions and major achievements.

The ministers also discussed a number of international and regional issues.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Not knowing results immediately isnt the worst thing in the world. Photo: Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Im

During the long, agonizing evening of February 3, if you were watching cable news, you saw two interrelated things happening. The first and most obvious was that a terrible meltdown had struck the flawed volunteer-based and technologically afflicted system that Iowa Democrats had for tabulating results, which did not come in at the expected mid-evening juncture  or at all that night. The second is that a lot of highly paid, puffed-up talking heads were enraged that they were denied the raw material for their punditry. No telling how many planned and even paid-for witticisms and future catchphrases went unuttered, or how many maps of Iowa counties were tossed into digital wastebaskets.

As the venerable political scientist Norman Ornstein observes, we should beware putting too much stock in the perceived needs of those who want instant gratification on election nights. Some reforms that improve democracy make results harder to calculate and slower to harvest. Ornstein cites ranked-choice voting as one of those we are likely to see more of in the immediate future:

It allows voters to give their first, second and subsequent choices, and allocates those second choices if no candidate gets over 50%, dropping off sequentially the lowest-performing candidates until a winner can be declared.

This gives a truer picture of voter preferences and takes away the ability of independent or third-party candidates to distort the outcomes, or enable a candidate to win an election with a vote that is much less than a majority.

But it takes time to tabulate ranked-choice votes, which is why when it was deployed in Maine in 2018 Democratic primaries the winners werent known for eight days. That was frustrating to a lot of people with a stake in the results, including journalists. But it arguably fulfilled the prime directive of the election in better reflecting the actual preferences of Maine Democrats.

Thats relevant, actually, to what happened in Iowa and might happen in Nevada on February 22. No one is going to defend the decisions and procedures that led to the Iowa meltdown. But part of the problem was that Iowa uses the caucusing equivalent to ranked-choice voting, with alignments of caucusgoers and then realignments of those backing nonviable candidates. Its tricky, takes time, and complicates reporting, particularly given the national partys new demand that two sets of raw votes be tabulated and reported in addition to the customary delegate counts. That wasnt much discussed on the airwaves on February 3 amid the denunciations of the incompetent Iowans with their dysfunctional reporting app and jammed phone lines. But perhaps the biggest mistake Iowa Democrats made was by not clearly explaining in advance what might delay results and then going dark as the pundits gibbered and stormed. Nevada Democrats should take note of the value of transparency.

As Ornstein also notes, there is a far more common democracy-enhancing reform that slows down election results  voting by mail:

States have different ways to count those mail ballots, but because the envelopes have to be opened manually, one by one, and then tallied, they can take a lot of time  weeks in the case of California.

And frequently, the mail ballots have voter preferences different from those of voters who go to the polls on Election Day, making the initial counts made on election eve misleading. In California, Democrats tend to vote more by mail, and several contests that had initial Republican leads were changed when the mail ballots were counted, leading many Republicans to cry foul.

That was particularly true after California changed its laws to allow mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but received by the following Friday to be considered valid. And why not? Why does the act of filling out a ballot at a polling place on election day possess more civic virtue than filling it out at home or work and placing it in the mail or dropping it off the very same day?

Yet when late mail ballots slowed down and then (as Ornstein said, predictably) reversed the results of key California congressional races in 2018, Republicans (notably House Speaker Paul Ryan and his successor as House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy) erupted with 100 percent unsubstantiated cries of voter fraud. Their candidates were ahead on Election Night! Then they lost! Those godless socialistic Democrats must have cooked the books, right?

Wrong. Partial results are just partial results, and theres nothing magic about those cast or tabulated or reported on Election Night. Perhaps part of the problem is that the older set of political observers grew up on lurid tales of candidates being counted out by crooked election officials who waited until the wee hours to see how many votes they needed for victory and then fabricated them one way or another. That likely still happens in isolated circumstances (along with the very new threat of hacking), and in others, incompetence or inadequate investment in election technology is to blame. But we really do need to get over the idea that instant results are some sort of testament to the integrity of elections and a media birthright. Sometimes democracy takes time.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Photo: VNA)

The statement expressed the concern of ASEAN leaders about the complicated development of the epidemic, which seriously impacts peoples life and the development of ASEAN countries as well as the region and the world as a whole.

Stressing the ASEANs solidarity and spirit of a cohesive and responsive community, ASEAN leaders affirmed their strong commitment to joining hands to control and curb the spread of the epidemic, ensuring a safe life for their people. The statement welcomed the efforts in the framework of ASEAN medical cooperation and cooperation with partners (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), and underlined that ASEAN will enhance coordination at both national and regional levels, coordinate joint work among relevant sectors for a synchronized and effective approach of the ASEAN Community as well as for stronger cooperation with the World Health Organisation, partners and international organisations in preventing and controlling the epidemic. The statement also affirmed solidarity and strong support of ASEAN for the tremendous efforts of the Government and people of China as well as the international community in responding to the epidemic. ASEAN countries will maintain the open-door policy and agree to coordinate in quarantine work at border gates of member countries, the statement said, requiring diplomatic representative agencies of ASEAN countries in a third country to provide consular support for ASEAN citizens when necessary, and cooperate to fight fake information on the COVID-19 epidemic. ASEAN leaders pledged to give a high priority to fighting the epidemic and called for joint efforts of the international community.

As part of the ASEANs joint response to the COVID-19, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, as Chairman of the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC), has proposed organizing an extraordinary meeting of the ACC and coordinating with China to hold a special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers Meeting on the occasion of the upcoming 5th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers Meeting in Vientiane to discuss cooperation in fighting COVID-19.
Bangkok, Feb 15 : Thousands of Buddhist monks across Thailand on Saturday led prayer vigils to honour the 29 people who were killed in a mass shooting incident in a mall last week, deemed as the nation's deadliest.

Public prayer ceremonies were held on Saturday, exactly a week after Sgt. Jakrapanth Thomma killed 29 people, most at the Terminal 21 shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, before he was shot dead by police the following day, the BBC reported.

Floral tributes were laid outside the Terminal 21 shopping centre, which reopened to the public on Thursday.

According to authorities, Jakrapanth began his attack on the afternoon of February 8 when he shot his military superior and then his mother-in-law, Efe news reported.

He drove to the military base where he was stationed in Nakhon Ratchasima, some 259 km northeast of Bangkok, where he stole several automatic weapons.

He then assailant proceeded to open fire in the city's streets and later fired indiscriminately on shoppers at the mall.

Jakrapanth was shot dead by the police on Sunday morning, some 18 hours after he launched his deadly rampage.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said a dispute over a property deal appeared to be the motive for the attack, the BBC reported.

He described the shooting, in which 57 people were also injured, as "unprecedented" for Thailand.
Though many royal fans dont agree with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussexs decision to break free of the British royal family  the royal couple has decided to do whats best for their mental health and the well-being of their son, Archie Harrison.

Still, Megxit wasnt simply about living a quieter and more peaceful life, it has also opened the door for the Sussexes to take on roles that they may not have been able to grasp previously. Though they arent about to star on reality shows or begin endorsing fat-burning teas, the sky is the limit (within reason) for this new era of the duke and duchess life.

We could easily compare them to any former presidents, Royal commentator and author Kristen Meinzer explained to Business Insider. My mind keeps going to Barack and Michelle Obama and how [they] make money. The reason I compare the two is that theyre already friends with each other and I would put them on the same level in terms of fame.

In fact, following a speech at JP Morgan which reportedly garnered him a $1 million paycheck, Prince Harry allegedly has a new role at Goldman Sachs.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may head to Hollywood

With rumors swirling that the duke and duchess are heading to Los Angeles for the summer to take meetings and scope out the scene, we think the duos next monetary adventure could be in Hollywood.

Meghan is actively looking for representation. She has begun outreach, a source tells Us Weekly. It can be a manager or an agent, but shes reaching out to people to find someone to represent her for future professional projects. [Meghan] has no plans to do another show like Suits, but Harrys been encouraging her to do more voice-over work, writing, producing and directing in her free time.

However, the pair wont be taking on just any project that they are offered. Earlier this month, they turned down the opportunity to present at the 92nd Academy Awards. An alleged insider told Express, They were honoured by the request, but declined the invitation.

Prince Harry might have a new role at Goldman Sachs

In addition to his talk at the JP Morgan event, Prince Harry is now reportedly in talks with multinational investment bank Goldman Sachs. According to Page Six, the duke is considering a potential partnership and future guest-speaking gig for the companys Talks at GS series.

Other celebrities who have previously participated are Gwyneth Paltrow, Karlie Kloss, and Hillary Clinton.

However, Harpers Bazaar is stating that this has been in the works well-before Megxit. They are reporting that any work that the prince does with Goldman Sachs will be in conjunction with one of his many of his official patronages.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry dont want to be seen as tacky

Though they are no longer working members of the British royal family, the Sussexes have stated that they are determined to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. However they choose to make money moving forward will have to be done with the utmost consideration and care.
Thousands of citizens gathered at Azad Maidan on Saturday afternoon to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

The organisers of Maha Morcha, including former Bombay high court judge justice BG Kolse Patil, also submitted a memorandum under the banner of Alliance Against CAA-NRC-NPR to the Governor.

The memorandum, a copy of which HT has, read, Abolish CAA because it is arbitrary and discriminatory, therefore unconstitutionalAssure that NRC will never be implemented because it will bring enormous hardships to poor and downtrodden masses of the country.

Organisers claimed that this was the largest anti-CAA gathering in the city till now.

Among those who gathered at Azad Maidan were people who had come all the way from Mumbra. There are a lot of events taking place, but because they are in the suburbs they arent catching the attention of authorities, which is why a big event such as this was planned at Azad Maidan, said Hasib Bhatkar, president, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Mumbai.

Sarah Sheikh, a businesswoman, expressed concerns if people from all sections of the society will be able to produce citizenship documents.

We were having a casual conversation in our car the other day about CAA and NRC, when my driver told us that we could somehow manage our documents because we have lived here and our parents are around, but poor people like him would be left to suffer, said Sheikh.

Among those who addressed the audience were representatives of the Buddhist, Christian and Sikh communities. Father Frazer Mascarenhas, parish priest of St Peters Church at Bandra and former principal of St Xaviers College, expressed concern over the attacks on students in Delhi and in rest of the country.

Meanwhile, some students, activists and artists have been organising anti-CAA events over the weekend across the country under the banner India My Valentine, during which poetry, songs, stand-ups and plays are being performed.
She made a name for herself as the politically savvy Olivia Pope on Scandal.

And Kerry Washington looked like she might be stepping back into a world of controversy while shooting her new Netflix film The Prom in LA on Friday.

All eyes were on the two-time Golden Globe nominee, 43, as she appeared to give a press conference while cameras rolled.

Holding court: Kerry Washington looked like she was in charge as she shot Netflix's The Prom on Friday

Kerry looked preppy as she took the mic wearing a ballerina pink sweater with a silk scarf tied around her neck.

Seeming to signal her character was the devout sort, she wore a delicate cross necklace around her neck.

Kerry's The Prom cast is a star-studded group, also including Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Awkwafina, James Corden, Keegan-Michael Key and Andrew Rannells.

Washington is currently filming the mini-series Little Fires Everywhere.

In character: Kerry looked preppy as she took the mic wearing a ballerina pink sweater with a silk scarf tied around her neck

Conservative: Seeming to signal her character was the devout sort, she wore a delicate cross necklace around her neck

Kerry at The Prom: Kerry joined the Ryan Murphy directed project last October. She's seen October 2019 above

Cast: The Prom follows Broadway stars DeeDee Allen (Streep) and Barry Glickman (Corden), whose careers are sagging after their failed musical about Eleanor Roosevelt

The Prom follows Broadway stars DeeDee Allen (Streep) and Barry Glickman (Corden), whose careers are sagging after their failed musical about Eleanor Roosevelt.

Allen and Glickman, along with Broadway stars Angie Dickinson (Kidman) and Trent Oliver (Rannells), decide to find a cause to revive their careers.

The cause they decide to champion is Emma, an Indiana high school senior who is told that she's not allowed to take her girlfriend to the prom.

No details were given for what character Washington may play, but it's possible that she could be playing a gender-swapped character.

Big cast: Deadline reports that the 42 year old actress has joined a cast that also includes Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Awkwafina, James Corden, Keegan-Michael Key and Andrew Rannells

Awkwafina has been confirmed to play a character known as Ms. Sheldon in the film, a character named Sheldon Saperstein in the Broadway play, played by Josh Lamon.

Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, who wrote the play, are writing the screenplay adaptation, with Murphy directing and producing alongside Alexis Woodall, Bill Damaschke and Dori Berinstein.

Washington is coming off her seven-season run on Scandal, which wrapped up in the spring of 2018.

She also played Helen in Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons.

No details: No details were given for what character Washington may play, but it's possible that she could be playing a gender-swapped character

Last month, the actress debuted her new film American Son at the Toronto International Film Festival, which debuts on Netflix November 1.

Washington is playing Mia Warren in the upcoming mini-series Little Fires Everywhere, which will debut on Hulu in 2020.

She is also attached to star in the upcoming comedy 24-7, which will be the feature directorial debut of Eva Longoria, who also stars alongside Washington.

The actress also serves as a producer on 24-7, Little Fires Everywhere and American Son.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 14:20:48|Editor: zyl

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RAMALLAH, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Friday that any future peace talks in the Mideast region must be based on United Nations (UN) resolutions.

Any future peace talks must be sponsored by international teamwork, official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Shtayyeh as saying.

His remarks were made at a meeting with 21 Republican and Democrat members in the U.S. Congress, which was held on the sidelines of a security conference he was attending in Munich, Germany, according to WAFA.

Shtayyeh said that the U.S. plan for peace in the Mideast, better known as the Deal of the Century, "doesn't meet the minimum legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," according to the news agency.

"Launching any future peace process in the region shouldn't go through the American Administration only, but through an international teamwork," he said.

The Palestinian prime minister warned of the dangers of the decisions made by the United States against the Palestinian cause and related issues, mainly the problem of refugees.

Shtayyeh also warned of Israel's plans to annex the Jordan Valley and parts of the West Bank. "Such an act would undermine any opportunity for establishing a geographically connected Palestinian state," he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday discussed with US counterpart Donald Trump ways to end the crisis in Idlib, Syria's last major rebel bastion, and condemned Damascus' attacks there, the Turkish presidency said.

"Stressing that the regime's most recent attacks are unacceptable, the president and Trump exchanged views on ways to end the crisis in Idlib without further delay," the presidency said in a statement after the two leaders spoke on the phone.

The situation in Syria has become more tense as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad intensifies his assault on Idlib backed by Moscow air power.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed while 800,000 Syrians have been forced to leave their homes to flee the offensive since December, according to the United Nations.

Turkey has 12 observation posts in Idlib as part of the 2018 Ankara-Moscow agreement made in southern city of Sochi.

Erdogan threatened to attack Damascus if regime forces did not go back behind the borders of the Sochi deal by the end of February after 14 Turks were killed by Syrian regime shelling in Idlib this month.

Relations between Turkey and the United States have been strained over multiple issues including Syria but it appears the Americans are trying to capitalise on the tensions over Idlib between Ankara and Moscow.

US special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey came to Ankara earlier this week, and voiced Washington's support for Ankara's "legitimate" interests in Syria and in Idlib.

But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier on Saturday insisted that Turkey-Russia relations "shouldn't" be affected by differences of opinion over Syria.

"The situation in Idlib will not affect the S-400 agreement," Cavusoglu said, referring to Ankara's purchase of the Russian air defence system criticised by Washington.

The US has threatened to hit Turkey with sanctions over the S-400 deal.

The Turkish presidency also said Erdogan and Trump discussed the situation in war-torn Libya and "underlined the importance of restoring peace and stability."



And the leaders agreed to restart negotiations to increase bilateral trade to USD 100 billion per year, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Oregon regulators response to the illegal disposal of radioactive fracking waste at a chemical landfill in Arlington is so weak its almost meaningless, observers say.

Regulators say Oilfield Waste Logistics of Culbertson, Mont., misrepresented that 2 million pounds of radioactive waste met state guidelines and could be buried at the landfill. But it looks unlikely that the Montana company will face any consequences.

A cursory read of the documentation submitted with the toxic waste revealed that the material could not be disposed of in Oregon, say officials from the nuclear safety division at the Oregon Department of Energy. But the landfill operator, Chemical Waste Management, apparently didnt bother examining them in detail, they said.

We dont think they did the due diligence to make sure this could be disposed of here, said Ken Niles, assistant director for nuclear safety at the agency.

So far, Chemical Waste Management isnt facing any serious penalties either.

Nearly 2 million pounds of radioactive Bakken oil field waste  highly contaminated filters, tank sludge and slurry from drilling pipes  were transported to Oregon on unmarked railcars in 2016, 2017 and 2019, and buried in Arlington. In effect, a site that was never supposed to accept concentrated radioactive waste could now be such a dump forever.

It boggles the mind that someone can use Oregon as a radioactive dump for years and face no penalty, said Dan Serres, conservation director at Columbia Riverkeeper. Its a gargantuan scandal. (Former governor) Tom McCall must be turning over in his grave.

This is the first time anyone had been caught illegally disposing of radioactive waste in Oregon, and the first time the Department of Energy has tested its related regulatory authority. But the disposal of such fracking waste has become a major controversy around the country because of the health and safety impacts on oilfield workers, those who haul the material to landfills, landfill workers, and to the watersheds and communities surrounding those sites.

The naturally occurring radioactive materials are brought to the surface during oil and gas drilling, and become concentrated in filters and drilling waste. Some of the hottest material buried in Arlington is giving off 350 times more radiation than state limits allow.

Oregon officials only became aware of the violation when a tip came in from a caller in North Dakota.

Jackie Lang, a spokeswoman for Chemical Waste Management, said the company was committed to full compliance with Oregons uniquely complex regulations.

We are cooperating in full with the department and committed to improving our processes to ensure consistency with regulations, she said. When we became aware of the issue, we immediately began our own investigation and stopped accepting the waste.

So is the Oregon Department of Energy bringing down the hammer?

Not so much.

The agencys nuclear safety division issued a notice of violation to Chemical Waste Management, a subsidiary of the landfill and hauling giant Waste Management, Inc. But regulators kept the violation at the lowest level, and dont plan to fine the company.

There are criteria that would raise the violation to a Level II offense, and potentially involve a fine of up to $500 a day, Niles said, including if the violation is repeated.

The waste disposal took place over a period of three years, so was clearly repeated. But the agencys lawyer at the Department of Justice interpreted the rules to mean it would only be a Level II violation if Chemical Waste had previously been notified of a violation and repeated it.

What that means is that you can have 20 violations, but theyre not considered repeat unless you were informed, said Craig Johnston, an environmental law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School. Its not just one free bite. You get as many free bites as you want until we catch you.

Johnston said thats inconsistent with federal law. When he worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the 1980s, he said companies were routinely fined hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars for lesser violations of federal law.

Oregons other criteria for a Level II violation include whether it resulted from the same underlying cause as a prior violation; whether it was willful; or resulted in a significant adverse impact to health and safety.

Chemical Waste has been repeatedly fined by the Department of Environmental Quality for violations in Arlington. But Niles said those violations, and their underlying causes, wouldnt apply in this instance, as the Department of Energys only responsibility with respect to the landfill is nuclear safety.

Likewise, he said the department, hadnt investigated much beyond the paperwork to determine if the violation was willful. He could not say what Chemical Waste Management was paid for disposal of the materials, for instance, and said the state had never examined any emails between the companies.

Serres, with Columbia Riverkeeper, says thats a glaring problem. Whats needed is for the state to independently investigate this in depth, to go to another level.

Finally, Jeff Burright, a state nuclear waste remediation specialist, said an initial determination was made that there was no significant adverse impact on the health and safety of workers at the landfill, the public or the environment.

The notice of violation requires Chemical Waste Management to come up with a remediation plan in 30 days. That could include exhuming the material and disposing it out of state. But Burright said that would come with its own risk of exposing workers and the environment to radiation exposure.

There would probably have to be some relative risk consideration when you consider digging back into the hazardous waste, he said.

As it stands the radioactive waste is buried under 10 feet of other material. Burright said the landfill has a triple layer system to collect the concentrated material that leaches to the bottom, and it will eventually be capped to prevent precipitation filtering through the waste.

So Oregon may be stuck with it.

Lang, the Chemical Waste spokeswoman, said Oilfield Waste Logistics didnt accurately describe the waste shipped to Oregon. She added that Chemical Waste has improved its procedures, and now sends waste samples to an independent technical expert for analysis prior to accepting it.

We reject waste that doesnt meet Oregon regulations, she said. Beyond this, were committed to working with the department on a corrective action plan.

The Department of Energy regulators also think its unlikely they will pursue any legal remedy against Oilfield Waste Logistics. The department hasnt heard from the company since it called in September to determine why its waste disposal site had been cut off.

The company did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Were still trying to examine what authority we have over OWL, Niles said. Frankly, its not looking very promising because of the limitations within our statutes and rules. We are looking into it, but were not yet finding an avenue to go after them.

Johnston, the Lewis and Clark professor, said hes most offended that no one is being punished here at all.

They havent gone after Oilfield Waste Logistics and they believe their hands are tied with respect to Chemical Waste Management, he said. The message is, Dont do it again.

Thats a joke, he said. Theres a problem in the system somewhere. This is not even a slap on the wrist.

Niles said the agency has identified weaknesses in statutes and rules. Well have to see if theres interest in strengthening those in the Legislature.

- Ted Sickinger; 503-221-8505; @tedsickinger

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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met on February 14 with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress.

The Foreign Minister said Armenia attaches great importance to the strengthening and expansion of the current productive partnership with the OSCE executive bodies through the promotion of new targeted programs and initiatives. In this context the officials discussed the cooperation within the OSCE partnership program with Armenia and the ways to make it more effective.

The Armenian FM and the OSCE Secretary General also discussed the peaceful settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the recent meetings held on the matter.

Minister Mnatsakanyan highlighted the importance of direct engagement of the Artsakh authorities to the peace process, especially on matters relating to the security and status of Artsakh.

Both officials emphasized the importance of actions aimed at strengthening the environment for peace and preparing populations to peace, as well as the role of the OSCE in this framework.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Bengaluru, Feb 15 : Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to India on February 24, American Airlines on Saturday announced that it would operate a daily service from Bengaluru to Seattle on the west coast from October.

"As the non-stop flight will be the first between Bengaluru and any US city, the airline will operate a 285-seater Boeing 787-9 jet on the long-haul route," said the Bengaluru international airport operator in a statement here.

The new route will give passengers easier and faster access to San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Denver, Arizona, Dallas, Chicago, West Coast and East states on a one-stop flight as compared to multiple stopovers, currently.

"The service will also meet corporate customers' demand for travel to Seattle and adjoining areas across the US west coast," said Bangalore International Airport Ltd Chief Executive Hari Marar in the statement.

American Airlines is expanding its codeshare arrangement to include Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, one of the biggest operators of flights along the west coast, where corporates in cities like San Diego have operations in Bengaluru.

"We will soon have direct flight to Tokyo in Japan and Munich in Germany, taking our service to 28 overseas cities," Marar added.

The Airlines will be resuming service to India 8 years after withdrawing its flight to 2012.

As the third busiest airport after Mumbai and New Delhi, the Kempegowda terminal served 34-million (3.4 crore) flyers in 2019, including 41-lakh international passengers.

"We are investing Rs 13,000 crore to expand the facilities with a parallel runaway and second terminal," said Marar earlier.

Domestic traffic continues to dominate the traffic with 2.9 crore passengers using the airport in 2019.
The European Commission has published its first action plan for habitat restoration and conservation of biodiversity in the EU.

The plan has originated from the Commission's Action Plan for nature, people and the economy which outlines a series of commitments on the preservation and restoration to two key types of habitat; dry heaths and dry calcareous grasslands. Both habitat types are considered among the most under threat in the EU.

They are among the most species-rich plant communities in Europe and are key habitats for many protected species (plants, birds, insects and other invertebrates, reptiles and mammals). Therefore, their preservation is essential to maintaining a biodiverse ecosystem within the EU.

To see the plan and many of the actions, which include the development of national and regional agri-environment schemes to maintain the habitat in good condition and incentivise participation, visit www.ec.europa.eu.

With regard to Ireland's habitats, there are many important species of flora and fauna that rely on the habitats that support them being in healthy condition, with favourable conservation status.

A list of Ireland's species that are either protected or threatened has been published by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The checklist provides a list of the plant and animal species that are afforded legal protection in Ireland, through the EU Nature Directives (Birds and Habitat Directives), and the Wildlife Acts and associated Statutory Instruments (e.g. the Flora (Protection) Order).

The species covered in this checklist include; plants, vertebrates, insects and invertebrates. Each checklist also includes species that have been assessed as at risk of extinction on the island of Ireland. The checklist also provides a listing of the plant and animal species that are Red Listed and therefore assessed as in danger of extinction, and/or assessed as Near Threatened and likely to qualify for a threat category in the future. In total, 1,050 species are included. For further information visit www.npws.ie.

Built heritage

On the subject of natural heritage, this is often interspersed with built heritage, particularly in the case of traditional buildings and structures (i.e. gates, yards, etc.) on farms around the country. Each year, the Heritage Council, in partnership with the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, operates the GLAS Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme. The 2020 Scheme is open for applications until Tuesday, 18th February, 2020 and is for any GLAS participants who wish to carry out works for the conservation of traditional farm buildings and related structures. For further information visit http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/projects/traditional-farm-buildings-grant-scheme.

Upcoming events

In terms of upcoming events, there is much happening over the next few weeks.

From a Commemorations perspective, the 99th Anniversary of the Clonmult Ambush will take place on Sunday 23rd February 2020 and if the last few years are anything to go by, it is expected that people will turn out in their hundreds on the day.

On 20th February 1921, during an action in Clonmult, seven miles northeast of Midleton, the IRA suffered its greatest loss of volunteers during the War of Independence.

Almost the entire East Cork flying column was wiped out in a single defensive action. Twelve men were shot dead and eight men were taken prisoner, with two of the prisoners subsequently executed. The commemoration is being organised by the Clonmult Ambush Commemoration Committee and Guest Speak Dr. Gabriel Doherty will give the oration on the day. The event commences with mass at 11:00 a.m. in St. Lawrence's Church, Clomult, with the commemoration on site beginning at 12:45. All most welcome and for more information email clonmult1921@gmail.com.

A few days earlier, on Monday 17th February, there will be a talk in Twomey's Lounge, Castletownbere, commencing at 20:30, looking at Forgotten Stories of the Revolution - Beara Causalities 1916-1923. Organised by the Beara Historical Society, Historian Fachtna O'Donovan will give the talk which will focus on over 20 people, including two women and a thirteen year old boy, who lost their lives in the Beara peninsula during the revolutionary years 1916-1923.

After a lapse of 100 years their stories can now be told. It promises to be a most interesting talk and all most welcome.

The coming week also sees the continuation of the Blackwater Fit-Up Theatre Festival with a number of performances planned for a number of locations in North Cork including Mitchelstown, Fermoy and Bartlemy. For the full line-up visit the events section of Cork County Council's heritage page - www.corkcoco.ie/arts-heritage.
US President Donald Trump delivered his third State of the Union address Tuesday, 5 February, less than 24 hours before his acquittal by the Senate in his impeachment trial. The American president delivered his speech before a highly-divided House of Representatives due to the impeachment initiated by House Democrats. The political scene in Washington has never been as polarised, and the fact that the year 2020 is a presidential election year, where the incumbent will seek re-election, has not made things smoother or more cordial.

The confrontation between the president and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi came to a head before not only millions of Americans watching the annual address, but also the whole world. The president, before delivering his remarks, handed a copy of his address to both Vice President Mike Pence, in his capacity as Senate Speaker, and to Pelosi, who extended her arm to shake hands with president Trump, though the latter turned away and started delivering his address.

During the time the president took to finish his 90-minute address, it was obvious that Pelosi was not at all convinced by what the president was saying, even though he avoided touching on the impeachment process. After finishing his speech, Pelosi tore her copy of the address. For the millions following, inside the US and around the world, this was an unprecedented scene that demonstrated the depth of the political gridlock in Washington DC. Another aspect of this ongoing crisis was the fact that Democratic Representatives kept very silent while on the Republican side they were not shy to demonstrate that they stand by the president in face of fierce battering by Democrats.

Pelosi explained her uncustomary gesture afterwards by saying that she shredded her copy of the State of the Union address because President Trump shredded the truth in his speech.

The near consensus in the United States is that neither the president and the Republicans nor Pelosi and the Democrats are willing to turn the page of the impeachment episode and start working together for the public interest. Many US Congressmen recalled more serene times in similar circumstances 21 years ago when an impeached president, Bill Clinton, read his State of the Union address in 1999 in more civil atmosphere.

This year, the State of the Union address sounded like a campaign speech to rally the hard-core base of President Trump, and to try to persuade independents and the undecided of the accomplishments of the first three years of the Trump administration. As Brookings Institution Fellow John Hudak said in analysing the speech, it was powerful and effective in advancing his [Trumps] political interests. Without fact-checking the content of the address, the accomplishments that President Trump highlighted, particularly in relation to the economy and international trade relations of the United States, are impressive.

As if by coincidence, the Labour Department announced that the American economy created more than 200,000 jobs in January 2020  more than expected. The unemployment rate hovers around 3.5 per cent, the lowest level in 50 years. In his address, Trump stressed that during his three years in office his administration has created seven million jobs. He added that 12,000 factories have opened in these three years after the loss of 60,000 factories under the two previous administrations.

To broaden the political impact of the address, he emphasised that the unemployment rate for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and Asian-Americans has reached an all-time low. Meanwhile, stock markets have soared, adding more than $12 trillion to American national wealth.

Trump was careful to drive home a special message to the American electorate; namely, that the agenda of his administration has been relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth and, most of all, pro-American. His message was of an incumbent who is trying to reach voters other than his base, regardless of gender, ethnic background or colour. This message was delivered in parallel to an attack on those who uphold socialist ideas, referring, implicitly, to the left wing in the Democratic Party and presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders who is leading the presidential race among the other 10 Democratic candidates for the partys official nomination this summer in Milwaukee.

In the field of national security and foreign policy, President Trump adopted a triumphant tone. He boasted that, our military is completely built, with its power being unmatched anywhere in the world not even close. He pointed out that the United States invested a record $2.2 trillion in the US military in the last three years.

In the realm of foreign policy, he referred to the peace plan announced 28 January at the White House to bring peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. He called this plan a ground breaking plan for peace He added that we should recognise that all previous plans have failed, and accordingly, we must be determined and creative in order to stabilise the region and give millions of young people the chance to realise a better future. It is interesting to note in passing that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement 4 February in which he said that the United States has maintained unprecedented support for our ally Israel.

It has not been customary to invite foreign leaders to attend the annual State of the Union address. However, the Trump administration, in a further show of support, invited Juan Guaido, the interim president of Venezuela, to attend. President Trump reaffirmed his administrations resolve to support the hopes of Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to restore democracy in their respective lands.

President Trump also reaffirmed his desire to end US involvement in Middle Eastern wars, while singling out Iran, laying down three conditions for the Iranian government in order to end the maximum pressure strategy his administration has adopted since it withdrew in May 2018 from the Iranian nuclear accord of 2015. These conditions relate to Irans nuclear programme, adding that its regional destabilisation activities must stop along with spreading terror, death and destruction. He spoke about the US assassination of former Al-Quds Force commander General Qassem Suleimani, painting him as the Iranian regimes most ruthless butcher, a monster who murdered or wounded thousands of American service members in Iraq.

On Afghanistan, the US president made clear that the United States would withdraw from Americas longest war, but without setting a precise date. He said that it is not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency.

On the other hand, the US president left no doubt that the United States would continue combating what he termed radical Islamic terrorism, while taking credit for the targeted killing of former leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr Al-Bagdhadi.

As far as the Middle East is concerned, President Trump reaffirmed in his State of the Union address the positions of his administration. But these positions have not provided permanent political and diplomatic solutions to the conflicts raging across the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf.

SOTU 2020 will be remembered not for its realistic assessment of the state of America today, but rather as an introduction to Trumps re-election campaign in an America in turmoil.

These are abnormal times in the United States.

The question is, who will deliver the State of the Union address next year, and whether that person is capable of ending the deep polarisation that has afflicted the American polity and society of late.

The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 13 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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A Delhi Police woman head constable was on Friday murdered allegedly by her 16-year-old daughter and her boyfriend at their Ghaziabad-based residence.

According to Ghaziabad Police, the daughter and her boyfriend killed Shashi Mala in Brij Vihar Colony.

The complaint was registered by her husband at the police station Link Road, Janpad Ghaziabad.

The deceased's husband Gopal Thakur, who resides in Bihar was later informed by the neighbours. The husband and wife used to stay apart due to their daughter's studies.

The neighbours further informed the police and the deceased's husband that they found the body lying in the pool of blood after getting a foul smell coming from the house.

According to the complainant, Gopal Thakur, "The incident took place when her daughter's boyfriend visited her residence. On seeing this, the deceased got irked and objected it. The minor did not like the interference of her mother and both (daughter along with her boyfriend) killed the woman."

Speaking to ANI, Superintendent of Police Manish Sharma said, "A case has been registered in this regard and both the accused have been sent for custody.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A ruling in a case finalised at last week's sitting of Gorey District Court could have a serious impact on future court determinations in the country.

The verdict was reserved at a court sitting the previous week in the case of an uninsured driver accused of refusing to give a breath sample after a crash in Enniscorthy on September 21, 2019.

Atilla Mike (42), with an address at 156 Madeira Oaks, Enniscorthy, admitted that he was at the wheel of his Suzuki Ignis shortly after 8 p.m. that evening.

However, he contested the charge alleging that he refused the sample to Garda Cathal Burke following his arrest on suspicion of drink driving.

Car owner Dean Kenny from St Aidan's Villas told Wexford District Court that he was sitting having a cigarette with his friend Shauna O'Connor outside her home in Ashbrook.

He witnessed a man, who turned out to be Mike, reversing into his (Kenny's) Honda before getting out and staggering around smelling of alcohol.

Ms O'Connor reported the matter and the offending driver was arrested before being conveyed to the barracks by Garda Cristian Dorneanu.

It was ascertained that the prisoner was Hungarian and dealings with him at the station were conducted with the assistance over the phone of an interpreter.

Garda Cathal Burke, who operated the evidenzer that night, recalled that the name of the woman who handled the call was a woman called Sophia.

With her help, and some miming on his own part, he asked the suspect to blow into the apparatus.

However, the garda reported, Mike made no effort to exhale into the machine, so he was brought to a cell and later released after being charged.

In response to the prosecution case, Arklow based solicitor Yvonne Dunne confirmed that Sophia with the prosecution was not in court.

Ms Dunne cited case-law suggesting that it was essential to have the translator present at the trial.

'It is a very clever point,' responded Judge O'Shea who then postponed his decision to last week's court sitting on Wednesday, February 5.

At that sitting Judge O'Shea referenced a number of previous case law examples.

In a deliberation that lasted around 10 minutes Judge O'Shea noted that it was a case involving a Hungarian defendant who spoke 'little English' and a garda who spoke 'no Hungarian'.

He also noted that the Hungarian translator had carried out the translation over the phone.

The judge also noted that garda evidence revealed the defendant had stood up in the doctor's room and 'kept saying he wasn't going to comply'.

'The interpreter was not a witness at the trial,' said Judge O'Shea.

The solicitor then argued that what the interpreter said was inadmissable in the absence [in court] of the interpreter'.

Judge O'Shea then quoted more samples of case law and in his final summation said that in his opinion the interpreter is a crucial witness and he then dismissed the case.
Larry Ellison.

Kimberly White/Getty Images

Oracle employees are protesting founder Larry Ellison's plan to host a fundraising dinner for President Trump at his Southern California home next week.

Some employees are circulating a petition that calls on the Oracle leadership to take a stand against what they call Ellison's "damaging association with the Trump campaign."

"His alliance with this ignoble and destructive figure damages our company culture as well as our relationships with partners and customers," the petition said.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Larry Ellison's planned fundraising dinner for President Donald Trump has triggered a minirebellion at Oracle, where some employees are blasting the tech titan's "alliance with this ignoble and destructive figure."

A group of employees is circulating a petition that calls on the Oracle leadership to take a stand against what they call Ellison's "damaging association with the Trump campaign." The petition is also calling for Ellison to cancel the event.

"His alliance with this ignoble and destructive figure damages our company culture as well as our relationships with partners and customers," the petition, which was first reported by Vox, said.

"Ellison's financial support of Donald Trump endangers the well-being of women, immigrants, communities of color, the environment, LGBTQ and trans communities, disabled people, and workers everywhere," the petition added.

Oracle could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ellison is planning the fundraising event for Trump at his estate in Rancho Mirage, California, Desert Sun reported. Oracle CEO Safra Catz is also a known Trump supporter and was part of his transition team after the 2016 elections.

That prompted the Oracle employee George Polisner to resign.

"Trump stokes fear, hatred, and violence toward people of color, Muslims, and immigrants. It is well-known that hate crimes are surging as he has provided license for this ignorance-based expression of malice," he said.

Got a tip about Oracle or another tech company? Contact this reporter via email at bpimentel@businessinsider.com, message him on Twitter @benpimentel, or send him a secure message through Signal at (510) 731-8429. You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

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(Photo: Practical Tips for Globetrotting in 2020 - Dos and Don'ts)

Has the itch to travel gotten to you? You wouldn't be alone. More than ever, it seems that people - young and old - are taking fantastic trips and visiting breathtaking, exotic locations. Maybe it's the fact that every other TV cable channel seems to have some sort of attention-grabbing travel show. Maybe it's because you see your friends on social media visiting places that used to seem far off and exotic, and you say to yourself, "That looks easy enough. I can do that." And maybe 2020 just feels like a clean slate, and nothing puts people in the mood to drive, fly, or sail away like a fresh start.

You should travel.. Go, have adventures, and when you post your photos and videos online, enjoy making your friends and family jealous. However, there are practical considerations if you're planning to travel in 2020. Here's our list:

Do Register to Vote - and Vote!

No matter what your travel plans are, don't forget that 2020 is a presidential election year in the United States. Not only that, but there will be elections in the federal, state, and local arenas that will need your attention. This is not a year to forget to vote!

Do Have Someone Look After Your Mail

This goes hand-in-hand with voting. Your mail will contain a lot of election-related material this year, so make sure you trust whoever is checking your mail for you. If you're going to simply have the post office hold onto it, research the election timeline ahead of time so you don't miss anything. As for the rest of your mail, setting up paperless utility bills is usually painless and, in some cases, it's more convenient than managing them the old-fashioned paper way. Also, you can ask your friends to skip sending you paper invitations in the event that they get engaged, pregnant, or otherwise celebratory while you're traveling. Ask them to do something nice for the environment by sending you paperless invitations when you're abroad, like the ones here.

Do File Your Taxes On Time

Nothing can kill your enjoyment of a trip like suddenly remembering that you've made the costly mistake of missing the deadline to file your taxes. File what you need to file before you leave, and it's one less thing to worry about.

Don't Ignore the News

With so many political events already happening in January and February, the year of 2020 doesn't seem like a good one to skimp on keeping up with the news back home, even if you're sunbathing on a tropical beach in paradise somewhere. Following the news will help you to make an informed decision when it's time to vote, but there is more to the news than politics. One example is the coronavirus outbreak in China, which brings us to our next tip...

Don't Be Careless

Specifically, don't be careless about communicable diseases and your health. CNN wrote this article, explaining what you need to know about the outbreak. You don't have to give up on your travel plans, but it's important to be aware of important world health events such as this one.

Don't Travel without a REAL ID

If you don't have a REAL ID, make sure you travel with a passport. You won't be able to fly with just a regular driver's license anymore. Check with the Department of Homeland Security's website for the most up-to-date information, but be aware that, at the time of this writing, the main deadline is October 1, 2020.

Do Have Fun

The topics we have covered here today are important ones if you're planning to travel the world in 2020; however, it's equally important that you have fun when you travel. As long as you do your research ahead of time, you should be set up to relax and have a memorable vacation. For more information, check out this article on apps that can assist you in planning a trip.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
 Flash

While most other diplomats in Wuhan have left the city following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Olivier Guyonvarch, consul general for France in Wuhan, decided to stay with his colleagues. His consulate is the only one in the city that remains open.

Olivier Guyonvarch, consul general for France in Wuhan.

"Our friends are facing difficulties. We want to stay along," Guyonvarch said. "We were the first consulate in Wuhan, and there is a lot of deep cooperation between France and Wuhan. And for us, it was not an option to close the consulate."

Usually about 40 people work in the French consulate, opened in 1998. Now, four consulate staff volunteered to continue to work keeping in touch with French people living in Wuhan and taking care of relations between France and Hubei province, he said.

Some of the French staff had left Wuhan for vacation before the lockdown of the city, and some Chinese staff members have been unable to return because of traffic restrictions, he said.

"So we are still quite busy," he said. "Services of the consulate such as cultural and education sections have stopped."

Wuhan is the Central China city with the closest ties with France, and normally more than 500 French people live in the city. Following the lockdown, the consulate helped organize three flights that took more than 200 French people and their family members to France, he said.

"In the name of the French government, and in my own name, I would like to express my solidarity with the people of Wuhan and Hubei," he said. "There are two main reasons why we remain open in Wuhan. The first is to help the French who need assistance. Second, to show solidarity with the local people and with the government."

He said the Chinese government is taking very strong measures to fight the disease, and he hopes the measures will fulfill their purpose.

Guyonvarch said he and his colleagues have been following regulations and advice from the local government for disease control and prevention, such as minimizing travel in the city. He said he has found that basic necessities like food and water are available.

"I really would like to express my support for the medical staff in Wuhan. They are heroes and are the first-line fighters against the disease," he said. The French government has provided protection materials such as masks to Wuhan, he said.

Many others in Wuhan, such as street cleaners and people working in the markets to sell food, also deserve gratitude for what they are doing, he said.

"They face risks because they face many people during the day," he said. "They are also very, very courageous. So everybody is trying to do his best to fight the disease."

Despite the difficulties Wuhan faces, the city will eventually recover, he said.

"During its long history, Wuhan has faced many difficulties. This time I think that we can be confident in the strength and the resilience of Wuhan's people to go through this very difficult time," he said. "But I also feel very, very sad for Wuhan because Wuhan has done a lot during the past 10 years in modernization and internationalization, and part of this great accomplishment has been destroyed by this disease.

"We hope that Wuhan will recover as quickly as possible. We will stay with Wuhan to help the city, and help the people get better and better through cooperation with friends."
Photo: AL DRAGO/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa is one of a handful of women in Congress to have disclosed their status as a survivor of domestic abuse. In interviews last year, she told reporters that her ex-husband beat and choked her, and that she was raped in college. She hopes that people will view my work in those areas not as a senator that is working to support them, she told the CNN affiliate KCCI, but now as somebody who has been in that situation that will be supporting them.

But months later, Ernst, a Republican, held up a vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, major legislation that created the National Domestic Violence Hotline, funds womens shelters and research on gender-based violence, and which has languished in the Senate since it passed the House last year. The sticking point, she said, was a gun-control provision that the House attached to the bill. If passed, it would have closed the so-called boyfriend loophole, which would prevent individuals subject to a restraining order or those who had been convicted of abusing a domestic partner from buying guns. Ernst later introduced her own counter-proposal which stripped VAWA of any gun control provisions.

Ernsts maneuvering outraged survivors and advocates alike, who say the loophole puts women at risk. The rate of murders committed by domestic partners has risen significantly, according to a Northeastern University study released in 2019, and most victims are women. A researcher told HuffPost that the increase was driven primarily by gun violence. Closing the loophole, experts say, would save lives, by ensuring the law covers all abusers, not just those who have lived with or been married to their victims.

Now activists intend to pressure Ernst directly about her stance. A series of new digital ads launched on Friday morning addresses the senator directly as a survivor of abuse. Produced by the progressive Be A Hero PAC, the ads feature Iowa women who experienced domestic abuse, lost loved ones to it, or who provide services to survivors. They accuse Ernst of prioritizing the demands of the National Rifle Association over the needs of her own constituents.

Two of the women who appear in the ads told the Cut that they hope Ernst, who is up for re-election this year, pays attention. When the story broke that she was also a survivor, I had hoped that she would use her platform to advocate for other victims, said Amanda Johnson, whose former partner was convicted of domestic abuse. Her not doing so felt like another assault. Its like another attack on us survivors, and it kind of re-traumatized a lot of women. A judge told Johnsons partner to surrender his guns. But Johnson says she was told there was no way to make sure that he did, and she lives in fear of his eventual release from prison. (Johnson has also volunteered for Elizabeth Warrens presidential campaign.)

Lily Steil, whose sister was murdered by an abusive partner, told the Cut that Ernsts position on the boyfriend loophole was really appalling to me. She knows the importance of the Violence Against Women Act and how this could protect people like herself, Steil added. And I think she should relate to that, and protect all the survivors and victims in this instance.

The ad campaign creates a dilemma for Ernst, who adopted the language of social justice after Democrats criticized her for her VAWA stance last year. I do not need to be mansplained to by Chuck Schumer. I am a survivor, she said. Not only do the ads call the senators bluff, they could damage her quest for reelection: She is already one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the Senate. We really hope she changes her mind and comes around to support an expansion of the Violence Against Women Act, but if she doesnt, the least we can do is make her constituents aware of that betrayal, said Liz Jaff, the president of Be A Hero.
Poets, like the rest of us, have varying attitudes toward death.

Some urge resignation, others rage; some point us to an empty tomb and salvation, others to the dust of obliteration; some bemoan the brevity of three-score-years and ten, others celebrate life even when faced with imminent death.

Others write poems on death that act as consolation for the living, medicine to ease our suffering and grief. These poets, possessed of the power to make beauty out of pain, put their words to paper to give us hope in the midst of our desolation. They remind us, too, of certain truths often forgottenthat death is a part of life and that while we live, our dead live on in us.

Study of a Mourning Woman, 15001505, by Michelangelo. Pen and brown ink, heightened with white lead opaque watercolor. (Public Domain)

Death in Modern Times

We in America are less accustomed to death than were our ancestors. Just a few generations ago, most people died in their homes. Far more women perished in childbirth, and far more children before reaching the age of 5 lay on their deathbeds surrounded by a grieving family. Victorian poets in particular devoted their attention to the funereal, at times to assuage their own grief, at times to assist and comfort those left behind.

But while most of the dying in todays culture takes places behind hospital walls, and with much less pain and agony than that endured by our ancestors, still we find ourselves at the bedside of the dyingmothers, fathers, children, and friends. We offer them the sustenance of presence, we speak to them, we beg the Almighty for a miracle, and we hold their hands and weep as their last breath escapes their lips.

And then it is we who need comfort, who seek solace as we mourn that loved one whose departure has left us bereft and heart-wounded. Some turn to family and friends for easement of this pain, some to prayer, and some to memory.

And some go to poetry.

Gentle Hope

Certain poets view death as a friend offering the possibility of immortality and rest. Emily Dickinson, for example, opened a poem with these lines:

Because I could not stop for Death

He kindly stopped for me

The Carriage held but just Ourselves

And Immortality.

Kindly seems a strange word to apply to death, but many of us who are older have witnessed that kindness, especially in the demise of those who have suffered pain for years.

Like Dickinson, Christina Rossetti resorted to metaphor to explore the mystery of death in her lovely poem Up-Hill:

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?

Yes, to the very end.

Will the days journey take the whole long day?

From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?

A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.

May not the darkness hide it from my face?

You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?

Those who have gone before.

Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?

They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?

Of labour you shall find the sum.

Will there be beds for me and all who seek?

Yea, beds for all who come.

Here, death offers an end to the troubles of this world for the travel-sore and weak.

Angel of Grief at Stanford University. (Oleg Alexandrov/CC BY-SA 3.0 )

A Thousand Winds

Some poets believe that death, however horrific or unexpected, wins no final victories. In Death, be not proud, Christian writer John Donne chides Death for its vanity, writing at the end of the poem: One short sleep past, we wake eternally/And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Mary Frye turned to nature for her images of eternity. A housewife and florist, she wrote Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep on a brown paper shopping bag after hearing the story of a Jewish girl from Germany. Young Margaret Schwarzkopf was staying with the Fryes in the United States and was unable to visit her dying mother in anti-Semitic Germany. Frye wrote the poemvarious versions exist, as she never copyrighted itas a message of comfort for her young houseguest:

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the mornings hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

The Dead Live On in Us

Other poets remind us that the dead live on in usfixtures in our memory, whispers in our hearts. In William Wordsworths We Are Seven, the poems narrator meets an 8-year-old little cottage girl and asks whether she has sisters and brothers. She answers seven, and when he asks where they are she replies that two of us at Conway dwell,/And two are gone to sea./Two of us in the churchyard lie,/My sister and brother.

The narrator tries to convince the child that she has only four siblings, but she is having done of his arguments. At the end of the poem, he reports:

But they are deadthose two are dead!

Their spirits are in heaven!

Twas throwing words away, for still

The little maid would have her will,

And said, Nay, we are seven!

Some time ago, I dabbled in poetry. Perhaps the verse below, written about a girl Id known in elementary school and composed long years later when grief over the death of someone I loved had a stranglehold on me, will further explain these relationships between the living and the dead.

Ora Pro Nobis

The dead die when we living let them die;

We breathing clasp to hearts our breathless dead;

We cover them with sheets on icy beds;

In silent rooms they speak our names. They cry

To us: Remember me! Remember me!

Ah, Cissy, I remember you. Your eyes

Which last saw light at seventeen still lie

In me like jeweled cuts of sun-cut sea.

I dream your eyes, their baffled quiet grace;

Others forget, but I do not forget;

You prick my prayers, poor altars of regret;

My minds sharp eye calls back your sea-sun gaze.

Pray all, I pray, who read these lines of song,

For her whose eyes are gone when I am gone.

Connections

Our dead live on in us. Some deeds and words of my grandfather, born more than 120 years ago, remain a piece of me. My wife lives on in me, and in my children, and through them, in my grandchildren who never met her.

The Persian poet Rumi recognized this connection between the living and the dead in The Window:

Your body is away from me

But there is a window open

From my heart to yours.

From this window, like the moon

I keep sending news secretly.

Actions, most of us agree, speak louder than words. In our visits with the dying and at the graveside, our presence when at all possible is the vital ingredient to saying goodbye.

But after the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground, words are sometimes all we have.

Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C., Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va. See JeffMinick.com to follow his blog.
She was speculated to be making a return to the hit spy drama after being spotted filming scenes for season three of Killing Eve.

And Sandra Oh's character Eve Polastri's fate appears to have been confirmed after being left for dead by her arch nemesis Villanelle during a cliffhanger ending.

New stills for the upcoming season of the programme show Eve looking alive and well during a walk, as well as cutting up meat while working as a chef.

She's alive! Sandra Oh's character Eve Polastri's fate appears to have been confirmed after being left for dead by her arch nemesis Villanelle during a cliffhanger ending

Killing Eve's second series stunned viewers when it ended with Eve bleeding on the ground after being shot by Villanelle [Jodie Comer].

The pair had plotted to run away together after Villanelle admitted her feelings for the MI5 agent, and when she refused, she pulled out a gun and shot her in the chest.

In the new series, Villanelle appears to be up to her old tricks again as she disguises herself as a clown, after previously transforming into a motorcycle cop, a professor, a New Yorker at therapy and a red light district sex worker.

Other pictures show the two in more natural outfits. Jodie stuns as Villanelle in a lovely royal blue dress adorned with colorful floral patterns, while Eve wears her trusty olive jacket as she walks in the countryside.

Obsession: In the new series, Villanelle appears to be up to her old tricks again as she disguises herself as a clown

Undercover? New stills for the upcoming season of the programme show Eve looking alive and well during a walk, as well as cutting up meat while working as a chef

Eve initially works for the UK's domestic counter-intelligence agency MI5, until she's fired and then rehired by the foreign intelligence agency MI6.

Her speciality and obsession is with assassins, and she becomes engaged in a dangerous game of cat and mouse during season one with Oksana Astankova (Comer), who goes by the code name Villanelle.

After the events of season two, Villanelle is out of a job and believes her pursuer to be dead, while Eve is actually working a series of odd jobs to stay under the radar.

But a death that's personal to both of them will set them on another potentially disastrous collision course.

Throughout the course of the show Eve and Villanelle have played a game of cat and mouse, however their tangled affair may soon come to an end as it was reported Villanelle will many a Spanish bride in the upcoming series.

Back in the fold: The stills promise the return of Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens, leader of MI6's Russian division

Glamorous: Other pictures show the two in more natural outfits. Jodie stuns as Villanelle in a lovely royal blue dress adorned with colorful floral patterns

Killing Eve fans got a special Valentine's Day treat on Friday when BBC America series posted a short teaser trailer for its upcoming season three.

The short clip didn't feature any footage from the new season, but its stars Sandra and Jodie both made brief appearances in closeup.

The new stills also promise the return of Fiona Shaw, who won the Best Supporting Actress award at the British Academy Television Awards, as Carolyn Martens, who leads the Russian division of MI6.

Happy Valentine's Day! Killing Eve fans got a special V-Day treat on Friday when the BBC America series posted a short teaser trailer for its third season

The abstract teaser was scored to the Hallelujah Chorus from George Frideric Handel Messiah, and it certainly gave fans of the critically acclaimed series plenty to rejoice about.

It opened with Jodie as Villanelle, the psychopathic assassin who animates Killing Eve.

She suggestively yet delicately strokes a screen of sheer red fabric that flutters in the breeze as the joyous music plays.

Red-tinted: The abstract teaser was scored to Handel's Hallelujah Chorus and featured the assassin Villanelle seductively stroking a screen of sheer red fabric

Quick shot: Closeup shots of Jodie and her co-star Sandra flash across the screen at blink-and-you'll-miss-it speed

Contrasts: Sandra's character is dressed in a burgundy mock turtleneck sweater and a brown coat, while Jodie rocks a red leather jacket

Closeup shots of Jodie and her co-star Sandra flash across the screen at blink-and-you'll-miss-it speed.

Sandra's character is dressed in a burgundy mock turtleneck sweater and a brown coat, while Jodie rocks a red leather jacket.

'Happy V Day' flashes across the screen in the same distinctive font as the title, with a drop of blood dribbling down the 'V.'

'Happy V Day' flashes across the screen in the same distinctive font as the title, with a drop of blood dribbling down the 'V'

Coming soon: The series will return for its third season in late April

Winner: Sandra Oh made history as the first Asian woman to win multiple awards at the 2019 Golden Globes, which she also hosted; pictured in February

The series has been the most high-profile work Sandra has done since departing Gray's Anatomy, and it turned Jodie into a household name.

Sandra made history at the 2019 Golden Globes, when she became the first Asian person to host the ceremony, the first Asian woman in 39 years to win the Best Actress in a TV Drama award, and the first Asian woman to win multiple Golden Globes, after winning her first in 2006 for Gray's Anatomy.

Both actresses were for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 2019 Primetime Emmys, but Jodie won this time around.
Police are searching for a man who assaulted a 19-year-old woman walking from Windsor train station in Brisbane's north on Friday night.

The woman was approached from behind just before 10pm on Bonython Street, about 700 metres from the station, with the man placing his forearm over her face.

Bonython Street in Windsor looking north to Hadfield Street, towards which the man was last seen running. Credit:Google Street View

As she screamed and tried to escape, the man wounded her on the hip with an unknown object before pushing her to the ground, police said.

The man then fled on foot towards Hadfield Street.
At the meeting (Photo: VNA)

During a meeting of the national steering committee for prevention and control of the disease, which took place under the chair of the committees head, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Long said relevant authorities are expanding quarantine for cases that are easy to catch the disease.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do stated that schools are ready to welcome back students after two weeks off.

According to him, measures have been taken to sterilise classrooms, learning tools and furniture, and courses on preventive measures organised for school staff.

To ensure absolute safety for students, Do suggested schools collect ideas of students families to reach high consensus.

Speaking at the event, Deputy PM Dam asked the education ministry to ensure health and absolute safety for students when they return to schools, adding students health and safety remain the first priority.

The official also stressed that as special attention must be paid to public consensus, ministries, sectors and localities must carefully consider the resumption of schooling, while continuing the prevention and control of the disease.

As of February 14 afternoon, Vietnam recorded 16 COVID-19 infection cases, 11 of them live in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.
NEW DELHI  The United States has imposed an entry bar on Sri Lankas army chief, Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, citing his alleged involvement in war crimes during the final stages of the countrys civil war.

The travel restriction on the general is the first significant international penalty to be imposed on a Sri Lankan official over atrocities committed during the countrys 26-year civil war with Tamil Tiger militants, which ground to a halt in 2009. The United Nations estimates that up to 40,000 Tamil civilians died in those final stages, many in extrajudicial killings, accusations the Sri Lankan government has denied.

The move was a rebuke to a Sri Lankan government that is stacked with officials accused of rights abuses during the civil war  including Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who won presidential elections last November. Mr. Rajapaksa was the defense secretary during the final years of the war, and has appointed or promoted several officials accused of war crimes to important positions.

Now, observers and diplomats fear Sri Lanka is slipping back into illiberal democracy. Since Mr. Rajapaksa became president, activists, journalists and opposition members have increasingly come under pressure from the government, which has harassed them through the courts and police investigations and used pro-government media outlets to hound anyone suspected of dissent.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 21:49:41|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Saturday hailed Ethiopia's ratification of the Kampala Convention on refugees.

The Ethiopian parliament on Thursday ratified the African Union (AU) Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Africa, known as the Kampala Convention.

The convention, a key regional legal instrument aimed at protecting, assisting and resolving the plight of IDPs, was unanimously passed by Ethiopian lawmakers.

In a press statement, the UNHCR said the ratification of Kampala Convention represents a significant achievement for Ethiopia which currently is dealing with massive internal displacement.

"The ratification of this Convention underscores the Ethiopian government's concern and attention to the large number of people who are displaced, whether as a result of conflict or changing climatic conditions," the statement said.

"UNHCR welcomes the opportunity to support the Government in implementing the tenets of the Convention and honoring its commitments, including through the development of a national action plan for IDPs," said Ann Encontre, the UNHCR representative in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is the 31st AU member to ratify the convention since its adoption in 2009. It will now take effect domestically after the country's president signs it into law in a few weeks.

The Kampala Convention is the world's first and only regional legally binding instrument for the protection and assistance of IDPs, who often face heightened risks of sexual and other violence during their displacement, while they struggle to access their basic rights.

Ethiopia has one of the world's largest IDP populations, estimated at 1.78 million, according to the 2020 UN Humanitarian Response Plan.

The UNHCR has been helping Ethiopia to assist those displaced by conflict and climate shocks and has been encouraging the government to ratify the convention.
(Getty)

Small and medium sized businesses want Ottawa to know the current immigration system isnt fitting their needs because of a skills mismatch and too much red tape.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says more than three quarters of small business owners have struggled to fill positions due to a skill and labour shortage, in a new report.

That leaves employers to look beyond borders to fill the gaps.

When small business owners turn to the immigration system to fill a vacant position, its because they have tried everything else and run out of options, said Emilie Hayes, senior policy analyst at CFIB, in the report.

The cost and stress they have to go through to recruit a foreign worker wouldnt be worth it if this wasnt their last resort to keep their business operational, and sometimes keep their Canadian workers employed as well.

The federal government prioritizes immigrants that are university graduates, but thats not where the labour shortages are.

The CFIB says most business owners seek people with college diplomas or apprenticeships (46 per cent) and a high school diploma or on the job training (31 per cent). Only 19 per cent fit into one of those categories.

Three-fifths of immigrants had a university degree, but less than one in ten jobs that require a degree face labour shortages.

Too much red tape

The CFIB also says the process of bringing in and keeping foreign workers is overly complicated.

Employers who use the immigration system to fill a vacancy face a complex web of red tape and high costs, especially if they are hiring a temporary foreign worker, said Corinne Pohlmann, CFIBs senior VP of national affairs, in the report.

Once workers are in Canada and have become integrated in their communities and workplaces, it can be extremely difficult to retain them because there are limited pathways to permanent residency, especially for those with lower skill levels.

The CFIB says businesses are happy with employees they get through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFW) but complicated forms, non-refundable fees, and wait periods up to 12 months or more before recruiting can begin make the process less than ideal.

Story continues

The CFIB wants Ottawa to simplify the TFW process, ensure that immigrants bring in-demand skills, and create pathways to permanent residency.

Pohlmann says immigrants and foreign workers are instrumental to the success of business owners, who do what they can to help them integrate, but need Ottawas help.

They are valued employees and small business owners go to great lengths to help them integrate, including assisting them with settling or offering training and mentorship, she said.

But they cant do it alonethe government must help both new immigrants and temporary foreign workers connect with employers and help to integrate them into the labour market.

Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
A 14-year-old boy has been charged with fatally stabbing Tessa Majors, a Barnard College student, during a park robbery near her school in December.

The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., said the boy, Rashaun Weaver, would be tried as an adult on two counts of second-degree murder and several counts of robbery.

Investigators had long believed that the teenager wielded the knife that killed Ms. Majors after she bit his hand during a violent struggle with three assailants. Ms. Majors, 18, was found severely wounded on steps outside Morningside Park the night of Dec. 11.

The arrest brought a sense of relief to the authorities, who were under pressure to solve the first high-profile case under the new police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea.
UK government is now making efforts to contact the 250 delegates who might have come across first coronavirus patient in a conference which was held in London, international media reported on February 14. Meanwhile, the coronavirus has killed nearly 1,526 infected over 67,000 people including three outside mainland China. In the United Kingdom, there are nine confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Read: Japanese Man Has Coronavirus After Hawaii Visit

Infected person was a Chinese National

Londons first infected person who was a Chinese national attended the UK Bus Summit at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre on February 6, a British Daily reported. The conference was also attended by two labour party MPs Lilian Greenwood and Alex Sobel. Both of them later said that they were well but are cancelling all public engagements until 20 February as a special precaution.

Read: Egypt Announces First Confirmed Coronavirus Case, Says Patient Is Foreigner

People who attended the Summit were warned that they might have come into contact with infected Chinese National at the event. On Thursday, Transport Times which was the organiser of the conference sent an email to all attendees informing them that a person confirmed with coronavirus had been at the event. The email also included advice from Public Health England urging delegates that no action was needed if they felt well, but if they developed symptoms such as a fever or cough they should stay indoors, avoid contact with others and call NHS 111.

Read: US Cities To Start Testing People With Flu-like Symptoms Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Read: MWC Barcelona 2020 Cancelled Due To Coronavirus Concerns

Meanwhile, a senior health official in the UK told international media that more cases of novel coronavirus are highly likely to be seen in the UK coming from all over the world. Paul Cosford, from Public Health England, told reporters that his teams were putting best efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Many countries worldwide have raised concerns about new cases brought in by people travelling from abroad. Twelve patients who were treated by two Brighton GPs diagnosed with coronavirus have now being contacted by health officials.
The importance of intellectual property in Canadas economy has been front and centre since the collapse of Nortel Networks and the sale of its 6,000 patents in 2011. The loss of this valuable resource rightfully led many to question our ability to commercialize and scale companies if the innovation sector didnt place a premium on anchoring IP rights here.

So it was with intense interest this week that I read the Expert Panel on Intellectual Propertys report to the Ontario government, calling for better commercialization of IP.

Its critical to develop the best principles, policies and education possible to keep Canadian intellectual property in Canada, as the panel suggests, and we welcome new initiatives on this front. But in order to keep it here, we need to create value from it here, and we cant do that without locking up the talent.

Canada has been a resource economy for its entire existence, says Frank Rudzicz, a faculty member at the Vector Institute. Now, our most valuable resource is our intellectual capacity. We need talented people to make the initial discoveries, of course, but we also need talented people to refine and productionize those discoveries here.

After decades of losing Canadians and talented immigrants, were finally closing the talent gap. Were winning back tech workers and attracting academics from around the world through programs run by organizations such as CIFAR and the Vector Institute.

IP strategy is mandatory, but not an entirely sufficient condition by itself in building global tech companies based in Ontario. Investing into a connected ecosystem that builds and retains talent is at least as important in the commercialization equation.

Even if we want to win with IP, we cant do it without top talent. If most of our potential hires graduate and head down to Silicon Valley or Boston before getting a chance to work here, weve already lost. Scaling companies need people to grow.

Its become almost an article of faith to say that high-quality jobs and tax revenue vanish with lost IP. That has been true in the past, but while we would certainly rather see Canadian companies retain control of all the IP they can, our inability to outbid the world is hardly constrained to one asset class.

Meanwhile, despite IP leakage, Canadian tech workers are awash in opportunity. In recent days, domestic and multinational tech companies have announced a binge of spending on talent  Amazon, Shopify and others want thousands of workers in Vancouver. Google intends to make 5,000 hires and build new offices in three cities. Ceridian needs 2,000 people across the country. This trend is non-stop in Toronto, where talent acquisition has doubled the tech sectors size to more than 60,000 jobs over the past five years.

Is Canada just building a branch-plant tech economy? Our dollar is certainly a factor. But pay is rising fast and the hiring continues unabated. The jobs havent vanished. Because talent doesnt just follow the IP, or the money. It goes where it can associate with other top talent and it goes where its easiest to go  especially in tech, where digital tools so easily untether staff from headquarters. Whatever other factors have created this red-hot tech scene  federal money, university research, a growing VC community, new business models, wage competitiveness  talent now finds Canada desirable and attainable, especially when compared to the United States.

Take the political climate. The U.S. has kneecapped itself with restrictive visa policies and statements that tell workers with rare tech skills theyre not wanted. But diversity is welcomed in Canada, and the Global Talent Stream program is expediting these same peoples ability to work here. Companies are moving or opening offices to take advantage. Every time Donald Trump tweets about countries he doesnt want immigration from, we get another infusion of talent. This wont be quickly be forgotten after the next change in government there.

Or take the social climate. Canada offers North Americas three most livable cities (Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto), according The Economist. We have advantages over the U.S. in health care, social infrastructure, transit. Little wonder so many people choose Canada.

Yes, we want to do better at retaining IP, and we look forward to working with the province to support new initiatives. We also wish we had more large, successful Canadian companies buying up patents and contracts and reversing our historic deficit.

But to create a tech ecosystem with critical mass, we also need to retain and attract more talent to anchor our IP, commercialize it quickly and build those large, successful companies. In Canada today, talent is the new IP. If we keep attracting and retaining talent at our current pace, good things will follow.

One Toronto. Two possible futures. Ten years to get it right. Toronto has never been bigger, bolder and more successful  or faced so many serious problems. To attract talent and grow sustainably, we need to address the citys transportation, affordability and infrastructure needs. If we ignore these threats, the inner city buckles. Its time to start thinking about solutions.

Yung Wu is CEO of MaRs Discovery District.
Amnesty International (AI) has made a strong case to President Akufo-Addo, for the abolishing of the death penalty from the Statute books of the country.

It is the position of Amnesty International Ghana that the country can achieve over ninety five (95%) of the abolition of the death penalty without a constitutional amendment.

Addressing the President at the Jubilee House when a delegation led by the Director of Amnesty International Ghana, Robert Akoto Amoafo, paid a courtesy call on him, a member of the Delegation and well known Ghanaian lawyer, Martin Kpebu, noted that legal authority for capital punishment in Ghana can be found in six instance in the Statute books of the country. The 1992 Constitution, specifically, Article 3(3) which states as follows, Any person who  (a) by himself or in concert with others by any violent or other unlawful means, suspends or overthrows or abrogates this Constitution or any part of it, or attempts to do any such act; or (b) aids and abets in any manner any person referred to in paragraph (a) of this clause; commits the offence of high treason and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to suffer death is the first instance. The remaining five (5) instances are all in an ordinary Act of Parliament, The Criminal and Other Offences Act 1960, (Act 29) and specifically sections 46, 49, 49A, 180, 194 and 317A, which can easily be amended.

Our submission is that to the extent that section 46 which is on murder and that is by far overwhelmingly the commonest offence that the death penalty is given today is in an ordinary Act of Parliament, all that we have to do is to Amend section 46 and the other sections of Act 29 Martin Kpebu said.

Even though we know that for a long time now Ghana does not execute person on death roll, but your excellency, the conditions, the solitary confinement is practically mental torture. I have been to Nsawam a couple of times and it is not a good sight to behold Mr Kpebu added.

Improving Prison Conditions

Another member of the Delegation, Mr. Samuel Agbotsey, addressing the issue of improving prison conditions, indicated that the issue of overcrowding in Ghanaian prisons is a matter of International concern. Amnesty International Mr. Agbotsey said is calling on government to take immediate steps to improve prison conditions in Ghana. He urged government to take steps to actualize its plans regarding building two prison service hospitals in the Southern and Northern sectors of the country as contained in the 2016 manifesto of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

President Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo in response to the arguments of the Amnesty International Ghana delegation noted that the concern about the death penalty in the Statute books of Ghana is a genuine one that must be resolved.

The solution that you are proposing is an ingenious one. To the extent that five out of six offences can in fact be dealt with by statutory inactments is something that the Attorney General and Minister for the Interior and other security agencies in the country will put their heads around the idea and bring some suggestions to us in cabinet for a decision President Akufo-Addo stated.

The President further signaled to the delegation that all the other issues they tabled such as the Advancing of Non-Custodial Sentencing in Ghana, Improvement of prison conditions, and the ratification of some three international protocols; the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aimed at the abolition of the death penalty, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), and Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, will all be addressed and dealt with appropriately.

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who take injustice personally. They campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all.

They are independent of any political ideology, economic interest or religion. They investigate and expose the facts, whenever and wherever abuses happen as well as lobby governments, and other powerful groups such as companies to make sure they keep their promises and respect international law.

---Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh
Latin America's war on corruption is something to celebrate. In the last few years, 11 presidents have either been driven from office or forced to answer in courts of law for crooked dealings. In a virtuous feedback loop, citizen outrage over official transgressors has emboldened the call for integrity in government.

For a region that has winked at scoundrels, this is remarkable. So, too, is the shift in the public conversation, which suddenly is all about transparency, due diligence, open government and corporate accountability.

Yet that progress has also brought something of a whiplash. Brazilian lawmakers on February 5 reinstated a shady colleague whose mandate had been suspended last year by the Supreme Court. Peru's ethically challenged Congress defied President Martin Vizcarra by stonewalling his anti-corruption reforms and then attempted to stack the Constitutional Tribunal with friendly judges. Vizcarra responded by dissolving congress. Colombians twice came up short on anti-corruption reform, first in a landmark 2018 referendum that failed to garner enough votes, and again last September when congress voted down the same measures. Transparency International has found that despite the civic revolt for clean government, most Latin Americans believe that corruption remains unabated.

The pushback is most blatant in Central America, where a barnacled elite in politics and business has defied investigators and courts. Guatemala's government shut down its pioneering independent team of investigators, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), last September. Three months later, Honduras declined to renew the mandate for the analogous Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH).

The collapse of both missions raises tough questions for champions of clean government: How to pursue criminal networks in societies where public sentiment is willing but institutions are weak? And what happens when those least interested in the letter of the law sit in the highest offices?

Both concerns had earlier driven Honduras and Guatemala to launch their signature anti-impunity initiatives, albeit a decade apart. CICIG dates to 2006, when the Guatemalan government tasked the United Nations to create an independent commission to take down criminal gangs and shadow security groups implicated in human rights violations during the drawn-out civil war. As peace and democracy evolved, the panel shifted its focus to corrupt networks operating within the state. Its findings led to the purge of hundreds of crooked cops and the conviction of scores of high-profile officials. The commission worked closely with the chronically underfunded Guatemalan prosecutors to expose a customs fraud network and bring down the vice president and eventually President Otto Perez Molina.

Inspired by Guatemala's investigators, Honduras announced its own investigative panel in 2016 to tackle political corruption. Although MACCIH operated with less clout and autonomy than CICIG, and under the auspices of the more congenial Organization of American States, its investigators went on to expose entrenched corruption schemes, including an embezzlement ring at the heart of the Honduran congress - although lawmakers maneuvered to smother the scandal by taking over the investigation.

Investigators in Honduras and Guatemala hit a wall when their corruption probes reached the presidential palaces. Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales escalated his war with CICIG after the panel helped national prosecutors bring charges of fraud against Morales's brother and son, and later accused Morales himself of illegal campaign financing. The backlash in Honduras came shortly after President Juan Orlando Hernandez saw dozens of his associates and cabinet officials fall under the scrutiny of MACCIH, and his own brother accused (and later convicted) in the U.S. for being a "large-scale drug trafficker."

Speculation is rife over why, despite massive popular support, the maverick crime-busters came up short. One theory, popular in high office, is that the impunity sleuths succumbed to and even welcomed mission creep. In their defense, CICIG's investigators noted that the civil war thugs it originally targeted had reinvented themselves in peacetime as political grifters, shielded by sitting authorities.

Another complaint had it that prosecutors overreached, essentially becoming avengers. While Guatemala's imported prosecutors were not empowered to prosecute cases or make arrests, they enjoyed operational independence and tremendous discretion to launch investigations and collect evidence. Their accountability to international donors and sponsors - CICIG to the United Nations and MACCIH to the Organization of American States - rather than national authority gave offended parties an excuse to invoke that old Latin American chestnut, the threat to national sovereignty.

Like many lousy explanations, each of these arguments also has some truth to it. CICIG arguably made unnecessary enemies by overplaying its hand. It also may have failed at political branding by neglecting to convert popular applause into strategic alliances to continue its mission.

Justice by parachute is risky business - as risky as it is necessary in countries where the rule of law is the law of those who rule. Now that Honduras and Guatemala have cashiered their imported sheriffs, the legacy of these unfinished anti-impunity missions is unclear. One hopeful development is that the rot at the top appears to have strengthened resolve down below. "The public is now fully aware of the mechanisms of illegal campaign finance, corruption involving nongovernment actors, and how contracts can be thrown and subverted," said American University professor Charles Call, who has studied CICIG's rise and fall.

Despite their ignominious dismissal, CICIG and MACCIH left a wider footprint, inspiring El Salavadoran President Nayib Bukele and Ecuador's Lenin Moreno to create their own similar panels.

Less encouragingly, crooked operators may now feel emboldened. After the Constitutional Court disqualified the candidacy of the graft-busting former attorney general Thelma Adana, Guatemala's presidential runoff last year came down to a contest between two candidates clouded by corruption scandals. "It shows how difficult it is to create the rule of law, in places penetrated by illicit networks and deep corruption in the state," Call added. "There's real concern that ongoing cases will be rolled back and that a backlash will follow. It could be a heyday for corruption in the next couple of years." Perhaps it's no coincidence that as perceptions of corruption have risen, faith in Latin American democracy has waned.

That backsliding is bad for more than just the two troubled Central American nations. While Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has spun fighting corruption into a policy headline, he also has downgraded oversight, overlooked graft in high office and attacked the media. Nor did Bukele do his bold, anti-graft reform agenda any favors by dispatching the armed forces into the chambers of El Salvador's contrarian congress. Menacing democracy is no way to root out bad actors at the top.

It's hardly news that criminal violence and blighted economies drain wealth and stunt opportunities at home. Corruption's toll may be less obvious, yet it too fuels the exodus by stunting development, bilking public coffers and forcing people to deal with crooked cops, impartial justice or bureaucrats on the take. Central America forfeits up to $13 billion a year to graft and tax evasion.

Not long ago, Washington understood the connection, and committed funds, advisers and diplomatic backing to Central America. "You need to build institutions to fortify governments, including a strong judiciary to go after corruption," said Giancarlo Morelli, who watches Central America for the Economist Intelligence Unit. "The key ally in this effort has always been the international community, especially the United States - until now."

Under Trump, the U.S.'s southern gaze has drifted from building institutions to raising walls and concertina wire. That shift has not been lost on Honduras and Guatemala, whose governments won Washington's blessings for endorsing a harder line on migration and drugs, even as they sabotaged the international graft-busters. (It didn't hurt that Guatemala became the first nation to follow Trump in switching its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.)

All that good will to gringos won't curb the bandits in power anymore than it will deter those heading north to seek haven from their criminal web. In this way, the collapse of the integrity agenda in Central America is also a U.S. scourge in the making.

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Mac Margolis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin and South America. He was a reporter for Newsweek and is the author of "The Last New World: The Conquest of the Amazon Frontier."






PARIS  Renault's first loss in a decade triggered a no-taboos commitment on Friday to cut costs by 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) over the next three years as the automaker tries to put the Carlos Ghosn affair behind it.

As ex-Volkswagen brand manager Luca de Meo prepares to take over as chief executive of the French automaker, which has been rocked by the Ghosn scandal, it did not exclude job cuts in a promised review of its performance across all factories.

Like many auto industry rivals, including its alliance partner Nissan, Renault is grappling with tumbling demand in key markets like China, and said it expects the sector to be hit further this year, including in Europe. Nissan this week had its first quarterly loss in nearly 10 years and cut its operating profit forecast.

In a reflection of this sobering assessment of the market outlook, Renault set a lower operating margin target of between 3% and 4% for 2020, down from 4.8% in 2019, and cut its proposed dividend against 2019 by almost 70% from a year earlier.

While Renault faces high investment costs to produce cleaner car models and supply chain problems due to China's coronavirus outbreak, a major challenge remains moving on from the scandal involving former boss-turned fugitive Ghosn, which strained its relations with Nissan and paralyzed joint projects.

"It has been a tough year for Groupe Renault and the alliance," acting Chief Executive Clotilde Delbos said on a conference call, adding that the broader autos downturn had hit the company "right when we were facing internal difficulties."

Renault could not afford to wait for De Meo's arrival in July to attack costs, Delbos said, adding that nothing would be "taboo" as it reviews its business.

Meatier goals would be made public in May, she said, alongside joint plans with Nissan, as executives repeated assurances that the alliance was on track.

Delbos also stressed that Renault's automotive operational free cash flow, under scrutiny from analysts, would be positive in 2020 after stripping out restructuring costs.

Story continues

"We're very confident that there is no topic on cash availability within the group," Delbos said.

Renault shares recovered from falls in early trading, and were up 1.8% at 1200 GMT despite it posting a loss of 141 million euros ($153 million) for the group share of net income.

This followed charges linked to some of its Chinese joint ventures, where it said performance needed to improve, while the contribution from Nissan, in which Renault has a 43% stake, also fell and it was hit by a French deferred tax charge.

Ghosn, who ran Renault and oversaw its alliance with Nissan, was arrested in Japan in late 2018 on financial misconduct charges, but fled to Lebanon in December.

He has denied wrongdoing and hit out at his past employers, saying the Renault-Nissan alliance was all but dead without him.

De Meo, who used to run Seat, is taking over from Delbos, who is also Renault's financial chief and who stepped temporarily into the CEO role after Thierry Bollore, a long-standing Ghosn ally, was ousted in October.

Renault forecast that the global auto market would fall in 2020, with sales in Europe and Russia down around 3%, after it was penalized by its performance in the likes of Argentina and Turkey in 2019 and its withdrawal from Iran continued to weigh.

The group has a factory in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, which has been in lockdown, and the firm said other plants might come on and off in the coming weeks due to supply chain interruptions.

Renault's group sales fell 3.3% to 55.53 billion euros in 2019, down 2.7% at constant exchange rates, and it forecast these would be flat in 2020.

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The low-pressure area that had once been Tropical Cyclone Francisco has been lingering in the Southern Indian Ocean since Feb. 6 when it weakened below tropical cyclone status. Since then, Francisco's remnants moved into an area of warm waters and low wind shear allowing the low-pressure area to re-organize, consolidate and re-form. NASA's Aqua satellite provided forecasters with a visible image of the zombie storm.

On Feb. 14, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite provided a visible image that showed the storm had re-developed a rounded shape with bands of thunderstorms spiraling into the low-level center. A more rounded shape of a tropical cyclone indicates it is becoming a more organized storm. Satellite imagery shows a compact system with strong thunderstorms persisting over the low-level circulation. In addition, satellite microwave imagery indicates deep convective banding of thunderstorms over the western semicircle wrapping into the north and east quadrants of a defined low-level circulation center.

On Feb. 14 at 4 a.m. EST (0900 UTC), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) noted that Francisco's maximum sustained winds powered back up to 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph). Francisco re-formed near latitude 19.0 degrees south and longitude 49.3 east, approximately 114 nautical miles east of Antananarivo, Madagascar. Francisco has tracked southwestward.

Meteo Madagascar issued a Red Vigilance Advisory for heavy rain over central and eastern Madagascar that includes Toamasina, Brickaville, Mahanoro, and the Vatomandry Districts.

The JTWC forecast said the system is expected to make landfall later today over the southeast coast of Atsinanana Region, close to Vatomandry City. That is far to the south of the coastal city of Toamasina. Francisco is expected to weaken steadily as it tracks inland and dissipate sometime on Feb. 15 over land.

NASA's Aqua satellite is one in a fleet of NASA satellites that provide data for hurricane research.

Tropical cyclones/hurricanes are the most powerful weather events on Earth. NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

###

For updated forecasts from Meteo Madagascar, visit: http://www.meteomadagascar.mg/

By Rob Gutro

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Kantemir Balagov explains the origins of Beanpole, the best international film not nominated for an Oscar this year. Photo: Kino Lorber

I dont know why, but before I met the Russian director Kantemir Balagov, I imagined a gloomy, intense old sage with a long beard and, maybe, a robe  not an awkward 20-something with Hakuna Matata tattooed on his forearm. It was at Cannes, right after the world premiere of his second feature film, Beanpole, a soul-crushingly powerful and exquisitely mounted historical drama about two female veterans trying to reconnect with life in postwar St. Petersburg. Two years earlier, I had been downright scarred at the same festival by Balagovs first feature, Closeness, about a young woman trying to deal with her brothers kidnapping in the Caucasian city of Nalchik, in the Kabardino-Balkar Republic (which is where Balagov himself is from). That film was unshakably tense, cinematically rich, and  in its use of documentary footage of terrorist beheadings  too much for some in the audience.

In a couple of quick years, Balagov has become one of the great young hopes of international cinema  a director who can tell complex, resonant stories and who has the stylistic dexterity of a master. Beanpole won Best Director from the Un Certain Regard jury at Cannes, and it was Russias submission for the Oscars this year (though, shockingly, it did not get a nomination). Balagov, who is 28 but looks even younger, seemed uncomfortable with the attention at Cannes, letting his translator do most of the talking. By the time I saw him again, this time in an office in New York last fall, he had somehow become mostly fluent in English, and far chattier. We talked about what he was trying to accomplish with Beanpole, the morality of images, and how he went from being a kid in love with Tarantino and horror movies to being one of todays most promising auteurs.

Beanpole is quite a departure from your first film, Closeness. What were the origins of this story?

The most important thing, when it comes to the origins of Beanpole, is the book by Svetlana Alexievich [The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II]. Not only did it inspire me, but after reading it, I realized how little I know about the war and about the role of women in the war. I also realized that no one in contemporary Russian cinema is addressing this issue. The only way that war is addressed in films in Russia right now is by glorifying it; people make certain types of pseudo-patriotic films. This is wrong, and this story should be told  but furthermore, I think someone from my generation should tell it, so that younger viewers will see it and understand this period. Because right now, they dont know about the aftermath of war, or about the role of women in the war.

I was also inspired by a woman who said that she wanted to give birth so bad, to get rid of the death that surrounded her and the world. I was curious about what happens with a person like her  this biological shift, mental shift and physical shift.

Beanpole takes place immediately after the war, and yet in the film people talk about the war as if its still going on. That was a little confusing to me at first, because in American movies theres always a very specific war/post-war division. Theres obviously something symbolic about how you present it here, since the war will never leave these people. Did this come out of your research?

When I read personal diaries of people who lived then at the time, I came to a realization that war is never over. War doesnt end when the fighting ends. More than that, I believe that post-war life is even harder than life during wartime. Because in one of the diaries, the diary of a soldier, I read this fascinating idea: That its easier during war, because you have only one goal, which is to survive. And when the war is over, everything is much more complicated.

I remember when Closeness screened at Cannes, some people felt you were going too far including documentary footage of real beheadings. Were you aware of that controversy? Was this something you were worried about when you first made the film?

I was surprised when I heard that [Un Certain Regard jury president] Uma Thurman refused to give us an award because of the execution scene. But I was sure that this execution footage should be in the movie because it was really meaningful for me. It was my own experience, and it shows the context of the territory and the time  and it shows what could happen with the boy who was kidnapped in the film. I was sure about that. But I was afraid, because when you mix documentary and fiction, documentaries always win. I was afraid that after this execution scene, our audience would [realize] they are watching actors [in subsequent scenes], not real people.

With Beanpole, as grim as it sometimes is, youre very careful to cut around some of the more harrowing things that happen. Did you reflect on these choices at all after making the first film?

I thought about it. In Closeness, the most brutal pain that was in that film was the layer of documentary in it. Those were documentary images. That is absent in Beanpole, because I wanted to respect the personal spaces of my characters more, so sometimes I kept my distance from them. But I want to push the limits  for myself. I want to understand my borders, my ethical borders. Its like recreating morality  and Im trying to make it with the help of my characters because trust me, I do suffer when I make it, and I dont feel comfortable when I make these kind of things. If we shoot something and I dont feel comfortable, theres a good chance that the scene is decent. Because when there is no inner reflection on the set  especially if its a tragic scene  it becomes a scene with no meaning.

Whats the most disturbing image youve seen on film?

The documentary footage I put in Closeness. In fiction, I really have a strong stomach, you know? But have you seen Kira Muratovas Asthenic Syndrome? Theres a scene with dogs and it just  [Shakes head.]

Are there moments when youre in doubt about what youre showing?

When you dont have doubt youre an idiot, youre a complete idiot. And you should have doubts during the whole process. You should doubt in yourself 24/7.

When did you first become interested in film?

I remember my first VHS cassette. It was Pulp Fiction. I was maybe 12, 13. I was in shock. After that, I just watched lots of movies  shitty movies and not-shitty movies. Nightmare on the Elm Street, the original. Scream. That was my favorite  one of the greatest horror movies  not just horror, one of the greatest movies. Ace Ventura. Leslie Nielsen films. The Naked Gun. Then Inarritu. Amores Perros, Babel, 21 Grams. Christopher Nolans films. I remember my father, when he was at the market, he always bought a VHS when there was an Oscar statue [on the cover]. Because he thought that if there is an Oscar sign, this is a good movie. Thats how I saw Saving Private Ryan. Amazing. I was so shocked. And Chocolat with Johnny Depp. And Steven Spielbergs A.I.

Did you watch any Russian films at the time?

No, I dont think so. I watched Brother 2 by [Alexei] Balabanov, but I was already 16, maybe 15 by that time. I never knew that I wanted to be a director, to be honest. It came spontaneously. My father bought me a DSLR camera with a video function, and I just started to make YouTube series with my friends. About 10 minutes each. It took me one year of my life, and after that I decided I wanted something new. A friend of mine advised me to write to Alexander Sokurov [the acclaimed Russian director who runs a prestigious film school]. I didnt know anything about him. I sent him the links and he took me on the third year.

Is that series still on YouTube?

No, I deleted it!

What was it like?

It was like Tarantino. It was violent. A lot of blood. It was so bad. The actings so bad. The directings so bad.

Was Sokurovs film school where your cinematic tastes expanded?

While we were studying I saw a lot of movies. Like Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, M. Fritz Lang, Bresson. When I saw the French New Wave, especially Godard, I was blown away. And the old Godard, not the latest. Breathless made a lot of impact on me.

What are your favorite films and filmmakers now?

Marcel Carne, Visconti, Bicycle Thieves. All the classics. Among recent ones, I was truly inspired by Alice Rohrwachers last film, Lazzaro Felice. Also, Jia Zhangkes Ash Is Purest White I found really moving. The greatest experience I had recently was when I saw Wanda directed by Barbara Loden. I think this is my favorite female character right now, besides maybe Breaking the Waves.

Whats the Russian film industry like nowadays?

For now, its all about Moscow. Its very centralized. Sokurov wanted to show the Moscow people that they have so many interesting stories in the small regions. I think thats why I had some difficulties with Closeness. Everybody read the script, they said, This is a great script, but I dont think that I will be able to find the money on it, because its the Caucasus, its 1998, and the audience wont spend the money to see this film.

What did it mean for you to be able to put that area, your homeland, on film?

It means a lot. It came when I was on the set of another film that was shooting in North Ossetia  its like a neighbor of Nalchik  and I just saw the faces of the people living there. And I was like, No, I have to make a film about my homeland, and I have to put this region on the map. You know, I have an ambition to one day make a film in English language for an English language star. But step-by-step. I dont have the right to leave my region now.

With two acclaimed films under your belt, is it getting easier to make films for you?

Im a lucky guy. And because of the Cannes prize for Beanpole, and that kind of thing, I feel more grounded. I didnt feel that it would be easier to make my next one because of these prestige festivals. I just got lucky, and I really appreciate that Beanpole had no government money. I was 90 percent sure we wouldnt get government money because of the script.

If you got government money, what do you think would have happened?

I dont know  I always look back and try to understand what theyre going to say. Will they want me to cut some scenes? Censorship is not a bad thing when it comes from yourself. But when it comes from the government, its not a great idea.

Speaking of the government, there is a scene near the end of Beanpole when Masha, Beanpoles close friend, who has returned from the war, goes to meet the family of her fiancee, Sasha. The mother, whos a party official, seems to disdain Mashas wartime service at first. Here, not only is the power dynamic shifting between the mother, Masha, and Sasha, but the texture of their exchange at times veers towards the absurd.

My screenwriting partner and I tried to achieve a number of goals with this scene. The first was obviously Mashas monologue [in which, in response to the mothers cutting remarks, she talks about all the men she had to sleep with on the front]: She tells a story about the fate of many women during the war. Because really, again, the people of my generation and people whove never tried to study this particular topic, they dont know anything about it. And at the same time, I wanted there to be a certain duality to this scene, so that the audience would never realize fully whether Masha is kidding, whether shes trolling this woman, or whether shes serious. But another goal for us was simply that, today, it is very easy and popular to make films and judge the people in power at that time; we set out not to judge anyone  because were convinced that even among these party officials there were decent people.
Chennai: The GST arrears due from the Centre to Tamil Nadu currently has touched Rs 12,263 crore, said state finance secretary S. Krishnan.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Krishnan pointed out the salient features of Budget 2020, presented in the Assembly by Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. We have received some arrears over the last two weeks. The current outstanding amount is Rs 12,263 crore, he said.

The state has pegged its own tax revenue to grow by 10.52 per cent to reach Rs 1.33 lakh crore in the revised budget estimates for 2020-21. Stating that it is a realistic target, Krishnan said there were times when tax revenue grew by more than 12 per cent. This time we have moderated to a nominal tax growth rate.

According to the budget, the state's own tax revenue is estimated to be Rs 1,20,809.3 crore for 2019-20. It is estimated to increase to Rs 1,33,530.30 crore in budget estimates for 2020-21. For 2021-22, Krishnan said the own tax revenue was estimated at Rs 1,52,270.66 crore and for 2022-23, Rs 1,73,664.49

crore.

The finance secretary said Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac), which sells liquor through its retail outlets, is expected to generate income of Rs 30,000 crore for 2019-20. It is expected to mop up an additional Rs 2,000 crore to the exchequer.

On funds allocated under the State Disaster Management Fund, he said the Centre has increased its share to Rs 1,360 crore from the earlier Rs 825 crore. The debt of the state has been under control and not crossed the limit prescribed by the Centre.

The state's debt burden has increased to Rs 4.5 lakh crore, which is less than 3 per cent in the total revenue of the state. The debt has increased in corresponding with hike in revenue of the state.

As per norms, the state debt should remain within 25 per cent of the total revenue. Tamil Nadu debt stood at 21.83 per cent. And it remains under control.

The government is taking steps to meet the financial requirement of the state. We expect there will be additional allocation of fund by the Centre under the 15th Finance Commission, he said.
The campaign to stop Britain and other European states allowing the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei into their 5G networks was the focal point of US efforts at a leading international security forum.

High-ranking members of the Trump administration took turns to warn the UK in particular, and other Nato members, about risks to intelligence sharing with America if they allowed the multinational into their communication system.

In a rare show of unanimity in the current bitter partisan politics in Washington, Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat speaker of the House of Representatives, told the Munich Security Conference that letting Huawei into the British and European networks would be choosing autocracy over democracy.

Speaking of the companys links to Chinas communist party, she continued: This is the most insidious form of aggression, to have that line of communication, 5G, dominated by a government that does not share our values.

The intervention by one of the most senior figures in her party, who is at constant loggerheads with Donald Trump, was presented as a message that the American position on the issue would remain firm even if the Democrats win this years presidential election.

Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Show all 8 1 /8 Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Karl Theodor Bridge in Heidelberg, Germany Getty Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Replica Karl Theodor Bridge in Huawei City, China Getty Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Heidelberg, Germany Getty Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Replica Heidelberg in Huawei City, China Getty Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic Getty Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Replica Cesky Krumlov in Huawei City, China Getty Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Heidelberg, Germany Getty Europe replicated in Huawei City, China Replica Heidelberg in Huawei City, China Getty

Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator, said: Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump are not going to have many dinners together, but if you ask them about the British purchase of Huawei they will give you the same answer. We are very firm in our commitment  Republicans and Democrats  that if you go down the Huawei road you are going to burn a lot of bridges.

Dissension over Huawei has not just affected UKs relations with the US. According to Australian media, the British high commissioner to Canberra wrote to the heads of two federal parliamentary committees following leaks of conversations with Dominic Raab during the British foreign secretarys recent visit to the country.

Australia, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network with the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, has barred Huawei from its 5G network and some politicians have expressed concern about information sharing.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, in the meeting with Mr Raab, Anthony Byrne, the deputy chair of Australias intelligence committee, said that allowing China to build the UKs 5G telecoms infrastructure was equivalent to letting Russia construct it. How would you feel if the Russians laid down infrastructure in your own networks? Thats how we feel about Huawei, Mr Byrne was quoted as telling the foreign secretary.

The high commissioners letter resulted, it is claimed, in the Australian parliaments intelligence and security committee cancelling a planned visit to London.

There were no UK government ministers present to give Londons view at the Munich conference, a prestigious gathering described as a Davos for defence. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, suddenly pulled out from coming. Sir Alex Younger, the head of MI6, also cancelled his appearance at a late stage. Downing Street denied instructing the two men not to attend.

Carl Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister, tweeted: The one nation that is only completely absent from MSC2020 [Munich Security Conference 2020] is the UK. Very strange, minsters were supposed to come, but then everyone withdrew. Has Global Britain gone completely introvert?

Chinas foreign minister Wang Yi sought to refute the allegations against Huawei and wider charges of infiltration and aggression by his country from the US as lies and smears. He asked European states not to give in to bullying and allow the Chinese company a level playing field which will be the fair thing to do and consistent with market rules.

Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, described Huawei as a Trojan horse for Chinese intelligence. He wanted to stress that Nato members using the Chinese companys equipment in their telecommunications systems may jeopardise military and intelligence relationships.

When Huawei turn up at your door and say that youll lose out if economically you dont, dont be fooled. We cant let information go across networks that could be hijacked by the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese Communist Party presents an enormous risk not to the place of the west but to the idea of the west, said Mr Pompeo.

Mark Esper, the US defence secretary, stated: We are very concerned about Chinese technology getting into our systems or the systems of our allies. Huawei is the poster child for that right now.

He added that he was not yet able to digest what the UK proposes to counteract any harmful influence from Huawei. But he cautioned: When you step one step forward you can take two steps back.

Mr Esper said the US wanted to work with European partners to develop alternatives to Huawei.

We are encouraging allied and US tech companies to develop alternative 5G solutions and we are working alongside them to test these technologies at our military bases as we speak. Developing our own secure 5G networks will outweigh any perceived gains from partnering with heavily subsidised Chinese providers that answer to party leadership, he said.
A well-known Merrimack Valley bar could face a liquor license suspension after investigators from the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission found 43 minors in possession of fake IDs on Thursday night.

Commission investigators went to the Claddagh Pub on Canal Street in Lawrence at 11 p.m. Thursday. According to a release from State Treasurer Deborah Goldbergs office, the bar emptied out as soon as investigators started asking young-looking people for IDs.

They said most of the bars patrons were 19 years old.

The investigation was part of the commissions Operation Safe Campus program aimed at preventing underage drinking in college bar areas and liquor stores.

The owners of Claddagh Pub will be summoned before the commission, and could potentially face suspension of their liquor license.

Goldberg said her office intends to step up its monitoring and enforcement actions with respect to underage drinking.

Bars and restaurants have an obligation to responsibly serve their patrons, Goldberg said.
Putin attempts to restore Moscow's power over the former Soviet republics - The Washington Post - GeorgianJournal
She's the Married At First Sight star who welcomed her first child, Mila-Mae, with partner Jaxon Manuel back in November.

And three months on, Davina Rankin has showed off her sensational bikini body in a slinky two piece - after saying it was a 'daunting' decision to show off her stomach as a new mum.

The 28-year-old looked nothing short of sensational in the sultry snap, which saw her show off her ample assets and tiny waist in a beautiful red two piece by OceanZen.

Sensational! Three months after giving birth to her first child, former Married at First Sight star Davina Rankin (pictured) flaunted her sensational bikini body in a slinky swimsuit

'Im not going to lie, the thought of wearing bathers that arent a one-piece or high-waisted is just a little daunting to this new mumma,' she wrote.

She added that she treated herself to a $160 Indra bikini from the site, who specialise in making swimwear from recycled plastic bottles and fishing nets.

'The quality really supports the womanly figure,' she added.

Before and after: The 28-year-old is pinging back to her pre-pregnancy shape. Pictured: Before she was pregnant (left) and just three weeks later in November (right)

Despite being portrayed as a 'villain' on MAFS last year, it's clear Davina has a big heart and has embraced motherhood with arms wide open.

In a video shared on social media shortly after the birth, Davina thanked her friends, family and fans for their 'beautiful messages' while cradling Mila-Mae on her chest.

'We are so overwhelmed with love and support. We have just been lapping up our first few days with the most important little thing in our world,' she said.

'Honestly, my heart is about to explode.'

Doting mum: Despite being portrayed as a 'villain' on MAFS last year, it's clear Davina has a big heart and has embraced motherhood with arms wide open. Pictured with Mila in January

Davina added: 'Jax and I are so in love. It's crazy. Seriously, it's just the best thing in the whole world. We're so in love with her.'

Jaxon and Davina began dating several months after she filmed Married At First Sight season five, which aired in 2018.

They recently moved in together in Brisbane. Mila-Mae is their first child.
By Trend

Turkey exported steel and cement worth $51.6 million to Kazakhstan in 2019, Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend.

"The export of steel from Turkey to Kazakhstan increased by 30.2 percent in 2019 compared to 2018 and amounted to $44.9 million," the ministry said.

"The export of cement from Turkey to Kazakhstan increased by over 15 percent and reached $6.7 million," the ministry said.

The export of the Turkish steel to Kazakhstan decreased by over 41 percent in December 2019 compared to December 2018 and reached $1.5 million.

"The export of cement from Turkey to Kazakhstan increased by over 90 percent in December 2019 compared to December 2018 and amounted to $812 million," the ministry said.

The export of steel from Turkey decreased by 10.6 percent in 2019 compared 2018 and reached $13.8 billion.

The export of cement from Turkey increased by 17.8 percent in 2019 compared to 2018 and reached $3.5 billion.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
An anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest by Muslims turned violent when a group of protesters clashed with police in Chennai, leaving four personnel injured.

IMAGE: Anti-CAA protest being held at Washermanpet in Chennai on Saturday. A scuffle broke out between police and protesters on Friday. Several protesters were detained. Photograph: ANI

The incident on Friday led to sporadic protests across Tamil Nadu, including at Washermanpet in the city, where the violence erupted, but protesters subsequently called off the agitation, following talks with City Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan.

Four police personnel -- a woman joint commissioner, two women constables and a sub-inspector -- were injured in stone-pelting, the police said, even as reports emerged that some protesters were also hurt.

Joint Commissioner P Vijayakumari sustained injuries on her head, the police said, adding that those wounded were admitted to a hospital.

Earlier, some agitators were reportedly removed from the protest site forcibly, leading to a commotion between them and the police.

The protesters accused the police of resorting to a lathi-charge. Some of the protesters were detained.

Subsequently, more people gathered there demanding their release. As a result, security was beefed up in the area.

Viswanathan held discussions with community elders and representatives of Muslim organisations, following which all those detained were released, the police said.

"An amicable decision was arrived at in the meeting with Muslim organisations and they have announced that the agitation will be withdrawn," a police officer said, adding that normalcy had returned to the area.

Meanwhile, parties led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu on Saturday lashed out at the police for alleged use of force on protesters and sought action against personnel involved in it.

With the government coming under opposition attack over the violence, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam reaffirmed its commitment to the Muslim community and said 'Goebbels like propaganda' against it would not work.

The Chennai police appealed to the public to not to share any 'provocative' messages on social media in this connection, even as anti-CAA protests by members of the Muslim community continued in different parts of the state.

Tamil Nadu Revenue Minister R B Udayakumar said the 'Amma government' had always accorded high priority for the welfare of Muslims and saw to it that they were not 'even minutely affected' in any way.

Speaking to reporters in Madurai, he said Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam were 'protecting the Muslims like their children and family members'.

"Those unable to stomach this are unleashing lies and Goebbels like propaganda, but that will not benefit them. The people will also not believe them," he said.

DMK President M K Stalin said Friday's protests had been held in a peaceful manner and sought to know why the police used force to disperse them.

'Lathi-charge was done unnecessarily on the peaceful people for no reason and this prompted people across the state to take to the streets,' Stalin said in a statement.

He said Friday had been turned into a 'black night' for the protesters by the police.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T T V Dinakaran also targeted the government over the handling of the protest.

'Using force in peaceful protests amounts to stirring up a hornet's nest,' the independent legislator said in a statement.

He wished such incidents did not repeat.

The Vaiko-led Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam adopted a resolution in its district secretaries meeting, slamming the police for allegedly using force against protesters.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader H Raja, whose party is an ally of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, slammed the violence against police personnel in the protests.

In a tweet, he said 'rioters should be dealt with an iron fist'.

Meanwhile, Viswanathan visited the injured police personnel admitted to a private and government hospital.

Later, he told reporters that he wanted to check if any public said to be injured in yesterday's incident had been admitted to the government hospital, but there were none.

Reiterating the need for peace, he appealed to the public not to share 'wrong or provocative' social media messages, especially on Twitter and Facebook.

"People of Tamil Nadu follow peace and maintain law and order. That tradition has to be followed," he said.

Protests continued in parts of the state including Chennai, Cuddalore and Ramanathapuram by members of the Muslim community, both against the CAA as well as demanding action over yesterday's episode.

Group protests in Delhi over Chennai police incident; detained

A group of people, including students of Jamia Millia Islamia, held a protest near the Tamil Nadu House here on Saturday over the alleged lathi-charge by the Chennai police on anti-CAA demonstrators.

The small group of protesters, which also included a couple of young women, tried to march from the Bihar Bhawan towards the Tamil Nadu House, and raised anti-BJP and anti-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh slogans in Tamil.

The protesters were detained midway as they tried to march towards the Tamil Nadu House in Chanakyapuri, police said.

Later, a few more people, including women, were also detained.

The call for the protest in New Delhi was given by the Jamia Coordination Committee.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is displeased that the issue of returning of occupied Crimea to Ukraine is not being discussed at any of the platforms and in any of the formats, adding that the United States could have an influence on this.

Speaking at the discussion of the Munich Security Conference on February 15 about what he does not like in the Normandy format, he said about the issues of the temporarily occupied Crimea.

"What I do not like? This is an issue of Crimea, which if to say truth since we are very frank today, does not exist today. The issue of Crimea is not discussed today, at all. That is, whether it is necessary to introduce and seriously discuss this issue. This is also occupied our territory, there are also our people, Ukrainians. Or do we need a new platfrom?" he said.

"Now it seems to me that the United States could be more intense with its influence," the president added.
After years of setbacks, President Donald Trump is on track to build more than 450 miles of a wall along the southern border within the year, the White House says, making good on a campaign pledge as he seeks reelection.

The project will substantially be done by the end of the year or early next year, Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, said in an interview Friday with POLITICO. That was a promise, and its important that its now being accomplished.

Since invoking an emergency declaration, the Trump administration has diverted enough money in 2019 and 2020 to build the wall in four locations along the Mexican border where most immigrants from Latin America cross into the United States, a White House official said.

The White House will soon publicly announce how many miles it expects to be able to build before Trumps term ends.

In recent weeks, even some members of the administration had expressed skepticism that the president would meet his goal of 450 miles by the end of 2020. Kushner said construction had been completed on 122 miles of wall as of Friday. The border between the United States and Mexico spans nearly 2,000 miles.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner called the plan a pragmatic approach.

Speaking Friday at the White House, Trump touted the reductions in border crossings. In a meeting with members of the Border Patrol Council, the labor union for agents, he said areas where the wall has been erected are virtually 100 percent effective.

Illegal border crossings have dropped eight straight months in a row  thats a big number, he said. Illegal crossings are down over 75 percent since last spring. And this is despite the fact that we have the strongest economy in the history of the country.

In November, acting Customs and Border Protection commissioner Mark Morgan told reporters that 78 miles of wall had been constructed  but that the U.S. had only replaced old, broken-down barriers. He said the next portion to be built would be in a place that had not had an existing structure, in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.

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Trump made cracking down on immigration the centerpiece of his 2016 campaign, calling for a series of changes, including a border wall  a promise that had led to chants of build that wall! at his boisterous campaign rallies. But key pieces of his agenda have stalled and the wall promise remains largely unfulfilled. He continues to focus on immigration as he campaigns for reelection.

As we speak, a long, tall, and very powerful wall is being built, Trump said in his State of the Union address this month.

Trump tasked Kusher with taking on the border wall, as well as immigration legislation, at the start of 2019 after he became frustrated with the lack of success in the first two years.

Trump asked Kushner at a meeting, Why arent you working on immigration? Thats my most important topic. We dont have a wall. We dont have a fleshed-out policy and the people who had been running it just hadnt delivered, the White House official said.

Kushner met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan and Stephen Miller, a senior adviser who has an outsize role on immigration, to devise a plan, the official said. The four came up with 20 actions that involve regulations, diplomacy and technology to push the wall construction.

The wall is being built, Kushner said. We figured out funding. We figured out design. We figured out operationally how to get it done.

Trump has gone through four DHS secretaries in less than three years as he struggled to find leadership he thought was tough enough on immigration.

The numbers were spiking like crazy and the people who were running it were saying basically saying theres nothing we can do, the White House official said.

Trump declared a national emergency in February 2019 to build a wall along the southern border after he failed to secure billions he asked for during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.

The Pentagon informed Congress on Thursday that the Trump administration plans to spend $3.8 billion intended to build fighter jets, ships, vehicles and National Guard equipment to fund the wall. In total, the Pentagon will have spent nearly $10 billion since last year to help pay for the wall.

The latest move drew condemnation from Democrats and from the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas.

Caitlin Oprysko contributed to this report.
Notorious gangster Raj Kumar alias Raju Basaudi wanted in over two dozen murder cases was arrested from the IGI airport in Delhi after he was extradited from Thailand, police said on Saturday.

Kumar, a resident of Basaudi village in Sonipat district, was wanted by police in Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi, they said.

The Haryana Police had announced a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Haryana Police was instrumental in locating him in Bangkok with the help of police there. Kumar was brought to India Saturday morning and he was handed over to the STF by Interpol officials at 4 am at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, an official said.

"We have confirmed the identity of the accused as Raju Basaudi, involved in 29 murders, several robberies, kidnapping and extortion cases in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan," said B Satish Balan, DIG of STF Haryana.

"The accused was operating the Lawrence Bishnoi gang from Thailand for the past two years," he said.

Balan said during interrogation Kumar confessed his involvement in "several cases in four states".

Kumar was hiding in Thailand since 2017 after a sensational double murder of inmates in the police custody in Jhajjar district, he said.

A Look Out Circular for the accused was issued on the request of the Haryana police recently to nab the hardcore criminal, police said, adding he was arrested from the IGI Airport after an alert by the immigration officials there.

Kumar is closely associated with dreaded gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra, Anil Chippi, Akshay Palra and Naresh Sethi lodged in different jails, they said.

His close associate, Sandeep alias Kala of Jatheri, had escaped from the police custody a few days ago in Faridabad, they said.

Kumar accused runs an extortion gang that has created terror in Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Delhi, police said.

His gang uses social media platforms, especially Facebook, to intimidate their targets or claim their role in different crimes or to give false moral and ideological colours to their gruesome murders, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As Russia prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II, President Vladimir Putin is stepping up his defense of Josef Stalin and digging in against calls to open up secret archives on the Soviet state's killing of millions of its own citizens.

At Butovo, for instance, more than 20,000 victims lie in a mass grave in a former Czarist-era estate about 20 miles (32km) outside Moscow. Some were gassed to death in the back of trucks that transported them in their underwear to the killing grounds during Stalin's "Great Terror" of 1937-38.

"We need to know the truth," said Kirill Kaleda, a Russian Orthodox priest whose grandfather was among those killed and who's part of a campaign for full disclosure of the fate of victims of Stalin's repression. "We shouldn't try to cover it up."

With the Kremlin inviting world leaders to major commemorations in May of the victory in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War, Putin is cranking up his rhetoric against western powers over the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop pact between Stalin and Hitler. In September, Russia denounced a European Parliament resolution that equated Nazi Germany with the Soviet Union and said the pact's secret deal to carve up Poland and the Baltic States "paved the way" for war.

The president's prickliness over Stalin's historical legacy reflects his view of the Soviet role in WWII, in which 27 million of its people died, including a brother he never knew during the Nazi siege of Leningrad, now St. Petersburg.

He's made the war victory the center of ideological efforts to rally Russians behind his vision of a powerful nation that's unapologetic about its past and able to stand up to the West after the Soviet superpower's humiliating collapse.

It's a vision that flies in the face of the mass repressions under Stalin and the history of Soviet occupation of eastern Europe following the war. Preparations for the WWII anniversary are also taking place in parallel with constitutional changes Putin's pushing through that may allow him to continue ruling Russia after the end of his presidential term in 2024.

Putin has stoked patriotism to retain public support in the confrontation with the U.S. and its allies over his 2014 annexation of Crimea and military intervention in eastern Ukraine, as Russians have endured five years of falling incomes amid international sanctions.

While he has criticized Stalin's "personality cult" and labeled his methods "unacceptable," Putin accused the West of exploiting the issue to tarnish the Soviet Union and Russia in a 2017 interview with U.S. filmmaker Oliver Stone, saying the Communist leader had been "excessively demonized."

His defense of Stalin and the Soviet record threatens to undermine Russian efforts to ease tensions with the West. U.S. President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson are considering Putin's invitation to attend the annual Red Square military parade in Moscow on May 9. French President Emmanuel Macron has said he'll go.

Putin told leaders of former Soviet republics in December that the Kremlin had to sign the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact to buy time to build up the country's defenses after Britain and France betrayed Moscow by reaching the 1938 Munich Agreement with Hitler.

"They want to shift the blame for unleashing World War II from the Nazis to the Communists," Putin said in the address broadcast on state TV.

He has also repeatedly lashed out at Poland, accusing it of "conspiring" with Hitler and calling the Polish ambassador to Nazi Germany "an anti-Semitic pig" during a Dec. 24 meeting with Russian defense chiefs.

While Putin bolstered his arguments by brandishing documents from the Soviet archives, the former KGB colonel has been much less willing to allow access to the details of repressions by Stalin's secret police, the NKVD.

At a December meeting of his human rights council, Putin responded skeptically to a call to create a public database of information on the killings under Stalin, saying there were "big risks" in opening up NKVD records.

"We know how the NKVD worked in the Thirties," the president said. "It may not always be pleasant for relatives to open the cases of their ancestors."

Putin all-but closed off access to KGB archives in 2006 after a decade and a half of relative openness following the 1991 collapse of Communism.

He visited Butovo in 2007. The 20,762 buried victims -- which included 1,000 Orthodox priests, the leader of the Soviet Jewish community, a theatrical troupe from the Baltics and prominent Russians -- were identified thanks to a liberal-minded intelligence chief in Moscow in the early 1990s and testimony from a senior former KGB officer.

Putin was "clearly nervous," said Kaleda, who accompanied the Russian leader and now runs the site where a granite memorial engraved with names and execution dates was inaugurated in 2017. "For him this wasn't an easy visit -- he said the cream of the nation had been wiped out."

Documents on display at Butovo include a witness description of prisoners dying from carbon monoxide gas released into trucks. There may be 30,000 buried at the site in all, Kaleda said.

Similar mass graves exist across the former Soviet Union but only a handful have been unearthed. During Stalin's three-decade rule until his death in 1953, the secret police imprisoned, deported or executed almost 27 million citizens during waves of repression, according to the state-funded GULAG History Museum.

Millions more perished from famine after widespread state confiscation of grain and farmland under Stalin's policy of forced collectivization.

"Not talking about evil means people forget," said Elena Zhemkova, executive director of the Memorial human rights organization, which is also campaigning to open the Stalin-era archives. "Imagine if in Germany they refused to discuss the crimes of Nazism," she said.

Some are turning to the courts. A group of St. Petersburg lawyers called Team 29, who specialize in representing families of victims of repression, won access to the files of Ilya Zakon, who died in a Leningrad prison during the blockade, on Wednesday. Lawyer Maxim Olenichev said it was the first such ruling in the city for several years.

He is also representing Dmitry Ostryakov, a 35-year-old teacher in St. Petersburg, who filed a request this month for the case file of his great grandfather Vasily, a collective farm administrator who died in a Far East labor camp in 1944 about a year after his arrest for alleged treason. The Federal Security Service, Russia's successor to the KGB, won a 2017 court hearing to deny Dmitry's father, Valery, access to the documents.

"I consider it my duty to establish the truth" because his ancestor "doesn't even have a grave," Dmitry said.

- - -

Bloomberg's Ilya Arkhipov contributed to this report.
Lucknow: Ahead of the board exams in the state, the Uttar Pradesh Police have launched a helpline for students on which they can lodge a complaint if they are disturbed by unwanted noise such as loud music during their examinations.

The helpline number, 112, will be available from February 15 to March 31 and aims to provide "a better environment for children to study", the police said on Saturday.

According to police, upon receiving a call regarding loud noise, a complaint will be lodged and a Police Response Vehicle (PRV) will be sent to the spot.

At least 100 metres area around educational institutions has been declared as `Quiet` area.

Additional Director General of Police Aseem Arun said, "Police will help if you (students) are disturbed by the noise during the studies."

"Police will take action if there is more noise than the prescribed limit. Legal action will also be taken for consistently violating the rules," he added.


* Government torn between local opposition, European need

* Portugal vital to Europe's bid to cut lithium imports

* Europe's biggest lithium producer a minnow in global terms

* Disputes over land use risk derailing mining ambitions

By Victoria Waldersee and Catarina Demony

LISBON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The lush, green hills where Paulo Pires has for years brought sheep to graze above his picturesque Portuguese village may soon be transformed by the race to power electric vehicles.

Signs of change already give him sleepless nights. Hundreds of drill holes across the countryside show where miners want to excavate the land for lithium, a vital ingredient for batteries used in electric cars, smartphones and energy storage.

"If my livelihood is taken away from me, I won't have a future elsewhere," said 45-year-old Pires, whose village lies in the municipal district of Boticas.

Pires and his idyllic surrounds are on one of the frontlines of a battle pitting companies eager to exploit Portugal's 60,000 tonnes of known lithium reserves against locals determined to preserve their rights over the land and stop the exploitation.

It puts the minority government in a tight spot at home. Growing opposition to lithium exploration by local groups, which communally own and manage rural areas, could mean miners reach an impasse and seek government support to expropriate land.

Lisbon's actions will also have repercussions beyond its borders. Its reserves may be modest compared to Australia and Chile, the world's top lithium producers, but Portugal is central to Europe's bid to cut reliance on lithium imports.

Tapping European deposits of the "white gold" is an important part of the European Union's ambition to secure more of the battery value chain as the continent's carmakers roll out electric vehicles, a European Commission spokesperson said.

Portugal, which produced about 1,200 tonnes of lithium last year, currently sells almost exclusively to the ceramics industry rather than producing high-grade lithium needed for car batteries. It is already Europe's largest lithium producer, but Portugal remains a small player compared to Australia and Chile, with output of 42,000 tonnes and 18,000 tonnes respectively.

Story continues

Europe, with just 3% of global battery production capacity, has no lithium refineries and relies on imported raw materials.

As the world seeks to phase out fossil fuels, dozens of miners, such as Australia's Fortescue, have applied for almost 100 licences to explore for lithium in Portugal.

GRASSROOTS ACTION

Some miners are already building up operations. Britain's Savannah Resources has a licence for Pires's Boticas area and Portugal's Lusorecursos has a licence for nearby Montalegre. The two areas make up the Barroso region, a world agricultural heritage site.

Both companies are now awaiting approval from the state environmental agency to proceed with their plans that could involve refining lithium to raise the grade of the product.

An international tender will determine who secures rights to the rest of Portugal's lithium-bearing territory, covering nine areas with investment in just five of these estimated to be worth 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), the government said.

But anti-lithium sentiment is gaining ground. At least five municipalities have passed motions against exploration and grassroots groups have signed a national manifesto opposing the government's mining strategy.

"These companies come with millions (of euros). What can we do with our little money? We can only try to stop them," Pires said.

In a bid to defuse concerns, the government is preparing a new mining law to tighten rules on future licences and is discussing the draft with local authorities during February.

Companies and the government say mining could bring money and jobs to inland regions struggling with ageing populations and low investment.

"When we extract lithium in Portugal there's one thing we are certain of: the highest environmental standards will be observed, the most responsible social practices will be observed and this is also a matter of security of supply," Economy Minister Pedro Siza Vieira told Reuters.

'GREEN ECONOMY'

"Lithium is critical for the future of the green economy," he said. "It's better to extract it here than take it from other countries where we are not certain the same standards will be observed."

Much of the land expected to contain lithium in Portugal, including the areas where Lusorecursos and Savannah have exploration rights, is classified as common land, known as "baldios" in Portuguese.

Local associations have the right to decide how it is used, such as for hunting or farming. Many associations have passed motions against exploration to avoid damaging the countryside and disrupting age-old ways of life.

"One of our mountains will simply disappear. It will be cut in half. The impact will be brutal," said Fernando Queiroga, the mayor of Boticas, one of the municipalities that have backed motions against lithium mining.

Such motions have no legal weight. But if developers cannot secure agreement in talks with local associations and private landowners, the companies will need the government to grant them rights to expropriate land in the public interest.

"When and if the question arises, the government will make the decision under the terms of the applicable law," an Environment Ministry spokesperson said on the issue.

But backing expropriations would complicate life for the Socialists, who are governing without a majority. The companies say it could lead to lengthy legal challenges.

Savannah told Reuters it was in talks with local stakeholders and had forged several commercial access agreements. Lusorecursos said it saw no reason to approach associations before starting negotiations over land rights.

Activists are already winning some battles. Fortescue withdrew a bid for a licence last year in the Alto Minho region after local opposition. The government removed two prospective licence areas over environmental concerns expressed by local authorities and environmentalists .

Meanwhile, 18 activist groups have demanded more public transparency in drawing up the new mining law. "I really am willing to go to the end of the world for this," said local activist Maria de Carmo Mendes.

($1 = 0.9172 euros)

(Additional reporting by Sergio Goncalves and Ingrid Melander; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Edmund Blair)
I see that a recent Castanet poll has 85 per cent not supporting the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline protests. Most likely the same percentage not supporting the blockades across Canada. The blockades are causing Canadians severe hardships and money.

Hundreds of thousands Canadians depend on railroads for their everyday needs such as hauling, grain, propane, freight and travel. Thousands more depend on unobstructed roads to get to appointments and to work. I am not against protests that are friendly and law abiding .

Who is paying for the protests? Are the protesters paying their share? Why are we allowing unlawful acts? Who is running this country?

Gary West, Penticton
WESTPORT  The Staples High principal has promised to change the schools culture after a teens letter was published online claiming minority students are treated poorly and subjected to racist behavior.

We are working on identifying bias, being mindful of behaviors, which could be viewed as offensive and ultimately are working toward accepting all students on a more open and consistent basis, Principal Stafford Thomas wrote in an email to Staples families on Friday night.

His email was in response to a letter written by Staples senior Niah Michel that was published earlier on Friday on WestportNow. Michel claimed she and her friends have faced racism from classmates while teachers and administrators have not done enough to address the problem.

We as a community feel as if we are nothing to this school. We are treated poorly from the rest of the students, and we are reminded every day that we are not white, she wrote in the letter.

Although some black people live in Westport, we are always asked if we live in Bridgeport, If this is our real hair, her letter also stated.

In an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media, Michel said she feels the concerns she and her friends have raised about racism are not being acknowledged by the school community.

We talk to people and its like were talking to a wall, she said.

In publishing her letter, Michel hopes to bring awareness to the problems minority students are facing at the high school.

Im personally going to keep striving until almost everyone in Westport knows me and my friends stories, she said. Im not giving up.

Thomas, Interim Superintendent of Schools David Abbey and First Selectman Jim Marpe have not responded to requests for comment about the claims raised in Michels letter.

In his email to parents, Thomas said he hopes to build a more inclusive environment by creating a robust social infrastructure, comprised of connections between students of different groups.

A community is a group of people we lean on when times are tough; who are there for each other when we need love, support and encouragement, Thomas said. I have seen this with regularity this year, but too frequently, in separate groups. We are going to change this.

Thomas said the school faces the same challenges as the community at large, our state and nation, but in a far more confined setting.

Michel is not the first student who has alleged racism in Westport schools.

Last year, two Staples students wrote essays about their experiences with the issue in school.

One wrote about how throughout middle school and high school, he repeatedly heard his classmates make racist jokes and he had even been the target of some of them.

Another said she wished teachers fostered discussions about racism earlier in the education process.

The essays won prizes in the TEAM Westport Teen Diversity Essay Contest.

TEAM Westport is a town committee that, according to Westports website, aims to do what its acronym stands for: Together Effectively Achieving Multiculturalism.

In addition to holding diversity essay contests since at least 2014, TEAM Wesport has a book club that uses titles that address race in America, the website indicates. It has also held anti-racism training sessions.

TEAM Westport is assisting us (Staples) in our efforts to develop a more inclusive school environment, Thomas wrote in his email to parents.
The bodies of eight slain men were found in southern Michoacan state on Friday  the same day President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visited the state to celebrate the opening of another National Guard installation there.

Authorities said the shooting deaths happened in Huetamo, roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Jiquilpan, where the president celebrated the guards new deployment on Valentines Day. The men had all been shot high-powered weapons, official said.

A stolen SUV was also found at the scene. No further details were released by investigators. Mexico is experiencing record-levels of homicides since Lopez Obrador took office December 1, 2018, after campaigning on a hugs not bullets platform that rejected prior government efforts to stem violence. Michoacan is one of the deadliest Mexican states.

Last week, gunmen killed three boys, a teenager and five others who were playing video games at an arcade in Uruapan, another dangerous city in the state where drug organisations are battling for territory. At the celebration Friday for the National Guards latest installation in Michoacan, the president doubled down on his philosophy, saying the country must address the roots of violence first, like creating more jobs with better pay and seeing justice through. You cant confront evil with evil, he said.

The National Guard now has 22 outposts in Michoacan, Lopez Obrador said. The president created the guard to combat violence, although thousands of its agents have been given the task of immigration enforcement across the country. We are committed to guaranteeing peace and tranquility in our country, he said.

There were a reported 35,588 homicides in Mexico last year, the most since comparable records began to be kept in the 1990s, though the rate of increase was far lower than in previous years. Since then-President Felipe Calderon launched a militarized anti-drug offensive beginning in late 2006, annual killings have more than tripled in the country.

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A total of one thousand and Eighty-Nine customers of GN Bank, Boafo ne Nyame Micro Finance, Midland Savings and Loans and Nation Wild Micro Finance have so far received their locked up funds at the Sefwi- Asawinso branch of the Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG).



An additional 128 customers have also maintained their accounts with the CBG bank.



Mr Bretuoba Asafo Akowuah, Sefwi- Asawinso branch Manager who confirmed the development to the Ghana News Agency, said customers followed due process and were either paid in full or maintained their accounts with the bank.



Some of the customers who spoke to the GNA said they were paid the actual amount in their accounts.



They asked the public and especially politicians not to politicize the on-going cleaning in the banking sector and gave the assurance that all depositors would be paid.



They also asked the Bank of Ghana to regularly educate Ghanaians on financial institutions that were in good standing so that the "bad ones" do not take undue advantage of customers.

Source: GNA









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Fault lines in the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Congress widened further Saturday with Chief Minister Kamal Nath saying the partys general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia was free to take to the streets to force the government to keep its promise of waiving off farmers loan in the state.

Let him do it, was Kamal Naths cryptic comment in New Delhi, accordinng to ANI when asked about Scindias statement of taking to streets over not fulfilling the state governments promise of waiving off farmers loans.

On Friday, Scindia had said it was impossible for the Congress party to not fulfill the promises.

Watch | Do it: Kamal Nath on Jyotiradiya Scindias agitation threat over loan waiver

It is impossible that Congress party makes a promise and does not fulfill it. If Congress has promised something then it is very important to fulfill it...nahi to sadak par utarna padega [otherwise well take to the streets] Scindia had said.

Hours before Scindias statement, Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Govind Singh said his party could not waive the farmer loans due to a difficult situation which caused the delay.

Scindia had also vowed to fight for guest teachers if promises made to them in the Congress manifesto were not fulfilled by the Kamal Nath government.

Kamal Nath who is in Delhi for the past couple of days had responded to Scindia on Friday with a reminder that Congress manifesto for Madhya Pradesh is for five years which has not been completed yet.

Differences between Scindia and Nath have continued to dog the Congress ever since the party formed the government in Madhya Pradesh in December 2018.

Scindia had lost from the Guna parliamentary constituency in Madhya Pradesh to BJPs Krishna Pal Singh Yadav in the general elections last year.
As RCMP officers clash with members of the Wetsuweten and their supporters on the planned route for the Coastal GasLink pipeline, another battle is taking place in the background.

Its a war of words.

Those involved in this clash are usually called protesters or demonstrators by RCMP, government officials and media, but they call themselves something different: Land defenders against an RCMP armed invasion.

Critics say the RCMP and government framing of the current Wetsuweten actions misrepresents the reality and the history of the situation, and that the medias use of that language only reinforces it.

Invasion vs. enforcement

The RCMPs actions are being framed as an invasion by land defenders, activists, supporters and critics. They argue that the police are illegally invading unceded Indigenous territory, and that the people have not consented to industrial work being done on their land.

Meanwhile, the RCMP say they are enforcing the injunction granted by the B.C. Supreme Court. Under Canadian law, this gives the RCMP a mandate to allow Coastal GasLinks access to the land.

For Savannah Minoose, a Cree/Metis storyteller from northern Alberta, theres a fundamental misunderstanding in mainstream media that often stems from trying to appeal to a broad audience.

I feel that they are using incorrect language and  misrepresenting the situation at hand, said Minoose, who was one of the land defenders arrested at Port Vancouver on Monday.

Minoose said words such as protester and demonstrator do not accurately portray the work being done to protect traditional Indigenous culture  which is inextricably tied to land and water.

We reject the term protester because it is ... linked to colonialism and colonial violence that is inflicted upon our bodies, Minoose said, adding that when government, police and/or media use the term protester, she feels its clear they are not willing to fully address whats at the heart of the current conflict.

Hereditary chiefs from the Wetsuweten nation say the project has no authority without their consent, and that the territory is unceded  this is backed up by another, earlier federal Supreme Court decision from 1997 that overturned a B.C. ruling saying the rights of the Gitxsan and Wetsuweten were ceded at the time of Confederation.

In a news release Feb. 12, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) called the RCMPs actions unlawful invasion.

Minoose said she doesnt think the media should use the term enforcement.

When they report that, it just proves that they do not understand Indigenous governance, she said.

Danielle Taschereau Mamers, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto whose research focuses on the role of media in Canadian and Indigenous politics, said the role of media outlets covering the current action in Wetsuweten is an important one. She said historical context is crucial for outside readers, especially when it comes to the history of the RCMPs role in enforcing colonial policy.

When media reports describe and show images of RCMP and police raiding camps and arresting land defenders, this ought not be separated from the context of over-policing and over-incarcerating Indigenous peoples across the country, Taschereau Mamers said in an emailed document.

Land defenders vs. protestors

Taschereau Mamers said shes noticed many media reports using the term land defenders or land protectors at the beginning of an article, only to revert to protestors or demonstrators later on, which strikes her as disingenuous. She said the latter terms infer illegal action by the Wetsuweten people, which she said emphasizes the economic impact of their action over their sovereignty.

She said its important to keep in mind the Indian Act, which created the band council system currently dividing the decisions of the Wetsuweten councils and the wishes of the people.

Contestations between Indigenous nations and the Canadian government or industry have roots in more than 150 years of settler colonial policy and violence. These conflicts have been created by the Canadian government, she said.

Candis Callison, a University of British Columbia journalism and Indigenous studies professor, said over the past several years shes seen the term land defender come up again and again, only to have media refer to Indigenous actions as protests.

Most of the time, what Indigenous people are trying to get across is that they have been in long relationship with the land and waters that they are on. And that long relationship is why they had moved into a defence mode or a protective mode, said Callison, who is Tahltan, a northern B.C. First Nation near Wetsuweten.

I think that by calling Indigenous people mere protesters, it really erases the long relationship that theyve been in with lands and waters, but it also erases the long resistance that theyve had to all kinds of moves by governments and corporations to dispossess Indigenous people of their land, and to limit their ability to give consent, she said.

Callison said she has mostly been following smaller, independent media outlets such as Ricochet Media, The Narwhal and The Tyee, because she finds they include a lot more historical and political context in their coverage of whats happening in Wetsuweten and across Canada.

That also shows you how much the (media) landscape has changed, she said, explaining that in previous stories of land protection by Indigenous nations, you really relied on major media to tell these stories and often they didnt do a very good job.

Callison pointed out that the mainstream media are often perceived as part of the settler colonial state, alongside the police and the government.

Band councils and hereditary chiefs

The Coastal GasLink project has been given the go-ahead by all 20 First Nations band councils from the region. These councils are themselves a structure of colonialism, critics say, and the RCMP the active arm of the colonizers. Its been pointed out that the RCMP, or their predecessors the North-West Mounted Police, were in fact created to help Canada gain control of more Indigenous territories in the late 1800s.

Vice-President Chief Don Tom of the UBCIC said in Wednesdays release that the land defenders are not just standing up for their own rights: Ultimately the land defenders in Wetsuweten are trying to keep their territories clean for the benefit of all British Columbians.

Minoose said that to her, the term land defender or protector acknowledges the sacred action being taken and the sovereignty of Indigenous people over unceded territory. She said the consent of the band councils was given under an inherently colonial structure, and that it does not represent the consent of the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs.

And thats been backed up in the federal Supreme Court, she added, referring to the 1997 decision.

Canada doesnt have jurisdiction over this land and over our culture, Minoose said.

With files from Alex Ballingall, Shree Paradkar and The Canadian Press

Read more about:
As many as 5,000 farm vehicles blocked a highway between Cordoba and Malaga on February 14 in one of several protests over prices in Spains agricultural sector.

The Spanish government announced an increase to the national minimum wage in January 2020, with farmers reportedly concerned about the impact the decision will have on their industry.

On February 5, Ivana Martinez, the general secretary of Madrids Farmer and Agriculture Organization, told local media outlets: Our main demand is for a fair price for agri-food products. They should cost what they are meant to cost, and not what they are priced by big distribution and food chains, which always keep the added value. Credit: La voz de la Subbetica via Storyful
Attorney Kevin O'Mahony Its rare that legal issues are minor for any client, but the matters we handle often have significant ramifications for the professionals and entities we represent that extend for many years to come.

Attorney Kevin OMahony, a 37-year member of the Georgia Bar, was recently named to the list of Georgia Super Lawyers for 2020. Honorees are selected by a patented multiphase selection process which combines peer nominations and evaluations with independent research.

OMahonys clients include major healthcare systems, medical practices, physicians, other professionals and organizations involved in high-stakes litigation and business transactions. He also frequently represents clients in proceedings before the Georgia Composite Medical Board.

OMahony took publication of the 2020 honorees as an opportunity to talk about how the result or outcome in a legal matter can impact a client for many years into the future.

Its rare that legal issues are minor for any client, but the matters we handle often have significant ramifications for the professionals and entities we represent that extend for many years to come, said OMahony. Its an honor to be recognized by Super Lawyers for the work done on behalf of clients who trust our firm to handle their legal matters and produce exceptional results.

OMahony is no stranger to recognition for the results he routinely achieves on behalf of clients. In 2019, he was rated 10.0/10.0 by Avvo, an attorney rating organization that uses a mathematical formula to assess a lawyers skill and capabilities. He also was named to the list of the states Legal Elite by Georgia Trend magazine, an honor based solely on the voting of other attorneys in the state. And he has earned an AV Preeminent rating (the highest possible peer review rating in legal ability and ethical standards) from Martindale-Hubbell each year since 1997.

About the Law Office of Kevin P. OMahony: The Law Office of Kevin P. OMahony brings a powerful combination of experience, dedication and personal service to each clients legal representation. It was founded in 2018 by attorney Kevin OMahony after practicing in large and small law firms for over 30 years. The firm represents small, medium and large organizations, as well as individuals who desire an open, honest, and close working relationship with their legal counsel.
Aldermen on Tuesday are expected to consider the payment to Tarance Etheredge III to settle his federal lawsuit alleging a police officer had no reason to shoot him in the back in December 2012 in an alley in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. Its just the latest multimillion-dollar settlement to come before the council related to allegations of police misconduct.
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Facebook has decided to let political campaigns pay online influencers to spread their messages, a practice that had sidestepped many of the social networks rules governing political ads.

Fridays policy reversal highlights difficulties tech companies and regulators have in keeping up with the changing nature of paid political messages.

The change comes days after Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg exploited a loophole to run humorous messages promoting his campaign on the accounts of popular Instagram personalities followed by millions of younger people.

The Bloomberg posts werent much more than self-deprecating humor used to sell the candidates old guy appeal, using a tactic that until now was largely used to sell skin care products or clothing-subscription services. But the lack of oversight and clear rules around influencer marketing, not to mention their effectiveness in reaching younger audiences, makes them ripe for misuse.

Bloombergs effort skirted many of the rules that tech companies have imposed on political ads to safeguard U.S. elections from malicious foreign and domestic interference and misinformation. Online political ads have been controversial, especially after it was revealed Russia used them in an attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election. In response, Facebook has rolled out a number of rules to prevent a repeat of that, though it has declined to fact-check political ads and refuses to ban even blatantly false messages from politicians.

Before the explosion of social media, it was clearer whats an ad and what isnt  and thus whats subject to disclosures and other rules. With social media, a campaign can pay celebrities and other influential users to spread a message on their behalf, without ever buying an ad and be subject to its rules.

This is a new kind of activity that simply didnt exist when the rules for internet political communications were last updated, said Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub of the Federal Election Commission.

Fridays policy change involves what the Menlo Park company calls branded content  sponsored items posted by ordinary users who are typically paid by companies or organizations. Advertisers pay the influential users directly to post about their brand.

Facebook doesnt make money directly from such posts and doesnt consider them advertising. As a result, branded content wasnt governed by Facebooks advertising policies, which require candidates and campaigns to verify their identity with a U.S. ID or mailing address and disclose how much they spent running each ad.

Until Friday, Facebook tried to deter campaigns from using such branded content by barring them from using a tool designed to help advertisers run such posts on Facebook and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. The rule change now allows campaigns in the U.S. to use this tool, provided theyve been authorized by Facebook to run political ads and disclose who paid for the sponsored posts. Campaigns that avoid using the tool, as Bloomberg had, risk having their accounts suspended.

After hearing from multiple campaigns, we agree that theres a place for branded content in political discussion on our platforms, Facebook told the Associated Press. Were allowing U.S.-based political candidates to work with creators to run this content.

Politicians still wont be required to disclose how much they paid the influencers to run the posts. And the posts wont appear in Facebooks ad library, which publicly catalogs political ads and allows other campaigns, journalists and watchdog groups to view the type of messages politicians are pushing in the election.

Facebooks new rules wont apply to someone merely creating or sharing a post about a politician without getting paid.

Facebook said it is asking the influencer accounts that posted the Bloomberg memes to retroactively use the tool meant for such posts. After this happens, the posts will be labeled as a paid partnership with Bloomberg.

Google says it doesnt allow political messages using its main tools for connecting with influencers, but campaigns can make individual arrangements with YouTube influencers. These videos would be covered under general disclosure rules, but would not be added to Googles political advertising database.

The Bloomberg campaign had taken the unconventional step of paying social media influencers  individuals with huge followings  to post Bloomberg memes using their Instagram accounts. Different versions of the sponsored posts from the Bloomberg campaign ran on more than a dozen influential Instagram accounts, each of which have millions of followers.

The Bloomberg campaigns memes showed the 78-year-old candidate, in a tongue-in-cheek awkward fashion, chatting with popular social media influencers with names like Tank Sinatra, asking them to help him raise his profile among younger folk.

Can you post a meme that lets everyone know Im the cool candidate? Bloomberg wrote in one of the exchanges posted by an Instagram account with nearly 15 million followers. The candidate then sent a photo of him wearing baggy chino shorts, an orange polo and a zip-up vest. The reply: Ooof that will cost like a billion dollars. The billionaire candidate responded by asking where to send the money.

With the sponsored posts, Bloombergs campaign said it was reaching those who might not be normally interested in the day-to-day of politics.

You want to engage people at every platform and you want them to feel like theyre not just getting a canned generic statement, campaign spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said of the campaigns strategy.

The Bloomberg campaign declined to say how much it paid for the sponsored posts, or if it has more in the works.

Barbara Ortutay and Amanda Seitz are Associated Press writers.
India's first suspected case of coronavirus has been reported in the neighbouring city of Abbottabad, Pakistan. Here, a person recently returned from China was found to be infected with the coronavirus. A resident of Ghulam Kashmir's Gilgit-Baltistan has been kept in Ayub Medical Hospital (AMH), Abbottabad.

For your information, let us tell you that the coronavirus originated in Wuhan city of China. There, since December last year, the chain of death due to this virus is not taking a name. In China alone, more than 1500 people have died due to this virus while cases have been registered in many countries around the world including India, although there has been no strong case of Korana virus in Pakistan before this.

Two Bangladesh citizens living in Singapore have been found infected by this dangerous corona virus. In this way, the number of Bangladeshi citizens infected with Corona in Singapore has now increased to four. According to the report published in local media, both new cases have also come up from the people working at the workplace of Seletar Aerospace Heights of Singapore.

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FLINT, MI-- The citys new director of economic development wants to bring a collaborative approach to strengthening the citys economy.

Khalfani Stephens, who was hired on Feb. 11, is overseeing the citys economic development team, which is funded through a nearly $3 million W.K. Kellog Foundation grant.

Stephens will be paid a yearly salary of $115,000, not including benefits. He will be leading the effort to spur Flints economy alongside James Durian, an economic planner, and Tonya Burns, a liaison between the department and the community.

The Pontiac native said he enjoys helping cities strengthen their economies.

I really enjoy working with and helping communities grow as opposed to using my education to help a millionaire make more millions, Stephens said.

Stephens formerly served as the executive director of Clayton County, Georgias development authority. There, he designed a new economic development agency that included policies, procedures and job descriptions.

Stephens also developed a way of keeping businesses in Clayton County, as well as strengthen partnerships with the state of Georgia.

We ended up landing over $120 million in private investment and more than 1,000 jobs that paid more than 20 percent of the average wage in the county (last year), Stephens said.

Flint mayors adviser, ex-county exec get six-figure salaries to boost city economy

Deal packaging and collaboration are two skills Stephens will bring transferring to his new role. His background in liberal arts has shown him how different parts of a community are connected so he will work with different departments to make sure the citys headed in the same direction.

We are here to help raise the overall economic opportunity in our community. You dont do that in silos, Stephens said.

Stephens -- who has been in office less than a week -- said his first goal is to understand whats already happened under his predecessors. Every area is going to present a challenge, like Flints water crisis, Stephens said.

Flint has the draw for businesses, Stephens said now it's just matter of explaining its value to others.

The city of Flint has an amazing opportunity for growth and expansion. It has a regional draw in the workforce. It has the infrastructure, highways leading into it, Stephens said.

Stephens said he will be immersing himself in the community.

Its just a matter of taking everything in that you hear, see the situation that youre in and then process mapping. You will find the best way to get from A to B, Stephens said.

Mayor Sheldon Neeley said Stephens is "highly qualified" and comes to the city with a "fresh set of eyes."

Every so often you need a fresh view on things. Now were getting ready to explore economic development in this community, Neeley said. He has all the tools necessary to do a really good job.

Stephens also previously served as the economic development director for Farmington Hills, a business development manager for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and executive director of the Pontiac Growth Group.

While in Pontiac, Stephens developed a plan to open a new apartment building, corner store and 24-hour gym through a $20 million development project.

While at the MEDC, Stephens worked directly with Flint to identify opportunities to retain and expand local businesses. He also provided technical support during the development of the citys master plan, laid the groundwork for state funding at the Capitol Theatre renovation and implemented the states community ventures program to provide job opportunities to local residents.

Gray Rock Revival aims to boost Flint business with $2.9M Kellogg grant

The $2,957,800 four-year grant through the Kellogg Foundation for an economic development team was announced in 2018. Former Mayor Karen Weaver appointed the following three people using the grant:
It is Boris Johnsons grand vision for a truly united kingdom  a vast bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland as ambitious as any Victorian feat of engineering.

But The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the Prime Ministers proposal for part of the route to use an undersea tunnel is remarkably similar to a blueprint given serious consideration 130 years ago.

Drawn up by Victorian naval architect James Maxton, the plans for a submerged buoyant bridge are even couched in the same florid language loved by Boris.

Maxtons plan featured a bridge, a viaduct and a tunnel and was designed to carry trains propelled by electricity or compressed air. The vast underwater section, submerged to a depth of 60ft, would have been held in place by a system of anchors

The Mail on Sunday last week revealed that Mr Johnson will soon receive results of a feasibility study into a 21st Century bridge and tunnel project. But modern-day engineers face challenges even more severe than those envisaged by Maxton

Details were delivered in a lecture to Belfasts Natural History and Philosophical Society in 1890 and set out four options for routes across the Irish Sea to the mainland.

Acknowledging the challenges, Maxton warned: Subaqueous tunnelling is proverbially one of the most uncertain undertakings in civil engineering. Unforeseen mishaps make even the most sanguine fear the results.

While accepting the engineering difficulties are stupendous, he argued that neither political nor military objections to the scheme are tenable.

His favoured scheme would have run for nearly 22 miles from Donaghadee in County Down to Portpatrick in Scotland.

Drawn up by Victorian naval architect James Maxton, the plans for a submerged buoyant bridge are even couched in the same florid language loved by Boris

Mr Johnsons likeliest route is between Portpatrick and Larne in County Antrim.

Maxtons plan featured a bridge, a viaduct and a tunnel and was designed to carry trains propelled by electricity or compressed air.

The vast underwater section, submerged to a depth of 60ft, would have been held in place by a system of anchors.

The architect estimated his submerged bridge would take less than six years to build and cost 5.25 million at 1890 prices, compared to current estimates of 20 billion.

His favoured scheme would have run for nearly 22 miles from Donaghadee in County Down to Portpatrick in Scotland, pictured above. Mr Johnsons likeliest route is between Portpatrick and Larne in County Antrim

Hailing the scheme at the time, Charles Dickens Junior, son of the famous novelist and president of Belfasts Philosophical Society, wrote: It would be totally impossible to estimate the advantage that would accrue to this country if railway communication could be established between Ireland and Scotland and England.

Maxton was one of Britains most prominent naval architects, designing many of the vessels built in Belfasts shipyards of the era.

As recently as 1956, his bridge and tunnel scheme was cited in parliamentary debates on the possibility of linking Scotland and Ulster.

The Mail on Sunday last week revealed that Mr Johnson will soon receive results of a feasibility study into a 21st Century bridge and tunnel project.

But modern-day engineers face challenges even more severe than those envisaged by Maxton.

They have proposed a bridge-tunnel split as a way of dealing with Beauforts Dyke, the UKs largest offshore dump site for conventional and chemical munitions after the Second World War.
The United States is preparing to evacuate Americans held in medical isolation on a cruise ship off the coast of Japan over an outbreak of Wuhan coronavirus, or COVID-19 virus.

About 380 U.S. citizens and their family members on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama, Japan, is being offered the opportunity to be sent back to the United States via a direct flight organized by the State Department.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo told American passengers and crew on board in an email (pdf) sent 3:24 a.m. Saturday Tokyo time that a chartered aircraft is set to arrive in Japan late Sunday, Feb. 16.

[T]o fulfill our governments responsibilities to U.S. citizens under our rules and practices, as well as to reduce the burden on the Japanese healthcare system, the U.S. government recommends, out of an abundance of caution, that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring, the email reads.

It adds, Buses will move you and your belongings from the ship to the aircraft. Passengers will be screened for symptoms and we are working with our Japanese partners to ensure that any symptomatic passengers receive the required care in Japan if they cannot board the flight.

The aircraft will land at Travis Air Force Base in California, and some passengers will then continue onward to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, the embassy said. Evacuees will go through further health screenings in the United States and also undergo quarantine for at least 14 days.

Should you choose not to return on this charter flight, you will be unable to return to the United States for a period of time, the embassy told American passengers and crew in the email. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make a final determination on this matter.

U.S. citizens aboard the Diamond Princess, hospitalized at local hospitals, as well as their friends and family can continue to reach the U.S. Embassy at USGShipContact@state.gov or at (+81) 03-3224-5000.

Japans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday it was coordinating with the U.S. government on the evacuation. The Japanese government believes the steps taken by the United States will ease Japans burden regarding the medical response to the situation on the Diamond Princess and it appreciates these measures, the ministry said.

On Thursday, Japanese health workers confirmed 44 new cases of COVID-19 virus on the cruise ship, bringing the total to at least 218. The vessel entered the Yokohama port on Feb. 3 and was quarantined for two weeks, after a man who disembarked the ship in Hong Kong before it traveled to Japan was diagnosed with the virus. The quarantine is set to end on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

The Department of Defense (DOD) said it has named 11 military bases that could serve as potential quarantine areas for U.S. coronavirus cases after being asked by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In particular, the installations near 11 major airports that could house additional passengers could be used if HHS facilities become filled, the DOD said in a recent news release.

The United States currently has 15 confirmed cases of the virus. The latest case was confirmed in Texas on Feb. 12the first known case in the state. The other confirmed cases in the United States are in California, Arizona, Washington state, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Massachusetts. At least one, a patient in Washington, has been released from the hospital.

The new virus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in early December. It is in the same family of pathogens that cause the flu and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). The most common symptoms reported from the new virus are fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, although Chinese researchers have noted other symptoms, such as fatigue, diarrhea, chest pains, and headaches.

The incubation periodor amount of time from exposure to the onset of symptomsis said to be up to 14 days. However, a recent study from Chinese researchers, which examined over 1,000 cases of the disease, found a patient who didnt exhibit symptoms for as long as 24 days. One Chinese health official in Jinzhong, a city in Shanxi Province, also noted a case of one female patient who was hospitalized 40 days after traveling to Wuhan; she was diagnosed two days after hospitalization.

Health experts have confirmed that the virus is contagious even when the infected person has not yet exhibited symptoms. But theres still no consensus as to how potent the virus is.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday warned that the virus could take a foothold inside the United States, saying that at some point, we are likely to see community spread in the U.S. or in other countries, according to a press conference.

The CDC advises that people should not travel to China and that they should avoid contact with those infected with the virus, and wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Eva Fu contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times
A MAN who deliberately reversed a stolen SUV at a garda has been sentenced to two and-a-half years imprisonment.

Evan Fitzgerald, 26, who has an address at Bru na Gruadan, Castletroy, Limerick had pleaded guilty to recklessly or intentionally engaging in conduct which created a substantial risk of death or serious harm to Garda Tom McGlinchey at Boher Community Centre on September 3, 2018.

During a sentencing hearing, Limerick Circuit Court was told Mr Fitzgerald stole the high-powered Chrysler SUV from a yard at Annaholty on the Limerick-Tipperary border earlier on the same day.

Detective Garda Dean Landers said after the Chrysler was reported stolen, details of the vehicle were circulated to gardai.

The vehicle was spotted at a number of locations and in the early evening, Garda McGlinchey and a colleague observed it in the car park of Boher Community Centre, which was closed for renovations at the time.

He said Garda McGlinchey got out of the patrol car and walked towards the Chrysler. While approaching the stolen car, he noticed a man running towards the passenger side of the vehicle which then reversed at speed at him.

Detective Garda Landers told John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, that Garda McGlinchey put out his hand and signaled to the driver to stop but that Mr Fitzgerald failed to do so.

He was left with no choice but to jump out of the way to avoid being struck, he said adding that Garda McGlinchey later told investigating gardai that he was in fear for his life.

In a statement, an eyewitness told gardai that he believed Garda McGlinchey was going to be rammed saying hes a lucky man.

The stolen vehicle, which was badly damaged, was located a number of weeks later at Friarstown, Grange and following his arrest the defendant, who has 50 previous convictions. made full admissions telling gardai that he owed a substantial drug debt.

He made admissions relating to the theft of the car but said he did not remember reversing at Garda McGlinchey as he was intoxicated.

Guilty pleas were also entered to a number of other charges relating to a number of drive-offs from petrol stations in the city and in Kilmallock on dates during 2018.

Barrister Eimear Carey said Mr Fitzgerald comes from a hard-working and decent family but began using drugs at a young age and owed around 5,000.

She said he had fallen in with a bad crowd, is easily-led but had been working part-time before his bail was revoked last March.

Imposing sentence, Judge Martina Baxter accepted Mr Fitzgerald is remorseful and that he is doing well in prison and hopes to enter a residential treatment programme when released.

She imposed sentences totalling three and-a-half years imprisonment, suspending the final 12 months.

A ten-year disqualification was also imposed.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  A bill that would establish an early childhood trust fund  by setting aside some of New Mexicos oil-fueled budget surplus  is headed to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams desk and could be signed into law in the coming days.

The Senate voted 37-1 Friday to approve the proposed endowment fund, one of Lujan Grishams marquee initiatives during this years 30-day legislative session.

The trust fund is not the final step, but it is a monumental step forward in our effort to permanently transform educational and economic outcomes for kids and families all across New Mexico, the Democratic governor said after Fridays vote.

The measure, House Bill 83, calls for a certain amount of energy-related tax collections to be diverted in years when total state cash reserves exceed 25% of spending levels.

Backers of the plan argued that an endowment fund for early childhood programs could eventually become a major funding source for home visiting, prekindergarten and child care assistance.

I think this is a smart way to approach growing funding for early childhood programs, said Sen. Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque.

But the only senator to cast a no vote, Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, questioned why the money used to set up the fund isnt being put to use right away.

Were shorting existing needs and existing priorities within our current budget, Ortiz y Pino said.

Under the bill, $20 million would be transferred from the trust fund to the states new Early Childhood Education and Care Department in July 2021.

After that initial transfer, annual distributions of at least $30 million would be made  or possibly more, depending on the funds growth.

While a House-approved budget bill would appropriate $300 million to set up the fund, Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, a sponsor of the bill, said the Senate Finance Committee plans to bump up that funding level to $320 million  the initial target amount  when it makes amendments to the budget bill.

The proposed fund could play a role in Lujan Grishams goal of having universal prekindergarten in New Mexico  or at least 85% of 4-year-olds enrolled in private or public programs statewide.

New Mexico spending on early childhood programs has already increased rapidly in recent years, from about $148 million in 2016 to more than $500 million in the current fiscal year.

The bill was also sponsored by House Majority Whip Doreen Gallegos, a Las Cruces Democrat.
The Bureau of Land Management announced plans Friday to fund 11,000 miles of strategic fuel breaks in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Utah in an effort to help control wildfires.

The fuel breaks are intended to prop up fire mitigation efforts and help protect firefighters, communities and natural resources. According to the BLM, wildfires are becoming bigger and more frequent across the Great Basin states. Between 2009 and 2018, more than 13.5 million acres of BLM land burned in the project area.

Map of area where fuel breaks may be implemented. Courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management website.

Recovering from the devastating effects of wildfires can take decades in the rugged, high-desert climate of the Great Basin. These tools will help firefighters contain fires when they break out, said acting Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management Casey Hammond in a news release. Thats why creating fuel breaks is incredibly important to the entire basin, the people who live in these communities, and our wildland firefighters.

Fuel breaks are intended to break up fire fuels by creating breaks in vegetation that slow a blazes progress. By implementing them strategically, they help firefighters control the spread of fire, and can protect homes and resources.

Some scientists debate the effectiveness of fuel breaks in mitigating wildfires, raising questions about whether these efforts are worth funding.

But the BLM reports that assessments of more than 1,200 fuel breaks found that 78% of them helped control wildfire and 84% helped change fire behavior. According to the news release, The BLM has extensively documented that fuel breaks, and other types of fuel treatments, are effective.

According to Jennifer Jones, a spokeswoman for the BLM, the program will help streamline the implementation process by reducing or eliminating the need for environmental analysis. Once the plan is finalized and funding available, said Jones, offices will be able to use it immediately and for many years to come.

The timeline for implementation and the location of fuel breaks will depend on what offices develop plans and apply for funding.

Because BLM offices have not requested funds, said Jones, the BLM cant provide a figure for what the plan will cost.

Costs will depend on how many fuel breaks are actually constructed, what types of fuel breaks are constructed, where they are constructed, whether they are constructed by employees or contractors, etc., said Jones.

According to the news release:

 Fuel breaks can be implemented through manual, chemical and mechanical treatments, including prescribed fire, seeding, and targeted grazing.

 Fuel breaks work will happen on roads and rights-of-way on BLM lands.

 The public can comment on the plan for the next 30 days, after which the BLM will make final decisions.

-- Piper McDaniel; amcdaniel@oregonian.com; 503-221-4307; @Piperamcdaniel

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A total of 406 people, who are housed at a quarantine facility of the ITBP after being brought back from China due to coronavirus outbreak there, may be released next week if their final samples turn out to be negative, officials said on Saturday.

The final samples of all the people quarantined at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility here were collected by a team of doctors on Friday and the reports are expected to be received by Monday.

"Based on the reports, a decision will be taken to discharge the travellers, if agreed to by the authorities, which is expected to be done in next week observing laid down protocols and due medical procedures as per the directives of Health Ministry," PRO of the ITBP Vivek Kumar Pandey said in a statement.

A senior home ministry official said all of them will be released by next week if the final samples test negative.

A total of 650 people were brought back from Wuhan in China on February 1 and 2 in two 747 Boeing Air India aircraft after the novel Coronavirus outbreak there.

While 406 people, including seven from Maldives, are being looked after at the quarantine ITBP facility here, rest are at an Army centre at Manesar in Haryana.

The ITBP centre is being looked after by an expert team of doctors and medical professionals.

There are seven children, including an infant in the group.

"No fresh symptoms have been seen today. Food, bed and other basic requirements are catered. Sufficient amount of medicines are also kept at the centre," Pandey said.

The death toll in China's novel coronavirus epidemic has climbed to 1,523 with 143 new fatalities reported mostly from the worst-affected Hubei province while the confirmed cases jumped to over 66,000, health officials said on Saturday.

India has so far reported three confirmed cases of the virus, all in Kerala.

One of the three medical students, who had tested positive for novel coronavirus infection and were treated at a hospital in Kerala, has been discharged after recovery.

Passengers arriving in flights from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and South Korea were being screened for possible exposure to the respiratory virus at 21 identified airports in India.
Minister for Animal Husbandry in the Telangana government, Talasani Srinivas Yadav was fined Rs 5,000 by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for putting up an unauthorised hoarding.

The unauthorised hoarding stating 'We love KCR' was erected by the State Minister in Hyderabad.

Yadav, upon learning of the challan immediately responded and paid the fine through a cheque on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump board Air Force One prior to departure from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. AFP photo

US President Donald Trump will meet executives of large Indian companies with interests in the United States as he looks to drum up investments during his visit to New Delhi this month.

Executives of some of the companies expected to attend the meeting include Reliance Industries, diversified group Tata Sons and auto sector companies such as Bharat Forge, Mahindra and Mahindra and Motherson Sumi, industry and business sources told Reuters.

President Trump is scheduled to make his first visit as president to India on February 24-25 during which he will travel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat followed by talks in New Delhi. The two countries are trying to sign a trade deal during his visit.

On February 25, a meeting is being planned between President Trump and Indian executives, especially those focussing on job creation and manufacturing in the United States, the sources said.

The meeting, which will be held in New Delhi, was unlikely to include executives of US companies, they said.

Creating new jobs and boosting manufacturing is critical for Trump in his re-election bid later this year. US factory activity rebounded in January but only after it contracted for five straight months.

"President (Trump) is keen on acknowledging Indian companies which are focussing on manufacturing in the United States," said a Washington-based source aware of the plans.

United States is a key market for several Indian firms.

Mahindra last year said it will invest another $1 billion in the United States and was committed to creating American jobs, while Bharat Forge has announced plans to invest $56 million to set up a new plant in North Carolina.

The $100-billion Tata Group says it is one of the largest Indian-headquartered multinationals in North America, with 13 companies and more than 35,000 employees.

The Confederation of Indian Industries and US-India trade groups have suggested several Indian executives for the Trump meeting and the US Embassy in New Delhi was reviewing that, one source said, adding the final list was yet to be finalised.

The US Embassy in New Delhi declined to comment.

Other than his meeting with Indian business leaders and PM Modi, President Trump is expected to attend an event at a stadium in Gujarat along the lines of the "Howdy Modi" extravaganza held in Houston last September during which the two leaders made a joint appearance.
When Thomas Scott was marched outside the walls of Upper Fort Garry and executed by firing squad, it forever changed how history would treat Louis Riel and the Red River Resistance. The killing of Scott, whether a misguided error by Riel or an unavoidable step to prevent further bloodshed, would turn out to be one of the most pivotal events of the resistance.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Thomas Scott was marched outside the walls of Upper Fort Garry and executed by firing squad, it forever changed how history would treat Louis Riel and the Red River Resistance. The killing of Scott, whether a misguided error by Riel or an unavoidable step to prevent further bloodshed, would turn out to be one of the most pivotal events of the resistance.

Only a month after the Irish-born Canadian was condemned to death in March 1870, Riel opponents in Ontario used Scotts execution to whip up anti-Metis sentiment in an effort to sabotage negotiations between Ottawa and the Red River Settlement. It nearly worked. Two of three Red River delegates sent to Ottawa to negotiate the terms of Manitobas entry into confederation were arrested on arrival (but later released) for Scotts death. At the same time, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald was under increasing political pressure to send military troops to quell the resistance in Red River, rather than engage in peaceful negotiations.

The killing of Thomas Scott outside the walls of Upper Fort Garry. (HBC Archives)

Scotts death didnt just complicate matters for the Red River delegates. It undermined their efforts to bargain with Ottawa.

Scott was tried and convicted by a "military council" on March 3 for rebelling against the provisional government and attacking a Metis guard at Upper Fort Garry, where he and other political prisoners were held. The trial wasnt conducted under normal court rules, even by 1870 Red River standards. Scott had no defence counsel and wasnt present for much of the proceedings, which were conducted in French (a language he didnt understand). Riel, one of the chief witnesses in the case, had to act as translator. The military council was not unanimous in its decision to sentence Scott to death. Some felt the penalty was too harsh.

After failed pleas by several prominent members of the community to spare Scotts life, he was taken outside the east walls of Upper Fort Garry on March 4  roughly where Fort Garry Places parking lot is today  and shot by firing squad. According to some witnesses present  about 100 bystanders arrived after hearing word of the planned execution  Scott didnt die right away. One of his executioners shot him again at close range with a revolver.

Scott was then placed in a makeshift wooden coffin and brought back inside the fort. Endless rumour and speculation swirled around how the execution was carried out, including whether the executioners had been consuming alcohol at the time. His time of death, including the possibility that he remained alive for several hours after the execution, has never been settled. Even the whereabouts of his body remains a mystery. Some reports had him buried on the grounds of Upper Fort Garry. Others said several Metis cut a hole in the ice of the frozen Seine River and secretly dumped his body there. His remains were never recovered.

No other single event that occurred during the Red River Resistance has attracted more debate and commentary from scholars and historians. Many saw Scotts execution as a grave error that could have been avoided. The killing has been described as illegal and morally reprehensible. Others saw it as a necessary step to maintain order in the settlement and to show Ottawa the provisional government meant business. Prior to Scotts execution, several prisoners had been tried and condemned to death but were spared by Riel.

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If Scott, who was relentlessly abusive towards Metis guards while in captivity, had not been executed through some form of tribunal, he may have been murdered by guards without any due process at all, others have speculated.

"Almost every historian over the years has condemned the execution of Thomas Scott as being without any legal foundation," wrote Maggie Siggins in her biography <\Iz>Riel: A Life of Revolution.<\z> "But the Metis and Riel believed the government was a legitimate one, invested with the power to mete out justice and impose the death penalty if need be."

Whatever the case, Scotts death not only made it more difficult for the provisional governments delegates to negotiate with the federal government, it changed Riels life forever. The Metis leader fled Red River later that year when the Wolseley military expedition arrived from Ontario. He became a fugitive for life, unable to take his seat in Parliament after he was elected several times as an MP, fearing arrest or other forms of reprisal.

Ambroise Lepine, one of the top officials in Riels provisional government who presided over the Scott trial, was the only one ever convicted for Scotts death, four years after the resistance.

Alive, Thomas Scott would barely warrant a footnote in the story of the Red River resistance. Dead, he became a martyr for an anti-Metis cause in eastern Canada that changed the course of Manitoba history.

 Tom Brodbeck
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 17:22:11|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- International experts including those from the World Health Organization (WHO) are scheduled to arrive in Beijing this weekend, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).

The joint expert team will conduct in-depth exchanges with China's key departments fighting against the outbreak of COVID-19, the NHC said.

The joint mission will also pay field visits to China's three provincial-level regions to learn the implementation and effectiveness of the epidemic prevention and control measures taken in China's urban and rural areas, according to the NHC.

One of the goals of the joint mission is to provide suggestions on the prevention and control of the coronavirus outbreak in China and globally, the NHC added.

In addition, the expert team will visit epidemic-related institutions focusing on epidemiology, medical treatment, laboratory detection and scientific research, said the NHC.

Appropriate arrangements for the team's key inspection fields and schedules have been made after thorough consultation and communication between the Chinese relevant department and Bruce Aylward, a Canadian epidemiologist who led an advance team to assist the ongoing anti-virus fight.
Psychological tests are important instruments used in courts to aid legal decisions that profoundly affect people's lives. They can help determine anything from parental fitness for child custody, to the sanity or insanity of a person at the time of a crime, to eligibility for capital punishment.

While increasingly used in courts, new research shows the tests are not all scientifically valid, and once introduced into a case they are rarely challenged, according to Tess Neal, an assistant professor of psychology at Arizona State University.

"Given the stakes involved one would think the validity of such tests would always be sound," Neal said. "But we found widespread variability in the underlying scientific validity of these tests."

The problem is made worse because the courts are not separating the good from the bad.

"Even though courts are required to screen out 'junk science,' nearly all psychological assessment evidence is admitted into court without even being screened," Neal said.

Neal was speaking today (February 15) at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Seattle. She presented her findings in the talk "Psychological assessments and the law: Are courts screening out "junk science?"

In a two-part investigation, Neal and her colleagues found a varying degree of scientific validity to 364 commonly used psychological assessment tools employed in legal cases. The researchers looked at 22 surveys of experienced forensic mental health practitioners to find which tools are used in court. With the help of 30 graduate students and postdocs, they examined the scientific foundations of the tools, focusing on legal standards and scientific and psychometric theory.

The second part of the study was a legal analysis of admissibility challenges with regard to psychological assessments, focusing on legal cases from across all state and federal courts in the U.S. for a three-year period (2016-2018).

"Most of these tools are empirically tested (90%), but we could only clearly identify two-thirds of them being generally accepted in the field and only about 40% as having generally favorable reviews of their psychometric and technical properties in authorities like the Mental Measurements Yearbook," Neal explained.

"Courts are required to screen out the 'junk science,' but rulings regarding psychological assessment evidence are rare. Their admissibility is only challenged in a fraction of cases (5.1%)," Neal said. "When challenges are raised, they succeed only about a third of the time."

"Challenges to the most scientifically suspect tools are almost nonexistent," Neal added. "Attorneys rarely challenge psychological expert assessment evidence, and when they do, judges often fail to exercise the scrutiny required by law."

What is needed is a different approach. In their open-access paper in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Neal and her colleagues offer concrete advice for solving these problems to psychological scientists, mental health practitioners, lawyers, judges and members of the public interacting with psychologists in the legal system.

"We suggest that before using a psychological test in a legal setting, psychologists ensure its psychometric and context-relevant validation studies have survived scientific peer review through an academic journal, ideally before publication in a manual," Neal explained. "For lawyers and judges, the methods of psychologist expert witnesses can and should be scrutinized, and we give specific suggestions for how to do so."

###

Skip Derra

Media Relations & Strategic Communications

Arizona State University

480-356-3712

Skip.derra@asu.edu
From having friends ask if they can hack into an exs account, to trending on Twitter for their work when they really want to stay anonymous, it can be strange standing in the shoes of an ethical hacker today.

Most people dont really understand what we do, says Sai Krishna Kothapalli, 23, from Hyderabad, who runs a cyber security startup, Hackrew. At least today, there is some sense that ethical hackers are part of the larger framework required to protect all the personal digital data out there  whether on social networking sites or delivery apps or even in the databases of hospitals, schools and government institutions.

But when Kothapalli first became addicted to cracking code, as a college student, in 2015, his parents didnt understand it, his friends couldnt tell the difference between the white hats (ethical hackers) and black hats (criminal hackers), and there were very few in his circle who shared his interest.

With a large community has come greater competition. Over just one year, for instance, the number of hackers registered with HackerOne, the largest global interface between companies and ethical hackers, almost doubled, going from 166,000 in 2017 to 300,000 in 2018. At the same time, there are a lot more bugs to find now, and more apps to help secure.

Karan Saini, 20, an ethical hacker from Bengaluru, says that while growing internet penetration has heightened competition in his field, it has also finally spawned a support community where white hats can connect with others who understand what they do, and why they do it. (Kashif Masood / HT Photo)

The biggest frustration, Kothapalli says, is when you work tirelessly for hours on a vulnerability only to miss the mark by a whisker, and see it reported by some other researcher.

On the upside, more ethical hackers means better resources. Over the past three years, Kothapalli says, the resources available to a young hacker have boomed, from blogs, conferences and meetups to courses and white hat clubs at institutes like IIT-Roorkee and IIT-Delhi.

Networks have grown stronger online, and there is a sense of community that is helpful in a profession where one generally flies entirely solo. On Twitter, hackers as young as 15 reach out to me. Initially, we discuss bugs and blogs about hacking but eventually also what is going on in our lives, says Karan Saini, 20, a product support engineer and ethical hacker from Bengaluru. I have seen hackers social lives being affected because of merely the number of hours the work takes up. It is important to have a support network comprising people in the same field who have encountered similar problems.

Always on the hunt

One of the things about being an ethical hacker, says Saini, is that, like a doctor, you can never turn it off. Every symptom jumps out at you; youre always assessing for vulnerabilities.

Take the current Information Technology Act. Technically, as it now stands, we could be prosecuted for helping companies identify bugs in their systems. Typically, ethical hackers do this by gaining access to the source code of an app or website (often at the companys invitation). They then seek out weakness and vulnerabilities in firewalls, security encryption, etc. If done without prior permission, even if the results are then handed over to the company for rectification, this can land you in jail in India.

Gurgaon-based hacker Avinash Jain says the most frustrating thing about chasing a bug is how unpredictable it all is. Youre racing, and thinking out of the box; but nothing. The key tool, you soon learn, is patience. (Sanjeev Verma / HT Photo)

How Indians are leading the charge The most comprehensive report on ethical hacking activity globally is compiled each year by HackerOne, which acts as an interface between companies and hackers. While its data is based primarily on its own operations through the year, the numbers are considered indicative of the industry at large. Heres where India figures on its world map According to the HackerOne 2019 report, India has the highest number of ethical hackers  27% of all known white hats are Indian. In terms of payments earned and bounties won, India is second only to the US. According to the HackerOne report, Indian bounty hunters won a combined $4,982,260 (about Rs 35.50 crore) in 2018. Thats payments made by companies for spotting flaws in an app and / or suggesting fixes for one. According to a Data Security Council of India (DSCI) report from 2019, India was the second most affected country due to targeted cyberattacks, between 2016 and 2018. Ethical hackers say this is because Indian government departments typically move so slowly. To address that issue, a National Cybersecurity Strategy is set to be unveiled by the end of February. This will be in accordance to the Cyber Security Policys vision to build a more secure and resilient cyberspace for citizens, businesses and government.

Of course there are grey areas. He studied some of those grey areas in his year with the thinktank, Centre for Internet and Society. But this kind of thing, to me, is scary, he says. Its scary that our laws are so out of touch with our digital worlds.

Thats why some prefer to stay completely anonymous. The 30-year-old who was recently in the news for creating bots that helped report other bots that were influencing what trended on Twitter, would not give us a first name or even initial.

You can reach him online, as numerous publications did in January, but he wont share a phone number.

Its hard enough as it is, he says. I get death threats and obscene messages every day. My relationships with people have been changed by the work that I do. The trust network you build up through your whole life, suddenly gets called into question. You dont know who you can rely on. At times you dont trust even your parents with all the information, because you dont know how much they may share with other family members  and you also dont want them burdened.

He made the news for creating bots that helped take down over 2 lakh other bots, over a period of about four months. The other bots had been programmed to tweet a certain kind of content in such large volumes that they could affect what trended locally on Twitter.

I wanted to do this so that people had a clearer picture of how things stand, he says. I am glad I did it. The role of the ethical hacker is a political one. Some sacrifice has to be made. The only fear I really feel is that anyone can file an FIR. And it is a realistic fear, I feel.

Level one

Gurgaon based Avinash Jain, 27, is one of those white hats who hunts down bugs like hes living in a video game. He won about 80 bug bounties in 2018 alone  including $2,500 (about Rs 1.78 lakh) for finding a bug in Go-Jek, a multiservice platform. The first bug bounty he won was with Zomato, and the prize was just some merchandise, but the thrill has had him hooked ever since.

Sai Krishna Koathapalli from Hyderabad says government agencies are finally, slowly, opening up to working with ethical hackers - mainly to spread awareness about cyber crime and cyber safety. (Surajit Sharma / HT Photo)

The one downside is that the pursuit of a bug is so unpredictable, he says. Sometimes, you spend days without finding a single bug in the target domain. Youre racing, and thinking out of the box; but nothing. The key tool, you soon learn, is patience.

During the day, Jain works as a securities engineer at a startup, so time is a constraint too. I come back from work, go for a workout, freshen up and start my hacking work of the day. It can be tiring on some days but the joy of solving problems keeps me going.

One of the bugs hes proudest of identifying is a loophole in an online registration system for hospital appointments and admissions that could compromise the details of those who registered online. He didnt win anything for it, but the problem was acknowledged by the hospital, and fixed.

How they stay safe, and you can too Use encrypted email and messenger systems. This is easier than it sounds. There are several apps that now provide end-to-end encryption and there is encryption software you can download. Once the information is encoded, only the intended recipient can view a message. Use local language phrases in your passwords; this makes them more difficult to crack. Hackers tend to use algorithms that draw largely on the English dictionary. As far as possible, use Bluetooth rather than another persons USB device. When you connect using USB there are chances that if it is so programmed it can execute commands on your device and even install malicious software. Use an authorised, paid-for antivirus. It offers far more comprehensive protection, from viruses and hackers, than the free antivirus solutions. Free antivirus packages typically provide only the most basic of protection. They scan for malware from time to time. But features like firewalls for bad links come with paid antivirus software.

Typically, though, the ethical hackers say that government departments are slow to respond. Kothapalli was still an engineering student at IIT-Guwahati, when he tried to report a vulnerability on the BSNL intranet website.

It could enable a hacker to access the entire BSNL intranet database, which contained a lot of confidential data on existing and retired employees of the company.

He reported it but never got a response. Two years later, when an anonymous French hacker handle pointed out the same issue, the organisation acted to rectify the gaps. The French hacker, who calls himself Elliot Alderson, acknowledged that the issue had already pointed out by Kothapalli, in a tweet, so at least he got credit indirectly, he says, laughing.

A larger mission

Vineet Kumar runs the Cyber Peace Foundation, which works with governments to spread awareness about cyber crime and cyber safety, starting at the grassroot level. (Diwakar Prasad / HT Photo)

Government agencies are slowly warming up to the work done by ethical hackers. Kothapallis Hackrew, set up in 2018, organised its first live hacking event with the Telangana government last June. Ranchi-based hacker Vineet Kumars Cyber Peace Foundation (CPF) has collaborated with government agencies like the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), to conduct cyber awareness contests, and with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to host a hackathon  an event in which hackers compete to spot loopholes and suggest fixes for an app or website within a stipulated time.

Kumar believes the responsibility of an ethical hacker goes beyond finding bugs and threats. Given the reach of smartphones, it is important to educate and protect at the grassroots level, he says.

His organisation has been working to educate rural users about the many kinds of cybercrime and about their rights. Sometimes its simple things like teaching people that if you file a complaint in a case of financial fraud within 72 hours, you must  barring any malfeasance on your part  get your money back. Or teaching people that even downloading a child sexual abuse video is a crime. Or that sharing pictures and videos of children without parental consent is illegal, he says.

Over the past two years, the CPF has worked with the police to conduct cybersecurity awareness workshops in states ranging from Assam and Jharkhand to Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and West Bengal. We have a group of master trainers who work closely with the police to help in investigations too, Kumar says.

Digital literacy is crucial given how fast digital access has spread, and continues to spread, in India. The alternative is simply disaster.

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A Nepal Airlines special aircraft Airbus A-330 aircraft departed on Saturday afternoon from Kathmandu for Wuhan city in China's Hubei province (China) for the evacuation of Nepali citizens amid the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 1500 people and infected at least 60,000 others.

The special flight flew for Wuhan at 4 p.m. (local time), nearly two hours late than previously announced time of 2:15 p.m. (local time).

The aircraft, which is scheduled to land at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport at 9:00 p.m. (China Time), has three pilots, six crew members, an engineer, a loadmaster and a health team as well as the Army.

"Preparations have been completed to bring on those Nepali who are stranded in China's Wuhan. The flight is being sent for the purpose and they will be flown out to Nepal this evening (China Time) by Nepal Airlines Aircraft. They are healthy, no symptoms have been seen amongst them till now," Narayan Bidari, Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, told ANI.

A total of 185 Nepali are expected to land in Kathmandu on Sunday morning at 2:15 a.m. (local time) if they pass the health test at Wuhan airport.

After their arrival, the evacuees will be quarantined at Kharipati in Bhaktapur for fortnights and then released if they do not grow any symptoms of 'Covid-19' or the coronavirus.

The deadly virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year. It has since then killed more than 1,500 people in that country alone, while cases have been registered in several countries across the world, including India.

-ANI

Also Read: Coronavirus: Death toll in China rises to 1,500
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday appealed a state district court judges recent ruling that would allow an environmental enforcement lawsuit brought by Harris County against Exxon Mobil to proceed.

Harris County sued Exxon on Aug. 1, a day after a chemical fire at its Baytown facility injured 37 and produced volumes of pollution that exceeded the levels allowed under its state Clean Air Act permits.

Paxton filed his own lawsuit four days later, and in November took Harris County to court, arguing that the countys case should be dismissed in favor of his own lawsuit.

This Exxon case - one of three County Attorney Vince Ryan has pending against the company - is the first legal test for an order the county Commissioners Court passed last April letting Ryan file some environmental lawsuits without first securing the courts approval on a case-by-case basis.

Paxtons office argues this blanket authorization is improper, and has noted in court filings that some commissioners backed the idea as a way to get around the State out of a concern that state officials are filing their own lawsuits to give cover to industry.

As repeated chemical plant explosions and fires have disrupted lives and raised air-quality concerns in the Houston over the last year, the Republican-led state and its most populous county, now controlled by Democrats, have been racing to the courthouse to take the lead on environmental suits.

The states more active role has aroused suspicions among some local officials and environmentalists, who believe state leaders with pro-business records may be trying to take control to soften the blow of any court rulings against major corporations.

We are disappointed that the Attorney General has sought to delay this proceeding, but we welcome the opportunity to establish this important legal principle in a higher court, Ryan said Saturday. The people of Harris County suffered from the impact of the explosion and the pollution. They and not a jury in Austin should be allowed to hear this case.

Who sues first between the state or county dictates not only where the case will be heard, but also where the money will go if there are civil penalties. If the county files first, the money is split between both parties. If the state sues first, the county gets no revenue.

mike.morris@chron.com

perla.trevizo@chron.com
WASHINGTON  The House appears close to reviving a debate over whether to regulate the driverless vehicle industry, but all of the concerns that torpedoed past efforts remain: Namely, how best to balance safety of new technology and the freedom to innovate.

Though a GOP-led House in 2017 passed by voice vote a bill aimed at creating a regulatory framework for the self-driving car industry, a Senate version of the bill died in 2018, largely over Democrats' concerns about the safety of the burgeoning technology.

Now, the debate is back with an added level of urgency. In the absence of congressional action, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a Transportation Department office tasked with overseeing highway safety, last week allowed California-based Nuro to deploy up to 5,000 driverless, electric delivery vehicles.

Separately, the National Transportation Safety Board, an independent agency responsible for transportation accident investigations, on Tuesday released public dockets on two fatal Tesla crashes that involved the vehicles' "autopilot" systems. The federal government has offered voluntary guidance on autonomous vehicles but no rules on the technology.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are increasingly concerned that the U.S. is losing its competitive edge to China and other nations in developing the technology.

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"The cost of inaction is clear," said House Energy and Commerce ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., at a Tuesday hearing of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. "We're falling behind."

Walden and other advocates say the technology will be a life-saver, preventing many of the roughly 37,000 U.S. vehicle deaths that occur each year. Ninety-four percent of those accidents, safety officials say, are caused by human error.

"An automated vehicle can't drive distracted. It can't drive impaired or fall asleep at the wheel," said John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

Any delay in that deployment, argued Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, means more traffic deaths.

"Every day we delay, we're literally killing people," he said.

By contrast, Democrats such as Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J. urged the federal government to take an active role, with Pallone urging regulators to have a "hands-on" approach to the new technology.

"Safety and deployment must come hand in hand  we cannot have one without the other," Pallone said.

Republicans and Democrats alike say they agree on the potential of the technology: Not only would it reduce traffic deaths, but it would also allow the physically disabled, including the blind, to have increased access to transportation.

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But Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, warned that the technology is not fool-proof, and the government needs to impose basic performance standards to protect those in self-driving cars.

She said while the technology "holds tremendous potential" to reduce deaths on highways "the technology isn't ready, and neither are our roads."

"I understand... that humans are responsible for a large amount of motor vehicles crashes," she said. "However, who's making the autonomous vehicles? Humans. Let's not replace one human mistake with another."

She compares the current regulatory system to the "wild west," and said NHTSA will need additional authority to oversee an entire new category of vehicles.

Bozzella said NHTSA can't know what to regulate unless it has data to help it make informed decisions. That's why they have to encourage innovation, he said.

Other witnesses argued that any deployment must come with proper measures to ensure accountability.

Daniel Hinkle, state affairs counsel for the American Association of Justice, urged lawmakers to bar automated vehicle manufacturers from implementing forced arbitration clauses as it moved forward so that those injured by such vehicles would be able to publicly air their concerns.

The companies, he said, "are taking on the responsibility of the driver. They promised to drive safely and should be held accountable for that promise."

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But Shapiro worried that progress was being bogged down by such concerns.

"We're fighting about things like protecting trial lawyers and other things while they're getting ahead of us," Shapiro said, warning "we can't make the perfect be the enemy of the amazing and the great."
Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, has insisted that usage of mobile phones in Senior High schools [SHS] are not allowed per the rules and regulations governing second cycle institutions.



However, he affirmed some selected SHSs have been allowed to pilot the usage of mobile phones in their schools as a means of preparing second cycle schools into the technology landscape of assessing information.



According to the laws of the GES, mobile phones are not allowed to be used in schools, but the level of technology in the world now has strained us to find appropriate ways of making adjustment to the already existing laws, reasons why we have started the piloting of mobile phones usage in some selected second cycle schools.



 . . Meanwhile, none of the piloting schools is associated with the recent profane videos surfaced on social media, he added.



On a one-on-one interview with UTVs 'Adekye Nsroma programme, Professor Opoku-Amankwa strongly explained that punishments apportioned by authorities to students who were captured on viral videotape uttering profane words befit the crime committed per the laws of the educational system in Ghana.



Professor Opoku-Amankwa stressed that teachers of the various secondary schools are doing their best to shape-up students kept in their care, therefore parents should as well play their part, knowing that parenting is a shared responsibility between teachers and parents.



As GES we are doing our possible best and will continue to do more with lots of sacrifices, parents should as well play their part knowing that responsible parenting is very much necessary in the upbringing of their children, he said.







Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/ peacefmonline.com / [email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A senior Tory minister has sparked alarm after failing to offer assurances the UK will remain signed up to a key human rights treaty after Brexit.

Solicitor general Michael Ellis evaded questions over the UKs future relationship with the European convention on human rights (ECHR) amid concern over whether Boris Johnson intends to water down vital protections.

It comes as Mr Johnson signalled a willingness to take on the judiciary by appointing Suella Braverman, who previously condemned unelected, unaccountable judges, as the new attorney general.

He is also expected to push through potentially fundamental changes with a new Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission. No date has been set for this review to begin.

Labours Geraint Davies asked the solicitor general for explicit assurances that the UK would retain its decades-long support for ECHR.

Recommended Johnson appoints attorney general after she attacked judges

Speaking in the Commons, the Swansea West MP said: The solicitor general knows that our institutions of liberal democracy  the BBC, the judiciary and the civil service  are under attack. He is planning to water down the Human Rights Act.

Will he give a solemn undertaking that we will not be withdrawing from the European convention on human rights, which was established 62 years ago, with the help of Winston Churchill, and nor will we withdraw from the Council of Europe?

Mr Ellis replied: The UK is committed to human rights. The fact is that our EU exit does not change that; the UK will continue to champion human rights, at home and abroad  it is part of who we are as a people.

We practised human rights before the 1998 Act and we will continue to do so. We are committed to upholding the rule of law.

The UK is a beacon in this area around the world, and leaving the EU does not change that.

Mr Davies described the ministers response as a deafening silence, telling The Independent: The danger it seems to me is that the PM doesnt recognise the importance of the judiciary and the institutions we have that keep our democracy alive.

The comments also sparked concern from the SNPs Joanna Cherry, a senior lawyer, who warned the government was trying to weaken the rights of citizens through Brexit.

Ms Cherry, who serves on the Joint Committee for Human Rights, told The Independent: Membership of the ECHR and recognition of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights are fundamental guarantees of the rights of every citizen in the UK.

The Tory government seems determined to use Brexit to weaken the rights of citizens.

Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Show all 17 1 /17 Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Sajid Javid Resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr Javids departure comes just one month before a crucial budget, intended to chart the course for the new government  and makes him the shortest-serving chancellor for more than 50 years Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Rishi Sunak Promoted from Chief Secretary to the Treasury to Chancellor of the Exchequer after the dramatic resignation of Sajid Javid Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Esther McVey Sacked as housing minister AFP via Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Andrea Leadsom Sacked as business secretary EPA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Changed role: Alok Sharma Appointed business secretary (previously international development secretary). He has also been put in charge of the UKs COP26 climate change summit PA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Attorney General Geoffrey Cox Resigned as the government's most senior law officer AFP via Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Suella Braverman Appointed Attorney General and she will attend cabinet EPA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Theresa Villiers Sacked as environment secretary PA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: George Eustice Appointed environment, food and rural affairs secretary. He was a farming and fisheries minister Reuters Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Changed role: Anne-Marie Trevelyan Appointed international development secretary (previously parliamentary under-secretary for defence) Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Julian Smith Sacked as Northern Ireland secretary Reuters Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Brandon Lewis Appointed Secretary of Northern Ireland Reuters Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Stephen Barclay Appointed chief secretary to the Treasury PA Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out In: Oliver Dowden Appointed culture secretary, succeeding Nicky Morgan Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Chris Skidmore Sacked as eucation minister Getty Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: Nus Ghani Sacked as transport minister Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/CC BY 3.0 Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: Who's in and who's out Out: George Freeman Sacked as transport minister Getty

This should worry us all, particularly with the appointment of Suella Braverman as attorney general, given her antipathy towards the judiciary and international rights protections.

The ECHR is an international convention between members of the Council of Europe, which is separate to membership of the EU. The UK first ratified the treaty in 1951.

Under the convention, citizens of signatory countries can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if they feel their rights have been breached.

The UK government passed its own Human Rights Act in 1998 to write ECHR rights into domestic law, allowing people in Britain to appeal to UK courts over breaches of their rights without having to go to Strasbourg.
A minor fire broke out in the basement of The Park hotel in Delhi on Saturday, but the surprising thing is that the hotel management kept this news away from the police and the fire department.

The fire was reported only after three foreigners complained of breathlessness due to smoke. They have been admitted to a hospital.

Overall 14 people were admitted to the Ganga Ram hospital after complaining of breathlessness. Except three, most of them have been discharged now.

The incident happened on Saturday morning around 9 a.m. but the fire department received a call at 12.25 p.m., following which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot, Delhi fire service chief Atul Garg told IANS, adding that by the time the fire tenders reached there blaze had been brought under control.

He said why the fire department or the police were not informed will be part of an investigation.

According to Delhi Police, The smoke which emanated from the basement of the hotel engulfed the entire building which left the people gasping for breath. The hotel management without informing the police took the affected people to Ganga Ram hospital. After that someone called the police about the incident.

Deepak Yadav, additional DCP, New Delhi, said, SHO Connaught Place has been asked to investigate the matter as to why police was not informed about the fire incident, though it was minor.

According to the Police and Delhi Fire Service, 14 people were affected due to the smoke. Out of them only three are still in Ganga Ram hospital. They are from Norway.

The hotel management told IANS, This was a minor fire due to a short circuit. Some people complained of breathlessness due to smoke and were taken to the hospital. We are trying to fix the problem so that the incident is not repeated.
With the novel coronavirus epidemic still raging, Hanoi, HCMC, Da Nang and the country's worst-hit Vinh Phuc have extended the prolonged school break by another one to two weeks.

By Saturday morning, 22 cities and provinces across the country have announced to extend school closures to either February 23 or 29.

Students in Hanoi will have their break extended until February 23, the municipal Peoples Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung said at a meeting Friday.

This is the third extension that the students are getting after their seven-day Lunar New Year break. Schools were set to reopen on February 3, but the break was extended by a week two times in succession as a precautionary measure against the Covid-19.

Chung has also directed Hanois education and labour departments to work with the Ministry of Education and Training to rearrange the school holidays into four main breaks. Accordingly, students will get 30 days off for Tet, 35 days for summer, and two weeks each for the remaining two breaks.

Reshuffling the school holidays this way will help stimulate consumption, balance out city traffic, and stimulate domestic tourism, Chung said. Vietnamese students normally get up to three months off every summer.

In the event students are allowed to return to school after February 23, schools must disinfect premises every day at the end of each class, Chung said.

As of Friday afternoon, Hanoi had not reported any patients testing positive for the Covid-19, but local authorities have instructed 1,620 people to isolate themselves at home and quarantined another 61, most of whom have recently returned from China, in hospitals. So far, 58 of the 61 have tested negative for the pneumonia causing virus.

In Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, authorities have extended the school holidays for its students even further to February 29.

The HCMC Peoples Committee said it will propose to the government and the Ministry of Education and Training that the break is extended to the end of March, and the schedule for the 2019-2020 school year gets adjusted to have students attend classes from April to July, break during August, then return in September as usual.

"The decision is based on the citys assessment of the epidemic, which has developed in an unpredictable and complicated manner. The health and lives of people is our top priority," said Tu Luong, deputy head of the HCMC Department of Information and Communications.

As of Friday, the city had recorded three Covid-19 infections, two are a Chinese father-son duo and one is a Vietnamese-American who transited in Wuhan for two hours en route. The two Chinese have been discharged from hospital.

Hanoi's neighbor Vinh Phuc has also extended its school break to February 23.

Vinh Phuc, which has recorded the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country, has one grade 10 girl confirmed with the virus and is being treated at the Binh Xuyen District Health Center.

The province has also quarantined six other students in the same class who had come into contact with the girl, and 35 remaining classmates have been instructed to isolate themselves and monitor their health at home, said Nguyen Thanh Hai, head of the Vinh Phuc Department of Health.

Vinh Phuc Thursday locked down Son Loi Commune in Binh Xuyen District for a fortnight as eight residents tested positive for the Covid-19.

Eleven of the 16 infections recorded in the country so far have been in Vinh Phuc, which neighbors Hanoi. The source of the infections are a group of eight workers of Japanese-invested Nihon Plast Company Limited who returned from China's Wuhan City, the virus outbreaks epicenter, on January 17.

In total, Vinh Phuc has quarantined 373 people, of whom 104 have so far tested negative for the virus and the other 258 are being monitored at medical centers after they were found to have come into contact with the patients.

Minister of Education and Training, Phung Xuan Nha, on Friday evening asked the chairperson of the people's committees of cities and provinces to consider allowing their students to have school breaks until the end of February, in his letters sent to them.

One day earlier, the Ministry of Education and Training had stated that localities that do not have Covid-19 patients can send students to school after detoxifying and disinfecting school facilities. "Localities with Covid-19 infections must continue monitoring and only send students to school when there are adequate disease prevention measures in place and no new infection cases are reported."

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at government meeting Friday, "Safety should be guaranteed both from the professional perspective and that of students and parents. Students should not be sent back to school if there are still worries about getting infected and worries over whether they should wear a mask in class or not."

Of the 16 infections in Vietnam, seven have been discharged from hospitals.

The death toll from the epidemic has climbed to 1,384, three of them outside mainland China.
Students at Chicagos Nicholas Senn High School carried out a sit-in on Wednesday in response to a teacher telling a Hispanic student, Yesica Salazar, 17, to go back to your country after Salazar refused to stand for the American national anthem during an assembly on January 30. Another student who also refused to stand, Tionda Cobb, 18, was questioned about her status in the schools free lunch program and was told she should stand because, people had died for the country. The two were removed from the assembly by school administrators. Both students are US citizens.

As of Friday morning, the school has suspended the teacher who made the remarks to the students. The Chicago Tribune reported that Senns principal Mary Beck sent a letter to parents Thursday, saying that new information came to light as Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Office of Student Protections and Title IX opened an investigation, prompting it to remove this individual from working in our school. The teacher will remain on paid leave until an investigation is concluded.

Nicholas Senn High School Principal Mary Beck speaking to protesting students [Photo provided by Shalom]

In the weeks after the assembly, students felt that the administration was not responding to their complaints and they began organizing Wednesday's sit-in. The demonstration effectively canceled the normal operation of the school for the day.

Shalom, a junior at Senn who participated in the sit-in, told the WSWS, I learned about it at the very last minute, during second period from the person sitting next to me. The sit-in was scheduled for third period. It was organized, from what I understand, by the two girls who were kicked out and spread over social media, specifically Snapchat and Instagram, I believe. He continued, I wasn't sure if anyone was even going to show up and was prepared to head back to class if nobody was there. But when I headed down to the first floor when the bell rang a bunch of students poured in. At the end of third period the staff told us to head back to class, but we refused and stayed in that spot until seventh period.

During the demonstration students made makeshift signs from their notebooks, chanted slogans like We want justice, we want peace and called for the teacher who made the comments to be removed from the school. Principal Beck first responded by trying to persuade students to return to class, saying that she had taken all steps to file the students complaints with the CPS administration.

Distrusting CPSwhich is dominated by Democratic party officials, closed 50 schools in 2013 and has enforced significant cuts to funding and programsstudents continued the sit-in. The school then called in additional police officers to monitor the demonstration and intimidate students into ending the protest.

Towards the end of the demonstration one student, a 15-year-old girl, was arrested by the officers called to the school. Reports indicate that a minor altercation between two students broke out and a teacher was shoved while trying to break the students apart. The student was charged with battery. Further details on her arrest have not yet been made available.

After the sit-in ended students moved into the auditorium where Principal Beck said she would answer students questions. They dont listen to us said Shalom. After attending the auditorium meeting, he remarked that there was a lot more resentment by the students towards the school as their concerns surrounding the incident had not been addressed.

The sit-in at Senn is an example of young peoples complete rejection of nationalism and racism promoted by the ruling class. Salazar told the Chicago Sun-Times that those who had refused to stand during the National Anthem at the assembly were seeking to protest U.S. immigration policies, anti-immigrant political rhetoric and police brutality.

These are sentiments which are widely held by young people, their teachers, and other sections of the working class. But any effort to voice their politics puts students in direct confrontation with both the Republican and Democratic parties that dominate US political life.

At virtually every public appearance President Donald Trump enters into a fascistic rant accusing immigrants of being criminals and of draining the United States of resources. His speeches are then blasted on 24-hour news programs and portrayed as normal, respectable political views.

The Democrats are equally responsible for the attack on immigrants. Under the administration of Barack Obama about three million immigrants were deported during his eight years in office earning him the label deporter in chief. The Democrats in Congress have repeatedly funded Trumps immigration crackdown and have allowed him to illegally transfer billions in funds to build a border wall with Mexico. More recently on the local level, Chicago Democrats have agreed to allow ICE to deputize CPD officers in order to bypass sanctuary city laws that would prevent cooperation between local law enforcement and the Federal government.

The response to the students protest by pseudo-left figures who operate to funnel opposition back behind the Democrats has been completely demagogic. Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Vice President Stacy Davis-Gates re-tweeted a video of the students demonstration saying, Our students. Lets listen. Lets respond. However there is no indication that any action has been taken by CTU to look into the matter or address students concerns.

A recent survey found that as many as 70 percent of the Millennial and Gen Z generations say they would vote for a socialist in an election. Students are rightly furious with the state of affairs that they find themselves growing up in, as they can expect to graduate into a world with fewer job opportunities, lower pay, and more inequality than their parents.

The conditions young people face are driving them to take action. The last few years have seen millions of young people march to oppose Trump, school shootings, and to defend the rights of immigrants.

But to achieve their goals students will have to break completely with the Democrats and the Republicans, twin capitalist parties which are responsible for the dire social and economic conditions students face. Students need a real alternative to defend immigrant rights and to secure a future for themselves without poverty and war.

The only political candidates that offer such an alternative and a political program to make it possible are Joseph Kishore and Norissa Santa Cruz, the Socialist Equality Partys candidates for President and Vice President in the 2020 US elections. Students looking to truly protect immigrants, end war, and build socialism should join the SEPs youth movement, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, and support the election campaign of Kishore and Santa Cruz.
Israeli mayor orders Palestinian 'surrender' billboards removed A billboard over a Tel Aviv highway shows photo-shopped warzone images of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, both blindfolded, with the slogan read in Hebrew "Peace is Made ONLY with Defeated Enemies\

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The mayor of Tel Aviv ordered the removal on Friday of highway billboards that appeared to call for the surrender at gunpoint of Palestinian leaders for the sake of peace.

"Peace is made ONLY with defeated enemies," said the billboards, which showed photo-shopped images of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, blindfolded and supplicating in a war-zone as helicopters hover.

Israel's stand-off with the Palestinians has grown newly tense since last month's unveiling of U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan, which they rejected as biased.

It was not immediately clear who sponsored the billboards around Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial capital, or if the campaign was meant to help rightist parties in a March 2 national election.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said in a statement that the billboards would be removed, saying that their image "incites violence and recalls the actions of ISIS and the Nazis - whom we do not want to counted among".

"Even in election season, there are red lines," he said.

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Beijing, China  Sat, February 15, 2020 11:32 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064b191e 2 World Vatican,CatholicChurch,Catholic,China,meeting,bishop Free

The foreign ministers of China and the Vatican have met in the first such high-level encounter between the sides, which do not have diplomatic ties, Beijing's state media said Saturday.

The meeting between China's Wang Yi and Archbishop Paul Gallagher in Munich, Germany, on Friday comes as relations between the two sides steadily improve following a landmark agreement on the appointment of bishops in 2018.

The People's Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece, said Gallagher and Wang spoke about China's efforts to combat the new coronavirus epidemic, describing it as their first-ever meeting.

The Vatican News, the Holy See's official information website, cited a statement as saying that the meeting -- which took place during the Munich Security Conference -- covered the 2018 agreement.

The two sides agreed to "continue the institutional dialogue at the bilateral level to promote the life of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people", the statement said, according to Vatican News.

China's roughly 12 million Catholics have for decades been split between a government-run association, whose clergy were chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.

But under the terms of the deal agreed in September 2018, both Beijing and the Vatican now have a say in appointing Catholic bishops.

Topics : Vatican CatholicChurch Catholic China meeting bishop
Tests for the novel coronavirus (nCoV) could be run at provincial hospitals in the near future, said Professor Dang Duc Anh, director of the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE).

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen (centre, in black) gives certificates of merit to individuals and the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology for successfully cultivating and isolating the novel coronavirus (Photo: tuoitre.vn)

Before transferring the technology to conduct these tests, the NIHE would set up training courses and assess infrastructure, especially biological safety in laboratories, he said.

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen noted that the transfer would be conducted only when hospitals had assessed their infrastructure.

Last week, the NIHE successfully cultivated and isolated nCov, which causes the acute respiratory disease (COVID-19) first reported in Wuhan City in China.

The NIHE was now in a position to master coronavirus testing, said Anh. The work would support epidemic prevention and control.

With the isolated virus, the NIHE has started to develop test kits for quick diagnosis.

At present, 22 hospitals are capable of conducting tests for coronavirus.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) highly appreciated the cultivation and isolation of the virus, and said it was a big success.

On February 12, Deputy Minister Tuyen presented certificates of merits to the NIHE and its six researchers for their dedicated work.

Vietnam can now conduct thousands of tests per day if necessary, said Tuyen.

At present, Vietnam was one of four countries which had successfully cultivated and isolated the nCoV, besides Japan, China and Australia, according to the MoH./. VNA
Madhya Pradesh Minister and Congress leader Govind Singh said that the 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojna' should be scrapped as it was not the government's job to conduct religious pilgrimages.

"Conducting religious pilgrimages is not the government's job, although no decision on it has been taken by the government, but it is my personal opinion. Giving facilities to devotees, helping them is alright but organising pilgrimages on government funds is not correct as per me. The pilgrimage should be conducted on the money earned by the people themselves," Singh told ANI here.

The issue came under the spotlight after the Madhya Pradesh government cancelled the five state sponsored pilgrimages for at least 4000 old age residents of the state, just days before the proposed religious trip to Vaishno Devi, Kashi, Dwarka and Rameshwaram was to begin on February 15.

Singh, however, further added that the funds which are saved can be better utilized in education, healthcare and other sectors for the betterment of all people of the state.

On the other hand, BJP leader and MLA Vishwas Sarang strongly objected to the statements by the Congress leader and urged Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath to clarify the party and government's stance on the issue.

"It is a very unfortunate statement, on one hand, Congress government is making tall claims about organising IFFA Awards and their minister says that the pilgrimages should be stopped. The BJP government had started this scheme to enable poor people to visit pilgrim sites in the country. The worst part is that he has made a mockery of the people's sentiments," Sarang told ANI.

"Kamal Nath should come forward and clarify whether it is the minister's personal opinion or the statement of the government and the Congress party," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The East Ridge City Council approved a resolution authorizing more than a million dollars in incentives to a developer who wishes to build a hotel near Jordan Crossing.

The resolution would provide $1.6 million in Border Region state increment money over a 21-year period to Dynamic East Ridge, LLC and its principal, Roshan Amin, who intends to build a Marriott.

Dynamics project went before the East Ridge Industrial Development Board on Feb. 4, where developers from Exit 1, LLC, who are developing Jordan Crossing and oppose the project, were present.

The board, in an unprecedented move, did not even consider the proposal and took no action.At Thursdays meeting, Russell Gray, an attorney representing Exit 1, LLC, addressed the council urging it to reject any incentives for the project.Gray said that his clients have done a great deal for East Ridge and that they have never opposed any other development project. However, this project has unique circumstances.Gray said that Exit 1, LLC has a pre-existing ground lease with Dynamic East Ridge to develop a Marriott inside Jordan Crossing. His clients have done site work, engineering, and have lined up investors for the project.Gray said that the City Council offering incentives to a developer without the blessing of the Industrial Development Board violates the citys own provisions.He said the IDB must approve in order to avoid the city being caught up in development disputes.Jonathan Armstrong, the Regional Sales Manager for Dynamic, said the proposed Marriott Town Place Suites hotel is a $13.5 million project that would further enhance the economic growth East Ridge is experiencing.Armstrong pointed out that Dynamic operates the Holiday Inn in Chattanooga that is home to Rodizio Grill, and a Town Place Suites in Cleveland, Tenn. He noted that both facilities have a patron rating of 4.7 out of five. He noted that the Weston and The Edwin, two up-scale hotels in Chattanooga, have 4.7 ratings.Dynamic manages and operates excellent hotels, Armstrong said.City Attorney Mark Litchford explained to the council that the new hotel could bring $7 million in revenues to the city over a 20-year period. That money would come from dramatically increased property tax, local option sales taxes, hotel motel taxes, and the Border Region state tax increment.In other business: the council approved a resolution to pay NABCO Electric $15,809 for emergency repairs to a traffic signaling box that was damaged during a traffic accident.The council also approved the assignment of rights to a cell tower to Osborne-LaFayette Holdings Inc. on land the organization donated to the city in November of last year.City Manager Chris Dorsey also informed the council of a stormwater issue on the softball fields at East Ridge High School. He said an engineer is assessing the damage and that it may cost the city between $10,000 and $20,000 to repair.Mayor Brian Williams pointed out that Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett will be a guest of the city on Feb. 21. He along with others will be at the Community Center to kick off the 2020 Census in the area.

http://www.eastridgenewsonline.com/council-offers-incentives-to-marriott-developer/


Every week our Holiday Hero Neil Simpson takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you dont have to. This week: new routes to the sun from local airports.

Nothing takes the shine off a summer holiday like long queues at Heathrow or any of the countrys other big airports. But this summer there are new direct routes to the sun from many of our smaller, local airports. Heres our pick of the new routes  all available to book now.

FROM BELFAST

This summer easyJet has direct flights from Belfast to Turkeys Dalaman airport

Turkey is tipped as a hot destination for value, and if you head to its Turquoise Coast, you can find rocky coves, secret beaches and plenty of pretty coastal towns. Swim across the kaleidoscopic Blue Lagoon before a dinner of freshly caught fish. This summer easyJet has direct flights from Belfast to Turkeys Dalaman airport. Or choose Greece and Jet2 flies you direct to Corfu, the emerald queen of the Greek Islands.

FROM BRISTOL

TUI has new flights to Girona, perfect for Gaudi-lovers wanting to see nearby Barcelona, and to Izmir for sun-lovers heading to the Turkish Riviera. It also has flights to Almeria for families going to Spanish resorts.

Ryanair is starting flights to Brest, in Brittany, where you can enjoy local pancakes or galettes washed down with Breton cider in the most westerly point of France. Or hop on a new easyJet flight to Antalya, another gateway to great-value Turkish sunshine.

FROM BOURNEMOUTH

Head to the picture-perfect Greek island of Skiathos on the new TUI flights and youre just a boat ride away from Skopelos where Mamma Mia! was filmed.

FROM EXETER

Classic Canary Island holidays are easier to reach on new TUI flights to Gran Canaria. The island offers whale-watching, water parks and new wellness facilities as well as bars, beaches and a biosphere park.

FROM LIVERPOOL

New routes: Ryanair is launching flights to Zadar (pictured) from Liverpool

If you want to go island-hopping in Croatia, Ryanair is launching flights to the port city of Zadar, also home to incredible Roman ruins. Meanwhile easyJet has new flights to Turkeys sunshine coast at Antalya.

FROM DONCASTER SHEFFIELD

Fuerteventura, one of the most interesting of the Canary Islands, gets its new flights with TUI. The entire island is a Unesco World Biosphere so its a nature-lovers paradise. It has great hiking, surfing, huge sand dunes and endless beaches. Or head to Greece on one of TUIs new flights to the family favourite of Crete.

FROM EAST MIDLANDS

Take a direct Jet2 flight to Izmir and the Turkish Riviera awaits you, with its beaches, great-value, all-inclusive accommodation and historic sites, including ancient Turkish baths. TUI also has flights to Turkeys Antalya and to the sunny Greek islands of Crete and Skiathos.

FROM NEWCASTLE

This summer TUI will take you from Newcastle to Hurghada in Egypt, which offers amazing scuba-diving opportunities

Love Greek islands? There are new Jet2 flights to Kos and TUI flights to Skiathos and Santorini, home of the perfect sunset. This summer TUI will also take you to Hurghada in Egypt for scuba-diving in the Red Sea resorts.

FROM NORWICH

Go straight to the Turkish sunshine without passing Heathrow on a new TUI flight to Antalya, from where its a short transfer to most seaside resorts and smaller, family-run hotels.

FROM SOUTHEND

Ryanair gives the Essex airport a French flavour this summer with direct flights to Bergerac in the Dordogne and to the revitalised port city of Marseilles. It also has a new route to the medieval city of Girona in northern Spain.
The Nebraska Pardons Board will soon consider the case of Caril Ann Clair (Fugate).

At the age of 14, she was convicted of felony murder in perpetration of a robbery, Dec. 20, 1958.

The Charles Starkweather murder case is one of the most memorable crimes in Nebraska history. The story was the basis for the 1973 movie "Badlands" and several other films.

Fugate and Starkweather, then 19, were implicated in a one-week murder spree that killed 10 people, most in the Lincoln area.

Charles Starkweather was sentenced to death and executed June 25, 1959, in the Nebraska electric chair.

Fugate had her life sentence reduced and was released on parole in the 1970s after 17 1/2 years in prison. She moved to Michigan and took a job at a hospital as a janitor.

The upcoming hearing would pardon her for the crimes. She has always insisted she was kidnapped by Starkweather and never a willing participant in the murders.

In her pardon request, Fugate writes:

The idea that posterity has been made to believe that I knew about and/or witnessed the death of my beloved family and left with Starkweather willingly on a murder spree is too much for me to bear any more... Receiving a pardon may somehow alleviate this terrible burden.

Fugate was denied a pardon in 1996. This is her second request.

At trial, Starkweather testified against Fugate, insisting she was a willing participant.

Murder history

Murder 1: Dec. 1, 1957

Victim: Robert Colvert, 21

Starkweather robbed a Lincoln service station of $100, drove Colvert to a remote area and, after a struggle over Starkweather's shotgun, shot Colvert in the head. (Fugate is not associated with this murder, other than later saying he stole the money to spend it on Fugate).

Murders 2, 3, 4: January 21, 1958

Victims: Fugate's mother, Velda Bartlett, 36, her stepfather, Marion Bartlett, 58, and 2-year-old sister, Betty Jean

Starkweather went to Fugate's Lincoln home, but the Bartletts told him to stay away. He shot both, then strangled and stabbed the 2-year-old, hiding the bodies behind the house.

Starkweather said Fugate was there during the murders. But Fugate said she arrived home to find Starkweather with a gun.

After the three murders, Starkweather and Fugate remained in the house until Jan. 27. A note posted on a window said, "Everybody is sick with the flu."

Witnesses said there were several visitors to the house between the murders and when police found the bodies and nobody noticed anything unusual.

At trial, it was learned Starkweather and Fugate spent the days watching TV, eating fast food and having sex.

Fugate's grandmother eventually had police go to the house to check on the family. Police discovered the three bodies, but Starkweather and Fugate had left. Arrest warrants were issued for Starkweather and Fugate.

Murder 5: Jan. 27, 1958

Victim: August Meyer, 71

Meyer was found shot to death on Jan. 27, one day after the bodies were found at the Fugate house, at his farmhouse outside Bennet, Nebraska (15 miles southeast of Lincoln). Meyer died of a gunshot wound to the head. His body was dragged to a wash house near the farmhouse.

Starkweather also killed Meyer's dog.

Murders 6, 7: Jan. 27, 1958

Victims: Robert Jensen, 17, and Carol King, 16

The bodies were discovered on Jan. 28, hours after the discovery of Meyer's body.

Not far from Meyer's home, Starkweather and Fugate got their car stuck in the mud and abandoned it. Jensen and King stopped to give Starkweather and Fugate a ride. That's when Starkweather forced the couple to drive to an abandoned storm cellar. Starkweather shot Jensen in the back of the head six times, and then shot King to death after trying to rape her.

Starkweather later claimed Fugate shot Carol King, but Fugate always insisted she stayed in the car during the murders.

Murders 8, 9, 10: Jan. 28, 1958

Victims: C. Lauer Ward, 47, Clara Ward, 46, and Lillian Fencl, 51

Their bodies were discovered on Jan. 29. C. Lauer Ward was president of Capitol Steel Works, and one of Lincoln's wealthiest residents. They lived in Lincoln's country club neighborhood.

Starkweather showed up at the house, forcing housekeeper Lillian Fencl and Clara Ward to the second floor of the home. He bound and gagged them and then stabbed them to death.

Starkweather later claimed Fugate killed the women.

C. Lauer Ward was at a conference with the governor of Nebraska at the time. When C. Lauer Ward came home, Starkweather shot him in the head as he entered the house.

Starkweather also killed the Wards' dog by breaking its neck.

Starkweather and Fugate stole the Wards' 1956 Packard, and some of Clara Ward's jewelry.

In response to the murder of the Wards, Nebraska Gov. Victor Anderson called on the National Guard and Lincoln Police to conduct a block-by-block search, and spread fear across the city and state.

Murder 11: Jan. 29, 1958

Victim: Merle Collison, 34

Collison was a traveling salesman, sleeping in his Buick near Douglas, Wyoming. Having fled Lincoln, and needing to get rid of the Wards' vehicle, Starkweather surprised Collison, and shot him nine times.

Starkweather and Fugate were captured shortly after the Collison murder. Starkweather was unable to drive away in Collison's car because he did not know how to release the parking break.

A man named Joe Sprinkler happened by and offered to help, but then saw Collison's body. He and Starkweather struggled over the shotgun when a Wyoming deputy sheriff drove by and saw the struggle.

As a deputy sheriff arrived, Fugate ran toward the deputy saying something like, "It's Starkweather, he's crazy, he just killed a man."

There are various accounts of what Fugate actually said that night.

Starkweather jumped back in the Wards' vehicle and drove away, leaving Fugate behind. A chase ensued at speeds of 100 mph. In Douglas, Wyoming, a shot by law enforcement shattered a window in the vehicle. Starkweather was cut by flying glass, stopped and was arrested.

Starkweather later tested at an IQ level of 86 (normal range is 90 to 110), and his vision was 20-200, close to being technically blind.

He also had a birth defect that created a curvature in his legs which he was teased about throughout grade school and high school.

Fugate always maintained Starkweather held her hostage throughout the ordeal.

Related video: Murder trial begins in 1979 cold case




Representatives of the Republican and the Democratic parties of the United States of America have no disagreement over support for Ukraine.

US Senator Chris Murphy said this at a joint briefing with Senators Ron Johnson and John Barrasso after the meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

The three of us here represent different political parties, we have voted differently on impeachment in the US, but we are here together because there is no disagreement between us or between the Republicans and the Democrats over our support for Ukraine, support for Ukraines defense, and our support for implementation of the reforms in Ukraine, Murphy said.

At the same time, the Senator stressed the importance of further progress in Ukraine's reforms.

ol
By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 24 times, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on Feb. 15.

The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By PTI

KOLKATA: The opposition CPM and Congress on Saturday accused West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra of "deliberately misleading" the state Assembly with his answers during the debate on the budget.

Mitra told the Assembly on Saturday that there has been no reduction in budgetary allocations for different departments and Rs 1166.89 crore was sanctioned for agriculture alone. CPM MLA Sujan Chakraborty said the finance minister's reply during the debate on Saturday did not tally with his budget speech, which spoke of decline in spending in different departments including agriculture.

The CPM and the Congress disputed it and accused Mitra of "deliberately misleading the House" and tore copies of the budget book.

As Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay showed a book claiming it contained the figures quoted by Mitra, Chakraborty and Congress leader Sukhbilas Barma shouted in protest and tore copies of the budget book before leaving the House. Mitra in his speech said the government has done away with the division in planned and non-planned expenditure.

Referring to the projects mentioned in budget, he said the leather complex at Bantala in the city's outskirts would be made one of the the largest in Asia and would have eight effluent plants. It employes about 2.20 lakh people now and the figure will increase to five lakh on completion.

Countering him, Chakraborty later told newsmen at the Assembly premises that the proposal to do away with the distinction between planned and non-planned expenditure was not referred to by Mitra in his budget speech. The finance minister by speaking about it now was done to mislead the house.

Referring to Mitra's claim that the state has been burdened with Rs 23000 crore as interest for the debt taken by the erstwhile Left Front government, Chakraborty said only Rs 400 crore was taken during the rule of Left rule.

He said Mitra had in his budget speech compared figures of 2011 and 2020 but the situation has changed "vastly" since then. "The government is not comparing figures of recent years," the CPM leader said. The budget for 2020-21 was the last before the West Bengal Assembly election, which is due in 2021.
Renewed calls for release of Egyptian student detained upon arrival from Italy after Mansoura court rejects appeal.

A court in Egypt has rejected a researchers appeal to be released from detention, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), in a case that has sparked alarm among human rights groups.

Patrick George Zaki, who has been on leave from EIPR since last August to pursue studies in Italy, was arrested on February 7 after he landed in Cairos international airport for a visit to see his family.

The appeals court in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura on Saturday ruled that the 27-year-old will remain in detention pending an investigation into allegations of spreading fake news and calling for unauthorised protests.

EIPR, a Cairo-based human rights group, said the investigation includes allegations of managing a social media account that aims to undermine the social order and public safety, as well as incitement to commit violence and terrorist crimes.

It said on Saturday Zaki will continue to be detained on remand until February 22, when he is set to stand before a prosecutor again.

Following the courts decision, Riccardo Noury, a spokesman for Amnesty International Italy, said on Twitter that the campaign for Zakis release had now become even stronger, adding that the next hearing would be more crucial.

Allegations of beating, torture

Zakis lawyers have said he was beaten, subjected to electric shocks, threatened and questioned about his work and activism before he appeared at a public prosecutors office in his hometown of Mansoura on Saturday, a day after his detention in the Egyptian capital.

According to EIPR, Zaki appeared before the Mansoura II prosecution office where he was presented with a police report that falsely stated that he was arrested at a checkpoint in Mansoura, some 120km (74.6 miles) north of Cairo.

Egypts interior ministry said on Sunday Zaki had been ordered to serve a 15-day pretrial detention, setting off alarms among rights activists who have warned of Egyptian prosecutors tendency to renew the 15-day investigation period indefinitely.

Rights activists say Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has overseen an unprecedented crackdown on freedoms  including banning all unauthorised demonstrations  since first taking power in 2013 and then winning elections in 2014.

Recent laws in Egypt have expanded the definition of terrorism to include all political dissent, granting prosecutors broad power to keep people detained for months and even years without ever filing charges or presenting evidence.

EIPR demands the immediate release of Patrick George Zaki without pressing charges, and calls for an investigation into his torture and ill-treatment, the group said on Saturday.

Italy alarmed

Zakis arrest has rattled Italy, where the researcher is pursuing a Masters degree in gender and womens studies at the University of Bologna, amid fears of a repeat of the case of murdered Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni.

Regenis body was found on a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo in 2016 showing extensive signs of torture.

After four years of investigation, no one has been arrested or charged over the killing of the 28-year-old, despite months of presumed cooperation between Egyptian and Italian prosecutors. Italy is still pressing Egypt to speed up the investigation.

Unacceptable. Inhumane, Erasmo Palazzotto, president of the Italian parliamentary inquiry into Regenis death, wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

We have the duty to keep the spotlight pointed on one country, Egypt, which cannot afford any more to play with impunity with peoples life.
Green Path will once again take on a canvas of colour as Kala Pola returns By Ruqyyaha Deane View(s): View(s):

Sri Lanka has always had a rich history in art and culture yet the platform for aspiring local artists is very limited. However for the past 27 years, both upcoming and established artists have enjoyed the opportunity to network, share and display their work through Kala Pola.

Kala Pola returns next Sunday, February 23, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in an even more elaborate and colourful fashion, marking 26 years of partnership between the George Keyt Foundation and John Keells Group.

Theres no doubting its popularity. Last year, over 350 artists displayed their talents and skill as Kala Pola 2019 took place down Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha (better known as Greenpath). From intricate metal sculptures, bold portraits, breathtaking landscape paintings and more, it was an experience for art-lovers, connoisseurs and the general public, many of whom eagerly await the chance to see so many artists in one go.

This year there will be 370 participants hailing from all parts of the country exhibiting their work.

On February 11, a panel discussion moderated by Arun Dias Bandaranaike, saw Chairman of the George Keyt Foundation Michael Anthonisz, Group Director of Hemas Holdings PLC and Trustee of the George Keyt Foundation Abbas Esufally, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at John Keells Holdings Nadija Tambiah, Head of Brand and Marketing of Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Dileep Mudadeniya and artist Channa Ekanayake shed light on what people could expect at Kala Pola 2020.

The Kala Pola has been, to a large extent, the main cause of putting Sri Lankan art to where it is today. Of course it has a long way to go but think of it this way  those days it was just a handful of us who were painting. The first Kala Pola that we had, I would say only had around 30 participants but now we have got over 350, said Michael Anthonisz, emphasizing the importance of the art fair.

Anthonisz attributes the street art adorning public spaces to the impact brought on by Kala Pola, for if not for Kala Pola promoting and inspiring artists to showcase their work, street art would not be all over Sri Lanka right now.

The John Keells Group has throughout been a healthy supporter of art; either through buying art or something like this (Kala Pola) and when you look at our CSR endeavours now, we try to think, contribute and support different entities that make up the ecosystem to grow art, shared Nadija Tambiah on why the John Keells Group are active partners of the Kala Pola.

The John Keells Group is both humbled and proud to see the Kala Pola grow to the extent that it has. Last year there were 32,000 visitors and over Rs. 17 million raised by the artists.

Putting aside how lovely it would be to walk down Greenpath admiring the beautiful artwork, Kala Pola at its core remains the stepping stone for artists to gain recognition and share their passion. Channa Ekanayake who has been a loyal participant of the art fair since 2002 echoed these sentiments as he shared his journey from being an unknown artiest to a prominent figure in the art scene in Sri Lanka with his own studio and gallery.

The George Keyt Foundation recognised me as an artist and they invited me to participate in their annual exhibitions. I got a great opportunity to participate in international artist camps in Sri Lanka. I got to study what contemporary art is in a worldwide manner, he said recalling trips to international exhibitions as well.

Be there to see Channa Ekanayake and hundreds of other artists down Green Path next Sunday.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: Bihar's health minister Mangal Pandey faced an embarrassing situation, when a police officer deputed for his security in Siwan district, couldn't recognize him and asked for his ID card. The incident happened on Friday in Bihar's Siwan district where the minister had gone to perform an earth-breaking ritual for a proposed hospital in his capacity as the minister-in-charge of this district.

Eyewitnesses said that the cop on duty was clearing the path leading to the site of the earth-breaking ritual. In the meantime, the minister arrived with his supporters and security guards.

The Siwan district cop who was on duty couldn't recognise the minister and asked for his ID card. On hearing this, the other cops rushed in and cleared the way for the minister after apologising on behalf of their fellow cop.

But the minister was not pacified and rebuked the cop. The minister even asked senior officers why they had put such a cop on duty and demanded that he be suspended.

Reacting to the incident, leader of opposition Tejashawi Yadav said it was shocking to see a minister behaving in this manner.


External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "consistent support" to India-US ties has always been a great source of strength as he met her on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Jaishankar arrived here on Friday for the prestigious security conference during which he is expected to outline India's views on several issues of global concern.

"Such a pleasure to catch up with @SpeakerPelosi. Her consistent support to India-US ties has always been a great source of strength," Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar on Friday met US ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Knight Craft on the sidelines of the conference.

The Munich Security Conference, being held here from February 14-16, is the world's leading forum for debate on international security policy.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In addition to New Delhi, Trump will also visit Ahmedabad to address a joint public meeting with Modi at a newly-built stadium.

Trump on his maiden trip to India will meet the country's top business leaders in New Delhi on February 25, in a bid to push for deeper trade and business relations between the two nations.

On the sidelines of the security conference, Jaishankar met several other world leaders attending the meet, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

"Pleasure to meet President Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany. Always thoughtful about the big issues of the day. Enjoyed his opening address to the Munich Security Conference," he tweeted on Saturday.

"Very good meeting with FM @ZMnatsakanyan of Armenia. Our long-standing historical links are today expressed in growing political, economic and security cooperation. Confident that this close relationship will further deepen in the years ahead," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar on Friday also met David Zalkaliani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and Defence Minister of Portugal Joao Cravinho.

He also met his Lithuanian counterpart Linas Linkevicius and had "warm conversation" with him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Sonia Elks (Reuters) London, United Kingdom  Sat, February 15, 2020 09:09 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064aae8b 2 Lifestyle London-fashion-week,London,fashion-week,fashion,Britain,environment,sequins Free

Sequins add glamour to any outfit but eco-campaigners urged London Fashion Week, starting on Friday, to ditch the sparkling plastic discs as they pollute oceans for centuries.

Some 250 designers will showcase their latest collections to trade buyers in the British capital - one of the world's four big fashion weeks along with New York, Paris and Milan - setting trends that will be copied by the mass market within weeks.

"Let's not get blinded by the shine," said Leigh McAlea, a spokeswoman for Traid, a charity that recycles clothing.

"Sequins are shiny and glitzy. They're really fun  but if you think about what's going on with sequins staying in our environment for hundreds of years, that's not so fun."

Growing concern over the planet's environmental crisis - from polluting single-use plastics to soaring carbon emissions - and the abuse of workers who make cheap clothes are fueling calls for a shift to a more sustainable way of life.

Ethical activists like Greta Thunberg are encouraging shoppers to buy second-hand, or not at all, rather than being tempted by cheap clothes that they wear a few times and bin.

The awards season has come under scrutiny, with several Hollywood stars including Joaquin Phoenix, Olivia Colman and Jane Fonda re-wearing or repurposing shimmering gowns and tuxedos on the red carpet, or choosing sustainable materials.

Anti-sequin campaigners targeted celebrities at Sunday's Oscars, saying their fashion choices can influence millions of others to buy and wear the damaging sparkly decorations.

Plastic sequins are made from petrochemicals and do not biodegrade for hundreds of years, said campaigners, with discarded sequins finding their way into waterways and adding to plastic pollution in the oceans.

Read also: Style icons slam throwaway fashion culture

But they're often treated as throwaway fashion, with charity Oxfam estimating that more than 1.5 million sequinned clothing items would be binned in Britain after Christmas alone.

For many, sequins are an emblem of the environmental damage caused by the fashion industry, which is also responsible for about 10 percent of the world's greenhouse gases.

They are linked to worker abuses in the fashion industry, added McAlea, as sequins often must be hand-finished by workers in informal factories who are more likely to be exploited.

Designers have developed ecological sequins that biodegrade, but the vast majority of the decorations on the market are still made of plastic.

"There's no reason why we need sequins ... it's something that it is very easy to sort out," said Sara Arnold from environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion's fashion campaign, calling for wider efforts to use less resources.

"The fashion industry is largely producing things that we don't need - there's massive overproduction and overconsumption so we need to be getting to the root of the problem."
The U.S. Defense Department on Friday reversed its decision to restrain a Commerce Department proposal to reduce the licensable U.S. content in exports to Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., according to The Wall Street Journal.

Currently, for exports to the Chinese telecom, a foreign-made product is subject to the Commerce Department's Export Administration Regulations (EAR) if it contains 25% or more U.S.-origin "controlled content," a general policy that has been in place in the U.S. for 30 years. The amount of U.S.-controlled content determines whether an export requires an export license from the Commerce Department.

To further restrict U.S. semiconductor technology acquisitions by Huawei, the Commerce Department proposed to reduce the controlled content amount requiring an export license to 10%.

In late January, the Defense Department reportedly rejected the Commerce Department's proposal, suggesting that the lowered U.S. content would have a detrimental impact on U.S. semiconductor manufacturers. The Commerce Department then withdrew the proposal, stirring a backlash from Senate Republicans.

Several senators, including Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marco Rubio of Florida, all members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on Jan. 24 asked Defense Secretary Mark Esper in a letter for a detailed explanation of why his department objected to the Commerce Department's proposed action against Huawei.

On Thursday, a federal court in New York released a sweeping indictment that included charges of racketeering and sanctions violations against Huawei and a handful of subsidiaries, as well as the company's chief financial officer, who is currently in the custody of Canadian authorities.

The court's action was expected to further pressure the Defense Department to reverse course on the Commerce Department's content proposal during a Cabinet-level meeting scheduled at the White House next week.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida introduced a bill on Friday that would force the implementation of the Commerce Department's 10% content proposal for licensed exports to Huawei.

Story continues

"We know Huawei is supported and controlled by the communist regime in Beijing, which continues to violate human rights and steal our data, technology, and intellectual property," Scott said in a statement. "Companies in the United States should not be allowed to sell to Huawei, and my legislation will further restrict their ability."

The Commerce Department added Huawei and 68 of its overseas affiliates and subsidies to the Entity List on May 16, 2019, citing national security concerns with the company's technology and its close ties to the Chinese government. An additional 46 Huawei overseas affiliates were added to the list on Aug. 19, 2019.

The Entity List imposes significant restrictions on U.S. goods and technology exports to Huawei and requires a U.S. company or organization to obtain an export license from the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security.

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

See more from Benzinga

 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
SKOPJE -- The parliament in North Macedonia has dismissed Labor Minister Rashela Mizrahi for failing to use the countrys new official name during a press conference -- a sensitive issue in the Western Balkan nation following a long-standing dispute over the moniker.

Following six hours of debate on February 14, the parliament voted 62-26 to dismiss Mizrahi, a member of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, from the caretaker government.

The vote came after Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski submitted a proposal to lawmakers to fire Mizrahi because she violated the constitution by failing to respect the so-called Prespa agreement and thereby endangering North Macedonia's European integration efforts.

Skopje signed a historic agreement with neighboring Greece at Lake Prespa in June 2018 that called for the country to change its name to North Macedonia from Macedonia, removing a barrier to potential European Union and NATO membership.

Athens had objected to the countrys use of the name Macedonia, saying it implied designs on Greeces province of the same name.

The agreement, which was approved by parliaments in both countries, faced opposition from nationalists in Greece and North Macedonia who say it gave too much away to the other side and impinged on national sovereignty.

A North Macedonia government statement before the vote said that the prime minister and the government had "an obligation to secure protection of the constitution."

"Having in mind that Minister Mizrahi is consciously and deliberately breaching the constitution, and thus endangering the Euro-Atlantic future of the country, the PM has submitted a proposal for the dismissal of the technical ministerto parliament," it said.

Mizrahi comes from conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, which was ousted from power in 2017. Many of the VMRO-DPMNE's supporters opposed the Prespa agreement and several senior party officials have vowed to seek to reverse the name change.

Mizrahi angered many in the country and inside Greece by holding a news conference while standing in front of a plaque bearing the old name, Republic of Macedonia.

She later claimed she would never change the name on the plaque, saying, "I am prepared to pay a fine if it comes to that."

With reporting by Balkan Insight and Ekathimerini
By Trend

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.

Dear Mr. President, it is on the occasion of the National Holiday of the Republic of Serbia that on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan I offer my cordial congratulations and best wishes to you and the friendly people of Serbia, reads the letter.

I am confident that the relations of friendship and cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Serbia will always develop and expand in line with the interests of our peoples. I seize this opportunity to wish robust health and success in every endeavor to you, and peace and prosperity to your people.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The school children and undergraduates of the Celtic Tiger era emerged into a world of high rents, low-paid jobs, and emigration. They cant buy houses and dont have pensions. But they have voted for change, says Joyce Fegan.

I WAS surprised, when I woke up in the middle of the night on November 9, 2016, to see the result of the US presidential election.

Could this be fake news? I said to the screen displaying my Twitter feed at about 4am. No answer was forthcoming.

Over the next four years, some answers became apparent.

America was far from a post-racial utopia.

America was far from respecting of genders.

America was far from a welcoming refuge for the worlds huddled masses.

Many people in America work many jobs to make ends meet, a fact that is never borne out in their high employment figures.

Where was the countrys social safety net? In March 2017, on a blisteringly cold Chicago morning, I came across a middle-aged woman begging on the citys Michigan Mile. She had no hair.

Her brown cardboard sign referred to healthcare costs and to chemotherapy.

Thank god I live in Ireland, I said to myself, where we have a social safety net and care about our people.

But last weekend, when our election results came in with Sinn Fein having won a seismic number of seats, I was not surprised.

Anyone who had been paying even slight attention to Irish life over the last number of years likely wasnt too surprised, either.

We talk a lot about generations and the buzzwords to describe them. But there is one generation that never got a buzzword: the generation that never got to experience the economic prosperity of the Celtic Tiger, nor even its corollary, negative equity.

That generation witnessed the Celtic Tiger from school or college and then graduated out into the abyss of unemployment and emigration. Their careers and wages stagnated. They became familiar with things like Job Bridge. Theyd never dare get involved in things like unions or collective bargaining.

Just so lucky to have a job was, and is, the unconscious mantra.

This generation then moved into the renting world. Things were OK for a while.

Then, the breaks were put on the housing market.

The great economic advice of the day was to borrow the 20% deposit from your parents.

This sage advice might help a small few circumnavigate the Central Banks rules, but, for the most, thats not the Ireland they lived in, no matter how early they got out of bed in the morning.

Then, the rents went up, as fewer and fewer people could afford to become a homeowner.

We could call them GenR: Generation R, for rent. Or GenS: Generation S, for stuck?

Supplementary luxuries, or safety nets, like pensions and health insurance, flew by the wayside.

With 45% of the population able to afford private health insurance, how many young renters hold it?

In 2017, 221,000 of our 18- to 29-year-olds held private insurance. In 2009, 310,000 of them did.

What about pensions?

Just one in six (16.3%) workers aged 20 to 24 has a pension.

Just four out of every 10 (41.5%) workers aged 25 to 34 years have one.

But, 70.9% of 45 to 54-year-olds have pension coverage  but theyre not part of GenS.

Were we then really that surprised when almost 32% of our 18- to 24-year-olds voted for the change offered in the 2020 general election, a message supplied by Sinn Fein?

For 25- to 34-year-olds, 31.7% of them voted for this change, too.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, in his first TV interview after the election, brought up Brexit.

It is unlikely that Brexit matters much to a young person sharing a house with five strangers, and who gets up at 6am to sit in M50 traffic, while, on the odd day, the worry over their pension or lack of health cover might sneak in from the recesses of their mind to the forefront.

Brexit is important: it has implications for our trade, jobs, and borders.

But if it was on Maslows hierarchy of needs, it would be alongside self-actualisation on the pyramid, at least for people with real worries.

But its about listening isnt it? Not just silly memes, on WhatsApp, which youve been receiving and forwarding since first thing Sunday morning.

We can share all the memes we like, but what message was this generation sending us?

Its not simply about want change, vote Sinn Fein.

[snippet1]977032[/snippet1]

Simple political messaging is a far cry from complex policy-making for an entire country, society, and economy.

We really need to tune into that generation.

What did they say at the ballot box?

Do we listen?

Do we act?

Or do we continue on as normal?

They told us that they care, that they vote, and that they value democracy as a way to bring about the changes they need.

They want housing solutions and access to healthcare. They care about the climate and they need to be able to afford the cost of living, too.

Now is not the time to talk back: its the time to listen.

There are different experiences of Ireland. The people told us so in the ballot box.

The question is, can we listen now, again? Not to the political parties messaging, but to the democratically expressed message from the people of Ireland?
Ten Philadelphia School District buildings have been closed so far this school year because of asbestos. Officials announced Friday night that the closure of Barton Elementary has been extended, with students reporting to Martin Luther King High School on Wednesday. Read more

The asbestos-related closure of a Feltonville elementary school will be extended into next week.

Philadelphia School District officials said Friday night that Barton Elementary, 4600 Rosehill St., will be closed on Tuesday and beyond. Students will report to Martin Luther King High School on Stenton Avenue beginning on Wednesday. Students were scheduled to have the day off Monday for Presidents Day.

The school was closed Thursday and Friday after damaged asbestos-containing materials were discovered in the attic.

 READ MORE: Read more: Advocates ask for a "state of emergency" declaration over asbestos in Philly schools

On Friday, officials determined that damaged insulation in the boiler room represents an imminent hazard and must be closed off and abated, effectively cutting off the schools heat.

Safely addressing both of these imminent hazards and conducted the needed testing is expected to take about one week, spokesperson Megan Lello said in a statement.

Students will be bused to King from Feltonville.

No decisions have been made about whether Sullivan School in Frankford will reopen on Tuesday. Sullivan and Barton are the ninth and 10th Philadelphia schools to be closed because of asbestos problems this school year.
Gandhinagar, Feb 15 : The Gujarat government here on Saturday claimed the state had emerged as leader in conservation of migratory birds as there had been significant rise in the number of birds at two of the state wetlands.

Citing recent bird census data, the Gujarat Forest Department said there had been a significant increase in the number of birds at the Nal Sarovar and the Thol Bird Sanctuary.

The department conducts bird census every 2 years at the two wetlands. This time bird census was also conducted in the Kutch region.

According to the census carried out on February 8-9, more than 3.15 lakh birds of 131 species where found at the Nal Sarovar Lake and over 57,000 birds of 87 species at the Thol Bird Sanctuary.

During the 2018 census over 1.43 lakh birds of 122 species were recorded at the Nalsarovar and 40,000 plus birds of 92 species at the Thol Bird Sanctuary.

The first census in the Kutch region spotted over 4.8 lakh birds in the Greater Rann of Kutch and more than 4 lakh in the Little Rann of Kutch. Over 5.5 lakhs flamingoes, including more than 300,000 hatchling, were counted in both the Greater and Little Rann of Kutch.

The state government has also started bird banding with the help of the Bombay Natural History Society, set up by the renowned bird expert Salim Ali.

The government is using the latest technology and with the help of Wildlife Institute of India has tagged 6 flamingoes with electronic gadgets to monitor their flight activities.
Dikovita fishing industry in troubled waters By Jayani Madawala Fisherfolk say heavy sand mining for Port City and other projects leaves them with only karello View(s): View(s):

At Dikovita in Wattala the dredging of sand has severely affected the lives of fishermen in the area, and they are demanding that this be stopped.

The sand excavation has been going on for more than five years for the development project related to the Port City, and has continued since then.

The areas fisherfolk this week staged a protest demanding that the government address the issue.

As a result of the dredging activities in the Dikovita area marine life has been destroyed and how are we going to survive without fish, said Sunil Ananda (54) who has been engaged in the fish industry for 40 years.

For the Elakanda, Hendala and Pamunuwa fisherfolk the main livelihood is the fisheries industry.

The fisherman said their nets had been damaged because of the machines used for sand mining.

Earlier we were able to catch good fish but now there are only fish such as karello. We dont go to the deep sea. We go for fishing in the shallow water. The excavations are mainly done in that area, he said.

We have not received any compensation that was promised by the government. There are more than 300 families living in the area. We used to catch many squid in months like June to August but this time the catch has dropped, Mr Ananda.

Another fisherman Vimukshi Shehan (27) said We were provided a compensation of Rs 65,000 but it was only once. Thus the loss is much more. They have started excavating recently again. Authorities requested us to be more patient for two weeks and also the minister had promised to stop the excavation

Hendala and Pamunugama Joint Fisheries Collective Union President Lal Nishshanka (59) said 675 acres of the sea bed had been destroyed as a result of the excavation.

Even though they mentioned they are taking the sand from 10km, it is deeper than that. Along with this coastline erosion takes place. Earlier it took only one hour to reach Galle Face via Mattakkuliya estuary now it takes more than two and half hours. So we have to spend five hours now, he said.

The Environment Conservation Trust Spokesman Sajeewa Chamikara said heavy sand mining related to various development projects over the years had caused havoc along the coast.

Not only does this development project pose harm in economic terms but it also threatens the livelihood of the fishing community, the marine ecosystem and coastal belt, he said.

The spokesman said millions of cubic metres of sand were pumped from the sea for development projects during the past few years.

The sand was used earlier for the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway development project and later for the Port City project. Now they were using it for Land reclamation and development projects, he said.

He said the major environmental impact of sand mining was coastal erosion. The restriction of sediment flow increases flooding from the sea and changes the water quality to the detriment of the aquatic fauna and habitats.

However if this continued and a proper ecosystem was not implemented it would have a direct impact on the Southwest Monsoon and later it would result in floods in the Kelani river area.

We wanted to stop the sand mining started for the Port City and we struggled a lot. But this is what happened in the end, he said.

Land Development Corporation Chairman M.R.W. De Zoysa said the development project was initiated in 2017 and at the moment it had now been halted due to a technical issue that occurred with the contractors. After sorting out the issue the project would be started again. Also the promised adequate compensation would be provided by the end of this month, he promised.
Midland County sheriff candidate Joe Lozano appeared unfazed following reports he was convicted of workers compensation fraud and a charge related to a prostitution sting, calling his criminal history no big deal.

Lozano was sentenced in October 2019 to pay $6,049 in restitution fees and serve one day in jail after he was convicted of defrauding Texas Mutual Insurance Co., according to a press release from the agency.

The release states he reported a job-related injury while working as an appliance repairman and claimed he was unable to work. However, he continued working while simultaneously receiving benefits from Texas Mutual related to his injury, an offense the company called double dipping.

Its a misdemeanor, no big deal, Lozano said in an interview following a sheriff candidates forum Thursday night. If it was a felony, I couldnt run today  as a misdemeanor, I have no problem.

Candidates are eligible to run for sheriff unless theyve been convicted of a felony, according to the Texas Secretary of States Office eligibility requirements.

However, sheriffs in Texas must receive their peace officer licenses within two years of being elected, and peace officers generally cant have a misdemeanor on their records, said Gretchen Grigsby with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

This requirement can be appealed if the chief administrator of a law enforcement agency submits a waiver on the persons behalf, Grigsby said, but its unclear who would serve as the chief administrator for the sheriff. She said that to her knowledge, TCOLE has never encountered this for an elected official.

Its possible the county judge or county commissioners court could fill that chief administrator role, Grigsby said.

Its not the simplest process but thats not to say there wouldnt be a process available to him, she said.

Lozano was also one of 70 people charged in the Healing Touch massage parlor prostitution sting in 2004, according to previous Reporter-Telegram articles. Lozano pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor prostitution charge and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, according to a KWES-TV report.

When asked if he thought his criminal history was an issue, Lozano said, No, if I thought that, I wouldnt be running.

Ive got two attorneys. I talked to them both. They said, No big deal. If you get elected, youll be staying sheriff, he said.
NYPD: Raid on Richmond home nets 15 rifles, pistols

The dawn raid of a home in Richmond landed a man and woman under arrest and netted a shocking stash of rifles, handguns, ammunition and feeding devices, cops say.

Officers discovered a .223-caliber, semi-automatic rifle that had a large pistol grip and a 7.62 mm SKS semi-automatic rifle that featured a telescoping stock, the complaint alleges.

Cops also confiscated a shotgun, nine semi-automatic pistols and an imitation Walther semi-automatic pistol, according to the complaint.

Three revolvers, including a defaced Ruger .357 Magnum, were confiscated as well, police said.

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NYPD links 3 Staten Island bank robberies; releases images of man sought for questioning

The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying a man sought for questioning in connection to three separate bank robberies over a nearly two-week span.

The NYPD recently provided additional surveillance photos of the individual sought for questioning, taken from the site of the most recent bank robbery, along with a truck sought by police.

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Sex trafficking, drug smuggling, Operation Mockingbird  its all on his phone, alleged mob-boss killer tells judge

Court officers were about to escort alleged mob-boss killer Anthony Comello back to a holding cell at the end of a court conference last Friday when his lawyer told a judge the defendant wanted to speak.

Ears perked up in the courtroom. Comello was warned anything he said could be used against him.

Undeterred, the Eltingville resident, speaking rapidly, launched into a bizarre and rambling 20-second monologue in which he said his phone had contained information on human sex-trafficking and drug smuggling.

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He tries to take back gun plea -- instead he gets prison

A repeat felon from Stapleton who sought to get his plea back for criminal firearm possession was denied and sentenced Friday to up to four years in prison.

Nicky Ricks, 47, pleaded guilty last October in state Supreme Court, St. George, to the firearm charge to resolve his case.

In exchange, he had agreed to be sentenced to two to four years behind bars.

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Judge denies retrial for Staten Island man claiming innocence in 92 slaying

A Staten Island judge on Thursday denied a request for a retrial in the 1994 murder conviction of Foster Thompson at an emotionally-charged hearing in state Supreme Court, St. George, attended by several of Thompson's family members and supporters.

My child has missed his children growing up, his grandchildren, and now he has great-grandchildren," said Thompsons mother, at a press conference following the hearing.

Thompson, 55, was convicted along with another man in the 1992 shooting death of Cynthia Browning and the attempted murder of reputed drug dealer Alton Staley inside a New Brighton apartment building.

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Man punched in head, knocked to ground in Tompkinsville, cops say

A man suffered a beatdown in what initially was reported as a stabbing in Tompkinsville on Sunday night, police said.

A 38-year-old man told police he was walking at Bay and Hannah streets at about 9:25 p.m. when an unknown suspect punched him in the back of the head. He fell to the ground and sustained a minor abrasion to the left side of his forehead, according to a spokeswoman for the NYPD.

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Dongan Hills drug dealer pays price for sales to undercover cops

It turns out undercover cops were some of the best drug customers of an ex-convict from Dongan Hills.

And thats bad news for Joseph Turner.

Turner, 30, has been sentenced, under a plea agreement, to four years behind bars.

A criminal complaint said the Seaver Avenue resident peddled crack cocaine and cocaine to undercover officers in various North Shore communities between late May and early July last year.

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NYPD seeks man for questioning in connection to grand larceny pattern

The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying a man sought for questioning in connection to a grand larceny pattern across Staten Island.

It was reported to police that on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, at approximately 8:30 p.m., a 68-year-old man returned to his parked vehicle in the vicinity of West Cedarview Avenue and Gilbert Street and discovered that his wallet was missing, according to a written statement from the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

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Man convicted in landlord assault, but beats more serious charges

A repeat felon who was accused of beating his landlord with a metal pipe last year has been convicted of misdemeanor assault.

But Anthony Gambino, 38, had some good news, too: The jury acquitted him of more serious felony charges of second-degree assault and third-degree criminal weapon possession.

Click here for more details.
As Herod Elementary celebrates 25 years of their Dual Language program, they prepare for their March 7th student reunion the same way they would prepare if close family members are finally coming home. Starting in Kindergarten, students who enroll in Herods Dual Language Program have the same classmates through fifth grade, allowing students to fully immerse themselves in a consistent bilingual atmosphere and create their own family along the way.

The program, which immerses students in both Spanish and English-speaking curriculums, is the third program in Texas to have a dual-language program and the first in Houston.

I think when people talk about dual language programs, says Michelle Turek, Herods current principal, Herod is always the name brought in the conversation.

The program makes sure to emphasize that students leave the program bilingual, bi-literate, and with a strong sense of biculturalism, which Herod believes is key to a students total immersion in the program.

Teaching students about both English and Spanish culture in a predominately English spoken environment, gives status to the Spanish language, says Nancy Nichols, one of the founders of Herods Dual Language program, which gives status to the Spanish-speaking children and the Spanish-speaking parents- and that is a very important ingredient to it.

Around 1987, Nichols heard a presentation about the importance of dual language and thought, wow, that is the solution to everything. With there being no dual-language program in Houston at the time, Nichols, along with a few other instructors in 1995, saw an opportunity to write a grant for the program.

Now, people from all over the country visit to see how Herod implements its program. Unlike schools that offer foreign language courses, Herods program is designed for complete bilingual immersion.

The ideal arrangement is when you have 50 percent English speakers and 50 percent Spanish speakers and you immerse them in Spanish for 90 percent of the day, Nichols says. The best we could do is 80 percent since its an English-speaking environment.

With a classroom of half English and half Spanish students, teachers instruct by pairing students together along with an emphasis on project-based learning.

Youll never see kids in straight rows and doing just worksheet type of work the old traditional way, says Terrie Armstrong, a former ESL Kindergarten teacher at Herod. Its best if you can do those language pairs so the teachers dont always keep the same kids together, they move them around or put them in language groups where theyll have two Spanish speakers and two English speakers.

The point is that the kids learn as much from each other, language-wise, as they do from the instructor. The results, Turek mentions, are mind-blowing.

Every year the dual language program continues to impress the instructors and parents alike. Turek recounts frequent conversations with English speaking parents claim their child dreams in Spanish.

Its a conversation I have a lot, Turek says. You know you acquired a language when you are dreaming in a language thats not your home language. To me that is incredible.

The students parents can sometimes be an obstacle for the program, often dealing with skepticism that a child at such a young age could become fluent in two languages.

I remember talking with some English-speaking parents who were thinking about having their child in the program and they were so skeptical, Nichols said.  Wont they be confused? they asked me. I told them to come with me. We went into the dual language kindergarten and afterward, I said, did they look confused?

When the program was in its early stages, Nichols, along with the other instructors, gave the Spanish speaking parents headphones that would translate English to Spanish for them during workshops. After a couple of meetings, the English-speaking parents wore the headphones and the workshop was conducted in Spanish.

This, according to Nichols, gave the English-speaking parents reaffirming insight into the program and gave the Spanish speaking parents confidence that both languages were given equal consideration.

When the students, parents, and instructors are all on the same page, and the student advances past fifth grade, the student is usually better prepared for more advanced education, according to Turek. And according to a RAND/American Council study examining the effects of dual language immersion on student achievement, students assigned to dual language immersion programs were almost a year ahead in reading level by the eighth grade compared with their non-immersion peers.

Having Spanish speaking students be successful at school and in a program like this is the right set up for success, Turek says. Youre not throwing a Spanish student in just a bilingual class where the teacher is teaching in class with the support of visual aids and some literature. Theyre in their home language, boosting their confidence as well. I think thats where the GT and advanced academics come in because theyre learning from two languages from the very beginning.

With more years to come, Turek hopes to see the dual language program expand school-wide so all students can receive the same education in the cultures and traditions that the dual language students receive. Then, she hopes, she can bring in another language as well.

Being the vanguard of dual-language programs in Houston, Herod laid the groundwork for other immersion schools to emerge, including Arabic, French and Vietnamese programs.

Everywhere we've put in this bilingual component in whatever language it is, the scores of the kids have gone up. Why? Because now they have two language systems to work out of, Turek says. They are in English in one part of the day and they're in their target language part of the day and I don't think we would have an Arabic immersion program if it wasn't for the dual-language program. Herod was the one who paved the way.

ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com
Summit 7 Systems made the announcement at the Cloud Security and Compliance Series (CS2) Conference in Indianapolis, and the new CMMC Solutions will feature Microsoft's Office 365 GCC High and Azure Government Cloud Platforms.

Katie Arrington, CISO for Assistant Secretary for Defense Acquisition, was the keynote speaker for the CS2 Indianapolis Conference and stated, "Our adversaries are working hard every day to exfiltrate, hack, and breach our supply chain. CMMC is about creating critical thinking skills for Cybersecurity, and not another checklist. I don't want to lose a single supplier, but the culture of the DoD has changed and cyber best practices are now mandatory."

The new CMMC regulations eliminate self-certification of compliance, and DIB Contractors will be required to undergo 3rd-party Audits of their IT Systems and Cybersecurity Policies by independent Assessment companies trained in CMMC regulations to receive a CMMC compliance Level ranging from Level 1 to Level 5.

Scott Edwards, President of Summit 7 Systems, commented, "Our new CMMC Compliance Solutions are built on our deep expertise with Microsoft Cloud Platforms and DoD Cybersecurity regulations, and will be available this quarter." Edwards added "We are honored to partner with the DIB in helping secure the supply chain and ultimately protect the Warfighter."

About Katie Arrington

Katie Arrington currently is the Chief Information Security Officer for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition. In this position, she serves as the central hub and integrator within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, OUSD(A&S), to align acquisition cyberstrategy. As the cyber-lead and programmatic analytic advisor for strategic cyber-programs, Arrington is responsible for conducting analysis within the major defense acquisition program portfolio and across the DoD.

About Summit 7 Systems

Summit 7 Systems is a national leader in cybersecurity and compliance for the Aerospace and Defense industry. Summit 7's Microsoft Cloud solutions have led the way in meeting compliance regulations for the DIB regarding CMMC, DFARS, NIST 800-171, ITAR, and CUI. Summit 7 Systems is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama.

www.cmmc.blog

About Cloud Security and Compliance Conference (CS2)

CS2 is a one-day informational cybersecurity conference for government contractors looking to meet cybersecurity regulations, address security threats, and glean best practices for their cloud investments. Speakers include cloud and cybersecurity experts from technology leaders, such as Microsoft, and representatives from local and federal government. The next CS2 event will be held in San Diego, CA on Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

www.cs2.cloud

SOURCE Summit 7 Systems

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J&K leader Shah Faesal charged under Public Safety Act

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Feb 15: Former civil servant and chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples' Movement, Shah Faesal has been booked under the Public Safety Act.

This order comes days after the two former chief ministers of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir were booked under the Public Safety Act. The government while stating that Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah were planning on inciting violence in the Valley, slapped the PSA on them.

Faesal who was stopped from taking a flight to Istanbul at the Delhi airport in August last was flown back to Srinagar where he was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA), they said

During preliminary questioning, Faesal said he was taking a connecting flight to London from Istanbul, the officials said

The former bureaucrat from Jammu and Kashmir had floated the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement party after resigning from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS)

After being detained at the Delhi airport, he was again detained under the PSA on his arrival in Srinagar, the officials said

Faesal had criticised the "unprecedented" lock-down in the Valley with its eight million population "incarcerated" like never before post the removal of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, provided under Article 370

He is among the last political leaders who have been placed under house arrest

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were detained after the Centre revoked the special status and announced that the state be bifurcated into the territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh

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Story first published: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 10:31 [IST]
The Thing About Harry (Freeform at 8) Sam, a young gay man, is forced to share a car ride with popular jock, Harry. When Sam learns that Harry has come out, a potential romance is possible.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the conservation of wildlife, stating that the existence is very important to the survival of nature.

Mr Obasanjo made this known while playing host to the Pangolin Conservation Guild of Nigeria (PCWGN) at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

He observed that most wildlife animals that could be of benefits to Nigeria are going into extinction as a result of human activities.

In similar development, he charged government at all levels and stakeholders to stop poaching, illegal trafficking and demand for wild animals, stressing the need that biodiversity and wildlife preservation must be given the same attention climate change was given.

The former president called on concerned parties in the Pangolin Conservative Guild Nigeria to continue creating awareness on the benefits of preserving the endangered animals, and also pleaded with Nigerians to preserve wildlife animals in the country rather than destroying them.

What is happening with the destruction of biodiversity is that the future is being taken away by the present and that is why it is important to preserve our future, noting the high rate at which wildlife is being destroyed in Nigeria, insisting that if steps are not taken to stop this.

I was shocked to find out that it is now becoming difficult to get Pangolin. When I was growing up in the village, pangolins were everywhere. I asked what we can do to preserve them and they told me that they (pangolins) do not survive in captivity and I said I dont believe that that is right.

It (biodiversity) is almost as bad as climate change and it needs to be given as much attention as climate change has been given attention. Pangolin just happened to be one of other endangered animals, there are a number of others, both vegetation and animals that are disappearing fast and we should stop their disappearance because the more they disappear, the more incomplete our own life and living are.

We have to make them survive in captivity, raise them and then send them back to the field again and repopulate our forest(s) because they are very innocuous animals. They dont do you any harm. They are in fact, timid. I dont believe that they dont survive in captivity because when I was growing up, we had them, we played with them and they are delicious meat, Mr Obasanjo said.

The chairperson of PCWGN, Olajumoke Morenikeji, at a colloquium, disclosed that Pangolin is the most trafficked mammal in the world, adding that it is a federal offense to possess, trade or kill pangolins in Nigeria.

She said, Pangolin scales are smuggled into Nigeria from neighbouring countries like Benin Republic, Cameroun, Chad Republic and Niger Republic before they are shipped to Asian countries like China, Vietnam, Malaysia, among others.

Ms Morenikeji, a professor, revealed that more than 100 metric tons of Pangolin scales were seized in various Asian countries all emanating from Nigeria in 2019, adding that more than 250,000 pangolins have been killed to extract the scales.

The customs in Lagos seized 10.2billion (about $26million) worth of pangolin scales in Lagos and another 9.5 tonnes elsewhere in the country, she said.

Ray Jasen from Pangolin Conservation in South African in his own presentation said the eyes and focus of the world are on Nigeria, because Nigeria is the biggest route for the illegal trade of pangolin scales in the world.

Mr Jasen, a professor, explained that pangolin scales are very expensive, and that a kilogram of pangolin scales sells for $20. He, therefore, called on the government on the need to train security agencies to stop the smuggling of pangolin scales in Nigeria.

In 2019, 97 tonnes from approximately 170,000 pangolins were shipped out of Nigeria to Asian countries. It is a known fact that, Pangolin scales are on high demand because of the belief that they serve medical purposes.

In China, there are 60 different commercial products derived from Pangolin scales, he said, alleging that the illegal trade of Pangolin is being perpetrated by an international crime syndicate.

The traditional ruler of Akinale, in Owu Kingdom of Egbaland, Olufemi Ogunleye, who facilitated the visit to Mr Obasanjo and the colloquium, encouraged the need for the protection and preservation of pangolins in Nigeria.

The royal father disclosed that as his own contributions and genuine efforts towards the preservation of Pangolin, he has provided a large portion of land in his Akinhale community, located in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, for the project.
By Trend

At the meeting of Azerbaijans Central Election Commission (CEC) on Feb. 15, the appeal by candidate from the 77th Astara constituency Rashad Hasanov and other candidates was considered, said Valida Kazimova, a member of the CEC, Trend reports Feb. 15.

Kazimova noted that the CEC considered the complaints of three candidates.

The violations werent confirmed, therefore the complaints didnt affect the election results, the CEC member added.

It was decided to uphold the results of the vote on the 77th Astara constituency.

Rashad Mahmudov is the leading candidate from this constituency.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenian foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met today with his Iraqi counterpart Mohamed A. Alhakim on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.

The Armenian and Iraqi FMs stated that the bilateral relations are recording a positive dynamics. In this context FM Mnatsakanyan said Armenia is taking actions to expand its diplomatic representation in Iraq which will bring contribution to further enriching the bilateral agenda.

They highlighted the role of the Armenian community in Iraqs public-political life and strengthening the friendship between the two countries.

The ministers exchanged views on international and regional issues. FM Mnatsakanyan said Armenia always closely follows the developments taking place in the Middle East.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
A man, on Saturday, plunged into the lagoon from the Third Mainland bridge in Lagos state. The man, whose identity is yet to be co...





A man, on Saturday, plunged into the lagoon from the Third Mainland bridge in Lagos state.





The man, whose identity is yet to be confirmed, was said to have told the driver of the vehicle he was in to stop after which he immediately jumped into the water.





Confirming the incident, Nosa Okunbor, public affairs officer of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), said officials of the agency are currently making efforts to rescue the victim.





He should be in his mid-twenties. He ordered a car-hailing service from Gbagada to the Island. He deceived the UBER driver that he had a running stomach after which he jumped into the lagoon, Okunbor said.





As I speak with you, the marine unit of the Lagos central zone has been searching for the victim since 11:30am, but we have not found the body.





The incident of suicide on the bridge linking Lagos mainland to the Island has become a recurrent happening in the state.





In January, officers of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) on patrol on the bridge prevented a man from jumping into the lagoon in a suicide attempt.





The man was taken to the Adekunle Police Station for investigation.





In 2018, a driver attached to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) committed suicide after jumping into the Lagoon from the bridge.





He was said to have pretended that he wanted to urinate after he alighted from a commercial bus and plunged into the water.





A year before that, a medical doctor identified as Alwell Orji, also dived into the water and his corpse was recovered days later.




Have we turned the corner when it comes to the housing crisis?

Housing was the issue that the election swung on, with Sinn Fein reaping ballot-box rewards for promising to build 100,000 public houses in five years, and committing to a rent freeze.

This means any government that is formed in the coming weeks will now prioritise more home building above everything else.

That next government will also start with a major advantage, as there are some signs the housing mess is easing.

Property prices stabilising

Some of the positive signs that the worst may be behind us come from the fact that property prices are stabilising, and house building surged last year.

The latest statistics show prices rose slightly nationwide last year, but fell again in Dublin.

It was the fifth month in a row of falling property values in the capital.

Prices may be continuing to go up nationwide, but the rise recorded in December was the lowest in seven years.

Experts said this meant house prices had stabilised over the past year after surging for five years following the crash more than a decade ago.

There were just over 21,000 homes built last year, according to the Central Statistics Office.

This is up from almost 18,000 built in 2018, a rise of up 18.3pc.

Rents are still at extraordinary high levels, but are showing some evidence of easing off. That's the good news.

Houses in wrong area

The bad news is we are still not building enough homes, Dublin is unaffordable for all but a select few, and too many buyers are being forced into the commuter belt as a consequence of all this.

Prices in Dublin are now nine times average salaries, leaving most unable to meet sales prices.

The Central Bank estimates the State will need 34,000 new homes a year over the next decade to keep up with demand. We are not near that.

Also, there are major question marks about how the election promises of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, never mind Sinn Fein, to build thousands and thousands of social and affordable housing can be met with clear evidence of capacity constraints and skills shortages in the construction industry.

Fianna Fail has committed to building 50,000 social and affordable homes, with Fine Gael pitching in with a promise of 60,000.

Up to now the building and buying of homes has been largely concentrated in the eight Leinster counties, or the commuter towns.

An analysis of the Property Price Register shows there was a sharp pick-up in sales activity in commuter counties such as Wicklow, Louth, Kildare, Laois and Meath.

Too few houses in Dublin

Dublin saw a fall-off in buying and selling activity last year.

Just 900 of the 21,000 homes built last year were in the centre of the capital, even though the capital desperately needs more accommodation.

Building in the centre of the capital would save people long commutes and be more environmentally friendly, but homes there are too expensive for most.

This situation means we are storing up problems for the future with the houses we are building, and risk making the same mistakes we made during the housing bubble.

Yes, we are building more homes, but they are still not affordable and are mostly in the wrong locations.

Many of the houses being built in the Dublin commuter belt are going into towns and villages with no infrastructure such as schools, water, transport and drainage.

Some cheer can be taken from the rise in apartment building last year, but it is coming off a very low base.

However, large numbers of apartments are being bought by cuckoo funds, so-called because these international investors are squeezing first-time buyers out of the market.

A whole new generation, if they can get out of the vicious rental trap and buy, are being condemned to long-distance commutes. This is because the only homes they can afford are being built a long way from their work.

Home ownership levels down

The failure to build enough homes has led to a sharp decline in home ownership levels.

Home ownership in Ireland declined from 80pc in 1991 to 68pc in 2016.

Brokers Ireland, which represents those who arrange mortgages, says we are on our way to correcting this, based on the surge in dwelling completions last year.

Rachel McGovern of the broker body points out that "home ownership is critical to the growth of personal wealth, wellbeing and stability".

However, she added: "We are still very much in dysfunctional territory in terms of the housing market, but perhaps we may be seeing a chink of light with more new dwelling completions."

Economist with Goodbody Stockbrokers Dermot O'Leary said it was positive that property prices were easing, but added there is greater need for housing than is currently being supplied.

"There are some positive features of the latest trends. Housing supply has grown rapidly, the public housing stock is ramping up, house prices have stabilised and rental growth has slowed significantly.

"With incomes growing by about 4pc, affordability is, at last, improving.

"When it comes to housing policy impacting on activity and prices, it is a bit like an oil tanker taking a long time to turn around, but it does seem to be doing so."

Affordability still an issue

But Mr O'Leary added that there were still major issues with affordability, particularly in the private-rented sector, sprawl and the cost of building.

He said the fact that the Central Bank lending rules were a binding constraint meant more focus must be placed on the cost of housing, rather than just the volume that was being built.

One solution could be to have a properly thought out shared-ownership scheme, where people buy a home in conjunction with a local authority or housing association.

We are nearing an inflection point in the housing crisis, with rocketing property prices and rents a thing of the past and the fact we are building more houses.

However, there is still a considerable distance to go before we can say we are over the worst of the crisis as we are not building enough homes, or in the right places, and at prices that most can afford.

The bottom line from all of this is that the next housing minister will have the wind at his or her back.

But there is still a hard voyage ahead, with choppy waters aplenty to be navigated.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 13:31:44|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (1st L) meets with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (3rd R) in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- China is very proud of having a good friend like Serbia, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday.

Wang made the remarks while meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the sideline of the 56th Munich Security Conference.

The brotherly friendship with China is very important to Serbia, Vucic said, adding that his country will never forget the sincere help offered by China when Serbia was facing difficulties.

Serbia is always a trustworthy and reliable partner of China, the president said.

As the Chinese people are fighting against the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, Vucic said he is ready to visit China at any time to demonstrate firm support for the Chinese people with concrete actions.

Wang thanked Vucic for sending a message of condolences to President Xi immediately after the epidemic broke out.

"We are proud of having a good friend like Serbia," Wang said.

China has made positive progress in combating the epidemic. With the efforts of the Chinese people and the firm support from all parties including Serbia, it is only a matter of time before the battle is finally won, Wang noted.

Serbia is small, but it is a fair and upright country, a country that values principles, friendship and has backbone, Wang said.

China will also always stand with Serbia, he said.
(Natural News) At the early stages of the American Revolutionary War in 1776, Brunswick Town, a small coastal town in southeastern colonial North Carolina, was raided by the British Army. They burned most of the homes in the area and, after the war, it was never rebuilt.

In 2018, an archaeology student from East Carolina University (ECU) poked around the area using ground-penetrating radar and found one structure, presumably one of the buildings burned by the British Army, that measured roughly 15 feet by 25 feet, and buried around five feet under the earth. The area is a historical site, so these kinds of ruined buildings arent uncommon. However, whats fascinating about this case is that, according to records and historical maps of Brunswick Town, that piece of land is supposed to be empty.

In mid-2019, following a month long excavation of the area, other archaeologists from ECU have identified that this burned down building is a tavern. Charles Ewen, lead archaeologist of the dig site, even hypothesized that it may have also been a brothel that served the sailors that came into Brunswick Towns port. Ewen believes that the tavern wasnt on any historical maps because it may have burned down in the early 1760s, at least 10 years before the fateful British raid that sealed the fate of the town. (Related: Innate ingenuity: Ethiopian dig unearths ancient stone tools, some of the oldest ever discovered at more than 2.58 million years old.)

A time capsule of colonial America

According to Ewen, the fire that burned down the tavern preserved and buried with it a treasure trove of merchandise, which was stored underneath the taverns floorboards. He called it a time capsule of 1760s America.

Its something every archaeologist hopes to find, said Ewen in an interview. Its a snapshot in time. Everything there got trapped.

The objects Ewen and his team found include several unused tobacco pipes, a variety of broken mugs and goblets, crushed liquor bottles, the brass tap from a wine barrel and other items that Ewen said would have been typically found in a tavern.

The presence of an Irish coin dated 1766 helped the archaeologists narrow down when the tavern was still operating.

Several other artifacts found made Ewen and his team consider that the tavern may have also doubled as a brothel: fasteners, thimbles and straight pins. These objects would have been used on womens garments. This evidence is not enough for Ewen to solidly conclude that the building was also a brothel, as the artifacts could also have been the property of a woman living in the tavern, or the property of a man. However, Jim McKee, site manager of Brunswick Town and the nearby Fort Anderson, has said that taverns in port towns usually serve a dual purpose for sailors.

In an interview, McKee said that taverns such as the one Ewens team uncovered were more like country clubs given the nature of the establishments. You would have men talking business transactions, a group of people talking law, a group of people talking gossip and, of course, leisure. You might even have had escort service being run out of them.

However, its still difficult to figure out precisely what people did within the taverns walls, especially because archaeologists probably wouldnt have known about this building if that ECU student hadnt stumbled upon it. Even historical records have said nothing about the tavern. These records include a 250 year-old map of the town that the Historic District has been using for decades to document the sites historic structures.

Ewen plans to continue the excavation of the building in the near future, as a large portion of the tavern is still buried. Thats the part of the fun of archaeology, said McKee. What our maps may not tell us is what was burned down or torn down. Its really kind of opened our eyes to the possibility of things waiting to be found.

Sources include:

LiveScience.com



CharlotteObserver.com
Police in Germany have arrested 12 men, including one of its own officers, in nationwide raids to hunt for an extreme-right group suspected of planning attacks on politicians, asylum-seekers and Muslims.

The raids were executed by heavily-armed special units, which hit 13 locations in six German states.

The four prime suspects planned to spark 'a civil-war-like situation... via as yet undefined attacks on politicians, asylum seekers and people of Muslim faith,' federal prosecutors said in a statement.

Police in Germany have arrested 12 men, including one of its own officers, in nationwide raids to hunt for an extreme-right group

The group was suspected of planning attacks on politicians, asylum-seekers and Muslims

Federal Police officers escort a German citizen suspected of right-wing terrorism to his arraignment at the Federal Supreme Court

A further eight suspects were alleged to have agreed to 'financially support the group, provide it with weapons or take part in future attacks'.

The twelve included a police officer previously suspended over suspicions he had links to the far-right, a source at the interior ministry in North-Rhine Westphalia state said, though it was not immediately clear if he was one of the prime suspects.

From its founding in September 2019, the group's ultimate aim was 'to shake the state and social order in Germany and in the end to overturn it,' investigators believe.

In order to plan their attacks, the group allegedly held regular meetings which were coordinated and organised by two of the main suspects, named only as Werner S and Tony E.

The suspects, all of whom are German citizens, also communicated using messenger apps.

Investigators launched Friday's raids to determine whether the suspects already had weapons or other supplies that could be used in an attack.

The twelve included a police officer previously suspended over suspicions he had links to the far-right

From its founding in September 2019, the group's ultimate aim was 'to shake the state and social order in Germany and in the end to overturn it'

The twelve men are set to appear before a court today to hear whether they will be imprisoned on remand.

German authorities have turned increased attention to the country's underground extreme right scene since the murder of conservative local politician Walter Luebcke last June and an October attack on a synagogue in eastern city Halle.

Suspects arrested in both cases have ties to the extreme right.

According to Spiegel magazine, police discovered several weapons in yesterday's raids, including one self-made 'slam gun' similar to the one used in the Halle attack.

Two of the main suspects, named only as Werner S and Tony E, allegedly organised regular group meetings

Interior minister Horst Seehofer announced in December 600 new posts across the federal police and domestic security services to track far-right extremist threats, citing a growing danger.

At the time, federal police said they had identified 48 people on the extreme right as 'dangerous' individuals who could carry out an attack.

Reacting to reports of the arrests on Friday, a spokesman for the Federal Interior Ministry said that measures to protect religious institutions would be reviewed by local authorities.

A spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, said that threats to attack Islamic institutions in Germany amounted to 'abominable behaviour'.

'We as the federal government feel an obligation to ensure that anyone in Germany can practice their religion within the bounds of our legal order,' said Steffen Seibert at a government press conference.
MUNICH, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Artsakh are ready to make real efforts to form lasting peace in the region, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a panel discussion on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The discussion was attended by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

As a Prime Minister of Armenia I consider this situation not only my responsibility for the security of our country, but also I perceive my responsibility for the security of the region, for the global security, and I propose President Aliyev to perceive this situation as our mutual task, action, that is to form a lasting peace and stability and not view this situation only as an issue of our national agenda, but an issue of a global and regional security agenda, and our duty is to make efforts and contribute to the global security, and I assure you that Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh are ready for that, PM Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said that the international community should state very clearly that there is no military solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. If someone thinks otherwise and says that there is a military solution to the conflict, I think the people of Nagorno Karabakh will answer that in that case we can state that this conflict is already resolved. However, I think that we need a lasting peace, he added.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
MUNICH - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed Saturday to end the separatist conflict in the east of his country, where fighting between Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian troops has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskiy said he hopes to end the conflict by the end of his presidential term in 2024.

If in five years, we will end the war, bring our people back, then I did (became president) for a reason, he said.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted in April 2014, weeks after Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, and has devastated the countrys industrial heartland.

Thanking the United States for supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, Zelenskiy expressed hope to start afresh Kyivs relations with the U.S. now that proceedings for President Donald Trumps impeachment are over.

Ukraine and Zelenskiy were at the centre of the impeachment hearings. In a phone call in July that triggered a congressional inquiry, Trump pressured Zelenskiy to investigate the involvement of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens son with Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company.

In Munich, Zelenskiy said he wants to visit the White House, and he invited Trump to Kyiv.

We have a good relationship with the U.S., and Im grateful to Americans for their support, he said.

Zelenskiy, a 42-year-old comic actor with no political experience, won Ukraines presidential election in 2019 on promises to end the fighting. He has expressed willingness to negotiate a peace agreement with Russia.

However, several contentious issues complicate the peace process, including Ukraine regaining control of its border and allowing elections that would give rebel-controlled regions more autonomy.

Zelenskiy said Saturday in Munich he wants local elections held across Ukraine, including certain areas of the east, in October. But the votes cant take place while fighting continues, he said.

People in Donbass need elections that would be recognized as legitimate. But they cant be that if held not in accordance with Ukrainian laws, to the sound of gunfire and without (Kyivs) control of Ukraines border, the president said.

Zelenskiy announced discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in April about another exchange of prisoners. There are currently 200 Ukrainians held in the rebel-controlled areas, Zelenskiy said.

__

Yuras Karmanau in Minsk and Daria Litvinova in Moscow contributed.
MUNICH - A Turkish delegation will travel to Russia on Monday to discuss the situation in Syrias Idlib province amid mounting fears of a humanitarian disaster there, Turkeys foreign minister said.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Idlib province are scrambling to escape a widening, multi-front offensive by Syrian President Bashar Assads forces.

What matters is today around 1 million people from Idlib have been moving towards our border, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement Saturday after a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump in which they discussed Syria and other topics. We are already hosting 3.5-4 million people. Unfortunately we are not in a position of accepting this another 1 million.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting his German counterpart on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that 2 million people could head for Turkeys border with Syria if no cease-fire is achieved.

He said a Turkish delegation was due to visit Moscow on Monday to talk discuss the situation in Idlib, much of which remains in rebel hands. The meeting follows previous visits by a Russian delegation to Ankara. Russia supports Assad, while Turkey backs the opposition.

There are already people coming to our border and, with Germanys support, we are going to build temporary shelters but these are temporary solutions, Cavusoglu said. We need a cease-fire.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he pushed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was also in Munich, for Russia to lean on Assads government to stop the fighting.

We are very worried that this is going become a humanitarian catastrophe if the fighting there doesnt stop, he said.

Cavusoglu said later Saturday he held a positive meeting with Lavrov.

The Russian foreign minister told the Munich conference after that meeting that parts of Idlib remain one of the last hotbeds of terrorism, at least the only one on the west bank of the Euphrates.

Lavrov said that agreements between Moscow and Ankara imply both a cease-fire and a demilitarized zone, but most importantly drawing a line between the normal opposition and terrorists.

These agreements do not mean the hard fighting against the terrorist the threat will stop, he said.

Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said at a news conference that Russia is the key to stopping the crisis since it provides the Syrian government with aerial support.

Russia offers various excuses, he said.

Roth acknowledged the presence of thousands of jihadists in Idlib but said that does not justify the indiscriminate bombardment of the civilian population.

What is needed now as a matter of humanitarian concern for the people of Idlib and as a matter of basic avoidance of another refugee crisis, is firm pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to stop, he said. He urged Europe to exert that pressure.

___

Associated Press writer Ipek Yezdani in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report.
Clara Gutierrez Carroll

Chef/Owner, Castilla Tapas Bar & Restaurant

Clara grew up in Valladolid in the region of Castilla in central Spain, an area with numerous bodegas in century-old caves where tablas (boards with 10-12 tapas) are served. She grew up on a farm and in a restaurant family. Her immediate family had a pig and grain farm and she helped with harvesting to cooking, butchering to curing. Her uncle owns a vineyard/vintner in the highly-regarded Ribera del Duero region called Roturas.

Her aunt's restaurant, Restaurante Angela, gave her early restaurant experience. When she was young, they would 'let her' clean calamari or cut bread. She worked as garde manger, in garnish, and prep. This was also where she learned how to make pate. Next door to Angela's, they had a bodega called Abadia where they served meals in bread bowls (no plates). It was also underground, beneath the city. The family also owned and ran a separate banquet space.

Despite moving to the city, the family still maintains their ancestral farmhouse where they visit on weekends, festivals, and special occasions. In its heyday, they would have 60 legs of ham curing after brining them in salt. Known as Jamon Serrano, the hams were left to hang and air dry for up to three years before being ready to eat.

Clara was never formally trained, although an aunt teaches at a culinary school, and several cousins work in restaurants in Europe. While attending university in Madrid, she worked weekends at a palace where the King and Queen of Spain held birthdays and other events. It was here she learned about different levels of service and worked both the front and back of the house.

With this background, it's no wonder that Clara has always been passionate about food. Despite that draw, she got her BA in International Business & Trade in Madrid, with a focus on import/export. She was in the first class to graduate from the business school; everyone from that class was hired immediately. She went to Belgium for work, yet despite being fluent in French and having studied German at university, the first thing the agency told her was that she needed to speak English. Many of her classmates went to London, but she felt it would be difficult to learn English there with so many Spanish speakers.

She also loved to travel and after college she threw on her backpack and wandered through Europe. While in high school, Clara had organized several class trips to various other European countries where she made many friends. Four-to-five of her summers were spent in Paris with friends. She used these connections during her travels as home bases while she moved around. Clara attributes her wanderlust to when she was younger being the first child from a family of seven aunts and uncles. Her aunts would take her with them when they traveled and spoiled her at fancy restaurants, concerts, and cultural events.

Given very little time to learn English, she chose to come to the U.S. and live with a family in Boston. They corresponded and she was excited to move, then the family had to pull out. The agency found a family in Issaquah, so Clara moved to Washington in 1994 at the age of 24. Having majored in business, she got various jobs with places like a Montessori school and labs at the UW over a period of three years.

She never went back to Belgium because less than a year after she moved here, she met her future husband. She also fell in love with Seattle. After central Spain, she found she loved the green, the water, and the mountains. The couple had two weddings, one in Seattle and one in Spain, and they traveled to Spain each year. They moved to Spain at one point, but after three months, she was the one who wanted to come "home" to Seattle.

In 1996, she started catering, then created her own company called Vino Espanol in 2000. Over the years, she has provided empanadas for a reception for the King and Queen of Spain at the Sheraton, catered for the Consulate of Spain, SAM, Benaroya Hall, Microsoft, K&L Gates, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and the Spain Association of the Pacific NW.

In 2003, she helped open Madrid 522 in Belltown, staying for a year. The owners were Argentinian and Spanish and hired her as executive chef to run the kitchen, which she found fun and exciting. It was a large space with a big lounge and 66 seats in the dining room, as well as banquet room.

She began consulting with an emphasis on menus, training, and kitchen set-up, helping Bell Fire Wine Bar in Everett, and the Capitol Club on Capitol Hill, Sarajevo Lounge in Belltown, and North City Bistro & Wine Shop in north Seattle.

In 2005, she began working with Sofeea Huffman, the Greek owner of Kafe Neo starting with the Edmonds location. There are now three more locations: Marysville, Mill Creek, and Kingston. The menus are a mix of Greek and Spanish items. Clara became the executive chef and partner. 2008 saw the opening of the Mill Creek location, a revamped menu and full bar. Clara increased the catering side of their business as well.

They opened two Spanish-themed restaurants, Demetris Woodstone Taverna in Edmonds in the fall of 2011 and Tablas Woodstone Taverna in Mill Creek a month later. Opening two restaurants at the same time was a challenge but was made somewhat easier as Clara streamlined the openings by starting with the same menu and training needs.

Keen on having a place to call her own, she was always on the lookout for just the right location. She liked the idea of going to Woodinville near the wineries where she felt a Spanish tapas restaurant would be a great fit. But she kept hearing from customers to consider Bellevue. Her research led her to Kemper Freeman and a spot in Bellevue Square where she has a large space with two kitchens and a woodburning/gas oven. She opened Castilla in November of 2019.

February 2020
The problems of "the Commonwealth"  the 54 nations that once made up the British empire  are not down to its Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland. They are, and will continue to be, the result of a portentous organisation without a significant budget or any power other than an appeal to nostalgia and which clings to a forelock-tugging relationship with the British Royal Family.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland.

An international body bound by common law and common democratic institutions could be a force for good in a world which is out of joint, but thanks to its most important countries, including Australia, the Commonwealth has no force at all.

This has not always been the case. Back in the days of apartheid, the Commonwealth under Sonny Ramphal raised an early and outspoken voice against racism and the denial of human rights in some of its member countries. It then declined  and for eight years before 2016 it was led by an Indian diplomat who would not have known a human right if he fell over it.

Patricia Scotland  a high-achieving black QC who had been solicitor-general in a British Labour government  was then appointed, with a mandate to effect urgent and radical reforms in this moribund organisation.
ZIMBABWE Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) chairperson Loice Matanda-Moyo has refuted claims by Prosecutor-General Kumbirai Hodzi that the corruption buster has been captured by cartels.

Hodzi recently alleged in Bulawayo that some sections in the Judiciary, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the National Prosecuting Authority and Zacc had been ensnared by cartels.

But speaking to journalists at the Zacc offices during the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Zacc and Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) in Harare yesterday, Matanda-Moyo vowed that the anti-corruption body would never be captured by cartels.

My take is that Zacc is not captured, I can only speak for Zacc not for other organisations. I want to believe the Prosecutor-General was misquoted; he wanted to say something else. We can never be captured. We value our independence; we value the trust reposed on us by the public and we can never allow ourselves to be captured.

I am not worried about them (Hodzis statements) because we are not captured. If we were captured, I was going to be worried, but I am not worried about them, because it does not apply to Zacc, Matanda-Moyo said.

Matanda-Moyo, however, said if Hodzis allegations on prosecutors were correct, it was a worrying scenario that would warrant the corruption busters immediate intervention.

Its actually worrying, but when he (Hodzi) talks about other institutions without evidence from those other institutions.

I am not worried yet, but of course we want to see those cases being prosecuted and if our prosecutors are indeed captured, its a cause for concern.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Swearing-in Updates: Much has to be accomplished in Delhi, but it can only be done with your support, Arvind Kejriwal said, urging parties to forget all that happened during the election and the campaign period before it. 'I am ready to work with the Centre for Delhi's betterment. I want Modi's blessing too,' he said

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On Friday, President Ram Nath Kovind had appointed Kejriwal as the new Chief Minister of Delhi. According to an official notification, Kovind had also appointed six MLAs as ministers of the Delhi government following the advice of the chief minister.

The six ministers - Manish Sisodia, Satendra Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain, Rajendra Pal Gautam - were a part of the previous Delhi Cabinet.

In the ceremony that will begin at 10 am, six ministers apart from Arvind Kejriwal will also take oath.

According to the advisory, no commercial vehicles will be allowed from Rajghat chowk and Delhi Gate chowk towards Guru Nanak Dev chowk via JLN Marg, Chatta Rail towards Delhi Gate chowk via Netaji Subhash Marg, Paharganj chowk towards Ajmeri Gate via Desh Bandu Gupta Road, Ram Charan Aggarwal chowk towards Delhi Gate chowk via Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, DDU Minto Road towards Kamla Market chowk via Vivekanand Marg and Barakhamba Tolstoy towards Ranjit Singh flyover.

The Delhi Police had issued a traffic advisory for the day, which says that traffic regulation will be in place in the Ramlila Maidan area from 8 am to 2 pm.

The eight newly-elected BJP MLAs have been invited for the oath-taking ceremony, AAP leader Gopal Rai had told PTI on Thursday. An AAP leader had earlier said that all municipal councillors have also been invited in the ceremony.

AAP invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend Arvind Kejriwal's swearing-in. However, it is not known if the PM will attend the ceremony. Modi had congratulated Arvind Kejriwal wishing him "very best in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Delhi".

Arrangements for other sanitation facilities like mobile toilets, are being done, the official said. Twelve large LED screens will be installed. Big banners bearing messages like 'Dhanyawad Dilli' along with the image of the AAP chief were put up on Saturday in and around the venue ahead of the mega function which is "open to public".

Forty-five thousand chairs will be installed in Ramlila Maidan. No tents will be installed so that people can clearly see the oath-taking of Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet. Officials said that besides seating arrangements, there will be provision for people to stand as thousands are expected to attend the swearing-in.

A police official told PTI that nearly 3,000 security personnel will be deployed for the swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal and other Delhi ministers. CCTV cameras will be fitted at and outside the venue.

"Baby Mufflerman'' Aavyan Tomar, who dressed up as the AAP convenor on counting day, is a 'special invitee' at the ceremony.

Around 50 people from different walks of life who are responsible for 'Delhi nirman' will share stage with Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said. He said these people would include teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and families of firefighters who lost their lives.

"People are happy with the work of the Cabinet and we won the elections on basis of our work. We will continue to build and maintain the confidence of the people," he said.

Deputy CM and senior AAP leader Manish sisodia is among the faces who will remain in the Delhi Cabinet. There is nothing wrong if Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal repayts the Cabinet, Sisodia told ANI.

An hour ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted to appeal to the people of Delhi to visit Ramlila Maidan and "bless their son". He will be taking oath as the Chief Minister for the third time. Along with him, six AAP ministers will also be sworn in.

At the swearing-in ceremony, 50 'Delhi nirmatas' will share the stage with Arvind Kejriwal. Among those invited are international tennis player Sumit Nagal, Delhi government school student and beneficiary of Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana Vijay Kumar, mohalla clinic doctor Alka, bike ambulance service officer Yudhishtir Rathee, bus marshall Arun Kumar, Signature bridge architect Ratan Jamshed Batliboi and Metro pilot Nidhi Gupta.

All Delhi MLAs, including 8 BJP MLAs, have been invited for the ceremony. However, prominent leaders and chief ministers from other states have not been invited in order to keep the ceremony "Delhi-specific".

Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and senior party leader and Kalkaji MLA Atishi have reached the Ramlila Maidan where thousands will witness Arvind Kejriwal being administered oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi.

Meanwhile, huge crowds have descended upon the venue, which has been witness to iconic protests and rallies.

Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal has reached the Ramlila Maidan, along with his parents, wife and children. He will shortly take oath as the Chief Minister for the third time.

Unlike mainstream netas who wear kurta pajama for official ceremonies, the AAP ministers were seen dressed in casual formals pleasantly breaking the norm.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi, five days after the AAP government came into power with a thumping victory in 62 seats.

After being a aprt of the Delhi Cabinet formed in 2015, Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain, Rajendra Pal Gautam were sworn in again as ministers at Ramlila Maidan, after oath was administered to Arvind Kejriwal.

He called it the victory of every Delhi resident, every mother, sister, youth, student and family. He added that the AAP's intent has always been to bring happiness to the lives of every Delhi resident.

Beginning with the chant of 'Bharat mata ki jai', Arvind Kejriwal addressed the thousands at Ramlila Maidan and said, "Your son has become the Chief Minister for the third time."

He added that the people of Delhi have given "birth to new politics", which involves schools, hospitals, electricity, water, good roads and women security.

"Let's work together to make Delhi progress. I am ready to work with the Centre for Delhi's betterment. I want Modi's blessing too for Delhi's vikas," he said.

"Much has to be accomplished in Delhi, but it can only be done with your support," he said, urging parties to forget all that happened during the election and the campaign period before it.

Speaking after being sworn in, Arvind Kejriwal said that he is now the Chief Minister to everyone - those who voted for the BJP, Congress and other parties too. "I am the CM for every Delhiite. You are now my family and I will work for you irrespective of class, economic status, religion and caste," he said.

At the end of the speech in which he promised the development and betterment of Delhi and thanked the people for bring him and AAP to pwoer for the third consecutive time, Arvind Kejriwal sang the song "Hum honge kamyaab" (we will succeed).

"Of the nearly 72,000 people who live here, all the children from here go to government schools. And you can just see how their lives have changed," she added.

Kalkaji MLA and senior AAP leader Atishti told FirstPost that a good education can pull someone oout of poverty and people have voted on the basis of the agenda. "For all the talk about Shaheen Bagh, and this is a constituency which is located right next to Shaheen Bagh, we share this entire border with the Okhla constituency, it is clear that people voted for education and healthcare over polarisation and divisive politics," she said.

Huge crowd gathered at Ram Leela Maidan to witness yet another historic event. Everyone is here to bless "Delhi Ka Beta" Arvind Kejriwal. #MufflermanReturns pic.twitter.com/8gvEp5cCr0

Meanwhile, huge crowds have descended upon the venue, which has been witness to iconic protests and rallies.

Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal has reached the Ramlila Maidan, along with his parents, wife and children. He will shortly take oath as the Chief Minister for the third time.

Live from #RamlilaMaidan : Delhi Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal with the 6 ministers who will take oath with him shortly. Follow special coverage on https://t.co/Fbzw6mR9Q5 and NDTV 24x7 pic.twitter.com/fN2eKI6Nt0

Unlike mainstream netas who wear kurta pajama for official ceremonies, the AAP ministers were seen dressed in casual formals pleasantly breaking the norm.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi, five days after the AAP government came into power with a thumping victory in 62 seats.

After being a aprt of the Delhi Cabinet formed in 2015, Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain, Rajendra Pal Gautam were sworn in again as ministers at Ramlila Maidan, after oath was administered to Arvind Kejriwal.

He called it the victory of every Delhi resident, every mother, sister, youth, student and family. He added that the AAP's intent has always been to bring happiness to the lives of every Delhi resident.

Beginning with the chant of 'Bharat mata ki jai', Arvind Kejriwal addressed the thousands at Ramlila Maidan and said, "Your son has become the Chief Minister for the third time."

He added that the people of Delhi have given "birth to new politics", which involves schools, hospitals, electricity, water, good roads and women security.

"Let's work together to make Delhi progress. I am ready to work with the Centre for Delhi's betterment. I want Modi's blessing too for Delhi's vikas," he said.

"Much has to be accomplished in Delhi, but it can only be done with your support," he said, urging parties to forget all that happened during the election and the campaign period before it.

Speaking after being sworn in, Arvind Kejriwal said that he is now the Chief Minister to everyone - those who voted for the BJP, Congress and other parties too. "I am the CM for every Delhiite. You are now my family and I will work for you irrespective of class, economic status, religion and caste," he said.

Stating the criticism he has received for winning an election based on freebies, Arvind Kejriwal said, "Nature has ensured every valuable thing in the world is free, be it Mother's love, father's blessings or Shravan Kumar's dedication. I cannot charge the students of Delhi for studies. I can't charge patients visiting Delhi hospitals. The world will soon hail India. I want to work with the Centre to make Delhi number one city."

At the end of the speech in which he promised the development and betterment of Delhi and thanked the people for bring him and AAP to pwoer for the third consecutive time, Arvind Kejriwal sang the song "Hum honge kamyaab" (we will succeed).

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Swearing-in LATEST Updates: Much has to be accomplished in Delhi, but it can only be done with your support, Arvind Kejriwal said, urging parties to forget all that happened during the election and the campaign period before it. "Let's work together to make Delhi progress. I am ready to work with the Centre for Delhi's betterment. I want Modi's blessing too for Delhi's vikas," he said.

Beginning with the chant of 'Bharat mata ki jai', Kejriwal addressed the thousands at Ramlila Maidan and said, "Your son has become the Chief Minister for the third time." He called it the victory of every Delhi resident, every mother, sister, youth, student and family. He added that the AAP's intent has always been to bring happiness to the lives of every Delhi resident.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai and Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain were administered oaths by L-G Anil Baijal at Ramlila Maidan.

Kejriwal took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal at Ramlila Maidan. Songs like 'Rang De Basanti' played at the Ramlila Maidan and posters bearing the message "Nayak 2 is back" were on display as thousands gathered for the oath-taking ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal and six other ministers of the Delhi Cabinet. Kejriwal will return to the position for a third consecutive term.

The ceremony has officially begun, TV channels report. Kejriwal has reached the venue with his wife, mother and daughter. At least, 50 people from different walks of life who are responsible for 'Delhi nirman' will share stage with Kejriwal during his swearing-in ceremony, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said. He said these people would include teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and families of firefighters who lost their lives.

An hour ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted to appeal to the people of Delhi to visit Ramlila Maidan and "bless their son". He will be taking oath as the Chief Minister for the third time. Along with him, six AAP ministers will also be sworn in.

In the ceremony that will begin at 10 am, six ministers apart from Arvind Kejriwal will also take oath. The six ministers - Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain, Rajendra Pal Gautam - were a part of the previous Delhi Cabinet too.

A police official told PTI that nearly 3,000 security personnel will be deployed for the swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal and other Delhi ministers. CCTV cameras will be fitted at and outside the venue. Forty-five thousand chairs will be installed in Ramlila Maidan.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will take the oath as Delhi chief minister for the third time along with his cabinet at the Ramlila ground at 10 am today.

Campaigning on its work in health, education, water and electricity sector, Kejriwal's party achieved a massive mandate for the second time in the Delhi Assembly election, where it won 62 of the 70 seats. Polling was held on 8 February and the results were declared on 11 February.

According to an official notification, President Ram Nath Kovind has also appointed six AAP MLAs as ministers of the Delhi government following the advice of the chief minister-designate.

The six ministers who will take oath along with Kejriwal on Sunday are: Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam.

Sisodia said that around 50 people from different walks of life, including teachers, bus marshalls, architects of the Signature Bridge and family of firefighters who lost their lives, among others, will share the stage with Kejriwal.

Though Kejriwal extended an invitation for the ceremony to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well, he is unlikely to attend it as he is scheduled to visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Sunday.

According to reports, the swearing-in ceremony is also unlikely to be attended by any Opposition leaders or chief ministers of other non-BJP leaders.

The ceremony is scheduled at the Ramlila Ground on Sunday and traffic regulation will be in place in the area from 8 am to 2 pm, the Delhi Police said.

Kejriwal calls meet

According to party functionaries, Kejriwal on Saturday called a dinner meeting of his cabinet ministers to discuss a roadmap for Delhi's development. Kejriwal is likely to discuss with his ministers initiatives that need to be prioritised and action items for the Delhi government in the coming three months.

The meeting will also focus on developing a roadmap to make Delhi a global city, they said.

'Circular is dictatorial'

The oath-taking ceremony has already been embroiled into a controversy over a Directorate of Education circular making it "compulsory" for government school teachers to attend Kejriwal's oath-taking ceremony as Delhi chief minister.

In a tweet, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, "The Aam Aadmi Party, which has won elections by making announcement of freebies, has enough MLAs but not public support."

"With the fear of people not attending the swearing-in ceremony, the government has issued a diktat to 30,000 teachers to mandatorily attend," he added.

Delhi Congress's chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma took to Twitter to say, "A government order has been issued asking government school teachers to reach at the Arvind Kejriwal government's oath-taking ceremony. It is clear that power is being 'misused' to gather a crowd for the swearing-in ceremony."

Sharma urged Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to take cognisance of it.

Newly-elected BJP MLA Vijender Gupta wrote to Kejriwal on Saturday requesting him to withdraw the circular.

Gupta, Leader of Opposition in the previous Assembly, called the Friday's circular "dictatorial" that shattered his belief that Kejriwal's focus after coming back to power would be on governance and strengthening democratic ethos.

"By virtue of the order, 15,000 teachers and officials will have to attend the oath ceremony," Gupta wrote in his letter to Kejriwal.

Gupta, who has been re-elected from Rohini constituency, said he would attend Kejriwal's oath taking ceremony.

Reacting to Gupta's objection, the vice-chairman of Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission, Jasmine Shah, said teachers and principals were "architects" of Delhi's transformation in the past five years and they "deserved to be invited" for the swearing-in ceremony.

"When did BJP last think of teachers in at the centre of your 'vikas' (development) model? Never did, never will," Shah tweeted.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged the eight seats in the 70-member Assembly while the Congress drew a blank for the second consecutive time.
Chen Minglei (C) is on duty at the Taiyuan South Railway Station. [military.cnr.cn]

Spring Festival is the biggest holiday for family reunions in China, but Chen Minglei and his wife, Wang Xiaomei, did not have a chance to meet their loved ones.

Instead, Chen and his wife have both been working on the frontline of the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at their own posts.

Chen, an armed police officer, in Taiyuan City, North China's Shanxi Province, has not had a family reunion with his wife and parents for a long time.

Wang Xiaomei's application shows her determination of joining the anti-virus fight. [military.cnr.cn]

Wang is a nurse in a hospital in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong Province.

In order to ease the shortage of medical workers in the hospital amid the epidemic outbreak, Wang decided to end her maternity leave and return to work ahead of schedule.

Though Chen is worried about his wife amid the tough battle against the epidemic, he supports her decision.

Wang Xiaomei disinfects the hospital. [military.cnr.cn]

It was not easy for her to make such a decision, since she is a mom with twin babies no more than 4 months old. Her parents' comments also made her hesitant about it at the very beginning.

However, Wang persuaded her parents. Her husband also posted encouraging words in his WeChat Moments the day she returned to her post.

The couple talk over mobile phones. [military.cnr.cn]

Seeing the photos and words posted by her husband after working overtime until midnight, Wang burst into tears and then soon went back to her work.

Chen's encouraging words posted on his WeChat Moments receives many likes and comments. [military.cnr.cn]

Wang Xiaomei and her twin babies [military.cnr.cn]

(Source: military.cnr.cn/Translated and edited by Women of China)
(TNS)  California law enforcement agencies may not be doing enough to protect the data they collect through license plate-tracking technology that police throughout the state use.State Auditor Elaine Howle released a review last Thursday of the Marin County Sheriffs Office and three other law enforcement agencies that concluded they had risked individuals privacy by providing indiscriminate access to their collections of millions of images of license plates and not properly ensuring the security of the databases.The audit examined the policies of the Fresno and Los Angeles police departments and the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office, in addition to the Marin sheriff, and found they fell short of state privacy requirements.The report also raised the possibility that the problems are widespread. The auditors office surveyed nearly 400 police and sheriffs departments across California and determined that almost 70% use or plan to use a license plate-tracking system.We are concerned that the policy deficiencies we found are not limited to the agencies we reviewed, and thus law enforcement agencies of all types may benefit from guidance to improve their policies, the audit said.State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who requested the audit, said he planned to introduce legislation that would incorporate its recommendations about limiting how long agencies can hold on to license plate data and with whom they can share it.He said the report was horrifying because it showed that law enforcement is engaging in mass surveillance without justification and is indifferent to how the system is ripe for abuse.If law enforcement is going to use this technology, it needs to be extremely focused and extremely conscious of personal privacy, Wiener said.The systems, known as automatic license plate readers, use cameras mounted on fixed objects and police cars to take pictures of license plates. Software extracts the plate numbers from those images and alerts officers when it identifies a match on a stored list of vehicles of interest, including stolen cars and those associated with wanted criminals and missing persons.Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union have raised objections that these systems allow law enforcement to track peoples movement in detail, which could inhibit free speech and association. Media reports have also identified instances when officers misused the data to monitor ex-spouses and neighbors.A 2015 state law required law enforcement agencies to adopt privacy policies for license plate tracking, describing who can use the data, how long they keep the information and how they protect and monitor their systems.But the audit determined that the Marin and Sacramento counties sheriffs offices and the Fresno police did not clearly specify who had access to their systems and how to destroy data. The Los Angeles Police Department had no policy at all.Three of the departments, including the Marin sheriff, also had data-sharing agreements with hundreds of other law enforcement organizations across the country. The auditor found no evidence that they always ensured those organizations were public agencies that had a compelling need for the images. None conducted audits of the searches in its systems to make sure they were appropriate.The agencies have left their systems open to abuse by neglecting to institute sufficient oversight, the audit concluded.The audit questioned the security of the cloud services used to store the license plate images and the length of time that agencies were keeping the pictures  as long as five years in the Los Angeles Police Department.A data breach would broadly affect people not involved in any criminal activity. The Los Angeles Police Department database, for example, contained 320 million images, only 400,000 of which were for plate numbers considered vehicles of interest. The license plate numbers were connected to personal information such as names, addresses and dates of birth.While some of the law enforcement agencies reviewed by the auditors office agreed to change their policies in response to the report, the Marin County Sheriffs Office largely dismissed its conclusions.In a letter, Deputy County Counsel Kerry Gerchow said Marin County contracted for its license plate-tracking system with a third-party vendor that used secure servers and allowed access only to credentialed law enforcement officers.Gerchow said the Marin County Sheriffs Offices policy of retaining images for two years was based on the statute of limitations for most crimes in the state of California. It would be impossible to develop a more detailed policy, Gerchow said, because investigators could not know when an image might prove useful to a case.
The presidency says some persons who are benefitting from the Boko Haram insurgency are inciting Nigerians against the countrys militar...

The presidency says some persons who are benefitting from the Boko Haram insurgency are inciting Nigerians against the countrys military chiefs.





In a statement, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, said a section of the political class had hired thousands to protest against the head of the service chiefs on Monday.





Shehu further accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of orchestrating the protests to embarrass the Buhari-led administration.





According to him, the opposition wishes to give the impression that Nigerians are in support of them as they take to the streets.





The Presidency wishes to caution a section of the political class against misleading the public and inciting protests against the heads of military institutions, the statement read.





This has become necessary in view of received reports that about two thousand men and women have been hired to demonstrate against Nigerias service chiefs on Monday.





This imminent gathering is the latest in a series of demonstrations orchestrated by the opposition to embarrass the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.





As part of this overall scheme, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with its belligerent politics, has been marching from one embassy to the other in protest against the Buhari administration and the nations highest court of justice, the Supreme Court. They are keen to give the impression that Nigerians are in support of them as they take to the streets, and they will go to any length to promote this false narrative.





Shehu also made reference to the booing of Buhari when he paid a condolence visit to the state over the killings of 30 persons.





In the recent statement, Shehu, who had earlier said politicians paid some people embarrass the president, added that the same set of people are behind the alleged attempt to protest on Monday.





The recent incident in Maiduguri, Borno State, where an overwhelmingly cheering crowd gathered to welcome President Buhari, while a handful were recorded booing him, is a part this elaborate scheme, he said.





It is misleading, as some analysts have tried to do, to read this as verdict against President Buhari, who emerged winner with 94 per cent of the votes cast in the Presidential election in the state in February last year.





This was clearly a hired few, but the news was promoted by the opposition who had of course positioned themselves to record the booing  all just to embarrass the President.





A group of politicians and beneficiaries of the Boko Haram insurgency is right now paying for people to join their planned protest against our countrys service chiefs, and they will no doubt seek the medias collaboration on this as usual.





He urged the media to remain unbiased in is reportage, saying, there is news and there is promoted content  two very different things
Fourteen years of life in jail has not deterred Subhash Patil from fulfilling his dream of becoming a doctor.

The 40-year-old man from Afzalpura in Karnataka's Kalaburagi was put behind bars in a murder case while doing MBBS in 1997.

Speaking to ANI, Patil said, "I joined MBBS in 1997. But, I was jailed in a murder case in 2002. I worked at the jail's OPD and was released in 2016 for good conduct. I completed my MBBS in 2019."

Earlier this month, Patil completed a one-year mandatory internship for getting the MBBS course degree.

Police arrested Patil in 2002 in a murder case when he was in his third year of MBBS course. A court sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2006.

He was put behind bars but he did not give up his childhood dream of becoming a doctor. In 2016, police released Patil on Independence day for his good conduct.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia on Saturday brushed aside criticism that teachers were being forced to attend Arvind Kejriwals oath-taking ceremony on Sunday.

Delhis Directorate of Education (DoE) had issued a circular to its officials, teachers and principals of government-run schools to attend the swearing-in-ceremony of Kejriwal and his council of ministers.

The circular also said attendance will be compiled at the entry gates of the Ramlila Maidan, where CM-designate Arvind Kejriwal and his council of ministers will take the oath.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra had tweeted on Saturday that them to follow the government orders is the beginning of a wrong tradition.

Manish Sisodia, while replying to a reporters question, said they have extended an invitation to the teachers to praise them for their work.

They dont know how to honour teachers. This is the first time people have praised the work done by teachers during an election, he said during a press conference.

Many teachers are enthusiastic and have approached me saying they want to come, he added.

Kejriwal has also all sent an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the seven BJP MPs from the city to the event scheduled for 10am Sunday but no other leaders from other parties have been invited.

When asked whether the Prime Minister will come, Sisodia said they dont have any confirmation so far.

He also reiterated that the AAP has invited the architects of Delhi at Ramlila Maidan, where his party had led an anti-corruption movement before joining mainstream politics.

Kejriwal has invited 50 people who have helped Delhi make better in the last five years when he takes oath as Delhis chief minister on Sunday, Sisodia said.

The CM has decided he will take oath in the presence of people who have helped him make Delhi better and helped him run Delhi. They will be the people who will support him in the next five years, Sisodia said.

The chief minister has invited all the residents of Delhi to tell them that his son will take the oath of office and they should come, he said.

Sisodia was referring to the advertisements in newspapers urging all residents of the city to attend the event.

The AAP leader said the special guests will be the representative of those who helped Delhi move ahead and will share the stage with Arvind Kejriwal.

He said teachers, head of schools, school peons, students who got the benefit of government schemes, students who won the Olympiads in Moscow, doctors from mohalla clinics, bike ambulance drivers, families of firefighters who lost their lives, safai karamcharis, bus marshals, architects of the Signature Bridge, constructions workers who changed the face of the unauthorised colonies, door to door service executive and farmers of Delhi will be among those.

Kejriwal is set to take oath as Delhis chief minister for the third time on Sunday, days after the AAP won a massive majority of 62 seats in the 70-member Delhi assembly.

Six other ministers will also be the part of the swearing-in ceremony. Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain and Rajendra Gautam will be among them.

The AAP governments oath-taking ceremony in 2015 was also held at Ramlila Maidan.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : At Arvind Kejriwal's swearing-in ceremony on Sunday, when he has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi and eight newly elected BJP MLAs, his 'chief guest' will be none other than the "aam aadmi", the "junta" of the entire city that voted him to power for the third time.

Speaking to IANS, Delhi chief of the Aam Aadmi Party Gopal Rai said that invite has been sent to all the people of Delhi, including the elected representatives.

Kejriwal will take oath as the Delhi Chief Minister for the third time along with his cabinet at Ramlila Maidan at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

AAP has begged 62 of the 70 seats here, while BJP got eight.

"All seven Delhi Lok Sabha MPs and eight newly elected BJP MLAs have been invited for the oath-taking ceremony," Rai told IANS, adding the event is for whole of Delhi, including the elected members.

Keeping away from recent trends, no political leaders from outside has been invited for the ceremony, Rai said.

"The people of Delhi gave us this mandate and they are our priority." Modi, however, will not be in the city that day, as he will be visiting his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi to inaugurate various projects, as per his schedule.

In addition to these, AAP has also invited the Municipal Councillors in the city, including those from the BJP.

"We have also invited the state party presidents of the main political parties (BJP and Congress)," AAP leader Jasmine Shah told IANS.

The AAP has released full page advertisements in the newspapers inviting everyone in the city. Kejriwal on Thursday had urged the common man of Delhi to attend his oath-taking ceremony.

The AAP on Wednesday also invited Avyaan Tomar, also known as 'Mini Mufflerman' and 'Baby Kejriwal' to the oath-taking ceremony on February 16.

The one-year-old, dressed up like Kejriwal, was spotted during the results day. However, he could not meet Kejriwal.

The Directorate of Education has also invited the teachers to attend the ceremony.
From wind power to cow manure - oil traders seek new profit recipe FILE PHOTO: A wind farm is shown in Movave, California

By Julia Payne

LONDON (Reuters) - The world's largest oil traders are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into climate-friendly projects - including wind farms, cow manure plants and blue hydrogen - as they seek to match the profits they make from trading oil.

The energy industry as a whole faces an existential threat from the shift to a lower carbon future and faces growing pressure from investors, governments, activists and financiers to find a sustainable business model.

For oil trading houses, the challenge is more acute, as their profit margins have already shrunk due to increased competition, regulatory scrutiny and growing industry transparency.

Trading firms such as Vitol and Trafigura have already put money into wind farms, hydrogen, solar, EV technology, biofuels and biomethane as potential replacements for oil, traditionally their big profit driver.

But like the big international oil companies they have yet to figure out what could become their new business model for an environmentally-friendly future.

"Nobody has figured out how to make money yet," Jean-Francois Lambert of consultancy Lambert Commodities said. "Trading firms are now testing the waters."

Traders make a living by exploiting niche high-margin opportunities to supply energy and commodities, doing business that other companies either fail to spot or find too risky.

Those opportunities are scant in the renewables sector.

"Renewable projects are reaching a scale which makes them attractive investment propositions, but there is a lot of capital chasing a limited number of projects," Vitol Chief Executive Russell Hardy said. "Finding the right project at the right price is not easy."

Changes in the financial services industry are also giving the search for new business a sense of urgency.

French bank Natixis, for example, was the first to introduce internal financial penalties in September on deals that are not environmentally friendly.

Story continues

The bank said deals classed as "green" would receive a reduction of up to 50% on the amount of capital the bank must retain to back them, known as risk weighted assets. A deal that is not environmentally-friendly, so-called "brown", will face an increase in risk weighting by up to 24%.

With the European Central Bank pushing a green agenda, other major European banks are also considering similar schemes, two banking sources said.

"Minimum standards for regular loans are getting tougher and tougher too. There's pressure (on traders) from non-governmental organisations and banks," one of the banking sources said.

"Also it's an HR question - what millennial wants a big bonus from a dirty industry?"

CAPTURING ELECTRONS

Power trading is one way to capture the renewables shift as varying sources will create new dislocations.

"There will be a shift from molecules to electrons, worldwide EVs (electronic vehicles) will add an incremental 250GW per hour of demand by 2030, Vitol's Hardy said.

Vitol and Geneva-based Mercuria already have active power teams but others are just starting. Trafigura opened its first power and renewables trading desk in November and in January, Gunvor Group restarted power trading with a dedicated desk in London.

"The power industry has similarities with the way the oil industry operates including regional dislocations which traders are known for helping to fill," Trafigura chief executive Jeremy Weir told Reuters in Davos.

He also said shipping accounted for 89% of Trafigura's carbon emissions and that the wider industry would need to set a benchmark for tracking this carbon footprint.

At the end of last year, Trafigura invested in a green hydrogen firm and made its first ever investment in a solar project in Mali this month.

WASTE AND HYDROGEN

Vitol has set up an internal working group to examine new renewable energy technologies and ways in which the business can participate in a lower-carbon economy.

The firm has allocated $300 million for renewables investment with more than $200 million already allocated, the company said in October.

Separately, Vitol has set up solar farm capacity in the United States and has a major wind project in Ukraine through a joint venture VLC Renewables.

The wind farm will produce 500 MW of power and when finished will be among the top five largest onshore wind generators.

Vitol is part of the Humber Zero project in Britain to turn the Humber River estuary into the country's first zero carbon cluster by 2040.

The company will produce "blue" hydrogen for power at its 1.2 GW Immingham power plant to feed the Humber and Lindsey oil refineries. The plan is awaiting government approval.

Blue hydrogen, produced from natural gas, can be used as a low-carbon source for power generation.

Other similar projects exist but the costs are too high for widespread use.

"Per unit of energy, hydrogen supply costs are 1.5 to 5 times those of natural gas ... The development of hydrogen infrastructure is a challenge and is holding back widespread adoption," a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency from September 2019 said.

Waste also is a potential new profit avenue.

Vitol has invested in several start-ups, including firms that turn coal and plastic waste into fuel. In Idaho, it has invested in a cow manure "bio digester" that produces 700,000 cubic feet of bio methane per day.

CUTTING EMISSIONS

Mining and trading firm Glencore has capped coal output and is reducing diesel generation at some of its remote mines by using hydroelectricity, wind and electronic vehicles.

Trafigura and Glencore are focusing on ingredients for EV batteries. Trafigura has invested in Finnish mining firm Terrafame to produce nickel and cobalt.

Geneva-based Gunvor Group plans to invest hundreds of millions to reduce carbon exhaust at its three European refineries and add a biofuel unit at one of its refineries that will use excess hydrogen.

Biofuels will be a focus after it bought two Spanish plants that turn waste oils, like cooking oil, into biofuel this year.

"The energy transition will be harder and longer than people think," Gunvor Chief Executive Torbjorn Tornqvist told Reuters, with oil demand growing though its percentage in the energy mix will fall.

"Gas must replace coal. Half the emissions would go just like that. We stepped back from coal trading for commercial reasons but now I won't go back into it out of conviction."

(Reporting By Julia Payne, additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov in Davos; Editing by Simon Webb and Jane Merriman)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 15, 2020 15:14 696 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2064be263 4 National IS-sympathizers,KPAI,custody,repatriation,children,Syria,Islamic-State Free

The government must decide who will take care of the orphaned children of Indonesian nationals who joined the Islamic State (IS) movement in Syria when they return to Indonesia, the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has said.

The government must decide who will get custody of these children when they arrive in Indonesia, KPAI commissioner Retno Listyarti said on Friday, as quoted by kompas.com.

She added the government was obliged to put the children in the custody of their closest relatives according to Government Regulation (PP) No. 44/2017 on foster care for children.

If the closest relatives cannot take care of them, the children must be adopted by another family, or put under the states custody if no one can take them, Retno went on to say.

Citing data from the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD previously said that some 689 Indonesians had been identified as IS sympathizers in Syria and Turkey, as well as other countries.

Read also: Why Indonesia should bring IS families back home

According to the data, some 228 people still hold identification as Indonesian citizens while others do not have proper documents to prove their citizenship. Indonesian authorities have previously suggested that most of the Indonesian IS supporters were women and children.

While asserting that the government banned Indonesian affiliates of IS from returning to Indonesia, President Joko Jokowi said the government was mulling a plan to bring home orphans under 10 years old.

But so far we still dont know if there are any, Jokowi said recently.

Retno expressed appreciation for the Presidents willingness to bring orphans back to Indonesia, but criticized his decision to limit the age to those under 10 years old.

According to the 2014 law on child protection, anyone below the age of 18 is considered a child, Retno said. (hol)
In a novel protest against the steep hike in the LPG cylinder prices, the Congress women workers in Mathura on Friday descended upon the citys busy market area with various utensils and cooked food on earthen ovens using dung cakes and fire woods.

The LPG cylinders have become unaffordable even for the middle class people like us, thats why we have been forced to cook our meals on earthen ovens using traditional fuel, said a women Congress worker, while trying to stoke oven flames by blowing air into it through a pipe at the busy Holigate market area in the city.

Giving the rational for cooking food in the market place, she said with a smoke-induced teary eyes, We want the whole word to see how the LPG price rise has forced us to resort to archaic methods in (Prime Minister Narendra) Modis modern India. Owing to the unprecedented rise in LPG cylinder price, the Modi Govt is leading us to stone age, snapped Mahanagar Mahila Congress wing chairperson Shalu Agrawal, echoing her party colleagues anger.

They first tricked women into adopting LPG cylinders for cooking in the name of their health and now they are forcing us to buy cylinders at such steep prices, she fumed, adding Its a good business tactics. Resenting the Union Law Minister Rav Shankar Prasads alleged assertion that the cylinder prices would not be withdrawn, she said, It reveals the dictatorial attitude of the government. The way the Union minister has rejected the demand of withdrawing price hike of LPG cylinders is highly objectionable, said Shalu.

The Congress women workers were also accompanied by their male colleagues, helping them running errands in the cooking process. Amid the cooking process, the Congress workers ranted the air with anti-government slogans, ruing the skyrocketing prices of various essential commodities.

Tanashahi nahin chalegi (dictatorship would not be tolerated), they shouted as bemused onlookers looked at their novel protest. Had the BJP government raised the price a few days before the Delhi assembly elections, they would have got zeros seats there, she said.

Meanwhile, UP Congress legislature partys former leader Pradeep Mathur demanded resignation of Union Minister Smriti Irani, saying she had raised a save-our-soul (SOS) cry after the cylinder prices were hiked by Rs 2 during the UPA regime, but is now forced to be a mute spectator of her governments tyranny. At price hike of merely Rs two during UPA regime Smriti Irani had been crying trahi mam  trahi mam (save our soul), but she has now turned into mute spectator of her governments tyranny, he said.

After this three-digit hike of Rs 150 per cylinder, she must be feeling very uncomfortable, he said, adding the best course for her to overcome her awkward situation is to tender her resignation.
I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress its women have achieved, said Dr B.R. Ambedkar, concerned as he was about womens condition in our society and the systemic oppression she faced. Perhaps, this should have been the prime action plan for political parties as well as governments.

If one takes Dr Ambedkars observations seriously, the first question that comes to mind is: are we progressing? Do our development indices show that as a nation we have grown? Should people and not financial wealth be placed at the heart of development? The fact is that women continue to face deep misogyny and sex bias in our society where their independence and outspokenness are feared and despised. And many still believe discussing womens issues will adversely affect our culture and the family.

The Telangana government today is tom-tomming Kaleshwaram, a multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari. What many do not know is how the project displaced families whose land was acquired to build the dams. Of these families, the women  who could no longer cultivate their own land nor, bound by custom and the expectation to keep members together and continue to tend to them, migrate, as their men did, to other jobs and places  were the worst-hit.

More than half of the female population in the state actively participates in the electoral process. But are they to be seen as a vote bank only?

Telangana has a long history of women taking part in various social and political movements, right from the days of armed struggle. Women writers and poets took part in all the socio-cultural movements which resulted in the creation of Telangana state. Yet there was not a single woman minister in the first state cabinet. And while the government has taken various measures for the welfare of women, their effects are hardly felt. Being a proud Telanganaite passionately working on issues involving women and marginalised, it is a distressing experience.

As I write this piece, comes the news of murder of 19-year-old Mutta Radhika in her house in Karimnagar, a smart city, supposedly well-furnished with security and CCTVcameras. The same day, too, a disgusting drama of sleaze and blackmail got exposed in Sircilla district, the Assembly constituency of minister for information technology and working president of Telangana Rashtra Samithi K.T. Ramarao. Outsiders harassed young adivasi women at the local Scheduled Castes and Tribes hostel and asked them for sexual favours in exchange of money. These girls were studying intermediate at a nearby co-education college. But why had their hostel been picked by the perpetrators? The answer is that, for ages, SC/ST womens hostels have been neglected in terms of amenities and enforcement of regulations.

A team of various women, dalit and bahujan organisations, including Dalit Women's Collective, Women & Transgender Joint Action Committee, made a visit to this hostel. It was found that the Telangana polices SHE teams had shied away from taking up the case. They had taken the young women to a Sakhi womens centre instead. It was Sakhi that had immediately got an FIR registered under the Pocso Act.

One of the victims informed us that Vijayamma, the cook appointed by the food contractor, T. Devaiah, was helping him approach the girls. Predictably, hostel warden G. Bhudevi claimed she was unaware of the incident. In any case, she was not required to be at the place of her employment and she rarely visited. There were no security guards in the congested lanes where the hostel appeared to have been purposefully located and the cameras in the vicinity were in a state of disrepair. Our fact-finding team also came to know that the food contractor belongs to the ruling party. The question is, will heads roll post this expose?

A few years back, when two adivasi girls, Bhumika and Priyanka, disappeared in Warangal district, we came to know of it only when their bones were carried by stray dogs into the village. Not a single person has been arrested. Their horrific deaths have receded from public memory perhaps because the media appears unmoved by them, quite unlike in the cases of Nirbhaya and Disha.

That women are a forgotten entity in the state's politics and governance is reflected in the fact that there is no functional commission for women in a state where crimes against women are rising day by day. The last chairperson of the state womens commission, Tripurana Venkataratnam, demitted office in July 2018. While the Telangana government takes credit for Kalyana Laxmi, a scheme under which financial assistance is given to poor to marry daughters and thus perpetuate the evil of dowry, would not this money be put to better use in the form of free and compulsory education to all women in a safe environment? A full-fledged womens commission can not only investigate breach of rights but can also give concrete suggestions to the government in this respect. It can look into policy matters and set up guidelines as well. It can work on instituting constitutional safeguards and protection mechanisms.

The issue of women is structural and complex. After Sircilla, we feel that the need for a fully-operational womens commission is more than ever as it can hold the state police and bureaucrats accountable. Will Telangana see such a body, revived and rejuvenated, populated by women who have a track record working on womens issues, on March 8, International Women's Day?

Sujatha Surepally is a professor of sociology at Satvahana University and a dalit and womens rights activist
AI Algorithms Intended to Root Out Welfare Fraud Often End Up Punishing the Poor Instead
BETHLEHEM  Workers at a Bethlehem nursing home and assisted living facility approved a tentative contract agreement Thursday with Centers Health Care, a New York City-based nursing home chain thats hoping to buy up the bankrupt facilities.

The agreement comes one month after Centers agreed to negotiate with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, a union representing the employees of Good Samaritan Village, after the employees threatened to strike in an effort to preserve their contract.

The contract governing their pay and health benefits had been in jeopardy after Centers, a for-profit chain with facilities in the Capital Region, asked the current operators to get a judges permission to reject the bargaining agreements. Rejection of the agreements had been a key condition of Centers buying the facilities, according to bankruptcy filings.

John Makoyi, a licensed practical nurse at Good Samaritan and 1199 delegate, said its a relief to have finally reached an agreement.

Knowing we can keep our health benefits is an incredible victory, he said. But we also know this is only the first step. We are hoping the bankruptcy hearing will go smoothly so that new operators can come in and start to invest in the facility. That investment must do what is necessary to improve staffing and help to recruit and retain a stable workforce.

The agreement must now be signed off on by the bankruptcy judge overseeing the case, 1199 spokeswoman Mindy Berman said. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Littlefield Jr. is scheduled to review the agreement at a Feb. 25 hearing in Albany.

If and when he approves it, the current operator and future operator can then pursue an unusual arrangement in which the latter temporarily takes over operations while waiting for the state to sign off on the sale  a process that court filings say could take several months to a couple years.

In order to do that, the state Department of Health must appoint Centers Health Care the temporary receiver of the facilities, meaning they could pay for salaries, health benefits, supplies and other operations essential to keeping the facilities up running.

We are pleased to see that we are heading down the right path, Centers spokesperson Jeff Jacomowitz said in a statement to the Times Union on Wednesday, one day before employees were expected to approve the contract.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Leadership at Centers Health Care hopes the union vote passes, and then we can start providing the best care possible for these residents, he said. Centers Health Care is all about providing the highest form of post-acute care to the residents and being part of their lives.

Centers is the owner of several other long-term care facilities in the region, including the Troy Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, Schenectady Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, and Fulton Center in Gloversville.

Bethlehem Commons and Kenwood Manor  the 120-bed nursing home and 66-bed assisted living facility known collectively as Good Samaritan Village  have been operating on short staff and supplies for going on a year now.

Their owners  limited liability companies set up under The Lutheran Care Network  filed for bankruptcy in December 2019, seeking relief from millions of dollars worth of debt owed to creditors and permission to sell to Centers.

In addition to the Department of Health signoff, the sale requires approval from the state Attorney General's Office, which has investigated and reached a settlement agreement with Lutheran Care for financial improprieties at another of its subsidiaries in Rexford.
Sekyere East District Police Command has affirmed its commitment to remain apolitical, while ensuing professionalism in the discharge of its duties before, during and after the 2020 general election.

Superintendent Asare Bediako, the District Police Commander, said the police would fairly discharge its mandate without any bias to any political party, to ensure a level playing field for all the parties.

He said regardless of political affiliation, religious background, economic status and gender, every person or group of people, would be given protection in the interest of peace and stability.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Effiduase in the District, the Police Commander emphasised the need for the public to abide by the rules and regulations governing the elections to avoid electoral violations, saying that, the police would not countenance any such indiscipline.

He said in as much as the police service was committed to safeguarding the electoral process including; the provision of security for the citizenry, it would be firm in dealing with all kinds of infractions dispassionately, vowing to deal with potential troublemakers.

Bias-based policing would be worth it for any of us  whether the Police or the citizenry, since this will elicit mistrust from the public as well as result in violence from the various political parties, among others, he noted.

It is necessary for us to win the trust of the public as indicated in our motto Service with Integrity, which is not just by words, but by strong actions of dedicated and professional service, the Police Commander added.

Superintendent Bediako said the Police Service was collaborating with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) across the country, especially at the local level to educate the public ahead of the elections to forestall electoral violence.

Currently, we are also working assiduously with the Local Inter-Party Committee and Election Taskforce to ensure trust, peace, and security among the political parties, stakeholders and public at large, he added.

The Police Commander urged the youth not to allow themselves to be exploited by self-serving politicians to engage in conflicts and crimes during the election and campaigning periods.

He called on stakeholders such as the traditional councils, religious bodies, civil societies, and non-governmental organisations and development partners to play their respective roles effectively to complement efforts of the Police in maintaining law and order.

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Lieutenant General and Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Yusuf Buratai insists Boko Haram militants have been dislodged from holding any territory in Nigeria but have not resorted to hit-and-run attacks to create the impression that they are on a resurgence.

The army chief said, in an interview with three national dailies during the week, that the war against the terrorists is complicated because the military is hampered by the non-kinetic aspects such as lack of access roads to some local governments.

He repeated his claim that Boko Haram militants now live among local communities, making it easy for them to launch attacks in furthering their propaganda that they are still a strong force.

When it escalates, you have situations like arson, as we witnessed in Auno recently. I would say that what is happening now is criminality because, since last year, we have not given Boko Haram any respite, he said.

They are trapped and no longer have access to food; their movements are constrained due to lack of logistics because we have strangulated them. So now, they are distressed, and this is why you see that any opportunity they come out with a vengeance and attack commuters and unfortunately targeting certain religious persons just for their propaganda, and this also is one of the terrorist strategies.

In the first part of the interview published earlier, Buratai said Nigerian Ruler, Muhammadu Buhari should not be pushed into sacking his service chiefs because he knows where the problems are.

He also said contrary to the notion that Boko Haram started in 2009, the brainwashing and indoctrination started over 30 years ago, thereby making it difficult to totally wipe out terrorism.

Below is the concluding part of the interview.

Many Nigerians believe that the military is not doing enough to secure the country, and from 2015 to date, the security situation has deteriorated. People now feel unsafe to travel by road. The Borno state governor has come out to state that three local governments are under the occupation of Boko Haram. How possible is it for a ragtag and untrained group would be defeating the Nigerian military in battle?

First of all, we have to look at the role of the military. You said we have to secure the country; we have to protect the country because people are being killed and abducted, and so on, and it is heaped on the military. That is the wrong direction if everything is heaped on the military. I said this earlier because if you look at section 217 (1), (2), (3) and (4) of the constitution, there are stipulated that our priority is to defend the country from external aggression. The question is, have we got any external aggression from any country or force? There is also the issue of protecting our sovereignty from the violation. Are we not doing it? I mentioned earlier of the narrative on how we intervened in 2015 and 2016 to stop foreign encroachment.

If, as of 2015 and 2016, we had gallant Ghanaian forces, troops from Argentina and others from different parts of the world coming under the United Nations or African Union forces, rest assured that this crisis would last for another 50 to 100 years and Nigeria would effectively be divided. This is the responsibility of the military, promoting world peace and we are doing that. We have troops in Mali and the Gambia, as well as Sudan. This is our constitutional responsibility and the last one which is coming to the aid of the civil authorities. This is the last of our priorities and only when called out to assist the civil authorities, and this is what we are doing. In a way, we have an institution with that primary responsibility to maintain law and order, and this is an issue of law and order. All that you have highlighted is about law and order, and it is the responsibility of the police to ensure law and order. I tell you that what we have done to support the police and if we have not come out from 2015 to date, I am not sure you would have been able to move around freely, let alone conduct this interview here.

If we give you reports of our weekly activities and our efforts to support the civil authorities, you would be amazed in terms of the recovery of arms and ammunition, the rescue of abducted persons, and so on. I must state that in solving the problem, you dont use force alone, what about the non-kinetic approach such as development. Several places dont have roads and schools with a high level of illiteracy. These are some of the things that would breed insecurity.

Now coming to the north-east and the issue of three local government areas under Boko Haram, its relating to the problem of development. The problem is that most times when I speak, some would read meaning to me being antagonistic of some administration in Borno state. The three local governments mentioned there is none that we dont have troops deployed. Let me say that about three to four local government areas cannot be accessed by road. There are specific periods during the raining seasons that these local government areas are locked. You cant move in, and you cant move out. Its either you paddle a canoe, or you stay back. This is why I mentioned the comprehensive approach earlier.

So if somebody cannot access those local government areas because of lack of access, how come he knows that the local government area is under the Boko Haram occupation? There is no local government area in Borno state that we dont have troops. If we dont have forces, we visit such local government areas on patrol daily. This is aside from that several communities are inaccessible by road and whom do you blame for that? Most of those facilities were destroyed by Boko Haram when they occupied those local government areas. For instance, in 2017, we deliberately moved to all the local government areas. We said all the people should go back, and the people were happy to return to their communities. However, there were no corresponding developmental efforts to restore those facilities and infrastructures for people to return and live their normal lives. Do you even go to a local government area that is empty? It is not that we are not present there, but when you dont encourage these people to return by providing the necessary amenities and how is that the fault of the military?

It is indeed a complex operation, and I tell you this. There is nowhere you wont find Boko Haram. Even in Lagos and Kaduna. There are also more across the north-east. That is the truth. But the good news is that we have been tracking them and arresting and taking them into custody. I must state that we must try to differentiate between insurgency and terrorism, and this much I have stated at the national assembly. So there is no local government area under the Boko Haram occupation. They attempted to establish their caliphate in Gwoza, but they have not been successful. That is insurgency and why one of the questions asked about technical defeat. Boko Haram is not occupying any territory, and technically, that is the end of the insurgency.

But what about terrorism? It would outlive you and me because terrorism, just like armed robbery, kidnappings, burglary, cultism, are part of our daily lives. These are all smaller parts of terrorism. But when it escalates, you have situations like arson, as we witnessed in Auno recently. I would say that what is happening now is criminality because, since last year, we have not given Boko Haram any respite. They are trapped and no longer have access to food; their movements are constrained due to lack of logistics because we have strangulated them. So now, they are distressed, and this is why you see that any opportunity they come out with a vengeance and attack commuters and unfortunately targeting certain religious persons just for their propaganda, and this also is one of the terrorist strategies.

Now you say Boko Haram is everywhere, and nobody can move around. I recall that the office of THISDAY newspaper in Abuja was attacked at some point, and since then, has it happened again? The headquarters of the United Nations was bombed, and how there been a repeat with the last five years? As well as the attacks in Madalla, Suleja and Nyanya that is in the center of Nigeria. Then you talk of Kano state and the several motor parks that were attacked, there were several suicide bombings and the likes. I say that from 2014 up to 2015, there was no day you would wake up and not hear of one suicide bombing either in the church or the mosque or the motor park. Are all these happening now? Is this resurgence? Are the troops not working day and night to restrict these people?

You cant even say the whole of Borno state because the center is this critical road, which is the Maiduguri/Damaturu road that is all and then a few remote areas. And with all of these in place, you would say Boko Haram has returned? Just look at the propaganda that is making the whole world believe that all the efforts that have been made over the years have come to nullity, which is no correct. But the general public is meant to think this is because of the level of propaganda. This is where the media have to come in because this propaganda is affecting our National Security and unity. The media is there to inform, educate, and entertain. And we also ensure that we interact, to educate, and inform, and we can even entertain as well.

You came up with the idea of the Super Camp strategy and how effective it has been in the operations?

In military strategy or tactics, you must always anticipate, and this anticipation is based on your experiences as well as those of others. We introduced the Super Camp strategy last year, and we have applied all the tactics and strategy of the operational acts that we have been taught, we discovered that we could not continue along the same line because this is asymmetric warfare. We discovered that if we continue in the same manner and what people are envisaging and speculating and propagating now is what they have wanted to happen, which is the total breakdown of law and order. But as soon as we changed the tactics, the tide turned. And that is the introduction of the Super Camp.

What is Super Camp? It is just a concept, and because they heard Super Camp, they felt we would concentrate everybody in one location to defend that location without moving out. This is a very faulty misconception. The super camp is meant to harness all our resources to be targeting and blocking locations and to project force to where the threats are coming from. We dominate the whole of the theatre of operations and with enough force to project. If we had allowed these threats up till December last year, nobody would be in Maiduguri probably by now because of the level of propaganda and also the effect of our shortcomings. So we had to realign and adjust, and this has helped us in the economy of efforts to make sure that we prioritize to avoid wastage. It enabled us to achieve surprise and concentration and improve the morale of the troops. These are principles of war.

Now instead of having soldiers scattered all over, without proper coordination and support, we had to introduce the super camp where there would be enough troops and equipment to coordinate to deploy patrol and clear effectively, rather than separating them, and they become ineffective. So we achieved concentration with our troops, and this brings me to the issue of Maiduguri/Damaturu road. There was no attack on that road since 2015, and nobody had given any thought to the Maiduguri/Damaturu road. It was within this period when we changed the tactics and realigned, and they found the whole place untenable. As such, they have resorted to propaganda and sentiments, and unfortunately, there has been political interference because the people that are loving there are directly or indirectly supporting the insurgents to be in their communities and to be in their midst. When we identify and remove, these same people would say we are punishing innocent people and the likes; they would be telling us to target the Boko Haram members. The question thus is who are the Boko Haram members when they are in the midst of the people and how do you identify them when they do not wear uniforms.

It is only when you see them carrying weapons, and they hardly carry weapons openly. So these are the complexities that we have to continue to contend with. So our super camp concept has come to stay and borne out of the experiences and challenges we have had. It has come to stay and to be the most effective strategy in the present circumstances. And with the execution of the concept and along the line, there are gaps; we would adjust, redeploy, and amend. But if it proves to be ineffective in the future, we have to change, and that is flexibility, which is another principle of war. So we are doing things most professionally because they are desperate now, and that is one thing that we should all take note of. This is the point where they would continue to make noise and spread their propaganda, and we are not going to rest until we deal with them decisively.

On the issue of when will the Boko Haram insurgency end, I think I mentioned earlier that insurgency has ended with the technical defeat of Boko Haram. However, terrorism would persist just like in any other country that has had to deal with the insurgency. Even Columbia has had to deal with terrorism for over 50 years, and there are still pockets of terrorism here and there. This is what people must understand, and effectively, we would continue to deal with those that carry arms in the north-east and other parts of the country to ensure that we get our country secured.

Theres image problem for the military arising from the negative perception of their involvement in either during elections or through the various military operations across the country. The concern of Nigerians and critics is that soldiers use excessive force, and they abuse human rights and the allegations of extortion by soldiers, as evident in the accusation by Governor Zulum in recent times

Excessive force, human rights, and extortion. There is a serious misconception of the role of the military, which I mentioned earlier. It is not our wish to be called out to perform police duties; however, since we have been called, we must do it because it is a national duty and a presidential directive that we must obey. It did not start today; it has been on since independence it has been on, and we have been performing these duties because even during the civil war, we were called out in what was initially a police action, it turned out to be a civil war, and the military was called out. And since then, we have been involved with a couple of internal security issues, which primarily is the responsibility of the police.

We are trained not to maim but to kill. That is the training, and so in the first place, when you dont want such things to happen, then dont call the military out. But when we are called out, and even though we are trained to kill, we have rules of engagement as well as the human rights code of conduct. We obey the international humanitarian laws, and in doing so, every soldier on the ground who was called out is aware. We dont just use force for the sake of it. But based on the threats because there are guidelines such as if anyone attempts to kill anyone or issue a threat to somebody and so on, the use of force comes in.

We dont apply the use of force deliberately to quell riots or just for the fun of it. But whatever that is done, there are always those that always have one way or the order to misapply it and those cases are investigated. If they are found culpable, they are dealt with accordingly. So it is not in our character, and we dont have any rule that says once a soldier is called out, he should go and kill without justification. While we are trained to use force, we are also trained to protect lives and properties and also to apply the fundamental principles of human rights as enshrined in our constitution.

On the issue of extortion, it is unfortunate that things of this nature happen. And these are isolated cases because we have over 100,000 troops. If one or two misbehave, it does not reflect the policy of the Nigerian Army for extortion to be carried out. These are exceptions, and unfortunately, also the society is not helping matters because, at several places, we have written warnings for people not to give money or any form of inducement to soldiers because they are paid and they their allowances and others. So any soldier that dies that is committing a crime. So it is not our policy and not a directive, and anyone that is caught would be dealt with according to the military justice system. These are exceptions, and it is not suitable for generalization and maligning a highly respected institution that is there for the people.

What word of comfort do you have for the Nigerian people in the battle against insurgencies?

The insurgency that we have been having in the country, which is now called terrorism, is not the insurgency in the real sense because it was an insurgency that brought it. Even though we generally tagged it as insurgency, what we are experiencing now is terrorism, and I call on Nigerians to understand the critical situation that is happening in the north-east and across our country. We are making every effort to contain this insurgency by developing technical and human capacity to deal with this s well as the collaborations with all other security agencies. It is not the responsibility of the military alone. Other security agencies and every Nigerian have a role to play. And I am happy that the issue of community policing is coming on board by the Nigerian police and everybody should cooperate to ensure that the new community policing initiative succeeds because that is the best way we can secure our country.

Also, getting information and passing it rightly also counts. Like in the Nigerian Army, we have our platforms on Instagram, email, SMS and other social media platforms are there for the members of the public to lay complains about human rights abuses and other critical issues. We want to thank Nigerians for their continuous support, and the Nigerian Army is committed to protecting our territorial integrity and to defend our country from external aggression and be rest assured we would not allow anything to affect this all-important and sacred responsibility that we have been ordained through our constitution and by the grace of God we shall abide by it.
The UN refugee agency says about 8,000 people have fled from Cameroon into Nigeria in the past two weeks because of an upsurge in violence.

According to the UN agency, the refugees had trekked through savannah and forests to reach Nigeria. Some arrived with gunshot wounds.

Fighting between Anglophone separatists and security forces flared during elections held on Sunday.

According to UN estimates, more than 679,000 people are currently internally displaced in Cameroons Northwest and Southwest regions, in addition to the almost 60,000 that have crossed the border, seeking asylum in Nigeria. About 3,000 were killed during the conflict.

UNHCR is working closely with the Nigerian authorities to ensure that refugees are able to access shelter and basic services. Together we are supporting both refugees and their hosts given pressing humanitarian needs and to ensure there is no strain on local communities given their modest resources, said UNHCRs Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Roger Hollo.

The crisis in Cameroon began in 2016 when lawyers and teachers protested the increasing marginalization of English in the Cameroonian legal and education systems. Protests increased in the scope of their demands and violence after the governments attempt to repress them.

Dozens of armed groups formed, fighting for a range of goals, from greater Anglophone autonomy within a federal system to the creation of a new state  Ambazonia.

The fighting takes place against a backdrop of instability in the Sahel, a growing Boko Haram insurgency in the North, and a flow of refugees from the Central African Republic into Cameroons east.

In December 2019, separatists kidnapped over 40 council and parliamentary candidates while on 7 January fighters burnt down an election office in the Misaje commune.
Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi has rejected international criticism on Chinas human rights record during a visit to Berlin.

Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi has rejected international criticism on Chinas human rights record during a visit to Berlin.

Wang criticised some countries for over-reacting to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, which has now killed more than 1500 people.

Speaking in the German capital, Wang said containing the spread of the virus remained a challenge for the Chinese government, but he insisted it was under control.

He thanked the international community for its support with Chinas fight against the virus. When Chinas human rights record was questioned, he said the country had stood with the Palestinians and other oppressed people.
Full-time equivalent student enrollment continues to drop at Montana State University Billings as the campus signs up more part-time high schoolers.

The growth in programs like dual enrollment, where students take college-endorsed courses at their high schools taught by high school teachers, has been a boon for MSUB's headcount figures, which count the number of people taking a class.

Spring 2018 to spring 2019 headcount increased by 26 students, up to 4,314. All of that and then some came at City College, where headcount increased from 1,722 to 1,848. Headcount at the University campus dropped from 2,566 to 2,466.

Dual enrollment increased from 829 to 928 students, reflecting much of the City College increase.

MSUB officials have trumpeted headcount increases as enrollment growth. But full-time equivalent enrollment, which factors in how many credits students are taking, is what pays the bills in the Montana University System funding formula.

FTE enrollment dropped from 2,855 last spring to 2,827. Fall figures showed a similar split between headcount increases and FTE decreases.

Officials have emphasized that more students are on campus, regardless of part-time status, in hopes that they stick with degree programs as part-time students or become full-time students.

Im thrilled our enrollment is growing. Our collaborative work on building a culture of students-first is proving to be successful. With our concerted recruitment efforts and program adjustments to meet market demand, were realizing positive changes at MSU Billings, said Chancellor Dan Edelman in a press release.

Other fall trends have continued into the spring; the school has seen headcount increases for Native American students, first-time freshman, graduate students, and first-time non-traditional students.

A fall-to-spring trend from last school year also carried over. The fall-to-spring dip of about 100 students is below the school's usual average drop of about 270.

MSUB has been mired in a multi-year enrollment crisis; since 2011, the university campus and City College have lost almost 30% of full-time equivalent enrollment. By headcount, MSUB has lost more than 800 students.

When Edelman was hired in 2018, he touted a 6,000-person enrollment goal for the school. Officials stuck to that goal in Thursday's press release.

Our staff has worked hard in our outreach and marketing efforts. We are continuing with our goal of growing student enrollment to 6,000 and look forward to seeing this positive trajectory continue," vice chancellor for student access and success Kim Hayworth said.

MSUB isnt the only Montana university facing enrollment woes. The University of Montana is the highest-profile example; it has lost 33% of its enrollment since 2011 while Montanas other flagship, Montana State University, has set enrollment records.

But almost every other campus has lost students. Since 2011, MSU-Northern in Havre has lost 13% of full-time enrollment. Great Falls College lost 27%. Montana Tech in Butte lost 16%. The University of Montana Western in Dillon, one of the few bright spots, has remained stable. In total, the Montana University System lost about 4,600 students.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A public lecture and question-and-answer session about the 2019 novel coronavirus will be hosted by Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) on Monday, Feb. 24, in its Sipp Auditorium, West Brighton.

Dr. Bernard Camins, medical director for infection prevention for the Mount Sinai Health System, will lead the free 8 a.m. event, along with Dr. Harry Kopolovich, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at RUMC, and Dr. Jay M. Nfonoyim, vice chairman of the Department of Medicine, program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program and chief of critical care at RUMC.

The new coronavirus spreading across the world is expected to take a foothold in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control announced Wednesday.

I know a lot of people have questions, and we want to be able to allay their fears and provide them with quite a bit of information about what the coronavirus entails and how to keep yourself safe, said Kopolovich.

The CDCs most recent statistics indicate that there are currently 15 cases under investigation in the United States. Eighty-one cases are pending and 347 have been found to be negative. Nineteen countries have confirmed coronavirus diagnoses, the CDC said.

The most recent statistics indicate that there have been 13 confirmed cases of cornoavirus in the United States.

The doctors will discuss signs and symptoms and will answer all questions, Kopolovich said.

No matter how minute or complicated, well go over their question, he added.

The panel may expand even more, Kopolovich said, as others with specialties in infectious disease have also been invited.
A 36-year-old man from Singapore visiting his in-laws in Chandigarh was quarantined on Saturday after he reported to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research with symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

He has been admitted to the isolation ward of Nehru Hospital and his vitals are stable. He is under observation, said Dr Raman Sharma of the department of hospital administration.

The man works in Singapore and had arrived in Chandigarh via Kolkata last Monday. He developed the symptoms on Thursday evening or Friday morning, and approached the institute on Saturday, said Dr Sharma.

According to hospital sources, the patients blood samples have sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune and the test reports are expected in the next 24 hours. The line of treatment will be provided as per the reports, they said.

A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 67,000 people globally. The World Health Organisation has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. According to latest figures released by the Chinese health authorities on Saturday, the deadly virus has claimed 1,523 lives among 66,492 cases, mostly in the central province of Hubei.

Japan has reported 337 cases, including 285 from a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, and a death. Even Singapore has reported 72 cases among other countries across the world.

India has had three confirmed cases so far. A 28-year-old banker from Mohali, who had the history of travelling to China and was admitted to the PGIMER last month, had tested negative.

The Chandigarh health administration has issued an advisory to city hotels, asking them to immediately report about visitors from neighbouring countries along with Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
Addis Ababa, 10 February 2020 (SPS)  President of Algeria, Abdelmajid Tebboune, has urged the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres to "rapidly" appoint his Personal Envoy and to revive the settlement process in Western Sahara.



"It must be noted with regret that since the resignation of the UN Secretary-General's personal envoy, Horst Kohler, the UN peace process has been on a rocky road. Moreover, a few days ago, I sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General urging him to hasten the appointment of his Personal Envoy and to relaunch the Western Sahara settlement process," said President Tebboune in his address to the 33rd African Union (AU) Summit.



The question of Western Sahara has still not been resolved, despite the fact that "for many years, the United Nations and the Security Council, supported by our continental organization, have been working for the implementation of the settlement plan for the question of Western Sahara based on the inalienable right of the Saharawi people to self-determination," he said.



Moreover, The President of the Republic, emphasized the need for "a solution that guarantees the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, through the organization of a free and fair referendum in accordance with the AU and UN relevant resolutions."



In this respect, he reiterated Algeria's attachment to the "immutable nature of the African position in favour of the just Saharawi cause and the completion of the decolonization process in Africa, far from any prevarication manoeuvre and the status quo policy."



Meanwhile, President Tebboune "praised the major achievements and the efficient contribution of the African Union in building peace at the continental and regional levels, through the establishment of institutional frameworks of peace and security mechanisms." (SPS)



062/SPS/APS
Altering the altitude of less than 2 per cent of flights may reduce aircraft-linked climate change by 59 per cent, according to a study.

Aircraft contrails -- the white streaks aircraft leave in the sky -- could be as bad for the climate as their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the researchers said.

The team led by scientists at Imperial College London in the UK found that flight altitude changes of just 2000 feet could lessen their effect.

This combined with using cleaner aircraft engines could reduce contrail-caused harm to the climate by up to 90 per cent, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

"Changing the altitude of a small number of flights could significantly reduce the climate effects of aviation contrails," said Marc Stettler from Imperial College London.

This new method could very quickly reduce the overall climate impact of the aviation industry," Stettler said.

When hot exhaust gases from aircraft meet the cold, low-pressure air of the atmosphere, they produce white streaks in the sky called 'condensation trails', or contrails.

The contrail fumes include black carbon particles, which provide surfaces on which moisture condenses to form ice particles.

Most contrails last only a few minutes, but some spread and mix with other contrails and cirrus clouds, forming 'contrail cirrus' that linger for up to eighteen hours, the researchers said.

Previous research suggests that contrails and the clouds they help form have as much of a warming impact on the climate as aviation's cumulative carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, because of an effect known as 'radiative forcing'.

This is where the balance is disrupted between radiation coming to the Earth from the Sun and heat emitted from the surface of our planet going out to space, forcing a change in the climate, according to the researchers.

The key difference between CO2 and contrails, however, is that while the gas will have an impact in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, the impact of contrails is short-lived, and could therefore quickly be reduced, they said.

The researchers have used computer simulations to predict how changing aircraft altitudes might reduce the number of contrails and how long they linger, which would reduce their warming impact.

This is because contrails only form and persist in thin layers of the atmosphere that have very high humidity, the researchers explained.

Because these layers are thin, small changes to flight altitudes would mean that aircraft could avoid these regions, leading to fewer contrails forming, they said.

Using data from Japan's airspace, the team found that just two per cent of flights were responsible for 80 per cent of radiation forcing within the airspace.

"A really small proportion of flights are responsible for the vast majority of contrail climate impact, meaning we can focus our attention on them, Stettler said.

Taking into account the congestion in the airspace above Japan, the team simulated these planes to fly either 2000 feet higher or lower than their actual flight paths.

The researchers found that the contrail climate forcing could be cut by 59 per cent by altering the altitudes of 1.7 per cent of flights.

The diversion in flight paths caused less than a tenth of a per cent increase in fuel consumption.

However, the researchers said the reduced contrail formation more than offset the CO2 released by the extra fuel.

Stettler suggests that their method of targeting only the few flights that cause the most climate forcing is the best way to avoid hikes in CO2 emissions.

"We're conscious that any additional CO2 released into the atmosphere will have a climate impact stretching centuries into the future, he said.

So we have also calculated that if we only target flights that wouldn't emit extra CO2, we can still achieve a 20 per cent reduction in contrail forcing," Stettler added.

The researchers said aircraft engines themselves also play a part in how harmful contrails are.

Black carbon particles are produced by incomplete fuel combustion, so new, more efficient engine combustion technology could help to reduce them by around 70 per cent, they said.

This, combined with small altitude changes, could help reduce overall contrail harm by around 90 per cent, according to the researchers.
The Central Michigan University College of Medicine, under the dynamic leadership of Dr. George Kikano, is a great asset to the Great Lakes Bay Region, including the Midland community.

The College of Medicine, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, began with 64 students in the first class and has had 104 students in each class since. Plans for expanding the enrollment to 130 students per year in 2021 are underway. Their graduation rates are over 95% because of the rigorous selection process and the quality of the training students receive.

This past year, there were about 7,500 completed applications for the 104 positions. There were about 6,000 applicants from outside Michigan and roughly 1,500 applications from Michigan students. It is important to note 80% of the students selected were from Michigan. That is tangible proof of the college's commitment to train physicians from Michigan for Michigan.

Their mission is as follows: "The CMU College of Medicine educates diverse students and trains culturally competent physicians to provide comprehensive health care and services to underserved populations in Michigan and beyond. Our faculty, staff, and graduates advance health and wellness through exceptional education, innovative research, quality patient care and strategic collaboration to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities."

It is no secret there is a physician shortage in the United States and it's projected to get worse. In April of last year, the Association of American Colleges stated the nation faces a shortage of between 46,900 and 121,900 physicians by this year. The demand rose from 253 physicians per population in 2000 because of the aging population. Thirty-seven of the states fall below this baseline requirement. Michigan is 36th out of 50, with 284 physicians per 100,000 populations.

Of roughly 400 students, about half are first- and second-year students in Mt. Pleasant. The majority of third-year and fourth-year students are in Saginaw, Detroit or other communities in Michigan. Twelve of the third-year students are in Midland.

"The students have impressive CVs and are quite talented," states Dr. Lydia Watson, senior vice president and chief medical officer of MidMichigan Health. "With these additions, we have increased the number of our providers who are teaching both medical students and residents. It has been a great opportunity to watch MSU and CMU students meeting each other and interacting together around our campuses. Our relationship with CMU's College of Medicine is definitely a success."

Everyone involved in medical education owes a special thanks to those attending physicians who are not salaried by the college and take the time to teach and serve as role models for medical students. In Midland, these physicians have been involved in the training of Family Practice Physicians for decades and now play a role in training medical students. Under the direction of Dr. Kelly Hill and staff, Midland has the second oldest Family Practice Program in the United States.

In addition to the positive economic impact of having 400 medical students in the Great Lakes Bay Region, the college has brought 28 very talented faculty here, which adds both quantitatively and qualitatively to our medical community. CMU also has 80 employed staff in Mt. Pleasant and seven additional staff in Saginaw. Central Michigan Education Partners, which is 90% owned by CMU, employs another 61 faculty, 199 employed staff, and 125 employed residents.

According to a 2014 American Medical Association study, every dollar in clinical revenues generates $1.62 in local business activity. The annual economic impact of one physician practice equates to 3.8 full-time jobs, $1.1 million in wages, $2.2 million in economic output, and $90,000 in tax revenue.

The college further enhances our region by working collaboratively with others to address the area's major health care concerns, including opioid abuse, suicide prevention and support, infant health, behavioral and mental health, supporting healthy aging, and physician burnout and suicide.

Dr. Sam Shaheen, executive director of CMUs Medical Education Partners and one of the truly outstanding leaders in the Great Lakes Bay Region, summed it up when he said: "Because of our efforts, doctors are educated, patients are cared for, and partnerships on health and wellness flourish. We are improving the health of our communities through education.

Terry Moore, former president of the Midland hospital, authored this column as part of the Midland Daily News' Community Connections initiative.
New Delhi, Feb 15 : As protest continues in Shaheen Bagh over issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), a section of protesters is planning to meet Home Minister Amit Shah, while others are opposing it.

The protesters are divided into two groups. Besides, there are differences among the protesters of Shaheen Bagh to end the dharna.

"During the Shaheen Bagh protest at around 11 am on Saturday, a protestor named Asif Toofani announced, "We are ready to meet Amit Shah and we along with the elderly women, will visit him." However, some women opposed Toofani's statement.

A protesting woman told IANS, "Who is he to take this decision? This demonstration belongs to the people and I shall not visit him. However, if the elderly people decide that we should go, we are ready." In Shaheen Bagh, a meeting over teh meeting with Amit Shah is underway.

While, a section of protesters is adamant that they will not go to meet Shah. Others are saying that is there's a meeting, all the protesters will go to meet the Home Minister.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday that she saw no reason to go back on the governments mega merger plan for state-owned banks. I dont see any reason to go back or any reason (which is) particularly causing any delay in the notification. You will hear on it as and when a decision is made, Sitharaman told the media here.

She was responding to a question on the reasons behind a delay in the process of amalgamating 10 public sector banks (PSBs) into four. She added that there was no discussion on the amalgamation of banks in the ...
Two men fleeing with a truck laden with biscuits worth around Rs 15 lakh were held after a gunfight with the police in Greater Noida early on Saturday, officials said.

The incident took place around midnight in Badalpur police station area when the truck was intercepted for checking, but its occupants opened fire and tried to flee, they said.

"On Friday, an information was received at Badalpur police station about three men robbing a truck laden with biscuits worth Rs 14-15 lakh. The whole area was checked and the vehicle intercepted. When the truck was asked to stop, its occupants opened fire," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Noida Central, Harish Chander said.

"In retaliatory firing by the police, one accused was injured. Of the three occupants of the truck, two were arrested while the other managed to escape under the cover of darkness. Combing operation is underway to nab him," Chander said.

The DCP said full recovery has been made in the case within 12 hours of receiving the complaint. Those held have been identified as Kartar, a native of Aligarh, and Lokesh, who hails from Ghaziabad, the police said.

Kartar, who suffered a bullet injury, has been hospitalised, while Lokesh was taken into custody and further proceedings are underway in the case, the police added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a divided Democratic field, Michael R. Bloomberg has emerged as a last-minute candidate with an unusual strategy. He is leaning on his record as mayor of New York but also on the good he has done as a philanthropist, betting more than anything that his fortune will enable him to run a national campaign. His campaign is a test of the degree to which a candidate can use his vast wealth to impose himself on the political system.

The New York Times took an exhaustive look at his spending and found that Mr. Bloomberg had given away or spent more than $10 billion on a combination of charitable and political donations. Much of that has gone to important and largely apolitical ends, in fields like public health, but The Timess examination revealed in new detail how it helped the candidate build an influence network on a scale rarely if ever seen.

Last year was his biggest yet. It was also the year he declared his bid for president.

Mr. Bloomberg gave away $3.3 billion in 2019. It was by far the most he had given away in a single year  more than in the previous five years combined  and most of it has not been publicly disclosed.

Only his family foundation has any public reporting requirements for its donations. His personal giving  money straight from his own checkbook  and donations made by his namesake company, Bloomberg L.P., do not have to be publicly disclosed.
New Delhi, February 15: Hours after reports surfaced that Shaheen Bagh protesters would meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah tomorrow at 2 pm over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that no such meeting was scheduled. However, the Anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh insisted on Meeting Shah on Sunday. They also clarified that they had not sought an appointment with the minister. Shaheen Bagh Protests: Supreme Court Issues Notice to Centre and Delhi Police, Says 'People Can Protest But Public Road Cannot Be Blocked for Indefinite Period'.

The demand to meet Shah was made by the Shaheen Bagh protests days after the Home Minister said at Times Now Summit that anyone having doubts over CAA could seek an appointment from his office, and he would be willing to meet the person(s) within three days. Shaheen Bagh Protesters Remove Police Barricade to Allow Hindu Funeral Procession Pass; Watch Video.

The protesters on Saturday called a press conference that no delegation would visit the Home Minister, rather each and every demonstrator along with the people who have problem with the newly amended citizenship Act, would go and meet him at 2 pm tomorrow.

On the Occasion of Valentine's Day On Friday, several anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi held heart-shaped cutouts with a message for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The protesters also extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to come and celebrate Valentines Day- the day of love, with them on Friday. The protesters held posters that had the message, PM Modi please come to Shaheen Bagh written on them.

Protests at Shaheen Bagh have been taking place since December 15, 2019, against the contentious act, which was enacted by Parliament in December last year. After the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, widespread protests erupted across the country. The CAA grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants who escaped religious persecutions from the neighbouring Islamic countries.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 15, 2020 06:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
I sometimes try to imagine what it must have been like in the early, heady days of Winnipeg  going from a small heap of sticks in the middle of open prairie to a flourishing modern city.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 15/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I sometimes try to imagine what it must have been like in the early, heady days of Winnipeg  going from a small heap of sticks in the middle of open prairie to a flourishing modern city.

It all happened so fast. There were less than 300 people living here in 1870; by 1911 there were more than 130,000. The citys designers and builders had grandiose plans. They were planning for a million inhabitants, or perhaps as much as 4 or 5 million, some said. This was to be the Chicago of the North, the New York of the Midwest, the Detroit of the Prairies.

At the same time, the city planners retained a sense of loyalty to the Commonwealth and the British crown. Empire building for them was not strictly entrepreneurial, but done with conscious, elegant, world-class hospitality and cultural exchange in mind. Streets and boulevards, market districts and domestic neighbourhoods, railways and train stations, all these were built for a grand cosmopolitan future milieu, whose character would be inflected by their dreams and ideas.

Its mind-blowing to imagine how it was accomplished, or even envisioned. This was before cars, highways, radios and running water. The CPR Railway Station, at Higgins and Main, was completed in 1905. Union Station, at Broadway and Main, opened in 1911. The downtown streets appear in early photographs as extraordinarily wide, and empty  and then, a few years later, teeming with pedestrians.

Soon there were street cars running up and down the roads of the growing downtown. Beautiful stone buildings were going up everywhere, complete with carved columns and balustrades, most of them made of the beautiful fossil-studded limestone of our Manitoba quarries.

Its true there were many injustices done in those early years, the jostling for privileged real estate and social position, the shoving aside of the less fortunate by the English and French speaking city fathers and their families. Racism, classism, and sexism were rampant in that rough-and- tumble environment. These dynamics have been extensively documented in relation to the Metis uprising of 1870, which led directly to the establishment of the province of Manitoba; and then, half a century later, in 1919, with regard to the General Strike, which brought more than 30,000 underpaid and unemployed workers to the streets. All this marked a turbulent beginning to our citys life, and some of that turbulence remains today.

Nevertheless, what Im trying to celebrate here is the vision of those same city leaders, whose political and business risks in building a large modern city far exceeded the possibilities of the time. They embraced an imaginative vision reaching far into the future  right into the time we are living in now, when we find the streets and many of the public buildings erected then still ample and gorgeous for our civic needs now. What wonderful opportunities for a new way of life these grand plans and hard work gave to so many people coming from destitute circumstances, from here and other lands.

Take Union Station, by way of architectural example. What a lovely building it is (if a bit austere in its facade), looking onto Broadway at its front doors, the nearby magnificent copper-roofed Fort Garry Hotel, and the wide streets leading to the Legislative Building.

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At its back, the station yard accommodates the central passenger stopping place in the city, the central stopping place on Turtle Island in fact, and as such, continues to offer an elegant welcome to travellers, visitors, new arrivals and local patrons, with its beautiful marble-floored rotunda, gracefully arched windows and glass-coloured skylight, exquisitely built in the beaux-arts style.

Did you know the station was created by the same architects who built New York Citys Grand Central Station, but as a smaller replica of the famous American hub? What, we might ask, were major designers Whitney Warren and Charles Delavan Wetmore doing here at the turn of the century, in this early urban settlement in the middle of the open prairie?

We have them and their talented cronies, including many Canadians visionaries, to thank for the citys beautiful architecture, which extends through much of downtown and into elegant environs such as Wellington Crescent, the domestic pride of our city, and a joy to drive, walk or bike along in every season.

It is fitting the upper floor of Union Station currently houses Red River Colleges language training centre. You might hear Yoruba, Spanish and Eritrean spoken softly in its halls, where eager and grateful new immigrants, who perhaps arrived recently here on the trains below, are polishing up their English language skills for fuller access to the amenities and opportunities of our beautiful, gracious city.

Di Brandt was the City of Winnipegs inaugural poet (2018-19).

di.brandt@shaw.ca
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 14, 2020 / Exro Technologies Inc. (CSE:XRO)(OTCQB:EXROF) (the "Company" or "Exro") is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated February 6, 2020, it has completed the first tranche of its non-brokered private placement financing and raised $3,510,727 through the issuance of 10,030,648 common shares ("Shares") at a price of $0.35 per Share (the "Offering").The Company has paid Finder's fee consisting of 7% cash and has issued compensation warrants equal to 7% of the number of Shares issued to investors introduced to the Company by the Finder (each a "Compensation Warrant"). Each Compensation Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share for a period of 12 months from the closing at an exercise price of $0.42 per share.The Shares will be subject to a four month hold period from the date of issuance, pursuant to relevant prospectus or registration exemptions in accordance with applicable laws.The net proceeds raised from the sale of this Offering will be used by the Company to fund development of the Company's current and new technology programs, the buildout of its new Calgary Innovation Centre, working capital and general corporate purposes.The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.Contact:Canada:Jake BoumaIntrynsyc Capital Corp.604-317-3936United States:Vic AllgeierTTC Group Inc.646-841-4220Email: info@ exro.com About Exro Technologies Inc.Exro facilitates the transition to clean energy by providing products and services to manufacturers to increase the efficiency and reliability of power systems, including electric motors, generators and batteries. Exro's patented technology enhances energy systems by dynamically sensing and adapting variable inputs and optimally matching them to desired outputs, creating measurable performance gains and extended lifespan. The widespread applications of the technology apply to optimizing the performance of electric vehicles, UAVs, and ship drives, as well as pumps, industrial motors, and energy capture from wind and tides.For more information visit our website at www.exro.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORSSue Ozdemir, CEOForward Looking StatementsCertain statements contained in this News Release constitute forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words "believe", "may", "would", "could", "will" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management are intended to identify forward-looking statements. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information concerning the Company's intention to commercialize its product in the near term. Such statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Company's actual performance or achievements to vary from those described herein. Should one or more of these factors or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.SOURCE: Exro Technologies Inc.
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-10 15:13:34|Editor: huaxia

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SUVA, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- For the first time, the Agriculture Census in Fiji will include four areas including crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry.

With the Census beginning on Monday, the Ministry of Forestry anticipates not only relevant and critical data but also statistical information that they've never collected before.

According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) on Monday, Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Agriculture Pene Baleibuli said the expanded focus of the 2020 Agriculture Census will for the first time give them a better stock take of the forestry resources.

Pene said that they would be collecting all sorts of data to indicate the type of resources available in Fiji.

The census will be carried out over the next three weeks from February 10 to 29.

The Fijian government has allocated 4.5 million Fijian dollars (about 2.05 million U.S. dollars) for the 2020 Fiji Agriculture census.

Since its inception in 1970, the census continues to be one of the platforms that assess Fiji's development and identifies the needs for international assistance. There was a high demand for agriculture information to be obtained from this census.

The 2020 Fiji agriculture census is expected to cover more than 72, 000 farming households, compared to the 65, 000 covered in the 2009 agriculture census.
A snowstorm that began Wednesday will keep trucking through the Midwest and Northeast on Thursday, dumping several inches in some places before fading overnight. This is not a major winter storm for these regions of the U.S., but it will be bad enough to cause transportation issues and freight movement delays, as well as short-term disruptions of supply chains and business operations at the local and regional levels.

SONAR Critical Events and radar: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020; Midwest-Northeast winter storm

Most of the snowfall today will occur across the eastern Great Lakes and much of New England. The highest amounts of 3 to 6 additional inches will hit areas along the southern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie, as well as in portions of the Adirondacks, Green Mountains and White Mountains. Freezing rain will result in minor ice accumulation in some spots, and wind gusts could cause blowing snow and occasional reduced visibility for drivers. More snowfall could return to these regions by Monday.

Even after the current storm fades Thursday night, many roads could remain frozen and quite slick on Friday and Saturday as temperatures drop like a rock. By sunrise Friday, readings will be from 15 degrees above zero to 15 below zero, with high temperatures on Friday only reaching the single digits and teens. This includes portions of I-70 from Springfield, Missouri, to Columbus, Ohio, and points north; I-90 from Cleveland to Rochester, New York; I-81 from Binghamton to Syracuse and Watertown, New York; I-95 in Maine; and interstates across Vermont and New Hampshire.

SONAR Ticker: FREEZE map

Wind chills will be as cold as the 20s and 30s below zero in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin on Friday. Frostbite can set in very quickly under these conditions, so drivers should spend as little time as possible outside their trucks.

As temperatures drop, shippers that would normally ship freight in dry vans request more and more reefers to keep temperature-sensitive freight  cosmetics, chemicals, water and beer, to name a few  from freezing. This is known as "protect from freeze," or PFF. Reefers are climate-controlled trailers that allow drivers to set a desired temperature for the insides of the trailers.

Story continues

The FreightWaves SONAR forecast for daily average temperatures across the Midwest and interior Northeast (FREEZE) shows very cold conditions for the next few days. This is shown in the map directly above. Carriers running reefers through these areas need to be vigilant about their PFF procedures in order to prevent damage to temperature-sensitive cargo.

Looking ahead

SONAR Critical Events: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020; Northwest weekend storm, Feb. 15-17

Periods of heavy snowfall return to the Pacific Northwest, southern British Columbia, northern Idaho and western Montana from this afternoon into early next week. Places like Lookout and Snoqualmie passes on I-90, as well as Lolo Pass on US-12 and Stevens Pass on US-2 could become trouble spots for drivers. These are areas that have been hit hard by snowstorms this year but have had a break for the past week or so.

By the time the storm fades next Monday, up to 4 feet of snowfall could pile up in the high elevations of the Cascades and northern Rockies. In the valleys, rainfall totals will register in the 1- to 3-inch range, with isolated amounts of 4 inches or more. The heavy rainfall may result in flooding and mudslides, especially on and near westward-facing slopes in western Oregon and western Washington. In addition to the precip, some strong winds could slam some lower elevations.

Have a great day, and be careful out there!

Image Sourced from Pixabay

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 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Sandra Bullock proved she was a natural while shooting her new Netflix crime film Unforgiven in Vancouver, Canada on Thursday.

The 55-year-old actress went makeup free as she got into character as ex convict Ruth Slater.

Sandra was busy on set, doing double duty as a producer.

Bare face: Sandra Bullock looked fresh faced while on set of her forthcoming Netflix show Unforgiven in Vancouver, Canada on Thursday

The actress was bundled up in a drab jacket for the scene.

Sandra shuffled through a bus line, holding several dollars and waiting to board as the cameras rolled.

Unforgiven is based off a three-part UK miniseries of the same name. The original series starred Suranne Jones as Ruth, who struggles to adjust to life outside jail after serving time for a double-cop-killing.

As the son of one of the slain policemen tries to avenge his father, Ruth tries to find her long-lost sister Katie who was given up for adoption.

Wearing two hats: Sandra was busy on set, doing double duty as a producer

Transit: Sandra was seen shuffling through a bus line, holding several dollars and waiting to board

Redemption: Unforgiven is based off a three-part UK miniseries of the same name. The original series starred Suranne Jones as Ruth who struggles to adjust to life outside jail after serving time for a double-cop-killing

Viola Davis has also joined the cast along with Aisling Franciosi and Rob Morgan.

Christopher McQuarrie, who won an Oscar for his The Usual Suspects screenplay and is known for his work with Tom Cruise, is adapting the series into a film.

German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt, whose latest film System Crasher bowed this September, is directing the Netflix movie.

While it has been announced that Sandra is starring as Ruth in the Netflix adaptation, Viola, Rob and Aisling's roles have not been made public.

New role: Viola Davis (above September 2019) has signed on to star in the upcoming Netflix film Unforgiven

What a lineup: Aisling Franciosi (left) and Rob Morgan (right) have also hopped aboard the cast led by Sandra Bullock

Throwback: Suranne Jones as Ruth (pictured) was the original lead

Unforgiven is not the only project Viola is acting in for Netflix, as she also stars in a movie adaptation of August Wilson's play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

The movie is produced by Denzel Washington and helmed by George C. Wolfe, who recently directed Denzel in a Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh.

Denzel directed and co-starred with Viola in a 2016 film adaptation of the August Wilson play Fences, which won her an Oscar for best supporting actress.

Viola and Denzel had previously co-starred in a 2010 Broadway revival of the play, for which they both won Tony Awards.
India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans comments on Kashmir and asked him not to interfere in Indias internal affairs and to develop proper understanding of facts including threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

The terse message from the Ministry of External Affairs came after Erdogan on Friday once again raked up the Kashmir issue and vowed that Ankara would support Pakistans stand as it is a matter of concern to both the countries.

Erdogan, who addressed a joint session of Pakistans Parliament, also announced that Turkey will back Pakistan in its efforts to come out of the Grey List of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which is meeting this week in Paris.

In its response, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India. We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in Indias internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region.

Erdogans statement came on a day when India marked the first anniversary of the Pulwama suicide bombing by the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad that killed 40 troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Pulwama in Jammu on Kashmir.

The MEAs strong criticism of Erdogan on Saturday is the second such episode in four months after India panned Turkeys military offensive in northeast Syria last October, saying the unilateral action could undermine stability in the region and the fight against terrorism. New Delhi asked Ankara to exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. India also urged for peaceful settlement of all issues through dialogue and discussion.

Turkey had firmly defended its decision to launch military action in the face of international outrage and fears of new refugee crisis.

President Erdogan had then said the military operation would support Syrias territorial integrity by confronting Kurdish control of the countrys northeast.

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Former Olympic Council of Ireland president Pat Hickey has been absolved of having to repay a 410,000 loan that he used to receive bail following his arrest at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

A spokeswoman for the Olympic Federation of Ireland confirmed that the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) agreed to write off the loan during its AGM in November.



But she could not say why the umbrella body representing 206 National Olympic Committees chose to do so after Mr Hickey previously said he was prepared to repay the debt.



However its understood that ANOC president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and all ANOC vice-presidents agreed to forgive the loan on medical and humanitarian grounds via a postal vote in November 2016.



It came up at the AGM, or rather the annual get together of the ANOC. That question was asked from the floor and they are writing off those monies, Olympic Federation of Ireland President, Sarah Keane told the Irish Times.

They are writing off those monies, they are writing them off and that is all they are saying. So they certainly havent been repaid.



The OFI spokeswoman stressed that no money for the bail-out will come from OFI coffers or other Irish channels.



Mr Hickey, (74), a former ANOC president, made headlines around the world when he was arrested by Rio police at the start of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on suspicion of ticket touting. He was allowed to return to Ireland after posting bail pending the hearing of his case, which has yet to be heard in Brazil.



He is currently self-suspended from the OFI and has given up his position on its executive board.



An inquiry in Ireland into the ticket touting scandal by Judge Carroll Moran concluded in August, 2017 that there was no evidence of criminal activity or financial impropriety by Mr Hickey.



However, his report was very critical of Mr Hickeys governance of the IOC and how the judges investigation was severely hampered by a lack of co-operation from key players, including Mr Hickey and the IOC.



Mr Justice Moran's terms of reference asked him to establish the "policies, procedures, processes and practices" of ticket distribution by the OCI in Rio de Janeiro, as well as at the London Games in 2012 and the Sochi Winter Games in 2014.



This followed the confiscation of hundreds of Irish tickets for the 2016 Olympics, which Brazilian police believe were destined for sale on the black market.



Their probe led to the dramatic arrest of Mr Hickey, who was charged with ticket-touting offences that could result in a jail term of up to seven years.
Le parlement a ete ajourne a cette date ou il ne sera que question de PNQ et discours sur le programme gouvernemental selon lOrder Paper.

1.Announcements

2.Papers

3.Question

4.Motion

The Honourable Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity

That all the business on todays Order Paper be exempted from the provisions of paragraph (2) of Standing Order 10.

5.Statements by Ministers

6.Motion

The Honourable Fourth Member for Belle Rose and Quatre Bornes (Mrs M. A. T. Diolle) 

That an Address be presented to the President of the Republic of Mauritius in the following terms 

We, the Members of the Mauritius National Assembly, here assembled, beg leave to offer our thanks to the President of the Republic of Mauritius for the Presentation of the Government Programme 2020-2024 on the occasion of the Opening of the First Session of the Seventh National Assembly.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 23:43:53|Editor: yan

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KIEV, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shared details about Kiev's initiative to pull back troops along the contact line in eastern Ukraine, the presidential press service reported Saturday.

"The demarcation line would be divided into sectors, and a gradual troop pullback would be carried out," Zelensky said during an address at the 56th Munich Security Conference in Germany.

"The transition from one sector to the next is possible only after the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission verifies that the sector has no illegal armed groups, weapons and military hardware," he noted, adding that Ukraine will soon inform the other members of the so-called Normandy Four group of further details.

The president recalled that leaders of the Normandy Format summit held in Paris last year agreed to choose three more areas for the troop pullback, which should take place by the end of March 2020, and noted that work on the initiative is currently underway.

The leaders of the Normandy Four nations -- Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany -- met in Paris on Dec. 9 to help resolve the ongoing conflict in Donbass. According to the United Nations, some 13,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in 2014.
YEREVAN.  Former Deputy Chief of Staff of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, human rights activist Arsen Babayan, will file a lawsuit against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Babayan stated this at a press conference today.

"I am going to apply to the court demanding that the RA [Republic of Armenia] Prime Minister refute from the NA podium the information he has submitted about the criminal case against me, and to make an apology," Babayan said, noting that details of filing a lawsuit are still being discussed.

Arsen Babayan is charged with assisting former NA Speaker Ara Babloyan and other officials in assuming the powers of the Constitutional Court, as well as committing official fraud.
Rejecting foreign interference into India's internal affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday, has rejected all references to Jammu and Kashmir by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his address to Pakistan Parliament. Moreover, the MEA told the Turkish leadership to not interfere in India's internal affairs, according to PTI. Moreover, MEA advised the Turkish leadership to develop a proper understanding of facts including the threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India.

Kremlin tells Turkey to not attack Syrian, Russian forces in Idlib province

India rejects J&K interference

India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his address to Pakistan Parliament  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 15, 2020

Russia urges 'implementation' of existing accords with Turkey on Syria

Turkey interferes into J&K

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is on a 2-day visit to Paksitan ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), said that Kashmir was suffering due to the 'unilateral steps' in recent times. Calling the Kashmir issue close to Turkey, like Pakistan, he vowed that Turkey will stand for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. Previously, in September 2019, President Erdogan had said that only dialogue can solve the Kashmir problem which was awaiting a solution for 72 years during his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

"Our Kashmiri brothers and sisters have suffered from inconveniences for decades and these sufferings have become graver due to unilateral steps taken in recent times," while addressing the Pakistani parliament. He added, "Today, the issue of Kashmir is as close to us as it is to you (Pakistanis). Such a solution on the basis of justice and fairness will serve the interests of all parties concerned. Turkey will continue to stand by justice, peace and dialogue in the resolution of the Kashmir issue."

US responds as Pakistan court convicts Hafiz Saeed for first time, on FATF plenary eve

Pakistan-Turkey and Kashmir

Pakistan which has time and again fearmongered over Kashmir's ground situation since the revocation of Article 370, is seeking Turkey's help in prevent being blacklisted at the FATF plenary meet that begins in Paris on Sunday. Apart from Turkey, China and Malaysia have been biggest supporters of Pakistan's claims on Jammu-Kashmir and Article 370. Moreover, Pakistan has also convicted 26/11 Hafiz Saeed, days ahead of the FATF meeting to show 'action' on terrorism.

US to Pakistan: Hold Hafiz Saeed accountable for 26/11 attacks
MONTREAL - A fringe religious group in Quebec has complied with a court order to release the names of 135 children the provincial government claimed were being taught in illegal schools run by the group.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/2/2020 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL - A fringe religious group in Quebec has complied with a court order to release the names of 135 children the provincial government claimed were being taught in illegal schools run by the group.

The religious order, called Mission de lEsprit-Saint, still faces a contempt of court charge in relation to two injunctions dated Nov. 6 and 18, which ordered them to provide the information to the Education Department.

It was revealed in court on Friday that the order had released the names of the children and their parents to the government at the end of November.

But the group will still be required to defend itself in court because the contempt charge was filed against it before the religious order released the names.

The group, founded in 1913 by Eugene Richer, a former Montreal policeman, is to be back in court on May 26.

Several former members of the secretive group have spoken to the media, alleging it encourages girls to get married as young as 14 and provides little proper education.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Feb. 14, 2020.
FREDERICK, Md., Feb. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carey International, Inc., the global leader in chauffeured services and ground transportation management, today, announced it won top honors in all three "Best Chauffeured Services" categories at the sixth annual Travvy Awards. Travvy Awards are voted on by actual travel influencers, including travel advisors and agents, who have first-hand knowledge of the suppliers and services delivered by each nominee.

Carey prevailed with Gold Awards for: "Best Chauffeured Services - Domestic", "Best Chauffeured Services  Overall" and "Best Chauffeured Services  International". While 2020 marked the fourth time Carey International won gold for "Best Chauffeured Service - Overall" it added to its list of accolades by claiming all three esteemed "Chauffeured Services" Travvy Awards for a second year in a row.

"We are grateful to once again receive the travel industry's high honor of recognition for our services," said Sandy Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Carey International Inc., "Winning not one, but three awards on this special night is a direct result of Carey International's team of professionals delivering on our commitment to excellence, consistently, each and every day, in more than 1,000 cities worldwide."

Yolanda Carneiro, Vice President of Travel Industry Partnerships and Inside Sales was in attendance with Mr. Miller and accepted each award on behalf of Carey.

Carey International is recognized as a leading supporter of the travel industry, operating in more than 1000 cities worldwide and featuring more than 40 direct partnerships with the world's largest Travel Management Companies, Travel Consortia, Host Agencies and Associations. Carey also participates with many prominent associations, including its standing as an Emerald Level partner with the American Society of Travel Agents.

About Carey International, Inc.

Carey International is the trusted leader in innovative chauffeured service solutions, customer-centric travel technology, and ground transportation logistics management; providing world-class service, unparalleled safety, and general peace of mind to the world's most discerning travelers, since 1921. Spanning more than 1,000 cities worldwide, Carey's award-winning global franchise network offers consistent standards of service and unmatched business control for both travelers and arrangers across two distinct brands.

Carey features a world-class fleet of late-model executive and luxury vehicles, a corps of professional chauffeurs, and a full portfolio of specialized transportation logistics management services. www.carey.com

Embarque offers smart, modern transportation utilizing a fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles and a team of professional drivers dedicated to offering a unique car service experience that raises the bar on efficiency and productivity for any class of traveler. www.embarque.com

SOURCE Carey International, Inc.

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BRIDGEPORT  There has been a recent increase in the number of Bridgeport students in possession of marijuana-laced items, prompting Acting Superintendent of Schools Michael Testani to send a letter to parents and guardians.

In the letter, posted on the Bridgeport Public Schools website Friday, Testani said there have been a few incidents this school year where students have had adverse reactions when consuming these items. He said the products include cookies, brownies and chewable gummies.

Testani later confirmed via text that there have not been a lot of instances, but that officials just wanted to ensure parents and guardians are aware and educated on the topic.

Testani urged parents and guardians to speak to their children about marijuana in the letter.

Ask what they have heard about using marijuana, he encouraged. Listen carefully, pay attention and try not to interrupt. Avoid making negative or angry comments.

Testani also urged parents and guardians to offer facts about the risks and consequences of consuming marijuana.

If you choose to talk to your child about your own experiences with drugs, be honest about why you used and the pressures that contributed to your use, Testani urged. Be careful not to minimize the dangers of marijuana or other drugs, and be open about any negative experiences you may have had.

Testani said brownies are among the most common food products infused with marijuana, but clarified that almost any food can be infused with the drug and consumed.

Some negative effects of marijuana edibles, according to Testanis letter, are psychotic episodes, hallucinations, paranoia, panic attacks and impaired motor ability.

What are some indicators that youths might be using marijuana?

Testani says the parents and guardians might notice their children acting very silly and out of character for no reason. He said they might start using new words and phrases like sparking up, 420, dabbing and shatter.

Among other things, parents and guardians might notice their children have increased irritability; lose interest in and motivation to do usual activities; carrying pipes, lighters, vape pens or rolling papers.

In a post on Twitter around 6:20 p.m. Friday, Testani shared a link to the letter.

Information that all parents should ... know, the post said. States are legalizing a potentially dangerous drug and our kids are being put at risk.
New Delhi: A group of people, including students of Jamia Millia Islamia stage a demonstration near the Tamil Nadu House over the alleged lathicharge by the Chennai police on anti-CAA demonstrators, in New Delhi on Feb 15, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: A group of people, including students of Jamia Millia Islamia stage a demonstration near the Tamil Nadu House over the alleged lathicharge by the Chennai police on anti-CAA demonstrators being detained by police, in New Delhi on Feb 15, 20 Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: A group of people, including students of Jamia Millia Islamia stage a demonstration near the Tamil Nadu House over the alleged lathicharge by the Chennai police on anti-CAA demonstrators being detained by police, in New Delhi on Feb 15, 20 Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Feb 15 : The Delhi Police foiled the Jamia Coordination Committee's (JCC) attempt to hold a protest over the alleged police action in Chennai, at Tamil Nadu Bhawan, here on Saturday, by detaining all the 30 protesters.

According to JCC members, the detained protesters were taken to the Mandir Marg police station.

When asked, Safoora, a JCC member, told IANS, "We didn't have the permission to protest. But we had intimated the police in advance." According to the police, during the anti-CAA stir in Chennai on Friday some protesters hurled stones and slippers injuring some police personnel. This led to mild baton charge and detention of some protesters. They planned to hold protest without permission.




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Tanasha Donna has joined the many people who chose to celebrate their loved ones on Valentines Day!Well before the day comes to an end, the lady has also celebrated and acknowledged that her love for Diamond Platnumz is still intact; despite the many rumors claiming their relationship is on the rocks!However without words to describe her man, Tanasha decided to share one of his fine photos; adding love emojis that clearly pass the message to haters praying for their break up.A few days ago during Tanashas EP launch at the Sarit Center; Diamond Platnumz apparently failed to show up at the gig following an argument that forced him to leave.Tanzanian tabloids however claim that Tanasha walked in on Diamond Platnumz who was making a move on one of the hotel maids! The couple however remains silent about these rumors but judging from how their social media love is slowly fading away; there must be a problem somewhere or not?
PrideStaff's logo By offering the benefits of a large national company with the focus, flexibility, commitment and regional knowledge of a locally owned company, we look forward to matching more exceptional individuals with great companies and becoming more involved with local community organizations and charities.

PrideStaff, a national, franchised staffing organization, is pleased to announce that their Ventura County office was recently named to San Fernando Valley Business Journal's 2019 Best of Staffing and Employment Firms list, in addition to being named a Best Staffing Agency in Oxnard by Three Best Rated.

The 2019 Best of Staffing and Employment Firms list includes staffing and employment agencies located throughout the greater San Fernando Valley area, ranked by the total number of workers placed. This year, PrideStaff Ventura County was ranked number 5.

Designed with the simple goal to find consumers the top three local businesses, professionals, restaurants and health care providers in each market, Three Best Rated recognizes organizations and individuals for providing consistently high-quality service in their area of business. Using a 50-Point Inspection process, the review team selected PrideStaff Ventura County based on their reputation, history, satisfaction ratings, general excellence, customer reviews and other factors.

Daan Renssen, Co-Owner/Strategic-Partner for PrideStaff's Ventura County office, is thrilled that his office was ranked a top staffing agency on not just one, but two independent lists. "To be named a top employment agency in our area by members of our community is the highest praise we can receive and the motivation for our entire team," said Renssen. "For us, staffing is highly personal, so we treat every one of our clients and candidates with the respect they deserve. We realize that every applicant walking through our doors has the dream of walking out with a job, and each employer wants a dependable, honest staffing partner that delivers flexible solutions and hard-working, qualified candidates."

When interviewed, Co-Owner/Strategic-Partner Nieke Renssen spoke about PrideStaff Ventura's plans for the future. "Today's staffing industry is incredibly competitive, and a low unemployment rate makes it increasingly hard to find the right people. As we look to the future, our mission, 'Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most,' will continue driving our daily activities and helping us deliver what's important to the people and companies we serve," said Renssen. "By offering the benefits of a large national company with the focus, flexibility, commitment and regional knowledge of a locally owned company, we look forward to matching more exceptional individuals with great companies, and becoming more involved with local community organizations and charities."

About PrideStaff

PrideStaff was founded in the 1970s as 100% company-owned units and began staffing franchising in 1995. They operate over 80 offices in North America to serve over 5,000 clients and are headquartered in Fresno, CA. With over 40 years in the staffing business, PrideStaff offers the resources and expertise of a national firm with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. PrideStaff is the only nationwide, commercial staffing firm in the U.S. and Canada with over $100 million in annual revenue to earn ClearlyRateds prestigious Best of Staffing Diamond Award seven years in a row highlighting exceptional client and talent service quality.

For more information on our services or for staffing franchise information, visit http://www.pridestaff.com.
A female laborer works at a company in Hai Phong City. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Duy.

Over 1,000 Vietnamese laborers have exited employment as businesses scale down production or suspend operations due to new coronavirus fears, a labor ministry report stated.

Of the affected, one-third work in accommodation and catering sectors, said the report, which was compiled using data gathered from 180,000 businesses in 22 out of 63 provinces and cities across Vietnam.

It stated 332 businesses had suspended operations while 553 others lowered production targets amid the fast-spreading Covid-19 epidemic.

Besides, of 5,000 cooperatives covered, 25 suspended operations and five reduced production scale.

The severity of the novel coronavirus epidemic is likely to drag Vietnams GDP growth down to 5.96 percent this year.

The projected growth rate, the lowest since 2013, assumes the epidemic is contained in the second quarter, the Ministry of Planning and Investment reported Wednesday.

The country has recorded 16 cases of infection with 11 in Vinh Phuc Province, which neighbors Hanoi. Of the remaining five, three were found in Ho Chi Minh City, one in central Khanh Hoa Province and another in central Thanh Hoa Province.

Vietnam declared the Covid-19 outbreak an epidemic on February 1.

As of Saturday, the global death toll had climbed to 1,523 and confirmed infections topped 66,900. Over 7,800 patients have recovered.
The unofficial holiday of World Pangolin Day falls on Saturday, Feb. 15 this year and comes at an interesting as the animal has been linked to the ongoing coronavirus.

Although it is not known where the virus  which has infected tens of thousands globally  originated from, researchers suggest that the animal has acted as an intermediate host, according to The New York Times.

So, what is a pangolin?

According to the World Wildlife Fund, its a scaly, ant-eating mammal that kind of looks like a cross between an armadillo, an anteater, and a badger.

Its certainly not a commonly seen creature outside of Asia and Africa, but it is one of the most trafficked animals on the planet, according to The New York Times, which might have contributed to the virus worldwide spread.

Related: Everything You Need to Know If You're Traveling During the Coronavirus Outbreak (Video)

However, its not entirely clear how the animal could have spread this disease to humans.

According to Business Insider, the animals are often poached for their scales (which are made of keratin) that are marketed as medicine and the animals meat is considered a delicacy in China and Vietnam. So, the virus could have spread from a bat to a pangolin to humans through the consumption of the animal.

Researchers from South China Agricultural University found that coronavirus that presented in human patients was 99% identical to the virus taken from wild pangolins.

Pangolins, when they are in the wild, are not considered deadly animals. Most people never interact with them since they are mostly nocturnal and have no teeth. Eight species of pangolins are threatened with extinction and three are on the critically endangered list.

The real culprit lies in the animal trafficking trade. According to Phys.org, these animals are often captured and kept in poor conditions as they travel long distances where they are kept in close quarters with not only unhealthy or dead animals but human shoppers as well. This isnt only an issue in China, because these animals are shipped all over the world.

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Unfortunately, putting a stop to illegal animal trafficking in order to stop the spread of the virus is easier said than done.

If the illegal animal trade was at the root of this outbreak, it is going to be really difficult to trace, and I suspect most of the evidence is gone already  destroyed or spread out across the black market," Benjamin Neuman, chairman of the biology department at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, told The Washington Post. "People aren't going to want to talk, because of the consequences."

The best way to combat the problem, if pangolins are found to be helping to spread the disease, would be clamping down on animal trafficking worldwide. According to Phys.org, a committee in the Chinese Community Party said they will strengthen market supervision, resolutely ban and severely crackdown on illegal wildlife markets and trade, and control major public health risks from the source.

Regulation and legislation are the keys to stopping illegal animal trading. For individuals, avoiding places that may give them exposure to the disease, especially markets where pangolin meat and scales are sold, may help. However, if you are concerned with the fate of this animal in response to the outbreak, you can donate to the World Wildlife Fund or join their Stop Wildlife Crime campaign.

Since December 2019, the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has claimed the lives of over 1,300 people and infected nearly 50,000. The crisis has spurred several quarantines and travel bans to and from China as well.
Human Nature, by David Berlinski

(Discovery Institute Press, 330 pp., $22.95)

The logic of increasing, centrifugal specialization and deliberation (knowing more and more about less and less) in both academic and professional life and work is nearly irresistible, but brings with it dark shadows: At what point can or should the human person undertake an opposite movement of mind and spirit, what might be called engaging centripetal knowledge of the personal self (and of human nature generally) in making decisions and taking actions? Knowledge is endless, but life is short. The revolutionary American linguistics scholar Noam Chomsky on British television in 1978 made a revealing comment that has become notorious: As soon as questions of will or decision or reason or choice of action arise, human science is at a loss.

Chomskys point is that there is an existential, personal, even fideist dimension to commitment, decision-making, and the intellectual and moral life generally. Whatever one thinks of his politics, no one can deny that he has exhibited this personal engagement, both in his academic work and his political advocacy. His allies on the far left are often most uncomfortable with his adherence to this traditional metaphysical dualism, as they are with his revolutionary resurrection of Cartesian, pre-Enlightenment dualism in asserting that the disposition of the human person to acquire language is innate, as against reductive, monistic, environmental-evolutionary theories of human animality and malleability. (Chomsky famously attacked B. F. Skinners radical behaviorism on these grounds in 1959.) The outrage can be sampled in the attack on Chomsky in Decoding Chomsky: Science and Revolutionary Politics (2016), by the leftist British anthropologist Chris Knight. For Knight, Chomskys epistemological dualism is a dishonest screen to hide the fact that at MIT his whole scholarly-research career has been subsidized by the American military-industrial complex, which in his public political career has been the chief object of his hatred and criticism for over 50 years: a bitter or delicious irony, depending on your point of view.

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Chomsky has written for the distinguished, Paris-based scientific Internet journal Inference, founded by the polymath David Berlinski, and linguistics is the subject of one of the essays in Berlinskis eloquent, wide-ranging new book Human Nature (2019). The danger of rejecting or undervaluing specialized expertise is blatantly obvious in contemporary commercial and political culture: Terrible simplifiers swoop in to acquire money, fame, and power by providing simplistic overviews, answers, and summations that flatter large numbers of readers or viewers, relieving them of the anxiety of complexity itself.

Berlinskis writing is a very healthy, deft, and witty antidote both to premature simplification and closure and to interminable investigation and indecision. In some of his previous books he has brilliantly illuminated specialized terrain in the light of the indispensable human realities of decision-making and ethics. He has written books on evolutionary biology and on aspects of mathematics, and a particularly wise and invigorating philosophical book entitled The Devils Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions (2008), in which he does not hide that he himself is a pious but agnostic Jew.

The most powerful, valuable, and memorable essays in Berlinskis Human Nature are the ones focusing on the First World War, its causes, character, effects, aftermath, and significance, and more generally on the history and historiography of the world since 1914. The American philosopher Sidney Hook, a repentant ex-Marxist, rightly called the post-1914 world the Second Fall of Man, all the more bitter because of the growing optimism, about irreversible human progress, that had been more and more indulged and promoted over the previous 150 years, from Gibbon and the French philosophes and Jacobins and on through British Utilitarians and European Marxists and utopian Romantic radicals (see my History as Wisdom, NRO, July 20, 2019). Hook, a very secular Jew, could not have been happy that his immensely influential teacher John Dewey, after decades of progressive public moral instruction (in his mind-numbingly opaque prose style), finally delivered himself clearly about world affairs  Communism, Nazism, and Italian and Japanese Fascism  in a 1939 article about American foreign policy and impending war: No Matter What Happens  Stay Out. The world is fortunate that Franklin Roosevelt didnt listen.

Berlinskis targets, and his candidates for the most fatuous, flattering optimists of our time, are two best-selling contemporary intellectuals  Harvards Steven Pinker, in The Better Angels of Our Nature (though of course Pinker doesnt believe in angels), and the Israeli historian Yuval Harari, in Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (though of course Harari doesnt believe in the Incarnation). Pinker alleges confidently that we may be living in the most peaceable era in our species existence. One should not underestimate the jolly, eupeptic effects of a tenured professorship at an Ivy League university on the point of view of a thinker. In Hararis very speculative Homo Deus, the futurist tells us that during the second half of the twentieth century, the Law of the Jungle has finally been broken, if not rescinded (this from a resident of the contemporary Middle East). He also observes that free will and consciousness do not exist, before going on to tell us that in the future men will be gods. After carefully and wisely critiquing these claims, Berlinski concludes: Men are not about to become like gods. Harari has been misinformed.

When Lemuel Gulliver visited Brobdingnag, the land of giants, in part 2 of Swifts great 1726 satirical novel Gullivers Travels, he soon forgot the decent virtues that he himself had so nobly displayed in the sojourn in Lilliput in part 1. Evincing more and more ethnocentric Enlightenment vanity about the allegedly superior civilization of Europe as compared with the technologically simple Brobdingnagians, he tries to prove European superiority by offering the King the secret of gunpowder, and he brags about its effects and Machiavellian possibilities in the hands of the King. The King is horrified at Gullivers description of the effects of guns and gunpowder, spurns the temptation of the will-to-power, and forbids Gulliver ever to speak of such military technology again, on pain of banishment. Shocked at the Kings unsophisticated response, the smug, complacent Gulliver dismissively mentions to the reader that the King and the Brobdingnagians concentrate only on mathematics, history, literature, and ethics, wherein they must be acknowledged to excel.

Berlinskis satirical tone and approach are often similar to Swifts. He assumes that, like the Brobdingnagians, reflective persons have a culture: elementary logical knowledge (e.g., mathematics), a historical sense (at least of the world since 1914), some knowledge of great literary works, and a prime concern for truth, justice, and morality. His wit, as well as his specialized expertise (philosophy, linguistics, mathematics, biology), are centripetally engaged on behalf of the rational human being. As much as Swift, he is a metaphysical dualist, knowing that ethics can neither be derived from nor reduced to scientific empiricism, although empiricism is also an indispensable component of our knowledge and education.

Berlinskis essays on the First World War and on recent history generally are earnest, antiseptic efforts to stimulate the readers rational-ethical sensibility, to illuminate the reality of human inadequacy, incompetence, and tragedy in history  especially recent human history. They remind one of the sage and saving perspectives of earlier, 20th-century thinkers such as T. S. Eliot, Reinhold Niebuhr, Herbert Butterfield, Martin Luther King, Malcolm Muggeridge, and the heroic Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

In this light, Berlinski takes on the largest of our sacred cows, Darwinism, knowing well  as the child of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany  that the steps from Darwin to Hitler and Nazi eugenic racial science were logical, utilitarian ones. Darwinian racial science was as bogus and catastrophic as Communist scientific socialism, but their tragic credibility and popularity were largely due to their claims to be scientific. They werent; but their zealous reductionism is one of the banes or poisons of our era in history. Two prominent contemporary philosophers, for example, promote what they call eliminative materialism, making actual what Swift fantasized and mocked in the linguistic reformers of the Grand Academy of Lagado in part 3 of Gullivers Travels, who take literally the motto of the scientific Royal Society, Nullius in Verba  there is nothing in words. Eliminative materialism: words used to destroy the credibility of language itself. Lagado revisited.

Berlinskis book adds to an impressive modern literature critiquing reductionism and scientism, particularly in their Darwinist form: the often-reprinted Darwin, Marx, Wagner: Critique of a Heritage (1941), by the great cultural historian Jacques Barzun; the classic Social Darwinism in American Thought (1944), by Barzuns Columbia colleague Richard Hofstadter; Gertrude Himmelfarbs magnificent Darwin and the Darwinian Revolution (1959); Evolution as a Religion (1985), by the philosopher Mary Midgley; From Darwin to Hitler (2004), by Richard Weikart, historian of Germany (see my review, Murderous Science, in NR, March 28, 2005); Why Us? (2009), by the versatile, Cambridge-educated English science-writer James LeFanu; and the recent Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False (2012), by the eminent American philosopher Thomas Nagel (see my review, Rationality vs. Darwinism, in NR, October 25, 2012). Nagel speaks eloquently for all of them when he deplores Darwinist imperialism and the scientism and reductionism of our time.

In using wit and satire in addition to specialized expertise to criticize and puncture our dominant, oversimplifying paradigm and its talkative boffins, Berlinski  like Swift  is actually doing something democratic, populist, or egalitarian: He is appealing beyond specialists and specialized discourse to that centripetal or intuitive rationality that the great polymathic savant Blaise Pascal called lesprit de finesse and contrasted with the centrifugal and specialized scientific rationality that he called lesprit geometrique. While drawing on large stores of specialized knowledge, Berlinski deplores and mocks the vast verbiage of a nominalist, positivist cultural establishment that perversely, pervasively, and perpetually undermines the fund of civilized wisdom on which minimally decent contemporary cultural order utterly depends for its sanity, and which it is a chief traditional purpose of educational institutions to convey, especially in literature, history, civics, and philosophy.

In the 20th century men did not turn into gods, despite millennial expectations, nor will they do so in the 21st century. But in the 20th century many of them  often highly educated ones  turned into devils. Not long after the Second World War, the German-Jewish refugee philosopher Leo Strauss (18991973) wrote a lapidary summary. The idea of progress in the modern sense implies that once man has reached a certain level, intellectual and moral or social, there exists a firm level of being, below which he cannot sink. Gibbon and the subsequent Whig historians congratulated themselves and their complacent readers on this pleasing progressive prospect. But Strauss concluded: This progressive contention, however, is empirically refuted by the incredible barbarization which we have been so unfortunate to witness in the 20th century (emphasis added).

Smug, fatuous optimists from Gibbon to Steven Pinker ignore crucial facts of history and human nature, facts that science itself (lesprit geometrique) cannot within its terms of reference discuss or even identify properly: Only history, philosophy, literature, religion, or ethics can do this. Specifically and quantitatively, Berlinski recounts the barbarities of modern history since 1914, and not only of the infernal period 191445 but of the subsequent decades as well, to expose Pinkers flattering illusions and Hararis utopian hopes.

For actual history has truths of a normative character that should be available to all reflective, rational persons, and not just specific facts and changing theories available only to specialists. The relentless attempt to separate facts from values, and to assert the arbitrariness and subjectivity of the latter, is a form of guilty, transgressive, self-contradictory intellectuality that Michael Polanyi called moral inversion and C. S. Lewis called the abolition of man. Leo Strauss showed that Max Weber himself failed to achieve this separation. Writers such as Strauss, Niebuhr, Polanyi, Lewis, F. R. Leavis, LeFanu, Leszek Koakowski, and Berlinski have realized that the attempt to purge language of value attribution is an infinite regress, self-refuting by means of the very language employed in the attempt. As E. A. Burtt put it nearly a hundred years ago, the only way to avoid metaphysics is to say nothing: Language, conceptualization, rationality, and mentality themselves are unavoidably metaphysical. To believe, assume, or assert the opposite is a thematic-performative self-contradiction: The performance (statement or belief) contradicts and therefore refutes and cancels the reductionist theme being argued. If Yuval Harari really does not believe in consciousness and free will, then we have no reason (and no power) to believe anything he says, which is merely epiphenomenal: as are we. As Dr. Johnson told Boswell, if Hume really believed that there was no basis for ethics, then Johnson would count his silverware before allowing Hume to leave his house after dinner.

Persons are not gods, but neither are they robots.

Darwinism, racialism, imperialism, World War I, grotesque and hysterical Fascist and Communist ideologies, World War II, the Holocaust, atomic weapons, ethnic conflict, environmental and cultural degradation: These are central to Berlinskis sense of human nature because they indubitably happened, against the liberal, secular, progressive expectations of intellectuals all over the West, from Gibbon and Jeremy Bentham onward. Berlinski quotes Thomas Babington Macaulays dismissive attack on the conservative English Romantic poet Robert Southey, who deplored the industrialization and urbanization of Britain in his Sir Thomas More, or Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society (1824). Critiquing Southeys worries (which were like those of his contemporary Carlyle and his successors Dickens and Ruskin), Macaulay complacently remarked: We rely on the natural tendency of the human intellect to truth, and on the natural tendency of society to improvement. Berlinski remarks: Why the tendency is natural, Macaulay did not say, and that it exists, he did not demonstrate. Nor can anyone else.

Though highly informed in several specialized fields, the polymathic Berlinski ultimately wishes to defend the public, linguistic idiom of rationality and ethics that has been so painfully and painstakingly fought for since Socrates instructed and inspired the Greeks to critique and transcend the unjust standards of the inherited aristocratic order and the brutal models of The Iliad. His task is thus not only intellectual but literary  to use the public idiom to defend the public idiom, perhaps the very idea of a universal, ethical republic itself, the idea of civilization.

The Englishman James LeFanu, an M.D. in practice and a gifted, award-winning science writer (Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2001), has done the same thing in his fine books, including Why Us? How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves (2009; see my review, Science Illuminated, in Modern Age, Fall 2011). In a dense but lucid chapter critiquing the modern neo-Darwinian synthesis, LeFanu, himself a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, carefully considers the problem that originally spurred the philosopher-mathematician Berlinski to skepticism about Darwinism. For Berlinski it was the 1966 Wistar Symposium on mathematical objections to neo-Darwinism, which he discusses in the last section of Human Nature.

LeFanu goes into more detail in looking at the researches of three mathematically inclined biologists who attempted to salvage the plausibility of the neo-Darwinian synthesis from obvious and deep logical objections lodged against it. Of one of these biologists, English genetics professor Ronald Fisher, LeFanu writes apologetically: The purpose of reproducing here just a small part of Fishers twenty-five page statistical proof of his major work, The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection, published in 1930, is not to clarify his argument but simply to convey its most salient point  its impenetrable obscurity. He adds that Fisher, spurning excessive modesty, compared the explanatory power of his Fundamental Theorem to Newtons laws of gravity. All three of these biologists started from different premises, employed different mathematical techniques, and came to different conclusions as to how the new, revised evolutionary theory actually worked. Welcome back to the Grand Academy of Lagado.

The distinguished philosopher Nagel goes so far as to say that he would like to defend the untutored reaction of incredulity to the reductionist neo-Darwinian account of the origin and evolution of life.

David Berlinski is thus in very good contemporary company. Like Swift, he is playing wittily for very high stakes. Much is to be learned from his book, which also, by design, increases in the reader what can be called either intestinal fortitude or intellectual courage.

More from National Review
Pyotr Pavlensky, the Russian artist provocateur who forced a top French politician to drop out of a key election Friday, is well known for his shock and awe "performances," usually involving pain and discomfort for all involved to highlight causes he thinks are worth fighting for. Too hot to handle in his home country, the gaunt looking Pavlensky, 35, fled to France where he has caused uproar by putting a sex video online which forced President Emmanuel Macron's candidate for Paris mayor, Benjamin Griveaux, to withdraw from the race. The 42-year-old Griveaux said he dropped out to protect his family after a website published video excerpts of a man masturbating, accompanied by screengrabs of racy text messages. "My family does not deserve this. No one should ever be subjected to such abuse." The Liberation newspaper said Pavlensky claimed to have put the video online to expose Griveaux's "hypocrisy". "He is someone who constantly brings up family values, who says he wants to be the mayor of families and always cites his wife and children as an example. But he is doing the opposite," Pavlensky told the daily. Pavlensky has a track record for outrage. He made global headlines in 2013 after nailing his scrotum to Red Square in Moscow and two years later doused the doors of the FSB secret police headquarters with petrol and set them on fire. "What I denounce, is how the individual has been reduced to the state of an animal by the state, propaganda and the instruments of power," he said shortly before leaving Russia in 2017. The video tape scandal was not his first stunt in Paris. - Engaged art or 'idiotic'? - In October 2017, he set fire to offices of the Bank of France on Place Bastille, site of the attack on the infamous fortress at the start of the French revolution in 1789. The bank's presence on such hallowed revolutionary ground was "historically shameful," Pavlensky said. Ultimately, he was sentenced to three years jail, two suspended, for the destruction of other people's property. Jail time only proved, however, that prisoners were "treated like animals," he said. Pavlensky and his companion Oksana Shalygina obtained asylum in France after leaving Russia, claiming that he faced 10 years in a camp, although at the time Russian press reports said he was threatened by legal action over alleged sexual assault against an actress. Pavlensky rejects such charges. Asked in 2017 why he chose to come to France without being able to speak the language -- nor English -- he said: "France is the alma mater of the Russian revolution... Everything that is worthwhile in Russia came from France." A graduate of the Academy of Art and Industry in Saint Petersburg and father of two children, Pavlensky on several occasions has demanded that he should be charged with terrorist acts. In 2013, he laid down in front of the Saint Petersburg assembly stark naked and wrapped in barbed wire in protest against what he said were repressive laws in Russia. His hardline stance and eye watering protests have elicited a mixed response among Russian opposition groups. Some defend his actions as a form of engaged art but others such as late rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva were blunter, branding his actions "idiotic."
Former Olympic Council of Ireland president Pat Hickey will not have to repay a 410,000 loan that he used to receive bail following his arrest at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

A spokeswoman for the Olympic Federation of Ireland - formerly known as the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) - last night confirmed that the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) agreed to write off the loan during its AGM in November.

She could not say why the umbrella body representing 206 National Olympic Committees chose to do so after Mr Hickey previously said he was prepared to repay the debt.

However, it's understood that ANOC president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and all ANOC vice-presidents agreed to forgive the loan on medical and humanitarian grounds via a postal vote in November 2016.

"It came up at the AGM, or rather the annual get together of the ANOC. That question was asked from the floor and they are writing off those monies," Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) president Sarah Keane told the 'Irish Times'.

An OFI spokeswoman stressed that no money for the bail-out will come from OFI coffers or other Irish channels.

Mr Hickey (74), a former ANOC vice president, made headlines around the world when he was arrested by police at the start of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio on suspicion of ticket touting. He was allowed to return to Ireland after posting bail pending the hearing of his case, which has yet to take place in Brazil.
(Natural News) While most people are focused on the direct human impact of the Wuhan coronavirus in terms of its risk of spread, far fewer are paying attention to the dire economic impacts of having to keep Chinese factories closed due to the outbreak, including at least one factory owned and operated by Apple iPhone maker Foxconn.

According to reports, Foxconn recently warned its staff to stay far, far away from its Shenzhen facility where they all otherwise would have returned to work after the recent conclusion of the Lunar New Year break on February 10.

Instead of ramping up its production machines and churning out new iPhones for the masses this past week, Foxconn Shenzhen is still closed, and will remain so indefinitely. This is according to a memo that was obtained by Bloomberg News, which explains that Foxconns Chinese headquarters will need to stay shuttered to protect not only the tens of thousands of employees who normally work there, but also the surrounding community.

To safeguard everyones health and safety and comply with government virus prevention measures, we urge you not to return to Shenzhen, the company told its employees, many of whom are out-of-towners that would have had to drive or fly back to Shenzhen after the holiday.

Well update you on the situation in the city, this memo further stated. The company will protect everyones work-related rights and interests in the duration. As for the happy reunion date in Shenzhen, please wait for further notice.

Listen below as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about how the global economy, including the stock market here in the United States, will eventually be impacted by the novel coronavirus:

Apples supply chain will be disrupted by this and likely other closures

As was also recently reported, other major corporations are feeling the burn of factory closures in China, including South Korea-based Hyundai and Kia, both of which are unable to receive critical parts from their Chinese suppliers because these suppliers arent currently operating.

In response to these and other expected disruptions, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Foxconns other name, has reportedly slashed its 2020 outlook in anticipation of Apple being unable to maintain its carefully calibrated production chain.

As Chinas largest private employer and a key partner to many of the worlds most recognizable consumer brands, Foxconn has become a high-profile symbol of how the outbreak could disrupt Chinese manufacturing and hence the worlds supply of made-in-China electronics, warns Bloomberg News.

At this time, it remains unknown whether or not any of Foxconns other Chinese manufacturing facilities are also shuttering their operations. We do know that a Hon Hai facility in Zhengzhou did officially resume production on Feb. 10, with the caveat that all out-of-town workers returning from outside the province first be sequestered for two weeks.

As a matter of policy and for reasons of commercial sensitivity, we do not comment on our specific production facilities, Foxconn said in a statement when asked about the operating status of its other production facilities.

We have been closely monitoring the current public health challenge linked to the coronavirus and we are applying all recommended health and hygiene practices to all aspects of our operations in the affected markets.

As of this writing, the official infection count for the coronavirus is just under 65,000, with nearly 1,500 being reported dead from the disease. A more realistic estimate, however, is that there are probably more than 200,000 coronavirus infections, along with more than 20,000 deaths.

More episodes of The Health Ranger Report with Mike Adams are available at Brighteon.com.

You can also keep up with the latest coronavirus news by visiting Outbreak.news.

Sources for this article include:

Bloomberg.com

NaturalNews.com

Brighteon.com
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Ivanka Trump touched down in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday ahead of a two-day Global Women's Forum in Dubai.

The First Daughter and special adviser to the President, 38, will be the keynote speaker at the event, which takes place on Sunday and Monday.

But on Saturday, she kept busy in Abu Dhabi, meeting with female entrepreneurs and members of the government, including Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan - who is believed to be the Emirates' day-to-day ruler.

Later in the day, Ivanka took a tour of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque,the largest mosque in the country.

The blonde beauty - who converted to Orthodox Judaism upon her 2009 marriage to Jared Kushner - donned a headscarf and a modest metallic silk-blend dress for her visit to the Islamic place of worship.

Ivanka Trump arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday ahead of the two-day Global Womens Forum in Dubai. She is pictured during a tour of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

The blonde beauty - who converted to Orthodox Judaism upon her 2009 marriage to Jared Kushner - donned a headscarf and a modest metallic silk-blend dress for her visit to the Islamic place of worship

The 38-year-old is pictured meeting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (in blue)

Mona Al Marri, the chairperson of the Dubai Women Establishment's Board of Directors, (right) is pictured posing alongside Ivanka (center) earlier in the day

The $690 dress, from high fashion label Layeur By The Modist, completely covered her knees as she walked barefoot through the structure.

Appearing overwhelmed by the beauty of the mosque, Ivanka looked deep in thought at various points on her tour.

Ivanka earlier attended a women's conference at the Abu Dhabi Louvre in the same outfit.

For that event, she left her trademark blonde tresses free-flowing and added a pair of black suede heels.

She discussed female economic empowerment in the UAE with businesswomen and government officials.

Officials included Reem al-Hashemi, minister of state for international cooperation; Noura al-Kaabi, minister of culture and knowledge development, and Minister of State for Advanced Sciences Sarah al-Amiri.

Appearing overwhelmed by the beauty of the mosque, Ivanka looked deep in thought at various points on her tour

The Grand Mosque was constructed between 1996 and 2007 at a cost of more than $500 million US dollars

Ivanka looked to be extremely engaged as she toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with religious officials and a team of security

Ivanka is set to stay in the United Arab Emirates for the Global Women's Forum, which is taking place in Dubai on Feb. 16-17.

Ivanka is pictured in conversation with Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan

In the U.S. this week, Ivanka Trump announced that Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jeanne Shaheen are behind an effort to have her Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative written into U.S. law.

The proposed legislation would make the economic empowerment of women a priority of U.S. foreign policy and ensure the initiative continues beyond the Trump administration.

Ivanka Trump said the legislation is a 'long overdue goal.'

The Graham-Shaheen bill must pass both the Republican-led Senate and the Democratic-controlled House before the president can sign it into law.

Ivanka earlier attended a women's conference at the Abu Dhabi Louvre in the same outfit - but she added a pair of black suede heels

Ivanka will likely return to the United States early next week, as her father kicks his re-election campaign into full gear

Ivanka has been more active on social media in the past few weeks than she usually is, and that may have something to do with her father's acquittal following his Senate impeachment trial.

Earlier this month , the Republican-controlled Senate voted to acquit Trump on charges brought by the Democratic-led House of Representatives, only the third time in U.S. history that a president has been impeached.

Ivanka celebrated the news by taking to Instagram to post a throwback snapshot of herself giving two thumbs up while wearing a red, white, and blue USA knit hat at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

She wrote '#Mood' and added an American flag emoji while captioning the image.

The first daughter shared the snapshot on her Instagram Stories along with a message slamming her father's impeachment trial.

'This factional fever and incoherent, ill-conceived process has finally ended and the President has rightfully been acquitted,' she wrote.

'It is time for our Country to move forward. Together. POTUS has accomplished so much and is just getting started.'

She also posted photos of the covers of The New York Times and The Washington Post that announced the president's acquittal.

Ivanka is pictured inside the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, where she had a personal tour guide take her through some of the attractions

Ivanka is pictured during a roundtable discussion about female entrepreneurs at the Lourve Museum in Abu Dhabi

Ivanka looked to be in high spirits as as she met with a group of women, who eagerly listened to what she had to say
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump called him "Lyin' Ted" Cruz, mocked his wife's appearance and falsely suggested his father was involved in President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

Cruz called Trump a "sniveling coward," a "pathological liar" and "utterly amoral," and infuriated Republicans when he declined to endorse the nominee at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Four years later, one of the nastiest rivalries in recent memory - a brawl both personal and political - has given way to a mutually beneficial partnership forged in the crucible of impeachment.

Working inside the Senate and out, Cruz, R-Texas, played a unique role in securing Trump's swift acquittal at the third-ever presidential impeachment trial - simultaneously serving as legal strategist, jury consultant, messaging guru, broadcast surrogate and, unexpectedly, a breakout podcasting star.

Once a bitter foe who went to great lengths to stop Trump, Cruz has long since abandoned his animosity to embrace a president who enjoys sky-high GOP approval and rages against those who dare to break with him. Following his outsized work on impeachment, Cruz can fairly claim to have helped save Trump's presidency.

"My attitude is, I've got a job to do," Cruz said in an interview. "To do my job, I've got to work with the president. And, you know, I could have made the choice to allow my feelings to be hurt, to take my marbles and go home. But I think that would've been an irresponsible choice."

Besides being a particularly stark illustration of the axiom that there are no permanent enemies in politics, Cruz's decision to enthusiastically don the mantle of presidential guardian also represented, to many Republicans, an instance of a man meeting his moment.

A former Supreme Court clerk, Justice Department official and appellate litigator, Cruz until his 2012 election had spent his career ascending toward the pinnacle of the conservative legal world - a place where he might well have been leading Trump's defense instead of White House Counsel Pat Cipollone.

"This is his niche," said Sen. John Cornyn, a fellow Texas Republican who at times has been at odds with Cruz, who wasn't always considered a Senate GOP team player. "Because of his experience, I think when he talks, people listen, and I think he was one of the people who helped navigate a very difficult path."

Cruz's unusually aggressive dual role as juror and de facto auxiliary defense counsel encapsulated everything many Democrats despised about the trial that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other GOP senators had orchestrated - a betrayal by design of the oath that senators took to do "impartial justice" under the Constitution.

But they were also amazed at the notion that Cruz - who famously went to the floor of the 2016 Republican National Convention and urged the GOP to "vote your conscience," not for Trump - had become so obeisant.

"When he turned, he really turned, didn't he?" said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. "Into a total suck-up - you can quote me on that."

Cruz has long since forgiven Trump for past grievances, casting his reconciliation as a matter of Christian morality - never mind that Trump never actually sought forgiveness, he said. Politically, Cruz, 49, faces the reality that any Republican harboring presidential ambitions in 2024 or beyond must be in lockstep with the president.

In Cruz's telling, his most valuable contribution to Trump's defense came in framing his case before a potentially fickle jury. While Trump's removal from office was never seriously in doubt in the Republican-controlled Senate, there was a real possibility that a handful of GOP senators would want to hear from witnesses, adding weeks or potentially months to the trial and opening the door to new and damaging revelations.

Throughout the impeachment process, Trump and his allies argued that there was "no quid pro quo" in withholding military aid from Ukraine at the same time Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his family.

That argument, Cruz feared, would not fly in the Senate - especially with former national security adviser John Bolton willing to testify and potentially ready to rebut it.

So Cruz made his view known, starting with an Oct. 30 lunch with fellow Senate Republicans, then at a Nov. 21 meeting with Cipollone and other members of the Trump defense team, and frequently in public after that: Getting hung up on "quid pro quos" was a losing battle. Better, he said, would be to make the case that Trump's interest in the Bidens was justified.

Meanwhile, Cruz was among the first senators to connect that argument with the key question of whether witnesses would be called.

Along with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Cruz began in mid-January to promote the notion that if Democrats wanted to call Bolton, Republicans would demand that Biden's son Hunter testify about his well-paid service on the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma.

Trump and Republicans have accused Biden - without evidence - of ousting the prosecutor because he was investigating Burisma. In fact, former U.S. and Ukrainian officials have said the prosecutor's investigation of Burisma had been dormant.

"We're not going to see the one-sided show trial that the House has engaged in for months," Cruz said on Sean Hannity's Fox News show on Jan. 15. The message Cruz was trying to send was aimed less at Hannity's conservative viewers and more at the small handful of undecided GOP senators who were entertaining a vote for witnesses.

"The House managers were saying, 'Oh, we can do this in a week; it'll be quick and easy,' " he said. "Understanding all that going down the road of additional witnesses entailed was an important factor in bringing them to the decision of: 'We've heard enough; it's time to reach final judgment.' "

Enter Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard Law School professor who taught Cruz in the early 1990s and joined Trump's defense team just days before the trial. He and Cruz had been in agreement for months, though, in arguing a key point: Even if there was a quid pro quo, it would not be impeachable.

Dershowitz, who praised Cruz as having "one of the best analytic minds that I experienced in my 50 years of teaching," said the two did not coordinate ahead of the trial but suggested they had approached the facts from a similar perspective.

"We're both extremely independent. We don't follow the crowd. And I think we have a lot of self-confidence," Dershowitz said. "Virtually every academic disagrees with me, and I think they're wrong, and I'm happy to say that. . . . He wouldn't care what anybody else in the class thought, and mostly they didn't like it."

Meanwhile, Cruz and his advisers saw the impeachment drama as an opportunity to kick-start a project they had been pondering for months - a podcast targeting conservatives who didn't have hours every day to watch cable news or scan Twitter.

They collaborated with The Daily Wire, a conservative online media enterprise, to quickly launch the podcast, and after each trial day wrapped - in some instances in the early hours of the morning - Cruz left the Senate and headed to a downtown studio to tape "Verdict With Ted Cruz."

The first episode debuted Jan. 21, and on Jan. 26, "Verdict" began a week-long stint at the very top of Apple's U.S. charts, with some of the roughly half-hour episodes garnering hundreds of thousands of additional views on YouTube.

While the podcast's popularity shows Cruz has maintained his esteem among committed conservatives, his status in Trump's orbit is somewhat more complicated.

When Trump heaped praise on his legions of congressional defenders at a freewheeling East Room celebration the day after his acquittal, Cruz was not among them. He chose instead to fly back to Texas after the trial.

But Cruz said that Trump has been privately grateful, including in a Feb. 2 phone call just days before the verdict, where he took the opportunity to give the president a final bit of advice: With the State of the Union address coming a day ahead of the planned acquittal vote, Cruz warned that a premature victory lap could backfire and counseled him to avoid discussing impeachment.

"He followed that advice," he said. "I wasn't the only one giving it to him, but I was glad he did."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Cruz's role. But at a Jan. 29 event celebrating the ratification of a new North American trade deal, Trump singled Cruz out for praise.

"Thank you, Ted, for everything," he said. "You've been incredible."
The consensus was reached on February 14 during talks between visiting Minister of Public Security General To Lam and Chairman of the National Security Committee of Brunei Major General Awang Halbi bin Mohd Yussof, who is also Second Minister of Defence.

They believed that amidst the complicated situation of transnational crimes, terrorism, human trafficking, and high-tech crimes in the region, the two security forces should enhance information exchange on the artifice and affiliation of all crimes, especially terrorism, high-tech and drug crimes, as well as promote collaboration in the field of cyber security.

They explained close cooperation will contribute significantly to deepening the Vietnam-Brunei comprehensive partnership in the time ahead.

Laying stress on the sound cooperative relations between the two countries in the past time, the two ministers said the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and competent forces in Brunei have fully cooperated at all levels, in a number of bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, as well as at regional and international forums on crime prevention.

They recalled bilateral cooperation at the ASEAN Chiefs of Police Conference (ASEANAPOL), coordination to prevent and settle transnational crimes, and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, Minister Lam said both sides should support each others initiatives on crime prevention in the framework of ASEAN, help each other in tracking criminals, and enhance connectivity between the Greater Mekong Sub-region and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) in crime prevention and extradition.

Lam is leading a high-ranking delegation from the Ministry of Public Security on a working visit to Brunei on February 13-15.
Days after facing a major debacle in the Delhi Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now decided to rein in its leaders who are seemingly speaking out of line.

In a move that is being seen as an attempt to thwart hate speech, after displeasure was made evident by Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda today called in the senior leader and union minister Giriraj Singh to the party headquarters.

Home Minister Amit Shah had recently reportedly stated that the out of line statements made by party leadership have been a cause for defeat of the BJP in the recently held Delhi assembly polls.

Today's meeting was seen by the party sources as an attempt by top BJP leadership to instil some discipline into the statements being made by them.

Singh had been in the news after he reportedly made a comment about Deoband being the 'gangotri' of terrorism as terrorists like Hafiz Saeed have emerged from this place. In Delhi elections, Singh had equated Shaheen Bagh with the sanctuary of suicide bombers.

"I had once stated that Deoband is the Gangotri of terrorism. All the major terrorists from across the world have been born here," Singh said while addressing a gathering at UP's Saharanpur three days ago.

After facing flak for his statement, the Union Minister said that he stands by his statement that "Deoband is Gangotri of terrorism".

"My statement is correct and if someone has a problem then ask Uttar Pradesh police to list how many people are involved in terror activities," he told reporters

The two leaders who remained in the limelight for making inflammatory speeches were Union Minister Anurag Thakur and Delhi West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma.

It is in this context that Shah reportedly stated that few statements made by the leaders have harmed the party in the recent polls.

While, party leadership, time and again is cautioning its leaders against making irresponsible statements that could be bordering on hate speeches, many in the party feel that sending warnings do not serve the purpose.

"In some cases, one remains tight-lipped for a few days. But without any action, these warnings are empty sounds," opined a senior party leader while stating that leaders make statements they believe in and warnings can't change it.

However, whether the warning and cautioning will prove effective in upcoming polls in Bihar and other states or it remains sheer posturing by the party's top brass is yet to be seen.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Police have recorded almost 120,000 'non-crime hate incidents', it was revealed today - as a judge slammed 'Gestapo' police for quizzing a businessman at work over his 'transphobic tweets'.

Despite police accepting that such incidents are not crimes, they have still been logged on a system and can show up in criminal records checks - preventing the accused from getting jobs.

The figures emerged as Harry Miller, a former police officer, won a court victory against Humberside Police after the force investigated him over 'transphobic tweets'.

Under the Hate Crime Operational Guidelines, adopted in 2014, forces must record any actions deemed to be motivated by an element of hate, such as racism or transgender-phobic comments, even if there is no evidence to prove them.

The police was criticised by High Court judge Julian Knowles, who said Mr Miller's tweets should not have been categorised as a 'hate incident' and said officers had acted like the 'Gestapo or Stasi' by turning up at his work to quiz him about them.

Former police officer Harry Miller outside the High Court today prior to the ruling by Justice Julian Knowles

Former police officer Harry Miller with Father Ted writer Graham Linehan (third right) and supporters outside the High Court, London

One of the messages which Mr Miller was known to have retweeted was a poem which included the line: 'Your vagina goes nowhere'

In figures obtained by the Telegraph, South Wales police were found to have logged the highest number of 'hate incidents' with 13,856 cases since 2014.

The Metropolitan Police logged over 9,000 in the same time period.

Mr Miller's experience has been the most high-profile case of citizens being investigated by police even when they have not committed a crime.

The 54-year-old was told that 30 messages he had tweeted or retweeted over the past year were being recorded as a 'hate incident'.

A judge today described the police's actions had a 'substantial chilling effect' on Mr Miller's right to free speech.

Announcing the court's decision, Mr Justice Knowles said Mr Miller's tweets were 'lawful' and that the effect of the police turning up at Mr Miller's place of work 'because of his political opinions must not be underestimated'.

Mr Miller is the founder of campaign group Fair Cop, which challenges police interference in speech. The 54-year-old picture in the middle today holding a 'We love free speech' banner, with Father Ted writer Graham Linehan on his right

He added: 'To do so would be to undervalue a cardinal democratic freedom. In this country we have never had a Cheka, a Gestapo or a Stasi. We have never lived in an Orwellian society.'

He also said: 'The claimant's tweets were lawful and that there was not the slightest risk that he would commit a criminal offence by continuing to tweet.

How police guidelines on 'hate incidents' are lawful, but officers over-stepped the mark In today's judgment, Mr Justice Julian Knowles ruled that Humberside Police would have acted lawfully if it had 'merely recorded' the tweets as a hate incident. However he said police had overstepped the line by visiting Mr Miller at his place of work and then with subsequent statements in relation to the possibility of a prosecution against him. He referred to it as a 'disproportionate interference' with Mr Miller's right to freedom of expression. However Judge Knowles rejected a wider challenge to the lawfulness of the 'hate incident' guidance, ruling that it 'serves legitimate purposes and is not disproportionate'. Rules surrounding 'hate incidents' are set out by in guidance written up by the College of Policing. It defines a hate incident as 'any non-crime incident which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender'. This differs from a hate crime, which is a criminal offence. The definition of a hate crime, according to the guidance is: 'Any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.' Advertisement

'I find the combination of the police visiting the claimant's place of work, and their subsequent statements in relation to the possibility of prosecution, were a disproportionate interference with the claimant's right to freedom of expression because of their potential chilling effect.'

Mr Miller was joined at the High Court today by a group of supporters, including members of his organisation Fair Cop.

The organisation formed in May 2019 from concerns about police attempts to criminalise people for opinions that are not against the law.

Other supporters outside court today included Father Ted creator and comedy writer Graham Linehan, who said he has also had the police phoning him because of his opinions on transgender issues.

The College of Policing's guidance defines a hate incident as 'any non-crime incident which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender'.

In a ruling on Friday, the High Court in London found Humberside Police's actions were a 'disproportionate interference' with Mr Miller's right to freedom of expression.

But Mr Justice Julian Knowles rejected a wider challenge to the lawfulness of the College of Police guidance, ruling that it 'serves legitimate purposes and is not disproportionate'.

The judge said: 'The claimants' tweets were lawful and there was not the slightest risk that he would commit a criminal offence by continuing to tweet.

'I find the combination of the police visiting the claimant's place of work, and their subsequent statements in relation to the possibility of prosecution, were a disproportionate interference with the claimant's right to freedom of expression because of their potential chilling effect.'

At a hearing in November, Mr Miller's barrister Ian Wise QC said his client was 'deeply concerned' about proposed reforms to the law on gender recognition and had used Twitter to 'engage in debate about transgender issues'.

Maya Forstater (pictured), a 45-year-old tax expert, lost her job at a London think-tank last year after tweeting that transgender women cannot change their biological sex

He added: 'It's really, really hard to get the message out ... we are not transphobic, we just think that there are some issues that really need to be discussed.'

Mr Linehan - who said he has 'had police come to my house, phone me up' because of his public opinions on transgender issues - said the ruling was 'just chipping away at the corner of the problems, but is significant'.

In his judgment, Mr Justice Knowles emphasised: 'I am not concerned with the merits of the transgender debate. The issues are obviously complex.

Hate incident investigations are diverting officers from the priority of tackling violent crime, according to Cressida Dick (pictured)

'As I observed during the hearing, the legal status and rights of transgender people are a matter for Parliament and not the courts.'

Holding a copy of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, he added: 'I'm going to continue tweeting, I'm going to continue campaigning and I'm going to continue standing with women in order to secure their sex-based rights.

'This judgment today has told us that we can do that and, if the police come knocking, say: 'Miller v Humberside Police, b****r off!''

Deputy Chief Constable Bernie O'Reilly, executive director at the College of Policing, said: 'It is pleasing that today's judgment found that the College of Policing's guidance on the recording of non-crime hate incidents is both lawful and extremely important in protecting people.

'Policing's position is clear - we want everyone to feel able to express opinions as passionately as they wish without breaking the law.'

He added: 'Our guidance is about protecting people because of who they are and we know this is an area where people may be reluctant to report things to us because of the very personal nature of what they experience or perceive.

'In policing we don't always get things right and there will of course be some learning following today's judgment.'

The interview between Mr Miller and the officer took place at 3pm on January 23 last year.

The PC said he had received a complaint about Harry's tweets from a 'victim'  an unnamed member of the public 'down south'  who had alerted the hate crime unit of Britain's biggest police force, London's Scotland Yard.

Officers at the Yard, in turn, asked Humberside police to interview Harry after tracing him to his plant and machinery business in the force's area.

Mother-of-two who called a transgender woman a 'pig in a wig' is convicted of sending offensive tweets as free speech campaigners protest outside court A mother who called a transgender woman a 'pig in a wig' during a twitter row was today given a conditional discharge after a judge convicted her of causing anxiety. Three police officers arrived at Kate Scottow's home in Pirton, near Hitchin, Herts to arrest her in front of her 10-year-old daughter and 20-month-old son after complaints were received from Stephanie Hayden. District Judge Margaret Dodd found the 39-year-old guilty of persistently making use of a public communications network to cause annoyance, inconvenience and anxiety to Ms Hayden between September 2018 and May of 2019. Scottow was convicted of a criminal offence, unlike Mr Miller, who tweets were recorded by police as simply a 'hate incident'. Kate Scottow (pictured on February 7) was today found guilty of persistently making use of a public communications network to cause annoyance, inconvenience, and anxiety to transgender woman Stephanie Hayden between September 2018 and last May Scottow was accused of deliberately 'misgendering' Ms Hayden by referring to her as 'he' or 'him' during a period of 'significant online abuse'. Scottow had been arrested by police officers last year at her home in Pirton near Hitchin, Hertfordshire, in front of her daughter 10, and son, 20 months. District Judge Margaret Dodd told Scottow that she made deliberate and persistent use of male pronouns, and had caused Ms Hayden 'needless anxiety'. Advertisement

The policeman told Harry that he was in trouble for retweeting a 'transphobic' limerick.

He was told that he was also being investigated for tweeting support for BBC Woman's Hour presenter Jenni Murray, who had been criticised by Oxford students after writing a newspaper article questioning whether transgender women are 'real women'.

Harry was told in the conversation at Tesco that he had not broken the law but was guilty of a 'non-crime' hate incident.

According to court papers, the constable explained to him: 'Sometimes, a woman's brain grows a man's body in the womb and that is what transgender is.'

When Harry asked why the officer kept calling the person who had made the complaint a 'victim', when no crime had been established, he was told 'that's just how it works'.
Fire has raze down dozens of wooden structures at Dagombaline in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi.

The structures are part of about 200 clustered ones inhabited mostly by head porters.

Citi News Ashanti Regional correspondent, Hafiz Tijani reports that three fire tenders are currently at the scene and trying to access the source of the fire to fight it.

He estimates that over 500 head porters may be displaced over the incident.

More soon

citinewsroom
Turkey has announced that it had fulfilled all its responsibilities in Syrias Idlib region under the 2018 de-escalation agreements with Russia and Iran, international media reported. Ankara on Saturday announced that it might take military action if diplomatic efforts with Moscow fail. Both Turkey and Russia supported opposite sides in the Syrian Civil war but in 2018 agreed to set up a de-escalation zone in the Northwest region.

13 Turkish soldiers killed

However, a regime led the Syrian offensive in Idlib in the past two weeks has killed 13 Turkish soldiers and severed the cooperative ties between Russia and Turkey. Following the offensive, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to attack Syrian forces if any other Turkish soldier was hurt. Meanwhile, Ankara announced that it will use force to drive back the Syrian army if they did not withdraw by the February end.

To its defence, Russia claims that Turkey has floated the deal and aggravated the situation in Idlib. Moscow also added that it failed to minimise militancy in the region. Turkish and Russian officials have repeatedly held talks in Ankara over the dispute. However, there has not been any agreement as yet as both sides continue to blame each other. On Monday, a Turkish delegation is scheduled to go to Moscow to discuss the matter in Idlib, international media reported.

Read: India Rejects Turkey Poking Nose In J&K, Tells Erdogan 'Understand Pak Terrorism Facts'

Read: France's Macron Urges Better Long-term Relations With Russia

According to international reports, Kremlin urged Ankara on February 12 to implement the peace agreements. After a phone call between both leaders, Kremlin reportedly released a statement that Russia and Turkey 'noted the importance of full implementation' of the existing accords including the Sochi memorandum. The leaders have also reviewed the different aspects of the settlement of the Syrian crisis especially in the context of the recent escalation in the Idlib de-escalation zone. It was in 2018 when both countries had agreed on a memorandum in order to enforce a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib region from which the 'radical' forces were asked to withdraw. However, Russia has insisted that groups of 'terrorists' have continued to fight in the same region.

Read: Russia Urges 'implementation' Of Existing Accords With Turkey On Syria

Read: Russia To Lose Sochi Olympic Gold Medal In New Doping Case
Rechargeable Batteries Market Global Industry Analysis, Size and Share

PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-15 22:06:17

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Level 1, The Chase Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin D18 Y3X2, IrelandMarketing Communication Manager+353 1 442 8820

A rechargeable battery is an electrical battery that can be charged, as opposed to disposable batteries, which are rejected after use. A rechargeable battery is recharged by putting its terminals on a DC current; they are generally better alternatives as opposed to disposable batteries, as they are cost-efficient in the long term. Different types of rechargeable batteries are available in the market, including Lead-acid batteries, NiCD batteries, NiMH batteries, Li-ion batteries and Poly Lithium batteries. Rechargeable batteries are widely used across industries, namely automobile and telecom.For Additional Insights, Click to Access Complete Report - https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-rechargeable-battery-market/ The markets for rechargeable batteries have been gaining impetus due to mounting demand from the automotive industry, consumer durables, and electronic industry, among others. In addition, rapid growth in automotive industry and large-scale availability of different battery sizes and specifications is supporting the growth of the rechargeable battery during the forecast period.. The demand has also been boosted due to an increased use of portable electronic devices like laptops, UPS, Power banks among others; however, the primary deterrent during the forecast period, has been its high cost along with the availability of various substitutes, which often turn out to be fake and thereby short-lived.Request for Sample Report  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-rechargeable-battery-market/sample-request The key players operating in the market include Battery Technology Inc., Beckett Energy systems, BYD Company Ltd. , Duracell Inc. , Eagle Picher Technologies, LLC, energizer Holdings, Inc. , E-One Moli Energy Corp., Eveready Industry India Ltd., FDK Corporation, GPB International Limited among others.Request for Customization  https://www.gmiresearch.com/report/global-rechargeable-battery-market/request-for-customization The global rechargeable battery market has been segmented based on the battery type, material, application and industry. Based on the battery type, a product comprises of Lead-acid, NiCD, NiMH, Li-ion, poly lithium-Ion battery. This report provides an in-depth global market analysis of rechargeable batteries based on battery type, material, application and industry within the period from 2018 to 2025. The report highlights some major drivers of growth as well as highlights challenges faced by the participants in the market. Moreover, the research report lends insight into the market size, based on which it forecasts the global trend ahead, analysing minutely the competitive landscape, the major players and their strategies as on 2018.Key questions answered in this research report:1- At what pace is global rechargeable battery market growing? What will be growth trend in future?2- What are the key drivers and challenges in the current market? What will be the impact of drivers and challenges in the future?3- What are the regional revenue and forecasts? Which are the major regional revenue pockets for growth in the global rechargeable market?4- What are the various application areas and how they are poised to grow?About GMI ResearchGMI Research is a market research and consulting firm which provides research-based solutions to business executives and investment professionals so that they can make right business & investment decisions faster based on real facts. We help business leaders through independent fact-based insight, ensuring their business achieve success by beating the competition. GMI Researchs leadership team with extensive experience in research and consulting together with our research and domain expertise creates a strong value proposition to create solutions that addresses our clients business problems and add significant value to long lasting relationship.The company provides syndicated research report, customized research, sales enablement research, data analytics and KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) service for Electronics & Semiconductors, Information Communication and Technology, Energy & Power, Healthcare, Automotive, Transportation & Logistics and Chemical industries. Our analysts and consultants who are passionate about research and consulting are recruited from renowned local and global universities and have worked with the leading local and international organizations.Contact UsCompany Name: GMI RESEARCHContact Person: Sarah NashEmail: enquiry@ gmiresearch.com Phone: +353 1 442 8820Address:Level 1, The Chase Carmanhall Road, Sandyford Industrial EstateCity: DublinState: DublinCountry: IrelandWebsite: www.gmiresearch.com
The Republican governor of Vermont has endorsed Bill Weld in his longshot primary challenge to President Trump ahead of the states GOP primary next month.

Phil Scott, who like Weld is from the Libertarian wing of the Republican Party, told WPTZ-TV: Ive met him before, I think a lot of him and his platform so I would be supporting him.

Weld responded to the endorsement by praising the Vermont governor.

'Im a great admirer of @GovPhilScott of Vermont, and am delighted to have his endorsement in the Republican presidential primary on Super Tuesday,' Weld wrote on his Twitter account.

'VT has been well served in the past by Republican governors, and Gov. Scott admirably extends that tradition.'

Vermont Governor Phil Scott (left) announced this weekend that he is endorsing Bill Weld (right) for the Republican nomination for president

Scott's endorsement is a symbolic rebuke of President Trump (above), who is likely to coast toward being renominated by the Republican Party this summer

Weld responded to the endorsement by praising the Vermont governor. 'Im a great admirer of @GovPhilScott of Vermont, and am delighted to have his endorsement in the Republican presidential primary on Super Tuesday,' Weld wrote on his Twitter account

The endorsement by Scott is unlikely to have an impact on the Republican primaries given that Trump has near-total support among party officials and voters.

Last week, Trump handily won the New Hampshire primary, defeating Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts, by 91 per cent to 8 per cent.

Earlier this month, the president also cruised to victory in the Iowa caucuses.

Barring any unforeseen events, Trump will officially be re-nominated by the GOP at the party convention in Charlotte this summer and stand for re-election in November.

Weld was one of three Never Trump Republicans to put their names on the ballot last year in hopes of mounting a miraculous challenge to the president.

Mark Sanford, the former congressman from South Carolina, and Joe Walsh, a Tea Party Republican who was elected to Congress in 2011, announced their candidacies only to eventually withdraw.

Scotts support for Weld is a symbolic condemnation of Trump.

Last week, the Vermont governor accused the president of abusing his power. He also said Trump should not be in office.

Scott also blasted his fellow Republicans in the Senate, saying they should have allowed witnesses to testify at the impeachment trial and give evidence.

After being asked about the president's acquittal in the Senate, Scott said the outcome was almost a foregone conclusion.

If they'd taken more testimony, maybe they'd have had more information and maybe other senators would have acted appropriately, Scott said.

Trump's dominance over the Republican Party means that candidates like former Congressman Mark Sanford (left) and former House Rep. Joe Walsh (right) had no hope of getting enough voters to challenge the president

When pressed about whether he would have voted to remove the president, Scott noted he isn't a member of the Senate.

I believe that the president abused his powers. Its hard, in some respects for me, because Im not a supporter, Scott said.

I didnt vote for the president, and I dont believe that he should be in office.

He continued, I think its for the voters to decide in November whether he should continue in that role.

Trump was acquitted by the Senate on the two articles of impeachment that were filed by the House after an investigation into Trump's request for Ukraine to do us a favor in exchange for military aid and investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the November election.

Scott praised Senator Mitt Romney, of Utah, the only Republican to break ranks with his party and vote to convict Trump of one of the two charges that could have led to his removal from office.

I believe he abused his position of power; withholding those funds is inappropriate, Scott said.

The Vermont governor praised Senator Mitt Romney of Utah (seen above in Munich on Friday). Romney, the former GOP nominee for president, was the only Republican senator to vote to convict Trump on one of the articles of impeachment earlier this month

I believe, as Senator Romney did, that he shouldnt be in office.

Scott repeatedly praised Romney for his vote to convict the president on the abuse of power impeachment article, when Romney knew the vote could subject him to criticism from members of his party.

It shows a lot about his character and integrity, Scott said.

We can only hope that if we are in that same, similar situation that wed do the same.

Romney announced his decision Wednesday two hours before the GOP-dominated Senate voted to absolve Trump.

He said the impeachment oath required him to render impartial justice.

Since he took office in 2017, Scott has been a frequent critic of Trump, has repeatedly called for an end to the divisiveness in American politics, and has criticized many of the president's policies, including on climate change and immigration.

In September, Scott was the first GOP governor to support an impeachment inquiry against the president.
Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea on Saturday said it is assessing the amount that can be paid towards AGR dues, even as it flagged concerns over the continuation of its business.

The company said it is in the process to pay adjusted gross revenue dues as per the Supreme Court order.

However, the continuation of business in India will depend on favourable order on its modification plea filed before the apex court, it added.

"The Company is currently assessing the amount that it will be able to pay to DoT towards the dues calculated based on AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue), as interpreted by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in its order dated 24 October 2019. The Company proposes to pay the amount so assessed in the next few days," Vodafone Idea said in a BSE filing.

Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL), whose liability is estimated to be around Rs 53,038 crore, including Rs 24,729 crore of spectrum dues and Rs 28,309 crore in licence fee, has already warned of shutdown if no relief is given.

"As disclosed in the Company's financial statements for quarter ending December 31, 2019, the Company's ability to continue as a going concern is essentially dependent on a positive outcome of the application for modification of the Supplementary Order," the company said in the filing.

The next date of hearing is scheduled for March 17, 2020.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Water companies have referred their regulator to the competition watchdog in a revolt against strict price controls.

In December, Ofwat ordered firms to cut annual bills for customers by 50 on average over five years, while spending 51billion on improving services and investment in infrastructure.

The crackdown followed an outcry over bumper dividends paid to shareholders, tax avoidance and the poor record of some firms in preventing leaks.

Drip effect: Anglian Water and Northumbrian Water have joined Yorkshire Water in referring Ofwat to the Competition & Markets Authority

It has sparked the largest revolt in the 30-year history of the privatised water industry.

Yesterday Anglian Water and Northumbrian Water joined Yorkshire Water in referring Ofwat to the Competition & Markets Authority.

Anglian has been ordered by Ofwat to slash annual bills by 10 per cent. But the company said the price controls will jeopardise its plans to spend almost 6.5billion over the next five years, rather than offer big cuts in bills.

Much of this money has already been earmarked for projects including installing 1.1million smart meters, and fixing leaky pipes. It said the crackdown, which will knock more than 500million from its annual income, will also jeopardise its plans to lay a 300-mile pipeline from the Humber to provide water to Essex.

Chief executive Peter Simpson said: 'The Anglian region faces specific challenges brought about by a changing climate and a population growing faster than almost anywhere else in the UK. Our plan aimed to address these challenges.'

A spokesman said Anglian has not paid a dividend for the past two years and has agreed not to pay one for the next five years as part of its investment plans.

But the UK's biggest water supplier, Thames Water, said it had accepted Ofwat's price curbs, despite giving serious thought to joining the rebellion.

Ofwat chief executive Rachel Fletcher said: 'Companies must become more efficient, and step up to deliver better services [and] lower bills.'
Racer for Oscar Best film, now in town 1917 View(s): View(s):

Close runner against Parasite, the first foreign-language film to win the coveted Best Picture at the Oscars, Sam Mendes 1917, the World War-I drama is now being screened at theatres in Colombo and suburbs.

The winner of Best Visual Effects, Cinematography and Sound mixing at last Sundays awards night, this British epic war film directed, co-written, and produced by Sam Mendes stars George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, with Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch in supporting roles.

During the First World War in April 1917, the German army has pulled back from a sector of the Western Front in the north of France. General Erinmore briefs two young British soldiers, Lance Corporals Tom Blake and Will Schofield. Aerial reconnaissance has spotted that the Germans are not in retreat but have made a tactical withdrawal to their new Hindenburg Line, where they are waiting to overwhelm the British with artillery. With field telephone lines cut, Blake and Schofield are ordered to hand-deliver a message to the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, calling off their planned attack, which might cost the lives of 1,600 men including Blakes brother Lieutenant Joseph Blake.

Schofield and Blake cross no mans land and reach the abandoned German trenches. These turn out to contain tripwires, which a rat triggers. The ensuing explosion almost kills Schofield, but Blake digs him out. They arrive at an abandoned farmhouse, where they witness a dogfight between three aircraft. The German plane is shot down and plunges into the farm in flames. Schofield and Blake attempt to save the burned pilot. Schofield proposes to mercy kill him, but Blake has Schofield fetch water for the pilot. The pilot stabs Blake and is shot dead by Schofield, who comforts Blake as he dies, promising to complete the mission.

Schofield is picked up by a passing British unit. A destroyed bridge near the bombed-out village of Ecoust-Saint-Mein prevents lorries from crossing, so Schofield crosses alone on the remnants of the bridge. This draws an attack by a German sniper across the river. Schofield tracks down and kills the sniper, only to be knocked out by a ricocheting bullet.

The film is now being shown at Liberty By Scope, Colombo City Center, Majestic Cinema, Empire Cinema and PVR  Cinema.
Waymo vehicles get involved in accidental collisions sometimes, but it looks like a January 30th crash in Tempe, Arizona was no accident at all. Authorities have arrested Raymond Tang, an ex-Waymo driver who the company described as "a disgruntled former" contractor, on suspicion that he deliberately caused an accident wherein one of the company's self-driving vans crashed into his passenger car.

Based on the on-board videos captured by a couple of Waymo vehicles in the area (see below), Tang braked hard in front of them in an attempt to force them to rear-end his car. Authorities said Tang admitted to "brake-checking" the vehicles. While the Waymo vans are equipped with self-driving technology, their back-up drivers were operating them in manual mode in an effort to avoid a collision with Tang who was driving erratically. The driver of the vehicle that crashed into Tang's car was treated for minor injuries and asthma complications.

The suspect used to work for Genesis10, a staffing agency that provided the Alphabet-owned company with vehicle operators. Waymo ended his assignment nearly a year ago, though, "when he failed to meet the [company's] high safety standards." According to AP, court documents show that the January 30th crash wasn't the first time Tang targeted Waymo vehicles. He also allegedly committed "several crimes against Waymo vehicles" in Chandler between October 23rd and December 10th. Those earlier incidents caused over $3,200 in damages, while the January 30th crash caused $3,500 in damage to the van.

Tang now faces felony charges of aggravated assault and criminal damage, as well as misdemeanor charges for endangerment and reckless driving.
A collection of three samples of outright stupidities from the news.

CHINA SACKS PARTY CHIEFS

China has sacked the top political leaders of virus-stricken Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, the highest-profile figures to be removed so far in a crisis that has killed 1,355. The removals are the latest in a purge that saw Hubei's two most senior health officials fired earlier this week as criticism grows over the way the outbreak has been handled, with claims of under-reporting.

The problem is not so much the party chiefs, who may or may not have been incompetent, but the increasing tyranny that rules over China. The news and social media are full of reports that indicate that the Chinese government is lying about the scope of the event.

For a while, a few years back, it seemed as if China would grow into freedom along with its economy. However, in 1996, the Chinese started constructing the Great Firewall of China to censor the internet.

In 1996, Beijing enacted a set of interim provisions for governing computer information, and in 1998, the Ministry of Public Security launched the Golden Shield project  a national filter that blocks politically sensitive content from entering the domestic network.

Over time, the Chinese dictatorship has gotten worse.

In 2018, China got rid of term limits to allow Xi Jinping to remain in power.

Then, in 2019, China ordered that sacred texts be rewritten.

CHINA is to rewrite the Bible and the Quran to reflect its archaic Communist ideology, new reports claim. The bizarre order came from the all-powerful Committee for Ethnic Affairs which oversees all religious matters in the state. ... Reports say bible-bashing China wants all major religions to review their holy texts and to adapt them to the "era of President Xi Jinping". China officially recognises all faiths but the country is known for its Big-Brother surveillance and policing worship is just one aspect of this.

Rewriting sacred texts is usually a level of control that even the worst of tyrants avoid, as such texts come in under the category of historical documents. Xi Jinping's recent crackdown on Christianity has not been fully exposed in the Western press, where LGBT rights take precedence, but it is the worst in decades.

XI'S CRACKDOWN ON RELIGION IS CHINA'S WORST IN 40 YEARS  OZY

China Tells Christians to Replace Images of Jesus with Communist President  Christianity Today

However, Muslims posting on social media have claimed that Chinese actions against the Uighurs are responsible for the recent epidemic, which they see as a judgment from Allah.

A nurse said: #wuhan almost without doctors and nurses; mostly are dead! Remember what they use to wear. This is wrath of God! Stupid Chinese gov. challenging #Allah. stop the persecution of #uighurmuslims soon, if u have little mind.. #coronavirus # pic.twitter.com/d0ODNBulyR    (@mohdalwalidi) February 7, 2020

Given the disaster that the present coronavirus is creating, it seems that Xi Jinping may have lost the "Mandate of Heaven"...indeed, the whole system, though I doubt that Allah is the offended deity.

So the Chinese government is now seeking the Band-Aid of sacking some bureaucrats.

The solution for China is not to sack some officials, but to sack the whole system, and  if one is religious  to ease up on Christians.

IRELAND WANTS TO BLOCK GOOD IMPORTED FROM JUDEA AND SAMARIA

Sinn Fein did very well in Ireland's recent elections, and together with Fianna Fail, the party wants to block goods being imported into Ireland from "the West Bank."

Two parties that support criminalizing the purchase of goods or services from Israeli businesses in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Golan Heights were among the three nearly tied at the top as exit polls came in from Ireland's parliamentary election overnight Saturday. If the Irish bill becomes law, it could fine merchants in Ireland that sell products from the West Bank, Golan Heights or east Jerusalem for up to 250,000 euros, or sentence them to up to five years in jail.

There is some question as to whether the two parties can now get the legislation passed. The legislation had failed to pass in 2018, but Sinn Fein's recent victory has given this bad idea some new life.

Sinn Fein has a controversial history. It is the chief political party that worked for Ireland's independence in the early twentieth century; however, many condemn its association with later manifestations of the IRA.

But what is odd is that Sinn Fein's historic goal has been a united Ireland, yet somehow it opposes a united Israel. What possesses the party to take up this issue?

The party identifies with the Palestinians, who historically are equivalent to the pro-British Orangeman in Ulster  of course, not including religion  in that both are outsiders who resist the indigenous claim to the land. Here is a clue: the Jews are as indigenous to Judea and Samaria as the Gaels are to Ulster.

Ireland is now a tech power. Do the Irish want to affiliate with tech-savvy Jews or with Arabs in a sixth-century mindset? Don't they know that many American corporations will have to leave Ireland if such legislation is passed? The Sinn Fein position is insanity.

Irish bill to boycott Israeli settlements runs afoul of US laws (2018) The Hill

Perhaps Sinn Fein should consider if it might also lose the "Mandate of Heaven."

CANADA WANTS WEBSITES LICENSED

Breitbart reports:

Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault has stated that news websites, along with social media companies, could be forced to obtain government licences to operate in Canada.

From the Media Research Center:

Canada has no constitutional prohibition against its politicians attacking the freedom of speech, the press, and other forms of expression, offering fines, jail, and other punishments to people as incentives to shut their damn mouths.

No matter how much one may like Canada, it is not the United States.

Christians [in Toronto] are being silenced: Pastor arrested after preaching love in LGBT neighborhood Christian Post

Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad.

But before blaming the deities  or rather the One Deity  one should ask if their madness is a symptom of ignoring His advice. It seems as if a lot of mandates are about to be lost.

I could have found more examples, but these are some of the most recent and newsworthy.
The Adamawa State Government has described as rude the hard line position of the Organised Labour in the state over minimum wage for...





The Adamawa State Government has described as rude the hard line position of the Organised Labour in the state over minimum wage for senior civil servants.





The Organised Labour, made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and State Public Service Negotiation Council (SPSNC), had after a meeting on Tuesday accused the state government of frustrating negotiations of consequential adjustments aimed at determining minimum wage for senior civil servants.





It had in a bulletin after its meeting, given the state government one week to implement agreements earlier reached by the trade union and the government side of the public service negotiation council on the consequential adjustments.





Reacting on Friday to the stance of the Organised Labour, the state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Dr Umar Pella, said in a statement, The government notes with dismay the rather rude and threatening tone of the bulletin and believes as a partner in the progress of the state, the organised labour can do and say better in pursuit of its legitimate demands.

The commissioner said that though the government appreciates the grace period offered by labour for the negotiations to be considered, it regards the threat of not guaranteeing industrial peace after one week as unhealthy.





Umar Pella said Ahmadu Fintiri is a labour-friendly governor, having prioritised the payment of workers legitimate entitlements and being among the first to implement the new national minimum wage last year.





He assured that the government remains committed to maintaining the industrial peace that currently prevails in the state.





It could be recalled that the state government began implementation of N32,000 minimum wage for civil servants on level 01 to 06 last year on condition that those on levels 07 upwards would begin drawing their own minimum wage after pending consequential adjustments.
Three senior U.S. senators arrived in Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and reaffirm bipartisan support for continued strong relations between the two countries, despite an impeachment process that put Kyiv in the middle of a sensitive political situation.

"We just finished a very difficult moment in American politics," Democrat Chris Murphy told reporters on February 14 following the meeting.

"The three of us are [from] different parties. We voted differently on the matter of impeachment, he said, referring to the fellow members of the U.S. contingent, Republicans Ron Johnson and John Barrasso.

But we are here together because there is no difference between us or between Republicans and Democrats in Congress in our support for Ukraine, for our support for continued funding for Ukraine to defend itself, and our continued support for reform," he added.

Democrats in the House of Representatives on January 18 charged that President Donald Trump "used his official powers to pressure" Ukraines government to "interfere in a United States election for his personal political gain and then attempted to cover up his scheme by obstructing Congress's investigation into his misconduct."

They accused him of pressuring Kyiv to investigate his political rivals by withholding aid approved by Congress and a desired White House visit until the Ukraine government publicly announced a probe.

Trump denied he did anything wrong in his dealings with Ukraine and called the impeachment process a "sham" and an "attempted coup." He was acquitted following a trial in the Senate in a vote mainly on party lines.

Ukrainian leaders attempted to remain neutral in the U.S. political standoff, given that Washington and its NATO allies have provided billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv since 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and began supporting separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people.

The visiting U.S. senators sought to reassure the Ukrainian leader that the divisive impeachment case would not damage U.S.-Ukraine relations.

"Our message is we want to put this impeachment question behind us and we want to be moving together, Republicans and Democrats, in supporting Ukraine," Murphy said.

"We all are confident that President Zelenskiy does not want to be involved in U.S. politics, and we hope that any pressure [that] existed in the past to do so is over," he added.

Johnson praised Zelenskiy, who assumed the presidency in May 2018, for making gains in rooting out corruption during the initial months following his election.

Trump and his supporters have said that aid was held up to Kyiv because of concerns about corruption and not as part of demands that the country announce an investigation into a political rival.

"We leave Ukraine convinced of President Zelenskiy's dedication to fulfilling his mandate to defeat corruption and are optimistic for the future of Ukraine," the Republican said.

Zelenskiy said he wants to change Ukraine's global image so that his country is no longer associated with graft.

"We want people who speak of Ukraine to think not about corruption -- but about our wonderful country with good people and an attractive investment climate," he said.

"We are fighting against monopolies and privatization is now being carried out through open competition. That will all aid us in the fight against corruption in our country," he said.

With reporting by RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, CQ-Roll Call, Reuters, AP, and Interfax
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has expressed grief over the tragic demise of four children in a school van fire incident near Longowal in Sangrur district on Saturday, and ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident.

The Chief Minister has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 7.5 lakhs each to the families of the victims, read a statement.

Captain Amarinder Singh also ordered the Transport Department to immediately launch a statewide checking of all school buses to ensure the safety and security of the students to avoid the recurrence of such tragic mishaps in the future.

He also directed the District Child Protection Officers of Social Security Department to keep a strict vigil on school vehicles violating provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and also the school managements.

The accident took place when the school van was on its way to drop the kids of nursery wing of a private school, Longowal at their respective dropping points.

On the directions of the Chief Minister, Minister Vijay Inder Singla along with Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori and SSP Sandeep Garg rushed to the spot and the hospital and met the victims' families.

A case under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the school management.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A convicted fraudster who used his position as a treasurer to steal money from both a church and a charity has been put behind bars again.

Denis William Mackie, a former director of a company that provided financial advice to the Law Society for Northern Ireland, was handed a nine-month sentence at Belfast Crown Court yesterday.

The 58-year-old, from Thornhill Grove in Belfast, admitted stealing a total of 37,475.68 from St Dorothea's Parish Church, Belfast, on dates between November 2009 and October 2015.

He also admitted stealing 39,190 from the Belfast Music Festival by making unauthorised cheques, then lodging them into either his own bank account or St Dorothea's, on dates between October 2014 and April 2016.

In addition, the father-of-two admitted a single offence of writing a cheque from the church's funds for 18,000 which did not clear due to insufficient funds.

Judge Neil Rafferty QC was told the criminality occurred while Mackie acted as treasurer for both organisations, and that his offending amounted to a serious breach of trust.

The judge was also told that as a result of Mackie's offending, the reverend of the church said that it will take "generations for the finances to recover".

Meanwhile, the future of Belfast Music Festival, a charity which promotes local talent and which has been in existence for 110 years, "hangs in the balance", the court heard.

Crown prosecutor Philip Henry said Mackie's thefts from the church emerged after an investigation was launched due to concerns about financial irregularities.

Mackie held the voluntary position as the church's treasurer from 2005 to 2016 with Mr Henry revealing "he had been part of the congregation since he was a child".

The investigation revealed that Mackie had written 40 unauthorised cheques and made several cash withdrawals from various church accounts over a prolonged period.

Mr Henry said the reverend of St Dorothea's spoke of a "great sense of betrayal" at Mackie's actions which he branded a "calculated abuse of his position".

The reverend also said the "hurt was, is, palpable" among the congregation.

Turning to Belfast Music Festival, Mr Henry said the non-profit organisation, which promotes local talent in music, drama and performing arts, also suffered financial irregularities.

Police were alerted after it emerged a large number of cheques had been written from their account to St Dorothea's.

A total of 11 cheques were lodged into the church's account, totalling 28,360.

As a result of Mackie's actions, the acting treasurer for Belfast Music Festival revealed they had to reply on "loans and donations from friends" to stay afloat, and its future is now "uncertain".

Mr Henry said that as Mackie was stealing from the festival accounts which he then lodged into St Dorothea's accounts, there was "a certain amount of robbing Peter to pay Paul".

Mackie was handed a 12-month sentence in July 2017 after he admitted that in his role as an executive director of a company linked to the Law Society he was able to steal over 50,000 from the accounts of two clients.

Defence barrister John Kearney QC said the root of Mackie's offending was grounded in financial difficulties linked to both the break-up of his marriage, the recession, and "desperately trying to keep his house".

Explaining that Mackie "got bitten by the death of the Celtic Tiger in 2007", Mr Kearney said Mackie tried to solve his financial problems by remortgaging his house.

Mr Kearney revealed that in the midst of Mackie's offending he was "pretending to go to work" when he had no job, with this pretence was due to "shame and embarrassment about the situation he got himself into".

Mackie's barrister said that after his client was released from prison for his previous offending, Mackie has "managed to get himself back to work" and is "re-establishing his links with his family".

Regarding the money he took, Mr Kearney confirmed most of the money taken from Belfast Music Festival was put into the St Doreatha's accounts, with Mackie also using the money he stole to put his children through university.

During yesterday's sentencing Judge Neil Rafferty branded Mackie's offending as the "systematic syphoning of funds" which had left the church in a "perilous financial state" and the future of Belfast Music Festival uncertain.

Saying both organisations have sustained "very significant and long-lasting financial damage", the judge stressed it appeared Mackie's offending was "a misguided sense of wanting to keep up a pretence" and "living beyond his means".

Addressing Mackie and handing him a nine-month prison sentence, Judge Rafferty told the Belfast man: "There is absolutely no doubt your actions were motivated out of self-interest."

After it emerged that Mackie had 1,000 in his bank account, the Judge ordered that 500 be paid to both St Dorothea's and Belfast Music Festival.

However, the judge accepted that this limited compensation "may be a mere drop in the ocean".
A man charged with the illegal trading of human organs was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison by the Hanoi People's Court in a first-instance trial on Thursday.

Police warn of human organs trading via social networks

Illegal organ trade ring busted in Hanoi

Tran Van Phuong at court on Thursday in Hanoi. He was sentenced to over 12 years in prison for illegal organ trading.  Photo: VNN

Tran Van Phuong, 31, from Lang Giang District, northern Bac Giang Province, was sentenced under Article 154 of the Criminal Code 2015.

In early 2018, Phuong went to Cambodia to sell one of his kidneys. He found he could earn a lot of money from trading kidneys and began finding donors and buyers for the organs.

From April 2018, Phuong used a Facebook account named Tran Bui to find donors online.

After finding someone who wanted to sell their kidneys, he took them to one of his two houses in Hanoi's Hoang Mai District to take care of them and wait for a deal with the buyer.

He paid the donor VND240-320 million for a kidney, while the buyer paid up to VND450 million for each kidney.

Phuong conducted six trades, earning VND485 million.

In each deal, he earned VND35-120 million.

The panel of judges considered mitigating circumstances, including the defendants family circumstances and repentance.  VNS
New Delhi: After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre over the deadly Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans lost their lives last year, another party leader - Udit Raj - has now predicted that a similar attack may happen before 2024.

Raj, who is a former MP and party's backward face, on Saturdy (February 15, 2020) alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party won the 2019 Lok Sabha election by making ''Pulwama'' an election issue.

           ,       40                        Dr. Udit Raj (@Dr_Uditraj) February 15, 2020

Dr Udit Raj also defended Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for recently posing three tough questions for the ruling party relating to the NIA probe into the February 14 Pulwama attack.

Taking to Twitter, Udit Raj said, ''Rahul Gandhi's was right in asking the question about the outcome of the NIA probe into the Pulwama attack. It becomes more imnportant as the Ministry of Home Affairs knew beforehand that CRPF should not be allowed to travel by road, but by air. But still, this event was allowed to happen for political gains.''

Holding BJP responsible for the death of 40 CRPF jawans, the Congress leader said that after the Pulwama attack, BJP workers went out on candle march across India, which was the work of the Opposition, but it was done by the ruling party.

''The opposition should have questioned like the BJP did in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case as to how did the attackers come? It seems the Congress has missed the question, the time is right,'' the Congress leader added. Udit Raj's statement has triggered a political storm as several BJP leaders have slammed him for his remarks.

Rahul Gandhi on Friday made a stinging attack on the NDA government and sought to know from it who benefitted the most from the Pulwama attack on its first anniversary.

Taking to Twitter, the Congress MP raised three questions and sought to know from the BJP regime what came out of the inquiry into the February 14, 2019, Pulwama attack.

The Gandhi scion finally asked who in the BJP government has been held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the attack?.

''Today as we remember our 40 CRPF martyrs in the Pulwama attack, let us ask: - 1. Who benefitted the most from the attack? 2. What is the outcome of the inquiry into the attack? 3. Who in the BJP Govt has yet been held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the attack?'' Gandhi said in a tweet.

Rahul Gandhi's tweet triggered a political storm as it came on a day when the entire nation paid homage to 40 brave Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans, who lost their lives in one of the worst terror attacks in three decades in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir on this day - February 14, 2019, for their valour and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

A CRPF convoy of 70 vehicles was targeted by an explosives-laden SUV that was being driven by a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber, who was later identified as Adil Ahmad Dar. The vehicle rammed into one of the CRPF buses, killing 40 personnel onboard. The Pulwama terror attack was condemned by PM Narendra Modi in very strongest terms. PM Modi then said that the terrorists had committed a huge mistake and they will pay for it.

13 days later, India avenged the Pulwama attack by bombarding the Jaish terror camps located in Pakistan's Balakot, reportedly killing between 200-300 terrorists.

Almost all the conspirators behind the dastardly attack have since been killed with the last one being Qari Yasir, the self-styled chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group, who was killed last month.
Cheron Shelton, a man accused of opening fire at people attending a Pennsylvania barbecue in 2016, killing six, including an unborn baby, was found not guilty by a jury on Friday.

Prosecutors had claimed the massacre was in retaliation for the killing of Sheltons friend in 2013. They accused Shelton of opening fire at a crowd of about 30 people at a backyard cookout in Wilkinsburg.

Five adults and one child, the unborn baby of a 25-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant, all died. Four people were wounded.

Robert Thomas, 31, accused of being Sheltons accomplice saw prosecutors drop all charges against him. Reportedly a key witnessor witness number three as hes being referred tolost credibility after he recently admitted to murdering a baby at a picnic in 2013. Thomas had been accused of firing at the groupdriving them into Sheltons line of fire according to KDKA2.

Then there were the defenses allegations of a witness being paid in order to deliver a fabricated testimony against Shelton.

They built a case around him without any solid evidence, and focused on him without, as it was described by the media, the case was a house of cards, said Sheltons defense attorney Wendy Williams according to KDKA2.

Families of both the victims and the defendants were admonished by Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini to keep their emotions under control, especially when the verdict would be read out loud. After four days of deliberations, the jury came to a verdict on Friday at 11:50 a.m.: Cheron Shelton was found not guilty on all counts.

However, Sheltons bond will be revoked until other court matters are being taken care of, and the prior gag order concerning defendants and attorneys was also lifted.

After Judge finished reading the verdict exonerating Shelton, both camps shed tears; one for joy the other on agony. But as soon as the doors opened and the crowd streamed into the lobby, Jessica Shelton (unrelated to Cheron Shelton), mother of three of the victims lashed out before the assembled press, venting her dismay.

They set both of them free, So now he got the chance to kill us all, she shouted. When Im dead, McKinney (Sheltons attorney) is to blame, TribLive reported.

It seemed to me that Mr. Shelton was a suspect early on without much evidence to corroborate that, and they narrowed in and focused in on him without following any other leads. I think they did that to their detriment, said Sheltons defense attorney Randall McKinney according to KDKA2.
Coronavirus | Children's Mercy Kansas City As the World Health Organization declares an international public health emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak, Children's Mercy is taking all precautions to protect our patients, visitors and staff. We have been working with public health officials to get updates on how to characterize the disease, define best treatment practices and strategies to reduce transmission.

Quick literary moment of pause for our readers this evening,might be one of the greatest literary works the Western world has witnessed in the past 50 years. And it's apropos given Valentine's Day affections and theHere's real life news concern for parents beyond our snark and reflections . . .Here's more info from valuable local resource. . .
Shoukry spoke in a panel discussion on regional security in North-East Africa during the 56th MSC, pointing at developmental difficulties, negative impact of illegal migration, and other challenges

Related Egypt's FM Shoukry heads to Germany to participate in Munich Security Conference Egypts foreign minister Sameh Shoukry presented Egypts vision on challenges in North-East Africa during the Munich Security Council (MSC) meeting, highlighting the key challenges of political instability and the spread of terrorism.

Shoukry spoke in a panel discussion on regional security in North-East Africa during the 56th MSC meeting, pointing at developmental difficulties, the negative impact of climate change and illegal migration, and other challenges the region faces.

He presented Egypts vision on dealing with such issues, including its keenness during its chairmanship of the African Union last year to activate African solutions for problems in the continent and the necessity of adopting a comprehensive approach against terrorism.

Such approach includes renewing religious discourse and the necessity to combat the funding of terrorist groups and hold states that support terrorism accountable, Shoukry said.

Shoukry affirmed the necessity of regional states adopting a more effective strategy to manage its natural resources optimally in light of both the scarcity of the resources and population increase.

Shoukry is in Germany to participate in the MSC meeting, which focuses on the future of the European Union (EU) and key challenges and crises in the regional and international arenas.

He will also hold talks with a large number of officials participating in the conference to discuss means of boosting joint cooperation, according to foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez.

The Egyptian foreign minister has held separate meetings in Munich with his Dutch counterpart Stef Blok and with Jan Hecker, foreign policy adviser to the chancellor of Germany on regional developments, including the Libyan crisis.

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YEREVAN.  This is just a process taking place by [PM] Nikol Pashinyan's instruction. Narek Samsonyan, President of the "Civil Consciousness" NGO of Armenia who has been called to the Special Investigation Service (SIS) for questioning as an accused in the "black caviar" case, told this to reporters near the SIS building today.

Samsonyan had written on Facebook that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's family buys black caviar worth $5,000 from a restaurant every month. According to the SIS report, Samsonyan is charged with making a false statement.

"Pashinyan, in doing all this, has two goals: minimum and maximum," Samsonyan said. "The minimum is to hinder the activities of Antifake.am, and to say that 'whoever publishes the bad things done by our family,' that is, the luxuries made at the expense of the people, that person will be subjected to such persecution. The maximum goal is to isolate me, that I am isolated during that referendum [of constitutional amendments], the campaign.

I am confident that neither the first nor the second will happen, because I declare that from now on we are ready to publish [the reports by] all the people who will have even little information, no matter how many people will be able to commit such violation against me and the site afterwards.

Samsonyan noted that they would not allow Pashinyan to silence the press and curtail press freedom.

He added that they will not testify at the SIS.

Narek Samsonyan was summoned to the SIS earlier, too, after which he made a statement that his testimony was falsified by the investigator. The SIS then issued a counter-statement to this statement by Samsonyan.
(TNS)  Leak-hunting NYPD probers subpoenaedpolice bureau chief Tina Moores Twitter data in hope of finding out who in the department was giving her scoops.The subpoena was published on thes web site Thursday, and the NYPD acknowledged it sought the data in hope of finding out who leaked police photos to Moore.We are conducting an investigation to identify the person who leaked crime scene photos, the NYPDs statement said. Tina Moore was never the focus of our investigation.Moore declined to comment on the case. Twitter also declined comment.The police departments lawyer cited the anti-terrorism Patriot Act in demanding that Twitter turn over information connected to Moores account from Oct. 9 to 14.Around that time, Moore tweeted crime scene photos from a triple-murder at a Harlem dice parlor, thereported.The Dec. 9 subpoena  issued a week after Police Commissioner Dermot Shea took over the department  demanded all e-mail accounts, servers and internet protocol addresses associated with her Twitter account, as well info on any devices connected to the account.It also instructed Twitter not to let anyone know of the subpoena for 90 days after its issuance, contending any such disclosure could impede the investigation.Twitter apparently ignored the 90-day request and informed Moore of the subpoena by email, thesaid. After hearing from thes lawyers, the NYPD on Wednesday withdrew the subpoena, the newspaper said.I think what they were looking to do is identify her cell phone or the number of phones she uses, said Adam Scott Wandt, a professor at John Jay College who specializes in cybersecurity. They were looking for all of the devices that are used to connect to that Twitter account.Once the NYPD identified Moores phones, it could have issued more subpoenas to get phone records, he said.The subpoena was very interestingly-crafted, said Wandt. "They didnt ask for private messages. They were more interested in the connection that she makes to Twitter.Word of the subpoena comes just days after the NYPD placed two officers on modified duty for allegedly leaking video of a shooting inside the 41st Precinct stationhouse.Said Wandt, This clearly does raise First Amendment concerns when we talk about the freedom of the press.... Even the word getting out that this happened would make it less likely for police officers to unofficially release information in the future.
Shaheen Bagh protesters accept Amit Shah's proposal, Home Ministry says no such meeting on Sunday

India

oi-Mousumi Dash

New Delhi, Feb 15: After the protesters at Shaheen Bagh, who are demanding withdrawal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), on Saturday said that they are willing to speak to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discuss the contentious citizenship law, reportedly the Ministry of Home Affairs said no such meeting is scheduled for Sunday.

The agitators in Shaheen Bagh, mostly women, have been demonstrating sit-in protest in southeast Delhi since mid-December last year against the CAA and NRC.

The development comes a day after Shah accepting the Delhi assembly poll defeat on Thursday said at a gathering in the national capital that he is open to discuss matters related to the CAA with anyone, including the protestors at Shaheen Bagh. He said addressing the gathering, "(We) will give time within three days."

Reportedly, the Union Home Minister said that anyone who wants to discuss the issues related to the CAA with him can seek time from his office.

On Thursday, the Union Home Minister had also defended the CAA that provides Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Besides this he also assured that there is no such provision in the newly amended citizenship law that will take away the citizenship of Muslims.

Shaheen Bagh has turn into the epicenter of anti-CAA protests in the nationl capital since last year December. The protesters have been demanding the government to withdraw NRC, NPR, and CAA for a long time now.
YEREVAN.  Within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with his Iraqi counterpart, Mohamed Ali Alhakim, the Armenian Foreign Ministry press service reported.

They emphasized that the Armenian-Iraqi relations stand out with their dynamics. In this context, Mnatsakanyan noted that work is being done to expand the diplomatic representation of the Republic of Armenia in Iraq.

The interlocutors attached importance to the further promotion of multilateral cooperation. The two sides underscored the special role of the Armenian community in the social and political life of Iraq and in the strengthening of friendship between the two countries.

The FMs of Armenia and Iraq also exchanged views on urgent international and regional issues. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan underlined that Armenia always keeps the focus on developments in the Middle East and attaches importance to relieving stressful situations.
The U.S. secretary of state has declared that "the West is winning" as he pushed back against assertions that Washington was retreating from global engagement, and against warnings from Germanys president about a new "great power" competition.

Mike Pompeo's comments, made during a forceful speech on the second day of the Munich Security Conference, were met with a rebuttal from France's president, who asserted later on February 15 that there was a "weakening of the West."

The annual conference in the Bavarian city has long been a gathering of world leaders and has occasionally been conducted during times of strained U.S.-European relations, such as during the debate over the Iraq war in early 2003.

Tensions between Washington and its European allies have rattled the alliance. U.S. President Donald Trump, in particular, has been vocal in his criticism that NATO's European allies were not spending enough on defense budgets to support the alliance.

Trump has also voiced doubts about the alliances core component: the treaty clause that stipulates an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members.

Ahead of the conference's opening, organizers released a report titled "Westlessness" -- which they called "a uneasiness and restlessness in the face of increasing uncertainty about the enduring purpose of the West."

On the conference's first day, Germany President Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested that Russia and China, along with the United States, were stoking global instability, as he warned of the danger that the three were slipping into a new "great power" competition and nuclear arms race.

"And our closest ally, the United States of America, under the present administration itself, rejects the idea of an international community," Steinmeier said.

"'Great again' -- even at the expense of neighbors and partners," Steinmeier said, a reference to Trumps campaign slogan: Make America Great Again.

Pompeo pushed back against that argument, saying that the Trump administration was engaged in European security, and he asserted that NATO remained strong.

"Those statements don't reflect reality," Pompeo said.

"Im happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly over exaggerated. The West is winning and were winning together," Pompeo said.

"The West is winning, freedom and democracy is winning," he said.

Three Seas Initiative

Pompeo ticked off a list of concerns he said were shared by Washington and NATO: Russia, Iran, China.

He also said Washington would offer up to $1 billion in financing to Central and Eastern Europe to help the region avoid reliance on Russian energy.

The new U.S. financing would go toward the Three Seas Initiativea loose grouping of 12 European Union member states located between the Adriatic, the Baltic and the Black seas. Except for Austria, all are NATO members.

The initiative was set up to counter what some Western officials consider to be a danger of overreliance on Russian energy supplies.

Russia is the largest supplier of natural gas, and a major supplier of oil, to Europe.

Not long after Pompeo spoke, French President Emmanuel Macron countered the U.S. argument, saying that the West was weakening. He called for Europe to come up with its own independent strategy for the future -- independent of the United States.



"We need a European strategy that renews us and turns us into a strategic political power," he said.

Macron also criticized existing Western policy toward Russia, in particular the persistence of economic sanctions imposed in 2014 in response to Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula and Russia's foment of conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"It is not a policy, it's a completely inefficient system," Macron said. "There is a second choice which is to be demanding and restart a strategic dialogue because today we talk less and less, conflicts multiply and we aren't able to resolve them."

Earlier, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also offered a defense of the alliance's importance, downplaying disagreements over trade and defense policy.

"We are 29 different allies, from different sides of the Atlantic," he said. "But the differences we have today, we have been able to deal with them."

"We have not lost our way, and our values have not lost their value. Freedom, democracy and rule of law have brought prosperity...remain a beacon of hope for people around the world," he said.

"I dont believe in Europe alone, as I dont believe in America alone. I believe in Europe and America together," Stoltenberg said.

In his speech, Pompeo said some countries were still "desiring empires," citing Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, cyberthreats in Iran, and economic coercion by China.

He said China, Russia, and Iran were using the cyberrealm to wield influence, and he focused specifically on the Chinese high-tech company Huawei. The Trump administration has aggressively sought to warn that the company was a "Trojan horse" for allowing Chinese intelligence agencies to snoop on electronic communications.

"Huawei and other Chinese state-backed tech companies are Trojan horses for Chinese intelligence. Russia's disinformation campaigns try to turn our citizens against one another. Iranian cyberattacks plague Middle East computer networks," he said.

Pompeo also downplayed differences between Washington and its European allies over policy toward Iran. The Trump administration has aggressively sought to isolate Tehran, and the administration pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal reached with several European nations. That deal lifted crippling economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran curtailing its nuclear programs.

Several European leaders criticized the Trump administration and sought to keep the deal from falling apart entirely.

"Everybody gets that the terror campaign -- the assassination campaign right here in Europe -- is being conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo said.

"Everyone understands that these are folks that continue to build out their nuclear program. So, there is a common understanding about the threat. We have tactical differences about how to proceed," he said.

China's foreign minister rebutted both Pompeo, and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, whose speech at the conference focused almost entirely on China and Huawei.



"All these accusations against China are lies, not based on facts," Wang Yi Wang told the conference. "But if we replace the subject of the lie from China to America, maybe those lies become facts."

With reporting by Reuters
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Church planting group Acts 29 removes CEO Steve Timmis amid allegations of abusive leadership

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The board of the church planting group Acts 29 has voted to remove CEO Steve Timmis from the global church planting network after investigating accusations about his "abusive leadership" style.

"The Board of Acts 29 was made aware of some accusations of abusive leadership against our CEO Steve Timmis," read a statement to Baptist Press. "The Board launched an investigation of these claims and found evidence that he should be transitioned out of the CEO role immediately."

In an email sent to pastors, the board announced a new season of leadership, adding, Acts 29 would like to thank Steve for his years of service and leadership, and the legacy of faithfulness he is leaving behind. We want to honor Steve by sending him on a 4-month sabbatical leave and paying him through the end of 2020, according to a screenshot of the letter posted on Twitter by author and investigative journalist Julie Roys.

The Acts 29 board said it has asked Brian Howard to lead as executive director for the next few months while a final decision is made regarding the long term leadership of Acts 29.

A Christianity Today article detailed multiple accounts from former church members, elders and friends of the pastor describing a pattern of spiritual abuse through bullying and intimidation, overbearing demands in the name of mission and discipline, rejection of critical feedback, and an expectation of unconditional loyalty.

On Sunday, the U.K.-based church which Timmis founded, The Crowded House, also confirmed online his resignation as a church elder.

We write with a concern for the reputation of Christ and a desire to care for his people, the church said in a statement. On Friday 7th February Steve Timmis resigned as an elder of The Crowded House. We have valued his ministry among us and his role in founding the church. Many of us owe him a personal debt.

We also feel the weight of the stories told in the article. It is therefore our intention to ask someone from outside our network to explore what has happened and make recommendations. It will be for that person to shape the process, but we want to listen to all concerned with humility. We are willing to hear where we may have failed people. We recognize the need to open ourselves up to external and impartial scrutiny."

Additionally, Inter-Varsity Press UK announced it will no longer sell Timmis titles, saying that the style of close church community advocated in these books lacked sufficient safeguards against abusive control and apologizing for them possibly contributing to unhealthy and even abusive church cultures."

Led by president Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, Acts 29 describes itself as a diverse, global family of church-planting churches characterized by theological clarity, cultural engagement, and missional innovation.

According to the 2019 Annual Report, Acts 29 has grown from just a few church plants in the early 2000s into a global family of nearly 800 churches worshiping in more than 30 languages in more than 50 nations.

This is not the first time an Acts 29 leader was forced to step down. In August 2014, Acts 29 co-founder and pastor Mark Driscoll was also removed after allegations of "ungodly and disqualifying behavior."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington is leading a coalition to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, TASS reported.

The US supports the efforts of the Organization of American States in reviving its institutions, mandate, and increasing efficiency, said Pompeo at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

According to him, they are leading a coalition of 59 countries to overthrow Maduro and respect the will of the Venezuelan people.

The situation in Venezuela escalated after January 23, 2019, opposition leader Juan Guaido, whose appointment to the post of speaker of the parliament two days earlier, was canceled by the Supreme Court, declared himself acting president. The US recognized him as the interim head of state.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called the incident coup d'etat and announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the US. Russia, Belarus, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Syria and Turkey supported him.
Chandigarh, Feb 15 : In a major breakthrough, the Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana Police on Saturday said that it has arrested notorious criminal Raju Basaudi, who has links with the gang operated by Lawrence Bishnoi.

He was nabbed from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Basaudi was wanted in Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi. The police had announced a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

A look-out circular for him was issued recently on the request of Haryana Police.

The gangster belongs to Basaudi village in Sonipat district.

More than two dozen cases have been registered against him for his involvement in 13 cases of murder, three cases of attempt to murder and around a dozen cases of robbery.
President Donald Trump gleefully quoted a New York Times article that had a headline calling the president stained in history. But the important part for the president was not the headline, but the lead of the article that cited a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote about going after the king. Even though the piece by Peter Baker was published two weeks ago, Trump quoted it on Twitter Saturday, with some eyebrow-raising changes.

Ralph Waldo Emerson seemed to foresee the lesson of the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump. When you strike at a king, Emerson famously said, you must kill him, read the lead from Bakers Feb. 1 piece. Mr. Trumps foes struck at him but did not take him down. Writing before senators voted to acquit Trump, Baker wrote that a triumphant Mr. Trump emerges from the biggest test of his presidency emboldened, ready to claim exoneration and take his case of grievance, persecution and resentment to the campaign trail.

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Trump quoted those opening lines but capitalized king and changed it from a king to the King.

Trump also capitalized the word King which was capitalized in the NYT story nor in the original Emerson quote.



He also changed it to the King from a king.  Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) February 15, 2020

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The president likening himself to a king quickly drew outrage and the phrase you are not a king started trending on Twitter. Many also expressed concern that Trump seemed to confirm his campaign for re-election will be pushed by grievance, persecution and resentment.

A few problems with your analogy:



1. YOU ARE NOT A KING

2. Murder is illegal

3. You were still IMPEACHED. That shit lasts forever.

4. It's not "triumphant" when you hid the witnesses, threatened jurors, and half of them admitted that they knew you were guilty.  BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) February 15, 2020

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YOU ARE NOT A KING!



Me seeing that Trump referred to himself as king: pic.twitter.com/u6y4FCRAdr  Mychal (@mychal3ts) February 15, 2020

Legal experts were also quick to raise concerns about the presidents tweets. This may be the most sinister tweet Trump has ever posted, University of Michigan law professor Barbara McQuade wrote. He is comparing himself with a king and threatening to use his powers for revenge on those who questioned his abuse of power. The presidents quote came at the end of a week in which he said he had the legal right to interfere in criminal cases.
A few Members of the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) were on Saturday detained by the police after they staged a protest outside Tamil Nadu House here.

The JCC members were protesting against the Tamil Nadu police's action during anti-CAA protests in Chennai on Friday.

Over 100 people were detained on Friday by the Chennai police following a scuffle during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Washermanpet.

Later, a protest was staged near Mount Road Dargah at Anna Salai. But it was later withdrawn.

Meanwhile, the protest in Chennai against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Register of Citizens (NRC) resumed on Saturday in the Washermanpet area.

The protestors were seen sitting peacefully displaying banners against the CAA and NRC. The protestors were also seen waving the tricolour and chanting slogans.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite the fall in popularity of the Fine Gael party over recent months, few would have anticipated that veteran Cork East TD David Stanton would be in any real danger of losing his seat.

However, as the first count was announced and it emerged the Midleton-based TD's first preference's had dropped by more than 1,000 votes when compared to four years ago, it became apparent that he was going to be dragged into a long and drawn out dogfight.

Indeed, as it transpired, Deputy Stanton, who has served as Minister for State for Equality, Immigration and Integration, had to wait until the final eighth count to ensure his re-election to the Dail, albeit without having reached the quota, with transfers from his eliminated running mate Pa O'Driscoll proving to be crucial.

He was not the only candidate to admit there were times during Sunday's count when he felt he could be in danger of losing a seat "Certainly, there was a time when I genuinely thought that it might not be my day. This is my sixth election on the trot and each time there is that niggling doubt that something might happen. That said, I am delighted to go forward again and be given the opportunity to serve the people as best I can," said Deputy Stanton.

"I have had a strong team behind me and I want to thank them for volunteering their time to canvass, give out leaflets and put up posters. Then, of course, there are the people who voted for me. Obviously their number ones were important, but in this instance the number twos, threes and fours were equally important," he added.

Deputy Stanton said he feels he still has a lot to contribute to Irish politics.

"I have a lot of experience both in opposition and in Government. I don't want to be at home, I want to be out doing what I can on behalf of the people and I am relieved and delighted my constituents have given me the opportunity to do that."

Deputy Stanton said that given the relative parity in the number of seats gained by the three main parties, he would expect there to be a long period of negotiation before a Government is formed.

"Of course, it is vitally important that we do have stable Government after this, because as a country we are facing some serious challenges both domestically and internationally."

He refuted any suggestions that the last term was a 'do nothing Dail'.

"That is simply not true. We got a lot done, an awful lot done. I was in a Government that had one-third of the deputies and two thirds in opposition. When I speak to colleagues in other countries they can not believe how we managed it, but we did and it worked," said Deputy Stanton.

In addition to congratulating new members of the Dail who will be taking up seats for the first time, Deputy Stanton also paid tribute to those who lost their seats in #GE2020.

"We are lucky in this country that we have a democracy at a time when I see reports of democracy in retreat across the globe. We have to treat our democracy with respect. It's a fragile flower and we have to vote, vote seriously and properly and respect those people who put themselves up for public office," he said.
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The heartbreaking 911 call made by the mother of tragic Faye Swetlik an hour after the young girl first went missing on Monday has been released by police.

Selena Collins can be heard battling through tears in the distressing call as she tells the dispatcher 'I can't find my daughter'.

The call reveals that she and neighbors had checked all of the surrounding houses for the six-year-old before calling the cops.

Missing South Carolina six-year-old Faye Swetlik's body was found in a wooded area near her house on Thursday before her male neighbor Coty Scott Taylor, 30, was also found dead in his home. He lived about 100 yards away from the little girl's home.

Authorities confirmed on Friday that Faye's body was found in woods between her home in Churchill Heights and a Napa Auto Parts store in Cayce, South Carolina, on Thursday around 11am, after 'a critical piece of evidence' was found in Taylor's trash can.

Faye Swetlik with her mother Selena Collins, who made the distressing 911 call on Monday after the six-year-old disappeared

The body of Coty Scott Taylor (pictured), who is linked to Faye Swetlik's (right) death, was found dead in his house shortly after the remains of the six-year-old were discovered in the woods neighboring both their homes

The final moments: An aerial map shows the close proximity between Faye's home, the home of suspected killer Coty Scott Taylor and the wooded area where the little girl's body was found

Selena Collins, pictured here with her daughter Faye, battles through tears as she makes the 911 call to report her missing

TIMELINE OF FAYE'S DISAPPEARANCE Monday, at 2.45pm Faye Swetlik is seen getting off a school bus after attending first grade at Sprindale Elementary School Monday, between 2.45pm & 3.44pm Faye is last seen playing in front of her Londonderry Square home in Churchill Heights when her mother discovers her missing Monday, 5pm Faye's mother, Selena Collins, reports her missing after a frantic search of the neighborhood. Up to 50 officers canvas the neighborhood. Department of Public Safety's Chief Byron Snellgrove said there did not appear to be any evidence of abduction at the time, and her disappearance doesn't meet the criteria for an Amber Alert Tuesday FBI and SLED helicopter teams join more than 200 law enforcement investigators in the search for Faye. A tip hotline number is set up for the public. Community members gather at Trinity Baptist Church to pray for Faye's safe return Wednesday Cops continue to knock on doors in the neighborhood, but admit in a press conference not everyone within their search area had been spoken to. Police also search the woods behind the homes. They also make a public appeal for the drivers of an SUV and another car seen in the area to contact them. Only one driver does Thursday morning Cops discover a 'critical' piece of evidence in a trash can belonging to 602 Picadilly Square, where Coty Scott Taylor, 30, lives. Police don't reveal what the evidence is, but say leads them to the woods neighboring an autoparts store behind the home Thursday, 11am Cayce Department of Public Safety Chief Byron Snellgrove discovers Faye's body in the woods behind the home of her neighbor, and near her home. Police say her body was moved shortly before she was found, and that she was killed elsewhere Thursday, after 11am Police then head to 602 Picadilly Square where they find the body of Taylor. It is not yet clear how he died Friday Authorities reveal where they discovered Faye's body and confirm that neighbor Coty Scott Taylor is linked to her death. They will not reveal anymore details about their deaths, but said autopsies will be performed on Saturday Advertisement

Authorities released the harrowing 911 call made by Faye's mother on Monday to report her daughter's disappearance.

In the call, the distraught mother Selena Marie Collins is heard gasping and sobbing uncontrollably.

'I need to report a missing child. We can't find my daughter,' she tells the dispatcher.

'She was just right in front of my front porch.

'She was playing outside. I can't find her [inaudible],' Collins continued.

'She's six. She's going to be seven in June.'

Collins describes the clothes Faye was wearing to the dispatcher as she is connected through to the police department. She tells them Faye was wearing polka-dot green boots, a pink rose skirt, and a black t-shirt with neon design.

'I last saw her probably about an hour ago,' Collins added.

'She was right in front on my front porch.'

Collins says that they 'checked all the houses in my neighborhood' and that any neighbors she met with were out to help look for her.

The 911 call concludes as police tell Collins to stay in her yard close to the last place she was and that a unit with a dog was on its way in case they needed to track her.

When Swetlik's body was found on Thursday, a search party, led by Cayce Department of Public Safety Chief Byron Snellgrove, had gathered to map out a route to re-canvass the woods behind the home.

The evidence in Troy's trash 'led' officers to the same area they intended to canvass, and Swetlik's body was discovered shortly after by Snellgrove.

Police would not say in what condition her body was found, but that she had been moved to the area shortly before she was discovered. The body of Taylor - who is linked to her death - was then found nearly at his home at 602 Piccadilly Square.

Police would not confirm how Faye was killed, or how Taylor died.

Taylor, who did not have a criminal record and was not known to police, is not related to the little girl nor is he a friend, authorities confirmed.

'He was merely a neighbor who lived at Churchill Heights,' Sgt Evan Antley, with the Cayce Department of Public Safety, said Friday.

He also confirmed that officers had previously spoken to Taylor during the search for the missing girl.

Police confirmed the two deaths are connected.

Antley assured the community 'that there is no reason to believe there is an active threat'.

No arrests had been made and officers are not seeking any other persons of interest.

Antley would not comment on the condition of the bodies or the causes of death.

Officers had returned to the scene after finding 'critical evidence' in a trash can belonging to the suspected killer on Thursday.

Antley said: 'Based on that discovery we narrowed down an area that we felt as an investigative team that we needed to go back to and look for more evidence.'

Antley confirmed they had been to the area multiple times prior to the discovery.

Officers began a new search and Faye's body was found at around 11 a.m.

Based on preliminary investigations from the coroner's officer Faye had not been in that location 'for very long at all', Antley said.

Shortly after finding Faye, officers found the body of Taylor at 602 Piccadilly Square, which is around 100 to 150 yards from the little girl's home where she was last seen alive, Antley said.

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said autopsies will take place on Saturday.

In the video, Faye (pictured) is seen getting out of her seat and walking to the front of the bus

Footage of Faye getting off the bus on Monday afternoon was release by police on Wednesday

Faye (center) is then seen speaking to the bus driver (left) before exiting the bus

Though authorities would not confirm what the 'critical evidence' that led them to the crime scene was, Antley said it 'would have been listed on her missing person flier'.

The missing person flier stated that Faye was last seen wearing polka dot rain boots, a pink flowered skirt, and a black T-shirt with the word 'PEACE' written on the front.

Antley said he wanted 'everyone to continue to pray for Faye Swetlik'.

The Churchill Heights neighborhood where Faye lived continued to be under heavy police presence on Friday.

Footage posted on Twitter showed that police had extended the crime scene to a different set of apartments near Londonderry Lane where Faye lived.

WIS-TV reported that several law enforcement officers were coming and going in the apartments and the wooded area surrounding them Friday morning.

Faye was a first-grade student at Springdale Elementary School. She went missing on Monday after getting off the school bus

A coroner identified the child's body this morning, police confirmed Thursday afternoon

Yellow police tape was also across the little girl's home.

The local community had taken to social media speculating about the identity of the deceased male and his connection to Faye's murder.

The latest revelations come as heartbreaking pictures emerged of Valentine's Day cards that the little girl's classmates made for her in the hope she would be returned alive.

Some of her friends in the first grade at Springdale Elementary School made the cards for her before the news of her death broke Thursday.

Lexington School District Two released a statement Thursday saying the school community was 'heart-broken' by her untimely death.

Flowers, balloons and teddy bears are left at the entrance to the Churchill Heights neighborhood for the little girl

The heartbroken community has set up a memorial for Faye Swetlik

'We are heart-broken with news of the death of Faye Swetlik, a first-grade student at Springdale Elementary, who went missing earlier this week. When the school community experiences a tragedy like the loss of a child, it deeply affects all of us,' it said.

Flowers, balloons and teddy bears had also been left at the entrance to the Churchill Heights neighborhood for the little girl.

The search for the missing six-year-old came to an end Thursday when authorities confirmed they had found her body in her South Carolina neighborhood.

The body of a deceased adult male was also located in the neighborhood, authorities said.

Director of Public Safety for Cayce, Byron Snellgrove announced the news through tears at a Thursday press conference where he spoke for only about a minute and took no questions.

'It's with extremely heavy hearts that we announce we have found the body that the coroner has identified as Faye,' Snellgrove said.

Faye's death is being treated as a homicide and no arrests have been made, he added.

Authorities did not identify the male or release information about where exactly the bodies were found or whether the two deaths were connected.

However, Snellgrove said 'there was no danger to the public'.

DailyMail.com requests for comment to the Cayce Department of Public Safety and the Lexington County Coroner haven't been returned.

The media was alerted to intensified police activity Thursday morning, with officers and fire crews blocking anyone from entering the neighborhood, even residents.

Investigators were also seen searching trash cans.

Authorities had given an update on the investigation Thursday morning.

At that time, police said they had towed two cars from the home where the child lived.

Antley confirmed that the vehicles were removed from the home but didn't share details of anything that 'may or may not have been found in those vehicles'.

The sergeant also confirmed that officers had searched Faye's home 'multiple times'.

Swetlik's grandmother shared video on Thursday showing her six-year-old granddaughter sing 'You Are My Sunshine'

Young Faye is seen above with her grandmother, Ruth Collins, who provided the video of her singing

'My heart is out there somewhere and I don't know how to handle it,' said Faye's grandmother Ruth Collins a day after her granddaughter went missing

Faye's death is being treated as a homicide and no arrests have been made.

Faye's death is being treated as a homicide and no arrests have been made. Officers pictured during the investigation on Thursday

Authorities said the child's body was found in the Churchill Heights neighborhood where she lived. Police have also found the body of an adult male who has not been identified

Police officers were seen earlier in the week canvassing the neighborhood near Faye's home

The child had been playing in front of her home (pictured) at the time she went missing

Police initially said they were hunting for two cars that were seen in the neighborhood before Faye vanished on Monday. Officials have identified the person driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer, but investigators are still seeking information about the sedan

Police had also closed off the neighborhood where the girl lived to everyone except residents, their visitors and delivery trucks. An officer was also stationed outside of the girl's home.

Hundreds of officers in Cayce, along with state police and FBI agents, worked around the clock to try to find the little girl.

Searchers knocked multiple times on the doors of every home in the neighborhood.

Police initially said they were hunting for two cars that were seen in the Churchill Heights neighborhood before Faye vanished after getting home from school on Monday.

Cayce Department of Public Safety posted images of the cars, saying: 'The two vehicles shown were in the neighborhood during the time #FayeSwetlik was last seen.'

Antley confirmed Thursday morning that they had identified and spoken to the person driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer, but investigators are still seeking information about the silver sedan.

Faye's bereaved grandmother shared a video showing the six-year-old singing 'You Are My Sunshine' on social media in the hours after authorities in South Carolina confirmed she was found dead.

Her grandmother, Ruth Collins, had posted several messages on her Facebook page expressing hope that her granddaughter would eventually be found.

'I want my baby back,' Collins said at a prayer vigil on Tuesday. 'We've got to find her.'

After officials announced that a body had been found, Collins posted a picture of a single burning candle, and a touching picture of her kissing her granddaughter's head.

'He was merely a neighbor who lived at Churchill Heights,' Sgt Evan Antley with the Cayce Department of Public Safety said at Friday's press conference

Director of Public Safety for Cayce, Byron Snellgrove (pictured) became emotional as he announced the death of little Faye

The row of homes where Coty Scott Taylor lived (pictured) was about 100 to 150 yards from Faye's home

Faye was last seen playing in front of the Londonderry Sq home in Cayce, near Columbia, at approximately 3.45pm.

Her family reported her missing at 5pm, saying they had been searching for her.

Police did not say whether the person driving the Trailblazer lived in the Churchill Heights neighborhood.

Authorities released footage of Faye getting off her school bus on Wednesday morning as they announced that the search for the girl had been expanded.

In the footage, Faye gets out of her seat, speaks to the bus driver and then exits the vehicle. According to a witness, this was at around 2.50pm Monday.

Faye - a student at Springdale Elementary School - was last seen wearing a black shirt with neon colors, a flower print skirt and polka dot rain boots. The shirt had the word 'peace' written on it.

Snellgrove said Faye's mother, her mother's boyfriend and Faye's father had all been cooperating with the investigation.

Faye's grandmother, Ruth Collins, had been pleading to the public on social media for help with finding her granddaughter.

For the past few days, Faye's grandmother, Ruth Collins (left with Faye and right), has been pleading to the public on social media for help with finding her granddaughter. 'I'm going crazy not knowing where she is,' Collins said

On Tuesday night, community members (pictured) gathered at Trinity Baptist Church to pray for Faye's safe return

'I'm going crazy not knowing where she is,' Collins wrote in a Facebook post.

In a statement, the family told ABC News that 'Faye is a bubbly and happy little girl'.

'She's not the type of kid that will up and walk away... Faye pays attention to her surroundings. We just want to find Faye and bring her home.'

The child's mother has not made any public statements since Faye went missing earlier this week.

On Tuesday night, community members gathered at Trinity Baptist Church to pray for Faye's safe return.

Faye was lactose intolerant with a speech impediment from having a tethered tongue.

Tethered tongue, or ankyloglossia, is when a thick band of tissue tethers the bottom of the tongue to the tip of the floor of the mouth.

'When she walks into a room she brightens it up. Everyone loves Faye,' Snellgrove said.

'Faye loves dresses, fancy shoes, spending time with her family, cats and playing outside.'

Several public figures have spoken out about the Swetlik case.

Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech to The Citadel, a military academy in South Carolina, according to Fox News.

'[A]llow me to address an issue that I know is on the hearts of people all across South Carolina today,' the vice president said on Thursday.

'And as your vice president and as a father, let me say we were deeply saddened to receive word this afternoon that the remains of Faye Swetlik, a 6-year-old girl who went missing from her parents' front yard just three days ago, have been found.'

Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted: 'Like all South Carolinians, I was heartbroken to hear the news about the death of Faye Swetlik.

'I pray for the family of this beautiful young girl as they deal with this horrific tragedy.'
Northrop Grumman launched a Cygnus spacecraft filled with NASA supplies (and some tasty treats) to the International Space Station Saturday (Feb. 15) in an afternoon liftoff that had some impeccable timing.

An Antares rocket (also built by Northrop Grumman) launched the uncrewed Cygnus NG-13 spacecraft at 3:21 p.m. EST (2043 GMT)  that's "3-2-1" for a liftoff time  from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

"Awesome launch today," Joel Montalbano, NASA's deputy program manager for the International Space Station, said just after launch during live commentary.

Related: See amazing launch photos of Antares and Cygnus NG-13!

More: Bacteria & bone: Here's the science launching on Cygnus NG-13



NASA initially tried to launch the mission on Sunday (Feb. 9), but aborted the attempt in the final minutes due to a ground equipment sensor glitch. Dismal weather throughout the week prompted more delays.

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket launches the uncrewed Cygnus NG-13 cargo ship to the International Space Station from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Feb. 15, 2020. (Image credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Cygnus NG-13 will arrive at the space station Tuesday (Feb. 18) deliver more than 7,500 lbs. (3,400 kilograms) of science experiments, supplies and other vital gear for the astronauts of Expedition 62. Packed among those supplies are some treats, including fresh fruit, choice candy selections just in time for Valentine's Day weekend, as well as and one extra special request from the astronauts.

"For the first time ever, we're sending some conditioned cheese in a small amount of space that we have left over," NASA's Ven Feng, manager of the International Space Station Transportation Integration Office, said in a press conference here on Saturday (Feb. 8).

The cargo ship is delivering wedges of Wisconsin cheddar, Parmesan and Fontina hard cheeses in a cold bag for the station's three-person Expedition 62 crew to enjoy. That crew includes commander Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos and NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan.

Space pioneer honored

U.S. Air Force Maj. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., the first African-American ever selected as an astronaut, stands next to an F-104 Starfighter supersonic jet in this photo. The Cygnus NG-13 spacecraft is named the "S.S. Robert H. Lawrence" to honor the astronaut, who died in a training accident in 1967 before he could launch. (Image credit: U.S. Air Force)

Northrop Grumman named the Cygnus NG-13 spacecraft the "S.S. Robert H. Lawrence" in honor of U.S. Air Force Maj. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., who became the first African American ever selected to be an astronaut in 1967. The U.S. Air Force picked Lawrence as an astronaut for its Manned Orbiting Laboratory  a planned military space station  in June 1967, but he was killed in a training flight accident later that year before he could reach space.

Frank DeMauro, Northrop Grumman vice president and general manager for Tactical Space Systems, said Saturday that his team was honored to name Cygnus NG-13 in honor of Lawrence. The mission is launching during Black History Month, with NASA and others celebrating the contributions of African-American space pioneers.

"Although his career was cut short in a tragic accident, he paved the way for future aerospace pioneers of all races and enabled increased diversity and inclusion across the industry," DeMauro said Saturday. "While Major Lawrence never flew into space, we are proud that Cygnus will carry his name on this mission."

Related: Manned Orbiting Laboratory: Inside a US military space station

Another view of the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket launching Cygnus NG-13 on Feb. 15, 2020. (Image credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

A science ride

Of the nearly 4 tons of cargo on Cygnus, 2,129 lbs. (966 kg) of it is made up of equipment for 20 different science experiments on the station. Those experiments include studies into bone loss from prolonged exposure to weightlessness, bacteria-targeting viruses that could lead to new medications, as well as some cowpeas to be grown as part of a space food experiment.

Heidi Parris, NASA's assistant program scientist for the International Space Station program's science office, said those experiments aim to use the weightless environment on the station to learn more about how to live off Earth, including on the moon and Mars.

"Taking that fundamental gravity out of the equation gives a fundamental understanding of how things work," Parris said.

The Cygnus NG-13 spacecraft is prepared for launch. (Image credit: Northrop Grumman)

One novel experiment is Mochii, a small scanning electron microscope about the size of a breadbox that can help astronauts quickly identify the composition of small particles, such as debris or contamination in spacesuits.

"Currently the ISS has a blind spot, in that we can't perform this kind of analysis on orbit," James Martinez, a materials scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center participating in the experiment.

Mochii was built by the Seattle-based company Voxa. It will be installed in the station's Japanese Kibo laboratory and serve as a new platform and tool for astronauts and scientists.

"It's the first portable scanning electron microscope in the world," Christopher Own, Voxa CEO, said in a science briefing Saturday. And now, it's the first scanning electron microscope in space.

Another key experiment on Cygnus is the Spacecraft Fire Experiment IV, or Saffire-IV. As its name suggests, Saffire-IV is the fourth experiment to study how fire behaves in space aboard a Cygnus spacecraft after it leaves the space station.

Cygnus NG-13 is due to leave the station in May. Once it's a safe distance from the station, the fire experiment will be activated to see how materials like Nomex and plastic panels  which are used in spacesuits and spacecraft  burn inside a meter-long container.

"Fire safety has been a big concern ever since we started flying crewed vehicles into space," said Gary Ruff, Saffire-IV project manager at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The new study will use high-speed cameras to capture different views of space under different oxygen levels, he added.

Related: Watch NASA's Fire-in-Space Experiments Ignite in a Blazing Success

Here's a breakdown of the cargo flying on Cygnus NG-13:

Crew supplies: 1,570 lbs. (712 kg);

1,570 lbs. (712 kg); Science gear: 2,129 lbs. (966 kg);

2,129 lbs. (966 kg); Spacewalk equipment: 179 lbs. (81 kg);

179 lbs. (81 kg); Vehicle hardware: 3,501 lbs. (1,588 kg);

3,501 lbs. (1,588 kg); Computer resources: 66 lbs (30 kg).

A flock of Cygnus

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus is one of two private spacecraft (SpaceX's Dragon capsules are the other) that currently haul cargo to the International Space Station for NASA. NG-13 is the 13th Cygnus mission to reach space for NASA by Northrop Grumman as part of the agency's Commercial Resupply Services. That count doesn't include one failed launch in 2014.

On Jan. 31, Cygnus NG-13's predecessor NG-12 left the space station. Northrop Grumman launched the Cygnus NG-12 vehicle in early November while an even earlier vehicle, NG-11, was still in orbit. Friday's launch marks the second dual-Cygnus flight for Northrop Grumman.

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus NG-13 spacecraft will arrive at the International Space Station and be captured by a robotic arm on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 4 a.m. EST (0900 GMT). NASA's live webcast of the rendezvous will begin at 2:30 a.m. EST (0730 GMT) and run through spacecraft capture. After a pause, NASA TV coverage will resume at 6 a.m. EST (1100 GMT) to show Cygnus NG-13's installation on the station.

Visit Space.com Tuesday for complete coverage of Cygnus NG-13's arrival and installation on the station.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. No precipitation is expected in Armenia in the daytime of February 15, on February 16-20, the ministry of emergency situations told Armenpress.

Snowfalls are expected in separate regions of the Republic on February 17.

Air temperature will increase by 6-8 degrees on February 16-17.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Steven Selikoff presenting a seminar on negotiation at Global Sources Summit in Hong Kong 2019 New destinations and new programs allow us to continue to serve our entrepreneurs while we wait for the situation in China to get better

The Product Development Academy today announced it was expanding its direct learning destinations beyond China to include Australia, and the US so that students participating in its business development program had more options to learn and meet with contract manufacturers, retailers, and distributors.

The Product Development Academy is all about giving people with great ideas the tools and experience needed to bring those ideas to life, Steven Selikoff, Founder, said. This goes beyond just course work; we make sure every participant is connected with other students, mentors, and experts and gets the opportunity to travel directly to manufacturing locations, retailer locations, and meet with retail experts, so that they can learn firsthand how to get their products out to the market.

The new destinations are being added to the programs initial option of visiting Guangzhou China to attend the Canton Fair, which occurs twice a year and features more than 60,000 booths with almost a half a square mile of exhibitors. Because of the uncertainty of the coronavirus, and the Academy wants to be sure that its participating entrepreneurs have additional options throughout the world.

We are incredibly excited about our new destinations as we now have a wide variety of markets our students can visit depending on their exact needs, Selikoff said. And in addition, out of an abundance of caution regarding the coronavirus outbreak, we are giving our students the opportunity to reschedule their Canton Fair trip to October instead of April.

Participants in the program spend a month taking online courses to learn how to bring their product ideas from concept to reality. Topics covered in the program include:



Product Development process

Customer Demand Validation

Product Suppliers

Sourcing

Logistics

Intellectual Property

We stay with our students through every step of the way so they can confidently meet with suppliers and manufacturers and get the best deals possible, Selikoff said. We visit the factories so that our students can learn about production facilities in person.

The Product Development Academy was launched because Selikoff and his team found that aspiring entrepreneurs all over the world kept coming to them with questions when they were looking to produce, launch, and sell a product.

How do you keep a factory from stealing your idea? What do you say when a supplier quotes you a high MOQ? How do you know if you are being overcharged for a mold? What questions should you ask an Inspection Company before hiring them? How do you get your product onto store shelves? How do you keep them there? How does selling to retailers compare to selling on Amazon? How do you review a factory, and how do you find a factory in the first place?

Selikoff was sought out due to his personal success launching unique products, his background as a global business manager at Microsoft for two divisions, including the Worldwide Retail Sales & Marketing, and his writing of The Canton Fair Workbook.

We were inspired by those questions and developed an entire course around getting people answers, Selikoff said. And depending on what type of product is being developed, those answers can be different, so it was important we make sure we were providing people with specialized assistance along the way.

There are already plenty of courses out there that teach people how to game the Amazon system by copying existing products, Selikoff said. We are different because we focus on helping people launch unique products and grow beyond selling solely on online marketplaces.

The new destinations will be offered throughout the Spring and Summer of 2020. More information can be found online at https://productdevelopmentacademy.com/
A fire broke out at the basement of The Park hotel in Lutyens' Delhi on Sunday morning, following which three people, including two Norwegian nationals, were admitted to a hospital, police said.

The incident took place around 9 am, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav said.

However, the fire department said they were informed about the incident by police around 12.25 pm, following which five fire-tenders were rushed to the spot.

The fire was brought under control by the hotel staff with the help of fire extinguishers before the fire tenders reached, a senior fire official said.

Even though the blaze was brought under control, smoke had engulfed the building, he said, adding that none of the people staying at the hotel suffered any serious injuries.

Both the police and the fire department were not informed about the incident by the hotel management, police said.

"Police were informed about the incident by the hospital (Ganga Ram Hospital) around 11:45 am from the Rajinder Nagar police station," Yadav said.

The Park hotel issued a statement saying they are "deeply concerned about the incident that took place at the basement of the hotel this morning" and that "safety has always been our top priority".

Twelve people, including 11 foreign nationals staying at the hotel, were taken to a hospital, where nine of them were given first aid, a senior police official said.

Norwegian nationals Abdi Bhasir and Joshim Kvan were admitted to the hospital after they suffered breathing difficulties, police said, adding Kundan Rai, 30, who suffered minor injuries during the incident, was also admitted there.

However, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in a statement said, "Two persons from Norway have been admitted for breathing difficulty due to suspected inhalation injury."



According to S Katoch, Additional Director Medical, at the facility, "Today morning around 11 am, nine patients were brought to the casualty department after a fire incident at The Park hotel here."



Seven patients were discharged after administering first aid, he said.

Later, a team of the fire department was sent to inspect the spot and look into the matter.

Police said the fire started from the hotel basement due to a short circuit when a generator was being tested.

A case under section 285 (Negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) and 337 (causing hurt by act of endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Connaught Place police station, police said.

The Park hotel, in its statement, said," There was a short circuit that lead to a minor fire, however, the situation was quickly normalised by our in-house Crisis Management team. Some of our guests were exposed to the smoke of the fire and as a precautionary measure were sent for a thorough check up to the hospital."



"Safety has always been our top priority and we assure that all our guests and employees are safe. An investigation has been launched to get to the bottom of the incident to ensure we can take measures to avoid a similar situation in future", it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The American Volunteer Group Flying Tigers was recruited under President Roosevelt before the Pearl Harbor attack dragged the USA into the Second World War in order to help defend China from Imperial Japanese forces.

Twenty-year-old Frank Losonsky from Detroit, Michigan, was one of over three-hundred military personnel who volunteered for the overseas posting in 1941.

Remuneration was good but the catch was that Frank had to leave US service in order to qualify before being sent to Kunming.

Under the command of Claire Lee Chennault of the Chines Air Force, the American P40-B aircraft were painted with Chinese colours but were essentially all-USA assets.

Three squadrons of thirty aircraft trained in Burma before the outbreak of War. Losonsky was part of the support crew and became a crew chief with the Hells Angels, maintaining three to four aircraft sourcing salvage parts and delivering bombs.

They made their first combat engagement twelve days after the Pearl Harbour attack on December 20th, 1941 and fared so well that their exploits soon became legend.

In all the squadrons received credit for destroying 296 Japanese aircraft while losing just fourteen of their own pilots.

The kill ratio was substantially higher than their contemporaries fighting in Malaya, the Philippines and other locations around the Pacific theatre.

The credit for this was attributed to Chennaults radical philosophy regarding air combat. He spent time observing Russian and Japanese Air Force tactics and equipment and then analysed the strengths and weaknesses he observed in his own squadrons.

This way he maintained the combat ready capability of the Flying Tigers at approximately sixty flyers.

Chennaults rule was that pilots should take on the enemy in small groups and from above, as the P-40s were not as manoeuvrable as the Japanese fighters.

Dive-and-zoom attacks had been used successfully by the Russians but ran contrary to the training the American pilots were used to. Nonetheless this tactic was proved effective time and time again.

The Flying Tigers first mission was to intercept ten unescorted Kawasaki Ki-48 bombers. Three were shot down and a fourth crashed before it could make it home.

Communication intercepts confirmed that just one Ki-48 bomber made it back to Hanoi. The bombs, destined for Kunming, were jettisoned and raids on the city came to an end for the duration of the AVG Flying Tigers residency.

It was one of the first military successes of the Pacific War for the USA. The following year, the day the Flying Tigers were disbanded, July 4th, 1942 the Group destroyed four Japanese Ki-27s and incurred no loss to themselves.

The AVG Flying Tigers were officially renamed the 23rd Fighter Group of the US Air Force, which was then taken into the 14th Air Force commanded by General Chennault.

The group went on to further successes and retained the famous nose-art, the shark-mouth and flying tiger decal designed by the Walt Disney company, on the Curtiss P-40 Warhawks.

Not everyone went on to serve in the US military, some decided to remain in China, others, like Frank Losonsky, had to make their own way back around the world.

Losonsky travelled through Asia and South Africa before making his way back to the USA where he met and married his wife.

He then returned to China to work for the state airline helping to circumvent the Japanese blockade of the Burma Road.

Supplies had to be flown from China to India over the Himalayan Mountain Range, otherwise known as the hump.

When the war finally came to an end Frank Losonsky took a mechanics job with the Burmese Trans-Asiatic Airlines where he trained to fly, becoming a pilot.

P-51D Little Rebel Yours For $2.5 Million

In 2016 Losonsky was a guest at the Atlanta Warbird Weekend where the veteran was treated to a backseat ride in a Texas Flying Legends P-40.
More and more high school students are taking classes that can earn them credits at Montana colleges and universities.

Those increases in dual enrollment have been hailed as a good thing by educators across the state, and schools and state officials have waived some fees for students to promote the courses. Billings Public Schools superintendent Greg Upham recently speculated that an increase in offerings for students has fueled reduced remediation rates for Billings graduates attending Montana universities.

But can they move the needle for Montana University System schools struggling with enrollment?

Dual enrollment has been a bright spot for Montana State University Billings as the school has struggled to reverse a multi-year trend of dropping enrollment, growing from 102 high-schoolers in 2011-12 to 968 this spring.

More of those students have gone on to attend MSUB as four-year students, from 40 who took dual enrollment classes in 2011-12 to 105 in 2016-17, according to statistics provided by the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

Not all Montana universities saw a similar increase; the University of Montana actually dropped from 10 students over the time period.
This is part 2 of Yahoo Finances Illegal Tender podcast about the big business behind opioids in the United States. Listen to the series here.

Fentanyl in the form of a highly lethal, synthetic opioid thats been making its way through the U.S. over the last decade. The largest source of this illicit drug is China.

Ben Westhoff, an investigative journalist and author of Fentanyl Inc.: How Rogue Chemists are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic, decided to see firsthand how these drugs are being made.

A bag of 4-fluoro isobutyryl fentanyl which was seized in a drug raid is displayed at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Testing and Research Laboratory in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

I went really deep and tried to learn everything I could about this problem, and that brought me to China, he said. I actually went undercover into a pair of Chinese drug operations, including, I went into a fentanyl lab outside Shanghai. And I was pretending to be a drug dealer.

He continued: What I learned was that these companies making fentanyl and other dangerous drugs are subsidized by the government. And so when they work in these suburban office parks, for example, the building, the costs for research and development, they have these development zones, they get export tax breaks.

Illegal Tender by Yahoo Finance is a podcast that goes inside mysteries in the business world. Listen to all of season three: The United States of Opioids: Behind a uniquely American crisis

Chart produced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office for a Senate Drug Caucus hearing on Oct. 2, 2018, with data from the Defense Intelligence Agency. (Source: Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office)

Shoddy regulations on Chinas side has led to these drugs entering the U.S. The U.S.-China Business Council stated this is in large part because local governments were prioritizing economic growth and development objectives above all else, in addition to the fragmented nature of Chinas administrative system that oversees the production and export of chemical and pharmaceutical products.

Lax postal service regulations have also contributed to the drugs rise in the U.S. Initially, those who were shipping fentanyl from China to the U.S. would mislabel the packages and ship them through another country as an extra precaution.

Story continues

The U.S. government enacted the Synthetic Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act, which was signed into law in October 2018. The legislation mandates that the USPS require being supplied with advanced electronic information for all shipments arriving internationally.

Fentanyl from China flows into the U.S. in several ways. (Photo: Government Accountability Office)

I think the first thing that really needs to be done is China has to curtail these policies, Westhoff said. We can only really control what's happening at home. And we needed to start figuring out: Why are people taking fentanyl? How is it getting into the drug supply? How can people better be prepared to deal with fentanyl when it's discovered? And that's something I put a lot of time and thought into.

Back in February 2019, the medical journal JAMA published research detailing how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pharmaceutical companies, and doctors overprescribed fentanyl as a painkiller from 2012 to 2017. And so the drug  which is sometimes administered when patients with chronic pain are physically tolerant to other opioids  reached more people than it should have and spilled over into the street trade.

This photo provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Phoenix Division shows some of the 30,000 fentanyl pills the agency seized in one of its bigger busts, in Tempe, Ariz. (Drug Enforcement Administration via AP)

Illegal Tender by Yahoo Finance is a podcast that goes inside mysteries in the business world. Listen to all of season three: The United States of Opioids: Behind a uniquely American crisis

The street trade is where Chinas responsibility lies, Westhoff said. Its part of the reason why between 2016 and 2017, synthetic opioid overdose deaths, including fentanyl, increased by 45%. Data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are now the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States.

At heart, I think this story is really about global capitalism, Westhoff said. And as much as we might want to say, it's the evil Chinese leaders who are inflicting this horrible poison on Americans, really it's the same things that drive global capitalism. The internet age, these drugs are sold on the internet, the speed of shipping has been increased.

He continued: The giant China and the U.S. normalized trade relations in the year 2000, and that cutting down barriers to trade. All of these things are fueling the drug crisis, and people who don't even realize they're involved with it, like the UPS workers, for example, the people driving these barges going across the ocean that are filled with fentanyl, and they don't even realize it. And so it's such a complicated problem that, at the end of the day, it can all be traced back, like everything else, to profit motive.

Fentanyl deaths have spiked over recent years. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

Illegal Tender by Yahoo Finance is a podcast that goes inside mysteries in the business world. Listen to all of season three: The United States of Opioids: Behind a uniquely American crisis

Full transcript:

Adriana Belmonte: This is Illegal Tender, season three. I'm Adriana Belmonte. Data has shown that the opioid crisis will have cost the US economy more than $819 billion, from 2015 through 2019. To put that into perspective, that's over five times the cost of weather and climate disasters between 2016 to 2018. Between 2016 and 2017, synthetic opioid overdose deaths, including fentanyl, spiked upward by 45%. Fentanyl can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. And according to the National Institute of Health, synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are now the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States. So who is it that's responsible for this fentanyl surge? Is it our pharmaceutical companies? The drug cartels in Mexico? Or chemistry labs out of China?

Ben Westhoff: Yeah, we do think of the Mexican cartels as supplying almost all the drugs that Americans have. And that's true of heroin, meth, cocaine, and even marijuana to a large extent. But these new drugs, particularly fentanyl, they're made in the lab and they're all made in China. And so, what China does is these are, these are chemists, these are in some cases legitimate chemists and companies who make these drugs, and sometimes they're even made legally by Chinese law. There's these different types of fentanyl, different types of new drugs. And then they are shipped to the Mexican cartels, who distribute them in the US. Sometimes fentanyl and other drugs made in China are actually shipped through the US mail directly to consumers. And so you have the US Postal Service, FedEx, UPS, all unwittingly serving as drug couriers to Americans.

Adriana: A 2019 study from the Cleveland Fed, found that prescription opioids accounted for 44% of the decline in labor force participation among men between 2001 and 2015. So look at it this way. The reason why almost half of America's men are out of the workforce is because of opioids. So where are these drugs actually coming from? For fentanyl, it's mostly coming from China. Ben Westhoff detailed it in his book, Fentanyl, Inc.

BW: I went really deep and tried to learn everything I could about this problem, and that brought me to China. I actually went undercover into a pair of Chinese drug operations, including, I went into a fentanyl lab outside Shanghai, and I was pretending to be a drug dealer.

A reporter holds up an example of the amount of fentanyl that can be deadly. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

BW: It was all very harrowing and my wife and family were concerned for my wellbeing. But in the process I learned that these are normal companies. I was expecting, like I said, an underground sort of drug lair, with guys holding AK47s guarding the doors. But it wasn't like that. The lab I visited looked like a suburban office park. And what I learned was that these companies making fentanyl and other dangerous drugs are subsidized by the government. And so when they work in these suburban office parks, for example, the building, the costs for research and development, they have these development zones, they get export tax breaks. And so, I think the first thing that really needs to be done is China has to curtail these policies. We can only really control what's happening at home. And we needed to start figuring out, why are people taking fentanyl? How is it getting into the drug supply? How can people better be prepared to deal with fentanyl when it's discovered? And that's something I put a lot of time and thought into.

Adriana: Now, when you were in China, did you know, is fentanyl a big issue there as well in terms of addiction, or is it just being taken out of China to other places?

BW: I got to learn a lot of interesting things about drug culture in China. And one thing that really shocked me first of all was that almost nobody uses marijuana. Almost nobody uses cocaine. The drugs of abuse in China tend to be things like meth and heroin. And even ketamine is very popular, but fentanyl is not a problem in China. China does not have a fentanyl crisis nearly the scope that the US does, or Canada, also has a really big problem. And so to a lot of people, this is why China hasn't really cracked down on its fentanyl industry, because its own people aren't dying from it. And so the way the Chinese government works is, fentanyl is illegal there, but it's not so much just the laws on the books, it's what resources the government dedicates to cracking down on different problems. And so when it comes to meth, which is a huge problem among Chinese citizens, the government has really focused on trying to stamp it out, take drug dealers down, disrupt operations. But when it comes to fentanyl being made there, that's just not the case.

Adriana: So, I know you talk a lot about this in your book, but for people who aren't familiar with it, what was it that took you to China to begin with, and what made you want to go to this particular place in China?

BW: I heard so much that fentanyl came from China, and I wanted to know, how are people ordering this? And so I just Googled "buy fentanyl in China" and I was shocked when just dozens and dozens of different companies, web addresses came up, and you could just directly email the sales people. And so I was in contact with a bunch of them. I made a fake email address and I said, "Tell me more about your company." And sometimes I would get up at four in the morning to do Skype conversations with salespeople in places like Guangdong and Shanghai and Wuhan. And we talked about drugs. But I also talked about, what's life like as someone who was selling these awful chemicals? And I got to really know the human side of the people working for these companies as well.

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chemist checks confiscated powder containing fentanyl at the DEA Northeast Regional Laboratory on October 8, 2019 in New York. (Photo by DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)

Adriana: Now, did you ever feel like your life was in danger while you were in infiltrating these labs?

BW: It was definitely a scary experience. One thing that I took a little bit of comfort in, is that these people running these labs really are business people and so they don't, gun control is very strong in China. Even the criminals don't tend to have guns. And so I was, however, really worried about the Chinese government because I wasn't there on a tourist visa. Excuse me, I was there on a tourist visa. I wasn't there on a journalist visa, because I knew if I got a journalist visa they wouldn't let me do the things I wanted to do. And so, but I've since talked with the US department, the State department, and they are warning me, don't go back to China, what you did is grounds enough to be put in jail. And so I am taking their advice.

Adriana: So, how did they find out? It was once the book came out that they found out about all the undercover work you did?

BW: Well, I don't even know if they do know. That's the thing. They might have never have heard of me, I might be top of their most wanted list. I just, there's no way to know, and so I can't take my chances.

Adriana: And I know that there were some people that you had formed, I guess, a cordial relationship with while you were there. Have you heard from any of them since then?

BW: I haven't heard from the sales people, but I have learned a lot of information about this company that I wrote about in great detail. The company is called [Yuan Chung 00:00:07:29]. They're based in Wuhan, huge portion of the book, my book, Fentanyl, Inc., is dedicated to, how did this company come to be? They came to sell more fentanyl ingredients than any company in the world. I did this deep dive about the CEO, how he amassed his fortune, how they came to start selling these chemicals. And I ended up in China going to their sales floor, with hundreds of sales people, young people just out of college, behind laptops, using social media to sell this stuff. And I ran the numbers on this company and they're making a ton of money. But since then, since the book came out, there has actually been a big fire at their factory and it came out the exact, that the fire happened the exact same time when my first excerpt for this book came out, it was in the Atlantic magazine and it was all about this company.

An officer from the Customs and Border Protection, Trade and Cargo Division works with a dog to check parcels at John F. Kennedy Airport's US Postal Service facility. (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)

BW: And so right when that happened, there was a huge fire at the factory, and the police said in the article, that arson had not been ruled out. So I am curious to know what's going on behind the scenes there.

Adriana: And what was some of the things that you saw while you were infiltrating this Chinese lab? I know you said that the place looks very normal for a place that's making illegal drugs, but what were some of the other things that you witnessed?

BW: Yeah, well I go into detail in my book, but this place that was selling the fentanyl precursors was, in a way, it wasn't all that different than the Yahoo offices here. They had their own chef, they had this big canteen, they tried to promote team-building. It was very corporate in its on the way. They work long hours. They had to work Saturdays, and it was actually in an old hotel, and so all the employees lived in the hotel as well. And that was actually a sales point to try to get people to work there, because room and board were provided. So, I'm not saying you should give up your jobs here and move there, but there were similarities.

Adriana: And what do you think was the most surprising thing about your experience there in China, that you weren't expecting?

BW: Well, I loved going to China. I loved being there and it makes me sad to think I can't go back. But, at heart, I think this story is really about global capitalism. And as much as we might want to say, it's the evil Chinese leaders who are inflicting this horrible poison on Americans, really it's the same things that drive global capitalism. The internet age, these drugs are sold on the internet, the speed of shipping has been increased. All, the giant China and the US normalized trade relations in the year 2000, and that cutting down barriers to trade. All of these things are fueling the drug crisis, and people who don't even realize they're involved with it, like the UPS workers, for example, the people driving these barges going across the ocean that are filled with fentanyl, and they don't even realize it. And so it's such a complicated problem that, at the end of the day, it can all be traced back, like everything else, to profit motive.

Adriana: Also in your book you talk about how these Chinese labs are manufacturing it. So, can you go into a little bit more detail of how it's making its way into the US and what's happening before it gets to the US as well?

BW: Yeah, we do think of the Mexican cartels as supplying almost all the drugs that Americans have. And that's true of heroin, meth, cocaine, and even marijuana to a large extent. But these new drugs, particularly fentanyl, they're made in the lab and they're all made in China. And so, what China does is these are, these are chemists, these are in some cases legitimate chemists and companies who make these drugs, and sometimes they're even made legally by Chinese law. There's these different types of fentanyl, different types of new drugs. And then they are shipped to the Mexican cartels, who distribute them in the US. Sometimes fentanyl and other drugs made in China are actually shipped through the US mail directly to consumers. And so you have the US Postal Service, FedEx, UPS, all unwittingly serving as drug couriers to Americans.

Drug overdose deaths declined in 2018, but fentanyl overdose deaths increased. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

Adriana: So you're talking about the postal service, how it's being used as couriers here? Should they be held responsible for this? Does the blame go to China, these labs, where does the primary responsibility lie for getting to the root of this issue?

BW: Right. Well, there is a lot of blame to be spread around. I talk about, in Fentanyl, Inc., the case of an 18-year-old boy from North Dakota named Bailey Hanke, and he overdosed and died from fentanyl that he got from just the local neighborhood high school drug dealer. And that guy got it off the dark web. And so, the dark web, you probably know, is the disguised internet protocol that has all these drug marketplaces. And the man who was selling via the dark web was based in Portland, Oregon. And then he had a connection, and another connection, and finally it could be sourced back to China. And so the DEA and other departments of US law enforcement prosecuted people on every step of this drug ladder, except who they couldn't prosecute were the Chinese chemists who actually made the drug.

BW: And that's because China doesn't extradite criminals accused of US crimes. And so, when we're talking about who's to blame for the fentanyl crisis, we've got to start at home. Why is the demand so high? But in terms of China, and that's what I really focused on in my book in large part, China is not only doing a poor job stopping fentanyl from getting exported to the US, they are even encouraging it in a lot of ways, through the tax code and all these complicated ways that add up to a really troubling situation.

Adriana: So now we know how it's getting in, but how is it spreading? Why is fentanyl and other opioid use so rampant in the United States? One thing that Ben pointed out, that's worth noting, is that fentanyl is not a drug that people are seeking out. Meaning it's often being accidentally consumed by being cut into other drugs, particularly heroin and prescription tablets. So essentially someone who is using drugs purchased from unreliable sources is often at risk of trying fentanyl, and by proxy, at high risk for overdose, because just a small amount of fentanyl can have deadly consequences.

Ryan: So, my name is Ryan Marino. I'm an emergency physician, so I work in the emergency room, and I'm also a medical toxicologist.

Adriana: When it comes to patients overdosing and receiving treatment. We wanted to speak to a professional.

RM: And certainly prescription opioids were over prescribed, were a big factor leading into the problem we're in now, but this is not prescription fentanyl. Fentanyl was never really one of the ones that was being prescribed heavily, even though it is an opioid we use medically. But fentanyl is just a nice synthetic opioid that people can make at home. You can make it in a lab very easily. People can order the precursor parts on the internet. You can ship it in bulk from places like China, and then make it somewhere like Mexico, or even in the United States now. And so that's where fentanyl is coming from. And the reason for that is because, not because of prescriptions either, but because heroin has been so effectively targeted by criminal justice efforts, and supply side interventions, that there isn't really enough heroin production anymore to match the rate of people who were using heroin before.

Steph Gaspar, a volunteer outreach worker with The Hand Up Project, an addiction and homeless advocacy group, cleans up needles used for drug injection that were found at a homeless encampment in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

RM: So, fentanyl is made into a powder that looks very similar to heroin and then it's usually sold as heroin, in the same way, used the exact same way. But fentanyl itself is about 50 times more potent. So, whereas street heroin used to be about 50% pure heroin, if you think of that, fentanyl is about 1% pure to get the same dose. And so a change in percentage of just 1% purity can give someone twice the dose that they would be expecting. And that's where all these overdoses are coming from.

RM: And then another big misconception here, since I did say that this is not medical fentanyl, is that even though it isn't medical fentanyl, it's being sold in street drugs, and people refer to this as illicit fentanyl. It's the same molecule. It is the same exact drug as the fentanyl we use in the hospital, that people have been using day in and day out for the past almost 50 years.

Adriana: There are countless misconceptions about fentanyl, and the use of opioids in general, but there are even more about the people who turn to these drugs to begin with. Oftentimes addiction begins with simply experimenting. It doesn't just happen overnight. Here's what Andrew [Burki], the chief public policy officer at the Hanley Foundation had to say.

Andrew: I wouldn't classify what I was doing as a substance use disorder. I would classify it as experimentation and substance misuse. But once those opioids hit your system, when I started really getting into substances, that's when I sort of took off, and of course I ended up on heroin. So there are no, there's certainly, you have 200 million Americans plus that are moderate with alcohol consumption. You have a lot of people even that moderate with marijuana consumption. There are no social heroin addicts, it's heroin users rather. You are either using heroin or you're not using heroin. There's no gray, and especially with fentanyl, as you cover extensively. No-one would, from a recreational standpoint, roll the dice on potentially dying every single time they use, which is why we have 70,000 Americans dying each year now. We just, this decade that's about to wrap up in whatever, 10 days or so, less than two weeks, is, we lost half a million Americans to overdose. It's just an unacceptable. That is fundamentally unacceptable.

Editors Note: After the time that this podcast was recorded, Andrew Burki was arrested on three counts of sexual assault, aggravated assault on a domestic violence victim, and possession of a firearm magazine capable of holding more bullets than allowed under New Jersey state law.

Adriana: In our third and final episode of this season, we learn about the stigma associated with drug use and the consequences that come with it. Why do you think that there is this stigma still towards losing somebody to substance use disorder?

Cheryl Juaire: Because I think people look down on you. "Your child died from an overdose. He must have been a bad kid. You must have raised him wrong. You must have done something wrong." And that's the mentality of thinking, unless it's touched them, really touched them. Unless they know somebody, they're just going to be ignorant to it, unless they come up and say, "Tell me about that loss. What happened?" And that's when we can educate them. That's when it will change things. But the ones who have been in the throes of addiction, the ones who have lost their children to addiction, we all know, and we all get it.

Adriana: Illegal Tender is made by Yahoo Finance, at our studios in New York City. This episode was written and hosted by me, Adriana Belmonte. Illegal Tender was created, edited, and produced by Alex Sugg. Thank you to Ben Westhoff, Ryan Marino, Andrew Burki and Cheryl Juaire for contributing to this story. Westhoff's book, Fentanyl, Inc,. How Rogue Chemists are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic, is available now from Grove Atlantic. If you enjoy this podcast, head over to Apple podcasts and leave us a five-star rating, and review it for the show. Until next time, thank you for listening to Illegal Tender.

Adriana is an editor and reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @adrianambells.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, FRANCOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE, SAYING:

"What I would say and I've repeated many times is that the best antidote to conspiracy is transparency.''

Canadian Foreign Minister demanded on Saturday (February 15) that Iran share its black boxes to be assessed by international authorities.

As foreign ministers from Afghanistan, Canada, Ukraine, Great Britain and Sweden met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference for a second in-person meeting to discuss the ongoing investigation into a Ukrainian passenger plane shot down in Tehran in January.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, FRANCOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE, SAYING:

"The place where that black box could be sent based on our discussion is France which has all the equipment, all the expertise and all the credibility to be able to do that in a transparent fashion so that Canadians, Ukrainians and others in the international community can be present when that happens. We want that to happen quickly.''

Iran has so far rejected Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's call to send the "black box" flight recorders from the plane abroad to be decoded.

Many of the 176 who perished in the disaster were Iranians with dual citizenship, which is not recognised by Iran.

Canada had 57 citizens on board.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-15 00:01:33|Editor: huaxia

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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier addresses the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 14, 2020.(Xinhua/Lu Yang)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) opened in the southern German city of Munich on Friday afternoon with a theme coined as "Westlessness."

"Westlessness" refers to the loss of the common standing of what it means to be part of the West, according to a security report published ahead of the conference.

More than 500 high-level international decision-makers, including over 35 heads of state or government as well as some 100 foreign and defense ministers gathered at the conference to discuss current crises and future security challenges.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a congratulatory letter to President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic on the countrys national day  the Statehood Day, the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The letter says: I remember with warmth my official visit to Serbia in October 2019 which was a wonderful opportunity for expanding and strengthening the cooperation between our friendly countries.

I am confident that the opening of an embassy of Serbia in Armenia, the decision to abolish visa regime between our countries, as well as the fields of food safety, tourism, high technologies, innovation and artificial intelligence create new prospects for further boosting and developing the existing ties for the benefit of our peoples.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan